Doctor Who - Fear Her

[timepiececlock]

I think I just don't like this season.

It's frustrating, because they have all the elements: a great actor for the Doctor, Rose, a Tardis... all you need for a fun time. But it appears a successful series is more than just the sum of its parts.

Or, wait, no... I know what part is wrong. Not as good as it could be.

THE WRITING.

Actually, fix the episode-writing and I'd be happy as a frosted cupcake.

I mean...I love Ten. I love his mannerisms (which are both nicer and meaner than Nine's, in different ways), and I love his exchanges with Rose, and I love his physicality. But I don't like his overall behavior in certain situations. Plot stuff, not personality stuff. Um... I'm not explaining this very well, but it comes back to writing. They keep putting him in the wrong situations and then making him behave in confusing ways.



It was an okay episode. I literally had to look away from the cheesy olympic ending, but I forgive that. I loved Rose (I always end up loving Rose, and she regularly proves her worth as my TV girlfriend), and the Doctor was fine, and the drawings were creepy (kids are creepy, it never fails), but overall... I hated how small it was. I've been frustrated with both seasons of DW for not going to other planets and stuff, but at least Nine's season featured a lot of aliens. I'm frustrated with how limited the settings have been in this show.

I'm also frustrated with the limited feel of the plots themselves. This episode was basically a duplication of The Idiot's Lantern.

I want more, dammit. I want it to be bigger. And I want the writers to just decide already on how they're going to write Ten and just WRITE HIM THAT WAY FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES. I don't care what the direction is anymore, just pick one. Not his mannerisms, but his attitude. His outlook.

Basically I want them to complicate the world and simplify the Doctor. Nine was simple-- he was A Man In Pain. Rose knew it, the audience knew it, alien tree lady knew it. Nine had a driving force, even if it was an unhappy one.

I don't require that Ten be in pain like Nine was. I'm kind of happy for the Doctor now that his new regeneration has allowed him to exorcise much of that pain. But his character needs something in its place. And the plot idea of him being a godlike being just doesn't cut it for me. It's an empty story-- a lot of hot water and no substance. It's boring and small.

... and if they'd really wanted to make it work, they'd have had him out among alien planets actually working through his god-like issues.

This stuff is all more general complaints about the season as a whole, rather than this particular episode.

Junping topics: In all honesty, I don't know if I'll watch if Rose does die. I mean, if it were Nine, I'd totally watch. But I don't know if I love Ten on his own as much as I love him with Rose. He seems like a smaller person without her.

And there's also the fact that Rose is my TV girlfriend and a significant part of the reason I watch this show. I don't know if I want to watch if she's not in it. I mean... no Rose? No good plot direction? No kick-ass episodes, only middling ones? ...what happened to my show? MY SHOW?


I'll have to wait and see if I like it, if Rose dies. I'm hoping she doesn't die, though. I mean, honestly. I know she'll have to leave some time, but I want her to go another two seasons, please.

Comments

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

No kick-ass episodes, only middling ones?

Tooth and Claw, School Reunion, Girl in the Fireplace, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit - I thought all five of those were amazing, ranking up with my favourite from last year. The only episodes this year I haven't loved were The Idiot's Lantern (which was okay but nothing great) and Love and Monsters (good idea, poor execution), and neither of them I hate anywhere near as much as my least favourite from last year, The Long Game. I dunno, for me this year's been at least as good if not better.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Of the whole season, the only eps that I've really, really thought were great were School Reunion and the Christmas Invasion. Tooth & Claw and the Impossible Planet/Satan Pit eps were entertaining but not great. Most of this season has been like that for me-- "Eh." And whereas last season there were some great eps and some "Eh" eps, it was balanced by my love of Nine and Nine/Rose. I love Ten/Rose, and I love Ten, but I don't like the actual storylines that much and that disappointment is making it harder for me to get attached to this new new Doctor.

I absolutely totally despised the nightmare I had about clocks and horses in a spaceship with Mickey. That wasn't an episode, that was something my crazy subconscious dreamed up to convince me that I download too much stuff, or something. [/rant]

I can see where you're coming from in a general sense-- I know every time I read reviews of the show on my flist I can get half a dozen completely different reactions to the same episode. But overall this season has been disappointing for me: great ideas and great elements, but poor and inconsistent execution.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

What you said.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Did you get the song? I'm curious for your opinion.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

Got it. I'll listen to it when I get the chance. I'm putting together the fanmixes I have finished. Your requests are both done.

And give me love over, love over, love over this

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Both? You weren't kidding about having a Wolfwood mix already picked out.

On the arbitrary topic of Trigun-inspiring songs: I've always loved "Politik" as a sort of Vash/Everyone song. Like, Vash/Knives + Vash/Meryl + Vash/Wolfwood + Vash/Rem + Vash/the planet Gunsmoke + Vash/inner conscience.

Re: And give me love over, love over, love over this

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

I sure wasn't. And I had to pick the five songs I liked MOST. I obsessed over Wolfwood for ages when I started reading the manga, yo. And I wish the next two books would fucking come out already!!!

OOo. If you have any other recs for anybody, list'em? I wish you'd do this meme, because I want to see what you come up with. :D ::HINT HINT::

Re: And give me love over, love over, love over this

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Oh lordy. I have half-made fanmixes for Trigun, Princess Tutu, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, and possibly others. I'd probably be better doing fanmixes for series rather than individual characters; I tend to either make a large fanmix where I include 1 or 2 songs for each major character and a few general songs, or I do ship-centric mixes.


I have a full "characters & places" fanmix for Cowboy Bebop that I posted about two years ago, with a pretty label and everything.

I have a Zuko/Katara fanmix that I posted around January.

I have a full Rose/Nine/Regeneration fanmix that I made last year.

I have a full Buffy/Spike fanmix from about 4 years ago (wow, so long ago!).

Re: And give me love over, love over, love over this

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

You can find my incomplete lists here (except the Trigun one, and I don't think I ever wrote my Naruto ideas down...):

http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=rashaka&keyword=lyrics+bebop+music+characters&filter=all

Re: And give me love over, love over, love over this

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

To quote an old entry I made:

"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve is the quintessential Cowboy Bebop song.

"On The Roof Again" by Eve 6 is the quintessential Ranma 1/2 song.

"Staring at the Sun" by The Offspring is the quintessential Trigun action!song, but "Politik" by Coldplay is the quintessential Trigun philosophy!song.

"The Scientist" by Coldplay is the quintessential John Crichton / Aeryn Sun song.

"Possession" by Sarah McLachlan is the quintessential Mulder/Scully song. You'd probably argue better ones, but dammit for me that will always be their song.

I have no quintessential Buffy the Vampire Slayer song. I have seven dozen and can't list them all.

But..."Pure Morning" by Placebo and "I Will Love You" by Fisher and "Loverman" by Nick Cave tie as the quintessential Spike/Buffy song.

Re: And give me love over, love over, love over this

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

I posted the fanmixes.

Re: And give me love over, love over, love over this

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

One day I hope someone will make an Edward/all-alchemists video to this song.

This would be so funny:

Raise, raise, shooga-boom ba.
Sleep no longer, raise, quick
Raise, raise, shooga-boom ba
"Leave us alone, you fuckin' punk bitch!"

Well, fuck it, I ain't that good yet

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

To add on -

My decision to stick around pretty much depends on the new companion. (Whoever it may be, I've seen some rumors around.) Ten's characterization has been all over the map since "School Reunion" and that's hindered my ability to really understand him. I mean, I get he's going through this "God Complex", but some episodes, he's very understated about it, then in others, he's yelling, screaming and going batshit. It's as though he's manic-depressive or something. You never know when he's going to blow up.

The writing has gone downhill. I'm glad someone else realizes this. It is not the standard that we were given last year. It's not the actors, it's the stories they're given. Only a few have been particularly rewatchable for me - "School Reunion", the Cybermen two-parter, "Love & Monsters" and "Fear Her" (until the last five minutes or so on both). Other wise ... eh. I thought "The Christmas Invasion" was indicative of the series to come. Apparently not.

If new Who can't get it's shit together by ep three or four next year, I might step out. I have 40 years worth of old stuff to keep me happy, anyway.

[scarlettfish.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way as you do - I'm just not as invested in Ten the way I was with Nine, and I honestly don't know if I will be interested enough in the Doctor without Rose to tune in every week. Rose is the centre of the show for me, definitely. I always find her interesting and engaging, but I just haven't felt the love for Ten that I did for Nine.

This season, I haven't really been swept away by any of the episodes. I've thought some were good, even really good (School Reunion, The Satan Pit etc.), but Fear Her did look like a The Idiot's Lantern retread, and no episode has really engaged me in the way Season One did. I find Season One endlessly rewatchable, but I haven't been compeled to rewatch many Season Two episodes.