#this...almost feels like RTD's intention

[intuitive-revelations]

I'm not really a DoctorRose shipper, but here's a very unlikely but still technically possible thought:

If, per The Legend of Ruby Sunday, Susan really is the daughter of a future child of the Doctor...

...and her original name really is "Arkytior", ie. the Gallifreyan equivalent of "Rose"...

...there's an argument to be made that, like Rose Temple-Noble (ironically, herself arguably a relative of the Doctor in a roundabout way, via the metacrisis), Susan might have been originally named after Rose Tyler.

[sometimesraven]

I would like to mention I don’t give a fuck about canon. There’s no such thing in this show. What I care about is respect.

I saw someone say that this move by RTD cements Ten as one of the “best doctors” and that it’s a huge show of respect to Tennant.

But that is so disrespectful to the other Doctors?? That point exemplifies exactly what’s wrong with it in my opinion.

Yes, the episode paid lip service to the 15 years of writing since RTD and Ten left and a little more lip service to the eras before.

Yes, the idea was that an entire regeneration cycle has ended and been given closure, hell I’m even willing to headcanon that this happens to the Timeless Child after every cycle as a way to cleanse the trauma or something idk. I don’t care about the bigeneration, it literally means nothing to me as a concept.

But.

He chose Ten’s face; he explicitly chose the face of one particular Doctor (the Doctor HE WROTE and gave the least graceful regeneration) rather than just giving this storyline to the current Doctor as a way to pass the torch and acknowledge the sheer amount of pain and growth the Doctor has been through. By specifically choosing to go back to the most marketable Doctor between two of the hardest to market Doctors (due to bigotry and the fear of change that HE CONTRIBUTED TO FIFTEEN YEARS AGO), RTD has implied that Ten deserved more time and more closure than any other Doctor.

He’s undercut Ncuti’s debut for some fanwank over his own literally dead creation. He’s disrespected everything that regeneration has come to represent. That is why I have a problem with it, not because it “breaks canon”. Fuck, I was even warming up to the Timeless Child idea because whatever, who cares, it is what it is.

Literally, if the 60th had followed the same storyline but with Jodie instead I would accept it. I might even love it. I still wouldn’t particularly feel the anniversary vibes but I have no problem with the episodes in theory, but the decision to make it Ten feels cowardly at best, almost malicious at worst. I don’t think it was actually malicious, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think RTD thinks ahead enough for that and I think he genuinely loves what he does. But intention and impact are very different things and RTD does not adequately consider the impact of his actions as a writer in my opinion.

I just. Y’all were down Moffat’s throat every time he seemed even slightly self congratulatory but this is what y’all allow? Arigh’ then

[edwardshundredyearoldspunk]

I always like to start my viewings of the christmas invasion with the children in need special. up until a few years ago I had no idea a lot of people didn't know this minisode existed. I genuinely can't imagine being dropped straight into the christmas invasion with absolutely no idea what's going on. plus, you miss out on some pretty major tenrose flirting if you skip it, which is such a waste.

overall, the christmas invasion is a pretty big favorite of mine. there's not a lot all that interesting plotwise but off the top of my head, it's one of the few christmas specials that's companion centric for almost the entirety of the episode. I think this was largely intentional, given this was the first time in nuwho history that the doctor would be regenerating. rtd seems to lean quite a bit on using the companion as an audience stand in, which I generally think is a good choice. I do wish rose had exercised a bit more agency in this episode though. I don't think I'd ever noticed how little of it she actually had in this episode until I viewed it in isolation.

but I can't complain too much because billie piper looks pretty and david tennant is all hair and I'm bisexual 🤷‍♀️

plus, as a major time petals shipper, this episode just really nourishes me. how the doctor and rose are both worried the other won't want them anymore; the doctor taking much needed time out of his "save the world" routine to flirt with rose; the heart eyes these two are giving each other! aaaagh it's all just a very happy time for them, which they very much deserve, given how series 2 goes.

I also never took the time to realize just how context heavy almost all the christmas specials are. you'd think they'd try to make a christmas special a bit more accessible, given how many people might just want to tune in for a bit of christmas fun once a year and then never think about it after. but the first christmas special is so dependant on understanding the core relationship between the doctor and rose: they're in love.

but. I'd also argue, you'd also have to know rose's backstory to really grasp the arc of their relationship in this special: why rose is struggling so much with the doctor's regeneration.

I've often wondered what rose tyler was doing trapped in that parallel world, and the answer was right there already. rose's abandonment issues regarding her dead father really give some beautiful context for why the doctor regenerating feels like a death to her. in one scene, the doctor is quite literally right in front of her as she breaks down from the pain of her feelings of abandonment and grief.bI think she was probably doing exactly that: breaking down in her mother's arms, feeling abandoned by the doctor, even if she logically understood that's not what happened. her motivations for fighting to get back to him were about wanting to be with the person she loves, but given how much the doctor feared rose wanting to stay in that parallel universe once she found out her dad was alive there, part of me wonders if 1) she would have come around to living without the doctor if she hadn't experienced that wound so fundamentally, and 2) the doctor knew this, even if she didn't.

I don't think this has to take away from how in love they were, but I do think it explains why the doctor pushes rose away for so much of series 2 despite their fairytale-esque early start in the christmas invasion.

anyways! onwards! pain (the runaway bride), here we come.

[thattimdrakeguy]

HOW NCUTI GATWA STOLE (THE SHOW AT) CHRISTMAS.

Gonna be honest, do not care how brash it sounds, Ncuti Gatwa is already my second favorite Doctor. A perfect mesh of fantastic performance and good writing.

Both him and RTD just deliver what's their in my head as the 'Doctor-y bits', the things that make any incarnation of the Doctor feel like the Doctor. The stuff that if lacking can make me not care for an incarnation, or really like an incarnation.

They nail that base of the character while adding new things to make the new incarnation unique and it's wonderful.

The Doctor is an enigmatic, scientist, time traveling, adventurer, investigator, that's so eccentric. And while some criticize RTD for making the Doctor's a bit too human, I personally think he's always been very good at writing Doctor's that feel like aliens who've been around humans for hundreds of years...which is who the Doctor is.

And it makes the Doctor so wonderful.

Never liked when people say some Doctor's don't feel alien...simply because they aren't standard socially awkward. 'Cause that always felt a bit unintentionally mean spirited. There's lots of human's that are bad at social cues and stuff. A lot of them are just plum Autistic. It doesn't make them alien.

RTD makes his Doctor's feel alien by the obvious experience the Doctor has that's above any possible human. Knowledges and sciences above what we human's even know. With enough eccentricities with the way they socialize that show they're so used to being around actual aliens that they're pleasantly surprised when something unusual shows up, and they're right at home alongside it.

Now all that stuff I described is almost constantly there...'cause it is the Doctor'y Bits, but it feels more pushed to the forefront with RTD. While other writers either don't make those the elements that stand out, or they write them in a way that feels...it's hard to describe...But sometimes that stuff is written in a way that feels parody. When I feel like the humor is natural 'cause, 'Who the hell can say they done all this'. It could be a directing or performance thing over writing. It's hard to pinpoint. While focusing too much on making the character quirky to the point they feel a bit too over-the-top to mesh, or possibly maybe even inconsistent with other parts of the characterization that's been established.

It's a magnificent balance in the latest special is what I'm saying.

And thanks to the beauty of the writing, Ncuti gets to play a three dimensional Doctor right off the back. His serious side, his silly side, his teasing side, his self-doubting size, his scientific side, his adventure loving side. It's all there, and he betrays it so convincingly. It somehow feels like he's already done a full season when this is his first episode as the main Doctor.

And the episode was a total breath of fresh air.

The first three specials were amazing, and already among my top favorite episodes of Doctor Who. But by nature they were an epilogue to a story already started. Which is what made them fantastic.

But on the differing side of the coin is this special, where it's to begin a new on, in a new era, in an episode that's a truly great starting point for new viewers that may not understand the sort of show Doctor Who is.

I've seen some people say it doesn't work as that 'cause it's goofy.

No it's perfect 'cause of that. You shouldn't watch Doctor Who not expecting camp sensibilities. Even at it's most serious, the show still has elements of camp, it's just rather or not it's intentional lmao

Also Millie Gibson is insanely convincing right away. I never seen her in anything, while keeping some faith, since so far RTD has been sort of my man when it comes to Doctor Who, I consistency enjoy his choices. But like, wow, she was genuinely the stand-out to me, above even Ncuti in some ways, because obviously the Companion isn't going to be as naturally interesting as the Doctor is, since the Companion is supposed to be a more average person, while the Doctor is...the Doctor. To make the companion stand out as much as the Doctor is insanely hard...especially when Ncuti is a show stealer by showing up alone from his charisma.

Her performance was amazing though.

I've never been so impressed by a companion's performance (Anymore so than another) before like I was with Millie.

[insomniac-101]

What do you think of those who think the doctor fell in love with Madame de Pompadour ? I see tons of people take this story for one of the greatest romances of Doctor Who and I just don't understand why ? I mean, the doctor has a casavona personality, partly because he modeled himself after the type of man he thought Rose would like. Most of her flirtations are also all blondes, like Rose. The episode follows when he realizes that one day Rose is going to die and that he loves her, as he agrees to take Mikey, Rose's current boyfriend on board ! The doctor is not in a relationship with Rose at the time, but clearly loves her and having accepted Mikey on board, must have tried to be a minimum of respect. Especially since good... me too if Madame de Pompadour in person had kissed me like that I wouldn't have said no, and probably flirt.. It's literally like meeting one of the celebrities you have a crush on !

Hello! First and foremost, thank you for the question!<3<3 I absolutely love seeing all these perspectives and I feel truly honored that you chose to ask me:)

That being said, the reason why that story interpretation is so popular is partly because the episode's writer, Steven Moffat, stated it was so (in the confidential I believe, though I could be misremembering). Thus with him being the main writer for the episode, people take it for what it is. 

I think it all comes down to personal interpretation/ how much agency one gives to the intention of the writer- so for that very reason, I don't really feel any sort of way towards people who feel otherwise (unless they use it to invalidate the importance of Rose as a character, in which case, I do get annoyed haha) because there is indeed a drastic difference in the way that both RTD and Moffat interpret the character of the Doctor. So I think this episode being so divisive, is kind of a testament to that drastic gap in interpretations that occur (which is an interesting conversation in itself, but i’ll save it for a later post lol).

My take, is much like yours- I don't think the Doctor ever fell for her in return. Funny enough, how charitable I am towards the overall story of this episode, in particular, tends to change depending on my mood but I think I've seen it enough times to come up with an interpretation of my own that I feel flows well with the overarching narrative of the RTD era. (Though I must preface this by saying I have not recently rewatched the episode, so from here on out, I'm going straight off what I remember lol)

What some people see as love, I see more as a tragedy. Yet another unfortunate situation for all those involved because the Doctor is yet again left to face the inevitability of loss– how his duty as the Doctor does not lend him the same leniency that other mortals seem to have with their decisions.

I always felt the Doctor’s motivations for fighting for Reinette’s approval stemmed more from a place of trying to stroke his own ego. With his low self-esteem, he tends to gravitate towards people who challenge the negative perception he has of himself. To have someone so pretty and important fawn over him is flattering, and the fact that she doesn’t know him deeply is even more tempting- as it almost guarantees the last impression she’ll have of him will be positive rather than negative.

But that's just it- he likes the attention, and it serves as a temporary distraction from what he has with Rose, who's currently showing Mickey around. Another person who was partially brought along for a similar reason, to kind of serve as a buffer until he’s inevitably forced to confront what has yet to be addressed between him and Rose.

With the Doctor insisting on saving her, without the context of knowing she will become a major figure in history, she confuses his interest as attraction and acts accordingly. His appeal is the mystery surrounding him- how he's this figure who's heroic and caring, and she grows a fondness for him but never the real him, just the image.

I find it interesting how terrified the Doctor looks when she enters his mind, for that very reason. I think his fear is partially driven by the sudden vulnerability she takes out of him unwillingly, and it’s her lack of reaction at his horror that kind of drives the reading that she doesn’t really see him as a person but a fantasy. Because here he is trying to help her, and she takes the chance to violate a boundary of his without stopping to consider how he might feel about it in return.

For this very reason, I always thought their pull towards one another was more out self-serving reasons rather than a genuine connection- because if one wishes to stake their love on that little interaction they have, there’s never anything after that suggests that they genuinely like one another. Moreso, the fantasy the other seems to satisfy for the other.

So when he sacrifices himself, it's more to quell the guilt of messing with her timeline than love itself. Because with having left an impression on her since childhood, he now has to take responsibility for feeding into the belief that his reason for saving her is a selfless one.

Even if it is unintentional ( according to Moffat’s personal input, at least) some moments in the episode seem to validate this reading (that what Reinette and the Doctor feel for one another is not really love), mainly through the inclusion of Rose and the way she is used in this episode.

When he's on the other side, for example, and they're drinking wine- he never seems as invested in Reinette as he was when she was just another historical figure he was showing off to. He seems sad, and almost regretful of his decision, and you see him longingly stare at the stars, which coincidentally mirrors that of Rose's own scene, where she too blankly stares upwards.

Though it's not stated, the framing of this particular moment does seem to suggest that they are thinking of one another. To me, it cements that the motive to save her was not really one motivated by the prospect of living with Reinette but more, because it was the only real way to remedy the situation. He’s there out of duty, not out of free will.

When she leads him to her room, he seems distracted- not at all invested in what's happening. It's depressing how neither seems entirely content with the situation because even Reinette notices this shift in behavior. It breaks the fantasy, and when she prods and he refuses to admit what is quite obvious, that realization pushes her to show him the gateway that still remains. Because, in a way, it was a test to see if he’d choose her, and evidently, his reaction is brutally honest and nor one she wants if her expression is anything to go by lol.

His lack of interest in living with her is no better exemplified by the way he lights up (a stark contrast from the prior sadness he was seeping in) when he realizes there's a way back, and he goes to the other side, not even considering how Reinette would feel about it. The genuine confusion when he sees her sad- he seems to realize how callous his relief must have been and tries to find a means of remedying it. His offering to take her to see the stars is more like an olive branch of sorts. Something to distract her from the undeniable truth that he will never stay. Because if he had the choice- the person he's chosen to spend his life with is not her, but Rose.

Being stuck, with no means back to Rose, is what heightens his insistence to keep her with him in the episodes that follow. Because being deprived of the one person he loves, even for a moment, seems to make him realize that Rose is simply not someone worth losing and so he stops running. Or rather, where he runs, will always be alongside her and though he never voices his feelings, he shows them in other ways. Ways that only Rose, the person who knows him best and loves even the most flawed facets of his being, understands.

When he reads the letter, I always felt the expression on his face was more likely that of guilt than love. He feels guilty for having wasted so many of her years. Of having had Reinette wait for him to fulfill a promise that could only do so much to make up for what was a delay of the inevitable, her death.

His reason to mourn her is most likely spurred on by the realization that he never really knew her, considering how he spent most of his time with Reinette showing off. It must be sobering, even horrifying, to realize that someone put so much faith in him, only for him to disappoint them. How in the grand scheme of things, their absence doesn't change anything because they were put aside just as easily as they were including. Putting into perspective just how something as simple as the desire to be validated, could often have devastating consequences on those around him. It restricts him further, hardening his resolve that he must deprive himself of his temptations for a human life out of fear and in turn, only further drives his natural cynicism.

I think the major reason why I don't really like looking at this particular trip as a love story is because I feel it lacks a lot of substance. There's not enough evidence to convince me that they were ever in love, especially when competing with the overarching plotline with Rose that stems back to series one. Instead, I find the episode is far more compelling when one views it as a character study- where we see the Doctor stripped of all his more favorable qualities and indulge in something so selfishly human- his ego, only for the episode to end so tragically as a reminder that he's ultimately not human and can't get away with such a simple temptation.

(also I wish to clarify that when I say ego, I don't mean it as a bad thing. I think one of ten's more human qualities is that he often struggles to choose between the selfless and selfish choice, and it is something that is partially responsible for what drives his eventual spiral we see happen later on. His need for validation is human, and it's all the more tragic, given just how removed he is from humanity. It adds to the loneliness of his existence, where he is left to pine over what he can never have even if he so desperately wants it- which if you know me, I love that haha)

Had the story been anything other than a love story, I feel like it would have been more interesting and would have removed the troubling implications behind certain aspects of their romance. My biggest grievance with the episode is partly due to that, how half-baked a lot of the characterization feels (because there are many moments where you can almost see Moffat intentionally or unintentionally challenge Reinette's faulty perception of the doctor, as if shedding the rose-tinted glasses, but he never follows through. Which personally, only goes to fuel my dislike for the episode as a whole because what I love about the RTD era as a whole is that the Doctor is portrayed as imperfect. He's not above being criticized for his actions, yet this episode seems to only go on to glorify him as this saint and I just don't think that fits with what we've seen of this era but I digress), but I also think that’s why I partially enjoy talking about it. The beauty of fiction is that we can make do with certain aspects of a piece of media we like, and mold it to what we see as more fitting to the story. I may disagree with the notion that they were in love, because to me they never were, but I can make sense of them in other ways.

Hopefully that answers your question<3

[disney15ish]

Doctor Who: The Giggle and 60th Overall

For the most part I did enjoy that, but I do think the bi-regeneration needed a more in-show explanation.

First, update on my showrunner theory: Even if it wasn't intentional, it still seems to fit

The Star Beast: Family Focused Romp with a ridicolous looking creature (RTD)

Wild Blue Yonder: Mystery focused horror type story with creepier villains (Moffat)

The Giggle: Direct connection to Classic with both a returning villain and returning companion in regen story, contreversial change to canon, happy ending (eg not dying) for TARDIS team (Chibnall)

As for the bi-regen itself, when I first saw the leak I was disappointed, but I definitely think I see what Russell's implying: 14 lives gets to rest with the Noble-Temples then he does eventually turn into 15 and is brought back to this moment.

When 15 first appears, he says "I'm really, really, really me", which I think implies that it's post life with the Noble-Temples

Then 15 also has the "I'm fine because you fix yourself" which I personally think is good enough confirmation that is the case

Couple fun side notes:

One, it almost feels like Russell felt left out that he didn't get to make a canon changing event related to regeneration

Moffat: allowed The Doctor to get a new regeneration cycle

Chibnall: The Doctor had more faces before Hartnell

With that new regeneration cycle, and that above thing, it fits with my thing that I posted back a while ago that the new regeneration cycle, likely unintentionally since it's literally three different showrunners, is parrelling the first

12th (1st): Older, more sort-of harsh, gets kinder throughout character arc

13th (2nd) Younger, more joyful, revelation about The Doctor's past , finale deals with forced regeneration

14th (3rd): "grounded" on Earth with a group

15th (4th): TBA

Also fun caption mishap on Disney+. After the bi-regeneration happens , captions refer to Tennant in brackets as [Tenth Doctor]...

[vilelittlecritter]

I saw a thing about Russel T Davies wanting to make doctor who a "smiley show" and words cannot describe how badly that sentence irks me.

Doctor Who is a show I've grown up with since I was like 4, to say it has a special place in my heart doesn't begin to describe what it means to me.

It's a show that showed me that life is wonderful and full of so many amazing things in the most mundane of places. But it also taught me that it hurts, that no matter what there will be parts of your life were you will grieve, you'll fall, that pain might even drive you to do bad things despite your intentions.

But without that hurt you'd never appreciate everything good, you'd never learn, and that despite the pain it will pass as everything does. Taking away the drama and sad aspect of Doctor Who ruins the whole fucking point, Davies's first run was the absolute epitome of the point I'm making, episodes like fathers day and waters of mars are revered for good reason.

I just feel like this era right now is going full steam ahead on trying to be "the new marvel" and all the corporate monetized schlock that comes with it. It honestly pisses me off more than Chibnall's run.

I was hesitant with them bringing Rtd back for almost this exact reason, and frankly I don't want to see any of the old writers when the show moves on because they've had twenty years of their time. It's time for someone else to take over because one of the biggest points this show makes is change which is fucking funny because it's currently a stagnant nostalgia baiting mess.

I like Ncuti Gattwa and Milly Gibson, their phenomenal actors, but I can't say I like Russel anymore cause he just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There's more reasons I'm not a fan of him but to cut it short I think he's trying to make the show as big as it was in the 2010's through big investments and big flashy rebrandings instead of just trying to tell an actually engaging story.

Sorry for the rant but I do really think Doctor Who needs completely fresh writers. That or as terrible as it sounds some time off the air because it feels like we're truly beating a dead horse now, doctor who is never going to be as big as it was again without actual change.

[denimbex1986]

Doctor Who's third 60th anniversary special, "The Giggle," changes the Timeless Child twist from Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker's era, and makes it a lot better. Doctor Who's Timeless Child reveal was one of the biggest and most controversial retcons in the show's history, revealing that the Doctor was not a Time Lord of Gallifrey, but someone from another dimension entirely. In a way, the Timeless Child twist changed everything and nothing. It completely upended almost 60 years of Doctor Who canon, but didn't truly change who the Doctor was at their core, which is something that's clear from David Tennant's return to the role as the Fourteenth Doctor.

Of course, Doctor Who's 60th anniversary made some big changes and lore additions of its own. Most notably, that included Doctor Who's new bi-generation, replacing the standard regeneration by effectively splitting Tennant's Fourteen and Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteen into separate beings. There was also a new tease of what's to come, with the warning of "The One Who Waits" as the Doctor's next villain. Alongside all that, though, was a retcon of a retcon, with a new twist to the Timeless Child. Unlike the previous era, however, this is less divisive, and actually makes more sense.

Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary Confirms The Toymaker Was Behind The Timeless Child

As the Doctor and the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) settle down to play a game, the Doctor Who villain reveals his role in meddling with the universe and its history. And, apparently, that extends to the Doctor's own past. The Toymaker says: "I made a jigsaw out of your history. Did you like it?" Combined with references to playing a game with the Master - who was the one to reveal the truth of the Timeless Child to the Doctor - it certainly seemed as though Doctor Who was retconning the Timeless Child. In this new version of events, the Toymaker was the one behind it, all part of his fun and games.

That was then confirmed by showrunner Russell T Davies, via the in-episode commentary available on BBC iPlayer. He says this is part of the "loosening of the rules," going on to reference whether he was half-human as Paul McGann (the Eighth Doctor), and "is he a Timeless Child?" Davies' intention is basically to make everything quite simple: the Doctor is whatever people want him to be. It could all be true, and it can now all exist within the same canon, without one thing overriding the other.

The Toymaker Finally Clears Up Doctor Who's Timeless Child Confusion

Having the classic Doctor Who villain the Toymaker be the one behind the Timeless Child is a smart retcon, and makes the twist fit much more neatly into canon. The Doctor having been the Timeless Child all along was always too big a game-changer, altering the character's history on such a level that it couldn't be properly explained. Doctor Who canon has long been malleable, to put it mildly, but the Timeless Child created so many egregious plot holes and inconsistencies that having the Toymaker be the one to do it clears much of it up in an instant.

It also means the Doctor's original history, of being a Time Lord from Gallifrey, remains canon, which is particularly important for the 60th anniversary, as it feels more in keeping with the spirit and original intent of the entire show. Crucially, however, Davies avoids just completely shutting down the Timeless Child. Because it was such a big twist, then it had to be addressed in some way, but simply saying the Master was lying or some other get-out would've risked feeling a bit cheap, rather than dealing with the problem.

The handling of it here is clever in that it technically builds on what Chibnall did, using the twist and the Master's actions to further the story and make the Toymaker into a greater threat. It also allows for what could be perceived as hints to the Timeless Child in past stories (such as the eight Brain of Morbius Doctors) to still exist as such, only as the work of Harris' villain. Working with the Timeless Child was never going to be easy, but Davies' return to Doctor Who has actually made it interesting and just about fit into canon (as much as anything can).'

[rawwkfingers]

Logopolis

One thing I've really come to enjoy from watching Classic is the way its allowed me to recontextualize events in New. This serial singlehandedly made me more on board with both the Flux and the bigeneration and it honestly baffles me that RTD didnt put that connection into The Giggle, even in passing, to help pave the way for his idea

I know WHY he didnt, because he enjoys his happy headcanon that every Doctor got a happy ending. But since thats not in the show and thus not canon (yet) I'm choosing to believe that the bigeneration was a result of time almost eroding in the Flux, akin to the Watcher's presence due to entropy here

To be fair, I'm putting a lot of headcanon of my own here since the Watcher is just not explained. I dont even know if I'd have been able to draw that conclusion if I didnt have the bigeneration as a reference point. I do think this was the writers intentions with the Watcher, just poorly explained like a lot of the science of this serial was

In general, the writing was a little all over the place this serial. Tegan is simultaneously really well written, she has an immediate energy in every scene, while also feeling slapped together. Her total non-reaction to being swept off to a new planet beyond "I'm gonna be late for work" gave me whiplash but her reaction to her aunts death was great (tho that has more to do with Fielding's acting than the writing)

The Logopolis stuff was also poorly explained until we were given a crumb of "they keep the universe together" and the Doctor's decision to fix the chameleon circuit feels like it came out of nowhere

This was not perfect

However, I did like it a lot, mainly because of the various interactions with the Master. His teamup with the Doctor was great, with the Doctor's awareness this is how he dies palpable

And then the juxtaposition of them working together with Nyssa's realization her entire planet is destroyed, because of the Master (who is wearing her father's face!!!) Again, with the context of New Who, it really brings to question just how complicit the Doctor is in all the various war crimes the Master has committed

In a way, this all is a perfect farewell for the Fourth Doctor. His era had some of the strongest writing in the entire series (Ark, Genesis, Pyramids, City) while also some of the worst (Talons, Leisure Hive, Deadly Assassin.) Having a story with confusing lore but strong character work is very fitting

Baker really was great, but there was something about him that always prevented me from LOVING him the way I do Pertwee. Part of that is that I'm not a huge fan of Baker as a person, but I think the other part of that was the way the show moved away from the explicit political stories that I loved so much. I'm sure the worldbuilding stuff that the era was so focused on was fascinating for contemporary viewers, but as a newer fan I either already knew it or it'd been retconned and wasnt enjoyable

His energy was contagious though and I loved the way he brought a levity and joy to the show while also taking the serious scenes with complete seriousness. I remember reading that he agonized over making sure to do Genesis justice because it was such a strong script

His last season started off weak, but ended strong

1. The Keeper of Traken. Just a really, really strong serial on top of introducing Nyssa, who I love and would die for

2. Full Circle. Ever since his introduction where I compared Adric to Atreyu, I've loved the character so of course his first story is this high

3. State of Decay. As much as I love this serial for helping shift the way I view Classic as a whole, its actual plot is fairly standard which prevents it from being higher

4. Logopolis. All the character work is great, all the technobabble isnt

5. Warriors' Gate. I feel like Romana deserved better than the departure she for

6. Meglos. I just find it a little stale and boring, nothing bad but nothing good

7. The Leisure Hive. It was a fun concept but the absolutely horrific editing makes it unwatchable

The companions of this era are all amazing so it'll be hard ranking them but

1. Sarah Jane Smith. There was never going to be any other choice here ofc, she's the face of Classic Who companions for a reason. She steals every scene she's in I love her

2. K9. One of the rare instances where the silly mascot character is truly incredible. Every scene he was in was fantastic and I want one of my own

3. Romana II. Cute and charming snd immensely lovable. Every time she was on screen I wanted more of her

4. Romana I. I loved Mary Tamm's portrayal, she always gave the Doctor as much sass as he gave her and the way she always carried herself as aloof from it all was amazing. But the chemistry of Ward and Baker is unmatched

5. Leela. It pains me SO much putting her this low but she was always the type of character who I loved in spite of her writing rather than because of it. She never had any of the truly GREAT stories the others did

6. Harry. He's the only companion of this era I actively disliked I'm sorry

[jakemorph]

now that the novelty has worn off i think i would have to describe my feelings on the doctor who 60th anniversary specials as dubious. the star beast was great, but imo the subsequent two episodes felt unfinished; the tight writing you can usually expect from such a small scale sci fi show just wasn't there - something that's hard not to blame on the new inflated budget - and now all of that's just been compounded by RTD having stated that there are no plans for david tennant to come back again. like at risk of sounding obtuse if there are no further plans for the character why did he come back? i've got no personal investment in the idea of further returns from tennant, i've always been on the record as having said that if there is a doctor who would benefit from having his story revisited it's eccleston, but the bigeneration twist only made sense to me as an avenue for further david tennant stories in the "whoniverse" the bbc have been hyping up for over a year now. revisiting david tennant as the doctor has no value in and of itself. david tennant was the doctor who would not go away! he was given more closure than any other character on the programme could ever have hoped to be given! bringing him back achieves the exact opposite of closure by opening a hole that, as is now on the record, there is no intention of filling.

optics were an obstacle to doctor who's RTD2 era from the beginning. the excitement of the announcement that a black actor would take over the role for the first ever time was understandable dampened by the immediately subsequent twist that the next doctor was actually going to be david tennant for a second time! and with retrospect, i'm actually not convinced the content of the 2023 episodes managed to assuage these concerns at all? i understand, of course, why it was decided that a new face like gatwa's probably wouldn't be enough to carry the show's 60th anniversary all on his own; but the show has always found a way to remedy this problem in the past, usually by way of starring a more established character alongside the doctor of the time. instead of this, RTD's 60th anniversary relegates gatwa to what essentially amounts to a special guest appearance in the latter half of one out of three episodes. again, it's clear why nostalgia wins out over a disruption of status quo, here, but then why does the bigeneration twist happen at all?

it almost feels like a surrender to the fandom's conservative old guard; "if you're scared that doctor who is changing, don't worry! your favourite old (white) doctor is still out there, and he even has his own exact copy of the tardis!". and that makes the whole 60th anniversary feel like a surrender. perhaps, you could argue, the reappearance of the 10th doctor's face is for donna noble's benefit - it just wouldn't be the same if catherine tate had returned alongside gatwa rather than tennant, would it(?). but the very same episode seemingly has no qualms with reuniting tennant and bonnie langford, who both play characters who have literally never once shared the screen together; nor with any of the other classic characters tennant has been played against over the course of his doctor who career. the appeal to nostalgia just seems to come completely at gatwa's doctor's expense. none of which is to even mention this is literally the SECOND TIME ON DOCTOR WHO!!!!!! that RTD has "brought closure" to one of his female characters by leaving them with a clone of david tennant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE SECOND TIME!!!!!

[death-by-sc0tland]

like how can rtd talk about "how long did it take you to notice there were only white people" and how "diverse" tv is today meanwhile almost the entire writers team, production team and crew in general are white. same with an episode centered on a trans character having no trans people involved in the writing. even if there are good intentions, everything that rtd does can't help but feel incredibly performative because of all of this

i'm still baffled that an episode about racism had absolutely zero writers of colour. like what the fuck

[banoffeeflamingo]

I’m finally getting to season 11 in my Doctor who revival rewatch and...I’m kind of dreading it. Because in my mind, there’s been something missing from Doctor Who ever since Chibnall took the reigns as showrunner - maybe it’s the twist endings that aren’t just deus-ex-machinas, the more philosophical or experimental episodes, the companions with rich inner lives of their own, or maybe even just the horniness (which sometimes was too much but other times could be campy and fun.) But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m trying to dislike the era, far from it - I think Whittaker had the potential to be a phenomenal female role model for male and female fans alike, not to mention a breath of fresh air for the show in a general sense. But it’s just never worked for me. I wish it did, I wish that I was capable of forging such emotional bonds with the characters as I could with RTD and Moffat’s creations, yet as it stands I’ve thought the show almost unwatchable since 2018. I’m willing to give it another chance, if anything just for the sake of my rewatch, and I hope I come out thinking about things a little differently. For all intents and purposes Whittaker could have been my doctor (I was a pretty good age for it in 2018) and it’s just a shame that never worked out. I know everyone has their favourites in terms of doctors, and she doesn’t have to be mine (god knows I have enough bones to pick with Chibnall’s often frustratingly boring writing, and much more rarely Whittaker’s acting) though as a doctor who fan I feel I give it a fair shot, even if things remain the same. That being said, I might just not be able to.

[pastelaeqy]

headcanon dump below. they probably aren’t super original but I :)

I also just wanna mention a thought I had: I suspect we will b seeing morpho knight in a main game storyline in the next game, since he was gonna appear in the Kirby GCN (I assume this means they had quite a bit of lore and stuff to go with him so they’ve had him prepared for a while). also consider: Kirby RtD was the replacement. The next few games where meta knight is fought, he has yellow eyes. Basically my theory is that they didn’t want to have two characters with white eyes (probably so there wasn’t any conflicting lore idk) so they just went and changed meta knight’s because they deemed that the most plausible option. this also could actually serve as more proof of morpho being much more important to the lore of the series, even aside from his supposed appearances as a butterfly. I bet he is gonna have something to do with the warp star (concept for Kirby GCN was that dedede stole Kirby’s warp star so morpho was somehow involved) - Most puffballs only have one or two abilities, or can broaden magic use through one ability (eg galacta Knight’s attacks, for example, are all used through the base sword ability however aren’t limited to that). - Kirby is unique as he has the copy ability (which counts as one ability in itself rather than hundreds). it’s an almost legendary ability with no other recorded holders. Special baby boy.

- Although puffballs do have to consume a lot of food to deal with being partly composed of potent magic (as well as using it), Kirby has to consume sooo much more. he’s not a glutton (as the books describe), he is just hungry almost all of the time because he’s always beating the shit out of eldritch beings. The novels annoyed me so much with this aspect of Kirby!!!!!! he’s not that shallow!!! baby boy is just trying to physically cope with being able to slap the shit out of cult gods!!!

- Kirby’s copy ability works by basically inhaling an object/opponent with a specific magic signature, then concentrating it into a strengthened version of that ability Kirby can then utilise (hence his “infinite power”). - Kirby can’t deal with immense amounts of magic for a long period of time, as it also uses his own magic/energy up in the process. This is why normal copy abilities are fine for an extended period of time, and the super copy abilities have a time limit on them. (This is also why he can’t just go inhale void termina or some shit bc he would probably end up imploding. it’s also why the crash ability is single use)

- The super abilities basically involve Kirby combining a small amount of his own energy with the magic signature of the ability, and then concentrating it, producing a much stronger version of the original ability. Kirby probably ended up putting in a much larger amount of his own energy when trying to defeat magolor. (Ultra sword go brr)

- Puffballs eventually get wings at some stage in their life. They usually get them after a few hundred years but they can appear early if conditions are bad enough. Kirby’s will probably be feathered. I think the lore of the series will benefit from having two pink puffballs with feathered wings. pls also note the halberd mode robobot armour has softer looking wings, and the visor Kirby has on the star allies sparkler has little wings on the side of it.

- Meta Knight and king dedede did eventually get over their rivalry with Kirby. The events of KRtD were definitely a big part of it, and by the end of it they were probably pretty good friends. They both realised Kirby was way too strong for either of them to beat, and did have Dreamland’s interests in mind. Since Kirby is also only a kid they also felt compelled to act more adult-like, rather than trying to beat the shit out of a child.

- After the events of KRtD, king dedede basically invited Kirby, mk, and bandee to the castle for an overnight stay, since everyone was exhausted by the end of the ordeal. Although breakfast the following morning was tense at first, Dedede basically explained he wanted to formally end any rivalry he had with Kirby, and encouraged meta knight to do the same.Meta Knight still secretly wanted to beat Kirby at least once but the events of both planet robobot and star allies probably ruined it for him

- King dedede is actually a fairly competent leader, despite mainly just being a representative for dreamland as a whole. It did take him a while to grow into his role, but after he let go of his rivalry with Kirby he really settled in. He’s generally pretty placid on most days, and plays a lot of board games with the dees.King dedede invites bandee, Kirby, and mk for morning tea/lunch every now and then. The castle kitchen usually has to prepare at very least a day in advance to accomodate Kirby’s appetite.

- Kirby isn’t allowed more than 3 cups of tea or half a cup of weak coffee. the first time ddd ever invited Kirby for tea he did not consider how Kirby would respond to any amount of caffeine.

- Kirby is probably closest with mk, especially since Kirby knows mk looks very similar to him. He doesn’t ask mk about it though, as he sees that’s a very personal question.

- Mk acts as more of a very uninvolved father figure/mentor, mainly since Kirby is pretty independent and can defend himself.

- He regularly trains Kirby with the sword ability. Meta Knight used to originally do this to try and memorise Kirby’s attack patterns given that they may fight again in the future, but, as mentioned before, doesn’t do this anymore. He feels guilty about it.

-Meta Knight taught Kirby how to read. Kirby is a fairly proficient reader, although he likes to read cooking books the most because of all the pictures.

-Kirby is good at cooking, even without the copy ability.

- Meta Knight owns what could be considered a small library. Kirby is allowed to borrow a book or two for about a week at a time. He is forbidden from the horror section due to the one time where he accidentally chose a particularly scary one and wouldn’t leave castle dedede for a week.

-Kirby doesn’t speak in poyo. I don’t have much else to say on this. -Kirby can be a little shit on very rare occasions. Dedede tried to prank Kirby once by getting him to eat a very very spicy curry. Unbeknownst to dedede at the time, Kirby has a very high heat tolerance, and would probably have to eat something more than 1 million on the Scoville scale to actually feel distress. Kirby noticed that it was unusually hot, and that dedede was watching him intently. He pretended it wasn’t spicy at all, then persuaded dedede to try it.

-Dedede does not have a heat tolerance anywhere near as high as Kirby’s. 

[jamiemoriartes]

“[Moriarty] had hereditary tendencies of the most diabolical kind. A criminal strain ran in [her] blood, which, instead of being modified, was increased and rendered infinitely more dangerous by [her] extraordinary mental powers. […] [She] is the Napoleon of crime. [She] is the organiser of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city.”

— The Final Problem, by Arthur Conan Doyle

Hi everyone :) My name’s Sophie, I live in England, and I’m 25 years old! I currently have 2 jobs, and am studying a Masters in Book History, so apologies if activity is rather sporadic.

Here are a few of my favourite things: Elementary, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, RTD’s Doctor Who, Peter Pan, reading basically anything, every cat in existence, and vintage clothing.

And here are a few notes on my daughter, Jamie:

For those of you who haven’t seen Elementary, I apologise for spoilers. Consider yourself warned! (Also, please go watch it, because it’s the best adaptation of Sherlock Holmes ever. Seriously, Benedict Cumberbatch who?)

Jamie was born in Kent (I’m going to nail down a more specific location later!) to two mathematicians. But, though they imparted their clever intellects onto their daughter, they imparted little else. From a young age, nothing stirred inside Jamie Moriarty’s heart. She felt no empathy, no love, for anyone. To call her a sociopath would have been an insult to her, however -- she never hurt small animals, or attacked her classmates in fits of rage. Her lack of empathy wasn’t a burden, but a weapon, which she wielded.

During her childhood, she learnt quickly that it was best to act like everyone else, and she perfected a mask of friendliness and warmth which fooled most people. But, behind this mask of smiles and British politeness, she was the same calculating, cold, social chameleon.

She moved through her formative years with quiet ease, performing remarkably well at school, but always distant from her peers. Where she excelled was fine art -- she was able to put a pencil to paper and capture the likeness of anyone or anything with ease. When she had completed her mandatory education, she went on to study Fine Art at the prestigious University of Oxford, and from there, she became a contract fine art restorer, mostly lending her talents to the British Museum, but occasionally travelling further afield to take up work for other museums and galleries.

It was around this time that her criminal nature reared its head, and she began occasionally switching original paintings for her own copies. She always did this with arguably moral intentions -- the paintings would have been reframed, or deliberately filed down, were they go to back to their original homes. She was, arguably, saving the artist’s original works in their original form.

Quite suddenly, shortly after the death of her father, Jamie moved to America. She had no emotional ties to England, and was curious what America would have to offer her. So, she moved to Echo Springs. After spending her entire adult life almost constantly moving, it was a change of pace to stay in one small town, but she’s settled into life here very well, taking a job at the Echo Springs Museum as a fine art restorer.

The recent dead bodies in the woods haven’t disturbed her at all. She is intrigued, but, beyond that, completely unaffected. What plays on her genius mind more are the odd dreams she’s been having, of people she’s never met, and a baby girl, and carefully handwritten letters tied together with string, and pools of blood.

TL;DR: Jamie Moriarty is a fine art restorer, whose meticulously crafted polite and friendly persona belies a hollow and cold nature. She has a history of thievery, stealing irreplaceable works of art from various galleries and museums in England, but has yet to do that in Echo Springs. Check out her bio here, stats here, and potential connections here!

I can’t wait to write with everyone. Feel free to reach out to me on here, or on Discord, to plot, or just hang out!

[mintedwitcher]

(I'm super sleep deprived rn so I'm just going stream of consciousness style at this point, sorry in advance)

I agree that the TC arc definitely isn't a universally appealing plot arc. It's another one of those really divisive arcs where people either love it or hate it, like the "half human on my mother's side" thing from the classic era (iirc I think it's from the TV movie but I could be way off, correct me if I'm wrong), or any number of Moffatt plots. Hell, even the metacrisis thing is divisive among fans. Nothing wrong with that per se, just a difference in taste.

(Honestly if everyone in the fandom agreed about everything it really wouldn't be as much fun, would it?)

Anyway, as glad as I am that it wasn't just retconned out, I'm also glad that it wasn't the central focus. New viewers - who are, in the end, the target audience here - aren't going to know about the clusterfuck of the Chibnall era unless they look it up, so dropping these little hints throughout felt much more like, say, Nine's introductory episodes, where we were drip-fed these bits of information piece by piece. Which, since this is a soft reboot, makes a lot of sense, and since it's RTD, of course he's gone about it in the same successful way he managed with Nine. Maybe it'll develop further and RTD could do something better with it than Chibnall did, but it might also just become one of those background tidbits that the Doctor mentions at random. RTD really enjoyed doing that with Ten in particular, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's the route he chooses to take here rather than trying to dig into it.

I also agree with what you said about Thirteen being treated like a child, too. She definitely was infantilised frequently, rarely ever getting a stand-out Doctor Moment like her predecessors. She's almost always on the back foot, the last (or nearly the last) to know about most things. The writing of her run really undermined her, and I'll always be mad about that. I wish she'd had a better team behind her in the writers room because it would've made ALL the difference. I'm hoping that's not going to happen again with Ncuti but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

Honestly, having put a few days between writing this and seeing the special, the discomfort has faded enough that the episode just feels sort of hollow. It carries a plot of sorts but not one that stands up against scrutiny, unfortunately. Like I said in my original reaction, it's fine if you want something mindless, but that's just not to my tastes when it comes to Doctor Who. That's not why I watch this show, so it just didn't vibe with me.

(ETA: I'm genuinely sorry, I'm having a hard time deciphering your tone in that first part before the break. Would you mind elaborating? To me it comes across as sarcastic but I don't know if that was your intention. Sorry again, really.)

Still thinking about the upcoming Christmas special and how it really puts fans in a shitty position. On the one hand, it reeks of antisemitism with the involvement of goblin pirates singing about eating babies. On the other hand, if the special flops, they will 100% pin the blame on having a black queer Doctor and use it as "proof" as to why they need to stick to the status quo of having white cishet men play the Doctor, just like they did to Jodie.

I don't want to sit through a Christmas episode featuring blood libel, but I also don't want the first Black queer Doctor to fall flat because of bad writing choices.

(I also really don't like how seemingly the entire fandom is just... ignoring the antisemitism because the song is "boppy" like??? That's... uncomfortable.)

[oswincoleman]

I agree Jenna probably isn't just jumping at chances to return to Doctor Who, but I think that's mostly because she likes a lot of variety in her work. Sci Fi doesn't seem to be her favorite, but she doesn't seem opposed to it. It does seem she doesn't watch the show, but she doesn't seem to have bad feelings toward it either. 5 years later her insta bio still refers to it. She runs off in interviews to proudly show off her bit of TARDIS. Does online conventions since covid means no rl ones. 1/2

I’ll copy the second part of what you said here, to keep it all in one place: 

I think being offered the title role might draw her back. It's likely different enough to offer variety. And it's a big role that very few ever get to try their hand at. Unfortunately I still don't think it's likely. I think the BBC would be hesitant. Someone in power there seems to be listening to the haters of the Moffat era, and everyone associated with it, despite them not being as numerous as they are loud. And if Chibnall will still be around, he seems to have his dislike of the era. 2/2

For context, I think this was a comment on my post of the speculation of Jenna playing a 14th Doctor. 

Yes, I agree with most of what you said. She has changed her insta bio now, marking another step away from Doctor Who. But she is participating in the galaxycon virtual comic con later today, and as you rightly said, is still very proud of her piece of TARDIS and clockwork squirrel (and neon police box sign) that she took from the set. I think she treasures the time she had on the show, but I don’t think she has any intention of returning to it in any form at all. I think this can quite clearly be seen in how she talks about Doctor Who. If you look at other actors who have returned to the show, I think they have all spoken about wanting to return to it before they did, or at least shown some interest in the show as it currently stands. 

For Jenna, neither is true. She hasn’t watched the show, or stayed up to date with it after she left. As Jenna pointed out in interviews, what she liked most about the show is the relationships and characterisation that Clara had, and developed over time. I don’t think the scifi elements interested her at all. 

If you look at her great career after she left Doctor Who, she is predominantly interested in leading roles with interesting personalities and great development. So the only chance of getting her back would be for a role like that. And I don’t think that is going to happen, because she has already played such a huge role in the show. And even if some future showrunner would consider her to play the Doctor, I still don’t think that she would accept. The parts she did like about Doctor Who might not be there anymore, but the parts she disliked would almost certainly still be there. 

And about Chibnall, you are absolutely right. He really seems to either be, or to have surrounded himself with Moffat haters, doing his best to either ignore Moffat entirely, or reverse all of his decisions. He seems to believe to be the continuation of the RTD era.