So in no particular order here's what I want to see with the new Doctor:
- The Return of Dignity
William
Hartnell's first Doctor was very dignified. Jon Pertwee, Peter
Davison, and Sylvester McCoy all had a lot of dignity. Even my least
favorite Doctor, Colin Baker, had dignity. He just maybe had too much
of it. He wasn't some gangly space boy awkwardly flailing throughout
time. While Matt Smith could be serious, his silliness stands out
much more to me. I like the humorous aspects of Doctor Who, but have
grown weary of its goofy overuse. Sure other Doctors have had some
funny aspects (jelly baby anyone?), but when I think of Matt Smith's
Doctor it is the first thing that comes to mind. Yes he was tough
sometimes, and he fought lots of monsters, but he also had to carry a
baby around while listening to gay innuendo.
I
put a lot of this down to the full takeover by Steven Moffat at the
start of the 11th Doctor's tenure. He was fine while
Russell T. Davies was still keeping an eye on things (Blink is one of
the best episodes of the relaunched series), but once Moffat had full
control the show had a tendency to turn into episodes of Coupling. I
like Coupling, but its humor doesn't belong on Doctor Who. I know
that Moffat also wrote Jekyll and Sherlock, but Jekyll wasn't that
great and Sherlock is a crime drama. I've seen the Douglas Adams
written episodes from the late 70's (and it's too bad Shada was never
finished by the way), but he was at least an accomplished sci-fi
writer. He just happened to have good jokes too. Even an old pro like
Neil Gaiman was hit or miss during this Doctor's time. So let's bring
a little self-respect back to the Doctor.
- Better Companions
A
good companion can make or break a Doctor. I might have liked Colin
Baker much more if I hadn't hated Peri and Mel. Peri was Peter
Davison's companion first, but she's far more tolerable when she's
with him. Well, almost tolerable. If the Doctor is going to keep
mainly with female companions they should be more than clever and
attractive girls who need the occasional (or in some cases quite
frequent) rescue. Leela was a warrior babe, Romana was a Time Lord in
her own right, and Donna certainly didn't take any crap. With the
recent male companions like Mickey and Rory seeming to be nothing
more than accessories for the ladies they traveled with it might be
time to see a strong male companion again too though. Mickey was kind
of a jealous dope, and poor Rory just died all the time (and not in
the “good, I'm so glad Adric's gone” satisfying kind of way).
Jack Harkness is the only good male companion in a very long time,
and since he wasn't really around that long or often I think the guys
are due. Clara is fine I suppose, but there just hasn't been a lot of
depth in the character. She's a fast talking, fast quipping, fast
running girl and not much more. She's been with the Doctor for such a
short amount of time that when she sacrificed herself to save him it
didn't really affect me in the way I think it was supposed to. I just
saw it tying up the loose end of her mystery. So if she's going to
stay on as the 12th Doctor's companion I'd like to see her
slow it down a little, and actually build a relationship with the
audience and the Doctor (but not in that way. That's my next point).
I also think there should be a ban on children on the TARDIS. Having
to save annoying children is even worse than having to save helpless
women. I know that the kids only came along once, but it sets a
precedent, and I would hate to see that continued in any way.
- Less Romance
The
Doctor is not supposed to be chasing tail. He's a sad, tough, ancient
alien who gets lonely traveling the whole of time and space on his
own. That, and giving viewers someone to relate to, is the point of a
companion. Companionship. Not flirting or kissing or sexual innuendo.
Poor Paul McGann has taken the brunt of my ire for making the Doctor
a romantic character for years, but it really wasn't his fault that
the writers were trying to make it appeal to American audiences. It's
our fault for needing everything sexed up over here so that we're
given something to root for. At the time American audiences just
couldn't make the emotional connection to the Doctor without some
love. I think we've grown as a sci-fi viewing country since then, and
it's time for that aspect to take a back seat. It's fine for the
Doctor to have feelings for, or chemistry with, his companions. If he
didn't why would he take them along in the first place? I just don't
need to see the Doctor fall in love anymore. Or girls falling all
over themselves in love with him. Have the witty banter, but don't
have it based on sex or love. Again, it's not an episode of Coupling,
and the Doctor and his female companions are not Steve and Susan. If
you haven't seen Coupling all of these references will be lost on you
so go catch up after you're done here. It's streaming on Netflix, and
is pretty funny for the most part, but I think you'll see what I
mean.
Watching
Amy repeatedly try and jump the Doctor's bones detracts rather than
adds to the story for me. That's why I ended up liking Donna so much.
They were friends, and that's all there was to it.
Given
the age difference between Peter Capaldi and Jenna Louise Coleman I
think the romantic aspects will cut themselves out, but you never
know what Steven Moffat could do.
- New or Different Villains
We
all love the Daleks and the Cybermen. We all started off loving the
Angels, but now I don't care if I never see another statue in Doctor
Who ever again. They're done. And the Daleks and Cybermen are heading
the same way. They should be scary, but instead are just getting
silly. The Sontarans and Silurians have been taken out of the villain
zone due to their companion status so they're out now. You don't have
to keep using the same monsters over and over again just because
people recognize them or liked them a few times. There are 50 years
of monsters and bad guys to draw from so do we really need another
episode of the Doctor fighting Davros? The Silence was a nice
addition so why can't we get some more new evil? Or if we can't get
something new how about reviving some old villains that haven't been
seen for a long time? The Jaggaroth could use a modern makeover, it's
been a long time since the Rani has made an appearance, and CGI could
make the Hand of Omega look like it's actually floating now. Before
the special effects got special most of the Doctor's monster-y
adversaries looked like guys in plastic suits and bad masks (which,
in fairness, they were) so there's a lot they could do now that
technology has caught up with writers' imaginations.
I
hear that the 50th anniversary special is bringing back
the Zygons so that may be a step in the right direction. We'll just
have to wait and see.
So
there, in a nutshell, is what I would like to see from the new Doctor
Who. I don't mean for this to be as super critical as it may
sometimes sounds. There are so many things I've loved about Doctor
Who for so long. It's that love that which makes me want to see it
remain the great show it's always been, and keep it going strong for
another 50 years.
-Beth
V
This week here on Needless Things will be dedicated to Doctor
Who. I have Guest Posts, Toy Reviews, and more on the way. The site
will be jam-packed – relatively – with content. Please share
these links wherever you can and spread the word. And if you’re so
inclined, throw a few dollars at the Needless Things family. I have
to send you to the podcast homepage because Blogger doesn't want this
sort of thing. Just check out the widget on the bottom right
here.This
is all out of pocket for me, so anything I receive during this time
will got to site costs, hosting, and possibly new merchandise if I
get really ambitious.
Also,
you can buy the Limited Edition NeedlessThingsSite.com Luchador vs.
Owlbear t-shirts here.
I can’t say they’re selling fast, but once this style is gone,
they’re gone forever.
And I do intend on being famous one day, so wouldn’t it be cool to
have the first shirt I ever designed?
Remember
to check in every weekday between now and the 23rd for
new, original content.
Finally,
be sure and come out to the HUGE 50th Anniversary Party
that TimeGate, Earth Station Who, the folks behind The Forgotten
Doctor, and (others) are throwing at the Holiday Inn Select; the
same location where TimeGate is held each and every year. There will
be panels, games, Whovian carousing, and a LIVE recording of Earth
Station Who immediately after “The Day of the Doctor” airs. You
will literally never have another opportunity to attend a party like
this!
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