Last Crash of The Sunchaser and The Bit After: Thoughts I Guess

So uh... just watched Ducktales 2017 again for the first time in a while... got to the episode The Last Crash of The Sunchaser... watched the whole thing... the end credits should have conveyed the pit that I felt in my heart

Good Omens 2 did me VERY good when the gay angel and demon, but this is the raw emotional heartachin' damage of watching a traumatized man pushing the people he loves and cares about away.

It's somehow worse knowing the outcome of the episode because it recontextualizes literally the entire episode prior to the ending.

The whole "I have to save her" and various other things he's done and said up to that point... fuck... and it's all about keeping the kids safe, right? You know, making up for the kid he couldn't save, and who (to his knowledge) is dead.

The kids (saying what they did) were kinda right, only given the information they had. But they didn't know how hard he worked to save her. You know? Flashbacks. The many ships he built. Attempts at communication. Literally drilling holes in the money bin and investing heavily in saving her, and for what? For her to be gone? To admit that he can't keep her safe? What does that mean for anyone else?

Related note, apparently they did the whole frame by frame bc budget but it WORKS. It feels very much like fragmented memories and a very interesting mode of flashback. Couldn't have imagined it another way.

Back to the conversation:

I think that's when it just struck that same chord in him. David Tennant, that man is a great actor, gave us the emotionally jarring "I am." Which sorta pulled the nail on the coffin there. He's going through essentially a relapse of what happened when Della took the Spear. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he's better with family. Much happier too no doubt.

-

I've already watched the episodes after it some time ago, but I remember this:

It opens with Scrooge literally being a sad shell of himself. Alone, in his giant mansion, coping with everything, eating pizza but like no effort, and remembering the little things he used to do with the nephews (marbles iirc?), and others. Like I said, he's literally more happier with family than without.

I need to write my feels out... It helps me cope. A little. (Don’t have much friends who have watched Dr Who yet so hoping the fandom will do me some good. And getting it out really does make me feel a little better.) 

Shit this post turned out WAY longer than I thought....lol.

This is mostly all actually of the Tenth Doctor. 

I really can’t get over how damaged the Doctor really is... After all he’s done and all he’s been through, and ALL he’s lost. I actually can’t believe that they have created such a character. If I hadn’t watched Dr Who and someone told me JUST how heartbreaking his story is, I would of never been able to imagine it. In all the fandoms I am in, with all the characters I know and love, never have I ever seen one this broken. And yet...

(I have yet to complete Eleven and Twelve but from what I’ve seen of Eleven... yeah), but I completed Ten. And especially in season 3 and 4. Everything that happened to him and everything he lost... The pain that formed within him in just two seasons (out of a show of 10 seasons). After he lost Rose everything just went downhill so fast. So so fast. And David Tennant did SUCH an amazing job at just killing my feels! His acting is just so... so... Does it need saying? (sorry— fuck now I made myself sadder!) But every time Ten was sad or angry, his expressions. The amount of emotions. David acted SO so good that you could actually see all THE PAIN the Doctor has. Even through his smiles and laughs. He literally lost so much. His entire planet and family and race. He was a dad, do you know how much that fact hurts? 

He was the last of his kind, then the Master showed up, but he was so far gone, even after what he did, the Doctor forgave him, offered to help him, and then he lost him. The only other Timelord the Doctor knew of and then he died. The Doctor actually cares so much, he ALWAYS tries the other way, always tries to help them no matter how bad they are or what they’ve done. But in the end they never agree, and they die by his hand (most of the time). When ever someone is about to die or something bad is going to happen to them or someone they love he apologizes. And you know he is genuinely so so sorry. 

His line, “They always survive while I lose everything.” hit me like a truck, no actually, like a planet. Because the Daleks were one of the main cause of him losing so much. He didn’t get Rose back, Martha, Micky, Jack, Sarah, all of them left.  Donna... This hit me so hard. Donna would never remember him, if she did she would die... And who were there? Who caused most of these problems? The Daleks. And yet he still tried to help them. Those monsters that were the main cause of the destruction of his race, who have caused him so much trouble and pain. He still tried to help them. And then his daughter, who he thought died, and has no idea that’s she survived. Her ‘death’ actually made him pick up a gun, HE HATES GUNS, and almost shoot someone. But then he stopped. “I would never.”  

“You need to get yourself a better dictionary because if you look at the word genocide you’ll see a little picture of me there and the caption’ll read ‘Over my dead body’ ”  He know how many he’s killed. Shit, the only way to have stopped the Daleks and the Great Time War was to sacrifice both the Daleks and his own race. HE had to make that choice. He had to make so many HARD choices to save the entire universe. And he tries so fucking hard to make up for it. And he’s done so much good after the War. But then the Daleks survive and come and mess up everything.

 And after all that, he carries on, because he has to. The episode “Turn left” shows shit thit episode weakened my feels even more but it was so well done what would have happened if the Doctor died. If he wasn’t there, It shows just how important he is. (And how important Donna was.) He just keeps on going. And that’s what scares me most. 

“They leave me in the end. Because they have to, or because they find someone else. Some don’t remember me. I guess in the end, they all break my heart(s).” And even after everything, he goes on. But he’s so alone. So so alone. The burden of a Timelord.

I could never be a Timelord. I would never have the strength to do what he does. He has changed my life. And even after all I wrote, I still can’t believe it. The sheer amount of his pain, and how he tries to help the universe. Because if it wasn’t for him, the universe would of been so screwed.

The Doctor is just such an AMAZING character. There are actually no words to explain just how amazing he is.

(Man, Eleven is going to break my heart... But Ten has already shattered my soul...)

The Sound Of Drums

Latest Review: Series Three - Episode 12 - "The Sound Of Drums". STARRING: David Tennant , Freema Agyeman , John Barrowman,  WITH John Simm and Alexandra Moen  ALSO FEATURING: Adjoa Andoh, Trevor Laird, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Reggie Yates, Elize du Toit, Nichola McAuliffe, Nicholas Gecks,  Colin Stinton, Olivia Hill, Daniel Ming, Lachele Carl, Sharon Osbourne.  ALSO WITH VOICE WORK BY: Zoe Thorne, Gerard Logan, and Johnnie Lyne-Pirkis  WITH CAMEOS by McFly, and Ann Widdecombe.  --- Written By - Russell T Davies, Script Editor - Simon Winstone Directed By - Colin Teague Music - Murray Gold Produced By - Phil Collinson Executive Producers - Russell T. Davies + Julie Gardner Originally Transmitted 23rd June 2007, BBC 1 This middle component of the storyline that saw out the 2007 run of modern Doctor Who is a dynamic, compelling slice of action and political satire. As good as it had been to have the likes of Autons and Macra come back from days long gone, and especially welcome to see the Who staple monsters that are the Daleks and the Cybermen return with a vengeance, the show badly needed the most masterly of humanoid villains to keep the Doctor on his toes. --- John Simm's Master can be best likened to 'The Joker from Batman. He is utterly unhinged, and without remorse for the crimes he commits.  He actively enjoys causing chaos and misery. But such is this prolific performer's calibre of acting, the viewer cannot help but like him on some level. This is a quality inherent in all the more effective Masters – with other notable names being those of Delgado, Ainley, Jacobi (albeit mainly resting on the fake Yana persona), and Gomez. Of course I will acknowledge the pure villainous qualities of the 'decayed' Master that showed up in the Tom Baker era, and in places also in the 1996 TV Movie. To my mind though, the ideal variant has some level of dark charm, and humorous edginess. A great idea that makes this episode work, is putting the TARDIS crew firmly on the back foot. They do not even have their magic ship as a 'home base', and arrive late on the scene as the Master Plan has already unfolded to near finality. 'Harold Saxon' has become the British Prime Minister, and virtually the whole population are enthralled by his charisma and decidedly alternate style to politics. The manner in which he sweeps aside all dissenting voices in his Cabinet through the method of poisonous gas, and tapping his hand on the table to the 'Sound of Drums' is a fine scene. He even gives some warning to his victims, but in such a way that he is comically obtuse, thus catching some of the supposed smartest people in the land completely off-guard. It is hard to tell which is the more disturbing death in these 10 Downing Street sections: the prolonged suffocation of senior politicians by gas, or the way the Toclafane slice-and-dice Vivien Rook - a reporter rather too bold and determined for her own good.                                    "I'm taking control, Uncle Sam, starting with you. Kill him!" By contrast, the execution of the American President is played very much as black comedy. We have a boisterous and self-important world leader, and one perhaps looking down on Britain; no doubt due to the "ass" elected by the population. In this day and age, with such a controversial new president in charge this scene plays out on a different level. Even the very current affairs savvy Davies could not have anticipated this dimension his work would take. Having a wife by the Master's side is a neat spin on an antagonist that was normally a lone wolf. Whilst he may have temporary stooges to help him (and usually hypnotised ones at that), this is the first time it appears he has a stone cold lover to endorse his villainy. In the Colin Baker portion of the Classic Series, there were tentative alliances with The Rani and Glitz respectively. However, in Lucy the Master has someone who seems to love his unending ambition, ruthlessness and even his sadism. (But of course there are limits to what evil a spouse can put up with, and this is explored effectively in the concluding episode).                                                                                                                                 The telephone conversation scene gives both Simm and Tennant a chance to share screentime equally. When they finally meet in the same frame the effect is even more marked. When they finally meet in the same frame the effect is even more marked. However, whilst the Tenth Doctor swansong The End Of Time is inferior to this Series Three closer, it is ahead in terms of offering decent one-on-one material for two of Britain's most respected screen actors. The 'Toclafane' - a name from young Gallifreyan fairy tales – essentially act as the Master’s force of marauding assassins. But they are a pretty neat invention, in that they combine a distinct monster look with some semblance of a disturbingly imbalanced personality. Having multiple voices to breathe life into them is also a great production choice. The story behind who these creatures are is kept mysterious for now in this particular outing. If one were to be overly critical, they could be accused of looking somewhat like the confectionary Maltesers - especially when the pulsating Voodoo Child track plays out for a distinctly long stretch. Using a piece of popular chart music was a bold move by Davies and can perhaps be seen as risking dating the production. But taken as a suitably offbeat piece of rhythmical noise, that the Master would choose to celebrate his crowning moment with, it is more than appropriate. Also, this is one of the few moments in the show at the time when composer Murray Gold is not providing persistently stirring backing music to the onscreen drama.  Series Three did a serviceable job of giving the viewer a clan of relatives to make Martha’s attachment to Earth mean something, and managed to be both similar enough but also distinctly different from the dynamic that Rose Tyler had in terms of her original 'home'. Furthermore, some good groundwork was done in terms of exploring just why Martha eventually chose not to remain by the Doctor's side full time. Adjoa Andoh is probably the best performer out of this family group, and combines steely determination with a subtle sense of really caring for all those closest to her. She would justifiably return in Series Four's closing pair of episodes, as well. Trevor Laird is notably stronger in his acting, than the very tired and ineffectual henchman role that was part of 1986's Mindwarp. He makes for a devoted father figure, and shows some real bravery in helping the Doctor's party evade capture. Reggie Yates is the kind of casting choice that peppered the 1980s under John Nathan-Turner's watch, and is engaging enough. It is a rather generic brother role as Leo, however, and there is virtually no character development that the show normally pulled off so well by now. Also, for whatever reason, Yates barely features in this episode, and contributes even less in the following one. Martha's other sibling Tish, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw is perhaps the best used recurring character in terms of the Saxon Arc itself, and is performed with conviction throughout. Much like Freema Agyeman, Mbatha-Raw has had a very fine career post-Doctor Who. Martha herself remains a solid companion, with Ageyman really selling the reveal that the Master is the most powerful man in the country. The response to the startling impact of her 'normal' world being so drastically changed is a strong core theme of this multiparter, and plays out with full effect in the ensuing Last Of The Time Lords. As this episode comes to its cliff-hanger ending, the viewer is utterly captivated as to how Dr Jones will cope without her near-immortal mentor. Like Rose she is capable and independent, but has usually needed some superior experience and incredible intellect from the Doctor to overcome the problem at hand. This particular challenge is mountainous to put it mildly. Captain Jack perhaps is just more along for the ride after some very good material in the preceding episode where he sought some kind of acknowledgement from the Doctor. Of course, he does helps with the escape back to present day Earth - conveyed in a frenetic flash back - and he also gets to do a (very deliberate) plug for his own spin off Torchwood. Otherwise he is arguably surplus to immediate story requirements, and also suffers yet another helpless 'death' - this time at the hands of the Master, and his upgraded sonic screwdriver. This disconcerting cycle of painful demise and lurching back to life in traumatic fashion has been echoed in more recent times in the Forever TV series. Whilst short-lived at just one season, that particular show had a lead character - Henry Morgan - that has some minor similarities with the Jack Harkness character. Pacing in this story is mostly good, and the episode packs a lot into its duration (which is slightly longer than the average of most episodes that year). The climax plays out for a good ten minutes, and thus is both truly riveting and furthers the long-running story concerning Harold Saxon, that first was glimpsed back in Love And Monsters. Most of the earlier sections are breathless chasing or exposition, with some detail on the Master's raison d'etre, and what he means to the Doctor. The whole thing could so easily be rushed, but in the hands of the dependable Colin Teague, it all comes together sufficiently well. One recurring plot point which was a little less welcome was the call-back to The Lazarus Experiment, which many still regard as the weakest story of the run of thirteen episodes. Having the Doctor rendered helpless was a good idea on paper, but the choice here is to make him look like an especially ancient-looking man. Whilst showcasing good make up it never really adds much to the overall story, and would lead to the regrettable 'Harry Potter' CGI imp the following week. Perhaps something different, which rendered our main man immobile and slow of wits, would have worked better.  Although much of the episode is focused on action, satire or re-establishing the Doctor-Master rivalry, the most moving and powerful portion concerns some exposition and visual display of Gallifrey and its orange skies. This is portrayed so much better on a respectable TV budget, compared to the closest precedent in the six-part 1970s serial The Invasion of Time. The narrated flashback makes use again of the poignant music Gold previously used in Utopia, and this backing track seems even more appropriate, as the key to the scene is making the viewer care for the Master through showing him in the form of a mere innocent child. Some mysterious and anonymous Time Lords also feature, with the scene notably breaking the ethnic onscreen barrier which for so long had been a minus point concerning the Doctors home world TV stories. --- SUMMARY : Whilst a little lacking in fully combining both fun adventure and true depth in terms of themes and moral lessons, this is still a good episode in a generally strong second full season for the Tenth Doctor. In comparison to the prior Utopia, it is a small step down in most respects, but many other stories would also struggle to compare favourably. Taken on its own merits, it is still a great watch, and has stood the test of time well. Back in mid-2007, the season finale was set up with a very dark and intriguing premise, and most regular viewers at the time were left desperate to see how it played out. http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2017/03/the_sound_of_drums.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr