Maybe Moffat's simply trying to make death less threatening, more comforting. Hm. I'm sorta with Promethia. Death is very much a Rusty theme to my mind (it's there EVERYWHERE, saturating almost everything he does). And apparently RTD thinks that fatherhood is Moffat's main theme (something Moffat seems to think a rather good fit), and I can see that. His Doctor is very fatherly, and there are children everywhere.
But from my viewing perspective, I think how Moffat's going about it actually cheapens the message. The power of death lies in its finality. The End is what one fights against, right? Hm. You know, I think I disagree with that. Death isn't the enemy. Death just is. The Doctor doesn't fight against death, he fights for life. ("What are we holding onto Sam?"/"There is some good in this world, Mr Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.") Plus... most people, throughout history, have believed in some kind of afterlife, that death is just a Sea Change, rather than the Final End, and personally I'd take 'Somewhere different, somewhere brand-new' over Ten's bitter sadness any day. Certainly in a show aimed at children. It's not really anything to do with religion, more to do with the worldview of the show, beautifully summaries by Moffat in the last Confidential:
“However scary it gets, however frightening, however tense, you know the Doctor will save the day, will triumph, and will do it in a good and kind and brave way.”
As for puzzles and death losing its sting... Well we like what we like. I love the puzzle, or rather I love the metaphors beneath the puzzle. Like I say above, I think the Doctor's death is absolutely final and won't be magically hand-waved away, with f.ex. Ganger!Doctor standing in. Ganger!Doctor would fit the puzzle, but doesn't fit the metaphors.
And now I've wandered wildly off course and need to go. Shall finish by saying that 'The only water in the forest is the River'. So yes.
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Hm. I'm sorta with Promethia. Death is very much a Rusty theme to my mind (it's there EVERYWHERE, saturating almost everything he does). And apparently RTD thinks that fatherhood is Moffat's main theme (something Moffat seems to think a rather good fit), and I can see that. His Doctor is very fatherly, and there are children everywhere.
But from my viewing perspective, I think how Moffat's going about it actually cheapens the message. The power of death lies in its finality. The End is what one fights against, right?
Hm. You know, I think I disagree with that. Death isn't the enemy. Death just is. The Doctor doesn't fight against death, he fights for life. ("What are we holding onto Sam?"/"There is some good in this world, Mr Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.") Plus... most people, throughout history, have believed in some kind of afterlife, that death is just a Sea Change, rather than the Final End, and personally I'd take 'Somewhere different, somewhere brand-new' over Ten's bitter sadness any day. Certainly in a show aimed at children. It's not really anything to do with religion, more to do with the worldview of the show, beautifully summaries by Moffat in the last Confidential:
“However scary it gets, however frightening, however tense, you know the Doctor will save the day, will triumph, and will do it in a good and kind and brave way.”
As for puzzles and death losing its sting... Well we like what we like. I love the puzzle, or rather I love the metaphors beneath the puzzle. Like I say above, I think the Doctor's death is absolutely final and won't be magically hand-waved away, with f.ex. Ganger!Doctor standing in. Ganger!Doctor would fit the puzzle, but doesn't fit the metaphors.
And now I've wandered wildly off course and need to go. Shall finish by saying that 'The only water in the forest is the River'. So yes.