Tbh he sounds more like Tennant with a Scottish accent to me, but I’ve only seen three Capaldi eps.
It’s set immediately after the Library, as she’s coping with the loss of Lee and their imaginary children (hmm). So no Rose, and no Wilf either, but Sylvia is in it. She’s also in one of the Tenth Doctor Chronicles in volume 1, as is Lady Christina. The other two stories have Martha and the Slitheen, but not Freema or the Slitheen actors.
Leela is a s14-15 companion from a primitive civilization called the Sevateem, who are actually post-post-apocalyptic Earthlings. Yes, Romana is a time lady and s16-18 companion (Romana I in s16, II in s17-18), initially assigned to accompany the Doctor sort of as work experience for her and to keep him in line.
Full disclosure, I fact-checked myself and I got the “new showrunners” wrong; the season started with the previous producer, but he left and was replaced by Barry Letts (a legend) with the second serial. The script editor, Terrance “Uncle Terry” Dicks (also a legend), had done a few s6 serials but was still fairly new.
Well, when I say watch SJA, I already watched Invasion of the Bane and Revenge of the Slitheen. I’d watched the first before, but I rewatched it and watched the second around Jan 31st. Then I didn’t get back to it, (think I watched the last third of K9?) and then season 2 of Doctor Who kicked in… so it’s definitely on my list to start back up.
I have loved Ncuti’s performance as Fifteen yet, for the first time, have reached the end of an era with a Doctor and don’t really feel like I know him. It’s so… odd. Inevitably, this has plenty to do with the fact that he should have been there for another season. There is more, however. Weirdly, I don’t feel I know him as the Doctor. I’ve seen glimpses, sure, and they were occasionally majestic, but unlike the enigma of McCoy for example (was he really the other? Who even was the other?), it’s not so much that there are questions to be asked (that should ever be the way with the Doctor), it’s more that I don’t feel we’ve moved much from his debut.
I don’t think this is true for any other Doctor (obvious comments re: televised Eight aside) and it’s bothering me.
I’ve been seeing the sentiment a bit but I don’t think I agree. I think he’s been a great Doctor with some really distinctive aspects (and not just the crying). I honestly think he’s probably inched himself into 3rd place for my favourite modern Doctors behind Eleven and Thirteen.
I will have to rewatch both seasons to be sure (and won’t do so for quite a while ), but based on my memory, I currently believe that the Fifteenth Doctor never truly established the core of his character.
At the end of The Eleventh Hour we knew what the essence of the Eleventh Doctor would be. His development throughout the seasons revolved around and grew from this foundation. For Ten, it was The Christmas Invasion.
For Nine, I think it were two episodes: Rose and The End of the World.
For Twelve I guess Deep Breath set the core idea of “being unsure/full of questions about himself,” which at times made it feel as though the character lacked a solid core. However, in hindsight, there was a core, and it developed over time.
I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point regarding past Doctors—each had a core (set of) characteristic that shaped them, and they either adhered to it or evolved from it. (With e.g. Seven being an example, that underwent a rather drastic shift after several serials but remained stable in each variation for quite some time)
What was the core of 15?
After The Giggle and The Curch on Ruby Road I thought something like “swashbuckling hero.” Looking at the episode list, the next episode that really showcased that aspect as the core of Fifteen was Episode 6Rogue!
I liked the five episodes in between—some more than others—but in terms of establishing or reinforcing the core of the Fifteenth Doctor’s character? I’m not sure. It would have been fine if the swashbuckling aspect had been dropped and replaced with something else. But what would that something else be? I don’t know. From what I saw, I couldn’t quite grasp what the intended core of Fifteen was meant to be. It felt all so generic.
I don’t think that improved over time. Ncuti played whatever the episode demanded brilliantly, but what was his character’s core? Where were the development points of this core? What was the throughline?
Others may see one—maybe I will when I finally rewatch his seasons. But at the moment, I’d say there wasn’t one. A real disservice to Ncuti Gatwa, whose acting chops are unquestionable, in my opinion.
Oh, he’s been great. At times majestic as I said, but still feels unfinished to me. He’s very much the Doctor in every episode he is in, yet it’s one of those cases (for me, at least) where the whole (his era) definitely feels less than the sum of its parts. It irks me, I tell you. It irks me.
It’s one of those things that, now his era is a closed book (as it were) it’s probably worth revisiting in a few years when it can be viewed as a whole and time has passed. He may feel more complete if you haven’t got the nagging ‘is he staying, is he going’ voice at the back of your mind.
), but based on my memory, I currently believe that the Fifteenth Doctor never truly established the core of his character.