# Dr Who: Article nails Matt Smith and Steven bloody Moffat **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070 "2013-06-03T21:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/1 "2013-06-03T21:10:33Z")
Just though Who fans might like this take on the Moffatt as Showrunner era: > **[Matt Smith: the rise and fall of the hipster Doctor](https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/06/matt-smith-rise-and-fall-hipster-doctor)** > > A young Doctor with old man's eyes, he whirligigged around the screen like a spider playing Twister against itself. But Matt Smith’s legacy suffers from the fact that something went awry in the writing of the last series of Doctor Who. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/2 "2013-06-03T22:26:30Z")
I mostly agree. It looked like they were goinginto remarkable things but just didn’t quite pull it off. Smith is my favortie Doctor now and I only hope the next one is good as well. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/3 "2013-06-04T02:07:08Z")
That seems to be right. I like Steven Moffat’s ideas, and his sense of character, but he never commits to the details. They float away into vagueness and don’t stand up to scrutiny. If he had stuck with small stories, without the attempts at being epic and significant, it would’ve worked much better, and defined his era in a more distinctive way. Matt Smith has shaved all his hair off for his current role, and as far as I know they haven’t actually filmed the Christmas Special yet. Can he grow his floppy hair back in time? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/4 "2013-06-04T02:25:27Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] Matt Smith has shaved all his hair off for his current role, and as far as I know they haven’t actually filmed the Christmas Special yet. Can he grow his floppy hair back in time? [/QUOTE] I’ll admit to being intrigued by [the horseshoe](http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/14/matt-smith-shaves-off-doctor-who-hair-and-goes-topless-for-ryan-gosling-film-3758536/). ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/5 "2013-06-04T02:38:28Z")
Yeah, pretty solid take. I think the first series of Smith was essentially perfection wrapped in a bow: solid episodes (a few clunkers, but that’s Doctor Who for you), an actual serialized story hidden in bits and pieces throughout, and an ending that actually put a new spin on the whole “let’s keep X from destroying the universe” thing. Everything since has felt loose. Ideas that seemed a little halfbaked, a little too much overacting, and too much reliance on time-as-magic. Doctor Who, at its best, is ridiculous in a makes-sense-if-you-don’t-think-TOO-hard way. Too often lately it has been…makes-sense-only-if-you-don’t-think. That said, I think Smith was amazing. He IS the Doctor to me, now. Even though I think the hit-to-miss ratio has taken a poor turn in the last couple years, Smith’s portrayal hits pretty much every note I could want from the Doctor. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/6 "2013-06-04T04:37:56Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’ll admit to being intrigued by [the horseshoe](http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/14/matt-smith-shaves-off-doctor-who-hair-and-goes-topless-for-ryan-gosling-film-3758536/). Good lord that man does not look good with shaved hair. I mean, I never thought he was overly attractive but he wasn’t hard on the eyes. But that picture…he looks dreadful. :eek: But reading the article, I was completely shocked that we’re getting a new doctor!? Wasn’t expecting that at all. Mixed feelings about it tbh. I agree that this season especially has been just…meh. Nothing felt connected, and as much as I liked Clara’s personality, she just didn’t have ‘it’ as a character. Everything in general just felt strained. Like they were just going through the motions to pull through this season and reach the end. I was really disappointed ☹ ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/7 "2013-06-04T09:35:27Z")
I wonder about the effect of losing Amy … ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/8 "2013-06-04T11:28:08Z")
I pretty much agree as well. Smith was great; his episodes weren’t. By biggest beef was that Moffat largely seems to have forgotten that the show can and should be FUN, at least some of the time. The silly quotient dropped waaaay down when he took over. Some might argue that it needed to drop some, but I think he went too far down the grim, serious direction. But yeah, mainly the shows just weren’t all that well written. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/9 "2013-06-04T11:31:44Z")
My wife took an instant dislike to Matt Smith as the Doctor (mainly his youthful, wild whirlygigging, as per the article) and hasn’t watched any of 'em. I’m obliged to DVR and watch on my own. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/10 "2013-06-04T13:05:24Z")
I’m a big fan of Matt. Definitely my favourite NuWho Doctor (my favourite Classic Doctor is Pat Troughton). Tennant’s my least favourite of all Doctors ever. I agree that this season has been a bit disappointing compared to others, and I hope the next two stories make up for it. I like Moffat as showrunner (even with this season his stories are far better than many of the RTD era) and I am sure the show will endure for a while yet. ---
**Author:** ![Mavis\_Topholese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@Mavis\_Topholese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavis_Topholese)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/11 "2013-06-04T16:04:56Z")
That article totally nailed why I walked away from the show sometime in the middle of last season, or the first half of the last season, or however they are determining things like that now. I loved the actors and the characters, but the stories were frequently becoming self-referential, mopey, hand-wavey timey-wimey nonsense. Also: worst Nixon, worst Hitler, worst Churchills ever seen on TV, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/12 "2013-06-04T18:11:47Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > My wife took an instant dislike to Matt Smith as the Doctor (mainly his youthful, wild whirlygigging, as per the article) and hasn’t watched any of 'em. I’m obliged to DVR and watch on my own. I’m with **Dexter Haven wife**. Instantly didn’t like Smith on sight and still don’t. I deeply miss Eccleston and Tennant. ☹ However, I gritted my teeth and kept watching - mostly three to four weeks behind the rest of you as RL got in the way from time to time - just to keep up with other Who-Friends. Frankly, none of us has been overly impressed with most of the storylines almost from the get-go. A real shame and a disappointment considering some of my favorite Nu-Who was written by Moffat. Nope, glad to see him go. And - sorry - bow ties are NOT COOL! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/13 "2013-06-04T19:59:50Z")
Article captured my feelings. I like Matt Smith as the Doctor, the stories have big ideas that start great and execute, and then the muff the landing. The closes leaving you with “Wait, that’s what it all was about?” It’s a shame, because Moffat did give us some great villains and stories and characters, just sometimes his closures don’t actually close right. **GuanoLad** , they have this newfangled invention, they’re called “wigs”. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/14 "2013-06-04T20:01:00Z")
I mostly agree with the article. However, I think the stories this recent season have been excellent but have noticed a huge change in the editing and pacing of the episodes. It seems that the plots are peaking too early in the episodes in a poorly edited mess, and then left to limply drag out with Smith being forced to create artificial tension with frantic acting as filler. I’ve liked the wackier episodes best, and the core big-bad ones least. The multi-episode River Song ones were the low points IMO. I loved her as a character, but disliked that Amy/Rory became superfluous to the plot and merely carried along as background. Similarly, with Oswin, I’ve enjoyed her episodes as stand-alone events, but the meta-plot held no tension and a clunky delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/15 "2013-06-04T20:26:09Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > I’m with **Dexter Haven wife**. Instantly didn’t like Smith on sight and still don’t. I deeply miss Eccleston and Tennant. ☹ I’m yet another who disliked him from the start. Loved Eccleston, was disappointed when he left but then was fantastically and happily surprised at how good Tennant was. > [@Scubaqueen](#): > > However, I gritted my teeth and kept watching - mostly three to four weeks behind the rest of you as RL got in the way from time to time - just to keep up with other Who-Friends. > > Frankly, none of us has been overly impressed with most of the storylines almost from the get-go. A real shame and a disappointment considering some of my favorite Nu-Who was written by Moffat. > > Nope, glad to see him go. And - sorry - bow ties are NOT COOL! I watched Smith’s first season and maybe one or two more episodes, but the abandonment of the story lines created by Davies combined with Smith and the worst companions in decades drove me away. Oh, and Moffat’s stories sucked, too. The whole “Doctor-as-archetype-and-universally-known-badass” thing was shite as well. He’s the Doctor, not a freaking superhero. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/16 "2013-06-04T20:56:01Z")
I quite like Moffat small, controlled doses. His episodes were the best NuWho in series 1-4, I’ve loved his take on “Sherlock” so far, although the trailer for Series 3 makes me wonder if I should just leave that as is, “Jekyll” is a favorite at our house, and the first series of “Coupling” is wonderful. That said, I’ve been mostly disappointed by the Matt Smith series. I’ve not yet seen the second half of the current season, but really did not care at all for the first few episodes. I hope we see a pretty thorough overhaul with the next Doctor and writing/producing team. One of the best things about the show it the ability to completely change cast, look, and the character of the Doctor when it starts getting stale. It’s way past time to cut the Doctor’s power off at the knees, whether they do it by making him and older, less physical and more cerebral Doctor or finding some other way to drop him out of superhero territory. My favorite option is to go with a smart, snarky, cerebral older Doctor who largely disdains technology and physical action in favor of thinking. Maybe more of a Nero Wolfe with his Archie to do the legwork. Think Stephen Fry or James Earl Jones, the ultimate Voice of Authority, thinking circles around everyone. Not someone who frenetically spouts out everything that comes into his head, but has to be drawn out and will only reluctantly explain things to the lesser minds about him. Eschews a sonic screwdriver as a toy that you use only as a last resort. Snarky, superior, but very occasionally extremely charming and avuncular. Does not get into romantic situations. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/17 "2013-06-04T21:14:36Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > My favorite option is to go with a smart, snarky, cerebral older Doctor who largely disdains technology and physical action in favor of thinking. Maybe more of a Nero Wolfe with his Archie to do the legwork. Think Stephen Fry or James Earl Jones, the ultimate Voice of Authority, thinking circles around everyone. Not someone who frenetically spouts out everything that comes into his head, but has to be drawn out and will only reluctantly explain things to the lesser minds about him. Eschews a sonic screwdriver as a toy that you use only as a last resort. Snarky, superior, but very occasionally extremely charming and avuncular. Does not get into romantic situations. I could get behind this. That’s why I’d really like to see somebody like Alan Rickman, Hugh Laurie, Jeremy Irons, Alan Cumming, or maybe Julian Sands as the Doctor. Sexy, but way too cerebral to get all a lovey-dovey with the Companions. I still want the Doctor to be attractive, but the whole romantic thing is starting to bug me. He needs to be above such things. He’s over 1,000 years old and has had experiences that no human could ever hope to have. How could he realistically have a relationship with a human that didn’t end up like a master and a beloved pet, or an adult and a young child? I was thinking about this the other day, trying to come up with a real-world analog, and all I could come up with would be if some really intelligent and wealthy First World type fell in love with someone who grew up in a remote Third World area where they didn’t have access to things like the Internet. But even then, it wouldn’t take long for the person to learn about the wider world, because both of them have essentially the same basic human experience to draw from. With the Doctor, he’s an alien. His thought processes are completely different. I’m not saying it _couldn’t_ happen, but to have it happen as often as it does is just getting a bit ridiculous. I think he needs to be more of a father figure than a boyfriend. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/18 "2013-06-04T21:34:16Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > My favorite option is to go with a smart, snarky, cerebral older Doctor who largely disdains technology and physical action in favor of thinking. Maybe more of a Nero Wolfe with his Archie to do the legwork. Think Stephen Fry or James Earl Jones, the ultimate Voice of Authority, thinking circles around everyone. Not someone who frenetically spouts out everything that comes into his head, but has to be drawn out and will only reluctantly explain things to the lesser minds about him. Eschews a sonic screwdriver as a toy that you use only as a last resort. Snarky, superior, but very occasionally extremely charming and avuncular. Does not get into romantic situations. Yes, this absolutely! You wrote it much better than I could. Someone over, say 45, and not too pretty, but maybe with edgy good looks. Someone whose companions look up a bit to him. I liked the dynamic between Ace and Sylvester McCoy ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/19 "2013-06-04T21:37:14Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The whole “Doctor-as-archetype-and-universally-known-badass” thing was shite as well. He’s the Doctor, not a freaking superhero. That was RTD. Moffat put an end to that. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070/20 "2013-06-04T21:42:57Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Yes, this absolutely! You wrote it much better than I could. Someone over, say 45, and not too pretty, but maybe with edgy good looks. Someone whose companions look up a bit to him. I liked the dynamic between Ace and Sylvester McCoy I liked the Seven/Ace dynamic too, but nowhere in this dimension would I ever accuse Sylvester McCoy of having “edgy good looks.” I thought he looked like the love child of Columbo and a NYC cabdriver. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-article-nails-matt-smith-and-steven-bloody-moffat/660070.md?page=2)