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.

Orange is the New Black Wish List

 

With nearly a year to wait until season 3, it’s time to look towards the future and muse about what I’d like to see when the good ship Orange is the New Black returns.  In many ways, the sophomore season improves upon the show’s first outing, but there’s always room for tinkering.  These are my season 3 wishes.  (Once again, I’ll disclaim the possibility of spoilers; some very specific season 2 mentions here.)

 

·    More stories for the Latina inmates – We’ve now seen flashbacks for eight of the white characters (including multiple Piper- and Red-centric episodes) and all eight black characters (thanks largely to the Vee arc in season 2,) but only three Latina characters – four if you stretch to count Aleida’s involvement in Daya’s flashback.  I’d love to learn more about Maria, Flaca, and Maritza, and I’d definitely like more Flores.  That said…

 

·    Less Daya/Bennett – These two bore me; what can I say?  They had sweet interactions in the beginning, but now, they both seem so dumb, and their plots tend to feel a little rinse-and-repeat.  Either shake up their storyline or put less focus on it.

 

·    Someone to help Nicky – I’ll admit it – I’m very worried for Nicky.  I was on pins and needles when she was given heroin, and I had to reassure myself that it’d be too repetitive for the show to kill off a white gay junkie via overdose in the second half of both seasons.  She’s been okay so far, but I don’t like the way she looks at that stash in the finale.  Show, make sure she has someone to help her be strong.

 

·    Overall plot balance – Piper/Alex are interesting to me, so I’m glad it looks like Alex will be back for season 3.  However, I also love the more true-ensemble feel of season 2, with different characters coming to the fore.  When the show returns, I’d like to see it strike a nice balance between Piper’s story and everyone else.

 

·    More humor – Season 2 has terrific drama, but sometimes it gets a bit too heavy.  Orange is the New Black is a dramedy at its core, and means, again, balance – this time between serious and funny.  Let’s be sure to keep plenty of laughs moving forward.

 

·    More of the Sophia-Sister friendship – Sophia felt really sidelined this season, and I love her unlikely friendship with Sister Jones.  More, please!

 

·    More interracial queer interaction – Despite Suzanne’s initial interest in Piper, the LGBTQ stuff has been pretty segregated.  I get that Litchfield is pretty segregated in general, and it wouldn’t bother me so much if the QPoCs didn’t seem so separated from one another.  There’s no sense of solidarity between Suzanne, Poussey, and Sophia, nothing like the tight-knit subculture between the white queer inmates.  I’d like to see more between them, and more cross-cultural interactions.  There are some great, brief interactions this season (Nicky and Poussey, Suzanne and Morello,) but there’s a lot of room for more.  And along those lines…

 

·    A girlfriend for Poussey – Seriously, she’s a catch.  She deserves better than a crush on her best friend.  A new character seems like the best bet right now, although, of the existing characters, I’m a little intrigued by the possibility of Poussey/Nicky.  I can’t quite picture it, but it’s probably the healthiest of all their current options.  Either way, I’d love to see how Taystee reacts to Poussey being with someone.

 

·    Something good for Suzanne – Anything, really.  Season 2 was hard on her; she went down a bad road and was used by a despicable person.  Let’s see some redemption for her actions as well as something that allows her to be genuinely happy for a little while.

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.)

Christmas List

Speculating about the new Doctor is a time-honored tradition of Who, especially when we have a full year between their appointment and their first proper story, with nothing but an end-of-Christmas-special teaser to tantalize.  I didn’t come to Who until Eleven’s tenure was already in full swing, so this is my first long wait for a new Doctor and my first chance to ruminate over what I’d like to see post-regeneration.

Let me preface my geek-wishes by saying that I really love Eleven and I’ll be sorry to see him go.  Matt Smith’s performance on this show has been made of win, and even though he’s been saddled with some less-than-desirable writing, his Doctor has always worked for me.  That being said, to everything a season, and all Doctors have to go sometime.  Since he’ll be regenerating regardless, why not have some fun thinking about what I’d like to see born out of the ashes?

Fewer Romantic Overtones

Okay, I adored Nine and Rose’s thing, whatever it was.  Their relationship carried me through the shakier episodes of series 1, and they were gorgeous together.  Then there was Ten and Rose, Martha’s crush on Ten, and River with both Ten and Eleven.  Even though Eleven and Amy wound up as best friends, the show was constantly teasing the “which one does she really love?” angle, which got old fast.  There was Jack and Reinette and Astrid and Christina.  And now, there’s Eleven and Clara; while there’s nothing overt between them, the references to snog boxes and tight skirts (sigh – really, Doctor?) are a bit much.

Frankly, I’m tired of it.  I don’t want to see Clara and the Doctor making eyes at each other.  That’s not what a Doctor-companion relationship should be about.  Hopefully, when the Doctor looks 50-something instead of 20- or 30-something, the show will remember that he’s over 1,000, and he doesn’t actually have to kiss all his female companions. 

That being said…

Strong Friendship Between Twelve and Clara

Naturally, it’ll be different for Clara when the Doctor regenerates, but I don’t want a lingering sense that she’s disappointed to have lost the “young, cute one.”  Even though our new Doctor will look a lot older, he’ll still be the same man, and I’d like he and Clara to remain close.  Maybe more of an avuncular relationship, like what Three and Jo developed?

Since we’re on the age thing…

The Doctor’s Reaction to His Older Face

I’m really curious about what the Doctor will think of his new body.  Will he be disappointed, like when Two regenerated into Three (even though Three went on to have quite a high opinion of himself?)  Or, conversely, maybe he’ll like looking older; I can imagine something to the effect of, “Finally!  A face people will take seriously!

I have a few more wishes, coming tomorrow.