The Peter Capaldi era

[Gingerbread Demon]

Besides the 4th Doctor who was the one I grew up with watching the show when I was heck of a lot younger Peter is my 2nd favourite Doctor. For the most part I love all the series he did, in fact I love them all.

Also I think series 9 and 10 were the best of his run, some of those episodes were funny and sometimes downright dark and his resolutions didn't always seem to be the 100 percent win as you would expect. As with any series there are going to be episodes you didn't agree with and I think he was a bit of an ass in Smile but opinions on that one seem to vary lots.

My all time favourite of his era was Time Heist

Would love to know what you lot think too

 

[The Wormhole]

Capaldi was a great Doctor, though the episodes weren't always that great. His first season, though mostly enjoyable has its low points. His second season was rather awful, truth be told, particularly how unsubtle the writing was that year. IE, every episode felt like there was a neon sign flashing throughout that had "PEOPLE DIE CLARA WILL DIE" written on it. His third season was pretty good, though certainly had its share of bad episodes. Though the great TARDIS team of the Doctor wit Bill and Nardole helped make that season enjoyable.

 

[Qonundrum]

Series 8 was pretty solid, really great at times, a couple clunkers aside. Time-Heist is an all-time classic as well as bucking the fan belief of "any story starting with Time is trash", and Flatline is another all-time great, albeit with some Three's Company-style jokes. The Mummy one is overrated, Into the Dalek was a little too much "Fantastic Voyage" but had quite a few great lines, it was a great start to a new Doctor.

Then came series 9, which was pretty awful overall. I remember a scene from the opening story and it's just a dumb 4th joke that has no point to the story. The rest? No recollection or care to revisit.

Thankfully, Series 10 was a sharp step up in the quality department, and more, with Bill and Nardole being an extremely strong team. "The Pilot" was fantastic, blending in fantasy elements in an engaging way, and using the Dalek/Movellan war in a generally decent way, if you can overlook the fact that Movellans are robots that wouldn't scream like that, noting the extermination effect reveals robotic bits and not a skeleton. The scene is more than the sum of its parts, anyhow, leaving the audience wanting more regarding the Movellan conflict, as well as getting the "use a Dalek once per year" quota, and a clever means of using the Dalek against the Heather adversary/mystery. Great stuff and that's just for starters.

The dynamic between 12 and Bill was so refreshing - easily the best of the 21st century revival so far, IMHO.

One little nitpick since, like pimples, everyone's got to have one somewhere, it's about the sunglasses: The magic sunglasses, since I refuse to use the word "sonic" unless it's regarding a hedgehog or 20th century Doctor Who, were an interesting idea given the qualified application, but that also made replica toy manufacturing easier because they weren't a custom design any longer - which in turn inadvertently made the show that much more generic in the process and the Doctor should be anything other than generic.

Only one story completely failed, and Red Dwarf did the same thing to much better effect.

Lastly, Capaldi's final story really shows how the makers never bothered to watch the Hartnell era, what with all of it existing in one form or another in order to get a proper feel of. Overlook that, and the finale is otherwise really good.

Capaldi deserved a longer run, and a complete replacement set of scripts instead of series 9's guff.


Had to look it up:

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Capaldi is known to be a robust guitar player, but the scene just doesn't land, unless the goal of a story is to be nothing more than a bunch of 4th wall jokes, which arguably isn't very substantive or rewatchable, not to mention how he got the tank in and out of the TARDIS, or why the 12th century dudes there didn't slice'n'dice him and be done with it... Even more depressing, a guitar is ubiquitous and arguably isn't Doctory enough, unlike the recorder...

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or spoons:

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Ah yes, the spoons.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Series 9 and 10 are among the show's best. Capaldi was never anything less than interesting, and at his best he was unbeatable as the Doctor.

A great era, which should've been longer considering Capaldi's huge fandom.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

There were, in my view, two Capaldi Doctors.

The first, the series 8 Doctor, was an unlikeable asshole. If Moffat's idea was to return the Doctor to its 1960s roots, with an untrustworthy, morally ambiguous older Doctor, he didn't pull it off. I've been rewatching The Musketeers recently, where Capaldi played Cardinal Richelieu the first season, and his Richelieu is more a compelling character than his series 8 Doctor.

The second, the series 9 and 10 Doctor, to me seems like "Matt Smith, but old and Scottish."

A great era, which should've been longer considering Capaldi's huge fandom.

I have heard from a friend who knows Capaldi that the unplanned gap year was a major factor in his decision to leave, that he had turned down work because of Doctor Who and the BBC had instead wasted his time. I don't know for certain that we'd have gotten a longer Capaldi era without that gap year, but it does seem to me that the BBC fumbled Capaldi.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Series 9 and 10 are among the show's best. Capaldi was never anything less than interesting, and at his best he was unbeatable as the Doctor.

A great era, which should've been longer considering Capaldi's huge fandom.

Well that depends on whether or not he wanted to stay longer or they decided to move him on. Not sure how he actually felt about staying longer.

 

[JD]

I really don't remember much of Capaldi, I've only seen his era once, but I do remember that I didn't like it quite as much as Tennant and Smith, which will always my favorite eras of the series. I did like it, just not quite as much as those two.

 

[FredH]

Frankly, I very much liked having a Doctor who was older than me again; as well as certain specifics about him, such as the smiles-when-he-doesn’t-understand-something tic. I’d have happily had him around for another three or four seasons.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Capldi was great in the role and i enjoyed his entire run, and him and Bill should have got another year at least.

 

[Starkers]

There were, in my view, two Capaldi Doctors.

The first, the series 8 Doctor, was an unlikeable asshole. If Moffat's idea was to return the Doctor to its 1960s roots, with an untrustworthy, morally ambiguous older Doctor, he didn't pull it off. I've been rewatching The Musketeers recently, where Capaldi played Cardinal Richelieu the first season, and his Richelieu is more a compelling character than his series 8 Doctor.

The second, the series 9 and 10 Doctor, to me seems like "Matt Smith, but old and Scottish."



I have heard from a friend who knows Capaldi that the unplanned gap year was a major factor in his decision to leave, that he had turned down work because of Doctor Who and the BBC had instead wasted his time. I don't know for certain that we'd have gotten a longer Capaldi era without that gap year, but it does seem to me that the BBC fumbled Capaldi.

This probably explains why I liked 9&10 Capaldi more than series 8 (though 8 has some great episodes)

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I just finished season 9 and near the middle of series 10 and have to say It's great....... Why can't all Dr Who be moody and dark like this? it's fantastic. Shame about the plot twists kind of killing the story momentum though. I thought the whole premise was fantastic in Extremis up until the big reveal then it just falls limp. Just my opinion

 

[The Wormhole]

The first, the series 8 Doctor, was an unlikeable asshole. If Moffat's idea was to return the Doctor to its 1960s roots, with an untrustworthy, morally ambiguous older Doctor, he didn't pull it off. I've been rewatching The Musketeers recently, where Capaldi played Cardinal Richelieu the first season, and his Richelieu is more a compelling character than his series 8 Doctor.

The second, the series 9 and 10 Doctor, to me seems like "Matt Smith, but old and Scottish."

Even as someone who liked the Season 8 Doctor, I agree that Capaldi's performance became much better in season's 9 and 10 when he became a bit more personable and less of an ass. Which probably has to do with the fact in those seasons Capaldi got to play the Doctor that he wanted to play, while in season 8 I get the impression someone, be it Moffat or someone above him, wanted a family friendly Malcolm Tucker in the TARDIS. Probably not the actual case, as Moffat likely had the seasons arc and themes planned out before Capaldi was cast, but it's what it felt like to me anyway.

I have heard from a friend who knows Capaldi that the unplanned gap year was a major factor in his decision to leave, that he had turned down work because of Doctor Who and the BBC had instead wasted his time. I don't know for certain that we'd have gotten a longer Capaldi era without that gap year, but it does seem to me that the BBC fumbled Capaldi.

While that gap year would have been an understandable frustration for him, I'd have been surprised if Capaldi stayed beyond the three years regardless. He had noted how draining the first season was to film, and younger Doctors like Smith and Tennant have talked about how their runs as the Doctor were physically exhausting.

 

[David cgc]

Capaldi's my favorite Doctor, and 9 is my favorite season. Season 10 was good, too, though it suffers tremendously in overall grade from its centerpiece being an epic three-parter that totally craps out at the end. Season 8... I appreciate what they were going for, but "gruff, self-suspicious interiority and possibly face-blind" generally came off as "bullying" until they reached the resolution of the arc, which was very sweet. Though one thing I appreciate about the 12th Doctor's run compared to the other modern ones is that there was a general trend towards the Doctor kind of turning into an asshole as they approached their regeneration. Most obviously the 10th Doctor (which that was a literal, albeit one-scene, character arc), but it happened to a degree with 11 and 13 as well, like the writing was trying to telegraph that they'd been around too long and gotten stale, ushering them out the door. 12 left while he was still in his prime, making good decisions, and had become honest and comfortable with himself in a way that the Doctor usually isn't, having done the standard new-series Doctor arc in reverse, starting from doubt and moving to self-confidence, and I like that it left me feeling good about him (though I can see why, commercially, going from charming to prickly is the more successful route).

 

[Starkers]

Even as someone who liked the Season 8 Doctor, I agree that Capaldi's performance became much better in season's 9 and 10 when he became a bit more personable and less of an ass. Which probably has to do with the fact in those seasons Capaldi got to play the Doctor that he wanted to play, while in season 8 I get the impression someone, be it Moffat or someone above him, wanted a family friendly Malcolm Tucker in the TARDIS. Probably not the actual case, as Moffat likely had the seasons arc and themes planned out before Capaldi was cast, but it's what it felt like to me anyway.

While that gap year would have been an understandable frustration for him, I'd have been surprised if Capaldi stayed beyond the three years regardless. He had noted how draining the first season was to film, and younger Doctors like Smith and Tennant have talked about how their runs as the Doctor were physically exhausting.

I know Chibnall says he'd have been happy for Capaldi to stay on but I always assumed that was something of a fudge to allow Capaldi to save face by choosing to go.

Weird to think what Chibnall/Capaldi Who might have been like.

 

[Jedman67]

Face The Raven & Heaven Sent/Hell Bent stand out as among the finest episodes of Doctor Who, period.
Specifically, HS just has this dark magic to it that ages better every rewatch.

S10 had some duds but was overall excellent.

 

[David cgc]

Weird to think what Chibnall/Capaldi Who might have been like.

Got that right. I've always wondered about a 10th Doctor season 5, but I have no interest in a 12th Doctor season 11. Come to think of it, Chibnall never even wrote for Capaldi, did he? His last episode before he took over was "The Power of Three."

 

[matthunter]

With Chibbers' thing for "episode without an actual villain", the ep 'In the Forest of the Night' would have been a good fit.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I know Chibnall says he'd have been happy for Capaldi to stay on but I always assumed that was something of a fudge to allow Capaldi to save face by choosing to go.

I know they took meetings, and I suspect the four person TARDIS team was pitched to/designed for Capaldi as a way to lessen his workload. Yet, I also think it was sort of a "right of first refusal" situation; Capaldi was the incumbent, he had to be asked, if he wanted to stay it would be accomodated, though a fresh start was preferred, even expected, and no one was bothered when he refused.

Weird to think what Chibnall/Capaldi Who might have been like.

Like @David cgc , I can't quite conceive of Capaldi in Chibnall's Series 11. Assuming a 4-person TARDIS team, probably no Graham, and he'd likely be replaced by a woman, maybe 40s? Ryan's step-mon instead of step-grandfather? I don't know how it would have gone.

 

[Tallguy]

Capaldi is the best Doctor. Certainly the best MODERN Doctor. As much as I loved much of Smith's run, this was Moffat firing on all cylinders.

Would I want another year? Yes. Would I want another year after the perfect exit that was season 10? (That's his last season, right?) No. I would not.

I have mixed feelings about Twice Upon a Time. It's great. It's actually a nice curtain call for Capaldi. (But not his hair!)

But The Doctor Falls would have been the best regeneration story ever. And that's after Time of the Doctor, the second best regeneration story ever. (After that I have to go back to Logopolis. Sorry, I'm not as into Caves of Androzani the way many are.)

It bums me out knowing that Capaldi grew up a fan like me that the BBC burned another bridge with another Doctor so we'll most likely never see him and Matt Smith bounce off of each other.

I suppose some fans didn't like The Three and The Five Doctors. Maybe he was one of them.

 

[Elder Knight]

It's unfortunate that two-thirds of his tenure were spent resolving Clara's story.