The Girl Who Never Was
Feb. 2nd, 2015 06:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethI've listened to the first part of this so far. Neat setup, more interesting than usual way to split up Doctor and Companion in several senses.
Charley gets more of a personality in her departure story than she has since her arrival.
I think it's the making decisions and having goals and trying things. Not just being defined by liking the Doctor very much.
And in part 2 she has learned things and has skill! Wow, that's a bit abrupt, but very welcome.
The Doctor just said "I've no interest in booty"
;-)
And there are three (technically two but in two time zones) named female characters, and Charley is running around with one of them after the creepy man went away. Much improvement.
And they have to make them all sparky and companion-worthy or the identity thing wouldn't work.
they're thinking the invaders are white slave traders:
"there ain't no women here"
"cybermen do not discriminate by gender"
"oh lord"
am listening and not making smart remarks
There's more amnesia and mind control, but I don't mind so much this time, it's being interesting and fun too.
But still, that's the whole run, all amnesia and mind control all the time.
plus slightly creepy guy problem. They get dead but they're grabby hands at Charley first.
So, the usual.
... aaaand now the December 2007 story has the Doctor making his companion forget all everything, ever meeting him, to save her life, because a bad thing got in her brain.
I never do like this idea.
Half a year before Donna's turn broadcasts?
But then it doesn't work because Charley. She's the most mary sue, she bends the universe around her.
"Some things are too good to be forgotten."
Charley writing a letter that includes "Don't look for me" is narratively convenient and matches her mood at the end of the previous story / start of this one.
And the Doctor sulk grumping "Everybody leaves". Yep. That fits too.
Poor Doctor, people not wanting to be chased forever.
Charley was getting blown up with the cyber ship and now she's doing her diary again. It's a biggie in the "I'll explain later" department.
"Washed up when the cyber ship broke up" just kind of isn't convincing.
I do like this new resourceful version who builds a crystal radio and sends out an SOS. It's just she's very new.
And I really do like the ending. "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else" and then a different Doctor's theme tune.
In my head she's just met 6 looking like he does now.
... I do find 8 rather dreamy, but I feel a character should have other parts, not just that one reaction alternating with tantrums that he likes other people and then tantrums that he doesn't like them enough.
Okay, so, story over:
Good parts: vivid characters, good use of accents, plural female characters, Charley with a spine and a bit of technical know how, lots of fun running around in multiple time zones, one of those time travel plots that uses time without disappearing up its own... wormhole.
Not so good parts: Mind control AGAIN and amnesia AGAIN. I mean, once you've got a theme, go with it, I suppose, but really? It's a neat solution to the how do you break up people who would never otherwise break up, but oh wait, they already broke them up at the end of the previous episode.
Also I was waiting for the Doctor to have some kind of reactions or feelings about C'rizz, but I don't think he gets mentioned again until that thingy on the red button on TV. So the part where the Doctor travelled with him on purpose and then didn't seem particularly bothered he died, that's... sitting there unexplained.
But hey, everyone leaves, he's just going to keep going.
The least good parts: the 'rules' of Doctor Who are very vague indeed, and yet, even such as they are, they bend for Charley. In ways that don't even make sense. Just, like, lalala, there is no rule, the only rule is Charley will always persist.
I'm not very interested.
But it does explain how she gets to be such a pig and pain. If her whole experience tells her that most things are mind control again anyway but that whatever she does will work out because everything including the laws of time will make way, well, how do you react?
However she spent much of the start of this story promising to obey the laws of time and keep out the way of her... historically recorded absence. So if she's taking it here it makes some stuff seem less consistent.
It has been a very long time since there was a Charley story where I didn't mind spending time with her. But I mostly like this one. Most of the same elements, but Charley making choices and doing things with another woman working with her.
I've absolutely had it with amnesia stories though. They're the cheapest reason to not act on things the audience knows they should know. They're emotional button pushing. I'm quite thoroughly bored of them.
When I listen to 8 again, I won't bother listening to him with Charley. He's far better with his other companions.
which is probably the underline reason why I like this one: all done bye bye to her. with 8 anyway. and something new and a bit interesting to do instead.
Charley gets more of a personality in her departure story than she has since her arrival.
I think it's the making decisions and having goals and trying things. Not just being defined by liking the Doctor very much.
And in part 2 she has learned things and has skill! Wow, that's a bit abrupt, but very welcome.
The Doctor just said "I've no interest in booty"
;-)
And there are three (technically two but in two time zones) named female characters, and Charley is running around with one of them after the creepy man went away. Much improvement.
And they have to make them all sparky and companion-worthy or the identity thing wouldn't work.
they're thinking the invaders are white slave traders:
"there ain't no women here"
"cybermen do not discriminate by gender"
"oh lord"
am listening and not making smart remarks
There's more amnesia and mind control, but I don't mind so much this time, it's being interesting and fun too.
But still, that's the whole run, all amnesia and mind control all the time.
plus slightly creepy guy problem. They get dead but they're grabby hands at Charley first.
So, the usual.
... aaaand now the December 2007 story has the Doctor making his companion forget all everything, ever meeting him, to save her life, because a bad thing got in her brain.
I never do like this idea.
Half a year before Donna's turn broadcasts?
But then it doesn't work because Charley. She's the most mary sue, she bends the universe around her.
"Some things are too good to be forgotten."
Charley writing a letter that includes "Don't look for me" is narratively convenient and matches her mood at the end of the previous story / start of this one.
And the Doctor sulk grumping "Everybody leaves". Yep. That fits too.
Poor Doctor, people not wanting to be chased forever.
Charley was getting blown up with the cyber ship and now she's doing her diary again. It's a biggie in the "I'll explain later" department.
"Washed up when the cyber ship broke up" just kind of isn't convincing.
I do like this new resourceful version who builds a crystal radio and sends out an SOS. It's just she's very new.
And I really do like the ending. "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else" and then a different Doctor's theme tune.
In my head she's just met 6 looking like he does now.
... I do find 8 rather dreamy, but I feel a character should have other parts, not just that one reaction alternating with tantrums that he likes other people and then tantrums that he doesn't like them enough.
Okay, so, story over:
Good parts: vivid characters, good use of accents, plural female characters, Charley with a spine and a bit of technical know how, lots of fun running around in multiple time zones, one of those time travel plots that uses time without disappearing up its own... wormhole.
Not so good parts: Mind control AGAIN and amnesia AGAIN. I mean, once you've got a theme, go with it, I suppose, but really? It's a neat solution to the how do you break up people who would never otherwise break up, but oh wait, they already broke them up at the end of the previous episode.
Also I was waiting for the Doctor to have some kind of reactions or feelings about C'rizz, but I don't think he gets mentioned again until that thingy on the red button on TV. So the part where the Doctor travelled with him on purpose and then didn't seem particularly bothered he died, that's... sitting there unexplained.
But hey, everyone leaves, he's just going to keep going.
The least good parts: the 'rules' of Doctor Who are very vague indeed, and yet, even such as they are, they bend for Charley. In ways that don't even make sense. Just, like, lalala, there is no rule, the only rule is Charley will always persist.
I'm not very interested.
But it does explain how she gets to be such a pig and pain. If her whole experience tells her that most things are mind control again anyway but that whatever she does will work out because everything including the laws of time will make way, well, how do you react?
However she spent much of the start of this story promising to obey the laws of time and keep out the way of her... historically recorded absence. So if she's taking it here it makes some stuff seem less consistent.
It has been a very long time since there was a Charley story where I didn't mind spending time with her. But I mostly like this one. Most of the same elements, but Charley making choices and doing things with another woman working with her.
I've absolutely had it with amnesia stories though. They're the cheapest reason to not act on things the audience knows they should know. They're emotional button pushing. I'm quite thoroughly bored of them.
When I listen to 8 again, I won't bother listening to him with Charley. He's far better with his other companions.
which is probably the underline reason why I like this one: all done bye bye to her. with 8 anyway. and something new and a bit interesting to do instead.