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sandymybeloved · 5 months

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okay, I don't know how much sense this is going to make but its been bugging me so bear with

you know how sometimes when people in a fandom go long enough without going back and rewatching/rereading/relistening to/rewhatever, that they end up with slightly warped ideas about the characters and story that are far more based on fanon than anything in the source material. I think the same thing happens with criticisms of shows, some mild critique people had at the time becomes so pervasive and considered so all consuming that it no longer gels with the source material

what got me thinking about this was reading the tags in the @adventure-showdown tournament. a not uncommon thing I read is saying they only remember a single great moment from an episode, but they remember the other story completely, so the other story must be magnitudes better. and when someone is implying that because they only remember the gallery scene from vincent and the doctor, the surrounding episode wasn't worthwhile or even any good, I can't help but think, when was the last time you watched it? was it in 2010 when it aired, if you don't remember anything other than the scene that is regularly shared, and you're criticising based on your lack of memory alone, that just doesn't end up gelling with the episode, its not really a fair criticism

more broadly, half the criticisms I see of Moffat who are almost nonsensical to me as someone who does rewatch. (I'm not going to go into the sexism stuff, my opinions on that are far too nuanced and complicated to make a good example)

one of the most common criticisms is that it made the doctor too important, which every time I see it I can't help but wonder if the person saying it even watched in the first place. Because the thing is this is an idea the moffat era actively engages in constantly, and its not a late development at all, and the conclusion it constatly comes too is that the doctor's ego is too big, he's not as important and powerful as he, or the companions, or the audience percieve him to be.

in eleven's second episode, his plan for the star whale is wrong, it's amy who concludes the star whale won't run away and wants to help. in the series 5 finale, eleven makes a big speech to all his enemies gathered above about how they're afraid of him, and it doesn't work, it is at best a minor delay in their plan, he still ends the episode trapped in the pandorica, AND it turns out the doctor was not the excistential threat they were trying to stop, its the TARDIS, they're only imprisoning him as they (wrongly) think he's the only one capable of flying her

in series 6, in a good man goes to war, after the doctor is done parading about the place, after he's done with his massive ego trip and thinking he's won the day, it turns out he hasn't, he got amy back, but not her baby, melody is gone, and any reuniting that happens later in the series has nothing to do with him in any meaningful sense. a good man goes to war is the doctor getting cocky and it ends badly for his friends

its only more explicit in the capaldi era whre 12 regularly pushes back against people considering him anything more than a guy pottering about the universe in a box helping where he can. yes he is made president of earth, but he doesn't want that, he doesn't want authority. In fact series 10 has several of his most meaningful loses, in extremis there's nothing he can do but get a message out, in oxygen he loses his sight to save bill, in the pyramid at the end of the world the world enters a state of dystopia because bill wants to save him, in the doctor falls he loses everything, including his life, only the audience knows any differently

'moffat made the doctor too important' is not a criticism that gels when you actually watch the show, because it is something his era grapples with, is the doctor powerful, is he important to the universe, and if he is, is it a problem and who for. but the criticism isn't completely unfounded, not liking the material fact that 12 got made president of earth is fine, but 5 years removed its a criticism thats warped and changed into something unrecognisable as a criticism of the show its from, when the show says at one point, not even as subtext, that 12 is just a guy travelling around in a blue box, dropping in and helping out where he can.

anyway, this is helpful to me in that i don't like assuming people are speaking in bad faith, sometimes people do just haven't rewatched recently

#doctor who #i do have another exaple but i think i'll leave this one in the tags #when people say that moffat had the doctor meet someone as a child and then that child once they grew up fell for the doctor #4 times #which is at best disengenuous #and at worst just a lie #is it weird it happened at all #sure #but its blown out of proportion #renette yes that did happen #amy no thay kissed and it was weird and he thought it was weird #but amy hadn't fallen in love with him #and she never did #she was spiralling about marrying rory #river is a massive stretch #i don't remember the doctor ever even exchanging words with her as a child #clara is even more of a stretch #they are not in romantic love textually #maybe clara had a crush on eleven #and again i think he might have said about two words to her as a child #there is no chance she even remembers the encounter #okay done now i think

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roxannepolice · 6 months

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hi!!! hows it goin i’m here to dump my thoughts about simm!master/lucy vs ten and martha cause i have MANY. also a disclaimer before i begin that i’m white and that likely does color my experience as a viewer compared to a BIPOC viewer. anyways: i’ll start with ten and martha because by sound of drums we’ve spent all season watching them and its that already established dynamic which i think lucy/saxon are meant to parallel in a way. you have ten very much still grieving rose and his entire planet, which makes him try and push away any new companions for a bit. but he’s still looking for - and i think needs, in a way - this kind of connection where he can depend on someone, and ideally they could depend on him. however. ten sucks at this second bit. for the entire season. so he’s in need of this connection despite not wanting any whatsoever, emotional intelligence completely out the window right now since he’s grieving x2, and martha unfortunately walks in right in the middle of this. so you get this dynamic really starting from i’d say the shakespeare code wherein martha is carrying a lot of the weight in their relationship. ten will entrust her with the most deeply personal shit (like his memories of gallifrey, his feelings on losing rose, even in 42 where he’s like "i’m scared i’m so scared" where he depends on martha for emotional support) and then when martha’s like hey can i get some support here or something ten’s like “uh sorry all out too busy being sad” i mean that's a bit exaggerated/summarized but thats the vibe they have. in the beginning he doesn't even admit she’s traveling with him! he’s all “just one trip” “just one more” and refuses to make a concrete decision that martha really needs him to make already. and despite this emotional unavailability shtick ten still relies on martha quite a bit! off the top of my head you have 42(martha freezing/unfreezing ten as he screams in pain), blink (they get sent back to the 1960s… and only martha gets a job???), and. human nature. wherein martha endures racial abuse alongside lesser shitty working conditions in order to ensure the doctor doesn't get his body possessed or something. and in the middle of it this human version of the doctor falls in love with another woman(after basically uh leading her on for the whole fucking season) (sure maybe unintentionally but that's not the point here) who. also was racist to her she's not even a nice person. and her only friend in this godawful place gets possessed. and human doctors a dick to her. and i think. i reflect on it and i come to the conclusion that ten very much does expect martha to just… do his job for him sometimes. handle all the dirty work like making sure human him doesn't get distracted or hurt or die. and still immediately after is like haha we are in 1960 now. i will not get a job what is that. why do you want me to “communicate” or “pull my weight” you’re traveling across space and time lol.

and the master and lucy are a darker extension of this dynamic that i actually haven't really seen people talk about much!! the master is very clear about why he married lucy, and there is no love/admiration/respect whatsoever in there. it is purely a means to an end - her family gets him influence, and she helps him carry out his plans. he gives nothing to lucy, only takes. which is in itself a mirror to ten & martha - the audience knows ten isn’t intending to be malicious in how he treats martha throughout the series, but when paralleled to lucy & the master i think you really get a sense of the harm this can cause down the line. what resentment this kind of dynamic can lead to. and ALL THE WHILE martha is walking the entire planet for a year to save all of humanity while ten hangs out aged 100 with his little tent & dog bowl & seething sorta-ex-husband-boyfriend-whatever. i mean he doesn't have the best time either but he also doesn't have to do that much and also is perhaps a bit too happy about not being the last time lord to fully grasp that hey, uh, humanity's in pretty dire straits right now. martha watches as the master turns earth into a living nightmare, slaughters millions of people on a whim, turns ten into a 900-year-old tweety bird, and tortures her family for a year, only for ten to go “guys dw i can fix him lol we’ll just live in the tardis for eternity together” as if she hadn't had to fight for that too. and ten is still shocked-pikachu-face when she goes “yeah no i’m leaving. i gotta get out.” and that is very much similar to lucy's moment in a way! where she sees the doctor forgiving(without really considering everybody else's opinion on the Past Year), martha's mom talked down from killing him, even Jack is talked down from his confusion at the whole idea, and i think in that moment she goes. okay. you guys can forgive. you guys can let him walk away having just taken, taken, taken everything without any repercussions. i meanwhile have this gun and two years of pent-up rage coursing through my veins. and both of these moments - martha leaving, lucy firing the gun - come at a shock to the doctor and the master. i mean you can see the master's little "oh" face when he gets shot. even if he plays it up like he expected it after i don't think he considered it before. and i think on a certain level neither really expected to be called out like this - ten because he’s got the emotional intelligence of a baseball bat, the master because he doesn’t think humans are capable of wiping their own asses - so in both of these moments in LoTL theyre like "wait i didn't know you could do that"

anyways tl;dr thats why i think lucy and the master are a darker parallel to the doctor and martha in their own way. which feeds into the rest of the finale where the master is just showing the natural extremes to who the doctor is - this is that toxic dependency taken to its natural worst possible place, where you treat someone as a tool rather than as a person. the master's generally a great foil to the doctor but the series 3 finale is just a fantastic example of it i think.

OMG, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts like this! And I love your thought process here so much.

First, absolutely, Martha is the case of right person, wrong time... which is probably what makes hers my favourite companion arc - as I like to put it she travelled through hell and pulled her Virgil (because yes, the Doctor absolutely always has this guide role that brings Virgil to mind, at least in companions' first episodes) to the Earthly Paradise in the process. There's a lot of debates going on about whether Ten was leading Martha on, because on the one hand - well, he's very clear he's not into her romantically, on the other - ok, bitch, you made it clear the kiss doesn't mean anything, but also you hit off with flirtatious winks and end showing off time travel while also casually showing off your Adam's apple. Yeah, a girl can make deductions. And you're right that this superficial frankness is mirrorred in Master's relation to Lucy - though if anything he's crrepily keen on playing a caring husband, what with the 100% performative hug he gives her while the Toclafane are hacking a journalist up. Though I suppose in his head this is what the Doctor does as well when they comfort their companions. And let's give it to Ten - when he said he's not going to let Martha *checks notes* fry in a small capsule in far space because of a sentient sun, he does bend head over tits and does as promised. But historically it has happened that the Doctor's reassurances were hollow (future, but kind of most painful in Twelve assuring Bill he's going to de-cybermanize her only to later admit yeah not really an option... considering Saxon was there to witness this, I wonder if he marked this in his Notebook (of Rassilon) of Spiting the Doctor).

Ten's handling of the chameleon arch is kind of pathetic, thanks for pointing that out! Like, ok - if the Family gets a whole Time Lord lifetime it is a genuine threat to the universe, but his attitude of oh I'm just going to spend three months as a human in a random timespace, what could possibly go wrong, and anyway, Martha will be there to clean up any mess? is a mess. I do like John Smith's romance with nurse Radfem, though, not in the sense of shipping them, but more of an appreciation of the concept: a classic victorian/edwardian romance, but when you look at it from the persective of a BIPOC servant... it kind of becomes apparent both parties are dickheads. This does tie back to the Master in a way, because I think... want to think... that by the time the Doctor went oh no, we're better than a tyrant maniac that spent a whole year destroying the planet and torturing everyone in the room specifically, so we're not going to execute him, I'm going to put him in my nice spaceship and we'll have nice cuddle movie evenings instead, she was already hardened by the fact that he put her in an (unintentionally) tailor made emotional torture room for three months only to later reveal oh yeah, I could absolutely have handled them all along. Is just higher moral ground, innit?

I guess as all best foils do, the clue lies in the diffrences, though, right? Both Martha and Lucy end up deeply disillusioned with their respective semi-immortal twinks from space, but in one case there is still a disillusioned friendship (Ten's surprised Pikachu face, excellent comparion) and in the other there's only hate - and for good reasons! And where the Doctor grows to really respect Martha (and I wouldn't say he started off dismissive, I mean he is impressed when she tells him oh no mister, a doctor isn't something you just are, you have to earn the title) and is not just saddened but... humbled?... by her leaving, the Master shows up in EoT and is like Hey, my widow, did you miss me, hope you haven't remarried, that would be awkward to explain in the registry office :D!

*sigh* I suppose this is why tensimm is so special to me. It's 20 seasons of foil dynamic condensed into 5 hours. It really shows how thin the difference between the Doctor and the Master is. And how in the right circumstances, including the loss of the handy mirror villain to show how things can go wrong, a madman with a box can turn into an eldritch horror deciding the future of the universe. So, again, thank you so much for poining out yet another excellent parallel!

#ask #ahh i hope the answer was worthy of the ask because your analysis is so. good!#doctor who #doctor who meta #thoschei #tensimm #tenth doctor #simm!master #martha jones #lucy saxon #doctor who season 3

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slocumjoe · 1 year

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Can you do a companions react to a sole with poor fine motor skills that is really skilled in battle but can't do stuff like open can tabs or walk in a straight line or has trouble lile tying their shoes?

- Leaf anon 🌱

Cait; Wouldn't think much of it. She was an addict, she's known lots of other addicts, she's known raiders. People who's heads get messed with, either with substance or by getting hit too much. Fighting and shit like grabbing a door handle are different. Her worry is that they'd need their motor skills in a fight, or in a retreat...Cait would gripe about helping them with anything if they ask, but she can respect someone who's useful when it matters.

Codsworth; Would offer a hand whenever they looked like they needed it, but otherwise wouldn't comment or acknowledge it. It would feel very improper. They've got things handled most of the time, and if they aren't in pain, he doesn't need to worry. Would consult wasteland doctors if he felt they were legit, get their opinion, but Codsworth isn't the type to micromanage.

Curie; Worried mama hen. Curie would hover and possibly overstep. She means well, but if you don't want help with something, and don't need it, someone insisting they help is very 🙃🙃🙃. This is the first time I've used emojis in a react, only because I cannot describe the emotion those ones convey. Anyway. Curie would look into motor skills disabilities/in general in hopes of finding a way to remedy their struggles, make things easier. Some people might appreciate it, others would feel really patronized.

Danse; Would send them to Cade every time they returned to the Prydwen, just to check up on things. Obviously can't so that post BB. Danse has probably seen this before as well, but since he'd be traveling with them, he'd see it more and in different ways. Small corridor and they can't walk straight? His power armor is huge and lacks agility. They're bumping into each other. This would be an exercise in spacial awareness for him.

Deacon; one of the more worried ones. They're both spies. They need to be sneaking. You need to be able to move straight, pick locks, quickly type on keyboards. He's pleasantly surprised to see that Sole is still good at what they do, but there's always a little part of him waiting for that Chekov's Gun to go off. Also tends to hover around them, especially in hostile areas.

Gage; Don't let anyone know they have this issue and Gage is fine. Raiders will sniff that kind of thing out and get dollar signs for eyes. Walk straight the best you can, or play it off as a personality eccentricity. Don't say shit, don't go for soda in public. Very confused how they beat the Gaunlet. Very confused how they have such a high kill count. Will only help them out if its time-sensitive.

Hancock; Takes him...so long to notice. Not because he's high, he just fully doesn't realize it. He spends time around alcoholics and chemheads. Like Cait, that's just...normal for him? Hancock will offer help with some things, and still not notice what kind of help he's actually providing. He'll realize out of the blue one day and barge into the room asking if they have problems, just to make sure he's right.

MacCready; As long as he's the sniper, there's no reason to worry. If they start eyeing scopes to add to their guns, he might sweat a little. If they're a pickpocket type, he's just sweating. Pickpocket, sweating bullets. This would turn MacCready off crime, watching them try to sneak whatever from someone's pocket, when just three minutes ago, they had to bite their bag's zipper. Leave the precision stuff to him. Please. Please for the love of god.

Nick; Look at either of his hands. He probably doesn't have such great motor skills there, either, purely because he's just so old and banged up. This is a major source of bonding. Nick is the least likely to have any worry or concern for them; he gets around fine, so can they.

Preston; Second longest to notice. Faster than Hancock, but it still long enough for him to wonder if they were always like that, or if they're injured in some way. His concern comes before combat—they fight just fine, its the getting ready. Flicking their safety off, getting the gun out, reloading. Preston tends to go in front, so they have some time to prepare before they get into the action.

Piper; Like Preston, worries about transitional periods. Downtime, they're fine, firefight, they're fine. But those little moments in between, oooh, does Piper worry. Piper will keep count of how many bullets they use and let them know to reload, switch to something else, etc. Basically tracks all the info around, gets it to them so they have a few extra seconds to think and fiddle with whatever they have to.

X6-88; They are forbidden from heights. They are to remain at least ten feet away from more than a three-foot drop. Area too small? Understood, we're not going there, we're leaving. No, I don't care who asked for what. X6-88 hates heights as is. Someone pirouetteing their way off an edge is not happening. He truly does not care about anything else. Can't open things? Whatever. Bad with precision? Whatever. You can't walk straight, you are not going near ladders, bridges, scaffolding, cliffs, maybe even stairs if he thinks they're too tall.

#fo4 #fallout 4 #paladin danse #preston garvey #piper wright #nick valentine #companions react #robert joseph maccready #x6-88 #porter gage #codsworth

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variousqueerthings · 4 months

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They were both Zygon and human at the same time / I spend an awful lot of time being kidnapped, tortured, shot at and exterminated, doesn't mean I like it

The Zygon Invasion/Inversion -- the Zygons are back and it's a direct continuation to the last Zygon episode, which I'm always a fan of. I think I'm probably slightly affected by not being a big fan of UNIT and this story is very UNIT heavy. I do like Osgood though, I think Osgood and to an extent Kate Stewart are indicators of different kinds of writing women that came around bit by bit in this era. I do think Osgood should be too smart not to doubt UNIT at this point, considering how flipping ineffectual at best they are! Anyway!

I continue down the lane of "not having taken notes for s9 RIP me"

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 4/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 6/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 6/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 8/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 9/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 7/10

FULL RATING: 72/100 (if I can count….)

I think these episodes are quite good -- they're not really for me and the things I enjoy about Doctor Who, but in order to have Osgood I have to watch big spy nonsense unfortunately. EDIT: I do enjoy them more now I've written a bit about them

OBJECTIFICATION: there is, once again, nothing that sticks out. in fact I'm not sure if anything sticks out for the rest of the season? genuinely think we're just good here?? correct me if I'm wrong, again, I really should've taken note RIP

PLOT-POINT: I think there's some interesting back and forth between Clara and her Zygon double, however I do notice that Clara is mostly there to forward her (their?) development, and isn't herself going through an emotional journey in this. there's this bit at the end where she's interacting with the Doctor and she's asking if there was a moment when he thought she was dead, and he says "longest month of my life" and again it's... it's good, but it's not Clara's feelings, it's Clara being there affecting someone else

Osgood, Kate, Zygella, they've all got some trajectory in this, some form of change or confirmation -- Osgood as someone who fundamentally resists violence and who bonded with her other self and continues to have these foundations making her able to work with the Doctor based around his way of doing things, Kate who initially doesn't do that/is very violence based just like in the previous Zygon episode, but is convinced to step away from the box, and Zygella who goes from wanting to destroy humanity to becoming the second Osgood

Clara does a few neat things in the plot, but it doesn't really revolve around her emotional complexity

COMPLEXITY: it's quite a simple plot on the whoooole, but I think there was some needless "now we're in America" stuff in it that I... I just don't enjoy Doctor Who in America, because it always uses America-as-place to piggyback off of genre-type TV that just doesn't feel like Doctor Who to me. the exception to this is Daleks in Manhatten to me, and no, I can't tell you why either. I'm sure if I thought about it I'd have a compelling reasoning, but it's a sleepy day on the whole

but yeah, otherwise. Zygons. they look like humans. they're trying to start a war by making humans lash out against the idea of aliens in their midst and the Doctor talks them out of it. actually I'm not 100% clear on how the Doctor talks them out of it, but the Doctor does talk very eloquently + I appreciate a plot that ultimately isn't solved with violence. I have some questions that may come up in the politics section around Zygon oppression and how the Doctor interacts with that as a scifi concept with very real life underpinnings, but that's not for this section

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: Zygons are still here. uh, UNIT still kinda sucks and a whole bunch of its soldiers got zapped, but also sometimes you come across characters too stupid to live, and honestly at this point that's every soldier in UNIT

the Doctor had a teaser of the idea of Clara dying and wasn't happy about it

COMPANIONS MATTER: Clara does more in this episode! this despite being in a pod for a lot of it! (she also has some great outfits, but that's an aside) (I have clearly got a whole bee in my bonnet about how Clara is dressed as a character, maybe I should make a separate post about it at some point) (but this was great)

Clara inapod! VS Zygon Clara! I quite enjoyed all of that, I enjoyed Clara saving the Doctor's life by using her own smarts, I enjoyed her finding ways to communicate with the Doctor that she was alive, I enjoyed her getting Zygon!Clara to the base. I wish she maybe had a bit more to do after that, but this is a whooole lot more than Clara usually gets in an episode

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor gets shit wrong in this episode, Osgood notices things (like Clara being alive) that the Doctor doesn't, there's a whole bit of trial and error, I enjoyed that. it gets a bit more high and mighty at the end with the speech -- full disclosure I'm reading transcripts of the episodes as I go along, because I was silly enough to not take notes in the moment! (always take notes!)

and I do remember watching and going "oh is there something I missed" because the Doctor gets them there, declares that this is wrong, and the Zygon!Clara goes "oh yeah, you're right" and steps back <- it's more complicated speeching than that, but I'm not sure I quite understand the shift that happens in this moment. as a sleight of hand it doesn't quuiiiite work for me, even though I enjoy it

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: there's a whole bunch of references, as is standard with UNIT episodes -- lotta things I don't know yet, because I haven't reached it on my classic!who watch. that's the thing about UNIT. I may not like them much in the writing, but they are a great way to get a treasure trove of past lore references into a story. now make them villains cowards!

“SEXINESS”: again, I cannot recall anything on this front in this episode, and indeed, for the rest of the season. we may. be cured.

INTERNAL WORLD: I know, I know, the Doctor is "president of the world" so they can just fly a jet to New Mexico and then back to London in a jiffy, but I often think DW stretches itself waaay too thin when it tries these "big" spy drama type setups (I feel, btw, similarly unconvinced by that big UNIT avengers tower in the new special, but at least the action isn't actually led by them)

DW just doesn't do this kind of idk. American Action Drama type thing well, nor is that what I watch it for anyway. my suspension of disbelief is ohhhh so close to snapping!

POLITICS: okok so there's a few contrasting thoughts I have here. first of course, we love a story about non-violence, and we love a DW that's about peoplehood, in fact those are amongst some of my favourite. everyone is People. howeeever, this is where we get to the parts of the speechifying I'm not quite onboard with, which is that Zygon!Clara says "we've been treated like cattle"

and the Doctor basically says "so what" not because the episode is saying they should be second-class citizens, but because the Zygons currently have the power to start a war and have a revolution and it'll be bloody and awful and beget more violence, this is something I agree with. where I think there's a bit of a blip, is that I don't think the episode fully deals with the fact that Zygons are second-class citizens in the first place

I mean, firstly, it's not something I actually had much of a sense of was the driving force behind this want for war, but then I'd question the ideas of "Zygons need to stay undercover for the sake of peace" as a sort of "as long as you pass you're welcome" type situation and that is... I mean it's not quite so deep in this episode, but that's the thing, I think it should be that deep or else it comes off a bit weak

if you're dealing with a story about a people who have been oppressed, then the focus of that story can be "Do Not Try To Oppress Others In Turn," but I personally think it also needs to be more cognizant of the oppression in the first place

I think Osgood once again is a great addition to the story, in that she represents a future of co-existence that appears to be based in equality and non-violence -- if it were someone like Kate I would be waaay more wary of what this episode were trying to say at the end, but Kate gets her memory wiped, so we know what the Doctor -- at the end of the day -- thinks about her way of thinking and handling situations (Kate Stewart villain arc When)

but this is still a relatively highly rated point, I think a lot of its heart is in the right place, and although I don't like how UNIT is portrayed, it does seem to be saying "yeah they got it wrong" -- the fact that they continuously choose violence and it's continuously wrong throughout nu!who and the Doctor still works with them, is why I'm scratching my head

FULL RATING: 71/100 (if I can count….)

we're over halfway through the season now and it has been a consistently quite highly rated season. Clara still fails to take a centre stage, which as you know is my main Thing that I'll probably continue to gripe about, but while it did occasionally go a bit too hard on the soldiers and American Location Where We Can Conveniently Situate The Violence at the end of the day UNIT were not in the right

is it just me or is Osgood way more of a Companion type than Clara a lot of the time? I mean I get that she's not a Companion, because she seems to prefer being on earth and helping out there and she's very well-grounded in herself, but she's just so efficient. maybe a bit too fanboy and meta for me to ever have wanted to see her as a full-on Companion, but certainly enjoyable to me every time she's there

#im watching nu!who #im watching capaldi who #the zygon invasion #the zygon inversion #the measurement

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denimbex1986 · 5 months

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'When the news broke that Russell T. Davies would be returning to "Doctor Who" for the first time in more than a decade, there was a lot to be excited for and a lot be worried about. Davies had a great original run, arguably the best of the three modern showrunners, but his plot resolutions often left a bit to be desired. He had a tendency to throw all logic and continuity out the window for the sake of a happy ending, like in the "Doctor Who" season 4 finale where the Doctor managed to withhold his regeneration by basically transferring his regenerative energy into a severed hand of his, creating a clone of himself.

This all served the purpose of giving former companion Rose a happy ending. She got to live with the clone Doctor in her own alternate universe, whereas our Doctor got to continue going on his usual adventures. Many fans have argued that this ending is nowhere near as happy as it seems; this Doctor might act like he's happy to hang out with Rose for the rest of his life, but fans speculated he'd go insane after just a few years earthbound. Nevertheless, the episode itself tells us this is a happy ending, so it's easy to just imagine it is.

With the last of the three 60th Anniversary Specials, "The Giggle," history has repeated itself with yet another nonsense twist involving a David Tennant-Doctor's regeneration. This time, the Fourteenth Doctor doesn't stick around by cloning himself; he sticks around through a process called "bi-generation." Fourteen gets to stay in the climax of the episode while Fifteen (played by Ncuti Gatwa) simultaneously gets his first official introduction. The two Doctors work together to save the day, they talk for a bit, and then they go their separate ways.

Doesn't really make much sense, does it?

The episode establishes that, even though Fifteen and Fourteen didn't do any time traveling in their scene together, Fifteen is still in Fourteen's future. The Fourteenth Doctor will spend the rest of his life living a blissful, mostly-domestic existence with Donna's family, and when he's ready to go (and has finished healing from all the trauma he's faced for 1,000+ years), he'll regenerate into Fifteen, who we've just met.

How does this work, exactly? Considering we saw Fifteen be pulled out of Fourteen's regenerating body, how will Fourteen regenerate into him for real when the time comes? Or has the regeneration already happened, and Fourteen will simply die a normal death when his time comes? "The Giggle" itself seems remarkably uninterested in clarifying any of this, which only goes to show: the Russell T. Davies era is back, guys. It's so back.

Like the conclusion to Ten's sorta-regeneration in "Journey's End," the bi-generation plot point in "The Giggle" is one that clearly prioritizes fan service over consistent worldbuilding. It's a deus ex machina so bold and aggressive you have to admire it. People gave former showrunner Steven Moffat plenty of flak for his questionable endings over the years, like his decision to reveal that The Doctor never actually blew up Gallifrey after all in the 50th Anniversary Special, but he rarely pulled out a solution as flimsy as this. Even his many bootstrap paradoxes, which Moffat started to treat as a narrative get-out-of-jail-free card, at least kept a logical consistency to them that bi-generation simply doesn't have.

Why it kinda works anyway

The ending to "The Giggle" is a clear-cut example of the show trying to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to have Fourteen regenerate into Fifteen, as we all know it has to do, but it still wants to keep Fourteen around anyway. The result is a solution that feels like cheating, which is perhaps appropriate for an episode whose villain is all about playing games by the rules.

Yu have to admit it's delightful to see Gatwa and Tennant act alongside each other, and to get another rare glimpse of the Doctor talking to his former self. It's also undeniably heartwarming to see Fourteen — and Ten, by extension — finally get a happy ending after his somber departure in "The End of Time." The modern run of "Doctor Who" has piled an absurd amount of trauma onto this poor Time Lord, and it's struggled under the strain of keeping him fun and exciting even as he's constantly dealing with the heaviest grief imaginable.

It also helps that Davies has done a good job in the first two specials of establishing that the Doctor needs a break. He needs at least a few decades of relative peace and quiet, rather than constantly flying from place to place, throwing himself into one new chaotic situation after another. On an emotional level, viewers have well understood that Fourteen's ending is exactly what the Doctor needs; it's easy to get behind this conclusion, even if the road to it was nonsensical.

What this means for the show

There are a lot of immediate implications for "Doctor Who" that come to mind after "The Giggle." The first is that Gatwa's Doctor might be the happiest Doctor we've gotten in a while. Modern "Doctor Who" started off with a version of the Doctor who was fresh off the Time War, still wracked with guilt over his apparent decision to kill his whole home planet. Despite all the retcons that came after, the Doctor throughout the past eighteen years has been much lonelier and edgier than the Doctor of the classic series. But from what we've seen of him so far, Fifteen might be the first Doctor in a while without so much darkness buried just beneath the surface.

The other result of "The Giggle" is that now it'll be remarkably easy for David Tennant to return at any moment. Whereas other multi-Doctor stories had to deal with a lot of timey-wimey loopholes to pull off their plots, all Fifteen has to do is return to modern-day London and the show will have a perfect excuse to bring Tennant back for a bit. It's a move that not only signals that Davies is returning to his original run's hallmarks — he'd routinely bring back past companions far more than Moffat or Chibnall would — but which establishes Tennant as the most popular Doctor of the modern era. He may not have had the seven-season run that Tom Baker enjoyed in the '70s, but he's already been brought back to the show twice since his departure, and he'll almost certainly return again. The resolution to "The Giggle" might be a total logical disaster, but what it promises for the show going forward is simply too fun to pass up...'

#Bi-generation #Doctor Who #60th Anniversary #David Tennant #Ncuti Gatwa #The Giggle #Russell T. Davies #Journey's End #Steven Moffat #The Day of the Doctor #The End of Time #Chris Chibnall #Tom Baker #Donna Noble #Catherine Tate

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geronimomo-spd · 1 year

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OK SO SCHERZO

OK ITS ALL SPOILERS SO ITS ALL UNDER THE CUT TODAY

i really adored!!! the first scene!! them just lying down underneath the console while he is telling her of all of the things he is afraid of, and she talks to him while they almost die!! peacefull!! so nice!!!

UM???? UM??

I CAN'T BECAUSE WHEN YOU ALL SAID HORROR I ASSUMED PHYSICAL HORROR OR PHSYCOLOGICAL I DIDN'T KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO FUCKING EAT COSPSES LIKE WHAT EXUSE ME?????? HELLO??????

IM???????? GOODBY TO MY AROMANTIC DOCTOR HEADCANON I GUESS?? to be honest i will say it took me out a little because its a headcanon i really hold into, but at the same time the story works so much!!!! because, as i said before, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A COMPANION AND THE STORY AGNILIGES THAT!!! AND HE DOESN'T LNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!!!! AND AND AND AND HE IS JUST, OF COURSE I LOVE YOU!!! I KILLD MYSELF FOR YOU DIDN'T I??? OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH DFGDGFSDF

NO BUT WHEN HE WAS SO MEAN TO HER!! SO ANGEYR!! AND I WAS WAITING FOR HIM TO BE LIKE "OH ITS THE ANTI TIME, ITS STILL THE ANTI TIME I AM SORRY-" BUT IT WASN'T!! THIS WHOLE EPISODE WAS JUST THE DOC BEING ACTUALLY ANGRY!!!! YES YES YES THANK YOU!!!!

lol but flashback when i was like damm i really need an episode where Charley and the doc are not separated and you all all said SCHERZO I GENUALLY DIDN'T THINK ITS ABOUT THE FUCKING FACT THAT THEY WILL BE PHYSICALLY THE SAME FUCKING PERSON AND THEIR HANDS FUSED OMG ONG OMG

ALSO I SEE YOU ALL WITH THIS EMOJI FUCK FUCK FUKC UFKC UFKF JFHFJFJCFKFJCJF :handshake:

JESUS

i do gotta say that i got to relisten to it because the first time i got a genuine autistic shutdown because of the first very load noise JESUS CHRIST, and then i was suck in my bed recovering so it took me a while to get into it, and i couldn't find the time stamps for the jumpscares so i was just really carful, and i think it might be a reason for the fact that it was good, just not mind blowing, i completely understand why people are calling it the best doctor who story ever, it really drives home the meaning of the show itself but espeshelly Charley and the Doc, which is why im saying that i think that i need to relisten to it, now that i know that the doc is not affected by any outside sources for his anger of Charley!!

ALSO HOW CAN I NOT TALK ABOUT THE ENDING HOLY SHIT, SHE DID IT!!!! SHE FUCKING DID IT!!! SHE FINALLY MIRRIORED THE ENDING OF CHIMES!!! SHE PROVED THE DOC HE SHOULD LIVE!! YES FUCK THAT SUICIDAL DOCTOR IN THE HEAD SHE JUST DID IT SHE JUST DID IT!!

NO BUT AFTER ALL OF THE I LOVE YOUS, AFTER THE KISS TO BECOME ONE ORGANIZEM, THEY HAD THIS WEIRD VISION WHERE THE CREATURE WAS TRYING TO MAKE THE DOC AND CHARELY KILL THEMSELVES BECASE- WAIT OMG BECAUSE THEY TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THEY DIED FOR ONE ANOTHER WOWS WOW WOW OK. SO AFTER THE FUCKING KISS WE WENT TO A VISION WHERE THEY MADE PAUL MCGANN CALL CHARLEY MAMA IT WAS SUCH A WIP LASH LOLOLOL I WAS LOSING IT, IT WAS SO FUNNY

IT WAS SO HARD GETTING FAVE QUOTES FROM THIS BECAUSE I STARTED JUST QOUTING ALL OF THE FUCKING LINE SO I WLL TRY TO MAKE THIS NOT JUST EVERY WORD THEY WERE SAYING OK OK COOL

ALSO YES OK AS FAR AS CHARLEY AND THE DOC TOGETHER FOR THE WHOLE EPISODE EPISODES GOES THIS ONE WAS THE BEST ONE OMG OMG OMGGGGG YES YES FINALLY I NEVER EXPECTED ANY OF THIS!!! THE KISS!! THE METAPHORE OF THEM LITTIRALY BECOMING THE SAME CREATURE LIKE WTFFFFFFFFF OMG!!!!

i probably need to understand that metaphore better, and ||IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GETWITH THE PROGRAM OF EATING CORPSES LIKE JESUS CHTIST LOLOLOL

LOLOL IM LOOKING THROUGH MY NOTES AND ITS JUST, MOST OF IT IS JUST ME FREAKING THE FUCK OUT OF THEM EATING CORPSES LOL also i will say that my aromantic headcanon for the doctor finally took his final hit with this which made me pause, which is i think is a good thing, its diffrent for how i see the doc usually but it makes sense within the nerative they are setting and after a whle it did hit me emotinally, just not torn me apart, when i see people raving about this episode i somehow got the impression its because of the romantic and emotinal stuff, so i assumed i had to connect with it emotinally on that level for the emotinal bits to hit me, that i needed to cheer for them to be together after all of this, but its really not that true, its just a sad situation in general, the horror is gripping and i do like actual emotinal comunication in doctor who, even if it had to be foreced out of the basturd.

the talk is the thing that breaks me!! the fact that the doctor is as suprised of his own emotions and puts prioraty!! it is fuking annoying that Charley is not getting the calling out the doc's motive she had in Ebrace the Darkness, where she littiraly said "you think secrefing yourself is the nobel act?? you think leaving me to people i don't know in a centery i know nothing about just so you can play hero?? you wouldn't be happy until they kill you for it, and that is so selfish of you!! like, she got to do that!!!! why not now!!!! she is just too blinded by the fact that she loves him now, both of them trying to hold into each other in a world hat just wants them to be gone, and its getting pretty unhealthy for both of them not gonna lie

the ending littiraly mirrored Chimes, and i assumed that Chimes's endind of the doctor reminding Charley to choose life was a good thing, but now its like, i assumed it made the ending of Scherzo "good", but now i am not so sure, it is lovely to see that she did for the doctor what he did for her, but argggg i don't know

calling the other companions "momento mory " though i do really like how they pulled the edning and the creature is like "you would secrefice yourself not just for Charley, you would secrefice yoursef for most of your friends", so the ending was soft of one of his friends finally being like NO, BECAUSE I WILL DO THE SAME TO YOU, SO FUCK OFF WITH THAT

anyway apart from the love shit, this one was frightening, corpse eating and a dash of Paul Mcgann calling Charley mama, and a complicated emotinal core! people say its the best, and get why do say that, broke my heart, made me happy and concerened, a really good case for the dark shit big finish can do, i think i really like it, but im not sure :)

OK AFTER A FEW DAYS

This story is fucking cool, you really understand what he is going through, and its not pretty, as the story is not pretty my emotional hurting wasn't because of my headcanon, it was because I was witnessing an earthkwake, of the fundamentals of this show

We have never seen the doctor act like this, we have never seen him, absolotly, say he's in love, but WE NEVER SAW HIM REJECTING LIKE THAT, WE NEVER SAW HIM GETTING TO DISECT AND INTERJECT THE LOVE HE FEELS OR FELT

We get a lot of the doctor secrefying and putting asaide his feelings, but we never get the doctor letting GO, letting his emotions be fully expressed!! That is as terrifying and cool as you can get in doccy who

its an earthquake, and we are Charley, flowing and buzzing around, not knowing what will happen next because our intire foundation has been lifted from beneath out feet. They physicaly can't get rid of each other, and so THEY BECOME THE SAME CREATURE, hurting each other and almost destroying each other in the prosses, like what??? Everything is breaking apart and smshing around, and the sound creature is just there, and we loving to his tune. Its awesome just for that and after all that these two have been throhyg its fascinating still

ALSO ALSO OMG THAT FAIRYTAIL IS SO BRILLIANT OMGF OMG OMG, I loved it, wow

ok fave quotes lets goo DOCTOR: But Charley, you have lost a lot. You have lost everything. Your family, your friends. Charley, you will never see another of your kind. Never. You will never fall in love with a man, get married, have children. Hang on to your losses. They make you what you are. Even if we spend the rest of our lives here, and I'm rather afraid we will, don't let them take away that regret and that pain. All that identity. Don't settle for this existence when once you've tasted life, because you are Charley Pollard, and you deserve better than that. MY HEART I LOVE THAT, YES DOCTOR WE ARE ALSO DEFINED BY OUR LOSES AND ITS LOVELY TO HEAR THAT, I love every time this doctor gets to explain how emotions are so important to us

CHARLEY: Listen. A little while ago, you made me realise I mustn't accept my fate too readily. Stop my brain from finding the easiest and most painless way to cope with all this.

DOCTOR: Is this relevant?

CHARLEY: And now your brain is doing the same thing.

DOCTOR: What are you talking about?

CHARLEY: You need there to be a mission. You need there to be an enemy to face, mysteries to solve.

DOCTOR: And I have solved it, Charley. I'm sure of it.

CHARLEY: So what if you have? We have been walking this corridor for weeks now. It could be months, even. We simply can't tell. And have we found any way out in all that time?

DOCTOR: There has to be one.

CHARLEY: How do you know this entire new universe isn't just an over-lit glass tube which goes on and on for ever? Doctor, we are no closer to getting out of here than we ever were, and it does us no good to pretend otherwise.

DOCTOR: (big sigh) You're right.

CHARLEY: You're calmer?

DOCTOR: Yes.

I don't have anything to add to this I love it

So you love me.

CHARLEY: Yes. Yes, I do.

DOCTOR: And is that it?

CHARLEY: Isn't that enough? If you knew how hard it was for me to say that

DOCTOR: Not half as hard as it was to listen to. Tell me, Charley. What good do you think your love will do me?

CHARLEY: I don't know.

DOCTOR: Do you think it makes this situation any better? Do you think it makes me feel any better?

CHARLEY: I hoped. I don't know.

DOCTOR: I don't want your love, Charley. I have no use for it.

FUCK??? ABSOLOTLY FUCK??? OUCH OUCH OUCH????? WOW, WTFFFF

And of course the famus:

DOCTOR: Of course I loved you! I killed myself for you, didn't I? Of course I loved you. Of course I love you.

CHARLEY: Doctor.

DOCTOR: Quiet. Just listen. But you're not safe, are you. You followed me in, so what was the point of my sacrifice? What was the point after all these years of memento mori to find myself finally loving a friend, someone who meant that much more to me? What was the point of that journey if I died for nothing? I killed myself for you so you could live. And yet here you are.

CHARLEY: I'm sorry, I didn't realise.

DOCTOR: You betrayed me. You betrayed all that I gave up for you. And I can't forgive you that. Not yet. I. Well, I'm not sure I can ever forgive you that.

fuck i finally reached that and i don't know what to feel anymore, it doesn't feel like love anymore, it feels... hollow

genuinely don't know, i thought i was on board for this, he loves her

but it doesn't help any of them!!!!!

wow

but he loves her, he genuinely loves yer, no yes or no about it and... it hurts

and it doesn't really matter in the end doesn't it, like fuck

DOCTOR: And now, Mama, dearest Mama, who gave me life, who gave me everything, I think it's time that you left.

CHARLEY: Oh, so soon?

DOCTOR: I think so. Look at yourself. You're an old woman now, getting older and older by the second. But you needn't be afraid. You will live on through me.

CHARLEY: Well, that's all right, then.

DOCTOR: The parent lives on through the child. Years of evolution. Children becoming parents giving birth to children. Each time the child becoming stronger, more perfect. Your job is done. You can rest now.

CHARLEY: I've been out-evolved.

DOCTOR: Exactly. And much as I love you, Mama, that makes you something of an embarrassment.

CHARLEY: It's time I died, then.

THIS FUCKIMG AUDIOS THIS FUCKIMG SHOW I CAN'T THIS IS FUNNY AS FUCK

CHARLEY: A daughter. I've had a daughter after all, and I'm so proud.

DOCTOR: I'm the best daughter who ever lived

PLEASE SO GENDER OF YOU SO GENDER LOLOLOLOLOL

i would call it more Suicidal I LOVE THAT THIS STORY IS FINALLY AGNILOGING THE DOCTOR'S SUICIDAL TENDENCIS YES YES YES

YESSS YES SHE DID THE SAME FOR HIM LIKE HE DID HER Y4S!!!!!! FUCK YEAH YES YES YES YES URS YEX

#doctor who #dw #tw suicide mention #8th doctor #eight doctor #eighth doctor #paul mcgann #charley pollard #india fisher #WOW DAMM #this one took some analaysing but im happy i took the time with this one #8th doctor big finish stuff #8th doctor listenalong #scherzo #good shit good shit

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minimoefoe · 9 months

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doctor who rewatch thoughts (eleventh doctor)

for each episode there is:

for each episode there's two things I like (✅️) and one thing I dislike (❌️) (sometimes more/less) and general thoughts overall along with a rating out of five stars

there's a quick list of ep ratings and average series ratings at the bottom of the post

🍎 5.01 the eleventh hour

✅️ not to be dramatic but 'why did you say five minutes' gives me literal chills every time I watch it ✅️ the scene on the roof, seeing all the prev doctors, 'im the doctor. basically, run.'

I just love it so much like... how can you not stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐳 5.02 the beast below

✅️ the whole 'old, last just made it kind' thing is my fave thing ever and I love that amy figures it all out ❌️ I've always liked liz 10 but she made me cringe a bit this time round rip

overall love it a lot, the smiler things are creepy, the resolution is cool, I love star whales

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🪠 5.03 victory of the daleks

✅️ eleven losing it and attacking the dalek lmao ❌️ why is he best buddies with winston churchill

it's just a bit boring like.. I literally sometimes forget this ep exists

⭐️⭐️💫

🪖 5.04 the time of angels

✅️ eleven's attitude towards river, like annoyance but also intrigue idk ✅️ amy rubbing her eye and dust falling is v cool ✅️ eleven's lil speech at the end and the music

love it a lot, cool vibes, I'm a big weeping angels stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🪨 5.05 flesh and stone

✅️ amy and river's dynamic is cool, I kinda wish I could watch without knowing they're mother and daughter ✅️ the doctor losing it a lil bit and shouting. mixed feelings about it, could be a negative on a different day but rn I think it's good ❌️ I understand that amy has been through a lot and her feelings for the doctor are confusing but how hard she goes tryna kiss him is insane. like attempt once, get rejected, move on. we didn't need all of that

idk which part I ike more, they're both bangers

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐟 5.06 the vampires of venice

✅️ rory's first proper adventure, him clocking and calling out the doctor instantly, you love to see it ✅️ the moments where eleven and amy just get really excited about the stuff that's going on ❌️ amy thinking its weird for the doctor to be seen as her brother but not rory. dumb as hell

overall it's a decent ep. not obsessed but also don't hate it. has some good moments

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🥶 5.07 amy's choice

✅️ when rory dies and amy shouts at the doctor and then decides that world is the dream ✅️ the dream lord being the doctor is very cool and idk I like seeing how the doctor really thinks of himself ❌️ far too many jokes about amy being big like.. planet? having rory call her chubs? not my fave

this is a great ep for getting clarity on how strongly amy really feels for rory, it's a shame the show back tracks and continues doing 'ooh who does she really love' moments

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌏 5.08 the hungry earth

✅️ I like all the side characters ✅️ the doctor talking to/shouting at the silurian

overall a decent ep, not much to scream about but I like the vibes idk

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🦎 5.09 cold blood

✅️ them talking about how they could try and make humans and silurians live in peace was interesting ✅️ the doctor silurian guy was cool ✅️ nasreen

a decent ep, don't have much else to say. rip rory

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🌻 5.10 vincent and the doctor

✅️ how much vincent likes amy ✅️ the end scene with vincent at the gallery, obviously

the end doesn't get me quite like it used to, presumably bc I've seen it so many times, but it's a certified banger ep despite the mild sadness it causes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🏠 5.11 the lodger

✅️ no companion (kinda) eleven is fun and I like seeing him trying and sometimes failing to be normal ✅️ I like craig sorry ✅️ the scene where eleven gibes craig all the info about who he is and why he's there ❌️ telling craig he looks like his sofa is a bit gross innit

overall a fun ep that I like a lot

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🛸 5.12 the pandorica opens

✅️ eleven realising rory is back ✅️ amy and rory chatting, amy crying, cut with river telling eleven what she's finding out and the kinda creepy music that plays

I don't think I praise this ep quite like some ppl do but I do like it. I've always just felt like there's a lot going on that my brain for some reason no matter how much I watch it, cannot fully take in so it feels a bit messy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💥 5.13 the big bang

✅️ obsessed with eleven hopping back and forth with the vortex manipulator ✅️ eleven punching rory ❌️ amy tryna kiss eleven at her wedding. literally piss off

there's something about the s5 finale where my brain refuses to retain whats going on. I mildly understand it but I couldn't explain it and anytime it's been explained to me I forget it pretty quickly afterwards. based on vibes and what I do know tho, it bangs

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🦈 a christmas carol

✅️ I love seeing the doctor interact with kids, especially eleven bc he basically is a kid lmao ✅️ silence is all you know is a BANGER ✅️ the idea of the doctor re-writing someone's life and that person watching it happen is pretty cool ❌️ idk if kazran and abigail really needed to get together, it's not the end of the world but does feel a lil weird that she's seen him grow up and then suddenly is like damn

overall a solid ep, always been a mild fave of mine. I like the music, I like the vibe, I like the story (for the most part), shoutout dumbledore

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

👩‍🚀 6.01 the impossible astronaut

✅️ the whole beach and initiations thing ✅️ river talking about how one day the doctor won't know who she is ❌️ americans

I feel like this is never really an ep I think much about but then when I watch it I'm like wait this does slap, ppl are right

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

📺 6.02 day of the moon

✅️ the resolution with the message within the moonlanding is cool ✅ river and the doctor kissing and river being sad when she realises it’s the doctor’s first time kissing her ❌️ the bit where they try and make us think amy might be talking about the doctor and not rory, literally stfu !!

preemptively gave it four stars when I still had like ten mins left, but there was some cool stuff in that last ten mins so

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

⚫️ 6.03 the curse of the black spot

✅️ rory high on siren song is funny ✅️ eleven has a lot of funny moments, specially early on, idk I like his vibes

I was not looking forward to watching this ep but it was fun actually, maybe I stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🦴 6.04 the doctor's wife

✅️ amy and rory running round the tardis is fun bc seeing more tardis is cool and it's also kinda creepy at points ✅️ the end where idris dies and eleven cries

funny, spooky, emotional. it has the range

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

😠 6.05 the rebel flesh

✅️ rory is so nice, I love him ✅️ the gangers have a couple of spooky moments and I like the cliffhanger ❌️ amy is mildly annoying

good ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

👬🏼 6.06 the almost people

✅️ the doctor(s) ✅️ more spooky moments ✅️ the moral stuff idk ❌️ I get feeling weird about the gangers but amy comes off as really nasty with the 'don't call me that please' bs and her general attitude in both eps. glad she changes her opinion in the end but making her be that strongly against them was defo a choice and makes rory look wayy better than her bc he accepts them as ppl almost instantly (which tbf didn't work out amazing for him but yknow)

I find eps with difficult moral questions really interesting but also really frustrating. overall a good ep but felt like it went on a bit

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🪖 6.07 a good man goes to war

✅️ vastra and eleven's mildly awkward chat about melody etc ✅️ the reveal that river is melody will get me every time ❌️ the fat and thin husbands moment was a bit weird

this isn't an ep I really think too much about spare for the river reveal but it is good idk. everyone coming together to save amy and the baby is cool

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🪼 6.08 let's kill hitler

✅️ the reveal that mels is river ✅️ the doctor and his cane, falling all over the place ✅️ river finding out who she is and saving the doctor ❌️ mels is really cringe and annoying sorry.. other than her final moments I am not a fan of her vibe at all

there's defo stuff going on in this ep that I'm not obsessed with but overall I do like it a lot, I think more than most ppl

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

😨 6.09 night terrors

✅️ rory being like 'oh my god we're dead aren't we' ✅️ eleven interacting with kids is always cute

actually better than I was expecting (last time I watching this ep I got bored and ended up skipping most of it) and is kinda creepy, but idc that much idk

⭐️⭐️💫

🤚🏻 6.10 the girl who waited

✅️ rory getting mad at the doctor ✅️ amy and amy talking to each other ✅️ rory and old amy talking at the end ❌️ amy pressing the red button.. embarrassing

overall I stan. obviously a great amy ep but also a great ep for rory too

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🦍 6.11 the god complex

✅️ rita, the fact the doctor instantly likes her and their interactions throughout the ep ✅️ the ppl who'd seen their rooms being all weird was cool ✅️ the reason they're there being bc of amy's faith in the doctor and rory being immune

an absolute banger, love it all, no choice but to stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

👶🏻 6.12 closing time

✅️ eleven interacting with children is so cute, I love him and alfie ✅️ the love confession distraction

there's actually so many small funny moments in this ep and i love craig and eleven as a duo, it's great idc

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💍 6.13 the wedding of river song

✅️ amy killing madam kovarian ✅️ the wedding and river talking about how ofc ppl would be willing to help the doctor

an ep i've always had a love-hate relationship with bc there's aspects I enjoy but generally I thought it was just a bit odd. there's still a mild vibe there that i don't looove but I liked (and probably understood) it a lot more than I usually do

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌲 the doctor, the widow and the wardrobe

✅️ eleven and the kids ✅️ the power of being a mother??? kinda cool ❌️ some guy following you home 'every day til you marry him' is a bit weird actually

I was not paying attention for most of it but the stuff I did pay attention to was fine

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🥛 7.01 asylum of the daleks

✅️ owsin ❌️ 'it was a phase' comment

I have mixed feelings about some of the stuff going on in this ep, and there's a couple things I straight up dislike, but overall it's fine idk

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🦕 7.02 dinosaurs on a spaceship

✅️ brian is such a legend ✅️ amy, nefertiti

don't have much to say but it's a fun ep. I like amy and eleven's chat too

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🌵 7.03 a town called mercy

✅️ the doctor losing it and tryna kill that guy and amy being the voice of reason ✅️ the ending

a solid ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🕋 7.04 the power of three

✅️ amy and eleven's talk about if her and rory are gonna leave etc ✅️ the doctor's dodgy heart ✅️ brian!!

like this ep a lot for the emotional stuff and I think it's really cool to see eleven hanging around. the cubes are cool but idc about the ppl ngl idek what they were doing I wasnt paying attention. also shoutout kate

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🗽 7.05 the angels take manhattan

✅️ when the doctor reads the chapter title and loses it a bit ✅️ amy and rory's 'deaths'

love this ep a lot!! thought I was kinda desensitised bc I've seen it so many times but turns out it still makes me sad as fuck

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⛄️ the snowmen

✅️ clara and the doctor's general vibe ✅️ clara and vastra ✅️ clara first seeing the tardis then getting dragged out

good ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💻 7.06 the bells of saint john

✅️ the scene where elevens outside the house and clara is talking to him out the window ✅️ eleven's weird little dance when he's telling clara she should be doing 'young ppl stuff' ❌️ clara's clearly empty mug that she waves about on the plane and tardis annoys me

I am not that passionate about the villains of this ep, they're fine idk, but I love clara and eleven's vibes a lot

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍁 7.07 the rings of akhaten

✅️ the long song is a certified banger and low-key makes me wanna cry ✅️ the doctor's speech

cool vibes, I like seeing all the aliens, the kid was good, clara and eleven are cute as usual and I liked her kinda calling him out at the end

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🥶 7.08 cold war

✅️ eleven and clara are cute

was not paying attention icl

⭐️⭐️⭐️

🏚 7.09 hide

✅️ clara getting freaked out in the tardis about her dead body probs being out there and the convo they have ✅️ 'every lonely monster needs a companion', eleven putting his arm around clara, it's a love story !!

there's a lot of great moments in this ep, I like it a lot

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔥 7.10 journey to the centre of the tardis

✅️ seeing more inside the tardis is always cool, need more of it tbh ✅️ when the doctor freaks out at clara and she obvs don't know wtf he's on about ❌️ the doctor slapping clara's ass, and the fact she doesn't react at all, is kinda insane

I'm too stupid to understand how that 'big friendly button' actually reset stuff and idrc about the brothers but there's some stuff in there that I like for sure and the vibes are cool

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🟥 7.11 the crimson horror

✅️ eleven and clara had some good moments ✅️ ada ❌️ eleven kissing jenny and being generally creepy

wasn't as painful to get through as I was expecting but still wasn't that great idk like I just don't care

⭐️⭐️💫

🏰 7.12 nightmare in silver

✅️ clara being in charge ✅️ everything with the cyberplanner ❌️ the tight skirt comment

the kids are mildly annoying but overall I think this is a pretty decent ep, a mild banger

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🪦 7.13 the name of the doctor

✅️ the doctor crying when clara mentions trenzalore ✅️ clara going into the timestream and the montage/narration ✅️ river, eleven seeing her ✅️ war doctor reveal

literally a banger idgaf

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🖼 the day of the doctor

✅️ eleven, ten and war all meeting each other ✅️ all thirteen!! ✅️ the curator

there's just so many good moments in this ep like woah I have to stan. funny but also emotional, changes something big without taking away from what came before, love it a lot

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🕛 the time of the doctor

✅️ eleven and clara's vibe ✅️ the timelords giving him extra regens ✅️ the regen speech !!

best regeneration episode by a mile I fear

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

series five episode ratings:

the eleventh hour - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the beast below - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 victory of the daleks - ⭐️⭐️💫 the time of angels - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ flesh and stone - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the vampires of venice- ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 amy's choice - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the hungry earth - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 cold blood - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 vincent and the doctor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the lodger - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the pandorica opens - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the big bang - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 a christmas carol - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series five average rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4.1428571429

series six episode ratings:

the impossible astronaut - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 day of the moon - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the curse of the black spot - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the doctor's wife - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the rebel flesh - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the almost people - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 a good man goes to war - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ let's kill hitler - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ night terrors - ⭐️⭐️💫 the girl who waited - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the god complex - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ closing time - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the wedding of river song - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the doctor, the widow and the wardrobe - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series six average rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4.00000000

series seven episode ratings:

asylum of the daleks - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 dinosaurs on a spaceship - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 a town called mercy - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the power of three - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the angels take manhattan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the snowmen - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the bells of saint john - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the rings of akhaten - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 cold war - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ hide - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ journey to the centre of the tardis - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the crimson horror - ⭐️⭐️💫 nightmare in silver - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the name of the doctor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the day of the doctor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the time of the doctor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

series seven average rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4.00000000

#doctor who #nataliechats

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vilelittlecritter · 1 year

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Series 5 of doctor who is the best series in the franchise and this is a hill I WILL die on.

Seriously the whole season is just magical, it doesn't feel like a nerdy sci-fi show it feels like a fairy tale. The eleventh hour, for me at least, actually leaves me sobbing just because of what it means to me and as previously stated how magic it feels. Little Amelia is a song that no matter how many times I listen to will always leave me ugly crying no matter how hard I try to fight it. The TARDIS design although flawed fits the season perfectly in that it doesn't make sense, it's bizarre, nonsensical and yet its warm, the TARDIS is so incredibly comforting and the sounds god the sounds it makes really are like you are sitting inside a cosmic entity that is living and breathing. Matt Smith's doctor can be a wacky spaceman and then fly off the rails and remind us that he's a sad old man who's lost everything he has ever loved. His acting is nothing below phenomenal. Sure I think that Amy and the doctor are not nearly as good as Donna and ten but they're still pretty good! besides the whole flirting with the doctor thing that always really weirded me out and I still don't like it when companions do that

Don't get me wrong series 4 probably would be my number 1 favourite if it weren't for how much nostalgia 5 gives me.

Anyway sorry for the rant I know I don't really talk about DW but I am juggling my hyperfixations like the clown I am

#doctor who #random rambles #rant

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yoakkemae · 3 months

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tenfoldrage:

The Doctor frowns at their old companion, the fresh pain of loss searing their hearts. They know that they have to drop her off, now, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier. In the past 12 hours or so, the Doctor was forced to give a tissue sample which then became their kid who they grew attached to, only for her be shot dead while trying to protect them. This was why they'd tried to hold her at arm's length, why they didn't want to accept her as their child— just like their late children and grandchildren, Jenny has left a hole in their hearts that nothing can ever fill. "Yeah," they speak quietly as they lean back against one of the coral-like pillars and stare off into space, in a daze. Beneath the surface, rage bubbles and froths through them like an angry river bursting the banks, threatening to flood anything and everything in its path... the only thing holding it back is the even heavier feeling of sorrow, of loss and of grief. Despite turbulent emotions, they feel flat, without substance. Numb. After a moment, the Doctor's gaze finally meets with Martha's and their eyes tell the story of what they feel inside, even though they try to mask it. Still, the offer she's given them is appreciated, even if they're temporarily incapable of showing that appreciation. "...I'll be sure to take you up on that, Martha Jones. One of these days."

in the excitement of going to a new planet and to a new time , martha had almost forgot the bad that always came with the good from travelling with the doctor. almost being the key word ( there's no part of her , no centimetre of her that could forget about the year , but even martha has to recognise that had been a ... drastic sort of bad ). but even this had been ... worse than usual , less of a balance. maybe , just maybe , the society between the human and the haath will be able to peacefully coexist now , but ...

the doctor has always been alone from the very moment she met them. she still remembers their face when they spoke of gallifrey , of the world , the culture , and the people they've lost. martha remembers the tears , sobs , pleas leaving their lips as they cradled the master's body , so similar to the way they cradled jenny's body just recently. always losing people , the doctor.

there's a part of her that grimaces when she sees that loss in their eyes , just as there is a part of her that softens. she knows , more than most , just how to read them , to really see them. and she can see the rage and the grief pressing them down until there's nothing left. there's an uptick of her lips at their response , too sad to be called a smile but she makes a good try of it anyway. ' try your best to have that be soon , ' she says matter-of-fact because she knows they wouldn't be able to deal with anything they might perceive to be pity. she holds open her arms in just an offer , no expectation on her face on way or the other. if they want the illusion that this is a hug goodbye , she won't take that away.

#tenfoldrage #tbt.#i had like 10% of this written down aksjdflkajsdkfaj and just finished it now #so if it's no cohesive that's why #:D

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litcityblues · 5 months

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Doctor Whoquest Part 9: My Favorite Tennant Season (Maybe)

Martha Jones might be one of my favorite companions of the Nu-Who Era. It's just a damn shame that Freema Agyeman only did one season in the role- but at the same time, that was kind of a genius move on her part, because it leaves you wanting more. She also is studying to be a Doctor and has a big and complicated family she has to deal with ultimately, in the wake of the Master's Year of Dominion Over Earth- which she and her family are amongst the few to remember it happening, she steps away to help them process and deal with the very real trauma of that. It feels like the right choice for her. It feels like a solid way to end the run. It makes sense for the character.

But damn it, I liked her. I wanted to see more of her and if there's ever a chance for them to bring her back in any fashion, I would be totally for it.

She also might have the best debut episode of any companion in Nu-Who. Don't get me wrong The Ponds and 11 rock The Eleventh Hour- that remains my choice for best Doctor debut, but in terms of best companion debut, it's hard to top her first episode, 'Smith and Jones.' The music for this series is absolutely incredible as well-- Murray Gold absolutely was eating his Wheaties here. The I guess, 'Smith and Jones' theme that sort of pops up throughout the series is one of my all-time favorites of the Nu-Who run. (11 has good music as well-- really captures the sense of urgency/epic moments that he has going on, but this perfectly complements the overall series.)

Three Episodes I Liked

'Smith and Jones': Seriously, the best companion debut episode in all of Nu-Who. Not a moment is wasted, the writing is taut and to the point. We meet Martha, we meet her family and its associated drama, we see her going to work to be a Doctor, and then, bam, it starts raining upside down and she's scooped up along with her entire hospital and taken to the Moon where the Judoon (our first time meeting these folks) shake down the place looking for a fugitive which they eventually find. The brilliant part of this episode is when she bumps into the Doctor on the way to work, but then meets him as a patient in the Hospital and seems confused when he doesn't recognize her-- the episode brings that tiny moment full circle at the end when he demonstrates that the TARDIS is, in fact, a time machine and goes and takes off his tie at the start of the episode for her. Just fantastic stuff.

'Human Nature'/'The Family of Blood': Excellent two-part episode where the Doctor has to go undercover to escape the Family of Blood that wants his life force so they won't die. He lands in 1913 and makes himself fully human intending to hide until they die out and gives Martha a list of instructions to follow. Eventually, they catch up with him and the Doctor is brought back-- but doesn't want to go because has has fallen in love with the nurse, Joan. They share a vision of what their life would be like together and the Doctor offers to let her travel in the TARDIS with them, but she refuses. He then gives The Family of Blood exactly what they want.

'Blink': Y'all knew this was going to be on here, right? The debut of The Weeping Angels with Sally Sparrow on the case while the Doctor and Martha are trapped in 1969. Absolute banger of an episode that introduced a shiny new villain and dialed up the creepy to boot.

Two Episodes I Didn't Like

'Gridlock': I get it. The final appearance of the Face of Boe was always going to happen at some point and I can appreciate the importance of the season-long arc here, but... New New York, I love you, but you're bringing me down. It was kind of 'meh' for me.

'Daleks In Manhattan'/'Evolution of the Daleks': Ah, the inevitable appearance of the Daleks. They try something dastardly and new that is immediately foiled by the Doctor and they escape again until next season when they do it all over again. Maybe this makes me a bad Doctor Who fan, but I'm thoroughly uninterested in the Daleks at this point.'

One Episode To Consider:

'The Sound of Drums'/'Last of the Time Lords': John Simm as The Master works really well and they've done a good job throughout Nu-Who casting The Master. This was an epic way to end the season, but it's leaving the Jones family and a few others with memories of a year that gets erased by the end of the episode- a year where the human population is devastated and forced into slavery and there's a lot of trauma to unpack there. It's fascinating to think about-- what did Martha do for that entire year? How did it change her? How did it change her family? And she gets to keep the memories of all that? So many interesting things to consider about this episode.

Overall: Solid, excellent stuff. The Martha Jones season might be my favorite Tennant Season and she ranks right up there as one of my favorite companions. There are more good to excellent episodes in this season than not-so-good lackluster episodes in this season and you really feel that Tennant is inhabiting the role and making it his own at this point.

My Grade: 9/10

#whoquest #doctor who #10 #season 3

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amewinterswriting · 1 year

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For the elements ask: Earth, Fire, Shadows, Space

Earth: What do you think is the foundation of your WIP?

For Agorned, found family. Throughout every story, there's a consistent theme of being different or lost or abandoned or persecuted and subsequently finding connections with unlikely seeming companions who share some of the same struggle.

For Passions of Secret London, exploration of identity and sexuality. From loving what is monstrous about your partner (and yourself) to working out how your relationship fits in with the world. I mean, how do you see your long-term plans changing when you get involved with a selkie with very protective sisters?

For the Welsh WIP (which needs a name, I can't keep calling it that), it's a bit of an exploration of my childhood/teenage years - the struggle of feeling isolated and not knowing who (if anyone) can help. It's about unwillingly being dragged into a mess you didn't create and don't have the power or tools to fix but somehow all the people who could fix the situation choose to be blinded by their own petty grievances.

Fire: What’s a scene that you are dying to write?

It's a dumb scene that's stuck in my head from Passions of Secret London. In this particular story, the protagonist (Scarlett) is short on rent. She finds out her landlady (Elizabeth) is a vampire - money flow is no issue once you've been around long enough and compound interest is working its magic, but blood is somewhat more difficult to get. Pretty sure you can see where that's going. Anyway, this particular scene is Scarlett asking Elizabeth for more details about the vampiric condition. For example, does Elizabeth need to be invited into Scarlett's flat explicitly? After all, it's technically Elizabeth's property, Scarlett is just renting it. And Elizabeth is just steadfastly ignoring the 'vampire' aspect of it and only addressing the 'landlord' aspect. Like: "Of course I can't enter your flat uninvited, that would be illegal. If I needed to gain access to that space for whatever reason, I would need to inform you at least 24 hours in advance and gain permission to enter." And Scarlett spends a lot of time trying to get her to answer candidly whether the obstacle to entry is simply legal or supernatural (becoming more and more exasperated the longer Elizabeth refuses to give a straight answer).

Shadows: What’s the darkest theme you’ve ever written about?

I've definitely written about darker stuff (suicide, abandonment, death, torture) in my teenage years but the best story that comes to mind is this: In the near future, we can record and playback sensations in a kind of VR setup. Touch, pleasure, pain, etc. The main application of this is in the medical field - 'doctors' are less trained in the external symptoms of disease and disability; instead, they train on recorded simulations of various pain so when they are hooked up to their patients, they can diagnose based on what it feels like. People being people, new doctors make this into a competition: putting themselves through the most harrowing records of pain and suffering and seeing who can endure the longest. There's a betting pool. It's entertainment. Doctors are valued less on what knowledge they have and more based on how much pain they can endure, since they would be able to diagnose a larger pool of patients based on their second-hand experience. While I now feel I didn't really come to a natural point when I first wrote this (the original story ends with an invasion and the outside forces commenting on how barbaric the practice is) I think if I revisited it now, I would like to point out the difference between enduring pain on a voluntary and temporary basis and how that pales in comparison to say...a chronic condition that you have little to no control over. That a doctor might make the argument that a patient's pain is 'minor' because they endured it themselves (with full control over when and how long to experience it) and that their patient doesn't need any real medical help (like painkillers or assistive devices), instead suggesting lifestyle changes and determination.

Space: Where’s your favorite place to write?

Less of a favourite but more like my most effective: the bus when communicating to work. It's like an enforced writing sprint - I have 25-35 minutes where I can't do anything else so I might as well write. The short time frame means it doesn't feel too intimidating and I'm more likely to get something down, without getting too precious about the exact wording or quality.

#writing #ame talks #long post #agorned #on writing #ask game #my writing #writblr

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ssaalexblake · 3 years

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I've been wondering how you would define the arcs of the companions in modern who. Curious because what you said about Donna only having a person being kind to her doesn't change *that* much in terms of self-worth or how Martha realizing she can just leave isn't exactly built as an huge change for her.

I uh. I've sat here for a few days trying to work out what i think and discovered i am not entirely enamored with companion arcs in dw but also this is Heinously long... Sorry.

Rose

I think Rose is a classic bored with life, life gets less boring yay! arc, but it's also trying and failing to be class commentary, imo, because it just doesn't do or say anything about class. A lot of RTD's era seems to Want to talk about class but falls on its face because the guy also has a very strange outlook On upper classes which is that... He possesses that strange quality i don’t get where outwards ppl critique the system but can’t or won’t think outside the box of it Either and occasionally accidentally Lauds it.

RTD era tries class commentary and fails, not in its portrayal of the working class but it’s failure to slam the upper class (that stupid lady christina episode is my supervillain origin story!!! the poor stealing from oppressors and some rich rat losing their money and stealing instead of getting a fucking job are Not the same thing ffs)... and where he chooses to illustrate class issues through companion stories, it can... Mess up the companion stories.

Rose is stuck on an estate, is poor, not well educated and works retail and doesn't even have That anymore in the first episode and she Hates her life, but has no escape because she's poor, lives on the estate and is poorly educated.

Like... Rose being called chav (derogative acronym meaning 'council housed and violent') actually explicitly kind of makes this class angle canon text and turns her beginning from 'bored teenager' to 'teenager with dreams trapped in place because of her socio economic level' and okay... if you Only view Rose's start as her just being bored then how she ends is a satisfying ending, she's got her family, her man (kinda), is well off financially (to the point we could call her rich) And she's helping save the world from aliens and mentally interested in that.

If you view her beginning as class commentary then Rose just finding a long lost father with money whom allows her to live in comfort then it’s a somewhat crap and hollow ending, imo? It's a rich relative fantasy. How is that Rose? Rose always talks to the working class people, she goes out of her way to stick up for servants and plumbers and relates to all of them first and foremost and tries to help them, too? This is why so many people love her to this day, she knows her and others' worth even if the rich bastards don't... but that's just not In her ending??? She just gets a class bump, basically which uh... Doesn’t solve the issue.

I mean, i don't find her story unsatisfying to watch and it's okay, but they lost her there at the end if you ask me. Sure, she's badass with alternate reality torchwood but the whole Point is Rose, poor Rose from the estate, was that she was badass and cool and worth it from the very start when she Wasn't valued by society in which case... the badass is a bit hollow, imo. It's fine but i don't get the fawning over the arc because i Also love Rose but I neither ship her with Ten Or think she needs to be saving the world well funded to be her best self. In that, the end of her arc falls a lot flat. I wanted there to be a bigger point, you know? But I don't think RTD really has the most astute grip on class politics... Always thought they did better with this in s1 and that it may have been Eccleston’s influence flavouring the story.

Martha

Martha is the outlier in rtd dw in that she’s portrayed as having a middle class background, she has her own flat in london and is a doctor/medical student (it’s a Bit vague on that one but i kind of tend to see her as a junior doctor to make sense of her saying she wants/hopes to be a doctor but also saying she Is one???) so she has money, a career, a family that is annoying but whom she loves. Martha is not acting out of a sense of urgency from lack of choice... Martha just wants some fun with the cute alien she met. Like, there is nothing wrong with this as motivation. She wants some fun, is up for that and goes with the guy she thinks is hot, turns out the travelling is crap and He’s on the rebound and does some crap stuff so she leaves. That’s a perfectly okay arc for a character... She loves this guy but no, she’s better than this and has better things than this. It's not explosive or That huge of a decision for her to leave at all because there are no stakes. She can support herself easily, has a good life to go back to. It's a more 'i am better than this shit' arc than anything else.

I... Don’t have any issues with the content of this arc, but the execution always gives me pause. Martha just wanted fun and never got it, she’s constantly pulled into dangerous situations, is kidnapped, stuck in the past more than once and one of those times she’s stuck as the help for the doctor and faces racist abuse while she does work like scrubbing floors when she’s a legit doctor, all the while as the doctor (not an actual doctor) lives it up with all these perks even tho he has no actual qualifications and by all rights should be scrubbing floors himself, not her. Like, He could literally have taken them Anywhere to hide but took them there and this is as much a 10 issues as the writers wanting to what?? Portray Martha suffering racist abuse? Why? Why was that necessary? He’s also in general a dick. And the whole master thing is... Yikes. They’re out there having him make jokes about the master race while he forces martha’s family into servitude under extreme threat of violence? I mean. Yikes. And then Ten forgives him and Martha ditches him.

I guess sometimes i feel like they went Kiiiind of misery porn on this ‘martha realises he’s kinda trash and leaves’ thing when they didn’t actually need to go that far. Her realising he’d never get the hell over Rose, realising she wants her okay not bad life to move on with would have been fine. Martha had, quantifiably, the least fun of a companion lbr, she gets One fun adventure with Shakespeare and the rest sucks. They went too hard.... Martha had little stakes if she wanted to leave, she has a loving family and good job and a good money situation??? Too far in context with all this.

It’s woman meets alien falls for them and realises they’re trash and leaves ‘em. A tale as old as time, did not need to make her suffer nearly as much as they did. It's not a bad arc in general though? I don't need fireworks, i just wish they'd be more sensitive to what they're portraying.

Donna

And yeah. Donna’s arc... I can’t on good conscience really call it an arc as much as a Line. Donna’s my fave, this comes from a place of love but she didn’t get to grow at all.

If you’re gonna structure an arc the way they did here, with the lead having a revelation on what the other character is feeling at the end then that means said character has been feeling that way The Whole Time. This means Donna felt small and unimportant the whole time she was with 10. By nature of structure, it is literally Impossible for her to grow and develop or for her to Have grown and developed during the course of the season because they wipe her memory and she is back to step one. Which is apparently were we’ve been the whole time. Because she never gained self esteem throughout the season.

It grinds my gears with Donna because she’s like Rose, she’s not from a well off family and while they probably have more money than Rose and Jackie, Donna’s in an emotionally abusive environment, i will spit fire about how awful rtd’s dw is towards any woman over the age of 30 but the fact of the matter is, no matter how much i hate they did it, Donna’s mum is cruel and degrading to her daughter, she belittles her, is mean... Donna’s trying to do Anything she can to escape but she lacks the financial resources to do so. She’s after a well paid job (it's not like Donna's lazy, she works hard and well!!!), she’s after a well off husband who is nice to her. She’s trying to escape, desperately. Like Rose. When this doesn’t work she decides she actually Can happily spend the rest of her life with the guy who casually committed a genocide when they first met. She would literally rather Die than go back to the situation she was in before. Hello red flag. Rose’s reaction was anger and boredom at the monotony of life when she found herself back home... Donna’s was significantly more troubling.

None of this is okay. This is intensely fucked up. It kills me!!! Because we learn near the end she Never had any sense of self worth, she didn’t gain it by going round with the doctor and even if she had she was just gonna lose it anyway. When we see her alive and well as ten explains to her family after he wipes her mind we know how she views herself and views the life she lives. It’s grim.

And so. Donna gets a nice husband, she gets a lottery ticket, she escapes the toxic environment that degraded her constantly. Yay? Does this help her self worth issues? Is escaping from a toxic environment enough? Well. No. We know it doesn’t because she wasn’t in a toxic environment or relationship with Ten and her self worth, despite all the incredible and wonderful things she achieved, still did not improve.

They made her sense of self worth a linchpin in her arc, not to solve it, but to make Us, the audience, hurt for her. There is tragedy and then there is ruining an entire arc to hurt the viewers. If Donna’s arc had nothing to do with self worth then it wouldn’t have been a mess because in the end, even through the tragedy, she gets what she wants in escaping the toxicity of an environment she’d rather die than be in, getting a husband and money to live well allows her what she wants.

But no, rtd and co Had to mess with the audience to her detriment. literally, all they had to say was 'don't make me feel worthless AGAIN' and it says she Grew out of it and then we had confirmation that out of a toxic environment she heals but No.

I mean, Donna escaping a toxic living environment Is a victory and a good thing for ending her arc on But they also proved just escaping will not help her sense of self worth, So. Not fab.

Amy and Rory

Surprise entry in this list of complaints. I enjoy their arc and think it was well done. The plots Around it are questionable either for being wildly stupid (Hello weeping angel statue of liberty) or just... Messed up. But I actually really appreciated their arc during a proper rewatch from start to finish? The biggest evil in their arc is, unfortunately the River thing. It’s not the worst sci-fi pregnancy bs i’ve seen, not even close but... Yikes still. River’s story is also yikes but i’ve elected to not consider river a companion and instead a wife to avoid this being even Longer. They itro’d amy as a child to emphasize that this was her growing up story, imo, and it worked. Amy grows up when she’s on the show and the progression is natural and nice to watch.

The Amy and Rory we meet in 11′s first episode also grow together beautifully over the course of their time on the show, at the start Amy is far less mature than Rory (which i Also buy with how they showed their careers, people that young in jobs like Rory’s Do mature faster) and while at the beginning they kind of miss each other due to their different maturity levels despite the fact that they do love each other, Amy Grows a hell of a lot over the course of her travels and they stop missing each other and are perfectly on the level. Also, kind of s/o to Eleven for Not enabling Amy’s immaturity and trying to help her life out by going to pick up Rory as well? Not normally a thing the doctor is great about and i appreciate that 11 tries.

I am not always a fan of the stories they choose to form their arc around, but the stories don’t interfere with their arc, either, for the most part. Or at least, nothing egregious sticks out to me at the moment.

I honestly feel these two best embody a coming of age story. I feel like what the writers wanted to achieve with them was what played out on screen, it’s satisfying to watch in a way the previous three are not to me because it feels complete without being ott. Amy went from wanting to run away from what she had, to somebody who wanted to stay so she could appreciate those things she ran from.

Rory specifically i think is just a decent person, and i think that’s His superpower. He thinks small, he values the little things, the people everyone overlooks, he will save the world but won’t view somebody’s personal achievements as less than that. I kind of get hissy at the centurion thing because like... They did it to make him Awesome(tm) and he already was. It was a masculine add on and usually comes across to me that the writers didn’t realise they’d created somebody amazing if they didn’t have him wait around for thousands of years in a centurion outfit as a guard. I mean, it doesn’t detract from why i love him but... It adds nothing imo. The writers were showing some colours i think tbh.

Clara

Ah, Clara. I love Clara. I... am not sure the show loves her as much as i do. I always find it kind of ironic such a large part of her arc ends up being her demand for autonomy from the doctor when the narrative offers her so little.

When the doctor needs a nanny she’s a nanny, when the doctor needs a teacher, she’s a teacher. When the narrative doesn’t need conflict stemming from her personality she doesn’t have some glaringly massive character flaws but the second the mystery fades from ‘what/who the hell is clara’ they invent a few for her out of the blue to mix up with the new regeneration's personality. I always get stuck on Clara discourse because I don’t have a problem with the flaws Clara was given like some and don't mind they portrayed her being not so great to kinda terrible sometimes, it makes it interesting and it’s different to what we’ve been given before, but i Do actually take issue with the shoddy writing in how she Got to this place because it honestly paints a Bad picture of what was going on bts???

With Amy and Rory i got the impression the writers knew what they wanted for them the whole time. With Clara it’s obvious they had to make an abrupt swerve somewhere in the middle. At first she’s pleasant and the tension around her is that she’s unexplainable... This arc concludes with her Basically committing suicide to save the doctor and declaring it the reason for her living. The only reason i say basically and not literally is because after the lead up to how Bad it’d be to jump into the doctor’s time stream... they forget it happened and start the next ep in a totally different place. Was i supposed to take 11 doing it also and picking her up as a resolution??? because that just made it More inexplicable and bad. jeez.

Once this is done she... Yeah she teaches/babysits a Group of doctors into not doing a genocide. Then after this she gets some sudden character flaws because her previous purpose was fulfilled. On to teacher Clara teaching 12 to be a functioning person. Thennnnn Danny dies and she has her vacation in master logic land. This was fun, i enjoyed this. The bare bones of all these arcs are Fine even if the execution was awful due to casting, but i can’t claim Clara from s7 and clara from s8 makes a Natural progression from a to b because she just doesn’t.

I love her. The writing... oof.

Gonna stop here till i’ve actually watched all of s9 instead of the highlight reel, but the writing had problems. I’m not sure what i’d call Clara’s arc because??? I just don’t know, overall. I could name half a dozen things but it lacks linear progression if you ask me.

Bill omitted till, again, i’ve seen more of her than just the highlight reel.

Ryan and Graham

Gonna start with Graham here because Graham Wanted to keep travelling with 13 but chose Not to to stay with Ryan as to not abandon him. Ryan’s lost pretty much everybody, people leave him, he was okay with graham going on without him but Graham wouldn’t do it and i think in an ep dealing with abandonment as a theme that meant something. So Graham didn’t Want to go but did anyway and I feel like this ties into the theme in this era, it Is unfinished business for him. Graham didn’t want to just mope around the house and grieve, he wanted to travel and see things. He didn’t go with 13 to run away, he went to move on? Compare this to Rose and Donna who Were running from something and it’s Totally different.

I find his arc quite refreshing, actually. He’s a Very put together and mentally healthy person, he’s here because it’s helping him mentally and it also means he’s with his grandson. He wants to live, he’s almost died before, he leaves to live, not to run. Is this high stakes drama? No. Frankly his motivation doesn’t Need to be. These two remind me of Martha, in this respect. They got involved in doctor shenanigans accidentally and got hooked on the fun of it and decided to stick around.

Graham over the course of the two seasons earns Ryan’s trust and love, despite the scorn and reluctance shown to him Graham will Not leave Ryan. Everybody leaves Ryan and as the show progresses you see Ryan notice he’s not doing so and let graham in. As this happens Ryan also starts actually picking up some of graham’s traits and emotional intelligence, he learns how to deal with people from graham.

I feel like there are a Lot of themes so far in chibbs era dw but i honestly think they’re going kinda hard on the mental health angle, and graham serves as an example of somebody being on top of their shit, being mentally healthy, and it juxtaposes nicely with a couple of dumpster fires in this era. By that i mean 13 and Yaz. Ryan learns by example, is honest about his feelings and talks about it and doesn’t lash out and in general learns from graham and... Ryan’s in a really good place when he leaves! He suffered the mortifying ideal of being known and he grew up and is happier and healthier and that was graham’s example. Ryan’s had a hard life and grew into a good man and Graham’s love and example has a lot to do with that.

Is that a huge explosive and exciting arc? No. But i don’t have a problem with that, tbh. The all flash no bang doesn’t always play well, he has solid motivation and consistent characterization and grows from somebody not willing to take risks and just wearily conceding to his new sense of adventure to somebody able to optimistically tackle terrifying situations with curiosity and gusto. We know why he's there, we see him get bolder, we see his love for Ryan never ever falter, did he reach some peak of achievement? No. But he also didn't want to leave yet. Oh, unfinished business.

As for Ryan, the coming of age story. As i said, he learnt so much, he learnt to deal maturely with his own trauma and issues to the point where, when 13 accidentally abandons him he is able to intelligently and fairly allow his own feelings on the matter to show but also engage her in an intelligent manner.

He always imo approached this with the air of a kid just after school going travelling? He’s 19, that’s good enough as a reason! He grows up, sees wonders and horrors and learns, and then he realises that he’s left things behind he cares about too. He got caught up in it all and who wouldn’t, but Ryan realises Tebo was suffering and he wasn’t There and he related that to the people who left him and realised, probably his talk with his father factoring in here, that Abandonment doesn’t Have to mean a lack of caring. Sometimes people get caught up in their life or run away because it hurts, and he sees he’s neglected responsibilities and pretty much from There he’s realised he wants to leave, lbr. His talk with Yaz in cyhm? illustrates Ryan was finished by this point and that Yaz wasn’t.

His worst fear wasn’t just that earth could like, die, a la orphan 55, it was that he abandoned the planet to it and wasn’t there! Ryan takes all his abandonment issues and channels them into deciding that he won’t do that and will be responsible! Be it to his friends on earth or to the planet itself. He went from being weighed upon by his issues to acknowledging the complexity and deciding to Not be like that himself! Like, he’s an incredible dude, and he’s gonna save the world, all because he’s a good person who cares. He took his problems and turned them into his strengths and uses them to be better.

As i said... He grows up. And a fine coming of age story it was.

I am not gonna do Yaz. I will be here 8 years and also she’s not done yet and how her story concludes will contextualize the whole thing. Also this is. Long. To the point nobody will read it.

#sapphichymns #dw shit #i am So sorry for the length #i Cut stuff from this lollllllllllll #but also thank u for the brain food i needed the focus rn #dw meta

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knockknockchicagopd · 3 years

Text

A SERIE WITH HANK VOIGHT. CHAPTER I.

❚❙ WORDS: about 1.1k

❚❙ A/N: this writing hasn’t been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I’m sorry about that. If you find a description about body or a word out of place, or something that it makes you feel uncomfortable / unrepresented, let me know by a private message and I will change it delighted.

❚❙ GIF credits: to my amazing @sonsofeorl.

❚❙ Tag list: @melblacc @rebelwrites @skyofficialxx @sesamepancakes @scarletsoldierrr @mondefantastique @that-chick212 @enbyamaro @inlovewith3 @ocetevasgirl @sophie-writes @destynelseclipsa @jadakiss13. If you want to be added to my tag list, send me a message.

You hate paperwork, but being in your first year of residence that's your main task at the hospital. The real doctors always take advantage of your situation, alleging that you're too intelligent to lose your time taking some classes for medical examinations. So they let you complete their reports and medical records.

Will sticks his head out of the frame door, knocking it to earn your attention. With a heavy sight, you raise up your eyes from the screen of your laptop. The smile curving up his lips makes you now that he needs you. He is something like your sponsor and, sometimes, he gives you the opportunity to attend patients with superficial wounds. You don't ask getting up from your chair, infected by the grin on his face.

Following him quickly through the main hallways, he guides you to a treatment room in the Emergencies, wearing your white coat ready for whatever. Will opens you the door to find three men there. You don't know any of them.

“What 'we got?” You ask going straight to the sink to wash your hands, before wearing a pair of gloves.

“Something simple. Clean shot. Bullet stuck in the right shoulder. Two inches and a half deep”.

In silence, you grab a small glass bottle with lidocaine inside to place it over the removable tray and start to prepare everything you need to heal the man grunting on the stretcher.

“Wait, wait, wait”. The older man sits up with a sarcastic grimace. “Have you lost your damn mind, Halstead? A kid ain't gonna remove that bullet from me”.

Not even looking at the doctor, you frown pressing a hand on the older's bare chest to push him down.

“My hospital, my rules”.

Hearing some giggles behind you from his companions, you raise both eyebrows tilting your chin. When he understands there's no other option, he tries to relax with a hissed fine. Putting the motion lamp over the open wound, you don't lose time on disinfecting it, being thanked that he's suffering a brief hemorrhage. The hole is big enough to not need to open it with a scalpel, studying it while injecting the lidocaine and waiting some seconds till the med makes its effect.

Counting down from ten to zero, you grab the tweezers leaning closer to slide it carefully inside the wound. Two inches and a half. It's easy for you to find the bullet, catching it slowly and pulling your hand up until you have the piece of steel out of him. Inspecting it, you make sure that the shoot has been really clean and there's no shrapnel, before starting to stitch up.

It doesn't take you more than a minute, being an easy task for you, seeing sideways Will proudly crossing his arms on his chest. Covering your small piece of art with a couple of gauzes, you force a smile to the man with his brown eyes glued on yours.

“Come tomorrow morning to check how it's going. Doctor Halstead will prescribe you meds for pain, and it would be good if you use a sling for a week, sir”.

Turning off the motion lamp and taking off the gloves from your hands to throw them into the trash, your sponsor offers you a fist to crash it with yours.

“Good job, (Y/L/N). Take a break of fifteen minutes, I cover your back”.

“Thank you”. Showing him a satisfied smile, you lead your steps to the outside of the room, stopping on your tracks under the frame. Turning around and grabbing a shape-heart lollipop from your coat pocket, you leave it over the stretcher. “For being a good boy”.

You can't help but waver him, narrowing your eyes.

“I ain't exactly a good boy, sweetheart”.

“And I'm not exactly a sweetheart”.

He spits a chuckle, kissing his teeth not being able to put his eyes off from you and that aura of cockiness that follows you everywhere.

“Gentlemen, Doc'”. Your head bows down with a short nod, before continuing your steps to the cafeteria.

Being sure that your work for today is already done and you have all your medical records organized over your desk for Will, you say your goodbyes and leave the hospital. The cold breeze of Chicago oblige you to zip your jacket over your chest, keeping your hands inside the pockets, prior to starting walking your way back home. You have always loved November's weather in your hometown, but you're starting to hate it since your car is in the workshop because someone had the brilliant idea of ripping your tires.

Closing the door behind you and leaving your bag in the entrance, you take off your jacket to hang it in the coat rack next to Matt's.

“Hey!” You shout, not sure where your housemate is.

“Kitchen!”

Stretching your arms over your head, you continue to the mentioned place, sitting on the marble counter highing five with the fireman.

“How was your day?” He asks turning the meat in the pan to the other side and season it with salt and pepper.

“Hm… interesting”. You reply pressing your lips and tilting your head. “Yours?”

“Quiet, actually”.

“Yeah, it's surprising when we don't get any patients from fire accid— what's that?” Your words are interrupted by your curiosity, pointing at the bucket of red roses in a jar over the dinner table. “Another old lady who fell in love with you, casanova?”

“Actually, I'm not the one who stole a heart today”.

Raising an eyebrow greatly taken aback, you put down yourself from the counter to grab his open beer. Having a sip, you hold the small paper card handwritten.

“I lost the lollipop, sorry”. You can't help but laugh softly like an idiot, under Matt's attentive look. As soon as you turn at him, you clear your throat erasing the goofy gesture from your face. “Halstead let me take care of a bullet wound. The guy was an idiot, so I laughed on his face giving him a lollipop. I think he was a cop”.

“Look at you… hanging out with the elite of Chicago”. Teasing you with some tickles, he places an arm over your shoulders. “How is his name? I must know him”.

“Dunno, he didn't say it. Will either. But he has to come back tomorrow for a revision”.

“Yeah… for a revision”.

“Aw, you jealous, Casey? How sweet…” Palming his chest and joking on him, you try to feign feeling touched. “Don't worry, no man will take your best friend's position”.

“I feel much better now. Should we order a pizza to celebrate it?”

“Please. I'm starving”.

“Let me guess…” Placing himself in front of you, walking backwards to the living room, Matt points at you with a forefinger. “Cheetos and Arizona tea for lunch again?”

“Who told you? Gabi or Sylvie?”

“Severide went to the hospital, and he had a glimpse of you in the cafeteria”.

“I knew you couldn't be this smart”.

#lemme know what you think in a comment! ⚡#hank voight x reader #hank voight imagine #hank voight #chicago pd #chicago pd imagine #chicago pd x reader #one chicago

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variousqueerthings · 5 months

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MORE GUILT!!!!

Let's Kill Hitler (the episode not the imperative). this episode has a couple of things I really like, and a lot of things I don't

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 3/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 2/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 7/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 8/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 3/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 3/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 4/10

FULL RATING: 43/100 (if I can count….)

yikes, well, one point more than the previous episode

OBJECTIFICATION: there's this whole bit where River regenerates into the body we know and she goes on a whole BIT about her body and how hot she is (and makes a Mrs Robinson reference -- the second we've had of her in this show), and see it's not objectification, because River is just sexually confident that she's so sexy!

and then we continue to see this sexually liberated River be hot in various scenes. on and on and oooooooooooon, but it's in a craaaazy way because they establish she's craaaazy (more on that below) but also craaaazy hot

and also she goes to weigh herself as one of the first things in that regeneration, because she is A Wooman, and women care about their weight first and foremost

one thing I'm not sure if to put here or somewhere else, so it goes here: kid!Amy has a line about how she's "basically a boy" because kid!Amy is not like other girls, you see. she's kind of a tomboy is the suggestion. and of course the best thing about girls who aren't like other girls, is when they grow up to be super fucking banging models, but still One Of The Guys... it was a comment that annoyed me, considering Amy's characterisation. just let her be a girlygirl, she is as an adult! she is very much like girls, she likes being a girl! "not like the other girls" is either "I'm sexist because I want boys to like me," OR "I'm about 10 years off from a diagnosis and/or lesbianism and/or a new gender"

we also get another casually sexist moment of the Doctor asking Rory for permission (again!!!) to hug Amy, just to say hello??? where did this come from??? it did not exist this season until these two episodes! it's bad characterisation!

PLOT-POINT: Mels... Melody... wooow.... get it..... so Mels is someone Amy grew up with, except we've never heard anything about her before. in fact, something this episode does is highlight that Amy's life doesn't matter to this story. Amy's parents allegedly came back, but they exist even less than before, because at least before there was actually a plot reason why she didn't ever mention or care about them, Amy's aunt? doesn't exist? Leadworth? not a real place

we see Amy's school-life now and her bestie Mel, who wasn't there in s5 at all, and didn't come to the wedding because she "hates weddings" and it's really just to make the plot happen, because I'm not convinced M*ffat had any idea who Mels was until he started writing this episode

how does Amy feel about having spent all her youth with this person? well, we don't really know because it was covered in a montage. how does she feel about the child she bore without knowing, the child that was taken from her, suddenly being her old (new) best friend of ever? Idk, it's not important I suppose

Amy's whole everything is just about what the plot needs it to be, and none of it affects her. she just pivots as a character to become someone slightly different than we've known her to be until now, because now the plot has decided to be something different

but River! River also doesn't make sense, she's just vibing with whatever is required for her, and it's because she's a psyyyychopaaaath so she's craaaaaazy and can pivot whenever she wants! that's what crazy people do

I also note some things about how the Doctor continues to affect this family, it's so messed up but it's just how it is. I'm sure there's good fanfic out there exploring it

COMPLEXITY: it's soooort of complex but also not. the plot about the tiny people in robots travelling time to exact vengeance on criminals is quite nice, but then it's on top of the River thing happening as well, and River is a war criminal because she... kills the Doctor in the future. and that part is... ehhh, doesn't make sense

because the other plot is that this religious order (the Silence, we met them in the beginning of the season) "bred the perfect psychopath" or something, to kill the Doctor and it's kind of going "trust me, this is a perfectly reasonable plot, don't even think about how stupid it is"

it's basically a continuation of the Pandorica plot, where they tried to put the Doctor in space prison and didn't just idk... kill him then, and undermines the whole idea of that plot, because River could just shoot him and that was fine, and even this time around didn't have a great deal of trouble and only didn't kill him because she chose not to

the Doctor is not that hard to kill!!! yes, the Doctor is hard to kill, but not so hard that we need a three season conspiracy arc that's just about the Doctor being the biggest most interesting person that stays alive not because the narrative needs to continue, but because of... idk... being cool I guess

would've been fine with a plot about the little guys in the big robots (I wonder if they'll come back............................................)

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: River becomes our first moment of being River, confirming that this is definitely not a chronological non-linear set of meetings, but it never could have been anyway

River can regenerate because she was conceived in the Tardis and so she is basically a Timelord, and then she uses her regenerations to unkill the Doctor, and also kisses him with her first "hello sweetie"

Amy and Rory... are chill with her being their adult daughter, because secretly growing up with your abducted kid who was "raaaised to kill the Doctor (sigh)" is the same as raising your kid

it's really... more about the Doctor... than about Amy and Rory (shocker)

there's a Question of some kind, (let's hope it's not something stupid like "Doctor Wh-" siiiiiiigh)

THERE IS A BIT THOUGH! WHICH I MENTION IN "PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO" POINT where the Doctor sort of acknowledges the issues with his presence in Amy's life starting waaay back when she was a kid! talk more about it below, it is my favourite scene of the episode

Amy hasn't figured out that River Is Going To Kill The Doctor because she's kind of dense when the plot needs her to be

COMPANIONS MATTER: they do not! this is about their kid and they do not!

I will note three Moments of mattering

. Amy asks the Doctor what to do and he tells her to figure it out and she comes up wtih a plan in a snap second -- this is notable because she barely ever gets to do that in the show

. Amy gets the robot to show River that she is, in fact, River, prompting River to save the Doctor's life

. Rory punches Hitler and then nervously stutters "shut up, Hitler," and I acknowledge that did make me laugh

GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor also just hangs around this episode. he is pretty sure of River saving him I suppose, so yay for that?

oh and there's this stupid bit that is so very Sherlock of the Doctor and River "outsmarting" each other, which also belongs in the annoying sexiness category

there's a scene that I mention in the next point that's pretty neat though!

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: HIGH POINTS! the past exists! best scene oooof the episode!

the Doctor is dying and asks the Tardis to give him a visual interface

The Doctor: Give me someone I like [Rose appears], (sarcastically) thanks, give me guilt. [Martha appears] Also guilt. [Donna appears] MORE GUILT! Come on there must be someone in the Universe I haven’t screwed up yet! [Kid!Amy appears]

this also doubles as a moment where the Doctor acknowledges that his effect in Amy's life has been... less than great..... that perhaps Amy was not better off for meeting him.... Iiinteresting...

“SEXINESS”: Mels entire Thing is being sexy, but in this unhinged way, and then it gets muuuuch much worse with River, because River (as seen explored below in "politics") is Cu-RAAAAZY you see, so she can be so sexy and changeable and fucked up but in a sexy way, because she's a woman (wait this is also sexism, up in the objectification box with you!)

the Doctor says all of this basically

it's so prevalent throughout, because River is so prevalent throughout. and then she does the thing mentioned in the first point of admiring how hot she is, her breasts, curves, etcetcetc. sigh

because... she's.... a woman

also right at the beginning Mels is like "you didn't mention he was hot," and the Doctor all offended goes "you didn't mention I was hot!?" whatever

and when River is being all I'm sexy and matuuuure now, she presses herself up against the Doctor without his consent, and then when she runs off to... weigh... herself...... he covers his dick. S I G H

INTERNAL WORLD: I mean, it's Nazi Germany, but it does a shitty job, see below

POLITICS: we're in subjective land again, but I am... veeeeery tired of the way Hitler and Nazi Germany come up again and again in stuff like this

a lot of the time people do this for Flavour, rather than because there's anything important to say here and it's uncomfortable to me, this thing of writing Nazis for Spice

and of course it's also done to do a wee bit of Old Blighty Gee Whizz propaganda, because it's the Nazis, the ultimate bad guy, a good opportunity to let everyone know how much better the British are than the Nazis! it's just not good writing in my opinion, it's a simplistic depiction, it's dull, and it's politically a bit suspect

and for the next part: SHE'S A! PSYCHOPATH! I GET IT! YOU'VE SAID IT A MILLION TIMES IN THE SCENE!

River: I’m a psychopath, I’m not rude Amy: You are not a psychopath. Why would she be a psychopath? River: I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor The Doctor: This is what they were building. My bespoke psychopath River: I’m all yours sweetie [kisses the Doctor]

firstly, takes "psychopath" away from M*ffat and puts it on the shelf next to "sociopath."

secondly, ooooh all the fucking. it's fine if she does all this boundary-crossing sexual shit to the Doctor because the Doctor is a bloke, and secretly all blokes like it

FULL RATING: 43/100 (if I can count….)

So the good is these couple of tidbits that give us something to work with, and also give a bit of emotional continuity (for the Doctor, not for Amy...)

while the bad is like. the setting. the characterisation. the emotional depth. the dialogue

on the upside, the next episode wasn't written by M*ffat

#im watching nu!who #im watching eleven who #the measurement #episode let's kill hitler

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incomingalbatross · 3 years

Note

If I can still offer suggestions for the "things I'd like to see you write" ask meme: Starfleet chaplain Father Brown. What Holmes was really up to during retirement. And I'm still curious about the "RTD doesn't understand hobbits" meta you mentioned ages ago.

Thank you!

I will say that I do not feel remotely qualified to write Starfleet chaplain Father Brown, but I love that concept so much... I do definitely want to read it.

---

I do want to develop a theory I can stand by on Holmes’ retirement!! Currently I am trying to restrict myself to things that could fit into canon without too obviously catering to my tastes specifically. :P (I have an answer that fits my Modern Holmes AU, but that incorporates fantasy/supernatural elements, and I don’t want to make those essential to any of the original Canon as it lives in my head. It’s hard to articulate the distinction, but it’s there.)

---

...So. I started to write some bullet points for that essay, and...here it is. Or at least here’s a decent first draft. I have’t watched any 10 in a while, so it’s not as well-sourced as I’d like, but it’s here!

(WARNING: Anti-RTD content ahead. If you’re a fan of his era, maybe just scroll past this post.)

So, the essence of hobbit-ness is that

they love the mundane, prosaic and ordinary with a deep love,

this love is not incompatible with a love for the extraordinary, the wondrous, or adventures,

the best and strongest heroes are motivated by their love for the ordinary,

you don’t have to be cool or special or Set Apart to be a hero, you just have to do the job in front of you and keep doing it.

RTD’s era occasionally pays lip service to these ideas, but on a deeper level consistently goes against them.

His companions often dislike their normal lives (Rose in particular), and certainly think them inferior to TARDIS life.

Ordinary people who are content with ordinary lives are often portrayed as comical, small-minded, less worth taking seriously: see Jackie, and post-memory-wipe Donna, who we’re supposed to feel is jarringly diminished by having lost memories of the TARDIS even though she is still herself.

Our heroes are often separated from what they’re fighting for, sometimes in a tragic Frodo-ish way but also, often, because they seem to care more for the fight than the cause: see Rose and 10 treating Queen Victoria like a fun tourist attraction instead of a real actual person (I can absolutely see why she got fed up with them). The narrative is more likely to dismiss the great mass of people the Doctor just saved than to show us that, “Wow, they were so absolutely worth it.”

The human characters become Cool and Real Heroes in direct proportion to how much they are distanced from their roots and made like the Doctor. This is particularly evident in S4, with Rose appearing in a leather jacket spouting technobabble (I’ve seen multiple Rose fans highlight those echoes of the Doctor, and I think they’re right to consider it a conscious decision on RTD’s part), and with Donna. DONNA. She gets her Summit of Coolness, when “for one moment, one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe”... and how does she get there? What’s the best Donna’s ever been, according to the show? The DoctorDonna. The absolute best version of Donna RTD could come up with is the one where her self is half-overwritten by the Doctor’s.

A couple moments that I think illustrate these themes especially well:

ROSE: Get up, catch the bus, go to work, come back home, eat chips and go to bed? Is that it? MICKEY: It's what the rest of us do. ROSE: But I can't! MICKEY: Why, because you're better than us? ROSE: No, I didn't mean that. But it was. It was a better life. And I don't mean all the travelling and seeing aliens and spaceships and things. That don't matter. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know he showed you too. That you don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just runs away, and I just can't (Rose runs out of the cafe.)

The idea that “going to work, coming back home” is somehow a downgrade instead of the fundamental beauty and worth of human life is...characteristic, I think. And while Rose does follow that by saying that she “can’t” be normal not because it was “a better life” on account of the adventures, but because it involved making a stand and doing what’s right... that just pushes the fallacy a little deeper, because now she’s saying that you can only make a stand and do what’s right in any meaningful way away from home, as an adventure. That there are no battles to be fought, nothing to fight for, in the course of “going to work, coming back home.”

Then there’s “End of Time”:

WILF: No really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time. DOCTOR: Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more. So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. And it's not fair! Oh. Oh. I've lived too long.

I know the Doctor follows this by making the sacrifice. But...what kind of hero says things like that out loud? What kind of hero thinks “I ought to live instead of you”? And the thing is...I feel like we’re supposed to feel it’s tragically unjust. We’re supposed to feel the Doctor is worth more, because...what? The man he’s saving won’t live as long as the Doctor would have? The man he’s saving is human?

Those lines should never have been said, because they never should have been presented as a perspective with any validity. The Doctor should have enough love and reverence for life that he jumps to save this life for its own sake, sacrificing himself because he feels Wilf is worth it, and not because he feels the unjust universe is somehow making him do it. That’s not necessary to being a good person, but it is necessary to being the type of hero that the Doctor usually is.

And “School Reunion”:

SARAH: I waited for you. I missed you. DOCTOR: Oh, you didn't need me. You were getting on with your life. SARAH: You were my life. You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, or with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that? DOCTOR: All those things you saw, do you want me to apologise for that? SARAH: No, but we get a taste of that splendour and then we have to go back.

...I have SUCH conflicted feelings about this episode. On the one hand, I adore Sarah, and K-9, and seeing those reunions, and I really love how much this episode meant to David Tennant, and this basically got us the Sarah Jane Adventures which are way up there on my favorite DW content ever. On the other hand...this is such an injustice to Sarah. They took one of the strongest, most independently adventurous characters in all of Classic Who and reduced her to this...droopy, pining figure, who it’s implied spent the last thirty years moping around because Nothing On Earth Can Compare To The Doctor’s Life! :( :( :(

(And then of course SJA itself proved that wasn’t the case, by presenting her as having a life full of adventures and contacts and importance entirely without the Doctor. Which is part of why I love it--although the other part is that everyday life is presented as precious and important, because she has a kid and the problems of Kids and Family and Parenthood are given full weight. <3 )

In short: I think that, on the whole, RTD’s era expresses his own biases towards believing that Cool Adventures and Special Powers and Being Important are inherently worth more than Normal Life and Normal People and Home--which is the antithesis of everything Tolkien embodied in hobbits and the Shire. It’s also not Chestertonian, incidentally, or Narnian (see Rose’s speech above--there’s a reason the Pevensies had to go home eventually, and learn to see Aslan and His work in their own world).

(It’s not entirely like that, of course, but I feel like even the episodes that revolve around the Doctor being Tragically Unable to have a Normal Life do so by...exoticizing the idea? I dunno. We always know it’s not going to happen, and it’s not supposed to happen, so I feel like it’s always a little hollow. And it’s definitely outweighed, in terms of quantity, by the sheer number of instances where being a normie is completely dismissed.)

So there’s my essay! :P

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