Whovian Ramblings: On-Campus Edition

Sep 19, 2011 15:05

I seem to be the only one on campus (apart from Danes) who actually has liked the past four episodes. Or even the season as a whole.

I'm not saying it doesn't have problems (I have some issues I need to work out and so does Moffat), but I have routinely enjoyed watching every episode. Except for the pirate one. That one doesn't count. But let's just talk about the past four, because I have had a good time watching all four of them and that is how I decide if I like the episode or not: consistency in writing is a plus (but a minor annoyance when flubbed) and sticking to the overarching plot is not neccessary at all, but appreciated. But if those 42 minutes are well-spent and I am engaged in the story, that is how I count a good episode.

+ Let's Kill Hitler was bizarre and confusing and Moffat just threw shit in there because he could, not because it made the story any better, but I watched with wide eyes while the story unfolded around me. (I've given up on looking at this show like a murder mystery: the clues are not all there and there's no way I'm going to unravel it, so I might as well just go along for the ride. And what a ride.)

+ Night Terrors I found enjoyable. It didn't stick to the big plot (kind of a drop from LKH to this random, MotW ep), but the monster creeped me out sufficently and it was an emotion-based episode and I generally like Gatiss' writing. Also, the sing-song ending was creepy as hale. (Danes found this ep particularly terrifying; I felt bad, because I didn't, but I guess it touched on some hidden fear of his because he liked it as an ep, but was truly scared for part of it. Poor dear.)

+ The Girl Who Waited made me sob like a baby, like a hungry, angry baby, and when did I go from not liking Amy at all in s5 to really liking her and being all emotionally caught up in her story? Because wow. I like my time-travelling OT3, even when they break my heart.

+The God Complex I actually found really, really interesting.

The intersection between fear and faith. This is a concept I love to look at, the reason I love character-based drama. How fascinating. All the bits of character we gleaned, the way exploring and using your fears can help you become a better writer and how your faith, that belief in something, anything at all, is both a virtue and a downfall. Rory has no faith. That--wow. It makes sense, but damn. Amy's made sense and that whole scene made me very sad (but in an objective way? I didn't cry, it was just powerful.). The Doctor's, well, I think we're to assume (at least, I did) it was himself, which I liked.

Fear and faith is a powerful combination and I wish this could be explored even more, without a silly Minotaur for a MotW.

Also, I just want to say: I love how Rita was Muslim and there was a comment about it ("Don't be scared," said in a half-joking, half-worried way) but it was used as a good thing (well, okay, it got her killed BUT STILL) instead of a bad thing. I liked her, goddammit, and while I understand why her story ended, I wanted her to survive.

Also also, that ending.
So, I don't know, maybe I'm too optimistic or maybe I don't expect as much as the rest of the fans--to be fair, wanting a coherent, cohesive storyline is not a lot to ask for--but I've enjoyed it so far. But every Monday I go into D's Sociolinguistics class and every Monday I ask what people thought of the episode and most of the people who watch have nothing but negativity to say. They don't like Amy (I can understand), they don't like Rory (what the fuck), they don't like how jumpy it feels (a legit complaint) or the random MotW eps (I love MotW eps, but I'm a Stargate and Sanctuary and SPN fan, in which some of the best eps are MotW one-shots) --they're not happy with it. At all.

fandomy: doctor whom?

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