TV Club: Love & Monsters

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I’m not even going to click on that because I hate anything that declares something as the worst (or best for that matter) as if it is some sort of subjective, decisive endpoint.

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The video is good. And he is going by rating. But I see your point.

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But who’s rating? That’s the issue. Because you’d get different results depending on who you asked and where you asked it. Out of 10th Doctor episodes, Fear Her is rated lower on TARDIS Guide for example.

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And Orphan 55 is the lowest if you take all the modern series. Love & Monsters isn’t even in the bottom 10!

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He seems to go by Rotten Tomatoes, where it is at 11%. He admits that he doesn’t think it’s as bad as people say, though, and calls himself a Love & Monsters sympathiser.

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But he also doesn’t like Eliot. That is just craxy!

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I honestly do agree, it gets a bit annoying, when something is to be claimed “the best” or “the worst” all the time, that makes those terms lose meaning.

However, I can see why he would go with a more hyperbolic title, even if it’s a bit “clickbaity”, all things considered. (Not a bad Video by the way, quite fun to watch). In terms of the online game and especially on a Platform as YouTube, people often go with those hyperbolic ones to attract some attention from more viewers. Let’s say he would have had “I Put A Doctor Who Episode on at the Cinema” instead, while arguably more true, it does probably attract fewer eyes. Overall I do agree in principle of course and personally, I don’t like to go too hyperbolic, however when it comes to a Video, I can see the decision to go with the more spicy “THE WORST” or “THE BEST”.

But that’s just of course how I view it overall, as somebody who has been also tipping in toes into Content Creation on that Platform

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@Tian - Eliot does kind of have “nice guy” energy in hindsight.

Also I don’t mind worsts and bests when talking about media. It’s fun to be hyperbolic sometimes. I have many worsts and bests, favourites that wax and wane over time, and shifting standards depending on the media, production, resources, and other subjective little factors.

I would argue the bigger issue y’all are correctly pointing at is media literacy. People take the use of “worst” and “best” in well, the worst way possible. When we create a scenario where people aren’t allowed to disagree with common fan beliefs, well, that’s a problem. I can dislike Love & Monsters while still chatting with a fan of the episode all day, every day. Yet in practice, I do agree too many fans use that language to shut down conversation rather than start it.

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I think as long as we know when we say worst or best we are talking subjectively. I love Doctor Who but also think some of it is bloody awful.

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That’s the wonderful part of this franchise, though. Everywhere you go you cant stumble on an adventure that could be the best or worst story you’ve ever seen, of any genre, of any setting, with just about any premise under the sun. I really never know what I’m going to get next!

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Isn’t this the episode everyone hates for no reason?

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“For no reason” is perhaps a bit of a generalisation, but it is quite widely disliked.

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I have plenty of reasons lol

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What are they?

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I don’t like the story.
I don’t like the characters.
I don’t like Peter Kay.
The purile innunendo at the end is in poor taste & doesn’t belong in the show.

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I completely agree with you. Any given story may not be someone’s cup of tea. It may even be unpopular with a lot of people but the likelihood is that someone somewhere will either love it or, at the very least, have a reason why that story resonates with them emotionally.

I actually find it quite hurtful when people use such definitively negative and essentialist language like that (yes, even with stories I might not be that fond of myself). It doesn’t help anyone. It also solidifies opinions, ossifies minds and reinforces the idea that there is only one way you should take a given story. Arbiters of other peoples subjective enjoyment. Nope! :skull_and_crossbones:

doctor-who-tom-baker

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