Every time Roseâs flaws come up, itâs oftentimes cited as a major reason sheâs a bad (or even horrible) and unlikeable character:
1. Sheâs often rash with her decisions and doesnât think them through (especially in the beginning of the series)
2. She can be quite jealous and mean (aka the Sara-Jane situation)
3. She treats Mickey in a less than stellar way (instead of cleanly breaking up with him when itâs clear they canât be what they need to each other anymore, sheâs leaving him hanging in this limbo and then has the audacity to get upset when heâs trying to move on)*
I agree that these are indeed her main flaws and it doesnât make her look good. But itâs not meant to and neither does that detract from her allure as a character. From what Iâve gathered, because of those obvious flaws itâs not understood why on earth people are still liking her. Why are we âputting her on a pedestalâ when sheâs âmeanâ and âbitchyâ and rash?
I donât think most Rose fans put her on a pedestal. The way I see it goes like this:
I see Rose in a lot of people in real life, including myself. Jealousy, pettiness, selfishness â those are all things any one of us have experienced. Being selfish and hurting people youâre close to, being mean to your friend that one time because you felt jealous, arguments escalating because being petty as hell felt so much better in that moment â all things most of us have experienced (especially in younger years), at least once because none of us are good and âunproblematicâ all the time.
So, yeah, Rose was jealous and mean and selfish at points (note how itâs only a few instances spaced out in like 2+ years of in-Universe time) But for all of her flaws, Rose is also so kind and compassionate; those are her core traits. She sees the peopleâs hurt and pain and reaches out with comfort and empathy. She asks everyone their names and makes sure theyâre treated right.
Sheâs generally warm and charming, witty, intelligent and brave. Most of her flaws (just like in real life) are a result of unresolved issues and her immaturity due to her age (God, just think back on when you were 19 lmao). It makes her real, like somebody I could meet on the streets and befriend.
Which brings me to my next point: Rose grows so much as time passes, like sheâs so much more mature and settled at the time sheâs jumping dimensions. At this point sheâs legit somebody who took on the responsibility of doing everything she can to save the multiverse because she knows she has the knowledge, skills and the fortitude to pull through. And yeah, she also did it to get back to the Doctor, âšgod forbid a woman in love trying to reunite with her belovedâš**
Also to underline my point: Amy, for example, can be brash, bossy and demanding (also she basically cheated on Rory just the night before her weddingâŠIâm remembering this correctly, right?), yet I still like her because thatâs not all she is.*** Sheâs also somebody with unwavering belief in her loved ones, brave and quick on her feet. Maybe Iâm biased (Iâd like to know your opinions on that) but sometimes it feels like Roseâs flaws, things she grows past I might add, are dissected under a microscope, blending out the rest (which is like 95% of her personality).
Rose shows us the messy and oh so human side of all of us. Sheâs just a human girl with exceptional kindness but human failings trying to grapple with falling in love with an alien, finding out who she is and what she can do (more than she ever couldâve dreamed).
Her âboringâ humanity becomes her most exceptional trait which charms and endears the Doctor (and many other characters. Sheâs really good with winning people over).
And thatâs beautiful, really, because Rose shows us that every single of us ordinary people can do the most extraordinary thing, by just being our most authentic human selves.
*Sara-Jane was also quite mean, understandably so; she was hurt and betrayed, Iâd be pissed too. She let that anger out on Rose at the beginning, and Rose reacted by lashing out. So far, so understandable. The thing is, this âcat fightâ thing, further egged on by Mickey, is a result of misogyny permeating everything, yes, RTDâs writing is not exempt from that. (Heâs doing better than Moffat thatâs for sure, but itâs still there). But I donât get why people solely blame Rose when both gave as good as they got. All in all, Rose and Sara were getting along just great, in the end, so.
**Mickey didnât exactly treat her right either, just saying. It doesnât justify Roseâs behaviour towards him but itâs not like Mickey is a blameless party in this relationship. Actionâs and (bad) behavioural patterns do not exist in a vacuum, theyâre rooted in previous actions that trigger certain responses. But this is a whole another can of worms best opened in a separate post.
***Itâs interesting how Rose is punished by some fans for fighting to get back to the Doctor, claiming her dimension hopping to return to the Doctor is allegedly underlining her inability to let go. So, basically being the âclingy gf/exâ. I beg to differ because
1. the main reason for her dimension jumps was the threat to the multiverse with the stars going out which is a Doctor-requiring threat tbh. Would it also result in reuniting with her love? Yep, so why not kill two birds with one stone?
2. Judging by the Doctorâs reaction when they see each other, my bro had zero complaints. He saw Rose and was like rose,rose,omg its rose,my wife is baaack before running to her full tilt, completely missing the Dalek that shot him.
At the same time, River was actively about to destroy the whole universe because she couldnât let go of the Doctor, so he was forced to go through with a marriage he clearly didnât want. It donât get clingier than that.
I would also like to add that thereâs a beautiful parallel to this: I present you the Bad Wolf Bay scene where the Doctor explains he canât come through the gap because both universes would collapse if he did.
Rose antis try to use Roseâs line âSo?â as a proof that she was oh so selfish by interpreting it as a so what; a callous question a lĂĄ who cares? I want you to come get me, universes be damned.
Again, I beg to differ. She wasnât scoffing at the Doctorâs explanation. Her choked âSo?â was Rose simply seeking confirmation that she would never see the Doctor again, while clinging to the hope it wasnât the case. It was her hoping he could provide another answer even if she knew he couldnât. She had to ask, one last time, because hope dies last, as the saying goes.
****I blame Moffatâs inability to write a single female character without a weird sexualising component. This goes beyond DW btw, he was the same in Sherlock, so yeah. Cracking a sexual joke once and again is fine, itâs fun even, but it does get old and annoying if itâs brought up a gazillion times. Also letâs not talk about his views of women, pregnant women in particular, and men too btw. Because wdym, men canât be romantic or soft, or men avoid all types of attachment?? Dude doesnât realise one of the reasons the Doctor was an outcast in Time Lord society is because he was a dreamer and a romantic⊠(romantic as in romanticising life but doesnât necessarily exclude his want to belong somewhere or with someone) lol
Okay Iâm done, now. Cheers!
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