How Doctor Who Perfectly Confronts Death
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Doctor Who has always been known for its wild and fun adventures through time and space, but there's a much deeper, darker undercurrent when the stakes are so high. So, join me in today's massive video essay as I explore the mortality of Doctor Who...
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Wow, it's finally here! This one took forever to produce and my editor Justin worked his absolute ass off to make it, so a huge thank you to him for making it look so good! I do want to work my way towards making more high production videos like this, so please consider donating to my Patreon to make that possible :)
www.patreon.com/harbowholmes
One of the best portrayals of an ordinary death having a profound effect is when 11 phones the care home to arrange a meeting with the Brigadier only for the nurse to tell him that he had passed away. This affected 11 so much, finding out that one off his oldest and best friends had died of old age, that he finally decided to face his own 'fixed point' death....albeit with a plan to escape
We're so back with Doctor Who video essays
The editing in this video is so outstanding that as a video editor myself it almost hurts because I can FEEL how many countless hours were put into it for months, insanely good work
My first paying the bills to live job was working in elderly care as a CNA. One of my residents was one of those folks who was always happy, always dancing in the halls and cheering everyone else up. One day she fell badly and broke several bones (including her hip). Her mood changed overnight. As I very carefully tucked her in for bed one night she asked me to pray for her. I'm not religious, even back then I was only spiritual at best, but I find its a small enough thing to do for someone else and so I agreed.
"Of course, I'll pray every night for you to feel better!"
She shook her head, eyes squinted shut from the pain of her injuries, "No, pray that I die."
I didn't know what to say to that. I honestly don't remember a thing past that so I'm sure my brain just shut down at that point. I was still a teenager, no one had ever begged for death in my presence and the experience obviously shaped me significantly. She never went back to the way she was and was shortly transferred out of assisted living into the nursing home portion of the complex.
Death is a kindness, we hear it all the time but we never really think about it. I think it goes a bit beyond that though. Death is a kindness when the person receiving it accepts it. And, from the opposite side of things, denying someone's right to choose and accept death is cruel. I wish we, as a species, could think about death in a more familiar manner. I don't ever want to be in a place in my life where I want to die but can't. But you start saying things like that and most folks freak out. Because its not just that we, as a species, cannot fathom our own deaths... We're also VERY bothered by anyone who doesn't want to fight it. Especially if that person seems to fully embrace the idea of dying.
To be clear, I'm not saying we should just let everyone who wants to die do so. I am saying that we should be willing to talk to those people, and treat them like they aren't monsters or crazy for wanting to die. Maybe we could find more peace with our own moralities and appreciate life more if more of us were willing to discuss and listen to these sorts of thoughts.
(edit: typos)
I think the contrast between 10 in school reunion talking about how he doesn't want to stay with companions because they eventually die and 14 choosing to stay with Donna (presumably until she dies) shows immense growth and, as you discussed, an acceptance of death as an inevitability without the same fear of it that 10 had.
I mean, 14 probably died before Donna so I'm not sure
@@hothemeep1219 huh? Why? Even a single regeneration has a significantly longer lifespan than a human
@@CheeseypiPlays Because the Toymaker still mortally wounded him. It's just a delayed death, to give him the time to take care of himself
@@hothemeep1219 was that actually established?
Whoever edited this did an amazing job
That'd be my editor Justin!
This is by far some of your best work. Kudos my friend, this was really good.
Based and Deathpilled
Capaldi understood that death is a huge recurring theme of Doctor Who and I believe that's why he doesn't want to return to the role (in anniversaries or Big Finish)
dethpilled
i think thats dumb, personally. he already showed up as The Doctor BEFORE his tenure
@@Maeve_Rose Yes but as different characters. Playing a side character is much different to playing the lead role. He had an episode in Doctor Who. Sure, he also played in Torchwood -- but that's still a different show. Although it's a spin-off, it's still its own thing. When you play a character as significant and impactful as the Doctor, it would be strange to return as a new character. And since Capaldi has those specific views on death, it would make sense that he wouldn't return to continue the role of 12, even if he deep down wanted to.
@@Lucien0012 Pretty sure they're talking about his cameo in Day of the Doctor, not Fires of Pompeii or Torchwood (since he didn't play The Doctor in those).
@@BlueSparxLPs Even if that was the case, Capaldi already knew he was going to be playing the Doctor, with Day of the Doctor being the official announcement. It's not the case of him coming after playing the Doctor. This was him doing a small scene before becoming the Doctor. Which is different to returning to the role after having been in it for years.
A superb video essay. I'd love you to produce some more long-form/thematic eipisodes, but almost everything you do is excellent anyway. As long as you keep producing the content, then I'll continue to watch. You're most definitely getting a 'coffee' from me this Christmas.
Thank you so much!
The more of thsese videos you do the better, SOOOOOOO good!
Thank you so much I really appreciate it!
The best showcase of The Doctor immortality is in Time of The Doctor in my opinion. Because him living on after so many people have died isn’t portrayed as an entirely bad thing.
For 800 years he stays and defends this one planet in the middle of nowhere even though the people he originally decided to stay for died centuries ago. When that man burst into the clocktower to tell him and Clara and The Doctor that The Daleks had arrived and he thought it was Barnable my heart sank.
@@emperorholocron8278 True. Matt Smith really played Old Man 11 so well.
Excellent essay! Top notch production work and such a great, and relevant, subject matter to discuss and how it relates to Doctor Who. Your best video by far!
My favorite immortal character ever is Hob Gadling from the Sandman comics. The joy with which he approaches life and the endless optimism he shows even when he’s lost everything is genuinely so sweet, and even as he grows and matures over the centuries he maintains his will to live
One immortal character I like is Yuta from Rumiko Takahashi's "Mermaid Saga" series. He's a fisherman who, 500 years ago, became immortal after consuming the flesh of a mermaid. Others who did so either died immediately, or lived forever in pain and suffering. He's seeking a way to die as a normal man because he's grown tired of living.
That was just something else. What a video. He's going to have so many rewatching older episodes now. Great work.
The Trickster is such an incredible villain, the scene where they confront Andrea with the "you were meant to die" is incredible
This was a very slick production, good video
Your essays are better by far than Unleashed/CONFIDENTIAL
Amazing editing! Give my thumbs up to editor Justin! 👍
Oh, this is a beautiful video! I loved it from start to end. ✨️
The visuals were great: I loved the psychedelic graphic sequences, especially the transition of the Master's skull.
I'm impressed with how many topics you touched: I entered the video expecting a discourse about regeneration... but you talked about SO MANY things! Immortality, villains, secondary character deaths, whether it's right or not to fight it... it was amazing. A true journey through years and years of Doctor Who, analysed with depth and intelligence.
~
I've been following you for a pair of years now, but I never told you how much I respect you as a content creator. There's a lot of Doctor Who content but most times it's superficial reviews, top tens or fun facts. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but your essays are so much more. There's deep thought behind them. There's analytical process and, more importantly, there's clear love for the series.
Doctor Who isn't very popular here in Italy, and my friends refuse to watch it because "too many seasons". I have no friends to discuss Doctor Who with (except for my bf, bless him), so this kind of content is a way to keep connected with the series through other fans opinions. And your style is unique and makes for great videos. 😊
Thank you for these beautiful 48 minutes!
When a Time Lord is dying of old age or mortally wounded, they are able to use a process called regeneration to “cheat death” by having every cell in their body undergo “a renewal”, completely changing their physical appearance and personality.
With regeneration, the Doctor can regrow lost limbs, become strong enough to knock down a steel door, and even survive falling from the stratosphere into a train.
Due to "vanity issues", the Tenth Doctor used up a regeneration after being blasted by a Dalek, which resulted in the creation of the Meta-Crisis Doctor. The regeneration energy itself can be used as weapon; Time Lords can use their regenerative energy to survive being shot by a group of soldiers and channel it into a focused blast of energy that knocked out the entire squad. The regeneration energy can destroy an entire Dalek fleet, and damage the TARDIS.
Awesome deep dive into the subject! Such an interesting theme of the show to break down and study, and you've really done it justice with this one.
very impressive graphics. Keep up the good work
One of your best videos
8:48 Oh my god that art was a blast from the past, I suddenly feel so old lol
duuuuuuuuuuuuude, loving the next level editing
Loving the editing in this video
Thankyou Harbo Thankyou Justin. You're hard work is very appreciated ❤
Great essay and Justin cooked
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this! Would love to see more
Aaa incredible video! It's so nice seeing thematic analysis in addition to reviews, I really *really* enjoyed this.
This is one of my favorite videos of yours so far! So well made and well spoken
Then graphics tho. Love how deep this goes. So much to cover from one theme. If you've never heard Capaldi talking about it, Stewart Seyfried uploaded a clip from some AMC documentary.
How DARE YOU, make so emotional...Thank you!
Damn. Doctor Who is a show that's been able to relate it's themes of mortality in ways that make it easily understandable, but it's great to see these ideas connect together. Amazing essay with amazing editing, Harbo. I would certainly not complain if you did more videos about the shows themes.
Beautifully put together
Thank you for this video harbro, it couldn't of come at a more perfect time as I lost my nana yesterday morning.
I'm sorry to hear that, I hope you're doing okay :)
Perfect. Just the existential crisis I needed at 1am
HE COOKED!!!! What an incredible video!
Phenomenal.
You've captured concepts here I didn't even think existed or more to the point, feelings I couldn't put words to.
I do hope there is life after death, that it's like a game and I get to "respawn" as someone else, living out infinite adventures and experiences.
If that is what's after death, I hope I'm not reborn as a dalek!!
Well I wouldn't remember my current self so I wouldn't care I guess 😂
Fantastic editing in this video
Oh, this is more existential than I expected... good video though!
think i could be pretty happy with a couple of thousand years if i could remember it all, it would suck watching people i love die, but i could learn every subject and get good at every skill, imagine the positive ways a person with all that knowledge could affect the world
Wow what a video. Excellent job diving into death and exploring it and its impact on characters and The Doctor. Good work on it.
GOD i loved the tragedy of danny's ordinary death in Dark Water. Amazing first series to watch 'live' as a fan of the show.
Great, deep dive into this subject. You covered so much! 👍👍👍
This one is a banger great work and analysis
Wow you really put in the effort here. Well done! ❤
17:00 That's as far as I could go in this video. Because now i'm thinking about my own mortality and my heart is racing really fast.
This is brilliant, loving the increased production value, Disney must have bought you or something
When covering afterlives, you forgot to mention The Matrix. One of the Doctors (12 or 13, can't remember which) describes it to a companion as a cross between an afterlife and a database. The Nethersphere is probably Missy's own implementation of it, which makes sense, given The Master had a very good understanding of it back during the Trial Of A Time Lord arc. Being able to address the court from within The Matrix was not something the other Time Lords present knew to be possible.
I don’t fear death,I know there’s no heaven or Hell just black out!
However I fear how I’ll die ☠️
Great writing,thank you ✌🏻🔷
your best work.
I dont really understand why but Adric is one of my favourite companions and i always perk up when someone mentions him, I hated adric when he was introduced but he really grew on me and i think his death is a big part of that he has the best death in doctor who hands down.
Great video
Great video! Hope it does well.
looks like this production finally got its share of disney dinero ;)
This is such an incredibly put together video! I love topics like this! I do just want to add onto a couple things.
*CAPTAIN JACK'S DEATHWISH*
It's no secret that during Jack's introduction to true immortality, that he finds himself conflicted with both the opportunity to live forever and the longing for a release of death. The older he got, the more he realised how important it was to actually be able to die, or even have that choice. After so long, he comes to this idea that he's a broken man. Someone needing to be fixed. Jack, like the Doctor sees him, sees himself as a mistake. Something that should never have happened but cannot be undone. Something others should not wish for or associate with, hence the Doctor's moral code and beliefs in running away from Jack and cutting him from his life (something he later gets over and begins to see Jack as he is and not what he's become). It's not until he finally catches up with the Doctor that he sees his immortality as something good. Not necessarily a gift, but not a curse either. In fact, he often boasts about his immortality to others and find entertainment in that others cannot get rid of him. Jack comes to realise he has nothing to fear, ever. As he cannot be injured, changed or hurt in any way. He is... fixed. In times when he suffers greatly and is dealt immense and unimaginable pain, he does revert to this idea that perhaps death would be a gift. Though, once recovered, Jack continues on this idea that life is so much better when you can't die.
During Miracle Day, we see Jack, once again, conflicted with life and death. Unsure of what he actually truly desires the most. This is until he comes face to face with the concept of never returning from death. By this point, Jack tries to manipulate Gwen Cooper (his best friend), he tries using her family as a weapon in forcing Gwen to keep Jack safe. He goes on to explain how, now the idea of death is more prominent in Jack's life, he would do anything to stay alive, including, and I quote, "Rip [her] skin from [her] skull." Both Jack and Gwen confirmed they meant every word to each other but were able to move passed those remarks for the sake of being saved by their friends. Jack, when met with the idea of death, clings onto every bit of life he can. You can argue, the only time Jack finally accepts the concept of death, is when The Blessing allows him to relive every life he's ever had and give him peace of mind. Though you can tell the decision to end his own life was still too much to handle, he was just brave.
Jack is a character that thrives off his immortality... but when it suits him. Which is only Human. Jack only longs for death when it's impossible to die. But when met with the concept of death, he would do anything to survive. Because as he mentioned in 'Immortal Sins', the hundreds of lifetimes he's had is nowhere near enough. Living forever... still isn't enough. Even if you repeat the same things every day and grow tired, you still long for more or to repeat those same days.
Same applies for Ashildr. The only difference being, Ashildr can actually die. If Ashildr wanted to, she could end her own life. She's only functionally immortal. But despite being so tired of living as long as she has, she still can't find the courage to end it and still continues for more. Despite being met with quite literally the end of the Universe as we know it, Ashildr still wishes to carry on. This could be down to the fact that people simply fear death. Which is fair enough. But when you're given billions and trillions of years to prepare for it, you mentality is sure to change. You're sure to come to terms with it much easier than the rest of people.
*REGENERATION*
I disagree with regeneration being a "form of death." Death isn't something you can put on a spectrum. You're either dead or you're not. Of course, you have Owen, who's classed as Undead, but the general idea is that his soul is still connected to his body and he is still conscious, making him effectively... alive. Death is a fact. You either are it or you're not. The concept of death, however, can be placed on a spectrum. One of these being regeneration.
Regeneration isn't death. Regeneration is healing the body *before* death. If a Time Lord dies *before* regeneration, regeneration is ineffective. One's own regeneration cannot resurrect themselves (though regeneration from a third party can resurrect a Time Lord, provided the death is recent and isn't traumatic to the body, as seen in 'Let's Kill Hitler'. This comes with major consequences).
Think of it like this, you go about your day as normal. Until you suddenly hit your head and suffer great damage. This causes a complete shift in your personality. You act completely different to how you used to, but you're still you. You still look through those same eyes, still think the same thoughts, still experience all of your senses. Now apply plastic surgery. You now not only act different but look different, too. To an outsider, you're like a new person. But to yourself, you're the exact same person you've always been... just different. That's regeneration.
It's important to note the 10th Doctor had a ridiculous amount of vanity issues. He grew insanely attached to his new appearance and personality and wanted to keep it as long as possible. When someone tells you you're going to look different, act different and possibly have different allergies, you feel as though it's no different to becoming a new person entirely. You fear it and perceive it as yourself being killed, or at least everything that you currently are being killed. That's how 10 feels. He feels as though everything he is will die whilst a "new man" emerges. He doesn't want to let go of his appearance and personality so when met with this fate, he feels his time is coming to an end and initially refuses to accept it. But that doesn't mean he dies or becomes someone else. He's still the same man. Despite 10's stance on regeneration, he even admits to Wilf that even though he changes, he's still him. Only, for 10's current mindset, it only "feels" like dying. And, let's be honest, regeneration is extremely painful and not a pleasant experience to go through regardless.
I know this one's very nitpick-y but I don't like it when fans talk of regeneration as though it happens after death/is death or changes a Time Lord into becoming a new person, because that isn't what happens at all. You can absolutely use a metaphor for death and becoming a new person, but that's all it is. A metaphor. The soul of the Doctor, his perception of his senses, all of that is the exact same. This is something I dislike Russell for, always talking about regeneration as a death for the character, when it's the opposite... it's the character's survival.
Just a final thing to add, I love videos like this and would be 100% up for more!
Amazing video essay, I would love a tangent or sep vid of the sandman’s take on immortality, one of my favorite examples, Gaimen did a few who eps so not completely outta context
The king's advisor - the shortness of human life is a blessing, the dragon is necessary, the dragon is good
The little girl - the dragon is bad, it ate my granny, I want my granny back
The way I accomplished not having any death anxiety was not something I would wish on anyone. But in a way it was a gift, I'm in no hurry, and there are still a few more things I'd like to do before its time to turn off the power. However that doesn't mean that I'm brave in anyway. There are ways of dying that terrifies me, the first time I had a near death experience I was calm because it felt like I was at the end of a marathon and the end was my reward. The second and third time I was close I was truly scared, but not of the idea of not being around anymore. I was begging the doctors to end it. After 10 hours it felt like what I was going through would never end and that nothingness was better than a single second of the torture my body was put through. And the third time was similar, I didn't vocalize it like the previous time, but I was scared that this was my new normal and I didn't feel like I could add more problems and live with it.
I'm not some macho guy who would bravely step up and risk my life or anything like that. Not being scared of it comes from the knowledge I got from a very young age that there are things that are worse than reaching the end. If anything I am more scared about losing the people I care about.
Excellent video! 😊
This is very well edited
What I find interesting within the Whoniverse is that it’s suggested that a soul or a consciousness isn’t generated by the brain (a real theory out there) and we can see this in The Bells of St John for example where the souls of people are uploaded into a cloud and yet they still have their identity and their bodies can come back to life after these souls are returned.
Which is why I find the idea of reincarnation to fascinating. It is basically a compromise between mortality and immortality as you do die but you can start a new life.
And that would also align with the theme of purpose.
Imagine dying and finding yourself in an eternal afterlife where you are free of bodily pains, a consciousness alone, but not able to enjoy the things that consciousnesses with bodies can experience like eating, happiness, excitement or arousal.
Then it’s no wonder why souls choose to reincarnate (if it is a choice at all, that is, who knows?)
Professor Ian Stevenson even attempted to study reincarnation scientifically and whether it could be proven. Jim Tucker continues these studies.
Excellent work. Thanks HW x
Perfect timing! I’m doing lots of chores since I just moved and this is the perfect video to put on while I work!
I’ve long though Miracle Day was severely underrated - I think the themes and events ring so much more true and relatable in 2024. If it were shortened to 7 or 8 episodes, I feel it’d be revered more like Children of Earth.
I’d love to see it redeemed in the eyes of the fanbase!
Wooooo go Justin!!!! 🎉
Omg that's a great video here.
Handles death...ugh tears me up...🥺😪
(Shakes the head)Handles.......Handles... .
(Dr puts his head next to Handles head..).*sighs*
"Well done mate,well done"..
Yes alot of companions deaths have hurt...but man...Handles death...HURT.😑✌️🥃
This is a great video, but it would have been cool if you'd mentioned the City of the Saved from faction paradox
Was not prepared for a trippy Harbo Wholmes video essay experience (top quality though)
I always find it interesting that we as a species seem to tend towards depicting immortality as a bad thing. I think it's honestly a defense mechanism, to help us accept the inevitability of death. But as an individualist I find that hard to accept. To me, death invalidates life because when I die, everything I did won't matter because I'll be dead. If I made lives better, or worse, or didn't change them at all, won't matter. I won't have the capacity to care. It's a major source of depression, an ultimate source of demotivation that I struggle with constantly.
Nice video. While watching, I got an impression that you went through every episode of the Whoniverse that has something to say about death so it became a bit odd that you didn't mention the impact of death to the people who care about the person who died. I guess I just wanted some kind of acknowledgement of The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe and PSTD that Ram had in Class and I know that the Doctor's proccess of coming to terms with grief in Heaven Sent has already kind of said its last word on the matter but whatever. Good job overall.
That was fast
I would absolutely go immortal sure it's got some drawbacks but as long as your alive things can always get better, when you die that's it you die
Brilliant video ❤
You covered a great deal here... Except The City of the Saved! That's my favorite Doctor WHO afterlife exploration!
I would give anything for Ashildr's immortality personally. I want to be the world's longest living person.
Man you really did like Scooti haha. Good essay
The series 10 reviews are going to be good 👍
Hey, who turned out the lights?
Saddest death in the show
I may not fear death...but neither am I looking forward to it
Never clicked on a video so fast in my life
Good video 🎉
Virtually all of your content is New Who (or Revival Who) related. Have you thought about covering some classic Who episodes in some fashion?
The Torchwood s2 finale is gutwrenching.
21:53 " Bundle of laughs, you are."
You also would've seen amazing things, learn a lot of new stuff, see the development of humanity and see where the universe will go next. Also, if you only gets chocolate you will get tired of it, but that's why balance is important. To take this example literally just to explain my point, you can have chocolate on day one, then cheesebread on day too, then a strawberry cake on day three and so on and so on, but alternating between all you can eat and you will have an infinite amount of combinations. You don't have an infinite amount of food, sure, but if you eat chocolate on day 1 and after that only eats again on day 300, you hardly will remember the taste of it.
35:10 totally off topic here but is there a difference in stressing the name Andrea in the UK and the US?
In Germany, we stress it on the second syllable, AnDREa, like you just did but the Americans seem to stress it on the first syllable, ANdrea.
Death is not sacred. Death is a villain. A disease. A plague. Fight me.
Azbantium level patron faolancortez Really carrying for the rest of us brokies ❤🤣
You need to do series 10
Later this year
@@HarboWholmesThanks!
10:45 "Why can't I just lose"
In terms of life span his companions are basically dogs
39:06 Thats Jim Robinson or Charles widmore.WTF.
The show the good place explores this.
In the good place the main characters find out they are dead and in the last series go to heaven how ever they find that those who have been in heaven are stagnant they have enjoyed all that heaven has to give them and they are bored they lack their creativity and just sit about in apathy.
The main characters have a solution which is to give people the choice to erase their existence if they want to and so when people go to heaven they enjoy their time and if and when they feel ready they walk through a door and stop existing. This bringing back death but for the afterlife is what makes people happier because they know they could end it so when they are enjoying their time they know it'd because they want to.
Hey Harbo, it’s me Bill Nye, the err… Science guy. I heard you were really worried about death and stuff, so I wrote a little song that might help ease your worries man!
Well death isn’t scary at all,
It’s perfectly natural.
Even the birds,
Even the bees,
Even all of these little things.
Yeah, Death isn’t scary at all-
when are You going to talk about where fits dhawan Master (Even if the lumiat is canon According not to the show but Big finish)?,and series 10 deserves one day one of your reviews
I thought this was going to be about the show itself facing cancellations. So glad it’s this instead!!
You talk about Jack, but The Face Of Bo died.... They're the same person.