Perhaps the best and most understated aspect of Moffat's showrunning is his willingness to listen to criticism and try to get better. This started at the beginning of his tenure. He generated a lot of flack for Amy's characterisation, which involved her trying to snog the Doctor on her wedding night. After this debacle, Amy gradually became a stronger character, especially when Rory was introduced. Unfortunately, Clara suffered from the same one-dimensionality at the beginning of her reign as companion, as she was no more than a plot device. As such, Moffat was repeatedly criticised for writing Clara as the same flirty/feisty archetype that was the same as every female character that preceded her. With this criticism in mind, Moffat devoted much of Series 8 to developing Clara as a character, albeit inconsistently. Similarly, Much of Matt Smith's era was dominated by overly convoluted plot arcs that lacked any sort of real thematic pay off. To address this criticism, Moffat significantly reigned himself in with Series 8 to create a loose, simple arc that paid off thematically at the conclusion of the series. It was a major step in the right direction. Moffat has shown an ability to take criticism and try to address it as best he can. This bodes well for his future as showrunner, since the fans can generally rely on him to be as self-improving as possible. What did you think of this list? Are you happy that Moffat is staying on for another series or do you want him out of town? Join the conversation in the comments section below!
