Day 51: Flashpoint

It's an episode of goodbyes, it seems. We say goodbye to Susan this episode, and she actually gets about 10 minutes at the end devoted to her dealing with whether she will leave or not. Upon seeing that there are 10 minutes left to go in the episode and that the Daleks have already been defeated, the gut instinct is to think that we're in for some incredibly dull goodbye scenes, as we farewell every character that we've met over the course of the adventure. But, pleasingly, the focus quickly turns to Susan, who is dealing with her love for one of the freedom fighters, but also her love of her grandfather as well. It's a bittersweet moment, as we know that this is the best option for Susan, and yet, there is still sadness attached. She won't see her grandfather again, she won't travel in the TARDIS again, instead we leave her, knowing that the audience will never see her again.

We also bid a small farewell to David Whitaker, the script editor for the first 51 episodes of the programme. This blog hasn't mentioned him much, but his guiding hand has helped keep the show together. The writing on the past episodes has ranged, but on the whole, it has remained truly interesting. People may think that in order for a programme to succeed, it needs action sequences and hunky leads, but Whitaker's guiding influence has allowed for characters and stories to come to the forefront. Doctor Who is not, as is commonly believed, about a box that travels through time. It is about people inside of a box that travel through time. And through showing those people, that is where we find our adventures.

And as we say farewell to these people, and look back at the past, so too does this blog look to the future, as I wonder whether we will ever finish. But one day, I will look back, yes I'll look back. But, until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. I shall go forward, in all my beliefs, and show to myself the journey ahead of me. Goodbye then, because, We've Still Got Work To Do.