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mirrorshard) wrote2007-07-18 12:07 pm
mirrorshard) wrote2007-07-18 12:07 pm
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Kylie (and other women) in Doctor Who
The first still of Kylie Minogue in this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special has been released.
They really do have a thing about getting the female characters into servants' roles, don't they? Rose had to do it twice (as a dinner-lady in School Reunion and then as a waitress in Rise of the Cybermen - for her own parents no less), Martha had to scrub floors all through Human Nature and The Family of Blood, the Master sets Martha's mother to work as a cleaner in Last of the Time Lords - any I've forgotten?
Some of them, like Tish and Donna, get to be secretaries/PAs to powerful men instead. Lucy Saxon got to be the abused trophy wife. (Incidentally, did anyone else find it a bit creepy and repulsive that people were letching over her in that red dress?)
Actually, let's do this properly. Well, properlyish - this is from memory, on the rather tenuous basis that if I can't remember a character she isn't important enough for her status to be part of a theme. I'm counting returning characters each time, but not re-counting recurring ones.
S1
Rose: Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler. Shopgirl and NVMS mother respectively. 1/2
The End of the World: Cassandra, Jabe. 0/2
The Unquiet Dead: Gwyneth. 1/1 - another authentic maidservant.
Aliens of London/World War III: Harriet, Blon Fel Fotch. 0/2
Dalek: 0/1 (debatable)
The Long Game: 1/2 I think. Bit hazy.
Father's Day: no noticeable new characters, really.
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances: 0/1
Boom Town: 1/1
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways: we've got a game show contestant and a minor bureaucrat. I'm giving this 1/2.
The Christmas Invasion: Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. 0/1
S2
New Earth: We see not only catgirls, but subservient catgirl nurses. 1/3
Tooth and Claw: Well, we've got Queen Victoria. What more do you need? 0/2
School Reunion: We've got some random dinner ladies and teachers, plus our Sarah Jane. 2/3
The Girl in the Fireplace: Mme de Pompadour. Royal mistress. 1/1
Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel: Alt!Jackie Tyler, rich man's wife. Alt!Mickey's gran. Mrs Moore. 1/3
Idiot's Lantern: Mother, grandmother, eeevil TV alien. 0/3
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit: Ida (scientist), Scooti (maintenance trainee). 1/2
Love and Monsters: Three female LINDA members. I don't recall any of them being particularly strong, but none are explicitly in subservient roles. 0/3
Fear Her: Mother, small girl, ignored old woman. Domestic roles, but I haven't been counting those. 0/3
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday: Yvonne, Adeola. 0/2
The Runaway Bride: Donna (secretary), the Racnoss Queen. 0/2
S3
Smith and Jones: Martha, another medical student, Florence the Plasmavore. 0/3
The Shakespeare Code: Three witches, one of whom disguises herself as a serving wench. A quickly-murdered maid. Queen Elizabeth I. 2/5
Gridlock: Another subservient catgirl nurse. Four wives. Sally Calpyso, the announcer. 1/5
Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks: Tallulah, the showgirl. 1/1
The Lazarus Experiment: Tish, Lady Thaw. 1/2
42: Three female crew, including the Captain, and Mr Saxon's flunkey. 0/4
Human Nature/The Family of Blood: Jenny (maid), Joan (matron), a small girl, two female aliens. 2/5
Blink: Sally, Kathy. 0/2
Utopia: Chantho (research assistant in love with her professor), a refugee, a Futurekind woman. 1/3
The Sound of Drums: Lucy Saxon (political wife), Vivien Rook (journalist who allegedly wants to interview Lucy about all the personal issues that come with being a political wife). 2/2
Last of the Time Lords: Professor Docherty, Francine and Tish as maids, Lucy as victim. 3/4
They really do have a thing about getting the female characters into servants' roles, don't they? Rose had to do it twice (as a dinner-lady in School Reunion and then as a waitress in Rise of the Cybermen - for her own parents no less), Martha had to scrub floors all through Human Nature and The Family of Blood, the Master sets Martha's mother to work as a cleaner in Last of the Time Lords - any I've forgotten?
Some of them, like Tish and Donna, get to be secretaries/PAs to powerful men instead. Lucy Saxon got to be the abused trophy wife. (Incidentally, did anyone else find it a bit creepy and repulsive that people were letching over her in that red dress?)
Actually, let's do this properly. Well, properlyish - this is from memory, on the rather tenuous basis that if I can't remember a character she isn't important enough for her status to be part of a theme. I'm counting returning characters each time, but not re-counting recurring ones.
S1
Rose: Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler. Shopgirl and NVMS mother respectively. 1/2
The End of the World: Cassandra, Jabe. 0/2
The Unquiet Dead: Gwyneth. 1/1 - another authentic maidservant.
Aliens of London/World War III: Harriet, Blon Fel Fotch. 0/2
Dalek: 0/1 (debatable)
The Long Game: 1/2 I think. Bit hazy.
Father's Day: no noticeable new characters, really.
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances: 0/1
Boom Town: 1/1
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways: we've got a game show contestant and a minor bureaucrat. I'm giving this 1/2.
The Christmas Invasion: Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. 0/1
S2
New Earth: We see not only catgirls, but subservient catgirl nurses. 1/3
Tooth and Claw: Well, we've got Queen Victoria. What more do you need? 0/2
School Reunion: We've got some random dinner ladies and teachers, plus our Sarah Jane. 2/3
The Girl in the Fireplace: Mme de Pompadour. Royal mistress. 1/1
Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel: Alt!Jackie Tyler, rich man's wife. Alt!Mickey's gran. Mrs Moore. 1/3
Idiot's Lantern: Mother, grandmother, eeevil TV alien. 0/3
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit: Ida (scientist), Scooti (maintenance trainee). 1/2
Love and Monsters: Three female LINDA members. I don't recall any of them being particularly strong, but none are explicitly in subservient roles. 0/3
Fear Her: Mother, small girl, ignored old woman. Domestic roles, but I haven't been counting those. 0/3
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday: Yvonne, Adeola. 0/2
The Runaway Bride: Donna (secretary), the Racnoss Queen. 0/2
S3
Smith and Jones: Martha, another medical student, Florence the Plasmavore. 0/3
The Shakespeare Code: Three witches, one of whom disguises herself as a serving wench. A quickly-murdered maid. Queen Elizabeth I. 2/5
Gridlock: Another subservient catgirl nurse. Four wives. Sally Calpyso, the announcer. 1/5
Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks: Tallulah, the showgirl. 1/1
The Lazarus Experiment: Tish, Lady Thaw. 1/2
42: Three female crew, including the Captain, and Mr Saxon's flunkey. 0/4
Human Nature/The Family of Blood: Jenny (maid), Joan (matron), a small girl, two female aliens. 2/5
Blink: Sally, Kathy. 0/2
Utopia: Chantho (research assistant in love with her professor), a refugee, a Futurekind woman. 1/3
The Sound of Drums: Lucy Saxon (political wife), Vivien Rook (journalist who allegedly wants to interview Lucy about all the personal issues that come with being a political wife). 2/2
Last of the Time Lords: Professor Docherty, Francine and Tish as maids, Lucy as victim. 3/4