Doctor Whomst?

[lirazel]

So I stopped watching Doctor Who somewhere in the Pond era, despite liking the Ponds and River as characters, the writing stopped working for me after there was ZERO emotional repercussions for what happened to Melody. My feelings are generally that of my girlfriend Verily Bitchie. I tried to get back into Thirteen, but it didn't really work for me though I know a lot of people loved it. Yay for people who loved it!

I have also never been able to rewatch Donna’s season, even though it was one of my favorites, because I was so upset about what the Doctor did to her in wiping her mind without her consent. And while I liked Ten (though not as much as Nine), I really think it was dumb to bring Tennant back.

So I am having some mixed feelings about whether or not I want to watch the new episodes.

My basic feeling is: if it turns out that these episodes really confront the memory wipe and treat it seriously and give Donna agency back, then I probably want to watch them. Otherwise, I don’t.

I’m guessing that Donna will get agency back but I don’t know if I trust the show to make the Doctor confront the fact that what he did was majorly fucked up and not okay.

All that to say: if you're watching it, please do tell me what happens and whether these new specials work as a kind of correction to how Donna’s story ended before.

Spoilers are fine, btw. I just need to know if this is a kind of fix-it, not by undoing what the writing did, but by confronting it head-on.

[As an aside, it probably did not help that the Donna season was airing at about the same time that my grandmother was dying of Alzheimer's. Un-consented-to memory alteration not treated as the violence it is became...well, not a trigger. But a thing I simply cannot accept as a storytelling device.

If you want to take that kind of thing seriously and show the consequences and depict it as a violent violation of another person, then it's fine. If you treat it as something that is justified...I am OUT of there.]

Comments

[chestnut_pod]

netgirl_y2k has some commentary on their journal and then in the comments, if you're curious.

[lauradi7dw]

Agency returned. Donna's mother gave Ten shit for his choices, without a lot of complaint from him.

Only one episode (of 3) has aired.

[abyss_valkyrie]

I've not been following the DW verse for a while now. I really loved Donna so much, her and 10th doc just had the best season in my opinion! I loved 9 and Rose too, 12 and Amy+Rory. I guess I'm more into 'friends going on adventures & saving the world'?
From what I hear 13 was a great doc, though I think the story got really dark and serious all the time so I kind of fell out of it and I'm sorry, but I was so excited for the 14th doc,but somehow the first episode itself fell flat for me.

If from what I read here, David Tennant is coming back?! I'm kind of excited about that but oh man, if they actually bring back Donna and don't just forget about her existence(sorry!), I swear this will end up being my favourite thing!
Just imagine the talking to Donna would give the Doctor if her memory retruns!EXPLOSIVE, SHOW STOPPING, AND ABSOLUTELY DESERVED!

[elisi]

Watch it. <3

One part of it is that Fourteen is not Ten. Same face, but oh, he's so much older.

Spoilers are fine, btw. I just need to know if this is a kind of fix-it, not by undoing what the writing did, but by confronting it head-on.
See this is where the show has already tackled a lot of it - Twelve was going to mindwipe Clara to keep her safe and she gets to deliver the speech that Donna was unable to give:

CLARA: What were you doing to me?
DOCTOR: I'm trying to keep you safe.
CLARA: Why? Nobody's ever safe. I've never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life, and they are mine. Tomorrow is promised to no one, Doctor, but I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It's mine.

And then he gets a taste of his own medicine. (Twelve is the response to Ten - if you want to see the Doctor tackling consequences, Twelve is the one who does a deep-dive into who and what he is.)

So yeah, Fourteen is a very different man to Ten. He has neither the desperation, nor the arrogance, and I think you would like the episode.

[dollsome]

I loved getting to see Donna again, and her family, and of course that DoctorDonna chemistry which is as wonderful as ever! I was surprised how happy watching this episode made me; it really brought me back to that era of Doctor Who fandom. I'm really excited for the next couple eps. ✨