Doctor Who - New Earth.
Apr. 15th, 2006 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaWell that was...weird.
Stupid in so many ways, because I'm the queen of handwaving science that makes *no* *sense* as long as it makes sense within the story (or it makes "magic thematic sense", which is my favourite kind), but I was really rolling my eyes at that plague cure. Yeah, lets make these plague zombies absolutely terrifying and noxious and they'll kill you in seconds if they touch you because they have every disease ever, but it can be cured by mixing up a bunch of coloured IV bags randomly found in *one* hospital ward and forcing *one* of the plague zombies to take a shower and then get all hippy-huggy with the rest of them.
Because...that's not even cool Doctor Who ancient-evil-in-the-shape-of-a-girl-dalek-controlling-Fenric-zombie-hatred-virus-cat-people-mutating logic. It's just...*crap* kids show logic. So, sad as I am to admit it, that had me rolling my eyes a bit.
And I was a bit confused about Cassandra's sudden (like in *ten* *seconds*) turn around from wanting to live to wanting to die. But for reasons described below that gets a pass too.
Oh, also, if it was that easy to cure the diseases of these people...why did they still need to keep them around if they already had the vaccines? And if they were that easy to neutralize why didn't the cat nun dudes have a contingency plan, since it'd be a *really* simple one? I'm trying to move on, honest, but when it bugs *me* there's something seriously dodgy about the "science" because I firmly believe that in a fictional fantasy show realistic science shouldn't be the least bit important.
But, yeah, the reason this episode is kind of weird is the dichotomy between the desperately irritating pseudo-science and the fact that some of the character moments in the episode were startling and tragic and really affecting. The humanisation of Cassandra being the main thing I'm talking about.
The bit at the end, where you have Cassandra, in the cloned human's dying body, approaching herself and being the last person to ever tell her she was beautiful, before dying in her own arms. It floored me, actually, because after all the dumbness it was the last thing I was expecting. The way that this is the ultimate fulfilling end for Cassandra, because she's only ever loved herself - to a) see herself beautiful one last time, b) die being cared for by the person she loves (herself) and c) be the person to offer that last compliment (You're beautiful); the one that gave her the strength to continue all those years. And the shock of the genuine distress and compassion young(ish) Cassandra showed herself, not even knowing who the dying stranger was. And maybe that was only because he stopped her and told her she was beautiful, and made her stop, and pay attention, and *believe* for a second that it was true. But nonetheless, in that moment, she was selfless. For herself. How odd.
I continue to think I might not like this new Doctor much as a person. I enjoy watching him, he's funny, and I like that he wants so much to save lives. But in this episode he continues the tendency he began in The Christmas Invasion - asserting that he's the highest authority, and that what he says goes. At least in New Earth, I'm on his side, whereas in The Christmas Invasion, I was a little pissed with his unilateral condemnation and decision making.
But even if I *was* on his side this time, the question the Cat Nun asks him when he decides human life isn't worth this price - "Who are you to decide that?" is a valid one. And "I'm the Doctor," isn't really a valid answer.
It's not that the Ninth Doctor wasn't an arrogant ass at times, and didn't subject others to his unilateral decision making, or make others feel that they were small because their worldview and morality didn't match his. He did all those things. But I never got the feeling he was going out to police the universe - that he saw himself as some sort of vigilante. I got the sense the Ninth Doctor was acutely aware of his own fallability.
The core difference is the Ninth Doctor wasn't *righteous*, and this doctor is. And righteousness is not a quality I find attractive or one that makes me feel particularly safe. So...I'm wondering if I'm supposed to be cheering the Tenth Doctor's macho tough guy universe police act on, or if I'm supposed to be vaguely worried by it. He's kind of like Captain Kirk. Entertaining to watch, but I wouldn't want to be a rubber monster around him.
Over & out.
Stupid in so many ways, because I'm the queen of handwaving science that makes *no* *sense* as long as it makes sense within the story (or it makes "magic thematic sense", which is my favourite kind), but I was really rolling my eyes at that plague cure. Yeah, lets make these plague zombies absolutely terrifying and noxious and they'll kill you in seconds if they touch you because they have every disease ever, but it can be cured by mixing up a bunch of coloured IV bags randomly found in *one* hospital ward and forcing *one* of the plague zombies to take a shower and then get all hippy-huggy with the rest of them.
Because...that's not even cool Doctor Who ancient-evil-in-the-shape-of-a-girl-dalek-controlling-Fenric-zombie-hatred-virus-cat-people-mutating logic. It's just...*crap* kids show logic. So, sad as I am to admit it, that had me rolling my eyes a bit.
And I was a bit confused about Cassandra's sudden (like in *ten* *seconds*) turn around from wanting to live to wanting to die. But for reasons described below that gets a pass too.
Oh, also, if it was that easy to cure the diseases of these people...why did they still need to keep them around if they already had the vaccines? And if they were that easy to neutralize why didn't the cat nun dudes have a contingency plan, since it'd be a *really* simple one? I'm trying to move on, honest, but when it bugs *me* there's something seriously dodgy about the "science" because I firmly believe that in a fictional fantasy show realistic science shouldn't be the least bit important.
But, yeah, the reason this episode is kind of weird is the dichotomy between the desperately irritating pseudo-science and the fact that some of the character moments in the episode were startling and tragic and really affecting. The humanisation of Cassandra being the main thing I'm talking about.
The bit at the end, where you have Cassandra, in the cloned human's dying body, approaching herself and being the last person to ever tell her she was beautiful, before dying in her own arms. It floored me, actually, because after all the dumbness it was the last thing I was expecting. The way that this is the ultimate fulfilling end for Cassandra, because she's only ever loved herself - to a) see herself beautiful one last time, b) die being cared for by the person she loves (herself) and c) be the person to offer that last compliment (You're beautiful); the one that gave her the strength to continue all those years. And the shock of the genuine distress and compassion young(ish) Cassandra showed herself, not even knowing who the dying stranger was. And maybe that was only because he stopped her and told her she was beautiful, and made her stop, and pay attention, and *believe* for a second that it was true. But nonetheless, in that moment, she was selfless. For herself. How odd.
I continue to think I might not like this new Doctor much as a person. I enjoy watching him, he's funny, and I like that he wants so much to save lives. But in this episode he continues the tendency he began in The Christmas Invasion - asserting that he's the highest authority, and that what he says goes. At least in New Earth, I'm on his side, whereas in The Christmas Invasion, I was a little pissed with his unilateral condemnation and decision making.
But even if I *was* on his side this time, the question the Cat Nun asks him when he decides human life isn't worth this price - "Who are you to decide that?" is a valid one. And "I'm the Doctor," isn't really a valid answer.
It's not that the Ninth Doctor wasn't an arrogant ass at times, and didn't subject others to his unilateral decision making, or make others feel that they were small because their worldview and morality didn't match his. He did all those things. But I never got the feeling he was going out to police the universe - that he saw himself as some sort of vigilante. I got the sense the Ninth Doctor was acutely aware of his own fallability.
The core difference is the Ninth Doctor wasn't *righteous*, and this doctor is. And righteousness is not a quality I find attractive or one that makes me feel particularly safe. So...I'm wondering if I'm supposed to be cheering the Tenth Doctor's macho tough guy universe police act on, or if I'm supposed to be vaguely worried by it. He's kind of like Captain Kirk. Entertaining to watch, but I wouldn't want to be a rubber monster around him.
Over & out.
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Date: 2006-04-16 09:50 am (UTC)I read an issue of SFX containing an interview with said gentleman yesterday whilst on a train and the actor, in my humble opinion, came across as an arse. Fair enough, that's not his character but from the photographs (Converse plimsoles?) and the talk about his role I really can't help but think that this fourth apocryphal addendum to televised "Doctor Who" is little more than a series presenting a Doctor who is the kind of guy Russell T. Davies might want to hang out with in real life. He looks like he was dressed by Top Man, for God's sake.
Gah. Not that I'm bitter, of course.
Bitterness is underrated, anyway. :)
Date: 2006-04-16 04:10 pm (UTC)In some ways I'd *like* it if the Doctor was the kind of guy I wouldn't like much as a person, because he should be dangerous and unpredictable and alien, and while it's nice when those traits show up in someone I'd also love to hang around with (even if they scared me a little - see the Seventh and Ninth doctors) it's not a *bad* thing if he isn't.
So, you know, turning the Doctor into a pompous (can you say First or Sixth Doctor?) ass with a righteous streak a mile wide (kind of the Sixth Doctor from what I've seen, although he was gentler with it) then that's fine. As long as that's what I'm supposed to be seeing.
Which, given your comments re: Russell T. Davies' personality preferences, it might not be. Obviously, you're in a better position to judge something like that than me - since I know bog all about the guy to the point where I haven't even read or seen any interviews with him - but your comments do make me slightly uneasy. It's also worth noting that RTD's episodes last season were usually not favourites of mine, so it'll be interesting to see the Doctor's character in other episodes.
In the mean time, it *is* at least a good kids show with some nifty moments. I am still enjoying this fourth apocryphal addendum, mainly because, it's DOCTOR WHO, on TV, and I can do fabulous LOCATION SPOTTING because I grew up in Cardiff. And it's just so hilarious to see Rose living in the flats about a mile from my house.
Re: Bitterness is underrated, anyway. :)
Date: 2006-04-16 08:10 pm (UTC)I really like the First Doctor, I wish that more had been done with his character but sadly it seemed as if he had to depart for the show to begin to understand what it actually was. Even in retrospect there seem to be very few authors who have properly captured his character. The same of which can be said of...
(kind of the Sixth Doctor from what I've seen, although he was gentler with it) then that's fine.
...the Sixth Doctor, who is so underappreciated that it hurts. I never used to care too much for the Sixth Doctor because, well, the Fifth Doctor was the first Doctor I can remember watching but my friend Jonathan kind of swayed me to his side. He's dynamic and has a lot more in common with the First than any other incarnation (except perhaps the Seventh in his more bleak moods, maybe). He always seems to get a raw deal as well...like Timothy Dalton's Bond, who was a lot more caustic and short and was generally disliked despite being closer to Fleming's Bond.
your comments do make me slightly uneasy
I'll lend you the mag next time we cross paths. I should have finished drooling over the picture of Anna Paquin on the cover by then. ^_^
I envy you the amusement of faux-London spotting. Although it makes me miss the Fourth Doctor Cambridge era even more so!
Re: Bitterness is underrated, anyway. :)
Date: 2006-04-19 07:00 am (UTC)Oh, and next time we cross paths, your DVD o' cool crap is ready! Wahoo! The ultimate music video will soon be yours!