As the 11th season of Doctor Who comes to a close
I feel I can safely discuss it without fear of giving away too many spoilers.
Being a fan of the series for some time now I’ve learned to
love the brilliance of a story that has an ever-changing main character. The Doctor
remains so in name with each incarnation but there is no doubt that each new
actor filling those extremely large shoes brings a new element to the story,
revitalizing it.
It’s not just the actor(s) though that bring the iconic
character to life. A whole team of writers are behind them, working to balance
a foreign element (new actor, new situations) with the familiar elements
viewers know and love.
That struggle is never more prevalent than in the first
season of a newly regenerated Doctor.
I, like many other
avid fans, rabidly awaited the reveal of Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor while hoping
to see elements of her predecessors to help ground her with the fanbase. To
that end, I felt a bit let down. Not at the actress’s portrayal. I felt she did
a fantastic job of giving the Doctor plenty of quirk and animation. My
disappointment came from the apparent desire of the writers to blaze a whole
new trail in the Doctor Who universe without first grounding the new Doctor in
our minds.
As a writer, specifically in the modern/urban fantasy genre,
I know that the best way to connect my readers with the world I’m writing in is
to give them a balance of familiar and strange. Sci-Fi works similarly
employing this theory. It must be believable as well as being fantastical
enough to really pique interests and hold attention. You need your readers and
viewers to feel they can connect with the world. And once established that
world must continue to follow the same rules the audience has been taught.
With Doctor Who, especially during a first season after
regeneration there has always been some overlap. And rightly so. This helps the
audience connect the new elements (new face, new quirks, new catchphrases…)
with the world and creatures they have become familiar with.
Admittedly, the first season of any new Doctor is a clunky
one. Writers not used to the new actor, often come off as if they are still
writing what they know from the old one. The new actor trying to pay homage to
the old Doctor hamming it up a little to remind the viewers that their old
favorite is still in there, somewhere. It’s a bit disjointed at times, but the
story flow still moves forward and we have enough familiar to go on to really
settle in for a season as we get to see the true Doctor emerge.
All through the season we saw Jodie Whittaker give her
Doctor life, and I like her portrayal of the first female Doctor, but something
felt off. A situation would present itself for the Doctor to do or say
something very Doctor-y and it would never come.
Episode 4 Arachnids in the U.K. left me with my jaw gaping
when Jack Robertson’s character shot a dying creature at point blank range, and
the Doctor did little to reprimand him. Where was the ability to make a simple
an effective threat, as previous Doctor, David Tennant did to Harriet Jones
when she ordered Torchwood to fire on the retreating Sycorax ship?
“Don’t you think she
looks tired?” ~ 10th Doctor
The Doctor always knew the power of words, and each
incarnation has had their way with them. Better than weapons. In fact, another
notable quote from that same Doctor comes to mind.
“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best
weapons in the world!” ~ 10th Doctor
If the Doctor is nothing else, the Doctor is brilliant.
Always having a plan or at least part of a plan, and that’s why the Doctor is
able to save the day. I felt like with this new Doctor, they forgot just how
ancient and wizened the character was supposed to be. There were times during
this season where it felt like the Doctor was a bit clueless. Did the
regeneration kill some brain cells? Still, far from dumb, but I got the feeling
that the writers did not want to let Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor come across as
brilliant or in control of every situation as previous Doctors. I hope next
season they let her shine a bit more.
And that was really the crux of the problem with this
season. It was the bombardment of so much newness that really undermined the
integrity of the series. I understand they were working from the ground up with
so many changes from the previous season, but the executive decision to wipe
the slate clean left me feeling unsatisfied. And that is why I feel like the
11th season of Doctor Who really missed the mark.
We had new everything. New companions. New Doctor. New
TARDIS. New writers. New monsters. It felt, at times, as if I was watching an
adaptation rather than the real thing.
The number one reason for that feeling was the lack of the
familiar.
That epiphany did not strike me until I watched the
season-ender, New Year’s (Another new change. Where was my Christmas Special?)
episode: Resolution.
I knew from the preview that the dangerous monster had to be
a Dalek and squealed with delight when I finally saw the ugly little squiddy
thing (sans boob-skirted trash can armor). And at that moment when I was fist
pumping the air with triumph at accurately guessing the baddy, it struck me.
Familiarity. That’s what had been missing. Now this feels
like Doctor Who!
To me, it was the best episode of the season. It felt like a
true Doctor Who episode. I enjoyed every moment of it.
All season long I had been searching for my Doctor. She was
right there in front of me, but swimming among so many new and shiny things I
couldn’t see it. All it took was that hint of familiarity to really bring me
in.
And that, I pray, is what the writers will do next season.
Remember the roots of the show. Keep the campy
don’t-take-yourself-too-seriously Sci-Fi feel, with monsters we know and love,
and we will be able to relax into this new age of the Doctor.
