This article will feature spoilers for Doctor Who’s season two finale
Summary
Doctor Who’slatest season ended with a bang, asBBC provided a shocking regeneration scene to end Ncuti Gatwa’s time as the titular Time Lord. He had proven to be a popular version of the Doctor, but it’s not something that will continue moving forward.
WhileDoctor Whohas yet to be greenlit for another season, when the show does return, a rather unexpected name will take on the role of the Doctor. While the regeneration scene certainly got a lot of people talking, it highlighted a consistent problem with the series: it’s stuck in the past.
Billie Piper Becoming The Doctor Proves The Show Is Stuck In The Past
It’s Time For Doctor Who To Start Building New Characters And Storylines
Doctor Whoproviding a regeneration twistwas something that people weren’t expecting, and it has been revealed that a different ending had been filmed to prove that. It was a grab for attention to get as many people talking about the show as possible to try and guarantee that a third season will happen.They achieved that by having Billie Piper return to the series, with the former companion now seemingly being the Doctor herself. She only gave a brief “Hello” to end the episode, but it was heavily hinted that she would take on the role, even though her whole body hadn’t regenerated. The decision has been met with largely negative reviews, despite how beloved Piper is amongDoctor Whofans for her role as Rose Tyler, and that’s because it’s another example of the show not letting go of the past. Everyone loves nostalgia, whether it’s sports, movies, or television shows. However, the long-term future of a show cannot be hung on that alone, which has beenDoctor Who’sbiggest problem during its most recent incarnation.
Doctor Who’s Latest Version Relied On The Past Too Much
David Tennant Cast A Major Shadow Over Ncuti Gatwa
Piper returning to the show to become a Time Lord isn’t the only example ofDoctor Whorelying upon the past. This was a common theme throughout Gatwa’s time on the show, proving problematic for him.Doctor Who’sratings have plummetedduring the most recent season, and the overreliance on the past is likely a big part of that. Throughout his time as the Doctor, there have been constant flashbacks to the past, whether it’s clips of old villains or previous Doctor’s themselves.Jodie Whittaker turned up in the season two finale to reprise her role as the Doctor, once again proving that the show cannot let go of what came before. Some of those moments were fun, but when fans are beingforced to have knowledge of charactersthat were around several decades ago, it can feel more like an assignment to watch them rather than something enjoyable. That shouldn’t be how a television show operates, especially something likeDoctor Who, which essentially resets itself whenever a new Doctor is revealed.
The past has been looming over the past two seasons of the show becauseRussell T Davies was seemingly unable to honestly say goodbye to David Tennant.The iconicDoctor Whostar returnedand reprised his role as the Time Lord for the show’s 60th-anniversary specials, and it was a lot of fun to see him back in the role he had previously played from 2005 to 2010. However, the ending was supposed to see him regenerate into Gatwa so the show could move on and start fresh, but instead, they bi-generated. This meant that there were two Doctors in existence, with Tennant’s character heading off to enjoy life with Donna Noble and her family. It was seen as an extraordinary moment at the time, butit ended up being an issue as fans were constantly hoping he’d return or appear in a moment of crisis.He’s still alive in the current timeline, which means he could show up at any point, and it felt like that decision was being made on purpose so that could happen. However, it has become a crutch forDoctor Who, which is restricting it from truly moving on as it feels like Tennant is there to bust out in case of emergency.
Doctor Who Has Tied Itself Down To The Past For Its Immediate Future
Billie Piper’s Run As The Doctor Will Have To Link To The Past
Doctor Whofans want to see the show continue,but for that to happen, it has to start focusing on the future with characters that aren’t deeply liked in the past. However, with Piper now set to take on the role of the Doctor, that will be impossible. There’s no way for her version of the character not to be linked to the past, as there will need to be an explanation of how she ends up in that position. Plus, with Tennant still alive, fans of their series will naturally want to put them together due to their amazing connection. While that might bring back certain lapsed fans for a certain amount of time, it is going to make it tough for newer audiences to engage with the show as they will need to know certain information. That’s whyDoctor Who’slatest decision was so poor, as it is now tied down to the past moving forward.
