Doctor Who: Parting of the ways

[mrph]

That worked. I take back most of what I said about RTD's inability to write a good story.

More later.

There may be spoilers in them there comments, btw...

Comments

[ehrine.livejournal.com]

I wasn't that impressed with the ending. It was too easy/conveniant. As for the last scene, I really felt that didn't work that well, but oh well. All in all a more then acceptable series, and everything in that episode up till the last 5-10 minutes was class.

[mrph.livejournal.com]

I'd agree about the final scene. Could have been better, not the best debut. I'd agree that the first 40 minutes were top-notch, too.

[jorune.livejournal.com]

I have really enjoyed this series. I was surprised how easily they opened up the tardis but I appreciate that it was done for dramatic emphasis and to give the boyfriend and mother something to do. It ties in with RTD's comment in Dr Who Confidential on BBC3 (Yay for freeview, an indispensable gadget), everyone who comes in contact with the Doctor finds a way to improve their life. The boyfriend and mother are presented as semi pathetic but will rally round to win the day in the end.

'Bad Wolf' has lots more room for explanation and IMO Rose was not Rose as she stepped out of the Tardis but the lifeforce of the time vortex within Rose, 'My Doctor' comes from the Tardis not Rose.

What's the betting that the Tardis manipulated the Doctor in finding the right companion to help his mental state. I'm seeing the relationship of Tardis/Doctor as Stormbringer/Elric.

[mrph.livejournal.com]

It neatly used most of the RTD-penned episodes, too. Fathers Day got an important mention, and the deus ex machina of Boom Town became vital, of course...

Just as well Rose isn't an egg, really.

I'd agree. Great series. So, series 2 (and cybermen!), then...?

[jorune.livejournal.com]

Bring on the Cybermen! I think they're currently playing Vegas.

[ehrine.livejournal.com]

"I was surprised how easily they opened up the tardis but I appreciate that it was done for dramatic emphasis and to give the boyfriend and mother something to do."

Or perhaps the Tardis wanted to be opened, but felt it had to make Rose work for it in order to create what it needed to create.

[jorune.livejournal.com]

It certainly has the potential to add more levels, which is good.

It clearly shows Rick Berman how to write Time Travel stories. I would vote for a ban on time travel in star trek, so many attempts, so many failures.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

Sorry, but as a huge fan of the new series, I thought Parting was the worst written episode of series 27.

It was just so god-in-the-machine, wasn't it? "And this amazing unexpected magical thing happened which saved everyone..."

Why that specific phrase "bad wolf" and not another? I realise this was the clue Rose left for herself, but why did that specific phrase help?

Basically the plot says you can solve any problem no matter how big if you sacrifice yourself by looking into the Eye of Harmony. So, er, given the saving-the-universe nature of most of the Doctor's adventures, why this episode and not other episodes?

Plus, waaay too much technobabble yet very little in the way of explaining how people survived the time war.

RTD is a superb director and writes great human-aspect scenes but he doesn't write good sci-fi, hopefully he will bring in more 3rd-party writers next series- I'd particularly like to see Moffat and Gatis writing again.

Looked great, though. And Tennant looks promissing.

[zarbi.livejournal.com]

After a bit of thought, it now seems pretty straightforward to me. The phrase 'bad wolf' (assuming it had to come from anywhere, given Rose's statement 'I am the bad wolf, I create myself' - with a loop in time, things don't have to have a clear point of origin) they came from the TV corporation name, which Rose/Tardis then dispersed.

The survival of something significant from the time war was clearly hinted at by the existence of the Dalek in 'Dalek'. If the Doctor survived, and that survived, then something else could have survived.

As for the 'eye of harmony/time vortex' business; my reading of it is that so far they have just been lucky - there is some form of incredible power there but it is raw and unpredictable - there is a phrase: 'riding the tiger'. In the 1996 film, a tardis with internal bits left open very nearly kills the Doctor and destroys the Earth.

I am old enough to have watched most of Dr Who at the original time of broadcast, and I have to say that, in my opinion, this series has been outstanding - even with its occasional failings.

[mrbear.livejournal.com]

Sorry, It blew goats. Very disappointed, but I've ranted elsewhere.