supeskenobi

[supeskenobi]

Ok

[supeskenobi]

#"i have no idea where he gets it from," says area jedi knight still picking glass out of his robes from leaping out of senator amidala's window earlier in the evening.

[supeskenobi]

After sleeping on "The Reality War", I've come to a sort of verdict on it: I don't think this episode can be properly judged without acknowledging the behind-the-scenes issues that heavily impacted it.

Specifically, Gatwa's decision to step back due to the postponing of a formal renewal of the show.

This image has been kicking around. It's a promo image from "The Reality War" of a scene that isn't in the final episode.

It's known that reshoots for the S15 finale took place in February. Based on what the rumours and leaks say, the episode originally had a totally different ending, involving that dance party. I've also heard speculation that it would have set up Poppy as a plot hook for the next season, and there would have been a cameo from Susan Foreman to set up the plot about her return that RTD has been teasing from as early as "The Devil's Chord".

It's clear that RTD and co. were expecting the renewal to come much, much earlier than it did, and that waiting until after S15 had broadcast was not actually the original plan at all. Gatwa gets fed up because he doesn't want to put his career on hold like this, so RTD quickly concocts a new ending with a regeneration.

Poppy was never, ever intended to be turned into Belinda's daughter in the original ending, but whatever RTD had planned for her, he clearly felt it would only work with Gatwa, and so he hastily wrapped that up while also setting up a regeneration. (Incidentally, this also may have left answers to the Belinda/Mundy resemblance hanging.)

As for the Billie Piper of it all? The reshoots being almost last-minute meant RTD didn't really have time to do a full-blown casting for a new Doctor, and he clearly decided to go for shock and spectacle (for reasons that have yet to be determined). I suspect he decided on this rather than a mid-regeneration cliffhanger as a way to have a more decisive cliffhanger, hoping that people will want to know why this happened.

I will also add that Piper probably isn't playing the Doctor: no official source up to and including the episode credits have referred to her as such, and the regeneration itself also looks off.

Although RTD bears some of the responsibility for the messy way things went down, he doesn't own all of it since the lack of decision on a renewal was clearly the inciting incident here. I do hope that someday we learn what the original ending was – it doubtless would have fit the story better. And it would have fit Belinda better as well.

At least we got Jodie Whittaker in a scene not written by Chris Chibnall. The way Thirteen is written there tells me that RTD hasn't completely lost his touch.

[supeskenobi]

After leaving Doctor Who, Chris Chibnall said that both he and the BBC struggled to find a replacement for him as showrunner. Hell he literally wrote up a list of pros and cons after being asked by Moffat and came away with twenty five cons and two pros, before taking the job. However seeing how the fandom treated him, Moffat and now RTD after this finale (and last year's) really makes me understand why is it a struggle and why very few writers want the job.

Aside from the grueling production (you work every weekend, every holiday, screw up meals with family or loved ones, put your own mental and physical health on the line, face constant pressure from the BBC and scrutiny from the press), who the fuck wants to subject themselves to the vitriolic attacks from Doctor Who fans on a daily basis? To have their writing critiqued is one thing, but to have their character attacked? What gives you that right? You don't know these people from Adam, yet the way fans talk about them, they might as well be Hitler or Stalin.

"We want fresh blood!" you cry! "We want a new showrunner!" you scream!. Well guess what? You would treat them the same way you've treated every other fucking showrunner/script editor/producer since Nineteen Sixty FUCKING THREE! It's only gotten worse since social media exploded during the Moffat era, but it's always been there. Do I need to pull out that clip from the Doctor Who Appreciation Society from 1986? Why must we go through this shit every year/series/Doctor/showrunner?

Remember this is the worst finale since the last one. This is the worst season since the last one. This era is the worst since the last one. This showrunner is the worst one since the last one. #RIPDoctorWho (1963-2017/2013/2010/2005/1989 ad infinitum). And don't get me started on those little Daleks who say the show should be put on hiatus or cancelled because you just know they'll be crying the loudest when it actually happens and will be hastaging #RestoreTheWhoniverse!

Don't worry, when Steven Moffat comes back for the Moffat Era II: Timey-Whimey Boogaloo (because let's face it, the next showrunner will be someone who has written for the show before and has an intimate knowledge of it and of the fanbase, both the positive and negative side to it) you'll be begging the BBC and (possibly if they're still involved) Disney to bring back RTD, like you did between 2010 and 2021. Once the new showrunner is firmly ensconced, those Rose Tyler tinted nostalgia glasses will firmly be back on. "Guys RTD II was peak Who!" Fuck me, this fandom is the ultimate Ouroboros.

If I was a writer, I'd stay far away from Doctor Who as much as possible, and that pains me because I love this show! But after the last decade of fandom, I can say I'd rather smear my genitals in honey and dangle them in front of a very hungry Winnie the Pooh, than write for Doctor Who. Blimey, you lot are slowly becoming the new Star Wars fans.

Look I am not arguing you can't have your criticisms or complaints about this or any other era of the show (I have mine to be sure), but the way some of you have been acting for a long while now; is down right disturbing and demoralising (especially here on tumblr. The endless hate boner for Moffat is just pathetic). At the end of the day, I feel that we get so caught up in the ups and downs of a TV show, that we forget that there are human beings behind those ups and downs, and how we speak about them online, is more often than not seen by creatives who would love to write for the show; but see the nasty things that are said about the current production most likely put them off ever taking the job. As every year passes, this fandom proves Mark Gatiss was right; being showrunner of Doctor Who is a poison chalice.

[supeskenobi]

"He tortured a refugee."

Yeah, the Doctor—also a refugee, also a genocide survivor—lost his temper at another refugee who was actively trying to commit another genocide.

It’s almost like the episode was… I don’t know… touching on the cycle of violence or something.

[supeskenobi]

all these arguments about the new harry potter casting but all i can think is that every person involved in the series has willingly signed up to work with such an outspoken transphobe

[supeskenobi]

you know how trump is compared with facism? the simpsons did it in 2005 (s17e8)

[supeskenobi]

the original got flagged with no way to appeal it when every contributor is deactivated but I will never let this post die. it's monday and we are getting on it cunts

[supeskenobi]

[supeskenobi]

Tomska on Twitter:

Tomska on Bluesky:

[supeskenobi]

I don’t like being referred to as a boy

[supeskenobi]

[supeskenobi]

there are two competing sects on this website - one that uses the word "spicy" to mean "neurodivergent" and one that uses the word "spicy" to mean "sexual content." i do not like either of them

[supeskenobi]

[supeskenobi]

I decided to look around on spotify and found this beauty

[supeskenobi]

[supeskenobi]