Jodie Whittaker 'Doctor Who' Debut Hits 10-Year High on BBC One
- by Gwen Vasquez
- in Life&Culture
- — Oct 9, 2018
There's such a temptation, in writing a review about a show with a freshened-up cast and new creative team, to see every single creative decision as some sort of declaration of objective or sign of things to come. It all looked so sleek and crisp, and this is the aesthetic we'll be getting for the next nine episodes of the series. It's the awesome thing about Doctor Who is this fresh start every few years which brings a whole new jolt of energy to the show.
The episode was also a ratings hit compared with the debut of Bodyguard, one of the biggest new dramas of 2018. The universe wasn't at stake. Even more frustrating, it didn't need to be this way. It was one disgusting-faced loser-alien, cheating his way to hoped-for glory.
After all those manchild meltowns over the casting of a woman, it's refreshing that Chibnall wastes no more time than he has to on the subject.
Now let's talk about that introduction.
In between practising moves from her favourite video game, Street Fighter, long-time fan Lia Vanderlinden had her own take on accepting the new Doctor. To keep up with her is hard work! Not only is she an exceptional actress, the energy she brings, because she's still so young, is extraordinary. She builds things - brilliant things.
Is she really wearing "suspenders", they wondered? So much so, that fans are questioning why she had to die... why she's not one of the season 11 companions... and why the ok-but-much-less-interesting Graham gets to go along for the ride. "Because she's THE DOCTOR".
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The numbers are better than the debuts of the last two Doctors; Peter Capaldi's first episode scored 6.8 million viewers in the overnight ratings in 2014, while Matt Smith's drew 8 million in 2010. That's actually a good thing, since every new Doctor has to convince the audience that they truly are the same character whose adventures they've been following. "Yeah. But it's not broken", Whittaker said. There's no fancy title sequence, the Doctor is missing her TARDIS (the search for it appears to be the major thrust of the series), and the main crew is a tight-knit ensemble of four as opposed to the common Doctor-companion pairing we've become accustomed to in the past. And like the Amazon superhero, that separation from the experiences of most other women actually serves as a commentary on those experiences.
And, for the first time in the show's 55 year history, Doctor Who - a super-smart force of nature who can change appearance (and gender) by regenerating when near death - will be a woman.
The episode wasn't flawless, however. You have a huge series character arc for numerous characters. "And I have to hold my nerve and trust all these new instincts, shape myself towards them". "And why recast if you don't want to continually have a new perspective?"
"Full of hope" she says immediately. A true friendship would be so much more interesting.
Whittaker was by far and away the star of this episode, breathing new life into a classic character.
Best of all, the show ended on a massive cliffhanger, the likes of which we have not seen since the classic era.
