3.11: Utopia
Synopsis: While the TARDIS making a "pit stop" in Cardiff, the long-lost Captain Jack Harkness literally tackles the blue box. Jack hitches a ride all the way to the end of the universe, one hundred trillion years in the future. On the planet Malcassairo, the travellers find the lonely Professor Yana, and his assistant, Chantho. Yana and Chantho are working on a rocket, which will take the last existing humans to Utopia, and restore hope to the human race. Yana's work has stalled, but the Doctor finds a way to make the rocket fly!
Meanwhile, the characters get acquainted and/or re-acquainted. Martha discovers that Jack has been carrying the Doctor's hand (severed during The Christmas Invasion, and last seen on Torchwood) in his rucksack, and that he is unkillable. Jack and the Doctor have a re-unifying talk, in which they discuss their shared lot of near-immortality. Yana confesses to the Doctor that he hears drums in his head, like a calling. He also seems to hear distant echoes of words like regeneration, TARDIS, Time Lord, etc., while listening to the others converse.
As the rocket is preparing to leave for Utopia, Martha is astonished to notice that Yana posesses a fob watch, much like the one that housed the Time Lord consciousness when the Doctor was in hiding (during Human Nature). Indeed, when Yana opens the watch, his own Time Lord consciousness returns, bringing the Face of Boe's prophecy, you are not alone, to fruition. He is the Master, the Doctor's oldest and most formidable rival. He is killed by Chantho, but he regenerates into a younger-looking counterpart. With that, he steals the TARDIS, leaving our heroes at the end of the universe.
Golden Comic Moment: Yes, this episode is meant as a prelude to the Master's world-domination arc. But first, another old character is thrown back into the fray, and needs to be dealt with: Captain Jack Harkness. He and the Doctor have much unfinished business, and certainly Martha needs to be brought up-to-date on the basics. As such, this episode is rife with delicious dialogue, great scenes in which characters appear to be trying to do other things while discussing the lofty matters of love, war and the universe.
The fact is, when Jack first shows up, the Doctor is, entertainingly, more than a little irritated at his presence, and the dialogue reflects it. This is probably for a number of reasons, not all of them to do with his Time Lord guts. Case in point, when Jack is explaining how he wound up in 21st century Cardiff, having misfired into the 19th century using his Vortex Manipulator, the Doctor snaps, "Excuse me, that is not time travel. It's like, I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper." To this, Martha responds, "Oh-ho! Boys and their toys!" as if to say, "Hey, why don't you guys just unzip right here, while I run and get the measuring tape, yeah?"
Golden Fangirl Moment: Obviously, good dialogue is often the best way to illustrate character interactions, and how they work (or don't). This episode is as much about character interaction as it is about the old Doctor Who staple of what it means to be human, and the Master coming back.
But the Golden Fangirl Moment is a bit of unspoken camaraderie between Jack and the Doctor: the Doctor, preparing to do something utterly brilliant to make Yana's rocket fly, sheds his coat with a bit of fluorish, and Jack catches it without a word and without overselling the gesture. It is simply there. It is a perfect moment of understanding: the Doctor is in charge, and Jack is there to help out, catch the debris, as it were. Even though Jack has his own Torchwood team by now and is used to calling the shots, he is ready and willing to fall in line beneath the Doctor (no jokes, please) and can do it easily. To this, we Who fans respond, "Yeah y'are!"
Not only is it something that speaks volumes about Captain Jack, it does likewise for John Barrowman. David Tennant reports on the episode commentary that the bit of blocking was Barrowman's idea, and, as Tennant points out, it is laudable that an actor who has starred in his own show for a year doesn't mind falling back into playing very much a second-fiddle to another actor.
But as we know, both Jack and John adore the Doctor, and who can blame them, really?
Cringeworthy Moment: There are two Cringeworthy Moments, and once again, Rose Tyler rears her pretty head. Though not necessarily for the reasons you might think.
One of the first things Jack wants to know, upon meeting the Doctor again, is Rose's fate. Even we acknowledge that this is a reasonable question on Jack's part, since the last time he saw the Doctor, the two of them and Rose were all the best of friends. Of course Jack is going to be upset about hearing of her death! The Doctor delivers good news, and the two men celebrate, and Martha sulks, sighing bitterly, "Good old Rose." For once, we think that Martha should just let the Doctor have this moment. It's old friends getting re-acquainted. It's one friend assuring another that a third friend didn't die horribly in an interdimensional plane. It's not about Martha right now, nor is it really about the Doctor and Rose's relationship... so relax, Miss jones.
But here is where we revert to form. Here is where we take the Doctor to task for being a twit... although perhaps it is unfair to blame the ghost of Rose. She just happened to get mentioned at the wrong time.
After learning of Jack and the Doctor's Parting of the Ways, Martha is concerned that all of the Doctor's companions just get "dumped," much as Rose herself was, a year and a half before. Jack sneers, "Not if you're blonde." The Doctor loses his cool, and rounds on them. "You two, we're at the end of the universe. Right? At the edge of knowledge itself, and you're busy... blogging!"
Not only are we not sure exactly what the hell that means, we think it looks suspiciously like the Doctor is trying to detract attention from his bad behavior, and his naked affinity for blondes.
Doctor, really. You're a bloke, and you like girls: we get it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not your fault that the fates made you asexual until very recently. Just embrace it! And also, admit what you did to Jack, eh?
Golden Moment: Perhaps some of the best-rendered, most seamless dialogue from Russell T. Davies' time comes when Jack is in the radiation chamber and the Doctor is outside, and the two of them chat, while trying to save the human race. It is, for the show, a watershed conversation, and obviously for the two characters as well. Some of the issues that are at the core of their somewhat tortured friendship, and at the core of the series, are discussed and exposed here, and it is amazing how effortlessly the writing drifts from one topic to the next. This demonstrates, rightly, how it is all intertwined: how and when Jack realized he was immortal, why the Doctor left him behind, how Rose saved him, and the nature of having that power. They further discuss Rose's fate, and there is even a dignified little hint of how the Doctor feels about that, and it is all capped off by some quips about Jack's romantic proclivities.
If we may again refer to the episode's commentary, David Tennant discusses how interesting and difficult it was to do this scene, because while the Doctor and Jack were picking up their friendship where they left off, Tennant was, in fact, trying to walk into a rapport established with Barrowman by another actor. Indeed, this was the first time Tennant and Barrowman had appeared together, though the Doctor and Jack were already close friends - it's easy to forget these things, when one is lost in the moment, and in a world where regeneration is a given. And just like the dialogue, the performances are seamless, wouldn't you say?
So, if we are going to pin down a truly Golden Moment, even out of this shining piece of writing, it is this: "It's not easy, even just looking at you, Jack, 'cause you're wrong... I can't help it, I'm a Time Lord, it's instinct, it's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space, you're a fact. That's never meant to happen." And this is what's at the heart of the conflict between the Doctor and Jack, between the Doctor and the rest of the universe, and between Jack and himself. So much is said on those few lines, spoken relatively off-handedly in a tense moment by Our Hero.
Why I Beg To Differ: Doctor Who Magazine likes the moment when the thankless Derek Jacobi whispers meaningfully, "I... am... the Master!" because even though the cat was well and truly out of the bag in the media, it was still a shock to hear him say those words, and fathom that the Master had returned to the Doctor's life. This writer claims that no matter how many times he watches that moment on DVD, he still experiences the spine-tingling thrill and horror, as the Doctor's greatest and most worthy enemy returns for real!
Welllllll, okay. Sure. From a fannish, continuity standpoint, we can see it. Though, if we're going down that road, we would argue that the scenes in which Professor Yana hears drums in his head and echoes of Time Lords and TARDISes in his mind are far more poignant as reminders of who he is, and creepy omens of things to come.
But obviously, we are not going down that road, because we really think that this episode exists to establish characterization, much more than to set up the Master's return - whether it realizes it or not. For most of the episdode, the media notwithstanding, we are meant to think that Yana is just another incidental character, and that the real news here is the return of Jack. And nintety per-cent of the episode behaves that way, and does it brilliantly. So we'll save the Master's scenery chewing for next week. This week, it's all about the Doctor and friends.
Meanwhile, the characters get acquainted and/or re-acquainted. Martha discovers that Jack has been carrying the Doctor's hand (severed during The Christmas Invasion, and last seen on Torchwood) in his rucksack, and that he is unkillable. Jack and the Doctor have a re-unifying talk, in which they discuss their shared lot of near-immortality. Yana confesses to the Doctor that he hears drums in his head, like a calling. He also seems to hear distant echoes of words like regeneration, TARDIS, Time Lord, etc., while listening to the others converse.
As the rocket is preparing to leave for Utopia, Martha is astonished to notice that Yana posesses a fob watch, much like the one that housed the Time Lord consciousness when the Doctor was in hiding (during Human Nature). Indeed, when Yana opens the watch, his own Time Lord consciousness returns, bringing the Face of Boe's prophecy, you are not alone, to fruition. He is the Master, the Doctor's oldest and most formidable rival. He is killed by Chantho, but he regenerates into a younger-looking counterpart. With that, he steals the TARDIS, leaving our heroes at the end of the universe.
Golden Comic Moment: Yes, this episode is meant as a prelude to the Master's world-domination arc. But first, another old character is thrown back into the fray, and needs to be dealt with: Captain Jack Harkness. He and the Doctor have much unfinished business, and certainly Martha needs to be brought up-to-date on the basics. As such, this episode is rife with delicious dialogue, great scenes in which characters appear to be trying to do other things while discussing the lofty matters of love, war and the universe.
The fact is, when Jack first shows up, the Doctor is, entertainingly, more than a little irritated at his presence, and the dialogue reflects it. This is probably for a number of reasons, not all of them to do with his Time Lord guts. Case in point, when Jack is explaining how he wound up in 21st century Cardiff, having misfired into the 19th century using his Vortex Manipulator, the Doctor snaps, "Excuse me, that is not time travel. It's like, I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper." To this, Martha responds, "Oh-ho! Boys and their toys!" as if to say, "Hey, why don't you guys just unzip right here, while I run and get the measuring tape, yeah?"
Golden Fangirl Moment: Obviously, good dialogue is often the best way to illustrate character interactions, and how they work (or don't). This episode is as much about character interaction as it is about the old Doctor Who staple of what it means to be human, and the Master coming back.
But the Golden Fangirl Moment is a bit of unspoken camaraderie between Jack and the Doctor: the Doctor, preparing to do something utterly brilliant to make Yana's rocket fly, sheds his coat with a bit of fluorish, and Jack catches it without a word and without overselling the gesture. It is simply there. It is a perfect moment of understanding: the Doctor is in charge, and Jack is there to help out, catch the debris, as it were. Even though Jack has his own Torchwood team by now and is used to calling the shots, he is ready and willing to fall in line beneath the Doctor (no jokes, please) and can do it easily. To this, we Who fans respond, "Yeah y'are!"
Not only is it something that speaks volumes about Captain Jack, it does likewise for John Barrowman. David Tennant reports on the episode commentary that the bit of blocking was Barrowman's idea, and, as Tennant points out, it is laudable that an actor who has starred in his own show for a year doesn't mind falling back into playing very much a second-fiddle to another actor.
But as we know, both Jack and John adore the Doctor, and who can blame them, really?
Cringeworthy Moment: There are two Cringeworthy Moments, and once again, Rose Tyler rears her pretty head. Though not necessarily for the reasons you might think.
One of the first things Jack wants to know, upon meeting the Doctor again, is Rose's fate. Even we acknowledge that this is a reasonable question on Jack's part, since the last time he saw the Doctor, the two of them and Rose were all the best of friends. Of course Jack is going to be upset about hearing of her death! The Doctor delivers good news, and the two men celebrate, and Martha sulks, sighing bitterly, "Good old Rose." For once, we think that Martha should just let the Doctor have this moment. It's old friends getting re-acquainted. It's one friend assuring another that a third friend didn't die horribly in an interdimensional plane. It's not about Martha right now, nor is it really about the Doctor and Rose's relationship... so relax, Miss jones.
But here is where we revert to form. Here is where we take the Doctor to task for being a twit... although perhaps it is unfair to blame the ghost of Rose. She just happened to get mentioned at the wrong time.
After learning of Jack and the Doctor's Parting of the Ways, Martha is concerned that all of the Doctor's companions just get "dumped," much as Rose herself was, a year and a half before. Jack sneers, "Not if you're blonde." The Doctor loses his cool, and rounds on them. "You two, we're at the end of the universe. Right? At the edge of knowledge itself, and you're busy... blogging!"
Not only are we not sure exactly what the hell that means, we think it looks suspiciously like the Doctor is trying to detract attention from his bad behavior, and his naked affinity for blondes.
Doctor, really. You're a bloke, and you like girls: we get it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not your fault that the fates made you asexual until very recently. Just embrace it! And also, admit what you did to Jack, eh?
Golden Moment: Perhaps some of the best-rendered, most seamless dialogue from Russell T. Davies' time comes when Jack is in the radiation chamber and the Doctor is outside, and the two of them chat, while trying to save the human race. It is, for the show, a watershed conversation, and obviously for the two characters as well. Some of the issues that are at the core of their somewhat tortured friendship, and at the core of the series, are discussed and exposed here, and it is amazing how effortlessly the writing drifts from one topic to the next. This demonstrates, rightly, how it is all intertwined: how and when Jack realized he was immortal, why the Doctor left him behind, how Rose saved him, and the nature of having that power. They further discuss Rose's fate, and there is even a dignified little hint of how the Doctor feels about that, and it is all capped off by some quips about Jack's romantic proclivities.
If we may again refer to the episode's commentary, David Tennant discusses how interesting and difficult it was to do this scene, because while the Doctor and Jack were picking up their friendship where they left off, Tennant was, in fact, trying to walk into a rapport established with Barrowman by another actor. Indeed, this was the first time Tennant and Barrowman had appeared together, though the Doctor and Jack were already close friends - it's easy to forget these things, when one is lost in the moment, and in a world where regeneration is a given. And just like the dialogue, the performances are seamless, wouldn't you say?
So, if we are going to pin down a truly Golden Moment, even out of this shining piece of writing, it is this: "It's not easy, even just looking at you, Jack, 'cause you're wrong... I can't help it, I'm a Time Lord, it's instinct, it's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space, you're a fact. That's never meant to happen." And this is what's at the heart of the conflict between the Doctor and Jack, between the Doctor and the rest of the universe, and between Jack and himself. So much is said on those few lines, spoken relatively off-handedly in a tense moment by Our Hero.
Why I Beg To Differ: Doctor Who Magazine likes the moment when the thankless Derek Jacobi whispers meaningfully, "I... am... the Master!" because even though the cat was well and truly out of the bag in the media, it was still a shock to hear him say those words, and fathom that the Master had returned to the Doctor's life. This writer claims that no matter how many times he watches that moment on DVD, he still experiences the spine-tingling thrill and horror, as the Doctor's greatest and most worthy enemy returns for real!
Welllllll, okay. Sure. From a fannish, continuity standpoint, we can see it. Though, if we're going down that road, we would argue that the scenes in which Professor Yana hears drums in his head and echoes of Time Lords and TARDISes in his mind are far more poignant as reminders of who he is, and creepy omens of things to come.
But obviously, we are not going down that road, because we really think that this episode exists to establish characterization, much more than to set up the Master's return - whether it realizes it or not. For most of the episdode, the media notwithstanding, we are meant to think that Yana is just another incidental character, and that the real news here is the return of Jack. And nintety per-cent of the episode behaves that way, and does it brilliantly. So we'll save the Master's scenery chewing for next week. This week, it's all about the Doctor and friends.