xparrot: Chopper reading (dw donna snow)
X-parrot ([personal profile] xparrot) wrote2008-04-21 04:03 am

the joy of Who (or why Donna Noble rocks my socks)

So, don't know about the rest of the 'net, but I have been loving the new season of Doctor Who. Loving. I don't know how I forgot how freaking unbelivably adorkably lovely David Tennant's Doctor is. And Catherine Tate's Donna is absolutely everything I wanted her to be, and maybe a bit more than that.

(This is a post of squee, so if you're not so enamored, please to be politely covering your ears and moving along. Doctor Who is my happy place; it makes TV fun the way it was when I was nine years old and loved the exciting happenings and people and didn't know or care about evaluating dramatic intent or analyzing plotholes. It's not so much that I turn off my brain when watching, but that I'm so swept away in the craziness that nothing bothers me. It's a kid's show and the plotholes are entirely in the service of taking shortcuts to the fun and I love it, in all its brilliant cracktastic cheesy glory. And the bits I don't love *cough that last X-mas special cough* I prefer to just forget.)

So, yeah. The squee. I was hopeful about Donna when I heard about the casting decision last year, because she had the potential to be something different, nothing like the previous two Companions. Who I both liked (very fond of Rose, for all her foibles; and Martha is, well, I mean, Martha Jones, it's just another way to spell A-W-E-S-O-M-E.) But three eps into season 4, and Donna, oh man, Donna = <3333!

I love how Donna gets the Doctor. She knows he's an alien, she doesn't expect him to necessarily have human feelings or principles- she expects him to have more, because he has such awesome power, and responsibility comes with that power, and she's not about to let him forget it. And meanwhile she's struggling to handle everything herself, to be strong enough - for all her brazen attitude I think she's more aware than Rose or Martha was of just how far she's in over her head. But she's prevailing and pushing through, for her own sake, for the Doctor's.

I love, too, that she is older, in a different place in her life - she doesn't have a life to get back to, or a family the Doctor must return her to; she is her own woman, makes her own decisions about her life - made her decision to be his Companion, 100%. I kind of loved that moment she heard the Ood-song and asked him to take it away because she wasn't strong enough to handle it - she knows she's not as strong as the Doctor, but then she also knows she's not a millennium old alien. Rose was amazed by the Doctor, Martha was at times intimidated; but Donna knows her limits - and yet doesn't allow them to stop her, doesn't think any less of herself for being "only" human.

"What, and you're in charge?"
"TARDIS, Time Lord, yeah!"
"Donna, Human, no!"

For all that she does love the Doctor--I think she maybe lets herself feel for him, even more than Rose (who was always there for him, but too young to comprehend what he suffers) or Martha (who the Doctor never let that close, and I don't know if Martha truly wanted to get that close - because she's a doctor herself, a healer, and she wanted so badly to fix the Doctor but some of his wounds go too deep to be healed.) Donna isn't really pushing him for the stories, doesn't think she could fix him - but oh, she feels for him.

Feels for everyone - and compassion's pretty much a required trait in the Doctor's companions, he brings them along for their humanity, and Donna is so very, brilliantly human - she gets freaked by her first sight of an Ood, but she gets over it and tries to comfort it - him - and is so saddened by their plight. Which doesn't stop her from panicking and shrieking and getting huffy with the handcuffs and the nearly dying and - gah! So much love!

(...I am also hereby declaring my SEKKRIT X-OVER OTP of Donna + Rodney McKay, because they would so bond over common sense.

At first they would hate each other, because Rodney's so obnoxious and bossy and Donna is...just the same. But then they'd get into some awful scrape, and the Doctor and Sheppard would be like, "We can do THIS absolutely insane thing to get out!"

And Donna & Rodney would say simultaneously: "Us, try to do THAT? Are you NUTS?"

And then they'd look at each other, and Donna would say, "Hey, you actually are a genius after all!"

And Rodney would say, "Hey, you're actually not as dumb as you sound after all!"

And then Donna would smack him. And then crack up, and Rodney would blink at her in wide-eyed what-the-hell, and then snort and grin lopsided and maybe mumble something almost resembling an apology.

And the Doctor and Sheppard would stare, and shiver.

...also if the Doctor is so totally not Donna's type physically, then Rodney might be. Donna's not blonde, but they could work something out XP)

I love, too, that she is so very not interested in the Doctor in that way. Because that story's overplayed, and I like the Doctor as pretty much asexual, and I have the biggest thing for platonic male-female friendship, as incredibly rare as it is on TV. So that they're mates - like that, not like that - just the bestest ever.

Also in the Confidentials, every time it shows DT and CT on-set together, they're laughing! Soso cute!

And also - we're 3 for 3, 3 eps and 3 hugs. Yes, I <3 my show so very muchly!!!

[identity profile] airairo.livejournal.com 2008-04-20 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes yes YES!!! I haven't seen ep 3 yet, but so much love for this season so far. I love Donna. I've been excited ever since first hearing that she was going to be in this season because she's just... she's exactly what he needs right now. I feel the same as you, I loved Rose and Martha and all that they are to the Doctor and all that he is to them, but he needed someone like Donna who would just love him in a completely platonic way. And, yes, I love how she is older, more mature, knows who she is. And their reunion scene, when they saw each other through the windows was just lkdjslkdjf ♥

I am loving this. ♥
ext_3572: (dw donna omg)

[identity profile] xparrot.livejournal.com 2008-04-21 12:21 pm (UTC)(link)
THE WINDOW SCENE! eeeeee!

Everything you said times 1,000, with many many <33333!