#my computer isn't displaying the red heart properly for me so i just went with the closest one

[thevalleyisjolly]

❤️&💔 for the unpopular opinions?

❤: Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but there's a consistent tendency to flatten Martha's character into either perfect competent girlboss or cruelly rejected love interest, both of which does a huge disservice to her character. A recurring theme in her character arc is how she, again and again, is expected to be a perfect competent girlboss, navigating whatever challenges are thrown at her with innate capability. And she tries her best again and again to meet these overwhelming situations that get thrust upon her, until at the end, she realizes that she has the power and the right to say no. That yes, she's good at what she does and she is capable of more than she thought, but she can choose for herself what she wants to do. She's allowed to have boundaries, she's allowed to define her own boundaries, and importantly, she doesn't have to be alone within those boundaries. She can ask for help when she needs it, she can invite people in on her terms, she can decide what types of relationships she wants to have with others.

Meanwhile, the other end of the spectrum, the helpless love interest, is also an incredibly reductive interpretation of Martha's actual relationship with Ten. Yes, Martha had feelings for Ten which he doesn't return. Yes, Ten was often incredibly thoughtless about how his actions could be understood by others. Yes, Martha's unreturned feelings were explicitly acknowledged by her several times, including in her leaving speech to Ten. But leaving aside the fact that both of them knew from the beginning that Ten wasn't interested in pursuing a romantic relationship, there's simply so much more to their dynamic than unrequited feelings. They are very similar people, both highly intelligent, observant and curious, with a methodical puzzle-like approach to problem solving - they take all the little bits and pieces and work out conclusions or solutions based on what they know. Both of them are generous people with an instinct to help, both enjoy an intrepid impulse for thrill and risk, both have a natural authoritative streak that helps them to take charge in a crisis, and both have gotten used to (even comfortable with) living as a martyr. Notably, both are inherently reticent individuals who keep their deeper feelings hidden behind the personas expected of them, but at the same time, both have an irrepressible desire for others to recognize their intelligence. They will play the part of the underdog to get the job done, but they enjoy their aha! moment of reveal/moment in the sun when the time comes. These similarities in character create a fascinating understated relationship where they don't often openly push each other to be better, but they do show each other that they can be and they have to be better, like looking into a mirror of what you could be (both the good things and the bad). Also, even without the romantic feelings, they just really clicked from the beginning. Whatever your stance on the romantic elements of Ten/Martha, I think you have to admit that they are good mates who get along (which far from excluding the potential of romance, encourages it because you should be really good friends with the person you love).

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

I don't think there's any major character that are truly out of place in the narrative (although there are certainly major characters that are so underdeveloped that they may as well not have a place in the narrative *coughChibnalleracough*). So going by sheer pettiness, I'm sorry, it's going to have to be the War Doctor. I've come around a lot on the War Doctor, I respect that Moffat tried his hardest to get Christopher Eccleston to sign on for the 50th and it didn't happen so he had to come up with an alternative, and I do think each showrunner is entitled to one big regeneration-fuckery freebie. That being said, Paul McGann. That being said, the anniversary didn't have to be about the Time War, especially if you couldn't get either Eccleston or McGann. Ten years later, I accept the necessary role of the War Doctor for the script that Moffat wrote, I just reject the premise of the script itself