What the Who?

Doctor Who first appeared on the old telly box back in November 1963. It was a fateful day in many ways not given the events of the prior 24 hours. I must confess, I was too young to watch the first time round but watched the original I have. The world was introduced to what appeared to be an old white-haired man and his daughter in a junk yard. Boring? It seemed a bit simple and odd. All that would change when two teacher’s decided to basically stick their noses in. All of a sudden it changed. We had a police box that was not a police box but a Tardis. What the hell was this? The Tardis took off carrying all to who knew where. No pun there.

Thus started a series of adventures in time, space, history past and future and anywhere in-between. We had surprises along the way including an alien who could regenerate. That was a stroke of genius given how popular the TV series had become. Through various regenerations, Pertwee was my real first Doctor, we watched stories unfold, sometimes it was educational, sometimes it was travelling through history but always it was fun.

A New Who

I wont go into why or how or who (pun) made the Doctor take a break but he was forced to wander off. A brief movie appeared and it was ok. It almost brought him back. Then, out of the blue that old familiar sound reappeared and NuWho (humm) came back. For me I don’t split between classic and new, it is all Doctor Who to me. Hay ho. We had him back and again great stories, a bit of history, some shocks and some dam fine episodes.

Directors and writers changed and show-runners took the helm. To be fair, I disagree with that sort of set up. Maybe it saves money, maybe it could have worked but for me, one person directing, writing, producing would in the end cause issues. Not everyone agrees of course and thats fine.

The Change

Then we had what many thought was the biggest change since the first regeneration. The Doctor became a woman. The world did not explode, well for some it did. For me, it was a shame I admit at first but he/she is an alien so why not. But the bigger change was not all what we saw but what we heard. The writing became laboured for me, it was too much telling me what I saw. It was disjointed, no character development, no real story. We had the ‘fam’, good god that was bad. The rating went down and no wonder. The actors were not allowed to act in my view. Some say it went back to historical stories. No it went to pushing the wrong elements in the face. Then introduced the next change. William Hartnell was the first Doctor, not just on screen but in Timelord history (or future). Now the new show-runner said he was not and that all we knew was wrong. For me and many others that was wrong.

They even tried to say the Doctor was not the Doctor but found left by some other race and became a Timeless child who grew up forced to regenerate worked for who knows whom. It became a mess. Worse was to come.

The last series

As a long time sci-fi fan not just Doctor Who or Trek, I see political and morality stories everywhere. Doctor Who as I said, was set out to teach and entertain as a family show. If you watch ‘Adventures in Time and Space’, you will see just what they originally tried to do. Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert pushed and created an amazing show. The Doctor was unknown, there was no backstory he was just there on Earth. We had to watch to see if we would find out. There were hints, some odd clues and then the show took off. It was clear, to me, he was not of Earth but that did not matter. It was fun, different, amazing to enjoy. The show drew all to it. Yes it did history, yes there was political ‘notes’ but the writing made it so you did not feel annoyed about but enlightened.

This last series was supposed to be a big story arc. Opening our eyes to something new. A lost villain allowed to break free (don’t they always) seeking out the one who caused them all this harm and take-over, no destroy, no do something to the universe. Well one of them. Then we had another villain supposed to be just as bad, The Grand Serpent with a Stargate like snake doing his bidding. Although many may remember in the movie with the 8th Doctor, the Master was a snake. But then what was real.

To be honest it was a bold idea but you could see the flaws from the start. So much promised and so little delivered in a rushed manner. Given the ‘fam’ had parted ways, a new person stepped in, Dan from Liverpool. Again, he offered so much but he had little time to create his character. The acting for me, was always undone by bad writing. We had, yet again bad writing.

The first episode jumps from the Doctor and Yaz chasing a dog (sort of) to finding Dan while aa weeping angel sends someone called Claire back to 1965. Why, well just because. The Swarm make contact with the Doctor as the flux starts to destroy the universe. It’s quick as it gets to Earth and the Tardis threatening all life. So, what happens next? Well the Crimean war of course and why not. Pick a random point in history and replace the Russians with Sontaran’s. Another bad guy to deal with. Are they behind the flux as well?

Plot holes and dangling threads

The story becomes more complex as the Doctor tries to stop the Swarm by placing Dan and Yaz in their pasts while two other characters try to find each other. These two, Vinder and Bel just seem to make up the numbers for me, whilst moving from place to place. Sometimes the Doctor helps and then maybe not. They are wasted in terms of need and story.

Now we get another Weeping angel who manages to get into the Tardis. Let’s just forget that the Tardis has internal security systems, defences and well whatever. The Weeping angel makes the Tardis go back in time to 1965 and that village. Now, that actually makes sense and was a good part of the story arc. Introducing another character Professor Jericho.

He is the most interesting of all for me, even could have been a Doctor. We do get another strand of the flux and a plot hole. The Weeping angels work for the Division a division of the TimeLords who the Doctor also seemed to work for before finding out – does this get any more complex? Why make the Weeping angels now work for Division? Given they already took the Doctor once (or did they) this makes even less sense. Anyway twist upon twist and the Doctor ends up outside the universe with her adoptive Mum, the gardener and one Ood security guard. Just one.

Meanwhile – I almost thought that word would actually be shown on screen – Yaz, Dan and now Jericho go searching for things in 1901 to tell them when the world will end. The flux is actually out to kill the Doctor because his/her Mum thinks it’s right. So, why destroy all the universe and not just the Doctor? At this point, I was losing all hope of a decent plot. Oh yes, the bad guys. Well, we have the Weeping Angels who have now gone wandering off because, they got bored? We never get told really. Now the Swarm and Azure, they are to me, to calm for supposed psychopathics. Given they can control time, why not stop the flux or control it. Again, too many bad guys in the pot all trying the same and never given enough time (pun) on screen.

The End or was it?

The last episode starts with the Doctor becoming three versions of herself, past, present and future. Just like the last episode of another sci-fi show. That was better. all Good Things and so on. At certain points, we have the Doctor liking herself, the Daleks and Cybermen tricked into becoming really stupid agreeing to be saved by the Sontaran’s who like chocolate from corner shops (what?) only to be fooled themselves. 

We also have the wasted death of Jericho. Having been thrown in with Clair into the Sontaran’s den, part of the Doctor’s plan – boy following that was annoying – was to find the point at which the flux would do something. Now, having Tardis which travels in time and space could the Doctor not just jump to that point and jump back? Ah well.

Jumping back and forth in the story we find the gardener is the Doctor’s Mum. Did I mention that before? Did the story? It did i think. Again, another plot hole. The Tecteun (the Doctor’s gardener Mum for me) I thought was very powerful. So, when the purple people eaters turn up, Swarm and Azure, why did the Tecteun not just vanish them away. Also would the Tecteun not know who these bad guys were? And when the Tecteun gets what-evered why leave the Ood security guard? And why did this super out side the universe space station (maybe) not have super defences? 

The Doctor is tortured by the pair (and for me we were tortured by the plot). It its maybe one of the few good parts of the story but given the prior episodes it comes too late. An Adams family house is shown which could have the Doctor’s past selves or not we never know. There is the pocket watch again. Now this is for me the get out for the returning man who brought Who back. In a two-parter (bloody good one) the Doctor uses a pocket watch to hide himself. If it was me, I would open that watch and return the Doctor back so we can forget this whole mess. Almost like someone stepping out of a shower and it was all a dream. 

Back to the story. Well sort of if there was a story. The bad guys kill the bad guys, who in turn get killed by another bad guy who is Time and just shows up for five minutes. Oh yes the Doctor allowed the whole universe to be destroyed apart from Earth. Sorry spoilers sweetie. The final elements of this story included comments saying ‘I like this regeneration’ (why) and a few hugs. But no thought of all the supposed lost in the universe. There was another line said about regenerations trying to make out the Doctor could not? That will be fixed. 

The episode ended in something of a damp mess with Dan (remember him) not able to find the bedroom. That was that. However, in the next few days the show-runner had to post something to try and explain what we had seen. Now that for me shows how bad this story must have been to have come online and explain it.

Conclusion

I have watched all of Doctor Who and listened to many Big Finish stories. I sat glued as Pertwee struggled against the I have watched all of Doctor Who and listened to many Big Finish stories. I sat glued as Pertwee struggling against the Master and demons many times. Don’t forget they blew up a church in his time. Well, a model. Baker when he had the chance to kill the Daleks and his internal struggle. Davidson and the loss of a companion. Yes we can quote numerous stories but what most of them had was good writing and acting. That is the point most people miss. It’s not about how political something is or how pushy it is, it’s how how you tell that story. How you make the points we should be talking about.

I don’t care that the Doctor is a woman. We had a woman timelord from the start her name was Susan. That was so clear. It’s about how you write it. For me, that is what is annoying. Bad writing creates bad acting and thus bad watching. I don’t need to be told by the main lead what I just saw. I saw it. In writing it’s know as ‘Show don’t tell’. Sorry but this series has been tell, tell, oh and tell again.

The Timeless Child could have worked but the writing let it down. The Flux could have worked but the writing let it down. That is my view and no-one can change my view nor anyones. What I hope is we get back to good writing, strong characters, good music and most importantly a good Doctor. This means for me picking the right actor based on what has gone in the past. I don’t think we should have the Doctor Ruth no need. I don’t want Hartnell surpassed as the first that’s just wrong. Sometimes, you have understand that certain change is just not worth it.