Not Another Fan-girl Blog

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

S1E6 "Contaminated"

    What an assortment of thoughts and emotions in this episode - sympathy, empathy, mercy, hate, fear, love, obsession, conceit, disgust...! As a girl who routinely takes the Doctor's "side," I cannot help but despise the Dalek initially. After all, through the years I've seen the desolation that its kind are capable of and the pain they've caused the Doctor over the loss of his people. However, there are moments that give me pause to consider the worth of a Dalek - really, the worth of any life. Is it worthless because it's a Dalek and incapable of feeling and only of destruction. Or is it of worth - of more worth than 200 human lives - because it's the only one in the universe? Is it worth showing kindness to? Is it worth risking your life for? Is it worth giving a second chance?
The Dalek
     According to Rose, yes: yes, it is worth giving a second chance. Change is possible - if only briefly.
However, how many of us would have chosen the Doctor's response to kill it? Or would we have chosen Jesus's response to "love our enemies", to be "kind to the ungrateful and the evil"? Rose chose the higher moral ground in this episode (as she almost always does!) and lived out Proverbs 21:21, "whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honour." If not for her kindness and mercy she would have died. Yet, the Dalek died having met one human who was not afraid: not afraid to show kindness, to show sympathy, to set aside personal well being for the sake of another. That's our Rose! :) And that ought to be us! Indeed Jesus commanded it and Paul restates it: "repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all"(Romans 12:17). It may seem impossible in life to show love and abandon fear when we're staring down the eye of a hypothetical Dalek, but "God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love..." (2 Timothy 1:7). We may not change the world with our simple acts, but we may change the lives of those around us. Exhibit A - the Doctor! He'd be a lost cause without the humanity and simplicity of Rose. Let her inspire you!

"Are you afraid?" "No."

Friday, November 21, 2014

S1E4&5 Seemingly Insignificant

     I promised myself when I began this journey of a blog that I *would be faithful, that I *would write weekly, and I *wouldn't be trite. Well, I've failed at the first 2 and am about to fail at the last. These two episodes - "Aliens of London" & "World War Three" - I find absolutely awful! I found myself having minor flashbacks to the time I attempted to read "Twilight" and had to make myself finish it. Of course that is a heretical thing to say - comparing the most poorly written, shallow, and smutty book to the greatest Sci-fi show in history. But there you have it. I cannot abide the Slitheen: their melodrama and farts - "if you'll pardon the word" - are just too much!
     However, I do have these episodes to thank for introducing one of my favourite characters: Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. I love her spunk and her commitment to protocol. I love her impulsive self-sacrificing acts and her natural leadership skills. She just makes me smile! 
Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North
    So, after two hours of agony (actually 4, because I watched "World War Three" 3 times in a row), the only "deep" thought I had was the seemingly insignificant. At the end of the day, who was it that saved the world? The "life-long back-bencher" and "the idiot"! How many people around us - people we live with, work with, attend church or school with, or just people we pass routinely on the street - do we deem insignificant. In our own conceited eyes they are nothing. But only God knows how important they are to His plan. Or maybe you see yourself as the stupid one. Well, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And God wants to give you a hope AND a purpose! "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise." I mean, His handpicked group of disciples weren't exactly an A team! But look how they changed the world! 
So a) don't be so hard on yourself when you feel like a loser, and b) don't be so hard on the "losers" around you - they may surprise you! 
Ricky (Mickey) the Idiot
     And there you have it. You've waited a long time...for nothing! :) O but wait. Nothing = important...so BOOM! This is the most important thing you'll read all day!