Can anybody explain to me...

[matthewwolff]

...why the hate for River Song in some corners of fandom? I absolutely don't get it. I think she's a great character, sort or reckoning a bit back to Bernice Summerfield (whom i loved also), and I love that Moffat is probably going to be bringing her back occasionally. Yet some fans seem to find her... annoying? Or worse, a thread on Gallifrey

Comments

[jblum]

Pick one, or several:

A) The Doctor's involved with her and She's Not Rose.

B) The greatest sin a companion (or Doctor) can commit: She Thinks She's So Kewl.

C) Or, on the other hand, She's Just Not Good Enough For My Doctor.

Basically, the same set of complaints which surround any girlfriend character who's added to a similar format. There'll always be people hating like that, it goes with the territory...

[matthewwolff]

I hate the term "Mary-Sue" used so often in fandom. It's an overused, lazy, inaccurate way to critique a work, and for supposedly being such a sin, some of the greatest writers in history are guilty of committing it. These are the kinds of people that love to use the term, they're the ones that have made it so much more overblown in Who fandom than almost any other. I wonder, was there ever a point when fans could tell the difference between a valid critique and how the show stacks up against the one they idiosyncratically want to see?

[nanbolein]

I generally like her, but there are moments where she is a bit irritating.

[dameruth]

Somewhere (can't remember where now, though), I saw a very good remark to the effect that River is unusual in that she acts a lot like the Doctor himself and can even give the impression of competing with him, which doesn't seem to sit well with some folks (though they usually don't phrase it in those terms).

As for the ageism . . . there're some weird standards on that sort of thing in fandom. :P

[matthewwolff]

River is unusual in that she acts a lot like the Doctor himself and can even give the impression of competing with him...

I have yet to see anyone who doesn't like her actually intimate this (all I ever see people say is a nebulous 'she's annoying,' or worse 'badly acted'), but I think you're right. This is what I just don't understand. For me, this is precisely why the character is so cool. Having known the Doctor for so long, to meet a character who knows more about him than we do, who may actually be like him enough to be able to compete with him is a wonderful idea. The enemies he's met over time don't really fall into this category because the Doctor can always beat then, and thus they're not on his level. The closest we've had to this before is Iris, and I quite liked her too.

[gregmce]

I don't mind if people have problems with a character and explain why in a reasonable manner. But then there are times when I think that certain members of fandom...

...well, they do anything to take a ride on the waaaaaahhmbulance, really.

[matthewwolff]

A lot of members in fandom. ;)

[magebear]

Geeks + strong female character = Porn OR hide in the corner in the fetal position weeping.

But maybe I'm stereotyping just a bit...