Feelings Halfway Through The Series

[StCoop]

50% of the way through the new series and I hate to say it but I am just not enjoying it as much as I should be.

Don't get me wrong, there's only one out of the five episodes so far that I'd call bad but at the same time none I'd call spectacular. (And I was probably a bit too generous with some of my voting scores on them.)

Moving away from the Moffat-style of scripts was definitely the right move, as was removing any barriers to entry for lapsed and new viewers but I think it's moved too far in the opposite direction and now feels aimed at a bit of a younger audience than before.

Three companions/friends/whatever is not working either. Most of what has passed for character development has been in scenes that feel shoehorned in; the one in last week’s episode being the worst offender. They are also not getting the chance to fully develop their relationship with the Doctor in the way that others have, when it's been primarily the one companion. Speaking of whom...

Jodie is great. Maybe ask her not to do that thing with the Sonic every single time but the problem is the material she's being given to work with. If you had to sum up her Doctor so far the first word that jumps to mind is 'nice', which is not that many steps away from 'Bland'. Now we saw the results of having a Doctor who wasn't nice on the ratings but she needs to be given more to work with. She's spent most of her career in serious drama so let her use the ability she undoubtedly has.

To be clear, there's nothing unfixable here and it wouldn't take much effort to nudge things in a better direction. I suspect Bradley Walsh is only here for one series, which (as much as I like him) should help. As will having Chibnall write less episode; which I also expect will happen.

Then just trust your audience's intelligence a bit more (without getting too clever-clever) and give the Doctor some girt (but not too much) and I think the future can look very bright for the series.

 

[Pindar]

I think that's fair.
The companions feel like they are bonding with each other more than the Doctor.

 

[Starkers]

I'm pretty much in complete agreement with you StCoop. Of the five episodes it's only really the last one I haven't liked, and even that had some enjoyable moments, but it's definitely lacking something. Maybe it's the writing (and my worry was always that Chibnall isn't in the same league as RTD or Moffat) maybe it's the lack of a really dangerous foe so far (1950s racism aside) maybe it's the cast, though that'd be the last one I'd go with because I like Jodie and I like the companions.

There just are too many of them though, especially given we have a new Doctor, sometimes to the point where Yas feels a trifle too much like Nyssa at times. I'd agree that Graham is likely only going to be here for a year, which is a shame as Walsh is really good. Of the three Yas is the most dispensable, which is a shame as I do like the character, she just feels more on the periphery, especially given the Ryan/Graham double act.

I really do want more from Jodie, and I do hate to say it but she does feel a trifle bland on occasion. I'm hoping this is just down to the writing because she is a good actress, but playing a role like the Doctor doesn't always come down to acting ability, it's about screen presence and I need her to give me more to suggest that she is the Doctor, because at the moment it feels like if you (somehow) found a person who had no idea what Doctor Who was and showed them snippets of episodes it would be difficult for them to accurately tell you who was the 2000 year old alien in the Tardis. So more alien-ness, more old soul in a young body, more grabbing scenes by the scruff of the neck (which doesn't mean I want her to become all bombastic and shouty, you can be the quietest person in a scene and still own the room).

I hope there hasn't been a conscious decision to not make her too abrasive because she's a woman. No one wants her to go all Colin/Early Capaldi on us, but the Doctor has always been capable of being a bit of a dick, a bit of an arrogant know it all, and there's no reason 13 can't still do that despite no longer having a penis.

It all feels very safe so far, very nice, very, dare I say it, forgettable, but damn it Chibnall give us some pazzaaz! At the moment it feels Dr Who by committee.

At the moment the fewer episodes/longer running time isn't delivering superior quality, and the general likeability of the Tardis Team will only carry the show so far.

 

[Mr Awe]

I have a similar reaction.

I think Jodie is great as the Doctor. I have no concerns there. I like the companions, and how they're gelling. At least in theory. Graham is great and fairly well fleshed out. It's nice having an older companion. Ryan and Yaz are likeable but underdeveloped. I'm hoping that changes, but 5 episodes in, it seems like they should be more developed than they are.

We're working with a great group of actors who are creating a set of interesting, likeable characters. So, I'm optimistic, but it's been a bit of a slow start.

My somewhat larger concern is over the storytelling. It hasn't been bad by any means, but it has occasionally been forgettable. It does feel aimed at a younger group. There's been no complex, dynamic, strong villains. Mostly a lack of villains. That's OK occasionally but more as the exception to the rule. A strong villain can bring the best out of the protagonists, but we haven't had that.

Ghost Monument has been the strongest story in my mind. Rosa was a nice attempt but we got down to preserving the bus schedule. Spiders was nice but strange ending. The last one had an interesting premise and setting, but the story not so much.

One thing I do really like about the new approach is that Chibnall tries to build the mystery and shows the Doctor resolving it. Not a Moffaty this a hugely complex arc that you can't hope to figure out. But, hey, we've got an alien here, what is it after. How do we tell? What can we do? Or, we've got this situation on a ship with these resources, an alien with these properties, how do we resolve it? Same with the spiders. The process of figuring out the mystery and coming up with the solution has been highlighted. The idea is good, but sometimes but the execution has been a bit weak.

I'm hoping that some of these storytelling issues go away once we get to non-Chibnall scripts.

I'm enjoying this series. I look forward to the characters. But, I haven't been wowed--with the exception of Ghost Monument, which I thought was very good.

 

[Orac]

The most entertaining season of telly in years, in 4 episodes Jodie Whitaker has been more entertaining and enjoyable to watch than Peter Capaldi managed to be in 4 years. Capaldi's episodes were too horrific and his character was mean and lacked empathy he was unpleasant to watch. Of course these are just my feelings yours may differ.

 

[auntiehill]

I really like Jodie and the companions but I will agree that, aside from "Rosa," most of it has been pretty bland. I don't think we've really seen anything really challenge the Doctor or companions, aside from the death of Grace; I wish we would get more of the emotion or personalities involved. The scene where Graham can't face the memories in his house was very touching but lasted only a minute or two.

I'd like to see something with a bit more "oomph" to it--a real threat, a real challenge--not just to their safety but to what they believe in or want to be.

 

[Professor Zoom]

I've been enjoying it quite a bit.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I've been largely loving the whole season. Aside from possibly "Rosa" (I still have a few issues that hold it back), the season doesn't have any instant classics, but as far as I'm concerned, there hasn't been any clunkers either, which makes it far, far better than Capaldi's debut season. The sense of adventure and wonder is infectious and large part of that is due to Jodie's exuberant performance. All three companions are great, and while I agree that Yaz deserves to have more to do (and that will undoubtedly change in the next episode), I think they've been utilized wonderfully.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

I feel similarly. It's just....okay. I like Jodie but I don't love her as the Doctor. That's alright, since I felt the same way about Peter Capaldi. I don't think it's fair to blame her, so I'm not going to. She's not the reason I'm not enjoying the episodes much. I fear that it's the writing. But I'm going to give it a full season before I judge.

The only companion I really like is Graham. Yas is cute but I don't like her much yet. Aside from the girlfriend (who is Indian) saying to me every episode "God, will someone please put eye makeup on her?! I'm tired of looking at her dark circles," (a sentiment I don't share...I think she looks fine, but women make the funniest observations sometimes ) she hasn't made much impact on my viewing. Ryan is boring. But I want to like them so I will continue to watch.

The important thing is that, unlike Star Trek Discovery, I'm not so bored and disillusioned that I want to stop watching. I quit Discovery after 6 episodes. I'm not at that point yet with this.

But I want to fall back in love with the show. I want the episodes to excite me again.

 

[Butters]

It’s missing the same something that it’s been missing for a long time now, but I’m not sure what it is.

I like Jodie as the Doctor, but it’s like how Matt Smith is my favourite doctor, but he’s not in my favourite episodes. I can’t see any of the new episodes get much of a rewatch, and that’s what I hate most about the new series.

 

[The Wormhole]

It's enjoyable, but there's room for improvement. While I still look forward to watching the new episodes each week, so far I haven't really felt inclined to rewatch any.

 

[Refuge]

Jodie is average and her Doctor IS bland. Not nearly bland but sitting comfortably and apathetically in the pocket of bland. Great disappointment. Actually Bradley is the only one with actual emotion, the only reason he should go is because he stands out too much.

The stories are ordinary. Come on there is nothing earth shattering, awe inspiring, or imagination exploding about any of this so far. It feels weak.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Come on there is nothing earth shattering, awe inspiring, or imagination exploding about any of this so far.

But that's my point: It doesn't need to be earth shattering all the time. Doctor Who is about the spirited adventure where anything can and does happen. The over-the-top extravaganza is an occasional perk, not a requirement.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

The thing is, they've bought themselves time. They've repackaged it to look pretty with new cinematography and new music, they have diverse casting and a female Doctor and social justice issues to check the "Representation" box, which pleases the blogs and Twitter greatly....so no TV critic is going to complain about it for awhile. They have deposited a LOT of credit in the bank in terms of the press with the new show.

It's left to us fans to go "Ehhhh…." I kinda feel that I'm greedy at this point. The show is all-new, yet it hasn't excited me yet. It's....charming. Charming is fine....I just want to be excited by it again. It hasn't excited me in several years. Is that greedy? I guess. It's just that I don't watch that many shows anymore. Shows I'm interested in are all on hiatus. Doctor Who is the show I've also watched the longest at this point, so I feel a special kinship to it. I'll be sad if I lose interest in it.

 

[Refuge]

But that's my point: It doesn't need to be earth shattering all the time. Doctor Who is about the spirited adventure where anything can and does happen. The over-the-top extravaganza is an occasional perk, not a requirement.

Well it might be just me... but I like the aliens, the weally weally scary ones! It brings out the kid in me more than say seeing big spiders (too real). I prefer my analogies and metaphors in those packages and that is why I've stuck with Who for so long. It's the weirdest reaction to see a trapped dalek going "Mercy" and for it to matter. Or as much as I hated the concept ... the Capaldi episode where he lived for billions of years imprisoned and chipping away at a wall, it affected my imagination, exhausted it.

There is something grand about the Doctor. She should be capable of saving worlds.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

It's left to us fans to go "Ehhhh…." I kinda feel that I'm greedy at this point. The show is all-new, yet it hasn't excited me yet. It's....charming. Charming is fine....I just want to be excited by it again. It hasn't excited me in several years. Is that greedy? I guess.

To each their own, but I am excited now. I'm excited about this Doctor as how we've already seen her. I'm excited about the companions, both individually and as a team. I'm excited about the adventures they're going on. I know I'm not the only one.

So I don't think it's fair to say "It's left us fans to go 'Ehhhh....'" when that's only a group of a fans. I wouldn't dare say who is more vocal out of any of those groups of fans, but I think it is safe to say there isn't a single voice or even a majority voice on this count. And please don't start quoting ratings at me. That means gobbledygook.

Well it might be just me... but I like the aliens, the weally weally scary ones! It brings out the kid in me more than say seeing big spiders (too real). I prefer my analogies and metaphors in those packages and that is why I've stuck with Who for so long. It's the weirdest reaction to see a trapped dalek going "Mercy" and for it to matter. Or as much as I hated the concept ... the Capaldi episode where he lived for billions of years imprisoned and chipping away at a wall, it affected my imagination, exhausted it.

I'm not saying scary aliens and monsters shouldn't happen, nor am I saying the analogies and metaphors shouldn't happen. I wouldn't classify those as earth-shattering or whatever. Besides, we've already had the giant spiders this season, which unnerved plenty of people, especially those who don't like spiders at all (phobia or not).

There is something grand about the Doctor. She should be capable of saving worlds.

She is, but that doesn't mean that kind of thing needs to be standard issue. Leave that for the grand events otherwise it gets tired and worn out...just like it did with both Davies and Moffat.

 

[Refuge]

Do you really think this Doctor has the presence to step up to save worlds?? She barely managed a bunch of spiders. Popped them into the too hard basket and walked away...

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Did you really think The Doctor who was obsessed with fezzes and Stetsons couldn't deal with the Weeping Angels? Or the Silents? Or all generations of the Daleks?

Did you really think The Doctor who played with spoons couldn't go toe-to-toe with Davros? Or Fenric? Or The Master?

Did you really think The Doctor who offered jelly babies to every unsuspecting person couldn't handle Morbius? Scaroth? Sutekh?

Did you really think The Doctor who played around with a recorder couldn't go face-to-face with The Daleks when they were playing dumb? Or the Dalek Emperor? Or Salamander the world dictator?

Being underestimated by those around him and her is the name of the game for all of The Doctors.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

We had to wait until the 9th episode of Capaldi's first year for his heroic Doctor moment. Jodie's is coming. I've said before I don't mind that they are writing her to be far more empathetic. That's fine with me. As long as she plays the hero eventually.

 

[Steve Roby]

But that's my point: It doesn't need to be earth shattering all the time. Doctor Who is about the spirited adventure where anything can and does happen. The over-the-top extravaganza is an occasional perk, not a requirement.

Amen. The RTD era had season-ending blockbusters which were over the top, but they generally happened once a series. But then the Moffat era hiked the stakes all the time. The whole universe knew about the Doctor. "Basically, run." His death mattered to the whole universe. His name mattered to the whole universe. He wasn't the guy who showed up, found himself in the middle of something that affected the people of a town or city full of people who had no idea who he was, did something about it, and moved on. But now she is again. She's a traveler helping people and exploring new places instead of a godlike legend. All of existence doesn't tremble at her approach; the continued existence of all eternity isn't threatened every week. And that's a good thing.

To each their own, but I am excited now. I'm excited about this Doctor as how we've already seen her. I'm excited about the companions, both individually and as a team. I'm excited about the adventures they're going on. I know I'm not the only one.

Definitely not the only one.