People have been clamoring for a female Doctor for a long time. Some even have suggestions as to who it should be. I would love to see a female Doctor. He’s never been a woman so the Doctor has no idea what it’s like. It would be incredibly enlightening to see how he reacts to his power being taken away if he winds up in the wrong century.
It also begs the question of how they would resolve the companions. The Doctor is full of knowledge and authority. Would they write a female Doctor to stay that way with a male companion? Would she be young or older? Would she be fiery, sweet, determined, stubborn, or something totally different?
Slate pointed out that female characters under Moffat’s watch have gotten younger, prettier, less developed and less useful than past female companions. Martha was very intelligent and Donna underwent a great deal of character development. Amy was much younger and while I liked her, she offered less to the series than the previous two companions. I know Clara is supposed to be this big mystery but I feel like she’s almost acting like a placeholder until they decide what to do with her.
I think Davies had the show driven almost equally by plot and by characters. Under Moffat the show has become much more plot driven. I think some of the story lines are absolutely brilliant but I know almost nothing about Clara. Amy had a life and a love. What does Clara have? The Doctor immediately liked her and I’ll be damned if I can figure out why. I don’t see the point of Clara as a character.
I haven’t finished 7.2 yet but I’m 3 episodes away so I’ve seen most of it. I hope she gets more interesting. One of my friends said the season finale will “either clarify everything or make you wonder why they even bothered.” My money’s on the latter.
I don’t think the next Doctor will be female. I would be in all sorts of shock if it happened. The Slate article said tradition is the last refuge of sexism but few western cultures love tradition more than the Brits. I think if Doctor Who ended and restarted again in so many odd years, it would happen but not this time.
Music: Prehistoric by Now, Now
I thought it was obvious what the Doctor sees in Clara. The Doctor is over a thousand years old, and has failed to save the only family he has had in 300 years. His wife died the first time he met her, and no matter how much time he spends with her, River's time is finite. The doctor is lonely, so very lonely.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is someone who can't die, who won't die, even when the doctor fails to save her (like he did with Rory and Amy, or River, or Oswin, or Clara Oswin) she's still there.
Surely you can see how someone like this would be attractive to the doctor.
The problem is, like you mention above, these are plot points, not character traits. In the past few episodes they have yet to give her an actual character.
Disagree with Slate also regarding the companions. Tennant's companion's were the equivalent of going to a bar and picking people up. He hung out with Martha and Donna because he had nothing better to do at the moment. They're cool people but if not them then someone else. He goes back to Amy because she's family. More than anything else the Doctor has been looking for family in this incarnation.