TARDIS half-full, TARDIS half-empty
Jun. 3rd, 2013 10:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoSo, Matt Smith is hanging up his bow tie and leaving Doctor Who. I was annoyed when Chris Eccleston left after only one series. I was upset when David Tennant left, as I'd have been happy for him to carry on forever. Doctor Number 11? I kind of think he's had enough of a run and it's time for him to move on.
He's certainly had his moments. He's been genuinely funny, or intense, or both at the same time in brilliant fashion (most recently when fighting himself in Nightmare in Silver). Overall though, he just seems to act the clown far too much of the time. It doesn't work for me, and this is coming from a Sylvester McCoy fan.
Much has been said about the Moffat era vs. the Davies era of New Who. I don't particularly wish to add to the interweb noise on the subject, but I do want to say something about the main reason I prefer the Davies era, as I haven't seen it said anywhere else.
It's about tone.
Russell T Davies's Whoniverse was one of boundless optimism, where humanity was always reaching out and exploring new frontiers. Even at the end of the universe, the main sense was of humanity's never-ending hope and indomitability. Every world was a riot of colour and excitement. And the Doctor, for all his post-Time War angst, was still able to look at the universe with fresh wonder, and tell creatures they were beautiful without there being an underlying hint of "But I'm going to have to kill you anyway."
Steven Moffat's Whoniverse, on the other hand, is a gloomy place. Humankind faces a militaristic future, constantly at war with other races and constantly on the edge of extinction. Everything is shot in the murky gloom. The Doctor himself is always doomed, whether from an exploding TARDIS or facing his inevitable death on the shores of Lake Silencio or on the fields of Trensalore. He's been everywhere before and rarely gets excited by anything other than a new hat. His clowning around seems necessary to lighten the mood, but it often feels out of place.
I know only the lead actor is changing, but here's hoping the 12th Doctor's time brings a more upbeat tone back to the series. And maybe with that, there won't be such a need for the Doctor to play the comic relief character in his own story any more.
He's certainly had his moments. He's been genuinely funny, or intense, or both at the same time in brilliant fashion (most recently when fighting himself in Nightmare in Silver). Overall though, he just seems to act the clown far too much of the time. It doesn't work for me, and this is coming from a Sylvester McCoy fan.
Much has been said about the Moffat era vs. the Davies era of New Who. I don't particularly wish to add to the interweb noise on the subject, but I do want to say something about the main reason I prefer the Davies era, as I haven't seen it said anywhere else.
It's about tone.
Russell T Davies's Whoniverse was one of boundless optimism, where humanity was always reaching out and exploring new frontiers. Even at the end of the universe, the main sense was of humanity's never-ending hope and indomitability. Every world was a riot of colour and excitement. And the Doctor, for all his post-Time War angst, was still able to look at the universe with fresh wonder, and tell creatures they were beautiful without there being an underlying hint of "But I'm going to have to kill you anyway."
Steven Moffat's Whoniverse, on the other hand, is a gloomy place. Humankind faces a militaristic future, constantly at war with other races and constantly on the edge of extinction. Everything is shot in the murky gloom. The Doctor himself is always doomed, whether from an exploding TARDIS or facing his inevitable death on the shores of Lake Silencio or on the fields of Trensalore. He's been everywhere before and rarely gets excited by anything other than a new hat. His clowning around seems necessary to lighten the mood, but it often feels out of place.
I know only the lead actor is changing, but here's hoping the 12th Doctor's time brings a more upbeat tone back to the series. And maybe with that, there won't be such a need for the Doctor to play the comic relief character in his own story any more.
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Date: 2013-06-05 06:22 pm (UTC)