Top 30 TV Shows of 2012 : No 20 Doctor Who

By lou On 23 December 2012 In End of Year Lists

Doctor Who is quite low on my list this year, having only 5 episodes hasn’t helped but mostly I think the problem with S7.1 is that it came across as quite tired and predictable. Mostly its because we all knew that Amy and Rory were going to leave and thus any dramatic tension from their exit was immediately dampened.

The hype around the companions farewell didn’t help either, the more it was touted as heartbreaking the more I kind of assumed they would get to be together even if that meant not being with the Doctor, which is kind of heartbreaking but it wasn’t death or loss of their memories which is a huge bonus.

That being said their final episode was definitely an end of an era, Amy and by extension Rory have been companions for 2 and half seasons the longest in Nu Who and their story kind of defined Eleven’s. Also the way in which the Doctor kept dropping them back home meant they had spent at least ten years with him on and off and the Doctor probably hundreds (Timey Wimey shenanigans). Amy and Rory had a huge impact on the Doctor and seeing where he goes from there shall be interesting.

Which actually leads me to my favourite moment of this season – Jenna-Louise Coleman’s early arrival. Surprises on Doctor Who are quite rare these days because spoilers are everywhere but it was a genuine shock to see the new companion as Oswin in the first episode. She made an instant impact in that way new companions always do and opened up the door for a new mystery.

And that is what the first half of this season had been missing for me, the mystery. I know a lot of people disliked the who is River song arc of S5/S6 but I loved it because I like TV to be like solving a puzzle. Doctor Who always worked well with its arcs like Bad Wolf and Harold Saxon and I think that taking that away kind of took away a lot of the fun.

Whether Oswin is linked to Clara or not remains to be seen but a new companion means a character to grow attached to and uncover and I can’t wait for what the rest of S7 brings.