Your responses
David, Midlands on February 9th, 2009
Too many people hanging around with nothing much to do. Capt Jack was pointless as ever. The only one that had any relevance was the Sarah Jane character, at least she had back history with Davros that should have been explored. Overall, a typical Davies' mess, thank God he's going.
Raeann on July 11th, 2008
All I can say is I think we should be asking ourselves what Davies is planning that will take 4 or 5 more episodes...and why everyone thinks what the Doctor did in this episode is justified. To me, it seems the Doctor crossed several serious lines...he is no longer just helping people along...he is dictating their lives against what they expressly wish. Now...if he didn't care for Rose...by all means...he could explain and go. But if he cares for her...why not give her the one thing she has always said she wanted...to know he is okay on his own? Oh...because he's not very okay on his own, is he? No...instead he puts her into a happy virtual world...like he does to River and Donna this season. I wonder if we should be questioning the Doctor's judgement before we question the writing.
Joy, Chicacgo on July 11th, 2008
Well said. The Dr-Rose conclusion was so short and he controlled the whole thing while she kind of floundered without enough time to do much of anything. In the end the Dr. had more emotion for the loss of Donna. A bit odd to be sure.
Martin, Belfast on July 10th, 2008
well i thought the finalle a utter dissapointment like. It brought no any jawdropping moments or anything that kept me in suspense. I thought that billie pipers role as rose was applaling like. I was glad that elisabeth sladden reprised her ole again. In conclusion i thought that russel t davies story writing boring an unconclusive leaving a lot of areas still questionable! I do think russel t davies day of writing are over. I wis the daleks exterminated him earlier so i would of received a amazing finalle!!
Lulu, US on July 10th, 2008
I thought it very appropriate that Rose not dominate the finale. Why bring Rose back anyway? Martha was/is an excellent character; I love her, but her time had come; Donna was even more interesting and strangely loveable. "Rose and the Doctor" for years to come would have become boring just as Doctor 4 and SJS grew tiresome. All along there was something Rose needed from the Doctor that she couldn't have from him, so she settled for following him across time and space. He very unselfishly gives her exactly what she needs (and he knows her so well, doesn't he?) whether she can understand it yet or not. The sad bit is, she knows that he is still out there, doing with out her, soldiering on. OH WELL. Life is ruff. Time and space march on. She's safer at home with her family and D2, and if that means HE can't have what HE wants... well, he's quite used to that, isn't he? I actually really liked the Rose resolution. I liked that Martha remains, and I was crushed that the DoctorDonna had to go. It was more crushing than seeing Rose crying on the beach 2 years earlier. Sure she had lost the Doctor, but he had left her with a posh life with her mom AND her dad, and her boyfriend to keep her company. What a gift! Donna can't even have her memories of him or his gift of her personal improvement. She begs him "Don't send me back!" to temping and x-factor. That broke my heart so hard. RTD is f***ing brilliant and I will miss him when he is gone. So yeah, I liked the finale.
Paul, Dunstable on July 8th, 2008
I, for one found the whole thing underwhelming. The cliff-hanger especially so as just about everyone knew Tennant was in the Xmas special as it had been in most of the papers about 2 months earlier. What I found most disapointing is that is was a poor copy of the much better Ecclestone episode, "Parting of the ways". OK so Donna didn't look into the time vortex but the she did have Time-lord knowledge put into her, she did come to the rescue and once AGAIN every Dalek has been destroyed (just how many total extinction can one species have?). All that aside, RTD & the BBC kept on trying to racket up the episode with that 'You ain't seen nothing yet' attitude. Well actually - yes I have and I've seen it done much better. The ending was some of the worst writing I've seen in almost any programme. My congratualtions to both David Tennant & Catherine Tate for handling all the material given to them throughout the series with humor, compassion & feeling. Catherine Tate was brillaint and in my singular opinion the best compaion on the series to date, and NO I did not miss Rose one single bit or want her back. Piper chose to leave, well go away, stay away and give someone else a chance.
Howard Pitfield, London on July 8th, 2008
Watched on the open air screen in Trafalgar Square (after London Gay Pride). Cried twice in public - what am i like!!?? Loved it. Greatwhen the crowd bboed and cheered in unison!!
Jack, London on July 8th, 2008
Special effects apart - which were great - this was a typical Russell T Davies episode: badly written, plot holes you could drive a truck through and totally lacking in emotion. Indeed, I had to be rushed to hospital to have my fingers surgically removed from the back of my throat. Someone should have a quiet word in Mr D's ear and tell him that Billie Piper is not most men's idea of an attractive woman. (Other, possibly, than those with an IQ somewhere below that of a carrot.) If she could act it would help. And am I the only viewer who needs subtitles every time she opens her mouth? Thanks heavens she and Mr D have gone and that Steven Moffat is taking over. RTD revived Dr Who, for which we should all be grateful. Had he remained at the helm for much longer, however, he would have destroyed it, too. Hopefully, from now on, things can only get better.
Lee, York on July 8th, 2008
Simply brilliant in every way. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. Simple as!!!
Olga, London on July 7th, 2008
I agree with the reviewer above. Too much going on and not enough attention to any specific story strand. We've all been waiting for Rose to come back but that story felt rushed and not satisfying. We were warned that someone would die, but no one did. Donna sort of "died" but the resolution of her story leaves the option open for a future cameo. Did we need Torchwood, Sarah Jane et al? It smacked of publicity for the other shows. All in all, I enjoyed it and TV with Dr Who is better than TV without, but I was left distinctly underwhelmed by the resolution of Rose's story. Her whole character was underwritten, which is a shame, after all the hype about her return.
P Kaur on July 7th, 2008
Exceptionally amazing!!! Especially after the last episode when I thought the doctor was dead. Not 1 but 2 doctors / david tennants & 'doctor-donna' - genius but I do agree that Rose should have had more prominence. I cant wait until xmas & the cybermen.
Aidan, Mansfield on July 7th, 2008
I thought that the season finale was BRILLIANT!!!! I really hope that Donna comes back somehow ...
John, Essex on July 7th, 2008
Gosh - having read some of the previous comments it would seem people get into this show as if it were eastenders or corrie, neither of which real life anyway. I thought the series overall was very good although slightly tainted by the finale. Far too many main characters for a 1 hour airing. RTD would have done better to leave out a few - Rose's mum for a start cos you just can't take her seriously. As for Rose, Billie earns all that money you would think she could afford a decent dentist - what's going on there!! I do enjoy DocWho though - good old entertaining bunkum. Like the idea of occasional specials as opposed to a series, will keep the programme fresh with hopefully bigger budgets per episode. I think that format will prove popular and wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the permanant format after the 2010 series. Stephen Moffat will be a great head for the programme and possibly make it a little darker - sometimes far to camp with RTD. David Tennant - he is good but frankly I'm getting a bit bored with him now. All of the possible replacements suggested seem to be of the same stamp - would prefer to see someone a little older and more in the Eccleston mould, cos he was excellent.
Babs, Dublin on July 7th, 2008
I absolutely loved it, and yet again cried buckets during a Doctor Who finale, what am I like (I always have to watch Doctor Who Confidential to remind myself it's not real, that alone is very sad and very un-me). I'm delighted David Tennant is staying on, the Best Doctor I've seen (and I've seen all of them).Obviously he won't stay in the role forever but why the furore about him not regenerating? He's brilliant and I for one would have been far more disappointed to see him go. It was a great story, a thrilling ending to what has been another brilliant series. I was crying very early on, with Rose and The Doctor finally getting to hug like they couldn't 2 years ago. I thought the Doctor and Donna half imitating each other after she cloned him was gas, very funny. I was smiling like a 10 cheshire cats when they all flew the tardis to get the Earth back home (poor Jackie not being allowed to fly it!). Crying again when Rose got her man (but her man didn't get her, if you know what I mean). And practically in a puddle on the floor at Donna's horrically sad fate. And the sad, lonely Doctor all alone again, having had a Tardis filled with his friends only hours later. And only I KNOW it's not real I would be joining the queue of volunteers to join him the next time. A brilliant story, such convincing characters that are down to the writers and the actors. Congratulations and thank you to all who make this programme unmissalble for me. Roll on the Christmas special and the Cybermen!
Martin, USA on July 7th, 2008
I was heartbroken and angered that Donna's mind was wiped, even as she wept and pleaded with the Doctor to let her die rather than take away her memories of him. RTD has said he'd never kill a companion, as it would break faith with the audience...however, he is happy to tease with warnings of a companion's death (see Doomsday as well) only to cop out. In this case, I'd argue that I would rather have seen Donna die than for all the character development of the last series go for naught. Now she is the same narrow-minded harpy, and she will never know how brave or clever she really is or the wonderful adventures she had with her beloved Grandad. To make it worse, the Doctor even saw into her mind and realized how insecure and unhappy she is, and how much being with him has helped her. Now it's all gone. A stomach-turning development.
John Simpson, Grimsby on July 7th, 2008
Natail someone did die it was the DoctorDonna, she 'died' as there can't be a Human/Time Lord, so the Doctor 'killed' her so she became the best temp in Chiswick Donna
Rod, Newhaven on July 7th, 2008
Not bad. Could have had a third episode out of that finale and given all the characters a bit more time to do something constructive. Still ..with all the loose end tying going on you could be forgiven for overlooking some missing bits and... while were at it... conjouring up some passable plot devices to re-instate any character(s) you might want to see again. For example: Where was the Doctor's daughter. Is she the mother of Susan who called the doctor "grandfather" in the first series (1963)? Yes, quick flash of River Song - will we see her again? And if you want to reinstate Donna Noble - given she has all the timelords memories thoughts and so on, she'd have known what was about to happen and might just have had a solution for it. I still like the idea that Astrid and the Tardis are somehow related. Another useful plot device waiting to have its stone turned. Meanwhile, with all the speculation about will he, wont he, regenerate... anyone have an idea who the next companion might be...???
Andrew, Cardiff on July 7th, 2008
after the sheer brilliance of turn left and the stolen earth i was expecting a lot more from journeys end. it started off with the regeneration thing which was a bit of an anticlimax itself, it was there simply to be a cliffhanger. it got better though up untill the second doctor came into it, downhill from there. last week all the assistants fitted in really well but in this weeks it was just like they were totally pointless and didnt really contribute at all. throughout the whole episode we were waiting for someone to die and it never came, in fact there was no real action whatsoever and the doctor spent all the episode in a blue tube. finally i agree with the majority that we actually needed less rose not more, donna is by far the better companion, she is a better actress by a country mile and she isnt head over heels in love with the doc. that scene on the beach is probably the worst scene in who history, the doctor is not supposed to fall in love. overall a massive disappointment. however davros, K9 and wilf were excellent
Sophie, Leicester on July 7th, 2008
I've found the whole fourth series quite poor, which is disappointing as I prefer Donna to Martha. In each of the new series, there is at least one episode that I will rewatch time and time, but in this series, there is none. I was hoping for a better finale but I just found it all quite tacky and silly. Rose was in love with the Doctor... and she ends up with a clone of him. I also found the Daleks to be quite poor... I didn't understand why they wanted to destroy reality. Surely if they did that, they'd destroy themselves? Or if they survived, they'd have no-one left to kill... I think they would've thought about that. I did however, enjoy Dalek Caan. I must also mention the incredibly TACKY huge 3D writing before the Christmas trailer - a little kid could do better than that. Simplicity is much more effective. It looked like someone couldn't be bothered to make something nice, so they just used WordArt and added some sound effects to it.
Chris, Notts on July 7th, 2008
I think you mean that YOU wanted to see Rose again. Not we. A lot of people have never liked her and would rather she stayed put in her alternate universe. More Martha and more Donna, both excellent companions. The finale was excellent though. With or without the dentured one.
Sam, Bristol on July 7th, 2008
I thought the finale was absolutely awesome! However I agree with some of the comments above that it felt a bit overcrowded with cast members that were not really neccessary (ie Jackie Tyler) and that even though it was an extended episode it still seemed like the storytelling was a bit rushed. Compared to "Turn Left" and "The Stolen Earth" I felt it was lacking a little extra oomph! I can't wait for the Christmas special and will be willing 2010 to come around in double quick time so we can have a new series! I'm glad that David Tennant didn't regenerate as I think he is brilliant as the Doctor and hope Stephen Moffatt can persuade him to stay for a while yet. A fitting farewell to Russell T Davies (who will be missed) and a fresh start for Stephen Moffatt to show us what he can do.
Stephen Phillips, London on July 7th, 2008
Great effects, but too much going on to follow. Too many companions (not a Rose fan myself), should have stuck with Donna, Martha and Cptn Jack. Shame to lose Donna, I thought she was the best companion of the revived Dr Who so far. (Closely followed by the lovely Martha, then the toothy Rose last I'm afraid). Great Davros, hope to see him back some time. Also loved the Red Dalek Supreme.
Amz, Birmingham on July 7th, 2008
how can anyone say that it wasnt so good.dts d best its goin 2 gt n it was great exciting 2 watch 4 all d family! n david tenent is brilliant..no1 died bt he did lose sum1
Holly, Gloucester on July 7th, 2008
Are you nuts??? EVERYONE knew David wasn't leaving so wouldn't be regenerating as he's filmed the christmas special (part of it in my hometown) so why the disappointment??? I agree with peoples comments about Rose - who needs her! He's had tons of assistants over the years and they all bring something to him, she needs to stop crying like a spoilt brat and deal with the fact she can't have the timelord!!! Hated Donna to start with as not a Tate fan but how good was she in the finale - the ending broke my heart! Overall a fab finale and bring on the specials!!!
Julie, South Shields on July 7th, 2008
Great story, wonderful links to everyone and anything that had previously occurred; regenration switch-about was inspired, but taking Donna's memories? Unforgiveable! Tate has been brilliant throughout the series, and Donna was funny/vulnerable by degrees, but wiping her memory? Well, I demand that she return in a future episode and be allowed at least to meet-up with her 'dream-man' from the 'Library' episode.
Richard, Newcastle on July 7th, 2008
it was a bit of a messed and left me slightly disapointed overall. not least of all because actually wanted someone significant to die, not not a memory loss-like death as with Donna, an actual full blown killing, and i actually wanted Rose to kick the bucket, it would have been such much better that the 2 doctors tripe and rose walkin off into the sunset. although i was intially disapointed with Donna's story conclusion, now i can actually see it's actually the only way to resolve the storyline and not 'kill off' Donna/Doctor Donna as it means they will be hope for a return, which i would wholeheartedly welcome as of the companions on the new series she was by far best we had and i can only hope that Steven Moffet when he takes over takes the hint and doesn't cast an actress with little proven acting record and varied range. and although i don't think the series is getting tired i am beginning to think Russell T Davies is. i can only hope he has enough left in the tank for the four specials.
Simon, Southampton on July 7th, 2008
I realy enjoyed the finale, without doubt RTD went out with a bang. It was great to see Sarah Jane Smith again she has always been my favourite assistant along with Leela. It was clear RTD wanted to tie things up & di so rather well albeit a bit shamaltzy where Rose was concerned. My one real dislike out of the whole thing was to write out Donna! I felt Katherine Tate brought a real breath of fresh air with Donna, she was down to earth, fiesty & above all was not in love with the Dr. They worked very well together & in my humble view far better tha Rose of Martha. To wipe Donna's mind of the past year was I felt a total cop out & felt like RTD was pressing the reset button. Dropping Donna wasa mistake & one I hope will be rectified in the future. That aside I really enjoyed the finale.
Rachel, Northampton on July 7th, 2008
Is donna really gone? in episode 12 she is sat on the stairs and one of the shadow women tells her, "you have something on your back" could it be a beetle?
Ann, Oxon on July 7th, 2008
it's hard to fault this episode, especially when compared to the lacklustre season 2 finale of heroes. the end of both series couldn't have been more different - DW was full of action, clever plot twists, humour and great dialogue ... i'm sturggling to remember what happened in the bland heroes episode.
Ellie, Lancashire on July 7th, 2008
Well, I can't say I truely loved this finale. In fact, apart from the ten things mentioned above the entire episode was just not up to scratch. It felt like the destruction of the Daleks (yet again) was a footnote in this companion love-fest! I couldn't actually watch the Bad Wolf Bay scene as it was so cringe-worthy. Seeing Hybrid Doctor and Rose the Buck Toothed Yokel snogging away just felt cheap and rather pathetic with a dash of sugary sweet sentimentality. Her character was at her best with Christopher Eccleston and then just went downhill in Series 2. She should never have been brought back IMO so I'm so thankful that the finale was not all about her. She should have been killed off. I would have liked to have seen more of Gwen and Ianto though. And it felt that Mickey was only included in this episode to bring him back to Earth. It's obvious that Noel Clarke is joining the case of Torchwood (even if it hasn't been announced yet). I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth at the end of this episode. What a cheap way to write off such a fantastic character such as Donna! Oh, her memory has to be wiped because the timelord knowledge is killing her.....how convenient! It's an insult to such a fantastic character. And one more piece of advise to the DW writers. Next time you repeatedly say that a companionions getting killed off, actually kill them! Also, watch the season finales of Lost and see where you are going wrong!
Dave, NYC, USA on July 7th, 2008
Wow, It was an amazing finale. It made me cry and I'm not a crier. The whole series was about Donna changing and then... They just took it away from her. Screw Rose, she was obnoxious and just got in the way. Donna was the best companion I've ever personally experienced and I am sorry, so sorry to see her go.
Caroline on July 7th, 2008
Well I guess technically someone did die...didn't the doctor say something about the Donna he'd traveled with being "dead". Getting a bit technical but I guess it counts... This series has been my favourite so far, the interaction between The Doctor and Donna was amazing, and not romantic at all (which I thought was good) and it added an amazing amount of humour without detracting any suspense or intensity of the stories. The only thing I didn't quite like about the finale was Rose ending up with the half-human doctor. Although I pretty much NEEDED to see her with the doctor in some respect or her return would have been kind of lessened for me, this almost made it as bad...I mean the doctor who had loved her that whole time had to let her go after finally being reunited with her...it seemed almost cruel to me. And it seemed like Rose wasn't quite too happy about it either. I would've liked to see Rose become one of the companions again...maybe with Donna? I'm so sad Donna's gone. :(
Clare, Bedfont on July 7th, 2008
i think it was well theres not a word the sums up how amazing it was and i think its a good thing they didnt make it all about rose because if it was mostly about rose then what was the point of doner this last episode told you why she was important and i think rose has allready had her episodes so all i can say is well done 2 everyone and thank you best show ever cant say best episode because we all no that theres more fun, upset, existing and scary moments still 2 come because there allways is.
Jen, Liverpool on July 7th, 2008
I was so happy to see Gita... but what has happened to sanjay???
Rog, Cheshire on July 7th, 2008
For other CT fans I'll posit a question... Since when has ANY mind wipe worked for any length of time in an SF series? For ruther consideration, Agatha Chrsitie's mind wipe (although not done by the Time Lord) was pretty poor in terms of the Who universe. Also bearing in mind the trivia that has become important down the line, I can see there being a CT return left wide open. Just saying...
Val, West Midlands on July 6th, 2008
The start felt very rushed, but in a deliberate way, like RTD was having a laugh, saying, "ha! You've been stressing out all week and I've solved it in 2 seconds flat." As for the end (was there anything in between?) RTD obviously wanted to tie up all the loose ends from his reign, probably trying to do too much in one go. The knots weren't so tight that they could never be undone though. Alien activity is no longer something that's hushed up on Who-Earth, so surely even the brain-zapped Donna couldn't live her whole life without noticing something going on. A re-awakened Donna looking for some way to stabilise her mind would make a great story. Rose - the selfish mare - couldn't be satisfied with the wonderful compromise the Doctor was offering her, but there's no way he could devote himself to her, what with the small matter of saving the universe every week. Sure he'll miss her, but he can't put his personal happiness into the equation. Hopefully that'll be the end of the Tyler family, but it does leave the intriguing possibility that, come the day Tennant hands in his screwdriver, he could always make a guest appearance as the human Doctor (hopefully avenging the death of Rose!) There's even the prospect that, if Dalek Caan unlocked the Time War, the Timelords could come back. I would sum up series 4 as being a slower burner than normal, not really coming to life until the Sontaran story. Catherine Tate was a mixed blessing, sometimes too OTT, sometimes bringing a heartbreaking sense of humanity to the show. However, her stint was overshadowed by the Rose cameos even from episode 1, Rose should have been kept for a big top-secret appearance in Turn Left. It felt as if Donna and, even more so, Martha, were just filling in for 2 years before Ms Piper deigned to agree her return. Hopefully the next series will introduce a strong companion who can have as big an impact as Rose but who brings the best aspects of Donna's humanity, rather than the silly schoolgirl crush (which is where they went wrong with Martha). My ideal choice for a new companion would be Jemima Rooper from Hex and the upcoming Lost In Austen. It's so sad to be left with that same final shot at the end of each series with the Doctor looking all forlorn at the console (not even brightened up this year by the "what the ..." moment to tease the Christmas special.)
Paul, Hyde, Cheshire on July 6th, 2008
Lets hope that truly will be the end of the Daleks. The awful things is the Cybermen are coming back. Can't they give us all a break and bring back the Sea Devils.
Jennifer Jane Rose on July 6th, 2008
How DARE they do that to Donna and Catherine Tait? There were so many plot-holes round her story, it was clear they just wanted her out, despite her being the best thing about this series. I actually felt Rose coming back was interrupting Donna's big moment. Never thought I'd say that after her Christmas special! Genuinely says something about Tait that she could claw herself back. Loved Rose too but she'd left already - it felt less moving to give a repeat performance. They have to bring Donna back now as something important. I want her to be Romana...
Lee, N.I. on July 6th, 2008
Best episode of the series with the exception of the amazing 'Turn Left'. I believe that the lack of the relationship between Rose and The doctor showed perfectly that they didnt need each other and it was time to move on. And Doctor Donna was an inspired idea. Over all the final linked together everything I have known and loved about Doctor Who over the last 4 series(including Torchwood with the Tosh reference!!!) Long Live David Tennant!!!!
Rebecca, Wakefield on July 6th, 2008
Wow, I was worried that the doctor would regenerate, as much as i wasn't sure of the first regeneration in 2005, this time i don't want it to happen ... ever. I'd take the break every other year if thats what it takes to keep David Tennant as the Doctor. He is the doctor, and no current male actor i know of would ever come any where near to him. I doubt i would be as interested in the show if David wasn't the Doctor. The whole episode was great, i think they brought in too many people. It was nice to see the Torchwood lot, Mickey, Jackie Sarah Jane's kid, but they wern't needed, it felt a little crowded with all those, the same effect could have been made with just Rose, Martha, Jack and Sarah Jane. despite that, I was completely glued to my tv through the whole episode, to the point i even gasped when Jack was shot, then smacked myself remembering that he can't die. I was completely enthralled in the finale. The ending upset me greatly. After being dead set against Catherine Tate in the series, she won me over in the first 5 seconds of the first episode. She was brilliant, and knowing she will never be in the series again, to put it simply - sucks. I'd guess Martha and Mickey will join the next series of Torchwood, i was still hoping above hope Martha would return to be the Doctors companion again. Once again the Doctor is without a companion again, for the third time in as many series, its getting irritating now, i wish he could keep a companion for longer than two series for once. Bring back the days when the companions stayed with the doctor for years!
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