Oy to the world - My reaction to the latest in Doctor Who

[neadods]

Go offline for a night and morning, and come back to find the fandom reeling, writing, and fainting in coils. And for good reason too. Because so many people are posting their reactions, thoughts, and what they're going to do now, I will too.

1) Rusty, if you're going to be shocked - SHOCKED I SAY! - that people complain that your treatment of the second first official black companion has some hefty racist undertones, please do not be quoted that you always meant for her to be "second best."

My changes in feelings/plans about Who in general upon hearing this: next to nothing.

My intense attraction to the Whoniverse has never been rational in the first place. I loved it through the bubblewrap and styrofoam years; I love it now. This never had anything to do with logic. I enjoy a solid, suspenseful story about gas mask zombies, but I also enjoy the sheer fromage factor in a cyberpole dancer slugging it out with a CGI dinosaur. I acknowledge that both sound pretty profoundly stupid when typed out.

I have no problems investing my interest and admiration in any companion (or any Doctor) because if I could recover from the blasphemy of Peter Davison unraveling the scarf and Leela falling in love, of all OOC things, then I'm going to be fine now. My default setting towards all new companions is "like until otherwise convinced" and that hasn't changed. I still like Rose. I still like and admire Martha. I expect to like and admire Donna as she comes back. I still miss Nyssa and Leela.

I still think that Rusty's dodgy racial and sexual issues are partially balanced by the way he writes women and minorities. Far from wiped out, but at least a little balanced. Mickey went from Uncle Tom to worldsaver. Martha was strong enough to care for the Doctor in a time not her own and walk an apocalyptic world. Sarah Jane stopped pining over the Doctor and became him. This does count. No matter how stupid he is offscreen, no matter how badly he fumbles onscreen, he is at least trying to present intelligent, sexy action roles for people who aren't getting enough of those kinds of opportunities. I acknowledge and appreciate that... and will continue to write essays bitching about how he's not getting it right.

I still feel, as I've posted previously, that the storylines we've seen onscreen don't portray Rose as more special than any other companion. Not with Girl in the Fireplace and School Reunion in the canon, among others, including Father's Day. (Yes, it's a story about Rose's issues. It's also a story where Rose almost destroyed the world.)

I'm still at peace with the whole return thing, because it remains a fact that every person we know travels on the TARDIS next season is someone who originally left it, and thus do not feel that the "return" storyline is reserved to show off any character. *stares at that, decides that it is vague enough to not need spoiler warnings.*

I'm still fine with fandom. The fandom creates wank and angst (and I must take a moment to say that I appreciate the mods of T&C, which I've returned to, blocking what I'm sure has been at least one "neener, neener" post) but it also creates things of great delight, from thought-provoking essays to the silliest of crackfic. I'm not giving up any of that and the pleasure it gives me because the producer shoved his foot in his mouth.

And speaking of fanfic: Martha drabbles, each for a letter of the alphabet Gotta love anything with a title like J is for Jabberwocky in it. Not to mention N is for Not On Your Life You Horny Little Arrogant Prick.

Comments

[longtimegone]

I always appreciate your level headed posts like this. *hugs*

And thanks for the link to the Martha drabbles. I was just looking for some fic to read! :D

[longtimegone]

Oh I just read those drabbles and they are AWESOME. Thank you so much for the rec!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Aren't they? Fabulous!

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

OK, I was gone for about the same period of time... and have NO CLUE what you're talking about.... O_o

What said why, where?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The Daily Mail quotes Rusty as saying that he didn't want the Doctor to say "you're the new Rose" to Martha, and states (the DM, not RTD) that this means that Rusty "always meant Martha to be second best." The quote's up on Freema's fanpage, freemaagyeman.com

It is possible that they're twisting a quote out of context. It's also possible that they aren't. There is, unsurprisingly, much heartache in Martha fandom.

[aligoestonz.livejournal.com]

Would you mind if I nominate you as my personal protector of Who-fandom Squeee, and possibly cling to your skirts for a while? I think part of the problem is we had all the excitement over the new Martha photos only yesterday, so the downer effect is even more pronounced than normal.

I'm seriously considering a "put the keyboards down and step away from the spoilers" post to LifeOnMartha, because while I totally understand why this gets up people's noses, the collective angst can't be doing anyone's blood pressure any good. Yet miraculously, we've not been wank-reported so far, either.

In an attempt to maintain perspective, compared to what my other main fandom is angsting over (http://community.livejournal.com/discworld/795984.html) this is pretty damn trivial and not that surprising, so I'm not frothing at the mouth, just irritated.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm a Pratchett fan too, and am heartsick over the news, even if he's still writing. That's not an inner-fandom war, though - that's a collective scream of cosmic horror.

I'd love to be on that comm if I wasn't already struggling to keep up with LJ.

the downer effect is even more pronounced than normal.

That and it seems as if a lot of Martha fans are becoming fear-biters right now, ready to assume the worst. That's harshing my squee more than anything officially announced. But then I remember that when Rusty was in the height of Rose adoration, he commissioned the GitF script. That his "second-best" companion was written as strong and smart and desirable (if to everyone but the Doctor) and saved the world without the Doctor's help. That the one thing that I did NOT want to see in new Who was the return of the Master, and (at least up until the Tinkerbell Time Lord moment) I was on the edge of my seat.

Just knowing that settles me right back down.

[stoplookingup.livejournal.com]

HOW DARE YOU BE FAIR AND BALANCED WHEN I AM ANGRY AND IRRATIONAL? *want your zen*

[neadods.livejournal.com]

*want your zen*

No you don't; I earned it in one of the two ugliest fan wars to hit panfandom at the time, and lost a fandom that I was very fond of... twice.

On the other hand? It certainly has proved to be helpful now!

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Quite OT: My zine arrived today. Thank you!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

You'll have to tell me what you think!

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

I had no problem with the unraveling of the scarf when i first saw it 'cause 1) I'd been seeing nothing but tom bakers for 2 1/2 years before my pbs station finally got its first Davison (by then, he was 3 months away from regeneration, not that we knew that yet), and 2) it wasn't the *real* scarf. It was the nice but not the same thing burgundy thing he had that last "dark" JNT season (where he also had the ?-collared shirts that Tom absolutely hated). Had they unraveled the multi-color one from the previous seasons (the one he wore everywhere but scotland, where they just sewed up 3 4-foot store-bought "Stewart" scarfs and called it a day), THAT would have been painful...but unlikely, considering the history of that particular item.

AFAIK, that real scarf is part of the Brighton exhibit, one of the few "classic" Who items to have moved into it from the old Llangollen site (most others went into storage since the new site is mostly new who).

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My biggest problems with the unraveling were that 1) I wasn't used to the concept of changeover (in companions, yes, reluctantly, but not in DOCTORS) and 2) I was 14.

Mostly the part about being 14.

[puipui.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the fic rec, I'm glad you liked them. :D

And thanks for the level-headedness, too, it's helped make me feel at least a little bit better, although I'm still hoping Donna slaps Ten an average of once an episode or more when she gets back. XD

[neadods.livejournal.com]

You're more than welcome, especially since I probably forgot to actually comment, didn't I? They're really brilliant and I enjoyed them thoroughly.

[bana05.livejournal.com]

I'm slowly coming down from my extreme irritation about what happened yesterday. It's like the flare up and the waning fire. I'm still not completely there with you in terms of faith, but there's a flicker now. Thank you, especially what you said about what he showed us (Martha kickass and definitely not second best to anything) v. the comments made--twisted or not.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I hope that my faith ends up being justified. :>

[scarlettgirl.livejournal.com]

I'd cut and paste, but suffice it to say, yes. There is a part of me that hurts for the people that are letting this tear them apart but the "been there and done that" part of me is saying "this too shall pass".

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I sense I've missed stuff in my overworked state. Needs painkillers for killer headache, arghs.

And haven't seen any 'neener neener' posts to block, but then again, maybe people has learned not to post them since they get the snip-snip anyway. Not to mention posts about Martha wouldn't be on topic in the first place, so that'd just be dumb to try.