Ten's character arc, again
May. 12th, 2008 12:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynneBecause I'm not ready to go to bed yet, despite how late it's getting...
In this post I made prior to the premiere of S4, I made a few predictions based on what I thought Ten's character arc was. I went into further depth after seeing some of the episodes, especially TSS/TPS. Basically, I think the Doctor's going to learn that he doesn't have to be the Lonely God, that he can have a life of his own even with all the power he has. And I think that part of having his own life involves dealing with his abandonment issues.
These pretty much have to be addressed, considering how they've been drawn to the forefront several times this season alone. The Doctor alone in the TARDIS in Partners in Crime, and his hesitancy in accepting Donna aboard. Donna's desire to leave in Planet of the Ood. That speech he gave her in The Sontaran Stratagem. Now there's The Doctor's Daughter, where he doesn't want to accept Jenny because he's sure he's going to lose her--and sure enough, he does. Even Donna saying she wants to travel with him "forever" feeds into it, first because the audience knows that Catherine Tate is only there for one season, and second because we know from Rose that forever is an illusion, whether he'll lose her naturally or have her ripped away from him unwillingly.
The Doctor is continually losing people he cares about. First, there's all the companions who have left him over the years. Then, there's the Time War. Then Rose is ripped away, Sarah Jane refuses to travel with him, Reinette and the Master die, Mickey, Jack, and Martha walk away, and now Jenny, who he was just beginning to accept and really want, dies as well, in a way extremely reminiscent of the Master's death, and she only returns to life when the Doctor's not aware of it.
About two years ago, I made a post about angst in fanfic, which can apply to canon just as easily. To quote myself:
"Angst is such an easy thing to drop the ball on; a trap that I see so many writers falling into is putting too much angst in a story without an appropriate pay-off. In happy ending angst, that's not to say that everything has to end up sunshine and roses, but even well-done hope of better things can be as good or better than directly portraying those better things. In sad ending angst, that doesn't mean that rocks fall and everyone dies. You just have to keep the ending in line with what you put the characters through.
So many people write gratuitous angst. Pouring suffering after suffering after suffering on a character desensitizes the reader. Maybe at the beginning of the story I'll feel sorry for the guy, and as the story--and the angst--goes on, I'll probably still hurt for him, but at some point it just becomes ridiculous. [Example] Something I think that writers really need to ask themselves is, "How will this event progress the story and/or this character's personal arc?" If you can't think of an answer, don't write the event. If you have an answer, but the progression can come just as easily in a non-angsty way, don't write the event, especially if you're already bordering on gratuitous angst."
After watching this episode, I think the angst is now on the verge of being gratuitous, and judging by some of the reaction posts I've seen, I'm not the only one who thinks so. But something I still think that is completely necessary in angst is an appropriate pay-off. Since the S4 finale is not the end of the show, we know that the Doctor is going to continue on, and since David Tennant is doing the 2009 specials (and I think has signed on for S5--is that confirmed?), we know there's not going to be a regeneration. That limits some of the ways that the angst can be payed off.
RTD has said that the finale is going to be heartbreaking, but he's also said that S4 is supposed to be lighter than S3. That is true in that the Doctor is better able to connect with his companion this time and they can be pretty funny together, and his responsibility is somewhat lessened (Donna helping push the lever in Fires of Pomepeii, Ood Sigma having things under control, Martha changing UNIT from within, Luke destroying the Sontarans)--otherwise, he continues to get hammered, in a way that he's never been before. Episode after episode emphasizes a few things: the Doctor's abandonment issues, his Lonely God issues, and his angst in general.
The Lonely God issues are being dealt with, I think, with the examples I mentioned in the paragraph above. I don't know if it's actually hit the Doctor yet what those examples mean, but they point towards other people stepping up and taking responsibility. Other people taking care of the universe. Other people showing they have power to take control of their own destinies. Other people showing that the Doctor doesn't need to make all the decisions, and all the sacrifices. The Doctor is learning, perhaps subconsciously at first, that there are people he can rely on, that he doesn't have to go it alone.
The Doctor's Daughter brings up the issue of family--specifically, the Doctor's family. Jenny (with help from Donna) pretty much forced him to acknowledge her as family of a sort, by calling him Dad and constantly comparing the two of them and modeling herself on his behavior. She wanted to travel with him, and he ended up wanting that as well. But the show said otherwise, and the Doctor lost the opportunity that Jenny represented.
The Doctor's desire for a family, renewed in this episode, ties into his abandonment issues. In practice, not all families are like this, but the ideal family are people who stand by each other, support each other, and do it for the entirety of each individual family member's life. They represent stability, something the Doctor wants, and is well aware of wanting. That's part of the impact of Family of Blood--the Family destroyed his ability to make a family with Joan, and in retaliation, he chains them to immortality separated from each other. He's very well aware that the cruelest thing he could do was separate this family.
He knows how cruel this separation is because he's experienced it himself, first with the destruction of Gallifrey, and then with the loss of Rose and her family, the family who welcomed him in and made him a part of them.
The Doctor's Lonely God issues are being dealt with. I think the abandonment issues will also have to be dealt with, or else they're gratuitous angst. The Lonely God issues can be settled, at least partially, with the Companionpalooza at the end of S4, since all the companions are capable people the Doctor can rely on to sort things out in his stead, showing that he doesn't have to take care of everything himself. The Companionpalooza can also help with the abandonment issues, teaching the Doctor that he does have friends who will support him and come back, but I don't think that will be the main solution. Donna is only staying for one season, so she can't give him any forever, and Jack, Martha, and Sarah Jane have their own lives to lead (and Jack and Sarah Jane at least have their own shows to prove it!). Basically, the Companionpalooza will show him that he does have friends to support him, but since they won't stay with him, he's still second-best. He's no one's first choice. He's still being left.
Except for Rose. (And Donna, judging by her wanting forever, but we know she's only there for one season, so something has to happen to stop that.) Rose wanted forever with him, Rose was ripped away from him unwillingly, and Rose is coming back. So are Jackie and Mickey, the rest of the Doctor's adopted family.
In my last post on Ten's character arc, I said:
"RTD said that Rose's return was planned. But what ultimate purpose would her return serve? I know there are people who just want Rose and the Doctor to have closure, to be able to part on much better terms than Doomsday, but how would that serve the Doctor's character arc? Just last season, he was able to part on good terms with two companions, Jack and Martha, not to mention the dozens of companions before them. This is nothing new for him. So what purpose could Rose's return serve if they're not going to do something different with her? Mickey and Jackie, the rest of the Doctor's adopted family, are also coming back--why, if they're just going to leave him alone again? RTD keeps saying that Doctor Who is about hope, but I see no hope in Rose, Mickey, and Jackie coming back just to leave again so soon, and more importantly, I don't see the point."
And moreover, I do see a point to Rose staying: her choosing to stay, and being able to follow up on that choice, will help mitigate his abandonment issues. I think they go too deep to ever really go away, but she can really help. Her choosing to stay would also, I think, be an appropriate pay-off to all the angst, as well as all the narrative build-up her return is getting.
One thing that I am always aware of as I watch this show is that it's fiction. This seems like such an obvious thing, but I think the implications escape some people--effectively, that fiction has to make sense. In real life, someone might have abandonment issues and just keep getting worse and worse without any real improvement, but I can't imagine that happening to the title character, the protagonist, of a TV show that's entirely fiction. Characters have to grow, and angst has to peak. I can't imagine a successful story where those things don't happen, where a character is completely static and angst just continues spiralling downward with no end in sight. Drama is interesting, but if there's no break, it gets boring.
The Doctor has to learn, he has to grow, and he has to change. The Doctor's Daughter shows him reluctant to make connections because of the inevitability of losing them, so I think he needs to learn that he won't necessarily lose them. I do think the Companionpalooza will help, but that it's Rose who will be the biggest agent of change.
Okay, now it's really late and I'm sleepy, so if this doesn't quite make sense, I blame it on that. :p G'night.
In this post I made prior to the premiere of S4, I made a few predictions based on what I thought Ten's character arc was. I went into further depth after seeing some of the episodes, especially TSS/TPS. Basically, I think the Doctor's going to learn that he doesn't have to be the Lonely God, that he can have a life of his own even with all the power he has. And I think that part of having his own life involves dealing with his abandonment issues.
These pretty much have to be addressed, considering how they've been drawn to the forefront several times this season alone. The Doctor alone in the TARDIS in Partners in Crime, and his hesitancy in accepting Donna aboard. Donna's desire to leave in Planet of the Ood. That speech he gave her in The Sontaran Stratagem. Now there's The Doctor's Daughter, where he doesn't want to accept Jenny because he's sure he's going to lose her--and sure enough, he does. Even Donna saying she wants to travel with him "forever" feeds into it, first because the audience knows that Catherine Tate is only there for one season, and second because we know from Rose that forever is an illusion, whether he'll lose her naturally or have her ripped away from him unwillingly.
The Doctor is continually losing people he cares about. First, there's all the companions who have left him over the years. Then, there's the Time War. Then Rose is ripped away, Sarah Jane refuses to travel with him, Reinette and the Master die, Mickey, Jack, and Martha walk away, and now Jenny, who he was just beginning to accept and really want, dies as well, in a way extremely reminiscent of the Master's death, and she only returns to life when the Doctor's not aware of it.
About two years ago, I made a post about angst in fanfic, which can apply to canon just as easily. To quote myself:
"Angst is such an easy thing to drop the ball on; a trap that I see so many writers falling into is putting too much angst in a story without an appropriate pay-off. In happy ending angst, that's not to say that everything has to end up sunshine and roses, but even well-done hope of better things can be as good or better than directly portraying those better things. In sad ending angst, that doesn't mean that rocks fall and everyone dies. You just have to keep the ending in line with what you put the characters through.
So many people write gratuitous angst. Pouring suffering after suffering after suffering on a character desensitizes the reader. Maybe at the beginning of the story I'll feel sorry for the guy, and as the story--and the angst--goes on, I'll probably still hurt for him, but at some point it just becomes ridiculous. [Example] Something I think that writers really need to ask themselves is, "How will this event progress the story and/or this character's personal arc?" If you can't think of an answer, don't write the event. If you have an answer, but the progression can come just as easily in a non-angsty way, don't write the event, especially if you're already bordering on gratuitous angst."
After watching this episode, I think the angst is now on the verge of being gratuitous, and judging by some of the reaction posts I've seen, I'm not the only one who thinks so. But something I still think that is completely necessary in angst is an appropriate pay-off. Since the S4 finale is not the end of the show, we know that the Doctor is going to continue on, and since David Tennant is doing the 2009 specials (and I think has signed on for S5--is that confirmed?), we know there's not going to be a regeneration. That limits some of the ways that the angst can be payed off.
RTD has said that the finale is going to be heartbreaking, but he's also said that S4 is supposed to be lighter than S3. That is true in that the Doctor is better able to connect with his companion this time and they can be pretty funny together, and his responsibility is somewhat lessened (Donna helping push the lever in Fires of Pomepeii, Ood Sigma having things under control, Martha changing UNIT from within, Luke destroying the Sontarans)--otherwise, he continues to get hammered, in a way that he's never been before. Episode after episode emphasizes a few things: the Doctor's abandonment issues, his Lonely God issues, and his angst in general.
The Lonely God issues are being dealt with, I think, with the examples I mentioned in the paragraph above. I don't know if it's actually hit the Doctor yet what those examples mean, but they point towards other people stepping up and taking responsibility. Other people taking care of the universe. Other people showing they have power to take control of their own destinies. Other people showing that the Doctor doesn't need to make all the decisions, and all the sacrifices. The Doctor is learning, perhaps subconsciously at first, that there are people he can rely on, that he doesn't have to go it alone.
The Doctor's Daughter brings up the issue of family--specifically, the Doctor's family. Jenny (with help from Donna) pretty much forced him to acknowledge her as family of a sort, by calling him Dad and constantly comparing the two of them and modeling herself on his behavior. She wanted to travel with him, and he ended up wanting that as well. But the show said otherwise, and the Doctor lost the opportunity that Jenny represented.
The Doctor's desire for a family, renewed in this episode, ties into his abandonment issues. In practice, not all families are like this, but the ideal family are people who stand by each other, support each other, and do it for the entirety of each individual family member's life. They represent stability, something the Doctor wants, and is well aware of wanting. That's part of the impact of Family of Blood--the Family destroyed his ability to make a family with Joan, and in retaliation, he chains them to immortality separated from each other. He's very well aware that the cruelest thing he could do was separate this family.
He knows how cruel this separation is because he's experienced it himself, first with the destruction of Gallifrey, and then with the loss of Rose and her family, the family who welcomed him in and made him a part of them.
The Doctor's Lonely God issues are being dealt with. I think the abandonment issues will also have to be dealt with, or else they're gratuitous angst. The Lonely God issues can be settled, at least partially, with the Companionpalooza at the end of S4, since all the companions are capable people the Doctor can rely on to sort things out in his stead, showing that he doesn't have to take care of everything himself. The Companionpalooza can also help with the abandonment issues, teaching the Doctor that he does have friends who will support him and come back, but I don't think that will be the main solution. Donna is only staying for one season, so she can't give him any forever, and Jack, Martha, and Sarah Jane have their own lives to lead (and Jack and Sarah Jane at least have their own shows to prove it!). Basically, the Companionpalooza will show him that he does have friends to support him, but since they won't stay with him, he's still second-best. He's no one's first choice. He's still being left.
Except for Rose. (And Donna, judging by her wanting forever, but we know she's only there for one season, so something has to happen to stop that.) Rose wanted forever with him, Rose was ripped away from him unwillingly, and Rose is coming back. So are Jackie and Mickey, the rest of the Doctor's adopted family.
In my last post on Ten's character arc, I said:
"RTD said that Rose's return was planned. But what ultimate purpose would her return serve? I know there are people who just want Rose and the Doctor to have closure, to be able to part on much better terms than Doomsday, but how would that serve the Doctor's character arc? Just last season, he was able to part on good terms with two companions, Jack and Martha, not to mention the dozens of companions before them. This is nothing new for him. So what purpose could Rose's return serve if they're not going to do something different with her? Mickey and Jackie, the rest of the Doctor's adopted family, are also coming back--why, if they're just going to leave him alone again? RTD keeps saying that Doctor Who is about hope, but I see no hope in Rose, Mickey, and Jackie coming back just to leave again so soon, and more importantly, I don't see the point."
And moreover, I do see a point to Rose staying: her choosing to stay, and being able to follow up on that choice, will help mitigate his abandonment issues. I think they go too deep to ever really go away, but she can really help. Her choosing to stay would also, I think, be an appropriate pay-off to all the angst, as well as all the narrative build-up her return is getting.
One thing that I am always aware of as I watch this show is that it's fiction. This seems like such an obvious thing, but I think the implications escape some people--effectively, that fiction has to make sense. In real life, someone might have abandonment issues and just keep getting worse and worse without any real improvement, but I can't imagine that happening to the title character, the protagonist, of a TV show that's entirely fiction. Characters have to grow, and angst has to peak. I can't imagine a successful story where those things don't happen, where a character is completely static and angst just continues spiralling downward with no end in sight. Drama is interesting, but if there's no break, it gets boring.
The Doctor has to learn, he has to grow, and he has to change. The Doctor's Daughter shows him reluctant to make connections because of the inevitability of losing them, so I think he needs to learn that he won't necessarily lose them. I do think the Companionpalooza will help, but that it's Rose who will be the biggest agent of change.
Okay, now it's really late and I'm sleepy, so if this doesn't quite make sense, I blame it on that. :p G'night.
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-12 02:18 pm (UTC)I think it will. At least, I HOPE it will. It makes me happy that RTD himself is writing the last four episodes of the season -- hopefully that will give him enough time to build a climax as marvelous as last season, and ACTUALLY FOLLOW IT THROUGH. He CAN do that -- we saw it in season 1 -- and he could have done it in season 3 with better special effects and more time to show what happened in between. I'm just crossing my fingers at this point, and hoping for the awesomest of awesome.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-12 07:42 pm (UTC)Basically, yes. :p
I have so much hope for the end of this season! One thing RTD has proven is that he can do long-term story arcs really well. Another thing he's shown is respect for characters' emotional arcs and relationships, which gives me more hope. I am just nervous since there's always the possibility that I'm wrong, despite all the evidence I see, and then I don't know what will happen to my love for this show.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-13 03:32 am (UTC)*crosses fingers like MAD*
no subject
Date: 2008-05-12 07:02 pm (UTC)Honestly, I just can't see any other ending as working with the character arcs that have been set up. I think a happy ending, a version of forever, would be perfect.
I'm just completely terrified that we might not get that. I want to believe we will, I want to have faith in the show, but I'm still worried.
S3-angst worked perfectly for me, in terms of his character, but the fact that Rose's return was planned all along... surely if they planned to give them closure and have her leave again s3 wouldn't have been quite so heart-wrenching?
I really, really hope we get our happy ending.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-12 07:52 pm (UTC)But there's still always the possibility that I'm wrong, and I don't know what that will do to my interest in the show. This show has proven that they respect the characters' emotional arcs and relationships, and if the finale ends with Rose choosing Pete's World rather than what makes the most emotional sense for these characters, I'm not sure I'll be able to trust the show to do emotional arcs right anymore.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-12 07:17 pm (UTC)I think this is too far ahead of where we are, because I really don't understand what's going on.
We should get together this week! Maybe you could come over on Friday night and help me get ready for the party - I have to work until five, so i'm going to need help.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-12 07:31 pm (UTC)We should get together this week! I'd love to come over and help set up the party, but if we want to watch DW with Twin's (I prefer calling her that online since I'm not sure she'd like me using her name, especially in public posts) DVDs, I'd like to get together earlier this week, since she's only going to be here for two and a half weeks. Now that school's over, are you working more or do you have more free time?
no subject
Date: 2008-05-13 03:27 am (UTC)I'm really hoping that you're right and that maybe Rose will play an important role in lessening the angst, and not just used as another shovel to beat Ten with. ;__;
no subject
Date: 2008-05-13 07:20 am (UTC)I really do think that Rose will play an important role in lessening the angst. It has to happen for the character arc to make sense to me, and Rose is the one with all the narrative build-up. I know that David angsts so prettily, but the straw that breaks the camel's back might be coming sooner than RTD thinks. There needs to be balance, and Rose is the best narrative choice to make that balance.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-13 09:07 am (UTC)Part of what made the ending of Doomsday so heartbreaking and angsty!Doctor so believable during S3, is the contrast to S2, where he was (in the most part) happy. As you say, this continual spiral of angst and beating him with a stick at every turn, does get monotonous and result in desensitisation. I cried like a baby during and after DD, was shocked at the Doctor's death wish in the Dalek ep last year, but now, it's more like 'here we go again...'
Anyway, your comments make complete sense and I totally agree with them. I just hope RTD does too...
no subject
Date: 2008-05-14 05:35 am (UTC)Angst needs balance! David Tennant may be pretty when he angsts, but when there's too much of it, it doesn't mean as much anymore.
RTD has always respected the emotional arcs, so I hope he agrees with me. I'm just going to go a bit crazy waiting to make sure. :p
no subject
Date: 2008-05-13 12:23 pm (UTC)Ok, so I do't watch Dr. Who or know anything about it... so... yes. HI! :D
no subject
Date: 2008-05-14 05:37 am (UTC)And Doctor Who is my current obsession, so of course I'm going to tell you to watch it, but...you totally should! My OTP here is a het ship, but the show can get really slashy, if that's any incentive. ;)
no subject
Date: 2008-05-13 04:42 pm (UTC)It was bad enough he lost Gallifrey, but it seemed like Rose healed him a lot during her time with him. Then by stealing her away from him we get angsty/emo Doctor from S3. I can understand this and in fact I'm really glad they dedicated some time to reflecting his grief. But to then pile on finding the Master, have him almost destroy you and torture your friends, only for him to stubbornly die and leave you alone again is horrendous. Then if you add in his loss of Joan in there, then Astrid and now bloody Jenny, it just seems like the are piling on the grief, abandonment and loneliness.
I'm really glad he has Donna and she seems to be helping him a lot, but as you've said she's only in the one series. Jack has TW, Martha UNIT and her fiancee and Donna will go...somewhere.
So that does only really leave Rose. I agree that it does seem kind of pointless to bring her back only for her to choose to return to the other world, exacerbating all of the Doctor's issues. These issues need to be resolved and addressed. I truly do not think that DW can continue down this line without utterly breaking the Doctor and ruining the show. So...with that in mind I do hope and cross my fingers and toes, that Rose's return will help to resolve a lot of issues and maybe allow the Doctor a little bit of happiness - after all, he deserves it more than anyone!
no subject
Date: 2008-05-14 05:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-14 11:29 am (UTC)I'm really starting to agree with you there. I know next weeks ep is supposed to be really funny and happy, but I hope after that it doesn't get all angsty/emo-Doctor again.
RTD keeps saying that Doctor Who is about hope, but I see no hope in Rose, Mickey, and Jackie coming back just to leave again so soon, and more importantly, I don't see the point.
I completely agree with you there. Bringing her back just to cause so much more pain and suffering serves no purpose.
Her choosing to stay would also, I think, be an appropriate pay-off to all the angst, as well as all the narrative build-up her return is getting.
Mmm, I totally agree. It would sort of level it out, and make more sense.
I do think the Companionpalooza will help, but that it's Rose who will be the biggest agent of change.
Mmm! I think, all the angst and the pain - it all leads up to Rose coming back. They planned that she was - so maybe that's why they've done so much angst, 'cause they know there'll be a payback? If she stays, she'll shift the whole feel of the show back to something less-angsty. Looking at the different possibilities, I really do think Rose staying is the best one.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-15 06:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-15 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-15 02:01 pm (UTC)I feel that to give the Doctor a completely tragic ending would be immoral. It's always been a moral show and to see virtue not rewarded, but effectively punished, is completely wrong (I may labour this point a little since I work with children and see how much they respond to the character of the Doctor).
Having said that, I'll be surprised if the Doctor and Rose have a fully consummated romantic relationship (much as I'd love it). I think TDD has proved that they regard messing with the Doctor's perceived asexuality as problematic. But there are other ways it could go, and still be a very hopeful and happy conclusion.
First, the two universes could merge. Then, even if for some reason Rose was no longer able or willing to travel in the TARDIS, she would be there as a fixed point of stability and connection in the Doctor's life. This could work well from the TV producers' point of view and it does avoid the problem of Rose's lifespan being limited. Love comes in many shapes and forms; the most painful thing about Doomsday was that they were parted forever.
Or there could be some kind of reset, involving the return of the Time Lords. That's not my preferred option and I think it would be incredibly difficult to pull off in a way that was true to the show's emotional character. However, if they did manage it, it opens up the option of treating Ten and Rose (perhaps with Ten made mortal) as a kind of spinoff, and continuing with a more classic-style DW including Time Lords. That would cover both camps in fandom and there are signs that Moffatt might prefer to go that route. I think it's very possible that his two-parter will result in the two enigmatic characters slated to meet the Doctor turning out to either be from Gallifrey or to have a very strong connection with it.
Finally, I rewatched TDD last night and the wording of Donna's statement at the end may be significant. "I could travel with that man forever." That isn't quite the same as saying "I'm going to stay forever." It may suggest that for some unrevealed reason, Donna is already aware that their time together is limited, and if that's the case it would be lovely to see her actively helping to reunite the Doctor with Rose.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-15 08:12 pm (UTC)Very good point. To punish the Doctor by constantly taunting him with what he wants, and then always withholding it, without somehow ending that cycle, doesn't really fit with the message of the show. In New Who, RTD has been great about having consequences with emotional truth, and to carry that to its logical conclusion with regards to the abandonment issues means that sooner or later, the Doctor is either going to be broken completely, or healed at least somewhat. If they want the show to continue successfully, they need to give him something to heal him.
Having said that, I'll be surprised if the Doctor and Rose have a fully consummated romantic relationship (much as I'd love it).
Much as I would also love it, I've already resigned myself to never seeing explicit confirmation of that kind of relationship on screen. If we get a kiss (with a romantic context), we should count ourselves lucky. Still, there are your suggestions, as well as the sunset option, a la the end of Survival. If Rose and the Doctor walk away together at the end of Journey's End, like Seven and Ace, and when next we see the Doctor he's years older and Rose is gone, with the understanding that he spent her life with her, I'd be fine with that.
Finally, I rewatched TDD last night and the wording of Donna's statement at the end may be significant. "I could travel with that man forever." That isn't quite the same as saying "I'm going to stay forever." It may suggest that for some unrevealed reason, Donna is already aware that their time together is limited, and if that's the case it would be lovely to see her actively helping to reunite the Doctor with Rose.
I hadn't noticed that distinction, but yeah, you're right. I've seen some speculation, especially after Donna and Wilf's conversation in The Poison Sky, that Donna might have some fatal disease she doesn't want to tell the Doctor about. I don't know what to think about that theory, but the distinction you pointed out could fit into it pretty well. And I would love to see her actively helping to reunite the Doctor with Rose--and judging by her efforts to reconcile the Doctor to Jenny, as well as her knowledge of how he misses Rose, it's not even that far-fetched. :)