Here Comes the Whovian
Every true-to-the-show New Whovian has lived through the past seven seasons of DW with bright and hopeful eyes, wondering where The Doctor and his TARDIS will take us next. In preparation of the New Doctor, Whovians everywhere have traveled back in time to the very first season of New Who with Eccleston at the wheel in order to highlight the best and worst of The Doctor’s “non-linear, non-subjective wibbly wobbly timey wimey,” adventures. The era of Eccleston not only marked the rebirth of a fifty year old fandom, but also enlightened a new generation of teens and young adults to the scientific magic that is an 800 year old time lord.
Though many New Whovians claim skipping over Nine and starting on Ten makes the show more tolerable and altogether watchable, the relationship between Eccleston and Piper is completely necessary in the eyes of any Rose-Doctor shipper. You may share in the opinion that the Tennant-Piper dynamic was more lively and entertaining than Eccleston, yet seeing where it all started is what sparks the interest of any individual who claims to be Rose-stan. In order to fully understand the progression of any character in this series, you must follow the golden rule and watch their storyline beginning to end. Though moving forward may take less time, you lose the non-linear progression of The Doctor’s insanely twisted storyline if you try to skip episodes.
Though many New Whovians claim skipping over Nine and starting on Ten makes the show more tolerable and altogether watchable, the relationship between Eccleston and Piper is completely necessary in the eyes of any Rose-Doctor shipper. You may share in the opinion that the Tennant-Piper dynamic was more lively and entertaining than Eccleston, yet seeing where it all started is what sparks the interest of any individual who claims to be Rose-stan. In order to fully understand the progression of any character in this series, you must follow the golden rule and watch their storyline beginning to end. Though moving forward may take less time, you lose the non-linear progression of The Doctor’s insanely twisted storyline if you try to skip episodes.
One thing we can all agree on is the horrendous quality of special effects in the first two seasons. No one questions the idiotic and unconvincing mannequins that doubled as secondary characters such as Mickey in the first season, or the Slitheen, which look more like giant green babies than a terrifying race of aliens. However, I think we can all agree that if the special effects werestill that atrocious, we would have stopped watching several seasons ago. This progression of special effects throughout the series is, of course, made possible by the show’s unexpected jump over the pond. If it weren’t for the show’s growing popularity in the United States, we may still see the Cybermen as nothing more than a little kid’s cardboard cut-out. Thankfully, funding matured along with the show’s writing. “Upgrading is compulsory,” and DW’s rise to fame is just what The Doctor prescribed.
As we look ahead at the series one Christmas Special, Eccelston is booted off the show and The Doctor regenerates into a man who many Whovians consider their favorite Doctor, Tennant. With the introduction of Ten, the show took on a new life and introduced us to a quirky, younger Doctor who could dish out as much sass as he was dealt. In the show’s prime, we took turns worshipping The Doctor’s dynamic between Piper and Tate. Rose and Ten became an iconic couple to be reckoned with across time and space, while the impenetrable friendship of Donna and Ten made us laugh till we dropped. With two powerhouse females at the companion lead during Tennant’s reign, it is no wonder fans found themselves in a vortex of confusion as the writing team changed and Tennant’s time as The Doctor came to an end.
With the emergence of the young Smith as the newest Doctor, we see a decline in female importance in the show. Many Whovians attribute this deterioration in female prominence to the exchange of writers. With the move from Gatiss and Davies to Moffat, we get to the biggest hot topic on every Whovian’s mind; has Doctor Who become sexist? In the minds of many feminists, the answer is a clear yes. We can pinpoint the decline of female importance with Tate’s departure as a companion. Slowly, the character arch of the show becomes more Doctor-centric and less centered on the companions. Where we once had “Bad Wolf” and “Doctor Donna,” we now have “The Girl who Waited” and “The Impossible Girl.” Even the strong-minded River Song-who many young women look up to, is on the show for the sole purpose to belong to The Doctor. Though she has quite her fair share of screen time, she unfortunately barely passes the Bechdel test at 57%, and that fades down to the low 40s after series five. While previous series companions passed with flying colors- Rose at 74%, Martha at 78%, and Donna at 100%, companions in the Moffat era seem to lack the wherewithal and gusto that makes them unique and more than merely a prop for The Doctor to play with.
As we look ahead at the series one Christmas Special, Eccelston is booted off the show and The Doctor regenerates into a man who many Whovians consider their favorite Doctor, Tennant. With the introduction of Ten, the show took on a new life and introduced us to a quirky, younger Doctor who could dish out as much sass as he was dealt. In the show’s prime, we took turns worshipping The Doctor’s dynamic between Piper and Tate. Rose and Ten became an iconic couple to be reckoned with across time and space, while the impenetrable friendship of Donna and Ten made us laugh till we dropped. With two powerhouse females at the companion lead during Tennant’s reign, it is no wonder fans found themselves in a vortex of confusion as the writing team changed and Tennant’s time as The Doctor came to an end.
With the emergence of the young Smith as the newest Doctor, we see a decline in female importance in the show. Many Whovians attribute this deterioration in female prominence to the exchange of writers. With the move from Gatiss and Davies to Moffat, we get to the biggest hot topic on every Whovian’s mind; has Doctor Who become sexist? In the minds of many feminists, the answer is a clear yes. We can pinpoint the decline of female importance with Tate’s departure as a companion. Slowly, the character arch of the show becomes more Doctor-centric and less centered on the companions. Where we once had “Bad Wolf” and “Doctor Donna,” we now have “The Girl who Waited” and “The Impossible Girl.” Even the strong-minded River Song-who many young women look up to, is on the show for the sole purpose to belong to The Doctor. Though she has quite her fair share of screen time, she unfortunately barely passes the Bechdel test at 57%, and that fades down to the low 40s after series five. While previous series companions passed with flying colors- Rose at 74%, Martha at 78%, and Donna at 100%, companions in the Moffat era seem to lack the wherewithal and gusto that makes them unique and more than merely a prop for The Doctor to play with.
With the death of another Doctor, Whovians everywhere are holding their breath to see where the story will lead us. With Capaldi taking the lead as the New Doctor, many Whovians seem to think he has what it takes to stand up to Moffat and put this show back on the right track. With the new series staring up, and rumors flying that Capaldi refuses to allow the show to follow down its current trail, Whovians around the world will be tuning in to see whether or not the show is till salvageable from its sexist downward spiral.
Leann Boisvert
Leann Boisvert