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 - Fathers Day

When I saw the trailer for the latest episode of Doctor Who last week, I was worried it would be a bit naff. I was surprised to find the storyline was one of the better ones offered.

First of all, you have a decent explanation as to the nature of time paradox theory, which is a pretty complicated subject.

However, I felt there was a very strong Christian parallel with last night's episode. You can view the sequence I'm referring to watching the video at the bottom if you have time, if not just continue reading.

Rose (the Doctor's assistant), saves her father back in 1987 when in fact he should have died at the hands of a hit and run driver. This causes a "wound" in time that creatures from another dimension feed on like bacteria. People all over the world are dying because of the change. Despite this, Rose is getting to know her father properly in conversation. The Doctor knows how to stop everything going wrong, but he keeps quiet because he values Rose. Instead he tries to find a way around the problem. His makeshift plan fails though, and he is devoured by an alien.

It's at this point that Rose's dad works out how to resolve the crisis. The car that should have knocked him down is travelling in a perpetual loop, appearing and disappearing at the point where the accident should have happened. To restore equilibrium, he has to lay down is life and let it end as it should have, but in the process sacrifice a future of seeing his daughter grow up. This is a theme that was explored previously in films like "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Donnie Darko" (the latter is a film that pays tribute to the former).

In this way Rose's father saves the world, by sacrificing himself.

In the same way there is a wound in our world, caused as a consequence of the Fall of man. We are constantly being tempted, corrupted and slowly destroyed by our sinful natures. It is for this reason that Christ came into the world and died. If you haven't already, you may want to contemplate the significance of that in your own life.... and how you should respond to it.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

So there's your proof that science fiction and God are NOT opposing forces.