Some of it is also that when he does use the full extent of his capabilities, he runs the risk of going overboard. See the two-parter "Human Nature/Family of Blood" where he chooses to remove his memories and become biologically human in order to evade a group seeking his regeneration energy. He didn't have to do ANY of that - he wipes the floor with them in seconds - but he was trying to be merciful because he KNEW he'd go too far and seek to punish them. Other times, he's probably holding back because he doesn't want worshiping as a god or humanity expecting him to fix all their problems. Or because he's trying to nudge his companions into becoming capable of resolving situations without godlike power.
He's also had some power creep in the post-2000 series, with the improvement of CGI and the sonic screwdriver, and also developing a "do not mess with" reputation in parts of the universe. The Third Doctor in particular spent much of his life with a nonfunctional TARDIS.
The two biggies they can't seem to do is go back again, and again, and again, like "Groundhog Day", or layer multiple tries over each other like "Back To The Future".
Yeah, in recent years especially the Doctor's dilemmas have often been less about figuring out how to do something, but about figuring out what to do. Done right, a divinely powerful main character can be a wonderful vehicle to explore morality from that perspective. And remember, he is a trickster. He didn't build the TARDIS, he stole it. This isn't a story about an engineer. Even when we see him being extremely clever with technology, he is not building machines or writing programs, but rather modifying and hacking them.
You have to remember that Dr Who started off as a show targeted at kids, and the newer series have tried to maintain that and keep the old fans along, it comes with a lot of contradictions you kind of have turn a blind eye to. It's also not really true sci-fi, it has more than enough fantasy elements in it to sit somewhere between the more sciencey Star Trek and the more fantasy Star Wars. It's why Omega can hide in a black hole, the TARDIS can blow up leaving the Doctor outside reality in a realm of fiction and his next incarnation can sometimes hang around waiting for him to 'die' It's history is also complex and frequently contradictory - there's been a couple of things that caused the Big Bang IIRC, and the extinction of the dinosaurs has had more re-dos than David Bowie's musical career - one of the things frequently missing from nuWho has the been how joyfully daft it all is. Although, to be fair, it was really during Davidson's tenure the stories started moving towards the more serious.
'Fathers Day' showed that rather well. Much as I came to detest the finales during RTD's reign - which seemed to conflate "fucking stupid" with "silly" - the remaining episodes were mostly good.
Ok, so he is a witty time and space traveling guys and the entertainment is in him and not the in depth universe. That is cool, just not my thing.thank you.
^That is awesome! I'm grinning a totally ten-year-old-again grin right now, and it's not as if it has been a good day so far.
some folks induldge themselves posting mediocre shit on youtube... and then.... some folks.... are MOTHER FUCKING GENIUSES this is the shit y'all. The Dylan Thomas poem has always been one of my favorites but once I've heard it in this context I can't help but think it was written specifically for this moment in Who history (even though rationally, this Capaldi regeneration was likely written specifically with the poem in mind) Any way...DAMN
There is one written story called Continuity Errors (by Moffatt, unsurprisingly) where the Seventh Doctor keeps making changes to the timeline of an officious librarian who is stopping him accessing a book he needs to read to understand his current foe. Each time, he doesn't quite get the result he's aiming for. But that's a bit different to trying the same events again and again. We do see him sneaking about trying to avoid his past self whilst resolving the plot a few times - Before the Flood being the most recent. But enough of past events: the Beeb have released another official pic of Jodie as the 13th Doctor...
The more I see that absolutely fucking awful outfit, the more I hate it. Goddamn you, BBC. You make a bold choice for the new Doctor and then you pick the tackiest, shittiest, most unflattering Colin Baker-ish outfit you could find. Goddamn you to hell. P.S. - Fuck off, BBC.
Point of order; She actually is the sixth Doctor of the relaunched series, after Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, Hurt, and Capaldi.
The only thing I don't like about it is the pixie trousers, the rest looks fine. A single rainbow stripe is a far cry from Colin's visual nightmare, ffs.
So, how do you think she survives the cliffhanger? I think the Tardis goes off somewhere to repair itself for however long that takes, changes desktops, then comes right back, and catches her.
yeah, at the very worst this is 5th Doctor and the sudden obsession with question marks like hes the goddamn Riddler or something. Too cartoony to be overlooked but not full on clown suit
It seems like the natural evolution of Capaldi wearing a hoodie and a coat, switching to a t-shirt and a hooded jacket/windbreaker, but bringing back the Smith-style suspenders. I'm assuming she'll have other shirts as well, hopefully decorated with bowtie, celery, and cat patterns.
I don't really see it, but I keep hearing elsewhere that the pattern on her initial shirt is supposed to reference the scarf.
Someone found this old pic of Elisabeth Sladen. Coincidence? Or is the Doctor wearing Sarah Jane's clothes?
That's a lovely homage to Liz if it's the same top, but Sarah-Jane never wore that in the show. It'd be great if the Doctor - even less used to female fashion than she was male - chose something one of her favourites would have worn.
nu-uh. The stripes are the same but the collar is different and I'll bet the sleeves are not mismatched either. May indeed be an easter egg but it's not the same shirt.
also, I've said this before but I want to see, in her second season maybe, this Doctor cross paths with Martha again. All the reactions would be so great. If he hadn't aged so much Captain Jack's reaction would be classic too.
I hadn't seen that photo, but from the first reveal the costume has looked very Sarah Janey. The costume looks like if the Eleventh Doctor had to assemble an outfit from what his female companions left in the TARDIS wardrobe and I love it.
