Doctor Who Season 12s Darker Doctor Is A Big Improvement

Doctor Who Season 12’s Darker Doctor Is A Big Improvement

After being resolutely moral in her debut season, Doctor Who season 12 has seen Jodie Whittaker’s Time Lord slowly descend into a darker character.

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Doctor Who Season 12s Darker Doctor Is A Big Improvement

Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor has added darkness to her character in Doctor Who season 12, vastly improving the character. When Peter Capaldi first regenerated into Jodie Whittaker, the Doctor didn’t just change their appearance and gender, but also received the customary personality overhaul. Although every new version of the Doctor brings a shuffled set of quirks and characteristics, the difference between the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors was pronounced. In her first season, Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor was arguably the most moral incarnation of the Time Lord yet, always giving her enemies the benefit of mercy and chastising her companions for even vaguely looking in the direction of a gun. While Whittaker’s Doctor was well-received, however, all the best Doctor performances have an element of moral ambiguity.

Season 12 has finally introduced those darker tints to the Thirteenth Doctor’s personality, and the resulting improvement is clear. The change has been a gradual one, tracing back to “Nikola Tesla’s Night Of Terror.” In this adventure, the Doctor barely acknowledges a room of dead workers because she has more pressing priorities and, in the conclusion of the same episode, she refuses to give the Skithra Queen a second chance after the first offer was turned down, showing a rare hint of ruthlessness. Small teases of this bubbling darkness have continued to appear throughout season 12 – Thirteen awkwardly rebuffed Graham when he opened up emotionally, and she hasn’t flinched when B-characters have sacrificed themselves. Meanwhile, the alternate Ruth Doctor is unforgiving enough to carry a gun (though still won’t use it) and beat up a platoon of Judoon.

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These small breadcrumbs eventually paid off in this week’s “The Haunting of Villa Diodati.” Despite being warned by Captain Jack Harkness to not give the Lone Cyberman what he wants, the Doctor gives the Lone Cyberman exactly what it wants, arguing that today’s problems trump tomorrow’s, and she’ll deal with the outcome later. The Doctor’s companions were visibly unsure about this decision and voiced their reservations, and this is where the Doctor’s inner arrogant Time Lord came out. Angrily reminding Graham, Yaz and Ryan that they act merely as accessories in the TARDIS; the Doctor asserted her dominance over the group and pronounced her right to make the big decisions.

Every now and then, the Doctor will go down dark paths such as this, reveling in power-driven ego trips and asserting his or herself above everyone else in an aggressive way, rather than the smart, comedic way they usually establish themselves as the cleverest in the room. Whittaker’s latest outburst was particularly reminiscent of the Tenth Doctor’s “Time Lord Victorious” phase, where he gave himself absolute permission to interfere with history and decide who should live and die, before eventually being humbled and regenerating.

This evolution of the Thirteenth Doctor’s character is a welcome one. Her strict moral code took the renegade Time Lord’s core principles and amplified them to a degree that was intentionally overbearing on occasion; Whittaker’s Doctor would sometimes appear to be policing her companions, more like untrustworthy children than friends and travel partners. While it’s always fascinating to see this side of the Doctor’s personality, the very nature of Doctor Who invites hypocrisy – eventually someone’s going to wind up holding a gun or a villain is going to need a definitive beating, forcing the Doctor to backtrack. The added shade season 12 has given to the Doctor not only broadens the scope of the character, but gives her more freedom to act in less-than-ethical ways when needed.

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The Thirteenth Doctor’s increased morality did make sense initially. The regeneration from Capaldi to Whittaker represented a new start for Doctor Who, with a fresh showrunner and a modernized approach to the series as a whole. It was logical that the Thirteenth Doctor would want to turn over a new leaf after losing Bill Potts to the Cybermen and aim for being wholesome 24/7. Just as logical, however, is that she would eventually be forced to break that code. Having witnessed her planet in ruins (again), Whittaker’s Doctor has experienced a slow descent into old habits, adding more weight to the Timeless Child arc and allowing the audience to enjoy a more varied Thirteenth Doctor.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-darker-thirteenth-better-why/

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