The Doctor, when we join him in the 2012 xmas special, had become, I feel, a slightly darker character. The last we saw he had just lost Amy and Rory and I have a feeling that he had lost River too. He says it himself that Madame Vastra, Strax and Jenny saw him through “The Dark Times”. I think in the period of time between the end of series 7a and the special quite some time has elapsed. Enough time for the Doctor to travel with River and have to send her to the library, enough time to know that she was gone.
River says that the last time she saw The Doctor, her Doctor, he turned up on her doorstep in a new suit and with his hair cut. It is probably no coincidence that his suit is noticeably different from the special onwards. It could just be me but after last nights episode I noticed that he had also been wearing a lot of black, could this be symbolic of his mourning?
Looking back on this part of the series I do get the feeling that we are with a much older Doctor, a Doctor that has lost his friends and his Wife, entrusting her to a younger version of himself. Knowing she was gone, knowing that he could go and say goodbye, but just not knowing how he could ever do it. He can’t talk about her because it hurts too much. It is clear to me now that the Doctor we see in series 7b is a widower.
I am so glad that River got her goodbye. I am glad it was made clear that he loved her and had mourned for her. I am glad because I genuinely don’t think that we have seen the last of her. Wibbley Wobbley Timey Wimey and all that, there is plenty of scope for her to make occasional appearances. To see those journeys together. To watch them run.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/03/manchester-police-goths-punks-hate-crime
I don’t know what to think of this to be honest. There was a time when I would of welcomed it as a step forward but I just can’t help seeing it as a step back these days.
I’m 30 years old. I’ve always been “alternative”. I’ve experienced a whole lot of hatred as a result of the way I am. I was shocked to my very core when news of the attack on Sophie and Rob and then the resulting death of Sophie broke. It was very apparent to me that it could of been someone I know, someone I love, It could of been my husband or myself and all those years of verbal and sometimes physical abuse came bubbling to the surface and the need to get this recognised as motivated by hate, to get it recognised as a real issue for our community, to get it recognised full stop became very apparent. When you’re part of a close knit community, as we all know the metal/alternative scene is, it was extraordinarily hard not to take this personally.
I went to the sentencing of those boys, I sat outside that court, I made black ribbons to sell to raise money for S.O.P.H.I.E, I still have and still wear my wristband, I supported and still support my community.
So I should be happy about this right? It’s finally being taken seriously. Well no, I’m not and I’m going to try and explain why.
Ok.
We aren’t special. There I said it.
We are people, the same as everyone else. To be given special consideration for crimes committed against us is counter productive to the real issue that we ARE just people, ordinary, boring old people. I don’t want to be “special”. I want to live in a society where any crime that is motivated by a persons appearance is taken seriously. I want to know that ANYONE who gets assaulted (verbally or physically) is going to have that crime taken seriously. Not just those who happen to fall into the category of “different”.
So whilst I take comfort in the fact that should anything happen to someone I know and love, it’s going to be taken seriously. I’m not happy that it has to be this way.
