kirakennedyhnr

[kirakennedyhnr]

I can't stop thinking about the Doctor's reaction at the end of "Dot and Bubble." That penny drop moment, the stunned laughter followed by the scream of futile anguish followed by the silent tears. Fantastically played by Ncuti Gatwa, and for me, it's a reaction that absolutely makes sense for this situation and this Doctor.

First of all, of course the Doctor wants to save them and gets desperate when they won't let him. Of course he does--that's just who the Doctor is. We've seen them save vile, self-serving humans before, we've seen them offer Sycorax and Rachnoss and Daleks a last chance. No matter how these people have treated him or what they think of him, he still wants to be able to save them.

I keep thinking about how his laughter gives way to a scream. That's very fitting for his Doctor in particular. For all of Fourteen's "rehab," it's clear that Fifteen still has his issues, and I've seen them in the moments where he shouldn't be smiling. The way he briskly tells Ruby that Gallifrey is gone, the way he seems to shrug off not knowing whether Susan was killed with the rest of the Time Lords. It makes a lot of sense to me that he would laugh before he would scream.

Then too, there's the laughter being in part due to his surprise. The Doctor knows they've been Black before, because Thirteen met the Fugitive Doctor and saw the hints of their pre-One past in the Matrix, but he doesn't have those actual memories of the experience of being Black. He's not used to walking around in this skin, with this face. I'm sure he noticed how rude and distrustful Lindy was to him, but he didn't catch why. Not until the end. And it's so dumb and hateful and pointless and absurd, and she's going to die because of it, so in that very first moment, what can he do but laugh?

Finally, I've also been thinking about Ruby crying for him, wanting to comfort the Doctor but knowing she can't make it better. Millie Gibson does a beautiful job as well, capturing Ruby's reaction to a tee without drawing focus from Ncuti's powerhouse performance.

[kirakennedyhnr]

I think it was frankly brilliant that the first time we see 15 experience racism when time traveling is in the future and not in the past. It would have been so easy to have that happen in 'The Devil's Chord' or 'Rogue' and you know what? It would have been perfectly good, but it does sort of subconsciously reinforce the idea that racism is a thing of the past.

When... No, racism is still very much present, still normalized in different ways, and still fighting to regress society back to "the old ways". One of the richest men of the world turned one of the biggest social media platforms into a racist echo-chamber that not only allows but outright encourages the most racist rhetoric to be spoken.

It's not something The 15th Doctor or we as an audience can escape by simply going back to the present or escaping into the future, but a reality we are forced to face.

[kirakennedyhnr]

Something I find so interesting about dot and bubble is the audience reaction to it and like levels of awareness regarding the message of it. Like i watched it with my mom (we’re both white) and noticed pretty early on that everyone was white, but i didn’t realize it was explicitly racist until the end. My mom literally didn’t get the racism message until the day after. I’ve seen so many people talking about the ‘twist’ at the end (ha), most of which are white. Many of the black reactions I’ve seen to the episode are along the lines of ‘we could tell from the beginning’. Watching back a second time all the micro aggressions are so apparent, but it draws attention to how white audiences aren’t looking for them until we know they are there. POC recognize the signs of racism immediately as they’re constantly aware of it. As RTD said, ‘how long does it take you to notice? If you don’t notice, why don’t you?’

I wanted to wait to form an opinion on it until I saw the reaction from fans of color (because as a white person I feel it’s not my say to determine what functions as good commentary on racial issues) and I was pleasantly surprised that the reaction was so positive. It’s such an interesting meta examination on privilege and how we as audiences interpret things based on our own lives- continuing the seasons theme of interacting with/breaking the fourth wall. Anyways I’ve seen lots of commentary and by far my favorite part of the episode is seeing how people from different backgrounds react to it. When did you understand, and why did you understand it when you did?

[kirakennedyhnr]

another really well-designed visual storytelling element of dot and bubble is the decision to have the fifteenth doctor star in it wearing his “doctoriest” costume yet. doctor outfits vary, of course, but a unifying trait is some kind of suit/smart-casual style and long jacket — subverted in many cases, obviously, but even thirteen wears the long hoodie and suspenders, and twelve’s punk fits still follow roughly the same template, nine has his leather jacket doing the job — whereas fifteen has most noticeably stepped outside that mold for the past few episodes, starting with the kilt and open-shouldered vest (!) in TCORR, then the t-shirts and, in general, far less rigidity.

but in Dot and Bubble, you take one look at this man and know: he’s the Doctor. which is why it creates such a powerful feeling of juxtaposition — all this ‘Doctor-aura’ posturing that usually works on side characters straight away completely fails to have any kind of effect in the face of unabashed, impenetrable bigotry. the clothing is a kind of uniform, it provides reassurance that this man *is* the doctor, that he’s come to rescue you, that he’s the same person he’s always been. but not to the residents of finetime.

since time immemorial (the second doctor’s era, but maybe even earlier, i haven’t seen much hartnell so correct me if i’m wrong) the doctor’s been asked — “why am i talking to you, why am i telling you my secrets?” and he’s always replied that he has a “face you can trust”. it’s time lord magnetism. people are naturally drawn to him. he commands a room. people begin to follow his orders because they know on some primal, innate, subconscious level that this entity is going to help them survive and make their existence better.

which is why it’s so jarring when they don’t. the racism, privilege and prejudice that clouds their eyes is genuinely so strong that it almost works like a perception filter, blocking out the doctor’s natural charisma, his bottomless kindness, all of the superhuman qualities that make him irresistible. they don’t see the charming 2000-year-old Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey that is going to “save their lives and everyone else’s”, long jacket fluttering out behind him as he runs, holding his hand outstretched like a beacon of hope. they see a Black man and nothing else, and that puts him beneath them no matter what he says, no matter what he does, how he proves that *he’s the Doctor*. to fascists, race stands above everything. you can be accomplished, talented, wise, clever, brilliant, but to them, the simple fact of the colour of your skin renders you unworthy. and that’s why they’re beyond saving.

[kirakennedyhnr]

I see a lot of comics talking about smut vs fluff reactions but I see no one talk about

Vs

IT HURTS ME

[kirakennedyhnr]

The way Fifteen says "I can save all your lives! Now Let me!" I see EVERY version of The Doctor screaming that. Even that laugh followed by a scream of rage, that seems like something most of them would do.

To me, it proves how Ncuti Gatwa does such a great job at bringing out every aspect of every Doctor, yet still making the performance his own through HIS distinct mannerisms. It shows that The Doctor isn't limited to one gender or race and that no matter the face they have, their spirit and personality remains partly intact. The only thing that could and WOULD change is circumstance.

The ending of "Dot and Bubble" would not have worked so efficiently if it wasn't played by Ncuti Gatwa. His race is the very reason those twats decide to become pilgrims instead of letting him help. They would have trusted any previous version of The Doctor, even if he had a companion of color. But because it was Fifteen and he's black, they don't trust him, meaning that The Doctor can and will face prejudice if they look a certain way. If they're not prepared for how people will react to how they look, then the result is...exactly like the end of "Dot and Bubble." Disappointment and rage over the fact that these people will refuse his help because The Doctor doesn't look like them. It's disgusting and yet you know it's something The Doctor had to go through in order to understand how he has to help others in the future.

It's what makes Ncuti Gatwa channeling previous Doctors into his performance so effective. It's a character who was predominantly white realizing that the job isn't going to be easy now that they're Black. It adds an extra bit of heartache to an already heartbreaking moment.

[kirakennedyhnr]

verified ways to send aid to gaza directly

Help a Palestinian family directly:

gazafunds.com - Donate directly to a Palestinian family in urgent need of evacuation, medical attention, food, rebuilding homes/businesses etc. (Spotlights 1 verified gfm at a time so if you don't know who/where to donate to just go here and donate to the one they show you!)

Help provide tents (urgent):

The Sameer Project: Currently providing tents for displaced families in Gaza (emergency bc tents in Rafah are being burned as we speak) (paypal) (gfm)

Food, cash & essentials:

Care for Gaza: Working on the ground in Gaza to distribute food, cash, medicine & other essentials to displaced families. (paypal) (gfm)

Direct Aid for Gaza: also working on the ground in Gaza to distribute food, cash & other daily essential suppliess to displaced families. (paypal) (gfm)

Water:

Gaza Municipality's water project: The official Municipality of Gaza needs help rebuilding the water infrastructure in Gaza City to restore access to clean water and waste management services for the people of Gaza. (This campaign only has a couple of weeks left but it's still only at 15%!)

eSIMs (urgent):

guide to buy & send esims for gaza

crips for esims for gaza: If you don't know how to buy esims or don't have the capacity to manage them (e.g. topping up regularly), this team of volunteers are collecting funds to buy & manage gaza esims regularly

Medical Aid

Palestine Red Crescent Society: Provides emergency medical and ambulance services and humanitarian relief on the ground in Gaza e.g. rescuing and treating the wounded.

[kirakennedyhnr]

[kirakennedyhnr]

[kirakennedyhnr]

[kirakennedyhnr]

HE STILL HAS THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS

[kirakennedyhnr]

Elon Musk and Hank Green were having an argument over how Elon Musk is burying Twitter and then this guy cut in:

[kirakennedyhnr]

Source

[kirakennedyhnr]

So while I was getting my haircut, the lady asked me if I had other plans for the day and I said:

“I’m just going to pick up the boy from daycare and then it’s date night.”

And the lady says “Oh! How old is he?”

“He’s three.”

“Mine too! Where are you registering him for kindergarten it’s such a hassle-”

And that’s when I realized I said “boy” and not “dog” because I always think of Charlie as “good boy” but this slip up has lead to a miscommunication.

The lady is now 6 minutes into a clearly needed rant about how unnecessarily complex shopping for schools is, esp when you have a neurodivergent child, so I can’t just tell her that Charlie is a dog because then she’ll feel awkward for unloading on me and she clearly has enough going on.

So the rest of the haircut became a game of “how much can I say about Charlie without revealing that he is not a human child?” And the answer is “enough to cover a half hour hair appointment, quite possibly several hours worth if I’m specific enough”

[kirakennedyhnr]

if shes your girl then why have i slowly been replacing her parts until there’s nothing left of her original body? is she then still your girl?

[kirakennedyhnr]

One thing about the WGA Strike is that Onion article was kinda right. Hollywood shot themselves in the foot with their current standard of cancelling every show people like to produce more and more short-term novelty.

It’s not like we have tons of shows ending on cliffhangers waiting for season six anymore. Due to their greed, they’ve personally taken long-term viewer investment outside and shot it and now they can’t count on it for negotiating power. What are viewers going to be mad about missing out on? The Twilight reboot? Another Star Wars spin-off? Several promising pilot seasons on Netflix with great representation that were already produced and cancelled before they aired and would’ve been even if the strike hadn’t happened?

[kirakennedyhnr]

All of this. #WGAStrong