50 years later, the Doctor is still our hero.

MIllions of geeks all over the world gathered around their screens on Saturday, eagerly awaiting a TV episode 50 years in the making. And honestly, I was disappointed.

I’ve been a Who fan since I was a kid- I spent a large part of my childhood in England, and Classic Who was one of the best parts of TV (and those weird TV game shows- the Who episode where they’re on game shows is Claire TV heaven). My first Doctor was Tom Baker (yes I cried when she made his appearance), and as the American outsider, the TARDIS was the one place I felt like I fit in. Naturally, when my favourite two-hearted Alien made a comeback in 2005, this not-so-secret nerd jumped for joy.

So multiple that joy by millions, and even people like me who aren’t Moffet fans can feel a little sympathy for the showrunner- the hopes and expectations of millions of fans were riding on his shoulders. And for a man who has proved to be a bit of a loose cannon with Who history, that can be dangerous. I expected to shocked, excited, and maybe a bit frustrated with the 50th revelations, but I wasn’t. I was mildly amused at best, ambivalent at worst. Don’t get me wrong; Hurt, Tennant, and Smith we fantastic. They played off each other’s quirks perfectly and their banter was entertaining throughout the show. Plus, we finally know why Queen Elizabeth demanded 10’s head, and did anyone catch her “weak and feeble woman” moment- she was paraphrasing a speech attributed to QE 1. Yay history! Tom Baker was a wonderful suprise for all Classic Who fans, as well as the insinuation that he is a future doctor (Does that mean we’ll get old Doctors, like Tennant and McGann, back more often too?! Ah!). Billie Piper was a gem as expected. The Geekling and I might be randomly saying “No More” around the hosue in weird voices constantly now. The inclusion of old props was fun as well, but hardly an original move.

However, where Moffet succeeded in witty lines and displays of visual awesomeness, he failed in continuity. Now, I know, it’s Timey Wimey and not explaining things is part of the charm, but there were blatant mistakes made in the narrative that left me less than excited. For example, the Time Vortex Manipulator was given to River upon Jack’s beheading, not UNIT. Overall, it felt like a love letter to new Who, instead of a tribute to 50 years of traveling with our favourite Doctor. Ironically, bringing back Galifrey is the least of my complaints- it may be the biggest tribute to Who history in the whole story.

In typical Moffet fashion, his “grand plan” clouded his vision- this was supposed to be about us. Not him. Here’s hoping the narrative makes more sense in the Christmas special and beyond, but that wasn’t the point of the episode. It should have been a stand alone tribute, that love letter to fans from all generations.

P.S. The whole no ending to the Zygon sory really bugs me. I’ll give 500 awesome points to whoever posts the best ending in the comments. Aaaaaand GO!

Photo Credit: BBC