Doctor Who 4x10 - Midnight

[such_heights]

Oh! Oh, that was incredible! Wow! Fantastically atmospheric and an inspired plot for a companion-less Doctor. I don't feel like I have all that much to say about this one other than it was brilliantly done and really, S4 is shooting into the stratosphere about now. A few notes:

* Ack, Rusty. Did you just give us an evil dead lesbian? Really? And kill off two out of three non-white characters? *sigh* Those squicky tropes appearing once again being the only off-note in an otherwise totally wonderful episode.

* Excuse me while I make dolphin noises at that opening! DONNA AND THE DOCTOR, YOUR LOVE IS EPIC AND AMAZING. They just-- *hands* You know what I mean, yeah? Yeah. Eeee! And then the end, oh the end. A beautiful coda, and my goodness how much I want the two of them to go travelling around the universe forever and ever. Doctor & Donna is my TARDIS-travelling OTP even more after this, even though she was barely there.

* A really nice chance for us all to remind ourselves of how great the Doctor is as well, I think. I know I get distracted by the awesome of the characters surrounding him and sort of take his role for granted from time to time, so it was good to focus in on him here, and without any epic Time Lord angst or similar still highlighting just what a strange position his life experience puts him in. And David Tennant continues to knock it out of the bloody ballpark. ♥

Comments

[liseuse.livejournal.com]

Ack, Rusty. Did you just give us an evil dead lesbian? Really? And kill off two out of three non-white characters? *sigh* Those squicky tropes appearing once again being the only off-note in an otherwise totally wonderful episode.

I KNOW. SERIOUSLY. AGAIN.

UGH.

Apart from that, I really loved this episode. I wanted to love it more, but SERIOUSLY.

(Hi, Jethro. I'll save you from your parents. Come listen to MCR with me ok.)

[such_heights]

Do they honestly not notice these patterns, both in their own writing and media generally? You have to believe it's not intentional, but all the same. :\

And oh yes, poor Jethro! Having to watch your parents go all psychotic must have been an additional bag of Not-Fun. At least he got to be pretty sensible throughout.

[krabapple.livejournal.com]

I did love the episode, so yay!

As for the tropes, yes, I do agree. It helped me quite a bit, though mileage varies, of course, that although the hostess was killed (as was the mechanic), she was the brilliant one who figured it out and did what she thought had to be done. (I suppose that if you want to take it far enough that a black woman sacrificed herself for the Doctor, well . . . you could and people undoubtedly will, but I don't really see it that way.) And Dee Dee was the voice of reason all along.

But then again, I'm American, so I have a totally different perspective going on. In some ways, I'm just happy to see people of color *on* a show, and playing roles that could have been cast in any way.

I think we should all kidnap Jethro. Or that he needs to start a band. One or the other. :)

[henpecked.livejournal.com]

This plot could only work with a companion-less Doctor, but I was surprised with how pleased I was with the trope of getting rid of Donna.

Gosh, I loveeeeee this show.

[ladygrey-lj.livejournal.com]

The Doctor and Donna make an amazing team indeed. They're such good mates and it shows so much. He and Rose had that as well, but it's still different with Donna. ♥ it.

[such_heights]

Yay indeed!

Yeah, as these things go it was hardly one of the worst examples. The unnamed hostess and Dee Dee were both good characters with agency, which helps a lot. I think that British TV has a habit of making a conscious effort to create a good mix of characters in ensemble dramas, which is great, and then not really thinking things through after that point. We'll get there.

Oh, he's totally in a band! And his parents think it's some ridiculous teenage phase, but after being shaken up after his experiences on the planet he starts getting into it and writing all these haunting space-rock songs that start to make some real inroads in the underground until he's a bona-fide rockstar, yes. :D

[such_heights]

Yeah, that worked well, didn't it? I missed her in terms of not getting to see her much in the episode, but the plot didn't leave any room to feel her absence, which was good.

Oh, I know! What am I going to do in three weeks' time when it's done?

[such_heights]

I guess because these two have a slightly more unusual dynamic compared to him and Rose? It makes it a little unexpected and thus a lot of fun. They went to a holiday resort together! ♥!

[fly-to-dawn.livejournal.com]

Ack, Rusty. Did you just give us an evil dead lesbian? Really? And kill off two out of three non-white characters? *sigh* Those squicky tropes appearing once again being the only off-note in an otherwise totally wonderful episode.

Yes, I went 'meh' at that one. At least it was better than the reporter in Partners in Crime, as the hostess got to die heroically - the reporter started off as a could-be-companion, and look at the end >.<

[such_heights]

Oh God yes, every time a new companion's introduced they seem to have that one - the other student in Smith & Jones, and Mickey plays the same role in Rose. I get that it's meant to offset against Donna/Martha/Rose and it's a useful device, but unfortunate undertones much? :\

[liseuse.livejournal.com]

I always think there's an element of "hey look at us! Multicultural cast!" which then becomes "we must act colour-blind. So anyone can die. And if we don't kill one of the non-white characters then people will comment. Perhaps we should kill one of them" and so on and so on and so on. It's sort of a great effort that becomes a massive fail.

I am pleased you can still be emo that far in the future. I want to slip him bootlegs of old Nirvana and MCR and Alkaline Trio albums, which he can turn into space-rock.

[such_heights]

Yeah, I absolutely agree - I suspect that once they've been cast it's not really thought about any more. Which is a little better than other shows where it seems to be semi-consciously playing into such things, like the violent deaths of black men in Supernatural or the exoticism you get sometimes in SGA. I can't really think of many problems with the actual writing of characters from various ethnic groups in Who (well, maybe Tosh as a walking stereotype some of the time), it's more what happens to them in the stories. Err, that got rambly.

Hee, yes!

[liseuse.livejournal.com]

I think I'm forgiving of Tosh as a walking stereotype because she's aware of it, and laughs about it herself. She isn't a cipher of a character, only there to keep the others out of trouble or rescue them. She knows she's female, Asian and a nerd. Which makes it all a lot more palatable. In some ways.

I alternate with Who (and the BBC in general) between being pleased that we get to watch these shows with multicultural casting and it not being a big deal and then annoyed that they don't seem to carry through any critical thinking whatsoever.

[such_heights]

Oh, overall definitely, and the fact she's a bit twisted and something of an adrenaline junkie etc keep her an interesting part of the team over and above Exposition Woman. I guess I have issues with how some episodes dropped the ball with her character in general, more than anything, and that all turned out all right in the end.

And as for the last bit, couldn't have put it better.

[bluekiwibubble.livejournal.com]

I loved this episode! With the pretty planet and cool minor characters and everything you said about the Doctor & Donna. The whole what-people-will-resort-to thing, whilst contributing to it being a very interesting episode, seriously creeped me. I always find that kind of thing terrifying in stories (it's why I refuse to watch Criminal Minds ever ever ever again). Especially near the end when they were trying to throw the Doctor out, because - and this may just be me imagining things but - did Jethro not start to help his dad drag the Doctor towards the door? *shivers* Heh, it's creepy just thinking about it and I'm sat outside in the sun X)

Did you just give us an evil dead lesbian? Really? I thought that was really pointless - the line(s?) about her girlfriend/wife were obviously put in there purposefully, and good for them having a lesbian in prime time tv etcetc, but with her being the evil(and weird, tbh, even before she was possessed) one, it just seems counterproductive.

[such_heights]

Yeah, it was horribly claustrophobic and sinister, ugh. I love stories like that, much as they freak me out.

Exactly - thing is, obviously she was being set up as an isolated and vulnerable figure to make her prime possession material, and in true RTD gay agenda fashion, well, why not make her having recently broken up with a woman? Which is all well and good, and yet. That little pronoun unfortunately made her whole story play into a long list of tropes about gay people, women particularly, being lonely, depressed, doomed and teh evil. Alas that media representations make us interpret such things this way!

[sambethe.livejournal.com]

*giggles*

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who was tickled by Jethro. I'm sure I'm too old for these sorts of things, but I still have those days where I want to curl myself up all in black and sneer at my surroundings.

[sambethe.livejournal.com]

In some ways, I'm just happy to see people of color *on* a show, and playing roles that could have been cast in any way.

Hrm, I feel the same way about it and was wondering if the Brits notice it or have a different take on it. But, yeah, generally I'm so pleased to see the backgrounds and occasional foregrounds filled with so many people of color that I forget to even look at how they are used.

[liseuse.livejournal.com]

I loved Jethro. I wanted to give him a hug and loads of bootlegged music. I don't think you're ever too old for it. It's always a valid reaction to the world.