The Girl in the Fireplace

[doyle]

Clearly sensing my mood, my iPod has gone emo. Four songs in a row about loneliness and losing true love. Maybe it is telepathic, like a TARDIS? Hurrah, it will let me understand French!

Anyway, The Girl in the Fireplace. My immediate reaction, posted earlier at time_and_chips:

My only complaint is that it really needed to be a two-parter. Mostly so Mickey could get something to do on his first run as companion, and that we could see more of the Doctor's relationship with Reinette.

I was shocked when he leapt through the time window to save her, knowing that he'd be trapped for three thousand years (and that Rose and Mickey would have to spend the rest of their lives in the TARDIS! Emergency Program some-number-or-other would presumably have kicked in and taken them back to Earth, I suppose). I thought the scene at the window was beautiful: he seemed saddened but strangely content as well.

Oh, and the android under the bed: I jumped. Jumped hard. Scalding tea all over myself. I'm 23 years old. How do kids watch this, how?!

--

Having had a couple of hours to read everyone else's reaction, things that come to mind...

- The Doctor drunk, with sunglasses on, tie round his head (we used to do that in my primary school!) singing "I could have danced all night" would have justified the episode all on its own. Steve Moffatt loves taking the piss out of the Oncoming Storm thing, doesn't he? In one of his short stories he says that the Dalek name Ka Faraq Gatri is more accurately translated to "nice guy, if you're a biped". That's the same story "what do monsters have nightmares about?" "Me" is from. He likes to borrow from himself, he does.

- "I snogged Madame de Pompadour!" That's one crossed off his little black book of fanciable historical figures, then. When she led him to her childhood bedroom I thought, just for a second, they were going to shag. My jaw was on the carpet.

- I'm firmly of the 'books and audios are apocrypha rather than canon' camp but I loved the parallel to the Earth arc in the EDAs, where Eight is trapped on Earth for a hundred years after he destroys Gallifrey: here, he chooses to save Reinette knowing he'll be stuck there. Choosing exile. A lot of people have a problem with him leaving Rose and Mickey - which is fair enough but I have to wonder whether the reaction would have been as strong if it had just been Mickey left on that ship, like Jack was on the Gamestation - but I choose to fanwank thusly:

* it might take him 3000 years but he'll get back to them eventually, especially if he can chat up a passing Time Agent in the 51st century. Yes, there's a chance he'll die before he makes it that far and they'll have to live out the rest of their lives on the TARDIS, but that's up against the certainty that Reinette will die if he does nothing.

* or, there's another Emergency Program to take them home.

* or, he's written "Fast Return Switch" on the console in felt tip.

Whichever, the window scene's still so melancholy and beautiful. (I like the humour, too - "where does money come from?" - being light about it for her sake.)

- Devastated at the ending. You idiot, did you forget the bit where time moves differently on the different sides of the fireplace? According to the commentary, the moment when he looks back as the fireplace closes is the exact moment he realises he's in love with her, which is bound to break me into even more pieces next time I see it.

- The commentary's hilarious, by the way. Especially Steve Moffat's take on how the Doctor would have explained to Rose that he was bringing his girlfriend with them. ("Great news, I know it was getting a bit blokey in here, so I brought you a girl!") I love Noel Clarke and his insistence that Mickey and Rose are doing some 'dancing' immediately before and immediately after this episode.

I will probably think more things later when I've seen this again. Right now I need to think about a reality where he really was trapped on Earth, because I love that idea far too much.

ETA: "I'm not even going to try spelling her stupid name..." Pompadour. Say it with me, fandom. Nine letters, it's an actual word (the hair style? That's where it comes from, it's named after her) it's not that hard to at least attempt to spell.

ETA2: And while we're at it, can the phonetic spelling of Rose's accent in fic please, please stop. Or at least get its own little warning category in the headers so I can avoid it. "An' then we wen' to the pictures an' we were havin' a right laugh" etc. We know what accent she has. There's no need to turn her into fanon!Spike.

Hmm, going off-topic in my own posts, that's got to stop.


Hurry up, torrent.

Comments

[glitteraddict89.livejournal.com]

I know you don't know me, and I've just randomly come across your journal, but I couldn't help picking up on this:

- "I snogged Madame de Pompadour!" That's one crossed off his little black book of fanciable historical figures, then. When she led him to her childhood bedroom I thought, just for a second, they were going to shag. My jaw was on the carpet.

Thank God it wasn't just me thinking that! I saw the bed and the flower petals and I was like "...you can shoot me now if they're going to do that."

Hee, sorry to disturb :D

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

*g* Hello! No, definitely not just you. There *were* flower petals on the bed, weren't there? We're not mutually delusional?

[glitteraddict89.livejournal.com]

Oh god, no, not mutually delusional! When they were speaking, I wasn't really registering what they were saying to each other, all my brain was screaming at me was "FLOWER PETALS. ON THE BED. ON THE BED! WHAT?!" Because in all honesty, that is what springs to mind when you see that, isn't it? Guh. I was getting a little upset by this point, because I honestly believed they couldn't crush my fandom spirit anymore. And I did breathe a sigh of relief when they didn't start getting it on! I did have to remind myself it's a family show. But still, they might have had them making out and then left it to our imaginations or something.. but i'm glad they didn't :)

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Hi! Ducking in here via catching up on the debate in "time & chips"...

I think the petals were a very deliberate set-up by Reinette. She knew that, for her own peace of mind, she had to offer him the hope of getting back through the fireplace and see if he took it... But she was gonna do her utmost to make the alternative as enticing as possible! That moment she leads him into the room, she was presenting him with the choice: Fireplace, or bed. Go off to continue being a lonely angel, or stay here and become a fulfilled man (she thinks/hopes).

Notice she doesn't actually say *what* she "had moved here"... And it takes him a moment to register the fireplace.

That moment when he's ferreting around the side of the fireplace, I think she realises, "he didn't come back to be *with* me, he came back to *save* me. Being with me would just have been a bonus." That's why she uncharacteristically says "no" to his "wish me luck". Which is when, as SM says, he suddenly realises he *is* in love with her - just as she's concluded he isn't - But too late. Only just in time to make a rash promise, which he then can't fulfill; Instead of merely breaking her heart once, at the moment of her choosing, when she was steeled ready for it, he offers her fresh hope... and then breaks her heart a second and much slower, more torturous time.

"Don't it always seem to go
that you don't what you've got 'til it's gone..."

=:o{

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

*blubs* Excellent thought, especially about her offering an obvious alternative to going through the fireplace.

[paratti.livejournal.com]

He's only got to wait a few decades and he can hitch a lift with One, Susan, Ian and Barbara in The Reign of Terror.

Ok, it may take One some years to get him where he needs to be... but think of the fic possibilities.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thought - One and Susan have been to the French Revolution before because it's his favourite period of history... Ten just has to sneak aboard, hijack the TARDIS while they're asleep and get himself to the 51st century. Easy!

[paratti.livejournal.com]

And it's Ten's remote control-ing it back that makes the TARDIS even more unreliable at going where One wants it too.

Sorted:)

[pontisbright.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the bed thing was a peach. 'Look, Doctor, I kept it all nice and warm for you!' 'Oh, you mean the fireplace...'

THe 'choosing exile' thing I thought was just wonderful. He's been stuck on Earth before, he seems to say: it was all right, I did OK, it won't be forever. An explanation of why he views time rather differently from us humans in a nutsehll - which is what the whole episode was about, really. Plus that edge of recklessness he's got now, that devil-may-care thing - about himself, at least. At last, I'm sold on Ten. Hurrah!

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!

An explanation of why he views time rather differently from us humans in a nutsehll - which is what the whole episode was about, really.

Yes, exactly. And I love the "I'm the Lord of Time" line, too.

[pontisbright.livejournal.com]

Ooh yes. Check out that big arrogant definite article there. But then if you've just made an entrance like that, I can see how you'd be a bit smug.

[lasultrix.livejournal.com]

And I love the "I'm the Lord of Time" line, too.

I like to think that he was feeling very jealous after that introduction of "my lover, the King of France". :)

*ships Ten/Reinette frantically*

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

*ships Ten/Reinette frantically*

So, so much.

[gwynnega]

I thought that when she led him to the bedroom as well. (I think we were meant to think that, actually...)

or, he's written "Fast Return Switch" on the console in felt tip.

Heeeeee!

[the-visitor.livejournal.com]

I'm digging this season more and more as it goes. Lonely Angel? Dang, now I feel all sad for the Doctor (after being stunned by the knowledge that he actually WAS a child at some point). Great bit. And the wish me luck moment? David Tennant, stop breaking my heart! Tho I still have many classic adventures to catch up on...is there canonical precedent for his Mister Spock/Mind Meld routine? Tell me they didn't just invent that for this episode.
Loved the wacky plot bits, like the idea a human heart could be of some actual use in spaceship repair. Or that shipbuilders in the 51st century would name a ship after Madame de Pompadour. Now THATS Doctor Who.
Hi!

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

is there canonical precedent for his Mister Spock/Mind Meld routine? Tell me they didn't just invent that for this episode.

Hmm... it's canon that Time Lords are telepathic and we've seen him link minds with other Time Lords (or possibly just his past selves, not sure) but the hand-on-face mindmeld is new, I think.

His childhood's been mentioned a couple of times in the past, though - Five says when he was a little boy he wanted to drive steam trains, which raises odd questions about Gallifrey's hi-tech transport system *g*

[taleya.livejournal.com]

Steve Moffatt loves taking the piss out of the Oncoming Storm thing, doesn't he? In one of his short stories he says that the Dalek name Ka Faraq Gatri is more accurately translated to "nice guy, if you're a biped". That's the same story "what do monsters have nightmares about?" "Me" is from. He likes to borrow from himself, he does.

Considering you quoted all that, I'm stunned you didn't mention the fact that the entire "different parts of her life" apsect of TGitF is very closely mirroring the PLOT of that story - Continuity Errors (decalog #3, and one of my faves :)

Doctor, I know you're reading this. Joke's a joke - I want to go home now

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah, forgot that bit! I thought that was a pretty scary story, the idea that he saves a child's life so one day he can manipulate her mother. Maybe that wasn't what I was meant to take from it. Great story, none the less.

[asta77.livejournal.com]

I think I'll need to watch this ep again before posting my own thoughts. I loved all the charaters in this episode and there were some brilliant moments, but as we drew to the conclusion the plot problems became more apparent (would the Doctor take her with him thus screwing up history?). Perhaps if this had been a two parter some of those problems could have been rectified and I really believed we were heading for a two parter with the copious amounts of character development going on. Reinette's love for the Doctor was rushed. I can't quite buy how she went from 7 to early adulthood not seeing him at all in between but fall in love with him.

And add me to the list of people who thought when she led him to the bedroom that something else was going to happen. And it would have been interesting to see how Rose reacted to that development.

It's also interesting to have had two episodes in a row where we've explored the Doctor's feeling for women besides his current companion and we had non of that with the last series and Nine.

Hello!

[sobsister.livejournal.com]

Hi, this is a bit odd but your user info says you don't mind random folk friending you so...Hi, I thought you should know I've done just that. Your old school Who posts have inspired me to try out the old series and so far I love it, so I also wanted to say thank you for that. Anyway, hope you don't mind.

Re: Hello!

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Oh, brilliant, I'm so pleased you're enjoying them! What stories/Doctors have you been watching?