"Journey's End"
"I was going to be with you forever."
-Donna Noble
Starting exactly where the cliffhanger left off, a neon-light show marks the beginning of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration (as a result of the mortal wounds he received at the end of the last episode). During the process, he points the energy at his severed hand in a jar (from season two episode, "The Christmas Invasion" and which has also made appearances in
Torchwood season one). The regeneration ends... the Tenth Doctor is still with us -he has not regenerated, instead transferring the energy from his third hand to heal himself! Donna, Capt. Jack and Rose are dumbfounded by this (more so Jack and Rose). Finally, Rose and the Doctor have their proper reunion, which of course is cut short as the Dalek capture the TARDIS and transfer it to the Crucible, the Dalek's baseship. Rose recounts the events in her universe and how her world was able to build a dimensional canon to teleport Rose. She also mentions that all the universes' walls are breaking down with all timelines pointing directly at Donna.
After landing on the Crucible, the Dalek order the Doctor out of his ship (he explains that they would be able to get in anyway). Resigned to their fate, the group exits the TARDIS; all except Donna, who seems to be oddly distracted. Suddenly, the doors close and lock on Donna before she can exit the time vessel. Unmoved by the Doctor's protests (and claiming he had nothing to do with it), the Supreme Dalek jettisons the TARDIS into the Crucible's energy core. Inside the ship, Donna is terrified as fires and mini-explosions erupt all around her. Through the calamity, she touches the Doctor's severed hand. Energy shoots out it into Donna causing the container to shatter. Then, another neon light show and BAM, another Doctor... another Tenth Doctor is formed. Unbeknownst to the Dalek and the remaining Doctor/companions, this new Doctor #2 is able to activate the TARDIS just before it's destruction. Capt. Jack get himself "killed" as the Doctor and Rose are escorted away.
The Doctor #2 repairs the TARDIS (rather quickly) and explains to Donna that he was formed from a combination of Donna and the energy left over from Doctor #1's regeneration. He also realizes that he is part human now. After mulling over events with Donna, he comes to the conclusion that the two of them has always been drawn towards this point in time -that all their meetings were not mere happenstance.
Back at Torchwood, Gwen and Ianto, who expected themselves to die in a blaze of gunfire, are surprised to discover that the Dalek and the bullets they were firing are frozen, the result of a time lock program the late Tosh designed. For now, they are trapped but alive.
Meanwhile, as Sarah Jane is about to be death rayed in her car by two Dalek, Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler teleport in, weapons ready. The Dalek are destroyed, Sarah Jane is saved and the 'secret army' grows. The three witness the TARDIS' capture. They decide to 'surrender' in order to follow the Doctor/companions. On the Crucible, the Daleks escort them, as well as many other prisoners, to a testing area. Sarah Jane, Mickey and Jackie are able to escape just as the Dalek's new weapon, the Reality Bomb, is 'tested' on the prisoners, killing them all. The weapon breaks down the electrical cohesion that holds the atoms of matter together with the twenty-seven "stolen" planets aligned as a large transmitter. Capt. Jack accidentally finds his way to the three, now four. Sarah Jane decides now is the time to reveal the "warp star" she was given (on her series).
The Doctor/Rose (I can't believe I'm saying that) are taken to and held prisoner by Davros. Dalek Caan is is there as well. Davros shares that Caan has had foreknowledge of the Doctor/Donna's arrival. Caan also references his knowledge of the death of one of the Doctor's companions. The test of the Reality Bomb is witnessed by the prisoners. The weapon is was designed by Davros for one purpose alone: the destruction of everything in the universe and all alternate universes -the destruction of reality itself with only the Dalek remaining.
Martha uses the Project Indigo teleport device to travel to a secret UNIT base in Germany in order to contact any remaining surviving UNIT soldiers around the globe ao they can collectively initiate use of the Osterhagen Key (a series of nukes that will destroy the Earth). Attempting to emulate the Doctor, she contacts the Dalek Crucible to give them a chance to surrender. Capt. Jack and his group also signal that they will destroy the Crucible with the warp star. The Doctor is at first shocked, then dejected at this turn of events. Davros and Caan gloat over this: that the Doctor's companions do his dirty work for him with a trail of death is left behind him. The Supreme Dalek orders them all teleported to Davros thus ending their plans for stopping the Dalek.
Davros orders the Reality Bomb to be detonated. Suddenly, the TARDIS materializes and Doctor #2 charges out at Davros, gun in hand. Although suprirsed at first, Davros casually lifts his arm and fires a ray from it, stunning Doctor #2 then imprisoning him. Donna runs out of the ship, picks up the gun and is zapped by Davros as well. The countdown to the end of the universe begins... but is suddenly halted right before the detonation by... Donna... or rather... Doctor/Donna (just as the Ood predicted)! She was turned into half-Timelord during the same process that regenerated the Doctor #2. Davros' weapon striking her caused the knowledge within her to surface. She disables all of the Daleks and with the help of the two Doctors, sends all the planets back where they belong. Another surprise: Caan has been manipulating the timelines in order to get the Doctor/Donna to this very point in time -he has betrayed the Dalek in order to stop them. The Supreme Dalek attempts to kill them all but Capt Jack takes him out. Unfortunately, the equipment is damaged by the Dalek before he is killed with only one planet left to be returned: Earth. As Doctor #1 devises a plan to help the Earth, Caan urges Doctor #2 to destroy all the Dalek, which he does. Doctor #1 does not approve but its too late, the Crucible is self destructing. As everyone piles into the TARDIS, Doctor #1 offers to save Davros, who angrily refuses. Caan offers a final piece of prophecy: one will still die. After the destruction of the Crucible, the TARDIS, with the help of Torchwood (the timelock was shut down when the Dalek was destroyed by Doctor #2) and Luke, Mr. Smith and K-9, return the Earth to it's solar system.
There are goodbyes a plenty as each of the 'secret army'... no, the 'children of time' depart. There is one final stop left: Bad Wolf Bay, in the alternate universe. Against Rose's wishes and desires, Doctor #1 takes her, Jackie and Doctor #2 there. Rose wants to stay but Doctor #1 reasons that Doctor #2 committed genocide, that #2 is like #1 was when he first met Rose. Doctor #2 also reasons that he is part-human, he won't regenerate - he'll grow old with her. She asks them both to tell her what the final words the Doctor was going to say to her when they last saw each other. #1 just says her name; #2 whispers what Rose wants to hear then kisses her. The TARDIS with the Doctor #1 and Doctor/Donna leave this alternate Earth, this alternate universe... they leave behind Rose... for good.
On the TARDIS, the Doctor, our Doctor, is melancholy, not just about Rose, but about the upcoming 'death' of his companion. He knows that Donna will not be able to live with/process all that Timelord knowledge in her mind. As if on cue, her brain starts to misfire as she, too, realizes what is happening to herself. The Doctor erases her memories of him, the TARDIS, their travels and their experiences. He erases it all then returns her to her family, with explicit instructions to never tell Donna about the Doctor. The Doctor leaves the Nobles, leaves Donna behind. He is alone in a night sky filled with stars.
Commentary
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Nitpicking
Quotes
Doctor: "I didn't need to change. I didn't want to. Why would I? Look at me."
Donna: "You can hug me if you want. No, really. You can hug me."
Doctor: "Blimey."
Supreme Dalek: "The last child of Galefry is powerless!"
Donna: "It's you!"
Doctor: "Oh yes."
Donna: "You're naked!"
Doctor: "Oh yes."
Supreme Dalek: "They are the playthings of Davros now."
Donna: " You are bonkers!" ... "Is that what Timelords do? Lop a bit off and grow another one? You're like worms!"
Donna: "Hey! Watch it spaceman!"
Doctor: "Hey! Watch it Earthgirl!"
Capt. Jack: "Just my luck! I climb through two miles of ventilation shafts, chasing life signs on this thing and who do I find? Mickey Mouse!"
Mickey: "You can talk, Captain Cheesecake."
Davros: "The Doctor. The man who keeps running, never looking back because he dare not out of shame. This is my final victory Doctor. I have shown you, yourself."
Davros: "Stand witness, Timelord. Stand witness, humans. Your strategies have failed. Your weapons are useless. And.. oh, the end of the universe has come."
Donna: "The whole universe has been waiting for me!"
Rose: "Three Doctors?"
Capt. Jack: "I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now."
Davros: "Never forget, Doctor: you did this! I name you forever... you are the destroyer of the worlds!"
Doctor: "Oh, Donna Noble. I am so sorry. But we had the best of times. The best. Goodbye."
Doctor: "I just want you to know that there are worlds out there safe in the sky because of her. That there are people living in the light and singing songs of Donna Noble a thousand million light years away. They will never forget her while she can never remember. And for one moment, one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the whole, wide universe."
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