The Zenith - Summer's Lease Hath All Too Short a Date

[sensiblecat]

We have reached the zenith. Appropriately, here in the Northern Hemisphere it’s the Summer Solstice - we glory in the light and pick ripe fruit and fire up the barbecue, and relax because exams are nearly over - and it’s lovely, and you’d have to be pretty churlish to point out that it’s all downhill from here, back to shorter daylight hours until

Comments

[canterlevi]

It's such an irony that the very people who accuse Rusty of Mary-Suedom exhibit very similar tendencies themselves. They self-identify with whoever they see loving the Doctor...

I am sure I must miss a lot of subtleties about Doctor Who simply because I am not British. And I guess I must finally some clean and admit to my own measure of Mary-Sue-ness in my regard for Donna as she is the one out of the three companions that is most like me - not only physically (heavier, redder, older), but personality-wise (mouthier, insecure, difficulty believing in her own worth). I see that now.

It makes sense in light of my sadness over what RTD did to Donna. This may sound over-dramatic, but when he (Ten?/RTD?/Both?) took everything away from her, it was like once again, people like me were being told, "OK, party's over! You were brilliant for awhile, but now the clock has chimed and it is time for you to be a pumpkin again."

I didn't identify with Rose at all because I'm not beautiful, blonde, and young. I thought she was selfish and immature - but of course she was - she was nineteen, just like we all were at nineteen. Brave and sensitive, definitely, but still, nineteen. That's not Rose bashing, is it? It's not meant to be.

I didn't identify with Martha because I'm not beautiful - she was gorgeous, the physically prettiest of the three IMHO, and her character was supersmart- medical-doctor-smart.

So that leaves Donna, winning-lottery-ticket-married with 2.5 kids-making-do Donna. The lottery ticket felt like a slap in the face. See? I'm taking it personally again, and I shouldn't be. "It's just a TV show," I tell myself. Then why does it bother me so?

I'm not bright in the way that relishes ever more intricate puzzles. To be honest, they bore me. I used to think that meant I was dumb, or depressed, because I live with a very intellectual family and they all love puzzles.

I don't always understand the timey-wimey stuff in DW, but having read around on the different DW LJs for the past few weeks, I am always impressed with the intelligence of the discourse I find. More often than not, I find myself thinking, "Wow, that was a very good point, I wonder why I didn't understand it that way?" I can only figure it's one of two things: 1) I am, in fact, not that bright, or 2) it must be a cultural thing. I can only guess that DW to a British person means something different than it does to an American fan.

BTW, regarding the marketing thing, does it mean anything that BBC America promotes the hell out of Season Five DW more than it ever did any of the other Seasons? In fact, I only found out about NuWho by accident. I happened to be surfing the channels and found it - there were never commercials for it or anything.

Anyway, thanks for tolerating my ramblings. Please disregard if it's complete crap!

[sensiblecat]

Nice to hear from you. I think you are absolutely right about Donna - her fate upset many viewers more than Rose's, partly because Rose's was well trailed and felt inevitable once it came about. I dislike the whole concept of a fantasy show like DW ending up with characters making the best of a bad job. Heck, we've got real life to give us that. Whatever my issues with Moff, I think he ended the last season on a much more appropriate note for the show.

As for being clever, there's more than one way to be intelligent. I think the point I was trying to make was that one way is the deductive, puzzle-solving kind of intelligence (it's no coincidence, I'm sure, that SM has now launched a brilliant Sherlock Holmes series), and the more nuanced, interpretive kind of comment you get on the best DW forums. What saddens me is when one kind is automatically regarded as superior, whilst the second type is dismissed.

As for promotion, I think BBC America is desperate for this to be the relaunch that leads to DW finally becoming mainstream in the USA. Julie Gardner, Louise Tranter and RTD himself, all people very closely associated with New Who, are now in LA getting behind it. So yeah, the publicity has definitely moved up a gear with this season.

Thanks for the comments!

[canterlevi]

I found your comment about Rose not being worthy of the Doctor very interesting. It sounds like a class thing to me. Just because she may not be as clever or well-educated as somemone like River Song, or solidly middle class, doesn't mean she's not worthy. If it's true that she isn't good enough, then following that logic, Elizabeth Bennet should never have wound up with Mr. Darcy.

My perception in the States is that math/logic/computer abilities/intelligences are more valuable than more 'liberal arts' intelligences - languages, the arts, literature, etc.

As a teacher, not only do I have an MA, but am required by law to keep taking graduate classes throughout my career. I could have a PhD but will always be regarded as second-class professional - unlike doctors and lawyers and businessmen, so I see what you're saying about whose smarts are valued and whose are 'not so much'.

I admire your studying Shakespeare. I'm sure it's not easy. There's so much to discover and requires a command of so many other subjects outside of the plays themselves, it's mind boggling!

(BTW, what is your take on the play/movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?)

Eleven gelled for me in Vincent and the Doctor and especially in The Lodger. As much as I love Ten and his angsty ways, he never sat still long enough to be quietly encouraging the way Eleven was in The Lodger. My favorite scene was him absentmindedly puttering with the electronic doo-dad while he talked to Craig and Sophie. It was sweet to see how he ever so gently 'tricked' her into coming 'round to reallizing she had to figure out what she wanted out of her life. His smile to her was just lovely! MS played that with the perfect touch. I believed he was my favorite old uncle.

I have not watched the finale yet, but it is on my TIVO.

And my dream is that at that point we'll get a David/Billie movie with an RTD script, and it'll be as big as Toy Story 3 because there are still a lot of people who like their smartness with a side order of emotional warmth and honesty, and Pixar are brilliant at delivering that combination.

I have a similar dream for something with Catherine Tate and David Tennant. So much zing between those two and so little time. Animated or not, the RTD part it also completely optional.