2.12-13: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Synopsis: The Torchwood Institute was founded by Queen Victoria in 1879 after the events of Tooth and Claw, and the Doctor is its "enemy". They hijack the TARDIS and take the Doctor and Jackie (and eventually Rose) as prisoners. They have been causing ghosts to appear all over the world in "shifts", and they possess a large sphere that emits absolutely no readings. The Doctor explains that the sphere is a ship from the Void, the "nothing" space between universes, and was fired at our dimension through a breach between worlds, causing fault lines all around the planet. The faults allow the ghosts to come through whenever Torchwood opens the breach. A 100% power ghost shift causes the ghosts come fully through to our world and are revealed as Cybermen. The increased activity causes the sphere to open as well, and inside are a group of four Daleks.
Humans (including Mickey Smith and Pete Tyler from the parallel world) are jumping back and forth between dimensions using a push-button disc. Jackie and Pete are reuinted, and the Doctor readies to close the breach forever by opening the Void, but only in our world. Anything with void residue will get sucked into the nothing space, including the Daleks and Cybermen. Rose and the Doctor both harbor the residue, and must hang on for dear life as the metal villains fly past. Rose loses her grip, and just before falling into the Void, Pete catches her, then blips out, using his push-button disc. A split second later, the breach is sealed, separating the Doctor and Rose forever.
Months later, Rose hears a mysterious call in her dreams, summoning her to Bad Wolf Bay, Norway. There, she encounters a holographic image of the Doctor, who has found an infinitessimal rip in reality there, and is using an enormous amount of power just to say goodbye. At long last, Rose confesses that she loves him, but before he can return the sentiment, power runs down, and he disappears.
Officially, Torchwood is destroyed, Rose Tyler is dead in our world, and the Doctor must now face life without her.
Golden Comic Moment: When the Doctor is first taken hostage by Torchwood, they know that he does not travel alone and demand that he produce his companion. He reaches into the TARDIS and pulls Jackie out, introducing her as Rose Tyler. His voiced sentiments on her are delivered in that trademark machine-gun Doctorspeak that so brilliantly epitomize the Tenth Doctor's character. It is one of the last horn-locking moments for these two characters before disaster strikes, and it is laugh-out-loud funny.
Doctor: She's not the best I've ever had - a bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. Lot of that [chatter]. And just last week she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex, aged 57 years, but she'll do.
Jackie: I'm forty!
Doctor: Deluded. Bless! I'll have to trade her in, do you need anyone?
Golden Fangirl Moment: I have mentioned before that I'm not a fan from "way back," but I can appreciate the impact of a Cyberman/Dalek battle. It's like forty-five years of evil finally come to a head! It's clash of the Titans, and in the midst of all the banging and shooting and "Exterminate!" and "Delete!", the Doctor becomes almost irrelevant!
And so, I can appreciate the fanwank impact of the snarky Cyberman/Dalek bitch-fest, in which two of the Doctor's greatest enemies engage in a verbal hair-pulling match that is truly wondrous to behold! It's a little strange since, as Mickey says, "It's like Stephen Hawking meets the Speaking Clock," and all parties attempt to psych each other out without any emotion in their voices. But it's spectacular all the same.
Cyberman: Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant.
Dalek: Daleks have no concept of elegance.
Cyberman: This is obvious.
Well, meow! And what are the Cybermen, Britain's Next Top Models? And later...
Cyberman: You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?
Dalek: We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek. You are superior in only one respect.
Cyberman: What is that?
Dalek: You are better at dying.
Oh, dear, as we wipe our tears, we realise that entities who do not have flesh or feeling should not attempt verbal battery. It just winds up sounding like five-year-olds on the playground. And when your enemy doesn't experience fear or get their feelngs hurt, then what's the point? But it's still really cool.
And on a different note: heeeere's Freema! Here, she is playing the (retconned) cousin of Martha Jones, who dies early due to a partial Cyber conversion. But being me, I can't help but squee at the first appearance of her on-screen with David Tennant. But first things first... we still have to say goodbye to Rose.
Cringeworthy Moment: Hands down, no contest! The Doctor emerges from below the TARDIS console and honks the question "Who you gonna call?" to which Rose responds by shouting, "Ghostbusters!" He dances a bit, and she smiles as only she can, and it's all just stupid.
Golden Moment: When the Doctor is trying to explain the great danger of allowing even one more ghost shift, predictably, Yvonne Hartman admonishes him for his arrogance, and then chooses to resist his advice. Instead of arguing further, the Doctor says, "Okay... never mind, as you were.... fair enough, I've said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance of a cup of tea?" This concession makes Yvonne exceedingly nervous, and the look in his eye as he pulls up a chair is one of a challenge. By backing down, he has turned the tables, and is daring her to defy him (or daring her to do the right thing, we can't quite decide).
The exchange of power is basically nonverbal, and his yielding illustrates that he knows she will fold, because she knows who he is, and she knows that he's always right. The fact that she does fold actually reinforces this fact. The Doctor, whether Torchwood likes it or not, is the final authority on alien activity, particularly on planet Earth, and it's really, really stupid not to listen to him when he speaks.
This moment, perhaps better than any other in David Tennant's reign, properly answers the question, Doctor Who? He doesn't have to exert his authority or throw his weight around. He doesn't scream or announce his intentions, he doesn't frown nor smile. He simply lets go, and watches smugly as the world follows him. His ingenuity and sheer Doctorness speak for itself.
Why I Beg To Differ: Of course DWM asserts that the moment when Rose says, "I love you," on Bad Wolf Bay is the Golden Moment (along with the one when the Daleks appear). Not just because it's cathartic for those who had been waiting to hear her say it, but also because it was a reflection of how so many fans felt. We love the Doctor, and how can we not be gutted when he loses his beloved Rose?
Well, not being a Ten/Rose fan, by this point in the series, as a viewer, I was fatigued of this song and dance, and I didn't see it as golden at all. But, Rose Tyler was a worthy and faithful companion, and absolutely deserved a heartfelt goodbye, and it can never be argued that Russell T. Davies did not let her go out with a bang. It is definitely an important moment to the series, as it drives so much of the drama throughout the rest of the Tenth Doctor's life. If nothing else, it is the end of a Companion, beloved both to the viewers and to the Doctor, and this is the first departure of its kind in twenty-first century Doctor Who. And if I'm honest, it's decently written, brilliantly acted, and if the goal was to make the next Companion as miserable as possible (and it very well might have been), then it would be necessary to deny the Doctor his closure with Rose. Kudos.
And so, I suppose, as I think about it, I have no really good reason for not liking this scene, other than I'm not fond of the chemistry between these two characters, and these events stand in the way of two other characters whom I like very much. Also, when I watch it, I get a sense of "me against the world," because everyone wanted so badly for the Doctor and Rose to be together, but I wanted Martha and the Doctor to be together. As I said before, Martha advocates tend to blame Rose for their pain, whether it's fair or not.
One thing that I do very much like about the Bad Wolf Bay sequence is the Doomsday music that plays in the background. I love that piece, even though it is inextricably linked with the (to me) tedious Ten/Rose angst.
But anyway, goodbye to Rose means hello to a new era. And though we have been thus far sometimes quite unkind to Billie Piper and Rose Tyler, and will be again, we will not deny her this sendoff: Thank you for a really fun two years! You really did re-invogorate Doctor Who, both the man, and the series!
Humans (including Mickey Smith and Pete Tyler from the parallel world) are jumping back and forth between dimensions using a push-button disc. Jackie and Pete are reuinted, and the Doctor readies to close the breach forever by opening the Void, but only in our world. Anything with void residue will get sucked into the nothing space, including the Daleks and Cybermen. Rose and the Doctor both harbor the residue, and must hang on for dear life as the metal villains fly past. Rose loses her grip, and just before falling into the Void, Pete catches her, then blips out, using his push-button disc. A split second later, the breach is sealed, separating the Doctor and Rose forever.
Months later, Rose hears a mysterious call in her dreams, summoning her to Bad Wolf Bay, Norway. There, she encounters a holographic image of the Doctor, who has found an infinitessimal rip in reality there, and is using an enormous amount of power just to say goodbye. At long last, Rose confesses that she loves him, but before he can return the sentiment, power runs down, and he disappears.
Officially, Torchwood is destroyed, Rose Tyler is dead in our world, and the Doctor must now face life without her.
Golden Comic Moment: When the Doctor is first taken hostage by Torchwood, they know that he does not travel alone and demand that he produce his companion. He reaches into the TARDIS and pulls Jackie out, introducing her as Rose Tyler. His voiced sentiments on her are delivered in that trademark machine-gun Doctorspeak that so brilliantly epitomize the Tenth Doctor's character. It is one of the last horn-locking moments for these two characters before disaster strikes, and it is laugh-out-loud funny.
Doctor: She's not the best I've ever had - a bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. Lot of that [chatter]. And just last week she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex, aged 57 years, but she'll do.
Jackie: I'm forty!
Doctor: Deluded. Bless! I'll have to trade her in, do you need anyone?
Golden Fangirl Moment: I have mentioned before that I'm not a fan from "way back," but I can appreciate the impact of a Cyberman/Dalek battle. It's like forty-five years of evil finally come to a head! It's clash of the Titans, and in the midst of all the banging and shooting and "Exterminate!" and "Delete!", the Doctor becomes almost irrelevant!
And so, I can appreciate the fanwank impact of the snarky Cyberman/Dalek bitch-fest, in which two of the Doctor's greatest enemies engage in a verbal hair-pulling match that is truly wondrous to behold! It's a little strange since, as Mickey says, "It's like Stephen Hawking meets the Speaking Clock," and all parties attempt to psych each other out without any emotion in their voices. But it's spectacular all the same.
Cyberman: Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant.
Dalek: Daleks have no concept of elegance.
Cyberman: This is obvious.
Well, meow! And what are the Cybermen, Britain's Next Top Models? And later...
Cyberman: You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?
Dalek: We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek. You are superior in only one respect.
Cyberman: What is that?
Dalek: You are better at dying.
Oh, dear, as we wipe our tears, we realise that entities who do not have flesh or feeling should not attempt verbal battery. It just winds up sounding like five-year-olds on the playground. And when your enemy doesn't experience fear or get their feelngs hurt, then what's the point? But it's still really cool.
And on a different note: heeeere's Freema! Here, she is playing the (retconned) cousin of Martha Jones, who dies early due to a partial Cyber conversion. But being me, I can't help but squee at the first appearance of her on-screen with David Tennant. But first things first... we still have to say goodbye to Rose.
Cringeworthy Moment: Hands down, no contest! The Doctor emerges from below the TARDIS console and honks the question "Who you gonna call?" to which Rose responds by shouting, "Ghostbusters!" He dances a bit, and she smiles as only she can, and it's all just stupid.
Golden Moment: When the Doctor is trying to explain the great danger of allowing even one more ghost shift, predictably, Yvonne Hartman admonishes him for his arrogance, and then chooses to resist his advice. Instead of arguing further, the Doctor says, "Okay... never mind, as you were.... fair enough, I've said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance of a cup of tea?" This concession makes Yvonne exceedingly nervous, and the look in his eye as he pulls up a chair is one of a challenge. By backing down, he has turned the tables, and is daring her to defy him (or daring her to do the right thing, we can't quite decide).
The exchange of power is basically nonverbal, and his yielding illustrates that he knows she will fold, because she knows who he is, and she knows that he's always right. The fact that she does fold actually reinforces this fact. The Doctor, whether Torchwood likes it or not, is the final authority on alien activity, particularly on planet Earth, and it's really, really stupid not to listen to him when he speaks.
This moment, perhaps better than any other in David Tennant's reign, properly answers the question, Doctor Who? He doesn't have to exert his authority or throw his weight around. He doesn't scream or announce his intentions, he doesn't frown nor smile. He simply lets go, and watches smugly as the world follows him. His ingenuity and sheer Doctorness speak for itself.
Why I Beg To Differ: Of course DWM asserts that the moment when Rose says, "I love you," on Bad Wolf Bay is the Golden Moment (along with the one when the Daleks appear). Not just because it's cathartic for those who had been waiting to hear her say it, but also because it was a reflection of how so many fans felt. We love the Doctor, and how can we not be gutted when he loses his beloved Rose?
Well, not being a Ten/Rose fan, by this point in the series, as a viewer, I was fatigued of this song and dance, and I didn't see it as golden at all. But, Rose Tyler was a worthy and faithful companion, and absolutely deserved a heartfelt goodbye, and it can never be argued that Russell T. Davies did not let her go out with a bang. It is definitely an important moment to the series, as it drives so much of the drama throughout the rest of the Tenth Doctor's life. If nothing else, it is the end of a Companion, beloved both to the viewers and to the Doctor, and this is the first departure of its kind in twenty-first century Doctor Who. And if I'm honest, it's decently written, brilliantly acted, and if the goal was to make the next Companion as miserable as possible (and it very well might have been), then it would be necessary to deny the Doctor his closure with Rose. Kudos.
And so, I suppose, as I think about it, I have no really good reason for not liking this scene, other than I'm not fond of the chemistry between these two characters, and these events stand in the way of two other characters whom I like very much. Also, when I watch it, I get a sense of "me against the world," because everyone wanted so badly for the Doctor and Rose to be together, but I wanted Martha and the Doctor to be together. As I said before, Martha advocates tend to blame Rose for their pain, whether it's fair or not.
One thing that I do very much like about the Bad Wolf Bay sequence is the Doomsday music that plays in the background. I love that piece, even though it is inextricably linked with the (to me) tedious Ten/Rose angst.
But anyway, goodbye to Rose means hello to a new era. And though we have been thus far sometimes quite unkind to Billie Piper and Rose Tyler, and will be again, we will not deny her this sendoff: Thank you for a really fun two years! You really did re-invogorate Doctor Who, both the man, and the series!