Funny, despite having bailed halfway through this season, I still have stuff to say about Doctor Who. This is what comes, I suppose, from still paying enough attention to read recap posts, just to see whether I actually want to rebuild my level of give-a-damn.
But from what I saw in Tor.com’s reaction post over here, one spoiler in particular actually made me go GRR and made Dara promptly announce “Well, darn, so sad that Capaldi’s run GOT CANCELLED HALFWAY THROUGH, isn’t it?”
Here’s the spoiler, now that I’ve found a nice WordPress plugin that lets me hide spoilers inline in text. (Though dammit all, it doesn’t work on Livejournal and Dreamwidth. So if you want to click over from there to see the spoiler, here’s the post’s permalink.)
Also, editing this post to add this commentary, after an interesting discussion with Facebook friend Angela about this, who quite enjoyed the episode.
Even aside from the various issues I have with Mr. Moffat, the overall grimmer, darker tone of this season by itself probably would have made me bail, unfortunately. Even if a story is technically well written, has compelling action, and is acted well, if it’s unremittingly grim, this is just not something I want to deal with in my entertainment. It’s a matter of my personal taste rather than a question of whether the story is inherently bad.
It is, nonetheless, a thing I consider. And a lot of this is tied very heavily to my medical history–because after several successive years of medical crap repeatedly punching me, I don’t want repeated emotional punchings out of my entertainment. I need to see hopeful things. I need to see optimism. This is why I never watched Torchwood’s Children of Earth either, despite hearing from multiple directions that it was a very strong story. Because it’s also a very grim story, and I’m not in a space in my life where I’d enjoy that kind of thing.
Likewise, I avoid reading a great deal of fantasy (both urban and epic) that goes grim and apocalyptic. I avoid dystopias for similar reasons, and only make periodic exceptions–e.g., the Hunger Games, or Carrie Ryan’s zombie books. (Yet in the case of the latter, despite the grim setting, there is still hope and optimism, and that’s what I need in the end.)
In this season of Doctor Who, while with my Writer Hat on I can see the story arc they’re trying to do and even in some ways respect that they’re trying something different… with my Viewer Hat on, it’s just not a story I’m enjoying. That makes me sad.
But I do respect that other viewers aren’t going to share my opinion, and that’s OKAY. Spoilers of the magnitude that this season has ended with are bound to cause shock waves in the fandom, and wildly varying reactions are inevitable. (See also: the wildly divergent reactions in Tolkien fandom to the Hobbit movies, and in particular to Tauriel.)
I’m going to keep paying enough attention to the show to at least read recap posts and listen to podcast reviews, but for the time being, I am not going to be watching. I’m glad other folks are still enjoying themselves with the show though!
Comments
15 responses to “One more Doctor Who reaction post for the end of the season”
I swear I’m going to catch up after I get the December book out. I’ve only seen the second ep of the season.
You might want to glance at a recap post or two and see if you want to follow the season. It’s _really_ dark. 😐
(Which is part of why I’ve bailed–I have way less patience for heavy gritty darkness in storylines I want to follow these days, and even aside from the other objections I have to what the storyline’s been doing this season, I just don’t want to deal with unremitting grim in my Doctor Who.)
I walked away after an episode called Kill the Moon. I’ve been increasingly unhappy and that was it.
But that part was awesome! Did you read about what actually happened with said character as said thing??? Given the context the alternative is him completely submitting to being said thing which is something he would never do. I thought it was a great tribute to him.
Angela: I’ve linked off so far to the one recap post I’ve seen; the Mary Sue’s post hasn’t gone up yet, it’ll probably be up tomorrow. I’m glad it played well for you–I was curious, given that you came in in Smith’s era. The thing in question for me, though, is just another example of how the overall grim, dark flavor of the season just isn’t something I’d enjoy. 🙁
(Even if a grim, dark story is written well, in the space I’m in in my life right now, it’s just not likely to sit well with me. I’m the same way with a lot of urban fantasy and in some cases epic fantasy–if it gets too unremittingly grim, I have to bail. This is just a question of personal taste with me, and is entirely unrelated to any of the issues I have with Mr. Moffat per se.)
I came in with Eccleston actually
Oh okay! Thank you for that correction, I thought you’d told me at some point that Smith was your Doctor…? Am I mixing you up with somebody else?
I think you’ve thought Smith was my Doctor but Tennant is my favourite
Ah okay! Note: unremitting grim dark grimmity dark dark darkness is also why I haven’t ever watched Torchwood’s Children of Earth, despite having heard from multiple sources that it was a strong story. I just can’t deal with a story that’s an ongoing barrage of grim.
(Chalk this up to a long string of years of unrelenting medical shit, in no small part. >_< )
Yeah that makes sense about not wanting to watch grim storylines. I was just surprised that it was that part that made you comment on it when it was one of the parts I really liked about the episode.
*nodnod* I’m kinda not surprised by that, actually–I was seeing similar dichotomies of reaction in the Tor.com comment thread, and that level of HUGE plot decision will be _bound_ to provoke shock waves all throughout the fandom. I’d _fully_ expect it to trigger wildly varying reactions. I’m going to be _really_ curious to see how the Doctor Who Podcast folks react to it.
It’s this kind of thing that always reminds me that even if I personally disagree with a particular aspect of a plot, _somebody_ out there will have a hugely different reaction, and that is _okay_. 🙂