Part of the reason for that "alien" explanation is that his disinterest in human women as sexual or romantic figures was one of the really subtle but wonderfully wierd things that made him alien.
Yes, the Doctor is very human. He has emotions. But, in order for him to be the character he is there must be something alien to him. Just having two hearts doesn't do it. It's the alien outlook that allows us humans to look at ourselves from a new angle, through his eyes. When he becomes too human, too "just like us" he actually loses the ability to show us ourselves.
We all know we're putzes, but we're used to it. By having someone see the world differently and make different assumptions about it's basic nature it makes us stand back and see things differently for ourselves.
That is a very powerful tool of fiction.
Is it actually true that all people pair off? No. Is it actually true that a man and a woman can't live or work together or be friends without eventually viewing one another in a romantic light. No, of course not.
That's a lesson that is as important to teach kids as the idea that everyone "falls in love." They already know that. They're innundated with that message everywhere they turn in the media.
But it's also important for them to know that people can love without being "in love" so they don't confuse the two. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you are automatically "in love" with them.
That's why I always dislike the idea of the Doctor being "in love." Not because there's anything wrong with it. Simply because he is in a position to be able to teach all the other kinds of love. Not just the sex dependent kinds.
By being alien, and having a different outlook on love, he makes people review their own ideas, and perhaps see more possibilities and joy in the world.
The Doctor is no less relatable or human if he just loves his friends. I've never understood why having a romance is supposed to be more real than having a best friend.
Besides, how often can they repeat him "falling in love" before it makes him seem sleazy or fickle?
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Date: 2009-08-10 10:51 pm (UTC)Yes, the Doctor is very human. He has emotions. But, in order for him to be the character he is there must be something alien to him. Just having two hearts doesn't do it. It's the alien outlook that allows us humans to look at ourselves from a new angle, through his eyes. When he becomes too human, too "just like us" he actually loses the ability to show us ourselves.
We all know we're putzes, but we're used to it. By having someone see the world differently and make different assumptions about it's basic nature it makes us stand back and see things differently for ourselves.
That is a very powerful tool of fiction.
Is it actually true that all people pair off? No. Is it actually true that a man and a woman can't live or work together or be friends without eventually viewing one another in a romantic light. No, of course not.
That's a lesson that is as important to teach kids as the idea that everyone "falls in love." They already know that. They're innundated with that message everywhere they turn in the media.
But it's also important for them to know that people can love without being "in love" so they don't confuse the two. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you are automatically "in love" with them.
That's why I always dislike the idea of the Doctor being "in love." Not because there's anything wrong with it. Simply because he is in a position to be able to teach all the other kinds of love. Not just the sex dependent kinds.
By being alien, and having a different outlook on love, he makes people review their own ideas, and perhaps see more possibilities and joy in the world.
The Doctor is no less relatable or human if he just loves his friends. I've never understood why having a romance is supposed to be more real than having a best friend.
Besides, how often can they repeat him "falling in love" before it makes him seem sleazy or fickle?
Yet he can have best friends endlessly.