That was the season that knocked me out of Doctor Who fandom. I came in aboard the Martha Jones train and spent a season watching this clever, tender hearted, capable young black woman explicitly relegated to the role of “not good enough for the Doctor because she isn’t Rose”. But I liked the end of her season, because, as you say, she got the ending she deserved, with a life to live and experiences to keep. By the time we met Donna I was already emotionally de-invested from the show, so Donna’s ending didn’t devastate me the way it would have otherwise. I did, however, write a fix it fic which remains the story I am proudest of writing in that fandom. The ending of season 4 was all the things you say and intense ableist besides. Ultimately I stopped watching Doctor Who because after multiple seasons it was clear the writers just aren’t very good at what they do. They get a lot of money from the BBC to make it so it’s flashy and excitable but the writers are amateurs in the way that only men are allowed to be in professional settings, and I don’t have patience for it.
as someone who is currently in their post-grad-what's-happening-why-god-why era, thank you! I haven't watched donna's arc yet but I'm excited to now that I have more context!
It felt like the best kind of serendipity to have this land in my inbox only two days after my group rewatch of New Who reached Journey's End. It has made me Very Nervous about the upcoming special.
Thank you for so eloquently interrogating quite how bad this plot beat was. (Very glad to see the mention of Clara, too - I don't think it's controversial to say that Moffat was writing in direct response to Davies, there.)
Thank you so so so much for this piece. Donna Noble is such an important character and her ending has always bothered me so much - thank you for articulating so well some of the reasons why. I really hope they give her her own future in the 60th anniversary!
I can't believe Davies said that thing about Donna getting on the audience's nerves. She is, till date, my favorite companion! I love her!
That was the season that knocked me out of Doctor Who fandom. I came in aboard the Martha Jones train and spent a season watching this clever, tender hearted, capable young black woman explicitly relegated to the role of “not good enough for the Doctor because she isn’t Rose”. But I liked the end of her season, because, as you say, she got the ending she deserved, with a life to live and experiences to keep. By the time we met Donna I was already emotionally de-invested from the show, so Donna’s ending didn’t devastate me the way it would have otherwise. I did, however, write a fix it fic which remains the story I am proudest of writing in that fandom. The ending of season 4 was all the things you say and intense ableist besides. Ultimately I stopped watching Doctor Who because after multiple seasons it was clear the writers just aren’t very good at what they do. They get a lot of money from the BBC to make it so it’s flashy and excitable but the writers are amateurs in the way that only men are allowed to be in professional settings, and I don’t have patience for it.
Donna deserved so much more than she was given.
What a dream that you wrote about this. <3
as someone who is currently in their post-grad-what's-happening-why-god-why era, thank you! I haven't watched donna's arc yet but I'm excited to now that I have more context!
Well that broke my heart
It felt like the best kind of serendipity to have this land in my inbox only two days after my group rewatch of New Who reached Journey's End. It has made me Very Nervous about the upcoming special.
Thank you for so eloquently interrogating quite how bad this plot beat was. (Very glad to see the mention of Clara, too - I don't think it's controversial to say that Moffat was writing in direct response to Davies, there.)
Thank you so so so much for this piece. Donna Noble is such an important character and her ending has always bothered me so much - thank you for articulating so well some of the reasons why. I really hope they give her her own future in the 60th anniversary!