Hey, it's Boxing Day! Let's make some boxes.
The only message I'm compelled to share re: the holidays is the following video by Jay Smooth:
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Some thoughts on Doctor Who - not of the happy-go-lucky kind, so please skip if you don't want your squee harshed.
First, I have to say that the whole meta-upon-meta setup with Madame Vestra and her wife Jenny being the inspiration for Doyle's Sherlock and Watson was truly delightful! But it was very hard to focus on the fun elements of the episode when the new companion's arc was presented with such fanfare as the exciting new mystery of her repeated life AND NOBLE DEATH. Of all the cultural fetishes I've ever come across, possibly my least favorite is that of the woman's (self-)sacrifice to save the land, her people/family, or her honor from enemies (be it human or supernatural from folklore), a death usually tied to an affirmation of cultural identity and always epically described in the relevant narratives. I can't begin to tell you how much I detest stories that carefully and deliberately glorify female sacrifice in order to sell the idea of the inanimate "motherland" now forever imbued with meaning - because a woman's life could never possibly be as historically significant as a woman's death.
And yes, a death to save loved ones/humanity is the staple of the dramatic tearjerker; but such a death crafted into the narrative premise as THE intriguing part of a character's identity and, as it seems to be the case, the entire arc of her season on the show - that is sickening to me. Clara lived twice so far, each time presumably as herself, each time dying in such a way that her destruction literally provided the salvation for those around her (her Dalek self aiding with the explosion of the Asylum planet; her dying tears causing the rain that melted the Snowmen), and each time having her death portrayed as incredibly honorable, wisely accepting in the end, noble, and tragic in that very special, very gross, very MOTIVATIONAL way. Doctor Who has served up plenty of misogynist crap over the years, arguably to the most extreme with the treatment of Amy Pond, but the specific type of misogyny built into this narrative setup... it's making my blood boil. I'm not sure I can sit through an entire season of it. :\
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I've spent the last four days sleeping, eating, talking to family, developing a killer headache (possibly related to the talking to family bit), and... watching four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad. It's an excellent show, but I find it hard to get invested in stories in which I don't like anyone. It's the Mad Men all over again: I'm intrigued enough to watch and wouldn't mind reading some analytical posts, but I'm not at all fannish about it. Guess that's the difference between respecting an art work and LOVING it.
I did laugh out loud a bunch of times, which took me by surprise given the dark nature of the show. Also, Giancarlo Esposito is FUCKING AMAZING.
***
One last thing: a song I've been enjoying a lot lately - All I Want by Sarah Blasco (link to Vimeo). It's indie pop/folk with a sweet beat, layered with a grandiose old Western score which was obviously an inspiration for the music video. Check it out.
Click to view***
Some thoughts on Doctor Who - not of the happy-go-lucky kind, so please skip if you don't want your squee harshed.
First, I have to say that the whole meta-upon-meta setup with Madame Vestra and her wife Jenny being the inspiration for Doyle's Sherlock and Watson was truly delightful! But it was very hard to focus on the fun elements of the episode when the new companion's arc was presented with such fanfare as the exciting new mystery of her repeated life AND NOBLE DEATH. Of all the cultural fetishes I've ever come across, possibly my least favorite is that of the woman's (self-)sacrifice to save the land, her people/family, or her honor from enemies (be it human or supernatural from folklore), a death usually tied to an affirmation of cultural identity and always epically described in the relevant narratives. I can't begin to tell you how much I detest stories that carefully and deliberately glorify female sacrifice in order to sell the idea of the inanimate "motherland" now forever imbued with meaning - because a woman's life could never possibly be as historically significant as a woman's death.
And yes, a death to save loved ones/humanity is the staple of the dramatic tearjerker; but such a death crafted into the narrative premise as THE intriguing part of a character's identity and, as it seems to be the case, the entire arc of her season on the show - that is sickening to me. Clara lived twice so far, each time presumably as herself, each time dying in such a way that her destruction literally provided the salvation for those around her (her Dalek self aiding with the explosion of the Asylum planet; her dying tears causing the rain that melted the Snowmen), and each time having her death portrayed as incredibly honorable, wisely accepting in the end, noble, and tragic in that very special, very gross, very MOTIVATIONAL way. Doctor Who has served up plenty of misogynist crap over the years, arguably to the most extreme with the treatment of Amy Pond, but the specific type of misogyny built into this narrative setup... it's making my blood boil. I'm not sure I can sit through an entire season of it. :\
***
I've spent the last four days sleeping, eating, talking to family, developing a killer headache (possibly related to the talking to family bit), and... watching four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad. It's an excellent show, but I find it hard to get invested in stories in which I don't like anyone. It's the Mad Men all over again: I'm intrigued enough to watch and wouldn't mind reading some analytical posts, but I'm not at all fannish about it. Guess that's the difference between respecting an art work and LOVING it.
I did laugh out loud a bunch of times, which took me by surprise given the dark nature of the show. Also, Giancarlo Esposito is FUCKING AMAZING.
***
One last thing: a song I've been enjoying a lot lately - All I Want by Sarah Blasco (link to Vimeo). It's indie pop/folk with a sweet beat, layered with a grandiose old Western score which was obviously an inspiration for the music video. Check it out.