Posted 22 February 2013 - 08:17 PM
Elizabeth Corday and River Song a comparison
Alex Kingston’s two best known long term character roles have interesting similarities and contrasts. Elizabeth Corday, although not nearly as strong and independent initially as River Song, she ends up as far moreso- a woman who has become a true survivor and success on all fronts. This may be a reflection on the difference in British and American cultures…(something even hinted in the ER series, when Corday keeps returning to America after finding the higher levels of sexism in the UK did not allow her to rise to a leadership position, something she finally achieves in the US- Becoming the Chief of Trauma Surgery at Duke University.) Elizabeth Corday is also shown to have succeeded on the family front, as a widowed mother of both her own child and a step daughter. When Mark Greene’s step daughter Rachel enters Elizabeth Corday’s personal life she is a troubled teenager using drugs and acting out. When we see Rachel Greene and Elizabeth in the final season of ER, we find out Elizabeth has had a profound influence on Rachel- Rachel has decided to follow in the career path of her father and step mother and become a doctor. Elizabeth apparently has had such a profound influence on Rachel that she apparently perms her hair curly and wears it like Elizabeth, she also dresses in a style very similar to her step mother’s.
River Song- in her first appearance in series 4 she is a professor of archeology at an unnamed university in the far future (either 51st or 52nd century- it’s a bit muddled). It is also hinted that she has had a very close romantic relationship with the Doctor. The relationship had been so close and full of trust that he had told her his real name- something no one else he’s associated with has known. (we soon find out that his real name and apparently what that gives away as nature of what kind of being he truly is, is the most dangerous secret in all of time and space) At the end of her first arc- where she dies but is saved to a super computer in both mind and body- it is also suggested she has also been the mother of children, and she recreates that part of her life within CAL.
After that point when her character returns in an earlier point in time her life status has greatly diminished. She is a prisoner serving time for murder- we eventually discover for a crime she not only didn’t commit but had fought against being forced into with every fiber of her being. She serves the prison sentence to protect the life of the Doctor, her husband.
We see hints of her possible motherhood of the Doctor’s children a few times- most overtly in series 6 in two episodes and in a canonical tie in computer game. This is also hinted symbolically a few other times- the association in both series 5 and 6 with two Egyptian mother goddesses. (And also in both- Cleopatra, who was both a leader and a mother of children)
It’s only in series 7a that River status has returned to not being a prisoner (her crime being deemed to have never happened) being a professor of archeology. But even here River loses. She never truly had any kind of family growing up and had been profoundly abused as a small child- kidnapped as an infant and brainwashed to become a psychopath and an assassin. A parental bond of any type never happens with her father, even after he discovers who she is and we see her attempts to hint at wanting this ignored, he refused to even tell his own father about River, even when Brian hints about liking to become a grandfather, even to an adopted child. Even with Amy, who picks up on River’s profound wish to have a mother/daughter bond this bond is lesser than both her bond to Rory and even to the Doctor. In contrast, River places her parents even above her bond to the Doctor, especially to her mother. The Doctor appears to value his bond to Amy above his bond to River. So, at this point, River has no one who truly values her- unless the hints of her children do play out. (And as hinted in series 4- that is what she values most. She is able to give to her children what she had never received. Only if River is shown in a tender interaction with her children, in her classroom being an archeological professor- with high respect from her colleagues being noted, and the Doctor actually being shown to have come to value, trust and love her her beyond anything else will she even begin to approach what Elizabeth Corday was shown to have.
And still it will be less, because Elizabeth Corday was shown to have been loved by both her parents- more than her parents loved each other. She had some difficulties with both parents but she still loved them both as well.
Elizabeth did lose her husband to death, and spiraled downward emotionally somewhat because of that, but after a few years she was able to build a successful personal and professional life that made her content.
Will River ever be shown to have built a personal and professional life that made her content? Only if Moffat follows through on the hints he’s left and actually shows it.
It’s interesting to note how many female fanfic writers (I’ve noticed this especially true amongst the American female fanfic writers.) have done just this for River in their stories of her and the Doctor. (And they often include a far stronger bond developing between River and her parents than what is show canon, even a bond with all her living grandparents is not uncommon- especially the profoundly canon neglected Augustus and Tabetha Pond- Amy’s parents.)
I’d like to hear from not just US people but UK people about this. As an 46 year old American female I’m profoundly aware of the sexism in American culture. But I’ve seen enough of UK culture via pop culture, news media, etc... to see a bit higher level of sexism is reflected there. Which kind of surprises me as the UK has had and currently has a female royal ruler and has had a female Prime Minister where the US hasn’t even had a female Vice President and only recently and briefly had a female Speaker of the House. I would have expected less rather than more, so it's kind of shocking and disappointing.
Off topic for above but on topic for this forum:
It's kind of interesting, I've had some of the most deep conversations about sexism in worldwide culture with Japanese friends- of both genders, both in real life and online- but the feminist movement in Japan has been pretty strong since the later 1980's- something most people in the west seem to be unaware of. I've seen it even influence a change in the way female characters are portrayed even in some shonen manga- and Kishimoto's Naruto is the most dramatic example of this. I have the least annoyance with his portrayal of female characters than any other shonen manga I've read or seen (and I've seen many hundreds over the 40+ years I've been an anime fan and 30+ years I've been a manga fan. I know some people complain about the lack of fight scenes for female characters in Naruto, but that is oh so minor a problem to me. I look at the way he makes so many female characters well rounded but positive- wise and strong of will and their deeds are crucial long term if often forgotten to time- the last something that is still often true in real life. He also doesn't sexually fetishize female friendships- (a serious pet peeve of mine common in shonen manga from the mid 1970's to present- it's sexist), but treats them with the same respect given to male friendships. He also doesn't frequently treat female characters as fan service sexual objects- still a very common problem in shonen manga. I count these as important factors, the number of times a female character "kicks ass" is not, especially as often the case these scene in the majority of shonen manga is still used as a moment to sexually fetishize the female character- this is true in the west as well- look at superhero comics, tv shows, movies, computer games, etc... I've noticed in some fan reactions to the moments where female characters "kick ass" in Doctor Who even if it wasn't sexually fetishized it becomes so.- (which outside of River Song, it almost always was- even some of hers were, but less than any other attractive female character- both classic and the revival versions. I've noticed this continues with a vengeance with new companion Clara- basically everything is completely sexually fetishized about the character. Which is why I find the character completely uninteresting. She's overtly made to not draw any connection with female viewers- unlike River Song who is quite well known to have a profound connection with both young girls and women viewers worldwide- especially female viewers from their 40's-60's who have some background with classic Doctor Who and actively consider themselves feminists. Adult males of that age range too that have some background with classic Doctor Who and hold pro feminist views. The young girls probably because she's a strong woman who loves the Doctor and has a strong maternal vibe, the 40's-60's adults because the above and also because they see parallels to the real life struggles and pain in women's lives- for the women in particular because it reflects their own struggles and pains with little to no reward or success, and how they've had to, as River says "hide the damage" and how depressing and frustrating all that is.)
Dream you dream alone is only a dream, but dream we dream together is reality- Yoko Ono 1971
When you go to war, both sides lose totally- Yoko Ono
Remember, our hearts are one. Even when we are at war with each other, our hearts are always beating in unison- Yoko Ono 2009