After the dreaded Hell Bent, I considered myself done with Doctor Who.
I still watch reruns, read books featuring past Doctors, and listen to Big Finish audiodramas. But that thirst to see more? That urgency to find out what is in store for one of the best characters in science fiction? That is gone.
Hell Bent was an amalgamation of everything wrong with Doctor Who, even more so than The Time of the Doctor, which I maintain is the worst of the worst when it comes to spitting in the face of continuity.
The trailer released five months ago that featured the new companion, asBill, did nothing to inspire confidence in the show’s future either. As usual, it promised only more of the same: a London girl from present-day Earth who makes snippy remarks about everything.
Yawn.
More Daleks who potter around and do nothing of actual consequence!
Yawn.
Even the creative team didn’t seem to care seeing as they couldn’t be bothered to proofread the graphics before they went on-air.
“asBill.”
Like…what do you say to that?
I have had zero incentive to stick around and it seems as if a good chunk of the fanbase is singing the same tune.
But when I heard that the Doctor Who Christmas Special would be featuring a superhero I did a double take.
On its face this seems like a stupid idea. A stupid idea that sounds like fanfiction made flesh (not that all fanfiction is bad).
However, maybe this is what Doctor Who needs.
Right now, more than any other time in Doctor Who‘s history, we need something different.
We need experimental. We need to break the mold Doctor Who has created for itself.
For too long we’ve just had more of the same. Same base-under-siege stories, same character archetypes, same types of monsters (seriously, if I see the Weeping Angels one more time I will snap my own neck), same two-dimensional side characters that only exist so they can be killed off by the monster, same lessons that the Doctor keeps forgetting, same jokes, same heavy-handed morals.
For years, DW has just been marinating in a broth of sameness.
Yes, this story could completely fall on its face. Yes, it could just be a dumb gimmick to encourage wayward fans to tune in.
But it’s doing one thing that Doctor Who hasn’t done in quite a while: it’s taking a risk.
That’s what good writing is supposed to do. You’re supposed to keep pushing the envelope. As of late, DW has become too comfortable with its formulaic style. Maybe this is a sign that things will improve?
I could be reading too much into this. I do that often when it comes to Doctor Who. Maybe this time will be different. Maybe this time Steven Moffat won’t give my brain the finger.
But at least this is something new.
And if there’s a chance, however slight, that the show could return to its former glory I’m going to give it a go.
So The Doctor fighting alongside a superhero?
Maybe we could also develop Peter Capaldi’s Doctor beyond grumpy-old man while we’re at it? Please?
The Crooked Pen 