100 Reviews: 2
Apr. 21st, 2012 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedi_of_urthSo, let’s get the ball rolling on Doctor Who (which will most likely be a regular feature on these things) by starting at the very beginning.
Or the beginning of MY Doctor Who at least. It’s still a very good place to start.
Doctor Who 1x01: Rose
I love basically everything this episode chooses to be. It’s not perfect or flawless by any means (and creates some issues that every fanfic writer comes up with a different explanation to fanwank into sense), but like Rose, “Rose” the episode is completely loveable anyway.
One thing I loved right from the first time I watched this episode was that it was ROSE’S story, SHE’s the one that gets the Luke Skywalker type story or being an ordinary person who gets caught up in larger events. But without trying to push some Chosen One type story on her, she’s the hero of the story because that’s who she IS. Even the first time I saw it, with barely any memory of the few Classic eps I’d seen as a kid, I just knew that was a big thing and one that I loved.
Another memory I have from first watch is disliking how broadly Jackie and Mickey were drawn. I really thought they got the short end of the characterization for the sake of Rose’s ‘Luke’-style story; they couldn’t be people the audience cared about or we wouldn’t support Rose’s choice at the end of the episode. I still *sort of* feel that way, but since RTD more than made up for it over the next couple seasons I don’t hold it against him the way I kind of did in the beginning. I end up feeling more like they were broadly drawn just because of time limits instead of audience manipulation, since once he had more time with them he made them so much more sympathetic.
This episode is, I think, chiefly responsible for why I never think of the Doctor when I hear the Doctor’s Theme music. Because everytime it’s used, it’s used for ROSE’s journey through the episode as she steps further and further into the Doctor’s world. And I’m not one to usually notice music, but sometimes things like that sit in my subconscious so that when I hear that it is supposed to be the Doctor’s Theme I go “...really? I’m pretty sure it’s all about Rose.” And then I remember that the Doctor is All About Rose and I can resolve it (until Rose leaves, but we’ll get there).
I pretty much love every Doctor/Rose scene, but mostly the ones where they actually talk (as opposed to the opener say, which I enjoy but it doesn’t give me as many FEELS as their walk around the estate). And while I resisted it six years ago I pretty much fall for the ship instantly now. But even now it’s in a ‘pinch their cheeks for being so young and naïve and oh look at the set up for their story’ way. Because I do really enjoy the set up for their relationship, with them both having a lot to learn from each other; her about the big concerns and him about the small ones. And I do think Rose gets there faster, she’s already clearly on the path by the end of the episode, but he’s only just had the path pointed out to him.
But there’s stuff in these early eps I always want to point out to people when they go on and on about Rose’s compassion because yeah she is...to individual people, but she’s also really violent in places. She’s all ‘let’s kill the Nestine Consciousness now’ and then ends up doing it. People talk about the Doctor’s darkness (Nine version) and Rose’s goodness but it’s not as cut and dried as all that if we’re really honest with ourselves.
I do think I enjoy this ep more now than I did on first watch, but even of first watch there was a lot to like here, time has just made me more and more aware of all the ways in which it’s awesome.
Next time:
Community, ‘A Fistful of Paintballs/For a Few Paintballs More’
And feel free to make more suggestions.
Or the beginning of MY Doctor Who at least. It’s still a very good place to start.
Doctor Who 1x01: Rose
I love basically everything this episode chooses to be. It’s not perfect or flawless by any means (and creates some issues that every fanfic writer comes up with a different explanation to fanwank into sense), but like Rose, “Rose” the episode is completely loveable anyway.
One thing I loved right from the first time I watched this episode was that it was ROSE’S story, SHE’s the one that gets the Luke Skywalker type story or being an ordinary person who gets caught up in larger events. But without trying to push some Chosen One type story on her, she’s the hero of the story because that’s who she IS. Even the first time I saw it, with barely any memory of the few Classic eps I’d seen as a kid, I just knew that was a big thing and one that I loved.
Another memory I have from first watch is disliking how broadly Jackie and Mickey were drawn. I really thought they got the short end of the characterization for the sake of Rose’s ‘Luke’-style story; they couldn’t be people the audience cared about or we wouldn’t support Rose’s choice at the end of the episode. I still *sort of* feel that way, but since RTD more than made up for it over the next couple seasons I don’t hold it against him the way I kind of did in the beginning. I end up feeling more like they were broadly drawn just because of time limits instead of audience manipulation, since once he had more time with them he made them so much more sympathetic.
This episode is, I think, chiefly responsible for why I never think of the Doctor when I hear the Doctor’s Theme music. Because everytime it’s used, it’s used for ROSE’s journey through the episode as she steps further and further into the Doctor’s world. And I’m not one to usually notice music, but sometimes things like that sit in my subconscious so that when I hear that it is supposed to be the Doctor’s Theme I go “...really? I’m pretty sure it’s all about Rose.” And then I remember that the Doctor is All About Rose and I can resolve it (until Rose leaves, but we’ll get there).
I pretty much love every Doctor/Rose scene, but mostly the ones where they actually talk (as opposed to the opener say, which I enjoy but it doesn’t give me as many FEELS as their walk around the estate). And while I resisted it six years ago I pretty much fall for the ship instantly now. But even now it’s in a ‘pinch their cheeks for being so young and naïve and oh look at the set up for their story’ way. Because I do really enjoy the set up for their relationship, with them both having a lot to learn from each other; her about the big concerns and him about the small ones. And I do think Rose gets there faster, she’s already clearly on the path by the end of the episode, but he’s only just had the path pointed out to him.
But there’s stuff in these early eps I always want to point out to people when they go on and on about Rose’s compassion because yeah she is...to individual people, but she’s also really violent in places. She’s all ‘let’s kill the Nestine Consciousness now’ and then ends up doing it. People talk about the Doctor’s darkness (Nine version) and Rose’s goodness but it’s not as cut and dried as all that if we’re really honest with ourselves.
I do think I enjoy this ep more now than I did on first watch, but even of first watch there was a lot to like here, time has just made me more and more aware of all the ways in which it’s awesome.
Next time:
Community, ‘A Fistful of Paintballs/For a Few Paintballs More’
And feel free to make more suggestions.
