Series 14 finally got around to revealing who Susan Twist is (kind of?) and producing the Big Bad… For once it’s not the Master, Daleks or Cybermen… or some combination of those three!
I was actually quite disappointed with this one, because I realised I’m starting to feel confused about this Doctor.
But I’ll start with a quick grumble about UNIT.. it’s always fun to be at UNIT. I love Kate, I love Mel. But why do we have two children in the control room! This is ridiculous.
One maybe – the genius one makes some kind of sense – so why is Rose Noble there?! What is she contributing? And also I really wish the actress was better, her delivery of lines is so stiff it takes me out the scene every time.
Is the writing for the Fifteenth Doctor actually… Not good?
Now, the Doctor.. I’m starting to get bothered by how emotional he is in every episode.. I don’t understand if there is a reason for this or it’s bad writing? He’s cried in every episode which was moving at first but now feels over the top… And every episode I’m just waiting for him to bust a tear.
I’m all for a Doctor with a healthy relationship with his companion, and one who has a degree of emotional intelligence and vulnerability… but like we swung the pendulum too far. And it also takes something away from the companions role. The companion, the ones I like the most, work best as the “human” counterbalance to the Doctor’s ancient alien weirdness.
If the Doctor is overtly as emotionally engaged as the companion then what are we doing with the companion? And is that interesting to watch?
Maybe this is why we have barely seen the Doctor and Ruby in scenes alone together. Maybe the writers haven’t figured out the balance either. They don’t know what the two characters have to talk about…
We also keep getting him speechless and practically shaking with fear which is very Not The Doctor. The Doctor rarely shows his fear. He’s there to reassure everyone else.
Perhaps this is merely meant to signify the magnitude of the threat, but.. when we also have the Doctor in tears every episode of the series to me it’s starting to read a little like it is him that is weaker, and unstable.
Maybe I wouldn’t feel confused if we’d been given any time this series getting to know this version of the Doctor.
Is this an effect of the Bi-generation? How does the Doctor feel about his new personality?
Usually we get at least one episode after a regeneration of the Doctor feeling out their new form. I don’t remember any of this this time, he seemed to pop up fully formed and instead immediately counciled Tennant #2. Ten was also an emotional Doctor but in an “emo” Drama Queen fashion that I found really tiresome, but at least that had spikes and I understood where it came from.
I think that’s it, this Doctor is too fuzzy. He doesn’t seem to have any edges, never mind spikes.
And I also just hate it when people use the word “babes” … It also sounds fake and condescending to me, but that niggle is a matter of taste!
I’m so frustrated by these issues because Ncuti Gatwa is so good. He’s a fantastic actor who I think has a lot of range, and instead I feel like he’s being shoved into a small badly written box with cringe dialogue.
Speaking of, every interaction between Ruby and Rose made me wince. I am not a fan of Moffat’s quippy “timey-wimey” era dialogue, but somehow this attempt at “cool young person” speak, which seems to be impossible for the actors to delivery naturally, is worse.
As for the plot.. I was disappointed, though not surprised, that Susan Twist was not the granddaughter. (Side note: the Doctor said to Kate he was a grandfather but not a father yet… When in other episodes (Tennant I think in the annoying clone/daughter episode) has said he’s a father.. so that was annoying).
Still maybe Mrs Flood might be someone interesting?
The Sue Tech / Sutekh thing was a bit groan worthy. I also am confused why Susan Twist was appearing through time? It felt very anti-climactic to me. Was she just meant to be another Harbinger? What was her technology? But maybe that’ll be in the next episode.
On a more positive note, Susan Twist’s Teresa May dance onto the stage was bloody hilarious!
I just want to love this Who it more than I think I really do.
Series 9 Rewatch
1. The Magician’s Apprentice & 2. The Witch’s Familiar
Ok so Clara is still around after dramatic exit #2 but she’s tempered by the fantastic Missy! I actually liked the two of them together. I loved every Missy scene! But otherwise I found this Davros plot confusing. I guess it was something about the Doctor overcompensating being “the Doctor” after all that General business last series that I got so tired of.
Also, loved Clara being stuck in the Dalek. It was both fun to see Missy mess with her but also chilling to head the Dalek translator.
Still don’t understand the episode titles.
3. Under The Lake & 4. Before The Flood
These were cool episodes, and I loved that we got some Doctor time without bloody Clara. It felt so refreshing to have him alone with other characters! I liked the ghosts and that we used the TARDIS as a time machine to solve the problem.
At least it was clear in this episode that Clara is purposely being written as a dick. Even the Doctor balked at her overt ghoulish joy about the mystery of the poor people on that base. I just wish he’d pulled her up more strongly, it was rather a weak attempt to get her to check herself. I’m starting to feel like he’s got the ick now, and would like to dump her but doesn’t have the guts.
One character even called her out directly on her selfish, manipulative disregard for the lives of others.
But… She’s still sucking all the fun out the episodes for me. This is definitely around the point I stopped watching. I remembered these episodes but I’m not sure if I did watch past this point.
