‘Doctor Who’ season 8 spoilers: Director hints at darker Peter Capaldi
When “Doctor Who” season 8 picks up on BBC One later this year (or BBC America, depending on where you are), one thing that you are probably going to notice is that this is not the same Doctor that you have to come to know. With a new actor in Peter Capaldi comes a new interpretation, and he will not have the same sort of exuberance and energy that we’ve seen from Matt Smith or even to an extent David Tennant. Instead, this may be a return to some of the darker Doctors of the past. Whether or not we’re talking dark on Tom Baker levels remains to be seen, but dark is still dark nonetheless.
The latest bit of clarification on just how dark this character will be comes via Ben Wheatley, who is on tap to helm the first two episodes of the season. Speaking in a new interview with io9, he confirmed that the twist in tone will be there, much to the joy of many fans everywhere:
“Doctor Who is pretty dark, I think. Generally it’s dark, it’s always been dark. Even in the more modern ones. If you look at the Tom Baker stuff, it’s especially dark. When he leaves Leela — who’s a very beloved assistant — he just laughs after it. There’s none of the [breaking down and crying]. He just laughs, and ‘on to the next one,’ you know. It’s a bonkers show. It’s a monster. To have a unity that runs eight years [of the new series]… it’s pretty crazy. They’ve done everything, they’ve tried all sorts of stuff. It seems to me the episodes that we’re doing now seem more like classic Who. We’re going back to that style. But you’ll have to wait and see.”
The idea for this, like the idea for almost any television show, is that you always want to give fans the opposite of what they have seen most recently. Who knows? After maybe four or five years of seeing a darker turn as The Doctor, fans may be clamoring for more of a silly version of the character. Or, another possibility here to consider is that it may come sooner, since many of the new mainstream fans have only been watching the past five or so years, and may not even know The Doctor as someone with the capacity to be this cold and callous.
What do you think: Is a darker Doctor a good thing at this point in the series run? Let us know your thoughts below.
HeatherLynn
February 11, 2014 @ 4:27 am
I am very nervous about a “darker” version of the Doctor. As the writers and directors continue to remind us–he is still the same man. Which means the growth of his character must be consistent. They have done a marvelous job with this during Nine, Ten, and Eleven. With Nine obviously being angry and bitter. Then Ten starting to soften through the influence of Rose, and learning his lesson about traveling alone. Then Eleven finally allows himself some happiness. With the 50th Anniversary episode and the birth of hope for him, I was hoping to see his character continue to grow in the hope and happiness he deserves. I’m afraid a “dark” Doctor will not makes sense with his character arc. That feels like going backward, not forward.
Nick
February 5, 2014 @ 11:43 pm
Ben’s statement is inaccurate. While Baker’s Doctor wasn’t as sad as the new incarnations of the Doctor to leave a companion behind, he was obviously taken aback that Leela chose to leave. She tells him she’ll miss him, and the smiles a bit and shuts the door. Then he leans against it and quietly says, “I’ll miss you too, Savage.” It wasn’t at all that Baker’s Doctor was callously leaving her behind, it was the fact that he couldn’t tell her that to her face. Baker’s Doctor laughed at the end of the episode, but what actually happened was that K-9 remained with Leela. Leela asks K-9 if he’ll be lonely. K-9 says he doesn’t have the information to say. Then it cuts back to the Tardis with Baker standing next to a cardboard box marked “K-9 Mark II” The camera closes on his face, and he smiles. Within the correct context, the scene is meant to show the sad audience that no, the Doctor will not be lonely. He still has a companion for now. No offense to Ben, but his interpretation is the opposite of what actually transpired in the episode. And you can do a google search for Doctor leaves Leela and see the actual scene on youtube. Baker’s Doctor was darker, but he was endlessly entertaining, so if Capaldi’s Doctor is at that level of dark, everything will be fine. At any rate, I can’t wait to see Capaldi in the role. My favorites are Baker, Pertwee Tennant, and Troughton, and Capaldi’s casting takes me back to my favorite doctors of old.
Dena Hatcher
February 5, 2014 @ 6:59 am
A Doctor who can leave a beloved companion behind, wether it be through death or other circumstances, and then just laugh like they weren’t worth a damn thing?
Imagine if he had done that with Rose, or Amy and Rory! Is there something wrong with being sad that one’s trusted companion, friend, or closest thing to family is gone Ben? Oh dear the Doctor cried when he lost someone he loved..can’t have that can we? He must not be a real man then? Sarcasm for anyone who didn’t notice.
No thank you…that’s not a Doctor I want to watch. You want to do that..give the Master his own show. I don’t mind a little darkness.. a call back to the Fourth Doctor? Ok…but coldness, callousness, and arrogance on a level you’re talking about? That’s not the Doctor I have come to know and love. I don’t think they will go that far. It might lose them the newer viewers who only know the new Doctor and never saw the older versions. I will hold an open mind whatever happens and give them a chance. Times change said Eleven..and so must the Doctor. As much as we fans will miss our particular Doctor, he remains The Doctor no matter what face he wears. As long as the writers remember that we’ll all be along for the ride.