A RANT ABOUT DOCTOR WHO
I'm usually a real big fan of Doctor Who and while I've only seen a few episodes with Peter Capaldi in them, he's not my favorite Doctor. The most recent episodes I watched were the Zygon Invasion episodes and the two shows that comprised that story arc leave a lot to be desired.
First of all, I really hate the blatant way that the show tries to get its political agenda across. Good science fiction doesn't hit you over the head with a hammer. It subtly guides you to the right choices and the thoughts the piece wants to convey. Sure you can get Star Trek episodes that smack you upside the head with racism and such and those usually are not my favorites. As far as these two episodes go, I seriously do not consider them to be very good science fiction or very good television at all.
After getting over the head trauma of the political agenda hammer, most of the episode was Capaldi yelling at people because he can't seem to get his point across without yelling. When did Doctor Who become a shout fest? I mean, if I was watching Bob's Burgers or something, I would expect the shouting since that is part of the comedy, but this is supposed to be drama – someone needs to explain acting to both Capaldi and the director. For some reason it seems that this Doctor incarnation requires yelling at humans or aliens or anybody. I don't mind the exposition and lecturing that the Doctor gives in most episodes however this Doctor cannot seem to get his point across without yelling. Or is that the shift they wanted with Capaldi – move away from a fun and at times playful Doctor to someone more serious, brooding and angry?
I'm also not a huge fan of the guitar thing, but whatever… I'll continue to watch, but the reason I haven't been caught up to date on the last season of Doctor Who is primarily because this Doctor has really turned me off thus far, and the companion is not my favorite either. Usually, the companion balances the Doctor in some way, but I fail to see Clara doing anything of the sort.
In any case, I certainly hope the writing gets better and the Doctor's behavior gets better. There's more to acting then shouting at people and I like Doctor Who too much for the distaste I have for the last few episodes to drive me away.