Day Three Hundred and Thirty-nine - Dr.Who: Series 2, Episodes 12-14, "The End of an Era... Hooray! Rose is Gone!"

I haven't exactly been the most ardent supporter of Doctor Who's revival, as you may have noticed, and Billy Piper has been one of my least favorite companions, to be sure. That said, I am a little sad to see her go. While she hasn't exactly thrilled me with her performance as Rose Tyler, as both her and her mother Jackie are annoyingly chav-tastic, when you spend so much time with a person, you kind of grow attached to them, annoyance or not.

It's rather like getting a little sad when Wesley left for the Academy in TNG. Sure, he was the whiny, least interesting member of the crew and most every fan was happy to see him leave, but you also sort of missed him, too.

In any case, the first episode of tonight's binge isn't Piper's last ride, it's a weird one about a sentient plant that can create its own imagination worlds and can draw living beings into said worlds... at the behest of a little, traumatized girl who has nightmares about her dead, abusive father and doesn't want to be alone. The episode also happens to coincide with the beginning of the 2012 Olympics (the episode aired years earlier in 2006) where The Doctor and Rose are on the case, trying to save everyone involved.

Of course, they do... it IS Doctor Who and all. Well, let me dial that back a bit. THIS time they manage to save everyone. To be honest, it's kind of surprising how often people buy it in Doctor Who, and even more surprising that everyone makes it here. Sure, they're mostly kids, which makes it easier for the writers/producers to justify, but still.

Moving on, the next two are a pair of connected episodes that really do chronicle the last stand of Rose Tyler as she, The Doctor, and the collective Torchwoods of two dimensions attempt to fight off the forces of both the Cybermen and the Daleks reborn.

It seems that the Cybermen from the world where they left Mickey half a season ago have escaped their world and are primed to take over Rose's by first infiltrating then using the overzealous Torchwood Institute to bring them through the Void between universes. Unbeknownst to them, there's a Void Ship sitting at the bottom of the Institute filled with Daleks who escaped the lockdown during the Time War. Both are devastating enemies and both are on the loose... and it's only The Doctor, Rose, Jackie, Pete, and Mickey who can save both worlds.

Fun ain't it?

It's just as silly the rest of the series, to be sure, and the emotive moments that come from the end of Rose's tenure as The Doctor's companion are more than a bit trite, but it's also bittersweet. I mean, their steady climb up relationship mountain has never been believable, and it's not like they didn't know this day was coming (or should have, anyway), but the Wesley effect does maintain.

I like how they deal with the Pete/Jackie issue and it's cute how there's a lone Cyberman holdout who kinda-sorta saves the day, but the last second save of Rose is pretty stupid.

On the whole, while I have a few mild regrets that Billy Piper has left the building and it is the end of an era, I always did like Martha more and I'm that much closer to Amy and River Song. Plus, it's nice to finally have a companion with a college education again.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~