Should there be a return to more traditional WHO stories?

[Whofan]

One of the main problems people have had with the Moffat seasons is that he's been overdoing the mysteries and story arcs far too much. While RTD and even to an extent the classic series also had arcs from time to time, in the case of RTD they were more memes or random words that showed up (Bad Wolf, Torchwood, Saxon, Rose's return) and didn't play out until the last couple of episodes, and many stories worked fine as self-contained stories-Although a few didn't such as Lazarus Experiment which really makes better sense in the context of the arc, but "Human Nature" for instance worked as both a stand-alone story and a bit of foreshadowing to the Saxon arc.

Same with older stuff like Key To Time and Trial of a Time Lord, or even the Black Guardian trilogy, the stories could work without those elements for the most part. The only time I don't think it really worked in the classic series was the "Cartmel Masterplan", but a lot of that was due to the fact that the show got cancelled and that storyline ended up largely on the cutting room floor.
However now it seems Doctor Who is alienating it's audience with far too much arc-based storytelling (Granted, relying too much on continuity was a weakness of the later classic series too). It used to be clever but now it's becoming the main theme of the show.
I have no problem with Matt Smith at all-I just think he needs better, less convulted scripts than what we've had these last two seasons. He had such a strong start with Eleventh Hour, and some good stuff like "Vincent and the Doctor" but I think Moffat is alienating the fanbase and that's why the ratings have been falling a bit....

 

[Savage Jaw]

No. The balance is just right, most episodes being single/double-parters that stand alone for the most part, while also having an underlying arc linking them together which rewards people who are regular viewers, and makes episodes a little bit more anticipated, since there will be questions that people want answered.

This "alientating the audience" mantra is something of a fiction, as viewing figures and audience appreciation figures are on average equal, and sometimes exceeding, the last years of the Tennant/RTD era. Yes, overnight viewing figures are down on what they were a few years ago, but that is because more and more people are watching the show recorded on things like TiVO/Sky+, same week repeats and video on demand like BBC iPlayer. When you add all those methods together, the show is just as popular now as it was during the latter part of the RTD era.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Hm, no, I think I prefer arc-focused writing right now, I'd just like if the pieces of the arc would also work as self-contained episodes as well.

 

[DS9Continuing]

It's already been announced that there is going to be a return to that style, so this is a moot question.

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[Savage Jaw]

It's already been announced that there is going to be a return to that style, so this is a moot question.

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Nothing like that has been announced at all. All that Moffat said was that the show is already mostly standalone single or double-parter episodes, and that it would continue as such. He said nothing about removing arc storylines.

 

[Captain Crow]

It would be kind of nice to have standalone stories without an arc and have the last story be a regular story instead of some overblown catastrophe.

 

[Shazam!]

I long for an episode or two of The Doctor and his companion landing on some weird alien planet, uncovering some nefarious shit, sorting it out, and then leaving.

 

[Brent]

The way things use to work back then, won't work on today's TV. The format is just different in today's society. Have to move with the times I suppose.

That said, I too would like some stand alone episodes that don't have anything to do with an overall arc, but are just good fun Doctor Who.

I don't think every season needs to end with some big catastrophe either.

 

[Candlelight]

It's already been announced that there is going to be a return to that style, so this is a moot question.

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Nothing like that has been announced at all. All that Moffat said was that the show is already mostly standalone single or double-parter episodes, and that it would continue as such. He said nothing about removing arc storylines.

He said the River/Silence arc would conclude at the end of this season, so next season "may" return to the more traditional storytelling.

Or another great big whacking arc to deal with.

Personally I haven't cared for any of Matt Smith's time as the Doctor so far. I don't care enough about River Song to base an arc around her and dragging the 'silence will fall' arc over two seasons was imo a bad idea.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I take Dr who as a whole entitly, i personally dont see any diffrence apart from productuion values and the advancement of techonology, that differs the show from Who made in 1963 to who made in 2011......as long as the show continues to be enjoyble to watch that's all that matters..........well to me anyway.

I love all Who and i hope it continues from another 50 years.

 

[Kelthaz]

A thousand times yes. If the show continues on in its current form I'm going to quit watching.

I think Doctor Who can work with a strong story arc, but Moffat is not capable of creating one. The River Song arc is a convoluted mess and a terrible direction for the show to go in if it wants to keep a mainstream audience.

 

[Jax]

No, Arc story telling is always stronger IMO and they still have the odd standalone adventure anyway. If people don't like it then they know where the Tardis door is

 

[Orac]

I can see the OP's point that the show needs standalone stories that viewers can follow even if they've missed a few episodes. Finales that don't make sense if you missed a couple of episodes could put viewers off watching again until a new story/doctor begins.

Case in point - The X Files, I stopped watching that show during it's original run in the 1990's as I missed a few episodes and lost the plot in the last few seasons, where's Mulder?! this show don't make sense anymore.. I'll stick to just watching Star Trek it's less confusing. Of course I was fortunate enough to never miss an episode of Babylon 5, if I had I'm sure I would have given up watching that too. (as many people obviously did or it wouldn't have been cancelled prematurely)

I do like arc story telling in TV but I will stop watching a show that uses such if I miss too many episodes and might get the dvd when it's released if something more entertaining doesn't come out in the meantime.

I am 100% dedicated to watching Doctor Who though and do not intend to miss any episodes.

 

[captcalhoun]

Moff said in the SFX interview that the arc would end this year and more-or-less said that the next would be more standalones.

 

[KevasTrader]

From a purely financial point of view, they should have more two part stories.

The BBC needs to save money and Doctor Who is expensive to produce, so it would make sense if they were to get more than one episode's usage out of sets, costumes, SFX etc.

Also I grew up with (and am a fan of) the classic era cliffhangers (but not the overlong/over-padded stories!)!

 

[Cutter John]

I've been enjoying the season so far. But I do admit I'm starting to get a bit arc'ed out.

Like fleets of Daleks, long complicated story arcs lose something if they're done too often.

 

[Sindatur]

I'm confused by those saying they want a return to Stand Alone episodes like in Classic Who? There were Zero stand alone episodes in Classic Who. Stories were made up of an average of 4 episodes from Tom Baker, and an average of 6 or more episodes from Pertwee on back. So, you generally had the same story going for a month, with only 25 minutes of it being aired each week.

I don't know much about Troughton/Hartnell, but, Pertwee had an arc running through his entire run, Being exiled on Earth, trying to get his TARDIS running, UNIT, and being sent on missions by the Time Lords, and the Master being in about half of the stories. This led directly into Tom Baker's first series, which had all it's stories continuing exactly where the previous one left off, and all connected to Ark in Space story, still included UNIT, and still included the Time Lords sending him on Missions. Then you had the Key To Time Arc, the E-Space Trilogy, which led directly into Keeper of Trakken/Logopolis/Castrovalva Arc. And of course, Colin Baker's Trial of a Timelord Final Season.

McCoy's entire run seemed to be building up to something big, but, it never got there, maybe because of the cancellation.

 

[VDCNI]

Clearly people mean stand alone stories rather than episodes.

It's just now stories last 1 or 2 episodes rather than 4 or 6.

 

[JRoss]

He said the River/Silence arc would conclude at the end of this season, so next season "may" return to the more traditional storytelling.

Or another great big whacking arc to deal with.

Personally I haven't cared for any of Matt Smith's time as the Doctor so far. I don't care enough about River Song to base an arc around her and dragging the 'silence will fall' arc over two seasons was imo a bad idea.

+1 to this.

 

[Stevil2001]

I don't know much about Troughton/Hartnell, but, Pertwee had an arc running through his entire run, Being exiled on Earth, trying to get his TARDIS running, UNIT, and being sent on missions by the Time Lords, and the Master being in about half of the stories. This led directly into Tom Baker's first series, which had all it's stories continuing exactly where the previous one left off, and all connected to Ark in Space story, still included UNIT, and still included the Time Lords sending him on Missions. Then you had the Key To Time Arc, the E-Space Trilogy, which led directly into Keeper of Trakken/Logopolis/Castrovalva Arc. And of course, Colin Baker's Trial of a Timelord Final Season.

McCoy's entire run seemed to be building up to something big, but, it never got there, maybe because of the cancellation.

There are connections, but calling them "arcs" is generally overselling it. Pertwee being exiled isn't an arc, it's just the status quo of the show for a few years, a bit of background they mention now and again. The Master is a recurring antagonist, but there's hardly a story arc; indeed, he has a new plan every five minutes. And stories leading into each other does not an arc make; Revenge of the Cybermen might be set in the same location as The Ark in Space, but there's no story elements running through.

The closest the old show got to arc were the Key to Time, E-Space, and the Black Guardian trilogy, and even they were pretty slim; the stories stand alone quite well.