The End of Time, pt. 1

[rm]

OMGWTFBBQ!!!!



Well, hrrrrr.

1. I think it's too ambitious. This already feels like a three-parter, but it only has two parts. This really needed to ramp up into what it is, the intensity got too high too fast.

2. The quiet emo moments were really the best. Man, Ten crying is HOT. And all that Ood shit was creepy.

3. John Simm is a really good actor. And it looks like filming this vacillated between really fun and completely sucktacular. All that food stuff. Food scenes SUCK.

4. OMG, the porn. THE PORN. That little smile on the Master's face when he was being buckled into the straight jacket. Hello, hello, hello. HELLO.

5. No Jack yet. This is good. This means he may be there for the regeneration, this is my hope.

6. This really is pretty damn audacious. And the rebirth of Gallifrey/Timelords is a really smart plot line since the Doctor is getting close to the limit unless the council or whatever it is grants him some more. Er, yeah, this is the first time I've really felt stymied by my lack of old who knowledge.

7. So that first shit with the regeneration of the Master? What a waste of Lucy Saxon. What was with all the women basically being witches with potions? And "The Book of Saxon"? What now? The prison was named Broadfell? Seriously? I've never found RTD to be more misogynistic than he is fucked up (i.e., his issues as a writer tend to be more interesting to me than offensive), and this happened. Dude, REALLY?

8. OBAMA, WTF? Actually, could a Brit living in Britain currently help me out here? How is Obama perceived? Was this satire that made sense to you all in an eye-rolling at the believe he can fix everything thing or what? I was like confused. A lot confused. Also I hate when they do scenes that are supposed to be White House press conferences and of course everything looks wrong.

9. Naismith = ne Smith? Also, woah, incesty with the daughter there.

10. OMG, Whoniverse wardrobe department, I love you. But "The Master Race"? Seriously? You went there? Man. Really?

11. I'm glad Ianto got to miss this one, such as it is.

Woah.

Comments

[better-late24.livejournal.com]

God, Ten crying was really hot. I'm there with you. And all the stuff he was saying about how regeneration is a death, that he still dies...OW. Totally makes it even harder for me to say goodbye to Ten.

That Timelords stuff? HOLY SHIT. What the hell is going to happen with that?

And the Obama stuff was really, really confusing to me. Like, wait, what? Do they care about our President?

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Just FYI, the prison being called Broadfell was a nod to Broadmoor, which is a real and famous high security psychiatric hospital.

Re Obama, no, I think we just haven't got over thinking how cool he is yet.

ETA: And by famous I mean, this is a reference designed for UK viewers to get, not OMG you should know that.

[phaetonschariot.livejournal.com]

Like, wait, what? Do they care about our President?

Pretty much the whole world cares about your President, because your Presidents tend to do things like start huge wars that affect the entire world economy. We sort of have to. As far as I'm aware, pretty much all of the non-American people I know wanted Obama as President.

[pocketmouse]

That was exactly my thought with the food. There's a reason Simm's burger looks different from the other homeless guys'.

Ten breaking down in the pub was hot, and I really loved everything Simm is bringing to this.

Old Who canon basically boils down to 'la la la -- oh look, this looks like a convenient plot point to use!' The 13 lives is the standard that we've heard, but there have been other cases, and there's a whole bunch of weird shit, but I basically believe that the producers/writers are just going to make up some technobabble to do whatever they want there.

I really hated the whole Book of Saxon everything, but I do like that at least Lucy wasn't on Saxon's side. The rest was complete WTF.

I don't even know what's going on. There's so much of this that doesn't make any sense to me. I'm hoping part 2 will draw a lot of stuff together, because this sounds like throwing all your script ideas into the word processor and hitting 'frappe.'

[better-late24.livejournal.com]

I realize people in other countries had an opinion about who should win during the election and about our Presidents in general, but discussing our President's upcoming address was surprising. A lot of people in the US don't pay too much attention to every address, so it was strange to hear it discussed in DW, where they're not even here, you know?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Ah, well that's a little less wonky then.

[woogledesigns.livejournal.com]

Why is everyone going on about how hot the Doctor was when he cried? Would it be okay to being up hot hot a female actor looked when she cried?

Another reading of the women and Broadfell (why are you objecting to the name- it seems to deliberately evoke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadmoor_Hospital to me?)is that they are all empowered, they are the agents of the plot and capable, between them, of the widest range of moral actions- from corruption to madness to responsibility and sacrifice. That the master picks one gender over another to subordinate or enslave might also be read as a particular sign of his perversion or evil. Later we see women in more powerful positions- the female apparition to Wilf, the return of the Doctor Donna and Abigail, who is the center of her world or limitless resource.

I was much more cross with the bum-pinching, because if you inverted the genders it would be considered unacceptable, and yet, apparently old ladies are not subject to the same ethical sanctions as old men (or young men). That, as I see it, is as bad as saying women aren't capable of being responsible for their own actions, which is much more perniciously misogynistic in my view than evoking the fantastical imagery of witchcraft.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

I'm about to re-watch it in a few minutes with the boyf (who was out doing boyf things up until about 15 minutes ago), so it's possible I'll see some things the second time around. Thoughts:

- I love, love the TARDIS in the stained glass. And Wilf. OMG, Wilf. And his oldster network. And him complaining that the TARDIS is messy. <3

- I sort of like being proved wrong about who it was who picked up the (one true) ring. I'd been sure it was Lucy or maybe the Rani. For it to be some kind of batshit human agent was unexpected but feasible.

- I agree, what a waste of Lucy. Though thinking about her kind of breaks my heart, like the Doctor should have done something to help her in the same way he kept trying to save the Master. It's unjust and awful in that accidental Time Lord cruelty sort of way. You can't notice every insect beneath your feet.

- In defense of the "WTF?!" witchery with the resurrection, that's not out of bounds with the Master. He's done some very strange things in the past to evade death. I mean, he was a black sludge that turned into Eric Roberts for a while.

- The women thing, though? Yeah. Grargh.

- And yet, Donna.

- Tonally, a lot of this feels like the last two episodes of Doctor Who S3. Just based on the high weirdness and audacity fronts. Some of that is probably a casting thing (Simm!Master, Lucy, presidents, oh noes humanity, the 'bwuh, science?' thing with Time Lords, etc.)

- The Obama thing is a bit odd, yes. Considering the production cycle, it's possible RTD was writing this during the "he's gonna fix eeeeeeeverything" phase, but I'm curious.

- Poor scared Ten. Poor, poor Ten. Wilf is exactly who he needs to be with.

- Woman in white = the Rani?

- Gallifrey = heroes or villains? I can't tell yet.

- I NEED TO GO SHOPPING. Though not for much. I just changed into something suspiciously workable...

[woogledesigns.livejournal.com]

for Gallifrey heroes or villains I would strongly suggest looking at the latest Doctor Who Confidential: Lords and Masters.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

The Obama thing is probably RTD trying to be hip and up to date, like all the references to chavs and the Big Brother etc gameshows in the first series, which is just going to date it *horribly*, made me wince as it was.

After all the years of Bush when we were just basically waiting to see what he'd screw up next, and when the next world war would break out thanks to an idiot in charge of the free world, everyone loves Obama. And I think we still think he's going to fix things, or at least make a stab..

[laufeyette.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you wrote this. Can I just like, quote everything you said here in my own entry?

In other words, I agree with everything you said. The resurrection of the Master was so... what? It could have been handled so much better.

I really wanted to be a mess after this, but I'm just confused. And still giggling about the fake!Obama. Wow.

Loved the 'quiet' scenes between the Master and the Doctor (and the Doctor and Wilf).

[rm.livejournal.com]

I'd be fine with someone saying a crying chick was hot if the context was similar (i.e., not because of violence or weakness, but confronting destiny). Also People tend to find peopel going against type hot -- i.e., a woman being stronger than we expect or a man being more emotional.

I thought the bum pinching thing was extremely annoying. It is a testament to the sheert WTFery of this episode that that didn't even make my list.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

On rewatch, "his Savior" trying to beat death? From a desolate hill the night before? *cough*messianic*cough*

[rm.livejournal.com]

Did you see Ten with his face all beaten and bruised in the previews? SO HOT.

[rm.livejournal.com]

RIGHT! RIGHT.

Man, I'm disappointed Ten and the Master didn't make out like woah.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Oh gods yes.

The special hell has a particular hotel for this kind of thing.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I have done food scenes, albeit ones not as grotesque as that. But man, I never, ever wanted to look at hors d'oevres EVER AGAIN.

[rm.livejournal.com]

SERIOUSLY.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Ten crying = me crying. Actual tears. I started to sob hysterically.
Everything else = really? Really? This is how you decided to do this? REALLY????

Uh. Yeah. Now I'm heartbroken, and like wtf?!

[rm.livejournal.com]

RTD can either salvage this by pulling something out of his ass (i.e., maybe it's the first part, not the second part that's fucked up this time) or we're going to have a lot of fixing shit to do.

I'm pretty sure, BTW, that Jack shows up it will bevery post-COE and his departure from Earth, since he won't have turned into the Master. Hahahaah, but Gwen did. Hahahaahahah.

But tragic, sad Ten! That was our Ten! And did you see the preview with his face all bruised? HOT.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Hahahaah, but Gwen did. Hahahaahahah.

You are fucking awesome.

[pocketmouse]

Even doing straight theatre, actors get sick of it quick enough. Having to do take after take of eating meat? Bleugh.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Gwen!Master/Rhys!Master that's all I have to say. Cracktacular.

[woogledesigns.livejournal.com]

I can understand that- have sympathies even, but I still thoroughly dislike that attitude. It seems to say not 'congratulations for acting in the way human beings should always be free too' but 'isn't it exceptional for you to do this, and a little bit kinky and transgressive?'. It reminds me too much of how women who act strong and men who act weak are vilified sexually in general discourse. The sanction is positive instead of negative, but it is still sanctioned instead of treated as normal.

And why isn't Cribbins being called hot for his brilliant performance, when he shows fear and concern and sadness over Donna?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I also had one involving marshmallows when I worked on Across the Universe. The scene was cut. But EURGH.