(no subject)
Jul. 16th, 2017 05:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Hmmm..they finally did it... 13th Doctor Who is Jodie Whittaker, first female version of the Doctor.
I admit that I'd sort of given up after Capadali became the Doctor, and quit watching for a while. Because honestly what is interesting about an old guy escorting a young gal about time and space
I came back for Pearl Mackie, who portrayed Bill.
So I find this intriguing. There's so much more they can do now. So many story angles that they haven't tried that opened up. It's basically made the series fresh, and more interesting, and more appealing to newer viewers like myself. Not to mention more relateable.
Now, if someone would just replace the American President with a woman, life would be good.
2. Tried Salvation -- sigh. An arrogant billionaire techie, a MIT Whiz-kid hipster, and a pentagon press secretary save the world. This time from a planet killing meteor, at least they think it is a planet-killing meteor. And a government conspiracy. Because of course the scientists at NASA and the State Department are too stupid to figure out how to save the world on their own, they require the aid of a corporate techie who runs a billion dollar corporation (think younger/hotter version of the guy doing SpaceX) and a whiz-kid. And course the government is killing anyone who finds out to prevent a panic...
Five minutes in and it felt very paint-by-numbers thriller, with a lot of pop science thrown in.
It could be fun, I usually like these things. But the characters are too stock and the casting isn't on target.
It feels like the networks are burning off pilots this summer.
3. Still Star-Crossed -- is hard to find. If I wasn't recording it, I wouldn't be able to follow it at all. ABC clearly has no confidence in it, and is pushing reality shows instead like (gag) The Bachelorette, and Battle of the Network Stars (are there any? I was wondering about this. It's not like the 1970s and 80s, when they used to do Battle of the Network Stars during the summer months...when there were only five or six channels and actual network television stars. Now, with over 450 scripted television series, there are no stars.)
Still Star Crossed was on at 10 PM on Sat. It isn't on Monday, because Battle of the Network Stars took it's time slot, and the Bachelorette has been expanded to a full two hours. Somehow, I don't think Still Star Crossed is long for this world, it feels like they are just burning episodes.
4. Hooten and the Lady -- this is on CW, and I have no idea how it got that far. It's atrocious. About a female archeologist, office worker, who works at the British Museum, and convinces the Museum to send her to the Amazon to hunt down some ancient relics for a big exhibition. (Don't they already have archaeologists doing this sort of thing under grants?) She runs into a mercenary, who goes by the name Hooten. (I'm serious he actually only goes by that name, and apparently by choice.) They run into each other, when they are captured by a bunch of natives, who want to roast her and use him as a sex slave. Unless he can challenge their warrior to a fight, and win. He wins.
The natives chase him and her out of their territory. I stopped shortly after that. I kept going to sleep.
Could not stay awake during it. But I couldn't stay focused on or awake during the first episode of Fargo either...
I think the networks are burning off bad television shows right now. Not Fargo, obviously. Hooten and the Lady.
I admit that I'd sort of given up after Capadali became the Doctor, and quit watching for a while. Because honestly what is interesting about an old guy escorting a young gal about time and space
I came back for Pearl Mackie, who portrayed Bill.
So I find this intriguing. There's so much more they can do now. So many story angles that they haven't tried that opened up. It's basically made the series fresh, and more interesting, and more appealing to newer viewers like myself. Not to mention more relateable.
Now, if someone would just replace the American President with a woman, life would be good.
2. Tried Salvation -- sigh. An arrogant billionaire techie, a MIT Whiz-kid hipster, and a pentagon press secretary save the world. This time from a planet killing meteor, at least they think it is a planet-killing meteor. And a government conspiracy. Because of course the scientists at NASA and the State Department are too stupid to figure out how to save the world on their own, they require the aid of a corporate techie who runs a billion dollar corporation (think younger/hotter version of the guy doing SpaceX) and a whiz-kid. And course the government is killing anyone who finds out to prevent a panic...
Five minutes in and it felt very paint-by-numbers thriller, with a lot of pop science thrown in.
It could be fun, I usually like these things. But the characters are too stock and the casting isn't on target.
It feels like the networks are burning off pilots this summer.
3. Still Star-Crossed -- is hard to find. If I wasn't recording it, I wouldn't be able to follow it at all. ABC clearly has no confidence in it, and is pushing reality shows instead like (gag) The Bachelorette, and Battle of the Network Stars (are there any? I was wondering about this. It's not like the 1970s and 80s, when they used to do Battle of the Network Stars during the summer months...when there were only five or six channels and actual network television stars. Now, with over 450 scripted television series, there are no stars.)
Still Star Crossed was on at 10 PM on Sat. It isn't on Monday, because Battle of the Network Stars took it's time slot, and the Bachelorette has been expanded to a full two hours. Somehow, I don't think Still Star Crossed is long for this world, it feels like they are just burning episodes.
4. Hooten and the Lady -- this is on CW, and I have no idea how it got that far. It's atrocious. About a female archeologist, office worker, who works at the British Museum, and convinces the Museum to send her to the Amazon to hunt down some ancient relics for a big exhibition. (Don't they already have archaeologists doing this sort of thing under grants?) She runs into a mercenary, who goes by the name Hooten. (I'm serious he actually only goes by that name, and apparently by choice.) They run into each other, when they are captured by a bunch of natives, who want to roast her and use him as a sex slave. Unless he can challenge their warrior to a fight, and win. He wins.
The natives chase him and her out of their territory. I stopped shortly after that. I kept going to sleep.
Could not stay awake during it. But I couldn't stay focused on or awake during the first episode of Fargo either...
I think the networks are burning off bad television shows right now. Not Fargo, obviously. Hooten and the Lady.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 10:49 am (UTC)If you can find the time I would really like to hear more about how you see this. What new story angles are you envisaging? I need someone to point out the good side, because at the moment I can only see downsides and it is depressing when everyone else is so full of squee.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 12:31 pm (UTC)Well, off the top of my head?
Gender politics for starters. World leaders had no difficulty accepting the male Doctor's views, but women...they'd struggle with. So that is a major theme that can and should be explored in depth.
Women for centuries were considered "chattel" or property of men. Actually that law is still on the law books of many States in the US and many countries. Men were granted carte blanch rights to the body of their wives -- they could force her to have sex with them, because she was considered their property by marriage. That is actually in law books.
Submissive and weaker due to the physique. Not as intelligent. Not as capable. Too emotional. We still do run into that problem. And it was a major issue I had with RT Davies Who -- in how women were often belittled. Sci-Fi/Fantasy is a great place to explore this topic.
Doctor Who was starting to address it with River Song, and then this season with Bill, and Missy.
I think various story arcs can now explore and possibly question how viewers perceive gender differences. It's an area that the series has not explored really.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 12:40 pm (UTC)It also looks at women in a different light. Gender in a different light. This began, again, with Bill, who defied the female companion stereotype. Also with River Song.
River defied it, in that Alex Kingston was older than Matt Smith, and clearly knew more when they first met. So instead of wet behind the ears female companion in love with older, world weary powerful man, we had an older, smarter, powerful woman in love with man who appeared physically younger than her. Granted she had a femme fatal heart of gold aspect to her and how she died and was preserved sort of ruined it...
Then Bill defied it, by being not this pretty heterosexual feminine white gal, but black, lesbian, gal, who clearly was not into the much older Doctor in that way. Still ruined a bit by him being much older than her, and the Doctor /student vibe...but she began to subvert the trope.
Now, with a female Doctor, they can subert the trope, critique it, and blow it out of the water. Instead of retreading the same ground over and over. Each story they do will be different because of that one change.
Even the romances will be different. It's so cool. I was on the fence about continuing to watch the series...but now I definitely will.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 12:50 pm (UTC)Another way to put it, a less political/social justice one is simply...
How long has Doctor Who been on? About 50 years right? How many Doctors? 12, possibly 13, if you include John Hurt. What were they? All white British guys of various ages.
So, Doctor Who has basically told every single tale imaginable with various white British actors in the role. I think the US even attempted a DW with an American actor in it once.
This doesn't include novels, radio shows or the movie.
What's left to say about a male Doctor Who? Not a heck of a lot. I honestly had lost interest, as a had a lot of people...because it just gets repetitive after a while. And predictable. From a writing standpoint as well.
They'd explored every angle imaginable.
But if you tell these stories with a female Doctor Who, the story changes, because people treat women differently than they do men, and that alone changes the story. Also, you have the question of how the Doctor deals with being female...and relates to the world as female, after 1000 or more years relating to it as male. And how the universe relates to her as opposed to him.
It's a writer's dream come true.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 04:05 pm (UTC)I don't understand why it makes it worse....for you?
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 06:13 pm (UTC)But I am going to be fair to Chibnall and Doctor Who and will try not to prejudge but wait and see what we get. I've liked Chibnall's work on Torchwood and Broadchurch, and I like Jodie Whittaker, so that is a good sign.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 06:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 07:30 pm (UTC)My thoughts, exactly.; -)
no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 07:28 pm (UTC)Ah well, I wouldn't worry that much. It will most likely be subtle.
no subject
Date: 2017-07-18 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-07-17 07:48 pm (UTC)Probably far more subtle than it was during RT Davies and Moffat's reigns, which I found insanely irritating and difficult to watch. That's the other reason I didn't watch most of RT Davies Who. The stereotypes -- particularly in regards to Martha Jones, Rose Tyler and Donna irritated me.