(no subject)
I really like these episodes, despite their problems. I'm just going to go over some of my gripes with regards to my expectations.
The Master did not need to be resurrected for this storyline, and in fact his presence detracted from it a lot. Instead of spending so much time focussing on the relationship between the Doctor and Master, which no one really cares about, other relationships could have been addressed.
I dont like the way all the relations were so finalised. Especially with reference to Donna & Rose, who i felt had such interesting backstories to be furthered, and part of me doubts whether they will ever fully get the attention they deserve. RTD seems to have firmly closed the book on most of the arcs he created. Especially when it comes to Donna, a half time lord who didnt play any role in the plot of these episodes despite the unique position she held. She would have been perfect for a role in tackling the Time Lords. Instead his companion in these episodes was Wilf the grandfather and two green aliens, all of whom were more of a plot device than meaningful characters. Indeed, Wilf seemed almost like a surrogate Donna, necessary due to the impotence of Donna RTD had enforced.
Furthermore, the Doctor's egomanical streak which was so tantilisingly developed in Waters of Mars was just forgotten for these final episodes. I was expecting, and would have preferred, this dark aspect of the Doctor to be addressed, and it could have played a breathtaking, pivitol role in forwarding the plot, fitting in nicely with the genocide of Time Lords which started this whole arc in 2005.
The Doctor's final words were just ew. & I'm disappointed the Time Lords didnt actually return. Instead of a gamechanging episode which could have opened up many options for future plots, we are left with a new Doctor who I think will find it hard to forge a new path, with no progression of the mythology or canon of the show.