Not reposts from DW
Because I expanded on them. XD;
NuWho S03E08/09 "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood": Yeargh, I vaguely remember there being wank about this arc in the vast spaces of the internets, and now I see why. It sort of feels like the writers came up with [basic idea for two-parter plot and Doctor's emotional arc] which is very good, then picked [setting of ineffable Britishness] so the show can do its national character thing for [presumable planned air date of episode], which led to the logical treatment of Martha for said setting, where racism and classism happened to be at their near-worst. And yes, maybe they wanted to make their points** and/or felt it'd be disingenuous to always dodge that bullet while Martha remained in the picture, but 1) logical doesn't mean pleasant to watch by any means and 2) it's Watsonian-illogical, because if the Doctor had the choice of time-space locale for that gambit why wouldn't he pick one where Martha's ability to take action when required wouldn't be hampered by others not treating her like a real person. (Not to mention make her life easier, but that's semi-believable because dude can be that inconsiderate. XD; I suspect this was the writers' way of defusing hostility toward Martha for not being Rose, actually; making one feel she is quite put-upon.)
** One of which being that racism-as-we-know-it-now didn't always exist as such, and that we don't necessarily have a word for what was there in its place (the Shakespeare ep); and two that in Britain class and race always complicate each other. The other maid "places" and accepts Martha based on her station rather than her colour; Rose and Mickey, both working class, succeed in making one forget all about it, except when she disappears for a year and he's harassed by the police - and the unspoken context floods back as a shock to her and the audience. I do get the feeling that upper-middle-class doctor-in-training black Martha and working-class high-school dropout white Rose are meant to be "equal but different" in matters of privilege, though I can't parse what they thought they were saying by making Rose go undercover as a maid in S2. I suppose one depressing but not completely dismissible possibility is that there was no thought put into it and we're just seeing the result of someone's French maid fetish. XD; What happens when you leave fanboys in charge.
NuWho S03E10 "Blink": I always suspected time out dolls of this very ability! Definitely creepy ep. Sororial unit was terrified; she would never have survived X-Files fandom. XD But she appreciated the fact that the main character was played by the lead in An Education, who is her current favorite actress. It turns out that the Hugos I attended were like the first time in three years that the Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form didn't go to a Doctor Who ep, and this was one of those winners. That bit where the one DVD extra slotted into two different conversations? That was flash. XD Script-writerly showoff-ery if ever such a thing existed.
TOS S01E12 "The Conscience of the King": S-suddenly Shakespeare!? Lots of alien scenery chomping in this ep. I would say something about the uhh forensic techniques but truth be told I could tell it was the same dude from, yanno, comparing the photos Kirk pulled FROM THE PUBLIC RECORD. Riley's not gonna be doing better cos he met Kodos once when he was seven. For bonus hilarity I bet he and Kirk met too - there couldn't have been more than one K-12 worth of kids on that ball of rock - they just forgot about it.
The Spock-McCoy interaction clicks over in this ep: there's been mutual needling and vociferous principled disagreement, depending on the gravity of the situation, but here they're agreed. At least, McCoy is listening, but plays devil's advocate because he finds the current flavour of Spockian srs bzns amusing (it is), and because Spock needs something to think against. Spock, consternated and narrow-focussed on the problem like a research scientist, fails to note the difference and lets McCoy get the last word. When Kirk lashes out at Spock, McCoy steps in immediately.
"Did it ever occur to you that he might just like the girl?"
"It did. I dismissed it."
"You would."
The fun(ny) exchanges are the ones mostly unspoken - McCoy going for the punchline obscures the likelihood that he does follow the train of thought Spock can't be bothered to unpack, namely that Kirk might like the girl but would never bend the rules for her. And that McCoy raises the possibility in the first place suggests that he wishes Kirk would, that it could be that simple and easy sometimes.
Would be interesting to see if they ever relate like this when the conversation isn't about Kirk (their private Bechdel XD). McCoy collars Spock for exactly one exchange in STxi and it's lolarious (me: "...did he just say stallion").
The Kirk-Lenore "romance" was thespian oneupsmanship, both parties working mega-wattage charm, each thinking they're the one running the con. Funny how the STxi ficcers mutter about Kirk playing Gaila, because that's entirely in character - dude hasn't hit on a girl for purely hedonistic purposes yet. It's worrisome because one can see how STxi!Kirk might have learnt to use sex to get other stuff, but TOS!Kirk doesn't seem like he should've, and furthermore behaves as if Ulterior Motives and Emotional Entanglement were the only two options on offer. What on (or off) earth happened to him? He's a starship captain, not James Bond. XD; (Lenore is very much that kind of femme fatale.)
fff I am skipping ahead to the Captain Pike Inna Box eps cos everyone keeps talking about it
NuWho S03E08/09 "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood": Yeargh, I vaguely remember there being wank about this arc in the vast spaces of the internets, and now I see why. It sort of feels like the writers came up with [basic idea for two-parter plot and Doctor's emotional arc] which is very good, then picked [setting of ineffable Britishness] so the show can do its national character thing for [presumable planned air date of episode], which led to the logical treatment of Martha for said setting, where racism and classism happened to be at their near-worst. And yes, maybe they wanted to make their points** and/or felt it'd be disingenuous to always dodge that bullet while Martha remained in the picture, but 1) logical doesn't mean pleasant to watch by any means and 2) it's Watsonian-illogical, because if the Doctor had the choice of time-space locale for that gambit why wouldn't he pick one where Martha's ability to take action when required wouldn't be hampered by others not treating her like a real person. (Not to mention make her life easier, but that's semi-believable because dude can be that inconsiderate. XD; I suspect this was the writers' way of defusing hostility toward Martha for not being Rose, actually; making one feel she is quite put-upon.)
** One of which being that racism-as-we-know-it-now didn't always exist as such, and that we don't necessarily have a word for what was there in its place (the Shakespeare ep); and two that in Britain class and race always complicate each other. The other maid "places" and accepts Martha based on her station rather than her colour; Rose and Mickey, both working class, succeed in making one forget all about it, except when she disappears for a year and he's harassed by the police - and the unspoken context floods back as a shock to her and the audience. I do get the feeling that upper-middle-class doctor-in-training black Martha and working-class high-school dropout white Rose are meant to be "equal but different" in matters of privilege, though I can't parse what they thought they were saying by making Rose go undercover as a maid in S2. I suppose one depressing but not completely dismissible possibility is that there was no thought put into it and we're just seeing the result of someone's French maid fetish. XD; What happens when you leave fanboys in charge.
NuWho S03E10 "Blink": I always suspected time out dolls of this very ability! Definitely creepy ep. Sororial unit was terrified; she would never have survived X-Files fandom. XD But she appreciated the fact that the main character was played by the lead in An Education, who is her current favorite actress. It turns out that the Hugos I attended were like the first time in three years that the Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form didn't go to a Doctor Who ep, and this was one of those winners. That bit where the one DVD extra slotted into two different conversations? That was flash. XD Script-writerly showoff-ery if ever such a thing existed.
TOS S01E12 "The Conscience of the King": S-suddenly Shakespeare!? Lots of alien scenery chomping in this ep. I would say something about the uhh forensic techniques but truth be told I could tell it was the same dude from, yanno, comparing the photos Kirk pulled FROM THE PUBLIC RECORD. Riley's not gonna be doing better cos he met Kodos once when he was seven. For bonus hilarity I bet he and Kirk met too - there couldn't have been more than one K-12 worth of kids on that ball of rock - they just forgot about it.
The Spock-McCoy interaction clicks over in this ep: there's been mutual needling and vociferous principled disagreement, depending on the gravity of the situation, but here they're agreed. At least, McCoy is listening, but plays devil's advocate because he finds the current flavour of Spockian srs bzns amusing (it is), and because Spock needs something to think against. Spock, consternated and narrow-focussed on the problem like a research scientist, fails to note the difference and lets McCoy get the last word. When Kirk lashes out at Spock, McCoy steps in immediately.
"Did it ever occur to you that he might just like the girl?"
"It did. I dismissed it."
"You would."
The fun(ny) exchanges are the ones mostly unspoken - McCoy going for the punchline obscures the likelihood that he does follow the train of thought Spock can't be bothered to unpack, namely that Kirk might like the girl but would never bend the rules for her. And that McCoy raises the possibility in the first place suggests that he wishes Kirk would, that it could be that simple and easy sometimes.
Would be interesting to see if they ever relate like this when the conversation isn't about Kirk (their private Bechdel XD). McCoy collars Spock for exactly one exchange in STxi and it's lolarious (me: "...did he just say stallion").
The Kirk-Lenore "romance" was thespian oneupsmanship, both parties working mega-wattage charm, each thinking they're the one running the con. Funny how the STxi ficcers mutter about Kirk playing Gaila, because that's entirely in character - dude hasn't hit on a girl for purely hedonistic purposes yet. It's worrisome because one can see how STxi!Kirk might have learnt to use sex to get other stuff, but TOS!Kirk doesn't seem like he should've, and furthermore behaves as if Ulterior Motives and Emotional Entanglement were the only two options on offer. What on (or off) earth happened to him? He's a starship captain, not James Bond. XD; (Lenore is very much that kind of femme fatale.)
fff I am skipping ahead to the Captain Pike Inna Box eps cos everyone keeps talking about it