Mickey, Martha, and the Message that Doesn't Belong on Who

[neadods]

Cut for spoilers for entire season. Crossposted to personal journal.

Comments

[ionlylurkhere]

The sample size is small enough that I can still just about handwave it in my head as unfortunate coincidence. But dammit if we get any sort of repetition of the pattern of treating the black characters as second class citizens then ... well, I don't know what, but it will be Bad.

I'm clinging fairly hard to the NAs at this point.

[scarfman]

The sample size is small enough that I can still just about handwave it in my head as unfortunate coincidence.
While I'm sure it's not intentional, I'm sure it's not coincidence. Someone from the demographic top of the food chain of his society (disclaimer: like me*) who considers himself enlightened and who means to help is still subject to the unconscious influences of enculturation. (Even the oppressed themselves are subject; cf. the maid in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. And the women in the test audiences of the first Star Trek pilot - which had a female executive officer - who said, "Who does she think she is?") I haven't seen Last of the Time Lords and have only been reading spoilers. I was gratified to read that Martha told the Doctor off and walked away (and yet shall still be back next season). But it's also true that the only other companion to walk away from the Doctor instead of toward something else was white and was argued with, and I hadn't read till now that the Doctor didn't even tell Martha he was sorry, he was so

[ionlylurkhere]

While I'm sure it's not intentional, I'm sure it's not coincidence.

When I was posting that comment, I was umming and ahhing on how much to attribute to subconscious influences. I'm not sure I'm entirely ready to accuse the production office of institutional racism, but you definitely have a point.

[nostalgia_lj]

In essence, it's easy enough to forget that Freema Agyeman is a black woman where you're a white man for whom neither of these attributes have ever been problematic.

[gryffinclaw]

You know I was not going to agree...and then you mentioned Tosh.

You have no idea how angry I am at the way Tosh gets treated on Torchwood. It is the reason I hate Owen.

Mickey, Tosh and now Martha. All pining away for someone they never get.

It is easy to see what one would think. Oh RTD! *shakes head*

[codenamecarrot]

And Suzie. Really. She could have been this totally cool character and instead we get evil and dead.

It seems that the only way to not get treated like shit (if you're a woman) is to be white and naive. And thats a racist sexist pile of crap.

White men, of course, can do anything. See date-rapist Owen.

[jonquil]

I thought dead!Suzie was by FAR the coolest person on the show,and the show roared into focus when she came back. Then she went away again, dammit, and all of a sudden it was Bad Acting Central once more.

[sparklingsatine]

I definately agree with this post. I was arguing about the end with my boyfriend last night and how I wanted there to be more at the end -- the Doctor recognizing what martha accomplished for the world.

At least Mickey had a moment to turn Rose down -- remember how Rose started all her wailing and "wait--where are you going? you have to be here so I can ignore you!" bit. I figured the Doctor would have been a bit surprised.

I have no problem with Martha leaving -- if she's not going to be respected or shown a little bit of love (even non-romatic) by the Doctor after treking across the world for a year, then yes, it's time to get out, but the fact that the Doctor was so cold and random about it shocked me the most. I think if it had been 9 instead of 10, he would have at least said something along the lines of "Martha Jones, the woman who walked across the world..." etc, but nothing. NOTHING. and that pisses me off.

[neadods]

At least Martha left with her head up, a half smile, and having checked on the availability of the next potential interest. (That? That made me laugh, because I loved it. If the Doctor can't move on, Martha certainly can.)

But at the same time, Martha was given an uphill climb that was just unthinkable for any other companion. And it pisses me off even more because this happened to Freema - nothing like dumping on the unknown black actress who got a role that should have made her career.

[sparklingsatine]

Exactly! I liked the phone call bit too. Because if the Doctor is going to act like he doesn't have a pulse, Martha might as well find someone who does. :D

I'll be interested to see what the big announcement is concerning Freema/Martha is. I'm hoping she'll continue to be on DW in some capacity because I can't stand Ten and his emo-vengeful-god complex. Like, I'd almost be excited if he finally got his due, dies and regenerates into a Doctor that might actually see how fantastic Martha really is. Although I'm so used to Tennant now, I have no idea who they'd get to play the Doctor next.

And if she's going to Torchwood for a couple episodes, that would be okay too.

And I think this role has made her career -- maybe she's just trying to leave more time in her schedule for other projects that pop up? (That's why I think Billie left, but her exit was much kinder.)

[wynterhawk]

All without ever a "thank you" or "I'm sorry" outside of fanfic. But plenty of comparisons to the previous companion, and in full knowledge that she feels second best. At the very end of this season, she outright says "I've felt second best all along, but I'm pretty impressive."

And the Doctor says nothing. Not "you are impressive." Not "I shouldn't have let you feel second best. I only take the best."
I have to give your post a big head nod, and say that while I was trying not to think the exact same thing, I was still thinking the exact same thing. What brought it home for me were the last few moments of the finale. I have always loved and related to Martha Jones, but she just wasn't really completely the MJ I wanted. But, when she explained to Ten why she was leaving, saying that she had to get away for her own sanity *that* was the Martha Jones I had been waiting for the whole season

[juanitadark]

This is pretty much my objection to the finale. Even with s4 being the season to invert all of that it's still been written that way in the first place. And, like, why exactly?

Ask yourself: to get to the point where they are now with the Doctor emotionally, did they really have to make Martha not just unrequited but bashed in complete opposition to what we were seeing on screen? And for no other reason than not being Rose?

She's not Jack, she's not an anomalous and fixed event - so what were they trying to say? What about all the kids who particularly identify with Martha? Are they going to be thinking that in order to be liked they have to be more like Rose?

The logic here is disturbing.

[skywardprodigal]

It's not logic, though. It's a manifestation of white supremacy. Whether the writers meant it or not, in the two instances where characters of color got lots of screentime otherwise, the context was that no matter what they do, with what heart they do it with, no matter how successful they are at it, they will never receive the acknowledgment from the people that matter most to them that they are worthy of praise equal to that of other heroes. And that, what's heroic for others is just baseline acceptable behavior for them.

It's a hateful lesson.

[juanitadark]

It's unforgiveable.

It's not even just that, a lot of times Rose got on like an absolute spoilt 5 year-old - so it's a total double-standard. It's not no matter what you do you won't be good enough it's no matter what you do you're not white while doing it.

[skywardprodigal]

Agreed.

Agreed.

It's not no matter what you do you won't be good enough it's no matter what you do you're not white while doing it.

What Dr Who did was reify Who is right rather than What is right.