Maybe baby..?

[caz963]

I've tried to hide spoilers in this. I'm not saying anything that's not in the public domain, but just in case...

Okay. As a way of trying to stop myself from thinking too hard about what might or might not happen in next week's DW, and about what might be this (highlight to read) thing that will make us look at the series' mythology differently (according to the current issue of DWM) I've decided to post about something that's been bothering me increasingly over the past few weeks.



If you love Amy, you might want to stop reading this right now. Please bear in mind that I'm expressing AN OPINION - which doesn't happen to be favourable towards her; but I'm always happy to hear opinions that differ from mine when expressed politely :-)



I know it's a contentious issue, and I'm sure there's an explanation - but for some reason, I'm really unhappy about the pregnancy plotline.

I've been trying to work out just why it bothers me so much, and I really can't quite put my finger on it, so if any of you have any ideas/comments/similar concerns, I'd be really glad to hear them as it might help me to reach a conclusion that makes sense rather than just being a "because I don't like it" answer.

What I've come up so far is this.

1. I don't think pregnancy has ever been touched on in DW before in this way (i.e, one of the main characters being/not being preggers). Not that "it's never been done" is a reason NOT to do something, but I'm just not comfortable with pregnancy being made, well - A Plot Point. And then, I'm not comfortable with it being made into A Plot Point in a show of this nature. I hesitate to get into the "it's a kid's snow / it's a family show" argument, but it's undeniable that a large proportion of the audience is made up of younger viewers and IMO, it's just not the sort of storyline in which kids are likely to be all that interested.

2. Chatting to a friend earlier, she said "I don't think Amy even loves Rory, so why should I care if she's pregnant?"
For me, that's part of it, but it's also yet another instance of Amy being used as a means to further the plot rather than being made into a fully rounded character. I know we're only three episodes into s6, but I'd hoped I'd be able to warm to her more this series as she's now "back on track" - she's not the girl whose life doesn't make sense any more; she has a family, she has Rory (although God knows why - she treats him like shite) and I thought that now that mystery has been cleared up, she'd be easier to like.

Sadly, that hasn't happened yet. At best, she's not annoying me as much so far, but I suspect that's just becasue having a Team of Three instead of Two means she gets a bit less screen time

3. This show isn't called Amy Pond. Once again, we're being hammered over the head with how SPESHUL Amy is while still being given no real reason as to why we should think so. Or rather, why we should think she's MOAR speshul than any of the Doctor's other companions. Moffat has already said (highlight)that something will happen which will change Amy and the Doctor's relationship forever ... which would mean a lot more if I actually gave a damn about her. As with the last series, I think he's so preoccupied with making her fit with the demands of the plot that he's forgotten to give her a character. And he's doing the same thing again with the "is she or isn't she?" thing - placing her somehow at the centre of things for no (as yet) discernible reason. Donna Noble may have been referred to as the most important woman in the history of creation, but that came pretty late on in the series and even Donna herself thought it was bollocks. And while one could argue that with both Amy and Donna, their "special-ness" was becuase they happened to be in the right place at the right time, I think it's also true to say that Donna showed her awesome pretty early on, knowing when to push and when to let something go; "don't you hurt him"; "you can stop now" - and so on.

Whereas with Amy - EVERYTHING about her (supposed) "special-ness" is to do with her being in the right place at the right time. She was "odd" and knew so many things about the Doctor that she really shouldn't have - her life didn't make sense because the universe had been bleeding into her head through the cracks. And now... it seems there's another Plot revolving around where she is and the company she keeps.

I know there are people out there who love her and think she's awesome, but I still can't see it. I keep hoping...

4. I'm not mushy when it comes to babies or kids, but I do think that being pregnant is an incredible thing and as I've said above, I'm just not comfortable with it being made into A Plot Device. I know that some shows do it all the time - but this isn't Eastenders. I've seen all the theories about alternate time lines etc. and they're interesting and may turn out to be correct but at the end of the day, it all boils down to one thing.

If Amy is pregnant (and either knows on some level that she is, or suspects she is) then she's being a tad irresponsible running around the universe, fighting pirates and facing Certain Death on a regular basis.

And okay, so she might NOT be pregnant. But the point is that she MIGHT be - and as anyone who has been trying to conceive will tell you, even at the point where you don't know either way, you're beginning to exercise caution and do everything you can to minimise risks to that (possible) life.

And also - what the hell is the Doctor doing? This is a man who values life in all its forms to the extent that he would - and has, frequently - put himself in harm's way to protect even ONE life. Whatever Amy knows or suspects or doesn't know - HE KNOWS. He knows she might be expecting a child and yet makes no attempt to ... maybe not dissuade her or persuade her to go home - at the very least, suggest she takes a pregnancy test!

So there you have it. Anyone else out there got any similar concerns?

Comments

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

Whatever Amy knows or suspects or doesn't know - HE KNOWS. He knows she might be expecting a child and yet makes no attempt to ... maybe not dissuade her or persuade her to go home - at the very least, suggest she takes a pregnancy test!

I don't think a test would work, he seems to have already tested her with the scan. I do wonder why he's not said anything to her though, that seems a bit much to keep from a companion. I hope there's a good reason for it all.

It's a weird thing to have as a plot point, innit? It's a bit fanficcy (and I say that as someone who constantly writes babyfic) and... yeah, I'm just waiting to see how it goes.

As for the other stuff, I like Amy a lot but her relationship with Rory just bores me so when they're being all lovely I just stop paying attention. It's so... normal.

[kilodalton]

As with the last series, I think he's so preoccupied with making her fit with the demands of the plot that he's forgotten to give her a character.

This is just what Moffat DOES, and I've learned to ignore it.

* Take TEC/TDD, where Rose starts whining about "gimme some Spock" and being flirty with Nine, neither of which she ever does again
* Take GITF, where everyone acts like a pod person ... Ten and Rose forget they're into each other (and he goes goo-goo for someone who is never mentioned ever again), Rose forgets she is jealous as a major character trait in the previous ep (and will be jealous in the next ep, and in TSE), Rose and Mickey forget that he's not really wanted aboard (which again, is kinda the whole point behind him staying behind in a parallel world in the very next 2-parter!!!!)
* Take Blink, where the normally reticent Martha starts whining/nagging at Ten both times she is onscreen, neither of which she ever does again

Etc, etc, etc

Moffat comes up with a plot, and crams the characters into it, characterization and emotional arcs be damned. It's a big reason I can't stand him.

[annissamazing]

One of the main criticisms I hear against Moffat is that he's a sexist. The statements he makes about his characters all seem to point to him believing that women are for sex and babies. Period.

So, when I see that one of the major plot points in this season is that Amy is pregnant, I'm annoyed. It's not that I have a problem with babies or pregnancy (I happily read babyfic), it's that I expect it from Moffat. I want Moffat to break out of this idea of women's lives revolving around finding a husband and getting pregnant. That, while pregnancy and motherhood is wonderful, it's not the sum total of what we, as women, are. I want Moffat to surprise me. I want a well-rounded female character. Right now, Amy is a leggy cardboard cutout. Which is weird since the series appears to be revolving around her right now.

[bexatious.livejournal.com]

You do realise it's all explainable in this: Moffat is a misogynist. He knows he's got to have a woman in a show but has no idea how to write one that actually makes sense. He just throws everything at it and hope something works because he SERIOUSLY doesn't know/care about women.

[bexatious.livejournal.com]

Also, despite trying to hide the spoilers, you kinda dropped massive hints in the subject of your post. Not that I care bc I don't watch the show, but some others might.

[kiss-me-cassie.livejournal.com]

Do you know mcamy? She had a really good post today about why she has troubles with 11. Mainly that she could see what motivated and made 9 and 10 tick, but 11... eh. He's too murky. And in his 2nd series in, shouldn't you have an inkling by now? (Maybe not. I have not idea if they explored that with previous Doctors. Or if it made a difference with them.)

I think the not knowing about 11, coupled with all of the above about Amy, is why I'm having such a hard time with Who in general lately. I still *like* it, but I can't be bothered to run to the tivo on Sundays or to look round the 'net for spoilers or reactions anymore. It's no longer an obsession, but merely an enjoyable hour of tv for me.

[katherine-b.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister.

And actually this is the second time Amy is pregnant, and that previous occasion actually meant something even though it actually happened in a dream world. This just seemed like an occasion for the world to revolve around Amy (at least during her announcement of it to the Doctor at the cliff-hanging moment) when she had to stop the Doctor from saving everyone else to tell him something that, in the end, wasn't. As you say, we suddenly have pregnancy as an issue when it wasn't before. It's almost as if Moff is not just saying how SPESHUL Amy is, but also clubbing us over the head with the fact that she's female.

I can't care about Amy either. I bitterly hate how it's become The Companion instead of Doctor Who. I never even bought that Donna was The Most Important, but at least she had a lot of moments of brilliance that showed how she earned that title. Amy is the biggest Deu ex Machina I've ever seen. She has to be brave and heroic, but she has to be captured and the centre of attention by the bad guy. She has to understand ramblings from Eleven that not even River can (and don't get me started on her!) but she has to be dumb when the necessary moment exists as well. She simply doesn't seem to have a character, and this is quite apart from the fact that she hasn't changed or grown in the slightest since we first saw her in Eleventh Hour. The lack of character development in this series has made me roll my eyes.

I'm afraid I don't think this version of the Doctor cares about mankind as much as about Amy. The rest of the Universe can go to hell as long as she's all right. If she's pregnant, it will give the Doctor lots of chances to be angry with everyone else if they threaten her. And if that's the storyline that Moff is pursuing, it just gives me even more reason to stop watching it until either she leaves or Eleven regenerates.