I have to say, the ending is just...unsatisfactory to me.
I really liked the implication that the 12th doctor chose this face as a reminder of what happened at Pompeii. S4E02 was a crucial, thought-changing passage for the doctor. Donna reminded 10th that he could "at least save someone" within the laws of time. That scene was so moving and relatable. It has showed us how a great companion makes the Doctor better, how they bring out the piece of humanity that this Time Lord sometimes forgets.
But now we see it being made an excuse for the Doctor to bend the laws of life and death, which was really unacceptable considering the significance and weight "Pompeii" carried. When 12th said "I can do anything", it became almost the worst of the Doctor: the Doctor who is overwhelmed by sorrow and guilt, taken over by his darkness, ego, and arrogance.
The Doctor, of all people, should understand the danger and cost of immortality more than anybody else. He himself fought with the dark sides of it almost every day. It was irrational, irresponsible and out of character for him to give immortality so easily and carelessly to a human girl who was not slightly prepared for it, even though he felt guilty and responsible for her death. Moreover, from a storytelling perspective, it made life feel cheap and unimportant, let alone the illogical side of this design (if a simple alien medical pack could make someone immortal, it's just way too unreasonable).
In conclusion, I felt this was a really really bad decision the Doctor, or the screenwriter, has made, as 12th confessed in the last scene.
Review by EleanorEBlockedParentSpoilers2024-02-10T16:31:49Z
I have to say, the ending is just...unsatisfactory to me.
I really liked the implication that the 12th doctor chose this face as a reminder of what happened at Pompeii. S4E02 was a crucial, thought-changing passage for the doctor. Donna reminded 10th that he could "at least save someone" within the laws of time. That scene was so moving and relatable. It has showed us how a great companion makes the Doctor better, how they bring out the piece of humanity that this Time Lord sometimes forgets.
But now we see it being made an excuse for the Doctor to bend the laws of life and death, which was really unacceptable considering the significance and weight "Pompeii" carried. When 12th said "I can do anything", it became almost the worst of the Doctor: the Doctor who is overwhelmed by sorrow and guilt, taken over by his darkness, ego, and arrogance.
The Doctor, of all people, should understand the danger and cost of immortality more than anybody else. He himself fought with the dark sides of it almost every day. It was irrational, irresponsible and out of character for him to give immortality so easily and carelessly to a human girl who was not slightly prepared for it, even though he felt guilty and responsible for her death. Moreover, from a storytelling perspective, it made life feel cheap and unimportant, let alone the illogical side of this design (if a simple alien medical pack could make someone immortal, it's just way too unreasonable).
In conclusion, I felt this was a really really bad decision the Doctor, or the screenwriter, has made, as 12th confessed in the last scene.