Resolution

And with the usual promotion and importance, the new season of Doctor Who arrived, except this time it had that extra element of the gender change to the character. I had little energy for this issue; not because I was not interested in this change, but probably because everyone seemed so extreme when it came to the change. You had people on one side saying it was the worst thing in the world, while of course on the other the opinion was that this was the best thing and that everything was going to be just great from now on. For me personally I doubted that any of it would make any real difference to a show that hasn't varied too much in the last few incarnations, and probably the gender of the person pretending to be a Time Lord isn't the gamechanger.

And indeed it is not, because this season of Doctor Who is pretty much in the same vein as previous Doctors - good and bad. The episodes are a mixed bag, but mostly they are good but not great. There is no episode in this season that really hit everything spot on, but there are a few that are pretty good either by virtue of action, ideas, or the bit of weight that some of them have. There are a few weaker ones too as is the norm, but the issue is more consistent - which is that it is inconsistent. The show as a whole doesn't have great tonal control, and struggles to mix everything together in a way that gels rather than bits detracting or distracting from other bits. The season keeps some of the heavy-handed politicking of the modern era; in this case it is clumsy call-outs of Trump and Amazon, but it also does that thing that has characters take any opportunity to casually mention they are gay (about which my only objection is just how lazily and pointlessly it is always done).

The cast is mostly good, although a bit too heavy with familiar faces in the supporting roles. Whittaker fits in perfectly from the start - although this is because she is not too different from some of the recent performances. She manages to indignation, the comedy, and the exposition well, and seems to be having fun with the role. The companions are mostly okay, but ranges from Bradley Walsh being really good through to Tosin Cole being consistently dull. The group is a bit large at times though, and the TARDIS does feel a bit cluttered compared to normal, and there is scope to thin that pack a little. They get away with the crowd a little bit by using them as this season's arc in so much as there is one - which there mostly isn't.

In the end it was a fairly standard season aside from the headlines of the casting. It does what you are used to the show doing, good and bad, and in the end I totally forgot the fuss about the casting because everything else seemed to just be as normal.

Like so many others, I was excited to see what Jodie Whittaker could bring to the role of The Doctor. And I was also far from alone when the first few episodes failed to see her find her proper footing. "She'll get it yet," we consoled ourselves.

But now we're eleven eps in, and I've finally figured why she isn't a proper Doctor: She's too *nice.*

Eccleston's Doctor reminded the Daleks that they called him "The Oncoming Storm." Remember Tennant's Doctor against the Sycorax? "It... is... defended!" Even Matt Smith's deceptively calm question to the Atraxi: "Is this world protected?" followed by a seemingly mild suggestion: "Basically... run." And Capaldi *was* The Oncoming Storm.

With this Doctor, however, there's no fire in her eyes or in her voice. Her "I am The Doctor" moments are mild. "If you want this planet, you'll have to come through me!" Really? Charlotte Ritchie was far more menacing, and I can readily picture her as the next Doctor.

Jodie needs better writing, and a more fiery delivery, if she's to succeed as The Doctor.

...... To enjoy this season but I can't. The doctor being female is not the issue, nor are the actors. It's the feel of the show, it's just so wrong. It's like watching an average and generic American Sci fi show, it's lost what made it unique. This episode is a prime example, bad script and poor storyline. No imagination and apparently little regard for actual fans.

I've been a Dr Who fan for over 45 years but this latest tosh isn't the show I love. Awful casting with even worse storylines and dialogue putting far too much emphasis on being "PC" and morally judgemental, whatever happened to good old science fiction !! The Resolution Xmas special hit rock bottom for me with the Dr looking completely out of her depth and as for the Dalek well.......Die hard fans will watch this and just hope there's a major change in direction soon rather than the show being shelved again. I've given this zero stars only because I can't give it a negative score, BBC please listen to the fans of the series and sort this claptrap out !!!!

It's funny, but things I've been nagging for, a worthy opponent, a link to the past, and TARDIS scenes all happened, and yet there was just something a little missing.

Nicholas Briggs, thank you for providing the voice, and providing a link, that at least made it feel more like Doctor Who.

I loved the start, and I really enjoyed the ending, for me the stumbling block was the soap scene in the middle, Ryan and his Dad, that was a stretch that felt like it belonged in Eastenders, it was dull, it was too long, the characters unfortunately didn't have the depth to make it matter somehow. I did not like the UNIT scene, that felt somehow disrespectful to the show's past. The Doctor did a bit of a rant, and I hate to say it but she sounded like an angered Librarian.

There were definite plus points, the story basics were great, I loved that whole concept, The Dalek itself was pretty awesome, I loved its appearance, it had some terrific scenes, I loved how bloodthirsty the episode was, so different to the rest of Series 11. Jodie was rather good on the whole, she was energetic, and proved a courageous Doctor.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I hoped for, when I heard the title Resolution, I got very excited. I just wanted something a little more.

Not bad, 6/10