Here Comes 12

[poliphilo]

The Smith years have been characterized by enormously complicated story-lines that mostly just sort of petered out. The romance with River Song- designed with David Tennant in mind- turned faintly embarrassing once the asexual Smith was the object of desire. She chased him and he ran away and it was as if Bertie Wooster were being lusted after by one of his aunts.  And then there were the uxorious Ponds. Most of what was wrong with the era was Moffat's fault not Smith's. Smith was a comedy Doctor. Moffat's dark, twisty,neo- romantic vision calls for a Pertwee not a Troughton.

The new Doctor is still white and male but at least he's not a stripling- and the Doctor is no longer youthening with each incarnation.  Peter Capaldi is a very fine actor- known for comedy, capable of considerable range and I'm hoping for surprises..You wouldn't think it to look at them side by side, but he's the same age Hartnell was when he first created the role.  An middle-aged Doctor should mean rather less emotional incontinence than we've had from the last three models. Let's hope so, anyway.

Comments

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I'm still slogging through Season 5. (Just finished the one with the Venice vampire-like aliens.) I found Smith immediately credible in the role, probably because he channeled his inner David Tennant to ease the transition. And I find that he has a sort of balletic grace at times that I find very appealing. But Amy Pond and River Song and that whole rat's nest does not appeal and I'm looking forward to an end to that (please!).

"Emotional incontinence." Yeah, Eccleston had a bit of that and Tennant had a lot and I haven't seen enough Smith to be entirely sure where he's going to go.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Smith is less emo than either of his two predecessors. I think it's one of the good things about his tenure.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

O bother said Pooh. I seem to have skipped over the Fires of Pompeii, so I need to find time to watch #10 and #12 acting together.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Fires of Pompeii is one of the better episodes.