Doctor Who (2020) - spoilers!

[Nagol]

I thought Whitaker did a good job as the Doctor, especially in this season. I really liked Graham as a companion and Yaz is fine. I find Ryan weak and forgettable, just have a hard time caring about his character. My main gripe is that I just didn't find most of the shows in the past two seasons very good. I did, however, like the last three episode of season 12.

I really like Whittaker in the role. I think Yaz could be a good companion if given more screen time. I have little to no interest in the other two and their relationship. I also think each character is getting starved for screen time by all the others.

I think there were some problematic changes to the role of the Doctor (specifically last season where the Doctor's knowledge and expertise became unreliable -- it's not that the Doctor didn't know something it's that the Doctor knew stuff that was wildly incorrect) and to how the Doctor and crew relate to their environment (all of them wandering around in 21st century clothing in King James' time during a witch scare and absolutely no one commented. Really? The companions used to at least pretend to dress appropriately).

 

[Zardnaar]

Problems not Jodie and co but the writing. It went downhill late Matt Smith and fell off a cliff with Capaldi and never recovered. Wife pulled the plug 2 episodes into last season but had been considering it for a while.

New Who peaked a decade ago? Doesn't matter who the Doctor is if the writings bad.

 

[MNblockhead]

Yes. Capaldi could have been a great Doctor if the writing were better. I think Whitaker is making doing her best to polish a turd. The last few episodes show how going she can be given better stories.

Problems not Jodie and co but the writing. It went downhill late Matt Smith and fell off a cliff with Capaldi and never recovered. Wife pulled the plug 2 episodes into last season but had been considering it for a while.

New Who peaked a decade ago? Doesn't matter who the Doctor is if the writings bad.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yes. Capaldi could have been a great Doctor if the writing were better. I think Whitaker is making doing her best to polish a turd. The last few episodes show how going she can be given better stories.

Yeah Capaldi could have been great. Unfortunately......... the writing.

 

[MNblockhead]

I really like Whittaker in the role. I think Yaz could be a good companion if given more screen time. I have little to no interest in the other two and their relationship. I also think each character is getting starved for screen time by all the others.

Agree regarding Yaz. Graham could have been one of the best and most memorable companions if the focused on the loss of his wife and how he brings a mature and thoughtful perspective the craziness surrounding what companions of the doctor are subjected to. Ryan feels shoehorned in. I appreciate what they are trying to do, but it is too much. Ryan may be a good actor, I don't think I've seen him in anything else, but I find the side stories surrounding his personal life tiresome.

I think it may be because he is the most needy of the characters but there isn't the screen time to develop it properly. He might work better as a companion if he was the only companion. Then the stories of him dealing with his relationships with his adoptive and biological fathers, and with his friends, could be more impactful.

Not of the actors are terrible and Whitaker and Walsh are both very good in my opinion. There is just too much shoehorned in to let them develop their characters properly.

 

[Nagol]

Problems not Jodie and co but the writing. It went downhill late Matt Smith and fell off a cliff with Capaldi and never recovered. Wife pulled the plug 2 episodes into last season but had been considering it for a while.

New Who peaked a decade ago? Doesn't matter who the Doctor is if the writings bad.

I agree about the writing trajectory. I think it is interesting that the writing stayed terrible under Whittaker, but changed how it was terrible. Moffat as showrunner seemed to be aiming for a much younger (pre-teen probably) demographic with little thought to plausibility or sense and a lot of eye-rolling moments. Chibnall instead attempts to create a more shallow experience (if you had told me Doctor Who could get more shallow a few years ago I would have laughed and laughed ).

 

[Morrus]

Yes. Capaldi could have been a great Doctor if the writing were better.

He’s my favourite Doctor by far. His last two seasons were excellent.

 

[BookBarbarian]

It was interesting how Clara went from one of my favorite companions when paired with Smith to one of my least favorite with Capaldi even though I loved Capaldi.

I do think that's indicative of the writing taking a shift for the worse.

 

[Morrus]

It was interesting how Clara went from one of my favorite companions when paired with Smith to one of my least favorite with Capaldi even though I loved Capaldi.

I do think that's indicative of the writing taking a shift for the worse.

I was never keen on her.

 

[BookBarbarian]

I was never keen on her.

I thought she was intelligent, capable, positive, and (my favorite) not interesting in dating the Doctor. Then suddenly she was just a downer. Negative and whiny in practically all scenarios. Bill was a breath of fresh air after that.