Doctor Who series 8 has been one of the best of the revival’s run. But how can series 9 live up to the challenges?
I’d like to take a look at what (I think) series 9 needs to make sure that series 8 is the start of the glory days of Doctor Who (at least of the revival, because let’s face it: Nothing will ever beat Tom Baker). I have written two of these articles before, but that was on the scale of a single episode. Let’s take a look at what this series as a whole needs.
1. Missy Missbehaviour
The Mistress is perhaps the most loved aspect of series 8. She is funny, flirty, and just plain evil. Moffat made it clear that he doesn’t want Michelle Gomez’s villain to be cuddly, hence killing off Osgood(?), but now Missy is back and rumor has it she is working with Clara on something big. But it’s just like Moffat says: We need to keep her a villain. So let’s just hope we still have Missy killing and being manipulative.
2. A Halloween Special
For many years now a Halloween special has been something that many Doctor Who fans have wanted. We’ve had specials for New Years, Easter, and 10 Christmas Specials. But there’s never really been any reason to do a Halloween Special for Doctor Who. But that may change this year, because this year Halloween just so happens to be on the day that (theoretically) episode 7 should air on. This, as fans know, will be the first of two stories featuring UNIT and the Zygons. Will this be a Halloween Special? Probably not. Could it be? Hell. Yes.
3. The Longest Running Companion
Clara is, as of now, the longest running companion in Doctor Who history, taking the crown from her predecessor Amy. The reason Amy stayed on so long was because the dynamic worked really well between 11, Amy, Rory, and River. But, and I hate to say it, there’s really no reason for Clara to stay this long other than the fact that Moffat is, unfortunately, scared of changing the lineup. In his five series he has had two main companion-Doctor pairings, with a little bit of Clara/11 in the middle. And don’t get me wrong — the Clara/12 dynamic is pretty great, but series 9 needs to prove Clara is great enough to make history.
4. A Whopping Premiere
The two-part premiere is shaping up to be a huge adventure. It features the Doctor, Clara, Missy, Kate, Skaro, Earth, UNIT, Battles, Daleks, and “cataclysmic repercussions,” which as any Wizard of Oz fan knows, warrants at least three “oh my”‘s. This premiere needs to be a huge adventure like the series 6 premiere, series 3 finale, and series 4 finale. These episodes all feature what Doctor Who has been lacking in recent years; less complex storytelling and more action sequences. We don’t want it to be just all action, no plot. But Moffat spends too much time setting up the plot to ever really let the characters explore the plot. Let’s just hope “it’s gonna be a whopper.”
5. The Master Reborn
When Missy returned in series 8 fans were excited to see the return of the Master. She is confirmed to be the Master after the events of “The End of Time.” But the obvious question that comes with this is, how did Missy escape Gallifrey, and how did she regenerate? This could be the setup for either a huge plot twist or a single throwaway line. With Moffat there isn’t an in between. But let’s just hope for the former.
6. It’s Alive
The series 8 finale ended with four deaths; Danny Pink, Osgood, Seb, and Missy. What’s even more shocking is that since then three of those characters have returned. Danny Pink made a long cameo in “Last Christmas,” last Christmas. Missy is set to return sooner than we thought (but we all knew she wasn’t dead). And Osgood is set to be in the Zygon episodes. Missy’s death was never really expected to be terminal, but Osgood comes as a bit of a shock. Missy had been almost certainly teleported away (rewatch those episodes; blue blast means teleport, red blast means death), but Osgood was prematurely cremated, there’s no doubt about it. Our only hope is that Danny can remain dead and Osgood’s alive-ness has a reason.
7. Cinematic Storytelling
Series 9, as seen in the trailer, is going to be quite huge. With five, two-parters and only two, one-parters, it seems to be looking like quite the adventurous season. In recent years Doctor Who has shown that it can have great episodes that are movie-like. Even now there are rumors that say that the series 9 premiere will be in theatres, and in recent years there have been two episodes in movie-length format and shown in theatres. These two episodes have been renowned for their brilliance. As seen with Sherlock, Moffat can make a TV show that is basically a film series and still make it interesting. Do we want every episode to be a huge deal? No. It would just make it not interesting when the opportunity for a huge deal comes along. But in New Who, no two-parter has ever been anything less than a big adventure.
8. Gallifrey Stands
The mystery of Gallifrey’s return has been looming for almost two years. It’s no longer burned and its ready to come back. But there’s just one problem: Moffat might not want it to return. At least, not yet. Perhaps Moffat is saving it. Perhaps he’s lying (it wouldn’t be the first or last time). Will Gallifrey be in series 9? Who knows. But depending on how many loose ends the finale has to tie up, there may or may not be time to see the Time Lord’s home come back.
9. The Monsters
As of right now, series 9 has returns from the Master, the Daleks (including one of the classic-era Daleks), the Zygons, some eye-less things, cool new robots, and something called the Mire. These monsters are great looking based on what we see in the trailer. New monsters never get old on Doctor Who, and old monsters get old in a different sense. I think it’s fair to say that series 9 could be full of memorable monsters.
10. Twelve’s Time
Series 8 was a great introduction to Peter Capaldi’s doctor. But the only thing better than a new doctor is a familiar Doctor. Tom Baker, David Tennant, and Matt Smith are great examples. Once the Doctor finds his groove, you can just enjoy the Doctor for being the Doctor. Now that Twelve has been introduced, its time for the fun that comes with not being the new Doctor to come in.
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