Doctor What?

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The New Year's Day Doctor Who has come and gone, leaving us here feeling that the franchise is now most definitely in need of a reset. As in much of current cinema output, this last iteration of the good Doctor's tale has sought to wrap up a paper-thin storyline in a synapse-mangling edit. Take a simple idea and lard it with as much action and as many special effects and fast cuts as possible to try and disguise the lack of any real narrative. This is the total opposite of the greatest of Doctor Who stories, where well-wrought narrative more than compensated for the creaky sets and embarrassing special effects. I for one - as a lifelong fan, having been a viewer since 1963 - would welcome more challenging writing at the expense of production values. Some new blood is required, methinks, or the Doctor will disappear again, possibly for good.

Comments

  1. Phil.2 January 2022 at 20:53

    Your'e on the money here Kel.

    Lots of series are just milked to death, and it's not a particularly recent phenomena as you point out. It covers Terrestrial TV, Cable TV and the dreadful movie franchises that are endemic. Everything from James Bond, through the Marvel and DC comic book franchises (which were fantastic stories and source material originally), right through to Tolkien. Modern popular culture generally has been in a parlous state for decades. It's not about culture, it's just about profit and shareholder value.

    Tolkien is about the the most extreme example. I'm sure you've heard that Amazon are about to launch a prequel to LOTR that is the most expensive TV Drama ever made - by a long way. This is probably shorthand for massive special effects budgets and a non-existent storyline / plot. We'll see, but I'm not holding my breath.

    All of this stuff ultimately just becomes third rate soap opera. Dr Who is Coronation Street in space basically. I gave up watching it ages ago.

    Have a Happy, Peaceful, Safe NY.

    Phil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sideways2 January 2022 at 21:08

      We watched the Gatiss documentary about M.R James the other night - a master storyteller - we've lost sight of story telling in favour of the dopamine gloss of 'production values' and as you rightly say, commercial interests. There is still some good stuff out there, though: thank God.

      All the very best to you, Wend and Jack for the New Year - see you soon...

      Delete

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