The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End

[Craig @craig Emperor]

The finale of the tenth Doctor’s third series. Russell T. Davies really throws everything including the kitchen sink at this one. In a good way.

The Earth has moved, and it’s a race against time as Donna and the Doctor try to find it before the Daleks destroy everything. On Earth a veritable bevy of ex-companions and allies join together to contact the Doctor and take down the Daleks. Can Torchwood, UNIT, Sarah Jane, Martha Jones, Rose, Harriet Jones et al find the Doctor in time?

The end of Stolen Earth caused quite a stir at the time but my favourite moment is Sarah Jane’s reaction to the first cries of “EXTERMINATE”. How great was Elisabeth Sladen? She made sure the Daleks stayed horrifyingly scary.

And the ending of Journey’s End still makes me shed a manly tear for the wonderful Donna.

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

It’s actually quite strange to revisit this episode in a retrospective. We know Russell had made his decision to move on at this point, and was working towards an end game.

So we have a summation of his period in a way. Look who’s putting the band back together as we get Rose, Jack, Mickey, Martha, Sarah Jane and lots more familiar faces. It has a celebratory “end of an era” feel to it which the subsequent valedictory specials never quite matched.

This is “event” television – the cliffhanger in which the Doctor appears to be regenerating made the news – not just on the BBC, but on ITV and Sky apparently, with the Sunday papers rushing out articles. Russell must have laughed his head off.

I actually think that the previous episodes hang together a bit better than this, but this has an aim and delivers it well. There are a couple of misses – who would have thought the Shadow Proclamation would turn out to be so dull? The real meat is in our old friends though, as they pull towards each other. I have to echo @craig, and say Liz Sladen is just incredible in this. Her face actually sells pure terror as she hugs her son as starts to cry. That’s my first acting award given.

Second goes to Julian Bleach, as Davros. What a remarkable find he was. Watch him in the Torchwood episode “From out of the rain”. He does something remarkable here in putting in a performance that is a redux of the Davros character of the past (from Michel Wisher’s eerie calm of Genesis to the hysteria of the later years). He obviously has fun with the “DETONATE THE REALITY BOMB” lines, but he’s as creepy as Wisher with his quiet taunting of ten. Really love the work he did here.

And then we have Catherine. Donna. Of all the companions in the new series, she was the most engaging to me. She went through the mill with the Doctor (seriously – watch this series and she possibly deals with more pain, has her illusions shattered early, and grows magnificently) and the resolution to her story is very painful. In Who history, I would be surprised if they ever duplicate the peculiar magnificence of Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins in family terms. It’s pure casting gold. I love Donna, and I’m not ashamed to proclaim it loudly.

It’s big, it’s brash and faintly ludicrous, but it really does work. I could moan about the ending with the towing the Earth back to position, but you know – I can put up with that for the shot of the full TARDIS at the end with everyone beaming as they get to work the TARDIS. At that point you – know. It’s the end of the era show.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

It’s a relentless rollicking roller-coaster of a story! Indulgent in the show’s mythology, it starts off with nods to The Dinosaur Invasion (ep.1) The float with spilt milk. Saturdays. Pertwee wasn’t a fan of Sundays…

The Whoniverse crossover thing is very Marvel. Everyone’s here – even the spirit of Tosh.

Put that stuff down or run for your lives! (Somehow they manage both)

Martha thinks it’s lucky to have your drink spiked.

Sarah Jane’s bawling (of basically – You’re going to die, Luke) has me weeping (& laughing in equal measure)

The Dalek Saucers that attack New York look too small to fit Daleks in. Are they really just Amazon drones?

Mo ho! The dialogue is great!

The attack on The Valiant looks amazing. All the music is fantastic.

More tact & diplomacy. (Sorry for the loss that is yet to come.)

My vision is not impaired! Davros’ beating heart is pretty strong stuff for ‘kids tv’.

Brilliant cliffhanger. So Rose gets to keep the same Doctor. She’s luckier than Clara…

It’s a nice touch that Davros is the Dalek’s pet. Rightfully, the Dr is confronted with: ‘You take ordinary people and you fashion them into weapons.’

Donna (sort of) gives us our 1st taste of a female Doctor.

If the ‘Jimmy Carr’ Doctor has the same memories, why not the same conscience?

I wonder how that other TARDIS is coming along?

We end with real consequences, War Games style. The companion will never remember their travels – Truly tragic….

 

[Arbutus @arbutus]

I thought I’d get my two cents in on this one before a new batch of material shows up tomorrow. I haven’t actually had time to rewatch, but going on my memories of it, I enjoyed it, although it was never a favourite. It was great seeing Sarah Jane Smith and company, and as others have said, Lis Sladen was marvelous. Never having seen Torchwood, I found that aspect of Reunion Week a little irritating, but that’s just me. This was also where I stopped liking the characterization of Martha, as she has clearly moved on from being a doctor to being something else. I never saw the need for this, frankly, as I thought she was a strong character as she stood, and her earlier appearance with UNIT didn’t seem particularly at odds with the Martha we knew. I agree with @phaseshift‘s views on Julian Bleach, I thought he nailed Davros. And Donna and Co. were great as always. I really enjoyed Donna/Doctor’s moment of glory against Davros and the Daleks.

Frankly, I thought that the reunion of the Doctor and Rose was a low point. To me, it felt contrived and irritatingly overblown. That being said, however, the “faked” regeneration didn’t bother me at all. I thought it was rather funny, especially when we had Donna and Clone Doctor riffing off of each other after the metacrisis. I’m not sure that any other Doctor/companion pair could have pulled that off. (Although I take @wolfweed‘s point about the two Doctors, I hadn’t thought of it before, but it’s a good point. There really isn’t any good reason why they wouldn’t have shared the same moral viewpoint.) I was both irritated and relieved by the ending: irritated at the whole overly-romantic construct, but relieved that the Doctor didn’t in the end say “the words”, and in fact, it is made clear that there could never be a future for a mortal human and an unaging Time Lord. Rose could only be with a Doctor who would grow old with her.

And of course, Donna’s terribly tragic end. Tragic both for Donna, who with her wonderful memories loses all of her growth and maturity, and for the Doctor, who loses a truly wonderful friend and companion. Donna’s horrified realization, her desperate pleading, is the standout moment in the story for me. So very painful to watch, and so very, very sad.

So a bit of a mixed bag for me, but on the whole, more positives than negatives.

[janetteB @janetteb]

The two episodes are so typical of a RTD series ending in which he pulls all the stops to make a big noise but the result is hollow. In trying ot outdo himself he falls flat on his face. Well not quite but the two episodes certainly failed to live up to the promise of what preceded them. There are some lovely moments and it is nice to see so many “old faces”. I liked the inclusion of the Torchwood team though  I never warmed to the series. I much preferred SJA and agree with previous comments about the wonderful Liz Sladden.

@arbutus makes an excellent point about Martha. Previously she was a healer. In order to make a point in this story RTD makes her a warrior. It is not consistent with the character as portrayed in the previous series and what of her boyfriend? It seems that RTD has forgotten that she is engaged.

The scenes in the Tardis with Donna and Doctor-Donna are excellent. Tennant does “motor mouth” so well. His acting was always a pleasure to watch and he gives so much to the role.

The ending it more than sad. It is bitter and cruel. I would have preferred for Donna to die than to revert to the frustrated, unfulfilled angry woman of Runaway Bride.

It wasn’t just Martha who lost my sympathy in this story. After Rose’s welcome return in Turn Left I found her to be extremely irritating in the two parter. Rose was always preferable when not being posessive over the Doctor. I always feel like reminding her that he is a 900 year old Time Lord, and not her property. I went out to make Milos when they got to the Bad Wolf bay beach. That is not a scene that stands up to repeated viewing.  Likewise Rose’s conversion into warrior with big gun is also rather contrived to suit the needs of the script and not necessary consistant with her character.

Cheers

Janette

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

These episodes are my favorite episodes . It was great seeing all the companions and spin – off shows come together in one big finale . It was the first time I saw the Torchwood team and hub and the first time I saw Sarah Jane in her house with her son and Mr Smith . I did like seeing the companions come back but Rose was so annoying . When The Doctor regenerated into his same face Rose said ” it’s still you ” and I keep thinking ” wow Rose what happened to the 9th Doctor ” . I feel like they made her say that so people would be clear that it was still the 10th Doctor and David was still going to play The Doctor . I’m happy that Donna got to live and even though she can not travel with The Doctor any more she can still live a happy life with her husband and still have a story to tell . Martha was wonderful in these episodes . I love how she was willing to kill the Earth and every one she love , so the Daleks couldn’t kill every one and become the only creatures in the universe . Martha has been a brave companion through out seasons 3 and 4 . Sarah Jane was wonderful but I haven’t seen the classic who stories with her and I just now started watching SJA so I didn’t know alot about Sarah Jane when I first watched these episodes . As for Jack he was just sort of ” there ” . I had always liked Jack but to me he was just ” there ” when I watched any episodes with him . It wasn’t till I started watching Torchwood when I started to see Jacks character as a great character and for who he really is but now I love Jack as a character and a companion . The ending was a great ending . I loved Donna becoming The Doctor Donna and sending all the planets to there time and place . The Doctor and his companions bringing Earth back to it’s place in space puts a smile on my face every time . I think these episodes were the best I ever seen .

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

Have to say that Russel was great in character development with these two episodes . You can tell that Rose has changed after being in the other dimension . She felt like a more experience character and that she could be more independent however she still had her limits . Marthas personality showed when she showed no fear when she ordered the daleks to leave Earth or she will destroy the planet . I believe that she would have killed billions of people to save the universe . Donna showed off her confidants when she said that she is a human being and though they might be legends they are still as important to the universe as Time Lords . Now that I think of it that is ironic because she becomes The Doctor Donna . I think that one of the most brave and wonderful personalities that was shown in the episodes was not Jacks , Jackies , or Donnas but Gwens ( Gwen from Torchwood ) . Even though Gwens character was not developed on in the story due to her being in Torchwood and not having much to do with the story line her personality showed when she grabbed a gun and said she was going down fighting . When she was screaming , yelling , and shooting at a dalek it show that she was brave , determined , and willing to stand her ground , proving that Gwen is a great and wonderful character .

[Allonsy @allonsy]

Being new to doctor who and just now watching these two episodes I have to say that,  besides ‘The Empty Child’, these two episodes are my favorite so far.

I’m not going to break down the episode, as that has been done quite well in the thread previously. There were some great moments in these episodes though.

Seeing the joy on The Doctor’s and Rose’s face when they first see each other in person. Then immediately The Doctor is shot by a Dalek. The cliffhanger of the doctor regenerating at the end of stolen earth must have been nail-biting when the next episode wasn’t 17 seconds away (sometimes being behind is a good thing).

Rose. Oh dear Rose. Many don’t like Rose but she is my favorite companions. With that said I see everything in her that people don’t like. For some reason though those things make me like her more. I loved seeing her a little more battle hardened to show you that though we haven’t seen her she has been busy. The pay off at the end where she gets the version of the doctor who can love her made me hold my wife a little tighter.

….. Freaking DW… making a grown man catch a case of the feels..

Donna, dear Donna Noble, I can honestly say that I did like you at first. Donna’s character development through her being the companion was just great. These two episodes made me love her though. Seeing her be the hero and then have every shred of her adventures taken away was so heart breaking.

So many more things but I will keep it short. I honestly thought these two episodes are in my top three that I have watched so far.

[SeverusOswald @severusoswald]

These episodes are amazing! I was slightly disappointed that they didn’t feature River, who I love. Although maybe the Rose-River and Sarahjane-River conversations might have been slightly awkward!

[thedoctor147 @thedoctor147]

well t=you have got to throw out Davros on this one. and where is the end of time?

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

Dalek Caan! I’d forgotten Dalek Caan.

I think this was Nick Briggs finest comic Dalek performance – a Dalek who appear to have discovered a secret stash of hallucinogens during the Time War and is just so, so completely stoned.

Stolen Earth is a terrific episode, in the trademark RTD style of throwing everything at the finale, including the kitchen sink, the dishwasher, the microwave and the food processor. Not to mention probably the Best Cliffhanger Ever.

[winston @winston]

These 2 episodes have all the chills and thrills you need. It brings back so many of our old faves and throws them together in a war with Daleks. Of course it gives us the Doctor Donna and then just as quickly she is gone, no memories of all of her adventures.How sad is that? Rose gets her Doctor and I just saw the clip where the new Doctor is given a piece of the Tardis to build a new one.The Doctor and Rose in the Tardis. I love a happy ending.This was the finale of all finales.

[Rewvian @rewvian]

I remember these episodes really felt like the culmination of everything the revived series had been working towards at that point.  While I also enjoyed The End of Time, and the return of the Time Lords in that, I felt like these episodes concluded the story of the past 4 seasons.  (Minus the Time War, of course.)  The End of Time was more of a conclusion for the Tenth Doctor, while this was a conclusion for his companions.

[Rewvian @rewvian]

So in my last post on this thread I think I said it pretty well.  These episodes were the conclusion for his companions, and wrapped up the RTD storyline up to that point.  This episode literally had everything you could ask for from a finale.  I know in some of the other threads I’ve said “there is a lot to unpack here”, but that goes tenfold for these episodes.  I’m not going to cover everything, and I won’t even try to.  But I can comment on some things.

The finale showed us there are rules of regeneration that could come into play if the situation is just right, like if the time lord lost their hand and found themselves in need of a regeneration, they can heal up and absorb extra energy from the said hand if it is kept.  The hand-regeneration-energy was really generous in these episodes, and even came into play again to regenerate a part human Doctor and give time lord status to Donna Noble.

Honestly out of all the goodbyes said in the conclusion, seeing Donna lose all memory of the Doctor was probably most heartbreaking.  But she wasn’t meant to have her mind crammed full of the Doctor’s knowledge.  Rose ending up with the human Doctor was probably the best possible outcome for her, and I liked that this was also sort of a repercussion because the human Doctor got a bit unethical to “fulfill the prophecy” and kill a bunch of Daleks.  Mickey, ironically, decides to leave the alternate world and come back to the other one.  And no more time-hopping for Jack.  It was fun seeing everyone flying the TARDIS together.

The whole plot with Martha being ordered to use the key and detonate something that would blow up the world was craziness.  Unit really is different nowadays lol.  I also thought Sarah Jane coming along brought things full-circle in more ways than one, since these episodes featured the return of Davos.

I thought Davos was really well-done, and I especially liked his banter about the Doctor’s companions being like murderers who do the killing for him.  I thought it was a brilliant twist making Dalek Caan (Khan?) the one who ultimately turned on the Daleks.  The reality bomb was some real stuff, I seriously almost thought Jackie was gonna get it during that test run.  I’m still not sure I fully understand what grabbing all of those planets from different points in time and mashing them together did in relation to the reality bomb, but it was at least a fun way to reveal stuff was going on up in the sky.

I liked that there was almost this little multiverse of characters with the Sarah Jane stuff and the Torchwood stuff, and that you didn’t really need to know a lot about those shows to watch and enjoy this.  Harriet Jones came through as a real MVP for the group early on, getting them all connected together.  I do recall hearing her mention that her network thing was funded by Mr. Copper – which to me suggests it was the same Mr. Copper from the Voyage of the Damned, using his discovered wealth to do something for the Doctor.

Really I could sit and dwell on any number of things, but that was basically the episode.  The full might of the Daleks this time, but thwarted yet again.  The TARDIS nearly being destroyed but pulling through yet again with Donna in tow.  (Okay, she’s probably the realest MVP.)  Earth is driven back home safely, and all of the companions are back where they belong.  And all that remains for the Tenth Doctor is a series of solo adventures.

This really was a milestone on my rewatch, but I’ve got a few more stories to go until Ten’s exit and Eleven’s debut.  Maybe I’ll slow down a little bit.  But yeah, this really was the closest thing to a DW movie.

[VickyMallard @vickymallard]

Part 1 – Stolen Earth
The end of the universe is imminent, but everything looks normal. Except that the Earth suddenly vanishes – good thing both the Doctor and Donna were in the Tardis at that point. The next bit was very interesting for me as we see a lot of people who I probably should be knowing but don’t really. There’s Martha and Unit, so far, so good. Then there’s John Barrowman at Torchwood, which I only remember seeing at the time it was founded by Queen Victoria (if that was her). Fancy entrance. I recognised Sarah Jane but neither the boy nor the fancy computer. I guess that it because I have never seen the Sarah Jane Adventures. And then there’s Wilfred and Silvia. I have to admit I’m still confused when they mention Chiswick, because my brain has stored that as the home of David Tennant rather than the home of the Noble family (I got even more confused in Wild Blue Yonder, but that’s a different story). But anyway. Everyone staring in in the sky at something impossible. And last not least we see Rose Tyler again with a big, fat gun looking at a sky full of lifeless other planets. And that’s all just before the opening credits – which seem five times longer than usual just so they can fit all the names in.
The Shadow Proclamation! Maybe I’ll finally find out what that actually is. Oh, and that one lady looks like the lady from Broadchurch Season 3, but here she works for Torchwood. Okay. Spaceships approaching… Daleks?! A whole fleet? Where did THEY come from, I thought there was only three left? And why do they abduct the Earth to exterminate everyone? Can’t they do that in the solar system?
So the Shadow Proclamation is actually a planet… oh, and there’s the Rhinos again, from the platoon on the moon! Speaking in a language not translated by the Tardis, but the Doctor seems fluent in it. Brilliant! And who is that weird lady with the white hair and the red eyes? So it’s not just Earth but other planets as well… why? Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister! (Yes, we know who you are….) They really brought everyone back for this episode, didn’t they?! What’s next, an Ood? So everyone is working together to send a signal to the Doctor, and the only one who can’t get in is Rose, because Wilf wasn’t allowed to get a webcam 😉 And it works, and the Doctor and Donna and the Tardis can find Earth. (For now I’ll ignore the bit with the bumblebees and the Medusa cascade… there is just too much for one episode! What on earth IS the medusa cascade?! I still have so much to learn about the Whoniverse!) And suddenly everyone abandons their loved ones – even Sarah Jane – to find the Doctor. Who finally, finally is almost reunited with Rose, only to be shot by a Dalek on the way. And going into regeneration. I had almost forgotten that Donna doesn’t know what that is. But at least she’s not alone with him, nor is he alone, but rather in the company of trusted friends.
In terms of storyline, they’re really going for the big drama here, aren’t they? Anything less than the end of the world wouldn’t do. So I’m curious to see how they’re going to save everyone in the second part!

[VickyMallard @vickymallard]

Part 2 – Journey’s end
And here we are with the second part. Regeneration into the hand, that’s… handy. Rose and the Doctor finally united, and Donna looks at Jack saying “You can have me. No really, you can have me.” LOL. And now we get Mickey and Jackie too, how cool is that! I always loved Jackie! The Tardis being towed off, not so cool. I find it such a sad sight when it is all dark and dead. Once again there’s this Dalek that looks like an exploded squid – is that the evolution of that Dalek-Human crossover we saw in the Daleks take Manhattan? I can’t remember what happened there, just that there was this weird creature with very disturbing flesh-coloured, carrot-shaped moving tentacles.
Martha lands in… Germany?! Of all places?! I can’t believe it! And the Daleks are speaking German! God that sounds weird… “Exterminieren, exterminieren… Sie sind jetzt ein Gefangener der Daleks..” Oh my god. (I don’t think the word “Exterminieren” exists in the German language…?)
Poor Doctor has to watch how both his Tardis and his best friend are destroyed. And Jack getting exterminated. Only they aren’t because Jack can’t die (which Rose doesn’t know?) and there’s 10.5 who is half human. And very… post-regeneration bonkers. I love how they manage to make him look like a very distinct person even though it’s the same actor.
Back to Martha in Germany, speaking German, with a very cute accent. Love it! 😉 So the Osterhagen code is to destroy Earth if there is no hope. Interesting. Lots of action and world saving and Dalek destruction, and it’s DoctorDonna who saves the day, and actually the whole universe. Which means this is the last episode with her?! I thought she would be along for Tenth remaining episodes, or until shortly before the end. So I guess I better prepare myself for what happens next. Well, not just yet. Finally everyone’s back in the Tardis towing good old Earth back in place. Even K9 gets to play his part. The really brought EVERYONE back for this one, didn’t they? Brilliant. The Tardis is designed to be flown by six people, no wonder the Doctor is running around like mad all the time and using all hands and feet available. Hey, and why does Jackie have to stand back? Is she such a famously bad driver? Did I miss something? Anyway, all one big happy family now, at least for a brief moment.
Sarah Jane returns to her son. Martha and Jack go to continue saving the world together, I guess – wait, what actually happened to Martha’s fiance? Wasn’t she engaged to that paediatrician last time we saw her? Mickey is joining them and will hopefully not be playing third wheel. Rose and Jackie have to go back to Pete’s world, so that Rose can look after 10.5? Oh man, that’s not fair to her, but then again, what is? I hope they grow old together, happily, eventually, even though he isn’t the real deal. But to look on the bright side: he won’t run away and she doesn’t have to share him with anyone.
And there it is. The end of the DoctorDonna. She knows what’s coming and is pleading that he doesn’t do it, and you can see his heart breaking that he has to do this to her. Man, I am so glad to have seen The Star Beast before seeing this. So utterly, utterly heartbreaking. The Doctor, alone, in the rain. Which is probably still better than being around a Donna who doesn’t recognise him. (And I admit I am a bit confused why Wilfred had to wait with his final words until the Doctor was out in the lashing rain, getting sopping wet. He could have simply said that while the Doctor was still under the roof at the door. But I guess it added to the dramatic effect.)
I think I now have to go and watch the Star Beast once more before I continue with this series…

[winston @winston]

@vickymallard  I always like watching these 2 episodes except of course the sad ending. I am a big fan of the happy ending and even though we have waited a long time we finally have one. The DoctorDonna and the Doctor together again.

We did get a happy ending for Rose and her Doctor, I think. I hope they have a wonderful life full of adventures. Rose has a Dad and her Mum and little brother Tony and her Doctor but they are in a different universe. Mickey and Martha will be fine and Jack will have a long future, a really long future.

The older I get the more I realize how important our memories are.Sometimes they are the only place some of our loved ones live and they are ours,our own. When the Doctor took Donna’s memories he did it to save her life but it left a Doctor shaped hole in her life.It was so unfair to take that away from her. I am glad that the Doctor came back to her,the long way round, and she got her story back. I can now watch these episodes knowing that it will be fixed in the future.

Stay safe

[Author]

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