in season 4 we were all sleuths: the Doctor Who edition

[sab]

Aka, Season Four: Return of the Bad Wolf, Or Something



As continued from [here, and read the comments, they're better than the actual post]

1. Partners in Crime

Rose shows up and fades away at the end.

The Doctor and Donna fly by in the Tardis to wave goodbye to Grandad Wilf (Grandad Bad Wolf?) who, among triumphant shouting of "you go, girl, fly away in the blue box!" says, I swear, "DOCTOR." Watch for it, when he whirls around and his back's toward the camera. Donna never mentioned the Doctor's name, so.

Atmos stickers on cars, explained later. The goddamned bees are just a fakeout -- because it's not about the bees disappearing; whole PLANETS are disappearing.

The Adiposeans had to rebreed on Earth, after their home planet was "lost." "What do you mean, lost?" says the Doctor.

2. Fires of Pompeii

Donna has something on her back. I like hollywoodgrrl's theory that it's Rose, somehow piggybacking along for the ride --

But I also think that it has something to do with Granddad Wilf, the something on Donna's back.

The Doctor's told "she is returning" which is, as we all know, true. Unless it's more than Rose...

The Pyroviles' (sp?) home planet got lost -- "What do you mean, lost?" and so they're rebreeding here on Earth...

Pompeii is a fixed point in time. Maybe it's only things that the Time Lords make happen that become immutable? Jack?

3. Planet of the Ood.

The Ood were rescued...when their planet was lost? (This I don't actually remember.)

The Doctor is nearing the end of his song. Also, he can hear the music of death all the time.

Also, the executive dude was drinking hair tonic; possibly a telegraph to some future payoff, possibly just comic relief. Still, his "drink! Drink!" orders reminded me of a certain bitchy trampoline who liked being moisturized...

4-5: Sontaran Arc

First off, Rose does indeed say "Donna," not "Doctor," on the viewscreen. Which would seem to support hollywoodgrrl's theory that Rose is the thing on Donna's back -- OR my theory that the Rose-form is somehow going to be the Doctor's 11th regeneration. Oy vey.

I've only seen these episodes once, but I'm willing to bet a planet gets lost, Wilf knows something, and we are not done with the Evil Martha Clone.

//

If the planets are indeed disappearing (like the bees) then it totally supports selenak's theory that the Doctor-lite episode will be one where all the companions pile on to somehow "fix" a world where the Doctor's disappeared, or never was... See her comment [here].

I can't HANDLE the thought of a world where my Doctor never existed. I can't HANDLE it. I could barely handle "WEHT Sarah Jane?" and my love for Sarah Jane can't even touch my love for Ten, or the Doctor, or the world with the Doctor in it, full of wonders and opportunity, peoples' lives touched. Even in "Blink," easily one of the best eps of this series, my heart ached for Sally Sparrow and her world that would never again be touched by the Doctor.

The whole "a world where such and such never happened" trope is super triggering to me and frequently makes me cry. But for the Doctor, I'll do it! I'll do it, and I'll force myself to know that it'll all come right in the end. But I'm pre-weeping, already, right now.

Comments

[allthingsholy.livejournal.com]

I'm replying also to the comments from the other thread, FYI. I haven't done any actual analysis of this season yet. Exciting.

Firstly, a question. Where did we get "something on Donna's back" from "Fires of Pompeii"? I didn't catch that. As for the bees, in the general season four trailer there's an episode with giant bees somewhere, looking like the 20's with a blonde chick, so while I don't think it's going to be a major point of the season, I do think it'll show up eventually.

With Gpa Wilf saying "Doctor" at the end of "Partners In Crime," I don't know that he actually says it (though it's entirely possible), but I just assumed it was recognizing him from "Voyage of the Damned." Maybe not, though.

As for Rose coming back and the planets getting lost, I keep thinking that this season's going to end up somehow involving the Void opening back up, which would potentially also involve the cybermen and Daleks that were trapped there, but I don't really see them doing that again, especially so soon. There was also an opening at the end of the last season, with someone (presumably Lucy?) pulling the Master's ring out of the ashes of the pyre, so it's always game for him to come back, I guess. (Also hilarious re: the Master, in the "Time Crash" episode, when Five asks Ten if the Master's still got that "rubbish beard" Ten says, "No--well, a wife." I love it.)

For some reason during "Fires of Pompeii," when the Sisters had the prophecy of the Blue Box, for some reason I thought it had something to do with Rose. I think something's gone wrong with the Void being closed, and things are disappearing into it? Bees and planets, maybe?

The one thing I've thoroughly enjoyed about Who since I got into it is the way it incorporates everything, from every spin-off it's had. This past episode, with the Tardis getting hi-jacked? Capt. Jack's hand-in-bubbles was going all kinds of crazy, which I guess can signal the appearance of another Time Lord (as in the daughter?) so. I don't know.

All in all though, I am digging this season hardcore.

[eve11]

The "something on your back" line was in the midst of the "oracle-off" between the guy and the family's daughter. I think it was the guy who said it...

[ebrooklynw.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen much of the beginning of Dr. Who, but was Susan considered a Time Lord? I know she was his granddaughter, so maybe the blood was diluted too much?

now i really wish i still had my barbara/ian icon

[allthingsholy.livejournal.com]

I've only seen the first 4 or 5 episodes with One and Susan (with the fire and cavemen and Barbara and Ian (OTP, obvs)), but one of the reasons the teachers suspect there's something wrong with her is that she keeps getting confused in History class and mixing up things that haven't happened yet. "I forgot you still use the metric system," etc., but I don't know if she's actually a Time Lord.

So this wasn't helpful at all. Sorry.

Re: now i really wish i still had my barbara/ian icon

[ebrooklynw.livejournal.com]

thats the only arc of One that I've ever seen. I guess we'll find out next week ?

[eve11]

I think the way it goes, is that you're born a Gallifreyan (or loomed as far as that idea goes), but that you don't get to be a Time Lord or Time Lady until you get through the Academy, which takes a good bit of decades (there are outsider groups on Gallifrey, including mention of a kind of "hooligan" type class called Shobogans, who I don't think are considered Time Lords but who are Gallifreyan in physiology). So Susan, without her full schooling, maybe was considered a Time Lady in training? There's also the complicating factor that there is canon evidence to suggest the Doctor is half-human to begin with, so his family might just be weird as compared to the typical Gallifreyan lineage.

/ubernerd

[ebrooklynw.livejournal.com]

Fascinating!

[eve11]

Ah, the Sontarans needed a new breeding world in this latest one too. Did theirs get lost? ;)

Also, let us not forget that at the end of series 3, someone, obviously female, picked up the Master's ring from the ashes of the pyre. Who was it? My money was on Lucy Saxon, but heck, it could've been Donna. If someone's manipulating her, that could go a long way to explaining her sudden change of heart in tracking down the Doctor.

In the Ood episode, the Ood sales were declining, which could have indicated less of a need for them, possibly due to planets going missing. Bit of a stretch though.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

I think the Sontarans' world DID get lost! See!

And (though I thought it was Lucy too) someone said it was the hand of The Rani? Which is more old-skool than I'm familiar with. Still.

And of course, the Medusa cascade, where the Toclafane came flying through, has had a couple mentions this season...

[allthingsholy.livejournal.com]

Apparently, RTD said that "the Medusa Cascade will come back to haunt us," so ... I'm very interest in where they're taking it.

[eve11]

Oh, the Toclafane came through the Medusa Cascade? Interesting... isn't that one of the places the Doctor says he wanted to take Donna when he misinterprets her wanted to leave and catch up with the fam as her wanting to leave permanently?

The Rani is a rogue geneticist Time Lady. She's like the Master in that she and the Doctor went to the Academy together, but she started doing much more unethical practices in her genetic experiments. I've only seen Mark of the Rani in the old school episodes, but that ep along with fic I've read by those who know more than I do both support that image :) I'm kind of "meh" about the idea, since we already had the Master come back. I'd rather they try something new, although this series has been All About the Old School lately.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

isn't that one of the places the Doctor says he wanted to take Donna

Yes. It's also mentioned by the young woman in the Pompeiian family when she says his true name is hidden in the Cascade of Medusa herself, and the Master says that the Doctor closed the rift at the Medusa Cascade.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

The Toclafane did not come through the Medusa Cascade. The rift in space-time was not the Medusa Cascade.

[toomanysides.livejournal.com]

Very interesting observation. Thanks :) We can only wait and see.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Bones icon! &hearts

And yes. PLANETS DISAPPEARING, folks. You read it here first. *g*

[toomanysides.livejournal.com]

Yes I did. And it's absolutely fascinating. I've been thinking about it since I read your entry. <3 Totally awesome.

Bones icon (best line of the episode) :) I am from 206 (might of seen me around moderating).

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Hey, you are! I love that comm. Thanks for it! Man, Bones and a baby = hilarity ensues!

Time for more show! We get a new one tomorrow, right???

[toomanysides.livejournal.com]

Tonite, in an hour for me (est) :P

Thanks :) I sometimes randomly read the f-list of the comm and stumble on some fascinating stuff, like yours.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, even better! YAY BONES. And, welcome! Thanks for dropping by!

[toomanysides.livejournal.com]

tms "is returning" [next week to check if you have anymore observations for the next episode]

[daygloparker.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I'm hopping into this via friendsfriends, so first of all, HI I'M A RANDOM.

I have to wonder if the bees-are-disappearing thing ISN'T as unrelated as it seems. I mean, it gets mentioned in TWO episodes ("Planet of the Ood," I think it was?), so... maybe planets don't just pop out of existence, they slowly fade (and the bees are the first casualty)? Or a side effect of whatever shenanigans are going on with Rose and the time-space continuum?

I love the idea that the "thing" on Donna's back is Rose piggybacking her way to the Doctor via Donna as she slips back and forth through time. Like, when Lost does its time travel thing, it's all about characters having a constant in two different timelines so they stay "anchored" (and therefore prevent their brains from FREAKING OUT and exploding [literally], because their time travel is one's consciousness moving rather than anything physical)... so maybe it's a bit like that? Rose is going back over Donna's timeline to make it Definite And Real?

(Also, to the comments above: BONES YAY \o/!)

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the bees ARE going wherever it is the planets are going -- but that all the "bees disappearing" commentary is a macguffin before we realize what's really disappearing.

Which is nice and scary for the real world (not unlike the global warming ep) because the bees are disappearing. I posted a bunch of links about two posts ago on this LJ. Also, welcome! You know people I know, like furies and some of those femslash today people, right?

[hollywoodgrrl.livejournal.com]

Niiiiiiice! I love seeing it all charted like this. And theories. I can't get enough of 'em! It's a season of Companions and we'll definitely be getting a load of them at the end thar. And the hints about all the planets disappearing, I was certain there would be another one during these Sontaran eps because what they were doing is making Earth into a clone breeding ground, presumably because the planet they were using was lost. But they never mentioned it. Anyway bees are another theme this year. There will be giant ones later. And I know a little bit about what it's leading up to due to set reports and casting spoilers, so I'm thinking Time War. They've been mentioning the Medusa Cascade nonestop, so that's bound to come into play somehow. Or something, lol.