Doomsday

170 days is just WAY too long to wait!!!

If you haven't seen the Confidentials for the each part of the finale, I would advise you to go out there and get them. What this group puts into this show is what makes it one of the best shows on TV period, not just in the area of Science Fiction. Imagine if great writers like Terry Nation and Pip Baker, directors like Ron Jones and Barry Letts and producers like Verity Lambert and John Nathan-Turner had the full support of the BBC when they were working on this show. Imagine if all of the people involved in Doctor Who from 1963 on did not have to worry (near as much anyway) about budget constraints or high up executives who thought they knew everything about everything people wanted to watch on television.

I'm not saying the 2005/2006 teams had it easy by any means. Just easier. If the writer or director had ideas for the show, there were people on the set who would say "You can do this, this and this but you have to stop at this". Most times, the director was able to do what they envisioned when reading the scripts for the show. Imagine that!

This season was a roller coaster to be sure. Without Chris Eccelston, without his gritty portrayal of the Doctor who has just lost his entire race could the show continue on or would the 2005 and 2006 seasons be another 1996 movie and make the show fall away into obscurity once again? No matter what you say about certain aspects of this season, the general consensus has to be that David Tennant grabbed this role by the family jewels and ran away with it. He has the forceful nature of Eccelston, but has also shown the compassion of the Doctors that came before him. His love for the human race and awe of their potential. Perhaps it was the writing more than Eccelston's skill as an actor but these were traits lacking in Series One. Again, for one season, the Doctor had experienced more pain than he ever had before. Eccelston's performance was brilliant and what the show needed to break away from familiar patterns and show just how damaged this Timelord really was.

In 2006 however, with the introduction of Rose into his life as well as her extended family, the Doctor had begun the healing process and could once again show some of his jovial nature. David Tennant performed this brilliantly from the first Christmas dinner in "The Christmas Invasion" to talking about Earth's future history in "New Earth" and on and on throughout the season. He would not allow people like Harriet Jones, the werewolf cult monks or even Torchwood to hurt the human race but also would he not automatically solve every problem the human race had (even though he often wanted to). His perfomance from day one was brilliant and, once again, exactly how the Doctor needed to be portrayed at this time in his life.

On to Army of Ghosts and Doomsday. The epic nature of having Cybermen and Daleks at the same time alone would have made this finale a Doctor Who's wet dream besides the fact that the episodes were very well written and acted. The introduction of the "Genesis Ark" was an excellent way to bring millions of Daleks once again appear from nowhere. Inside, I was hoping that since it was Gallifreyian technology it would somehow be able to jumpstart the Timelords back into existence, but the fact that it was a prison for millions of Daleks was an awesome concept and turned out to be a much better plot device in the long run. I loved Gallifrey and the Timelords but I really believe that dumping all of that excess baggage that every Doctor since Hartnell had to deal with is still the best thing for the show. The scene where the Daleks and Cybermen meet was fantastic! As they say in Confidential, the Daleks have their own set of emotions and the disgust and superiority the Daleks feel toward Cybermen was palpable. 5,000,000 Cybermen against one Dalek would be an even fight. Brilliant! One doctor and you (the Daleks) are actually scared. Brilliant! This was a flawless meeting and even though the threat of the Cybermen was the driving force of 3/4 of the two finale episodes, the Daleks showed themselves to be the true enemy of the human race and the Doctor. The Daleks had time travel technology, they had the weapons to attack and kill Timelords and the Cybermen were really just humans dressed up in armor with superior technology. Superior to humans that is.

The end of Rose Tyler was handled perfectly as well. I'm sure many hardcore fans would probably think it was a cop out for her not to have died. Underneath all the battles with Jake and his commandos, all the special effects, all the flash of Torchwood there is this emotional story of the Tylers, and the reunion of a family. It's all done so brilliantly you almost forget about the huge battle that is raging on outside. Jackie and Pete show that they are meant for each other whether they are from the same universe or not. Pete is still the same guy, it just so happens one of his "wacky ideas" happened to work on his world.

This episode had a lot to cover. 5,000,000 Cybermen and (with the help of the Genesis Ark) millions of Daleks had to be defeated, and as most of us knew by now Rose had to die. It was obvious to most fans though that Rose's death had to be no fault of the Doctor's both for his sanity as well as Jackie's whose promise he gave that he would protect them both. The Void radiation, in my opinion was ingenious. Here was a way for all enemies to be taken out at once and Rose and the doctor would also be susceptible to its' effects. The way Pete stepped in and saved her was awesome and since we all knew Rose would be leaving in this episode, it actually created a feeling of fear when she was being pulled into the void! It was actually a surprise when Pete jumped in and caught her! This is no small feat in 2006 television!

I believe this finale was perfect Doctor Who in every way. Yvonne bucking her Cyber upgrade and having a small part in the Doctor's victory, Jake jumping in and saving the Doctor, Pete's emergence as a leader and a parallel Torchwood all added to a story that could have just been a big Cybermen/Dalek brawl. What could have just been a 45 minute special effects laser battle was instead a great story of heart, of human ingenuity and the Doctor's evolution. They even came up with a way for him to truly say goodbye to Rose and it is not an easy message for Rose to get which makes it all the more believable and well done. He doesn't even say "I love you" which is just so perfect!

Bottom line, Series Two was perfect in my mind. Ups and downs to be sure but then again Series One was not 100% perfect (farting Slitheen anyone?). What makes this show perfect is what made 2005 perfect. This is a show that has been around for 43 years. Taken as a whole, this revamp of the classic Who retains the Tardis, sonic screwdriver and the Doctor's incredible brain and puts it in a modern context we can all relate to. It adds a complexity to characters and emotions that could never have been realized in the early years of this show. In this way I believe it is on par with BSG or any of the other shows considered to be top tier Sci-Fi. More than that though, it would appeal to its' target audience perfectly. People young and old can enjoy this show and, once again, in 2006 with all that we've seen on television this is no small feat.

Cheers to RTD and to the entire cast and crew of Doctor Who Series Two. 170 days simply can't come fast enough!

And what's with the Runaway Bride?!