My thoughts on Doctor Who Seasons 11 & 12:
A historian once said to me that you can't make history out of the XX century just yet, that we sre still too close to it, and that our own ideals are still to embroided in it to make actual sense on what happened. That's why I think it's too soon to have a completely well formed opinion about this two seasons, because I still lack the perspective of time, but I'm curious as to see how my thoughts change as time passes by.
My general idea is that I liked them, not as much as some other seasons, but I still managed to enjoy a lot of episodes, and this last season made me care a lot about the story and I thought the mysteries proposed where more than interesting. But, I have some notes.
I think the biggest issue with season 11 was that it didn't feel like Doctor Who, except for briefs glimpses in some episodes. I understand it was made to be a jumping point for new audiences, but if you remove the soil that makes Doctor Who you end up with no more than a series of elements that don't make sense by themselves. We had the TARDIS and therefore time travel, we had companions, we had an enemy force, but there was lacking something very important, it was lacking a Doctor.
I don't wanna shit on Jodie, because I think she has done the best she could with the material she was given, but sadly it wasn't good enough. It was very hard to think of her as the Doctor, and I think this has led a lot of people to assume it was because she was a woman, and that's just bullshit. It was very saddening to see how such a vital change, such an important evolution for a lot of us was frowned upon just because Jodie didn't have a good script, validating a lot of bigotry.
I think after season 12 Jodie has well proven that not only a woman could be the Doctor, but most importantly that SHE could be the doctor. It's very interesting to see that what makes the Doctor it's not their knowledge, it's not their abilities or intelligence, but rather that they have a very human nature, that they get angry and sad and mad, that not everything could be joyful, that they have a very heavy past and that makes them sometimes dark and mysterious. I loved how Jodie assimilated all of this into the most joyful Doctor we've ever had, and created such a multidimensional character from it.
Next note is about the companions. I realised something yesterday as I watched The Timeless Children, and it's that none of them actually faced the Doctor. I can't remember a single time when one of the three has defied the Doctor, and that makes them puppets in the hands of the Doctor. They are not companions, but marionettes, most of the time without own self awareness, made to advance the plot by carrying the most boring tasks.
I think the one that was truly remarkable was Graham. I honestly think that if he and Grace had traveled with the Doctor, just the two of them we could have had a very interesting story line about their love and Graham's Cancer, which honestly could have been some much more uplifting than what we've had through this two seasons. Also they could have included Ryan in a two-part or something like that to explain who he is and his story, and that would have been great; but his run on the show was way to extended for a storyline that didn't have that much juice in it.
Yaz on the other hand... Fuck she is just a big amount of wasted potential. Turns out her story was great(? but it wasn't properly explained. I get why so much people like Yaz and why they ship her with the Doctor, but honestly she deserved her own season and also being much more adventurous like Clara was. We got glimpses of that, but only that glimpses, and unlike Clara she never had the nerve to defy the Doctor, so, we had nothing in the end. I would have started Yaz storyline just in the middle of her depression, and have the Doctor show her that she did have a purpose, that she was great at helping people, and then end it at her becoming a policewoman. Again, wasted potential.
I think the biggest problem with Chibnall's writing right now is that he can make very interesting plot lines but he doesn't know how to explore them properly. He knows how to put the pieces together to form the beginning, but he doesn't know how to continue from there. And then there's the problem of him knowing very faithfully how he wants things to end, and so he doesn't let characters or plot lines grow by themselves and change and affect everyone involved. It feels like nothing matters because everything stays the same after he's done with a story, and thus seems like everything is static and boring. Furthermore the resolution of the plot mysteries dissolves in the air because of his writing, giving us the most unsatisfactory endings ever. It happened over and over again through the two seasons, and I just feel so mad that all of this wasted potential is hidden somewhere and that he doesn't know how to use it.
I think that Chibnall has improved greatly between seasons, but it's mostly because of the inclusion of old Doctor Who plots and enemies, and not so much because of things he has done himself. But, nevertheless, I'll grant him the great change in the Doctor and Graham, and the excellent work with the Master.
As a last note, Sacha Dhawan, was absolutely perfect. I don't think he's better than Missy, but that's just because I love Missy way too much. He was like the other side of the coin for Jodie, and he was just, I cannot say it enough, perfect for and in the role. Congrats to that casting decision and directing Chibnall.
For the next season, I just kinda want a change of companions, and knowing that Yaz and Ryan will not longer be there gives me hope into thinking that they will give Graham the boot too. I want to see Jodie in other mechanics with her companions, and how that could affect her. I hope she stays around for at least a couple more seasons, because she has only started to be the Doctor know and I think she deserves more time to be as memorable and great as the others.
