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Why do I have to have an obsessive nature?
So, I’ve been musing about the nature of obsession. As in what makes *me* obsess, and why. Particularly - why Doctor Who, and why now...
I’ve been watching Doctor Who for three years. (I even watched Torchwood, which I like in a ‘maybe one day when the braces come off and you get a decent haircut and new clothes you’ll be real pretty’ kinda way.) Anyway, I watched it and enjoyed it. I squee’d at the brilliant bits and cried at the sad bits and rolled my eyes at the silly bits. I’ve read the occasional fic and watched a few vids. Even checked out meta when it popped up on my flist. I’ve done my best to see every ep. But I’ve not been obsessed. Because there is a *huge* difference between liking and loving, between enjoying and being sucked in. You see the problem with Doctor Who has been the fact that well... it can be a little clumsy. There are occasional episodes - or arcs - that are utterly brilliant, but there are a LOT of episodes where the metaphors are so obvious that I can almost see them jumping up and down going: ‘Look at me! I’m a metaphor! That means that I *mean* something and now I’m going to use primary coloured blocks to spell it out.’
Character/relationship wise it’s mostly excellent. And story wise the show is mostly very solid, although RTD really is the new Joss, only moreso:
“So if I can get past that by saying ‘Well these things happen when you’reon a Hellmouth a Time Lord, then we can get to what’s important.”
Luckily I have a *huge* tolerance for this - as long as the payoff’s worth it I can buy just about any ridiculous thing thrown at me. (I see the words ‘Written by Russel T. Davies’ pop up on my screen and I know I’ll have to suspend disbelief sooner or later.)
So - fun, entertaining, emotionally involving show. But until ‘Sound of Drums’ I never felt any compulsion to look underneath - I wasn’t even sure if there was a there there. And then came the drums...
It began with the continuity going stratospheric. And then came the character exploration and mirroring. Bringing with it huge, giant big themes that pretty much jumped out of the screen at me - beautiful and rich and deep and *begging* to be delved into. Could it continue? Oh yes it could. The finale didn’t just add to the continuity hundred fold, tying up all the stories into glorious circles, it did the same with all the themes and the layers and the imagery (*so* gorgeous). And the more I look, the more I see... and this is where the obsession kicks in. Because now I want to go back. I want to record everything (which means scrutinising the TV guide to keep an eye on re-runs), to poke and prod and see how it’s all connected.
And that... is going to take time. And fill up yet more brain space. Bother. As if I don’t have enough of that going on with Buffy...
But then I look at my wallpaper (spoilery for end of S3), and well - what am I supposed to do? And no, I’m not just talking about the pretty - I’m talking about all the other stuff. The same reasons I adore Spike and Buffy, and Spike and Angel. The way I look at them and see the most glorious, intricate and fascinating interplay - history and feelings and similarities and differences all adding up to something much greater than any one thing could be on it’s own.
And damn, now I’ve waffled again. If anyone reads this, then I apologise for this odd slice of my brain.
I’ve been watching Doctor Who for three years. (I even watched Torchwood, which I like in a ‘maybe one day when the braces come off and you get a decent haircut and new clothes you’ll be real pretty’ kinda way.) Anyway, I watched it and enjoyed it. I squee’d at the brilliant bits and cried at the sad bits and rolled my eyes at the silly bits. I’ve read the occasional fic and watched a few vids. Even checked out meta when it popped up on my flist. I’ve done my best to see every ep. But I’ve not been obsessed. Because there is a *huge* difference between liking and loving, between enjoying and being sucked in. You see the problem with Doctor Who has been the fact that well... it can be a little clumsy. There are occasional episodes - or arcs - that are utterly brilliant, but there are a LOT of episodes where the metaphors are so obvious that I can almost see them jumping up and down going: ‘Look at me! I’m a metaphor! That means that I *mean* something and now I’m going to use primary coloured blocks to spell it out.’
Character/relationship wise it’s mostly excellent. And story wise the show is mostly very solid, although RTD really is the new Joss, only moreso:
“So if I can get past that by saying ‘Well these things happen when you’re
Luckily I have a *huge* tolerance for this - as long as the payoff’s worth it I can buy just about any ridiculous thing thrown at me. (I see the words ‘Written by Russel T. Davies’ pop up on my screen and I know I’ll have to suspend disbelief sooner or later.)
So - fun, entertaining, emotionally involving show. But until ‘Sound of Drums’ I never felt any compulsion to look underneath - I wasn’t even sure if there was a there there. And then came the drums...
It began with the continuity going stratospheric. And then came the character exploration and mirroring. Bringing with it huge, giant big themes that pretty much jumped out of the screen at me - beautiful and rich and deep and *begging* to be delved into. Could it continue? Oh yes it could. The finale didn’t just add to the continuity hundred fold, tying up all the stories into glorious circles, it did the same with all the themes and the layers and the imagery (*so* gorgeous). And the more I look, the more I see... and this is where the obsession kicks in. Because now I want to go back. I want to record everything (which means scrutinising the TV guide to keep an eye on re-runs), to poke and prod and see how it’s all connected.
And that... is going to take time. And fill up yet more brain space. Bother. As if I don’t have enough of that going on with Buffy...
But then I look at my wallpaper (spoilery for end of S3), and well - what am I supposed to do? And no, I’m not just talking about the pretty - I’m talking about all the other stuff. The same reasons I adore Spike and Buffy, and Spike and Angel. The way I look at them and see the most glorious, intricate and fascinating interplay - history and feelings and similarities and differences all adding up to something much greater than any one thing could be on it’s own.
And damn, now I’ve waffled again. If anyone reads this, then I apologise for this odd slice of my brain.
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But there was certainly something about those last couple of episodes ... maybe it was the drums ... amybe Cap'n Jack ... maybe ... I don't know. i am still trying to work out what got to me - I just know that it did!
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i am still trying to work out what got to me - I just know that it did!
I think - more than anything - that it was having a 'human' villain that did it. The Daleks & Cybermen (although undoubtedly great in their own way) can quite simply not bring out the same sort of depth. It's like... the difference between The Master and Angelus.
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Yes, but the Daleks will always have a special place in my life - form behind the sofa, that is!!
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Oooh I know what you mean. 'Twas most awesome. :)
And Who wouldn't be the same without Daleks... it'd be like Buffy without vampires!
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I HAVE SEEN THE BEST AND THE WORST IN YOU! AND I UN-DER-STAND WITH PER-FECT CLAR-ITY EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE! YOU ARE A HELL OF A DA-LEK! YOU ARE THE ONE, BUF-FY!
I don't... I don't want to be the one.
THE DA-LEKS DO NOT WANT TO BE THIS GOOD-LOO-KING AND ATH-LET-IC! WE ALL HAVE CROSSES TO BEAR!
NOW YOU GET SOME REST! OBEY! OBEY! OB-EY!!!
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::is actually speechless::
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As I said - I have an incredible capacity to ignore the stuff I don't like as long as the rest is great. :)
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Whereas I just can't do that. I nitpick.
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If season 8 ever managed to float my boat (which I sort of doubt but you never know) I might become a little less critical of it.
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Same here. Oh speaking of things that *do* float our boats, I posted an Asylum drabble. :)
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ROFL!! Okay, that is the *best* and most accurate description of Torchwood that I've ever run across.
It began with the continuity going stratospheric. And then came the character exploration and mirroring. Bringing with it huge, giant big themes that pretty much jumped out of the screen at me - beautiful and rich and deep and *begging* to be delved into.
Even in the old series, I always loved the dynamic between the Doctor and the Master... the idea of having an Enemy (with a capital E) who the good guy always fights but can never quite bring himself/herself to kill (and vice versa), no matter how much they might think they want to. Always dancing around each other, with a sort of deep-seated attraction going between them, even if it's incredibly buried subtext. In fact, now that I think about it, it might be the Doctor/Master dynamic I was exposed to as a child that led me to love Buffy/Spike as much as I did when he first came on the scene in Season Two of BtVS.
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think teh professor (can't recall the actors name) would have made a good master too but teh new series is a lot more focused on having younger more attractive actors than the old one. Which i have mixed feelings about on one hand i have DT looking gorgeous and on teh other my favourite all time doctor was hartnell.
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Heh. It has so much potential, but the writers just have a huge problem with doing subtle. I'm crossing my fingers like mad for S2!
Always dancing around each other, with a sort of deep-seated attraction going between them, even if it's incredibly buried subtext.
Not so buried anymore... *g* But yes to everything you wrote. And I really, really want to watch Old Who now (stupid obsession! Heh.). Also it's a dynamic we don't really have on BtVS - there's shades of it of course in Buffy/Spike as you say, but it evolves into something far different. There's also Buffy/Faith, and it's there partly in (unsouled)Spike/Angel, but never in the same way. *happy sigh* It is wonderful to have a new shiny ship (not that I ship them in that way, I just can't think of a better word) to play with, with new brandnew and different dynamics. :)
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The future humans were especially disturbing, all that survival instinct the Dr has so admired turning them into monsterous children.
Loved Martha especially for loving the Dr like crazy and all that faith in him that drove her round the world. But in the end finally growing a pair and walking away. She's been a great assistant.
Other good things
John Simm playing the happy psycho, and so pretty.
The masters spaced out girfriend she creeped me out
The scene where "here come the drums" kicks in, very funky!
things i did not enjoy
golum dr was a bit silly
martha's parents who i think were not well cast
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*nods* The Master's evil was a lot more complex which made it so much more enjoyable.
The future humans were especially disturbing, all that survival instinct the Dr has so admired turning them into monsterous children.
There will be meta, just wait... :)
She's been a great assistant.
Yup. And she saved the world. :) (The crushing could have been better handled, but...)
And yes to your good and bad lists. (Although Martha's parents didn't bother me all that much.)
Shiny, shiny show. :)
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I've still not actually watched any of the third series myself; but a friend is a big Doctor Who fan, and we've negotiated a truce whereby I can witter on about Buffy if he gets to do the same about Who. :)
Anyway, he's fond of making the point that Doctor Who is a children's programme. Yes, sure, it's also got a huge adult fanbase - but how many of them watch because they can remember hiding behind the sofa themselves as children? And yes, there are elements in the story that might go over the head of most children. But at its core, it's still got to be something that an 8-year old would be excited, scared and amused by. If that means that sometimes the metaphors have to be really obvious, so be it.
An 8-year old weaned on Who can then grow up to become an adult Buffy fan. :-)
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Seems a v. sensible solution. :)
Doctor Who is a children's programme.
No it isn't. It's a family programme. Like The Simpsons, and for the same reasons. Of course it has to be accessible to 8 year olds, but if you look at say the episode 'Dalek' (1.6) it is perfectly possible to do this whilst also exploring lots of deeper themes:
"Oh Rose. They're all dead."
Very, very simple. But not simplistic. The problem is that often the writers just take the easy route - and it can't be blamed on 'catering to children' because Torchwood is far worse. Subtlety might as well be a village in Outer Mongolia for all the Torchwood writers know (OK, there are few good eps, and a lot are enjoyable, but mostly they're worryingly blunt. And although Capt. Jack is good looking, he's not *that* pretty. ::prays for a better S2::).
An 8-year old weaned on Who can then grow up to become an adult Buffy fan. :-)
This is the plan re. my own 8 year old, certainly! :)
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(Anonymous) 2007-07-04 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
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