Doctor Who!

[selenay]

Possibly unpopular opinion: I'm really enjoying the current Doctor Who season.

Yes, it's different from the RTD/Moffat era. Yes, the plots aren't as complex. No, I don't bloody care.

I adore the Thirteenth Doctor. She's becoming my favourite New Who Doctor.

I'm surprisingly enjoying Bradley Walsh, after being certain I wouldn't.

I possible ship Yaz and the Doctor.

(Not possibly. Definitely.)

It's probably an unpopular opinion in some circles, but I don't care. I'm enjoying my lovely show :-)

Tell me the things you're enjoying about this series!

Comments

[netgirl_y2k]

I agree with all of this! And I consider the plots being more straightforward than they have been in years a feature rather than a bug.

I was really miffed when they announced Bradley Walsh's casting. I thought they were doing it as a sort of 'fear not, here is a middle aged white guy for you to care about.' But Graham is lovely, and his relationship with Ryan is easily one of my favourite parts of the show.

Yaz feels the most traditionally companion-y of them, and I feel like it'd only take one good fic to have me full on shipping her and Thirteen.

[selenay]

This, all of this, particularly the Bradley Walsh part.

I feel like it'd only take one good fic to have me full on shipping her and Thirteen.

You say? *starts plotting*

[muccamukk]

I'm really enjoying it too! It's different, and I don't really feel fic writing for it, but I love 13 SO MUCH!

[selenay]

Same! The only New Who character who really made me write fic was Bill, so I'm not surprised I don't have the fic writing vibes for it yet, but I love them all (and 13 especially) so much and it's making me happy every week :-)

[selenay]

And I consider the plots being more straightforward than they have been in years a feature rather than a bug.

This reminds me of something I was talking about with the mothership. The RTD/Moffat plots had reached the of one-upping previous plots in world ending disaster where there was nowhere else to go. They don't the biggest stories. They couldn't go bigger. The plots were getting so complex that I was finding them hard to follow at times and I love complex plots!

So the new series simplifying and telling smaller-scale stories is a good feature. It's more accessible for newbies. It doesn't leave me with the "how are they going to top this?" feeling each year. And that's a good thing! I'd seen so many people gently drifting away from Doctor Who because of the over-complexity and sense of major doom and they're all coming back and enjoying this series. So what some fans think is a big is actually a positive thing to me.

They'll get more assured with what they're doing over time, but so far, I'm in favour of what they're doing.

The only thing I really, really wish they'd do is give Yaz more character development time. And more Yaz-and-the-Doctor time. But that's only because the relationship between Graham and Ryan has been done so beautifully and i'm not sure they've figured out how to flesh Yaz out in the same way (yet).

Or maybe it's just that I'd want more Yaz and Yaz-and-Doctor time no matter what they did :-)

[muccamukk]

I'm sort of just sitting there going HER FACE! the whole time. Jodi can both do the comedy bits, and do the subtle and serious emotion. Like the scene last episode where she might have been trapped forever. There was such a mix of curiosity, joy and regret all together. But then HER FACE in Kerblam! when she was told she couldn't go on the belt <3 <3 <3 Everything about Demons of the Punjab. Ugh. i love her so much.

I like all the companions, and vaguely ship Doc/Yaz, but am not deeply invested in them yet. As much as there have been episodes that showed one up a bit more than the others, there haven't really been plots where any one of them takes a truly central roll, and I wish there were. Maybe next year.

[selenay]

Jodi can both do the comedy bits, and do the subtle and serious emotion

That ability is part of why I was so excited when they announced her. She's so expressive! And so good at channeling all the moods of the Doctor! I love her!

As much as there have been episodes that showed one up a bit more than the others, there haven't really been plots where any one of them takes a truly central roll, and I wish there were. Maybe next year.

That's on my wishlist for next year, with Yaz at the top of the list for having her own episode. I feel like Graham has had a lot of development, despite not being an episode star, and a lot of that development has been through his relationship with Ryan. Yaz hasn't had that chance yet and I want more.

In my true heart, I want twenty billion episodes to last me through the next year, but that's because I'm greedy :-D

It's possible that this will be the hiatus when I end up writing a ton of fic to get my fix :-)

[muccamukk]

The folks at Verity! are saying that they feel that Yaz doesn't need character development because she's basically already who and where she wants to be, which I get, and I like her a lot but still doesn't seem to be giving her a chance to shin in the way that say Bill did. A billion episodes! Yes. Good.

I'm asking for it for fandom stocking, anyway.

[sally_maria]

Put me down as someone else who is really enjoying this season as well.

I'm not a critical Doctor Who viewer, I have to admit - I went through my "not my Doctor" phase with Colin Baker, and got over it - but I'm enjoying the lower key stories every bit as much as I did the big flashy ones.

Jodie is a great Doctor, and all three of the companions are interesting and likeable people, with real relationships - what's not to like?

[paranoidangel]

I don't think it is an unpopular opinion - as far as I can tell everyone likes it.

I'm loving Graham and his cynicism and packing sandwiches. And the relationship between Yaz and her sister. And I'm loving the Doctor, despite the lack of slightly dodgy Dorset accent. And I like that it's only ten episodes, because even that many goes on for a while - thirteen is far too many.

[raven]

Me tooooo. I love everything about this series (including Bradley Walsh! I was so surprised, but Graham is wonderful and his relationship with Ryan is so sweet). I think Jodie is my favourite Doctor pretty much of all of them.

[usuallyhats]

Thirteen is the greatest, I love her so much. She's so gloriously weird, and so willing to throw herself headfirst into whatever situation she finds herself in.

I also really love how quietly practical and competent Yaz is. <3

(Edited because autocorrect turned Yaz into Tax /o\)

[lilacsigil]

Every opinion on Doctor Who is unpopular somewhere!

I took a break during Eleven's run, tried and didn't like Twelve, and now I'm back and really enjoying it! I'd like a little more time spent on the personal relationships in the TARDIS (especially Ryan and the Doctor, and Yaz and Ryan) but I have enjoyed every episode.

[schneefink]

I love the new Doctor :) I really like the companions too, and I like that the stories they are telling are smaller and not some huge conspiracy or something like that (again.) (I do think the episodes are very blunt in their messaging and sometimes a little too obvious in their messaging but since I generally agree with the message I can mostly ignore it.)

I don't ship Yaz and the Doctor romantically but I really love their relationship.

[selenay]

but still doesn't seem to be giving her a chance to shin in the way that say Bill did

This exactly, and I think they're right about Yaz knowing who she is and where she wants to be, but that doesn't mean there aren't ways to develop her character. Nobody just stops and never grows or changes again, which is what I'd like to see with Yaz. But really just more chances for her to shine would make me super happy :-D

[selenay]

Jodie is a great Doctor, and all three of the companions are interesting and likeable people, with real relationships - what's not to like?

Exactly! They're enjoyable to watch and the lower key stories can have just as much peril without putting the entire universe on the line each week. It's giving me an hour of happiness every Sunday - that's all I expect from my show :-D

[selenay]

I don't think it is an unpopular opinion - as far as I can tell everyone likes it.

I'm relieved that so many people are reporting this! Because all I'd been seeing was articles about the backlash against it and people kept asking me whether I was enjoying it because it's a bit crap this year, and I was starting to feel like the only person who liked it.

Clearly I was seeing the wrong comments :-)

despite the lack of slightly dodgy Dorset accent

I love her Yorkshire accent :-D And yes to everything else! Except only ten episodes - I always felt like thirteen wasn't enough. But I'd' feel that way even if it was on all year.

[selenay]

I think Jodie is my favourite Doctor pretty much of all of them.

She's definitely in competition with my classic Who fav (Seven!) and top of the new Who Doctors :-D

Graham is wonderful and his relationship with Ryan is so sweet

I really, really wasn't expecting that. It's one of the best parental relationships I've seen on Who, which is impressive when you note how many times new Who has done parental relationships.

Maybe it's because this is such a different take on that kind of relationship? It prioritises love and kinship, blood connection irrelevant, and grandfather is a very different way of having a parental-type relationship from the father or mother bonds they usually show. I don't know if I'm making any sense right now.

[selenay]

She's so gloriously weird, and so willing to throw herself headfirst into whatever situation she finds herself in.

I love her excitement at all the weird stuff and her commitment to helping no matter the situation. I adore the way she babbles about some things but can be quiet and serious a moment later. I just adore everything about her :-D

I also really love how quietly practical and competent Yaz is. <3

Yaz is the quiet action woman and I love it. She uses her police training to work through situations! It's brilliant!

(Edited because autocorrect turned Yaz into Tax /o\)

Ah, autocorrect. Always finding a way to turn things ridiculous.

[selenay]

I took a break during Eleven's run, tried and didn't like Twelve, and now I'm back and really enjoying it!

I've seen so many people saying this and it makes me so happy to see people coming back! It's why Doctor Who needs a shake-up every now and again and this one is going so well :-D

I'd like a little more time spent on the personal relationships in the TARDIS (especially Ryan and the Doctor, and Yaz and Ryan)

Yes, this. And you're right, we do need more Ryan and the Doctor development. Most of his story has been about his relationship with Graham (which I adore) and that hasn't allowed his connections to the others to be shown as much. I feel like we've had more Ryan and Yaz time (but not enough) than Ryan and Doctor time, so next season I really want a bit more time with all of their relationships.

[selenay]

I do think the episodes are very blunt in their messaging and sometimes a little too obvious in their messaging but since I generally agree with the message I can mostly ignore it.

A little blunt, yes, but as you say. They're messages I generally agree with so I'm okay with that, and I suspect some of the bluntness might be that they're aware of how many kids watch and they didn't want those messages to go over their heads. I know how many overly subtle messages I missed in stuff when I was a kid!

I don't ship Yaz and the Doctor romantically but I really love their relationship

Yay! Their relationship is lovely, whether you ship it or not, and I really want to see more of it :-)