Jodie Whittaker Isn’t Doctor Who’s Problem (It’s The Showrunner)
Reflecting On My Impressions of The 13th Doctor
Some people will still accuse you of misogyny if you admit you’re unhappy with Doctor Who’s current state.
The new Doctor is a woman! Obviously, if someone dislikes her episodes, the only possible reason is the person hates women. The issue couldn’t be the writing or direction of the series.
Or could it?
I had major concerns when Peter Capaldi’s Doctor regenerated into Jodie Whittaker. None of them were because Jodie was a woman.
None of them were about Jodie at all.
I was familiar with the new showrunner, Chris Chibnall. Specifically, I knew his work on Doctor Who intimately. To a lesser degree, I knew his work on Torchwood.
Long before Jodie, Chibnall was known in Doctor Who circles. He wrote a handful of episodes during the previous two showrunner’s runs.
While it’s hard to find consensus among sci-fi fan bases, it’s safe to say his episodes were not the highest regarded.
In perhaps the most unscientific analysis ever, I submit to you my reaction and my daughter’s reaction to them.
- Even before I’d watched enough times to recognize the writers, his episodes (42, The Hungry Earth, Cold Blood, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and The Power of Three) were among my least liked.
- That’s not entirely true. I like the first 2/3 of The Power of Three. It’s important to note that I specifically like seeing how UNLIKE most Doctor Who episodes it is.
- When my eldest daughter binge-watches Doctor Who, she always skips these episodes because she doesn’t like them, and she couldn’t pick Chibnall out of a lineup.
The Doctor was a woman? Great! Just write her as the Doctor, and we’ll be fine.
After two seasons, the ratings are the worst in 31 years.
Let’s ask Google why.
Hey Google. Why do people dislike Doctor Who?
The number one result? Why do so many people dislike Doctor Who’s Female Doctor? You’ve got to scroll past multiple results before people mention the real problem.
The article goes into multiple explanations, none of which address the real problem:
- Wokeness
- Big Change
- Doctor Is Usually a White Male
The article’s last point, “Jodie’s Doctor Is A Product Of A Soft Reboot,” almost gets to the real problem. Except, EVERY new Doctor is a soft reboot of sorts. So that doesn’t explain the backlash.
Doctor Who fans are better than this.
And I’m not arguing that the fandom should be better. It is. Just look to the former showrunner, Steven Moffat, when he addressed the issue:
There has been so many press articles about the backlash among the Doctor Who fandom against the casting of a female Doctor. There has been no backlash at all. The story of the moment is that the notionally conservative Doctor Who fandom has utterly embraced that change completely — 80 percent approval on social media, not that I check these things obsessively. And yet so many people wanted to pretend there’s a problem. There isn’t. — Steven Moffat.
We can accept a female Doctor. What we can’t stand is a boring Doctor.
The first season with Chibnall running the show was nearly unwatchable. The second season grew marginally better. Chibnall introduced some plotlines, characters, and concepts that were controversial. But, at least, they were INTERESTING.
I’m not going to get into the Timeless Child controversy in this article. It took me months to decide whether I thought it was a good addition to the lore. (It’s not.) But, better than anything else by Chibnall before that, it was INTERESTING.
It’s worth noting that, prior to the Timeless Child plot playing out, viewers were introduced to another version of the Doctor. This one was also female, played by Jo Martin.
Audiences loved her. Mostly. There was much clamoring among the fans about what it all meant. And, once we learned the truth (Timeless Child) there was quite the uproar.
None of it had to do with Jo’s gender.
Jodie Whitaker is a fine actress. Give her better material (and for the love of the Tardis, give her character agency) and she’d be a fan favorite.
Telling the fans that they’re acting out because of her gender misses the point entirely. Many (or dare I say, most) of the fans criticizing the direction of the series applauded when her casting was announced.
There is a rumor that Jodie Whittaker is leaving after the upcoming series. This has yet to be confirmed (or denied) but since the revival of Doctor Who, not actor has stayed for more than three seasons so this fits.
But, if Jodie leaves and Chibnall stays, the problem will still remain. It’s never been about Jodie. It’s never been about a female Doctor.
Chris Chibnall writes crime fiction very well. I quite enjoyed the first season of Broadchurch, though not enough to watch the second.
But he doesn’t get the Doctor.
And until someone else is writing the Doctor for us, the fans won’t get him or her either.
Scott Hughey’s dream car is a Tardis.
More Pop Culture TV Articles:
