Should You Have to Embrace All Doctor Who Changes?
Feature by Liam T. Rees
Doctor Who returned to our screens way back in 2005. At the time I was nine-years-old and had no idea how much the show would impact my life. It’s the show that influenced me to become a writer. It’s the show that helped me through some of the hardest moments of my life. It’s the show that will always have a special place in my heart and that I will always cherish. So why have I struggled so much to connect with the current era?
Doctor Who, as we’re all aware, is about change and embracing change. It’s always been that way. Even before the concept of regeneration was introduced, audiences were forced to embrace new companions and new dynamics onboard the TARDIS and nothing has changed in its 56+ years. So why do fans continue to struggle to embrace change in Doctor Who? Be it a new Doctor; new companion; new TARDIS; new theme tune. Many people often dismiss this – wrongly – as the ignorance of “fake fans” who “don’t understand what [Doctor Who] is about”. The recently aired finale ‘The Timeless Child’ has unleashed a vicious debate over the concept of change and an audience’s ability to either accept or refuse it.
I want to defend the argument that you don’t have to embrace change in Doctor Who. After all, I’m sure we have all at some point in our lives learned that change isn’t always good. Of course, whether something is considered good or not is subjective. And, believe it or not, there’s nothing wrong with that.
The Beginning
When Peter Capaldi announced he was stepping out of the TARDIS and handing the keys over to someone else, I wasn’t disappointed. I loved Capaldi and what he brought to the role, but I needed a change. Steven Moffat created some of my favourite Doctor Who stories and invented my favourite whimsical Madman-With-A-Box-Eleventh Doctor. He developed what I consider to be one of the most enticing story arcs in years with the crack in time and defined a whole generation. But after six years, I needed to see and feel something fresh.
Chris Chibnall was revealed as the new showrunner and this news was met with mixed opinions. However, I was actually excited. The episodes he helmed as a series writer in the past weren’t standouts and didn’t make it on any of my top five lists, but I was eager to see if he could bring the same kind of innovative storytelling and character development of Broadchurch to Who. When Jodie was announced as the next Doctor I… sort of predicted it. But I was excited all the same because it was new. As more and more information was released and as teasers crept online, this new era of Doctor Who was setting itself up to be the breath of fresh air I desperately needed. And when Series 11 finally arrived… I lost my passion for Doctor Who.
There was undeniably something fresh about the new era, but much to my disappointment it wasn’t one I could connect with. Be careful what you wish for, huh? As the series went on, I found the Thirteenth Doctor intolerably bland – lacking any real depth or development. As for the trio of companions… much more can be said. There were standout episodes, such as ‘Rosa’; ‘Demons of the Punjab’ and ‘It Takes You Away’. But for the most part, the series was missing a lot of the core elements that I had grown to love in Doctor Who. Terrifying monsters and villains, fantastic supporting characters and gripping stories immersed in emotional weight are the main ingredients of Doctor Who stories, and they were hard to be found here. I’m not saying the whole series lacked these ingredients, but for me, it just didn’t match or even come close to the quality of storytelling I was used to and even more so anticipating. More than anything I was waiting for Jodie’s Doctor-defining moment. The moment that would cement her Doctor in the hall of Doctors. That moment that would give me chills and bring a tear to my eye out of love for my hero. That moment didn’t come. There were moments where I thought it would – hell, moments where I thought it should. But it didn’t.
Come Series 12 and I was deflated. Series 11 hadn’t swept me away like Series 1, 2 and 5 had. I wasn’t blown away, nor was I desperate for the next series of adventures. I was actually… concerned; concerned that it would confirm my fears that this era wasn’t for me. Episode one aired and I went into the episode apprehensive, but encouraged myself to remain optimistic. After all, we were promised a blockbuster two-part opener to the new series with a thrilling spy adventure in the vain of 007 or Mission Impossible.
So when I sat down to watch ‘Spyfall, Part One’ I opened myself up to be surprised and… I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t even finish it. Honestly, the sole reason I returned to finish the episode was because the Master’s end reveal was all over my social media feed and I felt compelled to see this twist unfold fluidly within the episode rather than through a clip on Twitter. But as I gave it a second chance I, again, I felt let down. The Master’s return didn’t feel warranted. It felt rushed and unpredictable in all the wrong ways. I do want to make it clear that this is no fault of Sacha Dhawan’s. I think that he embodies the character fantastically and his enthusiasm is clear in his performance. However, none of this really changed how I felt because… I just didn’t care. If I’m being completely honest, I felt annoyed that Chibnall cheapened the character with what I considered to be a very rushed and unnecessary resurgence, especially when you compare it to the likes of what Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat had done while setting up their respective interpretations of the character.
This feeling of emptiness became consistent throughout the rest of Series 12… until ‘Ascension of The Cybermen’. For me ‘Ascension’ is my favourite episode of this series – in fact, of the last two series. It had high stakes, it had a great performance by the whole cast, it had supporting characters that I found myself caring about. It took risks by separating the trio of companions and gave them a chance to develop a new dynamic with characters we haven’t normally seen them share time with one-on-one. It was a particular joy to see the Doctor spend time with Ryan away from Yaz and Graham, given I’ve found Ryan to be perhaps the most underdeveloped member of the team. Most of all, though, I loved the Cyberman. Ashad was one of the most intense and frightening villains the series has had in a long time and I craved more of him. The episode ended on a high and I found myself, for the first time, excited to see where this adventure was going to take me and what answers lie ahead in regards to the Timeless Child, albeit I had my theories…
The Result
I knew the risks. I had my concerns, like many others. The conclusion to the Timeless Child story arc will probably either make or break this era for a lot of people, including myself. I’m going to say this right now: I do care about canon. I am protective over the mythology and lore of Doctor Who. It’s a piece of media I’ve devoted myself to for over a decade of my life. As I mentioned, I became a Whovian at the age of nine. I’m now twenty-three. To dismiss the lore and likewise people’s devotion to it can simply come across as offensive. It’s like telling someone they shouldn’t care so much and that’s hard for someone to do when something means so much to them.
The shocking reveal that the Doctor is in fact the Timeless Child and likewise the explanation of the Time Lords’ Genesis and how they became one of the most powerful and feared species in the universe was indeed a bold choice and has certainly stirred up the show in a big way. Some people love this expansion of the already extensive lore, and that’s wonderful and there’s nothing wrong with that. But a lot of people on the other hand feel disappointed and cheated and there is also nothing wrong with that. I’m among that group of people myself, but I’m not going to go into why. That’s just how I feel. And that should be okay. Why? Because, like I said, change isn’t always good. Not for everybody.
My Conclusion
Doctor Who is a show that has existed among us for almost 57 years. It’s outlived and will no doubt continue to outlive us all. It will transcend time itself because of its unique ability to change, and change is what keeps the universe moving. It’s evolution. I haven’t enjoyed this current era of Doctor Who. I’ve been studying writing, been a writer and even taught writing for several years now and feel confident in my belief that we haven’t received the quality of content we’ve received in the past. But if you do, that’s totally fine and no one should tell you any different.
Unfortunately for me, I don’t care for the current Doctor or her companions. And that isn’t the moaning of a “fake fan”. It’s the opinion of a Whovian who is fully aware and accepting of change. Change isn’t always good for everybody, but change is inevitable and I know that this feeling won’t last forever. I pushed through with Series 12 and will continue to do the same with Series 13, despite how separated my feelings for the show are right now, because I know that around the corner lays a version of this character and their adventures that I will enjoy and fall in love with again. I push through because when that time comes, I want to be able to have witnessed the journey in getting there, even if it was a bit rocky. But some people can’t do that. To those people I say, once again, that’s okay!
Doctor Who is a timeless show and if you’ve loved it before, you will love it again. To tell people they need to embrace the change, first you need to embrace the understanding that not everyone will share your opinion. And that… is okay.
