Billie's obviously not staying on past these three episodes, that's definite, but I still hope they don't kill her. They might have well left her where she was, happy in a parallel universe with her Mum and Dad and new sibling (which isn't a bad trade off for the Doctor!)

Anyhoos, the implication at the end of 'Turn Left' was that though Donna died in the alternative reality, this wasn't the 'death' that Rose foretold, and that was still to come. At least that was the impression I got.

I think Davies will be very reluctant to actually kill anyone. On past form we won't get a literal death - we were told Rose would die in battle, she told us "this is the story of how I died", and it really wasn't.

However and whatever happens, I don't believe Tate will stay beyond this final episode, and suspect we'll have a companionless Doctor for the 2009 specials (unless he takes David Morrissey with him, which would be awesome).

It'll probably be the Tardis to save Davies having to kill any of his 'children of time' (barfs).

I'm telling you... I am going to either be the next companion or Doctor... Anything else is LIES... LIES I TELL YOU!

Yeah....okkkkaaayyyy.

That is what I thought too.

<sigh> How many hours till the season finale?

More for you than for us!

Can't wait for tomorrow, getting all excited now as I've managed to avoid any spoilers.

Less than 30 for us.

As have I, pretty much!

Makes more sense...



Darn, what a fool I've been.

Not long left now... eee!!

For season finale of any series the lid seems to have been firmly kept on. Which is refreshing.

Here (and most other places) it has mainly been speculation.

How they've done that.

Ood Sigma: We thank you, Doctor-Donna, friends of Oodkind. And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you.

The Doctor: Oh … oh … I’ve sort of got a song of my own, thanks.

Ood Sigma: I think your song must end soon.

The Doctor (surprise and concern): Meaning?

Ood Sigma: Every song must end

Ahh, but thanks to the wonder that is Youtube, not as many as it could be!



Won't be too bad, I'll be at an all day/night bbq party tomorrow so I'll be able to watch it when I get home tomorrow night

You lucky people! A lil over 13 hrs, correct?

It sux being American sometimes LoL I can't wait to get a (spoiler-free) review after you guys watch tonight. Enjoy!!!!

I'll be having a few drinks during it, then probably on the phone to Nick as soon as it ends...

Kev W

Does anyone know if there showing it on a big screen at Gay Pride again?

I'd be tempted to pop down.

EDIT: Never mind

So I guess you're staying at home now, then?!

I've been thinking about this quite a bit over the last few days, and I reckon Tennant is leaving. I may be completely wrong, and I won't be unhappy if I am, but I reckon he's off.

There are a few things that I think may back this up, firstly they had to say something when it was announced that Tennant would be in Hamlet, and I reckon the gap year story was invented specifically to cover that. Not only do I reckon Tennant is going, but I think Davis is as well and that there will actually be a full series next year.

Why do I think this? Well, a lot of the interview's I've seen Davis giving over the last few days seem to have a note of finality to them. I could be reading more into that than there is, but he almost seems to be saying goodbye. Also, why have they announced, so far ahead of the fifth series, that Moffat has been appointed to take over? Davis is supposed to be at the helm until the end of the Christmas special 2009, so why announce 18 months before that airs, who will be taking over after that?

They've also been filming the Christmas special already, which in previous years is something they haven't done until after the series has finished airing - is that also a red herring? If it is, it is an elaborate one, but then again the secrecy surrounding this final episode goes way beyond anything they have done in previous years, so are they really above sending a film crew out for a day or so to cover what is actually happening?

I guess we'll see this evening, but if there is a new Doctor come the end of tonight's episode I'd have to say hat's off to Davis and Co for pulling it off!

This is a hell of an elaborate red herring

There's nothing to say they didn't do some legitimate filming there, but it wouldn't be much of a problem to get Tennant to turn up for a few shots, just to make it look like he will be in the episode.

That's completely possible; but I still think overly elaborate. And if that really is them filming the Christmas special with a new Doctor, who's the new Doctor? David Morrissey? We can but dream. He's fabulous.

I hope I'm surprised tonight, and I really wouldn't mind if David left, as long as he was replaced with someone equally as talented; but all the subterfuge would seem a little OTT.

Pfft, I 'unno, Tate did let slip on Jonathan Ross a while back that it might be David's last series as well as confirming she'd be leaving at the end of the series; but it somehow seems unlikely. Why go to such efforts to conceal it? I thought the BBC weren't allowed to lie anymore.

I will be writing a strongly worded letter to Points of View about being so horribly deceived.

Well, I'm only speculating, it's more than likely I'm completely wrong*, but Davis has been a bit devious in the past and I wouldn't put it past him to do something like this.

*They could have just started filming early because of David's other commitments.

Speaking of Tate on TV, she was on Graham Norton's show on Thursday. I don't know if anyone else saw it but she came across as being a bit of a bubble head, so it wouldn't surprise me if she has let something slip!

I'm still thinking the regeneration will fail, but hey, who knows?

We might see a future incarnation of the Doctor running around temporarily.

Had a last minute thought after watching the repeat - with commentary - last night.

The Medusa Cascade is a second out of synch, right? And Captain Jack turned up and blasted the Dalek that hit The Doctor about a second too late, yeah? He used a teleport thing that had fluctuating numbers, mmm?

I reckon Jack was set on the actual second rather than the moved second, so something happens to reset the time of the Medusa Cascade so he can go back and teleport so he arrives a second before the Dalek hits The Doctor and blast it. This would mean The Doctor doesn't regenerate and David Tennent remains for the christmas special...at least.

They show Doctor Who on the big screen at the Retro Bar every week.

He would be great. I had a dream that the new Doctor was Julian Barratt with Noel as a guest assistant. I don't think it will come true.

Without meaning to sound ageist - though quite clearly I am in this instance - I honestly can't see any Doctor from now on being played by an actor over 40. The new series is much more pacey than the classic series and requires an actor both good but also able to sustain the pace for more than one season.

Look a Christopher Eccleston. Great actor, did a great job but was shattered by the end of it. Even David Tennant has been looking a little weary in his little interviews on Confidential. The next Doctor, whether it's this christmas, next year or in 2010, will be played by an actor under 40.

Smirk.

Crikey! They didn't leave much out of that Episode!

I feel slightly let down by that.

That. was. AWESOME!!!


And only one (minor) spoiler was true.

I'll give RTD this: he's consistent.

That's four consistently shite season finales in a row.

Hmm, not having much hope for this episode. Ho well, I'll watch it online tonight to make my final judgement.

Well, called that one wrong!

ETA:

Micky in Torchwood? Now that could be good!

I thought that was a nice little set up as it's been rumored for a while now that Martha and Micky will join Captain Jack.

Thinking more about the episode, I still feel it could of been some much better and RTD opted for the easy get out.

The episode started good, but went astray quite quick. One thing I did like though was the madness of Davros, that was acted really well.

Really? I thought it started off badly (cop out) and got better as it went on, right up until a certain point, then it just turned into what I like to call 'Shipper's Delight'.

I'm not at all surprised about Martha jumping ship, but I hadn't heard anything about Micky, I can see Noel Clarke working quite well.

I think he'll be excellent, I'm really happy about it.

I was right about the whole "regeneration" thing and what the ultimate outcome was.

I'm seldom more right than the time on a broken clock, so I think I'm entitled to feel a little smug when I'm actually right now and again...

I would be happy to see DT as The Doctor in some of the specials, but seeing as RTD is leaving and Phil Collinson has already left (if memory serves, Julie Gardner is also bowing out), the time really has come to start over from scratch, new Doctor included. It staggers the mind to think of the possibilities that can emerge from the forthcoming Moffat era - as Pat Troughton once said...

"Yes - I wonder..."

Kev W

Loved it, felt so sad for Donna in the end though

Urgh, ick, bleurgh. I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head. I need to wash my eyes and brain out for a month. Actual physical shuddering occured, along with shouts of, "urgh! he's made her a sexbot".

'Doctor Sexy' aside, the rest of it was almost laughably poor too, with a few exceptions; Bernard Cribbins was predictably good, Donna's return to type was OK, and it was great to see Jackie again. The story was the worst kind of nonsensical Davies' SF, of which the only good thing that can be said about it was it raised a few chuckles.

I was waiting for someone to say, in response to the ludicrously named 'reality bomb', "this shit's about to get real!"

Typically rubbish plotting, and stupid names aside, my abiding memory of that mess will be the almost incest-like creepiness of the beach scene.

Why does Davies have to inject sex into everything (excuse the pun)? It's just not fitting with the tone of the show.

I hope the next Doctor is old, ugly and doesn't even like his companion, who will be preferably a male from the middle ages, or an alien of some kind (with incompatible genitalia).

Bleurgh.

I preferred my idea.














An average ending for what was a good build up, thus slightly disappointing. I did, however, think Catherine Tate was superb last night as she has been throughout the series. Despite the clunky ending I'd still say series 4 has been the best overall series so far.

I liked it.


And please tell me, when the red Dalek was saying to The Doctor, "Pain...dispair...", was I the only one to finish it with, 'Watercolour?'?

I was waiting for Davros to call it a "laser".

meh.

The Good:

Some great acting from Tennant, Tate, Cribbins and Bleach.
Superb effects.
German speaking Daleks!
Mickey kissing his gun!
Davros recognising Sarah Jane.
No pointless cliffhanger to the Christmas special.
Rusty is leaving!

The Bad:

No regeneration
Lazy plotting with ideas nicked from STTNG and Farscape.
Too much technobabble.
Billie.
The Doctor Mk II/Rose snog.
Too many endings. I was having flashbacks to 'The Return Of The King'!
Only Gita from Eastenders actually died. Cop out.


Is it just me or did anyone else think that Jackie and Mickey were....... doin' it?

*rings Jeremy Kyle

This episode needed more mickey, he's such a badass now. That bit with him kissing the gun and leaving it was great, and the "Captain Cheesecake" "Ok thats too much hugging" bit was priceless. I'll be glad if him and Martha Join torchwood.

I'm seriously gonna miss Donna. I think that ending was a cop-out too, dramatically it'd have been better if she'd died with the happy memories of the doctor and everyone.

Rose coming back.. now i like her, but what did she do this week? Kiss the doctor mk 2? Though her coming back did have more of a dramatic impact for the doctor.

The episode itself fell a bit flat, but still i quite liked it, maybe my last comment of loved it went a bit far. Maybe i liked it due to the fact it tied a lot of stuff up.

I now have gathered my thoughts from last night.

I went through a whole gamut of emotions watching that episode; and I wasn't alone in that.

Granted, the explanation of the failed regeneration was a bit of a copout, but let's face it, the regeneration was only introduced to reintroduce the hand in the jar which was to play a much more important part later on.

I'm still at a loss about this extra second between the two realities - and why was there no mention of the beetle on Donna's back in this episode, that the Shadow had seen in part 1? I guess these will never now be resolved and that seems clumsy to me.

I loved the Who 'family' reunion - though apart from not dying, Cap'n Jack was a spare part most of the time. I loved that he wouldn't hug Donna...but that she found him irresistible. However, having brought in the whole Who family, he had to find credible ways of putting them back in their respective lives by the end of the episode.

I was chilled by the accuracy of Davros' description of the Doctor ... this peace-lover transforms people, for good or bad, turns them into murderers and willing sacrifices, and leaves everyone behind. Our hero isn't perhaps as heroic as many viewers think.

RTD was clearly trying to bring all his story arcs to a neat conclusion as his parting gesture. Perhaps he did that a little too neatly - all those happy endings/beginnings warmed the cockles of my heart but they were too perfect somehow.

And the ending had me sobbing my heart out. From the moment Donna stammered on 'binary binary binary' it was obvious that she wasn't going to get a happy ending and that the Doctor had effectively done it again ... and was going to leave her behind. And Wilf... I just love that character... I cried buckets until well after the credits rolled.

Hugely ridiculous, slightly disappointing.



(SPOILER TYPE STUFF if you haven't already seen it, but most of this thread gives stuff away anyway...)


Hated:
The woeful German accents (when speaking German).
No Slim Pickens riding the Earth.
RTD's "ooh, it's the end of my run, let's have fireworks".
Donna not dying.
The Daleks being utterly wiped from existence. Again.

Incidentally, wasn't The Doctor half human anyway?

No.

The US TV movie with Paul McGann claimed he was half-human, but that's generally been ignored by everyone!

Like I said before, if you actually listen the woman at the shadow proclamation actually said "You had something on your back" not "you have something on your back".

I liked it, mostly.

I am convinced that Donnas ring did something at the end. The reflection was well extreme.

Just me...


Thought so.

I was all sorts of right about the regenration too, and that the nad would be used for something.