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It& #39;s #DoctorWho Day and I& #39;m going to do a brief thread about what I think are the strengths and weaknesses of the current version of the show, meaning the two series we& #39;ve had thus far with showrunner Chris Chibnall and star Jodie Whittaker. 1/
In terms of strengths, I think there are several areas where Chibnall absolutely deserves the highest credit:
1. Casting Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor.
2. Making sure the TARDIS team didn& #39;t look basically the same as it had for 54 years previous.
2/
1. Casting Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor.
2. Making sure the TARDIS team didn& #39;t look basically the same as it had for 54 years previous.
2/
(strengths cont.)
3. Hiring women writers and directors.
4. Hiring writers and directors of color.
5. Generally giving underrepresented people a chance to make and be in Doctor Who.
3/
3. Hiring women writers and directors.
4. Hiring writers and directors of color.
5. Generally giving underrepresented people a chance to make and be in Doctor Who.
3/
(strengths cont.)
In terms of stories, the Whittaker era has produced some really excellent ones. Like
Demons of the Punjab
The Witchfinders
Nikola Tesla& #39;s Night of Terror
Can You Hear Me?
and The Haunting of Villa Diodati which is far and away the best of the era.
4/
In terms of stories, the Whittaker era has produced some really excellent ones. Like
Demons of the Punjab
The Witchfinders
Nikola Tesla& #39;s Night of Terror
Can You Hear Me?
and The Haunting of Villa Diodati which is far and away the best of the era.
4/
(strengths cont.)
We also must give enormous credit to the era for the guts to tell us not only is there another woman Doctor, but a Black woman, who predates all the crusty old white guys. Something explored much better in this piece by @taigooden https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-who-first-black-woman-doctor/
5/">https://nerdist.com/article/d...
We also must give enormous credit to the era for the guts to tell us not only is there another woman Doctor, but a Black woman, who predates all the crusty old white guys. Something explored much better in this piece by @taigooden https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-who-first-black-woman-doctor/
5/">https://nerdist.com/article/d...
Which unfortunately speaks to a lot of what I think doesn& #39;t work about the era. While I think Whittaker, Walsh, Gill, and Cole are all terrific actors, I don& #39;t think they generally get very much to do. We& #39;ve spent two full series with this "fam" and we barely know them.
6/
6/
(weaknesses cont.)
There& #39;s a little game you can play with fictional characters:
Describe them without using anything physical or surface-level about them. Not their age, clothing, or what their job is. Describe them on a personal level.
7/
There& #39;s a little game you can play with fictional characters:
Describe them without using anything physical or surface-level about them. Not their age, clothing, or what their job is. Describe them on a personal level.
7/
(weaknesses cont.)
For just about all of the new series companions, this is easy.
Rose - Vibrant, passionate, naïve but strong
Amy - Sardonic, puts on a tough exterior
Bill - Hungry for knowledge, deeply moral, excited
Now try it for any of the Fam.
8/
For just about all of the new series companions, this is easy.
Rose - Vibrant, passionate, naïve but strong
Amy - Sardonic, puts on a tough exterior
Bill - Hungry for knowledge, deeply moral, excited
Now try it for any of the Fam.
8/
(weaknesses cont.)
Graham is...funny? Eats a lot?
Ryan is...easily bored but means well?
Yaz... I mean, who even knows what Yaz& #39;s personality is.
This is a bit reductive, but so much of Ryan and Graham& #39;s characters are defined by the shared loss of Grace, and Yaz by her job. 9/
Graham is...funny? Eats a lot?
Ryan is...easily bored but means well?
Yaz... I mean, who even knows what Yaz& #39;s personality is.
This is a bit reductive, but so much of Ryan and Graham& #39;s characters are defined by the shared loss of Grace, and Yaz by her job. 9/
(weaknesses cont.)
It wasn& #39;t until the final two episodes that I really got a sense for who Yaz was, and her quiet scenes with Graham were a Series 12 highlight.
Chibnall spent so much energy on the production part of the series that he didn& #39;t do the work on the characters. 10/
It wasn& #39;t until the final two episodes that I really got a sense for who Yaz was, and her quiet scenes with Graham were a Series 12 highlight.
Chibnall spent so much energy on the production part of the series that he didn& #39;t do the work on the characters. 10/
(weak cont.)
Which sadly also translates to the Doctor. For waaaay too long, Jodie just feels like she& #39;s playing Doctory traits, saying fast technobabble and making the odd weird joke.
That& #39;s part of why I love Diodati so much. That& #39;s finally the 13th Doctor writ large. 11/
Which sadly also translates to the Doctor. For waaaay too long, Jodie just feels like she& #39;s playing Doctory traits, saying fast technobabble and making the odd weird joke.
That& #39;s part of why I love Diodati so much. That& #39;s finally the 13th Doctor writ large. 11/
(cont.)
And I also just flatly think the Timeless Child reveal doesn& #39;t work. Not because it rewrites established canon (which I could not give two farts about) but that it ultimately only exists to make fans debate. It didn& #39;t and doesn& #39;t change the Doctor, so then why do it? 12/
And I also just flatly think the Timeless Child reveal doesn& #39;t work. Not because it rewrites established canon (which I could not give two farts about) but that it ultimately only exists to make fans debate. It didn& #39;t and doesn& #39;t change the Doctor, so then why do it? 12/
