The End of Time

[clocketpatch]

Well... that was both completely unexpected, and utterly and completely expected.


I'm so scrambled from the WTF that I couldn't even tell you if I liked it, loved it, hated it... I do know that I was cackling madly through most of it. Though, whether that was because I'd cry otherwise I'm not quite sure. Except it was also good. And strange.

AND WTF THE MASTER CAN FLY?

and

WTF THE MASTER IN A DRESS? (for some reason this weirded me out even more than the... you know)

I'm sure the kinkmeme will be full of interesting prompts shortly (not that I would ever visit the kinkmeme, er...)

Best part: When the Doctor said what we were all thinking and called the Master Skeletor

Worst part: What was with the random butt pinching interlude there? That was just strange. Though not bad persay... nothing was BAD persay... just so much WTF... I think I've reached the overload point

Saddest part: They were so totally about to kiss damnit! No, that's not actually it, though that scene, it was pretty damn epic. The saddest part is probably pretty much every second Donna was onscreen. *cries inside* (and yet those were also all the best parts...? Donna. This is why I love you. And that you've gone out and made yourself a fantastic life even without your memories, and that you're still fighting, and who bloody cares how much your boyfriend makes?!?)

Most expected part: I think we all saw that little twist coming. (Though, because it's Timothy Dalton, I think we can now all rest assured that James Bond is, in fact, a Time Lord). Granted, the flashbacks at the beginning were also pretty expected, because I think we all realized, as soon as it was announced that he was coming back, that there would be some kind of Sound of Drums-Last of the Time Lords sum-up. Because there had to be.

Most unexpected part: I think you all know. WTF? WTF? WTF? However, I love the Master just enough to love this ending despite the layers and mountains of cheese.

The part that probably put a lot of people off their dinner: Master, I love you, but you've just put me off turkey for life.

The part that I couldn't stop wondering about throughout the episode: So, Obama? Does this mean that the timelines have joined or caught up or what? And I wonder how the US feel about the random stock footage being shoehorned into a Doctor Who special... and their president suddenly being turned into the Master? Because do you not somehow get the impression that you're supposed to ask permission before doing that sort of thing? Even if you don't actually have to? And that was just really strange and didn't add anything and is going to date this story like WOW in a few years time and... moving on.




The best part (I know I already said the best part, but this was THE best part):

WILF!

The part that I TOTALLY predicted OMG I THINK I MIGHT ACTUALLY BE RIGHT ABOUT THIS OMG:

WILF!

WILFWILFWILFIWILFWILFWILF

OH MY LORD! SHE'S A CACTUS!!!

*does the Wilf dance*




And to finish: Rusty is still nicking bits of Star Wars miscellanea isn't he?

Comments

[garpu.livejournal.com]

I loved it. I do hope the Time Lords survive it, though.

[rengeek.livejournal.com]

You know, the part that made me roll my eyes about the Obama "cameo" was the absolute gushing about how he was going to fix the world (and apparently overnight with a master solution). A British minimum wager is expecting a quality of life increase, thanks to Obama!

I mean, the guy's great and all, but this felt laid on thick, especially since usually with the exception of monarchy, heads of state are fictionalized (Prime Ministers and Presidents included).

[greatbriton.livejournal.com]

just so much WTF... I think I've reached the overload point

That's pretty much me.

Saddest part for me was when The Doctor sees Donna and she's just out there yelling at people and Wilf asks "She'd make you laugh again, right?" and The Doctor kind of gives a little nod. OMG. *pouts*

and I hope you are so right about Wilf. I didn't try and predict things but it seems this special was pushing it in that direction.

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

I see that we are pretty much on the same page as regards this. As you say, just far too much going on, and all of it absolutely frothing cracky crazy, to really pass verdict on it one way or another. I'm starting to think that Ten's death and resurrection and how it's handled is going to totally make or break this story, one or the other. But then, wasn't that always going to be the case?

The Obama love... I like Obama, I think he'll do good things for America and the world if he gets the chance, and I can completely see why he gets the support he does from some Americans (and conversely kind of shake my head at the he-wants-to-make-us-all-speak-Russian hysteria from his right wing opponents). Yet, the kind of blind hero-worship he gets from the non-American world is, imho, naive in the extreme and kind of embarrassing, and seeing Rusty fall into the same sort of stuff here was a bit WTF, but not in a good way like the rest of the WTF in the episode! My main concern though is that, as you say, it dates the story very badly, as do the superficial attempts at socio-political consciousness, mentioning the recession and anything.

You see, when classic Who did politics, it did it metaphorically and it often made very good points - witness Happiness Patrol's satire of Thatcherism, or indeed any one of a hundred other examples. When NuWho touches on politics, it's only as skin-deep window-dressing, and it usually comes off as just a ham-fisted attempt to be contemporary, when what they should be aiming for is timelessness. Ah well...

And don't get me started on the stuff about Donna and her boyfriend, and the idea that poverty is something some superhero can rescue you from overnight with a wave of his magic wand...

But Wilf was awesome, and Donna was Donna, and Tennant was great, and Simm was as amusing as ever (and do you think he was sort of draining those people's energy to make them into skeletons, or was he actually...er...eating them...? O.o). And the WTF Cliffhanger of Doom will have me counting the days until next week; plus it looks like some of the really cracky fan theories that have been going around for a while now are actually going to turn out to be true...

[stellastars]

I'm so scrambled from the WTF that I couldn't even tell you if I liked it, loved it, hated it...

Agreed! Especially on the scrambled-ness... I feel like I need to a) rewatch this part and b) see Part 2 before I can draw any real conclusions about it. I think I liked it... but it needs some digesting to be sure!

One thing is certain though -- I ♥ Wilf liek whoa.

[alouzon.livejournal.com]

(Though, because it's Timothy Dalton, I think we can now all rest assured that James Bond is, in fact, a Time Lord).
I've always suspected as much, considering how many times Bond has changed his appearance.

I love the Master just enough to love this ending despite the layers and mountains of cheese.
For me, Ainley is my Master of choice. But I love John Simm (ever watched Life on Mars?), so I'd be quite willing to look at him in anything, including a dress.

Space will be playing all 5 of the specials on Jan 2.

[pedanther]

FWIW, I don't think they seriously meant that Obama is an awesome miracle-worker -- I think they just thought it would be funny if the world was poised on the brink of peace-n-prosperity-for-all, and then just at that very moment the Master came along and ruined it for everybody.