#jodie NOT media

[garthnadermemestash]

🦄

[shesnake]

Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya in The Acolyte season 1 episodes 3 & 7 (2024) dir. Kogonada

[wearevillaneve]

Killing Eve social media posts.

[dreadfuldevotee]

Bang the Doldrums, Fall out Boy/ The Doctor x Yasmin Khan, Doctor Who

"This is a love song in my own way"

[ironyscleverer]

Doctor Who as a Post-Colonial Metaphor

Recently I've been thinking a lot about how beautifully Doctor Who reflects the state of post-colonial British identity, and tumblr seems like the appropriate place to share my ramblings. So let’s see if I can explain in a way that makes sense.

I must start by putting on my obnoxious little film degree hat and reminding everyone that sci-fi is one of those genres that is highly political (as most things are, but scifi even moreso). It turns out it's pretty easy to get a sense of people's fears and anxieties by asking them to envision the future, and that's what sci-fi media does; it uses contemporary cultural standards and ideas to create a vision of what futuristic/advanced science and technology might look like, and how people might respond to it. In doing so, it ends up taking the social and political temperature of the time and place in which it's created.

As such, it's very, very common for scholars to analyze sci-fi media through this lens; even Frankenstein, arguably the first science fiction novel ever written, is often interpreted as reflecting cultural fears regarding swiftly advancing science and technology during the early stages of the industrial revolution. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) is another great, very blatant example of how sci-fi and politics can interact. In this movie, a Jesus-like alien ascends to Earth during the Cold War to warn the human race about their imminent nuclear annihilation. It seems corny to us now, but it's actually a great movie and I would highly reccomend it. It's rumored that the US Department of Defense read the script and Did Not Like It because the themes were too anti-war.

In other words, despite often being viewed as too “pop,” too goofy, and too unserious to have any deep meaning, pretty much any scifi story can be analyzed within an inch of its life using a meta social/political lens. It's not the only way to interpret sci-fi, but it's by far the most common. One must simply ask, “what does this vision of science, technology, and/or the future say about us as we are now?”

But anyway. Doctor Who. Disclaimer: I haven't watched the classic series so I'll focus on 2005 onward (still post-colonial so it still holds up, lol). If you've seen Classic and you'd like to chip in, please do.

Genre-wise, Doctor Who is more-or-less a space-western, a subgenre of sci-fi that incorporates Western elements—exploring new frontiers, engaging with unfamiliar civilizations, rogue figures, etc. Star Trek is the peak example of this, but there are many, many others.

Of course, the Western genre is dripping with colonialism due to its historical setting of the American West, and the racist depictions of Indigenous peoples. Space-westerns, consequently, also tend to address colonial topics. Sometimes space westerns are just as racist as normal westerns, but sometimes they use the genre reflexively, to question colonial ideals. A more progressive space-western might be more willing to “humanize” the alien cultures they meet, asking questions like, "how does one ethically engage with foreign societies?" or "When is it appropriate to intervene in a conflict?" etc.

Althought these kinds of questions come up regularly in Doctor Who, especially regarding its anti-war messaging (Time War etc.). These themes become doubly interesting when you use them to inform your interpretation of The Doctor, both as a character and as a symbol.

Consider this: The Doctor is the embodiment of an ancient and immensely powerful being with a bloody history. Their kill-count is quite literally somewhere in the quadrillions. Although they are a self-proclaimed pacifist, they are still constantly a perpetrator of death and destruction throughout the series. The Doctor, despite repeatedly and loudly choosing peace, can never seem to keep their hands clean of chaos and suffering. Doctor Who is about an entity that destroys everything they touch, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. As an allegory for grappling with the legacy of British imperialism, I'd say it's pretty on the nose.

In this sense, not only is Doctor Who a show about colonialism, it is also a show about identity in the wake of colonialism. It's even in the name: "Doctor Who?" Who is the Doctor? What is their responsibility to the universe? What does it mean to be ancient and powerful and drenched in the blood of millions? How do they move on, become better, without falling into the same traps? What does it mean to be British?

These questions come up over and over throughout the new series, from the destruction of Gallifrey, to the Timelord Victorious, to A Good Man Goes to War, the Flux (arguably), and many, many other smaller plotlines I could mention. Even in the latest series with Ncuti Gatwa, the focus on adoption and family is in a similar vein—where does the Doctor come from? What does it even mean to be “from” a place? How much do your origins truly contribute to who you are and who you become?

How the companions fall within this framework is also interesting; if the Doctor is a stand-in for the nation as an entity, then the Doctor's companion, the everyday British person, is the stand-in for the populace. The companions are ever-changing, ever-evolving, constantly renegotiating their relationship with the Doctor. The companion's ultimate challenge is to find how they fit into the narrative of the Doctor's life, and try their best to come out the other end with a happy ending (ha).

Of course, Doctor Who is owned by the BBC, meaning it is quite literally nationally subsudized TV. As a result, althought the show is actually VERY critical in some places, the Doctor is usually ultimately sympathetic; their good intentions tend to forgive a lot of the problems they've caused. The companion is usually charmed by the Doctors' seemingly endless tragedy of a life. This is a country's state-owned media company working with it's own self-image--it's inherently a work of self-reflection, and perhaps of self-obsession, too.

It would be easy to be cynical about Doctor Who as a product of the BBC, which is state-funded (but notably not owned or directly controlled by the government!). However, I tend to think that just writing it off as propaganda because of this is doing the show a disservice. Yes, there is an inherent privilege and self-centeredness to endlessly forgiving the Doctor, but that's also kind of the whole point; it's a show about coming to terms with one's horrible past. It's a show about learning to formulate a new sense of self. To demand that Doctor Who to be less self-obsessed, to not be about British identity when it is in fact a British show for Brits about Brits, is just a bit unrealistic.

Instead, I choose to believe that Doctor Who can and does use its privilege for good more often than not. The creators tend to be very progressive (as sci-fi so often is) and they can get away with a lot of very progressive messages in the guise of a silly sci-fi show for families. Most recently, I would point to s14e3: Boom, s14e5: Dot and Bubble as examples of thinly veiled rants about the evils of capitalism, war, racism, social media, etc. To ignore or dismiss Doctor Who because it has some form of institutional backing would be doing the actual stories and writers a disservice.

Finally, let me leave you with one last point; One consistancy throughout the new series that I find very charming is the positive effect the companions always have on the Doctor. Companions come and go, which is sad, but they're each special in their own little way, and they each change the Doctor, wearing them down a little at a time. The Doctor is consistently at their worst when they are alone, removed from the people that make them want to be better.

Very often the companion's parting message for the Doctor is "don't be alone.” This can be extrapolated to mean: don't forget we exist. Don't forget to be kind. Even if you can't help your legacy, even if you can't wash the blood off your hands, you can always keep striving to be better. Keep someone around to remind you to be better. And the Doctor, more often than not, does. Because ultimately it is the companions, us the people, that make the Doctor who they are.

It’s this special brand of relentless optimism, this indomitable belief in the goodness of people and the power of that goodness that always brings me back to Doctor Who, one way or another, despite all its flaws.

Edit 11/29: corrected some info about the BBC per the comments!

[jodians]

instead of shipping mulder and scully, may i propose shipping mulder and dale cooper from twin peaks and scully and clarice starling

[deepspacequeer]

hi! here's a fun doctor who collage commission I finished the other day. they wanted the 13th doctor with some iconic looks from previous doctors!

it's on a 9x12 inch cradled wood panel. I painted the sides to match the turquoise in the vest pattern! you can't tell in these pictures (because it's so hard to photograph!) but there's a thick gloss varnish sealing the collage.

I'm open for commissions and up for whatever fandom you're into! check out my pinned post for more details. I also have my personal work over at @silasjulian if you wanna check that out too!

[goodluckb4be]

we, as a society don’t talk enough about killing eve

[dead--girls--club]

💙13th Doctor🩵

[morganhopesmith1996]

I love these Releases 💕🆒👍🏻👏🏻

[famsource]

It'll probably fascinate me for the rest of my life - the serendipitous timing of this show and this role coming into my life as it did. But beyond the entanglement of art and life, the other thing I'll keep coming back to is just the wild privilege of getting to tell this story, with these people. From sweet baby Ellen Waverly, one of the first women to become an astronaut in our fictional 1970's world, to twice elected President Ellen Wilson, the first woman and openly gay person to hold the office... the things we got to imagine together!? It still blows me away. Makes me emotional. The talent, love and care imbedded in this project is immense. The writers, actors and crew are truly a FAMily (started out as a cute little but stopped being a joke very quickly). I'll forever-forever be grateful I got to be a part of it. Thank you for watching, if you did (keep going, duh!) and send a postcard to the ranch every now and then!? Pam and Ellen will miss you. xo @/forallmankind_ 🌹

Jodi Balfour on her Instagram post.

[acetheta]

ALWAYS DOWN FOR JODIE RECOMMENDATIONS 🙏🙏🙏

I GOT YOU.

okay so my favorite show EVER that literally shes my entire personality shes what my url is based off of 🤓☝️ her character is named trish tooley the show is called rhe smoke and i dont really care about anything that doesnt revolve around her sorry not sorry 😊☝️☝️☝️ if u watch this i will love u forever JESUS CHRIST. she DOES mayyybee do something controversial maybeee 🙄 (i have a whole ass essay about her and also why shes so lesbian) also i watched it on prime but i have another link if u need (its free if u have prime in the US)

one night !! this is so good but really triggering as it does have to do with a s/a case but OH MY GOD. she is so talented in this and potrays the survivor so well fuckingggg. i love tess owen 🙏🙏🙏🙏. you will 100% have to pirate this one LMFAOOO,.

this is a short film but its so good its about like smoking but more importantly sapphic heartbreak she is sooo gorgeous in this omfg.

she has a black mirror episode i recently watched its s1e3 (on netflix) again she does something mayyybeee controversial but she is soooo hot in this LIKE PPEASE ONE CHANCE FI ☝️☝️☝️ need to write an essay abt her pls 😭🙏.

shes also in broadchurch which has three seasons i believe its on prime as well. this deals wirh very heavy topics ESPECIALLY the third season so warning.

and even tho there r so many good ones my last one i will put here is the film adult life things with has to do with familial grief and you WILL SOB. i think i watched that one on tubi

[itsmyfriendisaac]

♏ November 19th: Special Agent, Jodie Foster.

[praxeus-13]

It was not marketed as “13th Doctor Regenerates,” it was marketed as “Dr. Who Regenerates”

Are you sure about that? (From here)

Either way, David Tennant showed up at the end and said ‘what’ three times, Jodie was the one who performed a brilliant goodbye speech and the official Doctor Who social media accounts didn’t even acknowledge her.

Everyone else is pissed off because ever since that regeneration every part of 13’s era has seemed to be erased. 14 didn’t regenerate wearing 13’s outfit when every other Doctor has. 14’s sonic has parts inspired by every other modern Doctor apart from 13. Since David came back he has been on 6 covers of Doctor Who Magazine, including the fucking yearbook from 13’s last year (Ncuti has only been on two since he was announced by the way.)

And now Jodie’s wonderful acting is not being acknowledged when it so clearly should be. I spoke to Jodie about her last line at a comic con and she said she loved it so so much. She put so much love and effort and time into this show, and she is not getting the recognition she deserves.

[aubreyplazawife]

controversial lesbian opinion but i don’t like jodie comer

here’s why:

firstly obviously she’s very talented and beautiful and i did like her as villanelle but something about her vibe is just off. the way she treats/reacts to her largely queer fan base seems distasteful to me. she’s a straight woman who took a gay role that made her famous yet she wants to distance herself from it and gay audiences. i personally don’t love when straight people play gay characters but that’s not my point.. my point is that it’s not okay to profit so much from a community you don’t support or respect. she also dated a republican for 3+ years so there’s that. i know people try to say she doesn’t like her gay fans because they got mad about her dating said republican but it’s way more than that and started before that all came to light. i’ve also see several instances of her just being rude to fans. i really did want to like her especially when she was more popular in wlw spaces. does anyone else think similarly? i feel like the only queer girl that has the ick for her. someone convince me to like her because i really want to be a fan

[lolliepops-rox]

I'm literally losing my mind over Morgan going back to Glenn. Particularly cos Anthony was so insistent about Glenn and Jodie being brothers. SO SORRY JODIE YOUR WIFE LEFT YOU FOR UR BROTHER. THEN WHEN U FINALLY MOVED ON, YOUR NEW BOYFRIEND ABSCONDED WITH UR NEW CHILD. Given that we know Nickie spends most of his time in hell, I think he's the only person who hasnt abandoned Jodie. Like damm jodie what a rough break oof.