Okay, how many of you softies got moist-eyed or shed a tear? Bah. I'm hard and cynical, me, and such mushy stuff has absolutely no place in...

Oh, who am I kidding. I found 'Father's Day' emotional enough, so I didn't have a chance here. I was doing alright until a devastated and inconsolable Rose managed to get out the words "I love you" and the Doctor (who's inability to use the 'L' word is sad, yet understandable given his situation; he couldn't say it in 'School Reunion' either) fades away. Whoah. And I didn't feel manipulated; these characters had *earned* this moment.

I think this episode will be remembered as 'the one where Rose leaves' rather than 'the one with the Daleks versus the Cybermen' and personally I think that's quite a compliment to Billie and, indeed, David, Christopher and the writers. I'm not a fan who has ever particularly wished for a meeting between the 'big two' monsters. I know the monsters are a large part of 'Who', but of course it is much more than that. Strong characterisation, quirkiness, humour, imagination, warmth...humanity. All present and correct here, where there was much to enjoy. Including;

Seeing Mickey portrayed as confident and heroic, with a sly sense of humour. 'Rose' seems like a looong time ago; Jackie and 'alternative' Pete getting together. (I loved the Doctor and Mickey's underreaction to Jackie's "There's been no-one else") ; the breathtaking moment where it seems Rose might actually be a goner and Tennant *screams* her name; A 'cyberfied' Yvonne shedding an oily tear; the four Daleks blase about millions of Cybermen, but twitching at the mention of the Doctor....

Maybe the script can be ripped apart...maybe I will myself in the future but, here and now, whilst I wouldn't say this was an instant classic, I did think it was an involving and entertaining conclusion to a season that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I'll give it a 9.5/10 today. It's an episode I experienced rather than examined, hence the brevity, but I look forward to the more detailed reactions on these fine pages!

Self-indulgent mode; some personal awards (fanfare) ;

The David Tennant Award for best performance by a David Tennant: well, I rewatched 'School Reunion' prior to 'Doomsday' (it seemed apt as the episode was mainly about what it's like to be a companian of the Doctor) and Tennant is *superb* throughout so today this episode's performance gets the nod.

The Billie Piper Award for best performance by an ex-popstar who turned out to be a wonderful actress: For dramatic impact, it would have to be 'Doomsday'; for sheer fun and charm; 'The Idiot's Lantern'.

The Kinda award for episode most likely to be a bit of a cult in the future: 'Love and Monsters' or 'TGINF', but I guess it'd have to be the former, as it was just so divisive.

The IMHO award for most underrated episode: 'The Idiot's Lantern'...just because I really liked it!

Best Character Development By a Few Streets: Mickey Smith. Well played, Noel, and you left your very best 'til last, too....

After last week's classy finish, we were left gasping for more...

Maybe it is just me but the computer graphics and all those Daleks and cybermen do look very, well, computer generated. No surprises there obviously but what Doctor Who has done best so far has been the one to one relationships, particularly the "Dalek" episode from the first series.

It was all still very visually impressive though, and don't get me wrong, this is the stuff we always wanted to see from reading all those Dalek comics and annuals from the 60s and 70s.

There was some great exchanges between Rose and the daleks, as well as the Doctor who seemed to be very sure of himself. You got the feeling though that to a certain extent there was re-treading of old ground when the Doctor deliberately pushed Rose into the other dimension ... and of course, she came back again.

For me the highlights of this episode did not really involve the Doctor's two historic enemies but it was the coming together of Rose's Mum and Dad, and then of course, the grande finale when Rose disappeared into another parallel universe. It was great that Rose did not die. I think that would have been too upsetting and it does leave it open should she ever return. But I would have thought it would be more for a Sarah Jane Smith style School Reunion than a fully blown return.

Billie Piper gave a real tearjerking performance. She certainly wasn't the only one bubbling away.

Even some of the Dalek's lines were pretty funny during the story but the funniest was Jackie's reaction to meeting Pete Tyler again ... brilliant stuff.

In a sense, Rose got what she had always wanted as well going back to Father's Day as she wanted to see her father and be re-united with her parents again when Pete Tyler was alive. In the end she got her dream but at a cost in that she lost the man she loves in the shape of the Doctor.

There was plenty of intrigue about the episodes with the sphere hiding a dark secret then the Genesis Arc. I am sure a few of us who had been reading message boards in recent weeks fully believed that Davros was making his return but it was not to be... perhaps that might be another adventure.

The final parting scenes which were supposedly in Norway but my money was that it was a cold spring's day in Wales (!), were beautiful and eloquent. I thought the musical score really was first class throughout this two parter which really hit the heights.

While there have been some new monsters, I think the old monsters like Daleks, Cybermen, and even the good guys Sarah Jane and K-9 have been among the strong episodes, I would hope that more old baddies could come back as has been suggested. Ice Warriors and Yeti please in series three, NOT the sontarans or Sil! Let's go back to the hammer horror period of 60s Who!

The finale was quite brilliant with the Tardis spinning next to the heart of the universe as the Doctor actually managed to have some parting words with Rose in a beautiful exchange. Has a parting of the ways ever been as touching as this (Christopher Eccleston's leaving is on a par). I liked the fact that her mother burst forward to hug her at the end as the Dr vanished or de-materialised into another universe.

A neat little surprise cliffhanger for the Christmas special too. Should thurst the Doctor into a surprising new situation he has not been involved in before! All in all, an absolute epic of an episode. I still can't believe they crammed so much into 45 minutes as you were left gasping at the end of it. Altogether, it was a beautiful end to a beautiful story of the Doctor and Rose. Billie Piper has played an incredibly huge impact and leaves a void almost as big as the gulf between the Doctor and Rose in different parallel universes on an emotional level. Like David Tennant had to do when Christopher Eccleston left last season, Freema Agyeman has to step up to the challenge and showcase her acting talent as the two original lead actors from the new series leave along with the Rose's family who have all been terrific. There was a fresh and real vibrance about Doctor Who because of Rose and Rose's Mum played by Camille Coduri and of course, Mickey, played by Noel Clarke. The series has lost some very strong actors and actresses. I hope the show can continue and flourish and in the hands of Russell T Davies, who has shown himself to be a true admirer of Who old and new, the show is in very safe hands.

Doomsday. A fitting name. For it was for Rose and the Doctor…

But wow. You know. Wow. At first I thought Daleks and Cybermen would be too much to handle. Too big. But RTD pulled it off! Everyone was supporting the Daleks of course- they had some great lines, e.g “This is not war. This is pest control.” The Daleks are just brilliant!

So Rose didn’t die. I thought she wouldn’t; there were too many hints implying that she would and of course nothing obvious ever happens in Doctor Who.

I had a theory that she may get stuck on a parallel world and the beach scene came very close…Especially when Rose mentioned a baby. But because there’s never been any evidence of a Doctor/Rose drunken pash then it wouldn’t have worked. Instead I was yelling “Not Mickey’s! Please not Mickey!” but it was a red herring. Thank god.

Bringing me onto Mickey…why does everyone like him? He’s turned from an idiotic coward to an arrogant idiotic poser. His pathetic attempts to flirt with Rose made me cringe. As if I’m not upset enough about Rose being trapped in another universe! But Mickey being there…

I’m loving Pete though. I think it was great that he, Jackie and Rose are together. Ignore Mickey. I liked him so much in father’s day I knew he’d have to come back. Like I know Rose will have to come back too. Preferably with Captain Jack. I loved the threesome! Haven’t seem them together with the tenth doctor yet. I can hope…

Yvonne. She was a bitch. I liked her. And Tracy’s very good at playing bitchy people. I wish she could be the new companion. What a combination that would be! I didn’t think much of Freema as Adeola. No. Not at all.

I thought the scene where Rose lets go of the lever was heart wrenching, especially the distraught expression on the Doctor’s face. The music teamed with Rose and the Doctor both leaning on the wall was heartbreaking but very effective. The beach scene was even sadder. Perhaps saying goodbye is harder than one actually dying? They know they’re both alive but they can’t be with each other. Terribly sad.

I’m trying to decide which is better. Parting of the ways or Doomsday? Loved the bad wolf reference in Doomsday, as if Rose had put that there because she knew what was going to happen, and made it be the last place to say goodbye. Rose told the Doctor she loved him (finally) but he was cut off just before he could! Very Satan Pit. Oh, she knows. He just can’t admit his feelings, can he? There was no kiss in Doomsday which annoyed me no end. Rose hasn’t had a chance to get her hands on the tenth yet (New Earth doesn’t count). That’s probably why I’m leaning more towards Parting of the Ways. A kiss, self sacrifice- and of course all the bad wolf stuff going on. Great idea. It makes Rose special and makes you think Is she, in effect, a Timelady now? Will she live on, for as long as the Doctor? I’ll be waiting for her to come back. It won’t be the same now she’s gone. But I’ll be watching, like the rest of you. Hoping for Rose and my 2nd favourite, Captain Jack, to return!

To conclude, Doctor Who is just excellent. The 2 series are the best television I’ve ever seen. Sure there’s been some slip ups like the Long game and Girl in the fireplace (Steven Moffat I’m disappointed in you) but all in all, in the words of the 9th doctor, “Fantastic.”

And so an era comes to an end and the Tyler clan (et Mickey) are left to a "Rose"y future in the alternative Earth. And what a season which has played with just about every emotion possible - we have seen high drama, genuinely scary moments, humour, love, relationships, envy, sadness, bitterness and some mind blowing concepts. The fans have at times been critical of the more experimental stories with clear almost 50/50 splits with some of them. But Doctor Who is no longer specifically written for fans. It generates viewers of all ages and interests and whilst there is much to please fans it is important to recognise the way in which Doctor Who is now written and presented - to pull in as large and varied audience as it can - and that premise has worked extremely well!

Army of Ghosts had shaped up well - albeit giving Torchwood a sense of lack of direction. Doomsday picked up on last week's episode's strengths and us into a mad frenzied battle for Earth with mankind helpless in the path of destruction. The 4 elite named Daleks were on a mission and the mighty Cybermen stood no chance against the metal pepperpots - encased in force fields and with the ability to fly. Should we ever have doubted who would win in such a fight???

The story was of course set up to see the exit of Rose - just as the Auton invasion of London had been a means to introduce the Doctor into her life. Along with many other viewers, I had worked out the ending (well transfer to the alternate Earth that is) but it was a twist to see Pete run to Rose's timely rescue rather than Mickey - a nice twist!! And at last we saw the Doctor fully react to the loss of a companion - Rose had become more to him than any other now that he is the lone Time Lord. The tears seemed right - the unfinished sentence - well . . . he couldn't have actually told Rose he loved her could he? Full marks to David Tennant and Billie Piper for very fine and moving performances.

As with the Autons slaughtering shoppers in "Rose" there was something terrifying about seeing Cybermen in people's homes, on their stair landings, patrolling local streets and battling troops on bridges. And shots of London burning from the top of Canary Warf/Torchwood Institute - spectacular!!!! To be fair some of the CGE shots of flying Daleks were not as good as in last season's finale but I was still impressed! And the Daleks' method of extracting information from the brain was rather horrific stuff!!!

So as the closing titles flashed up - what were the unanswered questions? Well for a start, what happened to the Torchwood Institute on our Earth (with no Rose Tyler to advise)? Was it wiped out and will the new Torchwood series develop on a completely new set up?? And then the Runaway Bride - is Catherine Tate to be the new temp companion????? Well to quote the actresses most popular comedy character "I Ain't Bothered!" - what an unusual and unpredictable way to end the episode - especially after the high emotions of the farewells!

Congratulations to Mr RTD on an almost devoid of humour script that was very dramatic and to all the actors, production staff, musicians, special effects crew and back room boys and girls for making Season 2 so enjoyable and a treat for Saturday night!! Roll on the Christmas Special and Season 3!!!

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?!

Ok, as usual, I let this one stew for a bit. I've watched it time and time again, once it's dark enuf to enjoy on the Projector and not on some small telly screen.

I've decided this was FAB. It had it all, RTD has taken a few risks this series, and I love him for it. A show, or books, or Audios, or Comics, or Magazines, cannot last this long without risks. RTD has taken Dr Who and done it. He pulled it off BIG time. I watched Star Trek become formalistic and tedious (and I hate think that about ST) but it did. Star Gate went a little further and updated it's self. Buffy and Angel went further in how wonderfully they would take risks. We have had this in Doctor Who, but 10X more. Daleks and Cybermen? I need a tissue and a few private moments in the bathroom. Daleks, Cybermen, and the brilliantly built up 'Torchwood'? I will txt u when the bfroom is free. There will be no bog-roll left though.

We were promised epic, and we got it. This, like “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit” will end up in my edit suite, and get spliced together. For no other reason, than they are movies, and so well realised, it shocked me. I loved the cliff hanger, but I know the resolution now, so can boot up any Linux edit suite and put the 2 together. I can watch the Movies, that the BBC Wales are throwing at us, and adore them. I will still buy the DVD set, but sometimes, like the re-edit on 'Star Wars' ep.1 that did the rounds on the net, we know fans like to make changes. In this case I'll simply bang 2 ep's together to make a film.

Where does one start a review though? How does one describe a series finale that left my having to put my t-shirt in the washer because it was so wet with tears? Tears of joy, Tears of shock, Tears of Hope, Tears of Laughter? Ben (the B/F) went and watched on a chair, because he was ashamed sitting next to me on the sofa (he's a cold wally at times tho!)

Hope. Hope was good. He seemed defeated, but always Hope. I like that in a script. Many years ago when I was 16 I re-wrote the Bible, as a stage play to see how we'd cope with Jesus being born today, in the UK, in a tiny town. The Kids acting for me had done years of Nativity scenes at younger Schools, and Parents had watched about the same amount. I wanted to do the story, but re-engage the Kids and Parents. We did. (All the music was composed on an Amiga 500 for the techs!)

RTD seemed to want something in this Ep, that he got. I understand that, because if you take on a BIG story and try to re-invigorate it, it is hard.

He fed every fan's Dream, I think. Cyberman -vs- Daleks. The Doctor and the Humans were great. They were in the middle, and lost the fight As they should. If they wanted to win against the Daleks, they would need an upgrade.

As a season finale, it was perfect. Total 'Who' heaven. The music was a stunning effort, Goldis slagged by people in reviews, I think they are utterly wrong. The CGI was lovely, again at times the CGI is dissed, but I see lovely images that beat and other show because these guys LOVE 'Who'.

Acting was again TOP. Billie needs another BAFTA, and if our US friends have any sense at all, they need to reward her as well. DT also should have an award, because he is the best Doctor since Troughton. However America will easily deny this. Finally though, RTD deserves another award State Side for the Best Drama we in the UK have, and the Best you in the UK will ever have.