Harry -
As eras go, this one was as grand as they come. An energetic Doctor, big blockbuster stories, and New Who at its pop culture peak.
Sarah -
Oh, those heady days of the RTD Era! The mere existence of Doctor Who was nothing short of a miracle. Everything was awesome just because it existed. Well, maybe not everything, but I was willing to let some (or maybe a lot of) stuff slide because it was Doctor Freaking Who on my television, which I never thought was going to happen again.
Revisiting the Tennant Era has been challenging. So many of the things I was able to brush off on first watch really got under my skin this time around.
Harry -
Totally agree. The giddiness of watching season after season of New Who was great when it first happened. Having completed a repeat view of this era, there was so much that got under my skin. The arrogance of the Doctor. The season-finale blockbusters that were so much noise without much story. RTD's maternal issues playing out every time we met a companion's mum. And complicated relationships taking over from simple friendships when it came to the Doctor's travelling companions.
Sarah -
Seriously, what is it with RTD and mothers? Writing every companion's mother as difficult is positively pathological!
Harry -
We encountered some brilliant new aliens, from the Sisters of Plenitude to the Weeping Angels to Vashta Nerada. Historically, we met Queen Victoria, William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. I loved all of these encounters and they delivered on what we love and expect from Doctor Who.
Sarah -
And two fabulous new companions! Martha and Donna are both favorites of mine, despite how they're treated by the show. My favorite Martha moment is when she walks away from the TARDIS because she knows she deserves more. It feels a little obvious to have her end up with Mickey, another companion treated badly by the Doctor, but in my head cannon they're having a wonderful life together.
Harry -
Yes, it was nice to see a couple of characters who endured "complicated relationships" in the show find happiness with each other. While kicking Sontaran asses.
Sarah -
I was so angry when Donna was robbed of all her growth the first time around and was just as angry this time around. I hope Donna has a wonderful life with her husband -- and her lottery winnings.
Harry -
Donna ranks very high on my list of fave companions and I will not forgive RTD for the way he wrote her out of the Doctor's life. Once again, Big Finish saved the day by rolling out new audio adventures for them, and they've been great!
I have to go back to the blockbuster finales as what was most disappointing from this era. The stakes in these stories were so wildly massive and just unfathomable (from the fate of the Earth all the way up to the fate of existence itself) that they were hard to engage with.
Sarah -
Right? I like a good finale, but they got to be just too much.
Harry -
But there were some wonderful gems in this era. "School Reunion", "Human Nature/The Family of Blood", and :Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead" will always be classics of this era for me.
Sarah -
Absolutely. Now that we've finished the era, I'll probably dip back to watch old favorites now and then, but there will be other stories I don't think I'll be rushing to see.
Harry -
Yeah, it was good to rewatch this era right around the 10-year anniversary of Tennant's departure. Given some distance and some contrast with subsequent eras, it settles nicely into the history of the show. At the time it was so loud and mega, seemingly the be all and end all of the revived series, but now I think of it as just one way to do Doctor Who. As with all previous eras, I'll check out certain episodes again, but there are some I'm glad we may never have to watch again.
Sarah -
We started this project just after Matt Smith's first series ended and I decided at the beginning that I would avoid rewatching stories until we reached them in our marathon. This means I've been waiting to rewatch the Smith era for 10 years! I am so ready to move on.
Harry -
Same here! Farewell Tennant and RTD, on to Smith and Moffat!
Sarah -
Allons-y!
Our marathon resumes with Story #203: The Eleventh Hour...
