Doctor Who 50th Anniversary · 7:28pm May 18th, 2014
So I think enough time has passed that I can talk about what I thought about the 50th Year Anniversary of Doctor Who and not feel bad about spoilers (Also I've only just watched it :U). None the less: Spoilers ahead: Also I've tagged That Blue Box because it's Doctor Who related and I figure there is bound to be a few whovians in the mix. Probably.
I didn't like it.
Okay, that's not entirely true. There was a lot I did like and there was only one thing that I didn't. But that one thing was enough to make me unable to watch or enjoy it at all.
So I'll start with what I liked because overall it was actually really great. One scene that really stuck out for me was when the Doctor(s) broke into the Black Archive and gave that whole bit about how "Since I got it wrong, I'm going to make you get it right."
To me, that sums up the Doctor in the most brilliant way possible, then they followed it with a classic Doctor solution. David Tennant and Matt Smith go back and are going to push the button with John Hurt. Not bad. He doesn't have to do it alone yet he technically is. I liked that.
The part that killed it for me is that they saved Gallifrey. An action which contradicts everything that has built up to that point. And worse yet. When Moffat was asked why, he said, and I quote:
"I couldn't write the scene where he blows up Gallifrey because I think, in the end, what I thought was, "I bet he didn't really." I bet he didn't. Because the Doctor wouldn't. He'd find another way."
You know I heard when he said that?
"I lack the creativity to imagine characters being forced to make difficult choices, especially since my understanding of said characters is surface-deep at best. Sometimes I think about writing real emotional consequences to things, but then I remember how much easier it would be to avoid consequences whatsoever with some bizarre winding hole-filled plot. I am a professional writer who overcomes difficulty writing a scene by shoving in a contrived loophole so I don’t have to write it. Please punch me in the face."
Everything we have seen of the Time Lords make it clear the most noble thing to do was to destroy Gallifrey. He didn't save his people, he saved the rest of the universe FROM his people by destroying them. A much more difficult and courageous thing to do.
Did Moffat not watch 'The End Of Time' or did he decide that he could ignore that. It was officially revealed that the Time Lords were evil and had every intention of destroying existence. Literally!
And they haven't been the good guys for a very long time. Frankly, the revelations in “The End of Time” are not really that surprising when you look at the series over all, and some of the shit the Time Lords have pulled in the past.
Like how during Colin Baker's run (the sixth Doctor) in the episode "The Ultimate Foe" the Time Lords put the Doctor on trial because they were going to kill countless humans for what was essentially nothing to them but they figured 'Hey, why not' and they knew the Doctor would get in the way. And to make sure they won the trial the SAME damned person was both the prosecutor and defendant. When the Doctor found that out he demanded a halt to take place due to the ludicrousness of it and they told him it was "irrelevant." You know what he said when he found out what they were planning?
"In all my travelling throughout the universe, I have battled against evil, against power-mad conspirators. I should have stayed here. The oldest civilization: decadent, degenerate, and rotten to the core. Power-mad conspirators, Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen - they’re still in the nursery compared to us. Ten million years of absolute power. That’s what it takes to be really corrupt.”
The destruction of Gallifrey was no mercy killing to end the war like how the 50th anniversary paints it to be. He killed them because that's what he had to do. And he really made that choice. To quote the Doctor once more:
"Do you think I don't know that? 'Cause this is my life, Jackie - it's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."
Because this is his life ... It is what defines the Doctor as a character, what makes him who he is. Someone willing to stand up and make the hard choices. The Doctor endures because he knows that all it takes for evil to triumph if for the good to do nothing. And is willing to go to any degree to make sure that good prevails. Even if that means losing his home.
The 50th year anniversary turned my favourite Sci-Fi show into a dreamworld in which there are no moral quandaries. Steven Moffat has it so that no matter what happens it can all be undone before the season is out. How many times did Rory die. How can you expect me to become emotionally invested in something when I've been put into a position where I'm expecting the writers to pull something out of their asses so that they don't have to make any real world changing decisions.
Don't get me wrong, I love Doctor Who. Really, I do. But I just wish they would at least try to keep some shred of continuity in the show. If nothing else at least for the major things.
In conclusion: Until ample justification is presented for saving Gallifrey while still keeping the Time Lord's in the same light they were shown in the rest of the 50 years of Doctor Who or until it becomes such a pivotal plot point I can no longer ignore it; the 50th year anniversary will be nothing more than a big budget 2 hour fan-fic by a fan afraid to see the Doctor for anything other than the reincarnation of God himself.
What do you all think?
Well, those two were against blowing up existence, the ones who were made to stand as the Weeping Angels of old. That one woman could be various women, his wife, his mom, Romana, maybe Susan, who knows. But, still, it does give the Doctor a destination now.
2122552
I suppose. Like I said I didn't hate it and there was a lot to like. It just feels like it undermines who he is. You know.
Take the Racnoss for example. The Doctor offers the queen a chance at living peacefully with everyone else. Not ONE the millions of children he killed because of her choice got the option. It doesn't matter if there are a few good ones you have to stop them when there is no alternative. And deciding that Time Lords were above that fact seems WAY out of character to me. I dunno, maybe I'm being silly here ...
2122633 We'll, they are his people, even if they were gigantic aholes, he still has some connection them. I mean,yeah, his brothers did disown him from the Lungbarrow family name, but, he probably killed his family aswell. Like, if your family were about to turn into zombies, would you mercy kill them, or lock them away, hoping for a cure?
2122677
Me personally? Probably mercy kill but I'm not overly fond of zombies
Or maybe I'd give them a gun and let them choose. But we aren't talking about family being annoying and bothersome. We are talking about someone both willing and able to end existence. If my brother was a serial murderer and personally responsible for the deaths of dozens and there was no doubt he was not only guilty but about to kill more then I'd say let him ride the lightning. He's my brother and I'll always love him but I wouldn't be able to allow him to continue on the hope that he'll someday stop being a murderous fuck.
Like I said it's a much more difficult and courageous thing to do.
2122736 Fair enough, like, if I had to either burn a city, or let a super villain blow up half of the universe, I'd probably take the high road.
2122677
Maybe I'm being a silly filly but I just feel like it was a kind of cop out to make him out to be a hero because he didn't want to force him to make a difficult decision.
Thought I do like what you said; It does definitely give the Doctor a destination now.
2122750
When the high road is burning a city you know things have gotten out of hoof
2122763 I mean, yeah, him dicking about and saving people is cool, but atleast he has some objective, besides, "Save a planet every Monday, Kill someone Tuesday, Stop an invasion one Wednesday," etc.
2122821
I'll agree to that