A Female Doctor May Just Be Tolerable

Doctor Who has just begun a new series with “The Woman Who Fell To Earth” written by the new showrunner, Chris Chibnall. Jodie Whittaker has started her era as the new Doctor.  I am one of those fans skeptical of the idea of changing the Doctor’s gender, however this could have gone worse.

There were some things done in Whittaker’s introductory episode that I had hoped to see. There was not that much attention to the Doctor’s change in gender. There were moments where the Doctor displayed her skill at improvisation and invention that was often present in the previous incarnations.  She managed to bring out some of the Doctor’s clumsiness and humor. The new Doctor also displayed the familiar reckless curiosity.  The Doctor having amnesia after a regeneration is not really new, but I was glad that she didn’t seem particularly concerned about her memory lapse when there was an alien threat to handle.  Her costume still looks pretty absurd, but I suppose I can get used to it.  After Colin Baker’s disastrous ensemble as the Sixth Doctor, I can handle Whittaker’s outfit.

There was a compelling scene where the Doctor tried to convey what regeneration was like to a couple of her new friends.  Whittaker delivered it well.  Some of the efforts to explain the basics of the series in the context of the story were not too clumsy.

The three companions may be interesting enough to keep me engaged as well.  Bradley Walsh as a middle-aged cancer survivor is an atypical companion.  It should be fun to see how he interacts with the new Doctor and his two younger companions who are whisked along in the Doctor’s journey.

There is a new alien, which is a bit of a Predator knock off.  I do appreciate efforts to bring in new adversaries and aliens in this newer series of Doctor Who.

I just read that this episode has a 100 % Rotten Tomatoes rating.  I am not sure I would rate it that high, but I was reassured that I may still find some enjoyment from this new era in my favorite show, even if I still disagree with the reasons of casting a woman as the Doctor.  So, I am still interested enough to see where the TARDIS goes next, assuming the Doctor can find her again. I don’t want the whole series to be about looking for the TARDIS, so I hope that turns up soon.