Journey's End as the Doctor Who series finale

[Bones2]

Journey's End is one of the most disappointing episodes of anything I've ever seen. After such a phenomenal build up, RTD did his wanking spastic routine and spunked another finale all over the laminate flooring.

I'd like to have sex with Russell, but only if he promised to piss off once he was done with the amazing foreplay and let me finish myself off. Into one of his socks.

http://static.whatsontv.co.uk/images/0871_155759_47400661.jpg

I thought "Journey's End" was pretty awful. I'm glad that wasn't the end of Doctor Who on TV.

In general, I don't like "event shows." If you try to make it the biggest, most epic story every 13 episodes, you're bound to let people down. After a while, the "epic-ness" of a show about a guy traveling around the universe in a little blue box ges a little silly.

They did it right, by accident, with Survival--just a regular episode (with a pretty ironic title), with the narration tacked onto the end to suggest that the adventures are continuing.

Mmm, quite true. None of the good new Who episodes have been event ones. Survival's ending is all the more effective because it wasn't a massive story with the whole universe at stake, but just a decent adventure, which is what most of Doctor Who should be.

anyhow, the only thing that truly bothered me about Journey's end was the tardis pulling earth across the universe in record time.. that just seemed way to unrealistic..

That was the one thing that seemed unrealistic to you? Not the stupid fake regeneration creating a magically convenient sex doll for Rose, not the Daleks having a console in the basement that could blow them up, not the fact their plan made no sense, none of that...but the Tardis towing the Earth home, that was a wee bit daft.

well since you put it like that.. I forgot about the cheesy regen scenes. and the Dalek kill box in the basement, with the temp typing of death..

it was a rather bad epi after all..thanks for that Bones, I was quite blinded by Davros envy..

About the only good thing in it was a terrific Davros performance. Shame they made him into an idiot too. As if he couldn't find a better way of growing Dalek mutants than digging into his chest.

 

[HappyDayRiot]

Dalek Caan and his ridiculous prophesying was what pissed me off most. And Martha's entire role in the story. And SJ's 'magical exploding necklace' that came from nowhere. And negating the whole point of Rose returning by not giving her and the Doctor one single proper scene together. And the sex doll clone obviously, though I did like the regen fake-out as a cliffhanger.

Basically, typical RTD: really good set-up in part one with good cliffhanger, terrible second part with a smattering of good bits (Davros). And yet, I can still watch it and be entertained. For me, it's So Bad It's Good* provided I don't think about it for even a second.

*well not 'good' obviously.

 

[Starkers]

Dalek Caan and his ridiculous prophesying was what pissed me off most. And Martha's entire role in the story. And SJ's 'magical exploding necklace' that came from nowhere. And negating the whole point of Rose returning by not giving her and the Doctor one single proper scene together. And the sex doll clone obviously, though I did like the regen fake-out as a cliffhanger.

Basically, typical RTD: really good set-up in part one with good cliffhanger, terrible second part with a smattering of good bits (Davros). And yet, I can still watch it and be entertained. For me, it's So Bad It's Good* provided I don't think about it for even a second.

*well not 'good' obviously.

Yeah I pretty much agree with that, RTD great at set up not so good at resolutions! I think Journey's end would have been better without Rose and without Martha as neither really contributed. And the least said about the stupid Osterhagan key the better...

 

[The Wormhole]

About the Osterhagen (or however it's spelled) Key, how exactly is blowing the world up a contingency for anything? Unless UNIT actually foresaw the Earth being teleported across the universe to be used as part of the power source for a multiverse-destroying bomb. Really that's the only scenario it makes sese to make this thing for.

 

[Pauln6]

All Martha's return appearances were badly written unfortunately. Rose was ok and the others were superfluous. I love Sarah Jane and cheered when she and K9 returned in nu-series 2 but they should use her for a reason other than this. Her cameo prior to the regeneration was sweet though. I'd be happier to see other previous asssitants getting cameos instead if the characters have no real purpose.

 

[Shazam!]

Journey's End was a little bit of a Parting Of The Ways clone; companion shows up infused with powers and blows all the Daleks up.

I could have forgiven that though were it not for the Doctor clone sex toy for Rose to make out with right in front of The Doctor.

Seriously, EVERYTHING crap in nu-Who pales in comparison to that angle. As if no-one on the crew went "Um, this is really shit..."

 

[Starkers]

I think even RTD in hindsight thinks the Rose sex toy Doctor was a naff idea!

The Osterhagan key's point was "If we can't have earth no one can!" Which is stupid!

 

[Admiral_Young]

I loved "Stolen Earth" it's among my favorite of the new Doctor Who episodes, I am fond of "Journey's End" for the scenes that have already been discussed as well as the Tardis towing the Earth back into orbit seen and all the companions steering the Tardis...I bet everyone had a fun time on set that day. The most emotional moments are of course the Doctor and Donna moments, so heart wrenching at least for myself who was in shock. I loved Donna and thought Catherine Tate shined during the entire season...she was a different type of companion, someone who at first hadn't wanted to travel with the Doctor but eventually grew obsessed with finding him again. The two had great chemistry and you could buy into their best friends vibe RTD was going for. Plus we got the epicness that is Wilf from Donna...but as the series finale? No way.

 

[Shatnertage]

Another episode ending that would have worked as a series finale for me: "The Hand of Fear." Not the best episode, but not the worst, either, but it's the last few minutes that I think work as a finale.

Dropping off Sarah Jane is essentially dropping off the Doctor's connection to humanity. He's still out there traveling, we just don't know about it.

I've just thought about a series finale that would put anything we've discussed to shame. The producers decide they want to make a "valentine to the fans," so they have Tom Baker and Lalla Ward, as the 4th Doctor and 2nd Romana circa 1979, go into the TARDIS's holodeck equivalent to relive a period from the Doctor's future life (we're accepting that time isn't linear here) to help him decide whether or not to switch to the question-mark collars. The story ends just as the 13th doc is about to make a huge, important speech, Baker says, "computer, end program."

Roll credits.

 

[HappyDayRiot]

^ Will it conclude with Baker, Tennant, McGann and Smith taking it in turns to sing the theme tune?

Best not let Smith do it actually. A rave would be inappropriate

 

[The Wormhole]

^ Will it conclude with Baker, Tennant, McGann and Smith taking it in turns to sing the theme tune?

Best not let Smith do it actually. A rave would be inappropriate

Actually, it'll end with them doing portions of that "I am the Doctor" tune that Pertwee recorded back in the day.

Actually, that is a pretty cool idea. They should do that for the 50th anniversary in 2013. Especially with Smith doing it at a rave.

 

[Bones2]

I think even RTD in hindsight thinks the Rose sex toy Doctor was a naff idea!

RTD confess that something he's done is anything less than completely brilliant? Never. Besides, we need his ego or the loss of gravity from its disappearance means the moon would drift out of orbit and our tides would fuck up.






...I don't know how I think these things up sometimes.

 

[Kelso]

"Journey's End" would have made a fabulous end for the series, had the Doctor regenerated into someone new and waved a teary goodbye as Rose and the Tennant-Doctor-Clone went off to live happily ever after.

 

[Jax]

RTD confess that something he's done is anything less than completely brilliant? Never. Besides, we need his ego or the loss of gravity from its disappearance means the moon would drift out of orbit and our tides would fuck up.

Well your ego must hold together the entire Universe then

RTD has made mistakes no doubt but they are far outweighed by his good contributions to Doctor Who.

 

[Bones2]

RTD confess that something he's done is anything less than completely brilliant? Never. Besides, we need his ego or the loss of gravity from its disappearance means the moon would drift out of orbit and our tides would fuck up.

Well your ego must hold together the entire Universe then

Yes, the Logopolitans were wasting their time - my sense of my own brilliance has kept entropy at bay since the Big Bang.

RTD has made mistakes no doubt but they are far outweighed by his good contributions to Doctor Who.

It's debatable, that. Hence all the debate around here. I struggle to think of a single decent thing he's done sometimes. All I can think of now is that scene in The Parting of the Ways where the Daleks float up outside the window and kill Lynda with a y. That was 5 star brilliance. That's pretty much it as far as RTD's good contributions that I can think of though.

 

[Jax]

my sense of my own brilliance has kept entropy at bay since the Big Bang

Well I was half expecting you to take credit for the actual Big Bang .

That's pretty much it as far as RTD's good contributions that I can think of though

So not actually bringing the show back to our screens for a new generation of children and adults like me who grew up with no original Doctor Who on saturday nights. You may dislike it but the core of the last 5 years seem pretty happy with his work with the Ai index/ratings and critical reception.

For me, he made The Doctor a real character who fans could connect with, there was much better personal drama in RTD's Who than we saw from the Classic era. Thts just one thing, hell the Stolen Earth episode alone makes it all worth while

Hence all the debate around here

BBS is a very small % of any fabase.

 

[Bones2]

my sense of my own brilliance has kept entropy at bay since the Big Bang

Well I was half expecting you to take credit for the actual Big Bang .

Oh dear me no. That'd be conceited.

That's pretty much it as far as RTD's good contributions that I can think of though

So not actually bringing the show back to our screens for a new generation of children and adults like me who grew up with no original Doctor Who on saturday nights. You may dislike it but the core of the last 5 years seem pretty happy with his work with the Ai index/ratings and critical reception.

The BBC brought it back. Why they chose some bloke who was best known for writing about Mary-Sued northern homosexuals having underage sex to showrun it I'll never know. As for AIs and critical reception, I don't give a Dalek's cuss. Most people are idiots.

For me, he made The Doctor a real character who fans could connect with, there was much better personal drama in RTD's Who than we saw from the Classic era. Thts just one thing, hell the Stolen Earth episode alone makes it all worth while

Turning the Doctor into some gormless Northerner who falls in love with a thick chav 2% of his age and then into a handsome prancing tit while not being able to write a single decent plot might appeal to your average squeeing teenage girl, but that's not what Doctor Who should be. That's what the old show would have been like if ITV had made it. Imagine the stories and plots but with the budget and production values of the old show. It'd be a joke.

Hence all the debate around here

BBS is a very small % of any fabase.

Erm...and?

 

[Captain Pike]

I've never seriously regarded RTD as the 'saviour' of Doctor Who. IMHO if it hadn't of been Russell, it would have been someone else. There were ppl within the echelons of the BBC who wanted to bring the show back, there was a dawning recognition that this was a brand that could and should be brought back. Eventually it would have happened, regardless of who was put in the job of showrunner.

Whether it would be any good is completely debatable, but as someone who was never completely satisfied with the RTD era product, I would have been interested in watching and finding out..

 

[Skywalker]

Uh no?

Tell me, what looks better? The doctor depressed that he's lost everyone? Or excited that a brand new adventure is coming?

hard to choose isn't it?

The only thing I hate about that idea is that'd mean we'd only get one season of Matt Smith as the Doctor.

 

[Sci]

I think even RTD in hindsight thinks the Rose sex toy Doctor was a naff idea!

RTD confess that something he's done is anything less than completely brilliant? Never. Besides, we need his ego or the loss of gravity from its disappearance means the moon would drift out of orbit and our tides would fuck up.

It's not enough to say you dislike his work, you have to insult the guy for no damn good reason too?