John and Gillian's world: Difference between revisions

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Tag: 2017 source edit
Tag: 2017 source edit
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In yet another account, John and Gillian did indeed physically exist and travel with the Doctor, but they were mathematically-computed simulacra given reality by [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] based on the Doctor's wishes. They were only two of "thousands" of [[companion]]s whom the Doctor had created out of thin air, perfect and unchanging, to travel at his side without fear of death, in an effort to avoid responsibilities and [[anxiety]]. These evading techniques led to the creation of a psychic entity known as the [[Five O'Clock Shadow]], which the Doctor ultimately escaped by using the same TARDIS functionality to give life to perfectly angst-free versions of [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|himself]] and [[Susan (The Five O'Clock Shadow)|Susan]]. ([[POEM]]: ''[[The Five O'Clock Shadow (poem)|The Five O'Clock Shadow]]'')
In yet another account, John and Gillian did indeed physically exist and travel with the Doctor, but they were mathematically-computed simulacra given reality by [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] based on the Doctor's wishes. They were only two of "thousands" of [[companion]]s whom the Doctor had created out of thin air, perfect and unchanging, to travel at his side without fear of death, in an effort to avoid responsibilities and [[anxiety]]. These evading techniques led to the creation of a psychic entity known as the [[Five O'Clock Shadow]], which the Doctor ultimately escaped by using the same TARDIS functionality to give life to perfectly angst-free versions of [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|himself]] and [[Susan (The Five O'Clock Shadow)|Susan]]. ([[POEM]]: ''[[The Five O'Clock Shadow (poem)|The Five O'Clock Shadow]]'')
== Behind the scenes ==
One commonly believed fact is that the authorial intent of ''The Land of Happy Endings'' was to retcon that all John and Gillian strips were nothing more than dreams in the Doctor's mind. The truth is more complex.
The original concept for the story was simply to bring back the pair to celebrate 40 years of ''Doctor Who'' comics. Writer [[Scott Gray]] initially conceived of a plot as featuring an elderly John Who reliving his adventures in a virtual reality after the death of Gillian. The Eighth Doctor would have entered the virtual world to confront him and save him. However, when he described this idea to [[Clayton Hickman]], Hickman's reaction was that of nausea, so the idea was abandoned. (''[[The Flood (graphic novel)|The Flood]]'')
Eventually, presenting the world of ''TV Comics'' as one that the Doctor thinks fondly of and dreams of to escape was deemed a better fit. The story was meant to be metaphorical, as many adults dream of the simpler times in their youth. Scott Gray would later state:
{{Quote|On the final page, you had the Paul McGann Doctor as he is now, waking up. And we realize that what he's been having is basically a really nice sweet dream about his grandchildren... And I didn't want to say, "it's just a dream. This is how they exist." I wanted to suggest that, "Yes, it's a dream. But it's also real. This is just one more reality." And that John and Gillian are every bit as much real as every single companion you've ever seen on TV, or in the comics or in the books...|[[Scott Gray]]|The Flood (graphic novel)}}
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:Dream realities]]
[[Category:Dream realities]]
[[Category:Land of Fiction locations]]
[[Category:Land of Fiction locations]]
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