New Doctor Who Spinoff Set For 2 Disappointing Jodie Whittaker Episodes

After Jodie Whittaker’s era served up two disappointing efforts in the same vein, Doctor Who‘s upcoming spinoff provides a shot at redemption. With Russell T Davies steering the ship once again, Doctor Who is expanded, and The war between land and sea Show the first correct one Doctor Who Spinoff series since the short-lived Class In 2016. Focusing on UNIT after the organization’s sizable role in Doctor Who season 14’s finale, The war between land and sea will pit humanity against the Sea Devils – a race of monsters that first crawled onto shores during the Third Doctor’s era.

Comparisons will inevitably be drawn between The war between land and sea and previous Sea Devil adventures, while the spinoff also bears an unavoidable resemblance to past “UNIT vs. reptilian enemy” stories like 1970’s “Doctor Who & The Silurians.” The war between land and sea Perhaps shares more in common, however, with two specific tales of Doctor Who Season 12. No one can ever be seriously counted among Doctor Whos best episodes, but the new spinoff seems to be correcting that mistake.

Doctor Who’s upcoming spinoff will carry a strong environmental message

Get ready to feel guilty about that plastic bottle you didn’t recycle…

While specific plot details remain under wraps, The war between land and sea Seems to carry an inherently environmental message. As Russell T Davies (by BBC) describes the plot, “[the Sea Devils] Wake up, and they see the state of the oceans… We have ruined the place, and there is war.” Establishing humanity’s pollution of the oceans as the trigger for war against the sea devils immediately casts a veil of ethical ambiguity over The war between land and sea. It is impossible to completely condemn the sea devils as outright villains When people have spent decades consciously destroying their own planet.

immediately then, The war between land and sea is joined with a resounding social message And a painfully rigid political undercurrent. Oceanic pollution will not be just subtext in the background of Doctor Whos new spinoff, but a core element of the plot that must be tackled openly and soundly. As much as UNIT will defend against attacks from Earth’s aquatic sea-dwellers, Kate Stewart must also acknowledge that her species does not hold the moral high ground in this scenario. The idea of ​​displaced sea devils forced to find a new home could potentially also open up a whole other political conversation as a parallel to refugees and immigration.

Such a comment was always baked in Doctor Whos DNA. Even in the first Doctor’s era, Planet of the Giants hit on environmental issues of the day, and hardly a season went by without at least one villain polluting nature out of greed. Social awareness is not even remotely new to Doctor WhoAnd The war between land and sea Proudly carrying on the tradition.

Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who era had 2 disappointing environmental episodes in the same season

“Orphan 55” & “Praxeus” meant well, but underwhelmed

Two of Doctor Whos most recent and significant environmental episodes both aired during season 12, Jodie Whittaker’s second run as the Thirteenth Doctor. “Orphan 55” came first, revealing a potential future in which Earth was destroyed by climate change, then “Praxeus” followed three episodes later to examine ocean pollution more specifically. Both episodes carried valuable moral messages, but both also made the fatal mistake of not wrapping the messages in strong, compelling stories.

Strip the twist that Orphan 55 is ground out of “Orphan 55,” and what remains is a relatively run-of-the-mill caper where monsters chase the Doctor around an alien base for an hour. Not helped in any way by the predictability of this twist, the impact of the all-important environmental warning behind Doctor WhoThe “Orphan 55” episode was dulled by the unoriginal story and lack of ideas.

“Praxeus” fell victim to almost the same trap. Despite offering notably more in the way of innovation and memorable characters, “Praxeus” failed to stand out from the many others Doctor Who Episodes involved a deadly virus, and was quickly forgotten. As with “Orphan 55,” these failures greatly dampened the environmental message the episode was trying to convey.

Why the war between the land and the sea can correct Doctor Who’s Whittaker-era mistake

The war between the land and the sea is positioned to become one of the best political stories Doctor

The big advantage The war between land and sea has over Doctor Who The episodes “Orphan 55” and “Praxeus” from season 12 seem like the latter rely on their environmental messages to be interesting, whereas the upcoming spinoff uses an interesting premise to promote the environmental message. The promise of war between Doctor Whos UNIT organization and the sea devils, the presence of familiar characters such as Kate Stewart, the absence of the Doctor himself, a classic Doctor Who evil returns – Even before considering the environmental element, The war between land and sea Sounds like a compelling watch.

The real-life social parallels built into the motivation of the sea devils to attack humanity is a complementary element to a plot already brimming with intrigue and ideas. The more memorable, emotional and hard-hitting the spinoff can be without relying on its moral leanings, the more those moral leanings will be amplified and remembered by audiences long after the end credits, and many classics. Doctor Who Episodes from the last 60 years are proof that such a formula can enjoy great success.

“Inferno” from the era of the Third Doctor is an outstanding parallel universe tale, tinged with a clever political insight that makes it one of Jon Pertwee’s best outings. Tom Baker’s “Genesis of the Daleks,” meanwhile, would be one of the all-time greats Doctor Who episodes even without its strong anti-war message. Even in the present era, Doctor Who Season 14’s “73 Yards” is a near-perfect, creepy folk tale that simultaneously serves as a critique of right-wing political rhetoric through the character of Roger ap Gwilliam.

These episodes all understood the need to craft a strong, distinct story, that there was a check for social commentary, and This was the trick that both “Orphan 55” and “Prox” lacked. In a promising sign for Doctor Whos new spinoff, The war between land and sea took the first approach. The premise of the spinoff would still sound inviting even if the invasion of the sea devils was sparked by a lack of underwater tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. The fact that they are invading because humans are ruining the ocean just adds a complementary layer of depth, spice and reality to enhance the whole package.

Sources: BBC