Overly Devoted Archivist Uncategorized amy pond, doctor who 0 Comments

stfu-moffathaters:

…what a surprise.

In Amy Pond’s first episode as companion, she saved the last of the Starwhales and everyone in the UK by using her observational skills and emotional intelligence to work out a solution. In her second episode as companion she used her intelligence again to figure out how to use the Daleks’ weapon against them hence saving London, and then used her emotional intelligence again to figure out how to stop the Bracewell bomb from detonating hence saving the entire world. In the next episode she saved herself from a Weeping Angel. She later saved her boyfriend from a Fish Vampire thing, saved Rory and the Doctor from pirates (swordfighting, no less) and saved Rory from Silence (machine gun!). She also survived alone in a containment facility for 36 years, before nobly sacrificing herself so that a younger woman could live.

Throughout her two series on Doctor Who she’s had this character arc where she goes from a childlike girl with abandonment issues who craves adventure and danger and is impulsive because she has no security in her life, to a woman who is secure and has her own business, own career, own relationship. Rory in Vampires of Venice says to the Doctor “You know what’s dangerous about you? It’s that you make people want to impress you. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you’re around.” By the end of series 6, Amy doesn’t want or need to impress the Doctor any more. She’s stopped waiting. The Doctor doesn’t want her to sell perfume: she wants that for herself because (as has been established since the start of series 5) she loves being creative and she loves being in charge of things. She used her intelligence to go after what she wants, again. The other thing about Amy Pond is that she is a sexual subject, rather than just a sexual object. Okay, so she likes to show off her nice legs, and that’s her choice and it’s a realistic and common one. But she also doesn’t really care whether the Doctor fancies her or not: she wants him, she’s determined to have him. It’s a flaw actually, but it’s not a conventionally female one and I love that. She’s not only a woman who is in control of her sexuality, she’s a woman with commitment issues who initially would rather have a one night stand than get married. How often is that ever portrayed as acceptable for a woman? That’s a ‘male’ trait. Sure, she changes her mind eventually, but she does so at her own pace: no one in the text ever condemns her for who she is. She’s flawed, and that’s okay. She’s also entirely unjealous and gets on brilliantly with River from the moment they meet despite River fancying the man that she wants. So she’s sexual, but she’s also allowed to be intelligent, creative, brave and empathetic.

But one person is so distracted by a certain attribute of Ms Pond’s that she seems to have missed all this. This is what this “feminist” has to say about Amy Pond:

Amy has legs. Really good legs. Christ, do I wish I could say more than that.

…

This is, incidentally, in the context of her describing Doctor Who/Moffat as sexist. I have never argued that either Moffat or Doctor Who is perfect. But I have never, ever heard either of those say anything as blatantly misogynistic as to erase everything a woman is, everything she has achieved—to say that she is just a pair of nice legs.

And I know what people will say—it’s just a TV show. It’s never just a TV show. You’re never just insulting a female character. You’re insulting every woman who identifies with that character or shares her personality or values. Fuck it, you’re just insulting all women. Any woman who shows off her legs is nothing but her legs. Fuck off.

Let’s talk about Amy Pond. She’s feisty! And sexy! And she wears short skirts because she’s really sassy like that! She used to work as a strippogram, and then she became a model, and then the Doctor gave her a house and a car!

*Let’s talk about Amy Pond. She’s confident, quick witted and doesn’t take any bullshit. And sexy! She wears short skirts because she likes wearing short skirts, as lots of women do. She used to work as a strippogram and then she travelled with the Doctor, saving his life and her boyfriend’s and countless other lives, and then the Doctor gave her a house and car and then she earned her own money running her own business.

She used to see therapists, but that’s ‘cus she’s a funny, kooky kinda girl!

*she used to see therapists because she refused to stop believing in the Doctor, and this forms part of her abandonment issues which are really crucial to her character arc

Y’know, I’m all for women owning their sexuality. But 

“I’m not sexist but.”

I’m pretty sure that’s a fantasy of an “empowered” woman made up by a predominantly male writing team.

I’m pretty sure she sounds empowered to me and I’m a woman. I mean look at the first two paragraphs and then explain again how none of that makes her sound empowered?

Oh ho ho, we’re going to talk about the RTD era now! and how super duper feminist it was. Goody.

Donna held down a string of temp jobs, and tried to cope with the low self esteem she got from her mother.

Her mother, who was irrational, unreasonable and a hindrance, just like every mother that RTD ever wrote. Donna who was obsessed with marriage and ended up happy in the end by having her mind forcefully wiped and then getting married? Donna whose sexuality was treated as a joke? That Donna?

Martha was training to be a medical professional, and saved the planet Earth through a year of hard, practical work.True enough. Martha with another RTD Mother, and a father who went off with a woman who we’re supposed to believe is a gold digger on the basis that she’s blonde and tanned and appears legs first because that’s not a sexist stereotype at all. And her happy ending was being married as well, to the other leftover.

Rose worked in a shop, and was described by her creator as “selfish”.

Yeah, Rose who had “nothing at all” happen in her life before she met the Doctor and was willing to abandon her whole family for one man. She literally described herself as having died when she could no longer see him. And oh yeah, she had another RTD mother. And her happy ending was getting the man she wanted and her job was to “fix him” because of course women should fix broken men because that is their job and their obligation. Also the treatment that Rose puts up with from the ninth doctor is ridiculous and I imagine, given the comparison in Journey’s End, that TenII might treat her similarly.

These are girls I know, real girls who have jobs,

Like Amy Pond in fact, or do you not count sex workers or “models” (which she wasn’t) as having jobs?

who have lives that aren’t tangled around the Doctor

Ahahahaha. No.

who have skills,

Right because Amy doesn’t have any skills apart from her problem solving skills, her art and craft skills….

personality traits,

I can’t even be bothered.

emotions

Yeah, Amy Pond never shows any emotion at all.

Look, it’s a bad argument. For all the reasons listed above. That in itself I could deal with. It’s this part I can’t get over:

Amy has legs. Really good legs. 

Honestly? If this person was looking for ways in which Amy Pond was an interesting, empowered character, she could find everything I put in the first two paragraphs up there—and much more. It seems she’s looking to prove Moffat is sexist and in the meantime perpetuating ideas that are sexist as fuck herself.

Amy can be the hero in as many stories as she likes, she can sacrifice herself so that another woman can live, she can be incredibly clever and brave and selfless, she can be flawed and she can grow more mature as the series goes on, and she can be independent and have her own business and totally be the dominant one in her relationship. But as long as she’s got her pins on display, Ms Pond gets “sexy, feisty, good legs”.

Nice one, fandom.

Not getting into Moffat’s writing (I’ve been into that…) I just want to say that this bit of the original article-

She used to see therapists, but that’s ‘cus she’s a funny, kooky kinda girl!

…is upsetting. Jesus bloody christ, there’s nothing funny or kooky about feeling so horrible you try to help yourself by going to a therapist! Granted, Amy was probably made to go by her aunt or parents, but there’s nothing funny about that either, it probably wasn’t a nice experience for any of them.

HOW do you look at that- at a girl who had such a troubled childhood she sought help or had help sought for her, at a girl whose mother still talks about ‘the psycharists we sent her to!’ years later- and think that character detail does Amy a disservice? It made me relate to her!

I’m slightly angry now, I gotta admit. Just come talk to me- I’ll tell you about all those hours spent in waiting rooms or crying at people- I’ll tell you how funny and kooky it was.

Overly Devoted Archivist Uncategorized amy pond, doctor who 0 Comments

When rewatching Asylum of the Daleks I couldn’t help but notice Amy’s PA looks, dresses and sounds a lot like Rory. Who wants to bet she hired him on purpose, trying to subtly drive her husband further away?