sumeria: We who fly must know our place (Master: so long)
sumeria ([personal profile] sumeria) wrote2010-05-16 11:10 pm
Entry tags:

05x07 reaction post

So, I seem to have forgotten to react to the last three weeks.



It's been a while, so I will just sum up:



    River Song is the Rani.
    Rory is win.

And now, for this week, as always, in no particular order:



  • No one in the whole universe hates the Doctor as much as he hates himself? Really? I think that might be the most self-indulgent, whiny thing I've ever heard come out of his mouth. 'Cause he's not all that incompetent, so you think he'd be doing better at attacking himself if that were true. I am unpersuaded.*

  • Speaking of Evil!Doctor, the Valeyard did it better. Please to not be putting evil!Doctor in my Who unless he does it at least that well.

  • I also think the episode would have worked better if both dreams had seemed equally plausible to the audience, because as it is, the reverse at the end felt kind of cheap, but whatever. Is a small nitpick.

  • And I'm not even going to discuss how messed up is the thought that Amy's marrying Rory and has never mentioned to him that she loves him.

  • Though, given that she hasn't, why are they getting married? It seems fairly clear that they don't want at all similar things out of life, which they really ought to talk over.

  • Though all of that may just be a factor of how this series is shitty about relationships in general. And by that, I mean: portraying them. This whole episode was premised on a relationship between the Doctor and Amy much deeper and closer than any I've seen them having. Actually, their relationship in general remains a total blank slate to me. I couldn't tell you a thing about how they see each other, other than that she seems to have an on-again-off-again pseudo-sexual attraction to him. Couldn't tell you what he thinks of her.

  • Speaking of continuity. I get that it's not Moffat's strong point --boy do I get that-- but what was he *thinking* with this entire season?! It has an incredibly heavy-handed over-arching plot... which the Doctor is ignoring. I mean, the universe appears to be ending. We already have no emotional continuity or character growth that I can see going on, so why insert the destruction of all things just to have the Doctor do something else?I mean, Doctor Who can work perfectly well as an episodic show, so...

  • And how did the Doctor know the little old lady was an ancient evil thingy again? Did he at any point indicate how he'd worked that out before everyone starting spitting up eyeballs?

  • It's been kind of a disembodied eyeball season, actually.

  • Rory kind of annoyed me this episode, I fear. Can't put my finger exactly on why, but suspect it will come down to how dismissive he was of Amy's interests/wishes for her life. I would really like to see her develop some kind of interest in something that isn't a man, actually.


In conclusion: I didn't really care for this episode, but the past few weeks were at least amusing, so I shall carry on for now.


*The Master wants it to be known that he loves hates the Doctor most of all.


psiten: (Default)

[personal profile] psiten 2010-05-17 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
to support the points about the lack of relationship development, I ask you: Doctor, Amelia, Rory -- Seph, Cloud, or Zack?

[identity profile] sumeria.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I cannot answer this question. I mean, I *could*... but I could answer it every which way. Which I ought not to be able to do.

psiten: (Default)

[personal profile] psiten 2010-05-17 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
...QED?

[identity profile] imifumei.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 07:02 am (UTC)(link)
Honestly the best thing I could say about the episode was that it was cute in parts. I am unimpressed with the development (read: lack thereof) of any of the characters. I was angry with the writers for thinking the viewer should believe that shit when Amy said she thought she was the only woman in ever that the Doctor would trust and I used to think she was cute and kind of fun until she got all handsy with every guy who walks in her path.

It's episode seven already. Can't we have a real portrayal of believable human (or time lord, I'll take time lord) emotion?

I am intrigued by the idea of this Rani you mentioned. Any chance she'll help me hate River Song's perfect River Songiness any less?

[identity profile] sumeria.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
The Rani was another renegade time lord from back in Classic Who. Sadly, she was only in two episodes, one of which was with Seven (who I have difficulties with), but her Six episode was made of *win*.

She was on earth covertly murdering people to extract a chemical from their brains that she needed for a research project she had going on, and then the Master showed up. And she was all, "Oh god, *you*? Go away."

And he was all, "The Doctor is here too."

And she, "Bugger. Well, I'll move to some other planet to finish this; there's humans all over the place."

And he, "No! We must destroy the Doctor! And you must help me!"

And she, "Nuts to that. I'm not getting in the middle of your weird little hate!fest/romance thing. I can just be evil *somewhere else*. 'S a big universe."

And then the Master held her experiments hostage till she helped him, but still. Cold-blooded, ruthless, full of herself genius. I adored her.

And if River Song is the Rani, not only is she magically less annoying but she *also* makes sense. Which she does not otherwise do.

[identity profile] beltenebra.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Honestly, I couldn't agree with you more. I loved Amy in the first few episodes and I still think I like the person she could be if Moffat doesn't keep on the path he's on right now. And YES to the heavy-handedness of the plot. It's so... clumsy compared to previous seasons. I remember Bad Wolf being delightfully creepy and mysterious until the very end of the season.

Has is been confirmed that River Song is Rani? Because that would be Awesome. And I agree with Brina, I think it would explain her total self-insertyness and make it so much more palatable.

So far I have found the new season entertaining, but not quite up to snuff as far as storytelling, which honestly, is pretty much what I expected. I did not, however expect to miss just watching the show in general as much as I did. ^^
Edited 2010-05-17 12:16 (UTC)

[identity profile] sumeria.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Alas, no. It has not been so confirmed; I made that up. But I'm not letting go of it until I get some other, plausible, mind you, explanation for her.

And yes times ten to the writing thing. Moffat does not, I grow convinced, get either children or women, and he's trying to write about the one for an audience of the other.