inarticulate enthusiasm and complaining

CHARACTER THEMES
CHARACTERS

 

I haven't quite got the energy to return a long answer today, but I did want to say:
your analysis is fuckin amazing lmao, including the fact that I've never thought about the War Doctor that way; I did actually enjoy him just because I like grouchy old tired dudes, but you're absolutely right that it kind of messed with a lot of previous character-building and stuff. I'm pretty sure I'd already kind of decided he wasn't In My Canon just because I got grouchy about the interference with the previously stated canon about regenerations but this about seals it, lmao.
I'm glad you enjoy Clara more now though! I kind of suspect I'll never like her very much tbh but that's just me, I'm difficult, picky, and driven more by emotions than proper character and theme analysis. And I don't like it when the doctor gets told off lmao So basically I'm the worst kind of fan ;P
When you do watch Classic, definitely watch the last serial of a doctor before you watch the first serial of his regeneration, it adds a lot of context! Two, for example, was literally forced into regenerating by the Time Lords, which is probably a big part of why Three can be so imperious... Four had been aware his was coming for some time, so Five was pretty stable personalitywise from the getgo whereas Five's came as a surprise to him and Six was incredibly unstable initially.
I admit I haven't watched Ten's regeneration episode (I think I was in America when it aired in the UK, so that rather disrupted my usual watching patterns) but i have to admit I'm not impressed by the whole 'I don't want to go' thing. man up you overdramatic wanker It sure does explain a lot about Eleven though. And I love your analysis about overcoming war trauma. IT RINGS SO TRUE

 

omg thank you, I'm glad you like my analysis :D it's something I've been mulling over for a while but only managed to articulate last night about 4 hours after I should have been asleep lol.

I think Clara is a love-or-hate character - I started out hating her, and then flipped completely. her current relationship with the Doctor is very much defined by the fact that his current identity is defined by the "am I a good person" question! I just watched the episode right after the one where she calls him out on his bad behavior and he spends it acting even worse than usual. his intentions remain the same, defeating the monster etc., but his methods and attitude are ruthless, imperious, patronizing, everything she took issue with in the previous episode. he even lied to her about why they went where they did! underneath it all he still cares very much about the people he's trying to save, and about Clara most of all, but he really is on his worst behavior. he's doing that thing - trying his best to push her away, make her admit that he's a bad person, because if she doesn't leave after all that then maybe he really isn't as much of a monster as he feels like. the fact that she stated her intention to leave him at the end of the last ep definitely plays into this. it's a terrible thing to do to her and not all that great for him either, but he wouldn't know a healthy coping mechanism if it smacked him in the face.

this episode was supposed to be their last hurrah - one last trip together before she left him. they both said so at the beginning of the ep. and at the end, she ended up staying with him after all. she had some good reasons for making that decision, but also some bad ones, and she lied about them when she told him that she was staying, and they both know he saw through it. their relationship is blatantly unhealthy in a way that previous Doctor-companion relationships have never been. they're almost as codependent as Ten and Rose! it's clear that they will come apart, and it's going to be messy.

unless of course Moffat does his thing and screws it all up. but I'm actually optimistic! the writing on this season has been fantastic so far!!

related to writing - I'm not usually so much a fan of the Doctor getting told off either, but I liked this telling-off for two reasons: one, Moffat's genius male protags have an infuriating tendency to get away with bullshit so it's very satisfying when they don't, and two, this Doctor feels like he was made for it. he's intentionally trying to provoke the worst reaction possible from the person he cares about most right now to test himself. and it was something that spent a long time building up while she made excuses for him to others and herself. have I mentioned how good the writing has been? because it's been amazing.

Ten is absolutely an overdramatic wanker. I love him for it, but I can definitely see how YMMV lmao. the reason I like the "I don't want to go" thing is because of how much he absolutely needed to go, and should reeeeally have gone several traumas ago :P also because I was 16 when it aired and just horny for The Drama lol something I have DEFINITELY gotten over ten years later shhhhh

your hints about the previous Doctors are tantalizing me, I need to hurry up and finish catching up so I can go watch the old stuff :D

 

ohohooooo just finished the next ep and long story short the Doctor is suddenly TERRIFIED of the influence he's been having on Clara with all this bad behavior. the example he's been setting for her of how you're supposed to think and act when you do what he does

and she's still lying too, she keeps lying to her boyfriend and tries to tell herself it's for his own good. it's another "real life versus Doctor life" companion plot but I actually LIKE this one

this season is BRILLIANT with people who love each other hurting each other :D

 

so the s8 finale was very good with a few eh bits. this was a pleasant surprise! I loved Missy which I didn't expect to! codependency was OFF THE CHARTS! the theme of people who love each other hurting/damaging/making each other worse was carried through! there was the exchange:

"I don't deserve a friend like you."
"Clara, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm exactly what you deserve."

which, THIS HOLE WAS MADE FOR ME, yeah.

things have started to go a bit downhill in season 9 though. the codependency is starting to be hammered in a little much even for me - it's feeling less and less organic and more like Moffat's thing where his characters and ideas have to be The Most Important and forever embedded in continuity, blah blah, all of that nonsense. the plot of the Zygon twoparter was full of characteristic Moffat sloppiness and hamfisted metaphor. whoever his editor was during season 8, they must have quit. also there haven't been any lighthearted episodes? some funny moments but the overall heavy atmosphere is starting to drag.

some things I like though! lady me! i fucking love her!!!! also I like how Clara Oswald continues to be kind of not a good person. she's not evil or anything but she is selfish, self-centered, a liar, manipulative. she and the Doctor keep on bringing out the bad in each other, though also the good. the Doctor continues to be a bit sick over what he feels like he's done to her, she continues to not understand what the problem is. they're the kind of messed-up moirails I love.

heading into the homestretch of s9 I have this feeling that the plot is going to butt in and ruin things.

 

man I must have pissed off a witch at the beach because in the 2 days since then I’ve discovered my drivers license is missing and had part of my tooth crumble off

 

fuck lingerie, the sexiest outfit is wearing a long dress or robe while holding a big sword

 

today I went to the fair and had the opportunity to learn archery from a really, just incredibly beautiful girl, like I almost never even get attracted to people I don’t know but holy shit, and instead I panicked and banished myself from the tent. witness me lol

 

sometimes I love coming from/having my parents still live in a rural area. had french toast with homemade maple syrup and blueberry preserves for breakfast today ^^

unlike my sibling I wouldn’t want to move back to smalltown Maine permanently - I just like being able to walk places too much - but if I lost that foothold I have back there I would miss the hell out of it. (...I mean, above and beyond the obvious fact that the foothold is my family.)

 

that sounds so tasty

 

IT IS SO TASTY

my family makes at least a couple gallons of syrup every year from the trees along the back line of our property and we never use it all. some gets gifted but a lot of it just sits in a slowly growing pile of jars in a cabinet. I think the stuff I used today was from 2016? a fine vintage lol

 

tonight I am challenging my socially unskilled introvert ass with the herculean task of going out to a bar and listening to music! I have literally never done this before and have no idea what you’re supposed to do lol

wish me luck

 

ooh, is it a show? because if you need tips there i can absolutely help! i’m a VERY seasoned concertgoer. c:

 

ha no, it's just a bar that does a lot of live music. they've got an ongoing bimonthly event called Future Classic which I guess features artists who blend older music styles with edm and stuff? which is the kind of thing I love! and that's what I'm going to tonight. I'm going alone so the current plan is to surgically attach myself to a bar stool, assuming they have bar stools, and just kinda have drinks and listen to music.

ngl though any and all tips would be hugely appreciated, including concert tips because I have no idea how those are supposed to go either lmao

 

ahh, i getcha! haven’t been to one of those, so i’m afraid i have no idea of the protocol, but it sounds fun (and your current plan sounds good to me!). i hope you have a blast!! :D

 

thank you!!! I think I will, the bar is just a few blocks away from my apartment and the music really does sound like the exact sort of thing I enjoy. it looks like this place has events like this pretty frequently too so it might be a nice place to go back to! unlike with most social events I'm actually kind of looking forward to this :D

 

fuck yeah!! be sure to tell us all about it!

 

Be sure to keep an eye on your drink, have some water and wear earplugs if you need them for loud music. I’m probably too late, but.

 

i did the thing and the thing was good!!!

music was pretty much edm-y dubstep-y stuff and i have no idea what the actual quality but it was Very Loud and i liked it Very Much. real skull-filling stuff

bar stools were all claimed by the time i got there so i staked out a bar corner instead and put in some good leaning. adjacent leaner was a guy named brian! had a wonderful drunk-deep conversation, he was probably trying to pick me or someone up but was nice to meet him anyway!! i am... an extrovert. had a whiskey sour (or whiskeys sour judging by current remaining level of intoxication) and a cider. actually danced a little in that hands-in-pockets white boy way lmao ^^ i!!! enjoyed!!! this!!!!! i really only thought i’d stat for an hour or so but i was there till 1 am

next time i will

have .5 more Beverage
leave jacket on bench and go dance in the dancing area instead of the drinking ledge
remember to tip bartender when i buy drinks instead of at the end of the night

oh yeah on the way back i stopped at a 7-11 for pizza and the guy gave me an extra slice bc it was the last one. nothing tastes as good as the experience of eating gas station pizza when you’re drunk

 

that sounds like so much fun, i’m glad you had a great time!! :D