The Star Beast - Doctor Who review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
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My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: th-cam.com/video/aN4uc0HZrWE/w-d-xo.html
My video on the BBC's response to complaints of its reporting: th-cam.com/video/skh81N5lcYY/w-d-xo.html
My short on why I'll continue to put up the note at the front of these: th-cam.com/users/shortsHpwwzjzFXiE
Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: th-cam.com/video/b4buJMMiwcg/w-d-xo.html
Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: th-cam.com/video/qfjTG6SVjmQ/w-d-xo.html
Shaun’s 3rd video, following him escalating his complaints: th-cam.com/video/fRn1UZ4fhdE/w-d-xo.html
Shaun's 4th video, covering the BBC's response: th-cam.com/video/3F7GW7Ro4OQ/w-d-xo.html
Laura Kate Dale's protest speech outside the BBC offices: th-cam.com/video/hBjGnWkwAjI/w-d-xo.html
If you haven't already, you could easily put these in a playlist & link that for simplicity's sake.
David T has a transgender child.
The line 'My Chosen pronoun Is The Definite Article I Am Always The Doctor/ Meep'. The 4th Doctor said that first. Tom Baker. Which I loved.
He does? Huh; good that he’s a great father and fantastic that they have that support. Especially in light of the last few years on TERF Island.
Hi@@borjankosarac3645I can't see the TERF watching Doctor Who. If someone can't watch Doctor Who and be happy. Well they may like being sad.
In regards to the line about male presentation, I mainly disliked the implication that emotional depth is tied to presentation. Whitakers Doctor was not more emotionally in tune than Tennant’s. I think it would have been better to say a Time Lord couldn’t understand. As a trans masc I’m really tired of people telling me that I basically sold my soul for a beard.
That's a fair assessment 🫶
Yes, that's the one bit I really didn't like. The rest of the messaging I was fine with, even if a couple of bits were a little heavy handed. This channel has mentioned many times how bad putting down one group to elevate another is bad and I didn't expect RTD to go there. Hopefully something like that doesn't happen again.
I agree. This line was meant to be about differentiating Donna from the Doctor. Why bring gender into it, as if human women would all understand and no male time lord would understand. It’s just so….silly.
Chris chibnalls nephew has dyspraxia. As a member of the dyspraxia community. That was great. But it was like never mentioned again. For the rest of the show.
@@markdaly1648 You can tell Chibnall viewed the show more as a job than anything he was that passionate about, unfortunately. They got him because he'd just wrapped up Broadchurch series 3 & were banking on that kind of writing, but I don't think it quite panned out, unfortunately.
The most heartbreaking part for me was actually Sylvia. "She said, 'the Doctor'" and then she grabs Rose and runs. She accepted in that moment that Donna was already dead and chose to save her grandchild. It was HEARTbreaking the look on her face.
Yes. That's when I started full on ugly crying. My partner got concerned.
Sylvia was the only one who seemed to be actually concerned about Donna... The moment the Doctor and Donna met and attempted to escape, a friend of mine, who is quite new to the series but understood what the metacrisis is all about (because they told us three times in the episode, reminding us again and again that she will die if she remembers him), asked me if the Doctor is actually trying to kill Donna because he did not bother to at least try to shield her from his presence
Sylvia was absolutely amazing in the first part, i feel like it redeemed her character so much and tbh it made me tear up 🥲
Jacqueline King and Rachel Talalay are for me the MVPs of this episode. That line just hit me in the stomach. Poor Sylvia.
And I was still hurting from the moment I thought they'd actually killed Wilf off *despite knowing Cribbins had recorded stuff*.
(And then we had even more punches as David just acted his arse off as he was Manchurian-Candidating Donna...)
it was the most believable performance of a mother trying to defend her child even though she was tough on her and always nagging. It broke my heart@@alim.9801
Isnt it crazy that we genuinely felt sad about wilf then happy when we learned kate was taking care of him like wilf was an actual person? Thats a testament to how real supporting characters under RTD get.
I find that a lot with fictional characters. And also shows like Who Do You Think You Are?, where famous people learn about their ancestors. It’s like ‘you’ve been dead for at least 100 years regardless, why are we so concerned about your welfare?’
@@quantumvideoscz2052 yeah, that got me off guard as well, specially because I knew Bernard Cribbins had shot some scenes so when that scene came up my first reaction was that they could have just removed his cameo altogether.
@@quantumvideoscz2052
Yeah, but Bernard himself would love that his actual death could be used for a bit of a giggle and a smile...
Wilfred Mott was literally my favorite supporting character from RTD's original run. I was so happy that he came back for a bit, I love that man.
The release thing could have been so much better if Donna had looked to 14 and asked "You still don't get it, even after being her, then coming back? Rose taught me another way to see things." and Rose coulda commented, "You don't have to hold onto the parts of you that aren't YOU" or something like that. Like it woulda made things less clunky in the lines.
What you came up with is 100% better
Oh absolutely! I think leaving some subtext in there adds to the conflicts between Thirteen's persona and Ten, as well as the trans themes of the Doctor as a character.
Absolutely 💯
I would have liked it more as a dig to the Time-Lords, who famously can't give up power, no matter if they were male- or female-presenting.
I think this would have streamlined that bit of the story much much more, I like that 👍
The male presenting time lord line didn’t land for me either - glad it’s not just me. It definitely felt a bit clunky in places at the end but overall it was a really good time, it was exciting and genuinely tense in places but had a real sense of fun that was often missing from Chibnall era for all 13’s playfulness.
It's the one and only bit I didn't like. Overall the rest has me looking forward to and enjoying DW again.
Shaun was so charming and you are exactly right. He didn’t get much screen time but it was leagues more than he got in the first place. He was a NOTHING in his first appearance and here he got to be a fleshed out something.
He was a very positive character. The idea of "roll with it" is spot on, that's what he is, he is an adaptive man, and that's a good thing.
I saw another review calling him 'The Anti Rory', as Rory was more of a question all the things and get in Amy's way type and Shaun just trusts things and goes along with them. I dig that. (But then I honestly prefer Shaun to Rory, so...)
Yep and he didn’t overstay his welcome either. Sometime less is more with characters and I feel like it was the perfect balance.
Defame Rory, at your peril personally (ahem)@@NicoleM_radiantbaby
I think the whole 'just let it go' scene might have made more sense if they'd linked it directly to the 10th doctor's personality rather than specifically his presenting gender. From my memories of 10's era, he was a wallow-er and held onto a lot of things (e.g. going back to his old friends all the time, being very vengeful/rightious, being heavily burdened by his time war trauma). Not saying there wasn't a way to make the gender/non-binary aspect work, but this might be a case of them biting off more than they could chew in one go.
I think you're right there it could have been tied in a little less clunky by referring to the 10ths habit of not wanting to let go (their last words literally being "I don't want to go"). I think with the doctor having just been a woman it didn't make much sense, and I don't think its a particularly helpful statement. I enjoyed that Rose helped save the day, giving her that moment to shine, I thought the bullying was very realistic in showing the struggles a trans person might face. However, felt the way it tied up at the end was a bit messy and the phrasing of it was a bit unnecessary.
Maybe that was the intention, but it was muddled in execution
+++
Its still wouldn't make any sense plotwise. He left Donna long before his regeneration and he only talked about it to Wilfred, who put he telescope to the shelter to protect donna.
And it is still a cheap shot that preferences character over what make sense.
The Doctor having hard time letting go (like fricking 1500 years ago in his lifetime) shouldn't effect his analytical skills. And having higher EQ shouldn't make you better expert on timelord regeneration energy.
It never ever happened by Donna and Rose are so confident about what will come next.
@@katokianimation It shits on him for being a man too
If Miriam wasn't born to play the Meep she has surely shaped persona for it over the last decades. Seeming all sweet and cute... Then suddenly opening her mouth and going for the kill. She's a true legend!
Hahaha ai't that the truth
All hail the Margolyes!
You mean she opens her mouth and reveals she's an evil, spiteful beast
Miriam most high!!!
When the meep started to talk it kinda reminded me of the hamster guy from lilo and Stitch 2
As a disabled person, using a wheelchair to move, seeing the tardis have ramps was a dream come true. I literally cried.
Just so I am understanding you, because I myself have a condition... You needed that to feel represented?
@@JohnDavidSullivan It's not a matter of need. Did I needed the Tardis to change or Shirley Anne Bingham to be there to feel like disabled people exist in Doctor Who universe? No. I didn't need that.
But DAMN! It feels good the visual cues are there.
Also, in a more meta or headcanon aspect, I can't stop thinking about the fact the presence of Shirley had something to do the change in the TARDIS, as if the Doctor meeting her had made the TARDIS realize she needed to be more accessible.
Just like how, in real life, the more people get to know or spend time with people with disabilities, the more they start to realize how hard it is to navigate a world made for able bodied people.
Imagine a wheelchair ramp in a fictional alien space ship makes you cry. People literally have nothing to give themselves agency outside of terribly written pandering media.
It's so good to see a set in a programme I love that I can actually get around! When we got our first look at it I was so happy.
"Gender? I hardly know her" I'm agender and just had to pause to laugh at how unbelievably funny that is, I am 100% stealing that! Made my day
More like Naygender amirite?!
Damn Kurtis Conner-ass joke lmao
I’ve been refreshing this channel since the special aired.
Same I've been waiting since I watched the special.
Amen to that
Damn Skippy!
Honestly I was beginning to worry something serious happened
@Numpteez take your practical nonsense out of here. This wasn't about being rational, it was about impatient excitement. I don't have any IRL friends to discuss this with. I have to wait for Vera to run the meetings.
I think Sylvia catching herself accidentally misgendering Rose mid-sentence and clearly is frustrated that she did so is actually really good story telling. Despite her flaws, Sylvia really does try to be a good parent and grandparent, but I think it's good to see that with family, particularly with the older generation like you said, sometimes the mistakes are not for a lack of trying.
Yep being the older generation of a trans child who I love to the moon and back I can relate.
I loved that she caught herself like that. She can be annoying but im so glad she isn't just an awful character overall, and i actually really like her in the special so far
I'm 53, old enough to remember a time when I didn't even dream about there could bei too much political correctnes. Wasn't Jack Harkness and later Bill Potts Not queer enough to represent a minority? Wasn't the gender swapping of the Time Lords from the Corsair on enough? Wasn't the 12th doctor addressing the master as his man crush when they were fairly shure to have been a man enough? I get it, that to people like you opinions like mine are irrelevant, that's just fair, but did it really need to be " the universe isn't binary..not by far!
in "the giggle "
- and I really loved the 12th doctor saying " quantum physi cs, poetry, all the same "
Why should this amount of representation be more relevant to me, as a mainly heterosexual male doctor who fan, than the opinions of some transphobic idiots are relevant to you? I watched you change and develop over the years, you we're my studying object on trans-or If you prefer non binary people, because I knew I had problems with understanding and accepting you people, and I didn't want to die as stupid as I was born... But now I really feel as If it finally is too much, and the three Specials + Ruby Road really made me feel like my former favorite TV show was taken away from me, sorry!
I'm really not an enemy, perhaps the real enemies of people like you don't even show up here, that would be my wish for you, seriously!
Niko, Germany, a long time watcher of yours, always interested in your thoughts on many different subjects...
it matters because all of life is a spectrum and people absolutely don't get that. @@nikolaibaas2776
I’m so glad you agree that the trans messaging was muddled. I’m not trans nor do I personally know anyone who is, but I loved the conversation between Donna and Sylvia and was confused by the binary/non-binary resolution. It kinda felt to me like Davies just realized the words were the same and decided to draw a connection when it didn’t really make a lot of sense. Other than that hasty resolution, I really enjoyed the commentary in this episode.
I think Rose is nonbinary at the end, they say "I know who I am now" after the metacrisis. I think this is them coming out as nonbinary.
@@AnimeFanOmega I suppose that makes sense. Still, it wasn’t communicated as well as it could’ve been, I know a lot of other viewers were confused. I want to rewatch the episode and see if it lands better.
@@AnimeFanOmega personally i dislike that because it implies something was wrong with her which was causing her to be trans...... if this is truly what rtd was doing, he should've gave a more direct line of rose not fully feeling even trans.....
Yeah I think Russel was aiming for some Moffat series wordplay but it was just unnecessary
Yeah, I think that's exactly what happened. RTD tells big, brilliant stories, but I don't think he's ever been a master of subtlety or nuance. It's clearly something he wanted to acknowledge, but he was probably always going to handle it a little clumsily... and personally I think that's on-brand for RTD and it's easy to forgive, because hey... he always is trying.
This could have used more of an explanation in the show itself, but I've sort of head-cannoned this resolution:
1. The meta-crisis was originally "binary" - it was the Doctor and Donna - and it couldn't be resolved this way without killing Donna. But because she had a child, it sort of... freed it from that "binary" problem. There's a third now, it's ternary, it's non-binary. As a result, the energy can be dissipated more safely.
2. Obviously RTD wants this non-binary resolution to also involve the characters' genders, described as "male", "female" and "neither and more". But given that Rose is a trans woman (or girl - not entirely sure what age Yasmin is playing here), I don't think RTD is deliberately trying to suggest that Rose is non-binary but is instead saying that gender is more broadly not a binary and that it somehow required this perspective, which being trans Rose does have, to resolve the meta-crisis.
I have no guesses as to _why_ that should be the case though. But again... RTD has always been a bit of a clumsy writer to me; a brilliant one, don't get me wrong, but he has this tendency to go big and his social commentary is always a bit slapdash. Case in point... Captain Jack Harkness. Brilliant character, but I think if I described Harkness as slapdash you'd know exactly what I mean. There's a sort of cartoonification of RTD's stories and characters; they are always larger than life. So I'd imagine he's sort of trying to say that... resolving the meta-crisis took intimate knowledge of oneself and of gender and the inherent non-binariness of being (even beyond gender) that a trans character like Rose had a more intimate knowledge of.
I think instead of having a line like the "male presenting time lord" one, RTD should have gone back to what he did when we first got the DoctorDonna and made it more about lacking that spark or different way of thinking that comes with being human and not time lord. And still have it come from Rose to make it make a bit more sense with who she is.
Isn't this also saying a male presenting trans person would ALSO have the same issue. Not loving the line.
I think this is kind of like when Bernie Sanders said “when you’re white you don’t know what it’s like to be poor,” etc, like meaning well but getting it hopelessly wrong in your messaging.
@@Wrightbrainnow trans people are being caught in the crossfire of common misandry- hopefully this wakes people up to the issue.
According to RTD, the "running around the new bigger TARDIS" bit was something David Tennant came up with - and deeply regretted coming up with after the first few takes for the exact reason you mentioned!🤣🤣🤣
Also: I want Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor to have racks and racks of clothes in there and try on outfit after outfit in front of a mirror and a companion judging his fashion sense, like Mel did with 7! Those walkways are begging to double as a catwalk!
With how much focus we are seeing on Ncuti's wardrobe I wouldn't be surprised if one of the doorways leads to a change room, It would be nice if Ncuti's doctor fills the room a little, and if they keep the console for the next doctor as well it would be fun to see more added things.
That would indeed be awesome!
Hate to be that guy (alright, I secretly love it) but 7 was with the Rani (disguised as Mel) when trying on his outfits, not Mel herself.
I must say seeing him have the zoomies around the TARDIS was very enjoyable and funny to watch 😂
That man is energy. He is shaped for speed.
It's not in the text, but RTD did mention that "Jason" was a dead name on the Doctor Who Podcast. He also said that he wasn't sure whether or not it was the right thing to include or not, but since it was true to the trans experience, he decided it should be represented, but said he's open to criticism. He also explained that Jason meant healer so in a way Donna named her child after the Doctor, which is...something.
I will say, I agree that it would been nice to give Tennant more destinct differences, like using his natural accent, I do like the couple of clear character differences we got:
14th seems MUCH, MUCH more humble than 10th. The Tenth Doctori asked why this face returned would have gone: "Oh, because I'm bloody brilliant." Fourteen doesnt seem to have the same vanity. You see it later too, where is willing to just relent himself to dying when he thinks Donna got killed, rather than going all Uncoming Storm on Meep.
In General, 14th seems to have a sense of emotional stabillity that I never got from the Tenth Doctor. Not to say more differences wouldnt been good, but I feel like there was at least stuff that felt destinctly different between the two.
There was a bit of Capaldi in that “courtroom” scene as well I think, that particularly stuck out to me as something Ten wouldn’t have done. At least not with the dramatic pulling of the wig out of his TARDIS-pockets and deadly serious facial expression 🤣
I don’t think he was too dissimilar to Ten, but yeah, I really enjoyed the subtle differences… still though, where’s that Scottish accent!!
Yes, this! In my head, it feels like 14 is the ‘emotionally stable’ version of 10. Being open with his feelings, and saying what he wanted to say to people back when he was 10. Not overly cocky, not arrogant, just a doctor who feels really in tune with himself.
If they had had Tennant use his Scottish speaking voice, that along with wondering why he has 10's face, would have been a beautiful call back to Capaldi's 12th Doctor.
Very good points.
I'm reserving judgement on this until we find out if they give us a reason this face returned. I think it's likely that he's SUPPOSED to be very very similar, just enhanced in the ways he needs to be for closure on that chapter of his life. What with it being a soft reboot and all. I like to think of Fourteen as more of a "Ten Plus".
Loved seeing Donna defend her daughter against those bullies and the conversation with Sylvia later felt like real moments people have. The binary stuff at the end had me confused though lol Also my eyes were rolling at the comment about male presenting Doctors. Still excited to watch these next two episodes!
Doctor Who is known for rather easy deus ex endings to problems but the just let it go answer seemed laughably easy and the lines were eye-rolling. The earlier stuff felt real while the later stuff felt forced. Only real down side to a mostly excellent episode.
One thing that I really liked was Ruth Madley’s character and how well written she was. She was a Unit scientist who happened to be in a wheelchair, the ableism was useful for lack of better word for the plot she couldn’t get up the stairs wasn’t possessed by the meep and she saves everyone by having weapons in her wheelchair. I wish all disabled characters were written where their disability isn’t the only character trait.
When she shot missiles out of her wheelchair...that was so badass.
I like her a lot. She kind of reminds me of Liz Shaw. It's almost like Liz finally got to be the proper scientific adviser!
@@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio I also liked that she knew all about the Doctor, but she wasn't over-awed by him (and, to be fair, although the Doctor seemed surprised, he seemed to like it, too).
@@chrispalmer7893 i swear shirley is lying, shes actually the companion for the sixth doctor when he's with mel for a bit on big finish......
Chris chibnalls nephew has dyspraxia.as a member of dyspraxia community it was great but it was dropped and never mentioned again for the rest chibnalls run
overall, i really enjoyed it! but i think i felt a little underwhelmed by what the solution was to the metacrisis, i don't think we needed the whole 'women can let it go' thing... just rose and donna sharing half the metacrisis seemed enough to solve the issue to me. the rest of it felt heavy handed BUT, that aside, i enjoyed the ride. it was so fun! i laughed, i teared up, i felt nostalgia, and i felt excited by a doctor who episode again. so i'd consider it a win!
It was pretty weird to end on that - just outright sexism 'lol men can't let go' given the otherwise progressive themes. Saying 'male presenting' doesn't change the underlaying implications and meaning there. As you noted, the sharing of the metacrisis from mother to daughter was far more emotionally reasonant and poignant on it's own.
@@Canadish yeah, it very much felt like a backhanded "men suck at feelings lol" moment which... didn't really sit right with me, because of course men can let things go, to say otherwise just feels reductive. it totally takes away from the poignancy of the mother/daughter moment we got on screen, i think if they'd of left it there then the moment would have hit harder and as Vera mentions in the video it was a very clever solution and the moment afterwards just undermines it for me 🤨 especially seeing as this iteration of the doctor seems more open to sharing his deeper feelings with others ( saying he loved wilf and donna and saying that letting donna go the way he did killed him. )
@@Canadish I hate the potential for bad faith a holes will clutch at this to misrepresent the views and intentions of the cast and crew.
@@bethnewton9064 Especially when literally the last line from the 12th doctor is "I let you go". It just didn't make any sense and just seems like a jab at the doctor for no reason at all.
@@guy3854 absolutely agreed! i think 12's whole final speech has just been totally forgotten by the writers since the episode aired. and sometimes a jab at the doctor is warranted, but here it just felt like a cheap attempt at getting a laugh from a certain kind of audience??? it was really forced and unnecessary imo
As a British person, the cracks fixing themselves is absolutely hilarious because I looked at it and just thought "Good gods that is going bankrupt our country, we can't even affort to fix a bloody pothole apparently!!" and then "Ah thank Gods, the economy is safe."😂😂
Let's be honest, it was just lazy CGI work!
Rather than spend more time and money creating a sealed but scarred residue of the damage, they just ran the animation backwards!
We should hire The Meep to fix our streets. Maybe they'd genuinely look good.
I also would’ve preferred a new Doctor who just shared Ten’s face, but given that we have this, I do really like how he seems like a full continuation, with acknowledgement of everything about his character arc. Two of my favorite parts were the “I absolutely love her-Oh, do I say things like that now?” bit, which felt like a direct callback to how much trouble Ten had with emotional sincerity, and “It killed me, it killed me, it killed me.” Not only were both incredibly heartwrenching, but Ten as a Doctor is very tragic, and I love that Fourteen seems to be a chance for Ten to undo the parts of his tragedy that were to some degree his own fault. It feels very well-thought-out.
The emotional availability of Fourteen really shines through when you compare his scene with Donna in the Meep ship and the scene with Wilf in The End of Time. Both times one of his favourite people on the other side of a glass barrier, having put themselves in danger leaving him with the choice of if they die or not. With Wilf he was so angry. Screaming and beating his chest saying he could "do so much more", that this was his "reward" for all the pain he had been through. With Donna, he's on the verge of tears, and screams not out of rage, but out of pain. And then he sadly and calmly utters the words he thinks will kill her. He was, in a way, ready to let her go.
There are so many parallels to Ten, from the "I know these teeth" to the triple "What?"s. The slight comment of "Oh, do I say things like that now." echoes his awakening as Ten in The Christmas Invasion: "Oh, that was rude! Is that the sort of man I am now, am I rude? Rude and not ginger.". I think it's a subtle but brilliant character choice, bringing back the phrases and personality, but using them to highlight the differences rather than the similarities between the two incarnations.
I really can't wait to see where Tennant and RTD take the character next.
@@AsterTheCaster I'm not sure the Wilf/Donna thing with the barrier works as a contrast; in both situations, the Doctor is angry about the sacrifice he has to make, but ends up making it and being happy he did so. A parallel, certainly, but I wouldn't characterize one as pain and the other anger. They're both pain.
@@heatherrockwell9012 Very true that he is in pain in both instances, but with Donna the pain comes from letting go of her, whilst with Wilf he has to let go of himself as he is right then and there. Idk, at least to me Ten with Wilf feels more selfish than Fourteen does with Donna. I feel if the roles were reversed, Ten would go out of his way, possibly endangering all of London to try and save Donna. It just speaks to the subtle differences between the two incarnations in my opinion.
I think an underrated aspect I don't see many people talking about is how Sylvia (Donna's mother) has grown as a person since the last time we saw her.
She used to be very cold towards Donna outwardly and deep down she definitely cared but had a bad way of showing it. In the specials it was apparent that in the past 15 years, she has taken the Doctor's advice when he said, "Well maybe you should tell her (Donna) that every once in a while." She shows a lot more outward concern for Donna here than she did in her other appearances.
On top of that, as you said, she's of an older generation but is still super supportive of Rose. There's the interaction with Donna she has after Rose leaves the room where she basically asks Donna if she's being supportive in the right way. As you also mentioned, she wants to be supportive and wants to do it right but obviously being of an older generation that's not used to seeing so many open queer people she's gonna stumble but she's making honest efforts.
And you can even headcannon that maybe she's realized how a lot of the more overly-critical approach she took with Donna while raising her affected Donna's self esteem, and maybe doesn't want to make the same mistake with her grandchild so she's trying to be there for Rose in the best ways she can. I honestly really love how she was characterized in the episode.
ALSO SIDENOTE: when she heard the Doctor outside the door and went, "You!😡" and started marching toward the door...it was so campy and dramatic and so RTD and I loved every second of it.
YES about Sylvia! The fact that she obviously now errs on the side of spoiling Donna with food, and is far more sympathetic to the ups and downs of Donna's life is sweet.
And while it was played somewhat for laughs, she was obviously desperate to protect Donna when the Doctor's presence literally put Donna's life at risk.
I think we saw echoes of the "new" Silvia in the final scenes of the End of Time, but yes it was great to see that she's continued to develop.
Yeah I also love that when the Doctor got into the house that she absolutely smacked him full in the face in a big mama bear kind of a feel. Loved it!
Fully agree! Though I wanna bring up something I haven’t seen anyone mention yet which is that while making Sylvia care that much more about Donna and especially that she would die if she remembered the Doctor, they seemed to neglect to make the Doctor care about that fact at all, at least in his action. It wa like all the caring was left to Sylvia while the doctor was just walking around playing with a fire that could kill his best friend. Idk it felt inconsistent with the rest of the episode
@@gavinwarren9705 yeah, I figured since she saw his face before he covered it again with the boxes and nothing happened that he must have come to the conclusion of "Okay maybe she can see me but as long as she doesn't remember who I am" but a line acknowledging that and making it clear would have been nice
I successfully avoided meep spoilers besides the fact that it was from a comic. While I got that the story was not adding up I did not expect as big of a heel turn and I really enjoyed it
Yeah, I also didn't know about the Meep. RTD wanted to reveal it earlier but was persuaded not to and I'm glad he didn't get his way.
i didnt know about the meep other than knowing "meep" as a thing with nothing other than the term, that said, it was TOO cute and TOO innocent so I was sus of the meep from the start. if the meep had actually been innocent i would have been more surprised tbh.
@@saphcal
I wasn’t suspicious immediately but at some point it reminded me of a cute gremlin. Then I had a kind of uh oh moment maybe 5-10 minutes before the trial.
I know the Doctor uses Time Lord science to modify his clothes so reaching into his pockets is effectively reaching into hammer space.
But how cluttered are his pockets? A judge’s wig just happened to be within a fingertip’s reach?
@@zemoxian My guess has always been bigger on the inside pockets (from classic era), combined with psychic paper style fabric (from modern era) so that it puts within reach whatever the Doctor is thinking of.
There is one difference between 10 and 14 that I noticed. He is not quite so closed off emotionally. He surprised himself saying he loved Donna. Then, again, later he says he loved Wilf. 10 was too fresh off the Time War and even though he wanted to say he loved Rose, he couldn't do it.
As a disabled Doctor Who fan, I cried when they showed the TARDIS in my memory, this is the first time it's been accessible for a wheelchair (other than when they set it up for the 50th Anniversary for Clara to drive her motorbike in) and the Unit Scientist in the wheelchair also made me very emotional, plus they announced Morris this summer, who appears to be a mobility aid user and a person with dwarfism (I too am a mobility aid using person with dwarfism) so this feels like the most representation I have ever seen from Who since becoming a fan over a decade ago. I'm very excited.
"The Doctor is male, and female, neither, and more" is my favourite line. It perfectly sums up my view of The Doctor.
A better explanation should have been. "As a mother."
Donna passed it on to Rose. She understands she can and did that. Rose, who is in essence, the Doctor/Donna/Rose, would pick up that psychic knowledge as well.
The maddening thing is that Donna blames The Doctor inside her for giving his gifts of money away and then Rose says a male presenting Time Lord wouldn't understand giving the metacrisis away.
So this weekend I had a tweet I made about how as a disabled person I thought the representation of disability and Roses transition in the specials first 18 minutes was handled very well and said so. Apparently it went viral on that hellscape Twitter (never calling it X) and though most of the 2000+ responses were positive I got (still am) inundated with nonstop bigotry and insults. The entire experience made me feel like social media virality is NOT worth the hassle! I spent an hour blocking and clearing through bullshit just so I could communicate with folks I care about regarding the episode. All I thought about was you and Jesse Gender and the likes of so many trans and nonbinary creators I follow and adore and how much horrendous bigotry you all have to put up with just because you have a large online following! I don’t have a fraction of the following you deservedly do and I was ready to quit social media altogether! I say all this to let you know I genuinely appreciate that you persevere through the bullshit and hate and continue to be steadfast as a voice for your community and just decent people period! Just wanted to say I empathize SO MUCH!! ❤❤❤
Obviously it's your call but I'd definitely say it's not worth the hassle. To borrow a line my mate said once, "You're crawling through a sewer just to get to a great burger bar, only for it to mke you sick." If you don't already, I'd suggest using a social media where you get control over who gets to see your comments.
@@Elwaves2925 Yeah only reason I’m still there is because it’s my main way of communicating with some longtime friends of mine. If another app had all the same features I would be gone in a heartbeat!
I have a trans relative who DESPISES this episode and I can't blame them even though I didn't hate this episode. They love the representation but they found the messaging way too condescending alongside the fact they kept insulting the heteronormalities of doctor and donna. Or in other words it ain't worth bringing down others to bring others up.
I’m non-binary and I tend to agree. It doesn’t make sense to talk to a Doctor fresh out of having a female-presenting experience about how he’s incapable of understanding the concept of, “Letting things go,” a concept I didn’t realize was monopolized by (or even disproportionately associated with) women and/or non-binary people. Also, Rose being trans/non-binary was alluded to a few times during the episode, but there was never really a moment that gave insight into their experience as non-binary that wasn’t rooted in other people reacting to them or suddenly becoming a superhero with a penchant for tell don’t show at the end. I want non-binary characters who get to revel in the joy of being non-binary in a realistic, human way, and Rose didn’t really get to have that, based on first-watch impressions.
I didn't mind the episode itself, but God, I hate that line about 14 can't let things go because he's "male presenting." No, he can't let it go because it's not in his nature, it has nothing to do with him being male presenting. Just ugh, good intentions, but Christ, I hate that line. (I'm non-binary btw)
"You can get away with canonizing Big Finish." Not only can you get away with it, we insist that you do it more often! Big Finish is probably the most consistently amazing Doctor Who stories ever made!
Thinking it through, I really do like that there are some subtle differences between 10 and 14. I feel like the ego and smugness that defined 10 isn't really on display, and he overall seems a lot calmer and less manic. More openly emotional too.
It's still not enough for me to think of it as a fully separate incarnation (it's very much 10 with a lot more life experience) but you can really feel the influences of 11, 12 and 13 in his characterisation, and the dialogue basically says as much.
It's a version of 10 that finally, properly got over himself and has come back to maybe right some wrongs and make a few apologies.
Of course, we now know River didn't need to do that to save The Doctor, because The Doctor is really The Timeless Child. 🙄
The thing that excites me about the new sonic screwdriver is it's potential as a visual aide when the doctor is explaining things. Hopefully it could allow for more high-concept ideas in the show because they'll be easier to explain to the audience.
Loved the screen addition but wasn't a fan of the shields lol
@@Cybernautzagreed, the screen follows the idea of the scanner and giving it ways to display information. The shields felt like a bit much though.
Honestly, we can have cell phones that give us access to so much. Why can’t the Doctor have a high functioning tool at his disposal?
@@hiker1392because there would be no jeopardy if the Doctor can just make shields out of nowhere. The best Doctor Who situations are when the Doctor has no Tardis or Sonic to help.
I also liked the visual element to the screwdriver. It's always been able to do more then they just stare at it as if it has a read out so I'm fine actually visualising that information. The shield was cool but may be making things a little too easy. Especially when we get to the end and the dreaded "deadlock seal" appears to prevent them from doing something. Are you seriously telling me that after being around for centuries the TARDIS or whoever builds the screwdriver hasn't found a way around that?
i agree that there were a few clunky lines, especially regarding rose, but my god, to have an episode that celebrates trans people and is so aggressively supportive, airing on the BBC, at primetime on a Saturday: that's huge. It helped me see past the parts that kind of made me tilt my head because I know how important and empowering this episode will be for so many people.
+++
My favorite was when the doctor was belittled for not being female by a group of people whom:
1. respected him too much to say such a thing
2. Someone claiming to be nonbinary...
And 3. The Doctor, a person of infinity snark... was written to have no comeback
This episode was petty and in time will be outdated of its identity politics before 2030.
That's exactly how I feel about it
I LOVED the first half of the episode, the second half needed another 20minutes or so to make sense. I loved the idea of the metacrisis being passed down- but the reasoning I think should have been that they could let it go which Tennant’s doctor has never been able to do or understand either as 10 or as 14 rather than it being bc he’s a Male now like if they’d said “we can just let it go, something that face has never been able to do” cos that just doesn’t make sense with Capaldi’s last words being “Doctor I let you go”.
Also, THE NERYS REFERENCES I was screaming. The biggest archenemy of the modern era- nerys and we know absolutely nothing about her.
I loved the lil sentence of the meep saying “I go by the” and the doctor going “oh cool me too” it just felt so natural and sweet and how to normalisely integrate it and a way of saying doctor who has really always been like this, get over it. Same with the convo between Donna and Sylvia when Sylvia was wondering if she was handling rose being trans right and worrying she was always slipping up- that was so NATURAL. And the meep in my mind can do know wrong- was it gonna kill 9 million people, yeh but it’s too cute to do anything wrong ever. And the lil kid running around the tardis screaming at the end was so wholesome.
Even if the story wasn’t the best, the characters were so much more deeply written than Chibnall’s entire run which was such a refreshing change bc he had 3 seasons and I still didn’t feel I knew the characters but here we had 60mins and I could tell you more about them as characters
Plot twist: nerys is 'the boss' cryptically referenced by the meep
For me, I interpreted the “all that power” line as saying that a male-presenting Doctor would never understand letting go of power. I think your interpretation is much more charitable than mine was, because when I heard that, I sort of cringed, reading it as sort of a pseudo-progressive, anti-intersectional take on gender that I typically see from large, detached corporations and their representatives, which suggests that no man could ever understand not being in a position of power, forgetting that SES, ethnicity, disability status, and who one loves are all part of being male and not everything is black and white, even if you’re from the most privileged demographic. Heck, even the Doctor has had to give up power many, many, many times. Saying “X demographic would never do/understand Y” is almost always going to be a non-starter in my opinion, unless there is a very good reason why that’s the case. I think that type of statement has to be handled with a degree of care that I don’t think RTD took unfortunately. Here’s hoping he’s more clear and cautious with his messaging from now on.
That was my initial thought too, and if it was more than just a one-liner maybe it could have been a powerful commentary on the way power is often clung to or seen (Jesse Gender just did a video on Barbie doing a wonderful job at articulating this way better than I ever could)
It was so sexist
@@totesmgoatBarbie and this episode were very sexist on the matter. Barbie may have pulled close to a billion domestically but much of the film will not age well if people analyzed it with the same scrutiny it claims to give the opposite sex. Same with this episode. The narrative was clunking put together to include this identity political aspect and was better off focusing on the story more than the pronouns...
I mean RTD’s personal politics look well
complex and possibly not a progressive as some people have imagined him or would want him to be when it comes to certain issues
The line is a direct jab saying that no man could ever think of giving up power. It's misandry plain and simple.
Been looking forward to seeing your take on this episode!
One story Moffat did adapt from was The Lodger.
Listening to the commentary on iPlayer, its also going to be Ncuti's interior.
My 45 year old mother is a full time wheelchair user, and she absolutely adored the lead unit scientist and the character's attitude.
I'm fully down for statements like the just letting it go, but I'm so confused on the sentiment of it, especially when they just made a point of choosing and being beyond gender.
I understand why you might feel like the TARDIS is empty, but my mother actually made a really interesting observation, it's fully wheelchair accessible!!!! Ramps everywhere and no stairs in site!!!
Oh thats why the lodger is so good, aside the peak romcom situation.
The issue with the "letting it go" thing is the kind of mean spirited undertone directed at "male-presenting" people. Like, we should be embracing each other, not putting each other down with comments like that. I'm sure trans men didn't appreciate that line.
My favorite laugh actually goes back to a comment from John Simm during his death scene (which was filmed from the same angle BTW) that the worst thing about filming that scene was DT's 5 o'clock shadow digging into his eye/face. So when The Doctor thinks Donna is dead, DT puts his hand between his chin a Catherine Tate's forehead. I howled laughing! 😂
The younger kid, Fudge, is a character from the original Pat Mills & Dave Gibbons Star Beast comic storyline. Apparently they filmed more scenes with him than made it into the final cut.
I was shocked at how Beep The Meep's voice was almost EXACTLY as I heard it in my head when I read the original comic. It's one thing to agree that that's what The Meep sounds like, it's another entirely to reproduce it so well. My hat's off to the actress for that performance especially. I predicted the tone of the ending, but not the events. The final scene was such a RTD move, and I for one can't wait to see what happens next.
“Oh my god, I did it again!” 🤣 it’s the way Catherine delivers the line and her face when she says it. You know something was going to happen, but you didn’t know what.
I loved this episode. I totally agree with you regarding Donna, I've seen people say this ruins Journey's End and while I agree that this lessens that emotional impact, I'm sick of how when we talk about the emotional impact of media we always mean negative emotions. Positive emotions are impactful too, and seeing Donna able to be herself again filled me with such overwhelming joy I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I agree that the way Donna and Rose let go of the metacrisis was poorly explained. The way I perceived it was that they could only control it enough to let go of it because there were two of them, the same reason it hadn't already killed Donna. But yes, it was badly communicated in favour of honestly what felt like a bit of a cheap joke, and I could be completely wrong.
I also agree that the trans representation was good, if a little clumsily handled at times. One thing that irked me was the implication that her being "non-binary" (as RTD put it) was due to the metacrisis, a result of the Doctor being neither male nor female overall. Trans and non-binary people exist in real life without alien intervention, so that feels like a miss.
But despite that and the slight fumbles you mentioned, I could feel RTD's good intentions through the writing. It had a very positive non-cynical energy to it that I think is really worth appreciating in this climate. As you've pointed out, often in popular shows like this a trans character will just show up and either be pushed out of the limelight or fridged, which always feels like such a cynical and corporate attempt to lure in LGBTQ+ audiences without losing all the bigots. This wasn't anything like that - whether RTD fully understands the trans and non-binary community or not, he clearly has a lot of affection for them and what they go through and, as he said in the behind-the-scenes special, he feels a responsibility to use his platform to help normalize them in our cultural climate, particularly for the younger generation as what they see in media will have more impact on them. And he's made it very clear on social media that he doesn't give a damn about the opinions of bigots.
I also loved that Donna is such a good mother. I expected she would be, but it's just nice to SEE her break the potential cycle of emotional abuse. She's a "nag", but parents always have to nag their children especially in the teenage years - the bottom line is Donna clearly supports Rose in every way that matters. And Sylvia has also become a much better mother (and grandmother) than she was in Series 4, she clearly took her mistakes onboard and made an effort to change. She's gone from someone full of bitterness to someone full of love. She's still bitter towards the Doctor, but that's clearly out of a very understandable fear for Donna's safety rather than a fear of the Doctor's other-ness.
Overall I can honestly say I haven't grinned that hard watching a new Doctor Who since 2008. Maybe that makes me a sucker for nostalgia, but I'm still really excited to see Ncuti as well as more David.
I've had to stop looking at youTube commentators I usually enjoy (mostly American) because all they are doing is bashing the inclusion of a trans character and demanding Doctor Who is cancelled for being "woke". While I get it's a hot topic in the states and seems to have vast amounts of misinformation causing massive polarisation, it's still so upsetting to see so many otherwise sensible people screaming how Who is dead, the ratings are in the toilet, the BBC needs to cancel the show etc.etc. I've been called a bot or a paid shill just for saying I actually enjoyed the episode and thought Rose was great. Was some of the trans stuff clunky? Yes it was, but it was done with good intentions. I can't find the interview but RTD said somewhere that one of his script editors is a trans woman and he ran a lot of it past her. He spoke to Yasmin about her experiences (and also to Shirley) to make sure they were comfortable with the script and were given the chance to change anything they felt was wrong.
It would've made more sense if 13's doctor was more clearly themed _around_ letting go of things, because I spent her whole run trying desperately to figure out what the theme was _supposed_ to be, since most prior doctors clearly represented a specific "phase" of post-war grief. Jodie's was the first, despite her best efforts, to leave me confused on that front, and this episode implying "letting go" is a uniquely-feminine theme, makes me baffled right after a female doctor who barely gave off any theme of "letting go" one way or another???
My big problem with the 'Male presenting Time Lord' line is that it's making assumptions about the Doctor, which is exactly what Rose chided the Doctor for when he was talking to the Meep.
She's not assuming. She knows. He's in a male body and has been referred with he/him the entire episode. And she's also got his memories.
@@mrdr0161 She only has his memories up to his Tenth incarnation, though...
Had the same issue with the male-presenting line. Especially for Rose to say it. The reverse would also be bad. After everything else the line felt off.
Better to say something like the doctor wouldn't understand as he doesn't share the burden and can't let things go. Especially the Tenant version who got into an argument with 11 over "forgetting" the deaths during the Time War
I think having it be that Time Lords won't have given up on power would have a less clunky choice. The Timelords have been depicted as arrogant and maybe a tad narcissistic.
Here is my perspective as a CIS Hetro White Male whom fully accepts and wants to support/ally with LGBTQI+: I loved Rose. I absolutely loved seeing the representation of a family not only accepting but being supportive. Shaun does not bat an eye at saying he has his beautiful wife and daughter. Syliva acts just how I expect people in her generation to try and question themselves. I even liked how they dealt with the bull headed dingbats. The look on Rose's face shows that they had been dealing with this their whole life most likely well before any transition. I too have been bullied my whole life and I remember having that exact facial response. With that said I did not like the resolution of the meta crisis being 'women can just let it go.' I felt as though that was both cheap and disingenuous. Humans in general are, as most people know, not a monolith. I would have preferred if the next two specials had the underlying threat of the DoctorDonna ending Donna. However, overall I really enjoyed this episode. Thank-you for you insights and views on it as well!
Yes that line was extremely sexist and you have every right to be upset about it.
It’s not as bad as say, Moffat’s overall handling of gender (lest we forget the Christmas Special where apparently motherhood is inherently superior to anything?), but I wish we could drop a lot of this stuff that seems like it’s making a bizarre statement about the sexes… or something. It’s an odd recurrent issue with DW to varying degrees.
Overall I liked it. I didn’t love the resolution of Donnas story arc as it felt way too easy but I’ll have to wait and see if the toy maker has created a fake reality. Give the doctor hope only to make it all come crashing down perhaps? Just seems way too perfect to be real. I mean the ground just fixed itself after being cracked open? RTD has been sloppy before (series 3 final conclusion) but this just didn’t seem like his usual style. I might be wrong though.
It also felt like it didn’t know if it wanted to be a funny episode or a serious episode.
The Tardis is lovely. The tardis has been very dark and disorderly since it’s reboot. This tardis genuinely seems fresh and screams new beginnings. I love the minimalist aesthetic and it genuinely seems like a space ship this time around. The control panel looks like it’s used parts from a scraped alien spacecraft. The 15th doctor will contrast the white walls and the lights will be great for setting the mood of specific scenes.
Really looking forward to next week though. It’ll be great to see Donna and the doctor alone on an adventure once again.
Edit: As for Rose, I think she was trans during the majority of this episode but came to realise she’s non binary by the end. The line “I finally feel like me” indicated this for me but I’m not 100% sure. A part of me is like why couldn’t she just be an ordinary trans person 🤷♂️ instead they had to explain a sci-fi backstory for her gender dysphoria which wasn’t needed but as least it makes some sense.
I love that Shirley Ann Bingam crosses her legs in her first conversation with The Doctor. Just because someone uses a wheelchair doesn't mean they cannot use their legs.
So I have an issue. I may be wrong but felt uncomfortable with the story kiiiiiinda giving off that the meta-crisis kinda makes Rose "confused" giving a weird uncomfortable message that "she is trans-female because meta-crisis screwed with her head". I MAY have read too much into it or clumsily misunderstood what's going on but it touched a little to close to feeling like that's what it could be what's said.
Loved the episode but I did have a few issues around that slice of the narrative.
I haven't seen the episode, but from the reviews I've read you're not alone in experiencing this discomfort. Although I don't believe for a second that Davies intended any of his viewers to reach this conclusion, the fact that some of them did shows that he may not be as adept at dealing with trans issues in the medium of fiction as he likes to believe. I'd go further and say that if he could be bothered to explore the science that is at last beginning to give us an insight into why gender dysphoria happens he might have done more for trans people than any of that bollocks about pronouns he seems so worried about.
I think Rose knew she was trans, but still felt incomplete.
I had the same feeling. It felt like Rose was trans (or reframed as non-binary in the ending) only because she inherited metacrises qualities that she coudln't understand or process. Her 'non-binary' was essentially the result of the binary nature of each of the doctor and donna being balanced. Why make that a plot point? Just let her be trans because she is. Don't need to come up with some weird explanation.
There is precedent for a human-timelord hybrid with the same resolution: River Song could regenerate previously and then 'gave it away' and healed the 11th Doctor with her regeneration energy. Not that you need to be female to do that, but as a possibility to get rid of excess regeneration energy it WAS established before.
Donna doesn't have regeneration energy though, she just had the mind of a Time Lord, which comes with that extreme intelligence. River is intelligent, but she's not Time Lord intelligent. Yes she can fly the TARDIS, but so could Tegan back in the 80s, and Tegan is definitely not a Time Lord. River Song was born with the ability to regenerate and an extended lifespan but is otherwise human.
But the Doctor is a Human-Timelord hybrid... I'll see myself out.
One thing I really liked about this episode- and it's something nobody else has mentioned- the aliens weapons hit the windshield of the car but didn't harm it. I think that was a fun little clue as to what was going on...
I imagine it doesn't get mentioned because it was explicitly stated in the episode as an observation the Doctor made when The Meep was on trial. Though I did notice that happening and it had me raising my eyebrow.
I'd literally typed in a discord channel that it seemed extremely convenient and then- oh, its actually a relevant point in-universe.
They've put out a video, the deadnaming, which it was referred to as was agreed upon between RTD and a trans writer on the show.
To quote them "they don't want to sugarcoat the reality of being trans". RTD even said he knew it might be upsetting.
I think the concerns raised in this video were fair, but from a pure writing perspective it felt more realistic than if they'd gone with something more generic (not least because it avoided that cringey moment when a character would clearly be swearing but can't because it's post-watershed TV). The "Nice makeup" kind of repsonse would probably be too subtle, I've got to be honest and say that I personally might have mistaken that for mysoginy.
On your point about the beautiful tragedy, but still wanting a happy ending for Donna, I found myself getting really emotional with this episode. I was watching the episode with a big ole grin on my face because my favorite companion was back and I mused "Aw, after 15 years, Donna finally got her happy ending." And then immediately, I broke down in tears and said "Donna FINALLY got her happy ending!!!!!"
i really disliked the pronoun joke because the doctor is litterally a genderbending alien, why the hell is he the one to be reminded of this?? he should be the one to tell that to donna or sylvia or something
I also was hoping that RTD's casual-ageism-as-comedy might've been a thing of the past, but no, Donna's line about how men over 35 shouldn't wear tight suits made me want to stab things. 🤬
I think that was what they were pointing at with the grandmother asking if "gorgeous" was too feminine (can't remember the exact phrasing). But no, they didn't establish Rose as non-binary. I had similar thoughts at the time.
Loved the pronouns joke. It also kind of nodded to the non-binary nature of the doctor because he identified with The too. And also could've been nodding to the true nature of the Meep.
I didn't like the male presenting Time Lord line, either. I agree it could have been a self-acceptance/understanding angle.
Given the recent regeneration as a woman and a return to an old face, I think considerations of understanding the effects of gender on oneself makes sense.
Love the doctor and Donna being back together.
I agree. I feel like the line didn't need the male presenting line. Perhaps, if they wanted to keep the allegory, "it's not something a binary thinking Time Lord would have considered." Throw out the "Shame you aren't a woman anymore" line and just say "Your mind has been stuck in a binary for far too long to see it. If we had the time maybe you'd think ouf it but we don't." This leads to you understand that it's about shirkin the binary when the "male presenting" line sort of just reestablishes it.
I have never watched Doctor Who until this episode. Why did I watch it? Ruth Madeley. Weapons built into Shirley Anne's WHEELCHAIR! As a fellow wheelchair user it's probably one of the coolest things I've seen on tv in relation to using a wheelchair. Like RutLikeh I'm also someone that was born with Spina Bifida that kind of representation for disabled folks, and those with SB is fantastic. The TARDIS is wheelchair accessible!! 😀Likewise I imagine it's really nice to see a role written so well for a young trans person.
hearing donna defend rose literally left me a pile of tears. i love the episode so much simply for that! to also just get doctor and donna i love it so much!!!!!
As an enby, I'm so glad I'm not the only one that was super-confused about the nonbinary resolution to things. My wife (she's transfemme) and I were just like: 'Wait, what? I thought Rose was characterized as binary transfemme. Did we miss something?'.
And yes, maybe she realized at the end she was actually enby, but it was so muddy, I'm unsure of that (some people in fandom seem to have interpreted it that way, but idk). That whole resolution was just one big hot mess, IMO.
The way that I understood it was that it wasn't Rose who is non-binary, it's the Doctor/Donna that's being described as being Male, Female, neither and more. I'm not saying I'm right but that's just how my brain sorted it out.
I absolutely loved this episode! Not everything worked, but man did it have me beaming throughout; just so damn fun!
I agree with this. I see some people who are negging this thing down to its worst moments and being negative about it, but I think those people are letting perfect be the enemy of good. This is a great episode, not a perfect one. It has its awkward bits. But then, should we really expect perfection? Its not like Doctor Who hasnt always walked the line between being corny top the max and actually good writing.
I didn't know about The Meep, and wondered briefly if it would be a twist villain, but with the weird sun energy and the Wrath soldiers and UNIt I thought it was too much for them to do. Then they did I, and it was fun and they pulled it off!
I truly loved this special for a number of reasons. Mainly, I have a non binary child. They are gorgeous and flow beautiful in-between the "genders" I resonated with Donna as a fierce mother. The rest was like watching classic Dr Who? In a world that's SO full of criticism and divisive thoughts I purposely suspended my critical mind and Just Enjoyed the story , the characters and the inclusive vibe.❤❤❤❤
Your feelings about the "binary, binary, nonbinary" scene are really close to mine. When I first saw it, I could only think of two options - either they found the weirdest possible time to come out as nonbinary to your mom and her alien friend, or RTD just misgendered Rose through the plot itself. I wonder, particularly with the brief "nonbinary" line, if there's a deleted scene where she explicitly says the word, and they decided this reference to it was too important to cut, but not important not to cut the exact scene it references...
Well nonbinary ppl can use binary pronouns. Demigirl or demiboy ppl often do
I agree that there were a few clunky lines in the episode but generally, they’re not constant and I felt it was more of a return to form than we’ve had for a while, not because of David Tennant and Russel T Davies returning necessarily but also the feel, the depth of the characters and the pacing is better. It feels like the old Doctor Who I grew up with in that regard.
The thing that has irritated me about all this isn’t the episode itself but the inevitable push back from certain individuals online, which I knew would happen regardless. So many of the usual suspects have reacted negatively to the usual things they get annoyed about, but what’s silly is that the episode only has the odd mention of the kind of things they dislike but simply being included means the episode is somehow ruined and the series is apparently on its last legs and hates the fans.
And it irritates me more because I had been a similarly negative nancy about Jodie Whittaker’s first episode and looking back, it wasn’t all for good reasons either, and it makes it all look like they’re just looking for any reason to talk crap about Doctor who, bringing into question whether they are actual fans or not.
The thing that struck me with the new Tardis design was all the ramps and no ladders or steps. Made me wonder if we are goinhg to get a disabled companion or is the Unit science advisor going to get on board
"Comfort viewing" is the perfect description of how the episode felt to me. The plot wasn't particularly great and some scenes with Rose felt not very well thought through, and the logic of letting go was certainly unclear. A bit lukewarm on the new TARDIS too, though also expecting some changes once Ncuti arrives. Or maybe it will just work better with him. But I missed the vibes a lot, the music, and I missed fantastic acting from every single person on set. Just so happy.
I'm a trans girl and my only problem was that ending with the binary thing like i think they were trying to say the doctor is neither bc they can regenerate to either gender but then they went further and insulted david for simply "presenting" as male I don't understand why he wouldn't understand if the doctor is presenting as either man or woman they would have the same knowledge and understanding that's what i got angry about also i didn't know Rose was trans until the ending and thats how it should have stayed i don't think they needed to hit us in the face with it as most trans girls including myselfwant to just be seen as girls not trans girls and i didn't like the show pointing it out and making that Rose's main character trait
you didnt catch rose was trans when she got "deadnamed" and harassed on the walk home or the conversation between Donna and Donna's mom? :O im shocked. i wasnt sure at first, but I knew long before the end, as a trans woman myself, so I'm surprised it went over you head until that late.
You didn't know Rose was trans till the end because you don't listen well, it's clear she was trans from the start
I, for one, knew nothing about the Meep prior so this was amazing
I'm only about 2/3 of the way through your review, but when you were explaining binary versus non-binary, you said the phrase, "gender? I hardly know her!" I laughed WAY too hard at that.
I too was confused at Rose's use of the term non-binary, because like you, I perceived her as definitely binary, definitely female. I could be wrong, but she didn't say anything or do anything that would make me believe that she falls anywhere other than the female side of the spectrum. My kid is non-binary and they are sometimes more female presenting and other times more male presenting. They are truly non-binary.
I also sympathize with Sylvia's hesitation and lack of self-confidence about how to talk around and about someone who is trans. It took me a long time before I stopped misgendering my kid. But the point is that she is supportive and she's trying. She'll get there eventually.
Right after I have watched the special I kinda felt conflicted about the non-binary resolution. I couldn't quite name why it just didn't feel right. Your video helped me put a tag on it.
I didn't realize that the non-binary wasn't really spelled out before and so it came out of nowhere.
When I saw the scientific advisor I immediately remembered your commentary about positive representation and it made her character so much better and more enjoyable.
What stood out to me above everything was just how funny this episode is. Like, I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard both at a Doctor Who episode or just at a TV show in general (aside from some specific comedy shows). Like, damn this was so funny.
This whole special felt very sugary-sweet in a way that definitely had to grow on me - that being said, by the time David Tennant arrived at the Noble's home, it just became an absolute nonstop blast.
Bonus points to the scene where Rose corrected the Doctor on assuming genders and the Doctor apologized - it was something that could have incredibly easily felt offbeat or preachy, but it actually felt completely natural and reasonable for the characters and the situation they were in. Queer zoomers rise up, we're gonna save the world fr fr 😤
Edit - I swear I brought this up before I saw the bit in the vid where you address this lol. And I forgot about the "I do that" line, that was gold
the way i interpreted the “nonbinary” line from rose was that now that a third person & perspective is part of the DoctorDonna meta-crisis, it is no longer binary - it’s now “nonbinary”. Obviously not trying to assume anything of RTD, but it seems to me that he has a bit of a misunderstanding of trans identity and thought that by having a trans character say this, it would automatically be a kind of punchy double entendre - but it doesn’t quite click. as a nonbinary person i did really enjoy the focus on transness in this ep, but i agree the handling of it was a bit off in some regards
While the show wasn’t perfect, I have to say I haven’t been this excited about DW in YEARS. I’ll admit that part of it is having Tennant back, he’ll always be my Doctor, despite the fact that I didn’t think bringing him back was such a good idea a year ago. But when I heard Catherine Tate was back…my favorite pairing. Great dynamic, not romantic at all, and she gives as good as she gets. Oh, yes. I loved the pacing and well, feel of the episode, for lack of a better word. I have to say the moment I heard that “male presenting” line, I was like, oh great, the click-baiters/hate mongers just got their ammunition. That line was badly worded and unnecessarily confusing. I thought maybe they were talking about Ten not wanting to “let go” and holding off his regeneration too long (the “I don’t wanna go” line), but I fail to see what that had to do with Ten or Fourteen being “male presenting”. The fault of the writer for not being more clear.
Other than that, this was very enjoyable. The opening credits had my jaw on the floor, I only wish it had been about 10 seconds longer. The DW logo did look like a bit odd against the time-space graphics, though. Like the styles didn’t match. Still, it was gorgeous. The mix of CGI and practical effects, especially for the Meep, looked great. I do wish Fourteen had a Scottish accent. I like the evolution of the sonic, I know a lot of reviewers think it’s too much, but for me, at least now it’s more believable as an actually useful tool, rather than a gimmick.
Thanks for the thorough review, Vera. Well worth the wait. Thank you for your honesty and for being true to yourself. Allonsy!
I've not gotten into DW, but I'm just commenting in support, and to say that I love seeing your enthusiasm about this much-loved show. 😊
I think it should have been longer. I want to know a little more about Rose and what Donna and the Nobles has been up to.
I really missed thoss introductions from the companion"s perspective that Russel did in his first tenure.
I fist pumped when I realized that we were getting some pretty good trans rep on Doctor Who, especially on the BBC. Parts of her inclusion were a bit more..er.. earnest than well executed, but if there's any show that can get away with well-intentioned campy earnestness, its Doctor Who, ESPECIALLY Russell T. Davies Doctor Who.
A warm hug is the perfect way to describe this special. I adored it, and I was iffy about Tennant's return. But he and Catherine Tate are such a good combo that I'm good with him being back in a limited run. And this was fun to watch! I loved the new scientific adviser (46th one - made me grin) and her sensibly outfitted chair. I like that she got to have the conversation with the Doctor when he was hiding from the rest of UNIT, and that she kept his presence there secret at first. Kate clearly has a good eye for competence, like her dad. Although - and I will admit this is a quibble - the Doctor technically is UNIT's second scientific adviser. Liz Shaw got the position first, before the Doctor returned to Earth. She was scientific adviser when they went out to the country hospital to see the Doctor back in Spearhead from Space. Though it's very like the Doctor to either forget or gloss over that in the moment.
The intro effects felt like a mix of series 4 and Matt Smith's series 7 intro. Also the piano bits reminded me of the 1996 TV movie, which I love and has one of my favorite themes. I don't know if Murray intended the piano as an allusion to the movie but it was awesome to hear.
I am a Bi male with cerebral palsy using an active wheelchair and I try to support my brothers and sisters in the rainbow including trans non-binary and gender questioning friends that I try to help and support in my life. So Rose Noble was great, and I cannot wait to she here as a companion for the next Doctor I feel like she is a great representation. But I would be lying if I wouldn't say that I was SO HAPPY ABOUT the TARDIS being all ramps and wheelchair accessible! I also loved that UNIT agent how she had cool rockets and darts, but the stairs were still a problem so they did not negate her disability and I love her normal and grounded reaction to that other UNIT solder being sorry about them, and she was like do your job! Such good representation! My inner kid who role-played an RPG session in 2012 at a forum with a disabled character & 11th Doctor
Russell T Davies said: "Rose, at one point, is deadnamed in the street by some kids calling her by her deadname, which is Jason. The interesting thing about Jason is actually it means 'Healer' or 'Doctor' which means that Donna actually named her child after the Doctor, without realising it, subconsciously." Of course I had no idea about the meaning of the name Jason, while watching it.
As a Jason myself, and a Doctor Who fan, it pleases me immensely to learn I was actually named after the Doctor. Now, if only I had a TARDIS. Though, my first car was small, boxy, blue, and surprisingly roomy. Coincidence? I think not!
Yeah, like you said, RTD loves the extended media and references it a lot (even in his old run), but felt it too constricting to be able to do what he wanted if he stuck closely to it. A lot of people who haven't seen Classic Who may not realize just how much his episodes are adapted from extended media into a "canon" version or bringing back an idea from Classic Who. Like, you already listed "Dalek" being remade from "Jubilee," "Human Nature/Family of Blood" being adapted from the 7th Doctor "Human Nature," and "Star Beast" obviously being adapted from "Star Beast..." but you also have things like "Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel" being adapted from "Spare Parts" (which is why the canonicity of Big Finish outside of 8, and by extension 6, is debatable), the Ood being a reimagining of the Sensorites, the Time War itself even being a hybrid of reviving the idea from "Genesis of the Daleks" and being a canon version of the War in Heaven -- like, it's exactly what you said, Big Finish and NuWho can's have happened in a timeline where the Eighth Doctor Books/Time Paradox books happened (given how they end).
This was some of the best Dr Who I have ever seen. We were all crying at the end. We have a friend staying with us who has never seen Dr Who and generally zones out when any sci fi or horror comes on, and they were sucked right in and became so connected to these characters she'd never seen before that she was crying too.
Thats a compelling indictment of the writing. Excellent job of giving us all the information we needed (even as a new viewer) in a way that didnt slow down the story or feel like exposition. Only real exposition was the Doctor (Tim Curry voice) In Space! monologue at the start, and that was short, concise, and only gave enough.
Aside about the comics and canon.
Dr Who was the plot device Marvel UK used to transfer Deathshead from the UK Transformers continuity to the mainline Marvel continuity. This means it is soft canon that a version of the Transformers and the main Marvel 616 universes are connected to he Dr Who universe.
I mention this because Disney now has some access to Doctor Who, and is in the middle of a huge multiverse story arc in the MCU. Everything is pretty well aligned to at least cameo The Doctor in the MCU if they really wanted. Including Doctor Who already adapting a Marvel story on a Disney platform. There are normally ownership issues when trying to use any material from the Marvel comics, to have used them in such a big way implies some sort of deal was likely made.
This may only go as far as giving access to thse stories to adapt some of them; or they could use it to surprise us.
My only problem with this episode is that Rose is clearly too old. If Donna lost her memory 15 years ago then Rose couldn't be older than 14. RTD should have set it 5 years in the future instead of casting a 20 year old with no explanation
With regards to names in the plot:
"Rose" was important because it was what Rose called herself, a hint that the Doctor was leaking through her. "Jason" is what Donna named her at birth, which is the Greek word for "Healer" or "more modernly, Doctor"....
I saw that line of Rose and Donna whem they let go of the the energy, as "a man wouldn't let go of the power" simple as that, and made me remember of River Song she let go of all the energy to save 11 she just needed to know he was worth of it
She's back. She's back. She's back. Any criticism is fine and likely valid. I have Donna blinders. SHE'S BACK.
The swoop of her bangs when she gets her memories back, before she even starts yelling at him about the money. That was the moment. It's DONNA.
You're in the same camp as me when it comes to when Donna and Rose let the power go. I felt like it was too easy and the lines about the Doctor being a man felt kind of...odd I guess? Had they said something about how humans can be cleverer than the Doctor and how they can choose to let the power go I think that would have worked better or at least made more sense in context since Donna and Rose are the first humans to gain Time Lord knowledge and power
The part that I found a bit strange about the male presenting line was it almost felt like a triumphant one liner delivered to an arrogant villain, but it was said to the doctor? I’m sure the doctor would have been thrilled that Donna and Rose were able to figure an alternative solution out, but it seemed condescending towards a character who has been shown to be trying his best to validate people’s identities. Overall loved the episode. Keep up the great videos!
This is definitely an episode that I'd love to hear RTD be asked about at some point, in an interview or a question at a convention. Just because he's obviously going for some message with the Non-binary and Letting it go parts, but something got lost in the writing of it and I don't think any of the BTS things I've watched have really answered that.
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only person who thought some of the messaging toward the end was muddled. I've had a hard time trying to wrap my head around what RTD was trying to convey with the "let it go" plot point and the non-binary line.
Overall though, I really enjoyed the episode. I think I had more fun with it than I have with any new Doctor Who episode in several years. (And no, you're not the only one who had trouble with the sound. I needed subtitles too, lol).
The whole Rose "letting it go" thing if spoken by a binary (with in some way she is too as you showed excellently) felt so wrong and contradicts that BRILLIANT scene between Capaldi and Bill eating chips and talking gender!
if a man or woman had said what Rose said it would have been cancelled by certain groups
10 didn't give Donna the chance to come up with a solution. That's a difference with 14. They realise that other people have agency and they need to communicate.
The "let it go" line felt like a meta commentary about the show's past, signaling to longtime fans and viewers that with Disney the show is going to be rebooted harder than it was in 2005.
As for the tying it to "male-presentation", I think RTD was trolling, just like Chibnall was with the "upgrade" line in Spyfall.
Loved your review! As a cis man I really didn't know how the plot beats would hit with people who are actually trans, so to hear that RTD got it *mostly* right is at least comforting! I still really hope he can at least recruit more female and trans writers (such as Juno Dawson) for his new series though
I'm still unsure about the resolution to the meta-crisis, as the last line about male-presenting time lord felt like a joke leaning into gender stereotypes, which just feels weird in an episode like this? And I'm not sure if the implication is that Rose is trans BECAUSE she had the meta-crisis? In which case I'm REALLY not sure about the conclusion...
Great video as always! I was intrigued to see a review of this episode from a trans persons' perspective. For me I am glad that Doctor Who is finally giving some representation and I thought the Sylvia and Donna scene portrayed that perfectly. The pronouns joke I did find a bit cringy and I think it was cause it came out at a random time in the episode, where it kind of just broke the scene I felt. As for the split of the metacrisis, I really love the idea of it being passed down through the generations and that being able to prevent the weight of it only being on one human but I really didn't think adding the binary and non-binary lines worked as part of that. As you explained, I didn't really understand what that meant or how that had anything to do with it as when Donna was mentioning "binary" in Journey's End it wasn't to do with gender, so it seemed a bit almost forced like Davies was just trying to add the line in for like a trans bingo card. I thought it worked fine without that added extra bit. I do just hope when we see Rose again that the representation is done more organically like the Sylvia scene and built into the story rather than being forced as personally at times it felt like Rose's personality was that she was trans rather than it was a part of her identity as a character, and I really don't like character's personalities being identities as it just isn't realistic and feels forced, like using the character to make a point rather than add to the story. But as always thank you for a great review, can't wait for Wild Blue Yonder!
All I could think when 14 made his "sonic shields" was. "About Goddamn time this fella is getting shot at CONSTANTLY"
It wasn’t just you! My sound mix drowned out a lot of the dialogue. I caught so much more on the rewatch.
I've seen a lot of people comparing the Meep to cats (probably just my timeline somehow 😂). Makes a lot of sense. Super cute but murder mittens and dictatorial tendencies
Our cat is now referred to as the meep
@@inshort6831 that's purrrfect :) All hail the Meep kitty