#the problem with

How do you solve a problem like Geraldine...?

I struggle to pinpoint exactly what I find problematic about Geraldine. I have no issues with the actress at all, Gemma Whelan did a great job with what she was given. Perhaps that is the problem; they didn’t really flesh Geraldine out. The same is also true for the Bitter Pill bunch, but I feel I know more about Jamie than Geraldine, and that can’t be right. Hearing Suzanne Heathcoat’s thoughts have been useful and enlightening, but I’m always a little sceptical when one has to step outside the Art to begin to understand and appreciate it. For me, this was the case in respect of Geraldine, but I wholly appreciate that others will have had different experiences (emotionally I am very similar to Carolyn so perhaps that’s my issue?).

The purpose of Geraldine was to wear Carolyn down to the point where she could do what she did, and cease to be ‘Switzerland’ (trying to not give spoilers here). She grated on our nerves as much as Carolyn’s and I think that was the point. On balance, taking into account the character’s development and purpose, did Geraldine need the screen time she received? In my opinion, no. I have no doubt that Fiona Shaw would have been able to convey that Geraldine was getting on Carolyn’s nerves in her scenes, a throw away line would achieve this in lieu of a Carolyn/Geraldine scene. Had they developed Geraldine more as a character, my answer would likely be different.

My real issue (I think) is that they are repeating themselves. We’ve had the ‘surprise child’ before with Kenny and they basically did the same thing here with Geraldine. It doesn’t work for me; it seems lazy and convenient. It would have made more sense to have Carolyn’s brother turn up and serve Geraldine’s function; you remember him, the boy who shoved hamsters through toilet rolls?

when it says 59 on the minutes and you just have to stare at it until it changes!??

Self driving cars. Are they the future? Are they computer assisted death machines? Can they cook me lunch? Well, we can ask a million questions about self driving cars, but there are a few fundamental problems which I would like to discuss. Join me in a discussion on a few problems with self driving cars.

This is a series I wanted to make and I finally got enough inspiration to do so. I'm probably going to upset a lot of people, but I want to address these issues. So without further ado let's get started!

Ah shipping. It can make friendships and bring forth many people in a community. It can however break friendships and cause ‘wars’ that can split whole communities apart. Shipping can be all for fun but some take it way too far. Today I will be discussing the problems with shipping and what steps can be taken to fix them. There are many types of shipping. However I will be mainly focusing on the fanon type. A fanon ship is one that isn’t considered canon to a book, show, or movie’s plot and made by fans. Now there is nothing wrong with fanon ships. It’s how the people act with their ships that is the problem. Some people are so loyal to a particular ship that they will go as far as to send death threats to the writers or even voice actors of a show when they don’t make their fanon ship canon. Examples include the two voice actors of Voltron who received such threats. Even one of the show’s executive producers was threatened by shippers that they would break both of her hands (Z, C, Will “Toxic Fandoms: When Criticisms and Enlightenment Go Too Far”).  Not only is this appalling, but it’s downright ridiculous! At the end of the day, these are fictional characters. People are taking their passions way too far. Another thing is these are stories, movies, shows that are the creators’, not the fans’. They will decide what they see fit and should not be blackmailed and bullied into pleasing a group of people who only want their pairing to be canon. How would you feel if some random strangers started to threaten not only you but your family because you didn’t have Person A fall in love with Person B in your book? If it were me, I’d be offended and furious that these people are telling me how to write MY story. These are MY characters. I will write them how I see fit. So please, you can ship whoever you want, but don’t force the original creator to change their story just because you think these two characters are ‘meant to be’. Another major issue with shipping is people will attack those who oppose their pairing or like a pairing the first party doesn’t. I will be the first to admit that there are MULITPLE ships I don’t support: Megascream, SymBrock, MegaOp, Kigo to name a few. I WILL NOT attack anyone who does like these ships however. If someone asks my opinions of them, I will give them but in a mature and calm manner. There are shippers who don’t do this though and get into huge shipping wars over them. Again, these are fictional characters. At the end of the day NONE of this matters. Don’t make a huge scene when you see someone opposing your ship. You have a right to voice your opinions, but do it in a calm and respectful manner. Threatening the other party and belittling them will make things worse. Another thing to do is just ignore it. If you see a ship you don’t like, then just ignore it and move on. Don’t attack/threaten this person and tell them to stop making content for this pairing. If you want to voice your opinions, then you can. Like mentioned before, be respectful about it and treat your opinions as such, not law. There are problems with shipping that need to be addressed. I’m not saying people need to stop shipping. On the contrary, people should be making ships they see fit. What I am saying is let’s all try to be more respectful of the original creators’ and respectful towards each other. I hope you all have a great day everyone.

Cited Sources: James, Wil, Z., Sean, and C., Aria. "Toxic Fandom: When Criticism and Enlightenment Go To Far". GeekDad, 3, Oct. 2018, https://geekdad.com/2018/10/toxic-fandom-when-criticism-and-entitlement-go-too-far/