…This is a children’s show?!

 

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I… Well… You see—What?! How is this a kids’ show?! This is not a criticism, this is praise!

I’m just… I’m gobsmacked. I just… Okay, maybe I should start at the beginning.

Being new to the whole Doctor Who thing, I was reasonably unfamiliar with a lot of things. I’d heard of Daleks, but I had no idea what they looked like or why the Doctor should be so afraid of them. I really wasn’t expecting a “space dustbin.”

I believe my initial reaction was “that’s it?!”

‘Course, that was before it killed a bajillion people. And my eardrums.

Still, I liked my introduction to Daleks, especially considering where it happens.

But that’s not even what has me so deliciously astonished.

It’s generally tough for people to relate to something as old as the Doctor without trying to assign it context. At least, it is for me. I feel that’s the reason we have historians and archeologists, and yes, museums. Which is why I loved so much that we get such a gigantic piece of information regarding the Doctor in this episode, in this particular setting.

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I mean, here we are, adjusting to the idea of a modern-day alien museum, and then the Doctor is taken to see the Dalek and he flips the fuck out and it’s like what is up with you, dude? And then OH MY GOD THE DOCTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS OF HIS PEOPLE AND HIS ENTIRE PLANET WHAT THE FUCK.

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And then it’s like… no wonder. No wonder he took Jabe’s death hard. No wonder he was prepared to save the Gelth on such little information, and no wonder he hesitated in World War Three when it meant he might lose Rose. The Doctor’s not just mourning, he’s feeling guilt!

This information colors everything that went before! Of course he gets angry when Jackie questions his decision to nuke the shit out of Downing Street with Rose inside it. After losing so much at your own hand, it’s almost insulting that someone should challenge you like that. He’s already sacrificed everything, why not Rose? And still he hesitates. He hesitates because who wants to go through that kind of pain again?

I just… Oh, my god, I just wanna hug him.

And yet…

I’m not even gonna lie, the Doctor scared me quite a bit, too.

I’ve mentioned before that Angry Doctor makes me wanna snuggle underneath my covers where it’s safe, and this, well… this was Angry Vengeful Doctor.

No. Please?

I mean, he even gets a gun! I don’t know this Doctor. This Doctor frightens me. And frankly, that’s kind of really fucking awesome.

Meanwhile, Rose spends some time flirting with Adam (uh, hey Rose… Remember Mickey?):

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And then she gets to meet the Dalek herself, and it’s great, because when she meets it, it’s broken. It’s something deserving of sympathy and compassion, even considering its probable history of killing indiscriminately—which Rose obviously doesn’t know.

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Of course, it sucked when the Doctor turned out to be right and the Dalek used Rose for its own ends, but hey… turns out that Rose changed the Dalek, too. I was honestly expecting for this episode to have a semi-happy ending. The Dalek would start to redeem itself, the Doctor would come to terms with his actions, and everyone would skip merrily into the TARDIS on their way to a new adventure.

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I’m an idiot, basically. First of all, I let my assumptions get the best of me (kids’ show = happy ending), and second of all, there is nothing to even suggest that this would end in such a trite way. I mean, I like sci-fi. I watch a lot, really. When does a robot questioning its purpose ever end well in sci-fi?

Answer? Never, you dope.

This episode covered a lot of ground. It saw the Doctor become the “bad” guy ( “…you would make a good Dalek.” Fucking ouch, dude), and as such, it changed my entire perspective on who this guy is, and why he is how he is.

The Doctor gets tortured by more than that prick Henry Van Statten. His own feelings of vengeance nearly turned him into the monster he was fighting, and it forced him to check himself, basically.

Two hearts means there’s just an extra one to break. :(

Anyway, I ramble and I’m not even sure any of this made any sense, so here’s a list. Enjoy:

• “I’m getting old.”
• “Metaltron” is a stupid name, Van Statten. Also, your teeth are weird.
• Seriously, this episode had a huge body count. Did I hear 200 some-odd people?
• Oh! Shout-out to kinda awesome women characters, small though their roles may be: DiMaggio and Goddard.
• Rose’s “last” words are to reassure the Doctor. :(
• “What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?” Wait—what?!
• “What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?” :( :(
• “Oh, Rose… They’re all dead.” MY HEART
• “Rose, he’s a bit pretty.” Yay, teasing Doctor. I feel comfortable with him. Let’s keep him, yes?