Doctor Who: Masterpiece or Piece of Shit

Doctor Who is the longest running science-fiction series in history, been broadcast since 1963 and still going this day (though there was that 90's gap, but we don't talk about that) and it is arguably more popular now than ever, with legions of fans around the world and is considered to be part of "The Big 3" in terms of fandoms, the other two being Sherlock & Supernatural. But the question remains, the first question, the question that must never be answered, the oldest question in the universe hidden in plain sight, the question you've been running from your whole life...Is Doctor Who even that good? Well, this is a difficult question to answer.

(SIDE NOTE: I am strictly talking about New Doctor Who, meaning 2005-Present, Classic Who as far as I'm concerned is it's own separate entity, even if it is the same continuity)

Now for me personally, I absolutely love Doctor Who, I think it at times can be one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever created...the key phrase being "at times". Fact of the matter is from a story stand point, Doctor Who is just not very good, especially within the past few seasons. If I were to use one word to describe the problems with Doctor Who it would be: Inconsistent. Ever since Stephen Moffat took over as head writer for Doctor Who, the story arcs have been getting so big and so long that it is damn near impossible for anyone to keep track of anything going on in the show, the writers included. Now look, being a show that's 50 years old and is about time travel, there are going to be some overlaps here or there, but in this case, they took the plot hole scale and threw it over a shark before being shot down and given even bigger plot holes. Take for example the Daleks, Moffat must have rebooted these guys several different times, first they were coloured again, then they weren't, then they forgot who The Doctor was, then the didn't, dammit Moffat! Just pick a storyline and stick with that!

Before, it was fairly simple, the major storylines were all enclosed within single seasons, we would get a set up at the start of the season, some gentle hints throughout and a conclusion at the end, maybe there were a few things that leaked over to other seasons, but for the most part it was done & dusted. But since Moffat took over, we have about several major story arcs take place at once and they all overlap each other and finish at different points which makes it hard to keep track, and all those little hints placed are so little that it's now impossible to tell what it was supposed to be hinting at. And because of this constant structure of the plots a fair share of them just simply get forgotten about and lost in this wibbly wobbly timey wimey ball of...stuff...also the sonic screwdriver is pretty much a magic wand...I hate that thing.

Now...with that being said, there are some things about Doctor Who that make it an incredible television programme. While the story writing is flimsy, it wasn't always like that, for the Eccleston and Tennant Doctors the story writing was pretty coherent, it's just the Smith-Era where things get jumbled. In fact back when Moffat was writing stand alone episodes, they were without a doubt some of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever made, why? Because he had limits, his stories had to have a conclusion within a 1-2 hour gap. Although being honest even the stand alone episodes are pure crap these days (The Rings of Akhaten anyone?) And the dialogue was just pure gold, even in the latest seasons, the dialogue is without a doubt majestic, particularly from The Doctor himself, he is incredibly witty, smart, philosophical and badass. You get the feeling that this man is without a doubt the smartest man in the universe and his interactions with people are so memorable and enjoyable, and is filled with oh so many quotable lines of dialogue.

And the acting in the show, brilliant. Everyone in the Doctor Who universe gives incredible performances across the board, I don't think there's ever been a character who has been badly cast. In terms of companions the best actress of the bunch was easily Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, who not only is my favourite companion but her performance can range from sarcastic, confident dry whit, to emotionally crippled and sobbing like a baby. But for The Doctor himself, again every actor who has played him had done a fantastic job, after all, it's a very hard role to pull off, The Doctor is a character that needs to feel like a god amongst men while still feeling like a humble and genuine person. And not to sound predictable but...David Tennant is my favourite Doctor.

Yeah I know it's a predictable choice, but I can't help it, the guy ticks all the right boxes. His portrayal as The Doctor makes him come across as the ego maniac who thinks of himself as the best & brightest while also having that childlike curiosity and touch of wackiness bordering the line of mad scientist. But when needed be he is also a threatening and cold-hearted monster who has seen the worst of life and is a scarred man who you do not want to cross. No offence to Matt Smith who was also an amazing actor and had a tough act to follow, but he only ticked most of the boxes, while he definitely had the childlike enthusiasm and the emotionally scarred war hero elements down, he never really came across as all that threatening. When I look at David Tennant I don't see an actor, I see The Doctor.

And also the visual effects are very impressive, or at least, from a prostetics point, obviously being a British sci-fi show, it doesn't have all too big of a budget, but whenever possible, they will always go for the prostetic aliens and practical sets over CGI, why? Because it looks way more convincing and in today's CGI heavy world, that's always an admirable feature.

And the final point that I will mention is the music. Oh...My...God...The music in Doctor Who is without a doubt the greatest soundtrack in television history. Fuck it, it is one of the greatest soundtracks in any form of media. Murray Gold is one of the most underrated composers out there as his work on the show is hauntingly beautiful. He is able to make you feel adventurous and upbeat, but also dramatic and frightened, then triumphent and powerful! And finally make you weep like a baby. Some of my personal favourites of his are The Doctor Forever, I Am The Doctor, The Clouds Pass, Doomsday, Father’s Day, The Majestic Tale (Of A Madman In A Box), The Companion’s Themes, The Doctor’s Themes and Timelord Victorious. Seriously, for nothing else, if you've never seen Doctor Who then at least listen to the soundtrack, it is magnificant, matter of fact I'm gonna link to several of them so you can give them a try.

So overall, to answer the question, is Doctor Who even that good? Well, in certain aspects is is less than satisfying, there are other parts that are what makes this show so popular and memorable, damn near incredible. So it's really one of those, the good outweight the bad kind of shows. Sure, part of the show are just perfection, there are plenty of moments that stink worse than a Slitheen's flatulance.

-Danny