Doctor Who, the power of story, and sex...

[fajrdrako]

Reading some of the comments on "The Last of the Time Lords", I found this passage in a commentary by thingswithwings that I found interesting, about slash and about sex in Doctor Who:

When it’s something that you and I know, and something that RTD knows, when it’s something shared between us that isn’t stated explicitly, part of the power comes from the fact that it’s not stated explicitly. And of course the secret is sexuality. (In the Doctor’s case, the secret of his sexuality is sort of that he has one.)

Funny thing is: coming into the story as I did with series 1 and "Rose", I didn't think the fact of the Doctor's sexuality was any kind of secret. It seemed clear to me that he loved Rose and, later on, Jack as well. And it wasn't until well into series 3 that I began to think the Doctor had a problem - an emotional problem that was starting to seriously mess him up.

I'm not sure whether to deal with this in fic, or ignore it entirely.

Comments

[raissad.livejournal.com]

I began to think the Doctor had a problem - an emotional problem that was starting to seriously mess him up.


There was some implied sexuality in the Classic series, but not much. It was from the Master (Roger Delgado). He used his wiles to play the Queen of Atlantis (not kidding), but then, as now, the "object" of his pseudo affection was basically an ornament, a tool, an organic Barbie.

The Doctor doesn't have a problem as we define one. He's simply alien. He may be capable of sex in mechanical terms, but the context/subtext will always be different when he's dealing with lifeforms (apart from Jack) who have the relative lifespans and durability of bisque dolls in relation to him. The difference between the Master and the Doctor is that the Doctor nurtures and respects his doll collection (giving them what they need to become autonomous in their Earth dollhouse), but they remain a doll collection at the end of the day.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Logically I understand what you are saying, but that isn't what I have seen presented onscreen - or if it is, they haven't presented it clearly enough for me to understand.

Put another way: the Doctor does seem troubled to me, though the nature of his trouble is complex and unclear.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

There are two issues here. One is narrative -- Immortality or near immortality carries a price. That general theme was always there. The second issue is one of modernization. The Doctor's emotional/sexual motivations seem unclear, because RTD has been trying to retcon the character to a degree for the modern audience by making subtext in the Classic series more overt in the New. That's fine, but to a degree, he has been trying to stick a circular peg in an oval hole. It'll kind of fit, but Classic fans do notice the effort RTD & Co. have to put into making it fit.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think new fans notice the effort, too, and the occasional dissonance it carries. I don't think they've quite found the right balance - and maybe never will.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

To put the issues in perspective, you should watch a Five ep. called "Enlightenment." It features the Eternals, truly immortal beings who use humans and one Time Lord as interactive entertainment. The Doctor's current companion even gets to play dress up and be the center of attention, as a lovely "Ephemeral." The Eternals have retreated in the wake of the Time War

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll try to get a chance to watch that one.