Laurie Penny gets me

[ed_rex]

This explains so well why I am still — after a fucking eternity of Steven Moffat — am still watching Doctor Who. (Though I must say, the new regime gives me hope for the future and I am even able to enjoy the present to some extent. Jody Whittaker is just fine; I'm still not sold that Chibnall knows what he's doing.)

My relationship to #DoctorWho is not like other shows. It’s more like supporting a sports team.

I don’t watch it because it’s the best show ever. I watch it because IT’S MY SHOW.
There have been YEARS where I disagreed with the management. Did I stop watching? Don’t be silly.

— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) January 1, 2020

Also, my baby girl learned to roll from her stomach (on which she would rather not lie) to her back last Thursday. She even deigned to do it a second time for the camera.

Watch on YouTube

And no, that's not someone smoking stage-right! It's a vaporiser, spreading moisture into our bedroom's aether.

Comments

[sabotabby]

Oh yes, absolutely. And agreed on Whittaker being good and Chibnall not knowing what he's doing. I don't feel like he gets the show, really. Anyway, I had to watch one of my favourite actors of all time do his best through some utter shit writing, and this feels like much of the same.

Specifics?

[ed_rex]

Anyway, I had to watch one of my favourite actors of all time do his best through some utter shit writing, and this feels like much of the same.

Per the subject line, if that's Capaldi in your icon, maybe that answers my question. If not, what are you specifically talking about? Enquiring minds and all that.

I don't feel like he gets the show, really.

Yeah, I agree, though all the call-outs to the past in the latest episode make me wonder/hope that maybe he's been boning up on it between his first season and this one. Here's hoping; it would be a damned shame if we look back on Whittaker's time as Doctor Who as we (or at least I) do Capaldi's: a terrible waste of a good actor's time.

Re: Specifics?

[sabotabby]

Per the subject line, if that's Capaldi in your icon, maybe that answers my question. If not, what are you specifically talking about? Enquiring minds and all that.

Yeah. It took them so long to write Twelve well that it was painful. I think a lot of the problem (besides Moff being too clever) is the course overcorrection between Doctors. Twelve had to be grimdark to offset Eleven's zaniness, and they wrote Thirteen as unbearably fluffy to offset Twelve's darkness. Which...has unfortunate implications when you have a younger woman replacing an older man in the role.

My sense with Chibnall is that he is trying to write a children's show when this has always been a family show. He's also overcorrecting for Moff's twisty overarcs, but it means that the episodes last season were almost all predictable Point A to Point B. But worse, in my mind, is that he doesn't trust the audience so the Doctor's primary role is to be a passive observer who explains things to them. (Again, unfortunate implications when it's the first time a female actor is in the role.) For all that fanboys are complaining about SJW content (ugh), the overall thrust of last season was highly reactionary, because she continually failed or refused to change the status quo when faced with injustice. And I think Whittaker did amazing work considering she had to deliver a lengthy monologue on who Rosa Fucking Parks was arrgh.

Re: Specifics?

[ed_rex]

Yikes, I left your message dangling so long the entire series is in the history books already!

I have to say, that after that especially terrible episode (#3 in the series? #4?), that I mostly enjoyed the rest of the run. And that, despite the fact that I have never found The Master an interesting character.

I would love it if next series was a bunch of relatively low-stakes visits to other parts of the universe, but I am optimistic for the first time in a long while that whatever Chibnal serves up, there's a good chance I'll like it.

[beable]

I really like the current crop of characters (Whitaker, the three actors playing Ryan, Yaz, and Graham). I enjoyed last season because I liked them even if the stories were uneven (although there a couple that I felt were really good standouts).

I very much enjoyed Spyfall, it felt like solid Who to me (YMMV). Jury still out on what I think of Chibnall but honestly even last season's clunkers were nowhere near as bad as the terrible-ist stories from series 5-10 (and yes, in each of those seasons there were probably stories I liked but the bad ones were BAAAADDDDD) so write now I'm mostly happy he's not Moffat.

Definitely an improvement on the High Lord Moff

[ed_rex]

I too like the current crop, but I'm not sure how much is due to the characters as written and how much due just to the actors' skills.

I very much enjoyed Spyfall, it felt like solid Who to me (YMMV).

That's definitely fair (well, "definitely" pending a re-watch, of course). Mind you, I am one of those for whom The Master has never had any appeal, and I just can't accept that — after all the genocides — The Doctor still has any "human" feelings for him. But as a Master story goes, this was a good one.

As for the Lost Years, there probably were a few good stories, but I can't remember any of 'em off-hand.

[nanila]

Rollin' rollin' rollin', keep that baby rollin'! Well done, Asta.

I intend to!

[ed_rex]

Well done, Asta.

Light of my life, she's a keeper for sure! :)