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myasssaysno · 11 months ago

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Once upon a Time-Lord.... (What does that even mean?)

Why is the Doctor stood in front of a green-screen like the world, no, the universes worst weather man?

Why is Donna so caught up on events that took place fifteen years ago?

Why does this feel like everything between then and now, never happened?

What is happening?

(I'm aware I'm supper late to the party but...)

The Star Beast (Doctor Who Special of 2023) Review.

This felt nerve racking (which is ridiculous) but watching this actually caused me distress.

I watched the 2005 Doctor Who as a child and liked Donna well enough as a companion (she proved a bit much at times but she wasn't in love with the Doctor, so a win as far as I'm concerned.)

But I never expected to see her back on the screen. Especially not with the 10th Doctor (no, I don't consider him the 14th, though I will refer to him as that from now on, but in reality, the whole point of the number system is to identify the Doctor being referred to by face, not regeneration, because that went out the window, with the War Doctor.)

Point is, RTD came back (for some reason) and wanted to remind everyone about his era of Doctor Who (in case we forgot) and retconned the most tragic companion exit ever.

Not that whole Doctor-Donna thing should have happened in the first place, but still.

That being said, RTD came back, Donna's back, 10th is now also the 14th Doctor (and a part time weather man), and all attention is immediately on how things got left last time.

Which is mistake one; (I can take a shitty opening, to fill in anyone who wasn't their to watch Donna's time as a companion) but at no point does it feel like 15-years has passed.

At no point, do I get a sense of this new Donna. We get constant mentions of everything that happened, but that means nothing to me.

Show me Donna's life. We deserve that. I want to see this woman thrive after the Doctor. I want to see her meet her husband and have weird dreams about him cheating on her with a spider, which her husband finds weird but funny. I want to see the challenges of getting a job, and then the stress of having a job you don't like, I want to see her lose said job and have to explain everything to the family. I want to see her have a child, and her reaction to them coming out as Trans. I want them to have a normal, human life, until Rose Noble finds an alien.

No Doctor. No Aliens. No nothing. Just Donna and her family.

Because then maybe I would have cared when she almost died. Which unfortunately didn't happen.

I'm going to be honest, I wanted Donna Noble to die, and I don't dislike Donna Noble, but her entire introduction and her entire time on screen resolved around this missing chunk of her life. It seemed to consume her, and that's completely unfair. In the end, it seemed like, she'd rather remember and die, then live. Despite her saying the opposite, but that was the option and I think Donna should have known that, and made that choice, because she never got the chance to do so the first time round.

That being said, RTD also seems to have learnt all the wrong lessons from Chibnall, by including diverse characters (just about) but not representing anyone.

Rose Noble (and I still can't believe he named her Rose) is a one-dimensional character. She is Donna's daughter. She is Trans. And she is just super nice. We get nothing more than that. I would have loved to see her interact with the Meep for longer. I wanted them to built up trust and respected, only for it all to be one big lie that tears Rose apart.

Which sounds horrible, but it would add to her character, and also make her aware that not everyone who is discriminated against is immediately trustworthy. They might understand, they might relate but that doesn't mean they care.

Meep proved to be this perfect character, or villain, which demonstrated the looks can be deceiving aspect.

And Rose comes across as someone just young and hopeful enough to be deceived but she wouldn't be the only one. Everyone else got deceived too, she's just the one more heartbroken over it. Because she thought they were friends.

Whilst the Doctor should have ended up at the spaceship, met with Shirley, and they should have teamed up. Because once more, there is no point adding a wheelchair user, if they're pretty much replaceable and just sitting around?

I'm aware that people overlook all types of well people, but you mean to tell me, they didn't think it worth it to hold the woman captive. Did she just hide somewhere? I mean that's not bad, but it also feels bad, like she should have had her moment, beyond appearing when the main character's needed her.

Like I would have loved to see her, where she joins the Doctor, and goes with him, on the taxi ride, which would take place after the spaceship lands not before. And then, they would all end up re-meeting at Donna's house anyway. And Shirley's wheelchair can just be advanced enough to get into the house, and become one of those chair-lifts which gets her upstairs.

My point is, if she wasn't a wheelchair user, she'd actual probably be found dead in a corner somewhere.

Doctor Who (or should I say its writers) really don't care for side-character like they should, unless they're making them the most sympathetic character's imaginable (then its over the top).

Let's jump back to the actual episode which I haven't even talked about probably yet.

It opens weirdly, with the Doctor and Donna filling everyone in (which I have discussed) and then we immediately jump to the Doctor stumbling into Donna, which is both convenient (or not) and destroys any built up to this moment.

Before we can even get into the episode, before we can really understand that 15 years has passed for Donna, and over a thousand years for the Doctor, we immediately have them meet, and it's alright now, because she doesn't immediately die, by looking at the Doctor's face (something we already knew).

And not to get into too much but having the Doctor get his old face back ruins the whole thing about the Doctor's face not even mattering.

Point is, a spacecraft crash lands (though not really) and everyone sees it but Donna. Which was a thing, that never made any sense the first time round, but what can you do?

Would have been nicer to see how that affected Donna? Or that it had no affect, confusing and troubling the Doctor.

Some nice little foreshadowing that things are different now, that things have changed, since the Master turned everyone's face into his.

The Doctor then gets a taxi ride from Shaun, the husband. And that is all you need to know (other than he's happy man, with happy life, and happy family, that's happy all the time (except his wife lost her job, and they can't afford the house anymore and might have to down-size, oh and his daughter things it's her responsibility now to provide for the family, because she's likely blaming herself for existing.))

None of that matters though, because they gave away the money from the lottery, which is all the Doctor's fault.

Like honestly this is the most annoying thing, throughout the entire episode. The focus on money, for all the wrong reasons.

I don't even get the point of it. Are we saying, giving away money is bad? You will regret giving to charity, because one-day you'll need that money?

Because in all honesty, the lottery money, which happened at least ten-years ago, is completely irrelevant.

At this point, the whole focus should be on the fact that a job fired Donna over spilt coffee. (Which apparently was foreshadowing (for reasons unknown to just about everyone.))

Ah, dead-naming.

I'm sorry, but there is zero excuse, and even lesser reasons to do this. It achieves absolutely nothing.

No attention is brought to this, about how horribly it is to be dead-named. It compared to causal bullying, and I don't wanted to lessen the horrors of bullying in general, but it takes one a whole new level of horror when it against Trans people, for being trans, and involves a group of boys on a trans-girl.

(I will not go into this anymore, you either understand or don't.)

And Donna's response, makes her look like an awful parent. Oh, it's okay sweetheart, because I was once a bully, just like those boys, and I'm going to go bully their mother, which might be the reason, she raised her sons like that.

(Not placing the blame completely on Donna, or the Mother for the boys behaviour, but the point remains, don't comfort your kid being bullied, with bullying.)

Now this wouldn't come across as such a bad parent moment, if we're seen Donna, and how much she'd changed since becoming a parent. We get hints of it, and a nice conversation with Sylvia who has also mellowed out nicely.

Unfortunately, we don't get the same conversation with Rose and someone else. Someone she can express herself to, who isn't family and understands.

The closest we get is Fudge, but he's a little kid, and not someone she can really open-up to. I was hoping, that would end up being the Doctor as some point, but that never happened. (All of their bonding just happened of screen, I guess.)

Once again, we've spoke about Rose helping the Meep, and how tamed it is. We've also spoken about the Doctor and Shirley.

Now I have nothing wrong with the way, everything sort of falls out of control very quickly. We have Donna poking the Meep in the eye, the Meep asking for help, and Sylvia panicking, only for the Doctor to turn up, which makes everything worse until Shuan brings a moment pause to everything once more.

Nicely done, (if a little quick), some part do feel a little random. Like the Doctor hearing Donna. Instead of tracking the Meep, as opposed to the escape pod like everyone else.

Also, almost forgot to speak about the sonic.

Some people don't like it. Other's love it. Everyone knew it's just a special thing, and one kind of has to ask, why bother with a new sonic for just three-episodes?

I feel like its wasted potential.

I like a Doctor without a sonic as much as the next person, but I also see the potential in the sonic which is never used. And it has become a part of the Doctor. I mean the guy runs around without a shield, which exist in-universe, alongside teleporters and other helpful gadgets.

The reason for that, is the writer's are never actual prepared to handle that level of technology all the time. It would get boring very quickly, for a shield to have to be destroyed, before the Doctor can be injured, each and every time. But honestly, just have it there, and don't bring attention to it.

I don't think the Doctor needs to be in danger, every episode, and the whole, ducking and dodging, just takes away tension, because you know they're going to be alright. Having the Doctor wear a shield, and being shot at, and surviving, makes sense. And only once, you wanted them hurt or to get shot, do you come up with a reason for the shield to stop working, or have then give it to someone else.

I'm saying, with a little thought, having more advanced technology on the Doctor could actual work. But Writer's don't want that, and Doctor Who fans don't want that.

In conclusion, the new sonic is a one-off anyway. Like, even compared to the rest of the episodes, they never use it again. (I guess it costs too much).

I personally liked that it could be used as a screen, which could come in useful (but is never used again). Didn't like the shielding as much.

We take a moment to sit down, bandage up the Meep's hand, and have a little chat. Now, I've briefly mentioned, but I think Donna comes across to brash at times, but more so now. She's supposed to be a mother, and more tamed but, the not clarifying Wilf is in a home, felt out of place, and more so, blaming the Doctor for misunderstanding.

She did it all the time, the first go round, and it annoyed me to no end. As someone who can easily misunderstand people, I guess it doesn't help, I consider her already knowing the Doctor. But still, even as someone not known to you, you don't call them an idiot for being sad, because they think your grandfather's dead.

Have a heart.

Also, Rose getting at the Doctor for using a he pronoun on the Meep, felt all wrong. Like a new touch, and a nice addition to Doctor Who, but would have liked the Doctor to smile, and ask is it 2023 already, and get a massive glare from Sylvia for his trouble.

Like an acknowledgement, he's dumming himself down and has been since the sixties, because of our out-dated views about gender, would be the perfect moment to have the Doctor open up about his own gender, and not have been ignorant to the entire thing. And this continues, and turns out to be foreshadowing for a worse moment.

Also, also, having the Doctor confess to also having the pronoun 'The' (and not have this be a throw-away line) would have worked to, he could even have mentioned how this is true of all Time-Lords, expect their more than comfortable with he/him, she/her, they/them, when applicable. So, it's not wrong to use, any.

Now, we have the sonic save the day, to allow them to escape upstairs. I like that the Doctor lead them to safety through the attic, a clever move.

However, the fact that Unit, who have been possessed, know where the Meep is, is questionable. Beyond that, the fact they're firing into the house, with the Meep in, is also questionable. And even more so, why is the Meep, still playing pretend at this moment, what is the Meep waiting for exactly, other than the Doctor to catch up?

Now, the Doctor works it out, and drives the Meep to somewhere to speak with the Meep. And then summons the Warrior's (Zogroth's my mistake) to have a chat.

This could have been a good moment, if one, Fudge actual spoke with the Zogroth (why did I not know they had such a cool name?) and befriended them, because then, it's Rose and Meep, against Fudge and Zogroth.

Imagine that, this has been building for a few days, maybe a week, and we don't know who to trust, but Rose is convinced the Meep are the trustworthy one's, and Fudge trust Rose, but it turns out, she's actual wrong. And the Meep almost kills Fudge. Or, is honest with Fudge, letting us know the Meep is evil, but only when Rose isn't looking or around.

We could have even had then, on different sizes of the court room arguing their point. The Doctor caught in the middle, Fudge upset and angry that no-one believes him, because he's a kid. It could have been a whole thing, that's slower paced and gives the audience times to think and pick a side, but no, we just have the Doctor speaking fast, the camera spinning, and the Meep just giving up I guess, and confessing.

Point is, we build on this perception, of good vs bad, and not judging a book by its cover. And have the Doctor be there, to get to the truth of the issue, and could still have the silly mock-court, which happened because, they wanted to have the doctor wear a judge wig?

Not sure on that one, but the fact the Meep relives the truth then, and not at any other point, is the first odd point. Also, the second is that the Meep doesn't kill nor eat the Doctor, Donna, or her family.

Then, we get to the Meep's plan. Which is to destroy the earth for some reason? (I'm not actual sure, and I can't be bothered working it out.)

Point is, the Doctor needs Donna, became a glass barrier is slowing him down, and I know a lot of people like the Doctor (this Doctor) running around pressing button, randomly, but um, it goes on way too long for me.

Either way, he has to cause Donna to remember. And I do, like the whole, list of random works to unblock her memorises, but we've had no built up to it, and an even worse pay off.

Donna remembers, they save the day, and she doesn't die. Because she had a baby, (another companions child, where the Doctor is the third-parent, let hope he doesn't marry this one.)

Now because of this, Rose has some of the Doctor-Donna too, and when its activated, she able to save the Doctor and Donna, which is a little forced.

Point against this, I would rather have had it, fade over time, as though Donna had slowly been releasing the built up energy. Or had her, give it away, (as she sort of does), because now she's content in her life, she has a family, and a daughter, and doesn't want to be the Doctor anymore, doesn't want to travel the universe anymore.

That would have been perfect, but nothing builds up to this moment. Our problem is, we have too many characters, and none of them doing anything (but that's only an issue when Chibnall writes it).

Doesn't matter, the point is, the Doctor's now a male-presenting time-lord again, for like a morning tops, (half a day maybe) and is already too ignorant to realise the truth about Donna's condition, which has never happened before.

This actual could have been a brilliant moment, where Donna's like, you don't understand, because you haven't lived with this for fifteen-years. Which would link in, with the fight a lot of people (particularly woman) have with Doctor's presuming they understanding the illness a person is going through, better than the patient.

The Meep is stopped and honestly deserved a little better, some people really liked him. I thought it a mistake to not allow them to take it further in their deception, so it had a point. Also, they whole, they weren't evil, but made evil, and this Meep is the last, feels like, it missing the point, this episode should be aiming for. And that is that, appearance doesn't matter.

Rose has always had the memorises of the Doctor shinning through, wonderful, another character indebted to the Doctor for life, just what we need. (And the first trans character, is a by-product of the Doctor, so she can be trans, but you can't, because you're human and only the Doctor the weirdo who's male, female and more.)

Donna should have gone back to her life after this, we should have seen her visiting Wilf, to watch the stars together. Both of them wondering about the Doctor, missing him. But content to sit and watch from a safe distance, because she is that over the Doctor, and that secure in herself, and her family. That is the ending Donna Noble deserved.

3/10

Forgettable Villain. Misunderstood Characters. Too Much Going On. Happening Too Quickly. And The Worst Offender Of Them All Empty Inclusion.

(OH, and also, it's supposed to be a 60th anniversary of the WHOLE of Doctor Who).

#Doctor Who Criticism #RTD2 #RTD Criticism #Doctor Who Review #The Star Beast Special #14th Doctor #Donna Noble

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aysathenotsogreat · 1 year ago

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doctor who tier list!

I just finished up a rewatch of the RTD era and thought I should to post my list now. plan on watching through moffat and chibball again because

m: I legit haven't seen a majority of his era in like 5+ years? I mostly rewatch good capaldi episodes anyways. I remember growing really sour on matt smith by the end so I want to see if it was good. also I remember hating most of series 9. I think the pacing in a majority of the episodes was pretty atrocious? I really want to change my opinion on this one. nowadays, me getting so upset with hell bent is kinda hilarious in comparison to my feelings on the timeless child.

chibnall: I tried so many times throughout the run to give it an honest chance but I really did not like many of the choices made. I haven't rewatched a single episode and I don't think I ever thought one was better than a 7/10. so I want to rewatch them to see if my opinion holds true before the 60th/RTD2 era. I just never ended up posting my feelings about this era because of all the nmd asshats and other bigots who only targeted the show for some more visual character diversity, calling it "woke garbage". I never wanted to added to that bs so I never spoke. but like, series 11 was bad and it only got worse as it went. flux to me was incomprehensible and made me quite glad to know the end of this era was coming because I sure as hell didn't get much value out of it at the time.

expect me to post bitching about doctor who in the future, I've just rewatched my favorite parts of the show and the next two head writers are men I clearly have mixed feelings on. I'll make a new tier list when I finish up Twice Upon a Time and another after Power of the Doctor. I actually haven't rewatched the 2010 specials yet but trust me when I say I know my opinions about the tenth doctor episodes very well. I've been holding off on the End of Time because I haven't seen it since Bernard Cribbins death and I am not emotionally ready for that yet. anyways doctor who posting continues

#doctor who #dw #tier list #russell t davies #stephen moffat #chris chibnall

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amyjsoba · 2 years ago

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Everyone’s so cynical on here nowadays and have no concept of nuance - that they immediately assumed the worst about RTD coming back. Ditto for the Disney+ deal. Now I don’t like the deal because I enjoy watching the show on BBC America. But I also know that the BBC’s been having to make do with less since the Tories have always been hostile to the idea of public broadcasting. And things just got to the point where they couldn’t do the show by themselves anymore and had to find somebody to share costs with or put their flagship show on hiatus

Sadly, the cynicism surrounding RTD’s decisions isn’t limited to Tumblr. I’ve seen a lot of YouTubers say the same thing—that RTD only brought David back to entice people to watch the new series. Turns out, that’s not the case at all. Go figure.

According to an interview with David Tennant, in that text conversation RTD said something like “we could do a one off, maybe they’d let us.” So that’s probably all RTD had in mind when he approached the BBC with his idea. There’s even a chance that Chibnall’s departure hadn’t been announced when RTD went to the BBC. Russell really could’ve thought, “Maybe they’d let us do a one-off alongside the other celebrations.”

As for Disney, there’s definitely something to be said about studios continually being swallowed by giant corporations and the long term harm it causes so I understand people’s concern for the new partnership.

Practically speaking, after observing Marvel and Star Wars under Disney, I’ve come to believe Disney is more hands off than most people think. As long as the studio is making a profit, they don’t care.

More budget and access to a larger audience will benefit Doctor Who immensely. For RTD this means a lot of creative freedom. His era consists of a lot of people running down hallways—there was no money. The new era won’t be like 2005 but RTD keeps assuring people it’s the same show. I think he’s earned the right to be trusted on that. I think we’re in for a real treat with the 60th and Ncuti Gatwa’s run.

#asks #doctor who #david tennant #fourteenth doctor #dw #doctor who 60th anniversary #ncuti gatwa #russell t davies #rtd2 #fifteenth doctor

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majorbaby · 2 years ago

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And now I'm curious whether you're planning to check out RTD's second run on Doctor Who, or if you're wary and waiting to see how it goes, or if you're uninterested entirely. I admit I'm curious, but for me it probably depends a lot on how much it leans into Moffat and Chibnall's style of playing around with the show's established canon, vs how much it does its own thing and moves on from that. Plus RTD def has his own flaws too lol, though I've pretty much only heard good things about his post-DW dramas so I've got hope.

i'm gonna try this new thing where i actually answer the question being asked up front and then i put all my optional "and also" thoughts under a cut: i'm famously bad at watching things on my watchlist but what matters is i want to watch it. this has more to do with my love and trust of RTD's writing than it does with me wanting to go back to the whoniverse.

and also...

very very important disclaimer that it's been years since i watched doctor who but i've been meaning to recently for nine-hawkeye parallel reasons (cowardly hero, bad god) so some of this might be off: i'm so appreciative of my doctor who years because i really fell completely in love with that world and my love for the doctor is surpassed only by my love for a select few of the companions. i also learned from DW that you can definitely love parts of a thing without loving the whole and that's fine - in fact, i think that is what we are meant to do with DW specifically. there are themes to the character of the doctor and recurring motifs but they're all nodded to and i don't really think it's possible for such a long running show/character with so many writers involved to even have a singular arc for its protagonist.

i view it as being similar to comic books. what is the overall "arc" of batman? it's just the same guy in a billion situations, and your different 'actors' are your different writers who write him. i think you can say new things about the world with the doctor or say something about the doctor in a new way but i'm skeptical if you can say new things about the doctor with the doctor and i don't think he should be used that way and RTD seemed to understand that.

i also just generally prefer 'monster of the week' style to 'story arcs' and i found RTD did that more often. i'd go even further and say it's a better way to do doctor who because when i zoom out i find that dw's seasons are episodic, because of how much there is. the episodes are the seasons and the seasons belonging to an actor are the arcs because they're all playing the doctor their own way and what we refer to as 'eras' are moreso eras of main writer/showrunner to me than they are eras of actors playing the doctor. and i think RTD understood this too.

i'm not saying let's throw out story arcs all together, RTD pulled off the arc of all time with 'i am the bad wolf' so it can be done well i just found moffat in contrast to be very 'this is an ARC', let me show you what an ARC is you sheeple'. anyway not to make this a steven moffat hatepost - but it is always correct to make a steven moffat hatepost is it not? this immortal post sums up my feelings about his writing pretty well and an obligatory: well if steven moffat writes so badly with such confidence then why can't i????

so no need for me to return to that world just because i've loved previous iterations. i'd go back because i really i like RTD a lot and it's also nice to be genuinely excited for who. i was excited for there to be a woman doctor because i remember a time when i genuinely believed there could never be a woman doctor but i was out of it for so many years by the time 13 came around and i was so disillusioned by the moffat years. so i sort of waved at the fandom when that happened, good for them!! about time!! i also like 12 a lot and i think peter capaldi is brilliant but when i watched it it wasn't the same for me as before. so actor appeal and world appeal don't really do it for me. it does come down to the writing.

all that said, i am a guy who loves when a story ends. i think nostalgia is overrated and bad and right now it's grip on cinema and audiences is very very bad. so i was kind of meh about david tennant returning. i like ten but he's not my favourite and he had a very good run and got his due, i don't personally need more of him. i would've liked more of nine because i felt he did not get his due, even though they still wrapped on nine very well. but it's clear to me that eccleston has moved on so i also would not want him back either.

donna, well, if there must be a returning companion from the ten years than yeah i'm happy it's donna because their dynamic is truly chef's kiss and catherine tate is brilliant and i'm not married to her tragic ending, i do think she deserved better than that. but i would still prefer someone new because i always lean towards 'new stories'.

if 'a returning character named rose' turns out to be anything other than a character who shares the same name as rose and the parallels are all projected on by the fans, then i will riot lol. rose's ending was perfect and i don't want it to change and just like you, i'm not interested in her being immortal or even coming back to help the doctor save the world again. if it were not for RTD i would not even consider watching more of "rose". it's true that some past companions have returned (my sarah jane <3) but i think if it's not kept to a minimum then that's bad for the doctor who ecosystem. new stories! new opportunities for other actors and writers!

other reasons i like RTD: he clearly still has a passion for doctor who, he's usually doesn't miss with his companions, he knows how to do tragedy and romance while having respect for his audience, he's smart writer and he's an overall strong writer.

tbh i should check out his other stuff because i like him so much and since i'm saying i'm coming back for his writing and not for the world as much. but also i'm really excited for ncuti gatwa's 15th doctor and i hope RTD stays on to write him, so maybe this is how i find my way back to doctor who.

#answering the question without getting lost in the sauce for once #thank you marley and im sorry about the long writeup don't feel obligated #dw #replies

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lady-phasma · 2 years ago

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What is your opinion about the returning of RTD?

Thanks for the ask anon.

Some background for new Whovians: RTD is Russell T. Davies, a writer and producer, who helped reboot Doctor Who in 2005. More than helped, actually. He certainly didn't do it alone but it was his passion project for sure. He left the series in 2009, season 4 was his last, and he was succeeded by Steven Moffat, whose first season (5) was also Matt Smith's first season. Moffat remained as lead writer and producer until season 10, followed by Chris Chibnall. RTD is returning for season 14 in 2024.

Now to answer the question: I am partial to Moffat for many reasons, 11th Doctor included, but I love his interpretation of Sherlock. Just as Whovians have "our" Doctor, we often have our writer/producer. RTD is brilliant and has had an amazing career. He also gave us Torchwood and the lovely Jack Harkness (bit of trivia "Torchwood" is an anagram of "Doctor Who"). I am forever grateful that RTD did what he did for DW.

I think it's a bit of a gimmick to bring him back, however. I have faith that he can continue to do great things with the Doctor and the 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, is lucky to have someone so talented to run the show. But I'm wary. I wonder if bringing him back is an attempt to actually improve the show overall or if it is only to have his name on it again. I am optimistic that someone who loves DW as much as any of us won't tank the series. Maybe they should have brought in new blood but I trust RTD to take care of the series.

Ultimately, we can only wait and see but I don't believe he will do harm to the series.

#asked and answered #doctor who #russell t davies #steven moffat #chris chibnall #15th doctor #ncuti gatwa #torchwood

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oreolesbian · 2 years ago

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okay—thoughts on the tennant reveal

for one: a lot of people are calling tennant the fourteenth doctor. he’s not. just…full stop, he’s not. he’s confirmed for only three episodes of the next season. ncuti gatwa is the fourteenth doctor.

two: for fans of jodie’s run (of which i would include myself!), i’ve heard of lot of people saying that introducing tennant takes away from jodie’s final episode and ncuti’s first episode. and while i understand that feeling—every regeneration episode is meant to be a fresh start, an overshadowing if you will. especially when it’s a switch between showrunners. as the head writer leaves, they leave open big gaps for the next showrunner’s planned storyline to keep viewers engaged. it’s smart marketing. think of the big switch from rtd to moffat or the switch from moffat to chibnall. huge tone shifts bc, as many dw fans consider, these are eras of the show—new starting points that basically soft reboot the show.

three: doctor who has always relied on references to its past material. even in ten’s run! there were callbacks to older seasons from the original series—they brought back sarah jane—they even did crossover episodes between companions. it’s not that shocking of a thing to see old doctors come and go

four: every regeneration scene is always trying to one up the previous. as an audience we know what to expect from regeneration scenes so the writers are constantly trying to think up twists to catch us off guard. the doctor regenerating into a past regeneration? yeah! i’d call that a surprise! do twists make for good writing—not really—but it’s not new for doctor who and it certainly isn’t done with some malicious intent towards jodie or ncuti. plus—most of this is set up for the 60th! the 50th had huge plot lines with old doctors meeting each other too!

finally: introducing tennant back and rtd as a showrunner is exciting for a lot of people. does nostalgia come into play here? absolutely. but it is undeniable that under rtd, the show was super strong. moffat ran during the infamous superwholock era, but the show notoriously lost a lot of viewership post-matt smith’s run. jodie’s introduction + the introduction of a new showrunner picked viewership up a bit more for sure..but once it became clear that chibnall’s writing was…subpar at best..viewership declined. hence why we saw them pulling out all the stops in series 12 to bring viewers back, and sadly giving jodie barely a final season and more a series of specials.

i do genuinely believe that under chibnall, regardless of who was playing the doctor, this would’ve happened anyway. jodie was a magnificent doctor, and her portrayal is by far not the reason why people have disliked her run and look forward to rtd’s writing. rtd has done more than just write a very beloved era of doctor who. he’s also just a very strong showrunner/writer in general. is he perfect? no! but he has a strong track record which fans know of and trust..which gets them back.

so he brings back tennant and catherine tate to bring people back in—for marketing security—and then he gets to go all out with a new era…starring ncuti! this fresh spark is exactly what the show needs, regardless of what you thought of the past three seasons. and does it suck that we have to draw on older seasons to make that happen? of course. but will it (hopefully) lead to some amazing stuff down the line? i do genuinely think so.

so please don’t take people the wrong way when they say they’re excited for the new era of doctor who. it’s not to undermine jodie in any way, and she will be missed. she, in my humble opinion, deserved a stronger showrunner for her run, just as i believed peter capaldi deserved better marketing for his season (cause there was some decent writing in there. series 10 is super underrated).

here’s to a new doctor! ncuti gatwa, i’m ready for you king! 👑

#doctor who #russell t davies #david tennant #jodie whittaker #ncuti gatwa #dw spoilers

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doctornolonger · 2 years ago

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misc Big Announcement thoughts, take 2:

"upcoming seasons" – for now, the rest of New Who will remain on HBO Max. Disney wouldn't be interested in the show if prior series were required viewing, so this basically confirms that RTD will be going for a full "soft reboot" with Gatwa after (via?) the 14th Doctor specials.

Will this mean new episodes become available in the US right after they finish airing on BBC 1, like how iPlayer works now? As sad as it may be to see BBC America consigned to 24/7 reruns, I won't miss the ads very much.

RIP to my Irish friends tho. Shafted again.

This year BBC sold its share of BritBox to ITV, who will be folding it into their new ITVX platform next month. So the Classic Who distribution rights will probably be up for grabs at the end of this year. Odds that Disney+ snaps them up? Would be nice to stream all of Classic and New Who in the same place – would much rather it be anywhere but Disney+ though!

Come to think of it, between Classic and New Who, Torchwood and Class, Sarah Jane and even the K9 series that used to air on Disney XD … even without anything new, there's already enough to justify a new tile on the Disney+ homepage. A realistic mockup from Gerard Groves on Twitter:

This begs the question: what would we see in the MCUfication of Who – the WhoCU, if you will? Educated guesses below the cut:

Because of Chibnall's switch from Christmas to New Year's, Daleks didn't appear on TV in 2018, and it led to the first year that the Nation estate made less from Dalek merchandise than they had before the revival. This triggered a clause in Tim Hancock's original deal – which both sides were still holding to, even though it technically expired in the move to BBC Worldwide – so I've heard that the estate started shopping the Daleks around to other studios. (Hancock also recently resigned.) Rumour has it that Disney bought ~30% of the rights in a silent auction. BBC still owns the designs from the TV show, but after 2023 they wouldn't be able to call them "Daleks" anymore – the "drones" were introduced in Revolution as a workaround. This has probably changed with RTD's emergency return and this Disney+ deal, but the fact remains that Disney can use redesigned Daleks with or without RTD's permission.

We might also get shot-for-shot recreations of missing episodes with new actors! According to people I trust – and many thanks to [redacted] for inspiring most or all of these bullet points – the BBC received film print copies of "Marco Polo" from a private collector in 2013, but they're so damaged they're basically unwatchable. Following UKTV's success with Dad's Army in 2018, BritBox had been talking about reshooting "Marco Polo" for the 60th anniversary, like An Adventure in Space and Time had been for the 50th. (It's mostly a single set, after all.) This would be a test run for a more ambitious First Doctor revival. Animation is not the future for our "missing" episodes…

Or maybe as Gerard visualized, McGann will get another shot – he looked pretty good in The Power of the Doctor, didn't he? According to one of the same sources for the spot-on Centenary leaks, BBC Studios looked into doing a live-action Eighth Doctor miniseries after the big hit that was "The Night of the Doctor", but management changed and ordered Class instead. I love Class and all, but … what a missed opportunity!

Is MCUfication a good idea? I have very mixed feelings. As Neo from WhoCares remarked, after so many years of ambling, the franchise being steered in a new direction so purposefully is uncomfortable and kind of scary. But this won't be RTD's first time reinventing Who. In the end I have to trust that we're in capable hands!

#doctor who #disney+#citing source as [redacted] until he gets back to me on how or whether he'd like to be credited #fourteenth doctor #marco polo #paul mcgann #britbox #mcwho #effortpost #rtd 2.0

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avaantares · 3 years ago

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I'm about to be controversial, y'all.

So... am I the only one who's extremely unexcited to see RTD put back in charge of Doctor Who? I know lots of people have fond nostalgia for his era of showrunning -- and that's fair; my favorite DW characters and storylines also hail from those seasons -- but I keep looking back at his Whoniverse and remembering

the poor handling of season arcs: e.g. shoehorning the words "Bad Wolf" into every episode to suggest there's a continuing story and then... not having it signify anything except the fact that the words "Bad Wolf" were in every episode. Ditto "the bees are disappearing," et al. There was no building story, no progressive reveal, no real sense of continuity -- but then the season finale would throw out some supposedly-shocking revelation that pretended it tied everything together. Only it didn't feel like a proper payoff, because all we'd gotten was a random line once per episode to tick the requisite 'season finale reference' box.

what he did to some characters in DW, and his "defense" for it, which he then recycled for Torchwood: His stated reason for stranding Rose in an alternate universe/wiping Donna's memory/killing half the cast of Torchwood is because (and I can't find the exact quote right now, sorry) he's not interested in telling satisfying stories, but wants to do things that will shock the audience so they remember it and talk about it 50 years from now. (Sorry, but shock value alone isn't good storytelling. If I want to be angry/horrified/surprised/confused by events, I would just watch the news instead of a scripted TV show.)

the (frankly insulting) things he said about the fans and their attachment to said characters after their disappointing endings in DW/Torchwood. (Dude, you know we can hear you, right?)

what he did with the Torchwood sequels: His exact quote, cited by (I think) Scott Handcock in an issue of Vortex, was "Let's drive it off a cliff!" And then he proceeded to trash almost all of the established character growth from the previous decade's worth of series material.

the bulk of Miracle Day, which he wrote, and which was... You know, I've already written thousands of words detailing all the ways that series fails to support the continuity of the previous three TV seasons of Torchwood and the greater Whoniverse, so I won't reiterate all that here, but the fact that he directly contradicts his own previous scripts, scenarios, worldbuilding and characterization multiple times in that series really doesn't reassure me that he won't do something incredibly jarring and out of line/continuity with a new DW season.

Now, all that said, did RTD also do some things well as DW showrunner? Yes, he did. He certainly deserves credit for successfully resurrecting a franchise that had previously failed (more than once -- *cough*American Doctor Who movie*cough*). He established the Time War mythos and set up the Doctor's subsequent recovery arcs, which became a touchpoint for the series as a whole. He introduced numerous great characters, cast members, and villains, including several of my personal favorites. He created Torchwood, a show I love despite its many, many flaws. Some of the most iconic episodes of the new series were produced during his tenure ("The Empty Child," "Blink," "Midnight," "Silence in the Library," et al.). And in total fairness, as much as I loathed the execution of Miracle Day, I do think it had a solid premise and raised fascinating questions, and could have been a really good stand-alone sci-fi series if it hadn't tried to be a Torchwood sequel/spinoff.

I'm also not going to argue that DW is perfect right now and should stay just as it is, because the series has definitely been treading water lately; there have been numerous story and long-term continuity issues during Chibnall's era. But what it really comes down to for me is that despite those good, lasting innovations he made in launching the reboot series, I don't really see a new RTD-helmed season fixing the troubled state of Doctor Who as it stands, because the things he did well aren't necessarily what the show needs to regain its sense of balance after the uneven scripting and continuity-flaunting turns it took over the last couple of seasons. At best, it will be a hard reset to an early-series atmosphere that largely ignores the questions raised by recent installments, rather than a recovery from the continuity-nuking bomb dropped during the last season finale. At worst, he'll continue the problems delineated by the bullet-pointed list above, and the series will sink deeper into a hole.

To me, the RTD re-appointment really feels like BBC/BBCA trying to cash in on the early-NuWho nostalgia train to regain the viewership it lost during Jodie Whitaker's tenure (not her fault at all, but some whiny little boys viewers ragequit at her introduction because *gasp* a female Doctor?! how dare! while others lost interest because of the weak scripts or other failings of the past couple of seasons). I think the decision is motivated less by "what is best for the development of Doctor Who as an ongoing series?" and more by "what's the fastest shot in the arm we can give our struggling ratings so we can capitalize on the upcoming 60th anniversary?"

I hope I'm just being paranoid, and RTD defies all my expectations and brings something new and delightful to the next series of DW. But I can't deny that when I read the announcement, my gut reaction was just, "Ugh." Maybe it's just the Torchwood fan in me, burned too often and in too many ways to trust RTD to stick the landing, but I'm honestly feeling more trepidation than anticipation right now.

#doctor who #torchwood #russell t. davies #rtd #this post is just my personal opinion #everyone is entitled to their own #long post

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bluebell-wlw · 2 years ago

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Thoughts on Show runners

I just thought it would be interesting to point out that the show runners do not write every single episode.

Show runners are head writers/executive producers. They will write several episodes along with coming up with series arcs or plans. Other writers will write episodes and the show runner will have to make sure it fits in with the rest and the overall story.

Personally, one reason I am excited for the return of RTD2, is because of how well he managed overall story arcs, weaving things into every episode, and how most episodes written by guest writers were really well done. I mean, we first saw our previous two show runners contributing under RTD, that is a big reason why they were trusted with the job.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that bringing back RTD shows a lot of distrust in the writers, and that is true, but can you think of a guest writer from Chibnall’s era that has stood out? (Other than Maxine Alperton but I’ll come back to her.) Chibnall as show runner and these guest writers are not simply bad. They’re just not good doctor who writers. Most episodes this era have felt clunky, with bad dialogue, often poor use of companions, and poor use of many villains as well. They haven’t been picked to be the next show runner because a lot of people have not especially liked their episodes.

Compare to Moffat who, when writing for the Davies era, contributed some incredible and memorable stories like The Empty Child or Silence in the Library. There is a reason he could easily be trusted to be a show runner- he made some damn good stories.

Now, I know there are a lot of major fans of this era which is totally great, but I and most other who-fans I personally know have not loved this era, and the consistent criticism by all is just that the writing does not feel like doctor who for all the reasons listed above.

Which brings me to Maxine Alderton. The majority of episodes of the chibnall era that I have loved have either been written or co-written by her. She gets the doctor who feel and clearly can make some good stories. But she has only written two (as far as I can remember anyway, feel free to correct me).

The BBC logistically needs to bring out their big guns in the form of RTD to bring back viewers, this is why he is back as show runner. I am so excited to see what stories and series he brings. But he will of course have guest writers, just like there are every season, so let’s hope he brings back Maxine Alderton so she can write some more episodes and maybe even be show runner one day.

TLDR: Russel is a great show runner and will bring more viewers, that is why he is back. If they had found a writer who was good and experienced enough at writing for DW then they would pick them for next show runner, and so far they don’t have that. Closest is Maxine Alderton so let’s all cross our fingers for more episodes from her in 2024 so she gains more experience and perhaps gets the show running job in the future.

(Also before people come at me for certain things let me clarify: No I don’t hate that the doctor is a woman, I just didn’t like the writing. No I don’t hate Sasha as the master, just thought the storylines he was in were not well written. No I don’t hate Yaz as a character, I just thought she and the other companions were given very little development or things to do especially in series 11 and 12. It was nice to see Yaz have more personality and agency in series 13 and the specials but that came far too late in my opinion. Also no, I don’t think RTD is the perfect god writer or something, I just liked his era a lot better.)

#doctor who #Chris chibnall #Steven Moffat #maxine alderton #russell t davies

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jxpper · 3 years ago

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I’ve had this on my mind and since my brain is like a messy desktop of a computer, I’ve gotta say this so I can clear up some space in my head.

Titled: Not so concise hot take about the 13th Doctor’s Era

I wanted to like it, I really really wanted to. I was *so* excited about 13 being Jodie and I really did do my best to go into it with positivity. But there is a huge problem that doctor who should’ve thought about. changing writers, while also making history by having the first female doctor - that was a mistake.

having the first female doctor was a very huge deal to a lot of fans. it’s the first time fans who are girls could see themselves as the main character and not just the friend. HOWEVER, given how many misogynistic people are in the fandom, it was a very delicate transition. If BBC had thought it through, they wouldn’t have changed the writers as well. This is because if (and it did) go wrong, everyone’s blame would instantly be placed on the fact that the doctor’s a woman. Not even bothering to think about whether or not it’s the writer’s fault or the characters fault. So all of that blame fell on 13. When, in reality, if Moffat or RTD was writing the 13th doctor, viewers would still feel some sense of normalcy. This would’ve keep a lot more fans because they would’ve realized that doctor who hadn’t changed entirely.

But then they added a different writer at the same time. Now you have two massive changes. People have a hard time telling what it actually is about the new seasons they don’t like. But, Jodie and the Doctor being a woman, they didn’t stand a chance of being given the benefit of the doubt. So now no fan will ever trust another female doctor even if the writing is amazing because they hold a grudge against chibnall and Jodie. If they had brought Chibnall in while 12 was still the Doctor - everyone would’ve been able to see the shift in writing and not associate it with the most delicate change that girls and women have been waiting to see for generations!!!

Chibnall can be BRILLIANT but Doctor Who is not his strong suit. He does so much better with dark drama and that’s what he turned Doctor Who into. But that’s not what Doctor Who has been about for years and years before. In past episodes, they always did their best to reiterate hope into viewers. But I realized after watching Orphan 55 (which I’ll never forgive him for) that he wasn’t interested in keeping up that same momentum. But that’s what made Doctor who so amazing!! The hope! The liberation! The feeling of being bigger than yourself and being special!!! Orphan 55 was fear mongering in the worst way because there was no hope at the end. The Doctor basically told 3 humans that if the world didn’t fix climate change, we’d all turn into monsters. What the FUCK are they supposed to do with that??

Not to mention how absolutely bone-chillingly evil it was to hear Benni’s last words and what Kane had to say after that (still gives me nightmares)

I understand that once you’re in a position of power to make change, you should do so. But Chibnall went so hard with the wokeness that it wasn’t even subtle like it was with Moffat which does more damage than help. And ending it on a hopeless note doesn’t motivate anyone to make a difference, it makes us sit there and shrug like why the fuck should we even bother if there’s no hope?

Moffat had a talent for implementing wokeness and awareness into his scripts without making it blatantly obvious. Just enough to put some motivation in your heart and to make you feel able to cause change. The show was stripped of that. It became so obvious. Are you telling me Jack Robertson wasn’t inspired by Trump? And “Can You Hear Me” had so much potential to talk about mental health but it was just a lot of talking and not a lot of making sense. There was no nuances, no subtlety, just too much.

There were a few episodes I loved. I loved Kerblam. I loved Tsuranga. Rosa was beautiful. But maybe it’s because those episodes *felt* like Doctor who. Well, Rosa didn’t but I still loved how that went because it was about damn time they put some emphasis on how incredible Rosa Parks was.

Onto the timeless child: phew. okay. I’ll admit I liked it at first. Or maybe I just liked the cinematography but this goes to my point about having a new writer and a ground breaking character. On top of all of that, chibnall changed the very bones of the entire show with this storyline. And as soon as I started to really think about it, I realized how god damn disrespectful it was of him to do this storyline.

You may be asking: why was it disrespectful Abigail? Well, you think back to 1963. The very first classic Who episode. The person who created that story, created this entire franchise, did that person have this planned? Probably not. They planned for the doctor to be a timelord from gallifrey with 12 regenerations and lives to save. but for the love of god, I can’t imagine how horrible I would feel if someone hijacked a story I came up with, every detail, and changed it without a second thought. If someone flushed all of my hard work and deep thinking down the toilet? holy disrespectful. beyond disrespectful to the original creators. because just like that, the doctor is not gallifreyan. the doctor is not the last of their kind, they are the ONLY one of their species now. In fact, we don’t even fucking know what that species is!!!

If I sat my jolly ass down in 1963 to write out this incredible plot for a show and someone just changed it?? All of my hard work and brilliant ideas? Completely retconned and thrown away as if it wasn’t good enough? I would be devastated. Wouldn’t you? That’s why it was disrespectful. Because Chibnall, who worked on the series for five fucking minutes, came in and used all of his power to wash away everything without even considering the possibility that it was wrong. That storyline would’ve been brilliant for someone other than the Doctor.

AND WE ARENT GONNA EVEN TALK ABOUT HOW FLUX’ MAIN VILLAINS WERE CLEARLY MODELED AFTER DIA DE LOS MUERTOS BECAUSE ILL BE HERE ALL DAY YELLING ABOUT IT

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it became a huge clusterfuck for several different reasons. It was poorly executed because they made so much change so fast that nobody knew what to blame for not liking it anymore. Nobody knew if it was the female doctor they disliked or the writing or the plot changes. And with each change, they tried to manage the criticism with more change. If they kept Jodie on for one more season and did it with RTD’s return, I think it would heal a lot of viewers. I think a lot of them would fall in love with 13 the way she deserved to be loved. I will forever feel bad that Jodie had to deal with this because she was groundbreaking, but too much other ground was breaking around her for her to get proper praise. And because of Chibnall’s writing and the evidence of how hard BBC is working to reverse the problems created, it’s clear that we will likely never see another female doctor again.

Hopefully if you were feeling the same way I have been, this will map out those feelings a little better

Ps. BBC, If you’re reading this, drop the series 10 soundtrack pls I need it like I need oxygen

#middle of the night thoughts #doctor who #13th Doctor #Chris chibnall #yazmin khan #ryan sinclair #graham o'brien #jodie whittaker #thirteenth doctor #Steven Moffat #Russell T Davies

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pilotheather · 3 years ago

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hey i never really watched or followed the chibnall era what was wrong with his writing that made people happy he’s gone

i think this will get you different opinions based on who you ask.

a LOT of people were extremely unhappy with the s12 timeless child plot twist. which, if you don't know: basically he redestroyed gallifrey, and revealed the doctor is not a timelord at all, but was instead the progenitor OF the timelords (a child that kept regenerating, even when they died) and that she was tortured on as a child, being repeatedly killed to realise the secret behind her regenerative abilities, to create the timelord race and then had her mind wiped.

which, im not a fan of. some ppl are? but mostly it panned: lots of ppl are unhappy, bc theyre saying it's "ruining the lore"; personally i dont mind since dw is fast and loose with its canon - and im moreso unhappy about centreing the doctor as, like, the big important chosen one in the universe (like blech) bc its just such a stale narrative decision.

but even before that there was a lot of criticism of chibnalls writing. and again: ur gonna get different opinions on who you ask. there's, uh, for example... a LOT of ppl (off tumblr, mostly) who tout it as sjw bullshit (yawn) bc of jodie and the diverse tardis team. that's bs outrage over nowt, ofc. but like- other than that its just... the writing. yeah, some ppl like it but ik a lot are unahppy with it for different reasons.

and to, like, summarise my own thoughts on chibbers writing: there's LOTS of little things that sort of build up for me. but at the crux of it? personally i dont think the man can write sci-fi - like, at all. thats my own personal main gripe with him. i hear he's good at straightforward drama: whilst ive never seen broadchurch myself, a lot of ppl whose opinions i trust liked it well enough; and furthermore, when it came to torchwood, he did have one or two eps in there that i liked in premise. however, when it comes to sci-fi, i respectfully think he just flounders. like he just cant integrate those other skills he has into a scifi story. the tardis was super overcrowded in s11&s12 (and that brought its own issues) but even still it was sort of... laughable, how much development the companions got. a lot of the time they'd sit there like pints of milk and just?? not really do anything? it got a little better in s12- but its like... he doesnt know how to handle a sci-fi storyline, whilst also exploring the characters in tandem and its like theyre just theyre as objects to move things along. its really fuckin weird.

like, in the most recent episode (last years NY's special, Revolution of the Daleks) the pacing was so strange. there's this whole section in the middle of all the action, where they just STOP and talk inside of the tardis. and don't get me wrong - i dont mind a heart to heart! but a lot of the companions are, like, purely telling and not showing their personality msot of the time - and thats it! its so... stale. they just stand around, state something about themselves and then just do nothing half the time? bc he just doesn't know how to use them in the stories. unlike in rtd or moffat era, where you'd have the companions jumping in and actually interacting with stuff- you'd know its just... like theyre being swept away by the plot. and you could frankly cut them out of almost all of the episodes, replace them with a sonic screwdriver or some other technobabble and it just wouldnt make any damn difference to the vibe of the ep, which is a shame bc they had PROMISE as ideas but they just don't pull their weight.

and i think that's just... super unfortunate. bc a lot of the pull with nuwho especially IS the companions and their personalities and when theyre just flat cardboard cutouts its got no energy. not to mention, like, the companions really facilitate a lot of the plots themselves- not the other way round! having companions ask questions, explore, and make decisions and react to stuff... that's IMPORTANT to really realising a lot of it. there's been a lot of times in eps where i was watching it and i just WANTED desperately for one of them to do something, to ask the doctor about it but like... she kind of just stands around and talks to herself? then there's a canned comment abt how theyre the #fam? its like. ok.

and then its like- maybe if they were being pushed to the side, and the show was servicing plot over characters that would be ONE thing but its also like i get a LOT of insecurity in general from chris when it comes to sci-fi writing, too. which ok, dude. but its like- he'll introduce a concept, but never fully explore it; he'll just drop it, and introduce something else; and then drop that and move on. and its like... we dont get any actual playing with whats going on? its like-

its just all... ultimately very superficial. like ai generated doctor who. i dont want to say it hasnt got heart, but sometimes it really feels like it you know? and a lot of it is just.. flat. because you can bring in lots of cool stuff (visuals, bring back jack, build a found family type, give us a fun quirky doctor) but if you just don't actually put work into making it all happen then its just going to be like, pretty wrapping paper on an empty box, yeah? and so its like- its like theres PIECES in a lot of s11 and s12 that are right, and they're fine, and they could make for good stories but he just doesn't know how to use them. like, at all.

and there's honestly like. a lot of other... smaller things that i could mention. i feel like theres just like... lots of little issues wrong with it all, but theyre all so fundamental and they all just build up and its just- it just culminates in bad writing, man. not moffat type of bad. but just... nothing interesting at best; frustrating at worst.

ofc theres ppl who will disagree with me and like it and thats fine. and theres also ppl who will have other things they dont like abt it that they can bring up. i would advise lookin thru ppl talking abt it on here more, omg. get a nice lil crossection of all the little messes ppl babble on abt.

#egg yells back

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austerlitzborodinoleipzig · 5 years ago

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The Timeless Children review.

There’s a lot to say about the Timeless Children, but setting aside discussion about what that new lore dump means for the show, and trying to keep things about this episode...

A bad episode with okay lore, and some noted improvements on Chibnall’s part.

I’m okay with retcons. It’s Doctor Who. Nothing is sacred. (I mean, except the core values of the main character. Having the Doctor selling the Master to the Nazis as a POC is so much worse). Things will get retconned/modified. Are certain retcons bullshit? Yes, but that’s another matter. Fundamentaly I don’t think Who canon, if there’s even such thing, should be kept safe. Like it or not, the showrunner is in charge. There’s no such thing as respect for the fans, or for the previous eras.

And like I’m the first to complain but really if Chibshow wants to stick the middle finger at Moffat show, that’s his godamm right. The showrunner has full ownership of the show, otherwise it would hamper the creative process. We can discuss why the changes made are bad, but saying “How dare Chibnall retcon the deep lore” is idiotic.

So kudos to Chibnall for daring. I mean The Timeless Children left a bad aftertaste in my mouth, but hey it was engaging. I wanted to know more, which compared to Series 11 is a vast improvement.

So yes lore was okay.

Did I like the reveal/retcon ? Not really.

Is it possible to make something interesting out of that? I’ve seen some good takes about it, so yeah. On the downside this is Chibnall we’re talking about, so trust him to pick the least interesting idea.

Will I come to terms with it? I did not like the idea of the War Doctor, or the fact that Doctor saved Gallifrey at first. I’ve come round since, and even like it now. I expect I’ll have digested all of it in the coming months, and I’ll be able to make it fit with my own headcanons/continuity/personal conception of Doctor Who...

Does it really change anything? The Timeless Child, not so much. All the pre-Hartnell Doctors and the fact that the Doctor worked for the CIA (or the Division, whatever the fuck the difference is), yes, a lot, and I like it even less.

Are there ways to go around it? Yes there are. And also the scope of Doctor Who is so big, you can comfortably ignore it.

The episode was bad.

Bad because the lore was infodumped in the most boring and unimaginative way, with the Master just doing exposition for 60% of the runtime. Also the Matrix looks boring. Fucking grey background.

Ashad is perhaps the Chibnall villain with the most potential. I’m still thinking voluntarily converted Cyberman is a great idea that deserved a lot more of exploring. There’s really some fascinating implications... And all of that got flushed down the toilet, because Ashad got unceremoniously killed by the Master.

Also, hello big MacGuffin death particle. Chibnall, would it kill you to make the effort to introduce the great big “plot-resolve” button in the previous episode?What a convenient reveal with no groundwork, that feels telegraphed from a mile.

Worst of it is probably the moment where the Doctor awakes, ensues some excruciating moments, where the Doctor tries to figure out the Master’s plan, while we, the audience have already been informed, by means of exposition. And then we get more exposition for the death particle we already got 20 minutes ago, with bad dialogue to boot. “There’s a myth...” Oh ffs! Why use myth? Nothing in that dialogue is mythic, Chibnall is not lyrical enough for it. That’s imitation of mythic.

Also unclear on the specifics of how the death particle works. Per the Master and Ashad, it erases all the life in the Galaxy. And then during exposition n°2, provided by Ravio, we hear it only erases life on one planet, which is what the Doctor tries to do at the end.

But “all organic life”... By all account had Ashad activated it, it would have killed the Cybermen as well, or at least him. They’re not pure robots and we can clearly see with Ashad that there’s organic living bits underneath. So all that big ascension will be without Ashad. Of course you could make the case that the Ascension is really the Cyberium’s aim and that it does not care the slightest about Ashad.

Also we shall have dominion... Over what, if you killed everyone? Again, poorly thought out motivations for Ashad. Mostly it sounds cool, but it’s empty when you take a closer look at it.

And speaking of the Cyber Time Lords. Well, we’re told they were made with the corpses of dead Time Lords the Master kept. If they’re dead, we’re assuming it’s permanent death, otherwise they would have regenerated... So where the hell does the regeneration ability comes from? And if they are corpses in Cybersuits, how come they would be affected by the death particle, as they are definitely not living?

I mean it’s Doctor Who so I’m willing to overlook this details if there’s a good story told behind it. Like, the Daleks’ plot in The Dalek Invasion of Earth is fucking stupid. Let’s mine the Earth’s core, to replace it with a motor and then drive Earth around in space, like a big spaceship. But then that’s a small detail in an episode whose purpose is elsewhere : presenting a dystopian vision of England, a post apocalyptic, facist world. It’s about the pure dread for the spectator of seing his world overrun by space Nazis. It’s the first episode of the show’s history with an alien invasion. It’s also about Susan. And there’s also quite a chunk devoted to mostly Barbara, but also Ian for a bit: how they react to that world that seems familiar and at the same time, completely alien.

Here there’s no story behind it. It’s basically a dressing for the big lore reveal.

It’s a bad Cyberman story. Nothing about the Cyberzealot is really explored in a meaningful way. He’s supposedly conflicted... Yeah because we’re told so by the Doctor in Ascension. Show not tell, yadda, yadda, yadda... So Cybermen are nothing more than your generic evil robots... And even the Master sees how stupid that is and takes the piss (rightly so).

Supporting cast is there for nothing more than exposition, or action sequences that do nothing more than distracting us from the lore reveal, because that’s the only thing really going on in that ep.

And yet again we have a final that does a piss poor job with the companions. Second in a row. To be fair, Battle of Raging Avatar tried to give some closure to Ryan and Graham... It just did it so badly it does not even register as a try.

This time Yaz is the better served with three(!) character bits. Tis only fair after Series 11. But still feels underbaked. I mean I think it will all depend on whether she leaves with the Christmas Special. She still has been massively underserved by the show. The last episodes, starting with Praxeus she did get some good content, but that‘s a bit late and still not enough, when you compare it with the other New Who companions. And well one of Yaz’s traits is her need for validation from the Doctor... and here she gets it from Graham??? In itself it’s a really fine moment. but underwhelming if that is to be the conclusion of her arc.

And again, there’s only minimal progression in terms of development for the fam. Yaz has perhaps the most significant one, going from Doctor is the best person -> I’m the best person.

Graham has mostly been stucked with comic relief this series, and goes from. Decent bloke that married Grace to ... You’re okay??

Ryan... I feel this season really did not know what to do with him. He doesn’t have anything to do in the final, just fire at a bunch of Cybermen. That bit with the bomb is one of the most half-assed excuses for an arc I’ve seen. So Ryan beats dyspraxia, said dyspraxia being only mentioned when it’s convenient, or when we need to establish the character, because he really believes in himself and focuses??? And yet I had so much hope after Woman Who Fell To Earth and that really good bike scene.

Also the relationship between the Doctor and her fam is again unresolved... My fam, I need them... That feels unearned after a whole season of agressively pushing the Doctor and the companions apart, and with the Doctor becoming more and more distant, and sometimes an asshole. I was waiting for the show to adress that... And it peters out. The episode fails on an emotional level.

The big climax... Sigh... Is yet another riff from RTD, this time from that super good scene from Parting of the Ways... Except less well done, because we’ve seen all that before, what else is new? Also the resolution of that in Series 1 was a moment of grace and love, and just beautiful, and felt satisfying, and paid off the Doctor’s arc... Here we have wannabe-Obi-Wan/Luke-from-the-sequel conveniently sacrifying himself. Again, the less well done remix of the RTD years. And that final cliffhanger would have been charming had we not been coming from a season that consistently mined the RTD-nostalgia.

That bit with Ruth was lovely, and gives me some hope for the way the lore is going to be treated but... Doctor!Ruth is magnificent and yet again upstages Thirteen a bit. And I think it’s a bit of a problem when your incumbent Doctor gets upstaged by other incarnations...

Another problem here is that the Doctor remains totally passive, ineffective, and with limited agency throughout the episode, which was... eh. Doesn’t make for a good story.

Still some things were good

The Master was definitely the best thing about this episode. Maybe unpopular opinion but Chibnall nailed the Master. So many good moments

the whole kicking himself for not thinking of a good one liner before zapping the Ashad

his whole motivation: I’ve seen some really good posts going round, but of course everything is totally in character for the Master. Jealousy at being upstaged by the Doctor, again. Hint of race supremacy. Cannot bear the fact that his not from the Master race, because all his claims to superiority have gone up in smoke. He’s not a renegade prince anymore. He’s a renegade fake.

That really good bit where he’s sad his gamble paid off, and he did not died when killing Ashad. This is a suicidal Master, a bit like Simm, but Simm had the rage to live, while Dhawan!Master... Just wants to sow destruction, doesn’t matter if it’s his own. Mostly really broken, with an identity crisis no less than the Doctor’s and going on a destructive rampage instead.

The carped is red because it’s drenched in the blood of the Time Lords. That line and its delivery is one of the highlights of the episode. It’s so perfectly ridiculous and bad on purpose and over the top.

Also Dhawan has a really great voice and I could here him speak forever. Does he narrate books?

Interesting how even if he’s Thirteen’s Master, the Dhawan Master just screams Eleven. The clothes. The mannerism, the lines and the delivery... I could see Smith in his performance.

Another good bit is Ko Sharmus... Finally someone to articulate why the whole take “guns=bad” that was going on these two series was bad. Because yeah sometimes people try to kill you so you have to fight back.

I was afraid that Ko Sharmus would be undermined... And he’s the hero of the episode. And I’m really glad that Thirteen failure to fire the bomb was depicted for what it was... A failure. Because then Ko Sharmus gets his hero moment and saves the day, by firing it.

Criticism of the Doctor’s position for what it is: self righteousness and hypocrisy?? In my Chibshow??? That’s more likely than you think.

And finally the Cyber Time Lords were ridiculous and I loved everything about the design.

So really, my problem is not the lore. My problem is that Chibnall is going balls to the wall, firing from all cylinders, doing big lore... And still fails to tell an engaging story.

#doctor who #the timeless children #thirteenth doctor #yazmin khan #graham o'brien #ryan sinclair #dw meta

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theskyexists · 5 years ago

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Fugitive of the Judoon (spoilers)

What. what was that.

What.

I really felt like the Doctor here. Hit with the reminder that Gallifrey is still dead (what the fuck - still) then hit by Jack (what the fuck), then hit by another Doctor (WHAT THE FUCK). when she’s like walking around the city just absolutely SHOOK - same bro

I mean I’d figured that Gat was a Time Lord (OR actually, the Doctor specifically says ‘Gallifreyan’ instead of Time Lord) the moment she called Lee a ‘companion’. Figured that Ruth was a Time Lord the moment she got a weird vision and started rattling off life facts. Figured for absolutely sure she was the Doctor the moment she showed up in that orange shirt lol

Chibnall went: FUCK YOU to every single whining fan who complained about a female Doctor. LOL

At the start I was like nice - we got a focus on an older black woman! I could never have imagined this. That is to say: did RTD know this for his book version of ‘Rose’ or was that a prophecy?

So many people got vaporised in quick succession in this jfc. Chibs was like - ok no longer necessary for the plot or anything - u ded. (and those guns can’t be regenerated from it seems - which says something about Gallifreyans using em)

Ok wow. I feel disoriented and not entirely in a good way but that’s because Chibnall lost my trust a long time ago and also the pacing was weird and they should REALLY have edited the bit with Jack down - esp when he’s trying to tell them something important and he says ‘ tell her this’ three times but still gets cut off lol (I guess RTD okay’d Jack’s return?)

honestly it was a good excuse to remove the companions I spose but it had nothing to do with the episode and so it didn’t fully land, did Jack a bit of disservice - but it did let us have jokes about - ah Doctor! not the Doctor? Ah..you the Doctor? NO??

THAT KISS THOUGH!!! I LOVE IT.

Also - are they going to explain why Jack clearly looks a lot older than before or...was that the nanogenes? Because at first it seemed like that was the anti-theft system but then Jack said ‘always’. John Barrowman did a great job but I feel like the innuendo was possibly overwritten?

The way the Doctor just let Lee be ‘arrested’ and left with Ruth was super weird bc why would she leave him if she thought he was the fugitive....she’s so bendable. Let’s say, she’s a pushover a lot of the time - because the plot needs her to be - and that is still a problem.

Sad we didn’t get to see Thirteen speak Judoon.

The companions and Doctor sure had a nice talk - and her messing with the controls for ages to find the Master - how long you been sat there? 20 mins. and the Doctor’s denial - HA - and leaving em to explore while she disappears to go back to Gallifrey and just LOOK at the devastation WOW. THE FUCKIN ANGST MATES. He did good there. I still can’t - I mean the acting made it. I don’t think the dialogue is particularly inspired but they made it. And they’re ‘family’ because they’re dedicated - not because there’s that good ol love. It’s a choice, not organic so to speak. But I thought he wrapped things up according to their canon dynamics - that is to say - she gets depressed and then they lift her out of it by forming a front and barraging her with hope and faith.

Anyway.

So I think the implication is multiverse. After all.

And there are SO many hints about - hm. Uh. It being a commentary on both an Imperialist Gallifrey and the historical dynamics between the Doctor and companions. It really is becoming clear to me that Chibnall is committing to this - this subversion of ‘normal classic’ dynamics.

1. The Doctor Ruth (for some reason not realising that this woman with her is also a Time Lord and/or a very suspiciously knowledgeable person???) actually treats the Doctor like a companion - and it is PATRONISING. It’s explicitly deeply patronising - and it’s explicitly a Doctor-Companion dynamic. She even does the hand-grab. Something we’ve not seen Thirteen do at all (which I have bitterly complained about). Then she’s telling her to shut up and refusing to share anything. (having them both be women was brilliant because it only made the wrongness of it stand out more - because it’s so unexpected). Actually the whole episode had a super interesting red thread of the Doctor not opening up to her companions and then being truth-blocked the whole episode - it turns out BY HERSELF lolllll. anyway that also feeds back into it.

2. Gat is like Lee - she’s had the same training - and it’s military training. She’s not a Time Lord, she’s a Gallifreyan. They’re Gallifreyan. Lee is a ‘companion’, Gat is implied to have been the same. He gives up his very life for the Doctor Ruth, she’s the most important thing to him. - the Doctor Ruth does not speak of him again - shows very little grief. The emotional devotion inherent to normal/classic Doctor-Companion bond is militarised and it seems - institutionalised....and it’s not a good thing AT ALL - like class hierarchies and servitude. This is CLEARLY contrasted with Thirteen and her fam mending their relationship through honesty and faith and THEM lifting HER up - BY REJECTING explicitly that she’s so much older/more powerful/superior.

3. The Doctor Ruth was a soldier. She carries a gun. Her TARDIS looks much closer to the original standard version. She has a GUN, even if she mostly threatens and does deadly tricks with it - she expresses pure disdain for the sonic - the thing that the Doctor uses to learn things and open and fix things with... She’s a twisted mirror image - but she also apparently knows that ‘the Doctor’ does not use guns - and she ran from Gallifrey.

4. Gat serves the ‘glory’ of a shadowy empire of Gallifrey.

I absolutely loved the Doctor going fuck u to the Doctor Ruth (Jodie plays that so perfectly lol) and talking anyway and then speeching about the ash and bones of Gallifrey. Great stuff. And honestly I loved them syncing and some good old ragging on each other’s style choices. Are we going to get some payoff on this weird no gun policy....?

What I found super weird though is the Doctor doing that annoying thing where the script makes her state the obvious and then the Doctor Ruth ACTUALLY COMMENTS ON IT? That she’s being fucking dumb. I don’t know how to take that. I find a choice like that from a writer annoying! But now it’s acknowledged as a character trait! What. But it fits right into Doctor-Companion commentary - i.e. earlier Doctors being callously snarky to companions.

I’m just a bit iffy about the Doctor just letting this go????? Why not REALLY interrogate this random version of yourself???? Once again plot frustrates logic and character.

Middle of the series and we get this. Chibs went from ‘no arc’ to ‘ARC CONSTANTLY’. I don’t mind it - but i do find it disorienting.

I LOVED ALL THE JUDOON RHYMING. also i loved the WHOLE confrontation between the Doctor and the Judoon it was INCREDIBLE.

#dw #my stuff #personal #the pace was crazy #there's so much STUFF here #i literally went WHAT WHAT WHAT #for most of the episode #the pace wasn't super good for me but the story did get blown wide open #but also #and they mended some shit #but also we are NOT getting a payoff on the Doctor going dark it seems to me #unless they externalise it into a confrontation with a darker self (heh)#doctor who #spoilers #fugitive of the judoon #i feel like i just got a lot of clips for my video but actually now it's outdated

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armageddon-generation · 6 years ago

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Making an arc out of series 11 (and other fixes)

I DON’T MEAN TO HATE - I genuinely really liked this TARDIS team, Jodie has completely won me over and the episodes not written by Chibnall were great - but this series does have several frustrating Issues.

One recurring problem I see people having is that the finale didn't feel climactic because there was little build up.

A few ways to fix this :

The Woman Who Fell to Earth

Just improve Tim Shaw - alter his design so he’s not just a black robot-man - take the tooth idea and do something like the Sycorax?

Change the ball of electricity into an actual creature - then establish Tim Shaw’s abusive relationship with it, taking out his viciousness on this helpless slave, because he’s a coward

This mster/beasty relationship would give Tim more character and make him easier to hate

It also establishes the running theme of the Stenza altering/controlling other creatures - it gives them a distinctive ‘gimmick’ like Dalek extermination and Cyberman conversion, which we can expand on in The Ghost Monument, The Tsuranga Conundrum and The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

The Ghost Monument

Establish the threat of the Stenza - ravaged worlds better (show us the flesh eating water instead of telling us about it and have more time with the Remnants instead of those boring robots)

Do this by giving Desolation (which is out of orbit) short, irregular days (5 hours, 3 hours) so the threat of the Remnants is always there - build tension and character at day (the “Mum told me to jump” speech) and have scary chase sequences during the two night sections

The Stenza using Desolation to create weapons of mass destruction reminds the Doctor of the Time Lords' tactics in the Time War, (that's why she's so interested in the planet) and establish that Yaz wants to know what happened to the Doctor's people/family

One of the racers should've had their planet stolen, not just enslaved, to establish the mystery of the planets Tim Shaw is stealing

Show their desperation by having the racers actually compete and fight with each other, with Team TARDIS stuck in the middle. Both characters believe they deserve the prize because they've suffered and lost more.

Yaz separates them, directly paralleling her intro scene in episode 1 - from parking disputes to this.

GIVE 13 HER BIG MOMENT because I waited until literally the last line of the series to understand where she's coming from. 13 is the joyous explorer, she doesn't have time for wallowing in angst, there's too much universe out there to see.

Something like: "It's not about what you've lost, that doesn't make you better than him! All that matters now is what's ahead. What are you going to do if you win, where will it take you? Have you even thought about it? Because maybe, just maybe, if you stopped pitying yourself you could make something good from this. Yes, you're family is gone and I'm sorry. But just because they're dead doesn't mean your life should stop too. Move forward."

This helps Chibnall's 'Fresh Start' mandate because it establishes 13 as completely different from RTD and Moffat's Doctors (especially 10 and 12) who felt a sense of superiority because of their past pain. It also ties into Ryan and Graham letting go of Grace.

The TARDIS went to Desolation in the first place because it wanted to help the planet (remember she has personality) - 13 realises this once they reunite.

We've previously established the TARDIS can change the weather, and it's had thousands of years on Desolation to prepare calculations etc, so have a sequence at the end where they show off to the new conpanions and terraform the planet, reversing the Stenza's damage

Post - credits scene / stinger - while the companions explore the TARDIS, show 13 viewing the footage the TARDIS collected over thousands of years of the Stenza violating the planet - she doesn't look happy, but then Yaz calls her for a tour and she puts on the bright smile again.

Yaz

I think Team TARDIS in series 11 was meant to be split between the familial relationship between Ryan and Graham, with the standard swept-off-her-feet almost-romance between the Doctor and Yaz in the background. They didn't focus on Thasmin much because I think Chibnall assumed 'oh, we've seen this before'

SHOW THE GROWTH OF YAZ AND THE DOCTOR'S RELATIONSHIP. IT SHOULDN'T BE ROMANTIC (YET) BUT JUSTIFY THEIR DEVOTION TO EACH OTHER

Because Yaz is a police officer have her 'investigate' the Doctor's past - especially her family, as that's an important part of her character and theme in the series as a whole. Since Chibnall loves Classic they could mention Susan

This makes 13 telling Yaz about her Granny in It Takes You Away an important milestone in their relationship

Yaz to Ryan about the Doctor's family:

Thirteen's character

People complaining Jodie isn't unique enough kind of have a point, but the seeds are there:

I like the idea of 13 being easily distracted and careless ("I'm almost going to miss you." / "Hi Yaz, forgot you were there."). Her being slow to trust contrasts nicely with Jodie's infectious enthusiasm. Have Yaz's role be keeping 13 focused, grounded and on-track when she needs to be.

Also! I've seen the idea thrown around 13 is only acting all bright and chipper. It'd be really interesting if she prioritises Team TARDIS' emotional wellbeing over her own

This way we have parallel arcs - Yaz gets the Doctor to open up as Ryan gets closer to Graham

13 and her Sonic

13 is meant to be a tinkerer, but we don’t see much evidence of this outside building the Sonic

So she wears a tool belt

The belt is TARDIS-like (bigger on the inside) and 13 pulls things out of it like Mary Poppins’ carpet bag

13 pulls bits of scrap out of the belt and cobbles things together when she’s excited / nervous / talking (pipe cleaner helicopters! Catapults! Wind-up mice!)

This distinguishes her from 11, who also did a lot of hand-flapping and is already superficially similar personality-wise

More floofy/fly-away haired 13! It makes her seem more energetic, constantly in motion, which really suits her.

The popular headcanon is that the Sonic works randomly (one episode it can do things, the next it can’t) because over the years the Doctor has added so many features they’ve overloaded it. So now she’s got a new Sonic, 13 is constantly fiddling with it/adding new features

Address the NuWho Doctors’ over-reliance on the Sonic - 13 keeps expecting the Sonic to do things but because it’s new hardware, it can’t, and she has to solve problems on her own

A running gag where 13 goes ‘watch this, gang’ and the Sonic does something completely opposite what she wanted and now they have to improvise

In the finale the Sonic finally works properly and 13 uses it to beat Tim Shaw

Occasionally (in an episode opening) 13 makes weird machines without knowing what the fuck they do:

13: [holding up a small device] Does this look familiar? Do you know what it is? Neither do I. I made it last night in my sleep. Apparently I used Gindrogac. Highly unstable.

Yaz: Doctor…

13 : I put at button on it. Yes. I want to press it, but I’m not sure what will happen if I do.

Ryan: [runs for cover]

13 and Graham

In Series 11, 13 always seemed annoyed by Graham (“Don’t kill the vibe”) and never seemed to grow past it.

Suggest 13 is living vicariously by helping Graham reconnect with Ryan – the Doctor first started travelling in the TARDIS to connect with their grandchild, so this is 13 coming full-circle

13 notices how good and Granddad Graham is trying to be for Ryan, and as he grows braver she comes to really respect him.

Graham becomes her confidant – he’s the only one 13 shows her age to, and she helps Graham begin again: They talk about how the Doctor has had to reinvent and regenerate themselves again and again because the universe needs them – much as Ryan needs Graham. 13 has lots of experience moving past loss, and they support each other through the pressure of being responsible (for Ryan and Yaz respectively)

Ryan

Have the Doctor and Ryan's relationship develop - in The Woman Who Fell to Earth they suggested 13 would take a nurturing parental role for him ("That's the kind of thing Grace would've said") but it's not really built on. All the pieces are there (him being immature and using weapons in the beginning)

Ryan and 13 have a sibling-like relationship - she teaches him about life and the universe - have 13′s use of slang (skillz with a z) come from Ryan having fun teaching slang to a socially inept alien

also maybe a reccuring joke about Ryan going for a fist-bump and 13 patting his fist, that pays off by the finale

Does anyone remember Ryan and Yaz went to Primary school together? Capitalise on that. When Ryan talks about how his Dad left him in Tsuranga and It Takes You Away, make it explicit that she understands because she saw Ryan go through it as a kid, and remembers what it did to him emotionally

A common complaint about Ryan is that he rarely actually does anything - he just stands there and says "they're gone!" or "it's a spaceship!". So have this be part of his character. In the early episodes have Yaz be the most active companion (allowing her to develop!), with Ryan (nervous about his dyspraxia) in the background, and have him become more and more active and competent as the series goes on.

Episode Order

For this to work I suggest shuffling the episodes - 1, 2, 8, 4, 6, 5, 7, 3, 9, 10

10 60-minute episodes to fit the new stuff in and give the large cast more room. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (60 minutes) was Chibnall's best script.

This way series 11 gets the same screen time as the 12 episode Capaldi series

Instead of 2 trailers for the next episode (one pre and one post credits) insert a post-credits stinger hinting at arcy things

The Witchfinders (We’re Going on a Witch-Hunt)

Swap Rosa and The Witchfinders around. We can get the 'female discrimination' thing out of the way faster (it felt weird they didn't explicitly address it until episode 8). Yaz and 13 can bond over their shared oppression (this is the first time the Doctor realises what history is like for her female companions - for the first time, they are of equal status and must work as a team).

Also have Yaz, the POLICE OFFICER, be personally offended by the miscarriage of Justice in the Witch Trials, and defend the victims - relate it to her experience on the job (maybe touch on domestic abuse?) instead of the cliche bullying story

The villains being escaped convicts from a prison also links to Yaz's character and job - contrast her applying police protocol to the Morax (she never had a case this big at home!) with 13's "fuck it, time to wave the glowy science stick' attitude - Yaz forces 13 to be disciplined, 13 forces Yaz to think outside the box and bend the rules

Arachnids in the UK (Spiders in Sheffield)

Still episode 4 - this needs a complete rewrite IMO, but for starters make the Trump parallel less explicit and cringey

Address Yaz has left her job as a police officer behind - she goes into work (with 13 as her ‘consultant’) and learns about people disappearing - we meet the spider expert at the Police Station, (because Yaz’s neighbour being the only victim AND working in that spider lab was too big a coincidence)

The expert is being ignored because the disappearances are higher priority, so low-ranking Yaz gets stuck with her

The spiders have spread all over Sheffield, not just the one flat and all around Yaz’s building

Have Ryan, Yaz and the Doctor go to meet Yaz’s mum at the hotel while Graham is mourning Grace in their nearby flat

When the spreading spiders reach Yaz’s family, Graham goes to help them, showing how brave 13 has helped him become.

We now have two tension-filled scenarios:

A home invasion subplot where Graham helps Yaz’s family keep the spiders out of their flat. Use this to flesh out and make her sister and Dad likeable - Graham comforts them when they’re scared, calling back to Grace's last line "promise you won't be scared without me" - 13 has helped him!

13 and Co being chased around the hotel (PROPERLY chased - the spiders use webs to cut off corridors and herd them around like rats in a maze)

YAZ GETS TAKEN BY THE SPIDERS - this is the moment 13 realises how attached she is to her new friends. She and Mrs Kahn work together to go and save Yaz from the Spiders’ nest (eliminating that annoying Jackie Tyler “you’re endangering my kid” trope) while Ryan uses his music to draw the spiders away

13 gets to see Mrs Kahn’s maternal affection and we see her desire for family. Ryan’s music draws the Spiders back and saves Graham and Yaz’s family

When Ryan and Graham reunite it’s very emotional - Ryan saved Graham’s life - ‘looking out for each other’

Finally have the Doctor save the Spiders by using the TARDIS as an Ark, instead of leaving them to die - call back to Planet of the Spiders and drop them off there

Since she's at home, once they’ve saved everyone have Yaz do girly things with the Doctor (because they haven't been able to rest since episode 1) - maybe nail painting? Only 13 starts using the varnish as finger paint. Also! I like the idea of them choosing 13's earring together bc 13 has no clue about jewelry

Demons of the Punjab

This should be episode 5, because it's connected to 4 by Yaz's family and together they provide a nice rounding-off of the half of the series more focused on her

The Thijarians have had their planet stolen, not just destroyed (it would still kill everyone)

That way when we see the hologram of what happened to their planet we establish the threat of what will happen to the Earth if Tim Shaw wins in the finale

(the powder they have can still be the stuff left over afterwards)

Also it's weird that Yaz goes to see her Grandmother, who she discovers remarried, and Ryan doesn't react at all.

Ryan has nothing to do in this episode, and because we're putting Punjab earlier in the series, Grace's loss is fresher. Give him a moral dilemma: He wants to go back and see her when she was young (and with her first husband - implicitly rejecting Graham) like Yaz is seeing her Gran

After seeing what happens to Yaz's family, and seeing Graham's caring reaction to Prem, he follows 13's advice and gives up on seeing Grace again - he's content with Graham

He bonds with Yaz over the episode and warns her not to take family for granted. At the end Yaz takes him to meet her Gran in the present day ("I was lucky enough to know yours")

The Tsuranga Conundrum (The Good Doctors)

Have the medical ship be a war ambulance helping victims of the Stenza's conquest

The general on board has fought the Stenza

Cut her brother and the 2nd nurse, they're unnecessary - have the ship be understaffed because of the strain the Stenza are putting on the medical service, give the engineering role to 13

The asteroid field they have to fly through (which we should ACTUALLY SEE) is not just an asteroid field but the wreckage left behind by another missing planet.

Replace the P'ting. It may be cute but the vast majority of people thought it was ridiculous. Instead have it be a Stenza weapon left over as the ship is flying through an old battleground - it can still be small and destroy the ship from the inside out, but its design can be more threatening and it can be more sympathetic (it was experimented on/created to kill, it isn't evil)

13 tries to pilot the ship first but can't because she's wounded. She has to rely on Team TARDIS and delegate the usual ‘Doctor’ roles. She faces off against the tactical P’ting, trying to fix the ship as fast as it disassembles it, while Yaz runs around trying to catch the thing, and Ryan and Graham take care of the passengers

The sonic STAYS BROKEN so 13 has to do this all by hand

Once 13 is told the Stenza are still out there hurting people, introduce a subplot over the next 3 episodes before the finale where she's sneaking off at night to go and help fight them (without the others knowing, because they're too emotionally biased)

The next episodes (Kerblam!, Rosa) gradually shift the focus onto Ryan's growth as he becomes more active

It Takes You Away

Add 13 and Graham - now close friends - talking about grandkids, and put more emphasis on 13′s reaction to the abandoned girl

This sets up the Solitract turning into Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, instead of the frog at the end

You don’t require previous NuWho knowledge to know about Susan - she has barely been mentioned.

Have her be played by the actress from An Adventure in Space and Time, like David Bradley as the First Doctor

This way we directly address the theme of grandchildren and family

The Solitract is a link to 13's childhood and family. It's also another omnipotent consciousness she can relate to (think 9 and Bad Wolf - "That's what I feel, all the time!"). Finding that and immediately letting it go must be traumatising

Have a quick scene of Yaz catching 13 crying, but she quickly covers up because Graham just saw Grace and he's distraught

Finale (Battle Phantoms)

When they arrive on the battlefield 13 accidentally reveals she's been helping fight the Stenza offscreen (which is how she knows about this battle - one of the ones she was too late for)

This lie infuriates Graham - she's been blocking his revenge for ages

BIG EMOTIONAL MOMENT

13: Maybe I am a liar, and I promised I wouldn't be, but that's because I know what it's like, Graham. To want to hurt the people who hurt you. How that anger burns like fire, like a supernova. And it took me so long to get over it, so long to move on. Whole lifetimes wasted hurting and hating. I didn't want that to happen to you. No one deserves to be broken twice.

This gives Graham a legitimate reason to go against 13 without announcing his intention to kill Tim Shaw like an idiot. It also plays up 13's hypocrisy, which was touched on in the original script

What was the point of 9 distress calls if they're all in the same place?? Use this pportunity to split team TARDIS up and showcase how they've grown as individuals before bringing them back together (Ryan and Graham, Yaz and 13) for the 3rd Act

Graham being on his own drives up the tension over whether he'll kill Tim Shaw - Ryan gets there just in time

Explicitly call back to the moment in The Ghost Monument when Ryan used a gun - highlight how far he's come because of 13, talking Graham down

Get rid of the robots, because they weren't in The Ghost Monument now, and they turned the intimate story into an action movie.

Over the series we've established the Stenza genetically engineer other creatures into weapons (the Remnants, the P'ting, the cable ball in The Woman Who Fell to Earth). Replace the robots with scary leftovers from the Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (because that title was irrelevant to the original episode) - Think the Hand Mines from The Magician's Apprentice

Have each of the missing planets throughout the series be named - that way when we discover the stolen planets in the finale there is emotional impact because their being stolen has caused so much suffering.

This way not only are the Stenza a lot more threatening because they are present throughout the series, there is more build up to seeing Tim Shaw again

Also, the subplot about returning the planets is more emotionally impactful - the Doctor is retroactively providing closure to lots of the side characters from the series

Finally the threat to Earth is much greater - the companions have seen what losing your planet does to a person emotionally, and they fear that

WHEN THE EARTH IS THREATENED CALL BACK TO YAZ'S FAMILY SO WE FEEL SOMETHING

Also the continuing thread of missing /lost planets could link to Galifrey, raising 13's emotional stakes

Multiple people have complained the plot thread about the planet attacking you psychically and erasing your memories went nowhere - when 13 and Yaz take those devices off they get slight headaches

Instead have the planet actually attack them - 13 and Yaz have to remind each other of their memories and their families - exposing Yaz to a rare snapshot of the Doctor’s lonely childhood on Galifrey

This gives Jodie the opportunity to do some SERIOUS DRAMATIC ACTING, and finally opening up about Galifrey to the whole TARDIS team at the end gives an emotional climax to her relationship with them, as well as the relationship between Ryan and Graham

The Fam line is cute, but we need ACTION to evidence this growth - this way throughout the series we’ve established how much family means to 13, how much she wants that, and Yaz saying “I’ve always liked fam” means so much because it means she understands 13 as a person

Resolution

Change how the Dalek got split.

Medieval humans killing a Dalek on their own is ridiculous and makes itr less threatening. Instead, have the Dalek be a scout from the Time War, looking to attack Earth to distract the War Doctor. The Doctor, furious, rushes over and helps the human armies divide it, to stop the Time War spreading to his second home.

We’re told this legend by the archaeologists, positioning the Doctor as a vengeful wizard. We can get a flashback with the War Doctor as a dark silhouette on a hill or something.

This makes the “it’s personal” stuff even truer

Use the archaeologists and dig site to expand on the Dalek race’s impact on humanity, because they’ve visited Earth dozens of times. I’m thinking wall paintings depicting the Dalek Shell as a Divine war chariot, and the mutant as a Cthulhu-like God

This way we’re really throwing Team TARDIS in the deep end - they are immediately aware of the number of times the Doctor has fought the Daleks, which is completely different to the rest of series 11, where 13 was encountering everything for the first time

Change the junkyard Dalek shell.

The Scout goes to a storage facility where pieces of its shell are stored. Now this place is owned by the modern incarnation of the cult we’ve set up who worshipped the Dalek in ancient times (their logo is the same symbol found on the wall paintings)

Instead of killing the gay (AGAIN), have the company staff welcome and exult the Dalek - only for it to turn around and kill them all, establishing its racial superiority complex. (This is something Chibnall glossed over - his Dalek wanted to conquer like anyone else, not exterminate)

The company has collected the remains of dozens of different Dalek models from invasions across the show’s history (we still have the parallel to 13 making her Screwdriver)

The Dalek reassembles itself not using Earth metal, but into a Frankenstein’s monster welded together from different Dalek designs (classic 60s, Imperial, Special Weapons, Time War, Supreme, Progenitor)

When the Dalek and 13 face each other this one Scout now represents the entire Dalek race, every type the Doctor has ever fought. The idea of it stitching itself together is also a nice parallel to Regeneration

Destroy the Dalek by separating all the different sections - use Ryan’s dad’s technical skills but don’t have all of Team TARDIS rush the Dalek without getting killed - them pushing it around immediately removed any threat.

Emotional Impact

Seeing the remains of all the Daleks the Doctor has killed at the storage facility and hearing the stories of the War Doctor makes Team TARDIS reconsider 13

Police officer Yaz realises she is devoted to a murderer, and considers whether she wants to get closer to such a person

To make the Dalek more impactful to both Team TARDIS and the new audience that has only watched Series 11, when Graham asks why it’s so dangerous have 13 say something along the lines of “the Daleks are my Stenza”

Graham realises why 13 stopped him killing Tim Shaw in series 11, and (considering his Dad must’ve fought in WW2) gains a new level of respect for her

Don’t have Ryan immediately forgive his Dad and declare that he loves him - set up that he’s willing to give his Dad a second chance as an arc for series 12 - the push and pull between Graham and Ryan reconnecting with his Dad

The Scout is trying to complete its original mission, bringing the Tile War to Earth - 13 has to literally defend her freinds from the ghost of the War and finally let go of her violent past (personified by the War Doctor). She’s also letting go of the deified, Messiah-like version of herself (represented by the wall paintings of the Doctor’s battle with the Dalek) that RTD and Moffat loved

13’s arc is worrying learning about the Daleks and their toxic relationship will change the way her friends look at her, because she’s been trying to protect them from this side of her life (it’s revealed she’s been deliberately avoiding places she’s been before because she’s looking for a fresh start)

By now Ryan and Graham are getting along fine, they’ve avenged Grace’s murder and Ryan is now talking to his Dad. 13 worries everyone has outgrown her, and they’ll leave

Have a scene at the end where Yaz comforts 13 and assures her she won’t abandon her - 13 doesn’t need to save their lives for them to want to travel with her - it’s their job to save her. They are here because they care about her.

This way we get a new emotional climax of 13′s emotional arc and reaffirm the status-quo for Series 12

Improving Matt Smith’s era here

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