Well, the first season featuring the most controversial casting choice in the history of the show is done. We've got a New Year's Special just around the corner (personally, I think Chibnall deciding to eliminate Christmas Specials was a brilliant idea) and then it looks like we've got nothing for quite a while after that. Which could be a good idea. I think we all need some time for reflection and even some re-evaluation. I have to say: I'm a bit embarrassed for Fandom, right now. Some of us are not showing our best side.
A lot of harsh words have been said about Series 11. And the people who have disagreed with those words have also, quite frequently, been treated rudely. Like, if we enjoyed something that you didn't we needed to, somehow, be berated for it. It wasn't a good way to handle disagreement. It's made a lot of people with positive attitudes reluctant to express themselves'. Which is not cool. Nonetheless, I want to express how I felt about our first season with a female Doctor. We'll see how the Comments section looks after I post this. Hopefully, we can all be nice.
SERIES ELEVEN - MY OPINION ON IT (FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH):
I will just come out and say that I felt that Series Eleven was particularly strong. Even quite outstanding, in places. Was it the best season of New Who? No. Series One or Five probably still hold that award. Was it the worst? Not by any stretch of the imagination. That will probably always go to Series Two (although I'm only so fond of Series Four).
Series Eleven sits somewhere in the middle of it all. Which might be part of the problem with how it's been received. The show was going through some of its most radical changes ever. We were, perhaps, expecting something that was going to blow us away. It's what we got when Moff took over, after all. As I just mentioned in the last paragraph, I regard Series Five as one of the best seasons since the show re-started. Many fans would actually agree with me (a rare phenomenon, I know). So we had similar expectations for this latest era. When we got something that was still quite solid (in my opinion, at least) but not ridiculously amazing like Series Five was - it made it a bit harder to appreciate.
When we consider just how much Chibnall altered the show from what it was, however, we should still be seriously impressed. I have greatly enjoyed all that Moffat did when he was in charge - but the show definitely needed shaking up. I know many fans would have preferred to see a few familiar monsters to help them accept Whitaker better - but I totally love that the Head Writer vowed to stay away from such things. Doctor Who felt beautifully fresh because of that. It was a bold choice to make and I applaud him for it. It must have been tempting to want a Zygon or a Cybermen or something like that in there somewhere. But I appreciate that he resisted the tactic. It forced the whole direction of the show to change and, if I dare say so, improve.
I enjoyed that new direction and am more-than-happy to see it continue going that way. Yes, Chibnall will start drawing from the show's mythos again here and there (we know, already, the Daleks are coming for the New Year's Special). But if we keep getting episodes that are mostly trying to explore corners of the Universe the Doctor has yet to see, I do think this will give us a better show. Moff was allowed to give us the fanwank that he did as his era ended. But now we need to stay away from the past as much as possible.
This whole series felt a bit like watching Paradise Towers back in the 80s. Towers may have not been the best story ever (but it's still pretty damned good - I consider it an Unsung Classic https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/02/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-unsung.html ) - but I must admit: it was really nice to see a story that stood on its own two feet. For quite a few years before Paradise Towers, the show had been relying quite heavily on elements from its past. I was happy to see no surprise appearances by Daleks or the Master or sequels to unseen adventures on Karfel or with Commodore Travers. It was a completely new adventure for the first time in a while. The whole of Series Eleven generates that emotion for me. And I loved that a lot.
WHITAKER, HERSELF
As for Jodie's performance, she continues to play the role to perfection. I need a bit more time with her, but she just might replace my beloved Matt Smith for best New Series Doctor. As I said in my last entry on this subject (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/10/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-female.html), she hits the ground running. She is absolutely the Doctor right from the moment that she drops through the roof of the train. This continues throughout the season. She makes the stretch of seeing the Doctor in a different gender almost unnoticeable. I do feel she's absolutely fantastic in the role. As far as I'm concerned, she's welcome to beat Tom Baker's record.
I also adore how they're writing her. The Doctor's moral compass is fully intact in this incarnation. We haven't seen this since the Eighth Doctor, really, It's nice that it's back. Things got murky for a bit as we had scenes like the Ninth Doctor just allowing the Lady Cassandra to die. Or the Tenth offering no second chances to the Sycorax Leader. And who can forget what Eleven did to Solomon in Dinosaurs On A Spaceship? And, to the best of our knowledge, the Twelfth Doctor flat-out murdered a cyborg in Deep Breath. I don't dislike any of these sequences or others like them. They have made the Doctor an edgier hero. But it is nice to see the protagonist of my favorite show back to being the type of person that refuses to kill under any circumstances. Some of the best moments in the season have been when she draws that line in the sand. Hurting others - particularly the villain of the piece - is just not going to happen. She'll always do her best to preserve life whenever she can. I really like seeing that trait in the character, again.
There's a nice vulnerability to the Doctor now, too. I love that she actually gives up in Ghost Monument and thinks that they're all going to just die in the desert. Or that she becomes somewhat ineffective for a while in The Witchfinders when King James has her bound. Little moments like these haven't been seen since the Peter Davison days. A fallible Doctor makes the story a bit more realistic. It even raises the stakes a bit. She doesn't just rush in and take over every scene that she's in. There's much more give-and-take between her and other characters in the story. Particularly her companions. Which leads me, of course, to my next topic:
THE COMPANIONS
As much as certain sections of fandom might be bitching, right now - I think we all, pretty much, agree that this is the best TARDIS crew since the show re-launched. Quite possibly, the best set of companions ever. Chibnall crafted all three of these characters magnificently.
Ryan and Graham were given this beautiful arc of grieving the loss of a woman they loved dearly and trying to develop a proper bond together in the wake of her passing. We were pretty sure that fist-pump was going to happen before the end of the season but how they got to that point was a great journey. I especially liked that there were times when Ryan was ready to reach out and Graham would actually turn the offer down.
While Yaz didn't have such an interesting ongoing storyline, we got to meet her family and learn more about her background, in general. I liked that Chibnall crafted things that way. All three companions having big arcs to work on would've seemed too forced. This was a good balance.
I especially like how much they all work as a team. When a problem presents itself in an adventure, they are quick to break up into smaller groups and take on specific tasks. They know that travelling with the Doctor can be lots of fun. And they enjoy themselves' whenever they can. But they're also not afraid to right the wrongs around them when they arise. It's a great dynamic.
Of the three, I think I like Graham best. That makes me feel vaguely sexist and/or racist but his charm is difficult to resist. I loved how he started keeping sandwiches on him. And his final moral conflict that he faces in Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos was brilliant. A great way to round out the character as the season comes to a close. Again, all three of these companions are wonderful. But Graham wins my heart just a little bit more than the others.
ACTUAL OBJECTIONS
I've been saying a lot of really positive stuff about the season even though I'm claiming that, overall, it was a "middle of the line" series, this year. Surely there must have been some things I was displeased with?
I did find both The Witchfinders and Kerblam! to be a bit weak (I know a lot of fans will disagree with my feelings about Kerblam! Sorry, it might have had an "Old School Who" feel to it - but it seemed a bit weak on plot). The stories weren't terrible. There was no In the Forest of the Night this season. But these two tales only impressed me so much. Believe it or not, I tended to enjoy the stuff that Chibnall wrote better (another sentiment many will disagree with, I'm sure). He had a very clear idea of how he wanted this season to look and so, naturally enough, his stories were most in line with that vision. I really liked what he was doing with the show so it stands to reason that I will probably like his stories best.
Many are remarking on an over-reliance of the sonic screwdriver. Which I can't disagree with. She did seem to be waving it about far too often. Fandom seems to insinuate that this is a problem that has only been happening in this season. Which I'm a bit baffled by. It's been a problem throughout most of New Who. But it did certainly irritate me a bit throughout most of the stories, this year. One almost wishes some Terileptils would stop by.
My other big beef is not only a problem that's been going on in Who for quite some time but sci-fi, in general. A sort of "speed-writing" is being used where certain story elements don't get a proper explanation. Plot holes almost seem to get glossed over. I think we're meant to perceive this as something being left intentionally ambiguous but it seems more like sloppy exposition.
The strongest example of this in Series Eleven would be that, once more, the TARDIS interior gets ruined for no readily apparent reason (other than the desire for the production team to change the way the set looks). Fandom has come up with a theory that when the Doctor holds back a regeneration but then finally releases it, it causes this damage. Which is a nice theory. It might be nicer, however, if the Head Writer gave us just a little bit of dialogue to help establish this.
FINAL WORD
Just to re-state: I'm very happy with what was done in this season. I can get behind most of - if not, all of - the drastic choices Chibnall made, this year. I'm particularly pleased with the decision to give us less episodes that ran longer. Finally, modern Doctor Who can "breathe" a whole lot more. One of my greatest loves for the Classic Series was the way it had time to really explore its supporting characters. We weren't really getting much of that, nowadays. Even in a lot of the two-parters, things could feel very rushed, sometimes. But these beautiful 50+ minute episodes always seem to take the time to let us get to know everyone in the story, properly. I have really savored the many "character moments" we've gotten this season.
I see some definite Classic Who influences in this season that I have greatly relished. The very "hard sci-fi" tones that have been displayed in several stories hark back to the style of story-telling Christopher H. Bidmead employed in Season 18. And there are definitely some strong elements of Season 19 in there, too. Not just because we're back to three companions - but a lot of the tales told in Series 11 are done in a similar fashion to 19. Superficially, the plot seems quite straightforward. But there are a tonnes of layers put in underneath that give the whole thing a great sense of intelligence and sophistication. Kinda, for instance, is really just about an evil psychic creature that's trying to find its way back into our reality. But there is so much going on with various themes that are being examined throughout the course of those four episodes that we end up getting something much richer. We could say the same thing about many of the episodes of Series 11. Ghost Monument paints a vivid picture of an advanced civilization near the point of collapse because of a wealth gap. The Tsuranga Conundrum is a drama that follows a distinct set of characters as they try to face various levels of challenge that have come into their lives. And then there's the absolutely brilliant Rosa. The jewel in the crown of this season. On the surface, it's just about making sure history goes the right way. But, just like Kinda, there's so much more.
I have great fondness for Seasons 18 and 19. These feelings are not just nostalgic (they are two of the first full seasons of the show that I watched as a young lad). I think both of these seasons gave us some of the best work ever done on the show. So if Chibnall hands me something that has much the same feel as these two Classic seasons, I'll take it.
I have a feeling that the negative issues that did occur in Series 11 were teething problems caused by such radical shifts in tone and structure from what we had before. When Series 12 comes, many of those mis-steps will be better polished. And the Chibnall-Whitaker Era will shine all the more brightly.
Okay, back to the Fave Episode Countdown. Although I may still write a Part 4 to all this where I address some of the more ignorant aspects of Fan Reaction that I've seen in regards to Series 11. Admittedly, it could be kinda fun to rant in such a manner....
Missed the other two parts of this particular series? Here they are:
Part 1 :
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/07/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-female.html
Part2:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/10/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-female.html
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