Doctor Who: The Stolen Earth (SPOILERS)

So we near Journey's End:

If you missed the episode... what do you think you are doing reading this article???? Follow this link if you need to see the episode, or want a recap. Sorry folks I think the BBC iPlayer will only work in the UK.

I really loved the way we were thrown straight into tonight's episode.... and with a relentless pace that just carried right on through to the dying moments.

I also loved the welcome return of so many old faces. You get the impression from all that went on, that we only have half the pieces to the puzzle... that there's a lot going on we don't even know about yet.

I get the impression that next week's finale is either going to be very very good... or very very poor. It obviously looks like there is going to be a regeneration... but as Mark Twain said: "Never make predictions... especially about the future". The ending interrupted the regeneration process, which left us in the annoying position of having a triple cliffhanger.

Rumours are rife... not least because David Tennant is reportedly staying on for at least four specials. Some have speculated that the regeneration will be botched or different. One outlandish theory has suggested that the energy from regeneration hits the Doctor's severed hand (kept in a jar by the TARDIS console), and causes it to grow a new 10th Doctor along with whoever emerges from the proper regeneration. You can see the start of the regeneration sequence in the clip below:

My suspicion is that whatever happens, the device that Martha holds... the Osterhagen key, will be some kind of Deus Ex Machina... something that will alter the events that lead to this regeneration being altered. However, I hope in some ways that I am wrong... because that would make it all too similar to last years conclusion... and Doctor Who is not Dallas. It shouldn't rely on everything always being... just a dream. By the way "Osterhagen" is an anagram of among other things, the phrase "Earth's Gone".

For an atheist, Russell T Davies seems to explore the idea of sacrifice and resurrection quite a lot... he's done it a lot in Doctor Who, as you can probably tell from other episodes I've blogged about. Let's see where next week takes us.

So the big questions then:

1. What is going to happen with this regeneration?
   
   
2. Will Sarah Jane, Ianto and/or Gwen survive?
   
   
3. Just who or what is inside the Supreme Dalek?
   
   
4. What other effects has Caan's trip to the timelocked "Time War" had?
   
   
5. What is the Osterhagen Key and what will happen if it is used?
   
   
6. Is someone going to make a supreme sacrifice (certainly seems possible given the title)?
   
   and...
   
   
7. Most importantly all... did anyone try and contact the Doctor using 07700 900461?
   

*UPDATE* as of Sunday 29th May

Well, here's the trailer for the final specially lengthened episode... but it doesn't really give much away:

If you think you know what is going to happen,I'd love to hear your comments.

Doctor Who: The Last of the Time Lords

Oh my word... what a spectacular finale for Doctor Who!

It was kind of hard to see where it was going with the Doctor being artificially aged (even if it has happened twice before), and I originally wasn't keen on the Utopia humans being the protagonists. What can I say though, the script had me won over.

Martha was Earth's only hope, the Doctor gave her a secret message and she was sent on her way, to use this knowledge to save humanity. What did she do with this knowledge? We are led to believe that there is one weapon on the Earth that is capable of ending the Master's life... but it is separated into four parts (I rumbled this as a ruse as soon as I saw it). She has been seemingly walking the Earth seeking out the components of this weapon.

However this was not her genuine purpose at all. The mission the Doctor really charged her with, was to spread the word of who he was, what he had done and what he could do. Martha had only one weapon -words.... words and "prayer". All she really had was evangelism. She couldn't threaten the Master, she could only help other people to understand there was something better.

This is what it is like for genuine Christians. We don't have M4 or SA80 assault rifles, we don't have squadrons of joint strike fighters or fleets of warships... and we certainly don't have nuclear weapons. No, our equipment consists of:

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

- Ephesians 6:13-18

and:

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

- Hebrews 4:12

Like Martha we possess privileged information. We are on personal terms with the God who created us. Jesus Christ died for the sins of humankind and rose to life. Through his Spirit, he transforms our lives for the better, day by day. Yet while he has done and continues to do these things, many of the people of Earth remain blissfully unaware of who he really is. For some he is just a fairy tale, for others he's merely a vague historical figure. Their best hope of knowing him as he deserves to be known... is if we make him known to them properly. We have exactly the same call as Martha.

Eventually, Martha is betrayed into the hands of the Master... who proceeds to mock what appears to him to be nothing more than a useless scheme... all she has given the people is faith and hope... not a practical means of resistance.He then proceeds with a live televised countdown at the end of which he will execute Martha. However this is playing into her hands... because the countdown is what she needs, to get everyone on Earth thinking the same thing at the same time - "The Doctor". It is similar to the same way that Jesus played into the Devil's hands. Satan thought that the son of God had put himself into a vulnerable position and saw an opportunity to rid himself of the one person who could stop him. In fact, Jesus needed to be handed over to death in order to save mankind from it's sin.

As the people begin their "prayer", The Doctor is surrounded by incandescent blue/white light and is restored to his former glory. He levitates over to the Master... and what is the first thing he offers him?

Forgiveness.

Despite everything he has done, the Doctor offers his nemesis the offer of redemption - he feels responsible for him. In the end, the Master declines... he doesn't want to be "trapped" in the Doctor's presence. The thing is, the same offer is on the table for us... and for the same reason. God made us and loves us and feels responsible for us. He wants us to respond to his love:

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

- Romans 5:6-11

The offer as I said, is on the table. You have a choice... are you going to be hard-hearted and die like The Master? I'm sure he'll be back... but you and I don't have the luxury of a Time Lord ring to bring us back, do we? The Doctor's reaction when his enemy stubbornly refuses to listen and dies in his arms, is the exact same reaction I believe God has when his people who he loved and created, reject him and refuse his offer of grace. He said these words of the nation of Israel... but his heart is the same for you and I:

"Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!"

- Ezekiel 18:31-32

""Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?" 'Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'"

- Ezekiel 33:10-11

I wonder if that is where you are at? You may have just stumbled in here looking for a synopsis or an opinion of the episode, and now you are maybe faced with a little more than you bargained for.

If that is you then please follow this link to a Keith Green song, close your eyes and pray the lyrics through.

Don't put it off... because you don't have any more regenerations.

Dr Who: Gridlock

I really enjoyed tonight's installment of Doctor Who:

The episode centred around The Doctor's return to New Earth, a generation after he last visited with Rose (something that did not overly impress his new companion, Martha).

This world is very different to the one he left; oh yes the futuristic skyscrapers and spires of New New York still tower ominously over the landscape... but this time, the Doctor and Martha spend most of their time trapped below the surface in the lower levels of the city. Martha gets kidnapped and the Doctor gets stuck in the ultimate traffic jam from hell (it has been going on for 20 odd years and it takes a decade to travel as many miles in floating cars stacked vertically and laterally in every direction). Outside, the fumes are toxic and far below an old devolved enemy awaits to prey on the careless.

There is a very moving sequence where we see the various characters we have met, singing along to part of an old hymn - namely "The Old Rugged Cross", that comes across the radios to comfort the weary travellers (very appropriate considering we've just had Easter). Update as of 18th April - somebody very kindly uploaded the sequenceto YouTube, so here it is along with some of the lyrics:

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

It was a nice bit of foreshadowing, as towards the end of the episode we find out that the Face of Boe engineered the traffic jam by shutting down the city in order to prevent people contaminating themselves and dying (everybody else was dead).

As the Doctor struggles to open up the city, he realises he can't release the city's energy due to a technical hitch. It is the Face of Boe who in Christlike manner, lays down his life by giving up the last of his life energy to ensure the Doctor's success.

The world of lost sinners far below, are finally able to make their escape into the city skies above.

There seemed to be a lot of religious symbolism in the episode... two hymns and a tale of a higher being sacrificing himself for people far below, who had no means to save themselves from the perpetual cycle they were trapped in.

We also had the tantalising prophecy of the Face of Boe, to the Doctor - "you are not alone."

It was good to see the Doctor humbling himself and being honest about his feelings for the family, friends and home he lost in the Time War. It was very moving... especially as "Abide With Me" was softly sung in the background. Update as of 17th April, somebody has uploaded a clip of this sequence... so you can see the sequence:

If you saw the episode and have not really understood Christianity before... if you can, watch the episode again and look once more at that hymn. Understand that the reason Jesus Christ died, was to release us from the cycle of the sinful nature... that we just go round in circles in this planet, disobeying God until we drop down dead. Jesus opened up "crack in the sky" for us... so we wouldn't be subject to the darkness, toxicity and the perils of death any more. Jesus came in order that we may have life. Take it!

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Doctor Who continues on BBC1, Saturday evenings.