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myasssaysno · 4 months

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Once upon a Time-Lord.... (What does the even mean?)

Why is the Doctor stood in front of a green-screen like the world, no, the universes worst weather man?

Why is Donna so caught up on events that took place fifteen years ago?

Why does this feel like everything between then and now, never happened?

What is happening?

(I'm aware I'm supper late to the party but...)

The Star Beast (Doctor Who Special of 2023) Review.

This felt nerve racking (which is ridiculous) but watching this actually caused me distress.

I watched the 2005 Doctor Who as a child and liked Donna well enough as a companion (she proved a bit much at times but she wasn't in love with the Doctor, so a win as far as I'm concerned.)

But I never expected to see her back on the screen. Especially not with the 10th Doctor (no, I don't consider him the 14th, though I will refer to him as that from now on, but in reality, the whole point of the number system is to identify the Doctor being referred to by face, not regeneration, because that went out the window, with the War Doctor.)

Point is, RTD came back (for some reason) and wanted to remind everyone about his era of Doctor Who (in case we forgot) and retconned the most tragic companion exit ever.

Not that whole Doctor-Donna thing should have happened in the first place, but still.

That being said, RTD came back, Donna's back, 10th is now also the 14th Doctor (and a part time weather man), and all attention is immediately on how things got left last time.

Which is mistake one; (I can take a shitty opening, to fill in anyone who wasn't their to watch Donna's time as a companion) but at no point does it feel like 15-years has passed.

At no point, do I get a sense of this new Donna. We get constant mentions of everything that happened, but that means nothing to me.

Show me Donna's life. We deserve that. I want to see this woman thrive after the Doctor. I want to see her meet her husband and have weird dreams about him cheating on her with a spider, which her husband finds weird but funny. I want to see the challenges of getting a job, and then the stress of having a job you don't like, I want to see her lose said job and have to explain everything to the family. I want to see her have a child, and her reaction to them coming out as Trans. I want them to have a normal, human life, until Rose Noble finds an alien.

No Doctor. No Aliens. No nothing. Just Donna and her family.

Because then maybe I would have cared when she almost died. Which unfortunately didn't happen.

I'm going to be honest, I wanted Donna Noble to die, and I don't dislike Donna Noble, but her entire introduction and her entire time on screen resolved around this missing chunk of her life. It seemed to consume her, and that's completely unfair. In the end, it seemed like, she'd rather remember and die, then live. Despite her saying the opposite, but that was the option and I think Donna should have known that, and made that choice, because she never got the chance to do so the first time round.

That being said, RTD also seems to have learnt all the wrong lessons from Chibnall, by including diverse characters (just about) but not representing anyone.

Rose Noble (and I still can't believe he named her Rose) is a one-dimensional character. She is Donna's daughter. She is Trans. And she is just super nice. We get nothing more than that. I would have loved to see her interact with the Meep for longer. I wanted them to built up trust and respected, only for it all to be one big lie that tears Rose apart.

Which sounds horrible, but it would add to her character, and also make her aware that not everyone who is discriminated against is immediately trustworthy. They might understand, they might relate but that doesn't mean they care.

Meep proved to be this perfect character, or villain, which demonstrated the looks can be deceiving aspect.

And Rose comes across as someone just young and hopeful enough to be deceived but she wouldn't be the only one. Everyone else got deceived too, she's just the one more heartbroken over it. Because she thought they were friends.

Whilst the Doctor should have ended up at the spaceship, met with Shirley, and they should have teamed up. Because once more, there is no point adding a wheelchair user, if they're pretty much replaceable and just sitting around?

I'm aware that people overlook all types of well people, but you mean to tell me, they didn't think it worth it to hold the woman captive. Did she just hide somewhere? I mean that's not bad, but it also feels bad, like she should have had her moment, beyond appearing when the main character's needed her.

Like I would have loved to see her, where she joins the Doctor, and goes with him, on the taxi ride, which would take place after the spaceship lands not before. And then, they would all end up re-meeting at Donna's house anyway. And Shirley's wheelchair can just be advanced enough to get into the house, and become one of those chair-lifts which gets her upstairs.

My point is, if she wasn't a wheelchair user, she'd actual probably be found dead in a corner somewhere.

Doctor Who (or should I say its writers) really don't care for side-character like they should, unless they're making them the most sympathetic character's imaginable (then its over the top).

Let's jump back to the actual episode which I haven't even talked about probably yet.

It opens weirdly, with the Doctor and Donna filling everyone in (which I have discussed) and then we immediately jump to the Doctor stumbling into Donna, which is both convenient (or not) and destroys any built up to this moment.

Before we can even get into the episode, before we can really understand that 15 years has passed for Donna, and over a thousand years for the Doctor, we immediately have them meet, and it's alright now, because she doesn't immediately die, by looking at the Doctor's face (something we already knew).

And not to get into too much but having the Doctor get his old face back ruins the whole thing about the Doctor's face not even mattering.

Point is, a spacecraft crash lands (though not really) and everyone sees it but Donna. Which was a thing, that never made any sense the first time round, but what can you do?

Would have been nicer to see how that affected Donna? Or that it had no affect, confusing and troubling the Doctor.

Some nice little foreshadowing that things are different now, that things have changed, since the Master turned everyone's face into his.

The Doctor then gets a taxi ride from Shaun, the husband. And that is all you need to know (other than he's happy man, with happy life, and happy family, that's happy all the time (except his wife lost her job, and they can't afford the house anymore and might have to down-size, oh and his daughter things it's her responsibility now to provide for the family, because she's likely blaming herself for existing.))

None of that matters though, because they gave away the money from the lottery, which is all the Doctor's fault.

Like honestly this is the most annoying thing, throughout the entire episode. The focus on money, for all the wrong reasons.

I don't even get the point of it. Are we saying, giving away money is bad? You will regret giving to charity, because one-day you'll need that money?

Because in all honesty, the lottery money, which happened at least ten-years ago, is completely irrelevant.

At this point, the whole focus should be on the fact that a job fired Donna over spilt coffee. (Which apparently was foreshadowing (for reasons unknown to just about everyone.))

Ah, dead-naming.

I'm sorry, but there is zero excuse, and even lesser reasons to do this. It achieves absolutely nothing.

No attention is brought to this, about how horribly it is to be dead-named. It compared to causal bullying, and I don't wanted to lessen the horrors of bullying in general, but it takes one a whole new level of horror when it against Trans people, for being trans, and involves a group of boys on a trans-girl.

(I will not go into this anymore, you either understand or don't.)

And Donna's response, makes her look like an awful parent. Oh, it's okay sweetheart, because I was once a bully, just like those boys, and I'm going to go bully their mother, which might be the reason, she raised her sons like that.

(Not placing the blame completely on Donna, or the Mother for the boys behaviour, but the point remains, don't comfort your kid being bullied, with bullying.)

Now this wouldn't come across as such a bad parent moment, if we're seen Donna, and how much she'd changed since becoming a parent. We get hints of it, and a nice conversation with Sylvia who has also mellowed out nicely.

Unfortunately, we don't get the same conversation with Rose and someone else. Someone she can express herself to, who isn't family and understands.

The closest we get is Fudge, but he's a little kid, and not someone she can really open-up to. I was hoping, that would end up being the Doctor as some point, but that never happened. (All of their bonding just happened of screen, I guess.)

Once again, we've spoke about Rose helping the Meep, and how tamed it is. We've also spoken about the Doctor and Shirley.

Now I have nothing wrong with the way, everything sort of falls out of control very quickly. We have Donna poking the Meep in the eye, the Meep asking for help, and Sylvia panicking, only for the Doctor to turn up, which makes everything worse until Shuan brings a moment pause to everything once more.

Nicely done, (if a little quick), some part do feel a little random. Like the Doctor hearing Donna. Instead of tracking the Meep, as opposed to the escape pod like everyone else.

Also, almost forgot to speak about the sonic.

Some people don't like it. Other's love it. Everyone knew it's just a special thing, and one kind of has to ask, why bother with a new sonic for just three-episodes?

I feel like its wasted potential.

I like a Doctor without a sonic as much as the next person, but I also see the potential in the sonic which is never used. And it has become a part of the Doctor. I mean the guy runs around without a shield, which exist in-universe, alongside teleporters and other helpful gadgets.

The reason for that, is the writer's are never actual prepared to handle that level of technology all the time. It would get boring very quickly, for a shield to have to be destroyed, before the Doctor can be injured, each and every time. But honestly, just have it there, and don't bring attention to it.

I don't think the Doctor needs to be in danger, every episode, and the whole, ducking and dodging, just takes away tension, because you know they're going to be alright. Having the Doctor wear a shield, and being shot at, and surviving, makes sense. And only once, you wanted them hurt or to get shot, do you come up with a reason for the shield to stop working, or have then give it to someone else.

I'm saying, with a little thought, having more advanced technology on the Doctor could actual work. But Writer's don't want that, and Doctor Who fans don't want that.

In conclusion, the new sonic is a one-off anyway. Like, even compared to the rest of the episodes, they never use it again. (I guess it costs too much).

I personally liked that it could be used as a screen, which could come in useful (but is never used again). Didn't like the shielding as much.

We take a moment to sit down, bandage up the Meep's hand, and have a little chat. Now, I've briefly mentioned, but I think Donna comes across to brash at times, but more so now. She's supposed to be a mother, and more tamed but, the not clarifying Wilf is in a home, felt out of place, and more so, blaming the Doctor for misunderstanding.

She did it all the time, the first go round, and it annoyed me to no end. As someone who can easily misunderstand people, I guess it doesn't help, I consider her already knowing the Doctor. But still, even as someone not known to you, you don't call them an idiot for being sad, because they think your grandfather's dead.

Have a heart.

Also, Rose getting at the Doctor for using a he pronoun on the Meep, felt all wrong. Like a new touch, and a nice addition to Doctor Who, but would have liked the Doctor to smile, and ask is it 2023 already, and get a massive glare from Sylvia for his trouble.

Like an acknowledgement, he's dumming himself down and has been since the sixties, because of our out-dated views about gender, would be the perfect moment to have the Doctor open up about his own gender, and not have been ignorant to the entire thing. And this continues, and turns out to be foreshadowing for a worse moment.

Also, also, having the Doctor confess to also having the pronoun 'The' (and not have this be a throw-away line) would have worked to, he could even have mentioned how this is true of all Time-Lords, expect their more than comfortable with he/him, she/her, they/them, when applicable. So, it's not wrong to use, any.

Now, we have the sonic save the day, to allow them to escape upstairs. I like that the Doctor lead them to safety through the attic, a clever move.

However, the fact that Unit, who have been possessed, know where the Meep is, is questionable. Beyond that, the fact they're firing into the house, with the Meep in, is also questionable. And even more so, why is the Meep, still playing pretend at this moment, what is the Meep waiting for exactly, other than the Doctor to catch up?

Now, the Doctor works it out, and drives the Meep to somewhere to speak with the Meep. And then summons the Warrior's (Zogroth's my mistake) to have a chat.

This could have been a good moment, if one, Fudge actual spoke with the Zogroth (why did I not know they had such a cool name?) and befriended them, because then, it's Rose and Meep, against Fudge and Zogroth.

Imagine that, this has been building for a few days, maybe a week, and we don't know who to trust, but Rose is convinced the Meep are the trustworthy one's, and Fudge trust Rose, but it turns out, she's actual wrong. And the Meep almost kills Fudge. Or, is honest with Fudge, letting us know the Meep is evil, but only when Rose isn't looking or around.

We could have even had then, on different sizes of the court room arguing their point. The Doctor caught in the middle, Fudge upset and angry that no-one believes him, because he's a kid. It could have been a whole thing, that's slower paced and gives the audience times to think and pick a side, but no, we just have the Doctor speaking fast, the camera spinning, and the Meep just giving up I guess, and confessing.

Point is, we build on this perception, of good vs bad, and not judging a book by its cover. And have the Doctor be there, to get to the truth of the issue, and could still have the silly mock-court, which happened because, they wanted to have the doctor wear a judge wig?

Not sure on that one, but the fact the Meep relives the truth then, and not at any other point, is the first odd point. Also, the second is that the Meep doesn't kill nor eat the Doctor, Donna, or her family.

Then, we get to the Meep's plan. Which is to destroy the earth for some reason? (I'm not actual sure, and I can't be bothered working it out.)

Point is, the Doctor needs Donna, became a glass barrier is slowing him down, and I know a lot of people like the Doctor (this Doctor) running around pressing button, randomly, but um, it goes on way too long for me.

Either way, he has to cause Donna to remember. And I do, like the whole, list of random works to unblock her memorises, but we've had no built up to it, and an even worse pay off.

Donna remembers, they save the day, and she doesn't die. Because she had a baby, (another companions child, where the Doctor is the third-parent, let hope he doesn't marry this one.)

Now because of this, Rose has some of the Doctor-Donna too, and when its activated, she able to save the Doctor and Donna, which is a little forced.

Point against this, I would rather have had it, fade over time, as though Donna had slowly been releasing the built up energy. Or had her, give it away, (as she sort of does), because now she's content in her life, she has a family, and a daughter, and doesn't want to be the Doctor anymore, doesn't want to travel the universe anymore.

That would have been perfect, but nothing builds up to this moment. Our problem is, we have too many characters, and none of them doing anything (but that's only an issue when Chibnall writes it).

Doesn't matter, the point is, the Doctor's now a male-presenting time-lord again, for like a morning tops, (half a day maybe) and is already too ignorant to realise the truth about Donna's condition, which has never happened before.

This actual could have been a brilliant moment, where Donna's like, you don't understand, because you haven't lived with this for fifteen-years. Which would link in, with the fight a lot of people (particularly woman) have with Doctor's presuming they understanding the illness a person is going through, better than the patient.

The Meep is stopped and honestly deserved a little better, some people really liked him. I thought it a mistake to not allow them to take it further in their deception, so it had a point. Also, they whole, they weren't evil, but made evil, and this Meep is the last, feels like, it missing the point, this episode should be aiming for. And that is that, appearance doesn't matter.

Rose has always had the memorises of the Doctor shinning through, wonderful, another character indebted to the Doctor for life, just what we need. (And the first trans character, is a by-product of the Doctor, so she can be trans, but you can't, because you're human and only the Doctor the weirdo who's male, female and more.)

Donna should have gone back to her life after this, we should have seen her visiting Wilf, to watch the stars together. Both of them wondering about the Doctor, missing him. But content to sit and watch from a safe distance, because she is that over the Doctor, and that secure in herself, and her family. That is the ending Donna Noble deserved.

3/10

Forgettable Villain. Misunderstood Characters. Too Much Going On. Happening Too Quickly. And The Worst Offender Of Them All Empty Inclusion.

(OH, and also, it's supposed to be a 60th anniversary of the WHOLE of Doctor Who).

#Doctor Who Criticism #RTD2 #RTD Criticism #Doctor Who Review #The Star Beast Special #14th Doctor #Donna Noble

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