audio review: BFA 19: "Minuet in Hell"
Oct. 18th, 2008 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
x_losficBFA 19 Minuet in Hell
Warning: If you never ever wanted to hear the phrase ‘pretty little satin bottoms’ uttered in all seriousness, this is not the audio for you.
*
For something with some solidly good elements, Minuet in Hell made me UNSPEAKABLY ANGRY. I have few solid fiction turn-offs. ‘Shitty depictions of the American South’ is a big one.
This audio thought that a southern state called 'Malebolgia' could succeed and form a new state. At first I though this was a near-future thing, wherein America had done an Amsterdam-style land reclamation to protect southern Louisiana et all, and that the newly reclaimed land was seceding from the surrounding states, and that was great...then I realized that was a plot from something I'd written (Love is in the Water, specifically, for like the two of you playing along that were in that writing workshop—only that was a future Amsterdam), and no, that was not what was happening--this was just inexplicable, because the British didn't bother to ever speak to an American.
This is like Seasons of Fear, which was gorgeous, but had ONE line in it about Benjamin Franklin being a president that made me want to write BFA an email soaked in TEARS in which I offer to PAY them to let me fact check for them. If you insist on setting things in America/talking about America, either do some quickie research or hire an American. Or a history major. Do you not want my love, BFA? An alternate suggestion: Wikipedia: it’s two tabs down. Just click it. For all our sakes. Like Sheryl Crow, I can’t cry anymore.
…also Philadelphia: not a state, but a city. Thanks, audio. Wikipedia wants me to believe these errors are possibly deliberate, all a result of anti-time contamination as per later stories in this season, but that’s pretty weak. It makes sense with the Shakespeare issue because that’s a specific thing, explained in the universe. If you were going to do a blanket ‘Zagreus sits inside your American history textbook / fucking with its minor details at random’ thing, you should at least say so. That’s not an intuitive leap there.
How Minuet in Hell fails at the South:
1] The accents were PAINFUL. WTF those accents? I have not been this embarrassed since Nicole Kidman and Jude Law in Cold Mountain.
2] We don't talk about Jesus THAT much, thanks. It's not the 1930s. That kind of conflation of religion and politics is a gross exaggeration (and a pretty insulting statement) re: the utter simplicity of the political worldview of the Southerners; it's like they watched the older All the King's Men and thought 'ah, the modern South, let us depict it.' Except now with 10x more ham-fist. This kind of unsophisticated political dialog is impossible in the era of near-universal access to national broadcast mass media.
3] WTF 'new state?' Malebolgia? 'Secession'? AUGH. Did you miss the American Civil War? We don't get secession. We lost that one. Rewatch War Games, you knew wtf you were on about re: the Civil War there. Also, Dashwood, do not tell a group of assembled southerners that their new state could be ‘like Massachusetts! Or Maine!” My kvetching about stereotypes aside, no one likes to be told that they could, if they were good and ate their veggies, achieve the greatness of peoples they have deep cultural resentment for.
The general conclusion is that Doctor Who of all things should never make me feel like giving my Yankee Cultural Imperialism Is Still A Form Of Imperialism—People Just Get Confused And Think It’s Acceptable Because It’s Domestic And The Targeted Group Is White speech. *shakes head* And they did so well in War Games. Augh. Maddening.
I’m utterly unclear on when this audio is set. The Brig being alive suggests ‘within the next few decades’ to me, as does flagging the devolution-era issues with a Scottish parliament. But Becky Lee Kowalczyck (i.e. Becky the Vampire Slayer), upon being pressed, thinks the R101 crash that should have killed Charley in the 1930s is ‘something that happened several centuries ago.’ Given that Becky is not supposed to be mentally subnormal, and thus could not think that this kind of manned aircraft was in use ‘a few centuries’ before present day, I’m left wondering when we are? Some far-future scenario with conditions that make this secession thing Not Ridiculous? And Malebolgia’s still only the 51st state, not, oh, Puerto Rico, finally achieving statehood previous to this, or something?
That aside, let’s talk about epistemology and characterization. Becky the Vampire Slayer, as a reasonably intelligent, decently educated American, does not know jack shit about the R101 crash barring related special interest, this audio’s claims to the contrary. She wouldn't remember the R101 crash at all, b/c it's in no way important to the American psyche/has no reason to be included in the history taught in American schools. The Hindenburg, maybe, but R101, what R101?
Likewise: Charley the Perfect in all likelihood doesn’t remember, in her largely amnesiac state, that her dress design specifically dates from the 1760s. Because unless she’s done a special study in historical costuming—and really Charley seemed more interested in Adventuring, and she’s all of 18, so why would she have?—or they’ve been to the 1760s recently, where she’s made a special point of discussing the origin of this fashion with someone—and barring any mention of that, we have to assume no, they didn’t—Charley wouldn’t know. I get you think Charley’s smart, audios. That’s cool. I mean, I like smart women. But giving her silly, Mary Sue levels of knowledge completely undermines what you were going for as far as characterization.
Speaking of: oh, the brothel scenes. Charlie the Wunderkind of Unrapeable Feistiness doesn’t feel pressured into allowing herself to be sexually harassed, much less molested, even when vulnerable, amnesiac, kidnapped, and in a high-pressure environment, under threat of punishment. I don’t buy it. Also the sexuality of the Hellfire Club was kind of laughable. “I’m going to whip you until the marks show on your pretty white…back. Yes. Your back. And nowhere else. Because this super-secret demon summoning club with a membership of the government’s most powerful is following Malebolgia’s very strict obscenity laws to the letter. Also please feel free to join the Satin Bottoms Union (SBU!)—did you know you get Worker’s Comp for whippings and demon possessions incurred on-site?”
Oh man though, the full ‘twelve year old girl writing fanfic’ description of Charley’s cheesy Hot Topic Goth Bride of Hell outfit. If ever I threw up in my mouth a little, it was then.
Dr. Dale Pargeter’s hatred of the young, lovely women she madam’s for might well have been interesting, if I’d had any indication previous to the revelation of it that she had any lingering insecurity, or grounds for it. Given the audio format, I heard her authoritative voice, got that she was big in the Hellfire Club, and mentally cut-pasted Emma Frost from X-Men. By the time the demon Marchosias brought up that she was getting on and portly, I was scanning back thinking “but surely she’s a tall, crisp anemic blondewith telepathic powers?”
Becky the Vampire slayer’s power of invoking Saint Peter to turn people’s greatest fear against them drops off the face of the map, never to be explained. Come on Who, just technobabble a little at me, show me you still care. Crib Frontier in Space or The Curse of Fenric or any other related ‘fear control’ thing you’ve done to give her a ‘technomagic’ amulet or developed sci-powers or alien secrets handed down through the generations, shrouded in religious mysticism as time went by—something that makes you Not Charmed. Because there’s a reason I watch/listen to you, Who, and not Charmed. Well, four reasons. Four reasons and a lizard...
By the way, are Senator Waldo Pickering and his granddaughter Becky the Vampire Slayer going to, um, deal with the fact that while possessed by the demon Marchosias, in what’s arguably the most sexually threatening bit of the whole audio, flayed her clothes off and tortured her a bit? That’s going to be Pretty Awkward.
Was Brigham Elisha Dashwood III supposed to be Mormon? His name is Brigham. Are we cribbing Mormon-cultist-panic in the most vague way since the US shuffled its long conflict amounting to a war with the Utah LDS in the 1800s out of its popular history? It would explain the air of fundie!panic.
Gideon Crane was unduly sinister. I liked his air of subtle patronizing menace to the Doctor because I thought it was building to something? So I’m left with a creepster!Gideon who works well in the moment, but not when I take a step back and ask how that was functioning.
THINGS THAT ARE GREAT ABOUT THIS AUDIO:
I like the Brig. Always and Forever. The fact that he could not save this audio was not his fault. He was unflappable and perfect. His irate attitude towards the Ministry, his annoyance with typing his reports into the website, his general distaste towards the shenanigans, his persistent unsurprised about finding the Doctor around, as soon as he accepted the idea, his mentioning Doris—wonderful. Brig makes anything better.
Senator Waldo Pickering was fun. Inconsistent, Faux!Dixie!Fun. I don’t care that it was probably cheap, I enjoyed.
I like distressed!Eight. This predicament was dire and scary, and I worried accordingly. I think this was the first time I really cared about him. In the first three he's kind of breezy and Four-ish, and not the fucked up emotional wreck that is the core of My Doctor. So far I'd been in 'this is fun, pretty McGann' territory. Eight is NOT AT ALL who I thought he was, i.e. Movie!Eight. It's like they scrapped that characterization and started over. Audio!Eight is going to be just FINE for the Time War. But here he was vulnerable and clever and a touch ruthless to Gideon Crane, self-possessed enough to believe himself above the evidence.
And he called the Brig Alistair. I melt. Also ha at Charley’s “But I thought I was the best companion ever!!” moment. You don’t beat Brig. No one does. Sorry Charley (And Battlefield!Ace).
Warning: If you never ever wanted to hear the phrase ‘pretty little satin bottoms’ uttered in all seriousness, this is not the audio for you.
*
For something with some solidly good elements, Minuet in Hell made me UNSPEAKABLY ANGRY. I have few solid fiction turn-offs. ‘Shitty depictions of the American South’ is a big one.
This audio thought that a southern state called 'Malebolgia' could succeed and form a new state. At first I though this was a near-future thing, wherein America had done an Amsterdam-style land reclamation to protect southern Louisiana et all, and that the newly reclaimed land was seceding from the surrounding states, and that was great...then I realized that was a plot from something I'd written (Love is in the Water, specifically, for like the two of you playing along that were in that writing workshop—only that was a future Amsterdam), and no, that was not what was happening--this was just inexplicable, because the British didn't bother to ever speak to an American.
This is like Seasons of Fear, which was gorgeous, but had ONE line in it about Benjamin Franklin being a president that made me want to write BFA an email soaked in TEARS in which I offer to PAY them to let me fact check for them. If you insist on setting things in America/talking about America, either do some quickie research or hire an American. Or a history major. Do you not want my love, BFA? An alternate suggestion: Wikipedia: it’s two tabs down. Just click it. For all our sakes. Like Sheryl Crow, I can’t cry anymore.
…also Philadelphia: not a state, but a city. Thanks, audio. Wikipedia wants me to believe these errors are possibly deliberate, all a result of anti-time contamination as per later stories in this season, but that’s pretty weak. It makes sense with the Shakespeare issue because that’s a specific thing, explained in the universe. If you were going to do a blanket ‘Zagreus sits inside your American history textbook / fucking with its minor details at random’ thing, you should at least say so. That’s not an intuitive leap there.
How Minuet in Hell fails at the South:
1] The accents were PAINFUL. WTF those accents? I have not been this embarrassed since Nicole Kidman and Jude Law in Cold Mountain.
2] We don't talk about Jesus THAT much, thanks. It's not the 1930s. That kind of conflation of religion and politics is a gross exaggeration (and a pretty insulting statement) re: the utter simplicity of the political worldview of the Southerners; it's like they watched the older All the King's Men and thought 'ah, the modern South, let us depict it.' Except now with 10x more ham-fist. This kind of unsophisticated political dialog is impossible in the era of near-universal access to national broadcast mass media.
3] WTF 'new state?' Malebolgia? 'Secession'? AUGH. Did you miss the American Civil War? We don't get secession. We lost that one. Rewatch War Games, you knew wtf you were on about re: the Civil War there. Also, Dashwood, do not tell a group of assembled southerners that their new state could be ‘like Massachusetts! Or Maine!” My kvetching about stereotypes aside, no one likes to be told that they could, if they were good and ate their veggies, achieve the greatness of peoples they have deep cultural resentment for.
The general conclusion is that Doctor Who of all things should never make me feel like giving my Yankee Cultural Imperialism Is Still A Form Of Imperialism—People Just Get Confused And Think It’s Acceptable Because It’s Domestic And The Targeted Group Is White speech. *shakes head* And they did so well in War Games. Augh. Maddening.
I’m utterly unclear on when this audio is set. The Brig being alive suggests ‘within the next few decades’ to me, as does flagging the devolution-era issues with a Scottish parliament. But Becky Lee Kowalczyck (i.e. Becky the Vampire Slayer), upon being pressed, thinks the R101 crash that should have killed Charley in the 1930s is ‘something that happened several centuries ago.’ Given that Becky is not supposed to be mentally subnormal, and thus could not think that this kind of manned aircraft was in use ‘a few centuries’ before present day, I’m left wondering when we are? Some far-future scenario with conditions that make this secession thing Not Ridiculous? And Malebolgia’s still only the 51st state, not, oh, Puerto Rico, finally achieving statehood previous to this, or something?
That aside, let’s talk about epistemology and characterization. Becky the Vampire Slayer, as a reasonably intelligent, decently educated American, does not know jack shit about the R101 crash barring related special interest, this audio’s claims to the contrary. She wouldn't remember the R101 crash at all, b/c it's in no way important to the American psyche/has no reason to be included in the history taught in American schools. The Hindenburg, maybe, but R101, what R101?
Likewise: Charley the Perfect in all likelihood doesn’t remember, in her largely amnesiac state, that her dress design specifically dates from the 1760s. Because unless she’s done a special study in historical costuming—and really Charley seemed more interested in Adventuring, and she’s all of 18, so why would she have?—or they’ve been to the 1760s recently, where she’s made a special point of discussing the origin of this fashion with someone—and barring any mention of that, we have to assume no, they didn’t—Charley wouldn’t know. I get you think Charley’s smart, audios. That’s cool. I mean, I like smart women. But giving her silly, Mary Sue levels of knowledge completely undermines what you were going for as far as characterization.
Speaking of: oh, the brothel scenes. Charlie the Wunderkind of Unrapeable Feistiness doesn’t feel pressured into allowing herself to be sexually harassed, much less molested, even when vulnerable, amnesiac, kidnapped, and in a high-pressure environment, under threat of punishment. I don’t buy it. Also the sexuality of the Hellfire Club was kind of laughable. “I’m going to whip you until the marks show on your pretty white…back. Yes. Your back. And nowhere else. Because this super-secret demon summoning club with a membership of the government’s most powerful is following Malebolgia’s very strict obscenity laws to the letter. Also please feel free to join the Satin Bottoms Union (SBU!)—did you know you get Worker’s Comp for whippings and demon possessions incurred on-site?”
Oh man though, the full ‘twelve year old girl writing fanfic’ description of Charley’s cheesy Hot Topic Goth Bride of Hell outfit. If ever I threw up in my mouth a little, it was then.
Dr. Dale Pargeter’s hatred of the young, lovely women she madam’s for might well have been interesting, if I’d had any indication previous to the revelation of it that she had any lingering insecurity, or grounds for it. Given the audio format, I heard her authoritative voice, got that she was big in the Hellfire Club, and mentally cut-pasted Emma Frost from X-Men. By the time the demon Marchosias brought up that she was getting on and portly, I was scanning back thinking “but surely she’s a tall, crisp anemic blonde
Becky the Vampire slayer’s power of invoking Saint Peter to turn people’s greatest fear against them drops off the face of the map, never to be explained. Come on Who, just technobabble a little at me, show me you still care. Crib Frontier in Space or The Curse of Fenric or any other related ‘fear control’ thing you’ve done to give her a ‘technomagic’ amulet or developed sci-powers or alien secrets handed down through the generations, shrouded in religious mysticism as time went by—something that makes you Not Charmed. Because there’s a reason I watch/listen to you, Who, and not Charmed. Well, four reasons. Four reasons and a lizard...
By the way, are Senator Waldo Pickering and his granddaughter Becky the Vampire Slayer going to, um, deal with the fact that while possessed by the demon Marchosias, in what’s arguably the most sexually threatening bit of the whole audio, flayed her clothes off and tortured her a bit? That’s going to be Pretty Awkward.
Was Brigham Elisha Dashwood III supposed to be Mormon? His name is Brigham. Are we cribbing Mormon-cultist-panic in the most vague way since the US shuffled its long conflict amounting to a war with the Utah LDS in the 1800s out of its popular history? It would explain the air of fundie!panic.
Gideon Crane was unduly sinister. I liked his air of subtle patronizing menace to the Doctor because I thought it was building to something? So I’m left with a creepster!Gideon who works well in the moment, but not when I take a step back and ask how that was functioning.
THINGS THAT ARE GREAT ABOUT THIS AUDIO:
I like the Brig. Always and Forever. The fact that he could not save this audio was not his fault. He was unflappable and perfect. His irate attitude towards the Ministry, his annoyance with typing his reports into the website, his general distaste towards the shenanigans, his persistent unsurprised about finding the Doctor around, as soon as he accepted the idea, his mentioning Doris—wonderful. Brig makes anything better.
Senator Waldo Pickering was fun. Inconsistent, Faux!Dixie!Fun. I don’t care that it was probably cheap, I enjoyed.
I like distressed!Eight. This predicament was dire and scary, and I worried accordingly. I think this was the first time I really cared about him. In the first three he's kind of breezy and Four-ish, and not the fucked up emotional wreck that is the core of My Doctor. So far I'd been in 'this is fun, pretty McGann' territory. Eight is NOT AT ALL who I thought he was, i.e. Movie!Eight. It's like they scrapped that characterization and started over. Audio!Eight is going to be just FINE for the Time War. But here he was vulnerable and clever and a touch ruthless to Gideon Crane, self-possessed enough to believe himself above the evidence.
And he called the Brig Alistair. I melt. Also ha at Charley’s “But I thought I was the best companion ever!!” moment. You don’t beat Brig. No one does. Sorry Charley (And Battlefield!Ace).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 05:57 pm (UTC)Re: the Brig in audios: he shows up in the second Six & Evelyn one which is a fun adventure I have one major quibble with (nothing to do with the Brig or the plot, it's that Evelyn is a historian, and the writer off Langley Moore still has the Doctor explaining Celtic history to her instead of letting the necessary exposition happen the other way around which in this case would have made way more sense). And I love, love, love his entry in the Companion Chronicles, Old Soldiers, where he tells a post-Silurians story. (Set in Germany, no less.)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 08:22 pm (UTC)I think the reason Brig and Barbara can never meet is that if they should have children, they would be cooler than the universe could be expected to deal with. Stars would implode if those kids wished on them.
Well, other than crap epistomological characterization (which I'm kind of finding in a lot of BFAs, even the good ones), I'm really looking forward to that. And I should check out the Companion Chronicles as well. Maybe when I'm done with the proper runs. I just get into a chronological groove and my OCD compels me to proceed in order through a canon (yes, even the really bad ones, or ones I've previously listened to).
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 08:44 pm (UTC)I am often mystified by the extremely sketchy grasp of history DW sometimes has, for a show about a time traveller, for cripe's sake. But I attempt not to be a wet blanket about it - hell, I have these issues with Buffy, too, and after all it's all in good fun, etc. But this...really sounds bad.
I'm not sure I understand the plot, but I'm getting a weird sense of DW meets The Handmaid's Tale? (Except, um, less awesome than that would actually be, now that I've thought of it.)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 09:14 pm (UTC)And calling it Big Rock Candy Mountainland would automatically give you a natural state song, so that's just convenient...
Well, I still love the show dearly, super-sketch history and all, but does it make my history major soul cry when Seven goes on in Battlefield about how concrete's really new? Does it make me roll around on the floor going Rooooome, if not in actuality, at least in the cockles of my heart? Totally. My blanket is only moist with my tears.
The brothel part was actually frustratingly incidental. Sort of an 'oh titillation/something for Charley to be doing' gesture--so not so much Handmaid's Tale as 'oh whatever Daemons 2: this time it's risque...ish.'
no subject
Date: 2008-10-20 07:11 pm (UTC)Also, I'm from Pennsylvania, and having grown up much closer to them, I wonder why anybody would want to be like Massachusetts or Maine.
Also ha at Charley’s “But I thought I was the best companion ever!!” moment. You don’t beat Brig. No one does.
I want every "best companion ever" to have this moment. Except Sarah Jane. Because she knows the Brig and she Gets It.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 10:13 am (UTC)The really intense amnesiac!Eight scenes really only made the rest worst for me, it was very jarring - I went from cringing for him to rolling my eyes so hard I expected my skull to burst. Then there's the Brig being, well, the Brig, and I just wish those bits could be rescued and put in something at all good. (I do love the 'best friend' bit, though. Hee.)
I'll take the Zagreus explanation, just for my peace of mind, but...yeah, no. Seriously, guys, you want an American to play a bit part and explain basic history to you I'm there.
(I don't think audio Eight is so removed from his movie self, where he's still figuring out who he is - there's still that same sense of earnestness, of whimsy. The angst gets poured on later. :D)
...Late Ash is late. Ahem.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-25 12:39 am (UTC)I think Ace actually shapes up a bit and accepts the Brig's right to party, etc. But yes, almost every companion needs That Moment. SJ and Jo and Liz are all down. Five's team pretty much deals.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-25 12:46 am (UTC)EXACTLY. It's like how I swear to god there's twenty minutes of a GREAT movie in Star Wars Episode 3: twenty tired, poor, downtrodden, huddled minutes yearning to breathe free/clawing at the screen to get out. Episode 3 is not tragic because it's so mediocre to bad, it's tragic because there is still good in it. But not the 'killed younglings' line. ...or the 'birtthing oobah' machine.
That's the thing: why set stuff in Exotic Locales if you don't want to do some factchecking? Esp. if it's as easy as these mistakes would be to fix?
There's earnestness/whimsy, but did you listen to Caerdroia? It's like whimsy!Eight is movie!Eight--so movie!Eight's still /in the mix/, there's just allllllll this other stuff--not just angst, but the dry wryness, the capacity to be cruel, the huffy almost threeishness, the super-breezy occasional touch of fourishness. So I think I got/wrote this little fragment of a much more complicated person, and now feel sort of sheepish about it.
Late Erin is later still!
no subject
Date: 2008-10-25 06:55 am (UTC)Yes! It's always, always worse when you can see the potential, see the really good bits shining through. And then you're depressed, because why did they have to ruin it?
And why have historical characters if you're not going to take their culture into account?
Not yet! But I really want to. You could just say you just wrote an earlier Eight, before he discovered all of this about himself? By the end of the movie he was still happy he remembered his name.
/high-fives?