The Problems with Doctor Who
Every so often on Tumblr, I scroll past pictures of abandoned castles, airports and amusement parks. And sometime later, when I decide I want to show these pictures to someone else, I have no hope of finding them on Tumblr again.
Instead, I take to Google, and become thoroughly distracted looking at all the abandoned castle/airport/park pictures. (However an episode of Castle, and not Tumblr, was the reason I once spent an evening researching abandoned New York subway stations.)
Abandoned castles and mansions are sad, but often also classify as "picturesque ruins" (or "haunted ruins. I don't like those ones so much). Abandoned airports have interesting stories behind them, and abandoned amusement parks have curious stories behind them.
I find the existence of such places baffling, though - they are all such large areas of land and I wonder why, if the cost of restoring what it once was is too prohibitive, why hasn't it been sold and put to some other use?
(Because the number of closed New York underground stations far exceed the total number of underground stations in my city, I just couldn't get my head around that one until I realised just how many underground stations New York has altogether. There are also rather limited uses for a closed underground station...)
These photos are also a fascinating glimpse of what the world might look like, were the apocalypse to happen. (Not the zombie apocalypse, thank you very much. I'd prefer something a bit more John Wyndham-esque.) They point to the collapse of civilisation, to failure and to the limitations of humankind's endeavours. They ask questions: "What if...?"
There is an abandoned amusement park in Doctor Who, 7x12 "Nightmare in Silver". I think the park covered an entire planet - or perhaps a moon? - but I can't remember.
(Note: This is more about what Doctor Who should have done than what it actually did, so... no real spoilers.)
I loved the components of this episode: the eerie abandoned park guarded by a platoon of soldiers who looked more like geeks than soldiers; the kids Clara looks after insisting on coming along for an adventure; the secret about Porridge's (Warwick Davies) identity; Clara suddenly being responsible for coordinating a defence; the ethical dilemma about how the platoon were expected to fight the Cybermen; the Doctor's chess game with the cyber-brain, fighting for control of his own body.
However, the episode was not long enough for any of these elements to be thoroughly explored (with the possible exception of the chess game, which was fabulous). Nor was there enough time to really get to know the characters.
This is the first episode where I have thought "This really needed to be a two-parter."
And that's what I have been missing this series: the lack of two-parter episodes. Character-focused or quirky stories (like "Hide" or "Blink" or "The Girl Who Waited" or "Father's Day") can be nicely told in the space of a single episode, but big epic stories are often better if they're told across two episodes. That way, there's still room for character-focused moments.
As for the series finale, "The Name of the Doctor" had elements I liked (including, but not limited to, an appearance from River Song) and elements I was less thrilled about. The Mystery of Clara is explained but it answer seemed a little anti-climatic, given how much the series has been going on about it. Ultimately, I think it is because I like my mysteries to be like murder mystery novels, with clues to the answer hiding in plain sight. No was no satisfying
This also applies to the villain of the piece. Not enough clues, Moffat!
It also ends on a confusing note. I would say a cliffhanger, except it doesn't feel very cliff-hanger-y because it is just too confusing... hopefully all will be answered in the 50th Anniversary Special later this year?
I think io9's review called "The Central Problem With Steven Moffat's Doctor Who" got it right: If you've been enjoying this season, you'll probably enjoy "Name of the Doctor," and if you've found the direction of the series a bit frustrating, then this episode, too, will frustrate you. The most surprising thing about "The Name of the Doctor" is how unsurprising it all feels - it's exactly what you expect from Moffat, at this point.
Anders then goes on to look at the problems caused by Moffat placing the Doctor at the centre of the universe, and how this gives rise to Nazi-esque villains for the Doctor to defeat.
She doesn't mention the biggest problem from my perspective: how the Doctor's companions and other secondary characters are treated. I think they - and their concerns - need to be more central than epic plots. They're not just there to keep the Doctor company and save him when needed.
The review on Tor.com points out: If there is one overriding failure to this recent half-season of Doctor Who, it’s that Clara hasn’t been given any characterization aside from the mystery of her multiple selves. We don’t know why she travels with the Doctor or why either of them are as devoted to each other as they seem to be. Clara sacrifices her life for the Doctor in this episode, but we don’t know her well enough to know why she would.
I disagree that Clara has not been any characterisation, but I do think it hasn't been enough. And I agree that because we don't know enough about her life, when she offers to sacrifice it, we do not really understand what she is offering to give up. Unlike other companions, she's not travelling with the Dcotor 24/7 - just every Wednesday evening. Her ordinary life is therefore a big part of her life, and we need to know more about that. Furthermore, we need to know what the Doctor means to her.
(Clara hasn't been around for previous series. She's seen less of him than we have.)
The problem here is really that this has been Part II of Series 7, and not an entire series in its own right. Eight episodes, instead of the usual 13. If there had been more episodes, there would have been more time to get to know Clara.
(Rose makes a similar sacrifice to save the Doctor at the end of series one in "The Parting of Ways", but we had seen the close relationship she had developed with the Doctor, and seen how travelling with him had changed her life - and how it had changed Rose herself, what she wanted and what she considered herself capable of. We haven't seen this was Clara.)
So I came up with an idea for how this series should have gone. A 13-episode series usually allows for three double-parters. So, if some of the existing stories were turned into double-parters, that would allow for two extra episodes. These were needed on either side of "Nightmare in Silver".
The first one would be a London-based adventure which gives us an insight into Clara's everyday life and relationships, demonstrates what she's capable of when she has to deal with the extra-terrestrial without the Doctor's help, and finally shows how the kids she looks after came to convince the Doctor to let them into the TARDIS. Perhaps they help solve this mystery and so get a trip in time as a reward?
Bonus: When they're placed in trouble in "Nightmare in Silver", the audience might then actually care about them AND BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEIR NAMES. (No, really, I'm good at remembering children's names and I'm extra good at remembering the names of fictional characters and I CAN'T REMEMBER THEIRS.)
The second extra episode, post-"Nightmare in Silver", would be focused on the relationship between the Doctor and Clara. I'd settle for either the Doctor and Clara having fun together, something which shows how much they enjoy each other's company or how well they work together, or else an episode in which they get into a fight. Because I like to see companions challenging what the Doctor does - he's not always right, after all - and to see how travelling with the Doctor opens his companions' eyes to different perspectives.
And having the Doctor and Clara resolve their differences would show the development of their relationship.
How the series would then look:
1. "The Bells of St John" (6)
2. "The Rings of Azkahen" (7)
3. "Cold War" (8)
4. "Hide" (9)
5 + 6. "The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (10). This is the usual place in a series for a double-parter and this episode was a mess. Except for the idea of exploring the TARDIS. I would have liked to see it transformed into a stronger story.
7. "The Crimson Horror" (11)
8. A London-based adventure.
9 + 10. "Nightmare in Silver" (12). This one really needed to be a double-parter, as previously mentioned.
11. Clara and the Doctor have adventures.
12 + 13. "The Name of the Doctor". My suggestion would be for episode 12 to be a straight-forward-seeming mystery which turns out to be part of a much bigger plot and leads into "The Name of the Doctor". (Like how the series one finale worked - "Bad Wolf" was about a futuristic game show and "The Parting of Ways" was about the Dalek's plot to take over.) Or... I don't know. Something!
Er, anyway... This is how my brain works. If there's something wrong with a story, I like to think about how it should have been.
Clara is apparently going to be in series eight, so hopefully we will get to know her better next year. I'm not holding out much hope for the 50th special, which is going to feature two Doctors, and someone somehow connected to them, and Rose Tyler, as well as Clara.
Instead, I take to Google, and become thoroughly distracted looking at all the abandoned castle/airport/park pictures. (However an episode of Castle, and not Tumblr, was the reason I once spent an evening researching abandoned New York subway stations.)
Abandoned castles and mansions are sad, but often also classify as "picturesque ruins" (or "haunted ruins. I don't like those ones so much). Abandoned airports have interesting stories behind them, and abandoned amusement parks have curious stories behind them.
I find the existence of such places baffling, though - they are all such large areas of land and I wonder why, if the cost of restoring what it once was is too prohibitive, why hasn't it been sold and put to some other use?
(Because the number of closed New York underground stations far exceed the total number of underground stations in my city, I just couldn't get my head around that one until I realised just how many underground stations New York has altogether. There are also rather limited uses for a closed underground station...)
These photos are also a fascinating glimpse of what the world might look like, were the apocalypse to happen. (Not the zombie apocalypse, thank you very much. I'd prefer something a bit more John Wyndham-esque.) They point to the collapse of civilisation, to failure and to the limitations of humankind's endeavours. They ask questions: "What if...?"
There is an abandoned amusement park in Doctor Who, 7x12 "Nightmare in Silver". I think the park covered an entire planet - or perhaps a moon? - but I can't remember.
(Note: This is more about what Doctor Who should have done than what it actually did, so... no real spoilers.)
I loved the components of this episode: the eerie abandoned park guarded by a platoon of soldiers who looked more like geeks than soldiers; the kids Clara looks after insisting on coming along for an adventure; the secret about Porridge's (Warwick Davies) identity; Clara suddenly being responsible for coordinating a defence; the ethical dilemma about how the platoon were expected to fight the Cybermen; the Doctor's chess game with the cyber-brain, fighting for control of his own body.
However, the episode was not long enough for any of these elements to be thoroughly explored (with the possible exception of the chess game, which was fabulous). Nor was there enough time to really get to know the characters.
This is the first episode where I have thought "This really needed to be a two-parter."
And that's what I have been missing this series: the lack of two-parter episodes. Character-focused or quirky stories (like "Hide" or "Blink" or "The Girl Who Waited" or "Father's Day") can be nicely told in the space of a single episode, but big epic stories are often better if they're told across two episodes. That way, there's still room for character-focused moments.
As for the series finale, "The Name of the Doctor" had elements I liked (including, but not limited to, an appearance from River Song) and elements I was less thrilled about. The Mystery of Clara is explained but it answer seemed a little anti-climatic, given how much the series has been going on about it. Ultimately, I think it is because I like my mysteries to be like murder mystery novels, with clues to the answer hiding in plain sight. No was no satisfying
This also applies to the villain of the piece. Not enough clues, Moffat!
It also ends on a confusing note. I would say a cliffhanger, except it doesn't feel very cliff-hanger-y because it is just too confusing... hopefully all will be answered in the 50th Anniversary Special later this year?
I think io9's review called "The Central Problem With Steven Moffat's Doctor Who" got it right: If you've been enjoying this season, you'll probably enjoy "Name of the Doctor," and if you've found the direction of the series a bit frustrating, then this episode, too, will frustrate you. The most surprising thing about "The Name of the Doctor" is how unsurprising it all feels - it's exactly what you expect from Moffat, at this point.
Anders then goes on to look at the problems caused by Moffat placing the Doctor at the centre of the universe, and how this gives rise to Nazi-esque villains for the Doctor to defeat.
She doesn't mention the biggest problem from my perspective: how the Doctor's companions and other secondary characters are treated. I think they - and their concerns - need to be more central than epic plots. They're not just there to keep the Doctor company and save him when needed.
The review on Tor.com points out: If there is one overriding failure to this recent half-season of Doctor Who, it’s that Clara hasn’t been given any characterization aside from the mystery of her multiple selves. We don’t know why she travels with the Doctor or why either of them are as devoted to each other as they seem to be. Clara sacrifices her life for the Doctor in this episode, but we don’t know her well enough to know why she would.
I disagree that Clara has not been any characterisation, but I do think it hasn't been enough. And I agree that because we don't know enough about her life, when she offers to sacrifice it, we do not really understand what she is offering to give up. Unlike other companions, she's not travelling with the Dcotor 24/7 - just every Wednesday evening. Her ordinary life is therefore a big part of her life, and we need to know more about that. Furthermore, we need to know what the Doctor means to her.
(Clara hasn't been around for previous series. She's seen less of him than we have.)
The problem here is really that this has been Part II of Series 7, and not an entire series in its own right. Eight episodes, instead of the usual 13. If there had been more episodes, there would have been more time to get to know Clara.
(Rose makes a similar sacrifice to save the Doctor at the end of series one in "The Parting of Ways", but we had seen the close relationship she had developed with the Doctor, and seen how travelling with him had changed her life - and how it had changed Rose herself, what she wanted and what she considered herself capable of. We haven't seen this was Clara.)
So I came up with an idea for how this series should have gone. A 13-episode series usually allows for three double-parters. So, if some of the existing stories were turned into double-parters, that would allow for two extra episodes. These were needed on either side of "Nightmare in Silver".
The first one would be a London-based adventure which gives us an insight into Clara's everyday life and relationships, demonstrates what she's capable of when she has to deal with the extra-terrestrial without the Doctor's help, and finally shows how the kids she looks after came to convince the Doctor to let them into the TARDIS. Perhaps they help solve this mystery and so get a trip in time as a reward?
Bonus: When they're placed in trouble in "Nightmare in Silver", the audience might then actually care about them AND BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THEIR NAMES. (No, really, I'm good at remembering children's names and I'm extra good at remembering the names of fictional characters and I CAN'T REMEMBER THEIRS.)
The second extra episode, post-"Nightmare in Silver", would be focused on the relationship between the Doctor and Clara. I'd settle for either the Doctor and Clara having fun together, something which shows how much they enjoy each other's company or how well they work together, or else an episode in which they get into a fight. Because I like to see companions challenging what the Doctor does - he's not always right, after all - and to see how travelling with the Doctor opens his companions' eyes to different perspectives.
And having the Doctor and Clara resolve their differences would show the development of their relationship.
How the series would then look:
1. "The Bells of St John" (6)
2. "The Rings of Azkahen" (7)
3. "Cold War" (8)
4. "Hide" (9)
5 + 6. "The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (10). This is the usual place in a series for a double-parter and this episode was a mess. Except for the idea of exploring the TARDIS. I would have liked to see it transformed into a stronger story.
7. "The Crimson Horror" (11)
8. A London-based adventure.
9 + 10. "Nightmare in Silver" (12). This one really needed to be a double-parter, as previously mentioned.
11. Clara and the Doctor have adventures.
12 + 13. "The Name of the Doctor". My suggestion would be for episode 12 to be a straight-forward-seeming mystery which turns out to be part of a much bigger plot and leads into "The Name of the Doctor". (Like how the series one finale worked - "Bad Wolf" was about a futuristic game show and "The Parting of Ways" was about the Dalek's plot to take over.) Or... I don't know. Something!
Er, anyway... This is how my brain works. If there's something wrong with a story, I like to think about how it should have been.
Clara is apparently going to be in series eight, so hopefully we will get to know her better next year. I'm not holding out much hope for the 50th special, which is going to feature two Doctors, and someone somehow connected to them, and Rose Tyler, as well as Clara.