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

[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*

[sea_thoughts]

JFC

[elisi]

I'm very pleased with it! >:)

[sea_thoughts]

Oh, it's a great icon, just bloody terrifying! I really hope that they revisit that place à la Planet of the Ood because that story REALLY needs that treatment.

[elisi]

I hope so too... Kerblam! made me angrier than any Doctor Who episode ever has. So I wanted to say something in icon form.