Thirteen Thoughts: 1. The Good

[elisi]

Since S11 was a barren wilderness from a meta/poetry perspective, I have been trying to work out how to organise my thoughts. Because I have thoughts, they're just scattered and mostly not terribly positive. So I decided to divide them up into separate posts, and am starting with the good and positive things about S11, irrespective of any personal opinions. Vague spoilers below the cut.



- Female Doctor

This is probably the biggest one. No matter anyone's opinions of Jodi or S11 or anything else, a female Doctor is GOOD. Representation matters. Added to that, the show handled it very well, the Doctor taking her new gender completely in her stride, with only the occasional throwaway line ('Come to Daddy... uh, mummy!'). But it wasn't ignore either, and The Witchfinders nicely showed how being a woman in days gone by meant you couldn't just 'walk around as if you own the place'.


- The Companions

POC companions (TWO of them) is a wonderful thing. Esp a young black man (we've not had one since Mickey) and a young Muslim Asian woman (the nearest we got was poor Rita in The God Complex). It matters A LOT that kids can see a) people who look like them and b) white kids can identify with people who don't look like them. And the old white guy... gets to be the companion, not the boss. This is also important.


- 'Rosa' and 'Demons of the Punjab'

Writers of colour! Writing about history NOT from the perspective of 'Colonizers', but from the fallout, and the human cost involved. About the dangers of radicalisation and the battle to fight against an unjust system. A+ more please.


- Great viewing figures/happy fans

A new Doctor/showrunner always generates new interest, and it's lovely that lots of fans who fell by the wayside for one reason or other have returned, as well as new viewers trying it out, enjoying the fun and generally lighthearted tone.


ETA:

- The Woman Who Fell To Earth

Excellent Regeneration episode. These sort of fall into their own category, with the new Doctor establishing themselves and working out who they are, and this one did a stellar job. Plus it introduced the new companions very well!


- It Takes You Away

Easily the stand-out episode of the season, it felt different and new and unlike anything we had seen before.


Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments, if you feel like it. :)



ETA: In short this. ♥

Comments

[promethia_tenk]

1) Other than the new TARDIS console room, I think pretty much every new aesthetic choice has been great: the cinematography, the look, the credits, the music, the sonic, the Doctor's costume, etc.

2) The Doctor having responsible social skills is, frankly, revolutionary.

[elisi]

1) Other than the new TARDIS console room, I think pretty much every new aesthetic choice has been great: the cinematography, the look, the credits, the music, the sonic, the Doctor's costume, etc.
Yup, all solid, and a very good point.

2) The Doctor having responsible social skills is, frankly, revolutionary.
The only minor drawback is the 'Well she is a woman now so she has social skills' reading, which I am trying my best to avoid. Although you said that Two had social skills (or at least caring skills) so we can handily blame the Time Lords for getting rid of them!

[beer_good_foamy]

I liked the frogverse. I'm not entirely convinced by the episode on a whole (though that actress did a pretty good Norwegian accent, and the setting was brilliantly simple) but I liked the actual frogverse. Doctor Who at its best is always somewhere between serious drama and complete crackfic, and that one just hit a sweetspot for me.

I liked "Demons of the Punjab". Easily the best episode of the season.

I generally liked Whittaker a lot. I wish she'd been given meatier scripts, but she really is The Doctor right from the get-go. And also having a team of companions with different ideas and approaches to things.

A Dalek! There's been far too few Daleks recently. So what if that episode was essentially a cover of "Dalek", it's a tune worth playing again.

That's what springs to mind right now. There were few things I actively disliked ("Kerblam!" being one) but...

[promethia_tenk]

I generally liked Whittaker a lot. I wish she'd been given meatier scripts, but she really is The Doctor right from the get-go.
Word to that. I feel like she gets slightly overshadowed by the historic importance of her casting on the one side and the disappointing writing on the other side, but she's fabulously cast. A first-rate Doctor just waiting for the right story.

[elisi]

I liked the frogverse. I'm not entirely convinced by the episode on a whole (though that actress did a pretty good Norwegian accent, and the setting was brilliantly simple) but I liked the actual frogverse. Doctor Who at its best is always somewhere between serious drama and complete crackfic, and that one just hit a sweetspot for me.
Went back and added a point about it, because yes. And having now watched my way through a good chunk of the Classic show, I created this:



I liked "Demons of the Punjab". Easily the best episode of the season.
And something most people hadn't heard of... Rosa Parks is famous, but the Partition of India? Alas no. So kudos.

I generally liked Whittaker a lot. I wish she'd been given meatier scripts, but she really is The Doctor right from the get-go. And also having a team of companions with different ideas and approaches to things.
I REALLY hope the next season gives her something to really sink her teeth into. She's perfectly Doctor-y, but she feels a little bit like she fell out of E-Space. I don't really see the age... *ponders* For context to that, then I am currently watching Four, who is of course utterly brilliant and effortlessly ageless and alien. But he feels young. I have been imagining this little exchange in my head (amusing myself):

RIVER: But look at you. You're young.
FOUR (wide grin): See, this is exactly what I was saying to the Sisterhood of Karn a little while ago. Life doesn't begin until seven hundred and fifty!

So Thirteen is a perfectly good Doctor, but she doesn't seem to have that age to her that Nine onwards do. I presume this is a conscious decision (am about to post about this, so I'll shut up), but I need that link, the acknowledgement of her history and her past to fix her properly in my head.

A Dalek! There's been far too few Daleks recently. So what if that episode was essentially a cover of "Dalek", it's a tune worth playing again.
Yes, very solid & good episode. A few niggles (calling the Dalek a refugee? Really? Killing the gay one? Again?) but as a story it was very good.

That's what springs to mind right now. There were few things I actively disliked ("Kerblam!" being one) but...
Oh I will get to Kerblam!...

[enevarim]

Say what you like about Arachnids in the UK, and, yes, all right, there's plenty, but:

ROBERTSON: Why are you asking her?
RYAN: Cos she's in charge, bro.
ROBERTSON: Says who?
GRAHAM + YAZ + RYAN: Says us!

was a nice moment.

[elisi]

Yes, a very good moment indeed! And the basic idea of Arachnids is fab - giant spiders is VERY Doctor Who, and when the massive one breaks through the bath I genuinely cheered. :D

(It was sadly lacking, sort of overall, but with just a bit more work and a better ending it could have been properly good.)

[maia]

♥ ♥

(Apologies for the late reply; I was offline all weekend.)

[elisi]

Not to worry, there's no time limit! (Hope you had a nice weekend.) ♥

[sea_thoughts]

I thought The Witchfinders was a great episode because it would have been completely different with the previous Doctors (especially Twelve, a grumpy Scottish bloke would have had a much easier time with James VI of Scotland). I also liked that the Doctor recognised and actually talked about the loss of privilege.

It Takes You Away was a great episode, not afraid to look at grief and how it can make people turn inward and become selfish. The concepts were brilliant. I want more of this in the next series.

Writers of colour! Writing about history NOT from the perspective of 'Colonizers', but from the fallout, and the human cost involved. About the dangers of radicalisation and the battle to fight against an unjust system. A+ more please.

Agreed.

[elisi]

I thought The Witchfinders was a great episode because it would have been completely different with the previous Doctors (especially Twelve, a grumpy Scottish bloke would have had a much easier time with James VI of Scotland). I also liked that the Doctor recognised and actually talked about the loss of privilege.
All of this. It was a proper 'old-fashioned' historical, but using the Doctor's gender to highlight issues that would otherwise have been relegated to the supporting characters only. This way, the Doctor could directly inspire the young woman whose-name-I-can't-remember. (Much like this. Actually, might add that to the post.)

It Takes You Away was a great episode, not afraid to look at grief and how it can make people turn inward and become selfish. The concepts were brilliant. I want more of this in the next series.
Went back and added that, because yes. It's the only episode I immediately re-watched, because it was so intriguing. If only the Doctor's speech had been better, it would have been a proper classic.

[sea_thoughts]

This way, the Doctor could directly inspire the young woman whose-name-I-can't-remember.

Representation matters! Just wish there'd been more of THAT and less of... the other stuff.

[elisi]

Uh-huh.

(There will be more posts. Some of them Rather Angry!)

[sea_thoughts]

Yes, I'm sure.

[elisi]

*points to icon*

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

Writers of colour! Writing about history NOT from the perspective of 'Colonizers', but from the fallout, and the human cost involved. About the dangers of radicalisation and the battle to fight against an unjust system. A+ more please.

I couldn't agree more!

[elisi]

One of the things about watching Classic Who is how VERY VERY WHITE EVERYONE IS. Whenever there's a POC on screen I get terribly excited. So I would love for LOTS of stories - both past & future - centering on cultures that are NOT white.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

I will never forget Rita.*adds two cent's in*

[elisi]

I loved her so much! She was one of those Perfect Companions that wasn't meant to be that the show sometimes throws at the Doctor just to upset us all. :(

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Yes, every time the Doctor meets someone with the potential of being a companion, they are a goner!!!

Remember Kylie? I mean Astrid?

Anyways, I reckon it would have been nice to have had Rita travel with Twelve if not Eleven of maybe talk "medical stuff" with Rory...

[elisi]

Yes, every time the Doctor meets someone with the potential of being a companion, they are a goner!!! Remember Kylie? I mean Astrid?
I was *thisclose* to actually mentioning Astrid! And RTD said how he (deliberately) would throw these Perfect Companions at the Doctor and then kill them off...

Anyways, I reckon it would have been nice to have had Rita travel with Twelve if not Eleven of maybe talk "medical stuff" with Rory...
Ah yes, for things that might have been. :(

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it makes me wonder what personal issues RTD has. Emotionally scar the Doctor why don't you Rusty!!!

There's a reason why there's fanfic.*tries to think of ideas*

[elisi]

RTD is a complete nihilist! Which made writing Doctor Who quite complicated, because he was writing against his instincts.

But yes, fic will save us. :D

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[elisi]

Go me! :D