Debating Doctor Who

We start by discussing the latest Doctor Who: Lockdown production, a moving epilogue to The Sarah Jane Adventures and tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, who died nine years ago today. Then we tackle a pair of emails from listeners. First up, do the Cybermen work as monsters without a mouthpiece, and why does it always seem to be the Master these days? Then, we take another look at that infamous bit from "Spyfall: Part Two".

We went live on Crowdcast for this one, with 30 of our listeners there live to chat and ask questions. We start by looking at the various little goodies that have come out as part of the Doctor Who: Lockdown! series, including the just-released video message with Arthur Darvill as Rory. We then take some questions from the audience, including which Doctor Who stories are the most comforting and then a big discussion about something we've been kind of sidelong alluding to for a while: The 11th Doctor became increasingly problematic (yeah, yeah, kind of an empty word, but bear with us) over the course of his run. We try to define what we actually mean by that and dig into what we think went wrong with the character. All our friends in the audience helped a lot with a bunch of trenchant insights! This was just generally a total blast to do, and we look forward to seeing you all again for another one of these soon...

Yes, we're going to attempt a live episode this Saturday! It's at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be hosted at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/debating-doctor-who-live -- checkout the link for some early signup information. We'll be discussing whatever we want, honestly, but our theoretical topic is all the little goodies showrunners past and present have been putting out for Doctor Who: Lockdown! And then, even though it's just Alasdair, we have somehow have a full 30 minutes of episode devoted to that most auspicious of occasions: The 10th anniversary of "The Beast Below." Alasdair dives into a bunch of thoughts as to why the second adventures for new series Doctors always visit the future, and what is meaningful and applicable about the 11th Doctor and Amy's adventure to our present moment.

Last time, we never really got into a proper discussion of a pretty key aspect of "The Timeless Children": Namely, the whole timeless child thing. Well, this episode is nothing but a big discussion of just what that revelation means, what it says, and what it ought to say. We didn't expect to have as much to say about this as we ended up saying! Plus we have some quick thoughts about all the little goodies showrunners past and present are making as part of Doctor Who: Lockdown! Also, next week we're going to do a live episode for folks to join us as we record -- look out for a mini episode sometime in the coming days to announce when and (virtually) where it's happening.

So, yeah... it's been a few weeks, huh? Better late than never, we hope, as Alasdair and Allison finally get round to discussing the most recent season finale. We didn't love this one, and we try to get into some detail about why... so much so that after an hour and 45 minutes of discussion we still hadn't really gotten into the, you know, Timeless Child stuff. Lore will just have to wait for next time, but for now we've got an episode to discuss, darn it! Also, Sacha Dhawan, if you're listening: First of all, hello. Second of all, you're going to like what we have to say here. Let's get into it.

You know, it's kinda funny: We liked this episode quite a bit overall, but also we had a lot to say about what didn't work. The middle bit, mostly. Also, the guest characters were pretty thin. And hey, what do you think is going on with Brendan? Or the Cybermen, for that matter? We honestly have no idea, and *that* is the main reason that, for all its faults, we come away pretty satisfied with this one.

It's a big historical episode with Romantics galore and Cybermen aplenty... well, one Cyberman, but trust us, he's a lot. This episode was frequently all Allison could ever possibly want, and Alasdair generally liked it a lot too. Well, except one bit. There's a very low-key kinda rant coming about one key moment. So yes, there's some debating in this episode, in our annual reminder of what, you know, the podcast is actually called, but mostly we're here to admire Jodie Whittaker's terrific work and marvel at just how much Lord Byron is Lord Byron in this.

The final 20 or so minutes of today's episode are devoted to an introspective, still somehow Doctor Who-related commentary on gender identity from Alasdair, who recently updated their pronouns to publicly acknowledge that either "he" or "they" are correct. While this segment is also available on the full episode, if anyone wants to hear Alasdair's thoughts in a more standalone sort of way, we wanted to share this part separately. So here's one person offering their perspective on gender, how it exists in society, and how Doctor Who helped them think about it more personally. (Sidebar: I, Alasdair, write all these show notes, and this is the first time I've used "they" to refer to myself. It's a trip, not going to lie!)

Content Warning: This episode discusses topics around self-harm and suicidal ideation in the context of this week's story. For those sensitive to those topics, we recommend skipping the section from 1:04:45 to 1:19:45. In today's epic-length episode, we look at "Can You Hear Me?" in all its strange, often wonderful glory. We look at how the story explores the inner lives of all the companions, and just how much fun this is for anyone keeping track of Doctor Who's myriad immortals. (Alasdair waves hello.) We also devote the final portion of the show to something more personal, as Alasdair discusses his--or, as of last week, also their--gender identity and how Doctor Who was so meaningful to the questions they are starting to ask. (Note: For those just interested in that discussion, we're also putting it out as a separate minisode.)

We meet back up to discuss "Praxeus"... by first talking some more about "Fugitive Of The Judoon", and how it reminds us of "Utopia." You know, the way one does. Anyway, we do spend a lot of time discussing how "Praxeus" is a solid episode with some significant shortcomings. We look at how the show is still figuring out how to divide its attentions between lots of different characters. We explain why this is a stronger environmental message than similar material in "Orphan 55", and just generally how Doctor Who can't help but reference itself. Also, what *is* going on with Yaz? 

You know it's a big episode when we post a new episode mere hours after the premiere. And, yeah, this was a big one. A really big one. One so big that the return of a beloved character after nearly a decade barely rates a mention. That big. Look, no time to waste on preamble. Let's just get to it.

Just in time for this week’s episode, we check in with a look at last week’s episode. We generally liked this one a lot as a fun romp with some lovely performances, particularly from Goran Vsijnic as the titular guest star. That said, we spent a decent amount of time looking at how a very good episode like this could have made that last push into greatness. Generally, it’s all about sharpening ideas and thinking through its politics more deeply.

Allison is busy being a cool person in California, so who should join Alasdair to discuss "Orphan 55" but the great Caroline Siede? Yup, the original duo are back to talk about why this episode had some definite potential but just really didn't work. We dig into how the episode has more ideas and more characters than what it knows what to do with, and how oddly empty the big twist--of about three big twists--ends up feeling. We make a bunch of comparisons to Davies-era episodes, including a very rude comparison to "Midnight" that Alasdair recognizes is going to be deeply unfair to pretty much any episode. We cover a lot of ground here as to why this episode typifies things the Chibnall era is still trying to figure out about itself, and what it already is making good progress on... starting with the Doctor herself.

We take a look at the second half of the series-opening two-parter. There's a lot we love about this episode, which builds on the promise of the preceding hour. There's also one really, really awful moment in the show's treatment of the Master and his race that we spend a lot of time discussing, because it deserves a long look at just how jarringly bad it is. We're still pretty sure we like this one, overall, but wow does the cognitive dissonance get tricky at points. Is this selling the episode well? Maybe just give a listen and see what you think...

At long last, Doctor Who is really, properly back! We both had a blast watching this episode, even before all that went down in the final few minutes. (We're trying to be vague out of some mild respect for the especially spoiler-averse.) We talk about how this represents a much-needed step in the right direction for the show, if only because it injects some much-needed fun into the proceedings. We look at how this story handles the Doctor, among other characters, and how we're hoping the show can build on this very promising premiere. Look, we can't say much more without talking about... well, you probably know. Let's get into it.

For the second half of our decade's end retrospective, we throw around ever more ridiculous lists, none of which either of us told the other cohost about. We look at the best and worst season-defining mysteries, the best guest cast ensembles, the stories that could have been something good but just weren't, and those little moments that linger all these years later. Plus, Alasdair uncorks one of the most furiously on-brand things you'll ever hear to wrap things up. Like you even have to ask if it's about Peter Capaldi. See you in the 2020s!

On the final day of the 2010s, we check in with just so, so much decade in review. And since we're just doing the past 10 years in Doctor Who, that means we're looking at the whole Moffat era, the past season of the 13th Doctor, plus, rather hilariously, "The End Of Time: Part Two" as the solitary morsel of RTD Who. In this first half of what spiraled entirely out of control into an impromptu two-parter, Alasdair and Allison each give their list of top 10 stories, top regular characters, top recurring characters, top guest stars, and top historical figures, which is absolutely just a subset of top guest stars but Alasdair felt like cheating to get more names involved. Honestly, this is mostly just an exercise in remembering a whole bunch of Doctor Who stories and characters we really liked.

Just as soon as we released our first episode in well it's been a while, the BBC had to go ahead and released another trailer. So, a week later and with a sneak peek at the first episode also now released, Allison and Alasdair to return to look at what more we can glean of what's to come in the now officially imminent series 12. But mostly we just spend a while discussing our lingering memories of and frustrations with series 11, and how we hope Chris Chibnall can improve in his second season as showrunner. We still feel like there's a ton of potential in this version of the show, and we discuss what we think it might take to bring that out. Plus we definitely lose it at the end and just start doing unabashed fan fiction. You're welcome.

You miss us? Allison and Alasdair are back after the podcast's latest lengthy hiatus, which, you gotta say, is at least a pretty faithful homage to Doctor Who itself. But we've missed all you lovely people, and we've missed talking about the show, and Allison in particular has missed this so much she literally squeals with delight in the opening second. It's... it's amazing. Speaking of which, there's a series 12 trailer! There's lots of exciting bits in it! Returning monsters! Big-name guest stars! Intriguing locations! And yet, both of us start in the exact same place: the Doctor's tuxedo is back. Hello, old friend. Oh yeah, we're definitely back.

We're back, and it's to discuss what Alasdair declares the most expensive Doctor Who regeneration story ever filmed. (Stay with us...) Yes, Alasdair and Caroline are on hand to talk the massive conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first 22 films. We have thoughts about climactic battles, unexpected beginnings, and a lengthy breakdown of which of the original six Avengers' character arcs work and which don't. It's good to be talking to you all again, even if we couldn't match the running time for Endgame like our Civil War podcast somehow managed to.