[Anonymous]

The interaction between the Doctors was sublime but the storyline was disappointing.

[Sharon]

Oh, I think anyone opening a 50th Anniversary Episode thread by now should expect to be spoiled if they didn’t watch it. I mean, what with the worldwide simulcast and all …

Anyway, I see your point, particularly this bit: “I’ll just say that when you start to eliminate negative events that gave a character depth, it makes them lose that depth.” But I’m sort of withholding judgment on it. I think the showrunners might have felt they’d taken that particular storyline about as far as it could go, and intentionally wanted to lighten up the Doctor’s worldview. I mean, Capaldi seems like a pretty intense guy — maybe they wanted to start him off with a light heart.

[Semok]

But it doesn’t change anything. At the end, it’s mentioned that he won’t remember that he tried to save them all. Heck, when he leaves, he doesn’t even know if he succeeded. I was a bit unsure as to whether or not Matt Smith would remember, though I fail to see why he would be able to while the other wouldn’t.

I liked how Matt Smith had chosen to move on from what had happened, but not entirely forgotten it. I mean, he had already lightened up, but still had that depth to him, which I liked. As it was mentioned, David Tennant was the one who regrets and Matt Smith was the one who forgets.

I mean, it’s already said that how the doctors turned out because of what they did in the past made them wonderful people, and now that just feels less important to me.

It just feels like they took the piss out of something that really made the doctors who they are.

[Sharon]

I took the bit about how he wouldn’t remember that he tried to save them as something necessary for Tennant’s timeline to remain the same. Because if he did remember that he tried, that would mess with everything we’ve seen him do that was motivated by it (and everything Smith did to this point, too). If Tennant remembered his involvement in it, it would have undermined everything we’ve been watching for the past few years. (And that REALLY would have pissed me off.)

But I think Smith does remember — that’s why he had that narration at the end about how it’s his goal now.

I don’t know. In a sort of meta way, it seemed like the show has decided it’s about time to forgive the Doctor and get away from all the guilt that has been plaguing him since New Who started. (Well, not ALL of it, he’s still carrying a ton of guilt from other things.)

[Semok]

I understand the change they seem to be going in, but I guess I’m just not a fan of it. I know a great deal of it probably stems from my own personal fascinating in shame and guilt as emotions. Pretty much, guilt is actually classified, psychologically, as a positive emotion, because it motivates us to become better people. Because of that, I have a respect for how the doctor used his guilt to do such wonderful things. While I feel as though he probably sometimes took the guilt upon himself too hard, I also feel like there were times where he could forgive himself for a while, or even forget momentarily, and enjoy himself. When people encounter or produce something negative, it takes a lot to turn it into something positive in the end, and to just eliminate that effect all together just feels like it’s taking away from the character.

With all that being said, I do feel as though having a more guilt-free doctor better matches Matt Smith’s doctor, except for the fact that he’s about to leave. XD I can appreciate the latest angle to Dr. Who, but I feel like the anniversary episode took the air out of a lot of earlier episodes.

It’s like having a story about a character who lost someone dear to them and goes on an adventure to seek vengeance against those who ruined his life, and his adventures continue on for many many books, only to discover at the end that the person he lost was alive all along, and the next book is going to be about their happy life together. It’s a weird combo breaker. XD

[Author]

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