some thoughts on Martha
Oct. 28th, 2007 02:20 pmI just read someone's thoughts on how Rose's character development epically failed in s2, where phrases such as 'she had no will or ambition of her own' and 'I resent that she isn't Martha' were used, and abstained from responding (other than mentally), "I'm sorry, but that does not in fact resemble canon, even if you imagine really hard, and thus I respect your imagination very much."
And while I somewhat oppose the exclusionary and stereotyping idea of thinking in binaries, my mind still naturally turned to Martha. "How do I think of Martha's character in a way that does not resemble canon and thus stretch my imagination to faraway places?" I wondered.
Approximately four months after seeing the end of series three, and very seldom rewatching it in the meantime, what ideas do I hold about Martha? Well, I think she's very cool, and that does not have to preclude Rose's coolness. I think she's smart, pretty, and loyal, and I really didn't mean to make her sound like a cocker spaniel with those descriptors. I don't think that the writers allowed her to shine through as much as they might have, but to do so might have taken away from the story arc they had wtih the Doctor and the aftermath of losing Rose (whose loss could be a parallel to the off-screen loss of Gallifrey, and the following PTSD.)
What I think I'm going to do is watch series three again, in order, now that I know what the arcs are and what's happening and why. And then I'll see if my opinion changes, what new things I recognize about Martha's character, how the writing was effective and ineffective, and possibly throw in some literary criticism, just for the hell of it. Anyone care to join me?
ETA:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cesario correctly pointed out that it would have been polite to link to her post, as I was responding to it without allowing whoever reads my journal to make up their own mind. So you can find her post here, and anybody who follows it should bear in mind the rules of common courtesy in leaving comments on her journal or mine. K? K.
And while I somewhat oppose the exclusionary and stereotyping idea of thinking in binaries, my mind still naturally turned to Martha. "How do I think of Martha's character in a way that does not resemble canon and thus stretch my imagination to faraway places?" I wondered.
Approximately four months after seeing the end of series three, and very seldom rewatching it in the meantime, what ideas do I hold about Martha? Well, I think she's very cool, and that does not have to preclude Rose's coolness. I think she's smart, pretty, and loyal, and I really didn't mean to make her sound like a cocker spaniel with those descriptors. I don't think that the writers allowed her to shine through as much as they might have, but to do so might have taken away from the story arc they had wtih the Doctor and the aftermath of losing Rose (whose loss could be a parallel to the off-screen loss of Gallifrey, and the following PTSD.)
What I think I'm going to do is watch series three again, in order, now that I know what the arcs are and what's happening and why. And then I'll see if my opinion changes, what new things I recognize about Martha's character, how the writing was effective and ineffective, and possibly throw in some literary criticism, just for the hell of it. Anyone care to join me?
ETA:
cesario correctly pointed out that it would have been polite to link to her post, as I was responding to it without allowing whoever reads my journal to make up their own mind. So you can find her post here, and anybody who follows it should bear in mind the rules of common courtesy in leaving comments on her journal or mine. K? K.
