Rewatching Doctor Who: early Twelfth Doctor stories

[vivdunstan]

I've been continuing to slowly rewatch the early Peter Capaldi incarnation stories. But not feeling the urge to blog about them individually. And also, frankly, struggling to keep watching fully through many of them.

I find this early stage of his Doctor so phenomenally unlikeable. I watch it for Clara, not the Doctor. And then I constantly wonder why she sticks with him. I'm used to post regeneration trauma and all. And, hey, I watched through the Sixth Doctor stories 40 years ago. But I don't have the patience for it this time. And I'm finding it a particularly difficult set of stories to rewatch.

Against that Peter Capaldi's casting was one of the most exciting for me in Doctor Who ever. And he would go on to be superb in the ninth season, with the Doctor's character and relationship with the companion heavily reworked. But I struggle to rewatch much of season 8. I still think it was a fundamental mistake in approach by Steven Moffat.

Yet there are some absolute standout classics even in this year. "Listen" and "Flatline" are both superb. And I have a really soft spot for "Mummy On The Orient Express", despite the Doctor/companion extreme angst.

But, yup, not a happy fan rewatching at the moment. It's just as well I'm enjoying the Fifteenth Doctor's new stories on TV so very much!

Comments

[greenwoodside]

I remember really enjoying 'Mummy on the Orient Express'. Jamie Mathieson was the writer -- I wish he'd come back, but he only seems to have been part of the stable during Moffat-era Who.

Can't believe it's been well over ten years since Capaldi's first episode in DW. The time between then and now feels like it has properties even weirder than a Tardis.

ETA: Mathieson seems to have fallen into a black hole circa 2018. Hope he's okay.

[vivdunstan]

I really enjoyed his episode "Oxygen" as well. Though not so much "The Girl Who Died". He's still active on Bluesky, but I don't know what he's doing work wise at the moment.

I was rather shocked recently when a Doctor Who friend was watching "Kill the Moon" with a group of young undergraduates at Oxford University. Who he reckons had been aged 7 or so when it originally aired ... Eek!

[greenwoodside]

Ooh yes, I remember Oxygen. That was one of the better horror-y ones.

Who he reckons had been aged 7 or so when it originally aired ... Eek!

Aargh, no!!!