There are four Who-people on my flist, but I am posting this anyway.

[cherry]

All things said, I really do think that it was time for Rose to go.

I've always been honest about the fact that I am not overly fond of Rose (except I don't post much meta or fannish content, so perhaps this is only known to those close to me), but my reaction is separate from that fact. Traditionally, I love and write the characters/pairing no one cares about or cares for, so I've been on the other end of this equation. Rose in S1 was all right by me -- she was never going to go onto my list of most favouritest characters ever, but I didn't mind her. S2, I feel as if we're rehashing old ground with her, and the magical weekly characterization reset button hasn't helped.

We've covered her family, her family issues, and most faucets of her life. If we were seeing growth from week to week from her experiences, it might be possible to get another year out of her. I feel that at this point, a third season would stretch some credibility a bit thin, especially with regards to the Doctor/Rose bits, of which I've never been especially fond.

It's possible that the last four episode will do for this series what the last five (TEC/TDD/BT/BW/PotW) did for series one, at least for me. I certainly hope that to be the case, because I just haven't been feeling most of this series.

Except for Mickey. How do I love Mickey? Let me count the ways...

This is not h8, but I don't believe that any large amount of emo can be wrangled from the Doctor over her leaving. We have Jack, Mickey, Reinette, and Sarah Jane's losses as templates for his behaviour, and I believe a long-term emofest would be out of character.

Now, I'm not saying there should be a Jack-esque departure, because as much as I love him the situations were different. Jack is a professional time traveller, for one, better suited to taking care of himself in a war zone in a far-off time, and Rose has been with the Doctor for longer.

I'm hoping that we don't get one new companion, but two. I've always preferred shows with a larger cast, just because full ensemble performances have always resonated more with me. I'm also hoping for two, because I really do think that we'll be getting Jack back, and as much as I love him, I don't think that he'd work as sole companion. He's a bit too knowledgeable about time travel and the universe, and either he or the Doctor would have to start acting a bit slow to exposition things to the audience. Also, I think we'll get a girl, for that 18-34 male viewing audience. Jack is like kryptonite for UST, so we could get a bit of a lighter vibe going, if there was a push towards older-style, more adventure-based stories.

I understand that it's sad to lose a character you love (Mickey! Will Tippen! Romana! Aiden Ford!), but I'm rather looking forward to seeing where the show goes from here.

Comments

[ishie]

I'm coming from the opposite end of the spectrum (I truly though the Doctor/Rose dynamic in the last series was phenomenal, if overwrought and a bit pathetic -- which somehow doesn't negate the phonomenality(?) of it), but I couldn't agree more. Had we seen any kind of progression of the character, I'd be wrecked right now. But we haven't at all! If anything, Rose has become one of those companions at whom I roll my eyes every third scene or so.

I think it's interesting that the last series was all about the Doctor dealing (or not dealing, I suppose) with loss, but this series we've seen more of the ramifications of loss and abandonment and they've sort of ignored or glossed over it. It doesn't feel like there's any kind of cohesive through-line to the series, you know? I just don't even know what to think about the show anymore, although I do reserve the right to say I'm an idiot once all is revealed.

I hope we do get our Captain Jack back, though. I miss him and his suave flirting. Even if we don't, I'm totally stoked to see who the new companion is.

[ishie]

Hi I can't spell at all. I blame RTD. :D

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

I think you're completely right with regards to this season's arc. It doesn't really seem to exist, to be blunt -- we have similar hubris spread out, but that's the only real theme I think we've found. It feels to me almost as if the episodes were designed to be interchangeable. With the exception of when Mickey is and isn't in the Tardis, you could really watch them in any order without losing any sort of emotional impact.

Ten has been confronted with more losses onscreen than Nine was, and I don't think that he's as far removed from the time war as he might wish. To me, Ten is very much playing a part -- I think that perhaps he isn't as adept at dealing with loss as he thinks. Sometimes, I think that he's not dealing at all. If losing Rose is the thing that breaks down the barrier between fleeting emo and actual dealing, I think it would be fantastic.

Then again, given the emotional repercussions we've seen this season, it's not that likely. I know Who isn't really a show about continuity and long-lasting consequences, but large parts of series one hung together rather nicely.

Like I said, though, I'm rather hoping to be proved wrong with a fantastic four-episode arc. TEC/TDD/BT/BW/PotW were my favourites, and I don't think series one would have hung together if they were different. We have four episodes left, and I don't care what other think, next weeks' seems awesome to me.

Then again, I loved Boomtown, which seems to be universally disdained.