Doctor Whomst?

[lirazel]

So I stopped watching Doctor Who somewhere in the Pond era, despite liking the Ponds and River as characters, the writing stopped working for me after there was ZERO emotional repercussions for what happened to Melody. My feelings are generally that of my girlfriend Verily Bitchie. I tried to get back into Thirteen, but it didn't really work for me though I know a lot of people loved it. Yay for people who loved it!

I have also never been able to rewatch Donna’s season, even though it was one of my favorites, because I was so upset about what the Doctor did to her in wiping her mind without her consent. And while I liked Ten (though not as much as Nine), I really think it was dumb to bring Tennant back.

So I am having some mixed feelings about whether or not I want to watch the new episodes.

My basic feeling is: if it turns out that these episodes really confront the memory wipe and treat it seriously and give Donna agency back, then I probably want to watch them. Otherwise, I don’t.

I’m guessing that Donna will get agency back but I don’t know if I trust the show to make the Doctor confront the fact that what he did was majorly fucked up and not okay.

All that to say: if you're watching it, please do tell me what happens and whether these new specials work as a kind of correction to how Donna’s story ended before.

Spoilers are fine, btw. I just need to know if this is a kind of fix-it, not by undoing what the writing did, but by confronting it head-on.

[As an aside, it probably did not help that the Donna season was airing at about the same time that my grandmother was dying of Alzheimer's. Un-consented-to memory alteration not treated as the violence it is became...well, not a trigger. But a thing I simply cannot accept as a storytelling device.

If you want to take that kind of thing seriously and show the consequences and depict it as a violent violation of another person, then it's fine. If you treat it as something that is justified...I am OUT of there.]

Comments

[maia]

See this is where the show has already tackled a lot of it - Twelve was going to mindwipe Clara to keep her safe and she gets to deliver the speech that Donna was unable to give:

CLARA: What were you doing to me?
DOCTOR: I'm trying to keep you safe.
CLARA: Why? Nobody's ever safe. I've never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life, and they are mine. Tomorrow is promised to no one, Doctor, but I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It's mine.

Thank you for reminding me of that scene! It is so, so, so good.

lirazel: I think you should watch the episode. Donna does get her memories back, and it's a good episode.

It doesn't do everything I wanted: I wanted a definitive acknowledgement that what the Doctor did was wrong, and that it was worse than just mindwiping Donna without her consent and worse than just taking away her past. Donna's memories were still in her unconscious mind, but her family had been warned that if she ever remembered consciously she would die, which meant that they were forced to gaslight her - and that's the worst thing of all.

But it's a good episode in so many ways, and Donna does get her memories back, and I think you'd like it.

[elisi]

Thank you for reminding me of that scene! It is so, so, so good.
And then I remembered the scene with Bill!! Wonderful, marvellous Bill. <3

https://youtu.be/NwXQWy0dzec?si=iRLYsJk2y-ulJfnD

Oh lirazel, the Doctor has come a long way since he was Ten... (This scene is several years post-Clara.) ETA: Also, you should watch S10. If I had to pick a favourite season, I'm not sure I could choose between S5 and S10, they are both independently the most beautiful thing, but in very different ways. <3

[lirazel]

I wanted a definitive acknowledgement that what the Doctor did was wrong, and that it was worse than just mindwiping Donna without her consent and worse than just taking away her past. Donna's memories were still in her unconscious mind, but her family had been warned that if she ever remembered consciously she would die, which meant that they were forced to gaslight her - and that's the worst thing of all.

Yes. This is also what I wanted. But I am encouraged by how much love I'm seeing for the episode from people who I know had the same problem as I did! I will almost certainly watch it!