First off – I like Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. This is not a Jodie / female Doctor bashing article.
We’re 4 episodes into season 11 of Doctor Who. This season has seen a lot of changes. Besides the most talked about new female Doctor, there are new writers and showrunner.
Like any of the transitions to a new Doctor, it is going to take time to “like” or appreciate the new Doctor or shows.
It took me a whole season to like Matt Smith’s Doctor. I had to re-watch each episode to pick up on some of the stuff he said and did. It was well into his second year before I stopped saying that I didn’t like him. I’m now 50/50 between him and David Tennent as my favorite Doctor / shows.
I like Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. I can’t say I appreciate the stories or writing yet though.
I think most of the best stories and episodes were written by Steven Moffat, so with him not being involved the show has a totally new personality.
It will take the show a while to work some stuff out and for us viewers to get used to the new style. I just hope there is better material later in the season.
I think Peter Capaldi’s Doctor was too grumpy and mean, and Jodie’s is too nice. The Doctor needs to have an air of “I know everything”, “I’m better than you”, “I’m a Time Lord” (male or female descriptive) even if they don’t act like it all the time. But they need to act like it when it is needed. Doctor 13 has not been written like this yet. She has had 3 good chances so far and missed.
Besides the writing, the stories have also just been okay, except for “Rosa”.
We’re in episode 4 and she still says “I’m still figuring myself out”. That’s fine for the full first episode, and maybe some of a second, but not 4. This “sorting out” has not been done well for any of the modern changes except for Matt Smith’s first episode. (again, it took a few re-watchings to appreciate all the conversation miss-timing and actually understand the episode.) I hate Peter’s first episode even though it has dinosaurs in it. David Tennant’s first episode was mostly a waste until the end when he did find out exactly what kind of man he was.
I look forward to the next 2 or 3 years of Jodie as The Doctor and hope we won’t have to wait a year and a half or longer for season 12.
p.s. I know how many lives The Doctor has….. next article.
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