The Big Ol' Doctor Who Article

Doctor Who sure had one hell of a 2013. The 50^th year of being on the air (minus that stint of cancellation in the 90's) was full of specials, documentaries, the much anticipated multi-Doctor episode we've all been waiting for in New Who, and the farewell to the 11^th Doctor, Matt Smith. So what did I think of this explosion of sonic screwdrivers, bow ties and blue boxes?

It had its ups and downs.

The big up, for me, was the 50^th anniversary episode. While by no means “perfect” (for reasons I'll get to later on), it was such an exciting episode, and such a big story that at least while watching, I can forget the problems it has. John Hurt was great as “the War Doctor” and just a Doctor in general, pulling off the age and weariness, while still having that somewhat lighthearted and ultimate goodness of the character. It was, of course, great seeing Tennant again, and having all thirteen doctors (with a very brief glimpse of Capalidi) show up to save the day in the end befitted such an anniversary.

The Doctor is getting real tired of you sh*t

But to talk about the parts of the 50^th anniversary that weren't so great, I need to talk about something that's been bugging me about Doctor Who for the last few years now, and that's Steven Moffat.

MOFFAAAAAAT

Don't get me wrong, I think Moffat can be, and has been a great writer for the show in the past. His episodes during the Tennant era were some of the best and most frightening in the entire series, and I am forever grateful that, unlike with his predecessor Davis, every season isn't ending with the “oh crap, there are a ton of Daleks we didn't know about” twist (minus the Martha Jones season, of course).

That said though, if we've learned anything from the past few years, I think it's that Moffat needs someone a step higher than him to answer to. Without the mediating force that was Davis, he tends to do three things: throw in too many twists, over-explain to a frankly maddening degree, and lack any sense of pacing.

The first of those may be the most difficult to explain, after all, writing plot twists keeps stories interesting, right? Well, sure, but for a plot twist to be shocking, the plot itself needs to be established. You have to set and enforce rules before you can break them. When you start making all you established rules the basis for a plot twist (likely in that same episode), then we start expecting it. We stop thinking of any of the rules as “rules” and just start thinking of them as future plot twists. Take Moffat's deaths and inevitable resurrections. It was a surprise that Rory died...the first time. It was a shock when we were told “the Doctor will die at this inevitable date”...the first time. If Moffat says “the Doctor will die” in the Capaldi era, are literally any of us going to take it seriously? I hope not.

Second, the over-explaining. The best way to talk about this is to talking about the Weeping Angels, once the scariest monsters in Doctor Who (well, second scariest in my opinion. Vashta Narata get a raw deal). Frankly, I just don't care about them anymore. In their first appearance during a Matt Smith episode, we get a slew of new rules about their existence such as “the picture of an angel is an angel”, “they'll freeze if they THINK you can see them”, “whatever the hell that was with Amy counting down”. Moffat likes to try to scare us, and if that's the case, then it needs to be understood that fear comes, more than anything, from the unknown. The Angels being so mysterious is what made them frightening, but now that we know so much about them, it's hard to be afraid of them in that primal sense.

And lastly, we have pacing. This slaughtered the tension and story of the 2013 Christmas Special for me. Having the Doctor find the town of Christmas (ugh) and then having fast-forwards with narration was absolutely dreadful. Those questions we've been asking since the beginning of the Smith era, like how did the TARDIS explode? Given a brief, two-line explanation. Having to be naked to go to the Church, which is never brought up again and they go to the Church clothed that very episode? Given about ten minutes of screen time. The real nature of the Silence? Given one line of explanation. The Daleks taking over the Church which really didn't amount to anything since the Church lasts another few centuries anyway? Another ten minutes. 

 

Srsly?

The other two problems I have with Moffat-style episodes reared their heads as well. Once again we have a “the Doctor is definitely going to die here, no we're serious this time” moments, that I'd be shocked if three people fell for. Over-explaining? Buckets of it. The entire scene where Clara finds the kinda old Doctor halfway through the episode was just an explanation dump to make sure we're all up to speed on the situation. Too many plot twists? Again, the Daleks taking over the Church, the Silence fighting alongside the Doctor, and the pure deus ex machina that was the resolution.

It's hard to argue that Davis didn't have deus ex machina resolutions, especially considering that the resolution to his first season was literally Rose Tyler becoming a god from the machine (just replace god with “Bad Wolf” and machine with “TARDIS”), but at least for Moffat's episodes, he could be a mediating force. He could tap Moffat on the shoulder and say “listen Steve, you need to take a step back in this part and explain less here”. Frankly, I think Moffat needs it.

Having said all of that, I can't argue that Matt Smith did a fantastic job of acting in the last episode, and I'm still incredibly excited to see what Capaldi can bring to the table. Perhaps a new Doctor will bring a new companion dynamic, and maybe the plots will change for the better because of it.

Dealing with a new Doctor

And so the cycle repeats, as it has always done and always will do. Doctor Who fans find themselves in a particularly awkward part of the show right now in that the current Doctor is leaving, and the new one has been announced. Before we get too deep into that, however, let me tell you the tale of the last time we found ourselves in this situation: when David Tennant was replaced by Matt Smith.

This change was arguably bigger than the one we face now, as Tennant was not only the first Doctor for so many people that tuned in to the new series, but he was also the most popular, in many polls beating even the previously untouchable Tom Baker. 

All the jelly babies in the world cannot fix my dissapoint.

His leaving the show cast even more uncertainty in that Russel T. Davis, who had been the lead writer since the show restarted, was also departing, leaving writing in the the hands of Steven Moffat. We knew Moffat could write fantastic stories, such as the “Silence in the Library” arc and “Blink”, but we didn't know how much that was Moffat himself, and how much came down to Davis looking over his shoulder. 

 

This is the face of the man who will make characters you love, then kill them in front of you.

So when Matt Smith was announced to be taking over the role, a lot of people moaned and groaned like Smith fans are now. “He's too young looking” we said (this being my main complaint) “he has emo hair”, “he can't pull off a role like this”, the list goes on and on. I admit that I too was skeptical of Smith being the Doctor, and still think Tennant was the superior person in the role, but that may well be my own rose-colored glasses for my first Doctor peeking through. The fact is that Smith came in, found his place and his character, and has by all accounts been a highly successful version of the Time Lord.

So why do I tell you all this? Because I'm seeing a lot of debate about Peter Capaldi being the Doctor. I'm seeing a lot of people complain that he's not young enough, that he's too different, or going the opposite direction and saying “only REAL fans of Doctor Who will stay with the show now, not these newbie posers.” Both of these sides are just silly.

Complainers I go easier on because I've been there. I've lost my first Doctor. In our mind nothing can touch the first person who invited us into the magic blue box to explore time and space, and most likely, in our eyes, nothing ever will. Frankly, there's nothing wrong with that, it just means that you were passionate about the show, and are sad to see the way you know it go. What I'm here to tell you now though, is that it will be fine. The first episode or two may be rocky, you may see all Capaldi's flaws right away and begin to nitpick, but you will soften up. He'll get a good line, and a good scene, and a great episode, and eventually you'll be able to let go of the past and accept him. Its like an entire cycle of grief for one fandom. 

 

I don't want A Doctor, I want MY Doctor!

People who are hating on the new viewers, just try to remember what you were like when your first Doctor regenerated. Deep down, were you really instantly accepting the new Doctor, or did he feel like your parents had gotten you a new puppy to replace the one that got hit by a car? What it comes down to is that everyone is new to a show at some point, and everyone has their first Doctor. I'm sure some people will stop watching now that Smith is gone, but it doesn't help to drive away other fans as well.

So that said, what do I think of the prospects for the new Doctor? Frankly, I'm excited. I think the older actor can bring out a side of the character that the younger guys are unable to explore. I think it opens up new kinds of relationships with his companions other than pining love interests. In short, I think that it will be a refreshing change. I don't really care that he's an actor that's been on the show before (hell, what British actor hasn't?) and its been established via Romana that Time Lords can take the faces of people they've met before.

Of course, all opinions are subject to change once we actually see the new Doctor in action. I'm just trying to stay as open as possible to the possibilities. Keep in mind, Capaldi will be someone's first Doctor. All I can say for sure right now is good luck Peter.

The Fifth Doctor: Peter Davison

So yeah, it's been a LONG time since I did a Doctor Who article. But welcome back to the retrospective!
When we last left the Time Lord, he was the curly-haired Tom Baker, a relatively unknown actor until he got the role. After his ridiculously long run, the producers of the show decided to take the character in a different direction, selecting a far younger man, and one who could be recognized by the general public. Thus, Peter Davison was chosen, already well known for his part in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small.

Unlike the fourth doctor, who was massively bohemian, quirky and a combination of the Mad Hatter and Merlin, the fifth doctor was far more sensitive and reserved. He was not always the leader amongst his companions, and often liked to take the back seat and let someone else be in charge. Despite being one of the more courageous of the Doctors, the fifth was also the most hesitant when it came to violence.

Much of this was shaped by the death of the companion Adric, who mad the Doctor begin to question his own actions. Another companion, named Tegan, suffered a near-emotional breakdown as well.

Also differing from his previous incarnation, the fifth Doctor's costume was not all that striking, comparatively speaking. His dress was that of a cricket player and a panama hat. The only thing that was really odd about his appearance was his tendency to wear a stick of celery on his lapel.

Some of the notable achievements of this doctor were surviving the near-deadly regeneration that brought him about, dealing with being bonded to the time lord Omega (and subsequently avoiding execution at the hands of the times lords) and re-encountering the Silurians and the Sea Devils.

What most fans of the show today will recognize the fifth Doctor from is the short special "Time Crash" alongside the tenth Doctor, David Tennant, when their TARDIS's crash into each other, and threaten to create a black hole "the exact size of Belgium." The two have some pretty brilliant verbal sparring, and it really was great to watch.

On a side note, Tennant is now married to Davison's daughter, and if their child does not appear in Doctor Who in some way or anther, I will be very disappointed.

The fifth Doctor met his end when he and his companion Peri Brown were poisoned, and they had only one antidote. The Doctor sacrificed himself to let Peri live, and regenerated into...well...we'll talk about it next time.

"For some people, small, beautiful events are what life is all about!"

The Doctor's Of Doctor Who: John Pertwee

After the "cosmic hobo" met his demise at the hands of the Time Lords in the series "Trial of a Time Lord," the Doctor regenerated into an entirely new man once again. This time the idea that it was simply a reversing some kind of biologic clock was totally scrapped, and it was taken as fact that this new Doctor was his own entity.

If ever there was a James Bond of a Doctor, it was John Pertwee. Sure, the third Doctor was every bit as brilliant as his predecessors, and he still had his flair for technology, but unlike the former two to bear his name, this Doctor was not afraid to throw a judo-chop if he had to. Well...Venusian Aikido chop, but it's the same point: this Doctor was a man of action.

I'm here to explore space and time or kick your butt, and I don't have a TARDIS right now.

However, before one walks away thinking that this was the Steven Seagal of Doctors, Pertwee was still a dapper gentlemen with his evening trousers, smoking jackets, frilled shirts and cloaks. He was authoritative, sometimes to the point of seeming arrogance, but he always meant well, and genuinely cared for his companions. He also had a great fondness for cars, owning two throughout his life: the Whomobile (as it was unofficially called) and his pride and joy: Bessie, a canary-yellow vintage roadster. 

Even for Time Lords, it's all about the car.

For the majority of the third Doctor's life, he was exiled by the Time Lords to earth, with his TARDIS disabled. In this situation, he was more or less forced to work for an organization called UNIT, which dealt with extra-terrestrial happenings on Earth. His adventures with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, among other companions (among them being arguably the most famous: Sarah Jane Smith) gave him a fondness for the organization that extended beyond his exile. 

The third Doctor is generally remembered as the one who frequently "reversed the polarity of the neutron flow." Much like Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, it is remarkable that this stuck with how little it actually appeared in main continuity. It was essentially Pertwee's way of dealing with immense amounts of techno-babble, and really only became prevalent in the extended universe book series. 

Again, many of this Doctors episodes were lost in the same fire that claimed most of his previous incarnation's, but from what can still be found out there, this was a great performance, and a great character. Its almost sad over overshadowed this Doctor usually is after who replaced him, but that's for next time.

Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway

The Doctor's of Doctor Who: Patrick Troughton

After William Hartnell had to retire from the role of the Doctor, the writers had quite a job on their hands to keep the show going without the lead actor. A few ideas were thrown around, including making a son of the Doctor, who would take his place upon his character's death. What they ended up going with, however, is one of the most innovative pieces of sci-fi lore: regeneration. By giving the Doctor's species the ability to change bodies upon their death, they allowed for the character to be changed out for new actors as much as was needed, essentially giving the show an unlimited potential run time.

Originally, regeneration was supposed to be a turning back of the Doctor's age. Hartnell's replacement, Patrick Troughton, was originally going to simply be a younger version of the first Doctor. As he went on, however, the idea was changed so that the new Doctor was an almost entirely different person from his predecessor. Essentially, the Doctor remains the same man with the same values, but different aspects of his personality are highlighted in different incarnations.

Now I will admit that I have not seem much of the second Doctor, but in fairness, no one my age has. There is only one complete story arc of his still in existence, as most of the film from his era was lost when a BBC building caught fire.

Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, was often referred to affectionately as the “Cosmic Hobo”, due to his costume, which included the bow tie that inspired the costume of today's Matt Smith.

The second Doctor was cunning, quick witted, and always a few steps ahead of everyone else, but he often pulled a Jack Sparrow: pretending to be a total idiot while subtly setting up his plans. He was also fond of playing the recorder, his trademark hobby.

What really set the Troughton era apart from the Hartnell period was the style of the stories. While Hartnell's stories were often a mix of historic fiction and sci-fi, Troughtons were almost solely the latter. Even when his Doctor did visit the past, he would encounter an alien presence, rather than simply interact with the historic figures he'd meet. The writers also took full advantage of Troughton's age, as he was much younger than Hartnell, his stories could be much more fast paced, and much for action oriented. The stories became “monster of the week”, and the show eventually came under fire for its frightful content.

This was apparently what was considered terrifying in the late 60's

The major new element that was introduced in the Troughton era was the introduction of the Doctor's species: the Time Lords. At the end of his time with the show, the second Doctor was forced to seek their help in returning a group of temporally displaced humans to their corrects eras. He was arrested, and put on trial for breaking the Time Lord codes of non-interference. He was banished to earth, his TARDIS was disabled, and he was forced to regenerate once more.

There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must be fought.