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More Martha
This is an addendum to my Martha post last week.
I'm feeling the need to pick at how TPTB have handled Martha's unrequited love. And...it's not good. I seriously think I could have been sympathetic to Martha if they'd wanted to portray it that way. However, the unrequited love was coupled *very* closely with this overshadowing jealousy of the ghost of Rose. Martha got incensed very quickly about it, and just has never stopped being offended that the whole Rose thing even existed. (I'm totally reminded of that Futurama quote: "You lived before you met me?!" "Yeah, lots of people did." "Really?!")
Now I know that many probably liked Martha's comments in Utopia, since they themselves are tired of the Rose references - Martha gives them a voice. And the Doctor's supposed to move on, after all. (But not too sure New Who's terribly interested in that "move on" concept, what with Jack waiting 100+ years just to try and find the Doctor.)
But really, to me Martha's comments come off as petty and a bit...mad. Take a look.
Smith & Jones: The Doctor mentions he traveled with someone named Rose who is now happy with her family.
The Shakespeare Code: After knowing Martha a sum total of a day, the Doctor mentions Rose to her, talking about thinking she'd know the answer to the puzzle Martha wasn't even trying to help him solve.
Since then, the Doctor has not brought up Rose to Martha even once. Next reference Martha brought her up (Gridlock), to which she immediately got snitty. And I always subtext the Doctor's reaction there as, "Holy crap. I am totally never bringing up Rose to you again." And he hasn't. Other references have had other people always the ones to bring her up first - John Smith, Jack and even Martha herself.
Martha is right in thinking that the Doctor's hearts are most definitely elsewhere. But she's also built up this whole reality for herself where the ghost of Rose is this other woman who's stealing her man. That if the memory of Rose wasn't around, *then* the Doctor would love her. And this is the part that completely alludes me. Martha's off in this *very* weird place. The Doctor doesn't love Martha like that, and Martha *knows* he doesn't love her like that. But yet she immediately goes into bitch-mode the second Rose gets mentioned. Maybe![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
butterfly is right - Martha's got issues involving her mother, her dad, and her dad's blonde girlfriend. Of course, we don't know since they've been loving keeping us in the dark as far as Martha motivation goes this series.
But I wonder if Martha's stopped to consider that even if Rose had never existed, perhaps the Doctor *still* wouldn't fall madly in love with her. The Doctor's companion-stamp-of-approval isn't falling in love with them. Nor does he fall in love with people just because they're brave, or fearless or pretty. Of course, maybe it's just easier to blame Rose.
However, hopefully they've written it where Martha's beginning to see the light. (I know. I think I've said that after just about every episode this series.) But I keep thinking that she *could* be really good for the Doctor, once she's past the whole "love me" thing. Jack showed off an element that the Doctor needs in a companion. Oh sure, that brave, kick-ass pseudo-action-hero is fairly standard companion issue. But he really needs that "You're supposed to say you're sorry" and "Get your fingers out of the marmalade!" thing. He needs someone to point out the watches he can't see. And so far, because of her "I don't care if he ever looks at me because I love him to bits," Martha's been a Chantho to his Professor.
I'm feeling the need to pick at how TPTB have handled Martha's unrequited love. And...it's not good. I seriously think I could have been sympathetic to Martha if they'd wanted to portray it that way. However, the unrequited love was coupled *very* closely with this overshadowing jealousy of the ghost of Rose. Martha got incensed very quickly about it, and just has never stopped being offended that the whole Rose thing even existed. (I'm totally reminded of that Futurama quote: "You lived before you met me?!" "Yeah, lots of people did." "Really?!")
Now I know that many probably liked Martha's comments in Utopia, since they themselves are tired of the Rose references - Martha gives them a voice. And the Doctor's supposed to move on, after all. (But not too sure New Who's terribly interested in that "move on" concept, what with Jack waiting 100+ years just to try and find the Doctor.)
But really, to me Martha's comments come off as petty and a bit...mad. Take a look.
Smith & Jones: The Doctor mentions he traveled with someone named Rose who is now happy with her family.
The Shakespeare Code: After knowing Martha a sum total of a day, the Doctor mentions Rose to her, talking about thinking she'd know the answer to the puzzle Martha wasn't even trying to help him solve.
Since then, the Doctor has not brought up Rose to Martha even once. Next reference Martha brought her up (Gridlock), to which she immediately got snitty. And I always subtext the Doctor's reaction there as, "Holy crap. I am totally never bringing up Rose to you again." And he hasn't. Other references have had other people always the ones to bring her up first - John Smith, Jack and even Martha herself.
Martha is right in thinking that the Doctor's hearts are most definitely elsewhere. But she's also built up this whole reality for herself where the ghost of Rose is this other woman who's stealing her man. That if the memory of Rose wasn't around, *then* the Doctor would love her. And this is the part that completely alludes me. Martha's off in this *very* weird place. The Doctor doesn't love Martha like that, and Martha *knows* he doesn't love her like that. But yet she immediately goes into bitch-mode the second Rose gets mentioned. Maybe
butterfly is right - Martha's got issues involving her mother, her dad, and her dad's blonde girlfriend. Of course, we don't know since they've been loving keeping us in the dark as far as Martha motivation goes this series.But I wonder if Martha's stopped to consider that even if Rose had never existed, perhaps the Doctor *still* wouldn't fall madly in love with her. The Doctor's companion-stamp-of-approval isn't falling in love with them. Nor does he fall in love with people just because they're brave, or fearless or pretty. Of course, maybe it's just easier to blame Rose.
However, hopefully they've written it where Martha's beginning to see the light. (I know. I think I've said that after just about every episode this series.) But I keep thinking that she *could* be really good for the Doctor, once she's past the whole "love me" thing. Jack showed off an element that the Doctor needs in a companion. Oh sure, that brave, kick-ass pseudo-action-hero is fairly standard companion issue. But he really needs that "You're supposed to say you're sorry" and "Get your fingers out of the marmalade!" thing. He needs someone to point out the watches he can't see. And so far, because of her "I don't care if he ever looks at me because I love him to bits," Martha's been a Chantho to his Professor.