The "Death" of Donna - Why did RTD do it?

[catsfiction]

One of the more endearing features of “The Writer’s Tale” was that he’s so open about his struggles to wind up the Doctor/Rose romance in a convincing way - though I’m not entirely persuaded that he ever really did.

With Donna’s fate, it’s more difficult to work out what went wrong. If indeed, anything did go wrong.

Comments

[salienne]

the sight of male power abusedThe thing is, I don't think it's an example of that. Yes, the Doctor is male and Donna is female, and yes, the Doctor is more powerful than that scene there and does something very much against her will

[salienne]

Er...

"yes, the Doctor is more powerful than Donna in that scene there"

Sorry, I really shouldn't comment right after I've woken up.

[sensiblecat]

Warning, this includes spoilers.

It was going to be another typical "Whaat?" scenario. After moping for a moment or two, he sees something peculiar on the monitor and while he's bending over to examine it two Cybermen appear behind him. It was shot, but later cut (Partly this was done to cut out some complicated FX at the start of the next Special, and to avoid the continuity problem of Ten being soaking wet throughout.

As for Ten ending up alone, I get the feeling (which might just be my impression) that RTD assumed both Tens were the same man so it would come over as a perfectly happy ending for one of them to have Rose. It kind of hit him when he wrote it out, however, that it would still be an awful downer for the original Doctor. I know that sounds ridiculous, but right up to the weekend before JE aired I was reading the "two Doctors" rumours and thinking, "Oh, that'd be brilliant. Happy ending!" From the TV producer's POV I think it is a brilliant solution. It just leaves a very bleak conclusion.

[catsfiction]

It strikes me that even Shakespeare is kinder than the post-JE world of Doctor Who. Anyone who's read the Sonnets will know Shakespeare knew terrible pain in love, but his characters never walk away from its demands.

It's time for Ten to have a drink with Berowne:

"From women's eyes this doctrine I derive
That sparkle still the right Promethean fire:
They are the books, the arts, the academes
That show, contain and nourish all the world
Else none at all in aught proves excellent.
Then fools you were these women to forswear,
Or, keeping what is sworn, you will prove fools."

(LLL Act 4 scene 3)