Female Doctor

Started by FierceKitty, 21 November 2018, 09:58:16 AM

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FierceKitty

The new Doctor seems to have enough trolls after her on Youtube for a large Runequest campaign. I think she's doing pretty well; curious about the prevailing opinion here. Thoughts?
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fred.

I'm enjoying the new series. They key thing is we are watching this series, which we haven't for the last couple. The change in time slot to Sunday may have helped.
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Leman

I think the idea of a female doctor is great, although why was nothing made of the Master regenerating as female? However I find the current series to be dull and frankly too sermonising. Getting pretty sick of  the constant telling off by the BBC for Britain having an Empire that was already on its way out before I was even born. Growing up in a children's home in the 50s and 60s I was already used to people are just people before I was even at school. It is interesting that all this sermonising is foisted on us by middle class people who probably never came across a black person before they went to university. Furthermore the first two episodes were just a mess of what's going on? what's going on? I enjoyed the episode set in 50s Alabama, but lost interest when the next trip back in time was to Indian partition. Presumably further time travelling episodes will feature such things as the Jamaican slave rebellion, shipping slaves across the Atlantic in the C18th and the Mao Mao in 50s Kenya. Doubt we'll get any on African tribal warfare which provided the slaves in the first place; the enslaving of Britons by the Romans, or Anglo-Saxons by the Vikings, or the appalling treatment of the Anglo-Saxons by the Normans (French) which has developed into the pernicious class system which is still highly evident in this country.
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fsn

Overall, I'm with Leman. (Sorry, Leman.)

My preferred option for the Dr has been Sandi Toksvig, with Bill Bailey as sidekick. However, in the latter part of the Capaldi era some fairly heavy handed messages slipped in.

Although there has been a bit of politicing in this series, my main problem with it has been it is rather dull. This I put down to the complete lack of malevolence with any of the "monsters". In the Punjab issue, what was the point of the assassins that weren't assassins? That episode could have been far more moving had it just been the story of Naz's Granny. The spiders were just spiders. The cute all-eating monster (which I expect Futurama to put a copyright claim on) was just hungry. Where's John Simm's Master? (Even Missy would be fun). Show me some Weeping Angels or even, bless it, a Dalek or two.

The sidekicks are too numerous. I'd have dispensed with Ryan, and have Graham be a stepfather to Naz. That would have tightened up the companions yet retained one of the interesting relationships in the series.

How can it be improved? 1) Get a better writer in. 2) Get rid of Chris Chibnall as showrunner and 3) add 3" to the Dr's trousers. If you really want to spice it up, bring back River Song!


 
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Techno

I'd love to join in the debate...But I haven't managed to see a single episode with the new Doctor.

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Wulf

haven't seen last Sunday's yet, but as far as the rest are concerned, I like the cast (particularly impressed by Bradley Walsh!), like the characters & acting, but the stories have been dull dull dull, and a couple - the Rosa parks & Indian partition stories - have had nothing whatsoever to do with Doctor Who. With an obvious hamfisted attempt to prove the BBC's various equalities & political correctness quotas have been fulfilled, we have a 2/2 split in gender with the main characters, a couple of minorities and an OAP (well, OK, not quite...), stories covering appropriately racially important issues, and... just about bugger all excitement...

Even the Arachnid episode, very well done, was used as an anti-Trump rant.

Ithoriel

Great cast, great sets, good camera work ..... dull, dull, dull!, dull!! scripts.

Important subjects, well handled but NOT Dr Who, IMHO. None of those stories needed The Doctor stuffed in the middle of them to make them relevant or dramatic.

I liked the idea of a female Doctor, though my preferred actor was Ruth Wilson. Having seen her as the psycho Alice Morgan in the BBC crime drama, "Luther" she's a lady who should be able to handle "not actually human" in spades!

Jodie Whittaker's character is a bit too scatty for my tastes but as an actor she's making the best of what she's given I reckon.

Overall, worth a watch when it's on. Not worth the hassle of i-player if I miss it.
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Orcs

I thought Peter Capaldi was excellent as The Doctor, but half way through the Matt Smith Episodes I had got fed up of the endless resurrections of Amy Pond's Husband (so good I can't remember his name). I thought some of the episodes were very poor.

Then we went into the realms of being all PC with a lesbian companion, a Regeneration of the Master into Missy, then the regeneration of the Time LORD into a Time Lady.  (That finally finished it for me.) I have not watched any episodes of the latest series, and from the descriptions given I am glad I have not.

I will retain fond memories of the era from Jon Pertwee to David Tennant. But the latest episodes I will not give the time to.  
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paulr

We're a bit behind with the series over here so I haven't seen the Indian partition episode

I find myself in agreement with Leman & fsn
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Wulf

By the way, I download all episodes automatically with the iPlayer app (in case I miss any). All episides are now available for a further 6 months...

...except 'Demons of the Punjab', the Indian Partition episode, which is now available for only 19 more days...

Norm

22 November 2018, 05:59:18 AM #11 Last Edit: 22 November 2018, 06:49:52 AM by Norm
I like Jodie as the Doctor, but my hopes of her bringing a little maturity to the show and stop the sort of frantic running around antics has sadly not transpired.

The show has had some interesting episodes, particularly the Rosa Parks one, which should have been a one off in that style and an iconic episode, but we seem to have a series that consistently and persistently wants to push a PC agenda, at both a subtle and unsubtle level. The companions acting is not great, saved only by the steady Graham.

Overall the big asset of making Jodie the Doctor has been undermined by other elements and it has left me indifferent as to whether I watch it or not. With 5 episodes in, the trend looks set, at least for this series. Nice try, but no cigar! All I want is some decent Sci-Fi and Dr. Who should be able to deliver this by the shovel load.

I have an idea for an episode, a wargamer has a tardis and every time they roll a 1, they go back in time to get a re-roll. By the time such a story got past the writers, the wargamer would either be someone who realised how abhorrent wargaming is and sent all their games to a desolate rocky moon, or the character would be changed to be the current holder of the Ludo Championship Cup, who just needs to learn lose gracefully and if nothing else, will get a nice gentle cuddle at the end.

Oh ... and if only they could stop Jodie throwing that Sonic Screwdriver out in front of her in an overly exaggerated pose, it seems that it only works if you have a straight arm and an arched back. Please make my childhood programme a bit more grown-up!

Westmarcher

I've been kind of luke warm myself. I caught up with the Indian Partition episode on BBC i-player last night but after reading all the mumping and grumping above was surprised to find it quite entertaining. Still getting used to the new doctor mind you. Commenting on the subject matter of this and previous episodes, Mrs Westie, with some 40 years experience in education (Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher, Head Teacher, School Inspector), said it was very educational - if you think about it, there will be a lot of younger viewers watching this (and ignorant older ones too, I suppose) who know nothing about Indian Partition and Segregation, etc.

Got to go, now - teacher has duties for me.  :-[
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FierceKitty

Have to admit, the Indian one was more than a little insipid, despite the potential for high tragedy in the historical material.
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Leman

Boohoo, nasty things happened in India. Lets have an episode where the doctor stops something bloody unpleasant happening in this country. It might involve Irish republicans, misguided muslims, kids with knives - there's plenty to choose from. Why not the completely brutal replacement of the 5000 Saxon jarls with 200 Norman knights. We still haven't recovered from that particular French exchange visit.

On a slightly different tack, this series has turned me off to the same extent that Colin Baker did. As a result the only time I ever saw Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor was as he was turning into one of the McCaan brothers (can't remember which one).
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