I was there for the very first episode of “Doctor Who” a little over 60 years ago, and I have seen just about every episode in the Classic era as well as the modern era. The only exception was during Jodie Whittaker’s reign as The Doctor, when the stories were just so atrocious that they were not worth the time to watch.
When Russell T Davis was announced as the returning show runner, I thought that happy days were here again. The first few episodes of the current season were good. “Bubble and Pop” was excellent and “Rogue” was looking to be as good as any Doctor Who story.
Then there was The Kiss. My stomach turned and deep grief came over my soul.
Two men kissed on television. Get over it you homophobic bigot.
Yes I have seen men and women kiss on screen before. I do get over it, within milliseconds.
Here is the thing- The Doctor is not a man. He is not a human being. The writers, producers and everyone else in the show have forgotten that. He is an alien from a different planet. He has two hearts.
The first Doctor, played by William Hartnell, was clearly driven by ideas that are not ones that we share. At times he seemed sinister, potentially able to turn on people as much as help them. The second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, was more playful and quirky, but never human.
The Kiss was not queer erotica as some people have written. It was bestiality, at least from the Doctor’s perspective. It would have been the same if David Tenant’s Doctor had kissed Rose in the same way.
RTD and the rest of the team might be patting themselves on the back for being “transgressive” or even “inclusive”. Really they have signed the death warrant for “Doctor Who”. The Kiss is for “Doctor Who” what Fonzie jumping the shark was for “Happy Days.”
Can “Doctor Who” be saved?
If the show’s producers can get their heads around the fact that The Doctor is an alien, and therefore somewhat removed from humans, then possibly.
Maybe it needs to take another 20 year hiatus to allow it to be rebooted. Perhaps another Doctor and different writers can rediscover the essence of the story.
At the moment, that it will limp along for another couple of seasons. The connection with Disney will continue to poison the show, and then it will just stop.
New Life Narrabri 