Two Who fans dissect the last season and speculate on what’s next for the Doctor
Like its time-tripping, planet-hopping namesake, Doctor Who has vanished from our lives as quickly as it appeared. After being off the air for almost two years (give or take some Christmas specials), our favorite Time Lord returned with a whole new spate of companions and adventures.
This past season, which concluded on Saturday, represents the final full run for Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. The next Christmas special will (presumably) find him regenerating into his next incarnation, representing a very final “The End” for both Capaldi and showrunner Steven Moffat, who has been involved with the show in some form since it first hit the airwaves in 2005.
But before that, this. As we did last season, Cinapse has brought in two Who fans to weigh in on the freshly-finished season: Brendan, who began watching the show when it restarted with Christopher Eccleston; and Jon, a lifelong fan with a much broader base of knowledge for the character and show (and who does tremendous work recapping each new episode).
So sit back and enjoy as we take you on a quick trip through time (and relative dimension in space).
BRENDAN: After a loooooooooooooong period of anticipation, I’m of mixed minds about the season we’ve just finished. In many ways, my reaction to this season is the polar opposite to the previous one. I thought last year was wall-to-wall brilliant until a somewhat muddied finale, whereas I found this year to be mostly muddy until a pretty spectacular last run of episodes (starting with “The Eaters of Light” and then the final two-parter). And where I thought last season’s stories were great but the Doctor-Clara combo had long ago run its course, this year featured maybe my favorite TARDIS team since the early days of the Eleventh Doctor and the Ponds, with both Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts and Matt Lucas as Nardole proving to be phenomenal support to Capaldi, who has never been better as the Doctor than he was throughout this year.
Jon, how did you feel overall about this season? Are there any high or low lights that you’d like to, uh, highlight?
JON: Pearl Mackie. Bill Potts was a breath of fresh air. A smart woman, eager to learn. Rather than Clara and her growth into a Doctor-like figure, the audience had a true surrogate once again. It brought the wonder back, and in doing so, pushed Capaldi’s Twelve to another level. That coupled with stories that fitted with his Doctor’s arc, about shaking off the irascible alienness and embracing the kindness, solidified him as one of the greats to take on the role.
Lows. I still don’t see the point of Nardole, or how his contributions couldn’t have been achieved by Bill or other weekly guests. The Doctor’s tatty jumper he kept wearing. Oh, and those fucking Monks that took three episodes away from an otherwise damn fine season.
BRENDAN: Yeah, unfortunately Matt Lucas often felt like a terrific bit of casting in search of purpose. Supposedly Nardole came back because Lucas had such a blast filming the “Husbands of River Song” episode that he asked to stick around and Moffat obliged. But the show never really had anything for him to do. Lucas struck great chemistry with Mackie and Capaldi, but the narratives struggled with Nardole’s place.
I don’t know what the hell happened with that Monks run. It would have been a lesser-Moffat era effort at one episode, but stretched to three is an absurdity.
I’m with you on Bill. Oddly enough, Bill is the first true “everyman” main companion since probably Donna Noble waaaaaaaay back in Tennant’s final season, as Moffat has been more or less unable to resist turning his various Doctors’ various partners into season(s) spanning puzzles the Doctor needs to solve. Bill’s straightforward nature is a big part of her appeal, which made the various tragedies and traumas that befell her over the course of the season all the more effective, and made her happy ending something of a relief.
Jon, it sounds like you had a bit of a problem with that. Certainly Bill’s final fate suffers from being so similar to Clara’s send-off, but I actually found it worked better this time (if for no other reason than that Clara earned a tragic ending which made her triumphant return feel like a cheat, whereas Bill was entirely blameless in her suffering and more than merited a reprieve).
The other thing I’m curious to hear your take on is this season’s use of The Master, the Doctor’s oldest friend and nemesis. This season gave us both a redemptive arc for Michelle Gomez’s lady-incarnation Missy AND brought back John Simm as an earlier version, allowing him to redeem a performance that had represented the nadir of the Tennant seasons.
Jon, I loved this use of the Master, but that’s coming from someone who only really knew John Simm’s earlier version and haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated it. Do you think this was a good use of the Doctor’s wily opponent, and was the snow-covered…I don’t even know what you call that – “double-suicide” maybe? – a fitting ‘end’ for this most unkillable of Time Lords?
JON: The Clara/Bill sendoff had a certain symmetry for sure. Unsure which worked better for me; Clara moving on was due, whereas Bill was really only just getting going. That clouds things a little. My main gripe with Bill’s ending was that her relationship with Heather never developed beyond a flirtation on a park bench. Thankfully the emotion of it smoothed things over, but it could certainly have resonated with a little more investment in the pair during ‘The Pilot’.
As to the Master/Missy: knowing the history of the show, I felt any redemptive arc was never going to stick, at least in the long term. A regeneration and a reset to villain status was always a likely outcome. The double-backstab was perfect, for both iterations, even though it will no doubt be undone somehow. The Master exceeded his regeneration limit LONG before the Doctor ever did; he/she will find a way.
Certainly Michelle Gomez has impressed in the role, with the right kind of unhinged brilliance required, and thankfully Simm’s return hewed closer to this and indeed the true nature of the character. It just confirms Moffat has a better understanding of the character than Russell T. Davies ever did during his tenure. In the past, the Master was a transfixing and often genteel sociopath, often with an air of theatricality about him, the bar being set by Roger Delgado, during the Third Doctor’s tenure. The crucial thing Davies got wrong, in addition to depicting him as a loud, brash fool, was taking the Doctor out of the picture in that return story, trapping him in that withered old body. ‘The Sound of Drums’ really had Martha leading the fight against the Master. Thankfully Moffat again brought them head to head, albeit briefly.
Reflecting on these things always makes aware of how viewers only familiar with Nu-Who miss out on a lot of the nuances, the in-jokes, or even the potency of some of the more on the nose clips and callbacks to the Classic era. Would you say it’s part of the charm of the show knowing there’s so much history to it, or do you feel like you’re missing out on something at times?
BRENDAN: For me, it’s always been part of the fun. The prevailing theme of the show, going back to that first moment when Christopher Eccleston offered Billie Piper a ride in the TARDIS, is that the universe is huge beyond all imagining and the Doctor has been around long enough to tangle with countless corners. The fact that there are giant gaps in our awareness of him and his misadventures (whether that be different eras of the show, the Time War, his early days on Gallifrey, or the various time hops that pepper the series) is totally fair play by what makes the show and the character so special.
That said, I would be lying if I didn’t cop to occasionally feeling that certain scenes, characters, and reveals possess no real meaning for me because they are designed to call back to things that happened on the show before I was watching (or before I was born). Last year, it was some of the material surrounding Davros and the eventual resurgence of Gallifrey, and this year it was much of the Cybermen material. There’s a moment when Missy realizes the name of the planet they’ve been dealing with is “Mondas” and everything about how the scene is played suggests that the reveal of “Mondas” is meant to be a sledge-hammer moment that will leave audiences reeling. Didn’t quite play like that for me, I’m sorry to say.
We’ve been dancing a tad around the real heart of the issue, though, and I guess it’s time we tackle it head on: Peter Capaldi.
Capaldi’s had an interesting tenure. When he first took over, it was such a shock to go from the hunky nerds of Tennant and Smith to a Doctor who was older, grimmer, and much more, well, alien. Capaldi has in many ways represented the show and character stripping itself of ornamentation and artifice and drilling into the essence of the character. In charting the Doctor rediscovering the most heroic and selfless aspects of himself, Capaldi’s been an absolute treat and this season has marked a high point. Even as I felt like individual episodes were stumbling on a narrative, Capaldi was never anything less than magnificent.
The two-part finale really cemented just what a treat his incarnation of the Doctor has become, as Twelve finally seemed to reach what he truly believed was a resting place, having cast his demons aside and made peace with himself and his purpose in the universe. To suddenly have that certainty ripped away and be faced with another regeneration and another new personality (who will have to re-learn everything that Twelve suffered to understand) is legitimately horrifying, and it sets up a fascinating dynamic for when the Christmas special brings in the next Doctor.
But before we speculate on that (and oh yes, there will be speculation) I really want to hear your final thoughts on Mr. Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor, and how they fit into the bigger canon of Doctor Who and The Doctor, new and classic.
JON: Capaldi is a throwback to the Classic era for me, a more heavyweight actor. Eccleston had that quality, although tempered with the poppier fare Davies served up. Tennant and Smith were wonderful, but there was a quality to them that endeared them to the younger crowd. Moreso it was in Capaldi’s portrayal: playful, but with the occasional meandering quality, like time has taken him out of the moment or things are beneath him. That alien outsider quality that means it’s harder to connect with him than Ten or Eleven. Capaldi was distinct, but there was a masterful way he wove in qualities of (Re)generations past, notably Two (Patrick Troughton), Four (shades of Tom Baker’s voice even), and my personal favorite, Seven (Sylvester McCoy). Sure Tennant and Smith did this in their own way, as each actor has drawn from and built on actors past, but Capaldi grew up as a fan of the series and the breadth of his knowledge on the show and input is unparalleled. My recap of ‘The Doctor Falls’ touched on Twelve’s arc, his journey from irascible alien to fully realizing his place and purpose, so yes, he doesn’t want to lose that. It’s not typically so drawn out, the Doctor rediscovering himself. Narratively I’m sure you could explain it away as a side effect of a new regeneration cycle, but creatively it was an angle to offer something a little different, to use Capaldi’s talents, and perhaps to harken back to the less relatable incarnations of the Classic era. It was a bold move, possibly alienating (no pun intended) the new audience who liked the prettier versions they had become accustomed to. I guess the question now is, do they continue in a bold fashion, or take a step back with whoever gets to play Thirteen?
BRENDAN: Well, it seems we can’t put this particular topic off any longer. We’ve known for a long while now that Capaldi is leaving at Christmas, and the rumor mill has been spinning. There are any number of frontrunners and candidates, from well-known commodities to pie-in-the-sky fan casting. As with Matt Smith’s exit, there’s an outspoken contingent in the fan community that hope to see new showrunner Chris Chibnall bring in a Doctor that isn’t a white man (funnily enough, Neil Gaiman has gone on record to say that the role of the Twelfth Doctor was offered to a black actor who declined, leading to the casting of Capaldi).
Now, I’ve made a point to try and ignore as much of the industry talk as I can. But the last couple seasons have reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally gestured hard to the idea of a lady Doctor. Between The General back in “Hell Bent” to all the Missy/Master material, to the finale’s remark about the future “being female” it sure seems like Moffat, so lambasted (for many valid reasons) by certain female corners of fandom, has spent his tenure double and triple-underlining that Time Lords hop genders, paving the way for a woman to take up the mantle.
Personally, I’m all for it. Beyond the political/social importance of a color-blind/gender-blind casting process, the idea of crotchety, older, rage-eyebrow-having Peter Capaldi regenerating into a young woman sounds like a hilarious idea loaded with possibilities for both stories and new character beats.
Where do you fall, Jon? Are there any particular rumors you’d like to see come to fruition or any specific casting choices you’d like to see?
And we haven’t even mentioned the finale’s big cliffhanger, as Twelve stumbles across the First Doctor, now played by David Bradley. What can we expect/hope for from that particular team-up?
JON: Oh David Bradley. Several years ago he was cast as William Hartnell (One) for the BBC special An Adventure in Time and Space, which I strongly recommend watching.
He nailed it, frankly. An irascible genius who felt like something out of Victorian times, old fashioned but beyond everyone around him. Old and slight, but utterly daunting. It’s the sterner aspects of the Doctor before the frivolity of Two and gungho nature of Three began to temper him. I’m excited to see Bradley go ‘full Doctor’ this time out. No idea what to expect from the pairing; the dynamic should be fun as One is seemingly older, but in actuality is thousands of years younger. One is going to have some role in convincing Twelve to accept Regeneration once again. Hopefully it’s not too somber; I like a more OTT romp come Christmas time.
As to Regeneration and a female Doctor. Yep, the show has certainly contributed to the speculation with a few choice lines this season. Ratings are good, but have dwindled in the past 10 years, so stir the pot, shake up the formula I say. Also, it’s about time; there’s no reason for a woman not to be cast, and there are certainly female actors out there who would do an exemplary job. My wish-list breaks down into 3 categories.
1) If they maintain the status quo:
Ben Whishaw
Damian Lewis (GINGER)
Reece Shearsmith
2) If they have the balls to make the Doctor female:
Tilda Swinton
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Olivia Colman
Hayley Atwell
Naomie Harris
3) The middle ground — i.e. give it a rest with the white men:
Richard Ayoade
Riz Ahmed
Sacha Dhawan
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Please. For the love of God. Anybody but Kris Marshall.
And that about does it folks.
The Doctor(s) will return at Christmas and presumably/hopefully a new season (or ‘series’ as the Limeys will insist on calling it [sorry Jon]) will follow shortly thereafter.
But wherever the TARDIS flies, and whoever is doing the flying, Jon and Brendan will be flying right alongside.