Doctor Who: Why I want to give Series 11 another chance
By James Aggas
Series 11 may not be my favorite series of Doctor Who. But is it time to give Jodie Whittaker’s first series as the Thirteenth Doctor another go?
Yesterday, I wrote about why it was time to revisit the whole of Peter Capaldi’s era of Doctor Who. And that’s something I definitely want to do. But I’m also keen to revisit Jodie Whittaker’s first series, too.
The first time I watched her series, there were some episodes I liked. But I’m not sure there were any episodes that I loved. Not to the same extent as Capaldi’s best episodes. However, it’s early days so far, and the chances are those episodes will come in the next series.
It could be that I need to get used to the massive change in style. As someone who rather enjoyed Steven Moffat’s grander style of storytelling, Chris Chibnall’s move to extremely standalone episodes is something that I’m still trying to get used to. Even Russell T Davies’s series had grander narratives than what Series 11 featured.
Most of the Classic Series featured completely standalone stories, but what Chibnall did felt like a step backwards. Even the finale, The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, felt surprisingly low-key compared to what we’re used to for a Doctor Who finale.
Could binge-watching Jodie Whittaker’s first series bring greater enjoyment than on a week-by-week basis?
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: BBC Press.)
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Ups and downs
But this is why I want to re-watch Series 11. It could be interesting to binge watch the episodes rather than watch them on a week-by-week basis. I certainly enjoyed the earliest episodes of the series. The Woman Who Fell to Earth felt like a fresh take on a “new Doctor” story; The Ghost Monument was a fun little chase episode, and Rosa was a decent historical.
The series definitely weakened in the middle with the episodes Arachnids in the UK and The Tsuranga Conundrum. (Chris Chibnall loves his complicated titles, doesn’t he?) But the series also picked up with the traditional Kerblam! or the imaginative It Takes You Away. So Series 11 was likable enough. Will I enjoy it more on re-watch, though?
What really made me keen to give the series another chance is my recent read of The Thirteenth Doctor comics. The story I read was good, and the writer did a great job of capturing the characters. Considering that the characters were that distinctive and that memorable, it’s made me curious about how they are on re-watch.
Series 11 isn’t my favorite series, and I doubt that’s going to change when revisiting it. But I’m hoping to find something new to enjoy, at least, and to gain a fresh appreciation for it.
Next. Why it’s a good time to revisit Peter Capaldi’s era. dark
Has your opinion ever changed when re-watching a series? Is Series 11 one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.