#I'm on season 5 now and I should be thinking about Amy and Rory and wondering about River Song

[carrie-tate]

*Thinks about TenRose*

[willfrominternet]

Been a while since I posted here but I got a ping about this post where I talked about what I expected from Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and their adventures with Ruby Sunday. After watching the season, I think I was right in saying the Doctor should be fun and their adventures should be fun.

This was, by all measures, a season which hearkened back to the first years of the Modern Era. It felt like watching Chris Eccleston and Billie Piper all over again. Both Chris and Ncuti played Doctors coming from great trauma and wanting to escape it, even if they did it in different ways (with Nine having to learn to rediscover love and Fifteen openly embracing it.) Both of them also had to face trauma at the end of their first season (in Chris's case, his only season): Nine dealt with the return of the Daleks, nearly losing Rose, and having to sacrifice himself just as he was starting to recover, while Fifteen had to cope with how death followed them everywhere, regardless of their longing for peace, positivity, and fun.

Ruby was very much just a normal girl like Rose, and I think her unexplained magic abilities don't take away from that. Rose also underwent a transformation in her second (and final) season, where she got locked in an alternate timeline and (sort of) became the Bad Wolf. I believe we'll therefore learn more about Ruby's abilities and see her character transform in her second season, as well as learn about Mrs. Flood and how she plays into the Doctor's timeline. (Early thoughts: River, another child of Amy and Rory, the Rani, another pre-Hartnell Doctor, a future Doctor, etc. etc. etc.)

Anyway: This season was definitely fun, but brought back the philosophical and historical bits which originally made Doctor Who at least somewhat educational and thought-provoking. I think this was what was missing from Moffatt's and Chibnall's runs on the show: It became more centered around the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey lore and less around tying the history/sci-fi to current issues. (The Capaldi era actually did this somewhat well, but I'm biased because I love Capaldi.) Here's the ranking of episodes from best to okay:

Rogue

Dot and Bubble

73 Yards

Boom

The Devil's Chord

Space Babies

The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death

This first season did, in my opinion, feel too much like a taste of Doctor Who, or a "Season 1A." Series 7 was like this too, where we had so much left unresolved and underdeveloped after those first five episodes. (Not that the rest of Series 7 was much better, IMHO.) At least this first season for Ncuti felt a little more full, but now I'm even more excited to see what happens to the Doctor, Ruby, and whoever Varada Sethu will play in the next season. Perhaps that was the twist all along. Damn you, Russell! Damn you, Disney Plus!

Was this the finest season of the new incarnation of the show? No, but I would certainly give it a solid B. The writing was quite good, the acting was phenomenal, and the general vibe of the show definitely gave the impression that Doctor Who was back, baby. But the development did feel a bit rushed, and there were certain parts of the Doctor's character left over from previous incarnations which I thought they would have processed differently. Plus, I view other seasons of the show (Series 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10) more favorably. Call it bias, call it favoritism, call it nostalgia.

Whatever. Point is that Ncuti and Millie had a lot to prove in this semi-reboot of the show, and RTD had to show he still had his stuff, and by golly, they did it. I - as well as plenty of other long-time fans - haven't been this excited about the show in a while, despite how the season ended. And you're telling us we've gotta wait now for Christmas and then some time in the middle of 2025 for more? It's like I'm a high school fanatic raving mad in the middle of my bedroom again. What a wild feeling.

[variousqueerthings]

SO IT'S PANDORICA OPENS TIME

we'll do this episode on its own, because I think it's its own thing!

and oh boy do we get into that peak M*ffat bullshit now...

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 4/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or to have agency over her emotional interiority): 4/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 4/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 6/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 2/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 4/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 5/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 4/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 42/100 (if I can count….)

oh dear oh dear oh dear.... and tbh. I think I was being kind

OBJECTIFICATION: River Song dresses like Cleopatra in order to be sexy for the Doctor. Let's just... get that out of the way. Amy is I believe wearing short shorts and not a miniskirt, so that's a bit better

River Song's first outfit in Stormcage is actually kinda great (and so is ofc her hair, always), but then later on she goes full sexy but competent outfit, eh. I'm rating it this low because they're our lead female characters and that's what we're getting

PLOT-POINT: OH! BOY! Amy is wandering around, asking what's going on, not really able to contribute anything other than a big questionmark, then she gets attacked and saved by Rory, but of course she doesn't remember Rory, so it's all his POV (and we do get an eye-rolling, she's up there surrounded by Romans, so you'd better get there first joke + Rory making a jealous comment later on)

Furthering that we get... for actually the first proper time this season outside of episode one! some sense that there were repercussions of the Doctor's falling into Amy's life like that, but it's a single scene of River walking through Amy's bedroom and seeing all her figures and home-made Doctor paraphernalia and going "Oh Doctor, why do I let you out," and like... look, she knows the Doctor better than the Doctor -- and therefore we -- know her, but she's just some woman still. this is her third episode. her POV doesn't quite... work... for me

more than that though, we now get bits of Amy's past, except these things have never been brought up or been important before. Amy likes Romans now, because it's needed for the plot. Amy liked the story of Pandora's box, because it's important for the plot. ARRRHG M*FFAT! this is not character-writing! and it's only casually mentioned, it's not really anything to do with her

and then she gets shot by Auton!Rory. that thing where in Cold Blood I mentioned the tragic turnaround of Rory dying when he was trying to protect Amy, but anyway. that's now back to the status quo. Amy got shot by Rory and he's sad

COMPLEXITY: classic M*ffat bullshit. it's not actually that complicated, technically, sort of, it's just made to feel complicated, because it keeps setting up mysteries -- the Tardis is exploding (do we ever find out why or how exactly, I don't remember, we'll find out!) and there's a best-of people we've seen this season in a bit of a stupid montage that's all about River finding the Doctor, and this Pandorica fairytale thing and it's about sooome mysterious being, and now ALL THE ALIENS are there, and the Romans are autons, and River called the Doctor by grafitti'ing an ancient rock... it pretends to be complicated, but it's not really, it's just about a big universe conspiracy with the Doctor at the centre. and therein lies... one of the rubs

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: it does better here, because it's literally season finale part 1 -- so what do we get?

Rory is back! wait, whaaat? compelling mystery -- he's sad because Amy doesn't remember him, and then she's happy to see him without knowing why

the Doctor and Amy don't have much going on... nor really do Rory and the Doctor, outside of their first fun interaction

the Doctor and River... eh, middling, she keeps saying things that make me sigh, because it's meant to be a haha wait and see why she's treating them like an old married couple, and that assumes I want to wait and see, or believe M*ffat can pull it off (I don't think he did)

uh lore and plot, the Pandorica... I think it should have been explored earlier. the myth, that is, not the box, the box is fine here. it should have been built up more, but here it is! and the Doctor is going into it and the Tardis is exploding... my opinions on this is two points down

COMPANIONS MATTER: lol. Okay. so I mentioned that Amy doesn't do anything in this episode and she doesn't. she spend the Big Doctor Speech Moment unconscious (not that she could have done anything there either, but at least have her in the scene, in awe at all the life that the Universe is full of or soooomething)

Rory does matter in a sense, but at this point I'm so frustrated by Amy not doing anything and being treated like a plot-point that I just see his character as a facet of that. he saves her life and then goes to talk with her about stuff in the hopes she'll remember him, and then shoots her accidentally -- to be fair, more might happen in the next episode

River... does River count as a companion? she is stuck in the Tardis exploding

but man. focusing in on what Amy is doing (or not doing) is increasingly making me want to tear my hair out

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: I SHOULD RATE THIS LOWER! THE ONLY REASON I DON'T IS BECAUSE I KNOW THIS GETS WORSE LATER IN THE RUN! oh you know that mysterious being the Pandorica myth was about? that was THE DOCTOR! who is, hold on, finds quote:

"A nameless terrible thing – soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies – the most feared being in all the cosmos -- and nothing could stop it or hold it or reason with it" siiiiiiiiiiiigh sure Jan. we have begun step one of our journey of "the Doctor is not just some guy travelling around space (quite powerful, can perceive time and is near-immortal, absolutely), the Doctor is everyone's special war criminal, who destroys everything by being So Damn Cool

oh wait, let's bring up this as well: "no plan no backup no weapons worth a damn, and oh something else, I don’t have anything to lose, so if you’re sitting there in your silly little spaceship with your silly little guns, remember every black day I stopped you and then do the smart thing: let somebody else try first.”

you see, when RTD was establishing the nu!who ethos, a lot of the time, it was companions, or other people who solved the day. compare this to the poison sky, where the Doctor is about to commit suicide to stop the Sontarans, and then this kid -- this kid who absolutely fucked up and was an asshole -- tries to do better by taking the Doctor's place... and dies... and stops the Sontarans...

or Rose. or Martha. or Donna. or Harriet Jones. or Jack. or Jackie and Pete and Mickey. or fucking Wilf! Remember hiiim. or any countless single-episode people who did cool shit!

and tbh even watching Classic!who there's a fair bit of other people sorting out parts of the plot, while the Doctor does the more sciencey-whiency stuff

the Doctor didn't yell at aliens that he was better than them and then they ran away, that's not... what happened in so many of those episodes

but no, see the Doctor is the most dangerous, most important being in the world, and rather than just fuckn... destroying him (Time Lords Can Die, it is in fact so well-established that all of them are dead, except the Doctor... and the Master)... they put him in a prison, made by an elaborate trap surrounding AMY POND

so Amy is not a character who is in this story as a character. Amy is in this story as bait. for the very important Doctor. jeez.

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: Eh, I mean technically it's a best-off with the villains, but their whole Selves are now bent towards the Doctor in a way that makes no sense, and it completely forgets why the Doctor is ever able to do anything so... on the ethos of previous DW it falls hard

“SEXINESS”: actually there is less of this once we get past the whole... Cleopatra... thing.... and the Amy and the Romans jokes.... it's not as egregious as, say, the first few minutes of Time of Angels

INTERNAL WORLD: I rated this one middly, because there isn't really any world-building in this, and I gueeesss there doesn't have to be?

Amy's world-building sucks. I put it down a point

POLITICS: apart from the sexism inherent in the writing of Amy Pond, there's not anything more. and I feel like I've gone over that enough in the other points. but like. it ain't good writing

[crocomom]

DW ASK GAME 2 3 4 5 6 10 13 17

HIIII

2. Which outfit of the Doctor would you wear yourself?

Probably a bit of a boring answer but I always liked 10's suit-and-Converse fit while I was watching it and that's the outfit I can most realisitically picture myself wearing

3. Which Doctor do you think should had more seasons?

100% Nine. SOCIETY IF (RTD hadn't been awful to work with I guess)

4. Who is your favourite companion?

HMMM genuinely changes depending on which companion I'm watching at the time but probably Donna and Sarah Jane overall? Honorable mention to Amy and Rory because they're the ones I grew up with :]

5. When you could have one trip in the TARDIS where would you go?

I always like the idea of going really far back into the past (like, hundreds of thousands of years) to see how people lived back then, but if I got only one trip then I'd want to go really far into the future instead. Some kind of setting where humans and aliens made contact a long, long time ago and now they're living peacefully, idk I just think it'd be fun to see where we end up

6. Which season do you like the least?

Well. I haven't seen Seasons 10-12 in full since they aired, so I can't really pass judgement on those although I can't exactly say any of them were my faves. As for the rest, I like 1-5 most, 6 and 7 both have some really good episodes but kinda convoluted story arcs, and 8 and 9 have good story arcs but worse individual episodes on average I'd say. So probably s7 or 8 is my least favourite </3 there are parts of both of them that I enjoy though ofc

10. Which romance do you like the most?

Probably the Doctor/River? (Not super fussed about which Doctor although ofc it's 95% 11). Concept of their timelines always being the wrong way round goes hard <3

I also like the Doctor/Master LOL but idk if I can really call that a romance when it's not canon in the show

13. What scene scared you the most?

That bit in Midnight where the mysterious entity is knocking on the walls I think

17. What is your least favourite episode, and why?

Kill the Moon is obviously a bad episode (it's the pro-life moon abortion episode if you haven't seen it), but I really don't like Under the Lake & Before the Flood. Idk why exactly but it was boring when I watched it for the first time and it's boring when I watch it back now

[roseposts-stuff]

hello folks!! i have been rating nuwho seasons and it has been a while so!!! it is time for series 5!! also deleted series 11 thoughts because 1. i want these to be in order 2. i want to rewatch the series as well before rating it 3. i disagreed with my own thoughts

just my personal extremely unprofessional opinions mostly based on Vibes, so feel free to disagree!! but now! series 5!

1. Vincent and the Doctor (5x10) - SO good, i love that they showed vincent that his works will be appreciated, that moment was so great. loved the general story, too, and how the "evil" creature wasn't actually evil and how everyone was so kind it was very beautiful to me. also, i always smile when i remember "the ultimate ginge" it was so funny to me

2. The Beast Below (5x2) - really really really like this episode like. already just for the visual look, i love it so much. the story is good imo, and i love that they managed to save the star whale, all hail amy pond!!! the ending was adorable i think. will never get over how visually gorgeous this episode is imo

3. Amy's Choice (5x7) - SUCH a fascinating episode, toby jones is fantastic as the dream lord and at least i kept doubting like no it's this no that AND IT WAS BOTH!?!? yeah love this episode, also rory is with us!!! he's so great guys one of my favourite companions for sure

4. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang (5x12/5x1) - a great finale, i lovedddd how little amy came back and she helped save the world and the timey-wimeyness is SO GOOD y'all i love steven moffat because he does timey wimey stuff and i LOVE timey wimey stuff like all paradoxes and like going back in time to do something in the future etc etc is SO SO INTERESTING and you can do it in doctor who i need timey wimey stuff to happen even more in doctor who tbh

5. The Eleventh Hour (5x1) - great introduction to both amy and 11, the story is good + OLIVIA COLMAN RAHHH honestly i need her to come back to doctor who in a bigger role like even as the doctor or the master she's fantastic, but yeah i like this one too

6. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone (5x4/5x5) - i like the story and the scene where the angel is appearing through the video clip and when amy had to walk with her eyes closed like the forest scenes were honestly so good, ANDDDD THE FACT THAT THE DOCTOR DOESN'T HAVE HIS COAT AND WHEN HE COMES BACK HE HAS IT ON YOU CAN SEE IT AND IT'S NOT A MISTAKE IT TIES TO THE SERIES FINALE I'M SO INSANE ABOUT THAT, always LOVE seeing river song, the angels moving on screen kinda sucks, however i'm fine with that because of the theories that they move between frames or the crack affects their abilities, and also the scene between 11 and amy at the end of the 2nd part was NOT good like i've heard steven moffat regrets writing it tho can't confirm that, and yeah he should like it doesn't add anything to the story, it's creepy, deeply uncomfortable and makes no sense

7. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (5x8/5x9) - it's not bad, i like the exploration of how humans can be very cruel, absolutely LOVE rory i was so sad when he died and karen gillan's acting when amy is trying to remember rory AAAAA, also loved many of the side characters, but that one silurian and the mum made me SO. ANGRY. like y'all won't even believe how much i hate those two god i was so mad

8. The Lodger (5x11) - i like the story even tho it's probably not the best there is, it's pretty funny and i do like craig ngl, i know people don't like him because of james corden, however i'm not aware of ANYTHING i have no idea what he's done because i like barely know the name so he doesn't ruin it for me

9. The Vampires of Venice (5x6) - i like rory and amy in this but tbh i'm not a fan of the story, i liked the side characters tho and was sad when the girl didn't survive she was really nice :(

10. Victory of the Daleks (5x3) - the story is okay i think but tbh i wasn't too invested, also what's it with churchill being such a hero so often like he was NOT that great of a guy and definitely not someone i'd really see the doctor being friends with, the scene where they're sort of turning the robot guy into human is great, i really like it

that's it for today!!!! hopefully i'll post series 6 sooner lol

[fkevin073]

For the ship asks

what is your absolute favorite ship?

explain why do/don’t ship Carla and Polo?

favorite AU ideas for Nick and Ziggy? And same question with Alice and Cindy

Is a lot, i'm sorry but i'm courius

oof this is a tough one, but I shall do my best!

for question one:

I have a lot of favourite ships. I love pretty much all period drama couples, especially Austen ones, so those are top of the list. But in terms of other media: Stefan and Elena from TVD, Jane and Michael from JTV, Jess and Rory from Gilmore Girls, Peeta and Katniss from THG, and many many more. Jake and Amy from Brooklyn 99, all the ships from ATLA pretty much, The Good Place I just ship everyone. Lol, there's a lot, but the first 5 are like the main ones.

I mean I love talking about/writing for nick & ziggy but I don't ship them in terms of wanting them to be together. Like if the curse wasn't a thing and Nick wasn't an evil douchebag, sure I would like I did before watching 1666 but he's really so awful. I like to pretend he isn't a lot of the time, but yeah. I don't "ship" ship them if that makes sense. I do think they are fascinating though!

for question 2:

Okay, I don't ship Carla and Polo from Elite. Idk I mean they're both gorgeous, but tbh I preferred Carla with Samuel. I don't ship Carla and Polo because to be when we saw their relationship it felt very much like they were together just for convenience/image and not because they genuinely wanted to be together anymore, if that makes sense. Especially after what happens in season 1, any chance they had of getting back together vanished. Like it just got so manipulative and toxic and I didn't feel like they really liked who they were around each other.

now for question 3:

I mean for Nick & Ziggy I've literally written so many AU's for them it's hard to keep count, so I'm going to list potential ideas for them that I might finish/haven't written yet and others that I know other people are interested in writing:

1. I've been working (very very slowly) on a period drama au for nick x ziggy which might quite possibly go nowhere.

2. then there's this other idea based on a prompt from @indistinctmumblings that I'm developing where Nick & Ziggy are young adults instead of teenagers and meet when he's on the force because she keeps getting arrested and they drive around in his cruiser looking for Sarah fier's bones. I'm still debating about whether the curse should be in it or not (Nick's dad is still alive at this point. Nick only briefly saw Ziggy at Nightwing so they didn't get a chance to reconnect)

3. there's a lot of interesting fic ideas people have talked about writing so I'm excited to see if anything turns up with that.

4. finally, I had a really in depth discussion also with @indistinctmumblings about a time-loop AU, where Nick is trapped reliving the same day in 1978 over and over again. Idk if I could or would write that - like I try to bring something new to each Nick & Ziggy fic I write in terms of characterization, plot, how the curse ends and everything, and I feel like I'm approaching the finish line in terms of creating new content? Like I don't want to regurgitate the same thing I've already spammed this tag so much lmao, but we'll see. this fic idea - especially the ending shot - has really stuck with me, but it's a popular idea and not one I came up with on my own, so.

in terms of Cindy and Alice lol, my favourite AU is when they both live and get to live happily ever after! I love that. But I also love the idea of them in some kind of competitive setting (maybe a figure skating/olympics AU where they're both favourites to win and used to be friends omg) or even just the idea of them being roommates in college and then slowly falling in love. I love these two, but it hurts so much to write for them 😢😢

thanks for the ask! 💕

[victoriantrashjohn]

My dream 60th would be a revamp of the 5 doctors with 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. Eccleston probably wouldn't do it so we can shada him. His companion plucked up would be rose in a Sarah Jane moment being from the wrong section of timline and so she's from like lovey dovey new earth/tooth and claw/school reunion Era. I want 10 to be from literally right after the waters of Mars and he is just very much in a different headspace from when rose last saw him and it's going to be very important because even though I don't think they should be paired up I want him to see her and be trying to be a better man like the one she knew through out the whole episode to impress her and not let her see that dark side that just came out during the time lord victorius moment. His companion taken should be Donna because I'm love her. 11 should be taken right from his depression Era at the very height of it in the beginning of the snowmen before meeting Clara. His companions taken should be Amy and rory from a year into their angel zap and they are also very much going to have a Moment with 11 like holy shit you look rough. Now for 12 I think the only option is nardole I'm sorry but he is simply my favorite and will go very well with my pick for 13 which is Graham. They are the doctors exasperated parents. I think 12 should just be taken from somewhere in season 10 just a cool professor guy who is once again not protecting the vault like he should. For 13 I have big thoughts. I think she should do what 12 does in twice upon a time and just stave of regeneration but I want it to be because she knows she will likely based on past regenerations be a man again and she's not ready and feels she has so much more to learn about being read as a cis female in the world as well as how it affects the how people treat her. I do think the main plot should be simpler and at least echo the five doctors with the master being involved I would like the time lords to ask Missy as the incarnation for the plot. For the way I would split up the companions is 9 is sadly not there and is just clips :(. 10 is with Amy I think they would really vibe and would bring out both of their childish sides and I feel like she would see through his act impress rose just like she does with 11 and the space whale. 11 gets 2 mothers :) Graham and nardole :) nardole with unfortunately quickly realize Graham is much more like 11 than him and will regret this team up :) Also nardole does not want Missy out of sight so he also has to deal with Missy referring to 11 as "doctor twink". 12 gets Donna and rory and it's just two troublemakers who are very brash and rory is saying oh God I miss my ginger and floppy haired idiot these are not mine. And 13 :) gets :) rose :) thank you for coming to my Ted talk mr rtd you can use it you are welcome 😌

[imaginearyparties]

top 5 favourite ships💕

I'm not much of a shipper (I'm more interested in how a relationship effects the individual characters or plot than whether or not they'll be together forever), but I definitely have some faves. Here's a list:

Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes (MCU) - Look, I've talked about this before on this blog, but I think love really is just being seen wholly and accepted wholly for all you are. I think there's so much that's worth exploring about Steve and Bucky and their expectations of each other, what shared history means in the erasure of that history from one party, and if they can accept each other as who they are in the moment. Steve and Bucky's is often a story of choosing each other over and over, despite how they might have changed.

Klaus Mikaelson x Caroline Forbes (TVD) - This one sticks with me. I think it's because of all the people who saw Caroline as annoying or weak, Klaus was able to identify that there was something extraordinary about her. And Caroline brought out a long dormant humanity within Klaus. I read a Klaus x Elena fic that actually captured Klaus and Caroline's dynamic really well. Caroline brings out this teasing, sort of earnest endearing side of Klaus. While I absolutely loved Klaus and Cami's relationship, I fully believe that Klaus and Caroline would've found their way to each other eventually, if he hadn't [redacted].

Amy Pond x Rory Williams x The 11th Doctor (Doctor Who) - Listen, did I think of them as a polycule when I was 11 and first watching the show? No. Do I think of them that way all the time now? Yes. (The only weird thing is that their daughter is technically The Doctor's wife, but shhhhh).

Bonnie x Enzo, Rebekah x Enzo, and Bonnie x Marcel (TVD) - Okay, I put these all on the same tier for a reason. Bonnie and Enzo are the only couple of the three that actually happened on the show. And I loved Bonnie and Enzo. Bonnie had never gotten to really be in love with someone her intellectual and emotional equal. They kind of just stuck her with Jeremy but the pairing never really made sense, and then they ignored her obvious chemistry with Kai, Damon, and Nora (which I'm actually happy with in regard to Kai and Damon, but I digress). Bonnie and Enzo, though admittedly kind of random and cobbled together for the last season of the show, were so supportive of each other and good to each other. They were genuinely in love. However, I also love the crackships of Rebekah with Enzo and Bonnie with Marcel. Rebekah and Bonnie should do a boyfriend swap, essentially. They're all together because they share an equal space in my mind.

Rose Tyler x The 10th Doctor (Doctor Who) - You never forget your first, do you? My friend and I wrote a wattpad fic about Rose and Ten in middle school. They just had really brilliant chemistry and were fun but also super well matched and heartfelt with each other. The ultimate angst pairing. Love them.

[background-noise-headache]

Aw, love the gifset with Rory needing a ridiculous miracle, and the Doctor pops up! Awwww, love your second self portrait! I'm sorry about your head and hope you're feeling much better soon! To pass the time you should watch the first three episodes with Gwaine! If you're doing the Doctor Who Ask Thingy: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20 - 24, 26. Ahem, you need to post a link to the Rory/Sara youtube video!

Rory does need (and get, if the number of not permanent deaths is anything to go by) a ridiculous miracle. Thank you about the self portrait. I definitely like it better than the firstWoooooow, you do not mess around with these Doctor Who asks (as well you don't, nobody else responded, might as well ask for as many as you like) okay:1: top three doctors?Eleven, Twelve, Ten 2: top three companions?Rory, Amy, Rose3: favorite quote?"We're all stories in the end, just make it a good one" I'm a writer, I must5: if you could pick any companion to travel with any Doctor, who would it be?Rose and Eleven. (Matt and Billy are friends I hear, and they've worked briefly in other projects, I think it would be amazing, the chemistry would be there. I probably ship them harder than I ship RosexTen tbh)7: Amy and Eleven had a great best friends thing going, but Rory and Eleven also had a good thing in that Rory was all "I will take no shit" and their general humor together 8: OTP?Amy and Rory, Rose and Eleven9: NOTP?Don't generally have those... I let people ship who they ship without any objection (unless someone in the ship has somehow been abusive towards the other, or they've tried to kill each other, or something awful like that)*remembers there are people who ship the Doctor with the Master/Missy*O.O ooohh.... yeah that10: any ships?The Titanic?11: first doctor you sawNine (yes, I do love Nine, just because he hasn't been mentioned yet doesn't mean I don't love him)12: favorite doctor?Don't make me choose between Twelve and Eleven, please. Eleven is so whimsical and hopeful and sweet. Twelve is so sarcastic and snide but secretly very endearing. They're like the two sides of my personality in a nutshell to be honest, I love them both13: first story you saw on tv?Okay so I watched the entire NewWho via Netflix so I started with Rose, episode one. The first episode I saw on actual television was the 60th anniversary special Day of the Doctor with David Tennant and Matt Smith and John Hurt (I made scones from scratch that day to celebrate, which is when you really know something is special. I only make scones for special occasions)14: how long have you been a fan?Since about 2012/2013? 15: if you could travel with one doctor, which one would it be?I feel like at this point everyone can guess at my answer. If I HAVE to pick just one I'm picking Twelve. We'd never get anything done, we'd just be snarky with each other all day16: favorite Tardis interior?Eleven's first interior, I love that steam-punky vibe20: least favorite story?Are there any episodes I vow to never go back and watch? Yes, and I think they're all in Ten's era (sorry Ten) the weird absorbing monster, Fear Her, Family of Blood and I have a love hate relationship (I want to go back and rewatch it just once for a refresher but goddamn I want to punch Ten so damn much and cringe all the damn time) and I think that's it21: did you cry while watching any of the episodes?I cried like crazy when Ten and Rose said goodbye, cried when Eleven read Amy's letter. The first time I watched The Library I don't think it really hit me, and didn't mean as much when River died, because I didn't know her, but when I went back I think I cried. Special mention to Torchwood and when you heartlessly killed Ianto, I fucking sobbed. I was pissed, I stopped watching and didn't bother with season four22: least favorite doctor?Least favorite doctor implies I found anything to really dislike about any of them, and I didn't. I love Nine and Ten, as well as the War Doctor, so pass23: least favorite companion?Martha. The combination/bad timing of her being written to have a crush on the Doctor after Rose leaving made it hard for me to like her. She's a great character, I just couldn't appreciate her. I also sadly didn't appreciate Donna the way I should have.24: Any eras you would like to know better?I'm assuming you mean different Doctor eras, in which case I'd like to watch old who and know more about that26: Favorite episode? (Or top 3)Hmm.... The Empty Child/Doctor Dances, or in other words enter Captain Jack Harkness with Rose and Nine then maybe Van Gogh because I love that and then Amy's choice is always interesting to go back an watch (also there's something really magical about the way some of the frozen Tardis scenes were filmed and the way Amy and Rory opened their eyes to look at each other and see how ice crystals had begun to form around their bodies, those images really stick with me from a visual sense, plus the psychology between the Doctor being attacked by a twisted version of himself is interesting enough)Okay, link. Link to the Rory/Sara video. Link... Link... let me look(I'm on mobile so I switched to my computer for three minutes to post the link so it's up on my blog now, check it out)

[variousqueerthings]

AND LAST OF S5: THE BIG BANG

Soooooo I don't dislike it. All the kid!Amy stuff I really really like even!

but does it stick the landing?

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 7/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or having her emotional agency ignored by the plot): 5/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 5/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 5/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 56/100 (if I can count….)

Better than Pandorica Opens!

OBJECTIFICATION: Not too bad, good start. Amy is wearing (most of the time) the same outfit as last episode, and River is also just vibing

PLOT-POINT: This episode is ostensibly all about Amelia Pond's first Moment with the Doctor as an eye of the storm, and I like that

but Amy never really talks about it or does anything related to it. she does have a bit where she says she doesn't regret their journeying, but for some reason she's the main person who never really seems to... feel anything about it, like actually this genuinely was sorted back in end episode 1 for her

and the whole purpose of her having had this encounter is to bring the Doctor back from non-existence. there's a version of this story, where Amy's conflicted feelings about being abandoned, and even tbh about marriage are at the centre of the conflict

River is just there to be mysterious, you'll see later what's going on with her... maybe...

COMPLEXITY: A lot of forwards and backwards in time and the Tardis is exploding and we still don't know why, in the end they're baaasically running through a museum and the Doctor hooks himself up to the Pandorica and yeets himself into the heart of the storm

It's not egregious/it's possible to follow... there are unanswered questions.....

I also think it's hilarious that after all that supposed set-up, Rory just... takes him out of the box again. Into the box and out of the box

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: I need to ruminate on this a bit. getting married as plot is not a bad thing. I'm not a massive fan of the Amy/Rory romance and how it progressed (mainly because it mostly didn't and then suddenly shifted into a slightly different parallel universe where they're madly in love), so I'm not sold on Amy's adultness being centred in marriage

but this is not only a M*ffat thing. this show is very based in alloromance. it's just whether it makes sense that Amy... wants this... or if the plot just decided that now she does

do I think characters got closer? kinda yeah. Amy and Rory are married now, even though Rory is still characterised as permanently unsure of where he stands with Amy's "moods" (angry moods, sexual moods, sad moods, etc)

Rory: Are you okay? Amy: Are you? Rory: No Amy: Well shut up then!

I was kinda struck by how venomous she was at him, and then they hug and it's fine, but that's kind of what it feels like between them a lot of the time

Amy: are you just saying yes, because you’re scared of me? Rory:... yep

anyway, it changes things for the next season perhaps, now they are firmly married and not in the "will Amy or won't she" boat

and the Doctor came to the wedding! didn't disappear when he was called!

there is plot To Come that is set up... why did the Tardis explode? what is the Silence?

COMPANIONS MATTER: they're there for most of it, there's this whole backstory of Rory protecting the Pandorica for 2000 years, which is the basis of Rory and Amy now being this epic romance, and taken on its own it's pretty cool

Amy is there to experience things happening, so that she can remember it later on, and then she gets married, because in the end all of s5 is centred around the Marriage Of The Ponds and Amy learning that she can grow up (get married) and have adventures with the Doctor and those things don't cancel each other out

the Doctor does things and they all follow

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: eh, the Doctor solves everything and everyone's just tagging along, but I like the "we're all just stories in the end" bit. the Doctor is also just a story

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: not much of previous Doctor Who in this so... not terrible technically

“SEXINESS”: Why is Amy doing her whole "I'm gonna snog the Doctor" schtick? There's this bit also where she and Rory make out for ages and the camera lingers on it, because now they're passionate lovers, and fine, I guess, it's not the worst thing M*ffat has done

I am deciding to add River's whole... making the Dalek say Mercy. it's kind of a fantasy badass moment where she's being badass with a gun

and here I'm unsure whether to put Amy making Rory afraid or not, because it's definitely a M*ffat fantasy, but it also relates to Amy's whole... why this a good relationship? anyway. we'll put it here, because I'm sleepy, fuckit

Amy sauntering up to the Doctor and saying "We haven’t even had a snog in the shrubbery yet" is unfortunately just. it's in my brain

INTERNAL WORLD: we've met Amy's aunt! in that other world where the stars don't exist and the Universe is ending. and we've met Amy's parents! (wonder if we'll see them again)

it's kind of rebuilding things after episode 1 already gave us something of her life, but none of those character reappear. it's also hard not to know what comes next, which is.... nothing with any of this

especially considering Amy not remembering her parents is presented as a Big Deal in this episode, so her life is now straightened out (I was going to say normalised or returned to the ideal status quo, and realised all three of these are hiding the truth, which is that Amy's life is normative now -- she got married at last, and she has two parents like Normal)

POLITICS: Nothing much one way or another in this

FULL RATING: 56/100 (if I can count….)

I think this episode is defined by being not the worst of the season. It's strongest suit is not being super offensive, but it's also not extraordinary. Its weakness is in the companions again. Are they there to experience the Doctor doing cool stuff, or are they there to have narratives centred around them? How does Amy feel about her entire existence being bait? About being helpless to do anything in this whole thing that revolves in some way around her memories? she just kind of bounces into whatever the plot needs someone to do, never being particularly affected by what came before

[variousqueerthings]

OKAY SO

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 5/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or her emotional interiority isn’t given agency): 5/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 10/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 7/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 6/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 9/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 9/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 5/10

FULL RATING: 67/100 (if I can count….)

Oof, I'm probably contentious with this one. It's actually my favourite of the season, because its concept is SO good!!!! so so gooood!

OBJECTIFICATION: while on the surface it's kinda chill, the Dream Lord is pointlessly creepy at times in a sexual way, and then there's the whole flipping... Elizabeth the first thing, second time this season - "Loves a redhead our naughty doctor, has he told you about Elizabeth the First, well, she thought she was the first." Urgh

actually a lot of the issue of this episode is that, because Amy is "pregnant," that has to be said in as many ways as possible -- huge, boat, chubs... stop this please

I also note she is wearing a miniskirt while pregnant! why!? I think... fifth? now. in seven episodes (the other one in which she was wearing a nighty, and one of them a double episode, so actually it's six episodes of miniskirt)

PLOT-POINT: BUT WAIT, why is this so low? this whole episode is all about Amy's interiority, it's literally called Amy's Choice! but my problem with it is that it simplifies it to making it about romance -- which man is she choosing. as the dream lord says, "you ran away with a handsome hero" + the constant cracks about Rory's lack of proper masculinity

it's ostensibly about her growing up, but her growing up is ... about her being willing to get married. Adulthood is exemplified by marriage and pregnancy. to a man she never seems to have been really in love with, until... well, now. canonically! until this moment! she says she didn't know until this moment (the moment being after Rory ostensibly died)! but we don't know Rory really, we don't know why these two work, in fact, all we've seen is that they don't, and that her changing her mind is directly affected by Rory dying, which is kind of a traumatic thing to experience!

I also don't think Karen Gillen sells it, again, when Rory dies. "save him, you always do." "not always, I'm sorry," "then what is the point of you?" she says her lines in a flat voice, her face barely changes, and then when she makes the decision to go for the other world, it's more of the same.

and it's still not really about her making a choice. she can simplify the choice, because Rory is killed, so there's no choice of which World she wants involved. I also feel like Rory is so easily taken in by this change of heart. oh thank goodness she's made up her mind after dating for years, getting engaged, and making out with someone else on the eve of our wedding... however! there's still episodes in this season! just because two people are willing to make a go of it, doesn't mean that there isn't still more growth to be done!

but on the whole, the choice doesn't quite make sense to me, and it's strangely placed in the story. In fact Amy's whole relationship with the Doctor is strangely paced throughout s5 -- she still barely knows this person, and the Doctor still abandoned her for 14 years, and yet she says things about how the Doctor "always" does things as if they've had hundreds of adventures together

this encapsulated by what is probably meant to be a throwaway joke early on:

The Doctor: “I don’t just abandon the people when they leave the Tardis!” Amy: “you came here by mistake, didn’t you?"

if she doesn't believe the Doctor would care enough to visit her, then why does she believe anything else is that deep about their relationship?

I quite like the tragedy of Amy Pond, to be clear. I like someone who meets someone as a kid who Changes them, is traumatised by being abandoned, and grows up emotionally immature... but I'm not sure I agree with what "maturity" means as defined by this episode, or that Amy is in fact... that... or even that the story itself can decide between how to portray her (girl to sexually confident woman to potentially pregnant mother-to-be)

COMPLEXITY: It's deliciously simple actually! I love this episode construction! No notes! also double points for technically taking place entirely in the Tardis. I wonder what it thought of them just lying there on the floor

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: furthers Amy's and Rory's relationship... allegedly...

and gives us more Doctor Is Complicated stuff, which is... fine... look, I think this Doctor is a messy bitch who's got a God Complex (wait this is a point below, anyway) and if I take that as a Character Trait, it's interesting, because yeah, the Doctor CREATED this woman and now feels responsible for her. if I think about it as How M*ffat Sees This Character... that's dubious. especially considering the sort of uncomfortable "Amy wants to have sex with the Doctor and the Doctor pivots between being sort of fatherly in an old-fashioned way and some of the sex jokes the show makes" it wants to have it both ways (wait now THIS is actually um... one of the other points... they bleed together a bit)

ALSO dunno where this belongs but the Peter Pan syndrome is mentioned, the Doctor abandoning companions rather than seeing them grow old, but I kind of wish there had been more in that. And it also ties into this weird... is Amy a child or a confidently sexual woman or a mother-to-be, type dynamic, that I don't think ever goes away

COMPANIONS MATTER: yeah, pretty much in this one, Amy says we die, and then they die. of course, then the Doctor crashes the Tardis and it was all a dream, but I think that's fair. the Doctor was waiting on Amy and let her take lead, although again, the emotional part of it doesn't quite work for me

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: see above in the Character/Lore Point section

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: HA okay well. so this episode is based on the Doctor attacking himself, so the dream lord stuff is basically what having low self-esteem sounds like

taken that way, the attack on the Doctor "If you had any more tawdry quirks, you could open up a tawdry quirk shop" and the "I’m surprised you haven’t got a purple space-dog" hmmm... does it feel too meta? a bit too "yes we know it's silly"?

subjective. but I'm watching you M*ffat

“SEXINESS”: Ey, a world mostly free of this sort of dialogue and those kinds of visuals

INTERNAL WORLD: I mean, it's a dream world, it's kind of meant to make you squint. the real beauty is of course that neither of them feel quite right, and of course it turns out neither of them are

POLITICS: ehhhhhhh, it's very normative - heteronormative, amatonormative, monogamy-normative, cisnormative... normativity runs rife in Amy's Choice

FULL RATING: 67/100 (if I can count….)

Overall I think the real place where this episode fails is that it's very... straight, actually. and so it sacrifices potentially interesting things in Amy's relationship with the Doctor, and in Rory's and Amy's pretty fraught romance, for the sake of being about choosing which guy you want to end up with. and this after only having known Amy and the Doctor and soort of Rory for about 7 episodes, and it's 7 episodes in which I'm not sure this is what's been built up to

where it shines is, of course, the concept itself, which is so delightfully simple and spooky in a dreamy way. Oh I love a self-hating Doctor, silly alien

SO! WE'RE WATCHING AMY'S CHOICE! the episode where a lot of my questions about Amy -- her back-and-forth about Rory, her unfinished business vis-a-vis the Doctor's abandonment, her fear of growing up and emotional immaturity

And is it delivering on that premise? kind of

it definitely is one of my favourite concepts of this season, especially the old people/Eknodines! it's very invasion of the body-snatchers with the extra bit of not knowing what's real

fun times! but does it work beyond the neat concept?