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Although not part
of an official trilogy, the episode serves as a prelude to the impending demise
of the Tenth Doctor in subsequent episodes that conclude series four. In doing
so, the episode explores the Doctor’s inner demons, exposing his primal fear
and arrogance; his song is ending and he defiantly refuses to accept the
dictum. Arriving on Mars, he encounters the historic but ill-fated colony of
Bowie Base One. The episode embodies the bittersweet motif that is woven
throughout the rebooted series. Awed by the crews’ significant contribution to
human history while saddened by the knowledge of their inescapable tragedy; the
Doctor’s hands are bound by the fixed moment in time that irrevocable moment
necessary for the future to be extant. Tacitly accepting that the crews’ fate
is necessary to maintain the integrity of the historic timeline, the Doctor
initially refuses to intervene. Yet
ironically, he reverses his nonintervention stance, motivated perhaps by his
own desire to survive and driven by the darker impulses of the Time Lord
Victorius. The Doctor’s manic exuberance is subverted by Captain Adelaide
Brooke, who serves as his foil; her suicide ends his arrogant moment. The fear in the Doctor’s eyes, the haunting
image of Ood Sigma and the crescendo of the Doctor’s song beautifully coalesce
to depict his undoing… he’s gone too far. |
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