So long, farewell...
Considering I found the first part beyond ridiculous I'm actually surprised at how good I found the second part. I thought it was a suitably fitting end for David Tennant with some fantastic acting from Tennant, Simm and Cribbins.
They made such an immense fuss about that glass contraption in the first part that I wasn't too surprised that that was what killed him. There was absolutely no other reason to have it in the first part. RTD has always actually been a bit toothless when it comes to the death scenes -Nine was killed by TARDIS radiation so I wasn't too surprised that he didn't let the Master or the Timelords kill Ten that he opted instead for the "soft" death by having the nuclear radiation do for him. No blood and guts for the kiddies. One of the things I am hoping that Moffat brings back in his reign is a real sense of peril. I was never frightened by anything that RTD came up with (creepy weeping angels and the "Are you my mummy?" zombies are of course Moffat creations). Previous regenerations the Doctor just dies - doesn't have 20 minutes to say goodbye but then it wasn't just Tennant's swansong it was RTD's as well.
That being said I was impressed at the "He will knock 4 times" resolution. Timelords vanquished he's still alive and then you get that soft knocking of Wilf at the door and the knowledge dawning in Ten's face that after everything he's faced it will be dopey old very human Wilf that would ultimately end his life. Tennant's reaction in that scene and his subsequent hissy fit as he rails against his fate was really rather brilliant. And Cribbins reaction was magnificent.
Of course the plot made zero sense. I mean no sense what so ever. Why were the Time Lords so bloodthirsty? Who was that woman? Ten's mother? What on earth was the point of Naismith? What happened to the Master in the end? Did he just fade into time with the Timelords (presumably so that he can be brought back if needed)? I mean as plots go it was just complete and total nonsense.
But I guess you just have to ignore all of that and focus on the character stuff and the scenes between Ten and Wilf and Ten and the Master were fantastic. I mean could the show get any slashier? The Ten/Master stuff was amazing - especially at the end with the pair of them refusing to kill each other.
But when we reached the point where he'd been zapped with radiation and there was still 20 minutes left and given that I had been spoiled about most of the guest stars appearances I figured we were about to get a Return of the King ending. Hideously self indulgent of course but very RTD to have him saying goodbye to everyone and let Tennant have his moment. And as endings go it was still better than dumping Rose in another universe with a blow up doll version of Ten.
Still monumentally pissed off that Donna ended up mindwiped as that is still a truly unforgivable ending but at least she gets to be happily married multi-millionaire Donna. And doesn't die which I was very much afraid of.
Think its more than a tad patronising that they married off Mickey and Martha (hey what should we do with the black people? I know lets marry them off!) but it was a suitable ending for their characters I guess - happy and fighting the good fight hunting down aliens.
I didn't even mind the Jack sequence. I was rather concerned that they were just going to ignore the end of Children of Earth entirely or have Jack be all flirty space tramp again. So to show a desolate Jack some time in the future steadily drinking himself to death in a bar and the Doctor gently nudging him on by pointing him in the direction of Midshipman Frame was fine. I was quite fucked off by RTD in the Confidential saying that it showed that Ten had forgiven Jack for his actions. Forgiven? What the fuck was there to forgive? Jack should be forgiving him for not showing up and saving him and Ianto from the 456. Rusty talking bollocks aside I have no problem with Jack moving on. He can't grieve Ianto forever and its hardly like he's going to shag Midshipman Frame and all of a sudden be magically better. It does pave the way for him to come back in Torchwood 4 which I could care less about.
And if they were going to have Rose...again then having him meet her before Nine meets her was fine. And looks like Billie didn't have collagen injections this time around as she could actually speak.
And as last lines go "I don't want to go" was a killer.
In truth all of the final specials were incredibly disappointing from the campy nonsense of Planet of the Dead to the poorly executed Waters of Mars and The End of Time is the sort of episode where I will probably watch on fast forward - zipping to the character moments I liked. Tennant deserved a lot better all told.
So farewell David (him crying on the Confidential was a killer) and hello Matt (I did laugh at them clearing everyone off the set so Matt's first scene would be a bit low key and noone grasping that he's just have to now walk through everyone to get to the set - not intimidating at all!). Rather liked the look of Matt and the new trailer they aired looks completely awesome but it feels like the end of an era in the way that Nine's regeneration didn't.