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ed_rex at 03:09pm on 24/08/2014Moffat's misogyny rales on
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Doctor Who is blessed with a remarkable fandom.
Way back on the 12th of July, a black-and-white "screener" of the 8th series premiere, "Deep Breath" was released onto file-sharing sites, following a similar surreptitious (and — need I add? — thoroughly reprehensible!) release of the scripts of the first five episodes the week before. The Scot was out of the kilt, as it were, and anyone who wanted to could easily download a copy.
And yet, those of us who did encounter the samizdat seemed all to subscribe to a gentlefen's agreement that there would be no spoiling for those who preferred to wait for the final product in all its CGI glory. (At worst, some critics might have taken advantage of the incident to draft his (or her!) review ahead of time.)
Though I read a number of Who-related feeds, I didn't come across any unofficial spoilers, not even after the episode was aired in a number of movie theatres around the world. (I didn't look hard, but the point is, one would have had to look to be spoiled.)
Now, finally, the official broadcast is history and we're free to discuss that for which we've been waiting the better part of a year: a new season and a brand-new (if almost elderly) Doctor.
Was it worth it?
If you're able to forgive or justify its internal inconsistencies, tawdry fan-service, cheap laughs and a misogynist streak that holds on like a mysterious infection laughing at ever-stronger doses of antibiotics, well then, yes, I don't doubt for you it was.
If, on the other hand, you were hoping against hope for a story whose details and characterizations made sense and for a climax that didn't take from the show's companion every bit of agency she had, you will have been as disappointed as I was.
Read more/don't read more, it's up to you. But don't say I didn't warn you! In the world according to Steven Moffat, a woman without a man to tell her what to do is nothing ...
(no subject)
I've seen a LOT of Doctors, starting with Classic Who. I've also seen a lot of reactions to the Doctor's regenerations. Companions have remarked on changes in personality, certainly. I remember Peri Brown lamenting in the Sixth Doctor's debut that she'd liked the Fifth Doctor because he was sweet--a reaction that Six didn't think much of. The Brigadier once doubted that the regenerated Doctor WAS the Doctor...though, at the time, he didn't know much about Gallifreyans or regeneration.
But I've never seen a companion reject the Doctor simply because he looks old (or older). That would have rung false with any companion, but with the one who is literally supposed to know him better than anyone else in the universe, it's downright ridiculous. And it made Clara look like a shallow little idiot who needs to be drop-kicked out of the TARDIS ASAP.
I blame the writer, not the "girl"
Which is a long way of saying, I don't blame Clara, because I don't believe in her in the first place. And that is Steven Moffat's fault entirely.
Re: I blame the writer, not the "girl"
Plus she has dimples.
Re: I blame the writer, not the "girl"
And I definitely blame Moffat for fucking up one of my favorite shows.
(no subject)
Anyway, I liked it, with a few reservations mostly about how far they might push the abrasive-Doctor thing. Clara was odd, in that she was way more interesting with a less hand-holdy Doctor (like the opposite of when Rose went from Nine to Ten, oddly enough) and yet she also came across as rather shallow, reacting badly because she doesn't fancy this one.
As for agency, if Clara doesn't have it then they've none of them had it. Just about every single one has ended up in a non-fatal refrigerator incident so that the Doctor can angst a bit. Oh, but if they get married off then that's fiiiiiiiiiine nothing can go wrong.
Also who is Scott?
Ethnic angst
Bloody hell. I was going to crack wise in explaining the significance of the Doctor now speaking with a Scots accent — and then realized you were pointing out a pretty significant spell-o. And it would be in the teaser, which means I'll need to go fix it all over the place, instead of just once on my site. But thanks for the catch anyway — I hope I can do the same for you one of these days! :)
As for Clara's agency (or for anyone's agency), I actually feel I went easy on the subject, having now read the Livejournal blogger Patches365 on the topic. Her essay is long, but very funny and very perceptive. I'll be interested to know if she shifts your opinion at all.
Re: Ethnic angst
*skims* It reminds me a bit of watching The Xmas Invasion not too long ago, which is maybe the very worst yet for "companion becomes utterly useless without the Doctor because he's so magical" -- essentially I have quite low expectations of TV in these things and at least there are any women at all in DW.
TBH honest though I find most MoffHate these days a bit samey. The "he's the most misogynist person EVAR" and then reaching for any stick to beat him with (see the radically differing opinions on the Human-Lizard Lesbian Kiss within fandom). I mean the thing is I don't love Moffat especially, I just don't think his sexism (sic) is substantially worse than RTD's racism or the shit Terrance Dicks could come out with about women. So yeah low standards here.
Clara has about as much agency overall as any of the others and I don't think one regeneration episode has changed that.
Re: Ethnic angst
Yeah, but (chorus!) I blame Moffat for that, since he keeps dipping into the same, poisoned chalice. But if you're grading on a curve, one could certainly find worse misogynists elsewhere in television land.
Speaking of the complete opposite (or so I hope you do or would agree), have you had the pleasure of watching Orphan Black? If not, I commend it to your attention. Science fiction that doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but breaks it. (It's harder to write about the good than it is the bad, but I intend to write about it sometimes before the 3rd season starts up next year.)
Re: Ethnic angst
Easily, easily. Hence I tend to see the MoffHate as fandom finding a whipping boy to pay for everyone's sins. Which gets kind of old, because it lets other people get away with almost anything.
I have seen the Orphan Black, is it American then?
Re: Ethnic angst
Operating on the assumption you meant "haven't" for "have" above, Orphan Black is one of those co-productions, I think, with money coming from Canadian and US producers, but the principals — writer, director and lead actors — are Canadian, to my nationalistic pleasure. The main actress rather astoundingly plays something like 8 different characters and makes them all come alive as individuals (clones, but still really well-differentiated).
It's structured as a mystery (who created all these damned clones, whose killing them, and why to both questions?) and who knows whether it will end up working as a long-form whole, but so far, so really pretty amazing.
Re: Ethnic angst
I don't watch much drama all things considered. :S