Doctor Who: Um...

[major_clanger]

I sometimes get slightly grumpy when I see posts bemoaning Doctor Who, because they occasionally seem to be complaining that DW isn't the brilliantly-scripted work of transgressive cutting-edge science fiction that it could be if the BBC wasn't pandering to the smelly masses. It's prime time entertainment with a mandate of being kiddy-accessible, so it's never going to be that. But even with those constraints, DW can and has been very good, as seen in 'Dalek', 'Human Nature', 'Blink' or even last year's 'Flatline', so it's a bit disappointing when we get something like 'The Magician's Apprentice' (which, thanks to being on holiday, we've only just seen.)

If anyone asks what 'fanwank' means, I'll point to the scene with the Sisterhood of Karn. The SoK featured heavily in the Tom Baker era homage to Hammer Horror movies, The Brain of Morbius, and were reintroduced in the mini-episode 'The Night of the Doctor'. There, they served a plot purpose - it was consistent with their first appearance that they had the power to influence a Time Lord's regeneration. But here, they had no plot function. It really did seem to be a continuity reference made for its own sake.

The whole scene with the Doctor-as-rock-star again just felt as if it was there because it looked cool rather than making any sense or particularly being relevant to his character. For an episode that felt as if it was glossing over a lot of plot, it was frustrating to have what seemed to be large chunks of padding.

Julian Bleach was, as ever, good as Davros, and the scenes where Davros put his past confrontations with the Doctor to him was an example of a good use of continuity reference. I just hope whatever story emerges about young Davros is worth it, considering as even what little we saw rendered definitely non-canonical Big Finish's I, Davros series of four audio dramas that chronicled Davros' life from childhood through to events just prior to Genesis of the Daleks.

Finally: you can get away with seemingly killing a companion only for it to turn out that they aren't dead after all - once. This is how many times since 'Bad Wolf' that we've seen this?

Comments

[davidwake.livejournal.com]

All very true.

I liked the Sisterhood of Karn coming back, but it was, like so much, a scene that didn't move the story forward. I'm sure one could re-cut that episode into something that would go very nicely as a mini-short that could go on-line as a taster for the series. And I'd CGI proper mines over handmine merchandise product placement.

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

Also, how many times is the Dr supposed to be knowingly facing his (presumably True and Final) death? Didn't we have a whole series based around that already, with a tomb and everything?

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

And there was that whole Impossible Astronaut thing too - that was another entire season about him dying a final death.

Before, Dr Who wasn't *about* The Doctor, it was about situations he found himself in. Nowadays it's all either about him (usually dying) or a companion. Maybe that's the real problem?

[cthulie.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what's been getting to me!

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the Doctor / rock star thing was there to plant a Chekhov's Tank. At some point it's going to be vital to the plot.

Or not, of course.

I don't think we were supposed to be fooled by the "disintegration", especially since Missy had a vortex manipulator.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

At some point, someone is going to take that tank off the wall and...wield it?

[deborah_c]

seemingly killing a companion only for it to turn out that they aren't dead after all

Oh Lord. Please, please don't let them try to bring back Adric...

[uitlander]

I'm so pleased that someone else thinks this. I'm secretly hoping they really have killed off Clara. That would be a season opener to remember. Bug they won't....

[bookzombie.livejournal.com]

I felt it was full of great scenes and performances (even when they didn't advance the plot: I'll admit to laughing like a drain during the whole 'Rock Star Doctor' bit) but didn't hold together as a whole - leaving me both amused and slightly grumpy at the end.

For all the other things you can rightly complain about with Moffat's run on Who, the thing that is really irritating me at the moment is his desire to self-insert his stories into the past of the series (having Clara intercede in key points in his life, re-writing what happens in the Time War and now retconning Genesis of the Daleks.) It's like he's saying 'Yes, Doctor Who is mine right now, but I'm going to make sure _all_ DW is mine!'

It's really time for a new showrunner, I feel; he's starting to fall into some of the same traps as John Nathan Turner did a few years into his run. But with viewing figures for the premier down by a third, can the BBC take the risk?