sigyn_halja (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sigyn_halja) wrote2013-11-01 08:17 pm
sigyn_halja) wrote2013-11-01 08:17 pm
Entry tags:
He only takes the best
Gonna talk about my major pet-peeve when it comes to the Doctor Who Fandom now: namely, that we’ve got a gorgeous assemble of beautiful, strong, proud female characters and sometimes it feels like no-one ever notices it.
Many Whovians hate Rose.
This is because, of course, you can’t have a nineteen-year old girl character behave like a believable nineteen-year old girl character – or, God spare us, a human being with believable flaws. Of course, she can’t jump at the occasion of escaping her life of dropping-out-of-school-and-getting-the-first-job-she-comes-across and pushy mothers and boyfriends she’s not really happy with – yeah, her behaviour towards Mickey was wrong, but did you really think that it was True Love and that they didn’t have their own problems when you saw Rose basically run off with the first alien guy she met? But obviously she’s just a bitch. And that’s why she actually cares a lot about her mom and she doesn’t want to leave Mickey in Pete’s World yet accepts it’s his decision, that’s why she just can’t let Jack die, why she feels pity and attempts to make Nine understand that killing the only Dalek left would be wrong, why she wants Adam to travel with her and the Doctor and, like Rose herself, discover that you do have a chance of living an adventure and doing great things even if you’re not Someone Important.
That’s Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth, for you: just a whiny bitch who happens to travel through the worlds to find Donna Noble and Make Her Believe and to find the Doctor and help him save Reality Itself. Yeah, you know, the same chick who’s supposed to work with Pete’s World’s version of Torchwood and actually takes command of some UNIT soldiers in a world that isn’t even her own. Anyone could do that, right?
Then there’s Amy.
Amy happens to flirt with the Doctor and delay her marriage to Rory and that’s basically all that there is to her character, right? I mean, how can a female character not be judged only through her relationships with male characters? And what else could a woman who almost cheats on her boyfriend once be, if not a slut?
Well, perhaps she could be a vulnerable little girl who goes through therapy for years and gets probably mocked and pitied by the whole little town of Leadworth just because she‘s telling the truth. Perhaps her hopes and dreams got utterly crashed when the guy who promised her the universe didn’t bother to show up. Perhaps she could be constantly afraid of commitment and hard choises, maybe because what she’s actually afraid of is being abandoned again. Perhaps, despite this fact, she doesn’t seek anyone’s approval and gets a job that gives off some definite stripper-vibes anyway. Perhaps, when she is really in love, her love is limitless, to the point that she even leaves the man who has always loved her and protected her because she thinks he will be happier with a woman who can give him the kids he’s always wished for, no matter how much it pains her to do so.
And that’s not even considering such unimportant qualities as, I don’t know, her loyalty and faith in the Doctor, or the fact that she’s the only one he does trust.
I’d stop here, but I made a discovery that made me realize not being connected with the Fandom all the time is actually a good thing for me. There are actually people out there who don’t like Donna because they actually think she’s just an arrogant loudmouth. Donna Noble. Most Important Woman In The Universe. Super Temp and Saver of Worlds. She who screams because she thinks no one will listen to her. The woman who doesn’t even bother working for a better life because she’s just so convinced she’s not good enough to get it, that she can’t do better than a shitty job and a guy who sometimes offers her coffee. The woman who finally looks up at the stars and discover that she’s always had the potential to be wonderful inside herself.
Because that's the point in Donna’s story: she could have been great even without the Doctor, because she’s brave and kind and ready to sacrifice herself for a good cause, but she doesn’t know it until she eventually understands that there’s so much more to life than a comforting routine and a comforting sense of resignation. I mean, just look at the way they lampshade it in Turn Left, for Rassilon’s sake! Donna Noble is frail and insecure and she learns step by step how to use her qualities and become strong, not just for herself but to help others as well.
Think what you want but, to me, she is the companion with the most amazing character development.
And of course I could go on about how some fans just plain ignore Martha or, to throw some guys in, how they fail to notice the important changes in Mickey’s character and still honestly don’t get why anyone would choose Rory over the Doctor. But right now I’m not as pissed as when I started this little rage-filled thingy, so I'll save all of that for another time.
I’m just gonna say: if you still think the companions are not as important as the Doctor or they’re actually just here to make him look good and give him something to protect, then please rewatch all the seasons from episode one.
Like, starting now.
Many Whovians hate Rose.
This is because, of course, you can’t have a nineteen-year old girl character behave like a believable nineteen-year old girl character – or, God spare us, a human being with believable flaws. Of course, she can’t jump at the occasion of escaping her life of dropping-out-of-school-and-getting-the-first-job-she-comes-across and pushy mothers and boyfriends she’s not really happy with – yeah, her behaviour towards Mickey was wrong, but did you really think that it was True Love and that they didn’t have their own problems when you saw Rose basically run off with the first alien guy she met? But obviously she’s just a bitch. And that’s why she actually cares a lot about her mom and she doesn’t want to leave Mickey in Pete’s World yet accepts it’s his decision, that’s why she just can’t let Jack die, why she feels pity and attempts to make Nine understand that killing the only Dalek left would be wrong, why she wants Adam to travel with her and the Doctor and, like Rose herself, discover that you do have a chance of living an adventure and doing great things even if you’re not Someone Important.
That’s Rose Tyler, Defender of Earth, for you: just a whiny bitch who happens to travel through the worlds to find Donna Noble and Make Her Believe and to find the Doctor and help him save Reality Itself. Yeah, you know, the same chick who’s supposed to work with Pete’s World’s version of Torchwood and actually takes command of some UNIT soldiers in a world that isn’t even her own. Anyone could do that, right?
Then there’s Amy.
Amy happens to flirt with the Doctor and delay her marriage to Rory and that’s basically all that there is to her character, right? I mean, how can a female character not be judged only through her relationships with male characters? And what else could a woman who almost cheats on her boyfriend once be, if not a slut?
Well, perhaps she could be a vulnerable little girl who goes through therapy for years and gets probably mocked and pitied by the whole little town of Leadworth just because she‘s telling the truth. Perhaps her hopes and dreams got utterly crashed when the guy who promised her the universe didn’t bother to show up. Perhaps she could be constantly afraid of commitment and hard choises, maybe because what she’s actually afraid of is being abandoned again. Perhaps, despite this fact, she doesn’t seek anyone’s approval and gets a job that gives off some definite stripper-vibes anyway. Perhaps, when she is really in love, her love is limitless, to the point that she even leaves the man who has always loved her and protected her because she thinks he will be happier with a woman who can give him the kids he’s always wished for, no matter how much it pains her to do so.
And that’s not even considering such unimportant qualities as, I don’t know, her loyalty and faith in the Doctor, or the fact that she’s the only one he does trust.
I’d stop here, but I made a discovery that made me realize not being connected with the Fandom all the time is actually a good thing for me. There are actually people out there who don’t like Donna because they actually think she’s just an arrogant loudmouth. Donna Noble. Most Important Woman In The Universe. Super Temp and Saver of Worlds. She who screams because she thinks no one will listen to her. The woman who doesn’t even bother working for a better life because she’s just so convinced she’s not good enough to get it, that she can’t do better than a shitty job and a guy who sometimes offers her coffee. The woman who finally looks up at the stars and discover that she’s always had the potential to be wonderful inside herself.
Because that's the point in Donna’s story: she could have been great even without the Doctor, because she’s brave and kind and ready to sacrifice herself for a good cause, but she doesn’t know it until she eventually understands that there’s so much more to life than a comforting routine and a comforting sense of resignation. I mean, just look at the way they lampshade it in Turn Left, for Rassilon’s sake! Donna Noble is frail and insecure and she learns step by step how to use her qualities and become strong, not just for herself but to help others as well.
Think what you want but, to me, she is the companion with the most amazing character development.
And of course I could go on about how some fans just plain ignore Martha or, to throw some guys in, how they fail to notice the important changes in Mickey’s character and still honestly don’t get why anyone would choose Rory over the Doctor. But right now I’m not as pissed as when I started this little rage-filled thingy, so I'll save all of that for another time.
I’m just gonna say: if you still think the companions are not as important as the Doctor or they’re actually just here to make him look good and give him something to protect, then please rewatch all the seasons from episode one.
Like, starting now.