sea_thoughts (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sea_thoughts) wrote2008-08-31 09:02 pm
sea_thoughts) wrote2008-08-31 09:02 pm
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The Pain In Our Hearts
Rarely has an episode been so appropriately titled (The Parting of the Ways from New Who S1 is another), because from reading about it and hearing about it, this episode caused a lot of pain for a lot of people. And I can understand that.
The revelation of Zach as the Apprentice... part of me gets it, part of me doesn't. Watching the show back-to-back as I've been able to do, I can see the little hints they were dropping, but ONLY because I watched in straight sets. That's just not good enough, guys. :/ I know that the strike completely messed up your stride and characterisation, just as it did with Heroes, but you have to be more obvious about things like that. The biggest hint was one given a couple of episodes before the end, during Max's trial, when Sweets said "That's why rational people are so dangerous: they can rationalise anything to make it seem okay." Yes, very good, I get it. But again, why would anyone else remember that? And I know that Eric Millegan was leaving but you don't need to fuck over his character because of that. You could easily have carried over the Gormagon storyline to the next season, I think most people would have been happy with that, instead of a rush job.
Here's my suggestion for tying in his departure with the Gormagon storyline: Zach becomes the Gormagon's next victim. He's approached by the Gormagon as in the original storyline and accepts, but with the aim of undermining him and helping the others to capture him. This would fit in with his desire to prove himself after being sent back from Iraq. Zach becomes trapped in a cat and mouse game with this twisted killer as he is caught between the Gormagon's demands and his desire to help his mentor, and ends up having to sacrifice himself in order for the Gormagon to be captured. Sadistic? Maybe, but no more sadistic than making him into the Apprentice for real. It would still be painful and it would also create a sense of symmetry: start the episode with a fake funeral, end it with a real one. Brennan loses a loved one at the beginning, loses a loved one at the end. It would make a good fanfic. Thoughts?
Having said all that, there was some very good acting in this episode. Brennan being in complete and utter denial and then flying at Booth when she saw him and not being rational at all about the secrecy. I couldn't stop laughing, she was being such a WOMAN: "I don't care about national security and capturing the bad guy, YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME." And Booth can't handle it because he expects her to be rational. XD She's so emotional about it that she broke into his house and she can't even SEE that she's being irrational, which is the funniest part. And even though the storyline is straight out of Lewis Carroll, Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz were amazing during the last fifteen minutes of the episode, especially Emily. The way she rested her forehead against Eric's, how motherly and sad that gesture was, and her sorrow that her boy had gone so far astray and she could never lead him back. That scene with the lab team standing at the window, looking at Zach, was amazing in its simplicity and silence. Russell T. Davies could learn a thing or two from that.
Actually, here's a poll for the... two people who watch Doctor Who and Bones on my flist:
[Poll #1251351]
In other news: guess who's coming to the Cheltenham Literary Festival? That's right: John Barrowman. Guess who's going to see him? That's right. Me. *smirk* You may all hate me now.
The revelation of Zach as the Apprentice... part of me gets it, part of me doesn't. Watching the show back-to-back as I've been able to do, I can see the little hints they were dropping, but ONLY because I watched in straight sets. That's just not good enough, guys. :/ I know that the strike completely messed up your stride and characterisation, just as it did with Heroes, but you have to be more obvious about things like that. The biggest hint was one given a couple of episodes before the end, during Max's trial, when Sweets said "That's why rational people are so dangerous: they can rationalise anything to make it seem okay." Yes, very good, I get it. But again, why would anyone else remember that? And I know that Eric Millegan was leaving but you don't need to fuck over his character because of that. You could easily have carried over the Gormagon storyline to the next season, I think most people would have been happy with that, instead of a rush job.
Here's my suggestion for tying in his departure with the Gormagon storyline: Zach becomes the Gormagon's next victim. He's approached by the Gormagon as in the original storyline and accepts, but with the aim of undermining him and helping the others to capture him. This would fit in with his desire to prove himself after being sent back from Iraq. Zach becomes trapped in a cat and mouse game with this twisted killer as he is caught between the Gormagon's demands and his desire to help his mentor, and ends up having to sacrifice himself in order for the Gormagon to be captured. Sadistic? Maybe, but no more sadistic than making him into the Apprentice for real. It would still be painful and it would also create a sense of symmetry: start the episode with a fake funeral, end it with a real one. Brennan loses a loved one at the beginning, loses a loved one at the end. It would make a good fanfic. Thoughts?
Having said all that, there was some very good acting in this episode. Brennan being in complete and utter denial and then flying at Booth when she saw him and not being rational at all about the secrecy. I couldn't stop laughing, she was being such a WOMAN: "I don't care about national security and capturing the bad guy, YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME." And Booth can't handle it because he expects her to be rational. XD She's so emotional about it that she broke into his house and she can't even SEE that she's being irrational, which is the funniest part. And even though the storyline is straight out of Lewis Carroll, Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz were amazing during the last fifteen minutes of the episode, especially Emily. The way she rested her forehead against Eric's, how motherly and sad that gesture was, and her sorrow that her boy had gone so far astray and she could never lead him back. That scene with the lab team standing at the window, looking at Zach, was amazing in its simplicity and silence. Russell T. Davies could learn a thing or two from that.
Actually, here's a poll for the... two people who watch Doctor Who and Bones on my flist:
[Poll #1251351]
In other news: guess who's coming to the Cheltenham Literary Festival? That's right: John Barrowman. Guess who's going to see him? That's right. Me. *smirk* You may all hate me now.
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And I'm going to go see Neil Gaiman at the National Book Festival. So there! :)
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Neil Gaiman! *_________* Lucky!
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Hee, glad you like my idea. I love circles in stories as well. And I LOVE your icon. David's acting was so good in that scene: Booth's complete shock as he realises what just happened and not being able to SPEAK because all he can think is, "She kissed me, oh my GOD, SHE KISSED ME." *lol*
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Whereas, I thought making Zach the Apprentice was appalling. A terrible thing to do to his character (he's never been a rationalising monster, the role he plays in the show is the INNOCENT). If they wanted to argue it was the effect of war that caused irreparable damage, it could have worked if they'd led up to it throughout the season, but they didn't. It was badly done all round. The line of Cam's about how she knew he would hurt her? Totally superfluous seeing as they never actually did anything with the Cam/Zach thing. Clunky and embarrassing. I thought the whole episode felt like rushed join the dots writing. I'm not watching it any more, not even for the shipping - it's completely turned me off the show.
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I thought making Zach the Apprentice was appalling. A terrible thing to do to his character (he's never been a rationalising monster, the role he plays in the show is the INNOCENT).
It's funny you should say that, I was just thinking last night that Zach is the Galahad of the show, pure and focused. Or maybe Percival, because Percival was a little bit silly sometimes, like Zach. That started me trying to match up the other characters with Arthurian characters: I got as far as Cam being Morgan Le Fay, Brennan being the Lady of the Lake and Booth being Gawain. I think Hodgins would be a good Merlin.
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You're seeing John Barrowman? Lucky! You'll have to tell me if he is really that pretty in real life....
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And yes, she was so awesome. And hopefully, someday, she will be awesome again.