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ladyofleithianYou know how I said going from "The Doctor's Daughter" to "The Unicorn And The Wasp" was quite the exercise in Mood Whiplash? Same here. I mean, for "Planet of the Dead" you got this really honestly fun special with a really hopeful ending, and for "The Waters of Mars"... *Sighs* Three words: Time Lord Victorious. Do I need to say anything else?
(Well, okay, I do, but that's what the cut is for)
First up, "Planet of the Dead". Absolutely loved it. Loved the Doctor reassuring the passengers, for example, when they're frightened about being broken down on a desert planet, and his bonding with Christina. And Christina herself -- smart, competent, funny, and bizarrely likable for a thief. I loved her taking charge of the passengers on the bus, and her showing compassion for the Tritovore (who were also pretty cool). Also loved Malcolm; his fanboying over the Doctor was far too adorable and funny. <3 (And yes, if I ever met Ten, I'd probably be all fangirly too. Hey, Ten is just awesome, really!) Not to mention the swarm... *Shivers* Didn't scare me as much as the monsters in "The Waters of Mars", but still fucking terrifying. Also, the closing line of "Yes, I'll just step into that police box and arrest myself." Oh, Ten. XD Goddamn I'm going to miss you...
And then there's the matter of "The Waters of Mars". Because...holyfuckGodfuckityfuckfuckfuck. *Sighs* While the episode started out with some lightness and such, what with Yuri making that anti-trespassers sign, and the Doctor's "I hate funny robots" (also, Gadget the Robot was awesome. :3 Granted, "Gadget Gadget" got old after a while, but even so...). But then afterwards, it took a right turn into terrifying.
First off, the concept of the monsters. I just...holy fucking damn. The makeup is just really well-done, giving them those little cracks around the mouth and such. And the water constantly gushing from their throats...*shivers* Not to mention stuff like when the water actually honest to God leaking through and getting the crewmembers. Just the pain, watching them shiver and convulse and change...
One death that really got to me was the death of one crewmember where she puts on this...homevideo to sort of...keep her company while she goes through that horrible transformation. And she's just sobbing the whole time. That just...gah. It just drives home the tragedy of the whole thing. Because she had a family back home who loved her. And unlike last episode, where the mother actually did make it home...well, this crewmember didn't. Which really adds a new layer of sad onto this whole thing.
*Sighs*
This is getting depressing now. Here's some HARRY POTTER: http://cheezburger.com/7096690944.
*Sighs*
And back to the program.
I admit while I already had an idea of what was going to happen, it didn't stop me (because I'm a fucking idiot, apparently) from going all, "Come back and save them, Doctor!" To which he popped back later, but...yeah, I kind of wished he didn't. :/
The scene itself is incredibly well-done, with all those sound clips playing as Ten ultimately makes his choice to go back to the Base. I also like how it was not the matter of saving people that was portrayed as a terrible thing (call it a bit of a sore spot after...a series of arguments with someone I parted ways with *), but the matter of taking it too far, as the Doctor did. Lines such as "The laws of time are mine and they will obey me!" and "We're fighting time itself and I'm gonna win!" -- I think the best part (best-written, that is) is how they still manage to make the Doctor sound...well, like the Doctor and not like they randomly turned him into a raving lunatic for the sake of the plot. They didn't completely demonize him; he hasn't become evil by any means. He's just made a terrible mistake, he's terribly deluded, and he doesn't even seem to realize it. That and his darker behavior feels like it naturally extends from his normal personality -- his ordering around the others, the determination, the sort of thinking-out-loud behavior...I know they seem like such little details, but they're enough to at least keep the Doctor rooted in his same Doctor personality. And it doesn't seem to be telling you what to think about the Doctor -- it just shows him to you and that makes him all the more terrifying.
I also love Adelaide's look up at the Doctor as he hijacks Gadget once more (oh yeah, and a terrifying scene earlier -- the Doctor rigging Gadget to be a transport vehicle to get away from the Flood ** and Gadget's owner is screaming in pain because his mind is connected to the robot's. Yep...*Shivers* And this is just getting horrifying. Here's a Midnight Screening video: http://blip.tv/the-cinema-snob/midnight-screening-the-call-6551791) -- Lindsay Duncan just says so much with her eyes alone. Also, The Doctor's grin, the sort of let's-kill-Batman grin...yeah, hello, new form of nightmares. I missed you!
Not to mention sort of deconstructing what typically happens with the Doctor. The knowledge that his TARDIS is...well, the TARDIS gets a rather horrified reaction from Mia, one of the few surviving crew members. Not to mention Adelaide Brooke calling the Doctor out on his "Time Lord Victorious" thing. (Which...no, you're not. The only thing you're really victorious in is having a sanity slippage so massive that Anakin Skywalker would say, "Dude, what the hell?")
I think it was stuff like "the important people" and "the little people" -- I think it was used very skillfully for what it's worth, considering that usually the Doctor has been all about the "no one's unimportant." *** And Adelaide does call him out on it, which is nice. I liked her going "This is wrong, Doctor. I don't care who you are; the Time Lord Victorious is wrong." **** And his response, "That's for me to decide." Brrr... *Shivers* Made worse when he just starts out normal and his normal chipper self when they get back to Earth (though there's that subtle hint of something being off. For example, considering the water, no one should be this damn happy about snow *****) and then when he's alone with Adelaide, he starts going into subtly creepy. Doesn't help that "Tough" already gave me "Utopia" flashbacks. (Hell, there were a lot of callbacks to the Master in the Doctor's dialogue. In a way...well, the Master is the Doctor and the Doctor is the Master. Made a bit funny considering there was a Classic Who idea that they turn out to be the same person, but even that aside...they feel too much like foils to the point it's unsettling. Well done, but unsettling) Not to mention when Adelaide goes into her home and shoots herself to restore the timeline to its normal state. And then the Doctor starts seeing the newspaper clips with changing text, and he just had one of the most "What have I done?" looks on his face: http://www.the-medusa-cascade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=112922&fullsize=1.
Not to mention when he starts having visions of the Ood while he's all but kneeling in the snow outside the TARDIS -- it's there that "Time Lord Victorious" seems to fade and be replaced by naked feelings of fear, guilt, and a lot more. Honestly, having the Doctor go crazy was a gutsy move to begin with, but cap it off with great and even heartwrenching execution overall, and...well, you've got a damn fine episode.
Also, I think it and "Midnight" might actually be two sides of the same coin. They both have the whole "the monster isn't the scary part though it's still scary; how others act is". In the case of "Midnight", it was the people heading for "Midnight" that nearly caused an innocent man's death via their own paranoia. In "The Warers of Mars", it's one man's good intentions gone horrifically awry when it comes in contact with believing he is the only one who can make the laws of time now. Both have someone sacrificing their life to make things right, and both have effective, if chilling lessons behind them. "The Waters of Mars" also has to be given credit for taking someone we would ordinarily abhor, applying it to a really honestly lovable character, and somehow managing to be both sympathetic and terrifying. So...All the Awards, Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford. All of them.
* That and George Lucas' whole "attachment makes you greedy" thing. I like Lucas, but personally, I don't agree. I mean, attachment in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's what you do with it that matters. But I am probably getting way off-topic.
** That's the creatures' names.
*** So, no, contrary to what TV Tropes believes, I don't think Eleven "learned his lesson" from "The Waters of Mars". The no one is truly unimportant thing has always been there. "The Waters of Mars" was just him briefly becoming drunk on power. I could be wrong, but so far, this is what I believe. Because the Doctor is pretty complex, really, and that's why I love him. (Eleven is still wonderful in his own way, though. :)
**** Authors, have this more often, okay?
***** Seriously, I have this feeling that they weren't talking about atmospheric disturbances in other episodes for nothing. May be a bit of a hindsight bias, but still...
So overall? Both amazing episodes. Definitely recommend. :)
(Well, okay, I do, but that's what the cut is for)
First up, "Planet of the Dead". Absolutely loved it. Loved the Doctor reassuring the passengers, for example, when they're frightened about being broken down on a desert planet, and his bonding with Christina. And Christina herself -- smart, competent, funny, and bizarrely likable for a thief. I loved her taking charge of the passengers on the bus, and her showing compassion for the Tritovore (who were also pretty cool). Also loved Malcolm; his fanboying over the Doctor was far too adorable and funny. <3 (And yes, if I ever met Ten, I'd probably be all fangirly too. Hey, Ten is just awesome, really!) Not to mention the swarm... *Shivers* Didn't scare me as much as the monsters in "The Waters of Mars", but still fucking terrifying. Also, the closing line of "Yes, I'll just step into that police box and arrest myself." Oh, Ten. XD Goddamn I'm going to miss you...
And then there's the matter of "The Waters of Mars". Because...holyfuckGodfuckityfuckfuckfuck. *Sighs* While the episode started out with some lightness and such, what with Yuri making that anti-trespassers sign, and the Doctor's "I hate funny robots" (also, Gadget the Robot was awesome. :3 Granted, "Gadget Gadget" got old after a while, but even so...). But then afterwards, it took a right turn into terrifying.
First off, the concept of the monsters. I just...holy fucking damn. The makeup is just really well-done, giving them those little cracks around the mouth and such. And the water constantly gushing from their throats...*shivers* Not to mention stuff like when the water actually honest to God leaking through and getting the crewmembers. Just the pain, watching them shiver and convulse and change...
One death that really got to me was the death of one crewmember where she puts on this...homevideo to sort of...keep her company while she goes through that horrible transformation. And she's just sobbing the whole time. That just...gah. It just drives home the tragedy of the whole thing. Because she had a family back home who loved her. And unlike last episode, where the mother actually did make it home...well, this crewmember didn't. Which really adds a new layer of sad onto this whole thing.
*Sighs*
This is getting depressing now. Here's some HARRY POTTER: http://cheezburger.com/7096690944.
*Sighs*
And back to the program.
I admit while I already had an idea of what was going to happen, it didn't stop me (because I'm a fucking idiot, apparently) from going all, "Come back and save them, Doctor!" To which he popped back later, but...yeah, I kind of wished he didn't. :/
The scene itself is incredibly well-done, with all those sound clips playing as Ten ultimately makes his choice to go back to the Base. I also like how it was not the matter of saving people that was portrayed as a terrible thing (call it a bit of a sore spot after...a series of arguments with someone I parted ways with *), but the matter of taking it too far, as the Doctor did. Lines such as "The laws of time are mine and they will obey me!" and "We're fighting time itself and I'm gonna win!" -- I think the best part (best-written, that is) is how they still manage to make the Doctor sound...well, like the Doctor and not like they randomly turned him into a raving lunatic for the sake of the plot. They didn't completely demonize him; he hasn't become evil by any means. He's just made a terrible mistake, he's terribly deluded, and he doesn't even seem to realize it. That and his darker behavior feels like it naturally extends from his normal personality -- his ordering around the others, the determination, the sort of thinking-out-loud behavior...I know they seem like such little details, but they're enough to at least keep the Doctor rooted in his same Doctor personality. And it doesn't seem to be telling you what to think about the Doctor -- it just shows him to you and that makes him all the more terrifying.
I also love Adelaide's look up at the Doctor as he hijacks Gadget once more (oh yeah, and a terrifying scene earlier -- the Doctor rigging Gadget to be a transport vehicle to get away from the Flood ** and Gadget's owner is screaming in pain because his mind is connected to the robot's. Yep...*Shivers* And this is just getting horrifying. Here's a Midnight Screening video: http://blip.tv/the-cinema-snob/midnight-screening-the-call-6551791) -- Lindsay Duncan just says so much with her eyes alone. Also, The Doctor's grin, the sort of let's-kill-Batman grin...yeah, hello, new form of nightmares. I missed you!
Not to mention sort of deconstructing what typically happens with the Doctor. The knowledge that his TARDIS is...well, the TARDIS gets a rather horrified reaction from Mia, one of the few surviving crew members. Not to mention Adelaide Brooke calling the Doctor out on his "Time Lord Victorious" thing. (Which...no, you're not. The only thing you're really victorious in is having a sanity slippage so massive that Anakin Skywalker would say, "Dude, what the hell?")
I think it was stuff like "the important people" and "the little people" -- I think it was used very skillfully for what it's worth, considering that usually the Doctor has been all about the "no one's unimportant." *** And Adelaide does call him out on it, which is nice. I liked her going "This is wrong, Doctor. I don't care who you are; the Time Lord Victorious is wrong." **** And his response, "That's for me to decide." Brrr... *Shivers* Made worse when he just starts out normal and his normal chipper self when they get back to Earth (though there's that subtle hint of something being off. For example, considering the water, no one should be this damn happy about snow *****) and then when he's alone with Adelaide, he starts going into subtly creepy. Doesn't help that "Tough" already gave me "Utopia" flashbacks. (Hell, there were a lot of callbacks to the Master in the Doctor's dialogue. In a way...well, the Master is the Doctor and the Doctor is the Master. Made a bit funny considering there was a Classic Who idea that they turn out to be the same person, but even that aside...they feel too much like foils to the point it's unsettling. Well done, but unsettling) Not to mention when Adelaide goes into her home and shoots herself to restore the timeline to its normal state. And then the Doctor starts seeing the newspaper clips with changing text, and he just had one of the most "What have I done?" looks on his face: http://www.the-medusa-cascade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=112922&fullsize=1.
Not to mention when he starts having visions of the Ood while he's all but kneeling in the snow outside the TARDIS -- it's there that "Time Lord Victorious" seems to fade and be replaced by naked feelings of fear, guilt, and a lot more. Honestly, having the Doctor go crazy was a gutsy move to begin with, but cap it off with great and even heartwrenching execution overall, and...well, you've got a damn fine episode.
Also, I think it and "Midnight" might actually be two sides of the same coin. They both have the whole "the monster isn't the scary part though it's still scary; how others act is". In the case of "Midnight", it was the people heading for "Midnight" that nearly caused an innocent man's death via their own paranoia. In "The Warers of Mars", it's one man's good intentions gone horrifically awry when it comes in contact with believing he is the only one who can make the laws of time now. Both have someone sacrificing their life to make things right, and both have effective, if chilling lessons behind them. "The Waters of Mars" also has to be given credit for taking someone we would ordinarily abhor, applying it to a really honestly lovable character, and somehow managing to be both sympathetic and terrifying. So...All the Awards, Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford. All of them.
* That and George Lucas' whole "attachment makes you greedy" thing. I like Lucas, but personally, I don't agree. I mean, attachment in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's what you do with it that matters. But I am probably getting way off-topic.
** That's the creatures' names.
*** So, no, contrary to what TV Tropes believes, I don't think Eleven "learned his lesson" from "The Waters of Mars". The no one is truly unimportant thing has always been there. "The Waters of Mars" was just him briefly becoming drunk on power. I could be wrong, but so far, this is what I believe. Because the Doctor is pretty complex, really, and that's why I love him. (Eleven is still wonderful in his own way, though. :)
**** Authors, have this more often, okay?
***** Seriously, I have this feeling that they weren't talking about atmospheric disturbances in other episodes for nothing. May be a bit of a hindsight bias, but still...
So overall? Both amazing episodes. Definitely recommend. :)
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no subject
Date: 2013-03-17 11:38 pm (UTC)I think The Waters of Mars was a great example of what happens to the Doctor when there isn't someone around to stop him when he starts to get out of control.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-18 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-18 09:27 pm (UTC)I absolutely loved "The Waters Of Mars", though :). That and "The End Of Time" are my favorites of the four specials. *Nods* The "monsters" in this actually didn't scare me nearly as much as Ten did toward the end of the ep, though. It was definitely terrible to see the crew members turn into the monsters one by one, however, especially the woman you mentioned in your post. *Nods*
My reaction was pretty much exactly the same. On the one hand, I really wanted Ten to save them, for exactly the reason you mentioned (the various sounds as they were rushing to get out of the base before they were all drowned and taken over by the monsters made me really hope they could be saved), and because that's what the Doctor's supposed to do, but on the other, he really shouldn't have, because the destruction of the base & the death of the entire crew were part of a fixed point that could not be altered.
Yeah, that whole sequence of him going from honestly wanting to help the crew to going completely off the deep end & losing it was just brilliant. *Nods* Major props to David Tennant for his acting and to RTD, or whoever wrote the ep, for his/her writing there.
What scared me the most about those last few minutes before Ten sees Ood Sigma and realizes the error of his ways was how cold and detached he seemed. There was a sort of chipper tone to his voice when he was talking, sure, but I heard an absolutely ice-cold edge to it, as well— Ten might as well have said, "How amazing am I? I might screw things up in the timeline a bit here & there, but you know what? I don't give a f**k! And besides, I can easily fix any problems I might have caused, because I can bend the laws of time & space to my will." *Shudder* It's no wonder Mia screamed in terror and ran off =[! I would have too, if I'd been in the presence of someone with that huge a god complex.
Yeah, that moment was devastating. *Nods* Again, great acting and writing there.
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