I've got to talk about Utopia

[kalleah]

Every time we get to a "major" episode, I worry about the impact it will have on my ability to write in this fandom.  Well, I may or may not get anything productive done tonight as I am currently high on Utopia, but I'll be just fine.

And yeah, if you're playing at home, that does mean I'm working.  I'm currently four chapters into a sequel to Voyages of Discovery.  Anyway, that's not the point of this post.  :)

For next week, I have some theories.  Here they are, in no particular order.

• I cringe at the idea of the Master with the Doctor's TARDIS, but the Doctor obviously did some jiggery-pokery as he was leaving.  What will be funny is if they end up having to use Jack's vortex manipulator to get back to Cardiff, which the Doctor made quite a lot of fun of in the beginning.  There's some lovely irony for you.
• The fact that the Doctor's hand is inside the TARDIS has to be significant.  Either the Master is going to start cloning away with it or it's going to be useful somehow in getting them back inside the ship.

Let's also not forget some outstanding questions, besides the obvious.

• What or where is Utopia?  Let's not forget that in all the distraction around the Master.  Someone or something put out a beacon for the remainder of humankind.  I can't think it's just a throwaway plot line.  So what happens with the humans on that ship?  I'd like to see them again.  If we don't, and I think it's a good possibility that we don't, then that's some damn fertile ground for fanfic.
  
• How did the Master end up in a watch?  My thought on that is that he hid on purpose to avoid the Time War - not necessarily knowing that the Doctor was going to obliterate both species, but being generally sneaky.
• So, while the Master was safely hidden as a human during the Time War, and thus avoided being obliterated, how did the Doctor not realize he was around when they were both in the same time and place?  Saxon's been operating in the UK for some time, obviously, and the Doctor has been in the same vicinity several times since Saxon presumably made his appearance.  I thought there was some general timey-wimey Time Lord psychic detection.
• About the election.  Saxon's running for Prime Minister?  Now, I'm an American, but I didn't think that was a generally elected position.  Wouldn't he be locally elected, say, in London, and then chosen by his party as Prime Minister?  If that's the case, why did a "Vote Saxon" poster end up in Cardiff?  (It was on the door of the dance hall that Jack and Tosh went into in Captain Jack Harkness.)

And general observations and love:

• "Stop it."  Bwahahaha.  It's Jack, all right.
• I am pretty sure that the lovely tentacled lady, whose name I cannot spell, didn't say her beginning and end word when she said "I'm sorry" and shot the Master.  Also bwahahaha.
• All the pretty.  ::sighs::
• John was in the credits!  Yay.
• And, as a final note, I'm impressed by the Beeb's ability to keep us all from finding out that this was truly a three-parter.  I assumed, from all the discussion about the last two episodes, that this was a standalone episode.  I loved that I was surprised by that.

EDIT:

It occurred to me after the fact that I had assumed (as most had done, I suspect) that the title Last of the Time Lords referred to the revelation about the Master/Saxon.  I was dead wrong about that and hadn't expected it to happen as early as Utopia.  Wow.

So, mulling over the last title, I am convinced that the reference may be to the Doctor's choice whether to kill the Master or not.  If he does, then he is finishing a genocide he began and killing the only other member of his species.  If he doesn't, then an evil goes free.  He couldn't do it to the Daleks, on several occasions, and this will be worse.

I suspect this is what RTD and crowd meant by a "bleak" and "devastating" end to the season.

Poor, dear Doctor.  I'm almost glad Rose isn't here right now, because she would be nothing but a target for the Master to use against him.  I'm not entirely convinced that he won't make the threat -- he overheard the discussion about Rose and the Time War while still the Professor, after all.

Comments

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

But the Master was human, so of course the Doctor couldn't detect him

Right, when he was in the form of the Professor. That makes complete sense to me. But he changed into a Time Lord when he opened the watch, and that form went back (presumably) in time to the UK.

The Doctor and the Master have been in the same place and time although they have never met. As early as The Runaway Bride, we've had references to Saxon. So, at those times, why didn't the Doctor sense him? They've both been near London in their Time Lord forms.

You would still find party leader pictures on election posters nationwide

Thanks for that clarification - that's been bugging me for a while. :)

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Right, when he was in the form of the Professor. That makes complete sense to me. But he changed into a Time Lord when he opened the watch, and that form went back (presumably) in time to the UK.

The Doctor and the Master have been in the same place and time although they have never met.

Ah, of course! Now I see what you mean. And... I don't know. The Doctor should have detected him in The Lazarus Experiment - unless Saxon had some way of disguising himself at the time. His people knew the Doctor was around, so it's possible.

Maybe the final two episodes will explain it? I hope so!

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

The Doctor should have detected him in The Lazarus Experiment - unless Saxon had some way of disguising himself at the time.

Exactly. But then again ... not all plot points are explained. ::points at Pete Tyler popping out to save Rose and coughs::

[principia.livejournal.com]

I still think/hope we're going to see an explanation of Pete's perfect timing. I know I've seen one fic that explains precisely how it happened - and in a way I can't see them varying from too much on the show.

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

I know I've seen one fic that explains precisely how it happened

Which one? I haven't seen many of those, and I'm always curious. I gave a shot at it, but I can't see my explanation really fitting in with the continuity on the show.

[principia.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to find it for you, but Teaspoon's been up and down faster than Owen Harper's pants, so it might take a while. :)

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

Teaspoon's been up and down faster than Owen Harper's pants

::sporfles::

I had a hard time imagining that they could create a more playboy character than Jack, but they managed to pull it off.

[tlttlotd.livejournal.com]

The Doctor did disguise himself from the Family of Blood near the end of the episode... two can probably play at that game.

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but that was simply misdirecting their sense of smell. If that was a long-term solution to this problem, then he could have dabbed on some "human scented" cologne and avoided the whole Chameleon Arch problem in the first place. I suspect that's a very short term thing.

It's more than the Doctor's sense of smell in play here, but I get your point that the Master may have some trickery up his sleeve to deal with that.

[miriammoules.livejournal.com]

I'm suspecting that the Master made use of the chameleon arch again, briefly, knowing that his character was likely to be quite charming enough to get past a constituency party.

I'm wondering if the taclafane (sounds like a cancer drug) would deal with Saxon if they knew he was really a Time Lord.

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

I'm suspecting that the Master made use of the chameleon arch again

After being stuck in human form for how long, I really can't see him taking that route again. After all, he'd forget who he is, and wouldn't really be the same person.