When you see this post, quote from Doctor Who on your blog/journal.
Points at the top of the page, I have a quote from Doctor Who there all the time, but here’s another one:
“My theories appal you, my heresies outrage you, I never answer letters and you don’t like my tie.”
Anyway, The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords — A bulging set of homages to SF/Fantasy – Harry Potter/Wizard of Earthsea; Captain Scarlet; Peter Pan; Flash Gordon; Return of the Jedi.
Harold Saxon, PM seems more based on John Culshaw’s Tony Blair in Dead Ringers than the real thing, and the “Britain, Britain, Britain” opening to one of his speeches was highly reminiscent of Tom Baker’s voice overs for Little Britain.
All of which briefly makes it all seem like some sort of attempt to screw with the minds of the media studies/crossover/slash/post modernism/irony obessessed sectors of fandom. Which actually makes me like it slightly more.
The ninth Doctor said that he didn’t do domestic, but here the Master apparantly does domestic violence, which is terribly petty and human of him. Is this meant to be the point? Without the demi-god socierty of Time Lords the Doctor becomes greater, more God like, whilst the Master becomes less, more mortal? His final choice to die a mortal death rather then be chained like Loki might be a pointer in that direction.
Martha, she’ll be back, but maybe not for much of net year. But even if she leaves now for good, I disagree with the people who think that her character’s been hard done by. Her love for the Doctor, he total faith and trust in him, became the key to defeating the Master (without that trust being manipulated and betrayed) and she decides at the end that “it’s him, not her” and that she is more than good enough, and that somewhere there’s a stubbly paeds doctor who doesn’t yet know what’s going to hit him. It’s not the story arc that a lot of people wanted, but it works and it is a positive thing for Martha.
The Doctor is the loser here. He saves the world but loses his oldest friend/enemy. His companions re-evaluate their place in the lopsided relationship, but he doesn’t. Taking for granted that modern Doctor Who is ‘about’ the relationship between the Doctor and the companion(s) can next year show some sign of growth on the Doctor’s side?
A final observation: In many ways the John Nathan Turner years didn’t happen as far as Russell T Davies is concerned. Most of the references to the Master’s and Doctor’s past came from the Third Doctor era. The depiction of the Time Lords picks up in 60s and 70s aspects and avoids the 80s (not such a bad move). The returning villains (Autons, Daleks, Cybermen (sort of), Macra, The Master) all predate 1975. The way the Daleks and Cybermen are portrayed owes more to their early appearances than their later ones. The Doctor’s lost at least a few decades and probably a few hundred years if he’s ‘only’ 900-odd in the new series. Just how much of his history did the Time War wipe clean away?
Sorry going to take the bait.
There have been references to the 80s and later stories this year although a little tenuous and without the shouting about that the 60s and 70s ones got. No Radio Times retrospectives for them though. Here are two that I spotted…
“The Curse of Fenric” (1988) featured Hemavores so did “Smith and Jones” (2007).
Two of the clearly visible faces in “A Journal of Impossible Things” from “Human Nature” are the 7th and 8th Doctors.
Since the shows return we’ve had a lot of enemies revivals. I wonder if they’ve not underplayed the 5th, 7th and 8th Doctors material because those are the actors who have played The Doctor most able to appear if they want to do a 2 or 3 Doctors story at some point. The actor’s who played companions in that era are probably also more lively than those from the earlier eras. When one of them turns up that would be the time to do the retrospective on their era. Plus they are quite clearly pitching some of Doctor Who’s marketing at 70s children who now have children of the right age to watch the show. A very clever way of building and hold onto the shows current and future following after the break created a gap generation.
Oh and while I’ve been blathering on here I just came across a third 80s reference… There was “The hand of the Rani” (Russell T. Davies’ description) in the “Last of the Time Lords” taking The Master’s ring.
Smith & Jones featured a Plasmavore (alien) not a Haemavore (evolved human from a polluted future).
I’m not sure if I should claim 2 out of 3 isn’t so bad or worry that you knew the difference between a Plasmavore and a Haemavore 😉
Ha. Chumblies, Krotons, Quarks, Axons, Krynoids, Drahvins, Mara, Terileptils.