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Marching to the sound of the Doctor Who drum...
OK, I think ‘Sound of Drums’ did it. Because here comes the meta... I have re-watched the ep 3 times. I have taken notes and transcribed dialogue. Also this is kinda rambly since I just wrote it down all in one go.
First of all a few general words...
- The episode is very pretty and gorgeously filmed. And the music... oh the music is *beautiful*. Esp. the melancholy theme that plays as the three of them walk around ‘hidden’ by the keys.
- Also I like that Martha’s crush now has a purpose, uniting her and Jack.
- What exactly are the Toglophane (sp?) and where do they come from? They are escaping ‘the never ending darkness’. And that tear in the fabric of reality was *gorgeous*.
- And on a funny note, the writers *really* had a field day with the President:
“I will accept mastery over you, if that is God’s will...”
::raises eyebrow::
But, let’s get to the Timelordy chewy centre of this. To quote![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
danceswithwords, since it was her post that first made me really think:
The Master has always been the Doctor's dark reflection, and it was very satisfying to see the way that dynamic played out in the current incarnation. Simms' Master has the manic quality, the superficial humor and the underlying deadly seriousness and the rigid certainty in himself and what he's doing, bent toward destruction and self-gratification, which are for him the same thing, the way the Doctor takes pleasure in seeing life going on around him. (I thought it was telling that the Master admired Earth in some of the same ways the Doctor does, for its silliness and inventiveness and Teletubbies, for the indomitable human spirit, and then set out to destroy it, as if that naturally followed.) The Master and the Doctor talk openly and honestly with each other, each recognizing in the other the only person left who can understand. (And is it even subtext at this point? Holy slash, batman!) And because of that, I thought the background the Doctor gave on the Master, that he's mad--something that is in a way far more frightening than evil--was especially revealing, because the Doctor talked about it as if he understood exactly what happened to the Master in that moment, looking into the void, and perhaps he does; perhaps the Doctor went a little mad himself.
One thing that stood out for me was the reveal that Timelords choose their own name. It says so much. Names have power, names have meaning (just look at the Buffy verse. Look at Jasmine, look at Illyria, look at Angelus/Angel - the differences between given names and chosen names. What’s in a name? Everything.)
The Doctor describes the Timelords as ‘the oldest and most mighty’ of all the peoples in the universe. They invented black holes. They played with roentgen bricks in the nursery. The Doctor routinely, casually, describes himself as a genius. They, in other words, have the brilliance and power of Gods... and this is (fairly obviously) why they decided only to observe. Much like The Powers That Be in the Buffyverse.scarlettgirl has been talking about how The Doctor is God-like for ages now, and I’m sure she squee'd like mad at this bit of conversation (I know I did):
The Master: “What did it feel like though? Two mighty civilisations, burning. Tell me. How did that feel?”
The Doctor: “Stop it!”
The Master: “You must have been like God.”
The Doctor: “I’ve been alone ever since.”
Gives me goosebumps... Tell me. How did that feel? This is where they overlap, and at the same time part ways. That power is something The Doctor fears - and yet he’ll use it (I’ll come back to this, it’s important!). But The Master embraces it. To quote Dune:
Paul: “The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.”
The thing is - The Master grasps that power, and then sees using that power as the next logical step.
There is SO much of Angel in this... did Angel save or destroy the world at the end of NFA? He quite possibly unleashed armageddon...
But to get back to our hero - and his nemesis/mirror:
The Master: “The Timelords only resurrected me because they knew I’d be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when that Dalek Emperor took control of the Crucifle (sp???). I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. I made myself human so they would never find me, because... I was so scared.”
The Doctor: “I know.”
The Master: “All of them? But not you. Which must mean...”
The Doctor: “I was the only one who could end it. And I tried. I did. I tried everything.”
When The Doctor described looking into eternity, he said that he’d never stopped running. But here’s the thing - push him into a corner, and he’ll do whatever it takes. The perfect warrior was *not* The Master. He chose self-preservation - running away - when cornered. It’s the most fascinating flipping of character traits... and why I think they understand each other so well. The Master understands the running. And The Doctor... oh my poor Doctor. He understands the feeling of power - of being God. Look at The Family of Blood, suffering the fury of the Timelord. On that day he was a vengeful God, punishing ‘unto the 77th generation’ to speak biblically for a moment. (“He was being kind...”) Or ‘School Reunion’ - “I used to have so much mercy...” It is Gods that we speak of as merciful. The Doctor sees it as his duty to intervene because he has the power to save - or to destroy. And that power is very, very dangerous, which is why he pulls away even as he gets involved.
Oh - and interestingly, this is where 'Parting of the Ways' is so a-typical:
EMPEROR DALEK: I want to see you become like *me*. Hail the Doctor, the Great Exterminator!
DOCTOR [angrily, placing his hands on the lever]: I'll do it!
EMPEROR DALEK: Then prove yourself, Doctor. What are you - coward or killer?
[The Doctor's hands tense on the lever. He shakes, his face screwed up in pain. Then, he just lets it go]
DOCTOR: Coward. Any day.
I think he falters because it is a chance to re-do what he did. He destroyed his own people. He can't destroy humanity. (Please discuss. It's given me a headache.)
Tied into all this is of course that eternal theme - redemption! The Doctor *destroyed* everything he held dear, killed his home, his family, his people... and ever since he tries to save! (‘The Doctor Dances’: “Everyone lives!!!”) Again like Angel - he cannot ever make up for what he did, *but* he can make a difference. Then enter The Master...
“I’m not here to kill him. I’m here to save him.”
It is a second chance. If he can save The Master - the last, the only remaining part of his home - then maybe the crushing guilt will lift just a tiny. Maybe The Master could even in some strange way forgive him... because forgiveness is the one thing The Doctor can never have. (See? See why I am obsessing? This stuff is like a gold mine. I always saw Doctor Who as Buffy-like, but I think it’s tipped *right* over into Angel territory. Yay!)
Of course it can’t go like that... The Master can’t understand. What to The Doctor is his greatest shame and terror is irresistible to The Master (“Tell me. How did that feel?” The delivery of those lines... Lord! *shivers*) The Master revels in destruction (“Decimate. That’s a nice word.”) and in having God-like powers - his speech at the end is incredible! (“And I saw... that it was good!”)
And there is of course also the loneliness ("I have been alone ever since."). Does The Master understand that burden? Has he always been alone, because he is mad? I have a feeling this is somehow a very important point, but I can't quite grasp it.
But to touch on something else: Companions. Martha leaves! Rose would never in a *million* years have left The Doctor’s side if she’d been there. And having pondered this - and the whole Rose question - I’ve realised something: Rose was the one person The Doctor couldn’t run from. Call it love, call it ‘soulmates’, whatever, it's not important. The Doctor never stops running, he admits so himself and he picks up companions and drops them again (see Sarah Jane). But not Rose. Because she wouldn’t let him. She moved heaven and earth to be by his side, and he came to accept that. He tried to get rid of her both in ‘Parting of the Ways’ and in ‘Doomsday’ and she came back. She wouldn’t let him run, and I think that lies at the heart of their relationship.
Now consider Mrs Saxon. The Torchwood lady had a line re. her that jumped out at me: ‘Essentially harmless’. Whatever she is, that’s not it. (Also reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide...) She is to The Master what Rose is to The Doctor... In many ways she’s very, very different from Rose: Upper (middle?) class, well educated, poised, very much a lady. But... when she talks to what-ever-her-name was from Torchwood, she ends with these words:
Mrs Saxon: “I made my choice.”
The Master: “My faithful companion.”
This rang a bell... From ‘Doomsday’ after Rose comes back from the parallel world:
Rose: “I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you.”
Rose was willing to follow her Timelord into hell itself. Mrs Saxon is the same. But the *really* interesting thing however is that The Master *married* his companion. Again showing The Doctor’s HUGE commitment issues.
Finally (I think I’m done...) one line:
The Master: “If I told you the truth your hearts would break.”
What are they? And what are they escaping from? Fairy tales from Gallifrey come to life... and what about the drumming?This was obviously an effect of the resurrection. But how? Why? ETA: I iz dumb.
The finale better be friggin’ *awesome*!
ETA: Dunno when I'll be able to reply to comments, RL is going to *eat* me for wasting so much time on this!
First of all a few general words...
- The episode is very pretty and gorgeously filmed. And the music... oh the music is *beautiful*. Esp. the melancholy theme that plays as the three of them walk around ‘hidden’ by the keys.
- Also I like that Martha’s crush now has a purpose, uniting her and Jack.
- What exactly are the Toglophane (sp?) and where do they come from? They are escaping ‘the never ending darkness’. And that tear in the fabric of reality was *gorgeous*.
- And on a funny note, the writers *really* had a field day with the President:
“I will accept mastery over you, if that is God’s will...”
::raises eyebrow::
But, let’s get to the Timelordy chewy centre of this. To quote
danceswithwords, since it was her post that first made me really think:The Master has always been the Doctor's dark reflection, and it was very satisfying to see the way that dynamic played out in the current incarnation. Simms' Master has the manic quality, the superficial humor and the underlying deadly seriousness and the rigid certainty in himself and what he's doing, bent toward destruction and self-gratification, which are for him the same thing, the way the Doctor takes pleasure in seeing life going on around him. (I thought it was telling that the Master admired Earth in some of the same ways the Doctor does, for its silliness and inventiveness and Teletubbies, for the indomitable human spirit, and then set out to destroy it, as if that naturally followed.) The Master and the Doctor talk openly and honestly with each other, each recognizing in the other the only person left who can understand. (And is it even subtext at this point? Holy slash, batman!) And because of that, I thought the background the Doctor gave on the Master, that he's mad--something that is in a way far more frightening than evil--was especially revealing, because the Doctor talked about it as if he understood exactly what happened to the Master in that moment, looking into the void, and perhaps he does; perhaps the Doctor went a little mad himself.
One thing that stood out for me was the reveal that Timelords choose their own name. It says so much. Names have power, names have meaning (just look at the Buffy verse. Look at Jasmine, look at Illyria, look at Angelus/Angel - the differences between given names and chosen names. What’s in a name? Everything.)
The Doctor describes the Timelords as ‘the oldest and most mighty’ of all the peoples in the universe. They invented black holes. They played with roentgen bricks in the nursery. The Doctor routinely, casually, describes himself as a genius. They, in other words, have the brilliance and power of Gods... and this is (fairly obviously) why they decided only to observe. Much like The Powers That Be in the Buffyverse.
scarlettgirl has been talking about how The Doctor is God-like for ages now, and I’m sure she squee'd like mad at this bit of conversation (I know I did):The Master: “What did it feel like though? Two mighty civilisations, burning. Tell me. How did that feel?”
The Doctor: “Stop it!”
The Master: “You must have been like God.”
The Doctor: “I’ve been alone ever since.”
Gives me goosebumps... Tell me. How did that feel? This is where they overlap, and at the same time part ways. That power is something The Doctor fears - and yet he’ll use it (I’ll come back to this, it’s important!). But The Master embraces it. To quote Dune:
Paul: “The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.”
The thing is - The Master grasps that power, and then sees using that power as the next logical step.
There is SO much of Angel in this... did Angel save or destroy the world at the end of NFA? He quite possibly unleashed armageddon...
But to get back to our hero - and his nemesis/mirror:
The Master: “The Timelords only resurrected me because they knew I’d be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when that Dalek Emperor took control of the Crucifle (sp???). I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. I made myself human so they would never find me, because... I was so scared.”
The Doctor: “I know.”
The Master: “All of them? But not you. Which must mean...”
The Doctor: “I was the only one who could end it. And I tried. I did. I tried everything.”
When The Doctor described looking into eternity, he said that he’d never stopped running. But here’s the thing - push him into a corner, and he’ll do whatever it takes. The perfect warrior was *not* The Master. He chose self-preservation - running away - when cornered. It’s the most fascinating flipping of character traits... and why I think they understand each other so well. The Master understands the running. And The Doctor... oh my poor Doctor. He understands the feeling of power - of being God. Look at The Family of Blood, suffering the fury of the Timelord. On that day he was a vengeful God, punishing ‘unto the 77th generation’ to speak biblically for a moment. (“He was being kind...”) Or ‘School Reunion’ - “I used to have so much mercy...” It is Gods that we speak of as merciful. The Doctor sees it as his duty to intervene because he has the power to save - or to destroy. And that power is very, very dangerous, which is why he pulls away even as he gets involved.
Oh - and interestingly, this is where 'Parting of the Ways' is so a-typical:
EMPEROR DALEK: I want to see you become like *me*. Hail the Doctor, the Great Exterminator!
DOCTOR [angrily, placing his hands on the lever]: I'll do it!
EMPEROR DALEK: Then prove yourself, Doctor. What are you - coward or killer?
[The Doctor's hands tense on the lever. He shakes, his face screwed up in pain. Then, he just lets it go]
DOCTOR: Coward. Any day.
I think he falters because it is a chance to re-do what he did. He destroyed his own people. He can't destroy humanity. (Please discuss. It's given me a headache.)
Tied into all this is of course that eternal theme - redemption! The Doctor *destroyed* everything he held dear, killed his home, his family, his people... and ever since he tries to save! (‘The Doctor Dances’: “Everyone lives!!!”) Again like Angel - he cannot ever make up for what he did, *but* he can make a difference. Then enter The Master...
“I’m not here to kill him. I’m here to save him.”
It is a second chance. If he can save The Master - the last, the only remaining part of his home - then maybe the crushing guilt will lift just a tiny. Maybe The Master could even in some strange way forgive him... because forgiveness is the one thing The Doctor can never have. (See? See why I am obsessing? This stuff is like a gold mine. I always saw Doctor Who as Buffy-like, but I think it’s tipped *right* over into Angel territory. Yay!)
Of course it can’t go like that... The Master can’t understand. What to The Doctor is his greatest shame and terror is irresistible to The Master (“Tell me. How did that feel?” The delivery of those lines... Lord! *shivers*) The Master revels in destruction (“Decimate. That’s a nice word.”) and in having God-like powers - his speech at the end is incredible! (“And I saw... that it was good!”)
And there is of course also the loneliness ("I have been alone ever since."). Does The Master understand that burden? Has he always been alone, because he is mad? I have a feeling this is somehow a very important point, but I can't quite grasp it.
But to touch on something else: Companions. Martha leaves! Rose would never in a *million* years have left The Doctor’s side if she’d been there. And having pondered this - and the whole Rose question - I’ve realised something: Rose was the one person The Doctor couldn’t run from. Call it love, call it ‘soulmates’, whatever, it's not important. The Doctor never stops running, he admits so himself and he picks up companions and drops them again (see Sarah Jane). But not Rose. Because she wouldn’t let him. She moved heaven and earth to be by his side, and he came to accept that. He tried to get rid of her both in ‘Parting of the Ways’ and in ‘Doomsday’ and she came back. She wouldn’t let him run, and I think that lies at the heart of their relationship.
Now consider Mrs Saxon. The Torchwood lady had a line re. her that jumped out at me: ‘Essentially harmless’. Whatever she is, that’s not it. (Also reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide...) She is to The Master what Rose is to The Doctor... In many ways she’s very, very different from Rose: Upper (middle?) class, well educated, poised, very much a lady. But... when she talks to what-ever-her-name was from Torchwood, she ends with these words:
Mrs Saxon: “I made my choice.”
The Master: “My faithful companion.”
This rang a bell... From ‘Doomsday’ after Rose comes back from the parallel world:
Rose: “I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you.”
Rose was willing to follow her Timelord into hell itself. Mrs Saxon is the same. But the *really* interesting thing however is that The Master *married* his companion. Again showing The Doctor’s HUGE commitment issues.
Finally (I think I’m done...) one line:
The Master: “If I told you the truth your hearts would break.”
What are they? And what are they escaping from? Fairy tales from Gallifrey come to life... and what about the drumming?
The finale better be friggin’ *awesome*!
ETA: Dunno when I'll be able to reply to comments, RL is going to *eat* me for wasting so much time on this!
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I do love how you are able to pull parts of the show and put into worlds what the rest of us are still mulling over - when you write it down, some of those minor points suddenly make sense. Thanks
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Me too! I thought it faltered a bit, but then they've been bringing the awesome in spades for so many episodes now that I don't think I could bear it if the conclusion wasn't as good...
I do love how you are able to pull parts of the show and put into worlds what the rest of us are still mulling over
If you knew how many people *I've* said that to... it's great though, because I wasn't involved with Buffy fandom when the show was on air, so to be able to respond as the story unfolds is great. :)
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*ponders the shallowness of my brain*
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The things is... I've watched this show for 3 years now. And until now it's been in the 'entertainment' category. Sometimes good - even great - entertainment, sometimes pretty bad. But it was fun and the people were pretty and the stories could go anywhere.
Only now all of a sudden the themes and layers are jumping out at me, and although I love Teh Pretty still (The Doctor + The Master + Capt Jack = prettiest show since Angel), I've realised that this is not what I'm looking forward to... but it certainly helps! ;) If however all the extra stuff just annoyed me, instead of entertaining me, I'd probably have a much harder time of it.
(I sincerely hope that makes sense...)
Oh and I saw your post. Re. Martha, then she's just doing *exactly* what the Scoobies always did - putting heart above head. And well she did manage to save her brother...
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And of course, you know that the Scoobies stretched my last nerve too, don't you? *sigh*
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Hee!
you know that the Scoobies stretched my last nerve too, don't you? *sigh*
The Scoobies stretched a lot of people's nerves! *g* (It's also known as stretching fiction to make a point... which often leads to characters looking like idiots. Actually this is something I think was handled far better on Angel - when decisions like that were made, they had to pay for them!)
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Secondly, thank you so much for your email and for sending me Voodoo Child. You won't believe how clever iTunes is though – it knows I'm not you so it won't let me play it. :) Not to worry though, I can get hold of it by alternative means.
And thirdly, yay! Thank you for this fabulous meta. Since my reaction to the Sound of Drums was countered by my horror at the prospect of a finale's worth of an elderly Doctor, these are very welcome layers you've unearthed.
The episode is very pretty and gorgeously filmed
This is where I miss the blue on my TV. Nothing is as pretty as it should be in shades of peach and yellowy-green. Or at least, David Tennant just about was, until they MADE HIM OLD. ::sobs::
I love the points you've quoted from
did Angel save or destroy the world at the end of NFA?
Oh! That's such a lovely point. The Buffyverse did love its double-edged swords, and the save/destroy one was so central to it.
If he can save The Master - the last, the only remaining part of his home - then maybe the crushing guilt will lift just a tiny. Maybe The Master could even in some strange way forgive him... because forgiveness is the one thing The Doctor can never have.
OH! I'm suddenly reminded of a scene that's always stuck in my mind from Father's Day, where the Doctor needs Rose to tell him she's sorry. It was such a human need – a petty one, almost – against that great backdrop of life and death. But of course it mattered, because saying sorry was the one thing he couldn't do.
She wouldn't let him run, and I think that lies at the heart of their relationship.
Yes!
I do like your Angel/Doctor comparison - it's a fascinating one, and one that brings up so many gorgeous themes. Can you be redeemed for your personal wrongs by working for the greater good of the world? Or can you find redemption for the world's wrongs in a personal relationship? That's a classic Buffyverse discussion, but it holds in the Whoverse too.
Of course, I'm still maintaining that the Doctor is Buffy to the Master's late-S2 Angel. Mmmm, and about that, how did the Master lose his soul? ;)
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wow, how marvellous!
I shall never recover. Never!
I've just this minute ordered Spike: Asylum for the sole purpose of reading your review.
Well that's... wow. I'm not sure my review merits it, but the comic certainly is worth buying! (I might have been wondering how to lure you into getting it... *g*)
You won't believe how clever iTunes is though – it knows I'm not you so it won't let me play it. :)
Bother.
these are very welcome layers you've unearthed.
My pleasure. :) And it kinda took me by surprise, since usually I'm all about the pretty and the entertainment, but suddenly all the stuff underneath jumped out at me! (Darcy saw this post, and has now declared me hopelessly sad on account of having watched the ep 3 times... and now it's 4, since I re-watched it last night. Little Miss M hadn't seen it yet...)
Nothing is as pretty as it should be in shades of peach and yellowy-green.
That is tragic indeed.
the save/destroy one was so central to it.
Also it shows that the Shanshu was fulfilled... the vampire with a soul will be pivotal in the apocalypse, but no one knows on which side. And having watched it - I still can't tell. Makes me insanely happy. :)
But of course it mattered, because saying sorry was the one thing he couldn't do.
I'd forgotten that. Why don't I have all this on video? *sigh* But yes, perfect point.
Yes!
Hee! I knew you'd like that. :)
That's a classic Buffyverse discussion, but it holds in the Whoverse too.
Which is why I find myself all obsessed all of a sudden...
Of course, I'm still maintaining that the Doctor is Buffy to the Master's late-S2 Angel.
Oh yes, that's a great comparison. I have a feeling there might also be Angel/Connor echoes... The Doctor being unable to save the one person he needs to save. (This is definitely the reason the whole thing has suddenly embedded itself in my head. Personal arch-nemesis are so much better and more interesting than plain evil ones.)
Mmmm, and about that, how did the Master lose his soul? ;)
*giggles* This show is soooo shippy (and slashy) that I'm sure the fic writers are having a *field day*. *g*
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*squees with you*
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*is still squeeing*
(PS: Watch Doctor Who!!!!)
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I ordered all of season one off of Netflix and LOVED IT. Then, I went to order season two and the bastards had some sort of problem with the discs (apparently a part of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning played over five minutes of one of the discs). Soooo, IT TOOK THEM SIX MONTHS TO GET REPLACEMENT DISCS!!!! Bastards!
But they just got them in last week and so now I can watch. Yay! Still, I will have to wait AGAIN for season three. And bit torrent doesn't work at my house. *pouts*
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Well all the rest of us are now sat here going 'Is it Christmas yet?'
Anyway, enjoy - IMO the show gets better and better. And also it is of course very pretty. :)
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The perfect warrior was *not* The Master. He chose self-preservation - running away - when cornered. It’s the most fascinating flipping of character traits... and why I think they understand each other so well. The Master understands the running. And The Doctor... oh my poor Doctor. He understands the feeling of power - of being God.
Because that's the comparison we made between Jack and the Doctor. And I'm actually wondering if this isn't part of what River's doing in prison--hiding, rejecting responsibilities, trying to step out of her life.
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Hmmmm. Good point.
And I'm actually wondering if this isn't part of what River's doing in prison--hiding, rejecting responsibilities, trying to step out of her life.
*nods* Yes, I can see that. And again this reflects back on a Timelord-free universe, where there is no one to 'keep the Doctor in check' as it were. Not that the Timelords weren't pretty draconian, but they represented order.