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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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