Doctor Who

I've watched the first two episodes, and must admit that I'm rather underwhelmed by both of them. No criticism of the new Doctor or his companion as the acting was fine, but the stories just weren't very engaging. It seems to be obsessed with image projection these days instead of attention grabbing story lines and real drama. If it is a trying to be a reflection of modern culture, with its superficiality of identity politics, obsession with fashion and much else that is about appearance and nothing more, then it succeeds quite well. But that is a long way from what Dr. Who used to be about in his glory days.

Four episodes in and I had high hopes of the new series after the specials and Tennant reminding us of who The Doctor should be.

I don't either hate or love the nu-nu-who, I'm just indifferent, I don't care anymore.

It feels like a long-term relationship where gradually you realise that the two of you have grown apart. No matter how much you try, how much you want to make it work, the spark is gone.

I don't feel it's the fault of the actors, it's the overall approach to the show. If RTD and Disney are trying for a whole new younger fan-base then maybe they'll get it - I wouldn't know, I'm too old 'my' Doctor was Tom Baker, of the reboot Doctors it's between Tennant and Smith, probably with Smith just edging it.

I think it's time for me to end my love affair with Dr Who, there will always be a place in my heart for it and I may even occasionally visit but my feelings of commitment and connection have gone. I hope you find a new lover Doctor, someone that loves you as you are now. Don't worry about me Doctor I'll be fine, we had a great time together but it's time for me to move on - or perhaps I'll stay single and just reminice about the old days with Tom and Jon on the iPlayer while sobbing gently and considering getting an 11th cat.

I don't think anything can replace you, so I'll be better on my own, it's sad but these things happen. All the best for the future eh? Oh and by the way, I'm keeping K9.

As a big fan of Doctor Who, I must express my deep disappointment with the new season. To be honest, it doesn't even feel like Doctor Who anymore. I had high hopes for Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, as I find him to be a brilliant actor. His performance, along with Millie's, is not the issue. The fault lies entirely with the production team.

The dialogue and plot is painfully bland, lacking the intelligence, wittiness, depth, and big thinking that have always been the hallmarks of Doctor Who and the reasons I fell in love with the show. Instead, we are left with something that feels like Disney-esque, slapstick, easy entertainment. This transformation makes the show hardly worth watching anymore.

I deeply hope that the production will improve and bring back the Doctor Who we love. And if not, that the other Doctor Who, who was left when Ncuti and David split in two, will be revived after his vacation and rest with family, and give us back our Doctor. Thank you.

While the new Doctor Who era is watchable, there are some areas that could be improved. Ncuti Gatwa's portrayal of the Doctor still comes across as more whimsical than a deeply intellectual and ancient being, with showrunner Russell T. Davies leaning heavily into a campy and lighthearted tone. Millie Gibson brings a certain charm as the new companion, though the overall lighthearted approach raises questions about whether she will have opportunities to showcase a broader acting range assuming she is capable. Gatwa and Gibson do have an enjoyable on-screen chemistry that makes the Doctor work better than one might expect given the strange tonal choices.

The new season's shift toward a more supernatural or fantasy-focused storytelling is a departure from previous eras and abstracts the show's connection to exploring our actual universe in favor of a very light fantastical setting.

In casting recent Doctors, there seems to be an emphasis on eccentric personalities over projecting a sense of gravitas befitting an immortal, genius alien. Previous Doctors all balanced eccentricity with an underlying aura of experience and depth that has been lacking. While an improvement over the previous era in terms of maintaining interest, this new season is at least not boring, if odd, it struggles to maintain tonal and thematic continuity with classic and new era Doctor Who.

The season's specials in particular featured heavy-handed moralizing that came across as simplistic rather than cleverly insightful at times, unintentionally veering into parody. I hope that Russell T. Davies can recruit talented writers who can inject more depth, nuance and flair into the stories. This would give Ncuti Gatwa more opportunities to explore the Doctor's ancient, complex character beyond just the eccentric surfaces.

Somehow, and this is quite a feat, a few episodes of the Chibnall era stand out as being almost psuedo doctor who, and really very little of this new era feels like that. A few have the plot trappings of it, but the characters all feel wrong.

I have no issues with the cast and they have a good vibe, I'm particularly enjoying Ncuti in the role. I wasn't actually aware of him before this but he really does have some good energy. Too early to tell regarding the writing so I'll reserve judgement. It's been better than Chibnall but that's not a difficult accomplishment. My biggest issue is the overall feel of the show. They say Disney has no real input so why does it feel like a Disney show? If it doesn't pick up I may just give up and go back to watching the older seasons. Given the recent performance of Disney shows this really isn't a good start and I hope beyond all hope it finds it feet because this isn't what the majority want.