5 Times Modern Doctor Who's Arcs Sparked Heated Fan Discussions
Which side are you on?
The introduction of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, accompanied by the return of Russell T Davies and the global move to Disney+, has become the subject of much passionate discussion in the Doctor Who fan communities.
As Series 14 (the first solo season for the Fifteenth) lands on the streaming giant in a few days with two new episodes, many divisive fan opinions are popping up online. From 'this is the end of Doctor Who' to 'this is the new era that will save the sci-fi show', you can find all sorts of takes.
Well, such an emotional war of words is nothing new in the Whoniverse. Here are five Modern Era storylines that became hot topics in fan discussions, and continue to bother Whovians to this day.
1. Doctor Who's Love Life
This is the one that particularly bugs fans of Classic Doctor Who. The early incarnations of the Doctor never got involved with their companions or other humans. They were sort of asexual heroes. But the 1996 TV movie broke that rule. Paul McGann's Doctor clearly dated his companion Grace Holloway.
And the Modern Era continued the trend with a slow-burning romance between the Doctor and Rose and many other shenanigans, some of which ended in marriage. While seasoned fans may not be happy with this approach, for modern viewers it is hard to imagine the Doctor without his heart-wrenching love stories.
2. Daleks
In fact, the question of the Daleks has been the subject of fan chats even before NuWho. Many fans feel that the Doctor's classic adversaries are overused in the show, especially in season finales and specials. Let's face it, "Exterminate!" no longer sounds threatening.
There is even a running gag in Doctor Who fandom that Davros made a deal with the BBC to ensure that his creations would appear at least once each season. However, there are many fans who are certain that the canonical antagonists are as important a part of the universe as the Doctor himself.
3. From Missy to Master
Speaking of the Doctor's enemies, the appearance of Sacha Dhawan's Master in Series 12 confused many fans. After Missy's redemption and death, which seemed real, the new Master with his evil plans felt like a step down from the previous arc. On the other hand, Dhawan's performance was fun and brilliant. Just remember his Rasputin.
4. Timeless Child
The Chris Chibnall period with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth generally didn't sit well with many viewers.
Probably the most criticized development was the introduction of the Timeless Child, which completely changed the origin of our beloved protagonist. It turns out that the Doctor is actually an out-of-this-universe alien who can regenerate indefinitely.
While this is convenient for future showrunners and opens up a lot of possibilities for new backstories, for many viewers such a huge concept feels like lazy writing and a betrayal of established lore.
5. Bi-Generation
Yes, the new Davies era has already introduced a concept that has become controversial among fans. In the 60th anniversary specials, David Tennant's Fourteenth bi-generated instead of just regenerating as usual. His body somehow split into two and both parts survived.
On the one hand, fans were happy to see the new Tennant's incarnation live longer than a few days. On the other hand, the new concept caused a lot of confusion. Especially when Davies said in the episode's commentary that every previous incarnation of the Doctor had also bi-generated and now existed in a kind of multiverse he called the 'Doctorverse'.