Doctor Who - Season 13 - (**Spoilers**)

I think Orphan 55 was the apotheosis of what you're saying: for me that was the more brazen attempt to tap the kind of camp wackiness of the RTD era. The mixture of the outlandish with the ordinary, but it was (for me anyway) one of the worst Who episodes in years. It came off like a mockery of modern Who.

But then I also wonder how much of this are mandates from the BBC; the show feels very locked into a certain "type" and one wonders if the BBC simply not wanting the kind of wheeling tone you used to get with the show in the 70s (where even in the space of a single Doctor you went from Gothic Horror to Douglas Adams farce). Dr. Who is a brand, and you don't dick around with brands.

I think Whitaker is the right actor, she has just been singularly failed by the writing department. And to be fair I don't get the impression that criticism has focused on her personally - or indeed her gender. In fact, it was probably a bit embarrassing that there seemed to be more buzz around Jo Martin's mystery Doctor than the ostensible "current" version. She had a presence about her Whitaker lacked.

Maybe Whitaker's just too much the kinda actor who needs a script to define her role; while historically, it's understood the actor brings the persona and energy, which is then retrofitted into the scripts.

I enjoyed episode 2 way more than the first, must be honest; good pacing, sense of escalating threat etc. Good use of the historical setting. The story held together much better and an effective use of the Sontarans as a distraction for the main threat. The two big bads look like some kind of disco nightmare via Día de los Muertos, but they're being played well; nice mix of camp and legitimate threat. Good episode.

Dr. who has always had a problem with resolving its stories though, predating Chibnall so can't blame him entirely. Blathered techobabble followed by a pat, hasty resolution (sometimes as a literal reset button). So this episode's own didn't particularly offend TBH; rare an episode has a good ending.

As to the disparate threads feeling a bit random; well I think a "wait and see" attitude is probably best. Yes it's a little shotgun blasted, but TBH we've never had a season of Who this brazenly serialised. If it all comes together then cool. On the basis of a punchier follow up, I'm back onboard this dawdle.

A little behind the curve here so only got to episode 3 last night. This is definitely going to be a season that'll live or die on how well Chibnall ties it all together. It may even work best as something binged than watched piecemeal.

I'm so bewildered by half the threads, yet sticking with the belief that it's all structural timey-wimey - and will come good in the end. I liked Vinder's backstory, and was a nice "grounded" piece of space adventure we don't see in Who. Same with Bel; Nu Who has become a show fixated with running at 11 at all times; these segues made for an enjoyable switch of pace

All that said ...

I had that immediate suspicion as soon as we learned Bel was pregnant. I had an awful feeling that's precisely where we're going and given she's living in a decaying universe - one that's...

I'd not bat an eyelid if RTD just reset the whole show and universe. Not to erase what came before but simply rejig via a big event.