Doctor Who: 8 Simple Fixes It Must Make For Series 12
1. Establish The Doctor's Character
Outside of those incredible monologues, I feel sorry for Peter Capaldi. Thanks to the single-beat endings of series seven, I feel sorry for Matt Smith. We’ve had some incredible Doctors, but there are elements of the writing that has let them down in some way, and Jodie Whittaker has suffered from this worst of all. She doesn’t know who she’s playing. The Doctor post-regeneration is always this befuddled, all-over-the-place individual, trying to work out which way is up, which way is down, and what colour their hair is.
Usually ,by the end of the first one or two episodes, we know what ‘kind of a man’ the Doctor is. Nine was bubbly, but as dark as the blackest night when echoes of the Time War came to haunt him. Ten was this eccentric, dashing young man, who could let the fires of his anger burn if he needed them to. Eleven was goofy, clever, and kind of silly, but would never let anyone or anything harm the people he cared about. Twelve didn’t hesitate. Armed with attack eyebrows and a burning passion of doing what’s right, irrelevant of collateral, you didn’t want to get in his way, although underneath it all was a compassionate man. Thirteen, we still don’t know yet.
Morally, Thirteen is all over the shop. There is, of course, the standard desire The Doctor has to solve any problem without resorting to killing, but that’s never always present. In the past it’s been because The Doctor has given prior warning only to be ignored, or it’s because an antagonist has done something so despicable not even The Doctor could justify them having a second chance. Thirteen knowingly DNA bombed Tim Shaw with the intent to kill, suffocated a ton of spiders who were still helpless, and yet gets overly defensive of the biggest spider when President prick points a pistol at it. We’re never sure whether Thirteen is coming or going, diving in all-guns blazing or waiting at the sidelines trying to reason with a threat.
So far we have the eccentricity of Matt Smith paired with the fire of Tennant, and that’s about it. Not even The Doctor knows who The Doctor is, and that’s not good. Jodie Whittaker is a fantastic actress, and there's hope that her Doctor becomes The Doctor. Right now in Capaldi’s words, we’re not sure as to whether she’s a ‘good man.’ When the wider Whoniverse is hopefully let in, and the echoes of the Time War come about, maybe her purpose will become clear.
Is she going to re-save Gallifrey? The events of Hell Bent set on The Doctor’s homeworld were put to the wayside when chasing Clara’s heartbeat, so surely there’s more to be done? Fix the mess the Time War made of the people, bring it back to the Universe, the Doctor’s race alive again? Maybe we’ll have a proper series arc, or at least have the stakes truly high to push Thirteen to her limit? Right now we just have a ‘Doctor.’ Chibbers is playing up to conventions of Doctors past, so there’s nothing that really sets her apart, bar the fact she’s female, but that’s not a defining trait that makes her Doctor hers. There are many directions Chibnall and Whittaker can go in, but right now it looks like he’s playing it safe. Well, less safe and more stupid.