annissamazing | In Memoriam

In Memoriam

I heard the news of Elisabeth Sladen's passing late last night. As a general rule, I don't get worked up over the death of a person I don't know, but I wanted to take a moment and remember the work she did that I enjoyed so much, so I watched "School Reunion" last night.

One of the things that makes me uncomfortable about this episode is Rose's immediate, intense jealousy. On the other hand, Sarah Jane had the same, albeit more sophisticated, reaction. But I think that their initial reactions to each other made their reconciliation sweeter and funnier.

There were also some poignant lines in this episode.

SARAH JANE: The Universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world or a relationship. Everything has its time and everything ends.

Goodbye, Liz.

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I know, I just read the news! I came into work and found it all over my f-list.

It's a bit hard to not get emotional over Mrs Sladen's passing, she was such a figure in Doctor Who. And her illness was kept so quiet that this comes as a bit of a shock.

I will have to watch School Reuninon and the 5 Doctors tonight. They are the only eps I have with Sarah Jane in them. :'(

I also had no idea she was sick. The news seemed to have been released the instant I turned off my computer to go to school. I came back and my friends feed was full of the news. So sad.

There's always "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End." :)

I don't normally get worked up either but this one was a shocker. Sad but death is as much a part of life as anything else. It's still a great loss to the Who community.

As for the episode, I must point out that Sarah Jane had fourty years and three Doctors on Rose. I can definitely see how their two reactions would be so different but I'm not sure I would have been made uncomfortable by it. Seems like a natural progression for Rose, at least, and for Sarah Jane to be the mature, wiser one teaching the newer companion. Just my take.

*holds up tea cup* To the wonderful Elisabeth Sladen.

To Elisabeth Sladen!

Forty years will do wonders for your ability to handle things in a far more sophisticated manner than a woman barely out of her teens. What makes me uncomfortable is that it seems out of character for Rose, who has seen the Doctor meet, talk to, and even flirt with other women - and at least one man - for an entire year. She sees Sarah Jane and suddenly goes all, "Oh no you di'n't!" In my opinion, Rose behaved that way specifically to set up the reconciliation scene, not because it was natural for her character to do so.

"Get you, tiger," makes me laugh *every time*.

True, but wasn't this Rose's third outing with Ten? Nine was very different, and so were her interactions with the Doctor, and I think she was still getting a handle on how to deal with Ten. Rose behaves very differently around Ten than Nine and I'm not sure if it's jsut because she matured more or because of the Doctor's different personality.

Although, doesn't GitF come right after School Reunion? Now there's a controversy if I ever saw one.

It does.

I'm lukewarm on GitF. It's an enjoyable enough episode, but I neither love it nor hate it (although Sophia Myles is fabulous and so are her costumes). It seems either out of order or out of context or something. Like, it doesn't quite make sense. I chalk it up to different writers working on the same show. The continuity is off. Like trying to use an off-brand Lego with the name brand ones and they don't *quite* fit together.

I watched it before I was a Doctor/Rose shipper, so the Doctor kissing Madame de Pompadour doesn't phase me at all.

When he jumped through the mirror on the horse, I thought, "Cool!" When the passage sealed, I thought, "Oh no! How's he going to get back!" But I never doubted he would. I must have too much faith in him. :)

I'm pretty much with you on all points here. I'm not sure I actually shipped Doctor/Rose until Doomsday because, "omg, they are separated! SO SAD!!!" And then, after that, I pretty much wore the shipper glasses whenever I rewatch or continued the series. *shrug*

Like trying to use an off-brand Lego with the name brand ones and they don't *quite* fit together.

Love that analogy but, yes, exactly. I liked how someone, can't remember who or where, explained it as the Doctor just being really excited to be snogging a historical figure. I'd probably be excited too. It's like a celebrity crush for a Time Lord. Rose's reaction and the Doctor's almost desire to stay with Madame de Pompadour at the end is what gets more more than anything else (I believe he would have stayed if given the chance, at least for a while, what with the timey wimey bits).

Although, I don't like the horse through the mirror bit at all. Too much MythBusters for me. :D

(I did like that the ship was named after her.)

I close my eyes and put my fingers in my ears and go lalalalalala when GitF is brought up. In a more grown up world I would say that I just ignore that episode.

It's the character continuity that bother's me. Both Rose and the Doctor are off continuity wise that it's jarring. I think I read/heard somewhere else that Stephen Moffat wrote this episode thinking Nine would still be around. Which can account for Ten being so 'off'.

Like the lego analogy, I've always wondered if I would have liked this ep better if it hadn't come right after School Reunion.

"I think I read/heard somewhere else that Stephen Moffat wrote this episode thinking Nine would still be around. Which can account for Ten being so 'off'."

I read this, too, but it would be even more out of character for Nine. Ten's a little flighty, so I can kind of see it with him. That it came right after he promised he would never do that to Rose is what causes my continuity issues. If Nine had done it, I probably would not be watching the show now.

That might be hyperbole, but I can't be sure.

Yup, heard that too, but, like Annissa said, it would be so bizarre for it to be a Nine story. Moffat can write really great stories, although they are usually of the creepier kind ala The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. His other writing (aka most of Series 5) wasn't to my liking and had issues, sort of like GitF. I think the schedule, writing, and head-butting took place and we have this ep that falls a tad flat when compared to the others. You always need some of those in a series. Ugh.

I close my eyes and put my fingers in my ears and go lalalalalala when GitF is brought up. In a more grown up world I would say that I just ignore that episode.

LOL. I try to be mature about it but, inside, I usually fail and skip the ep on rewatches. I can talk politely about it though. ;)

Personally, if it had just been the Doctor got snogged and he was all giddy about it, I would have been fine, but everything after that was just...weird. Like Legos. Oh, I love Legos.

And I think: "I love Series 2, so many awesome moments, but so many fails. Just...how?"

try to be mature about it but, inside, I usually fail and skip the ep on rewatches. I can talk politely about it though. ;)
*pats hand*
You and me both darling, you and me both.

His other writing (aka most of Series 5) wasn't to my liking and had issues, sort of like GitF.
A lack of over all characterization I would say. That's my major sticking point with S5. I found I had little or no reason to care for the characters (except Rory, something good happens when Rory is around).

A lack of over all characterization I would say. That's my major sticking point with S5. I found I had little or no reason to care for the characters (except Rory, something good happens when Rory is around).

This, so much. I loved Rory whenever he was around too. But, I'm a tad excited for Series 6 because the trailers give it a creepy, mysterious air (which could turn flat at any minute) and Moffat does those types of eps/arcs the best.

And, even if a Series sucks, you gotta stick with Doctor Who anyway because it's, well, Doctor Who! :)

I agree with you both about characterization and Rory. I recently read an article where Karen Gillan says her character gets some development in Series 6. My initial reaction was "Yay?" I felt sort of hopeful and annoyed at the same time because even though they're fixing the issue I had with Series 5, they should have done it in Series 5.

Still, the very few previews I've seen look very promising.

Amy fights pirates. Does that count as more character development? lol

I'm hopeful. I'm trying to see each Series with fresh eyes and make my judgements after a Series has finished its run. As for Series 5, it felt like a set-up for everything that's going to come in Series 6, particularly the lightning hitting the TARDIS in the title sequence, more about the cracks, the darkness, River, etc. It's like Series 5 was Part 1 of a bigger story, imho, and Series 6 is where we get the conclusion.

I was totally out of the loop as to controversy. I love the hell out of GITF. I respect that not everyone loves the things I love, but this is the first I'd heard fandom wasn't unanimous on that one. :) I think, past reading this conversation, that I'll go back to being oblivious on this one. I'd rather not pick apart the logic of why not to like it, and keep blissfully nomming it up. But good to know!

(And yes, I presume that his hopping up and down over the snog was a sheer matter of adding to his name-dropping tally. One talks physics with Newton, jams with John Lennon, flirts with Cleopatra or Madame du Pompadour. It's a matter of interacting in their specialty.)

Oh... incredibly sad! It's been a bit of a day for reminiscing. Lis Sladen really does inhabit a place in my little girl formation into woman, and I'm sure it's the same for so many people who grew up with Who, and even for those who discovered it much later. Sad, sad.

I haven't made it to her episodes in the classic series yet. I might skip forward to them now.

Ooh, I'd forgotten that quote. Thanks for sharing it.

You're welcome. That particular quote really resonated with me. When Dominic asked me about death, I used part of it to explain it to him.

Ow ow ow ow ow. Your post was the first I learned of it. If I'd seen this a year or so ago, I would have said, "aw," and moved on. I've watched a lot of SJA in the last year.

Ow ow ow ow ow ow. She had such grace, and so much to say about being an *adult* in the Whoniverse rather than a disposable youth or an irresponsible sex maniac. I'm really, really, really going to miss her now.

I'm sorry to be the one who broke the news to you. I actually refrained from calling you this morning because I was afraid you hadn't heard yet (also, I don't currently have a voice).

I'm only familiar with her work in New Who and the first season of SJA. I haven't seen the other series yet.

One of the things I like about her character is how she's able to move on after the Doctor. It had to be very difficult and what a courageous thing to give it up to live out your very own adventure on Earth. One of the things I liked so much about SJA is the very idea of "adventure is all around you." You don't have to wait around for someone special to pick you up and show it to you. You just need to look around. You can *be* that special someone.

Sarah Jane was my first Companion. I was just now phone chatting with MG and was pleased to hear of her grown-up adventures, and that modern Doctor Who fans got to see her, also.

I tried to get SJA through Netflix last night, but it was unavailable. I hope BBCA starts playing them again.

What a lovely icon.

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