Monday, April 22, 2013

The Theology of Doctor Who: Father's Day


This being probably* my favorite Doctor Who ever, I was mulling a long post.  It was going to tackle big things, like free will and predestination, and whether we die as we have lived, and whether the parallel-universe plotline of Season Two undercuts the terrible beauty of this ending.**

But Paul Cornell (who ought to know, seeing as he wrote the episode and all) has already said most of what I wanted to say.  And, in proportion as he is a better writer than I am, he has said it more briefly:

"Grace gets written into the world, in such a way that it turns out it's always been there, through sacrifice."

Yes.


* There used to be no need for the qualifier, but then Neil Gaiman had to go and write The Doctor’s Wife.

** I’m still not sure on that last one.  And any discussion inevitably raises the related question of whether the parallel-universe plotline of Season Four undercuts the shattering beauty of the end of Season Two.  Thoughts, anyone?

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