I couldn't figure out the Amy/perfume thing, either.

I was veeeeery "O RLY" at the spoiler that she was a model/poster girl, but since the perfume is obviously hers I don't even get if she's a perfume model who somehow got her own fragrance or if she's a model who made it big enough to have her own fragrance or what. Or something else entirely? I still think it's a total waste, like they wanted to shove in an Amy reference and weren't sure how to do it so they made her a model on a billboard. I find it kind of gross if she's "just" a model because that means once again Amy Pond is defined by her SMOKIN' BOD and not any of her actual intellectual or personality strengths/traits. Being an artist or a children's author or SOMETHING would've been more in-tune with the Amy we've met before and could also have raised her to the level of a little girl asking for an autograph.

As usual, your feelings ~vibrate in harmony with my own.

The Amy thing is irritating me just because apparently no one pays any attention to how the fashion industry works in real life (and this observation, coming from me of all the fucking people--who could not give a rat's hairy ass about fashion or the fashion industry other than how much I hate it-- is really saying a lot about the level of wrongness here). They had like 20 seconds to establish what Amy is up to these days and chose visual shorthand rather than just telling us. Okay, that's fine. But what people are saying that shorthand means and what I think it means (and what it would mean in the world we all actually live in every day) are very different things. Because NEWSFLASH EVERYONE the models and celebrities that have their own perfumes? Did not invent those scents, nor do they own the companies that make them. They are hired for their name and/or look. Other people do the rest. So I saw that and thought, "Oh, she's a supermodel? Mkay." And apparently everyone else saw that and thought "She totally invents perfume and is the CEO of a perfume company!" THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKS.

I mean, I'm not upset about that being her career from a feminist standpoint necessarily, but I do find it way irritating on the "lol it's funny and clever because Karen Gillan is actually a model in real life see!"

And I see you just replied to my post on this matter, so here's some nice repetition of my points over there.

Yeah, I had read a spoiler a few days ago that Amy was a "model", and I'd seen a screencap of her picture behind the Doctor's (it crops up earlier in the episode than when it's drawn attention to, if you're watching) and I was really unimpressed because lol model, okay. I'm not judging real women who want to be models, they can do whatever they like. But Amy is not a real person, and to me it just reads like "lol we didn't know what to do with Amy Pond BUT SHE SURE IS HOT, SO SHE CAN BE A MODEL, RIGHT?" Aaand also once again it puts Amy in a position where she's defined by how smokin' hot she is and not by her personality or her mind or her intelligence etc.

Having seen the episode, I join you in total confusion as to what she apparently does. Is she a supermodel who is apparently famous enouhg that random little girls want her autograph? Did she win Britain's Next Top Model or something? Even if she the CEO of a perfume company, that's nice for her and less cringey to me than her being "just" a supermodel, but it also has nothing to do with her characterization or personality or development.

I'm going to punch fandom in the face when I inevitably find people talking about how Eleven is so much better than Ten because he is all ~noble about his death and not whiny and emotional.

I lol'd because yes, have seen that already. Personally, I found all of his mopey foreshadowing and "IT'S OKAY HUMANS, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, I'M JUST GOING TO GO OFF AND DIE ALONE AND UNLOVED, I'M SURE YOU'LL ALL BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME" to be on basically the same level as Ten's various stages of self-grief. And also I knew that Ten was actually going to die/regenerate and we all know Eleven isn't. Sorry Eleven. I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you finish, but Ten had the best thanatopsis angsting of all time. OF ALL TIME!

LOL I knew it would happen as soon as the episode was over and I thought about it for two seconds. But IA, lol Eleven was clearly doing that thing where you really really want someone to ask you about something so you just drag your feet and look mopey and sad but NO I'M FINE REALLY IT'S OKAY.

Also so much word to "BUT HE'S NOT FUCKING DYING". The whole season I've been left feeling whelmed because HE'S NOT FUCKING DYING. Lately it's been overshadowed by the River bullshit, but now that it's surfacing again I'm left back at square one. WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT ANYONE'S PAIN WHEN THIS WILL INEVITABLY BE ERASED AND UNDONE? AHHHHHHHHHH

Edited at 2011-09-26 02:56 am (UTC)

My only level of suspense here is, "Just exactly how is this going to be undone, how fucking stupid will it be, and how furious will I be at the end of it?"

I am so not looking forward to next week. I have really, really, really enjoyed the past four episodes and the last five minutes of last night's just reminded me how refreshing it's been to not have to deal with this stupid. fucking. plot for several episodes in a row. And how the show has managed to completely undo my blossoming love of River Song.

lol word to this entire comment

I'm in a wedding in Chicago next weekend so I won't even see 6x13 until at least Monday. Any other season finale this would've seemed KILLER. This year it seems like probably a relief. Postpone my rage a little longer!

Christian Bale agrees with this comment. So much.

lirl Tumblr:

I am absolutely blown away by the Doctor

I mean, as Ten he traveled alone for barely a year and he just couldn’t function, he became Time Lord Victorious

Eleven was on his own FOR 200 YEARS

Personally, I think this shows just how much he’s grown, he’s become more humble and self aware.

OR POSSIBLY... it means Steven Moffat doesn't give a shit.

LOLLLL

TUMBLR.

EVERYTHING THAT STEPHEN MOFFAT DOES IS CAREFULLY CONSIDERED AND IT IS GENIUS.

EVERYTHING.

lol by he end of this episode I was like "wait, what was the point of the 200 years?" I'm pretty sure there really wasn't one, and anything they achieved with it could've been achieved with a year or so as the time gap.

Voldemort never needed anybody. End of argument.

LIRL @ your comment AND your icon.

I 100% AGREE WITH YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE AMY THING. Like, I would get why the show might hand wave all that stuff it it was something previously established that Amy wanted to make perfumes or if the whole perfume thing was in any way tied to any kind of previously established characterization of Amy. BUT NO. THIS IS JUST OUT OF LEFT FIELD, SO SORRY. I NEED THE SHOW TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON WITH AMY.

And I don't think there's anything inherently anti-feminist about a woman choosing to be a model, but... Amy isn't a real woman. She's a female character who is written by men which is where I start to raise my eyebrow a bit, especially in context of other ways in which Amy has been defined by her looks.

Edited at 2011-09-26 04:05 pm (UTC)

Still haven't watched the episode. lol. I was busy watching Angel yesterday and now I'm watching the new episode of Downton Abbey. I'll get around to it... eventually. lol.

I'm going to punch fandom in the face when I inevitably find people talking about how Eleven is so much better than Ten because he is all ~noble about his death and not whiny and emotional.
TOO LATE. I ALREADY SAW SOME OF THAT ON ONTD.

Still call bullshit on 200 years going by for Eleven and nothing really happening.
SRSLY.

Soooo what the hell is Amy famous for? Are we going to find out? Does she just have a perfume? How does one go about getting a perfume without already being famous? Isn't "the smell of dust after the rain" probably not a great fragrance? I had a lot of feelings prepared when I found out she was a "model" but now I'm just confused about whether she's a model or a celebrity for something else -- I find it weird that a little girl would recognize her if she was just a perfume model.
IDEK. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE POINT OF THAT WAS. Like, I just don't get why Moffat/whoever thought that this would be a logical post-Doctor career for Amy. It's just... bizarre if it's that she owns a perfume company or it's an obnoxiously shallow view of her character if it's that she's a model. IDGI.

These episodes that hinge on the power of parental love seem to really emphasize, in a bad way, how few fucks Amy and Rory gave about Melody. Unless episode 13 ends with them magically getting their baby back, I am remain seriously unimpressed with everyone calling the thematic shots in this season.
I don't think I will ever understand why Moffat felt the need to make River the daughter of Amy and Rory if he wasn't going to follow through on an emotional or character level.

I just cannot with Moffat. Uuuugh.

I liked it! Mostly. The last five minutes are about River and eyepatches and no1curr. But the rest is just mostly Craig and Eleven being bromantic and having a pointless one-off adventure Gareth Roberts style.

Yeah what the...? They could've done anything with Amy basically IDEK. TEAM CHILDREN'S AUTHOR 4 LYFE. They could've established that in the exact same time it took them to do the perfume thing. And it would've been more relevant to her character.

Yeah I don't think I'll ever understand why Moffat thought any of the overarching plot this year was a good idea.

I'm still puzzled over the perfume thing too. Maybe there's a deleted bit that explains it or it mit be a piece of the finale?

The baby was my favorite character in this episode. Also, Craig's semi slashy interactions with Eleven were hilarious!

I'm wondering if the finale will give us a better update on what the Ponds got up to, yeah.

They were! LOLOL. I really like Craig and Eleven as a team. I feel bad but I think I enjoy their dynamic more than Eleven and Amy's. I like Amy, I (usually) like Eleven, I've just never really gotten that into the bond between them, it feels a little flat to me.

My thoughts exactly. Lovely fun episode with a thin plot but tons of great character stuff... and then we get to the end with River and everything I Do Not Want.

I think it's incredibly cheap to have an entire plot that hinges on no one remembering things they did themselves, which is most of River Song's life story, apparently. THIS. Or, like, adressing plotholes by retroactively deciding she was lying the whole time. Ugh.

What was so disturbing to me about that final scene was that it's basically the story of River's life. She has absolutely no agency. She never has. She said it herself: she was created for one purpose, to kill the Doctor. And that's true from a storytelling perspective, not just an in-universe one. Her entire life revolves around the Doctor, either doing things because she's ~destined~ to or because people are forcing her to, through brainwashing or otherwise. She never makes any decisions on her own, she's forced into them like she was forced into the astronaut's suit.

Or, like, adressing plotholes by retroactively deciding she was lying the whole time. Ugh.

YES. Ugh I hate this too. UGH WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT RIVER IF HALF THE STUFF SHE DOES IS A LIE OR SOMETHING SHE WON'T REMEMBER IN THE FIRST PLACE AGHHHHHH

She never makes any decisions on her own, she's forced into them like she was forced into the astronaut's suit.

Yep. What disturbs me so much about River's story as we go along is that all the bits and pieces where I thought she might have some agency, outside the predestined romantic relationship, ACTUALLY TURNS OUT THEY WERE ALSO CHOICES MADE BY A RANDOM ORGANIZATION AND/OR THE DOCTOR HAR HAR and I just ughhhhhhhhh. It's so gross. I never considered River Song the ~paragon of feminism~ that some corners of fandom do, but I certainly didn't find her plotline this horrific and offensive until this season.

LOL, no, baby is not a language. I'm guessing he can just tell what they're thinking through telepathy or something. Whatever it is, it's adorable.

THE SMELL OF DUST AFTER RAIN IS SO NOT A GOOD IDEA FOR A PERFUME. I've been thinking about that ever since I saw the episode, but I keep forgetting to mention it, so I'm really glad you brought it up.

First, yes to everything. Thoroughly enjoyed 95 percent of the episode prior to the wtf-why-your-face-Moffat-ending.

Second, while I would have enjoyed seeing author/artist Amy a thousand times more, because character development, how I miss you, I think the little girl in the shop just recognized Amy because her face is plastered on the wall in front of them, not because she's like someone crazy famous or CEO or whatever. I just accepted the names, because, at this point, I take what continuity I can get.

Third, my pet theory about Eleven's "death": It will be FOR REAL, and Season Seven will be backtracking through the ~missing 200 years. I'm not saying I'm excited about this; I just think that is the only way Moffat can write himself out of this plot-line without it being...adkfjhlaskjdhf. I don't even have an adjective for his endless ontologies of time anymore.

Fourth, I have been thinking over River and...I DO NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING. She says to Rory in TIA that the Doctor came to her when she was a little girl and knew everything about her and she was doomed forever. a) False, because apparently you remember nothing for your childhood!?! Or Mels years?! Because..otherwise you would remember being sent to assassinate the Doctor...??? But you have no memory of being an assassin!??! b) The Doctor never saved her as a child, because Mels meets the Doctor as an adult...despite River telling Amy and Rory at the end of AGMGTW that the Doctor would save their daughter...I mean, that's just the beginning. I, also, still, have never figured out how River appeared at the Ponds wedding to give Amy her blank diary when she should have never remembered the Doctor's existence this that was Amy's job... UGH! Seriously, I can suspend my belief for aliens and time-travel and wizards and horcruxes and SO MANY THINGS...but I just DO NOT UNDERSTAND how Melody Pond is supposed to be..anything!!

Oy. So, yeah, about her wedding. X_x

When Craig left Alfie with the Doctor I was pretty worried. I don't trust him with babies. Seriously, so many points would have been earned back for me if there was a line like "I promise I won't lose this one" somewhere in there.

And okay, is the injection they gave River supposed to put her in a weird sort of trance or something where she just kills him and then it makes her forget she did that? Or something? And I'm really confused where we are with her timeline. God, remember her in the beginning of S6, back when she was cool and we didn't know any of this other stupid crap? Feels like that was a completely different character. I have a hard time liking a character whose creator doesn't seem to bother with consistent characterization and uses her solely as a plot device.

The perfume thing annoyed me too, first I was like oh, maybe she... wrote a cool series of books fictionalizing her adventures, and that's where the kid recognized her! But she's a model? With her own perfume? Pretty sure straight-up models don't get to pick their own perfume campaigns so I'm still confused on that. I really hope she's famous for another thing and it isn't just that we aren't supposed to care (again).

Anyway I thought this episode was pretty fun, I love Craig and I enjoyed him being brought back. "You redecorated. I don't like it." "It's a different house. We moved." = probably my favorite exchange of the episode.

Edited at 2011-09-26 07:31 am (UTC)

I'm going to punch fandom in the face when I inevitably find people talking about how Eleven is so much better than Ten because he is all ~noble about his death and not whiny and emotional. BWAH!!!! Can I be there to watch when you do, please?

These episodes that hinge on the power of parental love seem to really emphasize, in a bad way, how few fucks Amy and Rory gave about Melody. Unless episode 13 ends with them magically getting their baby back, I am remain seriously unimpressed with everyone calling the thematic shots in this season.

OMG YES THIS!!! I'm seriously starting to wonder if this is a deliberate thing. Amy and Rory's emotions regarding Melody have been SO OBVIOUSLY ignored whilst themes like the one in this ep have been so strong that I can't help but think Moffat has done this deliberately for whatever reason that BETTER make sense next week.

I'm glad Gareth Roberts didn't disappoint, because I've been looking forward to this episode for ages! Well, except those last 5 minutes which had icky Moff fingerprints all over it. WHHHHYYYYYYY.

"BABY IS NOT A LANGUAGE /linguist rant"

UGH. YES.


"I just... can't with her whole plotline anymore."

*nod*