Further Thoughts on Doctor Who 5x10: Vincent and the Doctor

[kerravonsen]

After having seen the Confidential (first one I watched this season, actually) and also seeing some people's posts, I have a few further thoughts.

The Invisible Monster.
I was almost persuaded, by some people's reactions, that the episode might have been better off without it... until I read some other people's reactions, and certain things that were said in the Confidential, which justify the monster's existence on a deeper, metaphorical level. Mind you, a blind, brutal space-vulture isn't all that great as monsters go, and even as a metaphor it could probably have been done better, but I do value the metaphor. I suspect that if someone else had written the script, the metaphor might have been anvilicious, but then this script and the acting in this story managed a level of subtlety that I'm glad of.
Oh, you want to know what the metaphor is?

Depression. An invisible monster that only Vincent can see, something that the Doctor cannot fight for him, something that Vincent fights off with his easel. Not that Vincent won over depression in the end, but I don't doubt that his art helped. Creating beauty in spite of, not because of, his depression.

As many other people have noted, and I agree, the portrayal of depression in this story was well done; not dwelling on it, of course, but touching on it in a respectful, believable way. And yes, I speak as someone who has suffered depression myself. (Thank God mine is treatable with medication, that's all I can say.)

Mind you, I still reckon that the best ever metaphor for depression shown in fiction has got to be the Dementors in Harry Potter.

Comments

[tptigger]

Yeah, I remember being glad to have been born in an era with Prozac (generics) when I watched that. I hadn't realized the monster was a metphor either. *is dense*

I liked it too, as it wasn't preachy and didn't give it an easy fix.

The only problem with Dementors in Harry Potter is I tend to apply larger amounts of chocolate than strictly necessary at times. :)

[tree_and_leaf]

I'd got that it was a metaphor, but I'd missed the significance of him battling it off with an easel. Nicely done!

(and agreed regarding Dementors. Though the Black Breath of the Ringwraiths are pretty good, too).

[kerravonsen]

It explains why they did the close-up shot of Vincent setting up his easel earlier, showing the pointy end of the easel being shoved into the ground. So that we would know that the easel could be used like a spear, even if accidentally.

Though the Black Breath of the Ringwraiths are pretty good, too
I hadn't made that connection.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That was why I thought the monster shouldn't have been real; that it would work better as an embodiment of Vincent's depression or loneliness. But I love the ides of it being fought off with his easel. I didn't stop to think about it before.

[kerravonsen]

I think I would have hated it if the monster had been an embodiment of Vincent's depression; that would have made the metaphor about as subtle as being hit on the head by an anvil. No thanks.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I didn't mean that literally. I meant on canvas, in his head, thus drawing the Doctor to go there. Another word I misuse sometimes is "innate". :-P

[kerravonsen]

Hmmm, I don't think I would have liked that either, because it would have put more emphasis on the "madman" part of Van Gogh ("it's all in his head"), and one of the lovely things about this episode was that here was the Doctor believing Vincent when he saw an invisible monster because there really was an invisible monster there.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

You might convince me yet.

I suppose it just wasn't that good a monster.