You Get A Prize, Honey - The 'Doctor Who' Thread

[Vaibow]

to reunite with his love.... exactly. That'll be the emotion of the series. However, i would prefer a happier ending

 

[Mandon Knight]

Some news that I hope brings happiness to many of us....

Jodie Whittaker confirmed for Doctor Who series 12

 

[Pink Ranger]

Good. The new series was off to a rocky start, but is getting good now. Dispel all the crappy rumours.

 

[Vaibow]

The next series needs a jump in time, we need to see the doctor experienced in this 'regeneration', a few years down the road, totally at ease, confident and knowing who she is.

I want a decent story arc, with side stories/events along the way. No pc moral lessons, just sci fi fun.

 

[Teelie]

I like Whittaker in the role. She isn't to blame if some of the stories she's in aren't good. The writer(s) are to blame for that. As the first female Doctor she has done a good job of being believable.

 

[WhoMani]

I've watched Whittaker in Broadchurch and I thought she was excellent in it. She's a talented actress and she seems to enjoy being the Doctor so I can see her at least doing two more seasons as the Doctor. I don't love the Thirteenth Doctor yet and I do wish that she was fleshed out more. But I did like her a lot in episodes that isn't written by Chibnall.

Unfortunately Chibnall is just a bland and unimaginative writer for Doctor Who (However he was pretty good writer in Broadchurch season one but the next two seasons were meh and his Torchwood stuff were decent). I do hope that Chibnall writes less episodes in series 12.

 

[Mandon Knight]

The ONE thing I'm not the biggest fan of this series has been the amount of times, the gang are looking to her for answers and her immediate response is 'I'm not sure', yes, I get uncertainty and lack of 'best foot forward' in the first few episodes but to have it as we come to the end of the series, well.....I get that not all answers are instant, and to be fair, it's been a problem of the past in nu-Who that with a swirl of the sonic, the problem is solved but I hope in S12, there is a 'confidence' within this Doctor knowing and feeling that she has the notion of control & on the front foot.

 

[WhoMani]

The idea of a Doctor is unsure of herself and isn't confident is interesting but but we sort of seen that already with the Twelfth Doctor and that was more interesting than what Chibnall is doing with the Thirteenth Doctor. I do appreciate that the Thirteenth Doctor doesn't act like she's the most important person in the universe with the reputation that she has which happened a lot during both of the Tenth Doctor and Eleventh Doctor time on the show. I like that she's down to earth but as a character she isn't compelling.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

The idea of a Doctor is unsure of herself and isn't confident is interesting but but we sort of seen that already with the Twelfth Doctor and that was more interesting than what Chibnall is doing with the Thirteenth Doctor. I do appreciate that the Thirteenth Doctor doesn't act like she's the most important person in the universe with the reputation that she has which happened a lot during both of the Tenth Doctor and Eleventh Doctor time on the show. I like that she's down to earth but as a character she isn't compelling.

It's not that she's unsure of herself, it's that she doesn't fake it like Moffat wrote 11/12.

Even when 11/12 weren't sure what was going on, they projected confidence. Even when he was dying on Christmas from old age, he still pretended in front of Clara that he had a plan. Only alone on top of the tower did it finally give up. Same with 12 in Heaven Sent.

13 hasn't been put through an extraordinary world ending event so her being so thrown off on small-scale stuff leaves her being seen having less authority.

When Ribbons pulled out that second knife, under Moffat you can imagine 11/12 having already expected some kind of betrayal.

 

[WhoMani]

It's not that she's unsure of herself, it's that she doesn't fake it like Moffat wrote 11/12.

Even when 11/12 weren't sure what was going on, they projected confidence. Even when he was dying on Christmas from old age, he still pretended in front of Clara that he had a plan. Only alone on top of the tower did it finally give up. Same with 12 in Heaven Sent.

13 hasn't been put through an extraordinary world ending event so her being so thrown off on small-scale stuff leaves her being seen having less authority.

Chibnall doesn't have to write the character like Moffat as Moffat wrote 11/12 different from how RTD wrote 9/10. Despite me not liking his writing, I applaud Chibnall for doing his own interpretation of the character than copying the same exact traits that Moffat had for his Doctors as it would have been seen as repetitive and boring.

I personally don't mind as she's just being herself around her companions who she considers to be friends (or in her own words "fam") so perhaps she's tired of putting on facade of being this super confident person that fears nothing. Besides not all the Doctor projected confidence. The Second Doctor and at times the Eleventh Doctor all came across as childish clowns while the Fifth Doctor was often seen as someone who is indecisive.

 

[Mandon Knight]

I think it's why as others are saying why there is likeness between 5 and 13. I'm not 'against' the lack of a plan, and as I said in my original post, I wouldn't expect anyone having the answer immediately and having the Doctor not simply have the solution to hand is a good thing, however the example given, the second knife situation would be anticipated in previous incarnations.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

Chibnall doesn't have to write the character like Moffat as Moffat wrote 11/12 different from how RTD wrote 9/10. Despite me not liking his writing, I applaud Chibnall for doing his own interpretation of the character than copying the same exact traits that Moffat had for his Doctors as it would have been seen as repetitive and boring.

I personally don't mind as she's just being herself around her companions who she considers to be friends (or in her own words "fam") so perhaps she's tired of putting on facade of being this super confident person that fears nothing. Besides not all the Doctor projected confidence. The Second Doctor and at times the Eleventh Doctor all came across as childish clowns while the Fifth Doctor was often seen as someone who is indecisive.

I don't think it's a matter of her being herself or not.

Before now, with one companion, there was a certain level of authority implied in a father/daughter or teacher/student dynamic. Chibnall has written the dynamic as friends so, despite the fact one being an 1,000 year old alien, 13 comes across as a companion in some situations and coupled with the lack of alien threat it downplays 13 for being so companion like.

It Takes You Away and Rosa were the two best examples of the Doctor being in proactive mode and investigation. The premiere was cause of regeneration.

11 was definitely a clown, but he was also ahead of the curve on most situations. That's what made River so annoying. She most always was ahead of him. 11 being "behind the 8 ball" or wrong elevated the stakes of a situation.

 

[WhoMani]

I don't think it's a matter of her being herself or not.

Before now, with one companion, there was a certain level of authority implied in a father/daughter or teacher/student dynamic. Chibnall has written the dynamic as friends so, despite the fact one being an 1,000 year old alien, 13 comes across as a companion in some situations and coupled with the lack of alien threat it downplays 13 for being so companion like.

It Takes You Away and Rosa were the two best examples of the Doctor being in proactive mode and investigation. The premiere was cause of regeneration.

There has been a friend dynamic with the Doctor and his companions which have been successful e.g Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane, Tenth Doctor and Donna or Second Doctor and Jamie etc. The Thirteenth does have a bit of a teacher/student dynamic with her companions as at times she does give lectures to any of them on a specific subject like arachnids or anti-matter. In the Arachnids in the UK or The Witchfinders its made pretty clear that her companions see the thirteenth Doctor as their leader and she's often the one who gives out the instructions so there is some authority there. I think the difference is that The Thirteenth Doctor doesn't act like she's the universe greatest protector nor that she doesn't have the arrogance (or ego) as most of the previous incarnations

To be fair the Doctor quickly figured out the what the Pting wanted and found a way to get it off the ship before it destroyed it.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

What Chibnall needs to do is write better. Which he doesn't seem capable of.

 

[WhoMani]

I totally agree that Chibnall hasn't written a truly great Doctor Who episode. His dialogue is painfully bad.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

There has been a friend dynamic with the Doctor and his companions which have been successful e.g Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane, Tenth Doctor and Donna or Second Doctor and Jamie etc. The Thirteenth does have a bit of a teacher/student dynamic with her companions as at times she does give lectures to any of them on a specific subject like arachnids or anti-matter. In the Arachnids in the UK or The Witchfinders its made pretty clear that her companions see the thirteenth Doctor as their leader and she's often the one who gives out the instructions so there is some authority there. I think the difference is that The Thirteenth Doctor doesn't act like she's the universe greatest protector nor that she doesn't have the arrogance (or ego) as most of the previous incarnations

To be fair the Doctor quickly figured out the what the Pting wanted and found a way to get it off the ship before it destroyed it.

Four and Sarah still feel like student/teacher and Donna/10 were definitely more brother/sister the way she annoyed him.

The Pting thing was after she got verbally reprimanded by that male nurse and relented then he got killed. The Doctor's opinion was tossed aside in the Witchfinders by James until he as removed from the story at the end to be saved.

Archanids falls under the problem of the villains not being villains. There was no one to match wits against since the spiders didn't talk. The "bad guy human" didn't change, he went over her head and killed the spider.

I agree. The speechifying reached maximum under Moffat, but to a certain extent, being a 1000 years old should come with a certain level of gravity. The Doctors speech in IT TAKES YOU AWAY about all the knowledge she has was exactly what 11 did in RINGS OF AKHATEN, but one is Moffat wringing every amount of emotion out a man who has lived a long life. The emphasis in 13's situation was on Graham. Chibnall is trying to spread the characterization around, but I don't think he wants those extreme highs and lows like Moffat and RTD did. I can't imagine DALEK being done with 13.


It'll be interesting to see what happens when 13 faces and old foe cause there should be a certain gulf between the companions and 13 in tackling them.

 

[WhoMani]

Four and Sarah still feel like student/teacher and Donna/10 were definitely more brother/sister the way she annoyed him.

The Pting thing was after she got verbally reprimanded by that male nurse and relented then he got killed. The Doctor's opinion was tossed aside in the Witchfinders by James until he as removed from the story at the end to be saved.

Archanids falls under the problem of the villains not being villains. There was no one to match wits against since the spiders didn't talk. The "bad guy human" didn't change, he went over her head and killed the spider.

I agree. The speechifying reached maximum under Moffat, but to a certain extent, being a 1000 years old should come with a certain level of gravity. The Doctors speech in IT TAKES YOU AWAY about all the knowledge she has was exactly what 11 did in RINGS OF AKHATEN, but one is Moffat wringing every amount of emotion out a man who has lived a long life. The emphasis in 13's situation was on Graham. Chibnall is trying to spread the characterization around, but I don't think he wants those extreme highs and lows like Moffat and RTD did. I can't imagine DALEK being done with 13.


It'll be interesting to see what happens when 13 faces and old foe cause there should be a certain gulf between the companions and 13 in tackling them.

Personally for me The Fourth Doctor/Sarah jane relationship never felt like teacher/student but more they felt more like they were siblings (it annoyed me a bit when School Reunion retcon that SJ was in love with the The Doctor which was never hinted in the original series). But there is a degree of a teacher/student dynamic with the Third Doctor/Sarah Jane. The Doctor/Donna felt like they mates that have banter towards to each other

Tbh the Doctors in Claasic Who never always give a huge speech but when they did it felt like special e.g. The Doctor's speech about humanity in The Ark in Space. I love a good Doctor's speech but they're started to become redundant in the Moffat era as Moffat put more of a emphasis on it. Besides I don't need a speech for Jodie Whittaker to feel like the Doctor to me. Instead I'm more interested in how the Doctor approaches/solves a problem, their characterisations and their dynamic/chemistry with the companions.

I agree that the Thirteenth Doctor as a whole has been underwhelming and I would love to see her face the classic monsters again. But there are elements of the character that I like and there is potential in her to become a great Doctor. I personally feel that Chibnall should be given the similar time as RTD and Moffat to develop his own version of the character. The Tenth Doctor for me started to become more interesting in series 3 so I'm willing to give Jodie Whittaker a chance to get better in the role and hope she receives excellent scripts for series 12.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Good, solid end of series episode. Good tie in with set up from during the whole and just wondering if the Christmas special actually leads us to

Spoiler

the return of the Daleks

Also thought this final episode would be the end of Graham but no he survived.

 

[WhoMani]

 

[WhoMani]

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos was an alright but underwhelming finale. It felt like a filler and Tim Shaw is still not a interesting villain. I hope Chibnall writes less episodes in the next series.

 

[Teelie]

A full year between series? There is the New Years episode but then nothing until 2020. I would have thought they could pick up the pace a little faster.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

Hopefully we at least get a holiday special next year.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

 

[WhoMani]

A full year between series? There is the New Years episode but then nothing until 2020. I would have thought they could pick up the pace a little faster.

The only episode confirmed for 2019 will the New Years special.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

How do they do this, when they have less episodes to make? Ugh...