What If...the Doctor never met Rose Tyler? (Series 4, Part 2)

Wow. Can't believe we took two years to get to it. Just over it, actually. The final piece of the puzzle in answering the question - What if the Doctor had never met Rose Tyler? As we have seen, history has taken a different path through Series 1-4 in this universe, all because the Doctor took a different path instead of the one he did in the basement on Henrik's. From changing the big bad of Series 1 to one that actually made sense to no less than three different versions of Martha running around to the Master being...well, as they would be later in the timeline.

Last time, the Doctor, "Estra", and Donna went off into time and space once more without a Doctor's Daughter to be found. Will Series 4 continue to have a bunch of curveballs thrown at us? Let's take a peek!

MadCap's Game Reviews - "Temple Run"

 

Now I know what you're thinking. "Mobile games? Mobile games? C'mon, Madcap! You don't do a Game Review since your big ol' 10th Anniversary back in May, leaving everyone hanging and breaking your week format for said anniversary date, and the best that you come up with is a mobile game?

Well thank you for your concern, voices in my head, but it is my blog.

What If...the Doctor had remained Time Lord Victorious? (Part 1)

Yes, I borrowed the image. Shhhh...

Oh, don't worry...we'll be getting back to Jenny's continuing adventures on board the TARDIS another day. After all, I haven't reviewed any Matt Smith episodes (yet), not that that's kept him and elements from his era from appearing in the What If series, but oh well...let's look at something else.

I do want to say that, despite the title, this has nothing to do with the Time Lord Victorious storyline/multimedia hullabaloo going on through much of the Doctor Who expanded universe. So if something occurs in this that happens in there, it is a coincidence I promise. I'm actually avoiding reading any of the material on it (and intend to keep from doing so until I've finished) simply because I want to avoid any accusations of plagiarism. So, in short...this is either going to be a wholly original thing or is going to be a bunch of coincidences.

In this scenario, we shall endeavor to answer a single question (as we do in all What Ifs?), namely: What if...the Doctor had remained Time Lord Victorious?

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...

What If...Jenny survived "The Doctor's Daughter?" (Part 1)

Surprise!

I figured this would be a good What If...? to do and it was actually one of the first I thought of for this series. Despite my problems with the episode that the titular character comes from, I did actually like the character of Jenny and thought she had a lot of potential. Her being shot and being "dead" at the end was a bit of a shame, but then that's what this series is all about! So, let's turn the clocks back to the very end of The Doctor's Daughter. Jenny was shot by General Cobb, who was promptly threatened by a Doctor who had neither the courage nor the strength to blow his head off, and the Doctor, Martha, and Donna are about to leave when, all of a sudden...

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: The End of Time"

Finally...we come to it at last.

The end. . .of time.

Russell T. Davies saved the absolute best for last. Everything that his tenure on this show was, he poured into this final episode. Like Sauron poured all of his malice and hatred and will to dominate the free peoples of Middle-Earth into the One Ring of Power, so too did Russell craft this.

. . .which is why it's not going to surprise you in the least when I tell you, and I say this without any sense of bad faith or hyperbole: THIS IS THE WORST EPISODE OF THE ENTIRE RUSSELL T. DAVIES ERA. PERIOD.

I'd rehash that joke from my Partners in Crime review, but we've already seen that. We know the score, and the score is that Russell T. Davies is awful. While the man showed himself to be capable with the occasional gem like Midnight, he spent the better part of five years choosing not to do any of that and focusing on...well, you've seen my reviews, you know what the man is about.

Well, the sooner we get this started, the soon we can get it over with: here's The End of Time, which was broadcast in two parts (the first on December 25th, 2009 and the second on January 1st, 2010), but I'm going to cover them both here. Buckle up, kids, it's about to get loud up in here!

MadCap's Fiction Corner - "The Champions of Zobek, Chapter 1"

 

STAR WARS:

THE CHAMPIONS OF ZOBEK

The GALACTIC CIVIL WAR is in full swing across the galaxy. While the heroic REBEL ALLIANCE scored a great victory after the destruction of the DEATH STAR, they have been in dire straits ever since. Constantly on the run, their bases being burned out one by one as they are pursued by the GALACTIC EMPIRE at the command of the terrifying EMPEROR PALPATINE.

A year after a great victory in the MINOS CLUSTER, a Rebel cell has picked up an Imperial communique concerning one ZOBEK THE HUTT, who has contacted the Empire with the bargain of a lifetime - a weapon that will help bring an end to the war quickly, something that could spell disaster for those fighting to bring peace and justice back to the galaxy.

Retrieving intelligence of an Imperial inspector journeying to Zobek's planet of RORAK 4 at the behest of the Emperor and the GRAND MOFFS to see this weapon that the Hutt wishes to sell, ALLIANCE HIGH COMMAND has approved of a mission to overtake and capture this inspector before they reach the planet. It is a risky and very dangerous mission, but the Rebel Alliance cell is more than up to the task before them, though a squad of X-Wings may just give them the boost they need...

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars"

Excuse me, do you have any Grey Poupon?

Okay, so, real talk: out of the four specials done for 2008-2009, this is the good one.

And I mean really good - again, Russell, you had this in you and you gave us so much crap. Why? Why did you do this to us, Russell? What did we ever do to you? Is it because I mocked and belittled your beloved Rose Tyler? Some ten years after the fact?

. . .do you have a TARDIS, Russell? Is that how you did it?

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead"

"Don't! If you try to leave the episode early, Russell will kill you!"

The funny thing is, as much of a reaming as I gave it, The Next Doctor is probably the second-best of the 2009 specials. The upcoming The Waters of Mars is by far the best and The End of Time is unquestionably the worst. This would put this one right over The End of Time and just under The Next Doctor...and unfortunately, you can insert that one Brad Pitt meme about the 50 miles of feces between this and The Waters of Mars. I'll give this episode credit in that it is the last one in the RTD era with a (intentionally, at least) goofy tone.

. . .and that's really about it.