what's on her BACK?! | Doctor Who Season 4 Episode 11 "Turn Left" Reaction!

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[@obiwankenobi687]

Catherine Tate was doing this while David Tennant was doing midnight. Saves money as you can film two episodes at once. Split the cast. And we end up with two of the best episodes in the show so far.

[@miller-joel]

Yet, their interactions are the best.

[@jacobcurle8964]

It wasn’t just for financial purposes though, it was also to allow for David and Catherine to have their break from filming. In the previous 2 series, that break was made up by a single episode that focussed on a one-off character (series 2’s Love & Monsters, series 3’s Blink) which didn’t require either lead on set very much. Splitting series 4’s “break” between two episodes, with each being a sort of one-hander, allowed them to avoid the need for an episode that features neither of the leads.

[@pendragoneternal]

"and you daughter of London... THERE IS SOMETHING ON YOUR BACK!" Turn left is such brilliant miserable episode that I absolutely adore.

[@robertwareham8466]

Couldn't have said it better. Beautiful writing, amazing acting, heartrending story.

[@pendragoneternal]

@ Definitely! It’s among one of the best NewWho episodes.

[@rudewalrus5636]

@@robertwareham8466 The part that always gets me the most is when Wilf says "It's happening again" - and the pain on his face.

[@secondroad11]

@@rudewalrus5636 Unfortunately, it also reminds me of what is currently going on in the world and what has happened before. I feel the same pain.

[@FuriosDevil]

"Labour camps... That's what they called them last time." Grandpa throwing his WW2 flashbacks, so tough

[@mixofreak]

And the fact that the actor actually was a WW2 vet makes it even more authentic of a performance. He never killed anyone, but he saw a lot.

[@JoshSweetvale]

​@@mixofreakIt's also a reminder and warning. This is sorta what it looked like in the real world. And what it may look like again.

[@YourBeingParanoid]

It looks like Gaza ​@@JoshSweetvale

[@lenrat117]

@@mixofreakno he wasn’t. Never did fight In the war, didn’t fight in any war. He was in the army and was deployed to British Palestine which he described as uneventful.

[@mixofreak]

@@lenrat117 It was during the war, as a defensive bolster of territory. He was posted there as part of the parachute regiment. He didn't fight, but that doesn't mean he wasn't there if needed to defend. He was a veteran. Period

[@AdrianFlipflop]

Emme: Are we in for a fun adventure or more trauma Doctor who: Yes

[@stephenb5jones476]

I'm going to be calling her Trauma-Donna now.

[@godmagnus]

"Last episode really showed how important a human companion is." This episode: Hold my sonic.

[@not-that-Chris]

many, many episodes: hold my sonic.

[@Y_r_u491]

@@not-that-Chris I can't help but think of someone giving me a blue hedgehog when you say that.

[@Cobinja]

27:05 Emme: "What two words?" Everyone watching: "THE two words!!!"

[@TheNovaBridger]

I haven't seen anyone mention it, but the actress who portrays the Fortune Teller in this episode - the magnificent Chipo Chung - portrayed Chantho in Series 3's "Utopia".

[@DaniRose2311]

Cool fact, episode 11 and episode 11

[@nimblehealer199]

Absolutely, correct. I recognized her voice.

[@ronfehr7899]

Thanks for reminding me. I forgot that.

[@jamesswindley9599]

Omg it is xx

[@Streunekater]

Chan. I just wanted to write that, Tho.

[@saberstrike000]

"Are we actually in for a fun episode today or are we in for more trauma" at the start of "Turn Left." I almost choked on my lunch.

[@Jonno92100]

"What a throwback" doesn't do the episode justice. Never seen a piece of media tie together so many story threads so well before this episode!

[@zemoxian]

It reminds me of The Wish episode of Buffy dialed up to eleven.

[@merryharrypop]

i mean, she did literally cry to the episode

[@TSHHVA24]

I've always loved how Donna and Wilf watching the stars go out is such a simple and effective way to illustrate how bad things are about to get. Just a brilliant episode that does so much with so little.

[@Look_Over_There]

Donna not giving a single shit about the hospital vanishing/reappearing because she’s lost her job is honestly such a mood 😂

[@rebeccalambert3240]

One crushing thing is how real the part with the house and the labor camps is. War happens, WW2 happened. When my sister was in California she would see 4 or 5 families to one trailer, including people living under the front of it. It's horrifyingly realistic. You're so right about the despair that permeates this episode. I loves your reaction!

[@Kingrob30]

When the cloister bell rings on the Tardis stuff is about to go down!

[@fayesouthall6604]

Damn right

[@quintuscrinis]

Oh yeah. Here we go.

[@DaveF.]

Probably my favourite episode of Who - this is just a masterpiece of a great story, low budget and some great performances. "You've built a time machine!?" - yes - out of some stage lights and mirrors we nicked from the make-up trailer.

[@ianhorn5466]

Mine too. Odd how some of the best episodes like this and Blink were Dr light despite Tennant being an excellent Dr.

[@JoshSweetvale]

It does portray it _really_ well. That circle of sciencey mirrors plus the Tardis in the background.

[@Masq1980]

You win the quote game, that was fabulous! lolol

[@erteldaturtle3003]

this is probably the most depressing and raw episode of doctor who ever. zero happiness emotions from when the doctor dies to the end of the episode. and the scene of wilf watching the family get taken away might be the most depressing scene in tv history.

[@jrooksable]

That's what HAPPENS when you turn left!😰

[@lukebarton5075]

@jr You’ve got it the wrong way around there. It was turning right that caused the issues. At the end of the episode Donna’s actions made Donna turn left again and things were restored.

[@CaesiusX]

15:14 Donna was the one that kept saying _"the bees are disappearing."_

[@obiwankenobi687]

And at the time, in real life, the bees were genuinely disappearing

[@Masq1980]

@@obiwankenobi687 I wonder now 17 years later, if the bees are back?

[@thedoctor4327]

The episode that underscores how important The Doctor is but also more important how essential Donna is as well as all Companions are (breaks my heart how so many this episode gave their lives doing what the Doctor would have done and saving others). Also Bernard Cribbins is brilliant this episode as always as Wilf

[@MakeItSo-ThisIsME]

Its so cool how everything ties back into the Season 1 finale, Rose saw all of time and space.

[@obiwankenobi687]

She doesn’t remember any of that though, seeing time as the knowledge was taken out of her by 9z Rose only knows what she knows in this episode because she’s working with unit/torchwood etc, whatever team of experts she’s been sent on this mission by from her parallel world. Not because of becoming the bad wolf in series 1

[@erteldaturtle3003]

0:44 "donna has been through the ringer so far, it has been very rough for her" subtle foreshadowing

[@fayesouthall6604]

😢

[@quintuscrinis]

Had she I don't remember?

[@AHYL88]

This is basically the "What If?" episode and does show how much can change from such a simple opposing decision of turning right instead of left. It's a contrast of a character the actress Chipo Chung played here as the manipulative fortune teller trickster; we saw her as Chantho, the bug alien assistant to Professor Yana from the last season, in the episode Utopia.

[@scottredding7357]

“The Darkness! The Big Bad Wolf!” … Gwenyth saw it coming.

[@mareiramv]

One of the best episodes of the series, in my opinion. Really dark, really well done and brought so many emotion, it's just fantastic and your reaction was what I was expecting, haha. I'm so excited for what is to come! Next few weeks are going to be really fun!

[@SpiderRiderKya]

Ahhhhh this episode. The last bit after Donna comes back, the build up to the 'Bad Wolf' reveal always gives me chills. Like, actual goosebumps.

[@nathandts3401]

And this is the episode that prompted me to look into internment camps from all the major WW2 participants. The English school curriculum didn't think it was appropriate to tell me that we had our own camps. I don't imagine the Americans are taught about what they did with Japanese Americans either.

[@zacharyfinch1230]

We Americans are taught about the Japanese internment camps- America is pretty good at teaching history as long as we’re involved in it. So we learn a lot about the American civil war, ww1, ww2, Vietnam war, Korean War, etc. but we rarely learn anything before the 1600s, this is because the first ship arrived in 1620 so that’s pretty much when our recorded history starts. (at least this is the case in our standard history class- you can take specialized classes later)

[@nathandts3401]

@zacharyfinch1230 What about what the CIA did in South America or what the FBI did to the Black Panthers? I don't think I was taught a single negative thing about British history aside from Henry 8. Most things in my life I've learned from curiosity and having internet access.

[@Pixelologist]

There's a lot about American history that Americans aren't taught....or are taught incorrectly.

[@eow4317]

@@nathandts3401I didn’t hear about what the CIA did in South America but I did learn about the black panthers

[@zacharyfinch1230]

@@nathandts3401 we hear plenty of what we did wrong- it’s actually harming us at this point. Our academic institutions love to talk about even sin America has committed while also ignoring everything good we’ve done as-well. I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about the bad stuff we did terrible things like the trail of tears, slavery, segregation, etc. but our colleges like to constantly bad mouth America and act like we haven’t ever done anything good. That’s why so many college students seem to hate America. I mean if America was as bad as the colleges say we are- why didn’t we take over the world after WW2? We had the A-bomb operational for 4 years before the soviets stole the plans. And in that time the Europe was still in shambles from the war and still relying on us for defense. We could’ve taken the whole world over but we didn’t because we aren’t the Soviet Union. People in America still apologize to Japan for the dropping of the bombs- when we have nothing to apologize for. Our colleges and educational institutions have demonized us so much that we are apologizing to the people that committed genocide on a scale as bad if not worse than the n*zis while they still deny their actions to this day. We rarely learn about the British. I mean we hear of the American Revolutionary War and a little about the war of 1812. But then we just kinda ignore the British until ww1. We did learn that ww1 was a big reason Britain wasn’t as sexist/racist as America at the time. It was because the British needed all hands on deck for the war and couldn’t afford to discriminate- while we in America weren’t really affected by ww1 and it wasn’t until ww2 that we had the same cultural change and started become a less racist/sexist society. Oh and we do learn about Alan Turing and how he help crack enigma- but I think we learn about this because it affected us directly as it helped us avoid u boats and minimize ship casualties while sending supplies and troops to Europe.

[@SinematicClips]

the stars disappearing is such a haunting shot still get chills when i see it

[@Reagan-y8m]

Being "chipper" is a coping mechanism

[@therealpbristow]

[NODS] The moment he stops being chipper, he has to face the reality of what's happening, and where things are heading .And we get to see that moment, when Wilf tearfully salutes him.

[@MikeWood]

It was like this was a Ghost of Christmas Past style episode when Donna gets to see what would happen without her. Brilliant writing throwing so much at the viewer. The creature on the back was something else as a concept. I'm glad your cat didn't come up behind you while recording. :)

[@carlazaz1690]

This was set up from the beginning of Series 4. Remember the Pompeii episode, where the male soothsayer said to Donna, "There's something on your back."

[@Jamespzoe3264]

Chills while watching your face when she said, “BAD WOLF”.

[@chris-hz2wd]

Not only one of the best episodes ever, but that ending? Wow! I’ve seen it hundreds of times and it still gives me chills, also Wilf broke me “labour camps, that’s what they called them last time” 😭

[@JamesSmith-he3eq]

I think it's cool how they tied this episode into both torchwood and the Sarah Jane Smith adventures

[@Masq1980]

love this episode!! Donna doesn't realize just how important and good, she really is!

[@chris-hz2wd]

“No, yeah! He shan’t! It’s Christmas!” The way you said that scratched an itch in my brain love it 😂 your love for Wilf is like so many of us, in fact, all of us

[@fayesouthall6604]

This is an incredible start to a brilliant 3 episode finale. My favourite episodes.

[@Domihork]

The reason everything says Bad Wolf at the end is because every time we see text on alien planets, it's being translated by the TARDIS. Since the TARDIS is recognizing that trouble is coming (and knows damn well how important the words Bad Wolf are) it's using its translating matrix to replace all the text everywhere with warnings.

[@chris-hz2wd]

The Tardis is so badass I love when we see her do things like that

[@merryharrypop]

i always thought Rose just foresaw these events happening when she was Bad Wolf and placed warnings for them, it’s not a perfect explanation and yours maybe makes more sense, i think these sort of moments are up to interpretation

[@ronfehr7899]

I think that Rose was acting differently because, being from a different dimension, she didn't want to say or do anything to affect events in this one. It's quite possible that this is why she never told Donna her name.

[@cat-girl-7389]

This episode referenced the show "the Sarah Jane adventures" which was another show in the doctor who universe airing at the time of this episodes release. I highly suggest watching the show

[@CrankyGrandma]

She should Definitely watch Sarah Jane adventures! It does tie into Who.

[@ShyGuyOnTheWifi]

I still can't get over how much I tremble on the lead up to the Bad Wolf mention. I've seen this series so many times, I can't keep count, but it's like the first time...every single time. I wish they'd bring back this quality of writing.

[@gerstelb]

20:40 “Remember when Doctor Who was just silly goofy all the time?” There’ve always been scary episodes of DW. The second episode ever aired in 1963 introduced the Daleks, and kids have been hiding their eyes (or, as British lore has it, hiding behind the sofa) and watching it loyally every week anyway.

[@merryharrypop]

to be fair Emme started at the revival, and Series 1-3 do future a lot of silly episodes, Series 4 is noticeably darker than what came before it, the themes of series 4 are quite existential and the episodes mostly have tearjerker endings, i think it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed by it but only because the storytelling is so good that it can be a lot

[@stevenjohnson4190]

of all the people i have seen reacting to this episode you are the first one to understand what Wilf meant about labour camps.

[@computernerd1101]

29:12 The TARDIS's telepathic translator went haywire.

[@leesanderson4694]

14:16 A rota is a schedule, so for example I have a work rota and it's just my shift times and days

[@seriousleesgaming3042]

Pretty sure it's short for 'rotation'.

[@ftumschk]

@@seriousleesgaming3042 It is. A rota shows whose turn it is to do a task and when, so that everyone ends up doing their fair share. In other words, the work is allocated _in rotation._

[@colerains]

This season is literally back to back bangers!

[@najhoant]

Remember "Bad Wolf" didn't just stop in this universe; it even managed to name a beach in Norway in the parallel universe where the Doctor said goodbye to Rose

[@mranima748]

Even if bad wolf stopped, it’s a time god, it could do everything and give rose the knowledge in the future for the brief while it existed

[@Premski]

I really do think Emme should watch the Sarah Jane Adventures, to understand more about the plot of this as the beetle being one of the "trickster's brigade" would have made a lot more sense.

[@leemitchell1717]

The gentle humming when Rose strokes the tardis gets me every time, she's like a cat missing her owner QQ

[@jennifermorris6848]

The music is so fabulous. I love the build up to bad wolf as the beat is coming up.

[@Macdelaven]

Your reactions are reminding me why I think Donna Noble was the best companion especially for the intricate story lines.

[@ronfehr7899]

I know of people sometimes commenting to reactors, warning them not to watch the opening credits (or sometimes even the episode title), to avoid any spoilers. Perhaps we should have done this here, although your reaction to seeing Billie Piper's name was priceless. Not to mention you checking your back for the bug.

[@not-that-Chris]

I think it can be excused here since Rose shows up so soon in the episode

[@ronfehr7899]

​@@not-that-ChrisFor Emme's sake, it would've been better had Rose shown up before the credits. We'll, we still got a nice reaction when Emme saw Billie Piper's name.

[@jkpole]

Such a JOY to see this episode again..... Thank YOU for sharing

[@chris-hz2wd]

Just wanted to add apart from loving your reactions, I love the chill vibe at the end of your videos, the quick chat and chill background music, love it

[@russellmassey9324]

You got the 'labor camp' thing. A lot of younger reactors don't understand that.

[@jonbolton3376]

This is my favourite episode, and i've really been looking forward to seeing your reaction to it.

[@stanleysmith2221]

Same 😃

[@nedzed3663]

It's the music in this episode that really hammers home the despair. RTD era Who especially had normally almost whimsical music playing even at times when the subject matter got heavy, but this episode, it's kind of one of the harder ones to watch thanks to the addition of the score.

[@CJ-qp7hi]

‘Silly Goofy’ is a phrase that I will be stealing. Thank-you.

[@benjames9158]

13:07 yeah nothing more traumatic than moving to Leeds

[@EForrest88]

great episode, always a good one to watch a reaction of as well as people slowly piece it together with the staggered reveals.

[@SirPrizeRadio]

season 4 STILL makes me cry. every time

17:10 Exactly! Rose loves the Doctor...Doctor’s hair.

[@suntannedduck2388]

She needs some or a photo so it lasts longer. Yeah clearly not just the hair. XD

[@kimothy1701]

Don’t forget Wilf, Bernard Cribbins, travelled with Dr Who way back in the 1966 movie Dalek - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D as PC Tom Campbell with Peter Cushing as Dr Who.

[@ThePonderer]

“You’re not gonna change the works by shouting at it!” “I can try…” Donna Noble in a nutshell, everyone. God bless her.

[@JoeThornhill]

When Sylvia asked if there was a Rota, I think she meant schedule. Like, OK, we have to sleep in the kitchen for a week or so, but everyone rotates and we'll eventually get one of the bedrooms for a week, too.

[@MysticNVz]

The Stolen Earth next 👀😈

[@JoshSweetvale]

The one Davies described as taking all the toys from the toybox and making a big show with them all. Notably Moffat is bad at that kind of story.

[@Rick-Rarick]

This is Doctor Who at its finest.

[@ziggythedrummer]

The fortune teller that Donna goes to is played by the same lady that played Chantho in S3's Utopia - the assistant of Professor Yana/the Master

[@michaelfinlay6341]

When the Tardis Cloister Bell starts chiming.... Oof. Our girl knows when serious shit is about to pop off.

[@ronfehr7899]

Donna got her promotion before what would've been her meeting the Doctor. Therefore, she wasn't there to stop him from draining the Thames. Thus, business at her place of employment was affected, and she was fired because of it.

[@cardsfanboy]

I have an opinion that comedians are better prepared for "acting" than actual actors, they have spent their life already pretending, it's why people like Jim Carrey or Robin Williams were able to successfully pull off serious roles.

[@qa1327]

1:45 lol I love your optimism 15:45 a short happy moment followed by more trauma 18:17 this is the appropriate reaction to all the craziness 18:59 definitely an overwhelming episode 27:05 what other words would they be Crazy episode. Enjoyed your reaction as usual.

[@quintuscrinis]

0:46 oh the irony of suggesting Donna had it rough prior to Midbight and watchibg this episode. Pre-midnight Donna had it so easy in comparison to this epsiode and next few weeks. 😂 Or so I think was the case, can't quite remember. 😅😢😭

[@joepegel]

Everyone acted their asses of in this episode. But yeah, especially Catherine Tate.

[@10thdoctor15]

Bad Wolf has appeared in every series so far.

[@medafan53]

There's an interesting thing to note just before we find out the Doctor is dead; when we see the tank shoot down the Web Star, we don't hear the radio conversation establishing that it was done on the orders of Mr Saxon; with the Doctor dying here, an underterminate amount of time before even the Royal Hope incident, he never returned to Cardif, Jack never latched onto the outside of the TARDIS, and Professor Yana never opened that watch, and even if he did, the Master was trapped at the end of the universe. That the Thames was still drained in the Turn Left Timeline but not tehe regular one suggest that either the Doctor or the Master restored it somehow (for the Master, presumably it'd be good PR for Harold Saxon, and since his political ambition presumably required him to be in London a lot, so he may just have done it because the disruption was an inconvenience to him)

[@RyderDunei]

in case any are wondering, i dont remember if they mention it in the episode or not, but the reason seemingly random people can kind of see the bug creature is because in Dr. Who lore the human race has low level phsychic capabilities, usually its not much more than that feeling you get when you are being watched, but for some people its stronger than others, letting them sense the creature a little, like seeing movement in your peripheral vision.

[@cameronmonaghan6883]

Introducing The Trickster's Brigade. Connecting Doctor Who Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures together

[@stanleysmith2221]

Fantastic trauma filled reaction. This arc is gonna be incredible 😮

[@doorofnight87]

Love this episode, Catherine Tate is phenomenal in this episode and it is such a fascinating premise! Loved your reaction and engagement!

[@emme]

I agree, it is SUCH a fascinating premise!

[@TheYoungDoctor]

I just finished watching your reaction of The End of Time Part Two on Patreon , after your reaction to Midnight I couldn't wait to see you react to the rest of the season so I decided to join your Patreon.

[@miller-joel]

Trauma is Donna's middle name.

[@HuntingViolets]

A rota is a schedule of duties, basically. Like one week, your duty could be laundry and someone has to vacuum, and who does what could shift on the rotation from week to week so everyone does everything at some point.

[@QuisletEsq]

Midnight was great but Turn Left was so much more. Plus all the subtle foreshadowing this whole season.

[@swytchyglytch]

The way I understand it, a "rota" is short for rotation... basically is there a bathroom schedule lol. "The other companion" ... penny in the air lol. Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? 😛

[@AgentDigits]

Catherine Tate really is a great actress, this episode really blew me away the first time I saw it

[@Cerridwen7777]

This is one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes. Donna is my favorite companion of both old and new Who, and watching her journey from an insecure woman who hides her fear by shouting at everything to a boss bitch who knows her worth..."I'm nothing special. I'm just nothing." That through line for her character is heartbreaking and important.

[@stanleysmith2221]

Yes it was. Very heartbreaking 😢

[@auntvesuvi3872]

Thanks, Emme! ⏳ So much greatness on the horizon.

[@cooluncle4242]

What an episode and what a performance from Catherine Tate. When she says Bad Wolf, it still sends a shiver through me.

[@DrKnockers05]

Prime meme material of your reaction to seeing Billie Piper's name in the opening credits 😅 What a phenomenal episode though. Dark, grim, rewards long-term viewing with all those mentions of Martha, Sarah Jane, Torchwood, the Racnoss, Judoon, spectacular acting from Catherine Tate, and such a brilliant cliffhanger that never fails to get the heart racing. Next episode is gonna be Avengers: Infinity War levels of exciting 👀

[@EmanueleCorsi]

What a sad beautiful episode. And what a great actress Catherine Tate is.

[@chrisbamber2762]

This is the first modern episode with an asian setting but 2 classic serials (all classic episodes were on a serieal format instead of episodic)have had an asian setting (marco polo from season from seqson 1 and the talons of wen chiang from season 14). The reason for the beetle was set up o the sarah jane adventures and is based on a similar creature thatvsarah jane had on her back on the classic series

[@ThePonderer]

20:40 I maintain that there’s not been a darker, more emotionally heavy unbroken string of episodes in this show than the back half of Series 4.

[@canadian__ninja]

It's the second half of series 4, the assumption by this point should always be "trauma"

[@therealmfbtl]

Honestly, this is probably one of my favorite seasons. This is why Donna will always be my favorite companion. People like Rose, and others better, I stick with her. Nice vid.

[@CrankyGrandma]

Advice for future Who. Have someone blur out the credits for you. Or just close your eyes for credits. As far as how does Rose know….her universe is running slightly ahead. Or maybe her method of traveling has taken her to similar timelines.

[@HuntingViolets]

Chipo Chung, who plays the fortune teller, previously played Chantho in "Utopia." Edit: I didn't see someone else had said this.

[@JustB3NJI]

I know some exactly like Donna's mum, it was my best friends mum growing up. She was brutal to her daughter

[@jdeang3531]

Without the Doctor, the Master never came back to take over the world either He died in Utopia.

[@JoshSweetvale]

Silver linings.

[@richardwani2803]

A rota is a UK version of like a work schedule

[@chefcircuit5392]

20:14 this is utterly horrifying! And I can’t wait for your reaction to the next episodes!

[@jennifermorris6848]

What’s happening? Glad to check in today. I love Donna so much.

[@cardsfanboy]

Just started watching this reaction, and you praising the fact that Donna was lucky to get a break in the last episode, and then talk about the ringer she's been in this season, and I'm thinking.... darling you haven't seen anything yet... as we are about to watch another episode where she is put through the ringer.