Well, Damn. He's Leaving.
I'm a Doctor Who fan, which means I am — or should be — used to, and understanding of, the inevitable changes that come with the show. Doctors, Companions, even TARDISes, they all change. Writers come and go, as do directors. So do producers, that old-fashioned name for show-runners.
And today, I learned that my favorite Doctor Who show-runner, Steven Moffat has put in his papers, and will be leaving at the end of 2017.
Damn. Double-damn.
I started Moffat's tenure thinking kindly of him. Then I started feeling guilty for liking what he did, because a lot of people, some of whom I truly respected, began to talk about what they thought was his problematic attitude toward women. Others — again, many people who I respected — eyed some of his writing and producing shortcomings with a jaundiced eye. And as a writer myself, I could see where he fell short, or even fell flat on his face.
At various times I wrote about those shortcomings, and you can see as I wrote, how I was learning to love him even when I thought he was doing his occasional writerly/producerly face plant.
I couldn't help it.
I fell in love with the show he and his crew gave me, from S05 all the way through S09. He gave me broad story arcs, and I loved them. He gave me Matt Smith's Eleven, and River Song (Oh River, my River!), and Amy Pond and RoryWilliams Pond, the boy and girl, the man and woman, who waited and triumphed even over an Angel. He gave me the Pandorica, and the Centurion, and a rebooted universe, he gave me a TARDIS that could say hello and be his wife, he gave me frozen time, and the power of love, and the Doctor's other wife and weddings on pyramids and tricks, and time-loops and time-paradoxes, and eye-patches and The Silence, and the Angels. He gave me Twelve, and Gallifrey Falls No More, and attack eyebrows and "I don't do hugs" until he does do hugs and the Impossible Girl who became the unforgettable Clara, and Osgood, and billion year long escape efforts and ... and ....
He gave me Faerie. He gave me Myth and Words as Power, and Love as an even greater Power.
I don't mean he's perfect. I mean he created something that, for me, was damned near perfect.
I'm sure Chris Chibnall will do well as his replacement (but please, if he must write, let him give his scripts to someone who can edit them well. More "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" and fewer "42"s or "Cybervixen's, pleasepleasepleaseohplease). I'm also sure I can survive ... barely ... a 2016 with no Who.
As I said, I'm a Doctor Who fan. I can do change.
But damn, I'm going to miss Moffat. This entry was originally posted at http://kaffyr.dreamwidth.org/395193.html?mode=reply, where there are currently
comments. You can comment there or here; I watch both.
I'm a Doctor Who fan, which means I am — or should be — used to, and understanding of, the inevitable changes that come with the show. Doctors, Companions, even TARDISes, they all change. Writers come and go, as do directors. So do producers, that old-fashioned name for show-runners.
And today, I learned that my favorite Doctor Who show-runner, Steven Moffat has put in his papers, and will be leaving at the end of 2017.
Damn. Double-damn.
I started Moffat's tenure thinking kindly of him. Then I started feeling guilty for liking what he did, because a lot of people, some of whom I truly respected, began to talk about what they thought was his problematic attitude toward women. Others — again, many people who I respected — eyed some of his writing and producing shortcomings with a jaundiced eye. And as a writer myself, I could see where he fell short, or even fell flat on his face.
At various times I wrote about those shortcomings, and you can see as I wrote, how I was learning to love him even when I thought he was doing his occasional writerly/producerly face plant.
I couldn't help it.
I fell in love with the show he and his crew gave me, from S05 all the way through S09. He gave me broad story arcs, and I loved them. He gave me Matt Smith's Eleven, and River Song (Oh River, my River!), and Amy Pond and Rory
He gave me Faerie. He gave me Myth and Words as Power, and Love as an even greater Power.
I don't mean he's perfect. I mean he created something that, for me, was damned near perfect.
I'm sure Chris Chibnall will do well as his replacement (but please, if he must write, let him give his scripts to someone who can edit them well. More "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" and fewer "42"s or "Cybervixen's, pleasepleasepleaseohplease). I'm also sure I can survive ... barely ... a 2016 with no Who.
As I said, I'm a Doctor Who fan. I can do change.
But damn, I'm going to miss Moffat. This entry was originally posted at http://kaffyr.dreamwidth.org/395193.html?mode=reply, where there are currently
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Comments
Personally, I have loved the majority of his work - your 'he gave me' paragraph made me teary :) There's been some stuff I haven't liked much, but people are always going to like different things, I'm sure there are people for whom those parts are their faves.
But as you say, it's Doctor Who. It changes. And I bet we will love the new direction too.
As am I. There are folks on my f'list who really can't stand him. I try to respect their thoughts, and I'm not going to comment on their posts celebrating Moffat's departure. Emotionally, I don't understand their dislike, although intellectually I can grasp some peoples' dislike of what they think might be problematic issues (how Moffat presents women, for instance. As a woman, I never felt that what he did was problematic, but a lot of people who I respect did, so I'm not going to get into arguments with them.)
And Doctor Who continues - that's the important thing.
your 'he gave me' paragraph made me teary
Thank you. I was actually tearing up as I wrote it.
Edited at 2016-01-23 06:59 pm (UTC)
Diona the Lurker
Matt became My Doctor, edging out Nine and Three by a nose.
What happened to Lisa was horrible though. But what was more bizarre was the costume the actress had to wear.
Anyway. Moffat characterization of women was that they were more confident in using their sexuality. There were some elements of Rivers relationship that I preferred with the Doctor over what he had with Rose.