I thought this was a very good sendoff for Capaldi. It hit the right character and emotional tones, even if the story ultimately might not hold up to total scrutiny. But then, that’s not what I look for in Doctor Who.
As for the next Doctor being female, well, time will tell. I think it’s a good thing they’re taking a risk and breaking new ground, but some of the reactions from the fan base make me wonder whether Jodie Whittaker will be given a fair chance.
Me, I’m always leery of each new Doctor, but I have to say, overall, they’ve always done a great job with the casting (it took me longer to warm up to Capaldi, but he ended up being almost my favorite Doctor), so I’ve got no grounds to be any more afraid than usual.
Does anybody know when the new series proper will air?
Lethbridge-Stewart was the family name of the Brigadier, the head of UNIT, during the 3rd and 4th Doctor eras. The Doctor was exiled to Earth by the Time Lords during the 3rd incarnation and was more of a James Bond than previous and subsequent Doctors have been. He worked with UNIT (United Nations something something) which was a quasi-military organization that protected Earth from threats.
The Brigadier’s daughter headed UNIT in the 11th Doctor era. (She’s the one he butts heads with in the Day of the Doctor, when UNIT “kidnaps” the TARDIS to get him to the headquarters.)
So the family is pretty closely connected to the Doctor.
Which ties in to the speculation that the Doctor will be trapped on Earth again and dealing with UNIT. A bit, anyway.
And UNIT used to be United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, but became Unified Intelligence Taskforce at the request of the actual UN for the rebooted series.
I had a hunch he would be connected to the Brigadier somehow from the time he appeared at the end of the regular-season finale. The mustache did it, I think. And Mark Gatiss was superb, I thought.
And the Brig shows up as well in the 5th doctor and 7th doctor era (“Mawdryn Undead” and “Battlefield” I think) after his retirement and is referred to in the modern era (including one quasi-appearance in the 12th doctor’s era). If you ever need someone to order “Five Round Rapid,” the Brig is your man (in fact, that’s the title of the actor’s autobiography).
I just realized something that should have struck me sooner. I recognized the Captain’s reference to “Cromer” as a callback to the Brigadier’s comment in “The Three Doctors” about an alien planet: “I’m fairly sure that’s Cromer” but I didn’t tie that in to the revelation that the Captain is an ancestor of the Brig, when in fact it should have been a big clue to me. Ah well.
I am offended and horrified! Well, I’m not, but I’m a Yank. Considering how the Brits get about accents, making the Doctor Hawaiian would presumably be a bit too far.
Thought I’d take this opportunity to link to a Doctor Who podcast a friend of mine co-created, called Beyond The Sofa by Peter Adamson and David Ronayne. If you can tolerate New Zealand accents, they’ve been putting it out for many years, and know their nerdy stuff, and I heartily recommend a listen. The episode about the Christmas Special can be found here and on Soundcloud.
And on a similar but different note, another Doctor Who podcast with Kiwi accents is Zeus Plug by Jono Park, but they don’t have the latest one up just yet.
When the Doctor (Capaldi) was announcing his escape plan as he desended the stairs, he referred to the Doctor (Bradley) as Mr Pastry (“Mr Pastry, too. I could do with a laugh”). In the 50’s and 60’s, British actor Richard Hearne was known as Mr Pastry and had been offered the part of the Doctor before the role was given to Tom Baker (#4). Coincidence?
Why did they have to bring back Bill Potts? For me, watching the Bill Potts character is like watching Jack Black stink up the screen. More Missy, less Bill Potts.
I have no idea if the new Doctor (Whittaker) will be a success or not. Mainly because Moffat is also leaving the show. Moffat, Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi were certainly able to entertain the Dr Who fanbase. The jury is out on Whittaker and Chibnall. Best of luck to all.
For some reason, I didn’t dislike Bill Potts in the Christmas special as much as I disliked her in all of the other episodes. But I’d still have preferred more Nardole. (Hey, if I’m going to give preference to a white guy, it is going to be a very, very white guy!)
Watching the Doctor regenerate, I realized that every time he does, the regen energy streaming out of his hands and head sets off explosions, sparks, steam jets, starts a fire or straight-up crashes the TARDIS. That’s why every new Doctor has to redecorate the TARDIS control room - he’s just trashed it.
It didn’t do that until the last few, starting with the regeneration into Eleven (Matt Smith). The TARDIS was supposed to help in the regeneration process, back in the old series, not be a casualty from it.
