#honestly I actually like the Moffat era more than the RTD era

[somewhere-south-of-neutral]

If I had a nickel for every time Steven Moffat gave a historically aroace male character from a legacy property a female love interest because he believes that, quote, "There would be no tension in [an aroace lead], no fun in that," despite the fact that even when he writes them those romances are the least interesting parts of the character, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

[ghost-bison]

Doctor Who - Opinions

-the ninth doctor was the best. no one will ever be as good as he was

-same for donna, best companion, no one will ever compare

-imo 9th > 10th > 12th > 14th > 11th > 13th (dunno about 15th yet, haven't seen enough of him)

-donna > rose > jack > martha > nardole > bill > river/clara > rory > graham >>>>>>>>>>>>>> amy (idk about yaz and ryan I honestly dont see any distinctive personality traits apart from the fact that ryan is always complaining and generally unpleasant)

-ninerose >>>>>>>> tenrose

-clara is a cool character, it's just her plots that made people dislike her

-i don't get the obsession people have over thoschei. or the master in general and his relationship with the doctor? apart from missy and twelve ofc

-i could never warm up to amy, nor do i get how people can like her. she was abusive, not a girlboss. didn't deserve rory

-i have mixed feelings about river. like obviously, slay my goddess, but also, she's everything that's wrong with moffat's writing of women? she's actually dependant and praises the doctor and never makes a decision for herself? never questions the doctor? that's not ok

-idc how good moffat's storylines get, i'll choose rtd any day. i'll refer you to this post as to why.

-chibnall's era feels flat. i don't hate 13, she's adorable, but I used to laugh and cry several times an episode during the first ten series. now it's like twice a series if we're lucky.

-i liked the campy effects way better than the disney-style expensive cgi they now use to try and balance out mediocre writing (I'm sorry but wtf was that Space babies episode and how did they manage to make it even more cringe than the series one Slitheen two-parters?)

[gayleviticus]

assorted empire of death general thoughts:

one of the sloppiest rtd deus ex machina endings in a long while - 'bring death to death' is a cool concept (and rather christpilled) but the mechanics just dont make any sense. and im not one to complain that it doesnt adhere to rigid rules but the logic just is inconsistent. sutekh becomes a god by entering the time vortex and then proceeds to be killed by same time vortex. blowing dust on people kills them but sutekh seeing all of time and space again revives them.

even as much as i hate the journey's end meta crisis deus ex machina, the mechanics of it do make sense.

normally rtd deus ex machinas are justifiable by the character work going on, but this honestly felt rather hollow. like. nothing is going on in this episode outside of beating sutekh until the ending which tacks on Ruby's arc at the end.

lassoo-ing sutekh into the vortex felt a bit like an asspull and inconsistent w the prior vibe. like. it felt like they set it up as if sutekh was possessing the TARDIS; treating it so grossly physically feels like an exorcist story where the priest gets the victim to sneeze the demon out.

the meta-angle of playing on the mystery of Ruby's mother being overblown is a bit interesting and does inject some genuine emotion back into a story that would otherwise have been engulfed by dramatic god confrontations etc. but it's also like. a total retread of clara and the leaf, hell bent etc. we've seen this trope in DW before, and I think this usage lacked both the novelty and emotional/thematic depth it had before. 'bait and switch mystery box' is starting to be actually more formulaic than a straightforward reveal.

it's also a shame given how many interesting theories fans had developed about tv show theory, ruby as the perfect companion etc that we did basically get Clara and the Leaf 2.0.

Mel continues to honestly have no point in even being here. 3 episodes that wouldn't change in the slightest if she wasn't around.

it is getting a bit comical how quick Kate is to recruit every single person in the universe to UNIT

overall s14 thoughts:

for me i think this season, while not bad, sits above only the chibnall era, and a bit above series 7. the inidividual episodes are much better, and 15 and ruby have better chemistry, but it cribs a lot of its overall arc from being largely a retread of s7s. Ruby is more charming than s7 clara, who has a tendency to get written by everyone other than moffat as Generic Companion #47, but this series feels like it's significantly lacking the emotional depth every other rtd and moffat series has had.

i think it's also a bit similar to series 10, which didn't really have a strong emotional arc for Bill in favour of just a fun dynamic, but the s10 finale knocks anything in s14 out of the park. s10 was also just a lot funnier.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

(hi, this is a negative rant about the thirteenth doctor's era. it's not about jodie's acting, it's about the writing and overall production. just putting that here since i am tagging. your thoughts are appreciated bc honestly i'm shocked it's like this and want to hear others' takes)

okay not to be a hypocrite considering the amount of shit i've given moffat but oh my god 13's era so far is one of the least exciting bodies of media i've ever seen. like there's nothing here. it's so incredibly unfun and i have no idea who the fuck it's for. if you're pandering to straight people and 2014 tumblr teenagers you do a moffat, if you're pandering to fucked up gay people and overly philosophical emotional masochists you do a rtd. this is pandering to a 2017 cancel-happy twitter user who likes hamilton the musical at its prime and really really wants to be progressive but also is super repressed, uneducated, and shallow about it, and i don't even think that hypothetical person would ENJOY this?? we have a woman doctor, but she lacks any kind of maturity or sexual agency that every male doctor was given, because the male show runner clearly thought that was the only way she'd be taken seriously. and holy shit, the tokenism is absolutely insane. or at least, it feels that way to me. i'm curious to know how fans of color have felt about it. and besides the tokenism stuff, the companions have no personalities whatsoever, like it's mind-numbing how interchangeable and weak they are. the dialogue all-around is noticeably bad, and it's not even in a fun way. attempted Reveals feel cheap and make me roll my eyes. everything is so deeply unimaginative and boring and basic and it really is just so insane to me that we went from rtd having weird horny gay aliens dying to britney spears' toxic while simultaneously delivering absolutely gut wrenching and breathtaking story and character moments... to this. what a damn shame that the first woman doctor is associated with this mediocrity.

i'm at the end of spyfall part one (the master reveal was my final straw, hence making this post) so maybe my mind will change from here on. but holy fuck, dude. i thought people exaggerated about chib's era but it really is just like white noise, that only gets more unpleasant the more you actually think about it. passively unobtrusive at absolute best, infuriating for its emptiness one step down from that. i would take moffat's worst doctor who over anything of this era i've seen so far, with the exception of instances of unambiguous misogyny and sexual assault in a few of his episodes.

i am conflicted whether i should tag this as chibnall and 13 because it's negative. i want to hear other thoughts so i think i will, but i apologize if this is something you've connected with. you do not need to engage in a conversation defending it unless you want to share your thoughts, which are more than welcome.

[hobgoblinns]

this’ll be my first time actually watching live as a New Doctor tm takes the stage, and im a little worried that like fifteen is going to be too cool??? Are these nerves just what happens to who fans any time a new doctor comes in??

huhhh well. twelve was the first doctor i watched take over live and at that point i wasn’t super invested in the show so i think i was just keen to see where the show was going next.

for thirteen i was ECSTATIC because as a kid it was my dream to play the doctor some day but thought they’d never let a woman do it. most of the concerns i had were more about a new showrunner coming in, and after watching the first few episodes i found myself feeling disappointed, so i figured i’d be more cautious about future doctors.

but ten is my favourite doctor so fourteen was purely exciting for me!! i had high hopes for both david and rtd, and so far my expectations have been more than met!

fifteen being TOO cool is the only thing i feel iffy about, really — honestly, i think it’ll be awesome to have a doctor who’s a bit more with the times, as long as he retains that element of geekiness and childlike wonder too. other than that, the clips i’ve seen from ncuti so far make me think he’s going to be amazing.

only time will tell if the new series meets our own individual expectations, but the great thing about doctor who is that even if you don’t like a certain part of it, there’s so much more to enjoy. i didn’t like chibnall’s era of the show much at all, but i loved the two rtd specials that followed. some people love chibnall’s stuff but can’t stand rtd or moffat or both. some folks think the show’s been shit since tom baker left and they’re willing to die on that hill. basically — yeah, i think everyone gets nervous, and that’s ok! as a doctor who fan, it’s impossible for you to love EVERY part of the show. there’s ups and downs and they’re different for everyone.

tldr: i think ncuti will be great, even if i have the occasional doubt, as i’m sure many others do. but no matter where doctor who goes, it’s such an enormous franchise involving such a huge number of people that you’ll always find something, somewhere, to enjoy about it.

[bonnielass23]

I was tagged the lovely @astarkey to list 5 unpopular opinions from 5 fandoms! Thank you for the tag! And I’m copying 2 fandoms, but different takes

1. From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series

First, jumping on Astarkey’s take, I love the idea of Kisa and Kate being best friends because they dealt with two sides of the same coin of patriarchal bullshit. Literally all I want is them to tear down the patriarchy with their bare hands together.

Other unpopular opinion. In some ways I’m glad they didn’t do a season 4. The ending of season 3 pretty much made SethKate canon, or at least confirmed their love for each other. I worry that given the age gap of both the characters and the larger age gap between DJ and Madison, that they would have rolled rolled back the development, or even potentially given Seth a different, more age appropriate temporary love interest, out of fear of backlash. I know the majority of the fandom was rooting for SethKate, but it’s one thing to tease it and drop hints to appease the fans, and it’s another to openly display it in the show and open themselves up for backlash beyond the fandom. The potential of people hearing about the age gap relationship and jumping on the “let’s cancel fdtd” bandwagon without watching the show. Community and the actors got so much backlash over Jeff and Annie, calling Jeff a pedo, and other than the goodbye kiss in the last episode they didn’t make that ship canon. That show was airing pretty much at the same time as fdtd. I think SethKate could have been safely portrayed in comics or novels though which I’m sad they didn’t do and wish they would. I am also kinda hoping for them to finally do a season 4 with an actual time skip, like it’s 2023, or later, because I think with Madison/Kate being older and them really defining the age gap (other than the one line on the radio that the Gecko brothers are in their late 20′s) that they could more safely develop the relationship.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

I have a lot of opinions but these are probably my most unpopular. I used to be a hard core spuffy shipper when I was watching in middle and high school. I think that was because I liked Spike more than Angel (his snark speaks to my soul). I’m currently doing a rewatch, almost through season 5, and maybe my view will change in season 6 and 7, but right now I’m not a fan of either spuffy or bangel, or honestly any of Buffy’s romantic relationships. Actually currently questioning my younger self’s judgement.

My actual otps currently are Xander and Anya, and Angel and Cordelia, and I will forever be pissed that they never got Xander and Anya back together and killed her off, and that they killed Cordelia. 

Also as a note, I have not read any of the comics or continuing story, so there could have been developments with Buffy’s relationships with Spike and Angel that could sway me, but I’m going entirely off the two television series.

3. Doctor Who

I loved RTD and hated Moffat, which I know isn’t that unpopular, but I actually loved Chibnall’s era. I really appreciated the social commentary and thought he and Jody did an amazing job. Also I’m not sure how unpopular this is anymore, but I loved Rose and Tentoo’s ending. I think given that this is a live action series with actors who want to move on to different projects it was the best ending we could get for The Doctor and Rose. Also Tentoo IS The Doctor.

4. Fairy Tail

Gray and Lucy work better together than Gru//via and Na////Lu. I stand by my statement and will not budge. 

I think Gru//via is actually harmful. I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong about toxic or abusive relationships being portrayed in media, but I think it needs to be recognized in the series that it is toxic and abusive behavior. That’s not the case with Gru///via. No character is calling out Ju///via’s behavior towards Gray as abusive, it’s played off as comedy or that Gray is the bad guy for not returning her feelings, and as far as I know Mashima hasn’t said anything publicly about it being problematic behavior either. I know someone who has used that as a model for how to get a guy and is in a very messed up situation where he is taking advantage of her.

Also not exactly unpopular as in controversial, but super rare pair ship, Loke and Cana is my OTP for the series. I only actually ship and have strong feelings about GrayLu and and Lokana, all the other ships range from NOTP to I have no issue with it existing.

5. Big Bang Theory

Not a huge fandom of mine but something that just irks me to no end, and I know has been done in other media. I HATE that they had Penny backtrack on being childfree. I get wanting to have this happily ever after for two characters, but it doesn’t have to be children. Having Penny change her mind because Leonard and her dad is so problematic though. It delegitimizes actual women who have this stance (including me). It perpetuates the idea of this is just a phase and we’ll change our minds, which has real world consequences of employers looking at all women as not as serious because as soon as they have that baby that we all KNOW they will, they’ll be taking a step back to be a mom so why give them a promotion. And bodily autonomy. I understand not tying an 18 year old’s tubes, but the fact the so many adult women are denied sterilization procedures because “you’ll change your mind” or “what if your future husband wants kids?” like the wants of a hypothetical partner takes precedence  over what the woman wants to do with her own body. It’s just such bullshit when this happens.

The ONLY time I’ve witnessed this happen that I’ve been okay with is Elliot in Scrubs, it was part of a long character arch, and her not wanting kids seemed to be rooted almost entirely of her fear of it affecting her career. It wasn’t just a snap decision of omg after years of not wanting to procreate I suddenly want children.

Definitely did some rambling and got political up in here, but I think these are probably some of my most unpopular opinions. Depending on the fandom my opinions can fall into more popular or mostly controversial

Some of my fdtd mutuals have already been tagged, so not gonna double tag them: @darth-tella @sunniebelle @kelkat9 @yourundead @fortysevenswrites @scrumptiousperfectionwizard @milkshakemicrowave @elialys @gralunaisland (Although I feel yours should be 5 unpopular opinions on gru//via lol) and of course anyone else who’d like to do this!

[noblechaton]

honestly I'd been thinking about the 50th and the retcon within for so long especially more so during this rewatch

on one hand I understand that Moffat (and surely others) probably weren't huge on the idea of the Doctor effectively killing his own planet but it was never framed as if he'd done it out of violence or anger so much as just like. a desperate final act to preserve what was left of the universe. a necessity for the greater good

which is why on the other I think it's a shame they retconned it at least as they did bc it means that conflict that lingered and loomed over the show since the revival started was basically useless. the Time Lords lived, the Daleks lived, and the Doctor who carried so much guilt and darkness Erm Actually didn't really have any of that he just forgot

like I see it both ways - not wanting your favorite hero to have actually committed an atrocity is perfectly understandable, but doing so as they do in the 50th feels really weak and honestly doesn't even really lead anywhere until series 9 and only briefly then, and then never again since Gallifrey just blows up again a few years later

and sure one can say he did some stuff during the war itself but. they never talk about that stuff. there's vague allusions and references that exist for the audience to sorta fill in on their own and he's surely got trauma from things he'd seen but the Time War's biggest impact on him and the show is just. null and void now. cheapens things a bit

don't really know what the alternative could have been beyond leaving it alone tho. maybe the Doctor seals his fate at Trenzalore but changing such a massive event, only for the Time Lords to later pay him back in TOTD with the new regen set? like frame this as him actually altering history with his past selves, rather than being what happened all along? which it kind of sort of is in the 50th for all of like two lines but then feels very much as if it was what was meant to have happened all along

ultimately I think my issue with the retcon is that it's just too....lame? it softens things and while the writing of RTD's first era is strong enough that even knowing what comes in the 50th doesn't really detract or deter it still feels kinda. shameless? going into detail on a moment we didn't truly need to see, just to undo what's arguably the best decision made in the revival, for almost no real payoff. which is kinda the issue with Moffat's run - at least with 11 - as a whole. a lot of built up and intensity for some ultimately meager payoff that doesn't feel very thought out

it also kinda begs the question as to why they made the War Doctor at all since like. 8 would have been perfect in the role War is in within the 50th. really love John Hurt tho so this bothers me infinitely less

[shkspr]

hi. on your post where you may or may not have ended on 'moffat is either your angel or your devil' did you have maybe an elaboration on that somewhere that i could possibly hear about. i'm very much a capaldi era stan and i've never tried to defend the matt smith era even though it had delightful moments sometimes so i wonder where that puts me. i'd love to hear your perspective on moffat as a person with your political perspective. -nicole

hi ok sorry i took so long to respond to this but i dont think you know how LOADED this question is for me but i am so happy to elaborate on that for you. first a few grains of salt to flavor your understanding of the whole situation: a. im unfairly biased against moffat bc im a davies stan and a tennant stan; b. i still very much enjoy and appreciate moffat era who for many reasons; and c. i hate moffat on a personal level far more than i could ever hate his work.

the thing is that its all always gonna be a bit mixed up bc i have to say a bunch of seemingly contradictory things in a row. for instance, a few moffat episodes are some of my absolute favorites of the rtd era, AND the show went way downhill when moffat took over, AND the really good episodes he wrote during the rtd era contained the seeds of his destruction.

like i made that post about the empty child/the doctor dances and it holds true for blink and thats about it bc the girl in the fireplace and silence in the library/forest of the dead are good but not nearly on the same level, and despite the fact that i like them at least nominally, they are also great examples of everything i hate about moffat and how he approached dw as a whole.

basically. doctor who is about people. there are many things about moffats tenure as showrunner that i think are a step up from rtd era who! actual gay people, for one! but i think that can likely be attributed mostly to an evolving Society as opposed to something inherent to him and his work, seeing as rtd is literally gay, and the existence of queer characters in moffats work doesnt mean the existence of good queer characters (ill give him bill but thats it!)

i have a few Primary Grievances with moffat and how he ran dw. all of them are things that got better with capaldi, but didnt go away. they are as follows:

moffat projects his own god complex onto the doctor

rtd era who had a doctor with a god complex. you cant ever be the doctor and not have a god complex. the problem with moffats era specifically is that the god complex was constant and unrepentant and was seen as a fundamental personality trait of the doctor rather than a demon he has to fight. he has the Momence where you feel bad for him, the Momence where he shows his humility or whatever and youre reminded that he doesnt want to be the lonely god, but those are just. moments. in a story where the doctor thinks hes the main character. rtd era doctor was aware that he wasnt the main character. he had to be an authority sometimes and he had to be the loner and he had to be sad about it, but he ultimately understood that he was expendable in a narrative sense.

this is how you get lines like “were the thin fat gay married anglican marines, why would we need names as well?” from the same show that gave you the gut punch moment at the end of midnight when they realize that nobody asked the hostess for her name. and on the one hand, thats a small sticking point, but on the other hand, its just one small example of the simple disregard that moffat has for humanity.

incidentally, this is a huge part of why sherlock sucked so bad: moffats main characters are special bc theyre so much bigger and better than all the normal people, and thats his downfall as a showrunner. he thinks that his audience wants fucking sheldon cooper when what they want is people.

like, ok. think of how many fantastic rtd era eps are based in the scenario “what if the doctor wasnt there? what if he was just out of commission for a bit?” and how those eps are the heart of the show!! bc theyre about people being people!! the thing is that all of the rtd era companions would have died for the doctor but he understood and the story understood that it wasnt about him.

this is like. nine sending rose home to save her life and sacrifice his own vs clara literally metaphysically entwining her existence w the doctor. ten also sending rose with her family to save her life vs river being raised from infancy to be obsessed w the doctor and then falling in love w him. martha leaving bc she values herself enough to make that decision vs amy being treated like a piece of meat.

and this is simultaneously a great callback to when i said that moffats episodes during the rtd era sometimes had the same problems as his show running (bc girl in the fireplace reeks of this), and a great segue into the next grievance.

moffat hates women

he hates women so fucking much. g-d, does steven moffat ever hate women. holy shit, he hates women. especially normal human women who prioritize their normal human lives on an equal or higher level than the doctor. moffat hated rose bc she wasnt special by his standards. the empty child/the doctor dances is the nicest he ever treated her, and she really didnt do much in those eps beyond a fuck ton of flirting.

girl in the fireplace is another shining example of this. youve got rose (who once again has another man to keep her busy, bc moffat doesnt think shes good enough for the doctor) sidelined for no reason only to be saved by the doctor at the last second or whatever. and then youve got reinette, who is pretty and powerful and special!

its just. moffat thinks that the doctor is as shallow and selfish as he is. thats why he thinks the doctor would stay in one place with reinette and not with rose. bc moffat is shallow and sees himself in the doctor and doesnt think he should have to settle for someone boring and normal.

not to mention rose met the doctor as an adult and chose to stay with him whereas reinette is. hm. introduced to the doctor as a child and grows up obsessed with him.

does that sound familiar? it should! bc it is also true of amy and river. and all of them are treated as viable romantic pairings. bc the only women who deserve the doctor are the ones whose entire existence revolves around him. which includes clara as well.

genuinely i think that at least on some level, not even necessarily consciously, that bill was a lesbian in part bc capaldi was too old to appeal to mainstream shippers. like twelve/clara is still a thing but not as universally appealing as eleven/clara but i am just spitballing. but i think they weighed the pros and cons of appealing to the woke crowd over the het shippers and found that gay companion was more profitable. anyway the point is to segue into the next point, which is that moffat hates permanent consequences.

moffat hates permanent consequences

steven moffat does not know how to kill a character. honestly it feels like hes doing it on purpose after a certain point, like he knows he has this habit and hes trying to riff on it to meme his own shit, but it doesnt work. it isnt funny and it isnt harmless, its bad writing.

the end of the doctor dances is so poignant and so meaningful and so fucking good bc its just this once! everybody lives, just this once! and then he does p much the same thing in forest of the dead - this one i could forgive, bc i do think that preserving those peoples consciousnesses did something for the doctor as a character, it wasnt completely meaningless. but everything after that kinda was.

rory died so many times its like. get a hobby lol. amy died at least once iirc but it was all a dream or something. clara died and was erased from the doctors memory. river was in prison and also died. bill? died. all of them sugarcoated or undone or ignored by the narrative to the point of having effectively no impact on the story. the point of a major character death is that its supposed to have a point. and you could argue that a piece of art could be making a point with a pointless death, ie. to put perspective on it and remind you that bad shit just happens, but with moffat the underlying message is always “i can do whatever i want, nothing is permanent or has lasting impact ever.”

basically, with moffat, tragedy exists to be undone. and this was a really brilliant, really wonderful thing in the doctor dances specifically bc it was the doctor clearly having seen his fair share of tragedy that couldnt be helped, now looking on his One Win with pride and delight bc he doesnt get wins like this! and then moffat proceeded to give him the same win over and over and over and over. nobody is ever dead. nobody is ever unable to be saved. and if they are, really truly dead and/or gone, then thats okay bc moffat has decided that [insert mitigating factor here]*

*the mitigating factor is usually some sort of computerized database of souls.

i can hear the moffat stans falling over themselves to remind me that amy and rory definitely died, and they did - after a long and happy life together, they died of old age. i dont consider that a character death any more than any other character choosing to permanently leave the tardis.

and its not just character deaths either, its like, everything. the destruction of gallifrey? never mind lol! character development? scrapped! the same episode four times? lets give it a fifth try and hope nobody notices. bc he doesnt know how to not make the doctor either an omnipotent savior or a self-pitying failure.

it is in nature of doctor who, i believe, for the doctor to win most of the time. like, it wouldnt be a very good show if he didnt win most of the time. but it also wouldnt be a very good show if he won all of the time. my point is that moffats doctor wins too often, and when he doesnt win, it feels empty and hollow rather than genuinely humbling, and you know hes not gonna grow from it pretty much at all.

so like. again, i like all of doctor who i enjoy all of it very much. i just think that steven moffat is a bad show runner and a decent writer at times. and it is frustrating. and im not here to convince or convert anyone im just living my truth. thank you for listening.

[dailyclassicwho]

So I’ve gotten through series 5 of NuWho — the beginning of Moffat’s run — and I’m very much not impressed. Series 5 is definitely the weakest season since series 2, which is not a great way to start a new era. (Which one is worse is hard to say exactly... S2 had better two-parters but S5′s worst episodes are more watchable than S2′s worsts.) 

Now, I’m not an Amy hater by any means (find her impossible to hate actually) but Moffat hardcore fumbled her relationships with the Doctor and especially with Rory. It’s so much worse than Rose blowing off Mickey because these two were in a committed relationship about to be married. The way Amy wanting to cheat on Rory is played off for laughs rubs me the wrong way. I know things will get better in series 6 and beyond but it’s not a good first impression to make. 

Most of the episodes in S5 range from mediocre to awful. Even Vincent and the Doctor, considered a season standout, was not as good as I remembered. I totally forgot that the famous scene at the end uses a pop song in the background. Speaking of songs, the way the soundtrack, particularly in the first few episodes, repeatedly plays that one track over and over again is really annoying. I don’t get it. The music was used masterfully during S1-S4, but I hardly felt there were many memorable tracks even with the same composer.

This is not even getting into the weak ass plots of each episode. There’s too many flaws to list but my biggest criticism has to be the lack of heart in the majority of episodes. Doctor Who was always weak on the science front but it never lacked other qualities like great social commentary and emotional story and character beats. 

It all makes sense why I remember the RTD era so fondly, why there were multiple episodes from the first four series that I remembered vividly, but very few from series 5-7, and why I dropped the series just before Amy and Rory left.

I think Moffat does gradually get better, and I hope that I’ll be able to find more enjoyment when I get to Peter Capaldi’s era or even series 7B after Clara joins. This is largely negative because I honestly don’t think I would revisit any of the S5 episodes unless I wanted to refresh my memory or something.

[only-martha-knows]

15 and 20 for the ask game?

15. Okay favorite companion outfit! This is so hard because I don’t pay a ton of attention to the fashion of the companions other than noticing that something is outdated. I have to say that one outfit that always sticks with me is the outfit Rose wears in Girl in the Fireplace - every time I see her in it I think “she looks SO good.” It's honestly kind of weird how often I think about it. But also, a lot of Amy’s later outfits are ones that I would actually wear, like her outfits from Dinosaurs on a Spaceship or Angels Take Manhattan. Maybe I just like her in blue stripes.

20. What's something I would change about the show if I could? Hmm. Before RTD came back I would have said I wanted to bring him back as a writer, because in my opinion he had the best writing in the show - his jokes always landed with me, he can get me so emotional with only a few words, etc. I've been kind of unsatisfied with Moffat and Chibnall's writing. But that wish has come true for me, so I've got to think of something else!

I guess I really would want every companion to just be a really close friend to the Doctor instead of a romantic interest. Donna is my favorite companion for this reason - We've got Rose, who honestly is the only Doctor/companion ship that I can ship personally, then Martha, Amy, River, Clara, Missy, Yaz, etc... I'm so tired of it. I want the Doctor to seem more alien than he/she is portrayed right now! I feel like I was waiting all of Thirteen's era to see her really be the alien that she is, and I never really got it (except for maybe that one moment with King James when he calls her out).

I really love the deep friendship and caring that Donna and the Doctor have for each other without any sort of romantic interest whatsoever, and I loved all those moments of Ten when he seemed just a little bit... off... in his reactions. Alien, even. There's a reason one of my favorite Ten moments is from Utopia when he's talking to Jack and has that crazy looking grin as he leans against the window.

So I'm rambling, but I guess that's what I would change - no more canon romances because the Doctor should be more alien than he/she currently is being.

[ssaalexblake]

Random but you understand. Getting steadily more annoyed at people (especially if white guys) just refusing to admit there’s anything to Yaz, let alone her obvious crush on 13.

oh yeah, i mean i know i complain about ppl perceiving 13 with the average skill level of a drunken anteater but... Yaz gets it worse. Add in 13 to that specific conversation and it's a damn nightmare that alone would justify my avoidance of the dw fandom... I mean there are So many more reasons to avoid it but that'd do it on its own for me.

I'm just. Is it just me? Who finds the characters so Easy to understand in this era? It's all there?? textual??? It's really obvious? Like not in a dickish way, i just genuinely think this is all very textually evident and the basics are laid out for all to see (like, family target demo... Some of that stuff small ones aren't going to Get get, like the implications in can you hear me? and how that effects what we saw before that, but while the subtleties aren't explicit you know enough to know Yaz's frame of mind which is all you need to grasp the story's mood, really) and am legitimately confused. It should be noted i get this feeling from a Lot of female led shows i watch where people just Don't See any depth to the ladies at All and it's Such a Shame they finally had women in something and they got stuck with bad writers and If Only they hadn't and then they could actually like it, but alas...

I've seen that line like 8 million times with tons of different things by now guys, try something new for a change, if nothing else it gets boring.

Honestly, i'm just so done. The contrasts within fandom are damning, Rose is Still everybody's darling girl and, frankly, doesn't have half the character depth of Yaz (not a rose slam, she doesn't actually Need anything more than she has narratively for what they were saying... Apart from a different ending, anyway) but people will dig miles underground to find it anyway, meanwhile Yaz is apparently a flat character while the narrative peels back layers and layers of her as character independent of 13 And then adds the stuff with 13 too as a bonus and everybody is all 'i pretend not to see it'. It's kind of like how people will and have spent hours analysing david ten/nant's eyelashes as Ten but fail to notice 13 blatantly wearing the universe's creepiest evil grin on multiple occasions because it's not obvious enough, apparently?

i am in a constant state of both eye emoji and a massive eye roll.

Most of the time, if i try to write about Yaz, i fail because i can never work out how to organise my words into a coherent post. Yaz has so much depth but, also, None of it is weird sci-fi bs.. it is All character work. There's no impossible girl or bad wolf or mystic pregnancy or whatever was going on with river or elderly centurion security guard or 'oops i accidentally made an immortal' or any other example here, Yaz's character work is genuinely that, character work. And since i've spent a fair while reading ppl on here laud the rtd era companions for just being normal people with no sci-fi gimmicks being used to prop them up (even when sometimes there Are sci-fic gimmicks, if much less egregious than moffat era ones) it's a Bit annoying Yaz is getting the lowkey slam for it.

so yeah... yeah. Me too. I could have just said yeah but it'd be ooc of me to not be long winded.

[jyndor]

Very specific thoughts. I started Doctor Who with season 5 so I think I have a lot of nostalgia about that era, but the thing is that Moffat really isn't showrunner material. He can write a beginning that intrigues you and an ending that makes you cry, but he skimps on the details. Like I was excited to see The Doctor and River Song's love story but by the end I was like, 'did I miss an episode or something' because I felt like they told us how epic they'd be but failed to show us the love. And I like Amy and Rory as individuals but I feel like Amy was just marrying him because she didn't know what to do with her life. And like the sexism. Who knew not wanting to take your spouse's name meant you were childish.

lol i am so triggered by anyone starting dw with season 5 😂 moffat's misogyny was always lurking in his writing (weird ass classism and sexism in girl in the fireplace, shunting martha out of the way entirely for some white oc during blink, everything about river song in the library episodes) but he was able to ride it out because he had a great showrunner in rtd, who despite his flaws was far better at keeping things grounded imo.

I love a lot about season five but season six pushed me to my limits lol. every woman moff wrote lived for the doctor - their lives revolved around him. and you can argue that the companions don't need the fleshed out families and regular lives that rtd gave them but I just find rose, martha and donna a million times more relatable and believable than amy, river and clara (never watched bill so I can't comment on her). I think moffat was going for amy in particular being very much like a fantasy character in a fairy tale, which works really well in s5 because all of the mystery and weirdness was new, but he just doesn't know how to bring it all together in a way that makes any kind of sense imo. which is why the climax of river's story in s6 failed so hard for me. ironically the best parts of amy's story for me came in season 7 because she kind of felt more... idk... like a real person instead of a fantasy, and also like I loved every river and amy scene ever like more mama daughter scenes plsss

clara felt refreshingly real after amy left when they weren't pushing the mystery nonsense. ad I don't even mind mystery! bad wolf is one of my favorite arcs ever of anything, but that is always about rose taking control of her life and making her own choices instead of like with clara being the puzzle box for the doctor to solve without her knowledge.

I stopped watching after the first few episodes of season nine but I heard actually moffat's last season was his best, which is great because I was seriously worried about how he would treat a Black lesbian. maybe someday I will go back and finish the show but honestly moffat killed doctor who for me, and it is hard for me to go back to something like that.

also river and the doctor's love story makes zero sense when all is said and done lmao like why does moff always write these little girls falling for the doctor 🤮🤮🤮

anyway i just got off work so idk if this is coherent lmao but thanks for sharing your thoughts because i always like to hear them

[elisabeth-forbes]

Doctor Who?

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

BTW I stopped watching half way through Capaldi's era.

Favorite character: Donna Noble or Martha Jones

Least Favorite character: Rory Pond

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Clara/12, Rose/10, Martha /River, Clara/Martha, Doctor/Master, Rose/Amy - honestly a lot of the female companions.

Character I find most attractive: Clara Oswald - I've had a massive crush on Jenna Coleman since her Waterloo Road days.

Character I would marry: Clara or Martha

Character I would be best friends with: Donna Noble

a random thought: I don't actually ship the doctor with that many characters. If I ship the doctor with someone then if has to be that incarnation of the doctor. Also I like RTD's era a lot because of the storylines I feel were more coherent and had more payoff throughout the season. But I think that Moffat did bring in a lot of interesting female characters and concepts. Also some of his MOTW episodes were brilliant and I loved how he expanded on some of the aliens later on.

An unpopular opinion: That people in the fandom view character development = obeying the doctor or becoming more like them. Apart from the case of Martha in which they still continue to hate on her when she is literally better than him in every way.

My Canon OTP: Rose/10 - you could tell that RTD felt they were THE couple in the show.

My Non-canon OTP: Martha Jones/River Song - this is based off a conversation my friend and I had about River running into Martha when shes at UNIT or torchwood.

Most Badass Character: Martha Jones - she saved the world by herself with no power ups and how she handled the scarecrow episode. Side note - Sarah Jane Smith mostly because she never gave up protecting earth even after leaving the doctor and I loved the Sarah Jane Smith series.

Most Epic Villain: The Master

Pairing I am not a fan of: Jack/10 - I like Jack and 9 but 10 literally called him an abomination to his face. Plus Jack and 9 had that energy about them.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): It sometimes felt that RTD was encouraging people to hate on Martha via the doctor who kept comparing her to Rose. And considering how much racist hate she got in the first place I feel like that arc of not caring what the doctor thought should have been done a lot better and with more care.

Favourite Friendship: Donna/10

Character I most identify with: Probably Donna because of stuff I was going through when I first watched it. Also I really understood the urge to slap the doctor.

Character I wish I could be: Amy Pond or Clara Oswald because I always loved their hair.

[the--highlanders]

F N and Q for the fandom asks?

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom

probably the two-era fandom actually! it’s been over 5 years now. wild.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

wish I could see some of the missing episodes does that count

honestly i really don’t know. maybe more people? but also I like it small, it feels friendlier. and a lot of the stuff I want more content for isn’t ‘we should all talk about this’, it’s ‘this is a personal interest of mine’, you know? like I want to post and/or write about my Takes tm on jamie’s backstory and like. jacobite stuff. but that’s my very personal interest and comes down to me working up the courage and motivation to actually do it you know hsjkfgd

maybe more ben content. I’m totally guilty of underrating him myself but I do love him and I feel like he has a lot of potential character depth.

Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why

not that many actually! I haven’t had that many ships. if we’re talking dr who specifically then back in 2014-ish I felt like I Had to have a doctor who ship and picked eleven/river (as opposed to ten/rose, because I preferred moffat’s era to rtd’s). I never consumed or made any content for them though and never /really/ cared about them, and definitely don’t have any investment in it now.

I guess I used to be much more into jack/ianto than I am now? I still like them but I’m not focused on torchwood anymore. they were the first pairing I properly wrote obviously shippy fic for though.

if we’re not just talking doctor who then I’m very embarrassed to admit that back in ye olde superwholock days I /was/ a johnlock shipper. I was a baby gay and it was my first exposure to the idea that I didn’t hate all romance, just didn’t connect with straight romances in media. needless to say it didn’t end well and I no longer ship it gfhjdkgjkd

[mophobia]

So I finally did decide to watch The Woman Who Fell to Earth and... wow. I know I’m way late on the train but I just wanted to share some of my thoughts just from this first episode because why the heck not

First of all, just all the clear fuck you’s to Moffat (intentional or not). The fact that this single episode already has better representation than Moffats entire run, each of those characters have more development already in just their pinky fingers than pretty much is seen in Moffats entire run, the simple plot, the deep care and not asshole-ness of the Doctor. Just like top notch stuff

Still missing that extra mmmph of just pure weirdness I loved from RTD, but also new showrunner new rules and I can live with that

I felt like there were a lot of parallels to RTD era stuff, maybe just in my head maybe meant to be. But none of it copying yay! idk I just got the vibes of something I haven’t seen or felt in a while. Also got some 10 vibes from 13 which I love

I sooo want to believe that 13s appearance is a tribute to Rose, although maybe that’s just my Doctorxrose shipper coming out. But also... come on... that blonde with brown roots thing 13 has got going... when was the last time we saw that? I’m not asking for it to be addressed or talked about or acknowledged in any way (don’t get me wrong I’m always a slut for rose references but this is 13s time to shine) but I just hope it’s even a little true

I do still really miss the soundtrack from RTDs and even some of Moffats run. Just those dramatic moments with that wonderful score still gives me chills. And I’m always a slut for a good theme. Don’t know if that‘ll change as the series goes on cuz I was starting to get that music towards the end of the episode but we’ll see (I hope Murray gold is still composing... I should look that up.

“I matter, I am valuable...” just a bit of a clue I loved showing us were back in for that theme in Doctor Who that you don’t have to be “special” to matter (which I think the character the alien is hunting and just this story itself encapsulates very well just in general)

I honestly almost cried after the security guard got killed after that call with his granddaughter... I honestly don’t think I cried at anything in Moffats run so to come back to Doctor Who and feel actual emotion is just... I have no words I’m so happy

Wilfred and Graham would be bickering BFFs you can fight me on that

Another thing I do still miss is the noise from from RTDs era. I can’t think of exactly how to put it but there’s just that hustle and bustle of the world you feel in those first few seasons and it stil feels very secluded and... idk quiet here? Again though it’s only the first episode and the setting didn’t really call for large crowds so we’ll see how that transforms over time

Also on the subject of things I miss... just that slightly softer, warmer, lighter feel of the world you see in RTDs era. But also I don’t know how much of that has changed just due to technology evolving and getting better? Maybe that’s just more of a nostalgia thing.

13S LITTLE SPEECH BEFORE JUMPING! AND THE JUMP ITSELF! FUCK YES!

Love love love the fact that 13 is treated the same as any other Doctor in this episode. She doesn’t need to prove herself to any of her team at any point (other than she is in fact an alien which is just a Doctor thing in general), she lifts herself onto the platform after hanging on (can you imagine the upper body strength? 11 could never), and the fact that she never comments on how her abilities are different because she’s a woman now. I almost thought there was gonna be a boob joke when she couldn’t run after the alien after first finding it, but then it was just a comment on how her regeneration was affecting her!! The Doctor knows how strong women are, after all ze’s seen their strength first hand on MANY occasions traveling with them so why would she think negatively on being a woman. Although I do hope we get to maybe acknowledge new struggles she might feel from society looking at her as a woman and working to prove them wrong at some point. Thank you Chibnall for giving us something Moffat never would (and never could!)

I loved 13s reaction after the guy who was being hunted pushed the alien off the bridge. “You didn’t have to do that” and so disappointed. All I could think was the Doctor’s finally back.

I really did cry by the ending when the Doctor was facing the alien. At first it was just because I was feeling like Doctor Who back which made me so happy I couldn’t help but crying. But then Grace died and it really made me sad. But then the thought that something in DW actually gave me enough of an emotional reaction to cry again just made me start to cry for happiness all over again.

Also people are dying again! There’s seriousness and consequences again!! Not that I want people to die and suffer in every episode, but again that return to the core of Doctor Who is making me happy.

13 talking about how she keeps her family with her in her heart and as reminders of who to be. So beautiful (and just fuels my belief that her look is a reminder/whisper of Rose). I really hope this new era might be able to include an old companion or two from RTD era even (I know Jack is back? Kinda? And maybe he’s coming back again? But can you imagine the powerhouse of Mickey and Martha returning and working with 13??? I would DIE)

That outfit? ICONIC!!!

I think I still need to get used to the Doctor traveling with a pack. I’m happy for all the real characters were getting considering it’s pretty much just been the Doctor/half-baked Companion show since Moffat took over. But also it’s a different group feel than from RTD just cuz even then there was the Companion and their family that were more supporting characters. And even with Jack, he only popped up after we already knew the Doctors/Rose relationship. But I’m excited to see how this team of companions works!

All in all... still don’t know if I’m quite ready to believe 13 will top 9/10 for me, but as far as I’m concerned it’s already better than 11/12. And at the end of the day, I’m just happy to feel like I can love Doctor Who again.

So... after watching into skyfall not sure my original predictions on how this series/era went have stayed true. While I still love the 13th Doctor and Jodie.... I am already feeling let down by what’s to come. And it’s weird cuz there are certain parts I love, but the ones I hate are just far outweighing the positives. Why does every writer now need to alter the entire doctors life in a way that ruins RTD and, hell, even Moffat’s plots. I hated Moffat but Jesus. Even I’m beginning to think I’d rather watch 11-12 over this.

[timeagainreviews]

Thoughts leading up to series 12

Happy holidays, friends! I know, I know. It's been a while. I would love to sit here and say I have been away doing important things, but really I've been hibernating. The results of that awful election, mixed with the holidays had left me feeling a bit lethargic as of late. That being said, I had a nice Christmas. Being an immigrant, I don't see my family on holidays. My boyfriend and I spent the day piecing together a Babylon 5 jigsaw puzzle. I made my pal Gerry a celery for his 5th Doctor cosplay and he gifted me a replica of the Li H'sen Chang poster from "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." It was a very Doctor Who Christmas! Sadly, there was no Doctor Who Christmas episode!

Alas, it hardly matters, as new Doctor Who is mere days away! As I did last year, you can expect weekly coverage for each new episode. I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove of consistent writing. Usually, the fandom is more abuzz when the show is actually airing, so please remember to check in with this blog, as I will be watching along with the rest of you!

If you recall, prior to series eleven, I made a list talking about some of my hopes and expectations for the new TARDIS team and the new production team. Seeing as series twelve is just days away from premiering, I thought I might do it again. Let's get to it, shall we?

The Thirteenth Doctor

Seeing Jodie Whittaker back in the TARDIS for another round of adventures has me massively excited. One of the downsides to Christopher Eccleston's run is that we never really got to see him develop the role of the Ninth Doctor. I'm hoping we'll get to see more aspects of her character. Seeing as I don't expect her to regenerate any time soon, there's still much of her personality left to explore. We've met the friendly adorkable Doctor, now let's see her bend a little.

One of my primary complaints about Jodie Whittaker's portrayal as the Doctor was that I didn't think she got scary. While I love her bravery, running headlong into danger, I would like to see a shade or two of her dark side. Up to this point, she's been too friendly to be scary. I know I'm not the only person with this complaint, so it will be interesting to see what a year of hiatus and refocusing will do for her. Honestly, I hope they don't change her too much, as she's pretty great. I'd just like to see them flesh her out a bit.

Other than her personality, I'm also hoping to see some costume variations. The trailer for the new season does give us Jodie in a bow tie, which I am all for. I've also seen a picture where her trousers are black. I'm hoping they continue to tweak her costume here and there, as watching the Doctor's costume evolve over time has always been one of my favourite things about the show.

Chris Chibnall's return

Was there anyone from series eleven that drew more ire than Chris Chibnall? Sure you got the people who hated Jodie solely because she was a woman, but on the level of legitimate concerns, Chibnall was up there. I myself threw a bit of mud in his direction, and I don't feel as though it was without good cause. The general management of the show seemed a bit aimless, despite many promising elements.

Something about the way series eleven was received gave the BBC pause to reevaluate the show's trajectory, and I have a distinct feeling that Chibnall was at the heart of a lot of it. From his lack of a season-long story arc, to the villains being a bit shit, to an overly dour tone, his first year as showrunner left something to be desired. The fact that we didn't even get a single webisode during this gap year shows me that they're still not 100% sure what to do with Doctor Who.

However, having said this, Chibnall's core TARDIS team is one of the most exciting aspects of series twelve. I can't wait to see more from this great line up of characters. And if the exciting trailer for this new series is anything to go off, we're in for quite a ride. Chibnall's most recent endeavour as showrunner was last year's "Resolution," a much-needed bit of classic Who villainy in the form of a Dalek. I was left feeling optimistic that Chibnall was capable of delivering solid storytelling. And that's the operative word- optimistic. As long as he doesn't get needlessly gritty, I'm cautiously optimistic that this year-long hiatus has yielded positive results.

The Companions

Like many other viewers, my chief complaint about the companions has to be Yaz. She really got shafted on the level of character development last year. When you have someone as talented as Mandip Gill, it's a shame to waste her. I know the fandom was quite vocal about this fact, so I fully expect to see the show give her more time in the spotlight. I don't know anyone who disliked her character, which is a good sign that the fandom wants more of her.

Ryan and Graham were two characters that I felt got a great bit of character development. The moment when Ryan finally calls Graham "granddad," was a truly exciting moment for two characters we had grown to love. The logical next step, at least in my mind, is to test the boundaries of this new relationship. I'd really love to see Graham meet a new love interest. Introducing someone into Graham's life would make Ryan have to broaden his definition of family even further. It might also be a catalyst for his own personal growth.

I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't also see one or more of the companions depart from the TARDIS. My gut says it would be Graham, but I wouldn't be surprised if all three of them left at the end of the series. As much as I love the current companions, I would love to see what energy a new companion or two might do for Jodie's Doctor.

The Villains

Prior to series eleven, I was feeling very optimistic for new Doctor Who. That is until I read an article where Chris Chibnall announced there would be no returning villains. Other than the announcement that Chibnall would be showrunner, nothing had made me more concerned for the show's future than "no returning villains." It's not that returning villains are a must for Doctor Who. It's actually a rather brave thing to attempt. The reason it's brave is that if you're going to leave out classic baddies, you've got to justify your decision by crafting new classics. And I'm sorry, but some Slipknot dude with teeth in his face is not classic.

From what I've seen of the trailer and promotional stills, we're looking at at least three returning creatures from the Whoniverse. We've all seen the picture of Jodie staring down the Judoon. If I am completely honest, those have left me with the least amount of hype, as they weren't ever even full-on villains. I've always found the Judoon slightly hokey, so I could take or leave them. The plus side is that there is still plenty of room to develop them as a species. Are there non-Shadow Proclamation Judoon? Are there evil factions? I'm curious if nothing else.

Another familiar face is the Cybermen. While I feel like both the RTD and Moffat eras used the Cybermen ad nauseam, they're still a classic baddie with a solid track record. It appears they'll have something to do with the finale and that "timeless child," storyline I'm uninterested in, so fine, sure, ok. The real alien species I'm excited for is the Racnoss! Much like the Judoon, the Racnoss are also underdeveloped. I wasn't a big fan of them the first time around, which is why I'm excited for more. I'm curious to see what depth can be found in these campy arachnids. If nothing else, the makeup is fun.

The Guest Actors

Series eleven treated us to a surprisingly tender performance from Lee Mack in "Kerblam!" We got a decent turn by Mark Addy, working with not a lot to go off as the underwritten Paltraki. But without a doubt, the best performance came in the form of Alan Cumming's King James. Not only was he as hilarious as he was loathsome, but he also elevated what could have been a more straightforward performance, by finding that sweet spot of camp and contemptible.

That being said, with actors like Stephen Fry, Lenny Henry, and classic Doctor Who alum Robert Glenister joining the show, I'm hopeful we'll get at least one memorable performance out of the lot. I've not followed many of the ins and outs of the storylines, so I have no idea who anyone is playing other than Goran Višnjić as Nikola Tesla. That being said, the addition of Tesla to the series seems an obvious fit. He was an eccentric man who was a bit weird about his pet bird. I expect his story to be one of the stranger ones we'll enjoy this year, or at least, it had better be.

The BBC's involvement

I'm hoping that in this last year, the BBC weren't just reevaluating Chris Chibnall's direction for the show, but their own involvement as well. They got rid of Bake Off and Formula One, Top Gear's audience followed Clarkson over to Amazon. All that's left are partisan news coverage, QI, Countryfile, and Doctor Who. Oh and I guess "His Dark Materials," but I don't know anyone who's talking about that show. As I said earlier, it's been a year of nothing from Doctor Who as a series. Other than comics and a less than perfect VR game, we've gotten nothing from the Thirteenth Doctor and the fam. Not even a novel or webisode to tide us over. How hard would it have been, while filming series twelve, to shoot a quick little skit on the TARDIS set? The Moffat era did this a lot, and it was always nice to see a little bit of Doctor Who while waiting for more episodes.

As the last vestige of the BBC's once-great television empire, you would think they might start to give a shit about Doctor Who. I know it's a crazy concept, but perhaps shelving one of your best shows for a year wasn't the best option. It would be nice to see them put more money and effort into the show. It would be a welcome sight to see them also put more money into the budget for things like merchandise or extended universe media. We've got three books for the current Doctor and that was last year. David Tennant had over thirty novels, while Matt Smith's Doctor appeared in over 15, and Capaldi only appeared in nine. Do you remember the last time we got a Character Options figure that wasn't a repaint of another figure? The most recent one we got was Harry Sullivan, and I'm pretty sure the only new element to that figure was his head. I've seen previews of the new companion figurines, and they're great, but I want more.

Perhaps I sound a bit spoiled. Many shows never expand beyond their allotted episodes, but this is Doctor Who, a show with a broader reach than your telly. It seemed last year that they were finally giving the show its dues. There were billboards of Jodie's face everywhere. The hype was palpable. Now, it's just four days from series twelve, and I've not even seen a bus ad for the new show. A woman I see out on dog walks was surprised when I told her the show was returning on the first of January. She had no idea. This is the Doctor Who audience that they're failing, not people like me who count the days like an advent calendar. The BBC needs to decide once in for all if they're going to give Doctor Who the respect it deserves, or sell it someone who will.

And that's it for now, friends. I hope you're all just as excited as I am to be back in the blue box. If all goes as planned, I should have a new review up the day after each episode. I'm optimistic that I'll have some great things to say!