So This Is How It Ends, Not With A Bang, But With A Whimper.

The Tenth Doctor was amazing. I'm sorry to see him go. (No pun intended.)I don't know how else I can put it. The Ninth Doctor was fantastic, sure, (pun intended.) but Ten was just brilliant.

The End Of Time should really be viewed as a whole. In fact, while other two part episodes have seperate names, (Utopia/The Sound Of Drums/The Last Of The Time Lords for example) this one has the same name, in two parts. And really, it's rightly so, because the episode is really just a Doctor Who movie, split into two halves. The closest we'll ever get at least. (The '96 movie doesn't count, because it was bad.)

What really shocks me is how long he's been setting this up for. Russel T. Davies knew he would be writing the swansong episode of Tennant's take on The Doctor, and so he began setting things up from the minute The Master returned. Between setting up the drumming, and Wilf, I'm quite impressed.

This episode feels like it really pays off on everything that the past few years with the 10th Doctor have been building up to. And as much as it hurts to see him go, and he'll always be The Doctor to me, this episode is a very fitting way for him to go.

Not that it didn't have it's share of cringe worthy moments, in fact I didn't even get the most out of the cliffhanger of Pt. 1 until the second watch through, because I spent the whole time laughing the first time. It was incredibly cheesy. But it was fitting. Because even though I love the heck outta the show, it's nothing if not cheesy. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. There's a place for cheesiness. And that was it.

It was incredibly emotional too. And I'll admit I nearly cried, more than once. And I don't cry for movies/TV shows usually. It takes something special. But this was special. The very end held a moment, hearing Ten talk about his mortality, and how even though he'll regenerate, it's like dying. It shows it's not something routine for Time Lords. It's not like going to the dentist. It's like... Death. You die, and a new man takes your place. Imagine that. If you died, and knew when you died a completely different person would get up and continue on.. It would be almost worse than real death wouldn't it?

The point is, David Tennants swansong episode was very fitting. It touched upon everything that makes The Doctor, The Doctor. It was easily one of the best episodes written by RTD. It was fitting end for his control over the show too. I gotta continue what I touched upon in yesterday's post, Stephen Moffat is my favorite writer for the show. Blink, and Midnight are amazing episodes. I really think the Weeping Angels could be a great reoccurring enemy if done right. And I think with him taking the reins from RTD next season, the show could be even better than before. But as far as RTD episodes go, The End of Time is pretty top notch. I really enjoyed it. The complaints I had were outweighed by the good of the episode.

This is how we're going to remember RTD, and David Tennant, and you know what? That's a good thing. The End of Time had it's share of problems (Too much build up, not enough payoff for the Time Lords for one thing.) but the extremely emotional, and surprising ending, paid off for the whole thing.

The last line Ten says, is really emotional. David Tennant was a Doctor Who fan growing up, and he seems like it. He loved being The Doctor. In fact, there's a line in The Waters of Mars that sums Tennant's take on the doctor up.

The captain of the Mars expedition says to The Doctor, "State your name, rank, and intention."
The Doctor replies: "The Doctor. Doctor. Fun."

He really enjoys seeing the universe, he's seen his share of sadness, and it shows, but all in all... He loves life. And in that, Ten, and Tennant both really loved being The Doctor.

Tennants take on the character, was much more built on relationships, and being The Doctor, than it was built upon great, epic, grand danger. In that, it's fitting that the regeneration doesn't come until AFTER the threat is foiled. It's very personal. The Doctor won. He could just walk away. He's told, to just walk away. But he can't, because that's not who he is. Because if there's one thing The Doctor loved more than being The Doctor... It's the people he met. All of them.

It was pretty much as fitting an ending as you could ask for. And with that Ten, I bid you farewell. The show won't be the same without you. It may be just as good, it may be terrible, it may even be better, but one thing it won't be, is the same. You'll always be the doctor to me.