"It's a fairy tale." "Aren't we all?"

Jul 17, 2010 16:41

I have now seen all the River Song episodes of Doctor Who, and OH, HELL, YES!!! Count me among those who have fallen head over heels for the mysterious Dr. Song ( Read more... )

river song, doctor who

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pellucid July 17 2010, 22:46:25 UTC
I suspect I may at some point go back and watch all the eps of season 5. But I'm not so sure I'll go back and watch the adventures of Nine and Ten. Maybe Nine, someday, if I feel like it. But David Tennant's crazy eyes sort of freak me out, to be honest.

However, if I only ever watch the Adventures of River Song, I suspect I'll have no real regrets!

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rose_griffes July 18 2010, 00:12:39 UTC
Ooh, I quite like 'Girl in the Fireplace' too! And I was popping in to recommend 'Blink' as a good Ten-era episode that's almost Ten-free. (Plus the Weeping Angels make their first appearance!) Though it makes me wish that Sally Sparrow could go and have more awesome adventures--she's one of the most memorable one-epi characters.

(Ahahaha, this icon really fits pellucid's description of crazy eyes.)

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beccatoria July 17 2010, 21:15:29 UTC
Oh, I love this post and that you have fallen for River so much more than I can say ( ... )

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amilyn July 17 2010, 21:24:29 UTC
Just....WORD.

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pellucid July 17 2010, 22:48:23 UTC
Hee! I'm not sure I have enough context to respond to this in any detail, but I will say that Moffat sounds like a guy after my own heart. :)

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amilyn July 17 2010, 21:18:05 UTC
re: Fairy Tale...YES! That's it!!!

Just...YES!

And the storyteller aspect...that ties in so well with her as the storyteller closing the door at bedtime in the computer simulation in the Library. Awesome. And it's somewhere between the Little John as storyteller and the Merlin figure with living backwards...

I just LOVE the shoes hanging from the console...and the argument about leaving the brakes on. And the beautiful diary...hearkening back to the old series with the Doctor's 500-year diary, and now this gorgeous TARDIS-like one. *sigh* ::LOVE::

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pellucid July 17 2010, 22:50:00 UTC
I have mixed feelings about where she ends up at the end of the Library episodes. I have used the words "cyber-purgatory" and resolutely believe that's not the end of her story. But I do appreciate the symbolism.

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amilyn July 18 2010, 00:45:32 UTC
I can TOTALLY believe it's not the end of her story. But it's a beautiful IMAGE...and she's so GORGEOUS in that moment with the light switch. *sigh*

And I love that SHE saves HIM from sacrificing himself. Again.

And I love that he built in a way to save her from complete death...and she has the BIGGEST LIBRARY IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE at her fingertips to use to research a) everything in the history of ever, and b) ways to get out and save them all in a more permanent/physical way.

I'm pretty okay with all of that. :-)

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pellucid July 18 2010, 03:01:38 UTC
I have a pretty knee-jerk negative reaction whenever a (female--because they're always female) character who has never exhibited any demonstrable desire for the traditional domestic role gets put into one as a shortcut for "happy ending." Because what was emphasized at the end wasn't Professor Song the archaeologist in the universe's biggest library, but rather, "hey, she's got ovaries, so she can take care of the cyber-kids for all eternity," and, well, that just doesn't seem like what River is aiming for in life, y'know? She'll do it, yes, and she'll probably do it happily enough, but overall it's an uncharacteristic stereotypical shortcut in the writing of a character whose development is otherwise quite careful.

I'm making peace(ish) with it because a) it also emphasizes her storytelling, so yay symbolism, b) she's totally getting out of there, and c) I can imagine her dumping the kids off with Ms. Evangelista and spending most of her time doing research. But interestingly it's that image at the end--this strange domestic ( ... )

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gabolange July 17 2010, 21:33:20 UTC
Well, I have watched exactly three episodes of Dr. Who, but I think I would agree that 5x01, at least, feels very much like a fairy tale. It's fantastical, absolutely, and imaginative, and completely out-of-this-world, but also telling a story about imagination and fantasy and the power of belief.

Well, that's what I've got so far. The next episode hasn't finished downloading. :)

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pellucid July 17 2010, 22:51:20 UTC
Yes. It goes on very much in that vein--good stuff, I think!

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pellucid July 17 2010, 22:55:13 UTC
I don't know that I had a conscious "I don't think I'd like this show" thought about it before now. But there had never been anything I'd heard through fannish osmosis that made me think, "this will hit my buttons." And I think if I'd gotten a strong fairy tale vibe from it I might have thought that.

And yes, River's capacity for importance in this story is incredible. I hate to be overly expectant, given the way I've been burned by expectations in the past (*casts a withering glare at Ron Moore*), but it does seem like the setting up of her character has been really carefully done in order to foreground a unique and potentially very cool role.

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