Archive for Uncategorized

The Crimson Horror and Sexual Assault

5 May 2013 Ritch Ludlow Uncategorized

Trigger warning

I think some of us are in mourning.  The Doctor as an asexual character is officially dead.  In “The Crimson Horror”, the Doctor first flirted with (/at) Jenny, then grabbed her, dipped her, and forced her into a kiss.  When slapped by her afterwards, he made a joke about it, didn’t apologize, then proceeded to sexually objectify her as she defended herself in a fight.  It was all played for comedic effect.

This is not my Doctor.  This is not the Doctor of the last 50 years.

Though this isn’t the first time a non-consensual kiss has appeared in modern Doctor Who, it is the most aggressive and only instance of predatory behavior on the part of the Doctor.

Its made me realize how lucky we’ve been all these years.  One of the best parts of the Doctor has always been that he isn’t predatory.  He has many friends, but he never has ulterior sexual motives.  Steven Moffat’s production team have decided that that’s OK now.  Its goofy, its wacky; its the Doctor.

 

(I’ve vlogged about the episode here.)

8 comments

River Song: Marriage and Body Image

22 October 2012 Ritch Ludlow Uncategorized

I could relate to the early days of Doctor/River, but not the marriage.

I love River, and I really adored her early relationship with the Doctor (from his side). I could relate to that feeling of anticipation, excitement and sometimes dread he felt at the idea of falling hopelessly in love.

But I can’t relate to the marriage. I’ve never been married. Having two married couples in the TARDIS was a bit alienating to me, and was undoubtedly alienating to many of the children watching the show. It sometimes feels like a contradiction of one of my favourite Russell T Davies quotes from Series 2:

When you’re a kid, they tell you it’s all … “Grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid,” and that’s it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It’s so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better.

And is the new tension in the Doctor and River’s relationship really going to be her body image issues?  In The Angels Take Manhattan, River expresses her distress in regards to his youthful appearance:

When one’s in love with an ageless god who insists on the face of a 12-year-old, one does one’s best to hide the damage.

After all this time of having this awesome age defying relationship between two larger than life time travelling superheroes, I hope this doesn’t continue to be a source of tension between them. I don’t want Doctor Who to add to all the media out there teaching little girls that looking older will be something they should feel insecure about.

Their apparent (and meaningless) age gap was one of my favourite things about them as a couple.  River hasn’t turned out to be one of the better developed characters in the show, and this doesn’t feel like a natural development to me.

Frankly, I’m hoping River’s story isn’t going to last any longer than the Eleventh Doctor’s life.  I don’t want this show to remove the delightful sense of relatability the Doctor had for so many of us queer or uncommon folks over the years.  Moffat’s Who is brimming with heteronormativity, in a show which can transcend those ideas with such indiscriminate ease.  Here’s to change.

 

One comment

Amy in Asylum of the Daleks

2 September 2012 Ritch Ludlow Uncategorized

SPOILER WARNING

I’ve been a long time defender of Moffat.  Not in that I think he’s a feminist writer by any means, just that I didn’t think he was too awful.  I was convinced he’d redeem himself given time.  But Asylum of the Daleks proved me wrong.

In Asylum of the Daleks, Rory and Amy are getting a divorce.  Why?  Because Amy can’t get pregnant.

Here’s my initial response, immediately after the episode ended:

Transcript:

Come off it…Moffat.

Just finished Asylum of the Daleks and I have to say, I”m kind of disappointed.  I loved the Daleks, and I thought all that was really cool.  And you know cosplayers are going to have a fucking field day with this episode.

But…really…Amy?

This is 2012, and Amy still defines her worth by her ability to reproduce.  (What bothers me most here isn’t that a 21st Century woman might feel this way, but that Amy would never have been written ANY OTHER way, even in 2012.)  And I want to be able to argue that, “Oh the point is that she finds out her worth isn’t based on her ability to reproduce.”

Well, its only resolved by Amy finding out that Rory just loves her so much!  So she does have worth, because her husband really really loves her!

Its not like with Donna Noble, who finds her self worth based on her ability to help people and problem solve.  I think in a story like this Amy needs to find her self worth based on something else.  Its bullshit.  Its such a cop out.

Steven Moffat is just not a very good character writer, its as simple as that.  Of all the trauma Amy and Rory have been through – and there have been a lot – the one thing that breaks them up is that Amy can’t have kids….really?

It kind of pushed it over the edge for me.  Moffat has been accused of misogyny and sexism, and I’ve often been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  But this is just so fucking cartoonish.  Its so childish.

Give me a break.  This is Amelia Pond.  She’s saved hundreds of lives all across time and space.  She’s married to an ancient Roman.  Her best friend and son in law is the coolest super hero ever.  She’s like…a super model.   But…she can’t have kids, so she just can’t be with Rory anymore!

I know a lot of you are going to horribly disagree with me on this, and I’m going to get a lot of hatorade about this.

I think the first 4 or 5 years of New Doctor Who, had some really wonderful role models for young women.  But Amelia not only hasn’t been as good of an example as Rose, Martha, and Donna, but she’s turning into a fucking cartoon.

Its about time she left, or maybe its just about time Steven Moffat left.  (I’m going to get so much hate because of this video.)

I’m just going to put this out there now, while I’m on the subject: The nerd community, if there is such a thing, is incredibly sexist.  And you may think you’re enlightened, because you really love sexy busty women wearing barely anything, holding a great big sword, showing how strong they are, but that’s not really how it works.

Moffat just doesn’t understand people as well as Russell T Davies, especially women.  His understanding of women is just nil; it doesn’t exist.

We need women writers on this show so bad.

OK, now bring the hate, guys, I’m ready.

Edit:
In hindsight, I’m not pleased with everything I said in the video . I don’t mean to undermine the experiences of real women who have been through this themselves.

It isn’t the infertility itself that bothers me. Its how its used, and how its conveyed. Amy’s experience with it is drastically oversimplified, in a way that is misleading and not at all empowering to younger viewers.

Also in the context of Amy’s previous season, it bothered me. I miss the Amy of season 5, and I was hoping to get her back for season 7. Alas, it was all about her uterus again.

I posted this primarily to invite discussion, since it had yet to be mentioned on Doctor Her. I value all the opinions of the commenters below!  Please post your own!

47 comments

TV needs diverse queer characters: John Barrowman

29 August 2012 Guest Blogger Doctor Who, News & Announcements, NuWho, Torchwood, Uncategorized

This guest post was written by Sheena Goodyear, a reporter, blogger and copy editor for Sun Media. When she grows up, she wants to be Special Agency Dana Scully. You can read her thoughts about TV at Rabbit Ears, her video game ramblings at Button Mashers and her news stories at the Toronto Sun.

captain-jack-2
Capt. Jack Harkness, bisexual superhero.

John Barrowman — known for playing Captain Jack Harnkess, possibly the first and only queer sci-fi hero on a children’s TV show — says LBGT people deserve to be represented on television all their diversity.

Capt. Jack originated on BBC’s Doctor Who and later got his own spin-off, the more adult-oriented Torchwood. The roguish, bisexual con man-turned-hero with a flirtatious charm that rivals James Bond’s is one of the best things to come out of the Russell T. Davies’ run on Who. 

In response to  question about queer representation in science fiction at a Fan Expo panel in Toronto on Sunday, Barrowman admitted mainstream  TV has more gay characters. But those characters, unlike Jack, tend to be reduced to stereotypes.

My big this is — and this is where I’m so proud of Capt. Jack and proud of what Russell and Steven and July Gardner and the BBC allowed me to help create — was the fact that I’m a hero. I’m not a flouncing queen — and there’s nothing wrong with that, don’t get me wrong — but there’s a very diverse group of gay men and women out there. And we need to be represented on television in the proper way. We don’t need to all be stereotyped on television.

That’s what happened in the mainstream. And unfortunately, certain audiences around the world only identify with types. For writers and people that are creating new shows and doing things differently and not just writing stereotypes, those are the shows we should stand up for and watch and be proud of.

There’s no doubt that Capt. Jack has been a huge role model for many a young LBGT geek. Take this blogger who says watching Jack on Doctor Who as a teenager helped her feel OK with who she was. Or the fans at Barrowman’s panel, many of whom stood up to identify themselves as queer and thank him for his portrayal of Jack.

But Barrowman himself is also a role model, putting a bit of himself into Jack and never shying away from his own sexuality in the spotlight. He speaks often about his longtime partner Scott Gill, despite industry pressure to keep quiet.

In fact, someone said to me, and this producer was gay himself, and he said to me, “You can’t say ‘your partner’ and you shouldn’t talk about this you shouldn’t do that and you shouldn’t be who you are.” And I went back to Scott and I said, “Look what should I do?” And he said, “Well, what do you want to do?” And I said, “Well, I’m not gonna ask you to hide and pretend, and go to a function and then pretend to have a girl on my arm because some people aren’t comfortable with it. That’s not my problem. So I’m gonna be who I am.”

You can catch Barrowman this fall on Arrow, which premiers Oct. 12 on the CW.

This post is cross-posted from Rabbit Ears.

2 comments , , , , , , , ,

Some people build TARDISes

4 August 2012 Guest Blogger Uncategorized

This guest post was written by Sheena Goodyear, a reporter, blogger and copy editor for Sun Media, who watches too much TV and drinks too much coffee. Her biggest dream — and her biggest fear — are to meet Joss Whedon. You can read her thoughts about TV at Rabbit Ears, her video game ramblings at Button Mashers and her news stories at the Toronto Sun. 


Not everyone is lucky enough to have a TARDIS steal them, transport them through time and space and always take them where they need to be. Some people have to build their own.

That’s what the talented, creative and meticulous folks who populate TARDIS Builders do. The site is dedicated to documenting and showcasing fan-made Doctor Who props. The blue police-box TARDIS seems to be  favourite among crafty Whovians, but the site also features of other props from the show, including TARDIS consoles, gadgets and more.

Aside from pictures of their incredibly impressive final products, many of the the hobbyists who make these props also keep detailed build-diaries. Click on the pictures below to find out more about how they were made.

TARDIS_room

Life-sized TARDIS on display at an airport. Why would anyone take a plane when there's a TARDIS available?

» Read more..

3 comments

Time Lord’s Road To Global Domination – Anticipation Of Year 49

1 August 2012 K.N. Porter Doctor Who, NuWho, Personal Essays, Pop Culture Analysis, Uncategorized

I opened my mailbox and found the Doctor inside….Well, on a magazine actually BUT it’s a wonderful article in EW.

My beloved Doctor, this amazing creature I share with millions around the world, is ready to return.

The article, and some of the comments made there in,  started my wheels turning. The impact if the Whoniverse and The Tao of Who on popular culture. Especially the impact this very Brit style of thinking/ ideals has on American Culture.

How do these questions impact this blog and the ideals, outlook and discussions we provoke?

I don’t know as of yet……I can’t wait to find out. 

We face the loss of old companions and the introduction of new. There are rumors flying about the return of River Song AND my beloved Captain Jack Harkness.

I’m excited, the anticipation of new adventures, new characters and brilliant writing have me twitching like a chihuahua after a meth cookie. I hope the rest of you are as ”GIDDY” as I am, and we happily dissect each episode and have spirited witty debates over every nuance of amazing writing.

 

2 comments , , , , , ,

Nu Who Bechdel List

9 July 2012 Ritch Ludlow Doctor Who, NuWho, Uncategorized
The Bechdel Test applied to the 2005-2012 Doctor Who
I saw another list of Bechdel tested Nu Who recently, but it seemed pretty inaccurate to me.  So I went through every single episode individually and tried it myself.  These are my results, which kind of vague “citations” of how it passes the test.  I used the “named” version of the test, just to be hardcore!
I usually just list one example of test-passingness, because I didn’t look for every example.  If you know more examples, let me know, I’ll check them and put them on!
If you see any flaws, please point them out and I’ll check, then edit the list!
I’m planning on Bechdel testing the Classic Doctor Who serials soon, when I start my Every Doctor Who Ever Review Video Project (which you’re encouraged to visit the Kickstarter for!)
The rules:
1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

 

Rose
Rose and Jackie talk about things like work and the cat-flap. – 3

End of the World
Rose talks to Cassandra about Earth and Raffalo about plumbing! – 3

The Unquiet Dead
Rose and Gwyneth talk about the Big Bad Wolf and the Gelth – 3

Aliens of London
Rose and Jackie talk about Rose disappearing – 3

World War 3
Rose and Harriet Jones talk – 3

Dalek
Rose just talks to the boys, I think – 1

The Long Game
This one only just scrapes by when Cathica and Suki chat about floor 500 – 3

Father’s Day
Little Rose and Jackie “talk” about Pete.  Barely makes a – 2

The Empty Child 
Rose and Nancy don’t get a chance to talk here – 1

The Doctor Dances
Rose and Nancy chat about the war and the future – 3

Boom Town
Blon and Cathy talk about the reactor blowing up, and irritable bowels – 3

Bad Wolf
Um…Rose talks to the Ann-Droid about peroxide – 3

Parting of the Ways
Rose and Jackie talk about Pete and the Doctor and…life travelling with the Doctor…could that make this a 3?  I’m hesitant.  Lets go with a – 2

 

Season Average: 2.5/3

 

The Christmas Invasion
Rose and Jackie talk about Harriet Jones – 3

New Earth
Cassandra and Rose talk about the human race and body image – 3

Tooth and Claw
I don’t think any two women talk about anything other than the dudes in this one – 2

School Reunion
Rose talks to Sarah about the Doctor – 2

Girl in the Fireplace
Rose and Reinette talk mainly about the Doctor, so – 2

Rise of the Cybermen
Rose and Jackie talk about Pete – 2

Age of Steel
Jackie and Rose have a couple of brief exchanges about Jackie being alive – 3

The Idiot’s Lantern
Rose talks to the Wire about the weather.  Barely counts!  - 3

The Impossible Planet 
There are 3 main female characters, but I don’t think any of them have a conversation – 1

The Satan Pit
Ida and Rose talk about the Doctor – 2

Love & Monsters
I believe the ladies of LINDA only talk about the Doctor in group discussions – 2

Fear Her
Trish and Rose talk about Chloe – 3

Army of Ghosts
Rose and Jackie talk about how Rose is changing; Adeola and Yvonne talk about work; Jackie and Yvonne talk about groceries – 3

Doomsday
Rose and Jackie talk about the Doctor; Jackie and Yvonne talk about Torchwood and Cybermen – 3


Season Average: 2.4/3

 

The Runaway Bride
Donna and her mum talk about her disappearing act – 3

Smith and Jones
Martha talks to Tish about the rain going upwards – 3

The Shakespeare Code 
The witches talk to each other, basically just about the Doctor and Will – 2

Gridlock
Martha talks to Cheen about life in the gridlock – 3

Daleks in Manhattan
Martha and Tallulah talk about their men – 2

Evolution of the Daleks
Tallulah and Martha talk about the psychic paper and dalekanium – 3

The Lazarus Experiment
Tish and Martha talk about the event, and to her mum about missing her – 3

42
Martha phones her mum to ask her questions for the thingy – 3

Human Nature
Martha talks to Jenny about flying away – 3

Family of Blood
Martha talks to Joan about passing medical exams – 3

Blink
the adventures of Sparrow and Nightingale! – 3

Utopia
Martha talks to Chan-Tho about swearing – 3

Sound of Drums
Vivian Rook talks to Tish about having alone time with Lucy Saxon – 3

Last of the Time Lords
Martha talks to Docherty about Toclafane and flowers – 3

 

Season Average: 2.8/3

 

Voyage of the Damned
Foon and Astrid don’t talk, I think – 1

Partners in Crime
Donna and Sylvia talk about the 1980s, Penny and Foster talk about fat – 3

Fires of Pompeii
Evelina and Donna talk about the future – 3

Planet of the Ood
Mercurio and Donna have a brief exchange about the “Noble Corporation” – 3

Sontaran Stratagem 
Donna and Martha talk about their families (I don’t think that counts as “about a man”) – 3

Poison Sky
Martha and Clone Martha talk about poison gas and life – 3

The Doctor’s Daughter
Donna and Jenny talk about travelling, which, to be fair, isn’t talking about the Doctor – 3

Unicorn and the Wasp
Donna and Agetha Christie talk about her books – 3

Silence in the Library
Donna and Evangelista talk about how thick E is – 3

Forest of the Dead
Donna and Evangelista talk about being in the matrix thingy – 3

Midnight 
Pretty much all the women in this story at least talk to each other, but in a group discussion – 3

Turn Left
Donna talks to Sylvia about many things like getting a job; Rose talks to Donna about being the most important person ever – 3

The Stolen Earth
Martha, Harriet, and Sarah talk about the subwave network.  Its being used to contact the Doctor, but I think its more to the point that they’re all being mechanical whizzes and awesome – 3

Journey’s End
Martha talks to Francine about daleks and the key and stuff, if nothing else – 3


Season Average: 2.8/3

 

The Next Doctor
Hartigan and Rosita talk about Rosita being a prostitute – 3

Planet of the Dead
They women talk to each other but its so vague and brief I’d feel bad putting it on here.  But this story is at least half women, and they’re pretty diverse and interesting characters too.  Oh well  - 1

Waters of Mars
Brook talks to multiple crew members about various things that aren’t a dude – 3

End of Time Part 1
Sylvia and Donna talk about presents – 3

End of Time Part 2
Donna talks to Nerys about being a peach – 3


Specials Average: 2.6/3

 

Eleventh Hour
Amy and Jeff’s Grandma talk about something other than a man, but Jeff’s nan isn’t named!  Dr. Ramsden is named, but she doesn’t talk to Amy.  And Amy talks to Prisoner Zero, who spends most of its time as a woman.  So this one is really hard to rate.  It gets at least a 1.   – 1

The Beast Below
Amy talks to Mandy about keep out signs and the like – 3

Victory of the Daleks
Amy and Breen are named, though they don’t really talk to each other.  Breen talks to an unamed woman a couple of times, but that doesn’t count, i suppose – 1

Time of Angels
River and Amy talk about the catacombs and the injection, and the “well done” for beating the angel thing – 3

Flesh and Stone
River and Amy talk a bit about Amy’s counting down illness or whatever – 3

Vampires of Venice 
Isabella and Amy talk about being in the vampirey place, and Amy and Rosanna talk too  - 3

Amy’s Choice
Amy and Mrs. Poggit don’t talk – 1

The Hungry Earth 
Alaya talks to Ambrose about her son and Amy – 2

Cold Blood
Nasreen and Amy talk about how to bring the Silurians to the surface – 3

Vincent and the Doctor
yeah – 0

The Lodger
Amy and Sophie are named, but they don’t chat – 1

The Pandorica Opens
River and Liz talk about the Doctor; Amy and River talk about the crash of the byzantium and stonehenge – 3

The Big Bang
Amelia, Aunt Sharon, and the therapist chat about stars – 3


Season Average: 2/3

 

A Christmas Carol
Isabella and Abigail talk about christmas dinner – 3

Impossible Astronaut
Amy and River talk about the Doctor; Joy and Amy talk about the Silent.  If the Silent counts as a man, that makes this – 2

Day of the Moon 
Amy talked to Melody about shooting her, but Melody wasn’t named in this episode.  Ugh, so I dunno.  I mean, River’s named, and the little girl IS River.  And the whole point of the “not named” thing is that not being named makes the character less relevant.  However, Melody Pond is probably the most relevant character to the whole story.  So I’m gonna go with – 2

Curse of Black Spot
I guess the Siren doesn’t count as a “named character”.  Madame Kovarian is in the episode, but unnamed.  - 0

The Doctor’s Wife
Auntie and Idris talk about Idris “dying” – 3

The Rebel Flesh 
Jenny talks to Miranda, and Miranda and Ganger Miranda chat – 3

The Almost People
Miranda and Miranda chat again – 3

A Good Man Goes to War
Amy talks to Lorna Bucket about the baby and stuffs.  Oh and Vastra and Jenny talk their kinky lesbian interspecies talk – 3

Let’s Kill Hitler
Amelia tells Mels off for stealing a bus and otherwise being generally naughty – 3

Night Terrors
Amy, Claire, and Mrs. Rossiter are all named, and Amy has a conversation with an unnamed woman, but I guess that only gives it a – 1

The Girl Who Waited
Ok, so the thing about this episode is that Amy is only one person.  However, not only are there two Amys who talk to each other, its vital to the whole concept of the story that their lives are as valid as one another’s.  So I have to argue that this gets a – 2

God Complex
Amy and Rita chat briefly about a clown and things  - 2

Closing Time
Kelly and Shona at the start talking about closing the shop and the electricity, though that’s interspersed between talking about Kelly’s wanting to go on her date or whatever. There are at least two other named women in this story. – 2

Wedding of River Song
Amy talks to Madame Kovarian about stealing Melody before she murders her – 3


Season Average: 2.2/3

 

The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe
Madge talks to Lily.  Madge talks to that Androzani lady a bunch, but I guess she’s only named in the credits.  So I think this only gets a – 2

 

Davies era average: 2.7/3

Moffat era average: 2.1/3

 

 

18 comments , ,
« Older Entries