Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Why I Am Blog-Blocked and What I am Watching

Oh blog, I haven't forgotten you. I just don't know quite what to do with you. These are my hangups:

1. What do I even talk about? Do I talk about work? Family? Students? Daily life in Broken Arrow? I'm don't know what to focus on and, when I do think of something, I end up being conflicted about whether it is appropriate to write about it all, whether that is due to privacy issues (students/teaching), professional concerns (community college, never-ending admin stuff), or kindness worries (how does anyone ever publish a memoir without pissing off everyone they know?). So, I think about things, and then I let them slide out of my brain as I rush off to watch my nieces at gymnastics practice.

2. I don't know how to write about things without a text in front of me. I need a text in front of me in order to feel qualified about making any claims. I wonder about things I see, situations that seem particular to the community college experience, or to the Oklahoma-life experience, but I can't help but feel...uncomfortable about making any broader claims based on those first hand experiences, or even knowing exactly how to articulate them as experiences, without attempting to put them into a context, or get some background info, or compare them to a greater statistical sample. I guess that's just my training.

3. I'm trying to figure out a way to bring these two issues together, or at least use the second issue to address the first. I mostly keep thinking about "coming home" texts I could analyze. There could be an entire Bruce Springsteen Day! And weeks upon weeks about Dr Who! More on that later, I hope.

As for now, I figure I might as well jump into the TV pool. I made it, what? 4 posts. Longer than I thought I might. So, here's what I'm watching/preparing to watch:

1. The Good Wife - strong opener, fast-paced (maybe a little too much?), still one of the strongest examples of how to construct a good narrative on conventional TV (or any TV, really)

2. Castle - I love it. I don't care if its groundbreaking TV (though there is a paper to be written there). A little concerned about the new showrunner, but I gotta believe.

3. Forever - watched an ep tonight. Liked it. Will watch again.

4. Dr Who - I am out of control into it. Why did I wait so long? I am so in love with River that everything else kind of takes a backseat. Tbh, I am still working my way through the seasons. Despite everything I believe in and hold dear, I haven't watched the episodes in order. I watched the first season, then jumped into the middle of the Matt Smith years, and I am now watching the Tennant and Capaldi eps alongside each other. It'll eventually all join up in the middle, much like the relationship between 11 and River, but hopefully without the epic heartbreak. There's something about the relationship that both River and 11 have to death and to finitude that I just can't shake. I'll do a whole post on it this weekend, I think.

I like Tennant a lot, increasingly so, and I think Capaldi is terrific (Listen was a great episode), but 11 is my doctor. And those Ponds! They got me with that group.

5. Started Season 3 of Damages to watch on the treadmill. Still interesting, can't-turn-away TV.

10 comments:

  1. Have you seen this? http://rebeccaamoore.com/2014/05/29/university-study-on-sexism-in-bbcs-doctor-who-infographic/

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  2. I hadn't seen that in particular, but I've heard the debate. It's interesting, and well-argued, though I disagree pretty strongly with some of its assumptions and almost all of its conclusions. I also don't really like the whole RTD vs Moffat thing, though, admittedly, I came into the show pretty strongly in the Moffat years, and with the Ponds, so perhaps that sways me more towards them. I do think the tone and the focus changed, but, tbh, until I heard about this Moffat-is-sexist arguments, I always really thought Rose and Martha were way more dependent and undeveloped as characters compared to Amy and River. Not that I don't like Rose and Martha, because I do (Rose is especially endearing over the years), but it baffles me that they are held up as somehow more appropriately feminist. I'd be interested to know exactly to whom and about what both Rose and Martha were talking when it wasn't Dr-related. One of the reasons we only see River in relation to the Doctor is because she only pops into the show when she crosses the Dr's timeline. The rest of the time, she's off digging through tombs on her own. And one of the things I love about Amy is how rare and wonderful it is to see the lead in a show paired with a couple, who are totally into each other and not romantically into him. It was so refreshing, and definitely not what we got from Rose or Martha. I think Donna is a particularly interesting character, though, and do wish we had more time with her. But I do think that the Moffat years changed thematic focus - more focused on friendship and relationship even in the face of death, rather than relationship inevitably severed by death; more the Doctor as a fallible almost-human man, rather than the Doctor as a raging, guilt-ridden god. Again, I like Tennant a lot, but there was just a different moral focus to the show, which has repercussions for how all of the characters function, men and women alike. I think 11 is probably way more relationship-y, feel-goody, talks about his friends and his loves, compared to 10. But then, I think it comes down to a problem with the blanket application of the Bechdel test, which doesn't allow much nuance, and certainly doesn't allow for a finer attention to narrative, particularly in a world where human/reptile relationships aren't out of the question. :) What do you think?

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  3. I started watching with 9 and binge-watched until 11 when I finally caught up with the live broadcasts. Donna was my favorite and her relationship with 10 was heartbreaking for me. Rose annoyed me. Martha ending up with Mickey seemed totally racist "these characters are black so they totes belong together." I loved Rory, but have issues with Amy Pond because she is not worthy of Rory the Roman. I agree about River Song and I truly enjoyed the Ponds story. And while I like Clara and her smarts, I take issue with Moffat changing the canon and putting her into the Doctor's timeline from the beginning. I loved that the TARDIS chose the Doctor (The Doctor's Wife - AMAZING Gaiman episode). I've not seen any of 12, as I cannot afford any more cable channels. But I love Capaldi so was thrilled with this choice.

    Your analysis was more elegant. Of course. And now I must binge watch from the beginning. Again.

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  4. Lol. I can't stop thinking about that link, and then another article a friend sent me comparing River/11 to Twilight. Which then caused me to stumble into all the anti-Moffat, Moffat-is-a-sexist debates, and now I think I am going to pitch an article to Tor because I am so freaking annoyed by it all. :)

    I have just made it to "Silence in the LIbrary" and am totally resisting watching it, as it is the beginning of the end (and the beginning of the beginning, I guess) of my beloved River and I am just not quite reader for it. Plus, tumblr has provided me with all the necessary gifs, so I can put it off for a bit. And, FWIW, I am loving Capaldi, though I do miss 11 tremendously.

    I want to do a binge watch, too, where I pay way more attention than I did at the beginning!

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  5. Yup, I knew it would stick with you, just like it did with me. It made me look at Sherlock in a different way as well. Dammit.

    I'm gonna skip all the pig aliens episodes. those totally sucked. Don't BLINK.

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  6. And I would totally watch a River Song spin-off show. Give it to me now.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Yeah, I have a lot more problems with Sherlock than I do with Who, especially that last season of Sherlock. In addition to the gender politics, I just think the story-telling isn't as strong. The actors are great, though.

      Sign me up for The Adventures of River Song. I know she was up to all kinds of shit when she wasn't with the Doctor.

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  7. your comment must have been pretty fantastic for you to have removed it.

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