ebonlock | "I just snogged Madame du Pompadour!"

First many, many thanks to

elo_sf who is my crack dealer!

Oh my, lots to love in this episode, though I suspect the Doctor/Rose shippers are going to be all but chewing their own arms off. "First Sarah Jane, and now Rennette? Writers, why hast thou forsaken us?" I could actually hear their wails while watching it.

Mickey's first day in space was a hoot, from his comment about the outside of the ship looking so "realistic" to his first encounter with killer robots. He actually fits in surprisingly well and seems to be getting into the spirit of things already. Rose seemed a bit torn, she wants that closeness, that exclusivity with the Doctor, but the encounter with SJS has her really uncertain. She's leaning on Mickey, standing near him, taking his hand, hugging him, and keeping her distance from 10. I'm almost wondering if 10 allowing Mickey on the TARDIS struck her more powerfully than the realization that she wasn't the Doctor's first love.

At any rate, before I go off into writing psychoanalysis of each character's development already in season 2, the humor was dead on in this one. Rose's response to the Doctor's horse, "You're not keepin' it!" "I let you keep Mickey!"; the Doctor being pounced by Rennette and partying with the French (the Doctor dances, indeed); Mickey and Rose going robot hunting with fire extinguishers and acting like a couple of kids playing paintball; "Always bring a banana to a party!"; "I'm the King of France." "Yeah? Well I'm the Lord of Time.", and oh so many more. Any episode that has me laughing out loud is ok by me.

But beyond that was the rather tragic story of Rennette, "walking the slow path" as a part of the Doctor's latest adventure. I was a bit weirded out by the Doctor basically using a Vulcan mind meld on her, and her being able to turn the tables and read his mind. WTF? I started wondering if maybe it was going to be revealed that she was a time lord as well. And I didn't like the fact that we got no real resolution as to why the robots were so hot to get Rennette's brain. Oh, and I wanted to kick the Doctor when he didn't just bring her back through the fireplace with him, the plot demanded it, of course, but I really think an 18th century courtsan might've been a nice addition to the crew. I keep imagining her and Jack meeting someday...

Anyway, another sad ending and another broken heart for our "lonely angel", but oh how I hope we get some resolution on some of the things Rennette saw in the Doctor's mind. And I actually yelled at the computer, "Rose, get your ass over there and hug that man!" after he delivered the line, "I'm always ok." There was a time when she'd have done so without a thought, but not now. *sigh*

Next time those fucking Cybermen. We hates them so much!