#wafflefest

To be honest, your experience of the reception to Thirteen’s era so far is clearly more positive than mine because from the start it has always appeared as if people’s attitudes towards it have been largely divisive – at least from what I’ve seen. I’ve been trying to articulate my opinion surrounding the fandom’s reactions to this era of the show ever since 2017, but seeing as it looks like this era could last for another few years, and with this ask popping up, I feel like now is a good time to talk about it. Excuse my rambling (although I feel like that’s pretty standard with my blog now 😂).

The fandom has always been pretty opinionated when it comes to new Doctors  being announced. I mean, for a show whose very existence is down to its ability to change and quite literally regenerate itself every few years, its die-hard audience really seems to struggle with this every time it comes around. At least for a little while. Every Doctor gets the typical “they’re too young!” or “they’re too old” or “the show is dead to me now” or “bring back [insert previous actor]” and then after a while most people grow to love them just as they loved the previous incarnations. It’s a cycle that most fans are self-aware of and often joke about. With Jodie though, this response was different. Heightened. And the anger and uncertainty wasn’t simply because of age, appearance, qualification or whatever superficial concerns that people tend to have. It started to be centred around gender, and I think that’s where the toxicity started. Jodie being the first female Doctor was HUGE, at least it definitely was over here in the UK, because it reached pretty much every news and media outlet that we have. There’s a whole argument I could have about whether a woman leading such a monumental television show like Doctor Who should be such a big deal, but I think either way, when a show with over half a century of history changes the gender of its main character for the first time, the buzz it generates is kind of inevitable. But it’s an unavoidable fact that ever since Jodie’s announcement there has been a group of people who from the very beginning, before they had seen anything of what Jodie has to offer, decided that the show was dead to them. Why? Because she’s a woman. And even to this day they remain very vocal of the fact, which does beg the question of why they are so bothered when they apparently don’t watch the show anymore. But what do I know?

Of course, there are also a lot of people who dislike this era for reasons that don’t necessarily concern Jodie’s gender. As you mentioned, this tends to be because of the writing or Chibnall’s general methods of showrunning, but if anything I would say that this was much more prevalent in Series 11 than Series 12. Series 11 was a hugely divisive series. It stripped back a lot of what made Doctor Who what it had become since the reboot; there were no story arcs, no familiar monsters or lore, very little to tie the show back to what had come before it. Apart from some beautiful visuals and stand out episodes (as well as some fab performances from Jodie), Series 11 felt to some like it was just sort of...there. No fanfare, very little threat, and nothing particularly memorable other than (in my opinion) the historical episodes. And even though I think Series 11 is hugely underrated, I definitely agree that in certain aspects the series just felt like it was lacking. It was great for new viewers, but isolated the old ones.

Series 12 generally seemed to have a much more positive response and the fandom really felt like it was alive again when it was airing. I think a lot of this was down to Dhawan’s Master being introduced in the first episode, as well as the Timeless Child arc. It was a brilliant twist and brought about excitement for what the rest of the series had in store, something that Series 11 simply didn’t do. And apart from a couple of flatter episodes, most of the episodes were genuinely really enjoyable to watch and very well received. In fact, I would argue that the sentiment towards Series 12 and this era overall would be much more positive if it wasn’t for the Timeless Child revelation. Although I personally quite like the way it expands the lore of the show and don’t particularly see it as ruining anything, it was a demonstration of Chibnall’s divisive showrunning. From the very beginning he has always been about bold moves and earth-shattering changes and this is something that I actually quite like about this era; I think it keeps things interesting and fresh. But it isn’t very palatable and that’s where it upsets a lot of fans. As I’ve said before, even the changes in Doctor Who can be too much for some people, and I can respect that, even if I don’t necessarily agree.

I’ve already spoken in depth about the possibilities of exploring the home lives of Yaz, Graham and Ryan in terms of their abandonment of it and their relationship with The Doctor (I’ll link it here if anyone’s interested), but it was still so good to see that time was being taken out of the episode to place some attention there and develop the companions in that way. For Ryan in particular, seeing him and his dynamic with his friends was a highlight and made him feel so much more human and relatable.

Wish we’d seen more of Stephen Fry’s character since he was so hyped up but he was as brilliant as I knew he’d be. Lenny Henry’s Daniel Barton was also great and that confrontation scene between him and Thirteen was just 👌👌👌. The way she gets straight to the point with calling him out and just keeps pursuing him without giving a single shit. I love that about her character; she has no fear about ripping people apart even in the most inappropriate of situations and to me that is just so brilliantly alien. Thirteen herself has really come into her own now and I completely love her. I can’t wait to see her get tested considering what it looks like she will be facing next episode.

I was so excited when O started asking Graham about The Doctor and he revealed that she hasn’t actually told the companions anything about her past. Chibnall is a genius for turning something that was obviously lacking and heavily criticised in Series 11 into what looks to be an actual plot point in Series 12 and what’s really interesting is that this means that The Doctor is withholding information about herself on purpose. I suppose the real question, why is Thirteen in particular so reluctant to open up about even the basics of her past and of her origins? I feel like this is setting up to this vulnerability within her character that I am really looking forward to seeing more of. Maybe this explains her endless optimism, her hope, her unwavering joy and excitement for life? Maybe a lot of that is an act, a mask for her to hide behind? Who knows, but I’m definitely intrigued to see where this is taken.

Of course we have to talk about Yaz. Demons of the Punjab was proof that her character had so much potential and that Mandip Gill is not only an incredible actress, but that her talents weren’t being utilised enough. Thank god this episode fixed that. Her struggles with balancing work and time travel, her active role in investigating and interviewing Daniel Barton, her interesting dynamic with O, and of course, the obvious impact that being zapped by those light creatures had had on her. We don’t know the outcome of this yet, not even if there will be one, but it was amazing to see her take on a significant role throughout the episode.

And then there’s O and to be honest, I really wasn’t that interested in him. Although he was clearly a lot better of a supporting character than most of those in Series 11, I found him off. I found a lot of what he said to be unconvincing, his equipment and his ability to fight the light creatures just a little too convenient for the plot. And then suddenly Sacha Dhawan switches from sweet unassuming O to The Master and it’s just flawless and all those weird characteristics that didn’t sit right with me just make so much sense. I’m going to make a separate post talking about that reveal scene because I have a lot to say and I rewatch it constantly because it’s my favourite thing ever.

It’s such a heartbreaking and poignant scene and it’s so interesting to me how it unintentionally continues this concept that the Tardis team don’t know her, not simply because she is guarding herself, but because they can’t when she no longer knows herself. 

1: Fugitive of the Judoon - I mean what else can I say about this episode other than it’s the best episode of Doctor Who that I think we have gotten in a long time. The return of Captain Jack, the twist about Ruth being The Doctor, the continuation of the Gallifrey story arc and the impact it has had on 13 and her dynamic with her companions, Jodie absolutely slaying all her scenes with her acting and the amount of depth that was added to her Doctor in this episode alone. It’s just perfect in every way 👌

2: Spyfall Part 1 - I don’t think there could have been a better way to start off this series. This episode was fun and action-packed even before the reveal of The Master at the end but let’s be honest, that scene elevated this episode and the hype surrounding this series to new heights. It really felt like Series 12 had peaked immediately so it’s such a relief to see an episode like Fugitive of the Judoon to come along and raise the bar even higher than I thought possible. 

3: Spyfall Part 2 - For a conclusion to a two-parter this episode was actually really great. The supporting characters were great and the fam excelled in this episode. It was slightly dragged down by the anti-climactic conclusion to the Barton storyline but Jodie and Sacha Dhawan absolutely made this episode and their scenes together as The Master and The Doctor were so good. I hope we get to see them together again later on in the series. 

4: Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror: Generally just a really solid episode that I really enjoyed. Nothing extraordinary but the relationship between The Doctor and Nikola Tesla was a pleasant surprise and their dynamic just worked so well. Can’t really fault this episode but considering the quality of what we’ve been given this series it falls down the ranks slightly. 

*This is a very long rambley post because I’m very hyped and had a lot to say but I think it’s all valid so bear with me 😂

Okay can we talk about this from Radio Times’ review of Spyfall because it’s exciting.

Series 11 sort of touched on the ordinary lives that Ryan, Graham and Yaz had left behind back home but this looks like a much more significant exploration of this and some genuine development to their characters, particularly Yaz, who has been lacking this so far and Ryan, whose character has essentially been clinging on to the depth of Graham’s characterisation and the development of their relationship after Grace’s death. But what I think is the most promising about all of this is the clear consequences that their new lives travelling with The Doctor are having on their old lives on Earth. The breaking down of relationships, of their careers, even their health; seeing the universe with The Doctor is explicitly being shown to be detrimental to all of this. All that they get to experience in time and space means that they have to sacrifice, perhaps unknowingly, the things most important to them back home.

The thing is, this isn’t exactly the first time the show has shown this escape from the real world, but Thirteen’s TARDIS team can be compared much more to Amy and Martha in their relationship to their human lives in comparison to companions like Donna and Clara. Amy’s story begins with her running away from her wedding to Rory in Series 5, to choosing to spend the rest of her life with him over a life travelling with the Doctor without him in Series 7. Martha consciously gives up her travels in order to regain her independence and self worth after living in the shadow of Rose throughout Series 3. By contrast, the whole tragedy of Donna’s character arc is that her travels with The Doctor entirely transform her perspective of life and herself, show her how monumentally important she is, that she has worth, and yet this is all cruelly torn away from her when she is made to forget it all. Clara goes from consciously mantaining a balance between home and life in the TARDIS to becoming addicted, unable to tear herself away from these adventures to the extent that her entire identity revolves around The Doctor, becoming a mirror of him, until she herself dies for it. My point is, by being much like the former two companions than the latter, Graham, Yaz and Ryan’s lives away from all this time travelling still hold some sort of importance. Yes, they run away from their responsibilities and their grief, but they are given something to lose by choosing to neglect all of this and thus, the stakes are heightened.

What is important is that The Doctor is being placed as directly responsible for the deterioration of all that they had built and maintained before she quite literally crashed into their lives, and this is where the new series could be really, really good if this is executed to its full potential. Up until now, the dynamic between the four characters has been way too easy, maybe even a bit shallow, regardless of how much I absolutely love them. At times it felt to me like we were just expected to accept that they had all become like a family, without the show really showing us how they reached that point (apart from Ryan and Graham of course). In many ways I’ve found it difficult to be completely on board with the way they were depicted, what they were willing to do for The Doctor, what they were willing to accept, what they did or didn’t question, when most of the time we were left to fill in the blanks. Beyond TWWFTE there was little mention of her being an alien, of her past, of being a Time Lord, of Gallifrey, of the Time War. There was no questioning of her motives, of her often ambiguous morals. The only sign of a rough patch was the conflict between Graham and Thirteen in the series finale with his threat to kill Tim Shaw, a scene that I would even say is one of my favourites of Series 11 for the simple fact that it complicated, tested and deepened the relationship between the two characters in a way that just wasn’t done for Ryan or Yaz. Series 11 brought little tension between them; it was all a little too perfect. However, this could do exactly the opposite, forcing the companions to confront The Doctor’s role in their life, the implications of their travels in time and space with her, the constant threat and danger placed upon them all in the name of adventure and heroism.

I just hope this is something that Chibnall chooses to use to his advantage because I feel like he has given himself the perfect opportunity here to do it. Anyway that’s my ramble over with but let me know what you all think about this.

This has been sitting in my inbox for a while and I’m so sorry that it has taken me so long to answer it but thank you so much for such a nice message.

I think for me, above everything, Doctor Who is my favourite show in the universe and I will always love it and always want it to do well and that’s where all of my opinions towards every series come from. I think Series 11 is ridiculously underrated and over criticised and I will always defend it when I think necessary because there are some episodes in that series that deserve so much praise and recognition and just don’t get enough of it because they’re clouded either by the people who decided that the show was over as soon as Jodie was announced, or by other episodes that are admittedly just a bit...meh.