Women and Their Stories in Doctor Who

[fauxkaren]

So, I ended up getting into a really great discussion with therealycats about RTD's Women in Doctor Who vs Moffat's Women in Doctor Who over in this post and while replying to her comments, I realized that I was basically writing the meta that I'd been toying around with writing, so I edited my comments together to create this post. If you want to see my

Comments

[anonymous]

...This is a lovely essay. It's quite amazing, and if I had any friends who were into the fandom enough to dive into analysis like I do, I think I'd be sharing this around.

I actually haven't finished the 5th and 6th series (only watched a few episodes, mostly out of order, and been spoiled by various articles online), but I have seen Steven Moffat's episodes back during RTD's era. I find that it's particularly jarring to me that he tends to forget or ignore character development from the rest of the series completely. Not just for the female characters, but for the male characters as well...notably in Girl in the Fireplace and Blink especially. Moffat makes his views on women pretty clear in some of his interviews, but what interests me is that he seems to similarly demean the Doctor's character (though it does get better once Moffat takes over completely; stands out a lot less than a random episode in the midst of RTD or RTD-edited episodes).

[Quick question...why didn't RTD edit any of Moffat's episodes? I doubt he missed the inconsistent characterizations.]

However, I will concede that Moffat is very good at spinning plots that keep people intrigued. I actually failed to notice that he was using many similar plot devices over and over again because in the first watch of all his episodes, they seemed extraordinarily clever. Most people who watch Doctor Who probably aren't that interested in the deeper analysis of the characters, so I think that for entertainment value of the week, Moffat might appeal to more people.

You've definitely nailed the fact that his women tend to become plot devices rather than dynamic characters. His female characters have potential since he grants them a pretty 'special' status early on, but then their story begins and ends with the Doctor, and I just can't really fit them into the larger picture. With Rose, Martha, and Donna, I could easily imagine them living their amazing lives without the Doctor.

Honestly, I'd probably argue based on what I know from Moffat's era that the women aren't even serving to develop the Doctor's character...it's more about the plot at the moment rather than any character development at all. But I should probably reserve judgment until I finish the series.

[fauxkaren]

I'm glad you liked my ramblings! I think that Moffat really places characters secondary to the plot which was ok in series 5, but in series 6, the plot just became so convoluted that any attempt at character development just got shoved to the side. Series 6 was a huge disappointment.

From what I understand RTD didn't edit the scripts of anyone who had previously ran their own shows out of respect for them. But I do th ink t hat RTD and Moffat genuinely respect each other and each other's work. But when it came to writers who hasn't previously run their own shows, RTD wasn't afraid to pretty much completely rewrite scripts. lol.

[chocolateyana]

I see...that makes sense. I think I've heard a lot of different facts from all over the place about RTD and his editing.

I'm a bit disappointed to know that on the whole, series 5 and 6 probably won't match up to previous seasons, but I'll probably still be a loyal fan to the show. Seeing Matt Smith and Karen Gillan having so much fun in interviews gives me hope!

I'm curious as to whether developing characters is always an issue with Moffat's scripts. I enjoyed Sherlock, but that show's considerably shorter and more straightforward action-mystery with no leading ladies.

[ also, off topic, but would you mind if I friended...? > < ]

[fauxkaren]

The impression I've gotten from various interviews and from reading RTD's book (A Writer's Tale) is that he MASSIVELY rewrites scripts. I believe he did a ton of rewrites for The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit as well as Human Nature/Family of Blood to name a few episodes. But he leaves scripts alone for fellow showrunners (like Steven Moffat and probably Toby Whithouse) out of respect.

There are individual episodes from series 5 and 6 that I really enjoyed even though I've been disappointed with the overall story arcs, so I'll continue to watch the show.

The only Moffat stuff I've ever watched is Doctor Who, so I have no idea if prioritizing plot so much over character is a common thing for him or not.

And of course you can friend me! 99.99% of my posts are locked just because I like to know who is reading my stuff, but I always add anyone who asks.