Doctor Who Special: Planet of the Death

[liliaeth]

I don't get it, I really don't...

I loved this episode, I totally and utterly did. From the way the Doctor behaved, to Christina, to the passengers on the bus, to the two poor fly guys, to the new Unit captain and Malcolm. I loved the way every character was portrayed and the only thing I didn't like was that the two poor fly guys died.

Yet I see people complaining about the episode, and I utterly don't understand what was supposed to be wrong about it.

Some people nagged about the seer woman on the bus being a stereotype, and I don't understand that either.

Sometimes it seems like people complain whatever RTD does. When he doesn't use (enough) characters of color, they complain. When he does use them, they complain, when he makes one a companion, they complain. I mean, Captain Mugambo was obviously a strong new char in the lines of Harriet Jones and that brigadier guy that everyone seems to love. None of the characters that died were black. There were four major characters of color in the episode, all of whom were as capable and intelligent as the white characters. None of them seemed like stereotypes to me. None of them whined, beyond what is normally expected of anyone in their situation.

The elderly couple was friendly, relatable, and I liked her being a psychic. (it's not like she's the first char in the new Doctor Who shown to have that ability.)

So what are people complaining about this time? Cause I sure as hell don't get it.

Comments

[evilmaniclaugh.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. I thought it was fun, superbly written, well cast with a good solid plot. I liked the psychic very much.

I don't get into fandom politics any more though.

[liliaeth]

I probably should just stay out of fandom politics. *g*

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

I don't know. Seemed pretty great to me.

What a gorgeous location.

I gather there's a lot of fans who don't like the girl who played Christina, but I'm not familiar with her previous work.

[liliaeth]

I liked her on Merlin, but that's about the only show I know her from

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Michelle Ryan was Zoe Slater on Eastenders for a long time. Most people who have played one of the Slater family end up being incredibly controversial, it sort of comes with the territory. After that she was on Bionic Woman, which was a badly written show, but that wasn't her fault.

[rabican.livejournal.com]

Carmen is fairly recognizable as a variant of the stock character called the Magical Negro - she doesn't fit every single descriptor as outlined in that article, but she doesn't have to. The basic outline is that there's this black supporting cast member whose only purpose in the story is to sit around and make magical pronouncements to the white main character (yes, the Doctor is an alien, but he's a white-looking alien), whether to help him in particular or to forward the plot as a whole.

I liked the other characters of color in the episode, especially the Captain, but Carmen was so obvious that I actually went, "Oh, god, not a Magical Negro character!" at her first line. So. I don't know if that's what every single person complaining was thinking, but that was my problem.

I did like the episode very much, other than that, but jeez. I'm sure we could have had our creepy foreshadowing another way, RTD.

[liliaeth]

I guess that this magical negro thing might be something American, cause I've never heard of it. She just reminded me from that kid in the ep where the Doctor turned human.

And it seemed to me that she and her husband were very much a regular couple, enjoying their life and all in all being hugely adorable. But that might be just me.

[rabican.livejournal.com]

I thought they had their sweet moments, definitely, but she basically didn't get to do anything besides sit around going, "Oh no psychic moment oh no!" And he just went, "Dear, what now!" Everybody else in the bus had something to do. I thought that was really lame.

And I think the guy who put a name to the phenomenon is American, yes, I don't think that means that a black supporting character with supernatural powers who's subordinated to a white protagonist and doesn't get to do anything on their own doesn't fall into the same "racism with good intentions" tradition as Magical Negros.

The moral of this story is that institutionalized racism sucks, and I will be glad to see Stephen Moffatt next season.