March 7, 2020

2nd Opinion, Part 1: “The Timeless Children” – Doctor Who No More

JC’s take on the tenth episode of Series 12.

So there I was thinking Chris Chibnall casting Jodie Whittaker was going to be the most controversial thing he did in his era. Sure, Chibnall angered fans again by unceremoniously wiping out UNIT and Torchwood off-screen, but that was just an appetiser. He had one more ace up his sleeve with “The Timeless Children”…

I’ve tried, but I can’t review the episode in the usual format. Every time I tried to write it up as such I kept coming back to that reveal and I’d rather use my limited word count on talking about that. So, in brief, here’s the few things I liked:

Sacha Dhawan’s Master completely carried the episode. He was channelling the Simm Master too much at times, but was still fun to watch thanks to his raw energy.
Dhawan also brought out the best in Jodie Whittaker again.
Ko Sharmus was even more awesome this episode. How I was hoping he’d have a last minute reveal.
The CGI was generally excellent (the Gallifrey time-lapse was ace), and most of the music was nice.
The flashback scenes were a reminder of how good the show used to be (excluding the Chibnall era ones and the Absorbaloff!)

And, aside from the Timeless Child reveal, here’s what I didn’t like:

For the majority of the run time, the Doctor was given almost nothing to do other than be completely passive.
Exposition overload!
Tecteun is shown in a glamorous light despite basically experimenting on, and you could argue, murdering children.
Ashad and the Cyberman were ultimately pointless and disposed of far too easily.
The Cyber Masters looked absolutely ridiculous and made no sense.
The Brendan mystery turned out to be a damp squib. It did not deserve all that time in the opening half of the story given how quickly it is all brushed over.
Yaz is the “best person” again. Because Chibnall tells us so.
All the companions come out completely unscathed. Where was the danger? This is especially surprising given at least one is leaving.
Ko Sharmus died because the Doctor is shown to be too cowardly to be an actual hero. Does this seem in character when the Tenth Doctor sacrificed himself to save Wilf, even against Wilf’s wishes?
Ripping off Tennant’s “What?! … What?!” Sorry, don’t even try.

Right, allow me to talk about the Timeless Child reveal more in depth. I said this in an earlier review, but when I first saw a rumour about it last year, I thought to myself that it was so far-fetched and canon breaking that Chibnall would not go through with it. And, well, what can I say, he surprised me… But in the worst way possible. He actually went through with it.

So, let’s get this straight: the Time Lords were nothing until a never heard of before super space explorer/scientist/biologist/you-name-it came along and discovered the Timeless Child. Rassilon and Omega aren’t even mentioned as being a vital part of Gallifrey’s history anymore. The Doctor is not a Time Lord from Gallifrey, instead a special being from… somewhere else. William Hartnell is no longer the first Doctor. No, he could be the 1000^th or 10,000th for all we know. Fans can never again say he’s the “original you might say” without thinking in the back of our mind “but he’s not really”. An insult to Hartnell’s legacy. The same goes for the other Doctors as the numbering is forever butchered. And what are fans supposed to call the inevitable flood of pre-Hartnell Doctors who’ll turn up now? What a mess.

The Doctor can now regenerate infinitely, making him/her not an “ordinary” Gallifeyan, but instead a literal super-god. Why would the Doctor ever fear being in life-threatening situations again? This factor also adds new issues to old stories. For instance, Matt Smith’s whole Trenzalore arc is invalidated. Go watch Smith’s final episode now and all the drama over the Doctor’s impending “death” looks very silly. Then there’s questions like, why does neither Clara nor the Doctor not see any of these so-called past incarnations when they enter the Doctor’s time stream? What about River’s very existence? I could go on. The more you actually think about it, the more issues become apparent. You could make an entire article on the new broken continuity (I’m sure someone will).

When Gallifrey was annihilated, I saw that moment as a perfect metaphor for what Chibnall has done to my once favourite TV show. Chibnall didn’t think this through. It seems like he just wanted to make history on the show (even though he already had by casting Whittaker), but doing it in the laziest, clumsiest way possible. I suppose why bother doing something genuinely new and creative, when it’s much easier to retcon something in.

How can anyone claim to be a fan and mess with the show’s history like this with so little care? There is a fine line between carefully adding to the canon and desecrating it. Further, did no one warn Chibnall? I struggle to think that not a single person working around him thought “hang on, this might be going too far. This is going to piss off the fanbase even more”. He already caused a massive divide at the start of his era (the effects of which are still felt), and this will do even more damage. We’re so far away from the 50^th anniversary year when fans were united in their love for this show, it’s not even funny.

I’ve given Chibnall two series to prove himself now. I think that’s more than fair. I honestly had some hope at the start of this year. Spyfall wasn’t perfect, but it was a more promising beginning than before. Then the series devolved into more political preaching, wafer thin characters, weak acting and plotlines. But for all that, nothing comes close to the damage this story has done, and will do.

I’ve loved Doctor Who for half my life, but I feel like it’s a good time to step away now. I’m sure I won’t be alone judging by the reactions so far. I won’t be buying any merchandise. Even from the classic era or Big Finish. Sorry, but I cannot support the BBC. I just hope one day someone who actually respects the show’s history prior to this era can come along and retcon Chibnall’s damage in the same way. Not only will he see how it feels to have his contributions messed with, but hopefully all the fans he’s lost can get the show they loved back.

Doctor Who?

Doctor Who No More.