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It's a Time Dilation episode of 2MTL, in which the "Two-minute" part becomes a colossal lie! Joining me in reviewing Series 8 and predicting Doctor Who's future are:
- Lynne Thomas of Verity! and Uncanny Magazine!
- Kyle Anderson of Doctor Who: The Writer's Room and Nerdist.com!
- Graeme Burk of Reality Bomb and Who's 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die!
- Mark Goodacre of the NT Pod and one of my favorite 2MTL episodes ever, 2MTL 316: What IS "Doctor Who Canon" Anyway???
This was a great discussion all around. I agreed with at least something each participant said at some point. The only major disagreement I have is with Graeme's (I believe) defense of the series-7 Clara. The Clara of series 7 was a complete Mary-Sue cipher, and the worst companion ever. The Clara of series 8 was one of the best. It's impossible for me to overstate the difference between the two, and indeed between the two series in every way. Series 7 was the nadir for me — I almost gave up on Doctor Who last year, to be honest. Series 8 made me a believer again.
Mark has seen this already, but here are my rankings of the eight series. The 8th is right up at #2: The Eight Series Ranked
While it was a good discussion for the most part, it could have benefited from an opposing view. In fact, the statements about people who didn't like the series or didn't like Moffat's writing were characteristic of a recent increase trend in Who fandom to be reactionary to legitimate criticism (and vice versa to legitimate praise). Example: podcasts that use a stereotypical "nerd" voice and label fans with legitimate opinions either way as obsessive, close-minded idiots. Why is this a problem? Because it is boring. Deconstructing Doctor Who is what makes the show fun, even when you can only hate watch. The few reasons some of the panelist gave for why people did not like the discussion were borderline condescending. Unintelligent – for not understanding that we are not supposed to like the Doctor (allegedly). Whiny/Bored/Simpleminded – because they are "tired" of Moffat. While I have not been to Gallifrey Base since it was Outpost Gallifrey, I have not seen these types of criticisms out and about in the usual forums. The bulk of the criticisms that I have seen are related to the writing. Not the production, not the acting. I've seen nothing but praise for those. Everyone I know who used to watch the show (casual watchers and fans of series 1-5) has stopped watching. When I ask them why? The writing. "The stories don't make logical sense." "The drama is forced and nonsensical." In my opinion, solely, series 8 was a mixed bag of wonderful (40%) mediocre (20%) and terrible (40%) elements. I wish that more great Who podcasts, like yours, would feel more comfortable deconstructing while praising. Or, if nothing else, hearing out and tolerating dissent from either side without demeaning others. Again, this recent episode only mildly displayed this attitude, but it is prevalent throughout fandom. So, this isn't a criticism of your work Chip – thanks for all you do! And, for letting me share my 4 cents on your page.
A short follow to say that I just heard your verbal essay on Reality Bomb and… Kudos. You preemptively, and more eloquently addressed the core of the issue I raised above. Thanks again
"I don't think the Sixth Doctor would ever say, even in his Big Finish incarnation, "Am I a good man?""
You'll be surprised. Interestingly enough, I remember a discussion about Twelve's morality on reddit in which someone actually quoted a Sixth doctor audio that seemed to echoe Capaldi's question. Here's from the Marian Conspiracy:
SIX: "I'm asking if you do what you firmly believe is good and right, however much it hurts you or others, and no matter what happens as a consequence, does what's in your hearts – heart – make you a good person? (…) What would you say if I were to tell you that I once destroyed an entire race; that I have led friends to their deaths, and caused numerous wars; that my intervention has led to peaceful races taking up arms, and good people having their faith or reason destroyed; that because I failed to act, millions upon millions of people have been enslaved or killed? What if I had done all those things, but had always, always, believed I was doing the right thing?"
(Not realted to the main discussion about series 8, but I thought it was interesting. Plus, I'm a fan of Big Finish!Sixth Doctor…)