Thirteen and spiders for Halloween
Oct. 31st, 2018 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auroracloudVery quick notes on the latest Doctor Who episode, 'Arachnids in the UK'. I finally watched it; I was holding off for a couple of days, because I have very bad arachnophobia (seriously, it's bad if you're scared of them in Finland, because we don't have any venomous ones or even big ones compared to most places), and I was in a state of mind where everything was freaking me out anyway. But I felt better today, and it's Halloween, and I was missing the Doctor, so I watched it. Yes, I know I haven't commented on 'Rosa' at all, but it deserves a more thoughtful comment than I've been capable of lately, so I'm just jumping straight to this one and coming back to 'Rosa' later.
- The spiders were realistic and scary! For the most part. With really big ones the fact that they're CGI was starting to show up a bit, but that is good because I would like to be able to sleep tonight. For the first 20 minutes or so, I was having to cover half of the screen with my hand quite a bit. But after that I started getting used to them, and once we found out what was going on and they were actually the victims rather than the bad guys, I started feeling sorry for them. Me, sorry for spiders the size of a dog or a car or a van. Something's being done right.
- I do think the rap music helped; it's impossible to feel quite so scared of spiders after seeing them follow a rap song. (My feelings about rap music are about the same as Graham's, but that didn't change the helpful effect.)
- I loved loved loved the Doctor being so unsure and awkward around her friends/fam/team, clearly not wanting to say goodbye but being afraid to ask them to join her after so many previous companions have had bad endings. (Asgrimorie has pointed out, all the stuff with Bill is only weeks ago for the Doctor, even if it's over a year for the audience.) That bit of acting outside the TARDIS in the beginning was brilliant, especially for Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill.
- Speaking of them, I GET TO SHIP THIRTEEN/YASMIN YES/YES? Oh, I was squealing when Yaz's mother asked if they're seeing each other. And when Thirteen wasn't sure and I feel like Yaz was a bit awkward as well. I'M GOING TO FIC IT SO HARD. Oh, do let me enjoy this, I hardly ever ship any Doctor/Companion. Just Two/Jamie and Jack/any Doctor, out of all the canon we have.
- And speaking of Yaz's family, they were real people and felt like a real family! For all the focus the RTD era had on the companions' families, most of the characters felt cardboard or hyperbole to me, and I probably mainly loved Tish and Wilf for the calibre of the actors rather than any brilliant writing. But this? Chibnall and Sallie Aprahamian get families. They know siblings. That exchange between Yaz and her sister, that was the truest bit of sibling interaction I've ever seen in Doctor Who. And her mum was awesome.
- I generally loved how many competent women we got in this story. Yay scientist lady, too! And more focus on Yaz yay! I've been waiting for more on her. Still could use more depth to her emotional life - strangely a lot of the emotional stuff seems to be going to Ryan and Graham - but I hope we'll get there. And I just dote on how much she dotes on the Doctor.
- The plot was maybe a bit flimsy. Maybe even a lot, if I was feeling judgmental tonight, which I'm not. But for example the whole thing about how the spiders became the way they were, that was over really quickly. And the political stuff was, uh, not subtle. (Though I loved the not-Trump antagonist just going 'Don't say that name'. It was the one thing that made him more sympathetic, because which of us don't relate to that sentiment?) But I'm a total character junkie and I've seen Chibnall's earlier Who and Torchwood work, so I'm not coming in with expectations of supremely skillfully spun plots, I'm just expecting to dig the characters, and if something doesn't make sense, pretend it does. Actually, that's how I watch most of Doctor Who anyway. I mean, I am thrilled when the plot is also great and when any political message is intricately woven into the story. But you can't always have everything, and character stuff is my chocolate, ie. I'm addicted to it and it tastes lovely and makes me feel happy and fuzzy inside.
- I've officially lost all faith in the guy who does the Finnish subtitles. Frankie said she's Rich Guy's "niece's wife". The subtitles said "nephew's wife". I kid you not. I even went back and checked. I know the subtitles guy probably has to do the subtitles in the middle of the night, but assuming heterosexuality when the dialogue clearly says otherwise? Not okay. Maybe I'll just turn off the subtitles from now on. I got through lots of Jamie Mccrimmon without subtitles (in the Twitch marathon, I was well into the Fourth Doctor era before I realized Twitch had subtitles), so I should be fine with our Yorkshire friends, too.
- Sallie Aprahamie directed this one really great. Probably one of the reasons I liked it better than the script maybe allows? Hope she'll do more episodes!
- Not sure of what I think of memory!Grace popping up. I'll have to think about that one for a while before I say anything.
- I really look forward to seeing what adventures we get now that they're properly Team TARDIS.
Edited to add: I just went to look at AO3, and the Thirteen/Yasmin tag has exploded since the episode aired. I guess I'm not the only one! I also wonder if I'm going to get to sleep tonight.
- The spiders were realistic and scary! For the most part. With really big ones the fact that they're CGI was starting to show up a bit, but that is good because I would like to be able to sleep tonight. For the first 20 minutes or so, I was having to cover half of the screen with my hand quite a bit. But after that I started getting used to them, and once we found out what was going on and they were actually the victims rather than the bad guys, I started feeling sorry for them. Me, sorry for spiders the size of a dog or a car or a van. Something's being done right.
- I do think the rap music helped; it's impossible to feel quite so scared of spiders after seeing them follow a rap song. (My feelings about rap music are about the same as Graham's, but that didn't change the helpful effect.)
- I loved loved loved the Doctor being so unsure and awkward around her friends/fam/team, clearly not wanting to say goodbye but being afraid to ask them to join her after so many previous companions have had bad endings. (As
grimorie has pointed out, all the stuff with Bill is only weeks ago for the Doctor, even if it's over a year for the audience.) That bit of acting outside the TARDIS in the beginning was brilliant, especially for Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill.- Speaking of them, I GET TO SHIP THIRTEEN/YASMIN YES/YES? Oh, I was squealing when Yaz's mother asked if they're seeing each other. And when Thirteen wasn't sure and I feel like Yaz was a bit awkward as well. I'M GOING TO FIC IT SO HARD. Oh, do let me enjoy this, I hardly ever ship any Doctor/Companion. Just Two/Jamie and Jack/any Doctor, out of all the canon we have.
- And speaking of Yaz's family, they were real people and felt like a real family! For all the focus the RTD era had on the companions' families, most of the characters felt cardboard or hyperbole to me, and I probably mainly loved Tish and Wilf for the calibre of the actors rather than any brilliant writing. But this? Chibnall and Sallie Aprahamian get families. They know siblings. That exchange between Yaz and her sister, that was the truest bit of sibling interaction I've ever seen in Doctor Who. And her mum was awesome.
- I generally loved how many competent women we got in this story. Yay scientist lady, too! And more focus on Yaz yay! I've been waiting for more on her. Still could use more depth to her emotional life - strangely a lot of the emotional stuff seems to be going to Ryan and Graham - but I hope we'll get there. And I just dote on how much she dotes on the Doctor.
- The plot was maybe a bit flimsy. Maybe even a lot, if I was feeling judgmental tonight, which I'm not. But for example the whole thing about how the spiders became the way they were, that was over really quickly. And the political stuff was, uh, not subtle. (Though I loved the not-Trump antagonist just going 'Don't say that name'. It was the one thing that made him more sympathetic, because which of us don't relate to that sentiment?) But I'm a total character junkie and I've seen Chibnall's earlier Who and Torchwood work, so I'm not coming in with expectations of supremely skillfully spun plots, I'm just expecting to dig the characters, and if something doesn't make sense, pretend it does. Actually, that's how I watch most of Doctor Who anyway. I mean, I am thrilled when the plot is also great and when any political message is intricately woven into the story. But you can't always have everything, and character stuff is my chocolate, ie. I'm addicted to it and it tastes lovely and makes me feel happy and fuzzy inside.
- I've officially lost all faith in the guy who does the Finnish subtitles. Frankie said she's Rich Guy's "niece's wife". The subtitles said "nephew's wife". I kid you not. I even went back and checked. I know the subtitles guy probably has to do the subtitles in the middle of the night, but assuming heterosexuality when the dialogue clearly says otherwise? Not okay. Maybe I'll just turn off the subtitles from now on. I got through lots of Jamie Mccrimmon without subtitles (in the Twitch marathon, I was well into the Fourth Doctor era before I realized Twitch had subtitles), so I should be fine with our Yorkshire friends, too.
- Sallie Aprahamie directed this one really great. Probably one of the reasons I liked it better than the script maybe allows? Hope she'll do more episodes!
- Not sure of what I think of memory!Grace popping up. I'll have to think about that one for a while before I say anything.
- I really look forward to seeing what adventures we get now that they're properly Team TARDIS.
Edited to add: I just went to look at AO3, and the Thirteen/Yasmin tag has exploded since the episode aired. I guess I'm not the only one! I also wonder if I'm going to get to sleep tonight.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-31 10:10 pm (UTC)Am half asleep so that's all you're getting right now, but thank you for writing them all down. <3
no subject
Date: 2018-11-01 07:06 pm (UTC)I need more Thirteen era icons! Someone's got to be making some involving the companions, but I haven't come across any yet. Suggestions?
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Date: 2018-11-01 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-01 08:54 am (UTC)*nods*
no subject
Date: 2018-11-01 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-01 07:03 pm (UTC)Speaking of more, I did a rec for a cute Thirteen/Yasmin fic over at
Yay yay yay all the competent women! I'm probably going to have to fic the science lady some time. Maybe she could team up with Martha. And I hope we see more of Yaz's family and especially her mom! Najia was just so adorable, I loved how refreshingly real she was, she had both strength and vulnerability, and wasn't a one-note character like the concerned mothers have often been. (Not to diss past showrunners, but while I loved the family focus, the actual family members mostly didn't ring true for me. Now this whole thing does!)