After a needless amount of time, this video has finally made it to RUclips. The copyright system on this website has reached an all-time low. I had to re-render and re-upload this video 11 times, and even then I couldn't get it monetised. It is still in the appeal process, all because a 7 second clip where I talk about the new title sequence. I highly implore you to join my Patreon page as this is the only sure-fire way of this video being financially viable. I spent 45 hours making this video, only to have the copyright system spit it back in my face 11 times. I'm also looking forward to reading your feedback on the inclusion of the green screen. It's definitely not perfect, I'm literally using a green sheet of material that has creases and a ring light (hence the stuttery brown you see coming out of my neck from time to time) I hope that with increased Patreon support I can invest in a decent fold-away green screen and a dual lighting kit to improve my set up. If you want to support the work I do: www.patreon.com/harrysmovingmedia
I think a few people have had issues because of the title sequence. It seems the BBC tried to stop any footage from Wild Blue Yonder and the Giggle releasing early and they’ve fed the entire episodes into their copyright bot, including the intro and credits sequences which also appear in The Star Beast.
Didn't see it myself. But read other reviews. Seems like it's gone the same way as other BBC productions. All about the Woke Message. Politicised again.
I really don't understand the "let it go" thing. The Doctor has sacrificed his friends, family, his entire planet, and his life multiple times over to help people. Donna was even upset in the episode that she gave away all her money to charity because that's what the Doctor would do. Sooo.. what does it mean? Did they throw in some misandry in the episode just because or is there some other meaning I'm not getting?
Capaldi’s last words were literally “Doctor, I let you go” that shows that the character has developed and he’s not as vain as he used to be. It was just a needless jab.
@@dan79600 he could and probably did, that was just donna and by extention her daughter do a classic noble rib twards him. She didn't exactly want to take in the energy and after finding out that her daughter took half of it, it would make sense that they could let it go. The line delivery was bad though.
15 at most, given Silva says the metacrisis/her amnesia was 15 years ago, but given there was no sign of a baby or Donna being pregnant at The End Of Time, Rose could be younger.
They talked about her being in school a bunch of times, and they mentioned that it has been 15 years since she lost her memory so shes 15 max, and being any younger is even more ridiculous
The whole "metacrisis passed down" thing would work and is an interesting idea but, at the same time, it feels like a massive cop out that they could just "let go". How can you "let go" of a Time Lord mind?? It would've been better if Donna died at the end of the specials due to being unable to fix the metacrisis or something along those lines. I'm hoping this is just a bumpy start and RTD is just getting his stride back.
honestly, i would buy it if it were just a little bit more complicated. the way it was used to solve the huge problem of DONNA DYING felt very cheap, to be honest. the undeserved jab at the doctor for being a man also didn’t help.
Letting go of Time Lord energy isn't actually a new idea, didn't 10 do almost the exact same thing when he regen'd back into himself during the S4 finale? He just dispensed the energy from himself into his hand. It's a similar idea to the way Donna and Rose dispense of it from one another here really.
For me, the episode had an ending that felt completely extended for no reason. Why not just explain that the shared metacrisis would slowly disappear with time as the energy couldn't stay in them both as it had split and was unstable, so we can have a few episodes of donna being up to speed with the doctor and then she can retire at the end of it and enjoy the rest of her life after maybe a bit of tension about whether she'd be okay or not after it left her. Instead they had to take a hit at the doctor for being a male presenting timelord? Like, huh? He was literally a woman 6 hours ago. And the thing that bothered me the most was the whole "Binary, Non Binary" thing. Like... She's a transgender woman, she's binary, she's a woman, she's not non binary... Why was that even a thing they had to mention???
A lot of the end of that episode was forced and convoluted for no reason. Like Donna "fainting" even though she was perfectly fine? Had me engaged in the first half, lost me in the second half, and I got more upset when I found out that the reason why davros wasn't in his chair during the short that released before the episode was because Davies had a problem with an evil disabled person on screen... like what? Have we gotten to the point where it's not ok to portray people of certain backgrounds as villains especially in the case where their evil has nothing to do with their background? It's not like davros is evil because he is in a wheelchair, he's evil because he is a eugenicist.
@@surplusofdads7996How did you interpret it that way? Donna, the Doctor, and Rose literally say "because the Doctor is male and female, and neither" making it explicitly about gender.
Rose being non-binary despite being a transwomen is nonesensical since being trans implies you identify and present yourself as the opposite gender, being non-binary contradicts that since it doesn't identify as male or female or follows gender norms, the fact Rose is both things strongly suggests cognitive dissonance.
Non-Binary: a gender identity and an umbrella term for people whose identity falls outside the gender binary. Some people do not identify wholly or at all with the gender they were assigned at birth - some people have no gender at all. The term non-binary comes under the trans umbrella.
I loved the part in Jodie Whittaker's era where Graham told the Female-presenting time lord that he was scared about his cancer coming back and she gave him the greatest advice to just let it go! and when the man who decided to murder innocent spiders then went on to offer the DALEK race help in defeating humanity, the 13th doctor just decided to let him go, let it go! oh wait, she actually did that for the second one... oof
Chibnall era haters stop using the same scenes against the era challenge: impossible. And when it comes to Robertson there was nothing she could really do in that situation.
@@friendlyotaku9525I think that people using the same scenes to criticise media will generally say more about those scenes than the people criticising them
Honestly the very end with the letting it go bit was the only bit that irritated me cause it felt unnecessary. You could have just had the meta crisis passing down be the solution that saves Donna. And it felt like a jab that wasn't needed. Other than that at least there were actual characters, at least there was chemistry between them, I always figured this would be the weakest of the specials anyway. Wild blue Yonder is the big one I'm looking forward too
"Honestly the very end with the letting it go bit was the only bit that irritated me cause it felt unnecessary. You could have just had the meta crisis passing down be the solution that saves Donna." YES!!! I've said this before in another discussion. It was a perfect solution! But they had to go and distort it with a bad joke!
EXACTLY! it felt so, so unnecessary! having the metacrisis pass down and split was a very good explanation to avoid donna’s death. if they had dwelled just a little bit more on the plushies rose was making, and showed them to the audience for a bit longer, i believe that revelation would have been even more interesting. it would have given the audience more time to try to connect the dots. maybe that was just me though? i didn’t pay much attention to the plushies.
Actually having its effects shared and halved by having a child I thought was clever solution for the metacrisis problem. It could have just been left at that and/or if there was a need to then remove it from Donna (so there isn't a Doctor like being roaming around on Earth), it would at least have given the Doctor time to figure out a solution in the next two episodes so by the end Donna (and Rose) are restored, sans metacrisis but with memories intact to carry on their family lives as the Doctor mooches off in the Tardis again (or possibly sacrifices himself so that this can be achieved). Point being, it was a good plot device but taken too far and ended up with a literal hand waving it away by shaking it off. Seemed a bit uneccesary.
Rose having plushies of a Cyberman and The Beast doesn't make sense since Donna never met either of them, unless Big Finish decides to take advantage of this, i don't see why these were added
There's also one of Karvanista , so its supposed to be aliens that the Doctor knows about, right up until the present point. I guess its supposed to suggest there is still some link to the Doctor's current memories but it would make more sense just to make it be the memories Donna has of the Doctor up until the point they parted.
@hotdog1214 it's even worse now after watching Wild Blue Yonder where Donna says she only found out about the adventures of 11, 12 and 13 after she became the DoctorDonna a second time but can't comprehend these memories likening it to looking into a furnace
@@maldon3659 Yeah, it is a touch confusing as I had thought it would be that Donnas memories that returned would only be of those she had while with the Doctor but it seems its going for some sort of shared memory link thing with the Doctor, including current memories when she is Doctor-Donna. I'm not convinced she was being truthful about not knowing, I'm suspicious that she was just being kind and trying to get the Doctor to open up instead... we shall see, possibly.
Short answer: yes. Long answer: Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!
Fr I see so many people saying Yasmin delivered a great performance and I’m over here wondering whether I was too harsh on Yaz and Ryan’s actors for their stiff acting.
@@neko7606 That wouldn’t have helped since Rose doesn’t act like a person. She was written to be “the trans character,” not a character in her own right, so no amount of surface level changes would fix the problems with her writing.
Its a sonic screwdriver as in manipulating soundwaves. Sound cannot create light for projections and especially not a laser shield. I know its sci fi but come on its literally going against science lol
Which is really fucking weird since they want to emphasise they’re just able to get by since giving away the lottery money. Isn’t an easy way to show that having the whole family live together?
I really don’t think Rick & Morty’s creators were aware of some semi-obscure Dr Who comic. It’s more that just making bugs big is a pretty common trope in SciFi for designing alien races.
@@PlatinumAltaria and that's an example of the kind of thought processes used to divide a community. Try CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) some time might help.
@@GuyTheAnimated You're literally pretending that there is a conspiracy to spread a "message" that you can't even define a single aspect of... because there are brown people on the telly. I think I'll be ok.
Perhaps someone has already mentioned it, and if so, I apologize for the repetition. If you go back to the 11th Doctor ep “The Doctor’s Wife” ( I think it is), there’s a scene where Rory and Amy have to open a lock-telepathically. And the combination to the lock is a series of words. But you can’t just say the words, you have to feel the words, envision them, concentrate on them. That’s what I recognized 14 as doing to unlock Donna’s memories. Why those specific words, I have no idea.
It's OK for Donna to age-shame the Doc because he's male and therefore fair game. Can you imagine the faux outrage of the snowlflake lynch mob if HE did that to HER? This would be called "hate crime" if the hater/victim were reversed. And before anyone says "punching up", tell me, when you can insult someone who cannot insult you, who is in the position of power?
It felt quite rushed as well. The fact the Doctor bumps into Donna 30 seconds into the episode and then the spaceship crashed pretty much immediately afterwards is really rushed imo. I know Davies had to set all of this up for the next episodes but I don't think that was the right way to do it. While I understand repeating a "Partners in crime"-esque setup would have felt recycled, it was a much better and more comedic way of bringing the characters back together imo. Thanks for giving such a balanced review Harry. It's nice to see a sensible opinion, rather than some others online approaching the episode like it's all good or all bad.
I would’ve liked it more if the coincidence had some time to build like in Partners in Crime. Like The Doctor lands, and sees the spaceship on his own. Not meeting Donna yet, but maybe he still meets Shaun in the Taxi on his way, it could even be left so he doesn’t immediately recognize him. Meanwhile, Rose stumbles across the Meep. The Doctor leaves the parked ship with the Unit truck and tracks the Meep down. Thereby finding Rose & by extension Donna. It’s a similar premise that doesn’t really miss many beats, but I think it paces Donna and the Doctor’s reunion better and in such a way that we can see their paths converging in real time, much like we did with Partners in Crime.
Well, they had to rush those little miner details, in order that they could spend half the episode drumming it in to the audience that Rose is "gorgeous" and the linchpin of the entire plot.
The acting really shocked me. Tennant and Tate seem to be playing a Comic Relief sketch of their former characters. Am told Yasmin Finney was great in Heartstoppers, and if so she was having one Hell of an off day here and was very wooden. The rest of the cast seemed unable to do anything but overact with gurning facial expressions. The script was silly and didn't make a great deal of sense, but that's been the case often in Who and we handwave it. As for the social message..regardless of whether we agree with it or disagree, it was as subtle as one of those little lectures He-Man used to give at the end of each cartoon where he rammed home the episode's moral message. It's delivery was antagonistic and borderline outright insulting, I don't believe it will change the minds of anyone not already of that viewpoint. Regardless of the controversy (and the least likable people from each side are already at each others throats..), I don't think it can be called objectively a good episode.
As a writer, I can understand the need to express messages of political, sexual nature etc as the one the 60th Anniversary has done, especially when you have such an enormous audience. But there's a thing called "Subtly", whereby a writer expresses a meaning or message without shining a spotlight on it. They often have a good backbone i.e. the story, characters, plot which is the main drive (Not the message). When the story is strong and the focus, you can accept the message or ignore it (Depending on how well it's portrayed). I know Doctor Who has always been political (I like to think of Doctor Who: The Sunmakers as a standout example within DW) but the politics in this are far too in your face, they have also been there for quite some time in every other medium, so seeing it again (when everyone wants "Escapism"), is rather annoying. They have fallen for the drive to "change the world"... in a family orientated sci-fi, drama program viewed by a diminished audience. I'm not saying don't convey messages of a political nature, but keep it simple and not too in your face.
"Donna Noble is descending" is a reference to earlier in the episode when she says "I will descend" if anyone threatens Rose. Rose is threatened, so she descends.
It's still a strange thing to say. To decend means to fall, which seems like an ineffective way to protect your family. "If anyone tries to hurt you, I will fall" is basically what she said. Super bizarre.
@@HOTD108_ I thought it was maybe some 21st Century lingo that I'd missed out on. You're right its a baffling thing to say - twice no less. Unless its supposed to be akin to "I'll come down on them like a tonne of bricks?" but RTD used descend instead? Its definitely a weird one, and I'm still not getting it. 🤷♀🤷♀
@@HOTD108_to “descend upon someone or something” is not an uncommon phrase. In example; “A swarm of bees descended on our picnic.” Synonyms include: attack assault raid invade swoop pounce assail arrive come in force arrive in hordes The phrasing and use of the word is definitely appropriate for Donna’s scenes.
@@HOTD108_ by "descend" I think she's almost using the analogy of some kind of angelic spirit or something "descending" from heaven to protect Rose. "Descend" does _not_ necessarily mean "to fall"; it's more general than that, more like "to come/go down" (from some high place, eg heaven). Said jokingly, I think it fits Donna's character.
Nice to see someone giving a balanced look at this episode. I tried to watch the podcast, but all they did was praise it to death, which might have made me dislike the episode more.
The sonic screwdriver didn’t change with the Doctor as in the comic liberation of the Daleks 14 was still using 13s sonic screwdriver until it got destroyed by the Daleks, Twice.
The let it go bit is what ruined the whole thing for me. It could have been done so much better. We know the meta crisis Donna had more imagination than the doctor maybe a mata crisis Rose come have come up with a solution to bring Donna back that wasn't a Disney musical number.
For better or for worse, RTD has made Doctor Who more accessible to the modern audience, and I feel like the Star Beast is one of the most emblematic of that. Fun? Sure! Somewhat thoughtless, though? Absolutely. To me, it feels like if Russel tried to pull from Steven Moffat and tried to do an "everybody lives"-esque ending but didn't understand how to get there.
I feel like this is the most honest review/breakdown I’ve seen and I’ve watched a lot of them now… or I just finally found one that agreed with all my thoughts. I also scored it a 5/10 & felt it too was a rocky start. Too much cringe - I swear RTD used to be better at weaving the progressive themes in without repeating himself so many times in an episode & generally in a more subtle way.
Concur. And don't understand why the Doctor uses the Sonic to create force shields (?) when normally he would just summon the Tardis back. It worked OK for 12 on Skaro (most dangerous place imaginable) in The Witch's Familiar, so why not here? Looks like anything can be impossible now as well.
11:07 Yeah, I'd probably have been ok with that instead of the Doctor being corrected by a child. Doctor: I'll have him... Meep: The Doctor: Sorry. Meep: I am THE Meep. Doctor: Ok. Give me 5 minutes and the Meep and I shall be out of your hair.
Yeah. I think having a scene where someone stumbles with pronouns is a neat idea because that just happens sometimes but it shouldnt have too much attention put on it.
Especially considering not-Rose called the doctor "him" earlier. Almost like you don't have to actually ask people their pronouns, because it's an obnoxious tone policing tactic nobody does in real life outside of social media and media.
Watching this video reminded me how much I missed watching this channel. I used to watch these videos all the time back when I used to watch doctor who
14:59 is just a reference to earlier in the episode when she said she would descend due to rose’s bullies, also it’s just a turn of phrase, no need to single it out
Wild Blue Yonder is the episode that will prove Doctor Who is back on form, and The Church On Ruby Road is gonna be the one that proves it can survive this change, as Ncuti and Millie will be in the Tardis. Special 2 airs tonight and I'm excited but sceptical. If it's great I have no doubt Special 3 The Giggle will be fantastic too, but if it's as mixed as The Star Beast I'm definitely worried about the future of Doctor Who, that not even David and Catherine can save the inconsistent writing
I think the Doctor was floating in a green screen because they didn't want to spoil the TARDIS interior - otherwise I imagine he would have been in a more diegetic background like Donna.
I think it would have worked better if they used some kind of combination of flashbacks within the narrative itself in a way it doesn't interrupt the story. When Captain Pike was introduced in Star Trek Discovery, they used a series of images from the pilot as a flashback to where he had been before.
the string of words could be the mind conditioning words used to unlock her memories when The Doctor erased it. same idea in Marvel where the Winter Soldier was activated when a string of words were used on Bucky.
Yasmin Finney was 18 when they filmed this episode, so only barely an adult. Rose is supposed to be 15, but I have to wonder if making her 16 or 17 was out of the question, as Yasmin looks more her age compared. to someone like Tom Holland who still passed for someone 4-5 years younger at the age of 18/19 in his early MCU appearances. Plus, I have to wonder if Rose would be as far along in her transition at 15 as she appeared.
Fun fact: Rose isn't actually technically the first canonically trans character in mainline Doctor Who - there's also Cassandra, who once lived in Earth as a "little boy". I mean, Rose is probably better representation, but y'know
I cant remember Cassandra so i would say thats probably better representation as the whole point of transitioning is to be treater as the gender you changed to. Not being type cast as a trans character.
@@charg1nmalaz0r51 Getting typecast is definitely a problem, yeah, but on the other hand, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with having a trans-centric storyline, as long as that's not the character's only personality trait
That seems far more like Cassandra was just bullshitting as the whole point about her is that she’s so completely fake while pretending to be the most authentic and pure human alive. Or maybe that she was just a tomboy, that’s far more plausible for a script written in 2005 when no one had ever heard of a Trans person before.
@@WiloPolis03 But thats what we have and is the main problem with this type of writing. Roses entire defining trait is that she is trans. It has no bearing on the plot (all that is important is Donna has a child to share the meta crisis). They literally cast a trans woman, to play a transwoman, so they could include as many trans issues as they could and had her entire characters traits, story, dialogue just to be about being trans. She is deadnamed, which transitions to dialogue of the grandparent mis gendering, to meeting the meep and talking about feeling alien too and not being accepted, to correcting the doctor about pronouns, to being glorified for being nonbinary(despite being trans but thats another issue lol), to then talking down to the doctor because hes male presenting, to then finally being me. She has no character outside of being trans. In fact the only dialogue we get from her that isnt trans related is about her making toys to help her family through financial difficulty. Why people think this is good representation is beyond me
I think the "let it go" line sparks an interesting question. Obviousy it was meant as a joke but it also clearly irritated some people and it certainlyy jarred me which isnt always a bad thing.The issue i take with it though is not that it clearly bruised thousands of male egos across the country, but that these kinds of comments play into gendered stereotypes which negatively impact both men and women. Assigning "good traits" to one gender over another can create an expectation that people occupying that gender roll MUST adhere to it, meanwhile people of the opposite roll may be less inclined to adopt that trait because its seen as unfitting (this had actually been observed in the GDR for example). Im not accusing RTD of singlehandedly perpetuating gendered stereotypes but I think theres an interesting conversation to be had around what is "punching up" and what simply affirms stereotypes which harm people on all sides of the paradigm.
Totally agree. I'm so done with this. Why can't people 'let go' of gender stereotypes??? If we were more flexible about what both genders behave like maybe there would be less confusion for young people over gender
way too forgiving score. Missed the wilfred heart felt pain the doctor had hearing he was gone, only to make fun of the doctor thinking he was dead when 'no longer with us' is widspread code for passed away. Major disrespecting bernard cribbins name just to make a non sensical joke at the doctors expens. The aiming at solders with a fixed angle wheelchair gun. The shields made of sound somehow was more stupid than you made it out to be. The doctor taking time to explain the sonic screw driver vibrating concrete, something we all knew it could do, while not giving us a made up reason the shields worked. The coffee breaking the tardis when in tennants run he litualy hit it with a mallet to get it to work. 2.5/10 at the most
I dont think the Wilf scene was meant to be disrespectful. If anything I assume it might have been written in after the actor died as a tribute of sorts. Either way the scene in my eyes was more a tribute than anything else and the joke isnt that nonsensical. The doctor didnt know while the others did know and they probs didnt even think about the potential meaning of the phrase they used.
@@sonicfan1693 If it was meant as a tribute, they'd have cut the meanspirited joke and left the Doctor's words as a eulogy to stand on their own, instead of undercutting them instantly.
14:33 I don't think the lines themselves mean anything, they're just an assortment of words for 14 to test whether Doctor Donna is back in the room. A bit like he does in Midnight. It just so happens that "binary" is the word that Donna can match, which is where she froze up in S4 and also is relevant with Rose later on
They could be the equivalent to a passcode. He imparted a string of words which would not likely be said in combination naturally to avoid accidental activation.
Excellent review and analysis. This may be the fairest review I have seen so far, steering clear of the hyperbole on both sides, and accurately pointing out the good and bad. Great job!
the thing for me about it was how is it something u could even let go? the bad wolf energy ok the doctor told her to let it go, thats all og rose needed to do, but this felt different remember what donna said once she became half doctor, she said "it was a two way biological meta crisis" since it changed the second 10th doctor's biology to have only 1 heart i assumed donna's biology changed too, making it be something thats now hard wired into your system that you cant get rid off. did anyone else think of it that way when they would watch that episode?
Nah there were a few highlights in the Chibnall era and the Star Beast is a great episode that unfortunately flubbed it’s ending a little. Wild Blue Yonder looks set to be an incredible episode.
@@michaelparkinsonsfreeparkerpen Yes because if you don’t spend all day going “waa this is woke” you can learn to enjoy things. I’m not by any means acting like the Chibnall years weren’t subpar but there were decent episodes, like Kerblam or Nicola Tesla’s Night of Terror and Power of the Doctor. And yeah Star Beast is a great episode, it’s funny, charming, contains good messages in the same way episodes from Series 1-4 did and it’s great to see Tennant and Tate back at it again. Only problem is the ending is a bit lazy and has some weird lines. If you think a few negatives or “wokeness” stop something that was about 80% RTD goodness being a great episode then you’re focusing too much on them, which means you must live a very pessimistic and depressing life.
Apparently my thoughts on Doctor Who have somehow synced with yours! Interested to see that I wasn't the only one having these impressions and also didn't notice the score that much either D:
Finally an actual unbiased review that isn't "doctor who is woke here's why I hate it" thank you Harry. The main take away points for me are (as a trans woman as well) they focus on Rose being trans too much, the bit with Sylvia worrying about what she should call rose and accidentally misgendering her was great, equally the pronouns bit was a bit too forced for me to appreciate, same with the deadnaming bit by the bullies. I really do not understand the intention of the line about the Doctor not being able to let it go because he isn't a woman? I don't think it's meant to be portrayed as slamming men again, but it looks like it. Besides that I think the story telling was okay-decent, like you said the first half of the episode was the strongest for me, but to me, it still maintained most of the classic and goofy doctor who story that it should, with some bits letting it down.
Yeah the episode is mostly good but it has some weird and jarring moments. I also hate how so many are acting that Doctor Who is dead just because of a few scenes only one of which being... very weird.
I feel like while Harry gave good points this review feels much like the episode its self a bit rushed and not as analytical as his doctor who reviews usually are, the episode did jut come out though.
@@sonicfan1693 Exactly, people are acting like Doctor Who has always been this seamless show with every moment of drama executed perfectly and it just hasn't lmao, my favorite era was Tennant's and even then there were still a fair few flaws and just kinda meh-bad episodes scattered throughout it. The amount of hate this new episode has got purely for being "woke" is nuts as well
@@Ashxliypeople are just over the pandering, that’s why they are sick of having LGBTQ being rammed down our throats! Your less than 1% but have to be represented in every single movie and tv show! When will you assimilate into society and be the everyday people you want to be treated as?
The depiction of Rose's bullying wasn't contrived; it effectively portrayed the harsh realities faced by trans individuals, adding depth to her character. However, the episode could have better utilized the time to further develop Rose beyond just being 'the trans character'. The bullying scene was concise yet impactful, highlighting Rose's identity to those unaware and providing a moment for Donna to express her love for her daughter. It's crucial for characters, regardless of their background, to earn the audience's affection, and the episode seemed to overly focus on celebrating Rose's transgender identity. While it's important to include trans representation in media, the approach should aim to normalize it rather than reduce a character to their gender identity alone. Although the episode started with promise, it lost direction, failing to fully capitalize on the opportunity to represent trans individuals in a more nuanced way. And a little extra, from my experience, my bullies never cared about my parents when they were present.
@thedude4k The Doctor is over 1,000 years old and has been both male and female - BUT only in 2023 he gets yelled at by a trans kid (supposedly 15yo) with the character development of a cactus 🌵 plant? Ugh. I pray the 2nd episode isn't worse
Harry when talking about shooting scenes recycled shots are a very good time save. its never a budget problem (cause Disney) it will be a time constraint in filming schedule. just wanted to kindly inform you.
@@friendlyotaku9525 if we’re going to have repeat shots, let’s make sure they’re not during a scene where the ground magically zips itself back up, because people will notice
I hate that they deleted a 15 year old plot in 5 minutes. The impact of the end of series 4 is gone now. The Doctor didn't need to wipe her memory, Donna just needed to let go. So far these specials are a bit cringe, it's making me scared for the new season next year when originally I was excited.
The words for her awakening I got Sparrow for Sally Sparrow, and Dance for The Doctor Dances? The rest idk and even those might be a stretch. The Donna Noble is Descending thing is because of what she said earlier to Rose about Descending if Rose was in danger.
The words are supposed to be meaningless in a sense. They are trigger words to reactivate the meta crisis. Their randomness is to make sure their is no chance of someone accidently reactivating her in conversation.
Welcome back, Harry my lad! I'm glad you decided to return to the working formula, cause gosh dang it, I missed you man. I used to fall asleep to your doctor who reviews, so I'm glad my spiteful asmr has finally returned. Cheers mate.
Re: the string of random words... Psychic conditioning/memory blocks/ hypnosis are typically shown as having keywords, or certain images, to activate and deactivate the mental state. See: The Machurian Candidate or Captain America: Winter Soldier. This story is heavily based on a comic book story from 1980. The Meep being evil is well-known to old Who fans (well...those who also dive in to expanded media, anyway).
Beep the Meep is actually from a couple of older Doctor Who comic books, and it's personality is basically on-point. The only iffy part regarding it's attitude is that "The Star Beast" obviously renders those comics non-canon since The Doctor and The Meep don't know each other here.
@@harrykitchener5597 Since it's the 4th Doctor and he doesn't recognise the Meep in the comic either (and the plot is pretty similar) I'm going to guess no.
I’m pretty sure I saw somewhere that the word are trigger words, but apart from binary I have no idea what the significance to Donna/meta crisis is. Only thing I really didn’t like about this episode was how they resolved the meta crisis (and the fact the woman who plays Rose just isn’t very good at acting). If they spread out the resolution to a few more episodes, maybe it would be better?? It just feel like a slap in the face because the audience/ the doctor went through all that heartbreak when Donna could’ve just let it go?
Yeah the resolution to the meta crisis was weird. I would have found it way better if the meta crisis was in part passed on to rose making it either slower to kill or nonlethal. The way they did it in the end was just nonsensical. As in... why did it just go away? What am I as a man not understanding since apparently a "male representing Timelord" wouldnt get it... What is that line even supposed to mean?
The words were I think Donna’s last as the doctor Donna. I believe she was talking about all the things she can do now and all the places she can go and then she gets stuck repeating binary at which point the doctor wipes her mind. Yeah the whole meta crisis was super weird in its handling.
I genuinely feel like the sonic being a big over powered is because of the toy maker as he is making sure the doctor and Donna survive long enough so he can meet them
I mean over the years especially Morden Who. The Doctor get shots a lot of times. So I guess Sonic being slightly upgraded to make shield makes a lot more sense. Maybe Tardis add this feature because The Doctor being extremely reckless in Morden Era of Dr Who. He died a lot of times too in the time loop to add on more. Tardis is like “Okay, you keep dying many times now. Here’s the extra shield feature I added for you so you don’t getting shot at”
Mr Castle!! I was excited when I saw your video, I subscribed right away. You are one of, if not, the best reviewer of Dr Who on youtube. Keep it up :)
After so many months of hype, buildup and anticipation, this episode was very… ok! David and Catherine were seamless in returning to their roles, obviously, same with Jacqueline King as Sylvia and even Shaun's actor, for the little he was given. UNIT wheelchair lady was cool, albeit kinda OP Imao. I also like the new UNIT uniforms but I do miss the berets. The new TARDIS is also breathtaking, I just love it. But the writing for the general story was just very weak, and the sonic screwdriver has become insanely OP, you cannot just magic forcefields to get out of a fight. The meep was actually a neat twist villain but the bit wore off after the first scene and it quickly grew tiresome. The directing/action was... fine, but nothing to write home about. The resolution for the metacrisis was insanely contrived, and every time Rose opened her mouth I wanted to die of unbearable cringe. Also, why was Sylvia the only person reacting normally to the prospect of Donna’s death? The Doctor just did not seem to care that he could be causing Donna to remember despite stressing the possibility earlier so what gives? Very strange decisions all around. It was decent and I liked it well enough overall but for the first 60th special, it could have been a helluva lot better and if RTD’s name wasn’t on it, I don’t think most people would be able tell it wasn’t a Chibnall era episode.
Hmm, yes I actually noted during the episode, how come the Doctor is spending so much time around Donna and seems fine with it, also it doesn't trigger her memories as he first tells the UNIT science advisor it would? I suppose its a balancing act from a writing perspective, otherwise we'd have very little time with the Tennant Tate duo onscreen together if the Doctor had to avoid Donna the whole . But from a narrative aspect its odd as he made such a big deal about it twice in the episode. I agree, overall it was ok, not bad not great enough that I'm revved up by it but it was a decent episode of Doctor Who, although if I'm honest, not quite as special as I was hoping for a 'Special'. I'm keeping an open mind that it has to be watched as a trilogy to feel its truly an anniversary special.
She has missiles on her wheelchair but not a camera feed of what the soldiers see. When gathering information would be the most essential thing about fighting aliens. Yup...
I think the entire point of the words were to be as random as possible to ensure that no one could randomly stumble upon the code and cause the meta crisis to start again, they had no meaning or rhyme or reason on purpose
As someone who never watch a Jodie Era Episode, this one was so so much worse than anything in Capaldi's episode. The Meta Crisis resolution was very stupid at best, offensive at worse, they established she was a trans woman, not non-binary so saying shes both / either is not actually what she wants to be.
So to answer your question, the random words that the Doctor says to make Donna remember are a hypnotic trigger. When you hypnotise or condition someone, you can reawaken them or make them behave in a specific way by implanting a trigger in their mind that activates when exposed to a specific stimulus of your own choosing. The Doctor chose a string of improbable words that when said in that order would make Donna remember.
First one of these videos I've just skipped to the end. This episode was painful to watch and I don't want to re-live the anger I felt watching my favourite doctor and companion being dragged through the mud.
My take on the "let it go" part felt more like Donna being able to let go of the opportunity to travel the stars with the Doctor. She couldn't do that in Journey's End because she didn't have anything she could go back home to. She had a dysfunctional relationship with her mother, and Wilf encouraged her to go out there. She believed that she found a true purpose with the Doctor, and going back home means she will become nothing again However, now that she has a family, a loving husband and daughter, and a much more improved relationship with Silvia it seems, she has a reason to want to go home now. She can let go of all the magical wonders of the universe in favour of living a happy life with her family
That's not what it was saying or implying. Rose said that letting it go was something a male presenting time lord wouldn't understand. Pretty much saying males have too much ego to understand something like letting go of a power like that.
i think that's a great take, one that i think i'll headcannon. However it could've been communicated a lot better in the episode. For example instead of them being women the reason why they could let it go, it was being human with something to come back to, and not a time lord constantly seeking adenture
@@kbg12ila My point still stands, but I do agree that it was a poor line that kinda feels dodgy. Still, I hardly think Rose is actually gonna sincerely mean that
@@reecer0503 She did though, if anything the actresses true believes screamed through that scene. She was giving the doctor smug and dirty looks every sentence she delivered lol and thats literally word for word the explanation given. If anything you comment is excusing the bad intentions from the writing and trying to justify it with an explanation that is not there
Good to have you back Harry. Thought you were a little strong going in, but you totally justified everything and had me on side by the end. Haven’t been as excited to see your next review since the capaldi season (that’s not a comment on your work btw). Looking forward to your next one
This episode reminded me of Rose Season 1 Episode 1, subsequently Davies' first introduction to the series. It was quite hit and miss for me, some great bits and some bits that felt like they were just trying too hard. It did not take long before Davies made excellent stories riding off the back of a jarring start, and this is no exception with last weeks episode Wild Blue Yonder being a smash hit and already comparable with some of the best Series 4 had to offer. I think the moral is now that things are established we get into the comfy ride of Davies' brain, but until then you have to undergo a few shocks like Davros standing or "Breast Implant" jokes. Fun Fact: The fact that Rose (Donna's daughter) is transgender means that at some point when she 'came out' she would have decided to change her name to her new identity, and while not for certain as this is an act of independence this would suggest that Rose actually chose her own name. Being another "coincidence" that the lingering metacrisis bled through foreshadowing her having the link to her mother and the doctor. Sure you could argue Donna could have brought it up or suggested it but either way it actually is foreshadowing in the first episode, and boy am I glad to have back some genius level foreshadowing and forethought in these episodes! I worry most people won't even recognise this if they aren't accepting or aware of that level but it is subtle enough to be missed by most.
honestly, the forced inclusivity parts i can look past because i get it, it's a good message to reinforce of just not generally not being a dick to people, sure. But the part that got me feeling like wasted potential was Donna's impending metacrisis death, the thing her whole family has been trying to avoid for 15 ish years, a thing so important that her life was permanently at risk so she couldn't be a companion anymore, all of that written off and solved just because "women learn to let it go"? that's some incredibly weak/lazy writing just to get donna out of the situtation and into 2 more episodes.
I honestly would have preferred it if Donna was killed off when facing the toy maker due to the metacrisis. It woulda felt like there were actual consequences and much less cheap
Yeah it felt cheap, AND ruins the entire original arc as if Donna could just "let it go" then 10 wouldn't have needed to wipe her mind in the first place.
My main issue with "forced" inclusivety is simply how much focus is put on these moments. I agree that it is important to sent a positive message but i feel like the message should be "they are normal poeple too" instead of "Shame you white man these are way better beings than you can ever be". I am sure its not always meant like that but it sometimes comes across that way.
Believe it or not, trans people exist! So its not forced. They’re not going anywhere and deserve stories and focus. This episode said a lot of things that needed to be said.
@@samuelcox9656 Like what exactly? I dont want to be rude here but what is this "alot" i dont think "watch your probouns idiot" and "men are dumb" are alot of things said. I also think the way these things were said are needlessly harsh. Also when poeple say forced inclusivety we... or atleast I dont mean that i dont want trans poeple in my media. You are correct they do exist and deserve to be focused on in media. But it should feel natural. Suddenly stopping an episode to have a transwoman call the doctor stupid for being male isnt natural and feels like forced pandering that can end up causing more damage than good. I may not be trans and jist a straight white man but i would love to see properly done representation. Talking down on poeple that arent like you will not solve anything. You cant call someone stupid or other more awefull things and than expect them to acept you.
SPOILER WARNING I'm genuinely sad that I'm not giving this episode a positive rating. I was really looking forward to this but at the moment my enthusiasm for the rest of these specials has dropped. That is a damm shame considering the story potential these stories had. To start off, please *DO NOT* say to, 'Oh they will address that later' because that isn't an excuse for presenting the story in the manner it has been especially with some of the character interactions. 14 is great here but I still don't see how he is different from 10 at all and that is a negative in my book considering that we already have plenty of 10 stories, I was really hoping RTD would do something different with Tennant's range than just oh its 2008 again but with a more inclusive cast. The best scene by far in this episode was the one where 14 asks about Wilf and I just teared up. The 'twist' of him not actually being dead was funny and surprisingly didn't take me out of the story in any way. Donna was wonderful to see again except for the fact that, I still don't know why we needed to see her again. Nothing interesting has been done with her arc, in fact in my view at least at the moment the impact of her ending has been dimished. Sylvia was also wonderful to see surprisingly, her having aged actually hit me very hard. Rose at the moment unfortuantely has no character. She is just like a cardboard slate at the moment, and that is a damm shame considering she has so much potential, hope that she has a lot more scenes in the future that actually develop her character. This story, if what I list below hadn't happened would have been a good story(7/10) with a decently executed doctor who story. Okay so the lines about Rose being trans fall into 2 camps, one being good and the other being horrendously crowbarred in. The initial scene wuth Sylvia misgendering her and the neighbourhood teens being jerks were both good and I was happy about the handling of a trans character uptil that moment. But then we have the garbage line of 'Are you gonna assume pronouns', this is so badly written like just why, why do we have to have this incredibly forced line instead of something subtler like 'He?' and the doctor goes 'Oh yea fair enough, what do you go by Beep'. Don't you see how much better this is?? But the worst offender is the 'Non-binary' scene, I was so disheartned by that scene, because turning those words into this forced garbage genuinely took me out of this story. Especially so when paired with the 'Something a male presenting timelord wouldn't get, just giving it up' That is probably one of the worst moments RTD has ever written given how goddam much it undermines Donna's exit and to almost shield himself from criticism has been written in pseudo-progressive garbage. I hate this, this moment almost kills me. I expected better 'representation' from RTD than this, especially when I've seen 'It's a sin'. I feel so sad that we needed the shoe-horned in line of making some bizzare connection of something as human as gender to regeneration. I hate this. The moment I like are ones where Missy finds the idea of romantic love stupid and earthly or when 12 says 'Gender and its associated stereotypes'. These moments are so so much better than this trash. I do like the 'Male presenting timelord' line though, that is genuinely nice. Overall just sadded that we had to undermine Donna's exit, I'm sure that this isn't the end of her time but even then the mere suggestion that 'She just didn't have to want it or that the doctor just had to understand that she wouldn't want it' is just trash. I'm hoping for improvement. Just feel incredibly bummed out at the moment.
They’ve gone from that ominous and creepy atmosphere in past seasons and replaced it with flashy (though impressive) visual effects which seems to act more as a distraction from the tepid writing. Great review as always.
The Star Beast probably got bad at the end because of Disney. I knew that they shouldn't made that deal and also because the BBC doesn't care about the show, it is sad.
Doctor WHO used to do current issues (like Trans) with subtlety and let the audience make up its own mind in the same way original Star Trek used to. But not current era BBC and Russell T Davies who now hit you over the head with their current era agenda and TELL YOU what you should think. As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s THIS kind of pulpit lecturing that makes people grind their teeth! And if a “man presenting” Doctor needs a lecture about how to “let it go” in regards to power, then what does that say about Tecteun the Shobogan explorer lady who became the creator of the Timelords by keep killing and experimenting on her adopted (Timeless Child) daughter in order to steal her secret of regeneration? Was that a woman “letting it go” or basically going all Dr Strangelove on us? Speaking of Dr Strangelove, that whole thing with Davros and his wheelchair of evil getting retconned by RTD says more about the way HE sees disability than it does about a classic WHO villain…and I am disabled myself so I know the issues involved and this ain’t helping. As RTD said about Davros years ago “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” But that was before he got The CALLING to do missionary work among the big-hots and razzists that make up the Doctor WHO audience…lol I shouldn’t laugh because he really does see us like that these days apparently?😭
@@jamescarr1265 - Well I want to say Missy (The Master) both in his/herself and in her reference to “knowing the Doctor since he was a little girl?” But that’s kinda cheating, so I’ll go with the Christopher Ecclestones Doctor and the episode titled: “The End Of The World.” The stretched skin thing (lol) called Lady Cassandra makes a comment about her life as a little boy…although that’s probably also not a good example because she was a villain. She had Zoe Wannamakers sexy voice so I remember it vaguely but had to look it up to be certain. 😅
![DID IT SUCK? | Doctor Who [THE GIGGLE REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/l0rfyljQO-0/mqdefault.jpg)
![DID IT SUCK? | Doctor Who [THE GIGGLE REVIEW]](/img/tr.png)
![DID IT SUCK? | Doctor Who [WILD BLUE YONDER REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VdqOIyL1z9A/mqdefault.jpg)
![DID IT SUCK? | Doctor Who [SEASON 1 FINALE MEGA REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L7DVAmeJJM4/mqdefault.jpg)
After a needless amount of time, this video has finally made it to RUclips. The copyright system on this website has reached an all-time low. I had to re-render and re-upload this video 11 times, and even then I couldn't get it monetised. It is still in the appeal process, all because a 7 second clip where I talk about the new title sequence. I highly implore you to join my Patreon page as this is the only sure-fire way of this video being financially viable. I spent 45 hours making this video, only to have the copyright system spit it back in my face 11 times.
I'm also looking forward to reading your feedback on the inclusion of the green screen. It's definitely not perfect, I'm literally using a green sheet of material that has creases and a ring light (hence the stuttery brown you see coming out of my neck from time to time) I hope that with increased Patreon support I can invest in a decent fold-away green screen and a dual lighting kit to improve my set up.
If you want to support the work I do: www.patreon.com/harrysmovingmedia
You want to blame Disney for something they have no real part in?
I think a few people have had issues because of the title sequence. It seems the BBC tried to stop any footage from Wild Blue Yonder and the Giggle releasing early and they’ve fed the entire episodes into their copyright bot, including the intro and credits sequences which also appear in The Star Beast.
@HiddenKyber66ah yes, making fun of something she has no control over, totally not school bully tactics.
@HiddenKyber66did you read your own comment "that chin 😂" isn't exactly not making fun of the actor.
@HiddenKyber66 budget sure but that's about it.
The most unbelievable thing in this episode is a public sector worker getting a bonus
Didn't see it myself. But read other reviews. Seems like it's gone the same way as other BBC productions. All about the Woke Message. Politicised again.
@@davidcritchley3509🤓
2015 called they want their wokeness back!
I really don't understand the "let it go" thing. The Doctor has sacrificed his friends, family, his entire planet, and his life multiple times over to help people. Donna was even upset in the episode that she gave away all her money to charity because that's what the Doctor would do. Sooo.. what does it mean? Did they throw in some misandry in the episode just because or is there some other meaning I'm not getting?
There letting go of the energy, that the only meaning.
@@TiredMoonRabbit And the Doctor couldn't understand that "as a male presenting time lord"... why?
Capaldi’s last words were literally “Doctor, I let you go” that shows that the character has developed and he’s not as vain as he used to be. It was just a needless jab.
@@dan79600 he could and probably did, that was just donna and by extention her daughter do a classic noble rib twards him. She didn't exactly want to take in the energy and after finding out that her daughter took half of it, it would make sense that they could let it go. The line delivery was bad though.
@@H2E47 done by Donna's daughter who's mother is the queen of needless jabs.
Rose was supposed to be 15? I just assumed that she was in her 20's or so, and any references to school were about college.
Well, we last saw Donna in 2008. 15 years ago... Knowing that "No rule exists anymore" it's RTD did not play with the concept here.
15 at most, given Silva says the metacrisis/her amnesia was 15 years ago, but given there was no sign of a baby or Donna being pregnant at The End Of Time, Rose could be younger.
They talked about her being in school a bunch of times, and they mentioned that it has been 15 years since she lost her memory so shes 15 max, and being any younger is even more ridiculous
Yeah. It's normal to transition 15 year olds now. That's the message.
Should be 2009, based on the timeline of the first four seasons, plus specials, technically...@@edmundthespiffing2920
Two huge mysteries that were built up- the return of tennant's face and curing the metacrisis- were just thrown away
The whole "metacrisis passed down" thing would work and is an interesting idea but, at the same time, it feels like a massive cop out that they could just "let go". How can you "let go" of a Time Lord mind?? It would've been better if Donna died at the end of the specials due to being unable to fix the metacrisis or something along those lines.
I'm hoping this is just a bumpy start and RTD is just getting his stride back.
That wasnt a bumpy start,this episode was intended the way it was done from the second it was planned
When people show you who they are, at what point do you believe them?
honestly, i would buy it if it were just a little bit more complicated. the way it was used to solve the huge problem of DONNA DYING felt very cheap, to be honest. the undeserved jab at the doctor for being a man also didn’t help.
Letting go of Time Lord energy isn't actually a new idea, didn't 10 do almost the exact same thing when he regen'd back into himself during the S4 finale? He just dispensed the energy from himself into his hand. It's a similar idea to the way Donna and Rose dispense of it from one another here really.
@@primitivepainter6761 They released it into mid air...10 needed something having his genes to dispel it into...
For me, the episode had an ending that felt completely extended for no reason. Why not just explain that the shared metacrisis would slowly disappear with time as the energy couldn't stay in them both as it had split and was unstable, so we can have a few episodes of donna being up to speed with the doctor and then she can retire at the end of it and enjoy the rest of her life after maybe a bit of tension about whether she'd be okay or not after it left her.
Instead they had to take a hit at the doctor for being a male presenting timelord? Like, huh? He was literally a woman 6 hours ago.
And the thing that bothered me the most was the whole "Binary, Non Binary" thing. Like... She's a transgender woman, she's binary, she's a woman, she's not non binary... Why was that even a thing they had to mention???
because its shared between 3 people its "non binary" or thats how I took it
A lot of the end of that episode was forced and convoluted for no reason. Like Donna "fainting" even though she was perfectly fine? Had me engaged in the first half, lost me in the second half, and I got more upset when I found out that the reason why davros wasn't in his chair during the short that released before the episode was because Davies had a problem with an evil disabled person on screen... like what? Have we gotten to the point where it's not ok to portray people of certain backgrounds as villains especially in the case where their evil has nothing to do with their background? It's not like davros is evil because he is in a wheelchair, he's evil because he is a eugenicist.
@@surplusofdads7996How did you interpret it that way? Donna, the Doctor, and Rose literally say "because the Doctor is male and female, and neither" making it explicitly about gender.
Rose being non-binary despite being a transwomen is nonesensical since being trans implies you identify and present yourself as the opposite gender, being non-binary contradicts that since it doesn't identify as male or female or follows gender norms, the fact Rose is both things strongly suggests cognitive dissonance.
Non-Binary: a gender identity and an umbrella term for people whose identity falls outside the gender binary. Some people do not identify wholly or at all with the gender they were assigned at birth - some people have no gender at all. The term non-binary comes under the trans umbrella.
I loved the part in Jodie Whittaker's era where Graham told the Female-presenting time lord that he was scared about his cancer coming back and she gave him the greatest advice to just let it go!
and when the man who decided to murder innocent spiders then went on to offer the DALEK race help in defeating humanity, the 13th doctor just decided to let him go, let it go!
oh wait, she actually did that for the second one... oof
Chibnall era haters stop using the same scenes against the era challenge: impossible. And when it comes to Robertson there was nothing she could really do in that situation.
@@friendlyotaku9525Chibnall era has fans? Waaaaat? I can’t believe anyone would defend that waffle
@@TheMightyMidget People actually like things?! WHAT?! I know, shocking that people actually like and enjoy things!
@@friendlyotaku9525I think that people using the same scenes to criticise media will generally say more about those scenes than the people criticising them
@@patient24602 but then they ignore all the great things. It's just something I've noticed.
Honestly the very end with the letting it go bit was the only bit that irritated me cause it felt unnecessary. You could have just had the meta crisis passing down be the solution that saves Donna. And it felt like a jab that wasn't needed. Other than that at least there were actual characters, at least there was chemistry between them, I always figured this would be the weakest of the specials anyway. Wild blue Yonder is the big one I'm looking forward too
Definitely has a "ok so let's just get to the good part" type energy to it production.
"Honestly the very end with the letting it go bit was the only bit that irritated me cause it felt unnecessary. You could have just had the meta crisis passing down be the solution that saves Donna."
YES!!! I've said this before in another discussion. It was a perfect solution! But they had to go and distort it with a bad joke!
EXACTLY! it felt so, so unnecessary! having the metacrisis pass down and split was a very good explanation to avoid donna’s death. if they had dwelled just a little bit more on the plushies rose was making, and showed them to the audience for a bit longer, i believe that revelation would have been even more interesting. it would have given the audience more time to try to connect the dots.
maybe that was just me though? i didn’t pay much attention to the plushies.
Actually having its effects shared and halved by having a child I thought was clever solution for the metacrisis problem. It could have just been left at that and/or if there was a need to then remove it from Donna (so there isn't a Doctor like being roaming around on Earth), it would at least have given the Doctor time to figure out a solution in the next two episodes so by the end Donna (and Rose) are restored, sans metacrisis but with memories intact to carry on their family lives as the Doctor mooches off in the Tardis again (or possibly sacrifices himself so that this can be achieved).
Point being, it was a good plot device but taken too far and ended up with a literal hand waving it away by shaking it off. Seemed a bit uneccesary.
Thoughts on Wild blue yonder?
Rose having plushies of a Cyberman and The Beast doesn't make sense since Donna never met either of them, unless Big Finish decides to take advantage of this, i don't see why these were added
There's also one of Karvanista , so its supposed to be aliens that the Doctor knows about, right up until the present point. I guess its supposed to suggest there is still some link to the Doctor's current memories but it would make more sense just to make it be the memories Donna has of the Doctor up until the point they parted.
@hotdog1214 it's even worse now after watching Wild Blue Yonder where Donna says she only found out about the adventures of 11, 12 and 13 after she became the DoctorDonna a second time but can't comprehend these memories likening it to looking into a furnace
@@maldon3659 Yeah, it is a touch confusing as I had thought it would be that Donnas memories that returned would only be of those she had while with the Doctor but it seems its going for some sort of shared memory link thing with the Doctor, including current memories when she is Doctor-Donna.
I'm not convinced she was being truthful about not knowing, I'm suspicious that she was just being kind and trying to get the Doctor to open up instead... we shall see, possibly.
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!
Not me thinking Rose was like a freshmen in college 😂
Exactly! I thought she was playing 18/19 years old and that would have worked…but passing for 15 is taking the proverbial.
I do agree with Donna. Rose can’t act. Her accent was all over the place in the 2nd half of the episode. What the hell was going on?
Fr I see so many people saying Yasmin delivered a great performance and I’m over here wondering whether I was too harsh on Yaz and Ryan’s actors for their stiff acting.
His accent*
@@Longshanks1690 No you definitely weren't
That cracked me up it was like they were breaking the 4th wall with that comment
@@neko7606 That wouldn’t have helped since Rose doesn’t act like a person. She was written to be “the trans character,” not a character in her own right, so no amount of surface level changes would fix the problems with her writing.
I honestly dislike the new sonic, just feels way too overpowered and was just used to get out of sticky situations
Its a sonic screwdriver as in manipulating soundwaves. Sound cannot create light for projections and especially not a laser shield. I know its sci fi but come on its literally going against science lol
I predict the doctor losing it is going to be a common trend
That green screen will forever be the first image of this new era
7:04 they don’t exactly leave it in limbo whether or not Sylvia lives with them as it’s heavily implied that she let herself in
I think Donna actually says “I should never have given you a set of keys” or something like it.
Which is really fucking weird since they want to emphasise they’re just able to get by since giving away the lottery money. Isn’t an easy way to show that having the whole family live together?
the funny thing is that because this is from an old comic the rick and morty bug things ripped off dr. who originally
I really don’t think Rick & Morty’s creators were aware of some semi-obscure Dr Who comic. It’s more that just making bugs big is a pretty common trope in SciFi for designing alien races.
@@Longshanks1690was
The seeds of destruction are sown within the message.
I love how angry this episode has made you creepy bigots who tried to invade this fanbase. Go away, you're not welcome.
@@PlatinumAltaria and that's an example of the kind of thought processes used to divide a community. Try CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) some time might help.
@@GuyTheAnimated You're literally pretending that there is a conspiracy to spread a "message" that you can't even define a single aspect of... because there are brown people on the telly. I think I'll be ok.
Perhaps someone has already mentioned it, and if so, I apologize for the repetition. If you go back to the 11th Doctor ep “The Doctor’s Wife” ( I think it is), there’s a scene where Rory and Amy have to open a lock-telepathically. And the combination to the lock is a series of words. But you can’t just say the words, you have to feel the words, envision them, concentrate on them. That’s what I recognized 14 as doing to unlock Donna’s memories. Why those specific words, I have no idea.
That's a really good point. Though the words are surely mostly just random, like sleeper activation words usually are.
I was trying to keep track of the words he used in the hope there would be an Easter egg amongst them
It's OK for Donna to age-shame the Doc because he's male and therefore fair game. Can you imagine the faux outrage of the snowlflake lynch mob if HE did that to HER? This would be called "hate crime" if the hater/victim were reversed. And before anyone says "punching up", tell me, when you can insult someone who cannot insult you, who is in the position of power?
It felt quite rushed as well. The fact the Doctor bumps into Donna 30 seconds into the episode and then the spaceship crashed pretty much immediately afterwards is really rushed imo. I know Davies had to set all of this up for the next episodes but I don't think that was the right way to do it.
While I understand repeating a "Partners in crime"-esque setup would have felt recycled, it was a much better and more comedic way of bringing the characters back together imo.
Thanks for giving such a balanced review Harry. It's nice to see a sensible opinion, rather than some others online approaching the episode like it's all good or all bad.
I would’ve liked it more if the coincidence had some time to build like in Partners in Crime. Like The Doctor lands, and sees the spaceship on his own. Not meeting Donna yet, but maybe he still meets Shaun in the Taxi on his way, it could even be left so he doesn’t immediately recognize him. Meanwhile, Rose stumbles across the Meep. The Doctor leaves the parked ship with the Unit truck and tracks the Meep down. Thereby finding Rose & by extension Donna. It’s a similar premise that doesn’t really miss many beats, but I think it paces Donna and the Doctor’s reunion better and in such a way that we can see their paths converging in real time, much like we did with Partners in Crime.
I agree, the Doctor running into Donna immediately after landing in London was very abrupt. From the trailers, I thought he would meet Rose first.
Well, they had to rush those little miner details, in order that they could spend half the episode drumming it in to the audience that Rose is "gorgeous" and the linchpin of the entire plot.
The acting really shocked me. Tennant and Tate seem to be playing a Comic Relief sketch of their former characters. Am told Yasmin Finney was great in Heartstoppers, and if so she was having one Hell of an off day here and was very wooden. The rest of the cast seemed unable to do anything but overact with gurning facial expressions.
The script was silly and didn't make a great deal of sense, but that's been the case often in Who and we handwave it. As for the social message..regardless of whether we agree with it or disagree, it was as subtle as one of those little lectures He-Man used to give at the end of each cartoon where he rammed home the episode's moral message. It's delivery was antagonistic and borderline outright insulting, I don't believe it will change the minds of anyone not already of that viewpoint.
Regardless of the controversy (and the least likable people from each side are already at each others throats..), I don't think it can be called objectively a good episode.
Totally agree
As a writer, I can understand the need to express messages of political, sexual nature etc as the one the 60th Anniversary has done, especially when you have such an enormous audience. But there's a thing called "Subtly", whereby a writer expresses a meaning or message without shining a spotlight on it. They often have a good backbone i.e. the story, characters, plot which is the main drive (Not the message).
When the story is strong and the focus, you can accept the message or ignore it (Depending on how well it's portrayed). I know Doctor Who has always been political (I like to think of Doctor Who: The Sunmakers as a standout example within DW) but the politics in this are far too in your face, they have also been there for quite some time in every other medium, so seeing it again (when everyone wants "Escapism"), is rather annoying.
They have fallen for the drive to "change the world"... in a family orientated sci-fi, drama program viewed by a diminished audience. I'm not saying don't convey messages of a political nature, but keep it simple and not too in your face.
THANK YOU FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT!
"Donna Noble is descending" is a reference to earlier in the episode when she says "I will descend" if anyone threatens Rose. Rose is threatened, so she descends.
It's still a strange thing to say. To decend means to fall, which seems like an ineffective way to protect your family. "If anyone tries to hurt you, I will fall" is basically what she said. Super bizarre.
@@HOTD108_ I thought it was maybe some 21st Century lingo that I'd missed out on. You're right its a baffling thing to say - twice no less.
Unless its supposed to be akin to "I'll come down on them like a tonne of bricks?" but RTD used descend instead? Its definitely a weird one, and I'm still not getting it. 🤷♀🤷♀
@@HOTD108_to “descend upon someone or something” is not an uncommon phrase. In example; “A swarm of bees descended on our picnic.” Synonyms include:
attack
assault
raid
invade
swoop
pounce
assail
arrive
come in force
arrive in hordes
The phrasing and use of the word is definitely appropriate for Donna’s scenes.
@@HOTD108_ by "descend" I think she's almost using the analogy of some kind of angelic spirit or something "descending" from heaven to protect Rose. "Descend" does _not_ necessarily mean "to fall"; it's more general than that, more like "to come/go down" (from some high place, eg heaven). Said jokingly, I think it fits Donna's character.
Why did Rose assume The Doctor was a man?
Because transpeople don't actually obey their own pronoun rules they insist everyone else follow.
@@berserkasaurusrex4233 Go to therapy.
She didn't, she specifically said "male presenting" lol
Nice to see someone giving a balanced look at this episode.
I tried to watch the podcast, but all they did was praise it to death, which might have made me dislike the episode more.
I missed Harrys vids.
I thought the episode was incredibly mid.
My dad who watched it with me called it babyish
i honestly forgot how fun you made your reviews compared to the other doctor who youtubers i watch. Thank you for standing out and entertaining me
I actually couldn’t laughing at the intro to this video, seeing Harry put himself in David’s position only made me laugh more
The sonic screwdriver didn’t change with the Doctor as in the comic liberation of the Daleks 14 was still using 13s sonic screwdriver until it got destroyed by the Daleks, Twice.
The let it go bit is what ruined the whole thing for me. It could have been done so much better. We know the meta crisis Donna had more imagination than the doctor maybe a mata crisis Rose come have come up with a solution to bring Donna back that wasn't a Disney musical number.
For better or for worse, RTD has made Doctor Who more accessible to the modern audience, and I feel like the Star Beast is one of the most emblematic of that. Fun? Sure! Somewhat thoughtless, though? Absolutely. To me, it feels like if Russel tried to pull from Steven Moffat and tried to do an "everybody lives"-esque ending but didn't understand how to get there.
I feel like this is the most honest review/breakdown I’ve seen and I’ve watched a lot of them now… or I just finally found one that agreed with all my thoughts. I also scored it a 5/10 & felt it too was a rocky start. Too much cringe - I swear RTD used to be better at weaving the progressive themes in without repeating himself so many times in an episode & generally in a more subtle way.
Concur. And don't understand why the Doctor uses the Sonic to create force shields (?) when normally he would just summon the Tardis back. It worked OK for 12 on Skaro (most dangerous place imaginable) in The Witch's Familiar, so why not here? Looks like anything can be impossible now as well.
11:07 Yeah, I'd probably have been ok with that instead of the Doctor being corrected by a child.
Doctor: I'll have him...
Meep: The
Doctor: Sorry.
Meep: I am THE Meep.
Doctor: Ok. Give me 5 minutes and the Meep and I shall be out of your hair.
Yeah. I think having a scene where someone stumbles with pronouns is a neat idea because that just happens sometimes but it shouldnt have too much attention put on it.
Especially considering not-Rose called the doctor "him" earlier. Almost like you don't have to actually ask people their pronouns, because it's an obnoxious tone policing tactic nobody does in real life outside of social media and media.
@@sonicfan1693 well they already had that scene previously with the grandparent, it was too much to keep going with it
Watching this video reminded me how much I missed watching this channel. I used to watch these videos all the time back when I used to watch doctor who
14:59 is just a reference to earlier in the episode when she said she would descend due to rose’s bullies, also it’s just a turn of phrase, no need to single it out
Wild Blue Yonder is the episode that will prove Doctor Who is back on form, and The Church On Ruby Road is gonna be the one that proves it can survive this change, as Ncuti and Millie will be in the Tardis.
Special 2 airs tonight and I'm excited but sceptical. If it's great I have no doubt Special 3 The Giggle will be fantastic too, but if it's as mixed as The Star Beast I'm definitely worried about the future of Doctor Who, that not even David and Catherine can save the inconsistent writing
9 years? Wow I was watching your reviews of series 8. Looking forward to a 10 yr celebration. Big Fan Harry
I think the Doctor was floating in a green screen because they didn't want to spoil the TARDIS interior - otherwise I imagine he would have been in a more diegetic background like Donna.
I think it would have worked better if they used some kind of combination of flashbacks within the narrative itself in a way it doesn't interrupt the story. When Captain Pike was introduced in Star Trek Discovery, they used a series of images from the pilot as a flashback to where he had been before.
I’m with you on the breathing at the end. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it as it ruined the music.
the string of words could be the mind conditioning words used to unlock her memories when The Doctor erased it. same idea in Marvel where the Winter Soldier was activated when a string of words were used on Bucky.
Yasmin Finney was 18 when they filmed this episode, so only barely an adult. Rose is supposed to be 15, but I have to wonder if making her 16 or 17 was out of the question, as Yasmin looks more her age compared. to someone like Tom Holland who still passed for someone 4-5 years younger at the age of 18/19 in his early MCU appearances. Plus, I have to wonder if Rose would be as far along in her transition at 15 as she appeared.
Fun fact: Rose isn't actually technically the first canonically trans character in mainline Doctor Who - there's also Cassandra, who once lived in Earth as a "little boy".
I mean, Rose is probably better representation, but y'know
I cant remember Cassandra so i would say thats probably better representation as the whole point of transitioning is to be treater as the gender you changed to. Not being type cast as a trans character.
@@charg1nmalaz0r51 Getting typecast is definitely a problem, yeah, but on the other hand, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with having a trans-centric storyline, as long as that's not the character's only personality trait
That seems far more like Cassandra was just bullshitting as the whole point about her is that she’s so completely fake while pretending to be the most authentic and pure human alive.
Or maybe that she was just a tomboy, that’s far more plausible for a script written in 2005 when no one had ever heard of a Trans person before.
@@Longshanks1690 ??? are you schizophrenic or something?
@@WiloPolis03 But thats what we have and is the main problem with this type of writing. Roses entire defining trait is that she is trans. It has no bearing on the plot (all that is important is Donna has a child to share the meta crisis). They literally cast a trans woman, to play a transwoman, so they could include as many trans issues as they could and had her entire characters traits, story, dialogue just to be about being trans. She is deadnamed, which transitions to dialogue of the grandparent mis gendering, to meeting the meep and talking about feeling alien too and not being accepted, to correcting the doctor about pronouns, to being glorified for being nonbinary(despite being trans but thats another issue lol), to then talking down to the doctor because hes male presenting, to then finally being me. She has no character outside of being trans. In fact the only dialogue we get from her that isnt trans related is about her making toys to help her family through financial difficulty. Why people think this is good representation is beyond me
I think the "let it go" line sparks an interesting question. Obviousy it was meant as a joke but it also clearly irritated some people and it certainlyy jarred me which isnt always a bad thing.The issue i take with it though is not that it clearly bruised thousands of male egos across the country, but that these kinds of comments play into gendered stereotypes which negatively impact both men and women. Assigning "good traits" to one gender over another can create an expectation that people occupying that gender roll MUST adhere to it, meanwhile people of the opposite roll may be less inclined to adopt that trait because its seen as unfitting (this had actually been observed in the GDR for example). Im not accusing RTD of singlehandedly perpetuating gendered stereotypes but I think theres an interesting conversation to be had around what is "punching up" and what simply affirms stereotypes which harm people on all sides of the paradigm.
It's extremely funny that you're trying to claim men are the egotistical ones in this situation.
Totally agree. I'm so done with this. Why can't people 'let go' of gender stereotypes??? If we were more flexible about what both genders behave like maybe there would be less confusion for young people over gender
way too forgiving score. Missed the wilfred heart felt pain the doctor had hearing he was gone, only to make fun of the doctor thinking he was dead when 'no longer with us' is widspread code for passed away. Major disrespecting bernard cribbins name just to make a non sensical joke at the doctors expens. The aiming at solders with a fixed angle wheelchair gun. The shields made of sound somehow was more stupid than you made it out to be. The doctor taking time to explain the sonic screw driver vibrating concrete, something we all knew it could do, while not giving us a made up reason the shields worked. The coffee breaking the tardis when in tennants run he litualy hit it with a mallet to get it to work. 2.5/10 at the most
I dont think the Wilf scene was meant to be disrespectful. If anything I assume it might have been written in after the actor died as a tribute of sorts. Either way the scene in my eyes was more a tribute than anything else and the joke isnt that nonsensical. The doctor didnt know while the others did know and they probs didnt even think about the potential meaning of the phrase they used.
@@sonicfan1693 If it was meant as a tribute, they'd have cut the meanspirited joke and left the Doctor's words as a eulogy to stand on their own, instead of undercutting them instantly.
Tbf the intro was probably cut short for this one only because of the recap so we will see if it’s the full thing tomorrow
14:33 I don't think the lines themselves mean anything, they're just an assortment of words for 14 to test whether Doctor Donna is back in the room. A bit like he does in Midnight. It just so happens that "binary" is the word that Donna can match, which is where she froze up in S4 and also is relevant with Rose later on
They could be the equivalent to a passcode. He imparted a string of words which would not likely be said in combination naturally to avoid accidental activation.
Excellent review and analysis. This may be the fairest review I have seen so far, steering clear of the hyperbole on both sides, and accurately pointing out the good and bad. Great job!
Here here
Still, you must admit that the bad was pretty damn bad.
the thing for me about it was how is it something u could even let go? the bad wolf energy ok the doctor told her to let it go, thats all og rose needed to do, but this felt different remember what donna said once she became half doctor, she said "it was a two way biological meta crisis" since it changed the second 10th doctor's biology to have only 1 heart i assumed donna's biology changed too, making it be something thats now hard wired into your system that you cant get rid off. did anyone else think of it that way when they would watch that episode?
The doctor took the time vortex from rose and it killed him causing him to regenerate, the writing is even worse than what you suggested.
Its an rtd ending allow it
R.I.P Doctor Who 1963 - 2017
It was a good run, wasn't it?
Nah there were a few highlights in the Chibnall era and the Star Beast is a great episode that unfortunately flubbed it’s ending a little. Wild Blue Yonder looks set to be an incredible episode.
@@Sparx632 Highlights? In the Chibnall era? Star Beast a great episode?
God the standards have dropped massively haven't they
Oh do grow up hon.....
@@michaelparkinsonsfreeparkerpen Yes because if you don’t spend all day going “waa this is woke” you can learn to enjoy things. I’m not by any means acting like the Chibnall years weren’t subpar but there were decent episodes, like Kerblam or Nicola Tesla’s Night of Terror and Power of the Doctor.
And yeah Star Beast is a great episode, it’s funny, charming, contains good messages in the same way episodes from Series 1-4 did and it’s great to see Tennant and Tate back at it again. Only problem is the ending is a bit lazy and has some weird lines. If you think a few negatives or “wokeness” stop something that was about 80% RTD goodness being a great episode then you’re focusing too much on them, which means you must live a very pessimistic and depressing life.
Apparently my thoughts on Doctor Who have somehow synced with yours! Interested to see that I wasn't the only one having these impressions and also didn't notice the score that much either D:
Finally an actual unbiased review that isn't "doctor who is woke here's why I hate it" thank you Harry. The main take away points for me are (as a trans woman as well) they focus on Rose being trans too much, the bit with Sylvia worrying about what she should call rose and accidentally misgendering her was great, equally the pronouns bit was a bit too forced for me to appreciate, same with the deadnaming bit by the bullies. I really do not understand the intention of the line about the Doctor not being able to let it go because he isn't a woman? I don't think it's meant to be portrayed as slamming men again, but it looks like it. Besides that I think the story telling was okay-decent, like you said the first half of the episode was the strongest for me, but to me, it still maintained most of the classic and goofy doctor who story that it should, with some bits letting it down.
Yeah the episode is mostly good but it has some weird and jarring moments. I also hate how so many are acting that Doctor Who is dead just because of a few scenes only one of which being... very weird.
I feel like while Harry gave good points this review feels much like the episode its self a bit rushed and not as analytical as his doctor who reviews usually are, the episode did jut come out though.
@@sonicfan1693 Exactly, people are acting like Doctor Who has always been this seamless show with every moment of drama executed perfectly and it just hasn't lmao, my favorite era was Tennant's and even then there were still a fair few flaws and just kinda meh-bad episodes scattered throughout it. The amount of hate this new episode has got purely for being "woke" is nuts as well
@@Ashxliypeople are just over the pandering, that’s why they are sick of having LGBTQ being rammed down our throats! Your less than 1% but have to be represented in every single movie and tv show! When will you assimilate into society and be the everyday people you want to be treated as?
The definat article quote was from robot, tom bakers first episode. He said he was THE Doctor, the definat article
The depiction of Rose's bullying wasn't contrived; it effectively portrayed the harsh realities faced by trans individuals, adding depth to her character. However, the episode could have better utilized the time to further develop Rose beyond just being 'the trans character'.
The bullying scene was concise yet impactful, highlighting Rose's identity to those unaware and providing a moment for Donna to express her love for her daughter. It's crucial for characters, regardless of their background, to earn the audience's affection, and the episode seemed to overly focus on celebrating Rose's transgender identity. While it's important to include trans representation in media, the approach should aim to normalize it rather than reduce a character to their gender identity alone. Although the episode started with promise, it lost direction, failing to fully capitalize on the opportunity to represent trans individuals in a more nuanced way.
And a little extra, from my experience, my bullies never cared about my parents when they were present.
My bullies never cared either. Even vandalising my house while we were in.
I feel like the "descending" line is a callback to the Library where Donna Noble is saved. She says it in the same way
I feel like an idiot when i admit the trailer for this episode actually gave me hope that it might be good
Ginger - I TOTALLY agree. David's credibility took a big hit. Omg, watching him getting chastised about a fluffy alien's pronouns was MAJOR CRINGE
It really is pretty bad when you sit and think about it for a minute
@thedude4k The Doctor is over 1,000 years old and has been both male and female - BUT only in 2023 he gets yelled at by a trans kid (supposedly 15yo) with the character development of a cactus 🌵 plant? Ugh. I pray the 2nd episode isn't worse
@@jasonwillett2126yelled at? Is that what you think yelling sounds like? Do you live in a fucking library or something?
Harry when talking about shooting scenes recycled shots are a very good time save. its never a budget problem (cause Disney) it will be a time constraint in filming schedule. just wanted to kindly inform you.
yeah that's what I was thinking too.
Recycled shots like the kid looking out his window are just extremely lazy. No two ways about it
@@LukeJarrett1 that's just standard in a lot of productions.
@@friendlyotaku9525 if we’re going to have repeat shots, let’s make sure they’re not during a scene where the ground magically zips itself back up, because people will notice
I hate that they deleted a 15 year old plot in 5 minutes. The impact of the end of series 4 is gone now. The Doctor didn't need to wipe her memory, Donna just needed to let go. So far these specials are a bit cringe, it's making me scared for the new season next year when originally I was excited.
The ship firing from 4 directions and causing the earth to crack is literally ripped directly from Stranger Things.
Yes I was thinking that
The words for her awakening I got Sparrow for Sally Sparrow, and Dance for The Doctor Dances? The rest idk and even those might be a stretch. The Donna Noble is Descending thing is because of what she said earlier to Rose about Descending if Rose was in danger.
The words are supposed to be meaningless in a sense. They are trigger words to reactivate the meta crisis. Their randomness is to make sure their is no chance of someone accidently reactivating her in conversation.
Welcome back, Harry my lad! I'm glad you decided to return to the working formula, cause gosh dang it, I missed you man. I used to fall asleep to your doctor who reviews, so I'm glad my spiteful asmr has finally returned. Cheers mate.
Re: the string of random words...
Psychic conditioning/memory blocks/ hypnosis are typically shown as having keywords, or certain images, to activate and deactivate the mental state.
See: The Machurian Candidate or Captain America: Winter Soldier.
This story is heavily based on a comic book story from 1980. The Meep being evil is well-known to old Who fans (well...those who also dive in to expanded media, anyway).
Beep the Meep is actually from a couple of older Doctor Who comic books, and it's personality is basically on-point. The only iffy part regarding it's attitude is that "The Star Beast" obviously renders those comics non-canon since The Doctor and The Meep don't know each other here.
or maybe the comics happen... in the future :o
@@harrykitchener5597 Since it's the 4th Doctor and he doesn't recognise the Meep in the comic either (and the plot is pretty similar) I'm going to guess no.
I’m pretty sure I saw somewhere that the word are trigger words, but apart from binary I have no idea what the significance to Donna/meta crisis is.
Only thing I really didn’t like about this episode was how they resolved the meta crisis (and the fact the woman who plays Rose just isn’t very good at acting).
If they spread out the resolution to a few more episodes, maybe it would be better?? It just feel like a slap in the face because the audience/ the doctor went through all that heartbreak when Donna could’ve just let it go?
Yeah the resolution to the meta crisis was weird. I would have found it way better if the meta crisis was in part passed on to rose making it either slower to kill or nonlethal. The way they did it in the end was just nonsensical. As in... why did it just go away? What am I as a man not understanding since apparently a "male representing Timelord" wouldnt get it... What is that line even supposed to mean?
Binary doesn't even have significance to the meta crisis, it's literally just the word that her brain started to break on
Just RTD patting himself on the back for buzz words
@@THEUNKOWNVIEWER yeah so that’s the significance
The words were I think Donna’s last as the doctor Donna. I believe she was talking about all the things she can do now and all the places she can go and then she gets stuck repeating binary at which point the doctor wipes her mind. Yeah the whole meta crisis was super weird in its handling.
I genuinely feel like the sonic being a big over powered is because of the toy maker as he is making sure the doctor and Donna survive long enough so he can meet them
I mean over the years especially Morden Who. The Doctor get shots a lot of times. So I guess Sonic being slightly upgraded to make shield makes a lot more sense. Maybe Tardis add this feature because The Doctor being extremely reckless in Morden Era of Dr Who. He died a lot of times too in the time loop to add on more. Tardis is like “Okay, you keep dying many times now. Here’s the extra shield feature I added for you so you don’t getting shot at”
@@tsuaririndoku that’s quite a good theory
Perhaps they can add a caveat like maybe the sonic needs to be recharged frequently so that it isn't too OP.
@@kaiserbill25 yeah so that it isn’t the main plot device for the episodes
Mr Castle!! I was excited when I saw your video, I subscribed right away. You are one of, if not, the best reviewer of Dr Who on youtube. Keep it up :)
Surely the trigger words are what Donna said before the memory wipe in Journey's End?
This was better than the actual episode
After so many months of hype, buildup and anticipation, this episode was very… ok!
David and Catherine were seamless in returning to their roles, obviously, same with Jacqueline King as Sylvia and even Shaun's actor, for the little he was given. UNIT wheelchair lady was cool, albeit kinda OP Imao. I also like the new UNIT uniforms but I do miss the berets. The new TARDIS is also breathtaking, I just love it.
But the writing for the general story was just very weak, and the sonic screwdriver has become insanely OP, you cannot just magic
forcefields to get out of a fight. The meep was actually a neat twist villain but the bit wore off after the first scene and it quickly grew tiresome. The directing/action was... fine, but nothing to write home about. The resolution for the metacrisis was insanely contrived, and every time Rose opened her mouth I wanted to die of unbearable cringe. Also, why was Sylvia the only person reacting normally to the prospect of Donna’s death? The Doctor just did not seem to care that he could be causing Donna to remember despite stressing the possibility earlier so what gives? Very strange decisions all around.
It was decent and I liked it well enough overall but for the first 60th special, it could have been a helluva lot better and if RTD’s name wasn’t on it, I don’t think most people would be able tell it wasn’t a Chibnall era episode.
I'm getting a deja Vu feeling. I think it's a time slip
Hmm, yes I actually noted during the episode, how come the Doctor is spending so much time around Donna and seems fine with it, also it doesn't trigger her memories as he first tells the UNIT science advisor it would? I suppose its a balancing act from a writing perspective, otherwise we'd have very little time with the Tennant Tate duo onscreen together if the Doctor had to avoid Donna the whole . But from a narrative aspect its odd as he made such a big deal about it twice in the episode.
I agree, overall it was ok, not bad not great enough that I'm revved up by it but it was a decent episode of Doctor Who, although if I'm honest, not quite as special as I was hoping for a 'Special'. I'm keeping an open mind that it has to be watched as a trilogy to feel its truly an anniversary special.
@@hotdog1214 As soon as she saw the meep her memories should have come flooding back like we saw in end of time.
A 5 is generous in my opinion, this would have been a 3 to me
She has missiles on her wheelchair but not a camera feed of what the soldiers see. When gathering information would be the most essential thing about fighting aliens. Yup...
Dude............... Have you ever played Dragon Age -Awakening? You are spot on for the "Tranquil" in the Mage Tower.
Doesn't those words together sounds like a Tardis password for an inner program?
I think the entire point of the words were to be as random as possible to ensure that no one could randomly stumble upon the code and cause the meta crisis to start again, they had no meaning or rhyme or reason on purpose
The face is a real give away.
1:19am in Australia but i guess i cant go to bed yet 😔 Time to watch Harrys review
As someone who never watch a Jodie Era Episode, this one was so so much worse than anything in Capaldi's episode. The Meta Crisis resolution was very stupid at best, offensive at worse, they established she was a trans woman, not non-binary so saying shes both / either is not actually what she wants to be.
the plushies in the shed scene with the meep are also references btw
So to answer your question, the random words that the Doctor says to make Donna remember are a hypnotic trigger. When you hypnotise or condition someone, you can reawaken them or make them behave in a specific way by implanting a trigger in their mind that activates when exposed to a specific stimulus of your own choosing. The Doctor chose a string of improbable words that when said in that order would make Donna remember.
Bro it was literally my XRP wallet passphrase.
First one of these videos I've just skipped to the end. This episode was painful to watch and I don't want to re-live the anger I felt watching my favourite doctor and companion being dragged through the mud.
My take on the "let it go" part felt more like Donna being able to let go of the opportunity to travel the stars with the Doctor. She couldn't do that in Journey's End because she didn't have anything she could go back home to. She had a dysfunctional relationship with her mother, and Wilf encouraged her to go out there. She believed that she found a true purpose with the Doctor, and going back home means she will become nothing again
However, now that she has a family, a loving husband and daughter, and a much more improved relationship with Silvia it seems, she has a reason to want to go home now. She can let go of all the magical wonders of the universe in favour of living a happy life with her family
That's not what it was saying or implying. Rose said that letting it go was something a male presenting time lord wouldn't understand. Pretty much saying males have too much ego to understand something like letting go of a power like that.
i think that's a great take, one that i think i'll headcannon. However it could've been communicated a lot better in the episode. For example instead of them being women the reason why they could let it go, it was being human with something to come back to, and not a time lord constantly seeking adenture
@@kbg12ila My point still stands, but I do agree that it was a poor line that kinda feels dodgy. Still, I hardly think Rose is actually gonna sincerely mean that
@@roowco1 That's true honestly yeah, just remove "male-presenting" and just leave it as "Something a Time Lord will never understand"
@@reecer0503 She did though, if anything the actresses true believes screamed through that scene. She was giving the doctor smug and dirty looks every sentence she delivered lol and thats literally word for word the explanation given. If anything you comment is excusing the bad intentions from the writing and trying to justify it with an explanation that is not there
Loved the video! Not sure the facecam stuff really adds anything except extra editing time, but I'm not complaining
OMG that smeegul was PERFECT expression of our reactions
edit: is it only me, or did it seem like parody at the end? i still can't process it.
"my fear of the disney dealership was apparently well founded" except disney has no creative rights. it only has distribution rights
I love Donna's husband so much, he just rolls with it - even with Sylvia's Tuna Madras which sounds...questionable 😅
I figured the breathing heard during the end credits was a “rhythm” track left in by mistake. Hopefully we hear that changed.
Good to have you back Harry. Thought you were a little strong going in, but you totally justified everything and had me on side by the end.
Haven’t been as excited to see your next review since the capaldi season (that’s not a comment on your work btw).
Looking forward to your next one
i love how angry your eyebrows looked when you said you loved the title sequence
that clip of gollum spitting had me cackling way harder and way longer than it should have
This episode reminded me of Rose Season 1 Episode 1, subsequently Davies' first introduction to the series. It was quite hit and miss for me, some great bits and some bits that felt like they were just trying too hard. It did not take long before Davies made excellent stories riding off the back of a jarring start, and this is no exception with last weeks episode Wild Blue Yonder being a smash hit and already comparable with some of the best Series 4 had to offer. I think the moral is now that things are established we get into the comfy ride of Davies' brain, but until then you have to undergo a few shocks like Davros standing or "Breast Implant" jokes.
Fun Fact: The fact that Rose (Donna's daughter) is transgender means that at some point when she 'came out' she would have decided to change her name to her new identity, and while not for certain as this is an act of independence this would suggest that Rose actually chose her own name. Being another "coincidence" that the lingering metacrisis bled through foreshadowing her having the link to her mother and the doctor. Sure you could argue Donna could have brought it up or suggested it but either way it actually is foreshadowing in the first episode, and boy am I glad to have back some genius level foreshadowing and forethought in these episodes! I worry most people won't even recognise this if they aren't accepting or aware of that level but it is subtle enough to be missed by most.
honestly, the forced inclusivity parts i can look past because i get it, it's a good message to reinforce of just not generally not being a dick to people, sure. But the part that got me feeling like wasted potential was Donna's impending metacrisis death, the thing her whole family has been trying to avoid for 15 ish years, a thing so important that her life was permanently at risk so she couldn't be a companion anymore, all of that written off and solved just because "women learn to let it go"? that's some incredibly weak/lazy writing just to get donna out of the situtation and into 2 more episodes.
I honestly would have preferred it if Donna was killed off when facing the toy maker due to the metacrisis. It woulda felt like there were actual consequences and much less cheap
Yeah it felt cheap, AND ruins the entire original arc as if Donna could just "let it go" then 10 wouldn't have needed to wipe her mind in the first place.
My main issue with "forced" inclusivety is simply how much focus is put on these moments. I agree that it is important to sent a positive message but i feel like the message should be "they are normal poeple too" instead of "Shame you white man these are way better beings than you can ever be". I am sure its not always meant like that but it sometimes comes across that way.
Believe it or not, trans people exist! So its not forced. They’re not going anywhere and deserve stories and focus. This episode said a lot of things that needed to be said.
@@samuelcox9656 Like what exactly? I dont want to be rude here but what is this "alot" i dont think "watch your probouns idiot" and "men are dumb" are alot of things said. I also think the way these things were said are needlessly harsh. Also when poeple say forced inclusivety we... or atleast I dont mean that i dont want trans poeple in my media. You are correct they do exist and deserve to be focused on in media. But it should feel natural. Suddenly stopping an episode to have a transwoman call the doctor stupid for being male isnt natural and feels like forced pandering that can end up causing more damage than good. I may not be trans and jist a straight white man but i would love to see properly done representation. Talking down on poeple that arent like you will not solve anything. You cant call someone stupid or other more awefull things and than expect them to acept you.
SPOILER WARNING
I'm genuinely sad that I'm not giving this episode a positive rating. I was really looking forward to this but at the moment my enthusiasm for the rest of these specials has dropped. That is a damm shame considering the story potential these stories had.
To start off, please *DO NOT* say to, 'Oh they will address that later' because that isn't an excuse for presenting the story in the manner it has been especially with some of the character interactions.
14 is great here but I still don't see how he is different from 10 at all and that is a negative in my book considering that we already have plenty of 10 stories, I was really hoping RTD would do something different with Tennant's range than just oh its 2008 again but with a more inclusive cast.
The best scene by far in this episode was the one where 14 asks about Wilf and I just teared up. The 'twist' of him not actually being dead was funny and surprisingly didn't take me out of the story in any way.
Donna was wonderful to see again except for the fact that, I still don't know why we needed to see her again. Nothing interesting has been done with her arc, in fact in my view at least at the moment the impact of her ending has been dimished.
Sylvia was also wonderful to see surprisingly, her having aged actually hit me very hard.
Rose at the moment unfortuantely has no character. She is just like a cardboard slate at the moment, and that is a damm shame considering she has so much potential, hope that she has a lot more scenes in the future that actually develop her character.
This story, if what I list below hadn't happened would have been a good story(7/10) with a decently executed doctor who story.
Okay so the lines about Rose being trans fall into 2 camps, one being good and the other being horrendously crowbarred in. The initial scene wuth Sylvia misgendering her and the neighbourhood teens being jerks were both good and I was happy about the handling of a trans character uptil that moment. But then we have the garbage line of 'Are you gonna assume pronouns', this is so badly written like just why, why do we have to have this incredibly forced line instead of something subtler like 'He?' and the doctor goes 'Oh yea fair enough, what do you go by Beep'. Don't you see how much better this is??
But the worst offender is the 'Non-binary' scene, I was so disheartned by that scene, because turning those words into this forced garbage genuinely took me out of this story. Especially so when paired with the 'Something a male presenting timelord wouldn't get, just giving it up' That is probably one of the worst moments RTD has ever written given how goddam much it undermines Donna's exit and to almost shield himself from criticism has been written in pseudo-progressive garbage. I hate this, this moment almost kills me. I expected better 'representation' from RTD than this, especially when I've seen 'It's a sin'. I feel so sad that we needed the shoe-horned in line of making some bizzare connection of something as human as gender to regeneration. I hate this. The moment I like are ones where Missy finds the idea of romantic love stupid and earthly or when 12 says 'Gender and its associated stereotypes'. These moments are so so much better than this trash. I do like the 'Male presenting timelord' line though, that is genuinely nice.
Overall just sadded that we had to undermine Donna's exit, I'm sure that this isn't the end of her time but even then the mere suggestion that 'She just didn't have to want it or that the doctor just had to understand that she wouldn't want it' is just trash.
I'm hoping for improvement. Just feel incredibly bummed out at the moment.
They’ve gone from that ominous and creepy atmosphere in past seasons and replaced it with flashy (though impressive) visual effects which seems to act more as a distraction from the tepid writing. Great review as always.
14:56 I can't tell if you're being facetious lol but this is in reference to when she tells Rose that she will "descend" to protect her
In my experience bullies DO go after people when their family is around. So i guess everyone has different experiences with bullying!
The Star Beast probably got bad at the end because of Disney. I knew that they shouldn't made that deal and also because the BBC doesn't care about the show, it is sad.
Omg he's back Ive missed you also could you pls do review in seprete playlist of classic story's instead of individual episodes pls
Doctor WHO used to do current issues (like Trans) with subtlety and let the audience make up its own mind in the same way original Star Trek used to. But not current era BBC and Russell T Davies who now hit you over the head with their current era agenda and TELL YOU what you should think.
As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s THIS kind of pulpit lecturing that makes people grind their teeth!
And if a “man presenting” Doctor needs a lecture about how to “let it go” in regards to power, then what does that say about Tecteun the Shobogan explorer lady who became the creator of the Timelords by keep killing and experimenting on her adopted (Timeless Child) daughter in order to steal her secret of regeneration?
Was that a woman “letting it go” or basically going all Dr Strangelove on us?
Speaking of Dr Strangelove, that whole thing with Davros and his wheelchair of evil getting retconned by RTD says more about the way HE sees disability than it does about a classic WHO villain…and I am disabled myself so I know the issues involved and this ain’t helping.
As RTD said about Davros years ago “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
But that was before he got The CALLING to do missionary work among the big-hots and razzists that make up the Doctor WHO audience…lol
I shouldn’t laugh because he really does see us like that these days apparently?😭
I agree but when did they use trans before?
@@jamescarr1265 - Well I want to say Missy (The Master) both in his/herself and in her reference to “knowing the Doctor since he was a little girl?”
But that’s kinda cheating, so I’ll go with the Christopher Ecclestones Doctor and the episode titled: “The End Of The World.”
The stretched skin thing (lol) called Lady Cassandra makes a comment about her life as a little boy…although that’s probably also not a good example because she was a villain.
She had Zoe Wannamakers sexy voice so I remember it vaguely but had to look it up to be certain. 😅
@@PaulusAlone oh yeah haha. Missy was such a good character!!
@@PaulusAlone "although that’s probably also not a good example because she was a villain." ????? Actually saying the quiet part out loud?
@@blossom357 - LOL~ I’m just pointing it out. Don’t shoot the messenger!🤗
Can't say I disagree with your faults of the episode. I gave it a 7 myself, but I'm also easy to please. Glad to have you back doing these reviews!