Why I still love Fear Her (and the Doctor and Rose)
Post Journey’s End, we saw a lot of stuff that reminded us of the bad bits - Ten being self-pitying, self-destructive and emo to a point where even those of us who loved him were ready for a change by the time we got to his regeneration. And I won’t deny that Matt Smith was good, and the change was a breath of fresh air.
But now we’re beginning to have second thoughts. We’ve seen a series that, for many of us, failed to inspire and move us despite a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, promises of epic, jaw-dropping revelations and plots of labyrinthine brilliance. And I have to say, with the exception of the occasional dramatic beat, Matt Smith totally fails to convince me he is the Doctor - an opinion shared by quite a lot of people outside fandom if those I talk to are anything to go by. It may be him, it may be the writing. He’s got many of the qualities I’d expect the Doctor to have, but I can’t imagine I’ll be savouring moments from his episodes the way I do from Fear Her almost five years on.
I was thrilled when kilodalton came out and said openly that the much-derided Fear Her was her favourite episode. I’ve always viewed it with great fondness, and it’s living proof that you can say interesting things on a shoestring if you invest in character rather than plot. But even where plot is concerned, it’s a bit of a sleeper but it still sets plenty up in its own quiet way. There are no mysterious eyepatched ladies opening doors, but a lot of what works brilliantly about Midnight two series later has its roots in Fear Her.
Midnight shows us that the Doctor needs a companion. It does this as effectively as Waters of Mars (another fantastic episode). Midnight shows the Doctor floundering as he tries to ‘get’ humans without his human interpreter, and although the absence of Donna is the obvious factor it’s easy to overlook the fact that the outcome of Fear Her could have been every bit as bad if it hadn’t been for Rose’s ability to read the Doctor and rescue him, not just with a pickaxe and a plan but also with a quiet word about keeping your fingers out of the jam.
I adore both Rose and Donna, and I have no intention of starting an argument about who was best - they were both awesome. However, I think this illustrates precisely the kind of thing I miss about the show nowadays - that quiet emotional commitment, the building up of character and background that brought those people to life for us, so much so that when Rose obediently spits gum into the Doctor’s hand we see an entire relationship. I’ve never seen that with Rory and Amy. I think people are beginning to miss it.
One welcome result of this has been a recent upsurge in meta and fanfaction showing that not only is appreciation of the D/R ship alive and well, but it also continues to develop and inspire new writing. People we’ve not heard from for a while are coming back with a fresh perspective (try aibhinn ’s Ulysses - a treat even if, like me, you’re completely unfamiliar with Firefly) - and new ones are springing up, still analysing and appreciating this fascinating ship. Because we don’t all appreciate characters who exist in a vacuum, and are taken out of the deep freeze and put back there when they’ve served their purpose for plot development.
There is a tendency to see the concentration on character and relationships as something that only came in with Nu Who, to the point of old-skool fans becoming suspicious and cynical about it. But that simply is not the case. I’ve just been reading the latest DWM and appreciating how beautifully written and developed the whole Doctor/Brigadier friendship was, over many years, and it is still remembered with nostalgia, affection and gratitude. I’m sure it will be the same for the Doctor and Rose, and even the quiet, low-budget episodes that don’t get the love will be fondly recalled for the quality of the acting and the character development.
But now we’re beginning to have second thoughts. We’ve seen a series that, for many of us, failed to inspire and move us despite a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, promises of epic, jaw-dropping revelations and plots of labyrinthine brilliance. And I have to say, with the exception of the occasional dramatic beat, Matt Smith totally fails to convince me he is the Doctor - an opinion shared by quite a lot of people outside fandom if those I talk to are anything to go by. It may be him, it may be the writing. He’s got many of the qualities I’d expect the Doctor to have, but I can’t imagine I’ll be savouring moments from his episodes the way I do from Fear Her almost five years on.
I was thrilled when kilodalton came out and said openly that the much-derided Fear Her was her favourite episode. I’ve always viewed it with great fondness, and it’s living proof that you can say interesting things on a shoestring if you invest in character rather than plot. But even where plot is concerned, it’s a bit of a sleeper but it still sets plenty up in its own quiet way. There are no mysterious eyepatched ladies opening doors, but a lot of what works brilliantly about Midnight two series later has its roots in Fear Her.
Midnight shows us that the Doctor needs a companion. It does this as effectively as Waters of Mars (another fantastic episode). Midnight shows the Doctor floundering as he tries to ‘get’ humans without his human interpreter, and although the absence of Donna is the obvious factor it’s easy to overlook the fact that the outcome of Fear Her could have been every bit as bad if it hadn’t been for Rose’s ability to read the Doctor and rescue him, not just with a pickaxe and a plan but also with a quiet word about keeping your fingers out of the jam.
I adore both Rose and Donna, and I have no intention of starting an argument about who was best - they were both awesome. However, I think this illustrates precisely the kind of thing I miss about the show nowadays - that quiet emotional commitment, the building up of character and background that brought those people to life for us, so much so that when Rose obediently spits gum into the Doctor’s hand we see an entire relationship. I’ve never seen that with Rory and Amy. I think people are beginning to miss it.
One welcome result of this has been a recent upsurge in meta and fanfaction showing that not only is appreciation of the D/R ship alive and well, but it also continues to develop and inspire new writing. People we’ve not heard from for a while are coming back with a fresh perspective (try aibhinn ’s Ulysses - a treat even if, like me, you’re completely unfamiliar with Firefly) - and new ones are springing up, still analysing and appreciating this fascinating ship. Because we don’t all appreciate characters who exist in a vacuum, and are taken out of the deep freeze and put back there when they’ve served their purpose for plot development.
There is a tendency to see the concentration on character and relationships as something that only came in with Nu Who, to the point of old-skool fans becoming suspicious and cynical about it. But that simply is not the case. I’ve just been reading the latest DWM and appreciating how beautifully written and developed the whole Doctor/Brigadier friendship was, over many years, and it is still remembered with nostalgia, affection and gratitude. I’m sure it will be the same for the Doctor and Rose, and even the quiet, low-budget episodes that don’t get the love will be fondly recalled for the quality of the acting and the character development.