The beginning of the Chibnall era has brought along some of the biggest shake-ups to Doctor Who that we have seen in the past few decades. For a show that relies on change to stay on the air, overhauls like these are necessary to hook new viewers and keep long-time fans on their toes. Unfortunately they are almost always uncomfortable, as they force us to let go of things we once loved.
Series 11 has undoubtedly been a mixed bag, but a hopeful one. Chibnall has laid the groundwork for some fantastic ideas, but has been a bit unsteady when it comes to following through on them, instead letting them fizzle out in the background just as a new idea becomes the focus. But in spite of these flaws, he has also proven himself to be very capable of writing interesting, realistic characters each with their own inner demons and ambitions.
Most of the emotional moments this series came from Graham and Ryan, both men who are lost in their lives following the death of their beloved wife and nan, Grace. Giving men these opportunities to break past the traditional stoicism we have come to expect from male heroes has been smart and exciting, but it has also let Yaz and the Doctor take the place of non-traditional heroines who are allowed to have a laugh while saving the world.
Although ‘It Takes You Away’ and ‘Kerblam!’ are two of this year’s strongest stories, it is the historical episodes that have been the most consistently compelling. Out of the three (‘Rosa’, ‘Demons of the Punjab’, and ‘The Witchfinders’) Chibnall was only credited for one, and even then it was only a co-writing credit on ‘Rosa’. But his influence on the larger vision behind them is clear. These historical stories don’t just use a time and setting as a backdrop to an unrelated sci-fi plot – each one feels like a true period piece unique to that exact point in time. The sci-fi elements are often downplayed for a more understated look at humanity’s own historically self-perpetuated problems, allowing for an examination of the past that feels entirely fresh to the show.
Chibnall’s skill at writing for ensembles is another strength of his that brings out some brilliant character dynamics this series, but it often comes at the cost of relegating the Doctor a little more into the background than usual. This isn’t to say Whittaker doesn’t have any grand bombastic Doctor moments, but there have been a lot of missed opportunities to develop her specific incarnation beyond what we are presented with on the surface.
Having said that, Jodie Whittaker was undeniably the Doctor right from the moment she crashed through the train roof. She slid easily into the role with all the regular quirks that we have seen before, evoking Tennant’s effortless charm and Smith’s boundless energy, while delivering what is perhaps the most kind-hearted Doctor we have ever seen. She still has that touch of arrogance instinctive to Time Lords, but her own ego is always secondary to her main priority – defending the innocent and helping out where she can.
Whittaker obviously has the ability to tackle heavier material as we have seen in Broadchurch, so now that the foundation of this new era has been laid out it would be fantastic to see her dig into some meatier, more challenging scripts. After all, she is still the Doctor, and there are still two thousands years of guilt, grief, and anger bubbling beneath the surface that we haven’t seen too much of in this incarnation yet.
The production quality has had an upgrade this series, making series 11 the most visually stunning run of episodes we have ever seen in the show’s history. Some real highlights include the beautiful location shooting and special effects work in ‘The Ghost Monument’ and Sheffield’s natural landscapes in ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’, but it is hard to rank them when each episode has its own unique, picturesque style.
Segun Akinola’s scoring complements the cinematography and editing flawlessly, and covers a far greater range of styles than Murray Gold’s ever did. Although the Indian inspired Doctor Who theme in ‘Demons of the Punjab’ and the driving, electronic beats in ‘Kerblam!’ are worth mentioning, it is the Thirteenth Doctor’s theme that sticks in the mind most of all. The swelling strings and atmospheric synths perfectly conjure up the mystery, hopefulness, and liveliness of Whittaker’s Doctor, and is right up there as one of the most evocative pieces of music we have heard on Doctor Who.
The sheer number of risks Chibnall took this series has undeniably had polarising results, but attempting to measure up to the complexity of Moffat’s era-spanning story arcs was never going to work right off the bat. Chibnall’s choice to write mostly standalone stories pulled us outside out comfort zones, but once we figured out what exactly he was going for it was easier to settle in for the adventure. Series 11 will probably be remembered as the series where not much really went wrong for the Doctor – it was mainly just travelling around the universe, having fun and getting into scraps. It is simple storytelling, but it is simple storytelling done well. As long as series 12 steps up the complexity, then we will hopefully get an era of Doctor Who that will match RTD’s and Moffat’s.
