The 5 Greatest Strengths of Series 8 (Part 1)

Guest contributor Harpal Khambay looks at the strengths & weaknesses of Series 8, starting with strengths.

5. The Masterful Missy

If Missy asked me to say something nice, I’d tell her that she makes a big entrance in the ‘Strengths of Series 8 list’ at number five. Arguably the biggest reveal of Series 8 was that Missy was in fact the Master, and although this caused a bit of controversy, the majority of Whovians loved this new development. I personally am not one hundred percent sure about Missy being the Master, but I know that I love the character of Missy (as she has been branded). I especially love her madness and her ruthlessness, which is why she makes it onto the list.

4. Better Supporting Characters

Series 7 had good supporting characters, but apart from a few episodes their roles were relatively small. This is in contrast to Series 8, where the supporting characters generally added a new dimension to the story and featured in the episodes heavily. Series 8’s supporting characters were brought to life superbly by the vast range of actors chosen for their roles, from Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra) to Ingrid Oliver (Osgood). Characters such as Psi and Saibra are very high on my list, as both were portrayed honestly and believably, adding something special to ‘Time Heist.’ Ingrid Oliver and Jemma Redgrave are also nearing the top of the list, with Perkins played by Frank Skinner following. Supporting characters are important as they present a different take on the storyline and also provide context to the tale, as well as generally helping the Doctor with his mission, and the above supporting characters in particular did these things very well.

3. Clara’s Development

Clara has dramatically grown as a person as well as a companion. Upon the arrival of Series 8, Clara became a force to be reckoned with. Clara’s feistiness and emotion throughout have let the audience learn more about her character, and how she adapts to the new situations the TARDIS throws at her.

Her partnership with the Twelfth Doctor has also shed new light on her character, as Series 8 showed Clara slowly adapt to the new Doctor, and in time showed the pair finding mutual respect for each other. Clara’s journey of becoming a close friend of the Twelfth Doctor is a touching one, shown especially in scenes at the end of ‘Death in Heaven’ and ‘Last Christmas.’ As well as this, Clara constantly advises the Doctor (At all different stages in his life, like the barn) and cares greatly for him.

Clara also represents the audience in all the stories, especially her outburst in ‘Kill the Moon,’ making her character more genuine and believable thanks to the scriptwriters and the phenomenal acting of Jenna Coleman. I am thrilled that Clara is staying for Series 9, as her and the Doctor have just reached a point in which they realise they both need each other, and I hope their relationship grows and is tested throughout Series 9.

2. The 12th Doctor

When Capaldi was revealed to be the next Doctor, I couldn’t quite picture him in the role. Now he’s fully settled into the TARDIS, I feel he is one of the best ever Doctors. Capaldi’s acting is utterly captivating and he has made a massive impact on the show as well as on the show’s fans. Capaldi’s Doctor is the total opposite of Matt Smith’s, and I feel this is one of the most important reasons as to why Series 8 has been a success.

The 12th Doctor’s unpredictably, frostiness and controversial choices have thrown the show into the deep end and taken it out of its comfort zone, keeping the viewers engrossed and hooked, as they wanted to see what the new Doctor would do next. I agreed with Steven Moffat when he said that the show needed to be mixed up a bit, and they went to the extremes with this new Doctor. ‘Listen’ is definitely the Twelfth Doctor’s best episode this year, closely followed by ‘Flatline’ in which he made a fantastic speech about how he stops the monsters.

1. The Darker Tone & Themes

For me the darker tone of Series 8 was its biggest strength and has dramatically changed the style of the show, as well as how it is written. Matt Smith’s Doctor gave us fun adventures and thrills, but not many scary episodes that would send shivers down our spines. The new dark tone of Series 8 brought us this on cold winter nights, and I personally welcomed this change. Even though I don’t scare easily, those giant spiders in ‘Kill the Moon’ really got me, and I can understand how episodes such as ‘Listen’ and ‘Dark Water’ got to others.

Along with the new dark tone comes darker themes, primarily the theme that is ‘death.’ This was explored heavily in episodes eleven and twelve, and made for chilling viewing due to the more adult concepts explored. Some have made accusations that the show is too scary, however I believe that the show is simply growing up with the audience. ‘Kill the Moon’ also presented a thought-provoking, ethical dilemma concerning killing, or even murder. Dilemmas like this let its older viewers have a discussion on the themes introduced in different episodes of the show. The fact is that the world of the Doctor is very dark, with constant invasions, exterminations (murders) and horrifying monsters, so I think it is fitting for the show to have a tone like this ominously hovering over the entire series.

Thank you for reading part one of my list, I hope you enjoyed it. I will conclude this article with part two on the weaknesses of Series 8 tomorrow.