Yet more Turn Left thoughts

[jedi_of_urth]

Here’s something that I can’t quite get out of my head regarding Turn Left, so I’m going to share it instead. Just as more evidence that I’m reading RTD’s story the way he sees it too.

Rose’s talk with Donna about the Doctor reminded me a lot of the Family of Blood scene which brought us the “Fire and ice and rage” speech because the Turn Left scene was in a lot of ways the way I imagined Rose would have dealt with that situation. She described the Doctor as wonderful yes, but she also talked about his hair. She said the Doctor could have saved the world, but she made Donna’s choice in the matter the most important thing in the universe.

Because to Rose, that GREAT HAIR is more a characteristic of the Doctor than burning at the center of time or sending armies running with a look; and if she was to see certain TARDIS opening gestures that I’m trying to repress, she’s assume the Doctor was just being weird again. Not as a legend, to her he’s a wonderful man and a hero yes (with really great hair), but not a god or a Jesus-Tinkerbelle-weirdo.

And Donna, the ordinary human, is the most important thing in the universe. John Smith was told he was useless even when he was the one making the sacrifice to bring the Doctor back, but Rose isn’t like Martha or Tim, she knows that people, even people whose lives weren’t supposed to exist like this, matter as much as anything.

Sarah Jane is kind of like that, when she and Rose bonded over the Doctor it involved laughing at him for stroking bit of the TARDIS. Donna gets it but it’s hard to say she loves it and certainly isn’t in love with it. But there’s a reason why the Doctor loves Rose, because he gets to be the hero, and she gets to be the heroine, and sometimes the goddess, and they share cupcakes at the end of the day. She makes him real, and a real man can love, the legend that’s just a story isn’t enough.

Is it Saturday yet?

Comments

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I like the legend stuff, but it's so much more powerful when its human like this.

[jedi_of_urth]

I like the legend aspect, but I like it when the Doctor at the center of it the man. The man behind the myth is far more interesting to me, and far more important to Rose.

[katesutton.livejournal.com]

You know, I think the Doctor's more like John Smith than he would say. There's a part of him that does want that normal life, the part about loving and being loved because he's himself and not some fairytale lost prince. One of the saddest things about the character to me is that...well, this is me being maudlin, probably, but does HE ever wonder why what he is isn't good enough? No-one ever stays for him, after all. Dangit. RTD's going to crush me again; I feel sure of it.

[jedi_of_urth]

RTD crushes us something fierce so I'm far from confident this isn't going to end in tears, hopeful, but far from confident.

And I agree, there's a lot of the Doctor in John Smith, I've often said I saw more of the Doctor in a second of John's smile than I did in the floating glowing Jesus Tinkerbelle scene. Because he does long for that life, that...completeness, permanence, wholeness. And that's part of what makes Doctor/Rose so lovely, they had that, in their way but they did; with her he didn't have to wonder if he was good enough because would stay forever.

[cookie2697.livejournal.com]

Yes. Absolutely. I have to agree with you on this one. I didn't really think about it until reading your post, but you're right. While other people linger on his super-human characteristics, to Rose it comes right down to the basic wonderful things about him, which is just lovely to see.

:) :) :)

[jedi_of_urth]

Because Rose doesn't love him as a god figure, she loves a daft little man with great hair who likes edible ball bearings and together *they* are the stuff of legend. They're just so...lovely and wonderful about each other. (squishies)

[orange-crushed.livejournal.com]

...and a real man can love

Oh my God, sudden attack of tearing up. Seriously. What a perfect way of putting that. Because for all their awe and worship and admiration, who could love the lonely god the same way they could love an ordinary man- for all his faults and flaws and strengths ? How lovely. And Rose truly sees that- that's the side she fell in love with, and it's obviously the side she'll always see.

It makes me want to hug RTD, like, forever. :)

[jedi_of_urth]

Hugging could turn into slapping, and has a decent chance to turn into crying on shoulders, but I really do think I'm getting out of the story what RTD means me to see, and seeing as I see so much love and amazingness, I love him for that.

who could love the lonely god the same way they could love an ordinary man- for all his faults and flaws and strengths ?

And when he's loved like that, how can he love them back the same? How can a man desperate for home and family love someone who looks at him as a god the same way he loves someone who gave him family and forever? I love the man behind the myth oh so much, and the fact that with Rose it truly was the Doctor and Rose story, which is a romance-adventure, not what we have without Rose which the Doctor's tragic tale of woe.

[principia.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Rose doesn't objectify people (including alien people), and most especially not the Doctor. By not putting him on a pedestal, she kept him grounded, and gave him a partner. In the Doctor and Rose's case, that was an emotional/romantic partnership in addition to the 'working' relationship.

Donna does provide him that levelling, but in the context of simple friendship - although she was definitely in it for what he could do for her, at least at the outset.

[jedi_of_urth]

Rose sees people in many ways the way the Doctor does, all of them amazing, all of them flawed but wonderful. And they way they see each other is like that, they're each the most amazing person to each other, but still a person, not a flat concept.

[blackcat-1.livejournal.com]

Valid observations put very succinctly.

I've always felt that *this* is the part of the Doctor that only Rose is able to tap into and therefore expose to the viewer. I love the fact that she does not hero-worship him (OK, neither does Donna, which may well be why I like her so much too).

I'm seeing this story unfolding in the same way you are and I believe that RTD has dropped enough hints over 4 series to suggest that, as you say, the Doctor *would* like a normal life and settle down with the right person(*coughs*Rose*coughs). However, that of course would create a problem in terms of continuation of the series. That said, I'm sure RTD is clever enough to formulate some sort of resolution that could solve both problems... Here's hoping and eagerly awaiting the Finale!

[jedi_of_urth]

I've believed these things for a while, but it's always nice to have a little more evidence that I'm seeing what the writer meant there to be. But yeah, dealing with in the context of such an ongoing story...we'll see.

But yeah, only Rose really brings out the part of him that wants to have that one adventure he can never have, Donna doesn't worship him, but she also doesn't really bring that out naturally (I think she gets it to a fair extent, judging by her attitude regarding him and Jenny, but it's still not the same). It's just so very special with Rose.