6. Long Story Arcs
The generally accepted convention is that there are two paths for television. An ongoing story arc with a long term pay off, much like Torchwood: Miracle Day, and a monster of the week style of show such as Scooby-Doo. Doctor Who takes elements of both styles and combines them to create a Monster of the Week, with a hint of a longer term story. Take for example Deep Breathe; the enemy in this show was vanquished never to be seen again, but this was our first meeting with Missy. Were generally offered subtle hints about what might be coming without ever being offered too much information. Take, for example, the dying moments of The Face of Boe. His proclamation that You are not alone spanned the entirety of the third series before being revealed to be a premonition of The Masters return. Silence will fall spanned three whole series, from Matt Smiths beginning to the very end. Often stories would be so subtle that we would hear about them once a series, allowing us to almost forget that there is a story that needs to be resolved. Fans were so wrapped up in Missy, that it wasnt until the final moments of Series 8 that we were reminded that Gallifrey was out there and The Doctor still needed to find it. Long story arcs can often be frustrating for fans who want the answers now, but all good things come to those who wait. With the revived show, viewers just have to accept that the answers will come eventually.