This isn’t really a Late To The Party, because I was at the original party, the Classic Party, before most of you out there even existed. I went to the party with the tall guy in the thirty-foot long scarf and the blond one with the celery on his lapel and then back to the white-haired guy with the Edwardian jacket. It was a cool party, even if it was on video, the episodes lasted way too long, and the special effects sucked.1Somewhere I have a fanfic story I wrote which is autographed by Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, John Nathan-Turner, and Richard Hurndall. Maybe K-9 as well. I forget.
But I left the party around Colin Baker time and John Nathan-Turner. If you’ve ever seen any of those episodes, perhaps you’ll understand why. I tried—I really did—but I was not feeling it. So I tuned out. And what with life happening while I was busy making other plans, I stayed that way for years. I did catch a modern episode or two—“Blink” is the only one I remember, and it was cool, way cool—but I had other interests.
You probably know what drew me back to the Doctor. That’s right; “The Devil’s Chord”. That Beatles tribute, plus the fact that Disney had picked up the series, drew my interest back. Plus, the fact that they now had a black guy as Doctor # Whatever-He-Is intrigued me. (It’s like with Grover Cleveland. Since they brought David Tennant back, I can’t keep track.2Besides, they were supposed to stop at twelve. Don’t explain it! I don’t care!)
Anyway, thanks to Disney+ and the Fab Four, I began investigating the Doctor’s modern era. I’ve seen everything available on Da Plus to this date. The party has changed—a lot—but it’s still kind of the same, too. Thoughts:
*The biggest change is that Doctor Who used to be pretty straight sci-fi. Not anymore. Now it’s as much fantasy as SF. That’s the change I have the most issues with; I like my Doctor to be grounded in reality. But, apart from a bit of grumbling, I can take the change. It certainly allows for a more varied collection of stories.
*Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor is way cool, and way different. He comes at the role from a different angle. It’s like he’s goofing around, and then all of a sudden he’s very serious. I like it. (I’m not going to delve into the queer aspects because that’s not my territory. Would love to see your thoughts in the comments from those who know their stuff, though.)
*The special effects have improved in a lot of ways but are still hokey in others. Nice that they keep to the spirit of the original.
Re the individual episodes: Going back to the David Tennant specials, I liked The Star Beast and Wild Blue Yonder and LOVED The Toymaker. (Did not see the original. I’m not THAT old.) Neil Patrick Harris is always a delight as a villain. I do not understand this bigeneration Doctor business. Seems like a way to have their cake and eat it, too. Eh, whatever. Plenty of foreshadowing.
The Church on Ruby Road: Silly, but sweet. I like Ruby very much. She and the Doctor make a great pair. I look forward to learning who her mother is, although it probably won’t mean anything to me until they explain it.3Let’s be realistic; I’m not going to seek out all the missed episodes from the Modern era. I only have so much time.
Space Babies: Dumb. But I loved the insights into the Doctor’s new personality that we got.
The Devil’s Chord: A lot of fun, even without the Beatles.
Boom: An excellent episode. Suspenseful even though I knew it would turn out all right. I like Moffat’s stories (in general) better than Davies’s.
73 Yards: This is where I began getting Black Mirror vibes. I know why the Doctor got sidelined (Gatwa’s career), but it still felt strange. I do think Millie Gibson carries the episode well. But really—(spoiler footnoted)4a fairy ring?! In Doctor Who?!
Dot And Bubble: Wow, did I get sideswiped. I was ready to write this off as a dumb Black Mirror ripoff (Nosedive), and then got the rug pulled out from under me. Brilliant! I want to rewatch it to pick up all the things I should’ve seen the first time. Again, would’ve liked more Doctor, but Gibson and guest star Callie Cooke do a magnificent job. And that scene with the Doctor’s reaction at the end is perhaps the finest moment I’ve seen in all my watching of the show. Nice cheesy monsters, too.
So I’m back at the Doctor Who party, with all you young people, and I hope you don’t mind me sitting at the table with you. Looking forward to future episodes from Disney.