Doctor Who Meta
One thing I have to say about this season of Doctor Who is that I am NOT finding it boring. *g* I seem to LOVE it or HATE it. But even my hate is not a 'this is awful' sort of hate though I do have issues with some of the choices they've decided to make this year. It's actually hard to put my feelings for the show into words right now (though I will undoubtably have time over the break...unfortunately -- not for the thoughts but for the break) because my feelings are complex at the moment and hinging on how everything TURNS OUT. Rather like the show is as well.
I do have a few more thoughts on The Almost People now that I've had some time to think about it and calm down from my visceral reaction right after the episode aired. Please nothing from the next episode or the rest of the season! I know very little about the next episode and want to stay that way until I see it tomorrow.
1) Two Doctors are better than one
I never said anything about the episode has a whole in my previous post. And, while it wasn't the Best Episode Ever, I enjoyed most of it and LOVED the two Doctors together. I loved that they both were him and neither turned out to be evil and just how much fun he had talking to himself. I want ganger!Doctor back and, considering that it was mentioned as possible in the episode, I think I'll get my wish.
2) Killing Ganger!Amy
This has issues all over it not the least because the sentience of ganger!Amy is not made very clear in the episode itself. (I guess it is brought up in the confidential though I have not watched it. Needing to rely on interviews and extra-canonical sources is a bad idea! See 'Spike, soul, getting of' for imformation on that. I hope that it is made clear in the next episode that this version of the flesh does not have any sentience and is only an avatar.) Be that as it may, whether the flesh has any awareness or not, we just spent two episodes talking about how even the avatar versions of the flesh have feelings AND we have the Doctor telling Amy that he is going to be as humane as possible, both of which give the impression that he is killing a version of Amy. This is not good. It may be necessary but it is still not good.
In addition to all the murkiness about the ethics of dissolving ganger!Amy, there is also the fact that the Doctor makes only a few cryptic remarks to her before sending her off to awaken imprisoned and pregnant. Really, he couldn't have explained to her? Shown some more compassion? He says that he will find her but I'm not sure if he even likes her anymore with the way he has been playing mind games with her this season. Also, he's been traveling around with the flesh version of her for months now, so what is 5 minutes of giving her enough information that she will not COMPLETELY freak out when she awakens? I do find Eleven to be a rather remote Doctor but this is downright cold and even cruel.
And to top it off, what is up with Rory in this scene? His WIFE, the woman he loves and has spent 2000 YEARS protecting is scared while the Doctor threatens her. What does he do in response? Steps away and abandons her. WTF? In what universe does this make any sense for Rory as a character? He is either unhealthily subservient to the Doctor or he moved because the plot said so.
2) Amy as Incubator
Yes, Amy has lots of agency and initiative in most of her storyline thus far (though she is exceedingly All About the Doctor since he imprinted on her at such a young age). However, I really hate that her main plot for this first half of the season is really entirely about the product of her womb. Not about her but about the amazing baby she can produce. Women are erased far too often in life and in fiction over this same issue and to say it upsets me is putting it mildly. Add in the body horror of watching Amy wake up pregnant and about to give birth and this scene is still a big DNW for me. Luckily this is not the end of Amy's story so this could all be redeemed before the end of the season. I hope!
3) Eleven is DARK
It wasn't as clear last season but this season is very much showing us a Doctor who I would say is even darker than Ten was at the end. It's as though Eleven built on the darkness, embraced it, and incorporated it into himself when he was made. He definitely still hates himself for some of the things he does but he is much more accepting of their necessity. We know that Ten got quite dark whenever his emotions took over but this Doctor doesn't need to get emotional to get dark. Eleven is so much more remote not only from us but also from everyone around him. One thing he took from being Ten is to never really need anyone. He may like Amy and Rory and other people he meets but he always keeps them at a remove. I would also say that he is one of the most controlling Doctors we've had. I thought Ten was controlling but he has nothing on Eleven. Ten wanted and needed control; Eleven simply takes control while acting as though it's all an improvisation. It's too bad that we are unlikely to get too close to Eleven because I would be very interested to see more of his motivations than the occasional line here and there.
This entry was originally posted here and has
comments. Comment here or there.
I do have a few more thoughts on The Almost People now that I've had some time to think about it and calm down from my visceral reaction right after the episode aired. Please nothing from the next episode or the rest of the season! I know very little about the next episode and want to stay that way until I see it tomorrow.
1) Two Doctors are better than one
I never said anything about the episode has a whole in my previous post. And, while it wasn't the Best Episode Ever, I enjoyed most of it and LOVED the two Doctors together. I loved that they both were him and neither turned out to be evil and just how much fun he had talking to himself. I want ganger!Doctor back and, considering that it was mentioned as possible in the episode, I think I'll get my wish.
2) Killing Ganger!Amy
This has issues all over it not the least because the sentience of ganger!Amy is not made very clear in the episode itself. (I guess it is brought up in the confidential though I have not watched it. Needing to rely on interviews and extra-canonical sources is a bad idea! See 'Spike, soul, getting of' for imformation on that. I hope that it is made clear in the next episode that this version of the flesh does not have any sentience and is only an avatar.) Be that as it may, whether the flesh has any awareness or not, we just spent two episodes talking about how even the avatar versions of the flesh have feelings AND we have the Doctor telling Amy that he is going to be as humane as possible, both of which give the impression that he is killing a version of Amy. This is not good. It may be necessary but it is still not good.
In addition to all the murkiness about the ethics of dissolving ganger!Amy, there is also the fact that the Doctor makes only a few cryptic remarks to her before sending her off to awaken imprisoned and pregnant. Really, he couldn't have explained to her? Shown some more compassion? He says that he will find her but I'm not sure if he even likes her anymore with the way he has been playing mind games with her this season. Also, he's been traveling around with the flesh version of her for months now, so what is 5 minutes of giving her enough information that she will not COMPLETELY freak out when she awakens? I do find Eleven to be a rather remote Doctor but this is downright cold and even cruel.
And to top it off, what is up with Rory in this scene? His WIFE, the woman he loves and has spent 2000 YEARS protecting is scared while the Doctor threatens her. What does he do in response? Steps away and abandons her. WTF? In what universe does this make any sense for Rory as a character? He is either unhealthily subservient to the Doctor or he moved because the plot said so.
2) Amy as Incubator
Yes, Amy has lots of agency and initiative in most of her storyline thus far (though she is exceedingly All About the Doctor since he imprinted on her at such a young age). However, I really hate that her main plot for this first half of the season is really entirely about the product of her womb. Not about her but about the amazing baby she can produce. Women are erased far too often in life and in fiction over this same issue and to say it upsets me is putting it mildly. Add in the body horror of watching Amy wake up pregnant and about to give birth and this scene is still a big DNW for me. Luckily this is not the end of Amy's story so this could all be redeemed before the end of the season. I hope!
3) Eleven is DARK
It wasn't as clear last season but this season is very much showing us a Doctor who I would say is even darker than Ten was at the end. It's as though Eleven built on the darkness, embraced it, and incorporated it into himself when he was made. He definitely still hates himself for some of the things he does but he is much more accepting of their necessity. We know that Ten got quite dark whenever his emotions took over but this Doctor doesn't need to get emotional to get dark. Eleven is so much more remote not only from us but also from everyone around him. One thing he took from being Ten is to never really need anyone. He may like Amy and Rory and other people he meets but he always keeps them at a remove. I would also say that he is one of the most controlling Doctors we've had. I thought Ten was controlling but he has nothing on Eleven. Ten wanted and needed control; Eleven simply takes control while acting as though it's all an improvisation. It's too bad that we are unlikely to get too close to Eleven because I would be very interested to see more of his motivations than the occasional line here and there.
This entry was originally posted here and has
comments. Comment here or there.