Doctor Who Anticipation 2024
I haven’t really watched, or finished reading, anything this week, so let’s talk Doctor Who, which is one month away from the new season.
It’s been a while since I discussed it here, so let’s do a quick recap of what I’ve skipped:
- Season 9: Very good, great ending
- Season 10: Very good, great ending
- Season 11: Damn, I was hoping for more but maybe it’ll get better.
- Season 12: Um.
- Season 13: Gosh, maybe that would have been good if they’d had time.
- The 60th specials: Okay, Good, Great, Meh but with good cast.
This, of course, is the kind of incisive criticism you come to this site for. While I was disappointed that we didn’t immediately get another pass at a female Doctor (I pine for Gillian Anderson but I’m fairly sure that will never happen), I’ve been pretty thrilled with the choice of Ncuti Gatwa, who I loved in Sex Education. I found ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ a little disappointing after the massive high from ‘The Giggle’, but that was no slight on his excellent performance.
But now, since we’ve had two trailers for the full[1] new season, as well as the news of the episode titles and writers, I’m ready to rock through time / fill up my weekly blog quota. Here we go.
- The shots of Ruby in what seems to be normal life paint a reassuring story that we’re back to some grounded home-life for the companions, which I quite enjoy.
- Gatwa’s “Into dust” speech gives me tingles in the dangerous, Doctor-unleashed way that the Chibnall-Whitaker era, just never did.
- I’m stoked that they’re doing a Beatles episode. And the Doctor and Ruby’s jaunty walk across the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing is adorable.
- Do we really need more Tennant? I mean it does look like it's just a static picture of him, but still.
- I haven’t seen Bridgerton, so I’m slightly put off that there seem to be two individual name checks in the dialogue. Old farts like me watched the BBC Pride and Prejudice.
- “There’s a storm coming in.” ... seriously?
- I’m very excited that Moffat is back, and anyone who had anything to do with Loki season one is alright by me.
- Well, eight episodes. It’s shrinkflation, I tell you. ↩︎
