I promised I would do an after series post about my thoughts about Season 8, so here it is. And again: Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.
Before I go into list mode, I would like to point out that I actually thought that “Death in Heaven” was an above average season finale and I’ve quite enjoyed most of Season 8. There are just too many things wrong with it overall for me to say that it was “great” or “perfect”.
1. Peter Capaldi is pretty much carrying the show for me and might actually be my favorite Doctor.
When people ask me who my favorite Doctor is, I usually give the old “they’re all my favorites” or I am feeling contrary, I’ll say Paul Mcgann or Colin Baker. I thought for awhile that it was Matt Smith or David Tennant but I soured on them towards the end of their respective runs and was kind of glad to see them go. Will the same thing happen to Peter Capaldi? Maybe. But right now, he’s the only thing keeping me watching Doctor Who.
Capaldi is a wonderful actor and he has taken to the role of the Doctor faster than really any other actor to date. Usually, it takes me at least a season to get used to a new Doctor, but with Capaldi, I was onboard by “Mummy on the Orient Express”. I just wish he wasn’t the only reason for me to stay.
2. Like I thought, the Missy reveal wasn’t that exciting and her buildup didn’t really matter.
As I said in my pre-thoughts post, it didn’t really matter that Missy (who I’m going to call the Mistress from now on) was the Master. She could have been anyone and it would have made sense. Though now that I think about it, a lot of the buildup didn’t really make sense anyway. The Master willing went to Gallifrey to give Rassilion hell for making him crazy so the Doctor never really “abandoned” him. Then there was the Mistress’s whole “give the Doctor an army so she could have her friend back” plan. Was that really on the top of her list of Evil Things to Do? The Master was always suave and a bit campy, but it was only until recently that he went “bananas” as the Mistress puts it. Why can’t we have the old Master? Michelle Gomez is a good actress and could play the Master as a suave, evil, and a bit campy villain in her sleep. Why add crazy on top of it? She’s a new regeneration! Let her distinguish herself!
3. I’m pretty sure Danny was fridged.
Hear me out. What exactly was Danny’s character arc during this season? Learning to get over his PTSD and love again? That doesn’t really fit because he was head over heels in love with Clara by “The Caretaker” and he very nobly gave his life for the boy he killed, which means that he was still hurting enough to try and fix his mistake. Seeing that he isn’t just a soldier? Considering the entire resolution was hinged on him being a soldier, that’s also unlikely.
So if Danny doesn’t have an arc this season, why was he there? Answer: To act as a sacrifice for Clara’s story progression. This poor guy has had Clara and the Doctor meddle with his childhood, ridicule him based on the decision their meddling caused him to make, and then proceed to lie to him for a better part of the season until he dies.
It took until the last episode of the season, the I felt sorry for Danny Pink. I can actually pin point the exact moment:
That one little moment when Clara calls herself an incredible liar and Cyber-Danny can only bow his head and agree. That’s when I realized that Danny was really too good for Clara and I really wish he had stuck around long enough to tell her that.
4. I hope that the Christmas special is Clara’s last episode because really I can’t stand her.
Though, it’s not really her fault. Clara hasn’t had much in the way of consequences in her tenure as companion. Any decision whether good or bad has been done away by the “happy ending” writing that permeated it’s way through Doctor Who lately. Jumping into the Doctor’s time stream which meant certain death? Oh, the Doctor just pulled her out. Choosing a space dragon over the Earth, the planet you and your descendants live on? Eh, the shell just disintegrated and look, the dragon just laid a new egg that’s the exact same size as the old Moon! Even though, the Moon is bigger than the dragon. Convincing the Doctor to leave you, the man you love, and the children it was your duty to protect? The trees were actually nice the whole time! And all your problems can be solved by acting nicely. Clara is either some kind of clairvoyant who just knows everything everything turns out all right, or the writers have been forcing the plots to go against all reason to make her right. Honestly, I don’t know which is worst.
And despite all that, I liked Clara’s goodbye. It was understated and bittersweet. It may not have been over the top or powerful, but if this was the last time we saw Clara, I would be happy. However, Doctor Who doesn’t do subtle and the Christmas special is probably going to strip away what little good will I have left.
I don’t care if you’re Nick Frost, stay out of this Kringle!
Really, my problem this season comes down to the writing. This isn’t a new thing with Doctor Who, but this season I just sort of got to me, especially after Season 7. And don’t give me that “it’s just fantasy/for kids, it doesn’t really matter!” You know what else is for kids? Pixar, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, Harry Potter, and several hundred other books and media that don’t treat kids as idiots. Plus, Doctor Who is science fiction and always has been even when the science was faulty. Don’t excuse bad writing just because it’s a genre show. That way leads to laziness and condescension. Hold writers accountable for what their mistakes. It’s their job to make witty, fun adventures that also make sense logically, not yours.
Oh, well. There’s just to months until the Christmas special, and the trailer doesn’t really give me any hope.
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