Erase and Rewind

I watched the latest episode of Doctor Who last night, which gave Catherine Tate more of an opportunity to shout at us (a trait acknowledged in the actual story itself for some humorous effect) in an episode that explored what life would be like without the Doctor. It was quite an interesting episode, showing us events that previous companions have been involved in, but how events turn out if the Doctor was to have died in the second Christmas special (the one with the Empress of the Racnoss). It set off a chain of events with repercussions throughout recent history: without the Doctor and Donna having met, no one is able to stop the Judoon stealing the hospital from London (and Martha Jones dies up on the moon); no one is able to stop the Titanic crashing into Buckingham Palace (and the whole of London is wiped out); no one stops the Adipose plot (and 60 million Americans are all killed).

It shows a Donna Noble who never has the chance to break out of the mould, who isn’t given the opportunity to spread her wings and become something better (and while I’m not a huge fan of the character, she has grown on me the last few weeks as she’s gradually become less of the runaway bride and more of a fleshed-out character).

It also shows the return of Rose Tyler. It’s an interesting development in the plot, as the episode Doomsday from the end of the second season still sends chills down my spine. The moment near the end where the Doctor and Rose are separated in parallel universes is one of the strongest dramatic moments on this or any other show I’ve seen in twenty seven years. To bring her back was inevitable, but the look on the Doctor’s face when Donna tells him “Bad Wolf” was incredibly well-played by David Tennant. It was a mix of elation — he and Rose shared something after all — but utter horror too: not from having to deal with her, but simply knowing that having that chance, that the universes are bleeding together, is not going to end well for any of them.

Over several blogs I’ve mentioned how Russell T Davies skipped out on many storytelling opportunities by having the Time War destroy Gallifrey and leaving the Doctor alone in the universe, and yet we’re now faced with what is likely to be a big shiny Reset Button™ and I’m not as excited as I thought I might be. With RTD leaving and Moffatt taking over, it does seem right that he would get a tabula rasa to work with, but four seasons of emotional attachment to characters will be difficult to put behind. It will depend on how it’s done, assuming it is done at all. If it could be done in such a way that the Time Lords can come back without those essential relationships that have been built up disappearing, then I will be happy. But we’ve seen the Doctor grow hugely as a character based on his interactions with Rose, Martha, Donna, Captain Jack, Sarah-Jane, Mickey et cetera, and I simply don’t want all that to mean nothing, either for him, or for them.

Obviously you could play the “they never met” card for the companions, and keep the Doctor remembering, a bit like they did for Connor and Angel in the last two seasons of Joss Whedon’s Angel. It would work, and it would continue with the theme of torturing the Doctor — even if he does get his people and home returned, I’m still not certain he is emotionally strong enough to be able to look upon Rose Tyler and not have her know who she is. Or maybe I’m not. He’s walked away from her before through choice after all. Maybe I just don’t want to see that connection die. I thought having Martha Jones’ tortured family stuck at the eye of the storm and remembering everything when the whole world forgot the events of the Master’s rule as the paradox was reversed at the end of season 3 was a very bold, dramatic move after all.

So yes, I’m ambivalent about the whole event. While I don’t really want a big reset button to be pressed — for the reasons listed above — I’m intrigued as to how they will do it if they do do it — my writer’s curiosity I guess.

Now, how does Davros fit in to all this...