Finally caught up on DOCTOR WHO. The second half of Whittaker's first season is much stronger than the first half. I like her Doctor, but still don't feel that I have a strong sense of who this Doctor is yet. In that respect she's sort of like the early Peter Davison.
There are two aspects of Whittaker's Doctor that really stand out: "curious, cheerful tinkerer" and "lead kid in the gang." She's much more one of the gang than other Doctors have been with companions, and this approach is charming and works quite well for her.
The companions are pretty good, have jelled well into roles:
Graham = comedy of manners; the rock; foundation for a lot of emotional stuff
Ryan = comedy of silliness; hearer of exposition (ie, the guy people explain things to)
Yaz = the Doctor's sounding-board for problem-solving
Graham = comedy of manners; the rock; foundation for a lot of emotional stuff
Ryan = comedy of silliness; hearer of exposition (ie, the guy people explain things to)
Yaz = the Doctor's sounding-board for problem-solving
The groups the gang splits up into vary, but the writers get the most mileage out of smaller teams consisting of 1) Ryan and Graham 2) the Doctor and Yaz. This makes Ryan and Graham the Shaggy and Scooby of the team, which oddly enough gives them more space to blossom.
Having scenes where they play off of each other as contrasting partners in a subteam allows Ryan and Graham to make a stronger impression than Yaz, who's often left playing second banana to the Doctor and still needs more character opportunities.
Though not all of them worked for me, I really enjoyed that we got to see several historicals this season. More of that, please! It's a great gateway to history for kids.
(The character I hope to see return as an opponent for Whittaker's Doctor: the long-dormant Meddling Monk.)
(The character I hope to see return as an opponent for Whittaker's Doctor: the long-dormant Meddling Monk.)
