#yaz in tsuranga also

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

my pet peeve is when they justify characters in stuff knowing smth bc they remember it from school. like 1) who remembers anything from school. and 2) there are Many Other Places Youve Been After School Where You Picked Up Stuff It Didnt Stop At School Sometimes You Just Hear Things

[leikeliscomet]

Honestly, Ryan wasn't even a bad companion he just wasn't utilised properly. His YouTube channel should've been a central part of his character. Maybe have him been the one to record everything. Maybe have him actually know Two Girls Roaming in Praxeus because he watched their videos or gets filming tips from them. His relationship with his dad should've been threaded throughout s11 so his appearance in Resolution stuck. Maybe he shouldn't have forgiven him in the person-forgives-neglectful-parent-because-family-can-do-no-wrong trope but chosen Graham as his new father figure so that 'call me grandad' actually hits harder. Maybe have Thirteen be his father figure instead, building on the way Ryan tends to follow her instructions the most out of the fam. His feelings about Grace should've been in the spotlight. Maybe have him find Grace in the alt universe. Maybe have him be the one to try and kill Tim Shaw. Maybe have him be the one dream about Grace in Can You Hear Me. Maybe take the Graham scenes and replace him with Ryan.. y'know.. Grace's whole grandson...? Maybe also address the fact his mum died and bc his dad left he was left all alone as a child??? And that should've been his Can You Hear Me nightmare instead of throwing in the dregs unprovoked?? His mechanic skills should've been a key trait too. Maybe have him fix the ship with Thirteen in Tsuranga instead of Yaz. Maybe have him, Tesla, and Thirteen talk about the joy of building and fixing things. Maybe have him go with Nevi and Silas in Orphan 55 to work together on mechanic stuff but also show Ryan's longing for a father-son relationship like theirs. (And make Yaz fight the dregs instead bc wasn't she the one with police training...).

His feelings for Yaz and Bella could've been sorted out properly. Maybe have Ryasmin for a few eps but stop bc space-time travel overcomplicates things or to set things up for Yaz' coming out and Thasmin. Maybe address the fact Bella likely died on Orphan 55 and have it cause tension between Ryan and Thirteen bc she refused to help her. And Ryan's Blackness. Maybe have Ryan be the one to disagree with the plan and try to help Rosa instead. Maybe have him explain who she is to the others instead of having the only Black guy in the cast not know who Rosa Parks is.

There was so much potential man. So so so so much...

[evviejo]

just a friendly reminder that i always want to make more gifsets of particular characters in particular episodes of the thirteenth doctor's era, especially having made well over a thousand 13s era gifsets, so in case you wanna know what i've done and what i have yet to gif, here's my tag for those that have been requested or you can see the list under the cut

the woman who fell to earth - yaz

the ghost monument - angstrom & epzo

rosa - graham

arachnids in the uk - doctor

the tsuranga conundrum

demons of the punjab

kerblam - doctor

the witchfinders

it takes you away - doctor & solitract

the battle of ranskoor av kolos

resolution - ryan

spyfall part one - yaz

spyfall part two - yaz

orphan 55 - ryan

nikola tesla's night of terror

fugitive of the judoon - yaz

praxeus - ryan

can you hear me - yaz & sonya, yaz

the haunting of villa diodati

ascension of the cybermen

the timeless children - doctor & master

revolution of the daleks

the halloween apocalypse

war of the sontarans - doctor

once upon time - fugitive doctor, yaz

village of the angels - dan, claire, jericho

survivors of the flux - tecteun, grand serpent

the vanquishers - doctor

eve of the daleks

legend of the sea devils - dan

the power of the doctor - kate, yaz, ace, vinder

also:

yaz & ryan in spyfall, bel in the flux, the master vs. his o persona spyfall, hologram doctors in tpotd,

[myfandomrambles]

C-PTSD & BPD Doctor

(Doctor Character Study part 3D.1)

An analysis of The Doctor as having Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) along with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). If you read my ADHD & Autistic doctor posts you will notice some symptoms overlap mostly with impulsivity. I chose to put C-PTSD and BPD as one post because symptom overlap is strong, and the disorders are highly comorbid

[Thirteenth Doctor will be in 3 parts due to length. Find the whole thing on AO3]

13th Doctor 1.

The Thirteenth Doctor is an interesting presentation of the C-BPD The Doctor has as she is both written and viewed to be very disconnected from the previous Doctor’s traumas, leading people to only see her dealing with trauma after she lost Gallifrey again and that the only trauma affecting her is The Timeless Child realisation. I posit that she always had trauma responses before TV: Spyfall pt 2. Her traumatic content in her body is held in the line of anxiety, hypervigilance, difficulty regulating emotions and being fully closed off about her history and emotions during her early stories. Trauma also comes out increasingly as a fight response later in her run, there are threads throughout her whole time making her very fascinating and complex.

Her agitation, agitation anger, hypervigilance, uncovering of past trauma and social difficulties and more are worth going through and analysing. 

A place to start with some of the basic triggers The Doctor experiences and trauma responses. Commonly a fight response. These incidents do not only happen in ways that are not as extreme or disconnected from the situation she is in. (TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum, TV: It Takes You Away, TV: Resolution, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Fugitive of The Judoon, TV: Revolution of The Daleks, TV: Eve of The Daleks, Prose: The Good Doctor, Comic: New Beginning, & Comic: Old friends )

An interesting early reaction of agitation we see her venting her frustration of being “too nice”, a response that screams strongly of a trauma response due to the struggle of being stuck in a situation that she had specifically warned Yaz against. This petulant comment highly references a fight response. (TV: Demons of The Punjab)

Of course, some of her strongest triggers have to do with facing her old enemies who have caused her a lot of pain. In TV: Resolution we see how she deals with her first Dalek in this regeneration. Starting when she first identifies the Dalek and going forward she is in a state of hypervigilance and a very strong fight response. 

“Doctor:...Let's see what we've got. No. It can't be.

Yasmin: Doctor? I don't like it when you go quiet.

Doctor: This is the DNA of the most dangerous creature in the universe.

Graham: Does it have a name?

Doctor: A Dalek.”

&

“Doctor: I'm going to find that creature.

Yasmin: You can't do that on your own.

Doctor: Always have done. Me and a Dalek, it's personal. Go on, get her safe.”

When faced with Cybermen she has a strong fear response that comes out in both fight and flight response and the need to protect her friends. The fresh loss of Bill to the cybermen along with other past people he’s seen become Cybermen, like Danny [this is an example even if he was dead to start with, the indignity in death still strains The Doctor’s emotions.] 

We can see this in TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati: 

“Doctor: One Cyberman, but then thousands. Humans like all of you changed into empty, soulless shells. No feeling, no control, no way back. I will not lose anyone else to that. Do not follow me.”

And continued into TV: Ascension of The Cybermen

"Doctor: I know.

Yasmin: They destroyed everything we brought with us.

Doctor: I know.

Ryan: We haven't got anything else to defend ourselves or them.

Doctor: I know! Listen to me. Do not argue. Go with the humans. Help them. Get them out of here. You won't make it back to the Tardis alive. Make sure you're with them.

Ryan: What about you?

Doctor: I'll hold them off.

Graham: How are you going to do that?

Doctor: This isn't a discussion.

Yasmin: We're not just gonna leave you.

Doctor: Yes, you are. You have to, all of you. No questions. Get out. I've been so reckless with you.

Yasmin: What are you talking about?

Doctor: You're human. If they capture you, they'll convert you. I'll find you. Get safe now!"

This interaction showcases a lot of the exhaustion and anger being triggered into remembering her worst memories, along with the reasonable fear of the situation and responsibility for her friends. 

Emotional lability presents with The Doctor; depressive, hyper, excitment anxious, frustration, and hostility. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, TV: The Ghost Monument, TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum, TV: Kerblam!, TV: It Takes You Away, TV: Resolution, TV: Revolution of The Daleks, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, & Comic: New Beginning) A reference to this is mood issues is  in TV: Orphan 55

“Ryan: I'm up for a free holiday. Where is it?

Graham: A place called Tranquillity.

Yasmin: Me too. So long as there's plenty of sun and absolutely no deep-space squid. Might get you out of your mardy mood.

Doctor: My mood's fine.

Ryan: That's you told.”

I will break down these emotions throughout the rest of this analysis. 

She deals with a lot of anxiety (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, TV: The Ghost Monument, TV: Rosa, TV: Arachnids in The UK, TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum, TV: Demons of The Punjab, TV: Resolution, TV: Spyfall pt1/pt2, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Nikola Tesla's night of terror, TV: Praxeus, TV: Eve of The Daleks, TV: Power of The Doctor, Prose: Combat Magicks, Comic: Hidden Human History & Comic: Alternating Current). 

The Doctor tends to show her stress in a way that looks like what we view as anxiety. She’s not afraid of being viewed as anxious by her companions. It makes perfect sense she would be anxious due to her current past situations. Her specific expressions come through clearly and I think this is to some extent something that she views as acceptable to experience possibly because it doesn’t give much away. The Doctor is also relatively aware of her anxiety an example can be seen in TV: It Takes You Away:

“The Doctor: All right, no need to panic.

Yasmin: I wasn't panicking.

The Doctor: I know, I was talking to myself. Cos all this is very wrong.”

A way we can see the anxiety come through is that she talks a lot when under stress, both in the way The Doctor does to stall for time when thinking of a plan but also when there is no automatically viewable stressor. (TV: Ghost Monument, TV: Rosa, TV: Kerblam!, TV: Demons of the Punjab, TV: The Witchfinders, TV: It Takes You Away, TV: Spyfall pt2, TV: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: Village of The Angels, TV: The Vanquishers, TV: Eve of The Daleks, TV: Legend of The Sea Devils, Prose: Molten Heart, Prose: Combat Magicks, & Prose: The Secret in Vault 13)

An example is in TV: Arachnids In The UK we see the habit coming up during social interactions separate from fighting or other dangerous situations:

“Doctor: Look at your views. Never had a flat. I should get one, I'd be good in a flat. I could get a sofa. Imagine me with a sofa, like my own sofa, I could get a purple one and sit on it. Am I being weird?

Ryan: A little bit, yeah.

Doctor: I'm trying to do small talk. I thought I was doing quite well.

Yasmin: Needs work.

Doctor: Maybe I'm nervous. Or just socially awkward. I'm still figuring myself out. You really like junk. Are you collecting it, like stamps?”

Hypervigilance related to anxiety is something Thirteen experiences. Here hypervigilance is related to more paranoid thinking, seeing a threat coming up and carrying stress and alertness in the body. This concept can explain some of where her stress symptoms are rooted in. Her life experiences keep her head on a swivel so to speak. It’s useful for her life and it only worsens as time in her regeneration passes. (TV: The Ghost Monument, TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum, TV: The Witchfinders, TV: Resolution, TV: Spy Fall pt2, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Fugitive of The Judoon, TV: Can You Hear Me, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, TV: Once, Upon Time, Prose: The Good Doctor, Prose: The Good Doctor, Prose: Molten Heart & Comic: Alternating Currents)

We can see her reference the way she views safety in Comic: New Beginnings, linked to how her hypervigilance functions in her life. 

“Doctor: It's very rare to find true safety and certainty in the universe...”

Another moment we see The Doctor discuss her view on how they interact with safety can be seen in TV: Once, Upon Time:

“Doctor: I spend my life walking into new places and weighing things up fast. Who's who? Who has the power? Who's in danger? How fast danger is coming. Also, how likely my friends are to die. I've got good at figuring all of that out at speed.”

The Doctor even voices how she experiences hypervigilance in TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati:

“Lone Cyberman: You appear courageous, but your vital signs betray a heightened state of anxiety.

Doctor: Or as I like to call it, Tuesday.”

A related symptom of hypervigilance and anxiety is agitation. She shows that she is on edge and sitting at a proverbial level eight in stress. This expression of stress becomes stronger as time passes and with the experiences with the destruction of Gallifrey, The Timeless Child & Flux. ( TV: The Ghost Monument, TV: Resolution, TV: Spyfall pt2, TV: Fugitive of The Judon, TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: Revolution of The Daleks, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, V: Once, Upon Time, & Prose: The Secret in Vault 13) 

In Prose: Combat Magics we see this reference when it describes that The Doctor is “prowling like a caged cat”.

Not having access to a full range of internal regulations can create conflict with other people. 

We see when her anxiety is raised due to being separated from her TARDIS and being injured she becomes agitated and acts abrasive towards people trying to be helpful. She keeps talking and disrupting the ship in a conversation with the medical Doctor which could damage other people in TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum:

“Doctor: What were you worried about? Just as I was waking up, you... you saw something and you were worried.

Astos: No.

Doctor: Ooo, bad liar. Must be difficult in your job.

Astos: Hey, I'm an excellent liar.

Doctor: So you were lying, then.

Astos: I didn't say that.

Doctor: See? Bad liar.

....

Astos: Enough, now. You can't be in here. I don't know what that device is, but if you don't leave, I have to restrain you

...

Astos: Don't! If you interfere with the navi-systems, they'll take it as an act of hostility or hijack. They can detonate the craft.

Doctor: I'm not being hostile!

ASstos: Yes, you are. You're being hostile and selfish. There are patients on board who need to get to Resus One as a matter of urgency. My job is to keep all of you safe. You're stopping me from doing that.

Doctor: You're right. Of course, you're right.”

Another example of this can be seen in TV: Orphan 55 in her conversation after she has had to deal with a threat to her friend. 

“Hyph3n: Guests aren't permitted in the... linen cupboard.

Doctor: How about Pan-galactic Standards and Practices Officer? Health and Safety? Security and Hygiene? Resort Inspector. Now, are you and your excellent tail going to let me have a look, or am I going to have to bark at you? Cos I will.

...

Doctor: Oh, yeah. Of course. Deadlocked room with its own armoury. Don't tell me. Honeymoon suite.

Kane: Hyph3n, what the hell are you doing? Who's this?

(She turns The Doctor around.)

Doctor: I'm The Doctor, and you, madam, are far too handsy.”

As we can see in these examples her agitation can come out as being abrasive with other people and it can cause problems when communicating with other people. (TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum, TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, TV: Once, Upon Time, Prose: Combat Magicks, Prose: The Secret in Vault 13, & Comic: Hidden Human History) We know she wants to communicate to some extent and will take in some of what others say but it’s still clearly a difficulty she has. 

In TV: Fugitive of The Judoon we have an example of this. 

“Doctor: She said she was my past, but I know my past, and she's never been me.

Graham O’Brien: I'm sure there's a simple explanation.

Doctor: Time is swirling around me. The Master, Captain Jack Harkness, Ruth. Something's coming for me. I can feel it.

Ryan: Let it come. You've got us.

Doctor: Ryan, I've lived for thousands of years. So long I've lost count. I've had so many faces. How long have you been here? You don't know me. Not even a little bit.

Yasmin: Don't talk to him like that.”

They say nice things after this moment, and Thirteen appears to appreciate what they are saying. The TARDIS sides with them as well, and they quickly get into their next adventure and we see it takes a lot of time for them to fully communicate. 

Thirteen’s trauma causes her to tend to have a proverbial film between her and her companions, or ‘fam’ as Thirteen refers to them. This version of The Doctor very rarely lets them into her history and her inner world. We see her care about her companions in series Eleven at the same time they know very little about her. She will let them in on her nerves, and she asks for reassurance from them. But they don’t know the why behind any of it, and even the emotions she does share very rarely go deep. She oscillates between wanting them to close because she cares for them, and holding herself behind a wall. ( TV: It Takes You Away, TV: Resolution, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, & TV: Revolution of The Daleks)

This is very pronounced in the way it takes till TV: Spyfall Pt. 2 for her to tell them even the basics like her home planet, age or regeneration. 

“Graham: They're right. Five planets, you've barely said a word.

Doctor: I'm fine.

Graham: Why don't you ever share anything with us?

Doctor: I share stuff.

Graham: Not about yourself, though.

Ryan: Yeah, you know everything about us.

Yasmin: And we know nothing about you.

Doctor: Fine. What do you want to know?

Graham: Who are you, Doc? I mean, really.

Doctor: I was born on a planet called Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate my body. I stole this Tardis and I ran away. I've been travelling ever since. The Master was one of my oldest friends. We went very different ways. Questions?”

In TV: Resolution we see another nod towards this wall she keeps with her companions. 

“Doctor: Ryan's Dad.

Yasmin: It's complicated.

Doctor: Yeah. Dads are, so I've heard.“

This shows a bit of how the wall works, she is a father in multiple ways over time and has Susan who is her granddaughter. Past Doctors have mentioned they were fathers, even if they tend to never go into much of it. Twelve says “Dad skills”. (TV: Listen) Ten tells Donna about his children whom he lost in TV: The Doctor’s Daughter. Not only does she not tell any of them about having children she explicitly says that she’s only heard about it. While a small moment compared to others it’s still an example of her tendency to isolate her heart from her friends. 

This can also be seen as the line of purposeful self-isolation. Just not sharing but pushing other people away. (TV: Orphan 55, TV: Fugitive of The Judon, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, TV: Village of The Angels, TV: Eve of The Daleks)

A humorous reference is made towards The Doctor’s broken communication style in TV: Orphan 55. 

“Doctor: Oh. Come on. This is not the way to resolve a family dispute. How about good old-fashioned passive-aggressive discussion?”

While a joke it shows the cynical mind state The Doctor is in this episode, and also is honest for this Doctor. She doesn’t spend a lot of energy on her communication. 

In instances where she is fighting a bad guy, she can come across as less anxious when she is 1-on-1 with an enemy than in other situations. (TV: Rosa, TV: Demons of the Punjab, TV: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, TV: The Vanquishers, TV: Eve of The Daleks, TV: Power of The Doctor & Prose: The Secret in Vault 13). During TV: It Takes You Away The Doctor shows a lot of anxiety when only with friends or with other people but shows more competence when talking to the Solitract. 

This Doctor also struggles with impulse control. (TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum, TV: Demons of the Punjab, TV: Kerblam!, TV: Spyfall pt2, TV: It Takes You Away, TV: Resolution, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: Eve of The Daleks & Prose: The Secret in Vault 13) 

She can become very wreckless at times, her impulse control putting herself and/or others in danger.  This behaviour is seen right away during TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth. We see The Doctor be willing to jump distances, wanting to turn on sirens, taking Ryan Sinclair’s phone and reworking it before even thinking to ask. In TV: The Witchfinders we see her dive headfirst into the water to save someone, while the right thing to do, it shows a degree of acting without fully considering possible consequences. 

The behaviour can veer into recklessness. We can see this starting all the way back in her first episode in TV: The Woman Who Fell To Earth she starts her life jumping distances she can’t fully judge as someone who has a new body. During TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati, she acts dangerously by taking the Cyberium in and then giving it over to The Lone Cyberma,/Ashad. 

Thirteen deals with a lot of anger (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, TV: Rosa, TV: Spyfall pt2, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: War of the Sontarans, TV: once, Upon Time, TV: Village of The Angels, TV: Survivors of The Flux, Prose: Combat Magicks, & Prose: Molten Heart)  Which gets worse after the destruction of Gallifrey and the retraumatization.

In TV: The Timeless Children we see a lot of a fight response coming out as anger. Starting with her interactions with The Master before the reveal. While commenting on The Master’s problems and his anger you can see and feel how she is angry and intentionally getting The Master worked up with her prodding. 

“Master: ... All gone now. Come on, ask me why I did this.

Doctor: Why did you do this?

Master: Not telling you. (laughs) Oh, crack a smile.

Doctor: Proud of yourself?

Master: Definitely.

Doctor: All this death finally made you happy?

Master: Ecstatic.

Doctor: And has it calmed all the rage?

Master: I don't think anything will ever do that. We're going to take a tour through the Capitol. Or its ruins, at least. Things I need to show you. And, er, I know you're worried about your friends. Plotting how to get away. I can see it in your eyes. But you can't help them, so don't even think about it”

Her reaction when faced with the memories of her abuse later in this episode causes a strong fight trauma response. She physically attacks The Master in an explosive outward response of anger. We know when The Doctor uses anything physical with her own body it is actions like Venusian Aikido that act as a quick disabling move versus these more unplanned and violent actions. It makes sense that this moment would push her over the edge, but it’s interesting to mark as we move forward. 

In TV: Revolution of The Daleks The Doctor tells Ryan about her anger after the events of her loss of Galifrey, people dying, the Timeless Children revelations and the interactions with The Master.

“Ryan: And The Master? What did he want with you?

Doctor: It doesn't even matter now.

Ryan: No, no, no. Don't give me that. Right? I see what you're doing. You're trying to avoid the subject. We've known each other long enough now. I know when something's changed.

Doctor: Me too. I'm not who I thought I was, Ryan. What I always knew to be the story of my life... isn't true. I wasn't born on Gallifrey. Where I'm from, all the lives I've lived, some of that has been hidden from me, and I don't even know how much.

Ryan: Seriously? And how do you feel about that?

Doctor: Mostly... angry. While I was locked away, all I kept thinking was, if I'm not who I thought I was, then who am I?

Ryan: You're The Doctor. Same as before, same as always.

Doctor: Right. Same Doctor, same Ryan. Nothing's changed.

Ryan: No. No. I didn't say that, did I? Things change all the time, and they should, cos they have to..."

This is an interesting conversation as it reveals the emotional state of The Doctor and how this emotional instability forces her to be willing to sacrifice a TARDIS, something we know has consciousness. Her fight response is very clear here, breaking through her common engaged and anxious headspace. 

Her anger and frustration can also come out cold, especially when dealing with people she doesn’t like. It heavily connects to a jaded sense of dealing with other people, she tries to be positive but there is anger and bitterness that highly impact her and can form an interesting dichotomy with her love and enjoyment. (TV: The Woman Who Fell To Earth, TV: Arachnids In The UK, TV: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, TV: Resolution, TV: Spyfall pt1/pt2, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Fugitive of The Judoon, TV: The Timeless Children, TV: Revolution of The Daleks, & Prose: The Good Doctor)

In TV: Rosa we see this ability to have her anger come across as cold, this allows her to stay in charge of a situation while still expressing her anger outwards to people she doesn’t trust or does not need/don’t deserve her to empathise with them like in TV: Rosa.

“Doctor: ...So, temporal displacement weapon. Horrible things. Can't stand them.

Krasko: Thank you.

Doctor: Not a compliment. Takes a lot of power to displace things in Time. I think you and I both know your weapon's pretty much out of juice. And I've got your spare battery. You've been leaving traces of residual Artron energy all over 1955.

Krasko: And what are you, the Artron Police? Maybe you are. The blue box in the alley. Is it a Tardis?

Doctor: Might be. What's it to you?

Krasko: Well, it could be worth a lot.

Doctor: Nah, not that one. Second hand, huge mileage, one careless owner. Mind you, it's better than a Vortex Manipulator, like the one on your wrist. Cheap and nasty time travel.

Doctor: So, what do you want with Rosa Parks?

Krasko: Who?

Doctor: Oh, now you're being annoying.

Krasko: The feeling's mutual.

Doctor: How long have you been here?

Krasko: Get out of Montgomery.

Doctor: You're not the first to say that to us.

Krasko: If I see any of you again, I will kill you.

Doctor: Don't threaten me.”

Her agitation, anxiety and hypervigilance can leave her in a very restless state. (TV: The Woman Who Fell To Earth, TV: Arachnids in The UK, TV: Kerblam!, TV: It Takes You Away, TV: Spyfall pt1/pt2, TV: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, TV: Praxeus, TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, Prose: The Secret in Vault 13, Comic: New Beginnings, & Comic: Alternating Current)

The Doctor shows a strong need to be in control of situations, when she isn’t able to have a handle on the situation it increases the above-mentioned stress symptoms. She also uses her cold anger to maintain her control. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, TV: The Ghost Monument, TV: Arachnids In The UK, TV: Kerblam!, TV: Orphan 55, TV: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, TV: Praxeus, TV: Ascension of The Cybermen, TV: Village of The Angels, TV: Survivors of The Flux, Prose: Combat Magicks, Prose: The Good Doctor, & Comic: Hidden Human History)

The above quote from TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum after the loss of her TARDIS also shows the need The Doctor has to control the staff of the ship as well as putting her needs above the others when in a distressed state. In TV: The Witchfinder we see how being perceived as female puts her in a space where she is seen as having to automatically be less powerful, she consistently pushes back, and while warranted the way she goes about it matches other times she tries to maintain control. 

In TV: Fugitive Of The Judoon we have the way she tries to control the situation when the Fugitive!Doctor is trying to handle things. Thirteen can’t help but try to be the one who is manipulating events. 

“Fugitive!Doctor: She's nobody.

Doctor: Fine. I'm nobody. Absolutely nobody. See, I know why you want her. You've got a contract, fair enough. But you? You want her dead because she left her job?

Fugitive!Doctor: Shut up.

Gat: Is that what she told you? This goes way higher than me.

Doctor: So, who would that be? Who are you all ultimately working for? I'd really like to know. Really.

Judoon: Information confidential.

Fugitive!Doctor: I told you to keep quiet.

Doctor And look where that's gotten us. Lots of guns in lots of faces.

Fugitive!Doctor: And have you got a better idea?

Doctor: I do, actually. My favourite. The curveball and the Judoon. You wanted to find The Doctor?

Fugitive!Doctor: Don't you dare.

Doctor: Well, here I am.

Fugitive!Doctor: Will you be quiet?

Doctor: Go on, scan me.

Judoon 2: Fugitive match positive. Fugitive match positive.

Fugitive!Doctor: Is there even a word for how dumb you are?

Doctor: Doctor?”

In TV: War of the Sontarans we see how The Doctor challenges the power structure out on the field of battle, knowing she is the best option for survival, as well as having a dislike for those in charge. The people she is around don’t trust her to handle what she can because of her perceived gender and her wanting to avoid violence on the soldiers. 

A way this control is sometimes maintained is through having a bravado of how she interacts with other people. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, TV: The Ghost Monument, TV: The Witchfinders, TV: Spyfall pt2, TV: Village of The Angels, TV: Survivors of The Flux & Prose: Combat Magicks)

This can play into overconfidence like when she goes to face the Dalek in TV: The Eve of The Daleks getting her and her friends exterminated. This shows again in TV: Power of The Doctor when she takes time to gloat towards The Master and ends up getting shot and regenerating. 

In TV: The Haunting Villa Diodati we have an interesting comment on the power and control in her relationships and how it isn’t always something The Doctor wants but has become what they feel they have to do:

“Doctor: ... The world you came from, the world you were created in won't exist, so neither will you. It's not just his life at stake. It's yours. You want to sacrifice yourself for this? You want me to sacrifice you? You want to call it? Do it now. All of you. Yeah. Cos sometimes this team structure isn't flat. It's mountainous, with me at the summit in the stratosphere, alone, left to choose. Save the poet, save the universe. Watch people burn now or tomorrow. Sometimes, even I can't win.”

This line means The Doctor doesn’t like control, but shows that control has become compulsive and built into how they function on a base level. 

While Thirteen doesn’t talk about her past regenerations or the ideal of The Doctor it’s still a huge part of her schema. ‘The Doctor is an ideal can be seen in this Doctor even if she talks about it less than the previous regenerations. But her struggles with identity are still very visible before and after the Timeless Child. 

She seems somewhat afraid of who she is. As discussed above she kept a film between her and her companions which makes it easier for her to not have to fully face it. Some of this seems to stem from her introduction to this regeneration being born from the suicidal space Twelve lived in. As well as she has lost many companions in ways where they are cut off and the perceived betrayal of Missy. As well as her first adventure ending with Grace dying. Forming the idea of who she is while she is still 'fizzing'. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)

Her strong identity issues spiral out of control after the loss of Gallifrey and then the Timeless Child. (TV: Arachnids In The UK, TV: Demons of the Punjab, TV: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, TV: The Timeless Children, TV: Revolution of The Daleks, TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, TV: Once, Upon Time, TV: Village of The Angels, TV: Survivors of The Flux & TV: The Vanquishers) 

In TV: Resolution we see The Doctor discuss her identity in terms of her long and horrible relationship with the Daleks. 

“Doctor: I learned how to think like a Dalek a long time ago.”

&

“Doctor: Oh, mate. I'm The Doctor. Ring any bells?”

She doesn't seem happy about her being able to understand Daleks, understandably she dislikes weapons and hides a lot of the violence-related trauma she has. Trying to integrate all of history is extremely hard for Thirteen who deeply wants to be a good and hopeful person. But in the second line when no one is looking at her she experiences glee in scaring the Dalek. She owns her name/title very strongly to get one up on the Dalek, but it hurts to do so when she would have to do more than threaten an enemy. 

Another key part of This Doctor’s characterization is a consistent need to present herself as hopeful and nice, moralising for herself and others,  and her history of connection to violence. She wants to consistently try and give people hope, even if her ability to feel it herself might be affected due to the stressful mindset her C-PTSD puts her in during the early part of her run and becomes stronger as time goes on.

Right off the bat in TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth we get a very prototypical Doctor quote while she is getting in touch with who is going to be. 

“Doctor: We're all capable of the most incredible change. We can evolve while still staying true to who we are.”

&

“Doctor: There's one thing I'm certain of. When people need help, I never refuse.”

A moment of trying to give others hope that is deeply genuine even with the grief overlaying it was in TV: Demons of The Punjab. During the wedding scene, she wants to believe and wants to be kind. And it was kind. She understands war, grief, and the loss of those closest to you. These are the moments when the silly old-time traveller is truly The Doctor. 

“Doctor: I know there aren't many certainties in any of our lives, but Umbreen, Prem, what I see you in you is the certainty you have in each other. Something I believe in my faith. Love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have, because love is a form of hope and, like hope, love abides in the face of everything. You both found love with each other. You believed in it, you fought for it, and you waited for it. And now, you're committing to it. Which makes you, right now, the two strongest people on this 

planet. Maybe in this universe.”

A similar situation happens in TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum where The Doctor invokes hope in a way that is both being kind as well using the idea as an identity support. 

“Doctor: Thank you, Mabli. I'll be sure to tell them how brilliant you were.”

Mabil: You all were. Light in dark times.

Doctor: People prevail. Hope prevails.

During TV: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos we see her again invoke hope in a way that is slightly less meaningful and comes across as nicer than it does kind. It is part of a pattern she’s created for herself. 

“Doctor: None of us know for sure what's out there. That's why we keep looking. Keep your faith. Travel hopefully. The universe will surprise you... constantly”

This functions as a pillar of their identity, needing to be a positive person to embody “laugh hard, run fast, be kind.’ Part of her need for control, and having a tendency towards black-and-white thinking.

[presidentdisastraofgallifrey]

Rating Every Nu Who Episode: Season 11

The Woman Who Fell to Earth: 8/10 fantastic character intro, she's so hyper I love her. Having a disabled companion WITH DYSPRAXIA YES. The story is nonsensical but in like a fun way. Lost a point for immediately fridging Grace.

The Ghost Monument: 6/10 the plot is soooooo slow, it has some fun parts but mostly they just trudge through the desert. Gained two points just for the self lighting cigar thing.

Rosa: 9/10 I appreciate the head-on addressing of historical racism, and I always love a time traveling villain we haven't seen before.

Arachnids in the UK: 7/10 shallow episode but in a fun way.

The Tsuranga Conundrum: 7/10 I love everything about the characters and pace of this episode, and even the "villain" is fine, but the solution felt a bit rushed to me like the writers weren't sure how to solve it either.

Demons of the Punjab: 10/10 very sweet and lovely historical episode, also love it when the threatening aliens are not actually the bad guys.

Kerblam: 3/10 and that's after gaining a couple points for the interesting setting of space Amazon. Why did the episode set up the company as evil and horrible to humans...and then have the bad guys be the humans trying to stop it? Even if they were going to do that, why was there no solution at the end to either dismantle the company or improve the system. Just, what?

The Witchfinders: 5/10 it felt a little all over the place and didn't hold my attention.

It Takes You Away: 8/10 love the characters, love the message that you can't get lost in your grief to the exclusion of life, love the genuine regret with which Thirteen leaves her new friend, love having a blind character for whom that is never the issue.

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos: 8/10 it was fun in a dark way.

Resolution: 4/10 the daleks are fine inside their shells, I don't need them coming out.

Bonus Character Ratings:

Thirteen: 10/10 no notes love her.

Yaz: 9/10 I like her dynamic with Ryan as having sort of known each other once but not being super close. She's clever and doesn't panic but also doesn't get lost in the thrill. Loses a point because she should have been a social worker not a cop.

Ryan: 10/10 love everything about him and his complicated, sometimes validly grumpy feelings. I love how compassionate he is without that being all he is.

Graham: 10/10 he provides a nice unique perspective as an older companion, and his arc with Ryan is very good.

[my-ghost-monument]

DW Positivity Drive

Saw @jolivira doing this - a drive to share what we love about doctor who - and wanted to spread some more positivity! Heads up, it's mostly about 13's era, lol.

Thirteen. She's just - ahhhh. My absolute favourite doctor ever. I never knew how much I wanted to see a woman playing the doctor until I watched 13. I love her energy, how she moves and bounds across the screen, how she delivers her awe-speeches and her anger too (her rage against the Master is just *chef's kiss*). Her way of delivering emotion too. I also love her outfit! It's so cool. The magenta shirt is a favourite, but I love her coat the best.

Thasmin. What can I say about this, other than it's everything I ever wanted? I've shipped Yaz and 13 since their first ever episode. I fel the vibes from them, and to see it be canon on screen is a feeling that will never leave. I adore the way they interact together, especially as s12 hits and that slow burn/crush/feelings make themselves obvious. Their hints that are scattered in s12 are magical - the lingering look in Praxeus, the comparison with Bryon and the 'get off me, Yaz' bits are just more ahhhh! I love how it pans over into flux (the hug!! The way they fly the TARDIS together!!) and into the love story of the specials.

Which need their own point: the 13 specials. All of them are just such favourites. Time loops and daleks and love confessions! And then LOTSD is one of the eps I will always remember just watching with my jaw dropped in amazement. And TPOTD is, imo, one of the best finales in dw. The independance and beautiful drive Yaz has. The hand/arm touch when 13's regenerating. The bridal carry! The implict and very much there intimacy the two have, where it's almost like the viewer is intruding.

Yaz Khan. I adore Yaz. She's one of my favourite companions. Her journey through the series - how she grows and develops herself. Yaz's arc is so subtle and beautiful and amazing, and it really shines now her whole era is done. She's such a good character, and I love how she stopped taking 13's shit and confronted her, and actually got so much of 13 told to her, and got to experience her first taste of love. How she'll be able to go on in her life now knowing what she's capable of, and that she deserves everything. And I will always love the fact that she can fly the TARDIS.

And of course, Mandip and Jodie specifically, because their acting was phenomenal. Towards the thasmin scenes and in general too.

Thirteen's TARDIS. It's honestly so beautiful. I love the colouring and the vibes, and how warm and cost it could feel and how cold and alien it looked in s12. It's such an organic structure, and really looked fascinating and alien.

Dhawan's Master. He is hands down the best for me. He's amazing in acting, he brings such energy and gusto. His chaotic evil, lashing out and hoping for that strike, his gambling, has made him so good to watch. His anger is explosive, his humour is great, and the way he interacted with 13/Jodie just was so good. The Rasputin dance scene - just wow, lol.

For S11 eps: Demons of the Punjab. What a stunning, heart-wrenching ep. And The Tsuranga Conumdrum since it's probably my favourite of s11 and I love the story progression. Also the 'come to daddy. I mean mummy' line in Ghost Monument.

Chibnall. I love how his era went (It's, if you can't tell, my favourite). The ideas he used, his timeless child arc and how it relates to adoption and abuse. The fact he gave us canon thasmin. How he brought in the 'terrible/imperial time lords' again, with the timeless child. The existence of Karvanista. How he ended his era in a perfect way, that wasn't devestating or grimdark but fit the natural tradegy every doctor must face while also giving Yaz a whole life to explore from now on - how every 13 companion got to live and go home too.

Martha Jones. She was my first favourite companion and I adore her personality and her sense of self and drive. And that leather jacket! (Smith and Jones will always be a favourite ep for me too, because of how cool Martha is in it).

The Runaway Bride and Partners in Crime. They're absolutely hilarious eps I love coming back to.

Lastly, I love the doctor themselves. How they are a character who is so full of love and will gladly sacrifice themselves to save their chosen home and people. They have flaws, but at their core all they want to do is help and be loved and love.

All I can think of right now - if you've reached the end, go and make your own post to keep sharing the positivity! <3

[bambiesque]

New thread for Whittaker!Doctor.

Episode: The Woman Who Fell to Earth - Hi, Ryan, Yas, Graham! I love how Northern it is. Sonic Swiss Army Knife - thank you! The tooth monster is so horrible. I like that Ryan is the Doctor's favourite because he agrees with her, just like Five and Nyssa. Good start.

Episode: The Ghost Monument - I like the new credits more than Twelve's. Venusian aikido! Ohm, Ryan used a gun so he's no longer the Doctor's fave. Honestly, the Doctor running to greet the TARDIS was quite romantic. Love the new look.

Episode: Rosa - Great episode. Ryan especially is excellent - love that he keeps using Rosa Parks' and MLK's full names. A proper history episode, haven't had one of those in a long time.

Episode: Arachnids in the UK - Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Silly fun, enjoyable but no thanks to the giant spiders.

Episode: The Tsuranga Conundrum - Nice to see Brett Goldstein. Bit of a mixed bag though. I liked Graham and Ryan's story better than Eve's. The Pting is very cute.

Episode: Demons of the Punjab - Another lovely historical episode. I do like that it's teaching us things. Graham is very wise. Once again, the Doctor has learnt nothing about taking companions to see their relatives.

Episode: Kerblam! - That robot delivery thing is horrible. Poor Kira, I liked her. It was a fine episode but nothing very exciting.

Episode: The Witchfinders - I love Alan Cumming. I'm surprised The Doctor hasn't been burnt at the stake for witchcraft before now tbh. The historical stuff has been really great this season.

Episode: It Takes You Away - Yas wanting to reverse the polarity was a highlight. Sad but lovely. And Ryan calling Graham grandad was very touching.

Episode: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos - Not a great series end but also not terrible. I enjoyed it on the whole. I love the whole TARDIS team.

Episode: Resolution - Your standard Dalek story but it was very enjoyable. Like the extended fam. I love how Yorkshire Whittaker!Doctor is.

Episode: Spyfall 1/2 - Great introduction for Dhawan!Master. (I still miss Missy though). Everyone looks fantastic in their tuxes. Fab Bond episode to start and then a nice historical ep with Ada Lovelace and Noor Inayar Khan. Love the Doctor's eyerolling over the Master's theatrics and then they go to the Eiffel Tower for a date. Bless. Aaand then Gallifrey is destroyed again. *sigh*

Episode: Orphan 55 - Nice exciting episode. Loved all the characters and the very tight plot. One of the best.

Episode: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror - I do enjoy the historical episodes and the little educational asides. Good but not one of my favourites.

Episode: Fugitive of the Judoon - Jack! I like Ruth. A very exciting episode, a good mystery and lots of interesting things going on. Whittaker!Doctor is brilliant.

Episode: Praxeus - I liked everyone getting to go off and do their own thing. Too many creepy birds though. Some nice educational moments.

Episode: Can You Hear Me? - Love Whittaker!Doctor talking to herself and forgetting she's alone. Love how awkward she is when Graham is trying to talk to her. Yaz's story made me cry.

Episode: The Haunting of Villa Diodati - Gorgeous, creepy, funny. A perfect episode.

Episode: Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children - I don't hate the Doctor's history reveal. I think destroying Gallifrey again was stupid and I don't understand why we're still associating The Master and the Cybermen this closely.

Episode: Revolution of the Daleks - Harriet Walter! Jack! I like that Ryan and Graham decide to leave and aren't forced out traumatically like all the other New!Who companions. It's just a continuation of Resolution and the Dalek story isn't as good as that one.

Episode: The Halloween Apocalypse - I like the way everything is set up for the whole season. It makes an interesting change. Not sure how I feel about Dan yet.

Episode: War of the Sontarans - Yay Mary Seacole! I do like Sontarans but I don't like the makeup this time. Swarm and Azure's makeup however is amazing.

Episode: Once, Upon Time - I love Bel. I think her and Vinder's story is the most interesting this season. I'm still not really invested in Dan.

Episode: Village of the Angels - A good episode but I didn't really like the ending. I do love a good weeping angel episode though.

Episode: Survivors of the Flux - Yaz looks fantastic in all her 1904 outfits. I don't really care about the Flux or Division - I don't think more mysterious secret organisations were needed. Kate!!!!

Episode: The Vanquishers - Oh there's two Whittaker!Doctors in the same place at the same time. Yaz is having so many impure thoughts. Poor Jericho.

Episode: Eve of the Daleks - Time Loop! My favourite trope. I loved it. And yay to Dan for giving a few home truths to the Doctor and listening to Yaz.

Episode: Legend of the Sea Devils - Pirates, beautiful ships, swordfights, Whittaker!Doctor being brave and honest with Yaz. Lovely ending.

Episode: The Power of the Doctor - This episode is going to make me cry isn't it? Oh yes, the regenerating Cybermen. Ugh. ACE!!! TEGAN MY LOVE!!! Bye, Dan. I'm so pleased they all made their own choice to leave. "Your Master awaits." But what do they mean by that? Really? KATE!!! She did not sign up for this drama. The Master is looking good like a professor. "How did you escape from Gallifrey?" How does he escape from anything, Doctor? FFS. Love a bunker. Lava pools seem to be Whittaker!Doctor's quarry. Poor UNIT. Dear lord, just ask her on a date, you idiot. It's not really regeneration, so much as a body swap. Oh Tegan <3 Lol at the Master wearing a bit of every Doctor. All the Doctors. I'm crying. Yaz is awesome. I love Tegan so much. I love Ace. I love the Master's emo hood. Brave heart, Tegan. *crying forever* "All children leave home!" *yeah I'm never going to stop crying* Graham! Oh Kate <3 The only thing I like about the regenerating Cybermen is the beautiful Galifreyan swirlies. Oh poor Master. He needs some hugs and some therapy. Him and his bisexual TARDIS. I do love that there's five women here and one man. And the Cloister bell. Oh Yaz <3 Jo!!!!!!! My darling, Jo. Ian! Mel! Tag, you're it! Incredible. Hello (again) David.

Whittaker!Doctor Era Roundup

I love Jodie. I love the fam. I love how Yorkshire it is. I don't really have a strong opinion about the Timeless Child revelation, but I do think getting rid of Gallifrey again was a mistake. I hope we can dispense with the Master & Cybermen connection now too. Overall, I love how Whittaker!Doctor was brave, excitable, full of nervous energy and a little bit steampunk!

Favourite Companion: Yaz

Least Favourite Companion: Dan

Favourite Episode: The Haunting of Villa Diodati / The Power of the Doctor

Least Favourite Episode: Revolution of the Daleks

Final Doctor Rankings:

Smith

Davison

Pertwee

Tennant

Capaldi

Whittaker

TBaker

CBaker

McCoy

Troughton

McGann

Eccleston

Hartnell

Top 10 Companions: (Yaz goes in at 13, Kate at 16, Ryan at 20, Graham at 21, Dan at 41)

Jo Grant

Amy Pond

Tegan Jovanka

Rory Williams

Barbara Wright

Vislor Turlough

Clara Oswald

Sarah Jane Smith

Martha Jones

Donna Noble

Top 5 Masters:

Gomez

Delgado

Simm

Dhawan

Ainley

[raindropsonwhiskers]

Okay, this is going to be. A little incoherent. But I blame @rearranging-deck-chairs for Daemon-posting and getting me in that headspace of rotating the blorbos with some Creachurs. That being said, it's time for a vague AU that smushes Pokemon into Doctor Who and resultant Spydoc Thoughts (also, plot spoilers for ScVi's late game)

So, Thirteen's team is very... haphazard. She didn't put thought into planning them, they just kind of happen to her. There's very little rotation, just occasionally giving breaks to team members.

Togekiss - Twelve had a Togepi for a while. Like, a Very long while. Hell, Clara probably got her for him (not that he knew that for a time), and it took until Bill for the two of them to become close enough that she evolved into a Togetic. Usually, the Doctor puts aside their old team upon regeneration, but Twelve specifically wanted to pass her along as part of his wish that his next self would carry that hope and kindness. It... doesn't always work out, but Thirteen can't quite make herself give up on that. Togetic gets evolved into Togekiss sometime during season 11, after Thirteen properly accepts that she's travelling with her fam.

Porygon - I just adore the idea of Thirteen with a Porygon, okay? The whole line suits her very well. She picks it up fairly early - while she's still stuck on Earth and building her little teleporter post-WWFTE, most likely. Could she evolve it? Easily! Will she? Eh, probably not. It enjoys hanging out in her sonic and making friends with the TARDIS and eating Ryan's data (when it can)

Absol - She gets an Absol stalking her sometime during season 12 (pre-FOTJ) and can't shake him, so eventually he becomes an unofficial team member. He's not trying to be a bad omen, really, he just can't help but sense disaster around her. Flux is... a bad time for him

Beldum - This one is in the same boat as Porygon, where she could evolve it but never sees the point. She picks it up on a junk planet pre-Tsuranga and it just vibes with her. It gets along with her Porygon quite well

Helioptile - Just. Just look at it and tell me it doesn't scream Thirteen. Funky little electric lizard friend. The Doctor catches her sometime in season 11 and names her Tiny in honor of the P'ting

Sandy Shocks - My reasoning behind this one is twofold. A) it's fitting that the Doctor would have a paradox mon, and this one suits her vibes best. B) if any Doctor deserved a Pokemon that's the result of experimentation by an unethical and obsessed scientist who is also a deeply shitty mother, it's Thirteen. She picks this one up late - barely pre-Flux, some solo adventure with Yaz where they find one and it takes a shine to her (and vice versa)

Silvally - As with Sandy Shocks, this Pokemon suits the themes of Thirteen really well. She finds them during Flux, most likely, as a Type: Null that Tecteun kept (analogous to the Ood?). The two of them don't have all that long together, in the grand scheme of things, but they evolve relatively quickly

For the Master, he did plan his team much more deliberately, and he actually does some rotation.

Zoroark (Unovan) - Is this obvious? Yes. Will that stop me? No. He's trying very very hard to cultivate an appearance of over the top evil for the most part, and underlining how much of a deception O was with a Pokemon known for deceit is very in line with his actions

Lycanroc (Midday) - What his Zoroark spends most of its time illusioned as when he's O. Might well have belonged to the original O, just to drive the point in

Meowscarada - It's a dramatic magician cat that's part Dark type. He chose this on purpose and honestly, it's probably a shiny to boot

Farigiraf - He probably chose this one for the Psychic typing and good resistances, but the whole 'secondary head overtaking the primary upon evolution' thing feels like it should be a metaphor

Tyrantrum - Gives that Rock type coverage once he ditches Lycanroc, but its vulnerabilities and short temper fit him a little too well

Toxapex - Solid type coverage for a lot of things he's weak to, and it has the patience a lot of his other team members lack. Sometimes you just need to lay your plans and be able to sit back and wait

Aegislash - This one is almost purely for the sake of decent team comp. That being said, I feel like it fits well with Toxapex; willing to play the long game and adapt to the circumstances

Iron Jugulis - As with the Doctor, it makes sense for the Master to have a paradox Pokemon. One of the robotic future iterations made most sense, given the Cyberium, and a futuristic Hydregion - a Pokemon I can't help but associate with Ghetsis, and thus Immense Suffering - felt apt

Mimikyu - There is no Pokemon more suited to this vaguely upright bundle of identity issues shaped like an approximation of a Time Lord than this. He's probably aware of this but it latched onto him and they relate to each other. He makes it little Doctor outfits while he's Rasputin-ing

[roseposts-stuff]

doctor who rankings series 11 edition!!! we've reached the series that inspired this series because basically i think it is NOT that bad. anyway, just my opinions that i will probably disagree with in a moment, so feel free to disagree as well

1. Resolution (11x0) - it's peak i fear... i think chibnall actually understands the daleks unlike moffat. the dalek is overconfident, extremely cruel and sadistic and distinctly evil by nature. the resolution is good and actually creative, and i like that they explored ryan's character a bit more. i don't really have any complaints about this episode, there are slight questions about how the dalek stayed alive like that etc. but it can be overlooked VERY easily, suspension of disbelief is an important thing to keep in mind. can i say that this is currently one of my favourite dalek stories in new who or will i be executed

2. Demons of the Punjab (11x6) - i love it. i love prem. i love the wedding. i love that the aliens weren't evil. i love this episode so much, and also man am i glad to get HISTORICALS THAT AREN'T SET IN EUROPE OR NORTH AMERICA, yeah i really really like this episode and i've literally got no complaints

3. The Witchfinders (11x8) - i really like the historicals of this series!! i like the whole theme, it's interesting and i like the story, alan cumming is brilliant as king james, and it's just pretty good doctor who, i think. it might've been better as a pure historical, but i do like the aliens too, so i'm not mad about it

4. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (11x1) - i think it's an alright introduction to a new doctor. it's very tell not show, but there are some cool scenes and i think it establishes her pretty well, the villain doesn't take too big of a role etc., but honestly, there were a bit too many new characters in it

5. Rosa (11x3) - (as a white person) i think this is such an important episode to have on doctor who, and i'm glad chibnall got a black woman to co write it (russell t davies, take notes), and i'm really glad they actually paid attention to the racism and didn't have it just be one moment, it's a constant in the background and you're a bit scared for ryan and yaz. it makes you uncomfortable and it should, because racism should make everyone uncomfortable. plot is okay and though the dialogue is pretty stiff (which is common for this era), i think it's an alright episode. this episode also has some great jokes balancing it, i love the jokes as well they're actually pretty funny

6. Arachnids in the UK (11x4) - i won't actually tolerate any slander against this episode, it was far better than i remembered, and i enjoyed it a lot. the ending is weirdly out of character for the doctor and her being so against killing the big spider is stupid when she was going to do the same thing except slowly, but other than the ending it's really enjoyable and fun

7. The Tsuranga Conundrum (11x5) - it's not exactly anything special, but still enjoyable and a fun ride in my opinion. the pting is a funny looking little guy, and i actually kinda liked the side characters tbh

8. The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos (11x10) - it's surprisingly good for a first draft i'm not going to lie. it is not good, and it being a first draft shows, but i actually do think there's some good and creative stuff happening, and i can appreciate that. i like the way it's resolved with the psychic powers and i like the idea of a planet affecting people's minds, but it's far from being as good as it could've been because it is a first draft

9. The Ghost Monument (11x2) - i don't hate it but it's a bit boring at places and very tell not show to the point that it's just annoying, it's a problem with especially the first few episode of the series. still, i really liked the opening, it was really good, and the scene with the floating cloth things is GORGEOUS and really cool. also, i think the ending is nice and i like the introduction to the TARDIS

10. Kerblam! (11x7) - thing is, it's actually a pretty well written episode. but it is SO out of character for the doctor. the doctor would NEVER side with the big corporation my guy is basically a socialist, their every-day activity is hating rich people and siding with the workers, so why on EARTH is the doctor saying the systems aren't the problem??? why on EARTH would you make an episode for doctor who that's trying to convince people, especially kids, that the systems want their best when they absolutely DO NOT??? thank you for coming to my TED talk

11. It Takes You Away (11x9) - it's got a brilliant premise and it's such a good idea, but it just falls flat. there's so much completely unnecessary stuff that takes away from the ACTUALLY IMPORTANT THINGS OF THE EPISODE, like it should've used way less time having a completely unnecessary adventure between the universes and way less time trying to find the NON-EXISTENT MONSTER and we would've needed way more time with solitract-grace and graham because everything in the solitract universe felt rushed and didn't really have an impact because of that. i like the frog tho, but again, the scene with it and the doctor was way too short and had no impact

there we are then, thank you!!!

[esonetwork]

Timestamp #287: The Tsuranga Conundrum

New Post has been published on http://esonetwork.com/timestamp-287-the-tsuranga-conundrum/

Timestamp #287: The Tsuranga Conundrum

Doctor Who: The Tsuranga Conundrum (1 episode, s11e05, 2018)

Stitch, Roy Kent, and a safe sacrifice.

Our heroes are hanging out in a junk galaxy. On Seffilun 27, one of the planets in this refuse-filled wasteland, the travelers are hunting for spare parts to patch up the TARDIS. As they dig, the Doctor uncovers an active sonic mine. When it detonates, everyone is knocked out and awakens in a hospital. The nurse, Astos, mentions that scavenger bots brought them to Tsuranga, which sets the Doctor off and motivates her to find the TARDIS.

As they search for the exit, the travelers meet Eve Cicero – over whom the Doctor fangirls – her brother Durkas, and her android consort Ronan. Eve is a fan of the Doctor, recognizing her name in the Book of Celebrants. The travelers move on and find a pregnant man named Yoss Inkl – a Giftan, a species of which both genders can give birth, but only to their own gender – before the Doctor succumbs to her injuries and collapses.

Also, the Tsuranga isn’t a building. It’s a rescue starship.

The Doctor picks herself up and tries to find the control room. Unfortunately, the ship is completely automated, crewed by nurses Astos and Mabli. Overriding the automatic systems would be seen as an act of hostility, and the Doctor finally relents when she realizes that she’s in the wrong.

Astos reveals that the ship is in an asteroid field close to Constant Division, a disputed territory, and both of them are startled by an alarm warning of a fast-approaching object and a subsequent hull breach. They track something moving around inside the shields, and Astos provides the Doctor with a communication unit as they investigate. Meanwhile, Ronan asks Mabli for some adrenaline blockers while Durkas attempts to hack into Eve’s medical records. Graham finds Durkas and they discuss how loved ones can sometimes hide bad news, which Graham attributes to keeping people from pain. Durkas says that Eve is being treated for Corden Fever, but her distance makes him think there’s more to the story than an easily treated disease.

As Astos and the Doctor track the disturbance, they find that the port escape pod has been jettisoned. Astos investigates the starboard escape pod but is trapped inside when it engages. He says a cryptic farewell to Mabli over the comms before the pod explodes. When the Doctor arrives at the pod door, she finds a small, angry creature snacking on various metal components. As Mabli, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham join the party, the Doctor tries to scan the creature but it bites the sonic screwdriver, spits it out, and dives into a nearby hole.

Everyone regroups in the ship’s control hub. Mabli mourns Astos’s death as she digs into the computer databanks. They soon find out that the creature is a Pting, a highly dangerous, toxic-to-touch, very hard-to-kill eating machine.

Fun.

The Doctor tasks her companions with gathering everyone in the assessment area while she and Mabli develop an attack plan. Ryan and Yaz have a touching discussion with Yoss that stirs up childhood memories for Ryan, including how he found his mother dead from a heart attack when he was thirteen. Meanwhile, the ship detects the Pting and activates a sequence to prevent the creature from reaching Resus One, the Tsuranga‘s home port. The Doctor can postpone the sequence three times, but after that, the ship will self-destruct to save the station.

The Doctor briefs everyone in the assessment area on the situation. The ship’s main power goes out, leaving them on backups as heat and oxygen become premiums. Ryan and Graham end up acting as Yoss’s doulas as he goes into labor, and Mabli suggests that the Doctor scan Eve for more information on her condition. Eve has experience with a Pting – it decimated an entire fleet – and coordinates with the Doctor, Durka, and Ronan as they work on the antimatter drive. Yaz and Ronan stand guard duty over the drive as the Doctor, Eve, and Durka work on the computer.

The Doctor discovers that Eve has Pilot’s Heart, a condition among neuro-pilots that causes heart failure when adrenaline spikes. Durkas finds out as he tells the women that he’s rigged a primitive holographic interface to pilot the ship, and Eve decides that she will be the one to use it.

The Pting breaks through to the drive room. Ronan stuns it and Yaz wraps it in a medical blanket and punts it down the corridor. Meanwhile, as Eve is hooked up to the interface, the Doctor realizes that the Pting is hungry for energy, not for killing people, and races for Yaz and Ronan after postponing the ship’s autodestruct for the last time.

The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver reboots in time to help find the bomb built into the antimatter drive. She extracts the bomb and leaves Ronan to stand guard over the drive. Yaz accompanies the Doctor to the airlock and lures the Pting to them by speeding up the timer. The Pting takes the bait and the Doctor ejects it into space as the bomb explodes. The creature absorbs the entire blast and contently drifts into the asteroid field.

Eve pilots the ship out of danger and expresses her love for Durkas before she dies. Durkas takes control of the ship and pilots it to Resus One.

During all of this, Ryan and Graham bond over Yoss’s labor and delivery. Ryan channels his anger and grief into counseling for Yoss. Yoss doesn’t have to be perfect… he just has to be there for his new son. Yoss names his son Avocado after the legendary Earth hero Avocado Pear, which is a humorous misreading of Earth history.

When all is said and done, Mabli has arranged for the Doctor and her team to be taken back to the TARDIS. The collected survivors are buoyed by hope and their shared grief, and they all say farewell to Eve in a traditional ceremony.

This episode presents another case of interesting ideas being bogged down by questionable writing. The idea of the Pting is the typical no-win scenario trope found throughout science fiction, especially when coupled with a medical emergency that would drive urgency in a typical by-the-numbers script. But the urgency isn’t present because the medical expertise exists to deliver a baby without fancy technology. Humans have been doing it successfully for 200,000 years or so, and one can assume that Gifftans have done so as well.

So, instead of a medical emergency driving the urgency, we get an automated system that inexplicably allows three chances to override it. Instead of transmitting the data to the station and permitting the on-board medical attendants to explain the situation, a system is used to wipe out the problem without context. It becomes a sterile logic problem: A threat exists, eliminate the threat. Black and white, ignoring shades of gray.

I can get on board with this, but this time it comes with a major problem. We’ve seen systems like this before in Doctor Who, but we also take the time to discuss them and paint the allegorical picture for audiences to explain why they don’t work. There’s none of that here. The questionable writing is evident in a lack of follow-through. The plot ideas are seeded but are then promptly forgotten, which is a problem that plagues Chris Chibnall’s work on this show.

It also shows with the Doctor’s injuries, which nearly crippled her at the beginning of the story. They are virtually non-existent once the Pting arrives except for a bit of lip service paid in one or two exchanges, but she’s miraculously cured when the credits roll.

That said, we have a lot of excellent character development for Ryan and Graham as they grow closer. The rift isn’t quite sealed yet, but it’s getting there. The treatment of anti-matter is also well-researched.

It’s hard to not draw a connection between this story and Flesh and Stone, which also traps the Doctor, the companions, and the dangerous creatures in the same dramatic bottle. In that story, the energy was used to defeat the Weeping Angels, but here it merely gives the Pting a snack as it is removed from the ship to go kill bother someone else.

It’s also not hard to draw the connection between Pting and Disney’s Stitch. Cute, small, and dangerous? This is the second time that I have seen the episode and I can’t not make the comparison.

Finally, there’s the Ted Lasso connection. The show about footballers wasn’t around in 2018, but I nearly leaped off my seat this time when Roy (F’in) Kent appeared as a nurse. It was quite the surprise and was nice to see him in a somewhat more lighthearted role.

To sum up, this episode is merely okay. The drama of the threat fails because the hand is tipped well before the final round. Eve and Astos have to die because the story demands heroic sacrifices, but everyone else is safe and happy in the end.

That’s exactly what this story is. It’s just safe science fiction.

Rating: 3/5 – “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.”

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Demons of the Punjab

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

[quantumshade]

[id: a tumblr reply from user @dougielombax. it reads: Clarify please. I mean I probably already know (being a doctor who fan myself) but still. end id.]

in a 2018 interview with digital spy, producer matt strevens said this about series 11:

“Since the show came back in 2005, I think Doctor Who has been amazing at blurring the edges of sexuality and being quite gender fluid about the characters and relationships.

“I’m not going to say if any of our characters are or are not at this point. But it is part, I think, of the DNA that Russell T Davies re-imbued into the show…There will be characters from across the spectrum.”

and then soon after, series 11 started airing, and as it turned out, “inclusivity across the spectrum” really meant

a character who mentions having a dead wife

a character who says she’s the trump guy’s niece’s wife, and then is killed by spiders in her next scene

a character who, in one shot, mentions having a boyfriend, and in the very next shot, we see his dead body being dragged across the floor

there’s a couple of half-examples that I don’t really count, like the pregnant man in tsuranga conundrum, but he is explicitly cisgender and the idea of a man being pregnant is treated as something hilarious and alien and not. something that happens in real life.

series 12 was slightly better, with that married couple in praxeus who have a happy ending, but one of them is a cop and also the writers pull a whole bury your gays fakeout with them just so they can suck their own dicks about how progressive they are.

there’s also yaz, and we can argue in circles forever about whether or not she was intended from the beginning to be queer, or if thasmin was being set up from the beginning, but i really don’t think it was. the line in arachnids is nothing. it’s cancelled out by yaz’s mother asking the same question of ryan like five minutes later. it’s clearly meant as a “haha aren’t moms embarrassing!!” joke. in any case, she’s not confirmed to be queer until her last couple of episodes, and it’s done in the most cowardly and homophobic way possible. also she’s a cop.

the point is, for an era that promised “lgbt representation across the spectrum”, there’s really not that much of it, is there? and there’s certainly no trans people. compare this with rtd, who, while by no means a perfect writer, nearly got in trouble with his first era for making it “too gay”. and now in his second, has already cast three transfeminine actresses in the upcoming series, as well as a queer man as the doctor.

again, rtd is no perfect angel. he’s just a middle aged white guy who got lucky enough to write for doctor who. twice. it’s possible that the new era will suck and these characters will be treated poorly. i might end up eating my words, i’ve done it before. we don’t know yet. maybe it’ll suck! but, then again, maybe it won’t. at least trans people exist in rtd who.

matt strevens when the era after his has "lgbt representation across the spectrum" and they're not minor characters who die after thirty seconds or have dead spouses

[genderqueerspacewives]

rewatching the tsuranga conundrum and am reminded how much i love the pting <333

[thirteenstardisfam]

her facial expressions are a gift

[ginger-cheekbones]

A badly drawn recreation of the ( s q u i s h ) scene in the tsuranga conundrum *pat* *pat* *pat*

[taecasadilla]

I just watched 'Arachnids in the UK'. It has made me realize why I don't really like this series so far. It's trying to be a drama more than it's trying to be sci-fi. And the sci-fi series chosen is Doctor Who, the weird sci-fi show.

I liked meeting Yaz's family that was fun, but I'm with the rest of the family why are you storing trash in your apartment? Especially after finding out it's radioactive. I liked a couple jokes in the episode. I don't remember what else I like because I have so much more I need to just talk about.

THEY DIDN'T SUFFOCATE THE SPIDERS. The spider grew too big and it couldn't sustain itself. And then they just leave all of the spiders? and the episode just ends?

Najia, please stop asking how your daughter knows The Doctor while you are all in mortal danger. I get that you want to know but you can wait. But also Yaz and The Doctor are also in the wrong just dismissing her so much. Especially when Yaz just takes off with no intention to explain to her Mum.

I don't care if it is realistic with how they portrayed the business owner being so damn incompetent. Like how do you not know anything about what's going on? Like nothing? You're that out of the loop?

Why is everyone incompetent, how did the scientific group just choose some random 3rd party disposal company that also did disposal for the business owner? Why would you not just hire a disposal company that all scientific groups use? And then you send a spider that isn't dead? Ugh. I hope they lose funding, especially with how they modified spiders. Why did the disposal company cut so many corners, especially when they were handling stuff from science experiments and waste that needed to be handled in specific ways?

Is this seriously the episode that started The Doctor and Yaz ship? That's not when I was expecting it. Didn't know when. Just not in an episode about mutant spiders in the UK. I guess it had to start somewhere.

I don't know what else I have to say about this episode I guess onto 'The Tsuranga Conundrum'

Rating: 2/5

For Christmas, I got the Box Set for Jodie Whittaker's run as The Doctor so I'll finally be giving her run a go. I don't know much about what happens other than 'The Timeless Child' and 'Flux' but other than that it'll mostly be new to it. I'll be giving my thoughts on each episode that appears in the 10-disc box set.

And the first episode is, 'Twice Upon a Time'? That was a surprise to see as I double-checked and it's also in the Capaldi Box Set. I'm just confused because my other Box Sets for Doctor Runs don't have this. The Eccleston and Tennant Box Set (They were both put in the same one) doesn't have the TV movie, Matt Smith doesn't have Tennant's last episode two-parter and Capaldi's doesn't have Matt Smith's last episode. Since it's in the set I'm going to talk about it quickly since it isn't a Jodie Whittaker Episode.

I enjoyed this episode. I don't know if it's that I've stopped watching creators who are always negative about things. But I've been enjoying media more. You can talk about how the First Doctor makes comments we don't say anymore because they're misogynistic and such, but that stops about halfway through the episode, and with my first viewing of the First Doctor, he does say a bunch of them. He is there to show how much not only the character has changed but the show and society have changed.

It was a fun episode to watch and if you poke at it too much it falls apart a bit, but the places they and how they're connected is fun. I'd say this episode is very much Doctor Who, the characters, settings, and dynamics are great but not always the plot. And that's ok. The worst Doctor Who episodes are usually the ones with bad characterization and relationships.

So on to 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth'.

Rating: 3/5

[nightmanatee]

13 has had romantical feelings for yaz since s11 and here are some proofs

(disclaimer: i have this long lasting theory proven to myself by myself about how 13 fell in love with yaz since the beginning with yaz catching up with her in s12 and like it makes so much sense when you watch s11 all these years later. 13 was so open and kind and i really think she was ready for something new back in the days (pre-master ones) or in other words: we could have it all).

1. so there`s almost nothing in twwfte and tgm bc it`s mostly them running and then running and then running and also 13 first need to find her wifey #1 (tardis)!

2. looking at yaz (respectfully) (rosa+arachnidsat least)

3. always wanting to pair with yaz! (it takes you away+ep10+rosa+tsuranga)

4. personal space WHO? (twwfte+rosa+tsuranga)

5. TEA AT YAZ?????????????????????? like do i even have to say ANYTHING ELSE?

also yes i think i do. i dunno wheter it`s only me or smth but both hakim and sonya treated yaz "poorly" in front of her new friends asking wheter yaz pays them to be friends/talking about how she`s never had friends etc etc (while we`ve ALL seen "can you hear me ep") so our knight in the rainbow armour made herself look stupid and socially awkward so that yaz is going to be comfortable!! like i do really think that 13 did that on purpose.

6. eh?

+

"are you twoo seeing each other?"

it generally seems like 13 was not so against this idea but rather respectful (and secretly hoped that yaz would say yes). add here the fact that she was glancing at yaz ALL the time while talking to najia.

+ HER LOOK AT YAZ AT THE END OF THIS EXACT EP?????????

7. the way when "the boys" or literally anyone else (look at the tsuranga ep you`ll see) touch her she`s always like ew what is that but then when it`s yaz she`s like oh yes thank you

8. "doctor can we go back to see my nan?" "no" "please?" "no" "pretty please?" "

+i would marry your nan to not your granddad"+in the kerblam like right AFTER THIS EP right AFTER THIS "this is what happens when i`m too nice to people" she says "always" to yaz`s "doctor. can i have a request?"

9. should i even start on this whole universe-being-13 thing?

10. her showing off in front of yaz (kerblam! at least) "too bombastic?"+ her in the witchfinders being able to catch an apple?

11. this foreshadowng about "i think you came here with a plan but you didn`t expect to fall in love"

12. a little "it takes you away" theory about how 13 didn`t see anyone but a frog in the solitract bc she`s already had a crush on yaz and yaz was there!

bonus:

OH OH HOW COULD I FORGET!!!

this conversation between madam vastra and clara (about how 11th doctor looked young to "flirt" with a whole world so 13 wearing rainbow clother might`ve been the same)