Doctor Who with Moffet
I binge watched the first 6 seasons of Doctor Who over the course of a year and a half. This may not sound like binge watching, but considering my schedule at the time and the slowness of me watching hour long tv shows not propelled by my fiance (I am still only on season 9 of Supernatural after starting it sometime around 2009 and Battlestar Gallatica took me something like 5 years or more). It's not that I don't enjoy these shows, rather I have always lived a busy life and either I'm watching a show based on who is with me or I'm watching what I label as fluff- nondramatic, no-plot, comedic, and/or short. Cooking shows, sitcoms, hgtv, bridezilla style shows.
So the fact I found doctor who so enthralling to dedicate so much of my time to it speaks to my enjoyment.
However, around the sixth seasons beginning, I slowed down. All the potential of good ideas was there. I loved River Song and Rory. I loved a lot of episodes with the Eleventh doctor. I didn't care for Amy Pond, but I also hadn't cared for Martha, so that alone wouldn't have slowed me down. It was the plot holes and the rehashed dilemmas that bothered me. It was River Song's storyline supposed to be the exact opposite of the doctor's. The fact the first time she met the doctor should have been the last time the doctor met her. It was the love interest of Amy Pond going on much longer then it should, not to mention being creepy in the first place. It was her impossible constant superpowers. It was the lost opportunities on more episodes with Rory.
When I finally met Clara, I was disappointed in the end of Amy and Rory, but it was at least bittersweet. But it was Clara that made me go on hiatus. We met her multiple times. She was marvelous each of those times. Her beginning plot was fascinating. Then we met Clara, the companion Clara. Who was another Amy level pretty face (this bothers me alone in that each of the companions prior to Amy since 2005 were not traditional western beauties and I had so much appreciation for that) with impossibleness. She crushed on the doctor and lacked any of the spunk I loved her original characters.
I've read a lot on Moffat's writing of women, and I think if you look up that, it addresses a lot of my issues with these companions. Add in the plot holes and all the impossible feats, and you go from a show with character depth, variety, and well rounded plot lines to plots that begin and end within a couple episodes with no development in between.
Needless to say, this all comes to mind because I've finally revisited the series (the last season I watched a few years ago was the 8th season, because I wanted to give the 12th doctor a chance. I'm now almost all of the way through the 9th season, and I'm only reminded of my disdain for Moffet's writing (BBC Sherlock redeems him somewhat).
His best characters are wasted, and the plot lines are underwhelming and feel repetitive. The twelfth doctor feels hypocritical. If you want an apathetic, sociopathic grandpa, then do it. If you want the soft caring, passionate man, then do that. I feel like I get whiplash. I get that Clara is supposed to humanize him. But he constantly is doubting himself and it's getting old. He's constantly acting like he doesn't understand people then giving compassionate speeches as though he does. I don't feel the development has been enough to make sense of this back and forth character traits.
Meanwhile, Maisie Williams' character is brilliant. I admit some bias as I love her as an actress. Her character is undeveloped; I do realize that. But there's so much potential. She could have easily been another jack harknass or River Song repeating character used much long. This is likely due to her part in Game of Thrones, but that speaks to the fact they should have never had such a famous actress in that role if that is the case. Repeating characters don't happen nearly enough in a story about a time traveler. I love repeating characters because you bring in different relationships. It's okay to have complexity (see Game of Thrones, viewers are not stupid). One episode was not enough to develop the pain and trauma she underwent or the realization that her pain and trauma did not mean she actually didn't care. This was immortality the doctor created. This wasn't some river song tardis accident (still not really explained) or Rose Tyler God result. This was the doctor. Willingly giving this child eternal life and not waiting to explain the consequences. Their explanation for why he couldn't take her on the Tardis was actually decent, but it doesn't excuse leaving someone alone to deal with the consequences of his actions. They could've spent the whole season on developing that relationship alone. They could have kept her for multiple seasons as a reoccurring balance to the doctor. The one who helps the ones the doctor leaves behind. And no. She was a four episode character who was rushed through the woodwork.
I'm excited for Billy. I've heard some great things about her. I'm going to keep watching because all I've been telling people for years since my hiatus started was that I wanted a female doctor, and they've finally given it. Plus, I'm hoping some of the early brilliance returns with realistic characters, fully developed plotlines now that Moffat's reign of terror is coming to a close. A woman can dream right?
Rant over.