The Only Thing We Have to Fear: An Analysis of Night Terrors

[goldenmoonrose]

"Planets and history and stuff, that's what we do.
But not today. No, today,
we answer a call for help
from the scariest place in the universe, a child's bedroom." 
"George's monsters are real."

Comments

[ericadawn16]

Did you notice that the song was different earlier in the episode than later at the ending

[janie_aire]

Wonderful meta, as always

[goldenmoonrose]

Yes, I loved that "around the block line", though I didn't recognize it as part of the symbol. Thanks!

Curse of the Black Spot, though a weak episode, was all about water as a mirror and reflections as magical passageways towards self discovery (and perception). All of them are all over the place!

And, yes, I did notice the Doctor's goofy Vampire-mirror look making a reappearance. I chalk that just up to Matt Smith's adorkability. Gorgeous adorkability. But, still, anything to do with mirrors rings bells in my ears.

The funny thing is, I can't believe that I recognized this running theme/motif way back in my first view of Impossible Astronaut, and how much it has come to play a huge role this series!

Thank you very much!!!!!

[goldenmoonrose]

I have to admit that I didn't even notice that the song played at any other time besides at the end

[wander_realtai]

Excellent and wonderful. :)

[goldenmoonrose]

Oh, well, thank you very much!!

[travels_in_time]

I always love all your analyses! The only thing I'd point out in this one is that it was supposed to be earlier in the season, when Amy was still flesh (which her turning into a doll would have foreshadowed, I guess) and they didn't know about Melody yet. Thus the rather callous (and also foreshadow-y) "should let the monsters get him" line.

[janie_aire]

This story isn't just shown out of order, it's presented out of order. Another meta.

Or is it? Perhaps the story about the re-presentation should be recognized as a *story*, with a wink. Which is a completely different meta.

[travels_in_time]

"It's good to be all back together again...in the Flesh." That is all.

[goldenmoonrose]

Thank you very much.

Well, I guess that would be taking author's intent into account, and not something I've ever been keen to do since my Literary Criticism class in college. About 90% of the time, I really couldn't care less what the author intends. I just care what story they've told. And how that relates to real life and, intertextually, to other literature. Other critics would disagree with me, of course, but that's my position. I just care about the finished product and what it's saying.

[sea_thoughts]

How do you mean Amy was 'never pregnant' and River wasn't wanted? Because she wasn't planned?

[goldenmoonrose]

Well, she wasn't really ever pregnant, not in "reality", the reality of the TARDIS and "her soul", as the Doctor puts it. Even the TARDIS pregnancy test was negative. Yes, her body was pregnant, but, you know...

And, yes, because River wasn't planned, she wasn't "wanted". Then, when she does exist--as the little girl in the suit--her mother shoots her. Her parents and the Doctor run away from her over and over (before and after they know who she is). Yes, they fight to get her back, etc, but Rory and Amy aren't exactly turning back time and breaking down the walls of reality to get their baby back. I'm just saying that I have a feeling that these things are going to change.

[sea_thoughts]

Well, she wasn't really ever pregnant, not in "reality", the reality of the TARDIS and "her soul", as the Doctor puts it. Even the TARDIS pregnancy test was negative. Yes, her body was pregnant, but, you know...

Okay, I understand now. Thanks for explaining. :)

because River wasn't planned, she wasn't "wanted"

:/ We don't know if Amy was on birth control, though. But I understand your point that because Amy's pregnancy was 'stolen' from her, she wasn't able to come to terms with becoming a mother and so she ran away from her daughter. But at least she had that month to bond with Melody at Demon's Run.

[goldenmoonrose]

You know, whether or not River was wanted, you've opened a can of worms, in my brain at least. :) Which, of course, I love

[taleya]

Just re-reading your note 15 - reminded me of a recent explanatory post I had to do regarding the initial "wut" surface skimming of God Complex, as opposed to the more in depth exploration in the giant meta post

[goldenmoonrose]

You absolutely make brilliant points. And I'm the first to admit that I am pretensious as all hell

part 2

[goldenmoonrose]

Am I pretensious? Hells yeah. (Though, I'd argue that I'm not so pretentious as to tell an artist or television show producer or any sort of creator how to do their jobs. I just look at what they've done and analyze it.) The problem is, I can't help being a literary snob. This is not a problem I have in the Doctor Who fandom alone. This is a problem that plagues me esspecially in Star Wars. Moffat's reign and the Star Wars prequels, and, hell the whole run of LOST, (add into it the films of M. Night Shymalan) to me are brilliant, thought-provoking, brain-twizzling character dramas. They, to me, are what the scifi genre was made for. I'm bored to death with action sequences and predictable plots and flat characters. Give me the depth, the conflict, the gray areas of ethics and morality, the depth of the human psyche

Re: part 2

[taleya]

Argh! Missed your part 2. Stupid notifications *shakes another fist. Don't annoy me again, Random Events. I'll have to start waving my feet and that rarely ends well