JUST when I reached the decision to stop watching Doctor Who...
Dear Toby Whithouse,
I want to marry you and buy you ice cream.
(but I'm keeping my last name, you silly twit)
Love always,
C,
who has had the worst week, the very worst, dear flist, but then I watched The God Complex, and now all is (temporarily) well.
It was CLEVER, flist, clever like Midnight or Bad Wolf or The Satan Pit, in a way I really, really missed. (Amy's Choice was... near that kind of cleverness, but it kinda veered southwards mid-ep). Clever about about its internal mythology. Best use of a Minotaur since Borges, seriously. The Doctor as a crazed, lonely monster bathed in the blood of the innocent is an INCOMPARABLY better metaphor than the Doctor as a wise old Space While gliding along and selflessly helping people who then exploit him. The feeding ground earth-imitation space hotel didn't make much sense, it didn't have to, but everything that happened inside it was gloriously logical. Localised, childish fears as a catalyst for that specific kind of worship, creatures feeding on that worship - yes, why not, it's a powerful thing. Powerful enough to keep fear at bay, to keep people rational in a new, terrifying situation.
How much did I love that faith complemented rationality instead of overriding it? Very much. And the many forms of faith, too. The only one I didn't buy was Howie believing just in conspiracy theories - he didn't seem nearly excited enough to be proven right - I think his main belief was the internet, really, the idea that you can always find the truth on the internet. Mostly I loved the fact that faith was dangerous came only from it being powerful, not inherently immoral or wrong or foolish.
And we had an actual religious character, who was also the smartest human on the show since Martha. I loved everything about Rita, but especially her "You're a Muslim!" "Don't be frightened :)", with its bleak snark that fit in perfectly with the fear / faith / culture-of-cowardice themes of the ep. Having spoiled myself in advance, I knew that she'd die, but I didn't expect it would be so graceful and shocking. I didn't expect Eleven to love her so. I didn't expect she'd have such sizzling sexual chemistry with Amy. (I want fics. I want fanvids set to Anathema songs.) With Eleven too. Honestly, if I really had to choose a love interest for him, it'd definitely be Rita. He and Amy can share.
Also, speaking of cultural cowardice, "Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's aggressive", did I mentioned I love Toby Whithouse? He's brilliant at shattering what's quaint and revealing the sliminess beneath. (Exhibit A: John Mitchell. <3) Tivoli sounds like a fascinating planet.
So, the episodal characters were actually fascinating and emotion-inducing. What's amazing is, so were the main characters. AND THEY DEVELOPED. Rory doesn't have a faith, simply because Rory doesn't... abstract? Ish. Like. He's very reactive, I think. He Rory waited 2000 years without faith - which I always kinda suspected - not because he believed she'd wake up, but because there was nothing else for him to do but guard her. He believed in a white picket future, because that's what he could achieve, and when Amy gave him a different kind of future, he adapted. He doesn't have ideals, he just sticks to what's real and what's there and what's doable.
Amy, meanwhile, has faith in the Doctor - which, okay, makes less sense since the Melody thing happened, but I'm lalala ignoring the Melody thing. (Everyone else seems to.) - because she didn't have anyone else around to keep her safe, growing up. And now she's grown up, and he's telling her nobody can EVER keep her safe, which is a cold, cruel kind of truth. And and and, do you know what Eleven does? Eleven, whom I sometimes kind of hated for yelling at her pointlessly? And for taking her friendship for granted? He absolves her of her role as his Manic Pixie Dream Orphan.
It's immense. It's self-reflective. It's... a pity he phrased it in terms of taking on her husband's name (come on, really?), but it's a big, big, big thing he did, giving her the freedom to - not be magical? Not define all of herself through him? To recognise the ways in which he's pathetic. It was him apologising for the way he's loved her wrongly, loved this miniature fake version of her. Apologise for that time he yelled at her for something she didn't remember, just because she wasn't behaving like he thought glorified little Amelia should. And, honestly, he can only love her truly now, now that they do, really, see each other.
And she sees him, in all his vain, ditzy-on-purpose, creepy-candy-man glory. It was happening throughout the episode (her NOT hitting Rory when he pointed out the Doctor brings death on everything he touches), and then it was DONE, she lost her illusions and the imaginary bits she'd tackled on during all those years waiting for him.
Oh, oh, oh. It was an episode that cleared the air. It featured emotions. It made me believe, as I hadn't done for a while, that all three these main characters love each other, and all three of them have different paths towards maturing.
What did you think, dear flist? I still have not seen LKH, nor will I, unless something really spectacular is done with River in the finale. But, but, I'm sticking with this show for a while still.
Here's hoping there'll be more episodes that will make it worth it.
I want to marry you and buy you ice cream.
(but I'm keeping my last name, you silly twit)
Love always,
C,
who has had the worst week, the very worst, dear flist, but then I watched The God Complex, and now all is (temporarily) well.
It was CLEVER, flist, clever like Midnight or Bad Wolf or The Satan Pit, in a way I really, really missed. (Amy's Choice was... near that kind of cleverness, but it kinda veered southwards mid-ep). Clever about about its internal mythology. Best use of a Minotaur since Borges, seriously. The Doctor as a crazed, lonely monster bathed in the blood of the innocent is an INCOMPARABLY better metaphor than the Doctor as a wise old Space While gliding along and selflessly helping people who then exploit him. The feeding ground earth-imitation space hotel didn't make much sense, it didn't have to, but everything that happened inside it was gloriously logical. Localised, childish fears as a catalyst for that specific kind of worship, creatures feeding on that worship - yes, why not, it's a powerful thing. Powerful enough to keep fear at bay, to keep people rational in a new, terrifying situation.
How much did I love that faith complemented rationality instead of overriding it? Very much. And the many forms of faith, too. The only one I didn't buy was Howie believing just in conspiracy theories - he didn't seem nearly excited enough to be proven right - I think his main belief was the internet, really, the idea that you can always find the truth on the internet. Mostly I loved the fact that faith was dangerous came only from it being powerful, not inherently immoral or wrong or foolish.
And we had an actual religious character, who was also the smartest human on the show since Martha. I loved everything about Rita, but especially her "You're a Muslim!" "Don't be frightened :)", with its bleak snark that fit in perfectly with the fear / faith / culture-of-cowardice themes of the ep. Having spoiled myself in advance, I knew that she'd die, but I didn't expect it would be so graceful and shocking. I didn't expect Eleven to love her so. I didn't expect she'd have such sizzling sexual chemistry with Amy. (I want fics. I want fanvids set to Anathema songs.) With Eleven too. Honestly, if I really had to choose a love interest for him, it'd definitely be Rita. He and Amy can share.
Also, speaking of cultural cowardice, "Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's aggressive", did I mentioned I love Toby Whithouse? He's brilliant at shattering what's quaint and revealing the sliminess beneath. (Exhibit A: John Mitchell. <3) Tivoli sounds like a fascinating planet.
So, the episodal characters were actually fascinating and emotion-inducing. What's amazing is, so were the main characters. AND THEY DEVELOPED. Rory doesn't have a faith, simply because Rory doesn't... abstract? Ish. Like. He's very reactive, I think. He Rory waited 2000 years without faith - which I always kinda suspected - not because he believed she'd wake up, but because there was nothing else for him to do but guard her. He believed in a white picket future, because that's what he could achieve, and when Amy gave him a different kind of future, he adapted. He doesn't have ideals, he just sticks to what's real and what's there and what's doable.
Amy, meanwhile, has faith in the Doctor - which, okay, makes less sense since the Melody thing happened, but I'm lalala ignoring the Melody thing. (Everyone else seems to.) - because she didn't have anyone else around to keep her safe, growing up. And now she's grown up, and he's telling her nobody can EVER keep her safe, which is a cold, cruel kind of truth. And and and, do you know what Eleven does? Eleven, whom I sometimes kind of hated for yelling at her pointlessly? And for taking her friendship for granted? He absolves her of her role as his Manic Pixie Dream Orphan.
It's immense. It's self-reflective. It's... a pity he phrased it in terms of taking on her husband's name (come on, really?), but it's a big, big, big thing he did, giving her the freedom to - not be magical? Not define all of herself through him? To recognise the ways in which he's pathetic. It was him apologising for the way he's loved her wrongly, loved this miniature fake version of her. Apologise for that time he yelled at her for something she didn't remember, just because she wasn't behaving like he thought glorified little Amelia should. And, honestly, he can only love her truly now, now that they do, really, see each other.
And she sees him, in all his vain, ditzy-on-purpose, creepy-candy-man glory. It was happening throughout the episode (her NOT hitting Rory when he pointed out the Doctor brings death on everything he touches), and then it was DONE, she lost her illusions and the imaginary bits she'd tackled on during all those years waiting for him.
Oh, oh, oh. It was an episode that cleared the air. It featured emotions. It made me believe, as I hadn't done for a while, that all three these main characters love each other, and all three of them have different paths towards maturing.
What did you think, dear flist? I still have not seen LKH, nor will I, unless something really spectacular is done with River in the finale. But, but, I'm sticking with this show for a while still.
Here's hoping there'll be more episodes that will make it worth it.