Sci-Fi Shenanigans

One step forward, 14 steps back

WARNING: This entry is somewhat spoilery. If you have seen Season Three of nuWho or do not plan on watching it, you should be good to go here.

As work continues to drain me of my sanity, I keep thinking about fanfic, namely reading it. Aside from a roughly 1500 original () story, I haven't really had time to write. However, I have been considering what project to tackle when I do get some time. There are original projects, to be sure, but I have been revisiting fanfic WIPs. Now I have written fanfic since I wrote "I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them." , but it hasn't been much. I did write a Doctor Who fic prior to my wedding, and I did develop the skeleton outline for a series branching from that piece.What is that story? Sleep to Dream  . Despite not many people liking the episodes that inspired this story, I felt the two parter had a lot of diamonds in the rough. In particular, there was a characterization aspect that I felt was lost on a lot of people. See, when watching these episodes, I thought Martha was a lot more competent and less focused on the Doctor Who...because of Frank's presence.

Some people may bitch about Frank's accent not being accurately Southern, but I have no quibble with it. I think the decision to cast an Anglo-American actor was smart, and Andrew brought a refreshing intelligence to the role, making Frank a force to be reckoned with over the course of the story. With that, Frank also struck me as somewhat ahead of his time. True, there is the fact that the leader of his particular Hooverville camp was black. However, Frank took to Martha and could keep up with her mentally right off the bat. I thought Frank was a very fascinating character that deserved a lot more exploration than he was granted, which is one reason I wrote "Sleep to Dream". The thing that really grabbed my attention when rewatching this episode, though, was that whenever Martha was with him, she seemed more confident and focused. Her unrequited affection for the Doctor was a constant undercurrent throughout Season 3, and it really muddled her characterization. Most of the time, she seemed to either be mooning over the Doctor in a melodramatic fashion or being frazzled when he wasn't there to tell her what to do. These two episodes were an exception. When she was in Frank's presence, she could think on her feet and perform under pressure. I think Frank's genuine respect for her catalyzed a boost of confidence that faded as soon as he was out of the picture. Even in a platonic sense, Frank was a surprisingly good match for Martha. "Sleep to Dream" leaves the door open for interpretation for the dynamic between these two, although the plan for the series is to have them grow closer.

This is the thing that irritates me about characterization in Doctor Who. Fans and showrunners alike overlook characterization tactics that can really develop female characters. I'm annoyed that Martha got shafted as she did because she could have been a great character. As it is, I prefer her because she's a more intellectually ambitious sort (moreso than Rose, who I can deal with but don't necessarily like). From an emotional development standpoint, the creative staff chose to have her focus on the Doctor too much, who I was okay with at first but find kind of nauseates me now. On the other hand, the only way they could have gotten more out of Frank is if he somehow got on board the TARDIS. Hey, I wouldn't mind, but it certainly would have altered some career trajectories. Actually, that's not so bad sounding. It would have kept Andrew out of that multimillion dollar hot mess known as the upcoming Spiderman movie, and he'd get more roles like Boy A (not at all sci-fi but definitely worth watching). Um, anyway. The point is, Martha could have gotten over her puppy crush on the Doctor more quickly with Frank's help, and from what I've heard about Season 4, she would have been less delusional/neurotic. I also think Frank would have been able to adjust to the 21st Century. It might have taken a bit, but I think he could have managed.

So of all the fanfic ideas I'm tossing around in my head, the next story in this Martha/Frank series is most likely to come next. I don't know how long it will take, though. I'm taking about half of Season 3 and rewriting the adventures to include Frank in some capacity. This involves numerous rewatchings and trying to figure out how I can make this work with the Doctor having two companions. And there is that little issue of the Doctor. Characterizing Ten is difficult, and I'm not sure why. I do think him witnessing the developments between Martha and Frank would throw him off his game and force him to face some of his other problems. Did I also mention there's another non-Timelord who can see across time? She will be introduced in this next story, once I figure out how to approach 42. Martha's characterization in that episode was as flimsy as tissue paper, and I'm not standing for that shit.