So as I think I have mentioned several times I've been rewatching RTD Who. Someone asked if I had made any posts about it, which I haven't in particular, so I decided to just make a kind of round-up post at the end of each season. But my s2 post is already huge so I'm posting the first chunk of it now, before it gets further out of hand.
New Earth: New Earth is such a fabulous episode, w/e haters gonna hate. There is some great comic acting from everyone who plays Cassandra, including the one random zombie girl ("I LOOK DISGUSTING") and Chip. Also Jackboe makes everything funnier. At one point his nurse says that he ~sings to her sometimes, "such ancient songs". Plz place bets about what he sings.
We also realized that this is essentially Ten's ideal adventure and nothing can ever top it. I MEAN:
This sets the bar so high. It is all downhill from there, buddy.
It's also probably one of Jack's best days ever tbh, I mean the Doctor ~puts a tender hand against his faceglass and is like "I'M HERE".
Tooth & Claw: This episode was less boring than I remembered it being, but maybe that is because I was paying keen attention to whether or not Ten and Rose were jerks after people started dying. CONCLUSION: THEY WERE NOT, FANDOM SITS ON A THRONE OF LIES. There is one line that is rude/inappropriate once things get serious, it is spoken by Rose, she gets immediately chastised by the Queen and apologizes and that is that. THAT IS ALL. I don't even count the "werewolf" hug because it is like nervous laughter and a relieved hug, not the "OMG WEREWOLVES LOL THIS IS THE COOLEST EVER" way it gets presented in fandom. Their flirty tomfoolery is at the start, before things go sour, and then again at the very end, when they're alone. I don't care that they are rude~ in the presence of monarchy in the beginning because lol whatever monarchy and whatever Victorian decorum.
School Reunion: Awwwww, Lis Sladen. This episode is so delightful, though I wish I could forget what a dick fandom is about it. Plus, baby's first angst! D'awww. I don't have much to say about this episode except that I love it and it is wonderful.
Girl in the Fireplace: This episode gets worse every time I see it. It went from being unmemorable to being something I actively tried to forget and watching it this time was just ugh, I have been so supersaturated in Moffat and his shenanigans that it has retroactively ruined anything I once enjoyed in his previous episodes tbqh. (Ask me about my thoughts on TEC/TDD!)
STOP WITH THE LITTLE KIDS AND THE IMAGINARY FRIENDS. Stop with the "my how you've grown", omg, he's like her creepy uncle. Mindreading is such a lazy way to establish a ~deep bond~ (also excuse u Reinette, frolicking with the Master on Gallifrey is ~private) and the clockwork robots are not intimidating because they are clockwork I mean come on, and the resolution to that problem is so lame and Reinette's dialogue is so awkwardly stilted Ye Olde Dialogue lol ~godspeed my lonely angel~. Ugh and the King is all "you know how women are" like really? WHY. WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT OF THAT LINE.
This is one of those episodes where I can't direct any of my anger at the characters themselves because it clearly belongs squarely with the writer. And like, obviously as far as the characters are concerned it never happened, so whatever. You can mentally sub in Eleven, Amy and Rory into this episode and it makes absolutely 0 difference to anything -- if anything the episode gets better -- because none of the characters feel like themselves. I could hear Karen Gillan delivering all of Rose's lines tbh.
But it is very pretty, I guess.
Rise of the Cybermen: I love Rose, as you may have noticed, but if I had to pick out episodes where Rose is at her worst it would be these ones, not School Reunion or Tooth & Claw thank you fandom. I get why she does what she does, but also omg Rose do you not remember what happened last time you hung out with your dad? Do you really think your altmom wants marriage advice from a stranger? HOW DID YOU IMAGINE THIS WOULD GO omg
Also whenever I rewatch these episodes I am forced to confront how little of this information I incorporate into any of my Pete's World fics, lololol. Whatever, police state, I am 2 lazy 4 u. At least altBritain seemed to elect a better President than realBritain has managed since Harriet Jones.
Age of Steel: Pete and Rose wandering into the Cybus factory -- bad plan, or worst plan? Omg. Also, Pete and Rose is so awkward. Poor Pete can never escape the awkawrdness of being called "Dad" by her forever and ever.
It's such a great episode for Mickey, though. I like that he gets his moment of awesome without any of it feeling unexpectedly out of character, and his goodbyes with both Ten and Rose are good. Even if Billie Piper's tears hurt my soul. And Mickey has his "The Doctor, in the TARDIS, with Rose Tyler line" that Ten totally recycles in that one deleted scene! aww.
Also Ten please wear that tux always ty. LOL @ Mickey and Jake all "oh we just found your suit and coat lying in the convenient plot point department".
Idiot's Lantern: lol tbh I had like six people talking to me when this was on so I didn't pay much attention. Ten's hair makes him look like a cockatiel. Rose looks precious and amazing and also figures stuff out before everyone else by investigating on her own because she is so useless and clingy.
As a sidenote, this Pottermore thing -- lol, stay pressed, HP fandom. If you don't want JKR to ~tell you what to think~ don't read the additional material. Hot damn.
New Earth: New Earth is such a fabulous episode, w/e haters gonna hate. There is some great comic acting from everyone who plays Cassandra, including the one random zombie girl ("I LOOK DISGUSTING") and Chip. Also Jackboe makes everything funnier. At one point his nurse says that he ~sings to her sometimes, "such ancient songs". Plz place bets about what he sings.
We also realized that this is essentially Ten's ideal adventure and nothing can ever top it. I MEAN:
- He gets kissed by Rose(-ish)
- Rose wanders around in a lowcut top and a Wonderbra
- His lecturing gets through to Cassandra and she reforms
- (Almost) everybody lives
- He saves a new subspecies rather than killing one
- He SAVES THE DAY BY HUGGING
This sets the bar so high. It is all downhill from there, buddy.
It's also probably one of Jack's best days ever tbh, I mean the Doctor ~puts a tender hand against his faceglass and is like "I'M HERE".
Tooth & Claw: This episode was less boring than I remembered it being, but maybe that is because I was paying keen attention to whether or not Ten and Rose were jerks after people started dying. CONCLUSION: THEY WERE NOT, FANDOM SITS ON A THRONE OF LIES. There is one line that is rude/inappropriate once things get serious, it is spoken by Rose, she gets immediately chastised by the Queen and apologizes and that is that. THAT IS ALL. I don't even count the "werewolf" hug because it is like nervous laughter and a relieved hug, not the "OMG WEREWOLVES LOL THIS IS THE COOLEST EVER" way it gets presented in fandom. Their flirty tomfoolery is at the start, before things go sour, and then again at the very end, when they're alone. I don't care that they are rude~ in the presence of monarchy in the beginning because lol whatever monarchy and whatever Victorian decorum.
School Reunion: Awwwww, Lis Sladen. This episode is so delightful, though I wish I could forget what a dick fandom is about it. Plus, baby's first angst! D'awww. I don't have much to say about this episode except that I love it and it is wonderful.
Girl in the Fireplace: This episode gets worse every time I see it. It went from being unmemorable to being something I actively tried to forget and watching it this time was just ugh, I have been so supersaturated in Moffat and his shenanigans that it has retroactively ruined anything I once enjoyed in his previous episodes tbqh. (Ask me about my thoughts on TEC/TDD!)
STOP WITH THE LITTLE KIDS AND THE IMAGINARY FRIENDS. Stop with the "my how you've grown", omg, he's like her creepy uncle. Mindreading is such a lazy way to establish a ~deep bond~ (also excuse u Reinette, frolicking with the Master on Gallifrey is ~private) and the clockwork robots are not intimidating because they are clockwork I mean come on, and the resolution to that problem is so lame and Reinette's dialogue is so awkwardly stilted Ye Olde Dialogue lol ~godspeed my lonely angel~. Ugh and the King is all "you know how women are" like really? WHY. WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT OF THAT LINE.
This is one of those episodes where I can't direct any of my anger at the characters themselves because it clearly belongs squarely with the writer. And like, obviously as far as the characters are concerned it never happened, so whatever. You can mentally sub in Eleven, Amy and Rory into this episode and it makes absolutely 0 difference to anything -- if anything the episode gets better -- because none of the characters feel like themselves. I could hear Karen Gillan delivering all of Rose's lines tbh.
But it is very pretty, I guess.
Rise of the Cybermen: I love Rose, as you may have noticed, but if I had to pick out episodes where Rose is at her worst it would be these ones, not School Reunion or Tooth & Claw thank you fandom. I get why she does what she does, but also omg Rose do you not remember what happened last time you hung out with your dad? Do you really think your altmom wants marriage advice from a stranger? HOW DID YOU IMAGINE THIS WOULD GO omg
Also whenever I rewatch these episodes I am forced to confront how little of this information I incorporate into any of my Pete's World fics, lololol. Whatever, police state, I am 2 lazy 4 u. At least altBritain seemed to elect a better President than realBritain has managed since Harriet Jones.
Age of Steel: Pete and Rose wandering into the Cybus factory -- bad plan, or worst plan? Omg. Also, Pete and Rose is so awkward. Poor Pete can never escape the awkawrdness of being called "Dad" by her forever and ever.
It's such a great episode for Mickey, though. I like that he gets his moment of awesome without any of it feeling unexpectedly out of character, and his goodbyes with both Ten and Rose are good. Even if Billie Piper's tears hurt my soul. And Mickey has his "The Doctor, in the TARDIS, with Rose Tyler line" that Ten totally recycles in that one deleted scene! aww.
Also Ten please wear that tux always ty. LOL @ Mickey and Jake all "oh we just found your suit and coat lying in the convenient plot point department".
Idiot's Lantern: lol tbh I had like six people talking to me when this was on so I didn't pay much attention. Ten's hair makes him look like a cockatiel. Rose looks precious and amazing and also figures stuff out before everyone else by investigating on her own because she is so useless and clingy.
As a sidenote, this Pottermore thing -- lol, stay pressed, HP fandom. If you don't want JKR to ~tell you what to think~ don't read the additional material. Hot damn.
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