by Will Lemon | 5 December 2023

When I was a kid, the local PBS station would run this really weird show from time to time with what I thought was really bad visual effects and goofy costumes.  I didn't pay it much attention. Fast forward 30 years, my wife starts telling me about this new show someone told her about. That was about ten years ago. We were soon hooked on everything 'Whovian'.

 

Over the  years, Doctor Who has become a Christmas tradition in our house. We love to watch the annual special. However, I've been noticing definite changes as of late that have diminished the show's appeal. Of course everyone has their favorite/least favorite Doctor and that's natural but as an aficionado, I'm always interested in the story and how the characters find their way in that story.

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As I sat down to watch the first special of 2023 I was genuinely excited anticipating the unprecedented return of the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble. It soon became apparent that this was going to be a bumpy ride. Usually the stories are centered around The Doctor and his latest companion but this episode chose to lean into Donna Noble's son and his gender idenity. This direction left little room to explore the idea of The Doctor regenerating into a previous form. This should have been the crux of the story. After all, that was the big question on everyone's mind.

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The irony is the original intent of the show was to teach kids about history. The Doctor was a professor of sorts using a time machine to travel do different historical events. Over the years it seems this has become lost and it has turned into a horror/sci-fi action drama with little to no historical reference. And now it seems it's adopted PSA overtones. If that's the direction they want to take, it would behoove them(Russell T. Davies & co.) to emulate Star Trek:TNG who did it best. The subject matter was woven into the story so brilliantly. Sometimes as subtext(S4:E23), sometimes as a primary plot point(S5:E17). Either way, it was relevant to the characters and what they were reacting to in real-time.   

 

I don't mind the introduction of a transgender character. I even understand why it was done. If Russell T. Davies wanted to explore the struggles of gender identity, that would be a perfectly viable subplot. But do it with literary technique that honors the mythos and not with a pretentious After School Special-esque shoehorn. It's better to have a character that happens to be transgender rather than a transgender character. The former is an affirmation. The latter is a distraction. I've been saying this for years as it relates to Black characters. It's not enough to have Black characters which serve as props for liberalism, i.e. the character 'Charlie' on The West Wing. It's better to have characters like Perry White who happen to be Black portrayed by a veteran actor Laurence Fishburne who gives the character new depth and substance.

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My affection for the 10th Doctor notwithstanding, I fear this(and Special #2) is a veiled attempt to increase the shows popularity. While I enjoyed seeing him in action one more time, the supporting elements that made  him a fan favorite seemed to be missing.

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