Doctor Who Mid-Season Finale Reactions
Jun. 5th, 2011 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
salienneYou know, I actually enjoyed that. I mean, despite the sexism, as that's always there, but still.
What I liked:
- The storyline and the pacing. That was a hugely entertaining story that fit together really well.
- Similarly, the themes. Everything slotted together, from the plot to the Doctor's character arc, and I really loved the Doctor = warrior thing going down. We've had a lot less of this under Moffat, but it's almost better when it's more understated except for big moments, and it worked very well.
- Captain Runaway. Goes with the aforementioned. And what can I say, I love me some Oncoming Storm.
- The acting. Great all around, but phenomenal in the cases of Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.
- River as Amy and Rory's daughter. It's actually nicely circular.
- The saved baby as a ganger. Foreshadowed, but still surprising.
- The return of the gay agenda, with lesbians and gay guys! Even though it wasn't fully followed through on in the latter case. (You just killed this soldier's husband and turned him into a monster--besides the horrified face, where was the response? Why didn't he join the Doctor's makeshift army, or get angry, or grieve, or anything? Gay people aren't just props, Moff, and you built this up. This was a small dropped plot point for a side-character's arc, but nevertheless dropped. I'm sure there will be fic and all, but really now.)
What I liked... not so much:
- Plot holes. Such as, why would you let the woman who kidnapped Amy go without learning what she wanted? Seriously. That's just stupid.
Mainly, that sexism thing. Yeah, about that:
- Let's start small--the female soldier whose entire life was defined by the Doctor (which was partially the point, that he doesn't even remember all his soldiers but he makes them nevertheless, but that doesn't stop the implications, especially given Moffat's history with these storylines with women).
- Then there's the implication that River's life is exactly the same but to an even larger extent, given the implication that the Doctor will save (and raise, to some extent) the woman he apparently has a romantic relationship with. (< deadpan >Gee, I guess Twilight was on to something.< / deadpan >)
- For fuck's sake, Moffat, you had to have the Doctor know the entire time that Amy was kidnapped somewhere and not only a) chose not to tell either Rory or Amy, and b) left her there? Not only is this bizarrely OOC and heartless, but thank you for taking Amy's body and fate completely out of her hands while the Doctor Knows Best.
- Speaking of Amy, the entire storyline. Seriously. For the episode, for the half-season arc, and for her. Kidnapped and literally torn away from her body, with some mumbo jumbo about how her soul was elsewhere blahblahblah, as her body was literally taken from her and used to create a baby. "Reality bleeding through" was Eyepatch woman, with reality being a woman in a tube. Also, have I mentioned how sick I am of storylines about men saving damsels in distress (and their babies, and they will also hide behind crates with their babies btw), because I am. That's Rory's redemption--protecting Amy, saving Amy. That's how he becomes great. Meanwhile, Amy just needs protection and saving. Because, no matter how capable she is otherwise, that's what our main female cast is good for apparently. Ugh.
I will give him props for our alien lesbian and Eyepatch Woman (Did we ever learn names?), as they were awesome, complex, and active without motivations determined solely by man/baby, but that doesn't change the overwhelming amount of sexism within his work thus far or the framework in which this story takes place.
In conclusion, Moffat can write, and write well. I just wish he wasn't like so many other male writers in that his writing is also really damn sexist.
What I liked:
- The storyline and the pacing. That was a hugely entertaining story that fit together really well.
- Similarly, the themes. Everything slotted together, from the plot to the Doctor's character arc, and I really loved the Doctor = warrior thing going down. We've had a lot less of this under Moffat, but it's almost better when it's more understated except for big moments, and it worked very well.
- Captain Runaway. Goes with the aforementioned. And what can I say, I love me some Oncoming Storm.
- The acting. Great all around, but phenomenal in the cases of Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.
- River as Amy and Rory's daughter. It's actually nicely circular.
- The saved baby as a ganger. Foreshadowed, but still surprising.
- The return of the gay agenda, with lesbians and gay guys! Even though it wasn't fully followed through on in the latter case. (You just killed this soldier's husband and turned him into a monster--besides the horrified face, where was the response? Why didn't he join the Doctor's makeshift army, or get angry, or grieve, or anything? Gay people aren't just props, Moff, and you built this up. This was a small dropped plot point for a side-character's arc, but nevertheless dropped. I'm sure there will be fic and all, but really now.)
What I liked... not so much:
- Plot holes. Such as, why would you let the woman who kidnapped Amy go without learning what she wanted? Seriously. That's just stupid.
Mainly, that sexism thing. Yeah, about that:
- Let's start small--the female soldier whose entire life was defined by the Doctor (which was partially the point, that he doesn't even remember all his soldiers but he makes them nevertheless, but that doesn't stop the implications, especially given Moffat's history with these storylines with women).
- Then there's the implication that River's life is exactly the same but to an even larger extent, given the implication that the Doctor will save (and raise, to some extent) the woman he apparently has a romantic relationship with. (< deadpan >Gee, I guess Twilight was on to something.< / deadpan >)
- For fuck's sake, Moffat, you had to have the Doctor know the entire time that Amy was kidnapped somewhere and not only a) chose not to tell either Rory or Amy, and b) left her there? Not only is this bizarrely OOC and heartless, but thank you for taking Amy's body and fate completely out of her hands while the Doctor Knows Best.
- Speaking of Amy, the entire storyline. Seriously. For the episode, for the half-season arc, and for her. Kidnapped and literally torn away from her body, with some mumbo jumbo about how her soul was elsewhere blahblahblah, as her body was literally taken from her and used to create a baby. "Reality bleeding through" was Eyepatch woman, with reality being a woman in a tube. Also, have I mentioned how sick I am of storylines about men saving damsels in distress (and their babies, and they will also hide behind crates with their babies btw), because I am. That's Rory's redemption--protecting Amy, saving Amy. That's how he becomes great. Meanwhile, Amy just needs protection and saving. Because, no matter how capable she is otherwise, that's what our main female cast is good for apparently. Ugh.
I will give him props for our alien lesbian and Eyepatch Woman (Did we ever learn names?), as they were awesome, complex, and active without motivations determined solely by man/baby, but that doesn't change the overwhelming amount of sexism within his work thus far or the framework in which this story takes place.
In conclusion, Moffat can write, and write well. I just wish he wasn't like so many other male writers in that his writing is also really damn sexist.