Been waiting eagerly for your meta, and you didn't disappoint.
I still don't totally get River. But the difference is I trust Moffat now. This changed everything for me. I've come to the conclusion that he's a proactive writer, quite unlike RTD who was forever reacting to events. He knows where he is going and how he's going to get there. RTD started beautiful, amazing stories but then caved into circumstances under pressure. And that's why I lost faith in him, much as I loved his work.
My own reading of the Moment probably qualifies as an Unpopular Fandom Opinion and I think it's the reality behind quite a lot of the backlash we're now beginning to see against Moff. People are trying to make a simple thing very complicated, but the Moment isn't a sentience, or an interface, or an echo - it's the Bad Wolf scattering herself through time and space. Not just in word, but in deed (See Marcus Aurelius). What would Rose Tyler have done in those moments of ultimate power? She would have seen the pain of the man she loved, and used that power to heal it. Who travelled through time to bring all the Doctors into alignment around Gallifrey, working on that calculation? A simple, ordinary human being acting out of pure love.
I can't quite believe I'm saying this. I keep thinking, this is Moffat, the misogynist, the one who makes flip jokes about clingy girlfriends. But look at the end titles. There she is - not "The Moment" but "Rose." And the last we see of the War Doctor, he is regenerating, heading straight for their first meeting. The beauty of the story, its completeness and its unabashed sentimentality, truly staggers me.
RTD shoved her off into a parallel universe to settle down with a human clone doctor, but Moffat honours RTD in the most powerful way possible, by making her the agent of the Doctor's rehabilitation. He didn't lose his nerve, and I will respect him forever for that.
Not that it negates anything about River's relationship with the Doctor. Or Amy's, or Susan's, or Clara's, or anyone's. If the hero can have 1,000 faces, the heroine can, too.
Finally, here's a marvellous clip from a speech Moff did at the 50th Anniversary convention:
“It’s hard to talk about the importance of an imaginary hero. But heroes ARE important. Heroes tell us something about ourselves. History books tell us who we used to be, documentaries tell us who we are now but heroes tell us who we WANT to be. And a lot of our heroes depress me. But when they made this particular hero, they didn’t give him a gun, they gave him a screwdriver to fix things. They didn’t give him a tank or a warship or an X-Wing fighter, they gave him a call box from which you can call for help. And they didn’t give him a superpower or pointy ears or a heat ray. They gave him an extra heart. They gave him two hearts. And that’s an extraordinary thing. There will never come a time when we don’t need a hero like the Doctor.”
the Moment isn't a sentience, or an interface, or an echo - it's the Bad Wolf scattering herself through time and space.
The two things aren't mutually exclusive, IMO. What if the reason the Moment attained sapience in the first place is because Bad Wolf put a little of herself in it?
I read a review of the special, I forget where. They really enjoyed it, but questioned why the Moment had to be Rose. I don't think out of any particular anti-Rose sentiment, but they felt it could have been any companion (they wanted Donna, as I recall).
Silly. Of course it had to be Rose. Because Rose was the Doctor's rehabilitation. Because he went from this event to being Nine with her image stashed away in his head somewhere (nothing is ever forgotten, not completely). Because Rose was the one with a big, transcendent, space-time link that could hook her into an event like this. Because all the girls with a box are one girl with a box. Because she said "the Time War ends" and "I wanted you safe, my Doctor," and willed it so.
Been waiting eagerly for your meta, and you didn't disappoint. *blushes*
I still don't totally get River. As Promethia once said (in a fic - I can link you) River is essentially a 'a walking, talking extra-textual element in the Doctor's life'. Most characters get a 'monster a week' - or maybe a 'monster of the year' to help them grow. (Look, at, say the Master...) The Doctor gets one for about 400 years. And he marries her.
But the difference is I trust Moffat now. This changed everything for me. I've come to the conclusion that he's a proactive writer, quite unlike RTD who was forever reacting to events. He knows where he is going and how he's going to get there. RTD started beautiful, amazing stories but then caved into circumstances under pressure. And that's why I lost faith in him, much as I loved his work. This is very interesting. My issues with RTD are very different, although they overlap. Essentially they're problems with his outlook. RTD is pretty much a misanthrope. 'Midnight' is - and this is from The Writers Tale, not just me making stuff up - the closest DW comes to his own outlook. And that's a problem. Moffat genuinely believes in goodness and happy endings. RTD doesn't. So he was writing against his own instincts, which caused him to falter. (I could go on. I shan't. In other shows he shines.)
People are trying to make a simple thing very complicated, but the Moment isn't a sentience, or an interface, or an echo - it's the Bad Wolf scattering herself through time and space. Interesting. I haven't devled into what the Moment *is* (nor do I know if I want to), but it doesn't surprise me that people are being awkward, they always are. I shall just echo what Promethia says below.
I can't quite believe I'm saying this. I keep thinking, this is Moffat, the misogynist, the one who makes flip jokes about clingy girlfriends. If I could do ONE thing, I'd wrench that title away from him that fandom has so gladly lumbered him with. And it was RTD who wrote her as clingy. All Moffat did was to point it out. (Buttons, I have them. Sorry. I'll stop.)
But look at the end titles. There she is - not "The Moment" but "Rose." And the last we see of the War Doctor, he is regenerating, heading straight for their first meeting. The beauty of the story, its completeness and its unabashed sentimentality, truly staggers me. This is what brings me to a halt every time in Moffat's Who. The sheer beauty of the stories and the way the beauty just gets greater the more you look. It's some sort of magic...
RTD shoved her off into a parallel universe to settle down with a human clone doctor, but Moffat honours RTD in the most powerful way possible, by making her the agent of the Doctor's rehabilitation. He didn't lose his nerve, and I will respect him forever for that. Moffat tells you exactly what he's going to do - and then he does it. That's what trips people up, because 9 times out of 10 writers lie.
Not that it negates anything about River's relationship with the Doctor. Or Amy's, or Susan's, or Clara's, or anyone's. If the hero can have 1,000 faces, the heroine can, too. This. As the wonderful the_royal_anna once said: 'We don't love in amounts, we love in ways.' Never has that been more true of the Doctor. (Also see Best Drabble Ever.)
Finally, here's a marvellous clip from a speech Moff did at the 50th Anniversary convention: My heart. I might have to find a good cap and use it as header. Because that's just the most amazing thing ever. And how can his stories not be beautiful when that is what he believes? ♥
I still don't totally get River. But the difference is I trust Moffat now. This changed everything for me. I've come to the conclusion that he's a proactive writer, quite unlike RTD who was forever reacting to events. He knows where he is going and how he's going to get there. RTD started beautiful, amazing stories but then caved into circumstances under pressure. And that's why I lost faith in him, much as I loved his work.
My own reading of the Moment probably qualifies as an Unpopular Fandom Opinion and I think it's the reality behind quite a lot of the backlash we're now beginning to see against Moff. People are trying to make a simple thing very complicated, but the Moment isn't a sentience, or an interface, or an echo - it's the Bad Wolf scattering herself through time and space. Not just in word, but in deed (See Marcus Aurelius). What would Rose Tyler have done in those moments of ultimate power? She would have seen the pain of the man she loved, and used that power to heal it. Who travelled through time to bring all the Doctors into alignment around Gallifrey, working on that calculation? A simple, ordinary human being acting out of pure love.
I can't quite believe I'm saying this. I keep thinking, this is Moffat, the misogynist, the one who makes flip jokes about clingy girlfriends. But look at the end titles. There she is - not "The Moment" but "Rose." And the last we see of the War Doctor, he is regenerating, heading straight for their first meeting. The beauty of the story, its completeness and its unabashed sentimentality, truly staggers me.
RTD shoved her off into a parallel universe to settle down with a human clone doctor, but Moffat honours RTD in the most powerful way possible, by making her the agent of the Doctor's rehabilitation. He didn't lose his nerve, and I will respect him forever for that.
Not that it negates anything about River's relationship with the Doctor. Or Amy's, or Susan's, or Clara's, or anyone's. If the hero can have 1,000 faces, the heroine can, too.
Finally, here's a marvellous clip from a speech Moff did at the 50th Anniversary convention:
“It’s hard to talk about the importance of an imaginary hero. But heroes ARE important. Heroes tell us something about ourselves. History books tell us who we used to be, documentaries tell us who we are now but heroes tell us who we WANT to be. And a lot of our heroes depress me. But when they made this particular hero, they didn’t give him a gun, they gave him a screwdriver to fix things. They didn’t give him a tank or a warship or an X-Wing fighter, they gave him a call box from which you can call for help. And they didn’t give him a superpower or pointy ears or a heat ray. They gave him an extra heart. They gave him two hearts. And that’s an extraordinary thing. There will never come a time when we don’t need a hero like the Doctor.”
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The two things aren't mutually exclusive, IMO. What if the reason the Moment attained sapience in the first place is because Bad Wolf put a little of herself in it?
Reply
Silly. Of course it had to be Rose. Because Rose was the Doctor's rehabilitation. Because he went from this event to being Nine with her image stashed away in his head somewhere (nothing is ever forgotten, not completely). Because Rose was the one with a big, transcendent, space-time link that could hook her into an event like this. Because all the girls with a box are one girl with a box. Because she said "the Time War ends" and "I wanted you safe, my Doctor," and willed it so.
Of course it had to be Rose!
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Dammit, I wanted to include that! Might have to do a separate post on all the women.
(General note for everyone: Will get to comments when I can.)
Reply
*blushes*
I still don't totally get River.
As Promethia once said (in a fic - I can link you) River is essentially a 'a walking, talking extra-textual element in the Doctor's life'. Most characters get a 'monster a week' - or maybe a 'monster of the year' to help them grow. (Look, at, say the Master...) The Doctor gets one for about 400 years. And he marries her.
But the difference is I trust Moffat now. This changed everything for me. I've come to the conclusion that he's a proactive writer, quite unlike RTD who was forever reacting to events. He knows where he is going and how he's going to get there. RTD started beautiful, amazing stories but then caved into circumstances under pressure. And that's why I lost faith in him, much as I loved his work.
This is very interesting. My issues with RTD are very different, although they overlap. Essentially they're problems with his outlook. RTD is pretty much a misanthrope. 'Midnight' is - and this is from The Writers Tale, not just me making stuff up - the closest DW comes to his own outlook. And that's a problem. Moffat genuinely believes in goodness and happy endings. RTD doesn't. So he was writing against his own instincts, which caused him to falter. (I could go on. I shan't. In other shows he shines.)
People are trying to make a simple thing very complicated, but the Moment isn't a sentience, or an interface, or an echo - it's the Bad Wolf scattering herself through time and space.
Interesting. I haven't devled into what the Moment *is* (nor do I know if I want to), but it doesn't surprise me that people are being awkward, they always are. I shall just echo what Promethia says below.
I can't quite believe I'm saying this. I keep thinking, this is Moffat, the misogynist, the one who makes flip jokes about clingy girlfriends.
If I could do ONE thing, I'd wrench that title away from him that fandom has so gladly lumbered him with. And it was RTD who wrote her as clingy. All Moffat did was to point it out. (Buttons, I have them. Sorry. I'll stop.)
But look at the end titles. There she is - not "The Moment" but "Rose." And the last we see of the War Doctor, he is regenerating, heading straight for their first meeting. The beauty of the story, its completeness and its unabashed sentimentality, truly staggers me.
This is what brings me to a halt every time in Moffat's Who. The sheer beauty of the stories and the way the beauty just gets greater the more you look. It's some sort of magic...
RTD shoved her off into a parallel universe to settle down with a human clone doctor, but Moffat honours RTD in the most powerful way possible, by making her the agent of the Doctor's rehabilitation. He didn't lose his nerve, and I will respect him forever for that.
Moffat tells you exactly what he's going to do - and then he does it. That's what trips people up, because 9 times out of 10 writers lie.
Not that it negates anything about River's relationship with the Doctor. Or Amy's, or Susan's, or Clara's, or anyone's. If the hero can have 1,000 faces, the heroine can, too.
This. As the wonderful the_royal_anna once said: 'We don't love in amounts, we love in ways.' Never has that been more true of the Doctor. (Also see Best Drabble Ever.)
Finally, here's a marvellous clip from a speech Moff did at the 50th Anniversary convention:
My heart. I might have to find a good cap and use it as header. Because that's just the most amazing thing ever. And how can his stories not be beautiful when that is what he believes? ♥
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