Beyond the 50th

2014 can be seen as quite a unique year for Doctor Who and possibly the most mysterious, with the Doctor’s name being answered in the last series and the 50th around the corner, the audience may wonder where Series 8 will take us. In this article I aim to see the possible routes Moffat may use, and what adventures the Doctor may have with Clara, and what awaits them next year.

Clara Oswin Oswald

By Series 8, the Clara mystery will be solved and we will know finally who she is and why the Doctor constantly keeps running into her. Yet this may not the final mystery between him and Clara, as something is still confusing me. Mainly a scene from “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS”, where Clara reads from the History of the Time War and comes across the Doctor’s name. How was she able to understand his name and realise it was him so quickly? Like most people, we can probably assume the book is written in Gallifreyan, so how did she read it? For me I feel that the series will answer this and possibly reveal more of the Doctor and how he seems himself with Clara. I would also love for the series to return to the original “New Who” 13 episode format as many people feel that he series is at its strongest when this format is taken.

Steven Moffat Leaving Doctor Who?

Since the show was rebooted in 2005, Steven has had a major contribution towards the show providing a variety of different stories, yet since Series 6 I feel the quality of his work has been affected since he started writing for Sherlock as well as Who. Series 5 on the whole was a brilliant series with a great and unique story arc involving the Pandorica, but Series 6 with Lake Silencio was quite a downer in my opinion and I know that others will disagree but in my opinion, the Silence had little to no impact on it. In “The Big Bang” the Doctor quotes a line where he wonders what the Silence was, and during most of Series 6, they don’t have any involvement in it. So what will Steven ultimately do? I feel he should rightfully step down as show runner and return to writing a two-parters so he can plan one good solid story per series, while still being able to work on Sherlock.

The TARDIS Exploding

The TARDIS exploding is my overall favourite “New Who” story arc as it doesn’t rely on recurring characters such as the Master and Davros. This is about the Doctor’s most beloved possession being destroyed and taking the universe with it. So who exactly blew up the TARDIS? It couldn’t have been the Silence unless they manipulated someone to do it, which is never shown, and all they can do to get inside the TARDIS is project themselves through voice or hologram. In the Series 5 finale, we hear a voice which clearly isn’t the Silence, sounding more like Davros. In Series 8, this is what I want Moffat to clear up for his possible final series and end on a high note, to show that he can plan things to take effect over a few years but ultimately comes together for a satisfying ending.

Clara after Series 8

Moffat loves to give his Doctor’s companions more than one series to show how connected the characters are. Amy and Rory were in Who for two and a half series and we clearly saw how the Doctor was effected after their deaths. So what will happen to Clara after series 8? I feel this will be her final series as if Moffat is leaving then he will want to close off her character arc and bring it to a close. She is a wonderful companion and Jenna does a great job playing her, but as the old saying goes, “leave them wanting more”, to me this should be the way to end her character arc, maybe have her join UNIT and put her computer skills to use? We won’t know until then and hopefully the wait will pay off.

The Fall of the Eleventh

Since Matt Smith quit Doctor Who, this means at Christmas he will regenerate into his new 12th body, and we will see the end of the Eleventh Doctor, though I feel he should regenerate in the 50th Anniversary to mark such a special occasion and he will have such a great send off so the new Doctor can start on the 2013 Christmas special and a whole new series. The reason I feel that 50th will be better for Matt to leave is because Moffat can give him a hell of a send- off. Although this may not be the case, Matt will surely pull at the heart strings in his final episode.

Ponds to return in Eleven’s final episode?

Personally I was not happy with the “The Angels of Manhattan” because Rory never got to say goodbye to the Doctor. Rory and Amy returning, or the Doctor finding a way to somehow visit them, could bring a happy ending to the Ponds and have them all witness his regeneration, which to me would be a satisfying ending the Eleventh Doctor with him being with his best friends.

Bring Back Two Parters

Doctor Who is a show that isn’t afraid to take risks and Moffat introducing the stand-alone “blockbuster episodes” show this. Yet it doesn’t always work, for instance I have noticed a lot people saying that episodes feel rushed. As they try to introduce a villain, develop characters, develop the story and give a satisfying ending, which can be bad for the episode. The best example of this to me is “The Power of Three” as the Doctor just sonics the screen and fixes the problem with the cubes. Two parters can fix these problems, with part 1 developing characters and introducing the threat and have part 2 fix the problem and bring the development to a close.

Any returning companions (2005 – 2008)?

The Eleventh Doctor unfortunately didn’t have any episodes featuring previous companions returning apart from Sarah Jane in “The Death of the Doctor”. Yes Rose is returning in the 50th and while she isn’t my favourite companion, it’s nice to see her back, I think Martha could have made a comeback with her adjusting to the new Doctor, and see how she has developed since UNIT.

The Time War

The Time War is a big part of Doctor Who since it’s been revived and I would love to see more of the Doctor which has still been affected since it ended. Since it’s a new Doctor, we may have more of a serious grief ridden Time Lord like the 9th Doctor. 11 showed us the wonders of the universe and how exciting it is and we felt like he was seeing it all for the first time, which I loved about him. It showed how alien he can be as he travels which can be changed per regeneration.

One More Regeneration?

Time lords regenerate 12 times and have 13 bodies. The Doctor is nearing his final life. Will we see the end of the Time War, or are the rules on regeneration different since the Time Lords have gone? No doubt due to its infinite popularity the BBC will most likely find a way to restore the Doctor’s regenerations again. Maybe he may not know he has more since River gave him her regenerations in “Let’s Kill Hitler”. So many different things are possible and only time will tell what is going to happen.

Finally, Series 8 is far in the future so it’s best to really only think about it once the 50th has been shown and to see what questions it answers and what new ones it brings up. Though like many Who fans, its sure to be an enjoyable series full of action and travelling inside the TARDIS.