Doctor Who: "The Power of Three"

[lizbee]

This was GREAT. I kept watching it feeling like it was a lost episode from the RTD era, what with Mysterious Alien Devices insinuating themselves into day to day life, and expository television news, and famous real people cameos. And UNIT!

Only, it was with Ponds, and it was really all about the Ponds, so it was more like a Moff-era remix of the RTD contemporary invasion stories. Though I have to say, never have I mourned a lack of Martha more than when the Doctor was stumbling around UNIT HQ in need of someone to re-start his heart.

It also felt a bit like SJA, but that was mostly when the villain turned up and started ranting, and it was all a bit ... well, SJA with a dash of Babylon 5, actually. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A CRITICISM! Just, you had this lovely little mystery, and then it was all dodgy make-up and Patented Villain Speeches. And then the Doctor reversed the polarity of the neutron flow to the cubes, so magically no one died.

SO MANY THINGS! Amy has a new job! (Turn 25, get too old for modelling!) I look forward to seeing fandom fall all over themselves with very feminist explanations of how some jobs are just more suitable for women than others. Freelance writing is brilliant for her situation, and also creative, so well done Amy! And there was a vase of sunflowers in the Pond kitchen! I do enjoy a nice callback.

Really, this felt like every fic where the Doctor has to do domestic, only funnier, because those fics don't usually include really enthusiastic fathers-in-law. And it was so nice to have a story that's just about the Doctor's relationship with the Ponds, and the Doctor's relationship with companions in general. Especially one that doesn't exclude people who aren't companions!

OH YEAH, KATE STEWART. SHE HAS RAVENS OF DEATH, YOU KNOW. And it's so great to have a UNIT that isn't evil, or even morally ambiguous! SCIENCE LEADS! I bet the Brig asked Liz Shaw to babysit one time, and Liz was like, "Children? No." But she became friends with Kate anyway. And now Kate runs UNIT, and Captain Magambo and Martha answer to her, and Brigadier Bambera (ret.) likes to call up and nitpick, and there's Friday night drinks with Ms Smith from Bannerman Road, who keeps trying to get her to hire these kids she knows, and ... YEAH.

And the official DW Twitter said this is Kate's "debut", so SHE'LL BE BACK!

It's weird, but the Doctor Who universe suddenly seems a lot bigger now. It's right that each companion's time with the Doctor shouldn't be overshadowed by his or her predecessors, but it's nice to open up that self-containment a bit, especially now that we're preparing to let the Ponds go. DON'T GO, PONDS! I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE BOTH SO DOCTOR-Y NOW!

Something else I was going to say. OH YEAH, for once it's not the Doctor marrying an historical figure! Though Henry VIII, gross!

Comments

[ladymercury_10]

Oh man, there totally needs to be fic of Martha and Kate being awesome together. Although I suspect maybe Kate came to power after Martha left, because the two of them would have got on splendidly, and there would have been no need for all this Osterhagen Key disillusionment business.

[calapine]

And the official DW Twitter said this is Kate's "debut", so SHE'LL BE BACK!

OH TEH GLEE.

And I thought Nefertiti was the Madama Vastra of this season but nooooooo.

[lizbee]

NEFERTITI CAN COME BACK TOO. The Doctor just got a bit side-tracked taking her back to Egypt! And now she's busy helping to save the 21st century, and then Kate and Martha have promised to take her out for something called a "happy hour", and maybe he could pop back in a couple of months?

[trouble]

This episode pleased me so much! :D

[copracat]

I loved her dry brigadierish sense of humour. *hearts*

[sabotabby]

That made me so happy. I want Kate to be a regular so much.

[jennaw]

It must be tough on Moffat to have to keep introducing such awesome women characters when he hates women so much. /sarcasm

[sabra_n]

Kate Stewart might be my favorite thing ever possibly. Or at least my favorite thing this week.

[ladyvivien]

Epic squee ad you probably gathered from my Twitter. I wrote a tiny bit of a beginning of some fic on the tumblrs:: http://tasseomancyandtiaras.tumblr.com/post/32074208918/in-which-the-doctor-and-kate-stewart-have-a-not

[sabrina]

Loved Kate Stewart! And also, really just do not want the Ponds to go, but also want new companions, I actually want a gang of companions, like a Scooby Gang only a TARDIS gang. Cause, that'd be cool.

[neadods]

like it was a lost episode from the RTD era, what with Mysterious Alien Devices insinuating themselves into day to day life, and expository television news, and famous real people cameos.

... and plot points that make *no sense whatsoever* like having monster-faced interns stealing humans instead of just killing them off like the baddie wanted. I found that particularly RTDish.

On the other hand, I found the "NO REALLY, HUMANITY IS ALL ABOUT HOPE" and "There's absolutely nothing wrong with a normal life" to be the complete opposite of RTD, practically to the point of flipping off the RTD era.

So there's stuff I really didn't like. However, I cannot and will not ever say the episode is bad because I squeed - *literally* squealed and clutched the person next to me - when we found out who Kate was. Basically, Kate rules.

[infiniteviking]

Late, but RAVENS. OF. DEATH. *SQUEE*

She had better be coming back. Kate flippin' Stewart of UNIT, we are so very happy to meet you.