"Journey's End" (Hang on, for whom?)
It's rather difficult working through an episode when you haven't even seen it yet, but given the reactions I've been seeing, I haven't really had a choice. (Which would imply I shouldn't be reading ahead, but I repeat, "spoilers"? There's something to be "spoiled"? Not for me, not in this fandom, there's not...) I've been doing my best not to
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At least, not unfair enough to warrant the fuss. I think what most people are getting stuck on is "He had to to save her life, so it couldn't be wrong, and rape is wrong, so it wasn't rape". And it wasn't entirely about power-- though, that he knew for sure he had the right to do this (and that it wasn't even a question, not at any point) does make me suspect there's an element of it there. "But he didn't enjoy it, he didn't want to do it". Sure. I get it. But does that really change the thing that he did? Shoplifting to save your family: understandable, not "wrong", still theft. The death penalty: understandable, legally sanctioned, still ending a life. I get why rape doesn't feel like it should be the right word (assuming you don't think the worst of him already), but that doesn't mean it's not.
Does it have to be a warmongering, incompetent institution? True. My main concern is that TCI would go so much smoother if Harriet didn't have access to that nuke. Then again... maybe that's the lazy way out. Hmm... I always did have vague ideas that in the alternate universe, TW was competent, except everyone always made fun of the Cardiff branch and made serious inquiries into the purity of the water there. Okay, they weren't all that vague. ;)
I've got an S2-end AU-- ooh, that is intriguing. Just far enough off perfect to work-- does that make sense? That could work wonderfully. And I don't think anything with Nine and Donna could possibly fail, either. Excellent. *grins* I'll be waiting for that one in a completely non-threatening way. ;)
I am feeling better. I figured I would, with a little time; I'm not good at sustaining outrage properly. Which is also a bad thing. Something about learning that it wasn't just theoretically like that, but it looked like that, and the sheer amount of work they had to put into creating a situation in which he could be justified in doing that-- on some level, it's got to be deliberate, and I don't think that's the sort of thing you can toss on for angst at the end of a show as a way to write off a character. Not on a children's show, not with how scrupulous they've always been about showing that actions have consequences. What message does it send? Are they actually trying to send that message? And how can so many people just figure it's okay? The word "rape" shouldn't be used lightly; neither should rape itself... I'm a lot more concerned with what people are describing than the word they're using to describe it. I figure there's a reason that word came to so many people's minds when they saw that scene. I don't think it's overreaction or coincidence; there's something to intuition...
So I've just been trying to distance myself from it. Crochet didn't help; I knew the pattern I was working on by heart, so it wasn't much of a distraction. Now, Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder and Lead"? Way more helpful. Partly just because it's a good song, and partly, abuse against women being punished! Overzealously, yeah, but I needed to hear that some people still thought it was wrong. I think I was honestly worried. *sigh*
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