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Moffat talking about the new companion + my thoughts on the Doctor being a story & mirrors
From here.
(Spoilers up to, and including, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.)
“We are going to do the story properly of the Doctor having lost a friend and making a new one. We’re not taking that lightly. It’s not in one door out the other. It’s the story of how all that affects him, why he engages with somebody else and what’s going on with that – that’s all important.
What does Jenna bring to it? It’s surprising just how much the show changes with a new co-star. The Doctor is quite different with her, and the way you watch them is quite different. You watched the Eleventh Doctor and Amy arrive together. It’s like they grew up in the same sandpit, playing. They felt not quite like equals – the Doctor never feels like an equal to his companion – but you knew them equally well and they were equally important to each other. They formed around each other. And one of the interesting things about writing the Doctor is that he’s so responsive to the people around him. It’s almost like left on his own his personality would slowly disintegrate. He becomes what people want him to be, a little bit. So he’s Amy’s Raggedy Doctor.
With a different companion he becomes a slightly different man. He dresses differently. The mere fact that he’s so much taller than her suddenly reveals that Matt Smith is very tall, not, as people assume, about average height, because he was about the same height as Karen. He’s the senior man, not in the sense that he’s more important but he’s the one you know already, and he’s training up a new one, as it were. In these five episodes the Doctor is practically the adopted son of Amy and Rory. He’s gone from being the wonderful man from space – Space Gandalf, as he wants to be – to being that troublesome kid that they try and keep under control. They even talked about getting babysitters for him in one unfortunately cut scene. They love him, but they know he’s a big kid, they know they have to look out for him, check he eats and all that. Whereas with the new companion he’s back to being the mysterious spacefarer.
And this never goes away, this thrill – you want to see the reaction when you see it’s bigger on the inside, you want to see the count the hearts moment, you want the story to begin again. And that’s what it gives you. It gives you Doctor Who at its most iconic, because a new person is having to learn the rules – and you’ve seen that story how many times now? I don’t think you ever get tired of it.”
Now the thing that really struck me was:
'It’s almost like left on his own his personality would slowly disintegrate. He becomes what people want him to be, a little bit.'
Because it very much echoes what I wrote in one of my fics:
'When you become a story, you belong to others, and there is no simple truth.'
The Doctor is a mirror, is designed to be a mirror. Rose's Doctor was different to Martha's who was different to Donna's... We even had River remark upon this in-story.
Also I found it interesting to see Moffat talking about how Amy and Rory view the Doctor in light of 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship', as the Doctor's demeanour was so vastly different when he was with his Companions (bright, daft) as when he was apart (very low-key, bordering on grim). He really is a mirror, reflecting what people see, which is why travelling alone is so bad for him - he can only reflect himself, and as his mirrors are often dark (hi there Dreamlord) it very easily turns bad.
Which means that yes, he is a story, and yes it's important what kind of story (hi AGMGTW). Which again ties into what kind of people he surrounds himself with, and what they see in him, because that is what he becomes.
And this makes River's statement that he is 'The best man she has ever known' not some kind of over-the-top declaration, but a very significant standard for him to hold himself to. (Especially as River is in many ways his dark mirror.) Plus, of course, being storyless - Solomon doesn't know who he is - frees him up in many ways. Solomon is not holding him to any standards at all...
And that's as far as my rambling goes for now.
(Spoilers up to, and including, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.)
“We are going to do the story properly of the Doctor having lost a friend and making a new one. We’re not taking that lightly. It’s not in one door out the other. It’s the story of how all that affects him, why he engages with somebody else and what’s going on with that – that’s all important.
What does Jenna bring to it? It’s surprising just how much the show changes with a new co-star. The Doctor is quite different with her, and the way you watch them is quite different. You watched the Eleventh Doctor and Amy arrive together. It’s like they grew up in the same sandpit, playing. They felt not quite like equals – the Doctor never feels like an equal to his companion – but you knew them equally well and they were equally important to each other. They formed around each other. And one of the interesting things about writing the Doctor is that he’s so responsive to the people around him. It’s almost like left on his own his personality would slowly disintegrate. He becomes what people want him to be, a little bit. So he’s Amy’s Raggedy Doctor.
With a different companion he becomes a slightly different man. He dresses differently. The mere fact that he’s so much taller than her suddenly reveals that Matt Smith is very tall, not, as people assume, about average height, because he was about the same height as Karen. He’s the senior man, not in the sense that he’s more important but he’s the one you know already, and he’s training up a new one, as it were. In these five episodes the Doctor is practically the adopted son of Amy and Rory. He’s gone from being the wonderful man from space – Space Gandalf, as he wants to be – to being that troublesome kid that they try and keep under control. They even talked about getting babysitters for him in one unfortunately cut scene. They love him, but they know he’s a big kid, they know they have to look out for him, check he eats and all that. Whereas with the new companion he’s back to being the mysterious spacefarer.
And this never goes away, this thrill – you want to see the reaction when you see it’s bigger on the inside, you want to see the count the hearts moment, you want the story to begin again. And that’s what it gives you. It gives you Doctor Who at its most iconic, because a new person is having to learn the rules – and you’ve seen that story how many times now? I don’t think you ever get tired of it.”
Now the thing that really struck me was:
'It’s almost like left on his own his personality would slowly disintegrate. He becomes what people want him to be, a little bit.'
Because it very much echoes what I wrote in one of my fics:
'When you become a story, you belong to others, and there is no simple truth.'
The Doctor is a mirror, is designed to be a mirror. Rose's Doctor was different to Martha's who was different to Donna's... We even had River remark upon this in-story.
Also I found it interesting to see Moffat talking about how Amy and Rory view the Doctor in light of 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship', as the Doctor's demeanour was so vastly different when he was with his Companions (bright, daft) as when he was apart (very low-key, bordering on grim). He really is a mirror, reflecting what people see, which is why travelling alone is so bad for him - he can only reflect himself, and as his mirrors are often dark (hi there Dreamlord) it very easily turns bad.
Which means that yes, he is a story, and yes it's important what kind of story (hi AGMGTW). Which again ties into what kind of people he surrounds himself with, and what they see in him, because that is what he becomes.
And this makes River's statement that he is 'The best man she has ever known' not some kind of over-the-top declaration, but a very significant standard for him to hold himself to. (Especially as River is in many ways his dark mirror.) Plus, of course, being storyless - Solomon doesn't know who he is - frees him up in many ways. Solomon is not holding him to any standards at all...
And that's as far as my rambling goes for now.
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♥
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*hugs back*
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*WHIMPERS*
*Kisses you*
ENJOY, DARLING!! SOON, I SHALL BE JOINING YOU FOR SQUEE!!
And yes, I peeked! Love that Amy and Rory thought about getting a 'babysitter' for him. For all the trouble he has brought to them, they still love him. Something that amazes him, I'm sure.
I don't think he disintegrates as much as backslides. His race was not a nice set of people. And after they were gone, he became what they always wanted him to be. THEM.
Ohh, how I adore him. And the back and forth dynamic of The Ponds and The Doctor. Father/Brother/Friend/Child...and vice versa. He needed them, they needed him...too bad he is bad for them and they (in so many ways) are bad for him. They only prove his fears and make them real in a way Rose and Donna and Martha could not.
Dammit. I'm over thinky and in need of sleep before having to fix dinner. Other stuffs is done, writing will be in the offing while fixing dinner and then...WHO.
GODS. SO EXCITED!!
*DOUBLE-SQUISHES*
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It'll be worth the wait I'm sure!
And yes, I peeked! Love that Amy and Rory thought about getting a 'babysitter' for him. For all the trouble he has brought to them, they still love him. Something that amazes him, I'm sure.
*nods* They surely have every reason to hate him. Although he also knows that they're outspoken enough to let him know how they feel - which is good. They're not in awe of him.
I don't think he disintegrates as much as backslides. His race was not a nice set of people. And after they were gone, he became what they always wanted him to be. THEM.
I'm sure I touched on this in some meta sometime - how he started out as a reaction against them, but now they're gone there's only a vacuum for him to react against... (Which is why the Alliance and the Silence [and River] are so important - they give him something solid to define himself against.)
too bad he is bad for them and they (in so many ways) are bad for him. They only prove his fears and make them real in a way Rose and Donna and Martha could not.
He's hung around for too long...
Dammit. I'm over thinky and in need of sleep before having to fix dinner.
You and me both. I didn't mean to write any meta to go with the quote, it just... appeared.
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Which is where owl's whole dom/sub labeling immediately made sense to me because she absolutely shapes him, but it's not the sort of overt sculpting that people seemed to assume so much as plopping herself in her spot and refusing to respond to anything but the sort of behavior she wants from him. And is there anything the Doctor can't deal with so much as not getting a response? He will shift and twist himself around until he gets one and when he does, that is who he is for the day.
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*CRIES*
*TAKES NAP AND DREAMS FICCY DREAMS*
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(Plus all that stuff about throwing herself from buildings and out of airlocks etc.)
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Actually, Solomon tries to hold him to his own (by offering the Doctor a bribe), which the Doctor explicitly warns him off doing. Something like "don't ever judge me by your standards."
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On the Doctor being reputationless and storyless and thus not held to anybody's standard: I do wonder where Moffat is going with that. I've already seen a few people suggest that it will make him more dangerous, but I'm not sure. The Daleks forget all about him, and he takes advantage of that in order to... GTFO as quickly as possible and leave them alone. Perhaps that's Oswin's influence already asserting itself. We'll see--in fact I bet we'll get plenty of meta to chew on in A Town Called Mercy, given Toby Whithouse's track record.
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Mmmmm, I hear you. Don't get me wrong I ship Doctor/River from here to eternity, but one of the reasons for that is how it's set up.
in fact, the exact moment in Last of the Time Lords where I realized there was another shoe about to drop was when Ten went "Maybe I've been wandering for too long." AHWOOGA, AHWOOGA, NARRATIVE ALARM BELLS ON RED ALERT.
Oh TOTALLY. It was like a giant flashing neon sign... (Again with the Doctor/River - it works *because* they're not settling down. You can't break the format.)
On the Doctor being reputationless and storyless and thus not held to anybody's standard: I do wonder where Moffat is going with that. I've already seen a few people suggest that it will make him more dangerous, but I'm not sure.
As I have now seen A Town Called Mercy I am refusing to talk about this. *clamps hands over mouth*
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(Anonymous) 2012-09-15 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)~ srmcd1
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No really, I only meant to post the Moffat quote and then the thoughts just spilled over. There's so much THERE!
(Have you seen Jekyll?)
ETA: For example, I have a whole big meta post on Ten that mostly exists in my head & scattered discussions with Promethia. One day I'll get round to writing/creating/posting it - it's taking so long because it involves images and poetry.)
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You are MORE THAN WELCOME to turn it all into a vid once I've posted it. :)
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And of course she's the one who makes him into Her Doctor. Just as he's the one who makes her into River Song. She shapes him into the person who will eventually shape her into the person who will...
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The Doctor is a blank slate- he is all things to all people which is so, so dangerous. Who is he, and who might he become? I am excited and terrified to know!
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Having now seen it as well--INDEED. *gurgle*
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(Anonymous) 2012-09-16 02:29 am (UTC)(link)no subject
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That lift and drop a question on your plate
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Metaphors EVERYWHERE - at the top of things, not buried underneath, people in boxes, the importance of family (everyone is related), 'Love is a psychopath', strong women, children, stories and their importance, time, mirrors, elaborate plots... It's like a [very very concentrated] guide to Moffat.
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