Doctor Who

I don't even think he was that upset with the Handy Doctor. He just didn't want two hims buzzing around and decided to give it to Rose to look after, was my perception on the subject.

Look how much he stressed that as a human hybrid, the Handyman Doctor would age like she would. And then remember School Reunion where he stressed the opposite, that as a Time Lord he would live long after she died.

Tangentially, I briefly wondered if the Doctor and the Handyman took a quick trip to one of River Song's birthdays but she met his tenth form for the first time in the library. So much for that idea.

Personally, I would prefer that they get away from focusing on the Doctor's character. I like him like he was in Blink- A crazy guy who travels through time with a friend.

The show should be more focused on the companion like it was in the Eleventh Hour.

If you combine the sense of wonder Amy had in The Eleventh Hour with the Doctor's characterization in Blink, the show would be way better than it already is.

It should be like it was in the Eleventh Hour-A madman drops out of the sky with a time machine. He invites you and you go on amazing adventures with him. Not so Doctor-Centric.

edited 18th Jul '11 10:38:27 PM by TheProffesor

> Handyman

Now I think of the Doctor as Tim Curry. Thanks.

^The Doctor is way too interesting for that, in my oppinion. It works better when we're giving that glimpse into an ousider's perspective, but making it a constant seems like it would wear the show down and it'd probably make the fans go "We WANT MOAR DOCTOR"

edited 18th Jul '11 10:38:10 PM by juancarlos

You're welcome.

I'm not even sure why the Doctor was so upset at Handyman. He said in the Christmas Invasion that he doesn't give second chances and he gave Davros and the Daleks plenty of warnings and chances to stop.

Tragically, I shall always think of noble, Dalek-destroying Handyman as just a way to let Rose get the Doctor in a way.

True, but there is a balance to it. I think that they focus too much on the Doctor's character.

You probably should focus on him some, but there needs to be more episodes like the Eleventh Hour where it's companion-centric rather than Doctor-centric.

Heh. I realised a while ago that I actually have three Doctor expies or analogues in various stories - one protagonist, one Anti-Villain, and one whom I'm trying to simply explore. So...

• Capriciousness. All too often, the Doctor decides whether or not you're on 'his side' based on initial impressions, and if you rub him wrong at first your only hope is in Redemption Equals Death.
• The Harriet Jones problem. The Doctor can't be relied on to save everyone always, but he constantly refuses either to stay in one place long enough to impart some of his abilities or knowledge and encourage humanity to mature, or to compromise with authorities who have harder decisions to make due to lacking the skills he does. If you're tied yourself to one place and aren't unfettered enough to run off with him, tough on you.
• The Doctor is barely on the reliable side of the Cloud Cuckoo Lander scale - no one but himself knows what he's talking about most of the time, and he runs into things he's never encountered before or run contrary to his expectations all the time. You can't know whether he's ever actually right or just imposing arbitrary limitations on himself because he doesn't know any better or even for the fun of it.
• He's a moral absolutist who respects no moral authority but himself. How long would you tolerate him if he had any absolutes besides 'no shooting people' and 'don't muck up history too badly'? (And what does 'too badly' mean, anyway? Well, whatever he says it means.)
• I'm sure you can tell where he falls on the sliding scale of individual versus community. All the species who are his worst enemies are indistinguishable on the individual level, which apparently makes it okay to kill them; if humanity runs into irreconcilable conflict with another species whose members are as clearly and plainly unique as our own, though, his sentimentalism will probably keep him on humanity's side. Like with the Weeping Angels, for instance.

I wouldn't say that the Assassins of the Universe are a good example. Noa.

Disagreed. The ones in Blink were hungry, and 'killing you nicely'; the ones in Time of Angels were on the receiving end of genocide and desperate to stay alive against all of the newcomers to the universe who hate them.

The only thing that indicates they are the 'psychopath' race the Doctor claims they are is the death countdown they impose on Amy. Fair enough; but there are plenty of Bluer and Orangier aliens humanity has been able to get along with, and by decrying them as 'psychopaths' the Doctor is inherently judging their species' sociology as mentally aberrant relative to that of his favourite pets, H. sapiens.

Can you imagine a Doctor whose favorites are the Angels, trying to protect them against the universe while constantly trying to get them to 'stop doing the countdown thing! I swear, if I see you kill someone from inside their head ONE MORE TIME...'

edited 18th Jul '11 11:18:29 PM by Noaqiyeum

More of a Doylist complaint:

A wee bit more diversity would be nice. I'm not even talking about the classic series; different times, different attitude, can't be helped now. But I just remember how exciting the speculation was when David announced he'd leave the show and thinking the next Doctor could be anything. Black, Asian, woman, etc. And then we got Matt and... well, I can't possibly hate him. He's incredible, and so are Karen and Arthur and Alex, and I just love all of them. But all the same, considering how the show's so progressive in its themes, I'd like to see that reflected in its casting.

The Doctor has always been a white male Brit.

You want diversity, your only option is the Companions.

Actually, the Eleventh Doctor was supposedly going to be black before Smith was cast in the role.

At least, Paterson Joseph was a favorite of the producers

edited 18th Jul '11 11:10:52 PM by juancarlos

I wonder how common gender changing is during regenerations. The Doctor checks for it sometimes after he regenerates and he says that the Corsair was female at least once but all of the Doctor's own forms have been male and all the versions of the Master we see were male.

Its probably something that can happen but isn't incredibly common.

But he'll forgive them in the end. He offers a lot of leeway to his favorites.

Its a bit difficult to have one as a Companion since it keeps trying to absorb the TARDIS' energy.

Also, bastard won't stay in the TARDIS and will always go away when not looking.

^^ Nah... they have an arrangement, they stop off at exotic and strange power plants around the cosmos to sample the kinds of energy they produce. :)

^ > Implying he doesn't have that problem with his human Companions

edited 18th Jul '11 11:30:20 PM by Noaqiyeum

So far the Doctor's main flaws seem to boil down to this then: He's a madman with a box and a God complex.

He's above the law, thinks he can make the law, and allows himself the luxury of mucking around with time on his own whims, "correcting" things that, for all intents and purposes, maybe shouldn't have been corrected. He's hypocritical, and seriously in denial about it.

And he doesn't always wear bowties.

As pointed out earlier, he can bend time to his whim; only his flamboyantness/A God Am I declaration led to Adelaide killing herself.

But yes, he doesn't always wear a bowtie. And That's Terrible.

Diversity for diversity's sake isn't a good move. Ever.

Diversity should just happen; if you're choosing people solely based on their gender/skin colour/what-have-you, you're doing it wrong.

That also I dislike how the Doctor lords his superiority over everyone yeah he deserves to brag once awhile but that should only be for comedic affect.

edited 19th Jul '11 7:40:32 AM by zam

Yes, but do they, you know, have super speed?

Joseph had already auditioned for the role twice, and he was liked enough for the producers to keep him in mind afte Tennant. And if he was going to be cast because of the color of his skin, then why not go through with it instead of casting Smith?

Paterson Joseph? Mitchell and Webb regular Paterson Joseph? Was up for the part of 11?

PATERSON JOSEPH FOR 12TH DOCTOR!

I would also support BRIAN BLESSED for 12th Doctor but mostly out of curiosity.

I'd prefer Brain Blessed as the Master or as the Rassilon, even.

Especially as the Rassilon.

Patterson Joseph could be cool as The Doctor, it's a bit far off to be considered but still

I mean Helena Bonham Carter would be brilliant(not because she's a woman but because she would actually be excellent) but She'd/They'd never do it

edited 19th Jul '11 9:36:10 AM by faradayangel