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redneckgaijinSometimes a science fiction or fantasy story, or series, or whatever, asks the reader/viewer to suspend disbelief on something too absurd or outrageous. The result is that the reader/viewer, who most likely was a fan and supporter of the work beforehand, loses all ability to enjoy the work... or even to TOLERATE the work.
I call this the Pregnant Robot moment, in reference to the Battlestar Galactica revival and where I quit watching.
In order for something to be a Pregnant Robot moment, there MUST be some plot point or technical point too contrary to all common sense for the reader to continue. It's not enough to say, "My God, the writing on this SUCKS." There has to be a particular thing that makes the reader/viewer say, "That is STUPID. No. That is just FUCKING STUPID. There is NO FUCKING WAY. What kind of IDIOT is writing this? They are DEAD TO ME."
And I think, as regards the Steven Moffatt run of Doctor Who, I've hit that.
Bear in mind I've hated Moffatt from the word go. I like ZERO, NONE of the episodes he's written. I LOATHE his characterization of the Doctor. And I especially hate how almost EVERY EPISODE of his show requires an ass-pull of astronomical proportions for the heroes to win. But my love of Doctor Who in general has been enough to get me to grind my teeth and push through episode after episode I loathed.
Then I read this.
Um... the Statue of Liberty is a Weeping Angel?
SINCE THE FUCK WHEN CAN YOU PAY $12 TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND CLIMB UP INSIDE A GODDAMN WEEPING ANGEL??
No, I haven't seen the episode yet. I'm still deciding if, as a Who fan, I need to force myself to do so.
But I really do NOT want to. In fact, I don't want to watch another Matt Smith Who, or another Moffatt-written or Moffatt-produced Who, ever again.
This isn't even the first time. The Darkness monsters from "Silence in the Library", that can't be killed, that exist on every planet, and that yes can go out into the light if they REALLY WANT TO, are scared of the Doctor? Bullshit. The Doctor can be brought back from nonexistence by clapping for Tinker Bell? Come ON. A monster that, if you make an image of it, the image becomes real? SUPER BULLSHIT.
But I could get through the rest of it. I could make the choice to ignore the hand-waving and enjoy the enjoyable parts of the show.
With this one minor spoiler, though, there is no way on God's green Earth I can enjoy "The Angels Take Manhattan," or indeed any other Moffatt Who. (Not that I've been enjoying more than a handful of them in the first place.)
I've hit a Pregnant Robot moment.
(Another Pregnant Robot moment for me: Stargate: Atlantis season 2, where we discovered that being a Wraith was contagious and curable. Bullshit. And I quit watching. I quit SG-1 about the same time, but that was more because of the Ori and the show becoming Farscape SG-1 than any particular handwave, so it doesn't count as a Pregnant Robot moment.)
So: have you hit a Pregnant Robot with Who? Have you got any Pregnant Robots for other shows, books, etc.? Discuss.
I call this the Pregnant Robot moment, in reference to the Battlestar Galactica revival and where I quit watching.
In order for something to be a Pregnant Robot moment, there MUST be some plot point or technical point too contrary to all common sense for the reader to continue. It's not enough to say, "My God, the writing on this SUCKS." There has to be a particular thing that makes the reader/viewer say, "That is STUPID. No. That is just FUCKING STUPID. There is NO FUCKING WAY. What kind of IDIOT is writing this? They are DEAD TO ME."
And I think, as regards the Steven Moffatt run of Doctor Who, I've hit that.
Bear in mind I've hated Moffatt from the word go. I like ZERO, NONE of the episodes he's written. I LOATHE his characterization of the Doctor. And I especially hate how almost EVERY EPISODE of his show requires an ass-pull of astronomical proportions for the heroes to win. But my love of Doctor Who in general has been enough to get me to grind my teeth and push through episode after episode I loathed.
Then I read this.
Um... the Statue of Liberty is a Weeping Angel?
SINCE THE FUCK WHEN CAN YOU PAY $12 TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND CLIMB UP INSIDE A GODDAMN WEEPING ANGEL??
No, I haven't seen the episode yet. I'm still deciding if, as a Who fan, I need to force myself to do so.
But I really do NOT want to. In fact, I don't want to watch another Matt Smith Who, or another Moffatt-written or Moffatt-produced Who, ever again.
This isn't even the first time. The Darkness monsters from "Silence in the Library", that can't be killed, that exist on every planet, and that yes can go out into the light if they REALLY WANT TO, are scared of the Doctor? Bullshit. The Doctor can be brought back from nonexistence by clapping for Tinker Bell? Come ON. A monster that, if you make an image of it, the image becomes real? SUPER BULLSHIT.
But I could get through the rest of it. I could make the choice to ignore the hand-waving and enjoy the enjoyable parts of the show.
With this one minor spoiler, though, there is no way on God's green Earth I can enjoy "The Angels Take Manhattan," or indeed any other Moffatt Who. (Not that I've been enjoying more than a handful of them in the first place.)
I've hit a Pregnant Robot moment.
(Another Pregnant Robot moment for me: Stargate: Atlantis season 2, where we discovered that being a Wraith was contagious and curable. Bullshit. And I quit watching. I quit SG-1 about the same time, but that was more because of the Ori and the show becoming Farscape SG-1 than any particular handwave, so it doesn't count as a Pregnant Robot moment.)
So: have you hit a Pregnant Robot with Who? Have you got any Pregnant Robots for other shows, books, etc.? Discuss.
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Date: 2012-10-02 03:44 pm (UTC)In the Matrix series, I very nearly didn't watch the third movie at all, and it took me years to force myself to do so. The pregnant Robot in that one was when, at the end of the second film, Neo suddenly has SUPAR MAGIC EMP POWARS outside of the Matrix. Nope, fuck that, done.
Dr. Who is a pregnant Robot from the word GO, for me. Mel loves it, I try not to watch it at all. I cannot suspend disbelief enough to enjoy something that is so patently Science Fantasy, heavy on the latter and extremely light on the former.
no subject
Date: 2012-10-01 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-02 06:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-01 11:53 pm (UTC)