It’s like giving up any habit or hobby. Feels GREAT!
I must stress that I have not given up DOCTOR WHO. Love love LOVE the classic serials on BritBox. Looking forward to Russell T Davies’ new take on the show, too.
I just cannot abide, endure or even tolerate the dying days of the Chibnall era, though.
How do I vindicate that decision?
Because my review for the opener was balanced, objective and verged on all out positive. Then I saw episode 2..a bit of 3 and then remembered that life is too long/short/whatever to tolerate such a gigantic con. (imho).
I took the liberty of reading digested spoilers and mini rants/reviews. So am not alone in my revulsion. It is actually offensive to learn that:
- The show continues to throw out epic sci fi ideas which, if allowed to breathe, could be genuinely good. Only to try and thread those together, maniacally, thereby ruining it all.
- Chibnall and co seem to think they can milk our mawkish heartstrings with continuity nods. They can’t. Russell T ‘got’ how to do that, properly. You bring back one or two old companions and you give them real, vivid life and wit and warmth. Simply name dropping ‘Brigadier’ or ‘UNIT’ does not cut it. To be fair, Moffat had a similar problem to Chibnall in that respect. But that’s why the BBC has resorted back to Russell?
- Speaking of the Brigadier.. If that is his rank, then he attained it BEFORE the PERTWEE era. So having him as a ‘Corporal’, offscreen, with Jon Pertwee TARDIS? It shows a shocking lack of basic knowledge imho, not only of Dr Who, but also military ranking systems. Chibnall was the realism guy, right? But hey, he’s the one who had a Barrister doing solicitor work in BROADCHURCH , so..go figure.
- THERE IS A REFERENCE TO ‘OSGOOD’. STOP IT. WHY do they think this character is some beloved staple of the Whovian lore? She was a one and done cameo. Her very presence or reference to absence is overdoing a joke that had been done with Lee Evans (repeated already, too, with an imho awful Frank Skinner, though I would prefer him to Ingrid Oliver, every time).
- THEY KEEP THINKING THAT WE WANT THE WHOLE TIMELORD MYTHOLOGY ‘ TIMELESS CHILDREN’ thing. We don’t. And casting Cracker’s wife as the Doctor’s mom or whatever simply feels redundant in every possible way. Russell T did that before, and better, implicitly, with Claire Bloom in 2009.
- WE ARE NOWHERE NEAR THE END OF THIS. BBC has granted this lot a victory lap of ‘specials’. WHHHYYYYY?? Just make it end. NOW. And nobody wants a ‘New Year’ special. Either give us a proper Christmas ep or don’t.
HERE ENDETH THE RANT. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOCTOR WHO!
HAVE A LOVELY WEEK, ONE AND ALL X
