Is the 12th Doctor to blame?
Why The 13th Doctor Has No Agency
An In-Universe Explanation Of The Latest Doctor Who
This is an expansion of an article I wrote on Quora about The Witches Familiar and the 13th Doctor (Who.)
The reception to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor has been divisive among the fans.
On the one hand, you have fans who found the new directions brilliant, the writing fresh, and the season to be a step in the right direction.
On the other hand, were the fans that actually watched the new episodes.
(Kidding. Okay. Mostly kidding. I just couldn’t resist.)
Jokes aside, Chris Chibnall’s take on Doctor Who left many fans troubled. The writing grew bland and stale.
And the Doctor? I still like Jodie Whitaker. But rarely rang true as the Doctor we’ve known. The first season particularly felt problematic from the start.
- She was never clever, though she said she was. (Writing cliche: show don’t tell.)
- She had to be persuaded to help others.
- She made questionable and morally repugnant decisions such as killing the giant spiders or seeing sentient robotic genocide as okay.
- Often she was ineffective and helpless.
The last point is one of the most significant sticking points. The Doctor, in her current incarnation, rarely shows agency.
Lack of agency is a concern large enough to fill a Tardis. It disrupts the narrative. However, I’ve figured out an in-universe reason for the change. But before I explain it, let’s discuss what agency is.
What is Agency?
Agency is best described as a character’s ability to make purposeful choices.
Let’s look at two examples from previous Doctors, and then another one from the 13th Doctor.
11th Doctor: Vincent and the Doctor. Season 5, Episode 10.
Amy Pond and the Doctor visit a gallery of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. The Doctor notices something troubling in a painting. Vincent has painted a creature that should not be there.
The Doctor can choose whether or not to do something about it. He takes Amy back in time and changes the future. In an incredible twist, it becomes the future we are all familiar with.
10th Doctor: The End Of Time Part 2. Season 4: New Years Day Episode.
The Doctor has overcome the Master’s plans once again. He also sent Gallifrey back into the time-locked Time War, preventing its return which would have brought terrible results.
All is well. Except, he hears four knocks.
Wilfred has trapped himself in a control room that is about to be doused with lethal radiation. The Doctor can save Wilfred but only by exposing himself to the same radiation.
He doesn’t want to go. But he does. The Doctor’s choice was whether to save Wilfred or not. He chose to die and regenerate.
And I’m still mad at Wilfred for it, but that’s not today’s topic.
13th Doctor: Revolution Of The Daleks. Season 12: New Years Day Episode.
When we last saw her, the Doctor was captured by the Judoon. This episode finds her in prison.
Ah, we waited in anticipation. The 12th Doctor, in my favorite episode of all time, was trapped in an inescapable prison for billions of years. We learned he could have left any time, except that he had a plan to save Clara. He found another way out.
And who can forget the conversation between the newly regenerated 11th Doctor and Angel Bob?
The Doctor : Oh, big, big mistake, really huge. Didn’t anyone ever tell you there’s one thing you never put in a trap, if you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there’s one thing you never, ever put in a trap?
Bob : And what would that be, sir?
The Doctor : Me.
What would the 13th Doctor do?
As it turns out, she would wait for years until Jack Harkness comes to rescue her.
She had no agency.
What is the explanation?
The Doctor has made questionable decisions, tried and failed at things, and more. These flaws work when they‘re ’part of a character arc or traits the Doctor must overcome. Under Chris Chibnall, the current showrunner, these things happen because the plot says they should.
Cheer up, though. I have a headcanon reason for everything. This explains why the Doctor has acted so un-Doctor like.
The 12th Doctor gave regeneration energy to Davros and the Daleks in the Witches Familiar. Does anyone remember what he said at the time?
Okay. Don’t ever tell anyone that I did this. A little bit of regeneration energy. Probably cost me an arm or a leg somewhere down the line. Or I’ll just be really little— The 12th Doctor.
Or, we might add, “Or I’ll have less agency and need old friends and plot devices to get me out of scrapes.”
It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?
Scott Hughey loves Doctor Who. He only wants the Doctor to be the Doctor.
