Rec: The Unlikely (But True) Tale of Troilus & Cressida by Meadowlark

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

Story: The Unlikely (But True) Tale of Troilus & Cressida
Author: Meadowlark
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1249
Author's Summary: Vicki had heard the stories told about Troilus & Cressida, of course, but the reality is much stranger - and better- than fiction.
Characters/Pairings: Other Character(s), Vicki
Warnings: None

Recced because: Of all the instances in which Doctor Who has rid itself of surplus companions by randomly marrying them off to guest characters (and there are quite a few when you start to add them up), at least Vicki's departure in The Myth Makers makes a kind of sense and does have the added bonus of making her a mythological/Shakespearean figure in her own right. And I guess the temptation, for fans and fan-fictioneers, is to wonder what happened next. Things didn't work out that well for the actual Troilus and Cressida, but the TV serial had already deviated significantly from the original story (that being one of the points of the serial) so we have room to speculate.

There have been a couple of "official" versions in various Who spinoff media over the years, most of which tend to assume (as was at one point very much the fashion in such works) that whatever happened it was kind of grim and angsty. I like this fic's version of events a lot better than those.

The thing about Vicki is that while it's easy to dismiss her as a Susan substitute (and I think I was one of those who did, at one point in my fan career - foolishly) and to argue she was underused, she's actually a pretty awesome character. Maureen O'Brien really shines whenever she gets the chance and Vicki's relationship with One is really a joy to behold. I think this fic more than does her justice, especially by emphasising the fact that it is Vicki, with her knowledge of future events and therefore status as a prophet, who is the wise, important half of her relationship with Troilus, really leaving her stamp on the ancient world and overcoming adversity with her own quick wit. The relationship itself is portrayed as a storied sequence of surprises and unexpected turns, but also one of love and compassion. Vicki, basically, gets a happy ending, and I am all for that. I hope you will be too.


When he asked how she could be so calm, she would always reply in the same mysterious way: ‘I know we’ll be alright! We’re going to unite the royal lines of Troy and Latium, and lay the foundations for the Roman Empire! (Well, Aeneas will, at any rate, but we’ll help.) At least, that’s what I remember my teacher telling me; I never actually read the whole Aeneid- there was a concert the same week that exam was due, so my friends and I cheated a little and just read the Cliff’s Notes…’

Comments

[newmoonstar]

Oh my gosh, what a lovely surprise to have this fic recced! Thanks so much! After a few horrible days dealing with a plumbing disaster at my house, this was a very pleasant thing to discover. :D

(And in all honesty, I didn't like Vicki at first either. It took a while, but by the time I'd seen all her episodes, I'd come to appreciate that she was very different from Susan, and had a lot of complexity & bravery beneath the glib exterior. I think once Ian & Barbara left, & the writers stopped trying to force her into the role of 'the child', she really came into her own & got to show her stuff, & it's such a shame she didn't stay longer then. But I have no doubt she was a badass heroine till the end of her days. ;D)

[thisbluespirit]

*seconds the rec* Nice to know you came round to Vicki!

(I was going to rec this! I'd curse you, but actually it just leaves space for something else now... ;-D)

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

I usually see sense in the end...it just takes me a while. ;D

And that, re giving you extra space, was clearly my plan all along! Clearly.

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm very sorry to hear about the plumbing - I'm glad this rec cheered you up a bit, and you're more than welcome - it's a very good fic indeed.

I agree about Vicki - she's a grower; the more you see of her, the more you come to appreciate her qualities. And while I love Ian and Barbara, I think that's a good point - crowded TARDISes are often a barrier to companions shining in their own right, and sometimes one has to leave before another one can come into their own.

[newmoonstar]

I actually love a crowded TARDIS myself- I think in this case it was more a problem of trying to insert a new character without changing the dynamic of the team, which is impossible. The original team had been the archetypal family, & Vicki was obviously supposed to be the replacement grandchild, but she was such a different character from Susan, and coming from such a different place emotionally, that she didn't relate to them the same way, but the writers didn't seem keen to address the change beyond the superficial gimmick of always having Vicki dismiss Ian & Barbara as old fashioned to emphasize that she was a 'typical teen'. But I always felt Maureen O'Brien as an actress had a more serious, mature quality underneath (and she herself has said she felt stifled in the role)- and then when Ian & Barbara left, she & Steven took on the leading lady/leading man roles they'd occupied, and it suited her so much better. (And Ian & Barbara are my favorite companions, so it's absolutely nothing against them whatsoever.)

(How did this become a long meta discussion?? Sorry- guess that's just what happens when you get a bunch of Whovians together!)

[thisbluespirit]

I look forward to you anticipating all my recs! ;-)

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

It's inevitable :D I think that's a really good analysis, anyway - just trying to swap Susan out for an identical character was probably a bad idea all along, because as you say, with a different actor who had ideas of her own Vicki couldn't just replicate Susan. It also seems to be the case throughout classic Who that the writers never really *got* teenagers or even just young men and women. I mean, look at some of the dialogue they gave Jo who was meant, I assume to be in her early 20s. Even Ace, who I love, was a bit dodgy in terms of contemporary street cred, and that was with writers who liked to think they were much younger and hipper than their 60s-70s predecessors. She overcame it though, because she was Ace. :)