Shocking realizations.

[ceebee_eebee]

Well, I just watched The Stolen Earth and I've come to a shocking realization about my feeling toward the Tenth Doctor, which in retrospect, should probably have been a lot more obvious to me...



I've never made it a secret that I am not much of a fan of the Tenth Doctor, and I've blamed it on a wide variety of factors from Tennant's acting, to the ickiness of the Doctor-Rose relationship in S2, to the incredibly annoying "lonely god" bullshit. In reality, though, I think it really all comes down to Harriet Jones. What do I mean by that? Well...

Harriet Jones is one of my favorite characters in Who. I'm talking old skool and new skool combined. I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuv her. She is one of the bravest, most genuinely heroic characters in the whoniverse. And what does the Tenth Doctor do practically the minute he shows up? He fucks her over in one of the most selfish and shortsighted moves in the history of his character. This was a woman who was supposed to usher in a new golden age and he destroys her for daring to challenge his decision on what was best for the future of the Earth. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! It enrages to me to such a degree I can barely think straight.

And now, in The Stolen Earth we are reminded of just why Harriet Jones is one of the most amazing human beings the Doctor has ever had the fortune of coming into contact with. And that's when I realized the truth. I think I have never been able to forgive the Tenth Doctor for what he did to Harriet at the end of the The Christmas Invasion and it's colored my feelings toward him this entire time. It was an action that I don't think I'll ever forgive him for, and it makes me love the Doctor just that little bit less. Which, again, I blame the Tenth Doctor for. In that one stroke, he diminished a character I love more than I can begin to say. Damn. It makes me sad all over again just thinking about it.

(Oh, and if RTD fucks this up and turns around to make Harriet a villain...there is no where on this earth he would be safe from my wrath.)

OT: What the hell is it that Ianto says after they see the Doctor for the first time and Gwen says she thought he'd be older? No matter how many times I play it back, I still can't make out Ianto's line.

Comments

[usuallyhats]

According to someone on doctorwho, Ianto says: "He's not that young."

If Harriet turns out to be a villain I will be furious. It was so great to see her being brilliant again this episode. I didn't start disliking Ten 'til much later but looking back, what he did to her was definitely a part of it.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Ianto says: "He's not that young."

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. That makes sense. Thanks!

If Harriet turns out to be a villain I will be furious.

I am so glad I am not alone in that. And honestly, at this point, I think one of the greatest things I can imagine happening in the next ep is Ten admitting that what he did to Harriet was tragic mistake. It would go a hell of a long way to redeeming him in my eyes if he was willing to accept that he was wrong.

[julygreen.livejournal.com]

I couldn't make out Ianto's line either, so thanks for that!

[kindkit.livejournal.com]

I've already seen the episode, so it doesn't matter to me, but I wanted to mention that the title of your post is itself pretty spoilery (since it shows that Harriet Jones was in the episode). I, personally, was delighted NOT to know that in advance and to have the thrill of seeing her again unexpectedly.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Huh. I never would have thought of that. I guess I'll change it.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

You know I agree with you on this one. If he were to recognize and admit that what he did was foolish, short-sighted, and selfish, it wouldn't fix all the bad acting or the Lonely God or the obnoxious behaviour with Rose in S2 - but it would mean that he actually learned something about how he is not the only high power in the universe and that sometimes he can be wrong. I want him to realize — and more importantly, I want the show to recognize — he is an ass.

Oh, and if RTD fucks this up and turns around to make Harriet a villain...there is no where on this earth he would be safe from my wrath.

I'll bring the pitchforks (or better yet, a packet of sporks) if you bring the torches.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I want him to realize — and more importantly, I want the show to recognize — he is an ass.

Exactly! If there was ever an incarnation that needed to be taken down a notch, it's Ten. His arrogance is horrifying sometimes. And of all the questionable shit he's done, the Harriet betrayal was (IMO) the worst. Not only did he fuck over a friend, he fucked over the entire human race by acting as if his hurt feelings were more important than a new golden age. UGH. For him to actually admit that would be amazing.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

And of all the questionable shit he's done, the Harriet betrayal was (IMO) the worst.

It's certainly the one that unleashed my hate. And it felt like a pattern throughout S2 that they kept undermining/undoing things that had happened in S1. Even Pete, whom I love dearly, should have stayed dead and the whole alt!world just doesn't work for me (unlike, say, the ST mirror world which has been fairly consistent over 40 years, even if it has some dodgy racial/sexist undertones - it is a mirror world).

I think that while undermining Harriet was the worst single thing Ten did, it was the fact that he seemed to regress into an unfeeling, self-centered egomaniac after Nine finally put himself back together enough to sacrifice himself for love. Ten could have still been bouncy and happy, he didn't have to be "dark" - especially as Tennant is incapable of power. I actually feel sorry for him when they ask him to do it, because he looks ridiculous.

That said, as you'll see from my post, I thought The Stolen Earth was perhaps his least excruciating performance so far.

[iko.livejournal.com]

I want him to realize — and more importantly, I want the show to recognize — he is an ass.

Definitely! I am really worried that Ten will never learn of the awesomeness of Harriet and that he was so wrong about her... and that she was responsible for bringing all the Children of Time together to defend the Earth by bringing him.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

To be brutally honest, I'd really prefer that the humans save themselves this time, or at least perform 98% of the work themselves because one of the things that depressed me about "Turn Left" was that it seemed without the Great and Powerful Oz Doctor, humanity is out of luck. While I recognize that he's the hero, my favourite incarnations (One, Two, and Nine) have been the teacher-Doctors, and the reliance on the Doctor to get us out of all these jams seems to feed into the "god" storyline, which really isn't my favourite.

It's why I don't want Donna to be a Time Lady, but I can see them setting that up as a possibility.

Harriet's point in TCI was that humans had to be able to defend themselves because he wouldn't always be around. His sanctimonious anti-gun ranting mid-season this series also feeds into the paternalistic/patronizing thing that put me off some of the "classic" Doctors. I'm hoping for a satisfying conclusion, but I'm not expecting one.

It's better for my blood pressure. :-)

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

To be brutally honest, I'd really prefer that the humans save themselves this time, or at least perform 98% of the work themselves because one of the things that depressed me about "Turn Left" was that it seemed without the Great and Powerful Oz Doctor, humanity is out of luck.

That would be so, so, so, so dreamy. And I hope the very fact that they have loaded the cast with pretty much every human being the Tenth Doctor has come into contact with means that it's those people that will end up saving the day. I live in hope.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I am really worried that Ten will never learn of the awesomeness of Harriet and that he was so wrong about her

I can't even consider it. Ten HAS to learn the truth about Harriet's fabulousness or I will freak out. And no one wants that.

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

I think that what Harriet Jones did in TCI was wrong, but I also think that what the Doctor did was wrong. More than anything, I felt that Harriet's action at the end was very OOC, and it felt more like a cheap ploy from RTD to undermine her.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Quite possibly. I think Harriet's actions were understandable, but even if they WERE wrong, I can't forgive the Doctor for passing judgment on her the way he did. The selfishness and arrogance were too much. But I hear what you are saying about RTD undermining her with that storyline. Makes as much sense as anything else given Rusty's fondness for constantly airing his mother-figure issues.

[julygreen.livejournal.com]

What the Doctor did to Harriet at the end of TCI is definitely one of the low points of New Who. The fact that she went out* a hero in this episode goes some way to redressing that, but I also really want the Doctor to acknowledge her.

I hear you on the "lonely god" motif, it's something they're pushing a bit too hard, IMO. Someone made a comment to this effect below, but while I enjoyed Turn Left, it was a little insulting that the episode implied that human civilization would descend into madness without the Doctor.

I am still reeling from that ending, though. How did they keep the lid on that? It'd better not be some kind of fakeout and he doesn't really regenerate. I don't dislike Ten, (although at times he has a smugness that rubs me the wrong way), but I was quite glad when I heard that Tennant was leaving after the specials. Totally didn't expect a regeneration in this episode, though!


*or did she? We didn't actually see her die, it's just implied. Please be back in the next episode Harriet!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

What the Doctor did to Harriet at the end of TCI is definitely one of the low points of New Who.

I couldn't possibly agree more. And the fact that it happened in Ten's very first episode...such a terrible way to introduce a new incarnation. Really gross. And if RTD turns around and takes away her hero's death...well, I think I've made it clear how I'll react. ;-)

I don't dislike Ten, (although at times he has a smugness that rubs me the wrong way), but I was quite glad when I heard that Tennant was leaving after the specials. Totally didn't expect a regeneration in this episode, though!

I know! It's gotta be a fake out. As much as I think it would be incredibly amazing for the BBC and everyone involved to manage to keep such a huge thing a secret, I just don't think it's possibly in this day and age. We would have known about it. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. (And while I admit I've liked Tennant a hell of a lot more this season than I did previously, I'm still pretty excited for Eleven.)

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

I was almost certain that Harriet was being set-up as a villain, to just lure them all together so the Daleks could kill them. Then I realised that they weren't doing that at all, and she really was just made of complete awesome! :D

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Wasn't it fabulous?! All I had been hearing was horrible spoilers about how she was going to be evil or working for the Daleks or working for the Master, and given RTD's track record with mature women characters, none of it seemed incredible. Upsetting, yes. But believable. This was one of the best enexpected gifts this new series has given me. It better have been for real.