On That Who News

[meddow]

So Doctor Who has got Steven Moffat. I know the rumour has been circulating for ages, but I didn't think he would have time, what with being Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg's go too guy for Tintin.

I am cautiously optimistic.

There is a difference between churning out one script a series and churning out five, and a difference between writing a plot and an arc so I don't think we're going to get a season of Blinks. But I think it's about time some of the RTD conventions were done away with, such as the Companion always having to be from present day London, the lack of alien planets, the constant Doctor-as-a-god, no long-term male Companions and so forth. Of course, changing showrunner does not necessarily mean they will be done away with. For all we know, Steven Moffat may like all of those and decide to keep them.

On a slightly related note, I wonder how long it's going to take until Swingtown is cancelled. *cough*JackDavenportforEleven*cough* (Actually Jack Davenport has fallen behind Stephen Mangan as my preferred choice for Eleven. And, apparently Adrian Lester wants to do it – he would make a good Doctor).

Anyway, I hope RTD contributes the odd script or two after he moves on. Yes, he is terrible in interviews and stubbornly blind to the bad subtext and even rude to those who point it out (although, I'm a veteran of The West Wing fandom so I'm used to the disdain of showrunners) but I find that some of my favourite episodes that I think are underrated by fandom in general are RTD scripts, such as The End of the World, Boom Town and The Runaway Bride.

Comments

[meddow.livejournal.com]

It seems to be a big theory that the regeneration is who the last Doctor wanted to be, or the opposite of who he was. I'm not sure if the last things that happened in Ten's subdued state would be the starting point for the regeneration. Nine seemed to have found some peace before he died, and Ten still reflected the person Nine was before that development. Then again, right before he died Nine couldn't push the leaver, Ten when he first regenerated could, it's only now that he can't anymore. So, I don't know.

But I do think that Ten's lonely god thing will turn around and bite him in the arse before he dies, so the regeneration will be the opposite of the lonely god - the bloke who disappears in the crowd.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

I think each regeneration at the beginning is a manifestation of where the previous regeneration's character arc ended up.

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

Awesome theory, because Ten isn't exactly the sort of guy to back down from things at the moment. Not that the Doctor ever has been, but Ten seems to put himself in the position where he thinks he is as you said "the lonely god" and that everything falls on him.