Random Thoughts on “Journey’s End”

July 10th, 2008 7:53pm by rusty-halo | 33 Comments »

A whole bunch of random thoughts on “Journey’s End” which don’t really deserve their own posts:

RTD’s finales. Here’s the thing: I think people are criticizing him for “bad writing” in his finales, when he’s actually making a legitimate and conscious storytelling choice. Basically, due to the format of the show and the need to draw in particular audiences, the finale has to be a spectacle. It’s not about long meaningful exploration of the characters; it’s about wrapping everything up with lots of big bangs. But to counter this, RTD puts all that character exploration in the episodes before the finale. Everything you’re complaining is missing? Just look for it in the episodes that immediately precede the finale:

* Season two: “Fear Her” was the big final exploration of the relationship between the Doctor and Rose. She’s his hand to hold, their senses of humor mesh, they’ve become ridiculously flirty and comfortable together, and Rose has become a hero in her own right, capable of saving the day when the Doctor is out of the picture. “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday” are mostly about Daleks and Cybermen stomping around. If you wanted more Doctor/Rose exploration, you weren’t going to get it, because that came before; this is the conclusion, the Bad Wolf Bay scene at the end.

* Season three: “Utopia” was the big Doctor/Jack reunion talk. “Sound of Drums” was the big Doctor/Master reunion phone-sex. “Last of the Time Lords” was… a whole lot of crack, followed by the conclusions: the Master’s death and Martha and Jack leaving. But if you went into LotTL expecting big meaty exploration of the Doctor/Master issues… you were left quite wanting.

* Season four: “Midnight” was an exploration of why the Doctor needs companions and of the dark side of his effect on humans. “Turn Left” was an exploration the Doctor’s impact on the universe, of Donna as a character and her potential for awesome, and of how Rose has come into her own as an adventurer and universe-defender. “The Stolen Earth” was mostly set-up for the finale and introductions of the various returning companions. The big thing explored was via the Harriet Jones scenes, of how the Doctor has empowered these people to fight and die for him.

“Journey’s End” didn’t get into big meaty exploration of much, which I’ve seen lots of complaints about, but that’s because it was in the setup episodes before. This was conclusions: Davros reveals the Doctor’s soul, the Doctor sees the companions off, sends Rose to the AU, wipes Donna’s memory, and ends up alone. An exploration of the various nuances and complications of these situations comes in the leadup episodes, not in this one itself. Which, yes, makes it feel rushed, but that’s because it’s a finale and the kids are supposed to be cheering the special effects. :P At least the exploration is there, if you just look a bit earlier.

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Dalek Caan is the most adorable thing ever. I already have a problem about Daleks, which is that I know they’re supposed to be terrifying genocidal monsters, but they are just so damn cute. I just want to pet them and scratch behind their funny antennae things that look like ears. And they’re always so hysterical and frantic, I can’t help it, it’s like they’re socially awkward puppies. And then you add BATSHIT INSANITY and throw in a dash of REDEMPTION and you get Dalek Caan. And he giggles like a maniac and he’s got all these flailing tentacles and OH MY GOD HE’S SO CUTE I CAN’T STAND IT. At least I’m not the only one with this reaction; peasant can’t wait to get her hands on a fluffy Dalek Caan toy.

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I think Donna’s memory wipe was a brilliant story-telling choice. Not because I think it’s good for her; hell no, I think it’s creepy and horrible and tragic. But I don’t think RTD was just being sadistic; he was doing a bunch of good things: 1) Leaving the option for Catherine Tate to return, 2) Adding a dimension of hope to the story, that she can become awesome again in another form, and 3) Using her story to epitomize the question of the season: would the Doctor’s companions be better off having never known him?

***

Why the Doctor and Rose can’t be together:

Okay, I’ve seen lots of opinions that the story is saying that the Doctor and Rose literally couldn’t be together while he’s a Time Lord and she’s a human, because of like physical, biological differences: his Time Lord brain isn’t capable of loving a human, or it would be like bestiality, or whatever. I disagree completely, and if that’s the story I thought they were telling, I’d be seriously pissed off. Anything that says “biology is destiny” just gets on my last nerve. I hate that in any form and part of why I liked the Doctor/Rose story is because it said the unlikeliest people can fall in love and bring out sides of each other that they’d never have guessed were there.

And I don’t like the idea that Rose must want to settle down, that she must want babies and a white picket fence. Rose never expresses serious interest in those things, whereas she constantly raves about how much she loves traveling and seeing the universe and being able to make a difference. The people who criticize Rose for not “getting her own life” are missing the fact that this was Rose’s life. She’s a universe-saving adventurer hero, too.

The reason I don’t think those are the story is simple: the Doctor flat out tells us why he can’t be with Rose, in “School Reunion.” Because he’ll outlive her, and he doesn’t want to watch her die.

I think he’s wrong to hold back. And I think the story presents him as wrong, because him ending up alone isn’t a good thing, and because it tells us over and over that love is worth the pain of loss, that taking risks and following your heart is worth it, even when suffering follows.

So the Doctor’s reason for not being with Rose isn’t inherent, isn’t unchangeable; it’s a choice he makes, to protect himself from getting hurt. Like lunasky pointed out, the Doctor has been running ever since he looked into the Untempered Schism, and this is just another example. I understand why he does it, but I don’t think he’s right, and I don’t think the story is particularly saying that he’s right. It’s just saying–and showing–that he’s screwed up and lonely, and part of his problem is that he creates his own unhappiness.

And the reason human!Doctor can be with Rose when our Doctor can’t isn’t because of biology, or because Rose wants to settle down and have babies. It’s because he’s not going into the relationship with the certain knowledge that one day he’ll watch her die and have to live on for ages without her. Our Doctor can’t get over that emotional block, can’t give himself completely to a relationship with Rose, because he’s constantly bracing himself against the pain of losing her. Human!Doctor can.

Current Mood: weird