What did I get right?
The regeneration creating two Doctors', both played by David Tennant. The happy ending for Doctor #2 and Rose. The "threefold man" comment by Dalek Caan meaning three Doctors' in the Tardis, if not in the way that I expected.
What did I get wrong?
Ooooh... Practically everything else. Never mind.
I thought "Journey's End" was an exceptional episode and a brilliant finale to the series. True, I thought that the resolution to the regeneration at the beginning was a cop out, and I told Jennifer as such when we were watching it, but the rest of "Journey's End" was pure entertainment.
The nature of the Osterhagen Key. Davros' masterplan and insanity. Dalek Caan's deception. The Doctor shaking with anger when being forced to face up to the carnage and death he brings with him. Indeed "The Destroyer Of Worlds". And finally, and heartbreakingly, the eventual fate of Donna Noble.
I had no baggage associated with Catherine Tate when she joined the series. I knew that she had been very successful in her BBC comedy sketch show, but I had never seen it. No interest in it at all. Lot's of "Doctor Who" fans complained when she was cast for the full season of "Doctor Who" saying that she was not up to it, that she would unbalance the show and bring too much comedy to it. I was not one of them. I thought that she was very good in "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special of 2006 and wanted to see more of that character.
Those fans that complained were wrong. They were dead wrong.
Throughout the series, and especially during the final moments of "Journey's End", Catherine Tate proved what a very fine actress she is. Those final scenes were tragic, incredibly sad and, yes, heartbreaking. A woman who had broken free, grown and became a better person, would be forced to return to how she was when we first came across her: Crass, shallow, loud, empty, trivial.
Donna Noble touched the stars and she saved the universe. She would not remember doing it and she would never be allowed to remember The Doctor.
I tell you, it was a three hankie job. Two for me and one for Jennifer.
I watched the "Journey's End" again this evening, on BBC3. Total class. Magnificent.
All over now. No more "Doctor Who" comments from me until Christmas Day. Phew. I need to lie down.
**
I saw two films this weekend: "Les Femmes de l'ombre", or "Female Agents", and "Adulthood". I will write about those tomorrow.
1 comment:
Nah, Catherine Tate's acting was certainly odd, and sometimes wrong.
Having never watched a full porgramme of her show, but knew about the "Am I Bovvered?" malarkey, sometimes her acting reminded me of that.
Maybe she should stick to the serious stuff (as in serious roles, and then in her "show", the funnies). I thought she was good in the more dramatic moments..
But all in all, a good episode
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