Comments | fauxkaren: Women and Their Stories in Doctor Who

fauxkaren

Women and Their Stories in Doctor Who

Oct 09, 2011 02:46

So, I ended up getting into a really great discussion with therealycats about RTD's Women in Doctor Who vs Moffat's Women in Doctor Who over in this post and while replying to her comments, I realized that I was basically writing the meta that I'd been toying around with writing, so I edited my comments together to create this post. If you want to see my ( Read more... )

meta, doctor who

Comments 61

goldy_dollar October 11 2011, 23:21:54 UTC

Ooh, this is such a great essay! You set down things so clearly especially with regards to how problematic River and Amy's arcs are.

I mean, I LIKE both women? They each have personality and I think are more or less acted by two actresses who care about the show/their character, but... I honestly have very little attachment to either of them. I don't feel like either went through much of an emotional arc (despite the fact that all these crazy traumatic things kept happening to them) so as a result I don't really "feel" them either. Which sucks because they both had a lot of potential.

fauxkaren October 12 2011, 15:14:52 UTC

Ty ty. I just had a lot of post series 6 ~feelings that I needed to work out. Thus, this essay was born.

And yeah, I think that one of the major problems for me with Amy and River is that Moffat is clearly so much more interesting in his plots that he neglects making his character feel real which means I don't feel connected to them.

rebel October 12 2011, 08:25:32 UTC

Hi there! I found you through fandomsecrets and you seem really cool! We have TVD, Harry Potter and True Blood in common so far. Friends? :)

fauxkaren October 12 2011, 15:15:32 UTC

Sure!

anonymous October 29 2011, 23:31:40 UTC

...This is a lovely essay. It's quite amazing, and if I had any friends who were into the fandom enough to dive into analysis like I do, I think I'd be sharing this around ( ... )

fauxkaren October 30 2011, 00:41:49 UTC

I'm glad you liked my ramblings! I think that Moffat really places characters secondary to the plot which was ok in series 5, but in series 6, the plot just became so convoluted that any attempt at character development just got shoved to the side. Series 6 was a huge disappointment.

From what I understand RTD didn't edit the scripts of anyone who had previously ran their own shows out of respect for them. But I do th ink t hat RTD and Moffat genuinely respect each other and each other's work. But when it came to writers who hasn't previously run their own shows, RTD wasn't afraid to pretty much completely rewrite scripts. lol.

chocolateyana October 30 2011, 01:43:06 UTC

I see...that makes sense. I think I've heard a lot of different facts from all over the place about RTD and his editing.

I'm a bit disappointed to know that on the whole, series 5 and 6 probably won't match up to previous seasons, but I'll probably still be a loyal fan to the show. Seeing Matt Smith and Karen Gillan having so much fun in interviews gives me hope!

I'm curious as to whether developing characters is always an issue with Moffat's scripts. I enjoyed Sherlock, but that show's considerably shorter and more straightforward action-mystery with no leading ladies.

[ also, off topic, but would you mind if I friended...? > < ]

fauxkaren October 30 2011, 01:55:11 UTC

The impression I've gotten from various interviews and from reading RTD's book (A Writer's Tale) is that he MASSIVELY rewrites scripts. I believe he did a ton of rewrites for The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit as well as Human Nature/Family of Blood to name a few episodes. But he leaves scripts alone for fellow showrunners (like Steven Moffat and probably Toby Whithouse) out of respect.

There are individual episodes from series 5 and 6 that I really enjoyed even though I've been disappointed with the overall story arcs, so I'll continue to watch the show.

The only Moffat stuff I've ever watched is Doctor Who, so I have no idea if prioritizing plot so much over character is a common thing for him or not.

And of course you can friend me! 99.99% of my posts are locked just because I like to know who is reading my stuff, but I always add anyone who asks.

pickthisone November 2 2011, 05:34:50 UTC

Complete concurrence with this. There was definitely a lot more depth to the female companions during RTD's reign, and now it's less so. Actually, in general, it just felt like there was actual character development going on. I'm not sure much has gone on at all. I still enjoy it, it's just a bit...weak on that front.

anonymous November 3 2011, 04:52:14 UTC

I just don't have a LJ and found this essay though tumblr ( ... )

fauxkaren November 3 2011, 05:08:27 UTC

Wrt Amy, I think that Moffat sets up interesting ideas like being the girl who waited and having her entire life revolve around the Doctor, but for the most part (except for The God Complex), the show doesn't bother to acknowledge it for the messed up thing it is. So for me the characterization seems incredibly half-assed.

Characters don't exist independently of their writers. So although, yes, the Doctor is to blame for how screwed up River's life is, Moffat CHOSE to write that storyline. And because of that both of his main female characters stories are about how their lives revolve around the Doctor and not about the women unto themselves. And THAT'S why I find their stories so unsatisfying.