The Empty Child

Hi everyone!

I apologize that I’m putting up a post so late, but these finals have been the most stressful yet! What I plan to do after finishing is watching old episodes of Doctor Who. For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s a British science fiction television show that celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Though I feel the new seasons are not up to standard, at least the special effects are better than they were in the 60s and early 2000s.

I was reminded of one of my favorite episodes during last week’s discussion, when we talked about the perspective that a plague could be a good thing. Remember that crazy guy Abel from Zone One (with the college-sophomore socialist slant) who claimed that “The dead came to scrub the Earth of capitalism and the vast bourgeois superstructure, with its doilies, helicopter parenting, and streaming video, return us to nature and wholesome communal living” (Whitehead, 153).  We also discussed that perhaps plagues and epidemics are the Earth’s way of cleaning up and defending itself from its most dangerous terrorizers – humans.

Well, this episode, called “the Empty Child,” features a terrifying plague that transforms ordinary humans’ faces into gas masks, and reduces them to zombies who can only repeat the phrase “are you my mummy?” (Yes, very British). I won’t spoil the plot too much, but if you have time to watch both parts of it (it’s easy to find online), you’ll find that the plague turns out to be similarly well-intentioned.

Best of luck with your finals (and grading them, Professor), and I hope you have a wonderful summer!

Rosy.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.