Reception
The Daily Telegraph's Hugh Davies commented on a number of political allusions made through Jones' characterisation as Prime Minister in "The Christmas Invasion". He felt that her rebuttal of aid from the US president after aliens invade is a "swipe at Blair and Bush over the invasion of Iraq". He also compared Jones' destruction of the fleeing Sycorax —a decision heavily criticised by the Doctor— to Margaret Thatcher's decision to sink the Argentine warship General Belgrano during the Falklands war. Russell T Davies responded to observations of political commentary by stating that there is "absolutely an anti-war message" present in the episode due to Christmas being "a day of peace". Of Harriet Jones' development, Stuart Galbrainth of DVD Talk felt that she begins as a "charming neophyte minister" but becomes "suddenly much less charming at the end of "Christmas Invasion," when she becomes just another politician". However, Cliff Chapman of Den of Geek felt that the episode's denouement was flawed by trying to "make out that Harriet Jones is awful for doing something perfectly reasonable." Similarly, io9's Chris Cummins commented that the character had "noble intentions" and that she was proved right upon her return in the fourth series.
Charlie Jane Anders of io9 placed the "glowing nobility" of Jones' sacrifice in "The Stolen Earth" as the most prominent of the "super-heroics" displayed by the returning characters in the episode. Though tired of a running joke throughout the series where Jones would introduce herself only to be told "I know who you are" Anders remarks that in the face of her demise "she was able to turn her usual schtick into a moving speech of defiance." The Daily Telegraph's Chris Hastings felt that by the time she is killed off, Harriet was "one of the show’s most popular characters". SFX placed the character of Harriet Jones at number 12 in a 2009 article listing the 27 things they loved best about the revival of Doctor Who, citing the running joke associated with the character.
Read more about this topic: Harriet Jones
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)
“To aim to convert a man by miracles is a profanation of the soul. A true conversion, a true Christ, is now, as always, to be made by the reception of beautiful sentiments.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)