My biggest complaint about Capaldi’s shows, is that even when there is one or two good stories, there are always three or four completely incoherent messes to bury them. I’m with Tobar. Can’t wait for Moffat to leave.
The character has been around since 1963 in television, audio, cinema, comic book and novel form and in every iteration over those many decades when it is bad it’s dull. When it’s good it’s astounding. It’s nothing to do with any particular show runner, though a fresh injection of creativity tends to spark the greater stories. For every Robots of Death there is a Horns of Nimon. For every Midnight there is a Fear Her. For every Heaven Sent there is a Sleep No More. Roll with it.
Of course it has something to do with the show runner, they set the tone for the show. Moffat is pretty much the new show’s JNT, he should have left years ago. For every Heaven Sent there is a Hell Bent. There are good ideas in the shows now, but too often they’re muddled with a bunch of other messes that the overall effectiveness is diminished. I think Capaldi is a great Doctor, but I can count the number of his stories I’d want to rewatch on one hand.
- Mummy on the Orient Express
- Flatline
- The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion
- Heaven Sent
I still have yet to complete Series 10, so I’m withholding any episodes there. However, from what I can tell, they’re getting away from nonsense stories and have more coherent plots. I think we’ve had some of the best episodes of the new series with Capaldi, but also some of the absolute worst. That’s not saying RTD was a genius, either, but the show is definitely in a rough spot creatively, and it shows in the ratings, the year hiatus, the soon-to-be cancellation of Class, and other such things.
The same is true of every age of Doctor Who.
I love “The Empty Child” “Dalek” and “The Unquiet Dead” but most of the Ninth Doctor is forgettable.
But Eccles had one year.
Tennant has “The Girl in the Fireplace” “Human Nature”, “Blink”, “Midnight”, "Turn Left"
and so much awful crap that I only watch out of devotion to the show.
The same is true of Tom Baker. I love watching all the actors who play the character but is “The Nightmare of Eden” essential viewing?