outland144k
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Re: For the Whovians - 13th Doctor announced
2017/07/27 19:20:04
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57Gregy
I'm all for more women on TV.
On the one hand, I couldn't care less as long as the stories are good. On the other hand, however.... There are issues with Dr Who, rather large issues, that probably should be dealt with sooner rather than later. One issue that springs to mind is that, if genetics is taken as somehow a norm for Whovian regeneration, how is it that a full 12 "regular" Doctors (13 if one counts Hurt's War Doctor or 14 if one includes whoever Cushing's doctor was. And I'm not even mentioning the Valeyard of the eighties; that's pushing the envelope) all just happened to be male, with the first woman Doctor occurring at number 13 (14?, 15? whatever)? Is there supposed to be a non-absolute predilection for Gallifreyan Doctors to be male? Are the regenerations somehow "linked" to the gender of the last Master (Mistress)? (I loved Michelle Gomez as "Missy", BTW.) While I somehow can very much accept the Master's change of gender, the change of the Doctor at this juncture without explanation comes off as just bowing to PC pressure and social sycophantic gesturing (much like the change of gender in Marvel comics of Thor); it is simply made more obvious that the demands of good storytelling were not the primary reason for the change. This is not to say that the new Doctor won't be a good fit (though this may have almost as much to do with the chemistry with the partner picked) or the stories well-written. I do think that the weight of the gender switch may carry a burden for the new writers whoever they are, but that is not to say that it can't be dealt with in an expeditious manner. So, on the whole of it, I can't but feel that the new Doctor's switch of gender is a very poor choice right now without some explanation. And maybe, there will be one. I miss Clara as well. With Matt Smith, I felt Clara's character didn't have the chemistry of Amy Pond's. Her bickering with Capaldi, giving way to the friendship that developed by the end, however, was delightful to watch. I grant that I may be biased: my two favorite Doctors are numbers 9 and 12 (I prefer my Doctors a bit irritated and "Flatline" may just be my favorite episode ever with the single best statement of what the Doctor really is), but Clara was just a very interesting character. I'm kind of hoping that she can show up again at some point. She is "the Impossible Girl", after all. One last comment: charges of "sexism" for all those who oppose this switch are, prima facie, weird at best. And quite frankly, based on the fact that Dr Who has been male since his creation, the question is begged as to why the switch isn't itself sexism of the reverse sort. Without a plausible reason for the change based on a regard for a good story, such an argument might be justified. And just such a reason is exactly what is lacking at this point. We are dealing with the genre of science fiction in the final analysis; science fiction that approaches its plot like a "Just-So Story" is science fiction that misses the mark. Dr Who generally hasn't done that and I'm hoping that it doesn't try to do that now. The introduction of Missy worked for one reason: she was introduced without anyone really knowing who she was, and Gomez played her so well that everyone loved her character before her identification was let on (though some of us guessed it). When she was revealed, no one was much concerned about how it came to be; it seemed almost an afterthought. This type of scenario works only once, however, and no attempt was made to disguise the switch in genders of the Doctor for number 13.
I really liked this monologue from the last episode as well. Maybe one of Peter Capaldi's best talents as the Doctor is being able to deliver truly moving monologues as well or better than his predecessors. He has had a bunch of them:
post edited by outland144k - 2017/07/28 03:50:24
“Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy” is attributed to Benjamin Franklin perhaps in error, but the thought remains a worthy sentiment nonetheless. 
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