Doctor Who Series 9 Wish List

It’s the time of year for wishing; why not start with Who?  It’s no secret that I have complaints about series 8, so here’s what I’d like Nick Frost/Santa to drop in my stocking next season.

Doctor-Clara Friendship

This is item one – it’s so important that the Doctor and his companion(s) are in a good place, and for much of series 8, I just didn’t see that.  The good news is that I’m heartened after seeing the reworked Doctor-Clara relationship in “Last Christmas.”  Let’s keep that up; it’s fine if they bicker and are strong-willed with each other, but the love has to be the foundation.  (I’m also still open to a second companion, provided it’s not just a hot male brought in to be paired with Clara.)

Doctor-Clara Balance

After her minimal impact in series 7, it was nice to see Clara taking a more active role in the adventures this season, but it doesn’t – repeat, does not – have to be at the expense of the Doctor.  I don’t want to see him disappearing for huge swathes of time, and I don’t want to see him sidelined for the end-of-episode victories.  This is a show with only two main characters.  They can both afford to be strong, clever, brave, etc.  They can work as a team to solve problems and save planets, both can save each other, and we can see more than just one person’s perspective.

TARDIS Excitement!

Now, I’m not saying the part-time companion business has to stop, but it’s no fun to watch a companion who only squeezes in the whole time-and-space thing when it fits her schedule.  When the Doctor follows his companion around her flat trying to convince her to go on an incredible adventure with him, it’s depressing, and when she basically replies, “Yeah, maybe l8r, k bye,” it’s aggravating.  I’d like to see a Clara who’s invested in her life on the TARDIS.

Doctor Personality Ratio

This is a nitpick since, really, series 8 didn’t do too badly in this regard.  I know that the Doctor will have unpleasant moments, as he should, because no one’s perfect, but the colossal rudeness we see in, say, “The Caretaker” should never overwhelm a significant chunk of an episode.  Keep him cantankerous, keep him brusque, keep giving us glimpses of those hearts, and keep “distastefully dickish” to a minimum.  Maintain that ratio, and I will love Twelve forever.

That Face!

The “I’ve seen that face before” remarks in “Deep Breath” excited me tremendously.  I’m super-curious to find out why the Doctor has Caecillius’s face (and John Frobisher’s, for that matter, but I’ll let that one go if need be – aside from the fact that Torchwood is a separate program, Frobisher’s actions are far from family friendly.)  Whether that entails going back to Pompeii or whatever, let’s start exploring it now.  I don’t want the whole thing wrapped up in a drive-by single line in Twelve’s final episode.