#save me ncuti gatwa as the doctor

[robiniswriting]

when people start complaining about episodes of doctor who I know they’ve lost sight of what makes doctor who good. what makes doctor who good, you ask? the fact that it is, in fact, kinda bad. its camp!!!! its filled with kinda whack cgi and fake looking aliens and the occasional script that is so deeply emotional you get whiplash. that’s what makes doctor who good!!! its silly!!!!!!

[the-patrex]

Orange and Blue

[i-amusemyself]

[b-h-art]

everyone making memes about how the doctor loved david's face he had to wear it twice and also didnt want to leave it either times,where's the memes about when was forced to leave it the second time he just said sike and bigenerated

[smilingaspera]

Right so obviously that was great and that find me and everything. But the dance scene and the emotion and everything just had so many « Captain Jack Harkness » vibes like sorry ? The dance the doom the separation ??? Now I wanna watch Torchwood all over again omg

[freuleinanna]

I have rarely related to any doctor more than 13 because for someone having soo many feelings she's so chronically emotionally unavailable and scared of intimacy EVEN THOUGH SHE WANTS IT, honestly she's like a half-drowned cat hissing at air because it dares keep her alive, it's pathetic how she exudes second hardest sopping wet vibes after 10 (also second hardest gramps is not okay vibes after 12)

that being said, she gets go have a lifetime of healing. and maybe one day I'll find that I've dragged my feet forward enough to come home too

[chemicalarospec]

Episode of Doctor Who. They go back in time. It's the Cold War. They're in Moscow. They meet a guy. He's British. Somehow the Doctor extracts the information that this is Jeremy Wolfenden. "Wolfenden? Of the Wolfenden Report?" Doctor does his 'excited to meet a historical figure' routine. Jeremy clarifies he's the son. Ruby asks what the Wolfenden Report was and it's explained, including (whispered as an aside because "spoilers!") that it led to the (incomplete) legalization of homosexuality in 1967 -- that rings a bell for Ruby. Jeremy talks about his relationship with his dad and the fact that he's gay. Ruby tells him about aromanticism because "he did not believe in romantic love and rather despised those who did, especially gays". Wolfenden is drinking a lot. The fact that's being triple-played by the KBG, the CIA, and MI6 comes up.

They have to leave but promise to meet again, perhaps to finish a discussion -- maybe Ruby gets a sudden call from her mom (Ruby is bisexual, contrasted with the Wolfendens' relationship), maybe there's a whole other parallel plot going on this episode -- maybe Ruby's trans friend is going through a rough patch and also having alcohol issues and that's the emergency. "I heard he had a bad personality, but wow, he's really a character, isn't he?" "He's absolutely insufferable. But somehow I feel a little sorry for him."

They come back, but the TARDIS is a bad navigator. They're in a DC hotel bathroom. Jeremy's on the floor. "Oh my god, Doctor! We have to help!" "Ruby, Ruby no-- he's-- he's dead." Was it the CIA? Sonic scan. No, liver failure from all the drinking. The Doctor begins to turn away, eyes misting. "Doctor, what-- what year is it?" It's 1965. He never even lived to see his dad's report put into law. The Doctor, a homosexual, is devastated. Gatwa gives us a SOLID 15th Doctor cry.

Maybe that's the ending, this is: His wife becomes relevant (probably appears and sees the body, maybe Doctor mentions her). "His WIFE?" Ruby exclaims. "Yes, I remember now he got unexpectedly married when he transferred to DC... I guess there are some things about his life that aren't for us to know..." the Doctor says, and they leave. If there's a parallel plot about Ruby's trans friend, positive ending after.

[spaceacekid]

Sometimes I'm sad and then I remember new doccy who next month and I feel better

[unexpectederawhilesubmitting]

WARNING: DOCTOR WHO SPOILERS EXPLAINING REGENERATION SHENANIGANS

-------------------

okay so I was kind of not on board with the concept of bi-regeneration, mainly because of how it seemed like all of the Sad and the Trauma that the Doctor had undergone got kind of handwaved away? i'm all for ncuti's Doctor being sort of a fresh start/jumping on point for new viewers, but i didn't get how that could work if like, literally 40 minutes ago he was David Tennant being a sad wet puppy dog of a man

however, after rewatching it, i've realized what i think happened there, and it goes all the way back to something introduced with the 4th doctor's regeneration that was never explained: the Watcher

^this spooky guy

so, for those that don't know (or haven't seen every episode of a show that is over half a century old), the Fourth Doctor regenerates at the end of a story called Logopolis (he falls off a satellite dish, but that's not important right now). all throughout the episode, this weird figure, The Watcher, stands off in the distance, and even intervenes slightly by saving the Fourth Doctor's companion. there's not much given in the way of an explanation until the Fourth Doctor regenerates, saying "it's the end. but the moment has been prepared for..."

the watcher walks up, and gets absorbed in a super rad 1980's digital effect (never change doctor who), while his companion just gives us the not-super-helpful-for-lore statement "He was the Doctor all the time!"

then, in a crossfade, the Doctor goes from Four to weird-powder-man to Five

canonically, the Watcher is explained as a future version of the doctor that comes about in sort of a weird overlapping thing with the doctor's timeline, it's very wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey.

-------------------------

SO what does this have to do with biregeneration and satisfying character arcs/moving on from trauma?

Well, remember, Fifteen said this, about Time Lords doing rehab out of order:

so, here's the thing: Fifteen is the Doctor AFTER Fourteen (duh, I know?) But to be clear...Fourteen lives out an entire lifetime with Donna and family, gets to a ripe old age, and then, when his lifetime of healing is over, he gets yeeted back through his own timestream just to zoot himself out of David Tennant's chest.

Remember, his first words to Fourteen (after popping out of his chest) are "So good to see you! So good!", not the RTD classic "what?". He greets himself like he's almost expecting this, he then says "does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?" which only makes sense if he's coming from a different point in his own timestream (remember, when two doctors interact, memory gets really weird, 10 and the War Doctor don't remember the events of Day of the Doctor until they live through them as 11).

SO TO BE CLEAR: Ncuti Gatwa is playing the Doctor AFTER he has spent years healing from his traumas. His Doctor is fine because Fourteen takes the time to rest and work on himself.

tl;dr: I didn't like biregeneration at first because I thought it looked like this:

In actuality, it looks more like this:

[fallenrocket]

I can't stop thinking about the Doctor's reaction at the end of "Dot and Bubble." That penny drop moment, the stunned laughter followed by the scream of futile anguish followed by the silent tears. Fantastically played by Ncuti Gatwa, and for me, it's a reaction that absolutely makes sense for this situation and this Doctor.

First of all, of course the Doctor wants to save them and gets desperate when they won't let him. Of course he does--that's just who the Doctor is. We've seen them save vile, self-serving humans before, we've seen them offer Sycorax and Rachnoss and Daleks a last chance. No matter how these people have treated him or what they think of him, he still wants to be able to save them.

I keep thinking about how his laughter gives way to a scream. That's very fitting for his Doctor in particular. For all of Fourteen's "rehab," it's clear that Fifteen still has his issues, and I've seen them in the moments where he shouldn't be smiling. The way he briskly tells Ruby that Gallifrey is gone, the way he seems to shrug off not knowing whether Susan was killed with the rest of the Time Lords. It makes a lot of sense to me that he would laugh before he would scream.

Then too, there's the laughter being in part due to his surprise. The Doctor knows they've been Black before, because Thirteen met the Fugitive Doctor and saw the hints of their pre-One past in the Matrix, but he doesn't have those actual memories of the experience of being Black. He's not used to walking around in this skin, with this face. I'm sure he noticed how rude and distrustful Lindy was to him, but he didn't catch why. Not until the end. And it's so dumb and hateful and pointless and absurd, and she's going to die because of it, so in that very first moment, what can he do but laugh?

Finally, I've also been thinking about Ruby crying for him, wanting to comfort the Doctor but knowing she can't make it better. Millie Gibson does a beautiful job as well, capturing Ruby's reaction to a tee without drawing focus from Ncuti's powerhouse performance.

[robiniswriting]

shoutout to ncuti gatwa for being the most doctor ever. I cant elaborate he’s just so the doctor. THAT’S HIM!

[timelordgifs]

I don't care what you think. Okay? You can say whatever you want. You can think absolutely anything. I will do anything... if you just allow me to save your lives. If you'll turn away, ladies. Before you're contaminated. Look, you will die! Out there! And I can save your lives! Now let me!

NCUTI GATWA & MILLIE GIBSON as THE DOCTOR & RUBY SUNDAY in DOCTOR WHO

[arcadialedger]

I think we need to talk about Ruby’s reaction to the end of Dot and Bubble.

Because yet, the Doctor’s meltdown and frustration is incredibly well portrayed by Ncuti. His astounding sympathy and longing to save these people’s lives even after he realizes what is going on. But Ruby? There was something in her character I didn’t exactly get from the Doctor. And that’s… anger. A distinctly human anger.

Anger not only when she realizes why she was able to get through to Lindy when the Doctor couldn’t, but a very personal anger at the horrifying reality of racism and seeing firsthand that even in this futuristic society it still persists.

And it’s so good for her character not only because she’s obviously anti- racist, but because this is a girl who was adopted and raised and loved and cared for by a black family. And these people not even affectively, but concretely, just told her that they think that love and support is disgusting. They think her family is wrong for existing. They think Ruby is wrong for having a family and a home.

It’s absolutely vile. And to be clear— the Doctor’s reaction is just as nuanced coming from the inside as the person of color and just as important, played to perfection by Ncuti Gatwa. This is not me trying to take away significance from the actual POC character when dealing with themes and instances of racism. I just find it brilliant and think it deserves to be talked about as well.

[ordinaryschmuck]

The way Fifteen says "I can save all your lives! Now Let me!" I see EVERY version of The Doctor screaming that. Even that laugh followed by a scream of rage, that seems like something most of them would do.

To me, it proves how Ncuti Gatwa does such a great job at bringing out every aspect of every Doctor, yet still making the performance his own through HIS distinct mannerisms. It shows that The Doctor isn't limited to one gender or race and that no matter the face they have, their spirit and personality remains partly intact. The only thing that could and WOULD change is circumstance.

The ending of "Dot and Bubble" would not have worked so efficiently if it wasn't played by Ncuti Gatwa. His race is the very reason those twats decide to become pilgrims instead of letting him help. They would have trusted any previous version of The Doctor, even if he had a companion of color. But because it was Fifteen and he's black, they don't trust him, meaning that The Doctor can and will face prejudice if they look a certain way. If they're not prepared for how people will react to how they look, then the result is...exactly like the end of "Dot and Bubble." Disappointment and rage over the fact that these people will refuse his help because The Doctor doesn't look like them. It's disgusting and yet you know it's something The Doctor had to go through in order to understand how he has to help others in the future.

It's what makes Ncuti Gatwa channeling previous Doctors into his performance so effective. It's a character who was predominantly white realizing that the job isn't going to be easy now that they're Black. It adds an extra bit of heartache to an already heartbreaking moment.

[bennie0315]

I will be thinking of the end of dot and bubble for awhile I think, because like that ending was incredible. It was genuinely shocking and ncuti gatwa's acting was suberb. Here are these rich snobby kids being out right racist and instead of being like yeah OK racists go die, the doctor is fully like I don't care just please let me save you. Literally begging them to let him save them and they just laugh and leave and all he wants is to save them, just that and that was a doctor moment if I have ever seen one. Like that definitely has to be one of the most doctor moments out there, you can say what you like, do what you like, just let me save you. Please.

[group-dynamic]

Spoilers for Dot and Bubble

Can't stop thinking about the ending of Dot and Bubble

Can't stop thinking about the doctor being rejected even when he's trying so hard to save them. That, yes, his compassion is wider than the horizon, but his pain of not being good enough explodes into disbelief and strange acceptance that all he can do is laugh and scream. How this plays into that core theme of the season: that he and Ruby share feelings of rejection and loss of identity from begin abandoned as children: a fear that they have something about them that they can't control that makes them unlovable and that's why they were abandoned. That his fears are proven true in a very real and visceral way in this moment. This is his 73 yards, but unlike Ruby's rejection being so far away and blurred, his is direct and devastating and painted on him by race. And this maybe shouldn't work. Because what is the Doctor's experience of blackness, really? How does that really relate to his rejection in the context of the show? So far, it doesn't beyond the context of this episode. . .

Except, the Doctor is played by Ncuti Gatwa.

Ncuti Gatwa who was cast to play the doctor and summarily rejected by so many fans and non-fans of the show simply because he is a black man. That his race mattered so much to them: these white supremacist, chronically online monsters who hate him so much that any calls for reason, any reassurance of no matter what you say or feel I am here to be the Doctor, to be this hero, to carry this legacy, and I am here, waiting to take you with me on this journey because I have that much love and that much potential for forgiveness and I want to be and will be that hero for you.

And they say: no.

I can't stop thinking about the ending of Dot and Bubble.