I will be BOYCOTTING "series 10" of Doctor Who! Who's with me?
Confession time:
As someone who has been a fan of NuWho for a decade, I have decided that I will NOT be watching the new season of Doctor Who (I know, I’m being a drama queen). In fact, I will be BOYCOTTING Peter Capaldi‘s final season on the show and I encourage other Doctor Who fans to do likewise.
Don’t get me wrong – I actually LIKE Capaldi in the role (I was REALLY looking forward to an older, “serious” Doctor more in the vein of Christopher Eccleston after the last two “look at me, I’m sooooo wacky” Doctor portrayals) and Capaldi was an solid choice and has done a good job with what he’s been given. It’s Stephen Moffat and the writers that failed him. Capaldi’s first season where his character was a grumpy, mysterious, unpredictable grizzled tough guy was a welcome change. The second season, they tried to turn him into an “aging rock star” type and it doesn’t work… his Doctor is NOT supposed to be “zany” and silly. The show has been on hiatus for a year and I’ve reached my breaking point now that the creative team at the BBC has replaced the lovely Clara with the awful, ugly, annoying, masculine-sounding, butch “Bill Potts” character. As someone with the name BILL, I think I finally realize what its like to be TRIGGERED. There is no way I’m going to sit through an entire season with this obnoxious sidekick. The trailer looked bad enough, and every “fun” revelation (John Simms, the WORST Master ever, is back, whoop-dee-do) about the upcoming season just sounds worse and worse.
For those who are going to accuse me of homophobia or racism or whatever because this “Bill” character happens to be a black lesbian, I will note I had no problem with a variety of ethnicity and sexual orientations on Doctor Who. Jack Harkness was one of the best co-stars, I was sad to see him to go (BTW, I really need to check out Torchwood one of these days…) and Martha Jones was excellent as well. “Bill”, on the other hand, sounds and acts like she will be the WORST companion since Mel Bush. There are already “rumours” (which the BBC has responded to, but HASN’T denied, BTW) that the BBC has buyer’s remorse over the new sidekick so they are terminating Pearl Mackle’s contract after a single season and starting over from scratch when Capaldi and Moffat leave at the end of this year.
So for this American Doctor Who fan who has been with the show since 2007, its time to say adieu to Doctor Who until 2018. Actions have consequences! (and let this be a warning for the upcoming STAR TREK DISCOVERY)