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« Kelvington's Corner
Doctor Who - Turn Left...
We all knew this was coming, it's all happened before and it will all happen again... wait a moment, I think that's BSG. Every year for the last few, we have been presented with a Doctor-less or Doctor-lite episode. Some better than others, just like Star Wars movies. So this evening we were presented with the latest one, "Turn Left" written by Russel T. Davis. It's a very simple concept, what if you turned right instead of left. What if, you didn't meet the Doctor but instead had a normal life, and what if, the Doctor had died.
The episode opens in Chinatown (on some planet), and Donna is getting her future told, and she actually flashes back to her temp job. This is not unlike using a penny to go back in time. So after a little insect interaction Donna turn's right and, right away from her future with the Doctor.
Alternate reality shows are tough to do, but they do present an amazing opportunity to see life in a new way. In this reality Donna never met up with the Doctor, and he ends up very dead after dealing with the Racnos. Of course, without Donna one has to wonder how he was drawn to the Racnos to try and stop them, but that's a quibble best left for the forums. Personally, I think the TARDIS is the main guiding force of the show, taking the Doctor where he needs to be.
Once the Doctor is dead, we are presented with a new time line of events. Now a ton of money was spent on this show and for a show aimed at kids, the writing is definitely not, it was in fact top notch, you have to pay attention to know all of references, in order to get everything that's going on, from people we've met who have died, to different shots from plots we have memorized. This is a lot like the "Deep Space Nine" episode where they go back and deal with tribbles from a different perspective.
Rose comes and goes, and there is definitely SOMETHING wrong with her mouth, something about her upper teeth, I can't say what, but there is something wrong with them, and Martha and Sara Jane are both mentioned. So are the kids from The Sara Jane Adventures. One of the best things about this show is the ability to reuse old "Doctor Who" news footage created for the series in new ways, and adding to it, although the Titanic bit was definitely a cheat.
Life is not good without the Doctor, in a very WWII sort of way, in very short order Davis shows us just how bad, bad can get. This episode has a lot of scope for a fifty minute show. Yet it's incredibly intimate. Personally the only weak bit in the episode is the creature on Donna's back.
In the end, I loved this episode, while it won't ever be as good as Blink, simply because of Sally Sparrow, yes I love Sally Sparrow, so sue me. This will remembered for a long time, and analyzed a lot more than "Blink", there are so many twists and turns here, nods and homages, that I think we will be watching this long after the season comes to an end, and it will certainly give us something to do next year, while we are missing our favorite time traveler.
Just my 2¢,
Kelvington
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Jun 21, 2008 4:22 PM
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Kelvington, I'm not sure where you are posting from, but you are aware you're getting ahead of broadcast in U.S., right? "Turn Left" is episode 11. Episode 8, "Silence in the Library" was just broadcast here last night (6/13) on SciFi channel.
Whether you are somewhere where the episodes are ahead on broadcast, or whether you are downloading them from somewhere, you are not going to find many people in this forum to talk to you about this episode for at least a couple weeks. And some people are likely to get downright testy if they don't realize this is a future episode, since you don't post "Spoiler Alert" warnings (I've seen you post here before).
Obviously, you have a right to post anything you want as long as it's within the limits of acceptable blog behavior on this site, but if you want to actually interact with us, you should join in the Dr. Who discussions under "What's on TV -> TV Show Blogs ->Dr. Who". This is at the upper left on the selection bar. However, if you do, please don't get ahead of the current episode. 
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Jun 21, 2008 6:38 PM
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OK, I said 6/13 - I meant 6/20. "Silence in the Library" is still the current episode.
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Jun 21, 2008 7:30 PM
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Got it, Rick! I had to use the "charmap" but it worked. Now I can raise your 2¢ and add 2¢.
Thanks.
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Jun 21, 2008 8:40 PM
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Oh yeah, about Dr. Who. I only watch it occasionally, on BBC America. I really liked Torchwood a lot better, and I am sad that next season is curtailed to only 5 episodes.
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Jun 21, 2008 8:42 PM
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The current episode in the UK is Turn Left. The U.S. is actually three episodes behind.
That said, I really enjoyed Turn Left. It was also good to see that Rose has grown up and found a place where she can be very useful. Torchwood and UNIT seem perfect for ex-companions. The Doctor did her good.
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Jun 22, 2008 10:28 AM
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I pretty much loved it. And all the references to Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures were great.
AND next week looks even MORE episode and MORE awesome than this episode!
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Jun 22, 2008 2:02 PM
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Yeah, I've gotta go with MostlyaReader on this one - you're the only person who writes about Doctor Who much on here, and I'd love to join you, but I watch the Scifi Channel broadcasts which are a few eps behind the UK eps, so I can't participate in your blogs. Which kinda sucks.
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Jun 23, 2008 9:57 AM
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