Doctor Who

Many are being unfairly dismissive of the whole season, and some just can't take anything speaking to any wrongs. Not all of the episodes are bad. Many do seem incomplete and lack some of the "edge of the seat" type feelings.

Ncuti and companion have good chemistry. However the Doctor has cried too much and it's ridiculous. The writing has the Doctor running away more than seems usual, and being overly scared. He is missing some of the qualities that make him a strong and resilient Time Lord, that has come against some of the most powerful beings.

The writing is a little heavy on the Doctor being sexual and his attractions. The episodes and the character need more work, but there are often growing pains. The actors appear to be doing the best with what they have been given.

Disney took, in my opinion, the best show to ever be written & turned it into a sci-fi version of High School Musical. I'm truly disappointed. The actors are perfect, the set design & costumes are amazing, however the writing is cheesy at best. Its just so childish and corny. They took a family friendly grown up show & turned it into a "Disney Channel" kid's comedy. The Doctor is a leader, he's a character that has been around longer than we can imagine & has knowledge & abilities to match. He's a leader & a problem solver. These writers have turned him into a sobbing, clueless man, who completely lacks leadership skills. All the while randomly breaking out in song. It's cheap & shallow, lacking the complexities that made the previous Dr. Who's so magical.

This is not it.

I think back to 'Rose', 'The End of the World', 'The Unquiet Dead', etc. And this just doesn't match. I feel a very strong Disney influence here, like the recent MCU and live action remakes, the thinly veiled political statements and the concerted effort to include some kind of musical number and numerous dead-end references, also known as 'key jangling' and 'member berries'. RTD said he wasn't going to bend the knee to the mouse, but I don't believe that. This is not the kind of quality I expect from the man who gave use DW2005, It's a Sin, Cucumber, etc. This is a mess. Get rid of Disney. Worst thing they ever did. Aside from Chibnall of course.

I've watched the first two episodes, and must admit that I'm rather underwhelmed by both of them. No criticism of the new Doctor or his companion as the acting was fine, but the stories just weren't very engaging. It seems to be obsessed with image projection these days instead of attention grabbing story lines and real drama. If it is a trying to be a reflection of modern culture, with its superficiality of identity politics, obsession with fashion and much else that is about appearance and nothing more, then it succeeds quite well. But that is a long way from what Dr. Who used to be about in his glory days.

As a big fan of Doctor Who, I must express my deep disappointment with the new season. To be honest, it doesn't even feel like Doctor Who anymore. I had high hopes for Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, as I find him to be a brilliant actor. His performance, along with Millie's, is not the issue. The fault lies entirely with the production team.

The dialogue and plot is painfully bland, lacking the intelligence, wittiness, depth, and big thinking that have always been the hallmarks of Doctor Who and the reasons I fell in love with the show. Instead, we are left with something that feels like Disney-esque, slapstick, easy entertainment. This transformation makes the show hardly worth watching anymore.

I deeply hope that the production will improve and bring back the Doctor Who we love. And if not, that the other Doctor Who, who was left when Ncuti and David split in two, will be revived after his vacation and rest with family, and give us back our Doctor. Thank you.