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7/3/2026 5:28:28 AM
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I've been watching so much Doctor Who (Whittaker) that my old title gimmick quit, and we had to hire a new one
Good evening everybody! Unfortunately, I didn't have time to come up with a fun gimmick for this intro paragraph. See, I thought I had more time than I did because I was using a time machine, so I thought I could just come back a few hours in advance and give me time to come up with something clever, but this time machine is incredibly unreliable and dropped me right in front of my deadline! So, uh, let's get to it.
According to the haters, Whittaker's run of Doctor Who is the worst run of Doctor Who up to this point. And, to that end, I would actually agree with the haters. I say that, however, with an asterisk, because the haters will also tell me that there's absolutely nothing good here, and it's straight trash, and to that end I disagree. Whittaker's run has a lot of problems, this is true, but it also has plenty of good to it, so let's dive right in!
Let's start with the Doctor herself. I liked her character. She was fun, and goofy, but also serious when need be. I know some people probably found it cringe, but I really loved the joke where she kept calling her crew her fam. However, something that bugged me about her compared to previous Doctors is she kinda seemed like she didn't know a lot? The old Doctors would say "I don't know" every now and then, but with Whittaker it feels like she says that *all the time*. It wasn't a huge deal, though.
Rather than talk about Season 1 & 2 individually, I'm just going to talk about them together because they both have the same problems. Many of the episodes here were fine enough, but so much of these first two seasons lost that Doctor Who touch and felt like generic sci-fi? The Pting, for instance, looks like a generic alien you could slip into basically anywhere, and the show suffers pretty heavily from the "Stormtrooper problem" where they're being chased by enemies firing lasers who just keep missing every shot. The Cybermen were the worst victims of this, because, like, these versions of the Cybermen are just totally not threatening.
This is only compounded by how much magic it feels like they're injecting into the show, such as the Ux , the creepy finger man, and later the Ravagers... Doctor Who used [i]some[/i] magic in the past, but it felt like it was everywhere in Whittaker's run, which kind brought down the vibe? And don't get me wrong, I like space magic, but when I think "Doctor Who", I don't think "space magic", and it only heightened that feeling of making the show feel like more of a generic sci-fi thing.
They also just seemed like they didn't care for the lore previously established in the show, either. People were surprised by aliens, and they didn't explain how the Master was back nor why he was evil again at all. And we disband UNIT on top of that? It just didn't feel like they were even wanting to write Doctor Who. Just their own totally independent sci-fi show.
And to be clear, I don't mind that the Master is evil again, I just wish they explained it. It's more just the fact that neither the Doctor nor the Master ever mention it. Not even once!
Also, I can't stand these edgy as all jannolor villains. The minor villains were fine, but, like, Tim Shaw and the Lone Cyberman? Actually terrible.
For all that, though, I did like several episodes in these seasons as noted below. They were hit or miss, and it wasn't uncommon for 90% of an episode to be good, only to have one really stupid decision that probably brings them down in a lot of people's minds.
However, they really cleaned up their act in Season 3. While I still didn't care for the Ravagers too much, and the idea of Time being an apparently evil entity is a little ehh, I loved basically everything else about the Flux episodes. All the disconnected puzzle pieces coming together, the second best Weeping Angel episode in the series, fun little twist villain, properly capitalizing on the missed potential from the Doctor's new past lives, and a classic "use the enemy's weapons against them" bit at the end. I liked Kalvinista, too. Big grumpy puppy.
I kinda genuinely don't have any complaints about the Flux stuff. It was very good.
Now for the partners!
Ryan and Graham are both pretty fun, and I liked how they were both mourning over Grace. We haven't really had any partners with their dynamic before. They both made me laugh quite a few times, and had an enjoyable dynamic with each other and the Doctor. [i]Buuuut[/i] they also both have the same problem in that neither of them was great at being emotional. When Graham had to be a friendly old man he was great at it, but when he needed to stare down his wife's killer with a gun his performance felt very... Flat. And the same goes for when Ryan needed to be emotional as well.
I did really like Ryan's drama with his dad, though, and wish we saw more of it. I also think they did a really good job at building up towards his reason to leave the Doctor with the whole fingie man episode.
Dan exists. I don't dislike him, but I have nothing to say about him. He just exists. His introduction was really good, with him acting like a museum guide despite not working there, but with the Flux being such a plot-focused season, I feel like we didn't get to see him as much as as we should have.
I did really like Yaz, though. She was definitely the star of the show in this batch of partners. I like how she was the only one who would actually get mad at the Doctor, and there was all that tension brewing between them. The fact that there was maybe a romance brewing between them felt kind of tacked onto the end. I could see it in retrospect, but it felt weird that the ending kind of just didn't even acknowledge it?
They do spend Whittaker's last moment together, but, I don't know, it felt kind of weird that they didn't bring it up in the ending like they did when the Doctor had to leave Rose, or when Martha decided to leave herself.
Overall, Whittaker's run was a lot of ups and downs. I did find myself getting a little tired of it while I was in Season 2, but also, the same can be said for Smith, so. Y'know. Whittaker was at least better with its finales than Smith was! Or, most of them anyway.
Season 1's finale was dumb, Season 2's was passable, Season 3's was great.
In conclusion: They got rid of the Dalek plungers, 0/10, literally unwatchable. (though thankfully they brought them back in the very last episode)
But we're not done yet! Let's talk about individual episodes!
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Edited by The First Aifos: 7/3/2026 6:28:06 AMIndividual episodes time! The bad: The Tsuranga Conundrum [spoiler]Honestly, I'm probably going to be harder on this one than it deserves. I like the premise of being trapped on a hospital ship, and how everyone had their own things going on. But, it also felt like too much. Like we had a bunch of different plot threads shoved into the same story, and then I don't like the Pting. As mentioned before, it feels like such a generic alien. This was the first episode where I though "Okay, I can see why people don't like Whittaker".[/spoiler] The Battle of Ransakoor [spoiler]I don't like Star Wars. This feels like Star Wars but worse. We had our knockoff Jedi, our knockoff Darth Vader, our knockoff Death Star... And while I'm normally all for a "We shouldn't kill our enemies!" plotline, Graham just couldn't pull it off. He didn't feel angry. I really hated this whole episode and just wanted it to stop basically from the beginning. Still better than Smith's supposed death at the lake, though.[/spoiler] I actually thought there would be more here in Season 2, but honestly, none of them were terrible on a whole. They just sort of had bits here or there that I didn't like. So, instead of episodes, here are some minor bits I hated: -Spyfall: Laser shoes are stupid. -Orphan 55: I'm not opposed to the idea of this being Earth fallen by Global Warming, but the way the Doctor spelled it all out at the end really bugs me. -Can You Hear Me: This one's tone just felt really off. Two planets gravity locked into a prison for a deity just doesn't feel very "Doctor Who". -The Haunting of Villa...: The name is cut off on my list. This one is really annoying because this episode was [i]SO[/i] good up until the Lone Cyberman showed up. But then, ugh, Lone Cyberman. And while we're at it, let's jump back to Season 1 real quick too and mention: -Rosa: So, I actually like 90% of this episode. The racism was all hard to watch in a good way, and I liked how the Doctor and crew were desperately trying to keep everything on track. That all was great. But, I was waiting the whole episode for the big sci-fi twist and there just... Wasn't one? The villain was just racist, too, which was a bit of a let down. Alright, back to full episodes. Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Child [spoiler]Lone Cyberman. Ugh. On top of that, Cybermen in generally just felt very... Pathetic. They were getting taken out left and right like it was nothing, were victims of the Stormtrooper Problem, and then, like, them making a whole deal about Galifrey being back only to instantly destroy it again just felt like they were backtracking on themselves. Save Galifrey or don't, but don't tell me you're saving it only to blow it up the next season. I actually did like the idea of the Cyber Lords, and the Timeless Child itself was actually a fun twist... But, at this point, they didn't really do anything with either of these things. It felt like it took a very long time to say very little.[/spoiler] The Good: Kerblam! [spoiler]I don't actually have much to say on the episode as a whole. I just thought it was good. It is a little weird how the Doctor kinda just shrugged off the one girl's death, granted, but other than that, is just good Doctor Who.[/spoiler] Also, not on a whole, but I [i]loved[/i] the scene in "It Takes You Away" where the dad is back and sees the message on the wall and the Doctor just looks at him with this stare like "Yeah, I hope you realize how big a piece of garbage you are, mate." Spyfall [spoiler]Despite my previous complaints, I [i]DO[/i] think Spyfall was good overall. I hate how they disbanded UNIT, and I hate all the dumb spy tropes, but the plotline was really fun, and the Master was great. I liked the Doctor's new temporary team, and the way she tricked the (name redacted) into turning on the Master was perfect. The gang needing to operate on their own without the Doctor for a while was a nice touch, too. Laser shoes are still stupid, though.[/spoiler] The Flux [spoiler]Yeah, that's right. I'm putting ALL of the Flux on here. All six episodes. I just loved the puzzle piece nature of the storytelling here. The way they'd introduce something as early as Episode 1, and then just have it be there, lingering in your mind until Episode 4, and then you're like "Whaaaat?!". While the Timeless Child was pretty lackluster overall, I think the Flux also finally capitalized on the whole plotline the Timeless Child put forth in a satisfying way. The Doctor grappling with her memories of the past, fighting a villain with a vendetta against her that she'd never seen before. It was great. Kalvanista was also really fun. I have a penchant for characters doing a good thing, but being super grumpy about it. And of course, this comes with him being one of the puzzle pieces that we only learn the full scope of at the end. The Doctor's mum being the one to have engineered the Flux, specifically because she was fed up with the Doctor's actions was a nice twist. The Ravagers were a little boring, but this part was great. Like, just imagine being told "We're ending the entire universe because you're in it.". Ouch, lady. I also just enjoy the fact that the Sontaren were the villains. I feel like they're overlooked most of the time. They fell into the same Stormtrooper Problem as the rest of the baddies, but strangely I didn't mind it as much this time? I guess they sort of feel like Stormtroopers anyway. I do have to say, though, the Grand Serpent stuff was dumb. It felt totally disconnected from everything else, didn’t have any explanation behind it, and then went out with a whimper. I don’t know why he was here.[/spoiler] Village of the Angels [spoiler]Now, wait, I know what you're thinking, "Isn't this part of the Flux?". Yes, it is, but it's the best episode in the Flux, so I'm giving it its own entry as well. "The image of an Angel becomes an Angel" was my favorite part of the lore with the Weeping Angels, but up until this point it never really felt properly utilized. We had that spooky scene with Amy and the TV, and that scene is wonderful, I love it, but that's also all we really got. This episode basically takes the ideas of Flesh and Stone and pumps them up to 11. We had Claire and her Angel, the Angel coming out of the drawing. On top of that, the Angels were also acting like they usually do, sending people back in time which Flesh and Stone didn't do. It was just fantastic, start to finish. However, Weeping Angel episodes are cursed to always do one big thing wrong. In this case, the effects of having an Angel in your mind were previously established to be all in your head. Your hands don't [i]actually[/i] turn to stone, they just feel like they do. Apparently turning people to stone is just something the Angels can do now, though. Other than that, though, this episodes was delightfully creepy. I mean it, second best Weeping Angel episode in the series, second only to Don't Blink.[/spoiler] Eve of the Daleks [spoiler]Now, I'm a sucker for a time loop, so that immediately gets this episode bonus points. I love resetting, watching how everyone dies, and then watching how they get out of it the next loop. Only oh wait, they don't, because they die again. To make this work, I will admit the Doctor felt a little more incompetent than usual, but I forgive it because time loop. Beyond the time loop, I actually really liked these characters, too. The shy awkward dude with a crush on the fiery lady who doesn't want to be here on New Years? Wonderful. Also, the mom in this episode was absolutely hilarious. You could feel the girl's frustration talking to her. I love it.[/spoiler] And finally: Demons of Punjab [spoiler]This episode is basically perfect. Out of the [i]entire series[/i], this probably ranks somewhere around 4th or 5th. Yeah, I know, a Whittaker episode in the top five across the entire series? I'm a total heretic. But seriously, I loved this episode, start to finish. We get some fun slice of life stuff with Yaz's family, and then we get introduced to the plot of the episode, being that Yaz's grandma is marrying someone who's not her granddad. Now, you could argue that this makes for a predictable twist (the hubby dies), and it does, but far from being a bad thing, I think this instantly set a foreboding tone over the episode. We know he's going to die, and we're just waiting for the moment. Only, plot twist! The supposed assassins aren't actaully assassins. They've made it their duty to seek out those who die unloved, so that nobody has to die alone. Like, what? That's such a fun twist! I love these guys! And of course, they confirm our hubby is going to die. Which brings us to all the family drama that's been looming over the episode. The hubby's brother is not happy about the wedding, and it turns out he's the one who ends up doing the killing. Now, yes, this is another moment you could scream "predictable", but predictable =/= bad. I knew the twist was coming, but I still really loved it because of all that juicy, juicy family drama. We could see the tragedy coming, but we couldn't do anything to stop it. It was really great. I really love this episode.[/spoiler]
