2.09 The Time Meddler

[whatinthewho]

First Doctor with Vicki and Steven
Follows on from Season One, Planet of Giants, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Romans, The Web Planet, The Crusade, The Space Museum and The Chase

Comments

[whatinthewho]

Hello, thank you! It takes so long to put these together - too many other projects and not enough free time, I started making the notes weeks ago!

I think Edith is a great character, very astute, full of inner strength and generosity. And as far as the rape goes...well, as a historian, I think that a woman in her situation would not have had the luxury of falling apart after the initial shock and pain of the assault - the pattern of her life, the culture she lived in, simply wouldn't permit it. That's a much more modern reaction. We're lucky that we live in an age that understands and respects the impact of trauma. Someone in Edith's position would be expected to just pick up the pieces and soldier on and it would never occur to her that she needn't, no matter how she felt inside. We can't assume that people in other times and cultures would react the way we would today, because they wouldn't. It was a different age, a different mindset, different interpretations of everything. So while modern sensibilities might prefer to see the impact of the trauma explored more, from a feminist perspective I like that Edith is shown to be a resilient character who isn't broken by the violence she suffers, remains clear-headed, sensible and generous, and goes on to actively participate in the defence of her community. Far better to see the strength of the character than dismiss her with a charge of 'bad writing', yes?

The show was pretty hazy back then on what the impact of changing history might be - it's fascinating to see how those ideas shift and develop over the years!