Final Christmas Wishes

Apologies for the late update – for the past twelve hours, I’ve either been driving a car or with family members, neither of which make for optimal blogging conditions.  But we’re a day away from Christmas, and that means final additions to my post-regeneration Christmas list!

Okay, so let’s talk personality…

Good Balance of Serious and Silly

I’ve heard rumblings that PC’s Doctor will be more “intense,” which a number of Whovians are taking to mean dark or angry (granted, some of that is probably a reaction to Malcolm Tucker.)  I’m okay with the Doctor having some edge to him, but at the same time, I don’t want him to lose his sense of fun and whimsy.  Once again, the Doctor’s the same man regardless of how old he looks, and PC does comedy so well. 

A mixture would be best, I think.  Nine struck a good balance – he had the “intense” thing down pat, but he also had that enormous grin, and he was a huge Dickens fanboy.  This ties back to having a good relationship with Clara.  It won’t be much fun traveling with him if he’s being intense and humorless all the time; it’d be like Peri getting stuck with Six after Five regenerated.

Along the same lines…

Don’t Forget the Warmth

In my tour of PC’s past Doctor-ish roles, I mentioned how much I appreciate the Doctor’s warmth and kindness.  Again, a lot of people think Malcolm Tucker when they think PC, and some have hoped his casting means the new Doctor will be like a non-sweary Malcolm.  In my opinion, that’d be a big misstep for the character.  And beyond that, it just seems it’d be a waste of PC.  He’s so talented and has so much range; I want him to be able to show off both on Who, not riff on something he’s already done.

Now for something that’s just fun…

A Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll?

Knowing PC’s history as a musician, I would love an episode that put the Doctor anywhere near the ‘80s punk scene and contrived to have him sing a little.  The Doctor is so weird and alien that it’s fun to have him suddenly do something “cool,” like Eleven playing footie in “The Lodger.”

And of course…

Scottish!

This is a cheat, since Moffat has already mentioned the accent.  I like having Doctors with regional accents, so I’ll be happy to get another.  Plus, it’s no secret that I’m not always wowed by PC’s accent work.  Keeping him Scottish will be less distracting for me – I won’t be thinking, “Hmm, more Scottish OO’s.  Is it supposed to be Scottish, or is the RP just not working out?”

Finally…

Strong Writing, Please

I think Moffat has written some great television, and he’s written some great Who episodes, but I’ve not been bowled over by his time as Who’s showrunner.  There’s been too much sloppiness on the show the last few seasons, and some of the writing has made feel bad for Matt Smith.  He doesn’t deserve it, and neither does PC.

So, let’s have fully-developed ideas with strong themes.  Timey-wimey plots and continuing arcs are fine, but make sure they hold together.  (More importantly, resolve them in a satisfying way!)  And remember:  just because a line is clever, that doesn’t mean it makes sense.

And please, please, lay off the misogyny!  Especially from the Doctor – he’s not even human!  There’s no reason antiquated quips about gender roles should be coming out of his mouth.

Now, bring on Christmas!  (Note – I’ll be posting tomorrow, but since the Christmas special won’t be airing until evening, it’ll be late.)