Meta: what I love about Rose
I have a lot of thinky-thoughts in my head right now, most of which either start or end with Doctor Who. And apparently, I am incapable of doing anything constructive (or, indeed, anything at all for longer than 15 seconds at a stretch) until I get the thoughts out in some way. So.
I'm up to "The Idiot's Lantern" and I'm loving Rose Tyler more with every passing episode. I love her like I love Buffy, for some of the same reasons (though I can't entirely put my finger on what they have in common, beyond the quality of being at once a world-saving hero and "just a girl"). But where Buffy was chosen, Rose chose. She chose the Doctor, the tardis, the stars. She chose to change. I love her for that.
It was "Tooth and Claw" that made me realize it. Rose rallies the other women in the dungeon (basement? barn? wherever it is they're chained up) to do something instead of waiting to be rescued -- and it works! When the Doctor does arrive, her response is, "Where the hell were you?" She responds that way not because she needed (or wanted) him to rescue her, but because she and the Doctor are fellow travelers who should be looking out for each other. By this time, she takes it for granted that she and the Doctor are equals. She's not a little girl trying to prove that she's grown up, she's not a newbie anymore, and she's not an assistant. She's a partner.
I realize the Doctor goes all protective when Rose is hurt or threatened, and I don't believe he quite views her as an equal. But I'm talking about Rose.
In her mind, from her point of view, they are equal. That's huge. That's a requisite for a healthy, adult relationship. Sure, he has a tardis and 900 years of life experience and two hearts. Doesn't matter. She has a duffel bag and a gorgeous smile and the ability to really talk to people. Doesn't matter. They're two people, each bringing their strengths and weaknesses and peculiarities to a relationship, and within that, they're equal. There are so many women who accept that they are somehow less than the men in their lives -- regular, ordinary, flawed, human men. Because that's what our culture -- our TV, our newspapers, our magazines, even other women -- tell us to accept. And here's Rose Tyler, traveling with The Doctor -- an immortal, magical, brilliant alien -- and asking him, "Where the hell were you?"
So. much. love.
I'm coming at this a bit backwards, but here's the thing: I've been thinking about the Vampire Boyfriend (or Immortal Boyfriend?) trope, trying to sort out why it's so very seldom reversed. Think about it: Buffy & Angel. Bella & Edward. Alexia & Lord Maccon (ok, he's actually a werewolf). And yes, you could say Rose & the Doctor are an example of this, too (and I know they're not a couple, exactly, so maybe that invalidates this whole argument, but I'm posting it anyway). Normal young woman, immortal man. What's going on?
I just now figured it out. It's the power imbalance. The Vampire Boyfriend has more power than the human girlfriend, but unlike most relationships, there's a reason for it. He's seen and lived way more than she has; he actually is superhuman, and that actually does make him (in a physical, if not always moral, sense) better. It gives him a reason to act superior, and gives her a reason to accept (or at least expect) that he will. In the context of the story, you can't argue with it; against the backdrop of our culture, it makes me queasy.
I'm kind of looking for stories that invert this trope -- Vampire Girlfriend, human boyfriend -- or slash-y versions of it. But right now, I love Doctor Who, and Rose, for upsetting the Vampire Boyfriend trope from within. (Buffy & Spike? Broke this trope to pieces, same as every other trope or generalization you might try to infer about their relationship.)
And I am torn between the desperate desire to keep watching, so I can find out everything that happens... and a sinking feeling of dread, because I know Rose is only in a few more episodes, and I'm fairly sure I'll be throwing things at the screen by the end.
I'm up to "The Idiot's Lantern" and I'm loving Rose Tyler more with every passing episode. I love her like I love Buffy, for some of the same reasons (though I can't entirely put my finger on what they have in common, beyond the quality of being at once a world-saving hero and "just a girl"). But where Buffy was chosen, Rose chose. She chose the Doctor, the tardis, the stars. She chose to change. I love her for that.
It was "Tooth and Claw" that made me realize it. Rose rallies the other women in the dungeon (basement? barn? wherever it is they're chained up) to do something instead of waiting to be rescued -- and it works! When the Doctor does arrive, her response is, "Where the hell were you?" She responds that way not because she needed (or wanted) him to rescue her, but because she and the Doctor are fellow travelers who should be looking out for each other. By this time, she takes it for granted that she and the Doctor are equals. She's not a little girl trying to prove that she's grown up, she's not a newbie anymore, and she's not an assistant. She's a partner.
I realize the Doctor goes all protective when Rose is hurt or threatened, and I don't believe he quite views her as an equal. But I'm talking about Rose.
In her mind, from her point of view, they are equal. That's huge. That's a requisite for a healthy, adult relationship. Sure, he has a tardis and 900 years of life experience and two hearts. Doesn't matter. She has a duffel bag and a gorgeous smile and the ability to really talk to people. Doesn't matter. They're two people, each bringing their strengths and weaknesses and peculiarities to a relationship, and within that, they're equal. There are so many women who accept that they are somehow less than the men in their lives -- regular, ordinary, flawed, human men. Because that's what our culture -- our TV, our newspapers, our magazines, even other women -- tell us to accept. And here's Rose Tyler, traveling with The Doctor -- an immortal, magical, brilliant alien -- and asking him, "Where the hell were you?"
So. much. love.
I'm coming at this a bit backwards, but here's the thing: I've been thinking about the Vampire Boyfriend (or Immortal Boyfriend?) trope, trying to sort out why it's so very seldom reversed. Think about it: Buffy & Angel. Bella & Edward. Alexia & Lord Maccon (ok, he's actually a werewolf). And yes, you could say Rose & the Doctor are an example of this, too (and I know they're not a couple, exactly, so maybe that invalidates this whole argument, but I'm posting it anyway). Normal young woman, immortal man. What's going on?
I just now figured it out. It's the power imbalance. The Vampire Boyfriend has more power than the human girlfriend, but unlike most relationships, there's a reason for it. He's seen and lived way more than she has; he actually is superhuman, and that actually does make him (in a physical, if not always moral, sense) better. It gives him a reason to act superior, and gives her a reason to accept (or at least expect) that he will. In the context of the story, you can't argue with it; against the backdrop of our culture, it makes me queasy.
I'm kind of looking for stories that invert this trope -- Vampire Girlfriend, human boyfriend -- or slash-y versions of it. But right now, I love Doctor Who, and Rose, for upsetting the Vampire Boyfriend trope from within. (Buffy & Spike? Broke this trope to pieces, same as every other trope or generalization you might try to infer about their relationship.)
And I am torn between the desperate desire to keep watching, so I can find out everything that happens... and a sinking feeling of dread, because I know Rose is only in a few more episodes, and I'm fairly sure I'll be throwing things at the screen by the end.