aelfgyfu_mead | Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker debuts!

It feels like we waited a long time for this, doesn't it?

Our Progeny is now almost an adult and hardly does anything with us, but she was very excited to watch the new Doctor Who with us. That made everything that much more intense and exciting.

I'll put everything below cuts so that you don't have to see anything you don't want to. And it's all spoilers, so don't read before you watch (it won't make sense anyway).

Of course I have complaints. You wouldn't believe it was me if I didn't, right? I love that they're trying to make the show more inclusive. DW has a pretty poor track record even when they try: Bill suffered the worst fate of all time as companions go; Martha was almost destroyed by her time as a companion and in one episode worked as a servant while the Doctor made himself one of the elite (of course), made himself forget who he was, and treated her badly; Danny Pink never even made it quite to the status of real companion but was still killed (stupidly), then turned into a Cyberman, and then died again; Mickey Smith was generally treated poorly by the Doctor and then paired off with Martha in a throw-away moment that felt very much like they were just pairing off two black characters. . . . Yes, some of the white characters went through horrors too (especially Amy Pond!), but the repetition of black companions (and near companions) suffering unusually much really got to me.

So I'm glad to see we'll have two people of color as companions. And I was excited to hear that they were making a character dyspraxic. But here's where good intentions go awry: the first overtly dyspraxic character is also black, so it feels like he's less competent from the get-go, even though they explain it. And he has a stereotypically absent black father, who seems to contrast with his white (step)grandfather, whom he can't quite accept yet.

I do hold out a lot of hope here: Ryan was obviously doing some important and competent things, even if he can't ride a bike. He went up that ladder even though it must have been more terrifying for him than for Yas or the Doctor.

What really got me was that we lost Grace. It felt like Chris Chibnall was taking care to kill off some white people—I honestly released a breath when I realized the first person to die, the train engineer, was white! But in trying to make sure he had a diverse cast, he ended up killing more people of color than white people. And the engineer apparently died of shock; the murder victims were people of color. And Grace! I was sure all along that we'd lose her, because I knew from promos that Graham was a companion and she wasn't. I thought we might lose her right away, on the train. I kept hoping there would be some other reason she wasn't with Graham, but of course, I was right.

Grace was great! She was brave, she was sensible, and I could see her and the Doctor getting along like a house on fire if only she'd lived.

Partly, I came to the episode with way too much baggage from previous DW and a lot more tv and movies that get diversity cheaply: they cast people of color and LGBTQ characters and then kill them off quickly as if they're trying to tick boxes but don't want to keep those characters around. DW has had long-term companions of color, and Bill was also lesbian, and I wish she'd had a better end. (I can't tell you how much I wish she were really exploring the universe with her girlfriend who became a pilot instead of that apparently being a dying fantasy.)

The Doctor being an intergalactic monitor of Fair Play also fell flat for me. Really? She has this great speech, and it builds up to "fair play"?!

So those are my big gripes. That, and the teeth in the face being really gross!

I found a lot to love, too.

Jodie Whittaker. She was a bit over the top, but I think of each of the Doctors in their first episodes, and they all were! And I just love the eagerness she brings to the role. I love the intensity, the curiosity, and the care. The Twelfth Doctor didn't start out that way and was still finding his way in this kindness thing at the end, and I'm glad we're getting a contrast. It also fits a younger Doctor well.

The companions! I especially love Ryan and Yas. I'm sure Graham will grow on me, and I don't dislike him, but Ryan and Yas are really up for anything. (And DW had better learn to stop autocorrecting "Yas" to "has" or "was," because it has autocorrected more times than I've typed the name already, sometimes autocorrecting again when I try to fix it!) I don't know a whole lot about them yet, but the actors made me want to get to know their characters a lot better. I like the varied dynamics: Donna had a grandfather, but he didn't travel with the Doctor (much); we're going to see both love and friction between Ryan and Graham (and probably a lot more of the latter to start). I was surprised that Ryan and Yas already knew each other (DW autocorrect let me keep her name this time!). And three companions—takes me back to Coal Hill School and the very beginning! But it's quite a different set of relationships this time. And honestly, starting with companions who don't annoy me is a good start. (I loved Amy after a while, but not at first! And Clara—loved her as Oswin Oswald, etc., but took a long time to warm up to Clara.)

I liked that we kept some of the traditional DW stuff without overdoing it: monster cam, where we briefly saw from tentacle creature's point of view; rubber-suit monster (though a much better rubber suit than many); lots of running; the Doctor choosing a new outfit.

I love that she was angry when Karl killed the bad guy. She's right: he had no right to do that. (Will they go after Rahul's sister? I hope so! But they need a TARDIS first, and it might be too much to hope.)

I loved her making her own sonic screwdriver right there in Sheffield.

I love the look of the new series.

I can't wait for next week!