Compared to the last episode, The End of the World was a big improvement. While it still suffered from a slightly painful dialogue ("What's that old Earth saying? Oh yes, burn baby burn! HAHA!"), the pacing and character development took a step forward. The one major feeling I got from this episode was an overwhelming sense of sci-fi. Rose got it right when she said, "They're just so...alien," describing the aliens. With strange sentient creatures, malicious robots, space ships, and trademark alien music, this was a heavy stereotype. Oddly enough, I think it worked. This is, after all, the classic sci-fi show. I kind of got the feeling I get when watching old and outdated television shows--that while no one else really finds them interesting, I enjoy them even if they're boring on account of the authenticity most modern shows seem to lack.
Let's recap the episode quickly. The Doctor shows off his machine to Rose by taking her to the last day of Earth's history. Everyone has evacuated, and the richest aliens watch the destruction of the planet for entertainment. We get a look at some strange aliens, many of whom come into play later- The Face of Boe and Cassandra show up in upcoming seasons. Cassandra is the last pure human, but has been turned into a flab of skin through centuries of maintaining. Gifts are given by all, and some sketchy hooded men give everyone metal balls that soon, undetected, become small robots that attack the ship's functions. While the Doctor investigates with a sentient tree woman, Rose gets knocked out and put in a room with the solar filter slowly getting turned off. Just before she dies, the Doctor saves her in the last minute. However, all the defenses begin to shut down as the Doctor realizes Cassandra is behind it all, trying to get money with hostages. While the plan was foiled, she would instead merely reap the benefits of the stock increases from their competitors. The Doctor and the tree lady go to turn the defenses back on, and as the tree holds down a lever, slowly burning, she reveals that she knows who the Doctor is. He walks through the fans she's slowing down with the lever, and with Time Lord powers walks through one as it spins at full power. He turns on the defenses, brings Cassandra back, and watches as she dries up with no one to moisturize her. He goes back to Earth with Rose.
That being said, there were still some scientific inconsistencies, which I can't stand in shows that specifically try to justify their plots through the world's laws. Cassandra is a stretched out piece of skin with a face on it. How exactly does she talk, again, with no lungs? How does she breathe, for that matter? Later in the episode, as the Doctor is walking through the fans to switch on the shields, the glass in Rose's room cracks all over and nearly falls apart. Realistically, wouldn't this force all the air out of the room and kill Rose immediately? Picky, I know, and not necessarily accounting for future technology, but it made me wonder.
I found one line particularly noteworthy. A robot welcomes people onto the ship, and reminds them that religion on board is prohibited. This seems to speak for the series itself. One of my main problems with Doctor Who is the strong atheistic tone. While I'm all for shows having their own set of beliefs, I think it should always stay in the realm of belief-- that in order to buy into a story, you don't have to make adjustments to your world views. For instance, in one episode, Tennant quips that you'd never believe what actually happened on Easter morning. Therefore, in the Whoniverse Christianity is factually false, and I don't think they should force the viewer into that position.
What really held this episode above the previous one was the insight we got on the Doctor. It's easy to forget by season seven that there was a time (in the modern series) when what the Doctor is was a mystery. It was refreshing to have an episode in which Rose doesn't know about him being a Time Lord, or what that means. I remember one of the highlights of Eccleston's era was the slow understanding that underneath the goofy alien traveller, there was something far more powerful and tragic. The mystery was well developed in this episode, where we don't know much- only enough to keep our interest in it going strong. What made this cheesy tv series- scratch that, what makes this cheesy tv series- so amazing is the complexity of the Doctor. Each actor thus far has shown with great skill the tragedy of the Doctor, which roots the series in the realm of being taken seriously. What Eccleston is best at is establishing the character for the oncoming seasons, and this episode began that for me.
On top of the Doctor's mystery and the episode's plot, there was the underlying theme of the Earth's fragility. Our lifestyle is by no means eternal, which reminds us to rethink what's important in life. There was also the daring idea that our race might live on- that this mania we have over the Apocalypse or Nuclear Wars isn't actually going to wipe us out. I think the main takeaway was that culture is temporary, but humanity will never die. I think this is a pretty strong theme, considering the fact that the plot was weak.
Lastly, did you notice an alien speculate whether this was the "Bad Wolf" emergency? I'll try and spot a reference in every episode.
No comments:
Post a Comment