mollyporter | Who Finale! Let's talk about Donna's fate:

Ok, so I've seen the episode, and I've seen people's reactions to Donna's fate. And most of them are angry. Seriously angry. I've seen people saying it was disrespectful to the character, it was a brush-off, it was unnecessarily cruel &c.

It was totally cruel. And completely heartbreaking. And, I felt, entirely appropriate. I mean, think about it. Donna has never believed that she was special, and then she finally comes up against incontrovertible proof that she is unique in the universe, and it's taken from her. Not just the ability, but the memory that it ever happened. She can't remember a thing. And even though there are others who remember for her, they cannot tell her what she has accomplished. They have to let her believe that she has never done anything exciting or brave or heroic in her life, even though she is the savior of the universe.

How would knowing that she was valuable have changed Donna? How would she be affected if she wasn't feeling a constant need to prove herself? It is far from a happy ending for her. But as a narrative? It was poetic. The memories taken from her include some of the most talked about events in the world, so the Doctor is in a way turning her into the oblivious idiot she always feared she was.

The Doctor does it knowing full well the effect it will have, because it's the only way he can save her. And he has to save her, because he loves her and can't bear to let her die. Letting her die by keeping her memories, as she begged him to do, may have shown her more respect - but the doctor simply can't let his best friend die when there is something, anything, he can do to stop it. It's cruel, heartbreaking, and yeah, it makes me really angry on Donna's behalf. But it's also brilliant writing. I can't see any way Donna could have gone out that would have been more fitting, that would have suited the character better and served to better *emphasize* everything that was so amazing about her.

Donna Nobel, who is just a temp, saved the universe and came out unchanged. Tell me that's not totally brilliant. In a tragic sort of way.

I love you, show!