Totally. The first season with a new Doctor is so important, establishing him with the audience is crucial, so I cannot for the life of me understand why he has been sidelined so enormously, so that arrogant Clara can be the lead. The styling of this season has been so poor, this episode stands out a mile for its quality in comparison!
I don't think Steven Moffat understands the difference between a lead character and a viewpoint character. I also think he has vastly overestimated the strength of the character he has created in Clara. The more desperately he tries to convince me of her wondrousness (all via telling, what's shown is very different), the less I believe it. She is completely the wrong personality for this Doctor. I'd quite like to see him with a younger companion - go back to the paternal, grandfather-granddaughter relationship of the early classic era, or the mentor-student dynamic of McCoy-Aldred. Not Courtney, who has a loving family and stable home and would be missed, but some young stray with nowhere to go who could bring out his softer side.
And we really need to get away from this insistence on getting home on time! Let the TARDIS break again, install another randomiser, anything to escape the regimentation Clara insists on. Let the Doctor and the TARDIS fly free. That's when he's happiest. I really do not understand why he keeps going back for Clara, I've not been sold on their relationship at all.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-10-17 09:07 am (UTC)I don't think Steven Moffat understands the difference between a lead character and a viewpoint character. I also think he has vastly overestimated the strength of the character he has created in Clara. The more desperately he tries to convince me of her wondrousness (all via telling, what's shown is very different), the less I believe it. She is completely the wrong personality for this Doctor. I'd quite like to see him with a younger companion - go back to the paternal, grandfather-granddaughter relationship of the early classic era, or the mentor-student dynamic of McCoy-Aldred. Not Courtney, who has a loving family and stable home and would be missed, but some young stray with nowhere to go who could bring out his softer side.
And we really need to get away from this insistence on getting home on time! Let the TARDIS break again, install another randomiser, anything to escape the regimentation Clara insists on. Let the Doctor and the TARDIS fly free. That's when he's happiest. I really do not understand why he keeps going back for Clara, I've not been sold on their relationship at all.