Oh, you're absolutely right about how Moffat makes us feel for the Doctor in the Blitz episodes. I felt it too, but (now that we have so much more evidence of Moffat's "it's all about the white male hero" approach), I'm more skeptical. So I think you're spot on about this: that's how Moffat gets away with it. Viewers get so swept up in the feel-good hero-saves-the-day that they don't notice the fail. (Confession: when I said "all the emotion," I was really exaggerating for rhetorical effect, to express my VAST DESPAIR ABOUT MOFFAT. Which is slightly embarrassing, since this meta and discussion are so full of subtle points about rhetoric.)
*hijacking Maggie's journal to talk about Who* Can you tell me more of your thoughts on "Girl in the Fireplace"? What do you see as Moffat's implicit statement there? That the Doctor is free to dart in and out of the timestream, saving women in distress but never getting bogged down in social realities?
To be fair, "Blink" is awesome. What would the Whoniverse do without the phrase "wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey?" Overall, I think the earlier seasons were splendid partly because of the juxtaposition of Moff's cleverness with RTD's characterization. I'm just deeply disenchanted with Moff's solo season, and now with Sherlock.
"Girl in the Fireplace" is my least favorite of Moffat's eps, and possibly my least favorite of RTD's Who. When I think of it, I don't think of clockwork robots, or the timey-wimey--I see that classic fairytale image of the dashing white knight. Moffat is on record with saying he believes Who is a fairytale, and GitF reads as one to me. So do elements of "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead." The images that come to mind there are River's hero-worship quotes, and the Doctor-as-Superman pose. These episodes are in complete contrast to my favorite episodes, where companions actively questioned the Doctor's supposed infallibility (e.g. "School Reunion", "Human Nature/Family of Blood" and "Fires of Pompeii"). I wonder whether this is also why Moffat's episodes in RTD's era were so popular with many fans: Moffat played the tropes straight, while RTD tended to dissect them.
Then there's S5, which reads as a classic fairytale, with archetypes rather than characters (princess!Amy, knight!Rory, fairy godmother!River, wizard!Doctor). Plus, to me, it felt like Amy's agency decreased as the season advanced, unlike Rose or Martha or Donna. Compared to the others, Amy's universe and Doctor-saving gestures are passive. That's disappointing, but I think most viewers are too swept up in the happy ending to notice. (I have other issues with Moffat's writing as well, but I could go on for pages, and I might start wearing out Maggie's patience if I haven't already. *g*)
that's how Moffat gets away with it. Viewers get so swept up in the feel-good hero-saves-the-day that they don't notice the fail.
(Confession: when I said "all the emotion," I was really exaggerating for rhetorical effect, to express my VAST DESPAIR ABOUT MOFFAT. Which is slightly embarrassing, since this meta and discussion are so full of subtle points about rhetoric.)
*hijacking Maggie's journal to talk about Who*
Can you tell me more of your thoughts on "Girl in the Fireplace"? What do you see as Moffat's implicit statement there? That the Doctor is free to dart in and out of the timestream, saving women in distress but never getting bogged down in social realities?
To be fair, "Blink" is awesome. What would the Whoniverse do without the phrase "wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey?" Overall, I think the earlier seasons were splendid partly because of the juxtaposition of Moff's cleverness with RTD's characterization. I'm just deeply disenchanted with Moff's solo season, and now with Sherlock.
Thanks for commenting on my comment!
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"Girl in the Fireplace" is my least favorite of Moffat's eps, and possibly my least favorite of RTD's Who. When I think of it, I don't think of clockwork robots, or the timey-wimey--I see that classic fairytale image of the dashing white knight. Moffat is on record with saying he believes Who is a fairytale, and GitF reads as one to me. So do elements of "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead." The images that come to mind there are River's hero-worship quotes, and the Doctor-as-Superman pose. These episodes are in complete contrast to my favorite episodes, where companions actively questioned the Doctor's supposed infallibility (e.g. "School Reunion", "Human Nature/Family of Blood" and "Fires of Pompeii"). I wonder whether this is also why Moffat's episodes in RTD's era were so popular with many fans: Moffat played the tropes straight, while RTD tended to dissect them.
Then there's S5, which reads as a classic fairytale, with archetypes rather than characters (princess!Amy, knight!Rory, fairy godmother!River, wizard!Doctor). Plus, to me, it felt like Amy's agency decreased as the season advanced, unlike Rose or Martha or Donna. Compared to the others, Amy's universe and Doctor-saving gestures are passive. That's disappointing, but I think most viewers are too swept up in the happy ending to notice. (I have other issues with Moffat's writing as well, but I could go on for pages, and I might start wearing out Maggie's patience if I haven't already. *g*)
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