Doctor Who: The Library of Carsus discussion

Okay.
He did it. RTD pulled it off.
There was maybe 5 minutes in this one that bugged me.
The rest is pretty magical.

We ready to talk spoilers?
Because I have a LOT to talk about.

I’m game. But I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone.

I’m always the one that used to have to wait months before reading the threads (thank you Disney+ 😸), but now I’m as caught as can possibly be. 😹😹😹

Well, since most days, you and I are the message board, I'll risk it:

First, we gotta talk about THE moment.
Acknowledging, in universe, that Sarah Jane Smith has died.
I had to pause the show.
Did not see that coming and it was gut punch.
Well done, Russell.

All right, now, all that other stuff:
Let's do the bad first out of the way, as it is pretty tiny:
RTD has shot himself in the foot with the 'retired' Doctor.
Every earth based story from now on has a huge Tennant shaped elephant in the room.

Not the 14th Doctor. This was actually a version of the Tennant we grew from the hand. Except we grew this one from trauma and angst.

It feels weird having a Doctor with a mustache.

The good: everything else.

Travis wrote: "… RTD has shot himself in the foot with the 'retired' Doctor. ..."

I get what you’re saying, but Moffat already that pulled the trigger with Tom Baker as The Curator in The Day of the Doctor.
And the retired Doctor can always be off world whenever it’s inconvenient for them to pop up.

Rick wrote: "Travis wrote: "… RTD has shot himself in the foot with the 'retired' Doctor. ..."

I get what you’re saying, but Moffat already that pulled the trigger with Tom Baker as The Curator in The Day of t..."

But, the Curator is this vague, maybe, kinda version of the Doctor.
Tennant is the Doctor, living on earth with a functioning Tardis.
Every story, set on Earth now has to deal with that.

That interpretation of The Curator is open to debate. I also accept that the The Brain of Morbius depicted valid incarnations of The Doctor from before Hartnell. I accept The Curator for being a future incarnation of The Doctor. I accept the Fugitive Doctor as being another pre-Hartnell incarnation. I’m even willing to accept Michael Moorcock’s presentation that The Doctor is an iteration of the Eternal Champion concept (see Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles).

I get it
I have my head canons as well
Just none of that gets RTD a get out of jail free card for the corner he’s written himself into

Or why Tennant’s suit regenerated

Because … salt was played with at the edge of the universe 🤷🏻‍♂️😹

Rick wrote: "Because … salt was played with at the edge of the universe 🤷🏻‍♂️😹"

Now you're just desperately flailing around for ideas.

You might as well bring up the Doctor not liking pears.

Travis wrote: "Rick wrote: "Because … salt was played with at the edge of the universe 🤷🏻‍♂️😹"

Now you're just desperately flailing around for ideas. ..."

Hey, it’s not me. The Doctor keeps bring it up. And now we’re getting goblins for Xmas. Not goblin looking aliens, but … goblins.

Rick wrote: "Travis wrote: "Rick wrote: "Because … salt was played with at the edge of the universe 🤷🏻‍♂️😹"

Now you're just desperately flailing around for ideas. ..."

Hey, it’s not me. The Doctor keeps bring..."

The trailer looks crazy fun, but it also looks like they have finally run out of Christmas things to turn into evil aliens.

RTD was like 'Evil fruitcake...? Forget it, I'll just make up some goblins!"

Goblins for Holiday spirits? Charles Dickens already did it, read The Chimes

I liked this episode.

As for the Doctor sticking around - sigh. It's more of the same with the Doctor regenerated from the hand. RTD is just as bad about letting go as Moffat is with his female characters. Both of them have a problem. Time for some therapy for the pair of them! Argh.

They already announced that there are no plans for Tennant to return, but I know in a couple years they’ll be announcing the Doctor Who theatrical film starring David Tennant.

Yeah, but wether there are plans or not, there's now a Tennant shaped sword hanging over every story going forward that's set in modern times.
Especially a problem for the UNIT series.

So you honestly think that the 14th Doctor is just going to sit on they’re butt and watch Donna & family grow old? Waiting for something to happen? That would last a week. Maybe. A month? 😹 Nope, they're gonna be out there flying around the cosmos in no time at all.
Actually your point illustrates the inherent flaw in every single story of a time traveler. Because, as a time traveler, you can be everywhere at once, so if UNIT is in trouble all they have to do is use a phone to call The Doctor and any number of Doctor’s will come a running to the rescue. So it’s a BIG cosmos, with lots of problems to be solved, lots of babies to be delivered, things to do, peoples to save, spaceships to rescue, tRump’s to dispose of, and it’s all happening at once. Plenty to do to keep all 15 Doctors busy. After all they ARE time travelers and any one of them them could show up at any given moment in time and space. So it’s really no more likely that 14 is going to be around than any other incarnation.

But, if he leaves it kind of undermines the whole point of the retirement.
Especially if he leaves in time to avoid messing with the new season and/or the UNIT spin off.

On one hand, I'd love it if it meant Ncuti's Doctor's stories are all in space or historical, as the other guy can keep an eye on modern Earth, but that ain't happening.

If RTD wants to have the moment and then move on, cool, but fandom isn't going have the same thought.

It's chekov's time lord.

Travis wrote: "but fandom isn't going have the same thought ..."

Fandom never does though. That's why fanfiction is so popular.
https://www.whofic.com/

There's already fanfic for the both the 14th and the 15th Doctor ...

Lori S. wrote: "… There's already fanfic for the both the 14th and the 15th Doctor ..."

And I’m sure Big Finish will eventually have lots to add to this “duality of Doctors.” It’s just that David Tennant is so busy with other jobs, and Gatwa is busy with the series.

Lori S. wrote: "Travis wrote: "but fandom isn't going have the same thought ..."

Fandom never does though. That's why fanfiction is so popular.
https://www.whofic.com/

There's already fanfic for the both the 14t..."

I don't mind the fans writing fan fiction.
We've all done it.
And a brand new Doctor (or two) that you can just run with, before there's history to juggle, is very tempting.

It's when the creators start doing it that I have a problem.
Their stuff becomes canon.

Travis wrote: "Their stuff becomes canon."

"It all counts."
There is no canon in DW. The BBC has never declared canon for DW (despite what Moffat said.). Which is why Big Finish, DWM comics, IDW & Titan comics, all count. All of it. (Even the stuff I've never heard/read/seen.)

The way I look at it is: Does the story fit in Continuity? Yes? Cool. I'm not going to get all hot and bothered about Tenant's still being around. I got over that with the version of him off on Pete's World. In some way, shape, or form, all of the Doctors are out there wandering the time streams still. It's part of the fun of a time traveling hero. That's just my take though. 🌈

Being time travelers they are definitely all still out there traveling and doing their thing.

The James Goss novelisation is really good.
Well worth a read.

The episode itself was great as well.

Good to hear about the novelization.
I loved the episode.

just saw they'd done target novelizations of all three specials.

i have nearly all the classic who targets.
cool to see them doing it for new who

That’s Nu New Who thank you. 😹

Rick wrote: "That’s Nu New Who thank you. 😹"

I don't say 'A new hope', and I don't type 'Nu Who'.
You gotta have standards.

Though, I prefer 'Newer Who'

Travis wrote: " … Though, I prefer 'Newer Who'"

😹🤷🏻‍♂️

Classic Who (1963-1989)

Revival Who (1996)

New Who (2005-2022)

Disney Who (?) (2023-?)

I just go:
Classic
Wilderness years
New Who