Babbling About Doctor Who
For those of you who’ve seen the season finale of Doctor Who, I have a column up at Fantasy about the Doctor:
This year at WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention, I was on a panel called Martha Jones: Made of Awesome or Disappointing Stereotype? I had hoped we would explore the different fan reactions to the way the writers handled Martha’s character, story arcs, and race. The panel didn’t turn out as I expected, but something Chris Hill said sparked a thought. He mentioned feeling that the Doctor’s character was uneven–sometimes he’s incredibly cruel and judgmental and other times he’s compassionate and reluctant to do harm. My response was that I didn’t see this as unevenness, I saw it as purposeful part of his character. I truly feel… that the writers want us to think that the Doctor is a complicated and deeply flawed person. He is, to be blunt, a jerk.
Read the rest here (again, only if you’ve seen the final episodes).
I know a bunch of you are more active in Who fandom than I am and hang out in fan communities and such. I’d appreciate it if you spread the link around, as I am anxious to get other people’s take on my theory.
My roommate pointed out something in Eccleston’s technique—what do brilliant depressed people do to cover up their unhappiness? Act hyper.
Dugg it.
Bears more discussion, I think. Unfortunately, it is late.