Thoughts on The Big Fandom News (no spoilers in post)

[neadods]

In an effort to get to work at some approximation of "on time" while updating Firefox News, I've saved off a huge list of links to read later today and respond to. So there will be more in comments elsewhere, and possibly a top post here.

But right now, my reaction to The Big Doctor Who News is:

"Huh. This'll be interesting."

The fandom is reeling, writhing, and fainting in coils already, but it was going to do that anyway no matter what happened with which characters whenever. (ETA: we already know who thinks what about this issue; we knew that before we knew the contents of the spoiler. Considering the discussions that have been ongoing, I'm not expecting fandom to deliver anything other than More Of The Same From The Usual Suspects - so in other words, situation normal, nothing to worry about.)

While it's not a plot point I would have welcomed on the face of it, I'm also reminded that I was dead-set against the big plot point that ended *this* season - and right up to the "dear sweet Tinkerbell Time Lord!" moment, that was some damnfine drama.

Depending on what happens, this could be wonderful. It could be horrible. I can think of about three variants that would be personally hilarious.

So my reaction is to wait and see. Because in the end, I do have faith in Rusty. And I have faith in the fandom too. It's going to be an interesting ride...

Comments

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

My reaction is along the lines of:

1 - Well I've expecting it to happen thanks to all the tabloid rumours that have been flying around all these months.

2 - It doesn't stop me shipping whomever I choose to ship.

3 - And, when all is said and done, it's just a TV show. I know, it's got a huge audience and a huge influence, but it is just a TV show and there are more important things in my life (at least) to get seriously worked up about than this... So I'm pretty calm.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

It doesn't stop me shipping whomever I choose to ship.

One of the options that I would find so amusing is if Rose actually ends up giving permission to the Doctor to move on to Martha and/or Donna.

Since I sincerely doubt that Billie will return full-time to Who with the rest of her career taking off, I'm almost ready to place a bet that that is exactly how it is going to happen. Especially as Rose will be working with Donna and Martha instead of replacing them in the final episodes.

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

The thing is though, why should he need her permission? It's not as if they were married...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Perhaps "permission" isn't the right word. "Boot in the ass" might be, since this is a particularly grudge-prone and sulking Doctor.

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Yes rather!

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

Of course- to do that, SHE will need to have "moved on" herself, which would certainly be nice to see- given the broken girl we saw sobbing in her mother's arms on the beach.

I certainly hope they give her a better send-off this time, rather than having her re-open old wounds/feelings and end up back where she was emotionally at the end of "Doomsday"


"Buckle your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy night!"

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

As someone who ships, ooh, lots of different things I'm a bit a-squee at the possibilities opened up by all these people having at least met in canon.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Dude! There is going to be some fascinating canon and acres and acres of fic!

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

\o/ I want crackfic with everyone as companions, including the SJA kids, as they fight over bathrooms and Ten wonders whether some sort of rota system might be in order since he can deal with one or two companions wandering off and getting into trouble but a dozen's a bit much...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Write it! Wrrrriiiiiite Iiiiiiiiit!

[longtimegone]

I completely agree with this post! But I'm generally rather optimistic about these sort of things anyway. :D

[stoplookingup.livejournal.com]

Can I borrow some of whatever it is you've got? :)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I'm a bit optimistic about it. The *fandom* and certain segments may get up my nose, but then the fandom and certain segments have been doing that quite nicely on their own, so no change there.

I trust Rusty. Seriously. He brought back the show that was known for wobbly sets and bubblewrap monsters and launched it smack to the top of British ratings. Do I agree with all his choices? Hell no! But he *did* it, and did it successfully enough to bring in thousands upon thousands of new fans. And whenever people point to his stupider scripts, I keep thinking that "Rose" and "Parting of the Ways," and (with the exception of a couple scenes) "Doomsday" & Utopia-Last of the Time Lords kept me on the edge of my seat.

And I'm still not afraid of the fandom either. Not after the BatB war. This fandom just can't be arsed to come up with that kind of blinding, overwhelming, vicious, unrelenting batshit. Not when a good third of it is still more worried about the canonicity of Looms and the EDAs than anything Rusty wrote in the first place.

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, what a gift it is to have been in fandom to watch B&tB and B7 implode...being an Ooooold-timer really gives one perspective, it does.

*hugs* your Loom comment

[drho.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. It will either be fantastic or it will be a trainwreck. Either way, it should be interesting to watch.

[harmonyfb.livejournal.com]

I'm usually dead set against spoilers, but this one has been causing so much cut-tag consternation that I finally clicked to see what the hell was going on.

Huh. It'll certainly make my daughter's best friend happy (she just discovered Doctor Who, and is a huge 10/Rose shipper.)

Me? Hmm. I think I'm in the 'wait-and-see' camp. Personally, I've other companions I'd rather see come back (like Romana! Are you listening, Rusty????) I mean...imagine 10 happening on an aged Jamie. You know, a Jamie whose memory was erased by the Time Lords, so he doesn't have any recollection of the Doctor at all. Now that would be a kick-ass episode.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

That would be a complete gutter of an episode and I want to watch it right now!

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

Just tear my hearts out NOW and stomp on them, why don't you, woman!?!?! I think I would just... just...

Just want to watch it NOW, D*mmit. Budge up there on the couch!

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Me too! Me TOO!!!

[longtimegone]

You have an excellent attitude about this, and I completely agree with everything you've written here.

It has the potential to be fascinating.

[aligoestonz.livejournal.com]

I've been swinging from optimism to pessimism all day on this.

Initial reaction was Aaaaaarghhh! We are going to be drowning in wank! And then someone mentioned the theory in the second part of this post (http://community.livejournal.com/loves_them_all/18439.html?thread=398855#t398855), which I think would make a great one-off episode, and brings Rose back without resorting to destroying 2 universes to do it. Of course this was then kiboshed at lunchtime when the 3 episodes story appeared on the bbc news website.

Then earlier on this evening I saw the comment on the official site saying details of how long she'd be appearing should be treated as pure speculation, so I perked up a bit, despite the nagging "well they would say that, wouldn't they?" misgivings. Sadly, listening to the Tennant-Kylie interview just now reminded me of "The Stowaway" and now I'm fearing the worst again.

I'm not doing the "NewWho is dead to me" thing, but I loved Season 3, (so much that I was actually considering of stumping up for the DVD box set) and was looking forward to season 4. And now I'm prepared to wait and see, but the anticipation has totally dissipated. Maybe Voyage of the Damned will help, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm not getting my hopes up

I am, actually. I've been enjoying this show too much to put it away now - and I never was an "it's dead to me" type. Learned that in the Beast war - just because wank came later doesn't erase what I enjoyed in what came before. (Although... that was a hard lesson to learn. But a good one.)

[fyrdrakken]

Ooh, I love the idea of the if-the-Doctor-never-happened plot -- or for that matter, if the Rose-containing ep was this year's Doctor-light one. I feel cheated of seeing Rose's "wonderful life" defending the alt!universe, and I can hope that we might get something at least along the lines of her having moved on with her life if we see her in s4. (Well, I can hope, anyway. It may not be a realistic expectation, but.)

Anyway. I know RTD will do things in s4 that will outrage me -- especially where my feminist sensibilities are concerned. But I'm expecting enough good bits to keep me watching through the season -- and the more unsatisfied I am by various plot points, the more likely I am to write fic to fix it, so. (I have more than once had the thought that RTD's season finales couldn't be more perfectly designed to drive outraged fans to fic fix-its or write wanky followups than if he were actually trying to make the fans spend the next few months frantically dissecting and rearranging each just-completed season...) I try to keep low expectations just so I'll be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed -- but I can't help being optimistic about s4, and looking forward to the Xmas special...