Forest of the unsettling perpetual half-life on a computer

[tardis_stowaway]

Completely unrelated to the rest of the post:  I saw a gray fox on my walk this evening!  So cool!  And now back to your regularly scheduled fannish rambles.

I just rewatched Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead.  I was somewhat hoping I'd like these episodes better the second time around, but nope.  It's still a collage of reused ideas that

Comments

[wendymr]

I hear you on just about every point there. She annoyed me like crazy too, and I hated the treatment of Donna in that episode.

I really, really hope that Moffat doesn't try to bring her back.

I think you're doomed to disappointment there :(

[tardis_stowaway]

I think you're doomed to disappointment there :(

To quote Ms. Song, SPOILERS! ;)

I'm trying to avoid almost all information and even informed speculation about the new series, partly because I like being surprised and partly because I want to live in hope about things like this for as long as possible.

[dameruth]

I dunno -- overall, I liked these two episodes; I seem to be the odd one out on the f-list in that, and in liking Moffat's work in general, but there it is

[tardis_stowaway]

Don't worry, it's not tl;dr. The original entry was rather lengthy, so an extended response is reasonable. You're not alone in your enjoyment of the eps, and I'm glad for your sake that liked them.

I do like the idea that the Doctor finds someone to love again. I just didn't think the episodes made me believe that someone could be River Song. I disliked how her knowledge of his name seemed to privilege her above all other companions. Plus, I would have liked it if she hadn't recognized this incarnation of the Doctor, because I do suspect Ten is too fully built around Rose to romantically love anyone else (except maybe Jack) until he regenerates, which we know is soon.

What bugged me about her was the "trying too hard" aspect of the story, trying to put all that backstory and emotional weight into a character we've just met, and kind of failing. Also, DT and AK, while both fine actors, just didn't have the screen chemistry that would make me believe in their relationshipYes! I could have bought a character with extensive

[dameruth]

Yeah, the knowing the Doctor's name deal was annoying with River -- but I like to think it's something more interesting than an, "O hai, we're married in the future," thing. The way River apologizes to him, and the way he looks like his heart has been ripped out and handed to him implies to me that there's something about his name that's tied up in Gallifrey or the War, and River is revealing to him that he'll have to deal with something terribly painful in the future (with her) in order for her to have ever heard/learned his name at all (some kind of play on the "True Names" trope, since the Carrionites proved that names have power in the Whoniverse). Now that . . . that would be *interesting,* I think, and a more real/logical reason for River to know his name than becuze she's that speshul

[tardis_stowaway]

I like your explanation of why River knew the Doctor's name MUCH better than the marriage explanation. To the extent that I accept River as canon (not much), this is now my personal canon to go with her.

I'd heard about Moffat not knowing the circumstances under which Mickey ended up in the TARDIS, but I hadn't realized an RTD failure to communicate was an issue on his other episodes. I believe it though. Oh, RTD, you mad welshman.

[tardis_stowaway]

I also really dislike River because we're forced to think she's a speshul snowflake... without her ever earning said distinction.

Yep! River's specialness is too much tell, almost no show. Also, we get it exclusively from her word, leading us to wonder if she really is as important to the Doctor as she thinks she is.

There have been plenty of female one-offs who have come off fantastic (even in several Moff episodes- like Nancy) without the writing having to browbeat the viewers into it.Exactly! Nancy and Sally Sparrow were both terrific. I even rather liked Reinette, though I do enjoy shouting "French trollop!" at the screen during GitF, just for the heck of it. Mrs. Moore in Age of Steel/Rise of the Cybermen is another great example. Impossible Planet/Satan Pit featured a whole team of people who all managed to have a personality that we got to know in a natural-feeling manner. Jabe had only a few minutes of screen time and massive amounts of make up, but she still managed to have more chemistry with the Doctor and more

[shield_wolf]

(Remember Nine's speech where he announced that he was coming to get Rose in BW/PotW? Remember how the Daleks backed up when he got out of the TARDIS and started yelling at them? Get a sense of perspective, Song.)

For that matter, ask Harriet Jones and the Family of Blood if they don't consider Ten himself plenty dangerous -- which is what appears to be a major turn-on for River Song in her relationship with the future Doctor.

(And, reaching even farther back, I'll bet she would really have been impressed by Seven had she known him!)