We do NOT give Jackie Tyler and Mickey Smith their props for their character growth in the Parting of the Ways. Rose is absolutely amazing, an absolute ferocious beacon of hope and stubbornness and bravery in the finale, the absolute reason why the Doctor lives and the world is saved and an equal hero to Nine, but she has a moment of doubt. A moment of hesitancy.
And Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler step in and help her save the day. Both Mickey and Jackie give up on their idea of Rose and their hatred of the Doctor and help her pull open the TARDIS. Even within this one episode we see them struggle with their feelings and decide to put them aside and help do this because Rose is right- this is a better way of living your life.
Doctor Who is about ordinary people making extraordinary decisions and making themselves extraordinary and this doesn't just apply to official companions (who I love with all my might)- it applies to the people they love, too. We see it over and over again in Davies' era, with Jackie and Mickey and Sylvia and Tish and Wilfred and Francine and Harriet Jones and every one-off character as well, from Lynda-with-a-Y to Jabe to Gwyneth to Novice Hame to McDonnell to Sally to Chantho to Nancy to all the rest.
Doctor Who is at its strongest when the story is focused on the strength of the bleeding, beating heart of humanity (and character in general, in its non-humans), when the characters drive the story, when at the end of the day you understand why, for all of the world's flaws, the Doctor comes back over and over again because of people like this- not just his companions, but the Jackies and Mickeys and all the rest of the world.
no i dont think u guys understand. they DANCED TOGETHER. AZIRAPHALE HELD CROWLEY AROUND THE WAIST WHEN SHE WAS DRUNK. CROWLEY LET AZIRAPHALE DRIVE HIS CAR. "if anything happens to aziraphale because of you i will–". CROWLEY FOLLOWED HIM AROUND FOR A WHOLE ENTIRE EP. CROWLEY'S IDEAL ROMANTIC SITUATION IS TO GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN AND SHELTER TOGETHER!!!!! "OUR BOOKSHOP". "YOU'RE GORGEOUS" –> AZIRAPHALE THINKING CROWLEY WAS TALKING ABOUT HIM. "RESCUING ME MAKES HIM SO HAPPY" !!! U JUST DONT GET IT.
One thing I really appreciate about this show is the bisexual representation. It shows us how bisexuality can appear differently depending on the relationships.
The three canonically bi characters are Luz, Hunter, and Eda.
Luz is dating Amity, so her relationship is lesbian passing
Hunter is dating Willow, so his relationship is straight passing
Eda is dating Raine, who is enby, so the relationship could be considered either lesbian or straight passing or neither
Despite the fact that these relationships look so different, it doesn’t change the fact that Luz, Hunter, and Eda are bi. Bisexuality is not a one sized fits all, and as a bi person, I’ve never been so satisfied with this kind of bisexual representation before.
SIMON WAS RIGHT, WITHOUT HIM, MARCY GET FOUND BY SOMEONE ELSE. SHE DID GET TO LIVE IN A BIG CASTLE. SHE DID GET SERVANTS THAT FOLLOW HER EVERY COMMAND.
BUT WITHOUT HIM, MARCY DIDN'T GET THE LOVE AND SUPPORT OF A FATHER WHO TAUGHT HER HOW TO BE KIND AND LOVING.
WITHOUT HIM SHE INHERITED A WORLD THAT WAS EVENTUALLY DOOMED TO BE DESTROYED BECAUSE SHE NEVER BECAME A VAMPIRE HUNTER. ENEMIES WITH SOMEONE THAT SHE WOULD HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH, MAYBE ALREADY DID.
ALL BECAUSE SIMON WASNT THERE TO GUIDE HER
AND YET AS SEEN IN THE EPISODE HE CLEARLY DIDN'T PUT ON THE CROWN WHEN HE DIED, THEREFORE HE HAD TO WEAR THE CROWN FOR HIM TO DO ANY OF THIS, DOOMING HIMSELF TO INSANITY.
not to be dramatic but when the little cartoons that have helped me through the last few years all looked at me and said byeeee I was permanently changed as a human being
I love this show. I love them so much. I love that they just went ahead and said 'yep, Pit Babe thinks he's running from auction but is actually running from a breeding program he doesn't even know about'.
I love this.
Who knew we'd get a breeding program in a BL in the year 2023? That the entire show would actually talk about the idea that boys can get pregnant and that everyone wants Pavel's Babe's babies?
No, seriously, this is the best.
Charlie trying to protect Babe from thing she didn't know about and how love started from something else entirely and how much Babe loves Charlie despite himself and despite his own logic because Charlie showed him how to love.
Charlie finally telling the whole truth to Babe and to the audience so we have at least an idea of what's going on but also the heartbreak of knowing that being close to and being loved by the person you love was stealing a part of yourself.
Question: how does he know this?
But also Babe denying Charlie that, making very sure that he knows he has to live and that even without his senses he won't give up. Babe telling Charlie to keep living without having to say the words, denying the return of his powers because he wants this love and softness he's discovered.
Babe is so desperate for love and to be loved and Charlie gives him that love and that softness and they reconcile so quickly because Babe needs to be loved, to be soft, to be cared for and held and pampered.
actually i'm still thinking about that part of oliver's zach sang interview where he says that he doesn't think of buck as a queer character, he thinks of him as a character that is queer, who has a fully fleshed out personality and a multitude of important characteristics and who has flaws and makes mistakes, just like any real, human person. he's not that bisexual character we shoved in there for representation's sake. he's evan buckley, and his bisexuality is important and undeniable but it's not the only thing that makes him buck. that makes him so loved.
i love it because that's always how 911 has approached queerness, right from the very beginning. when i think of hen, her being a black lesbian isn't the first thing that comes to mind. what comes to mind is her brilliance and her compassion towards the people that she treats. it's the understanding with which she approaches the world. it's how fiercely protective she is of her friends and her loved ones. it's her devotion towards her wife and her family. it's her complicated feelings towards her past and the way that she's learned to heal from the scars that were left. however, hen's identity as a black lesbian is always present. it's never ignored or minimized and the show never tries to diminish how those aspects of who she is would impact her life. her identity as a black woman and a queer woman is always relevant and has played a huge part in making her who she is, but it's never, ever been her sole defining characteristic. she is a fully fledged character, and her queerness has always been allowed to exist and take up space without taking away from anything else that makes her hen.
that is always how representation should be done and i'm so grateful that it's been the norm on 911 right from day one. i'm so grateful for this show, and the love and care with which they've treated our queer characters — hen, karen, michael, david, josh, that beautiful older gay couple that quite literally defined love on this show, that sweet woman who just wanted to pass her driving test, the guy who ended up with a tapeworm in his ass because he couldn't stop eating sushi, tommy, and now, evan buckley. a character that has been so loved right from the very beginning and now gets to discover this new part of himself that brings him so much joy and so much relief. despite the hurdles they've had to face, the people making this show have given so much to their queer audience and i'm just....so grateful that we get to witness the love they have for us. they really said. we see you. there is a space for you here. come and embrace it.