Hello bookworms and welcome to another Monday Musings post! For some reason, I’ve been in a mood to talk about all of my non-bookish viewings – that includes movies and TV shows. Last week, in which I shared my thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and so this week, I thought of sharing my thoughts on one of my favourite TV shows: Doctor Who.
I don’t talk about it much, but I’m a Doctor Who fan. I can’t say that I’ve seen every single episode of every single season, but I’ve definitely seen I think all of the episodes from Season 2 up to Season 8 so far.
My obsession with the series started when I began watching the seasons with the 10th Doctor played by David Tennant. I absolutely adored every single episode with the 10th Doctor, and by the end of his season, I was utterly hooked for the next.
Then came the 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith. From the moment he regenerated and his character was revealed, I fell completely in love and I knew I would love his season even more than the last. It was a bittersweet moment when the 7th season ended, and I knew I’d have to wait a while for Season 8.
And today, I want to talk about Season 8 which I just finished today.
Doctor Who, Season 8
Season 8 of Doctor Who introduces us to a new Doctor: the 12th Doctor, played by the amazing Peter Capaldi. I will admit, at first I was devastated that they were giving the Doctor’s role to a new actor. This was because I was so obsessed with Matt Smith’s Doctor (and I still am – he will always be my favourite Doctor) and it made me very skeptical about Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor. However, having finished Season 8, I must say that the 12th Doctor has completely wiggled his way into my heart, right alongside the 11th Doctor.
Season 8 of Doctor Who was incredible. Every episode was suspenseful, action-packed and I felt that it was so fresh and every single conflict in each episode felt new to me – nothing felt like a filler episode, it all had a purpose. What I love about Season 8 is that there was always a referral to a huge, underlying plot during each episode that led up to the finale, building up the anticipation and mystery. It was also emotional. I cried so much in the last two episodes or so. Peter Capaldi has proved to be a fantastic actor and fits the role of the 12th Doctor so, so well.
What I liked about Season 8 (but let’s be real, I loved everything about it)
The new Doctor
Like I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t very keen for the new change in The Doctor’s character. Matt Smith/the 11th Doctor was perfect to me. He was extremely charismatic, upbeat and cheerful, and charming. Peter Capaldi/the 12th Doctor was the total opposite. The 12th Doctor is harsh, devoid of any personality traits of the 11th Doctor. This, at first, made me feel disappointed, however, now I take back all my doubts.
I love the new Doctor. He’s harsh and comes off a little (okay, very) blunt. He’s not the type of person that enjoys hugs, and he’s very straight to the point and at times, quite rude. However, as the season progresses, we see him grow. We catch glimpses of the softness in his heart in the little moments. His character development was incredible and ultimately, that’s what made me cry my eyes out in the last episode. It was so powerful to see The Doctor come to terms with who he is.
Clara and The Doctor’s friendship
I loved Clara and The Doctor’s friendship in this season. In Season 7, it was almost a romantic relationship between Clara and The Doctor, however, but in Season 8, Clara struggled to come to terms with the new Doctor who was pretty much the total opposite of the 11th.
Watching their friendship grow was so heart-warming and the moment Clara said the Doctor was her best friend was so cute. Even better, the rare moments The Doctor reveals his fondness for Clara and how much he actually cares for her. My heart just cannot handle it.
Every episode tied together to hint at a bigger, underlying plot
This season was seamless in it’s foreshadowing and connection with every episode to a larger plot line. It was obvious that there was something weird going on beyond each conflict that The Doctor and Clara faced, but it’s not clear what was actually going on – it was a mystery that kept me on edge constantly. Every episode counted and hinted at the bigger plot that would show itself in the finale and I think it was done amazingly well. It made every episode count.
THE FINALE
The finale was a tear-fest for me. It was the craziest thing, and I found myself in complete shock, confusion, heart-ache and so many emotions all at once. I loved the finale because it really brought everything that happened in all the other episodes together into one epic ending.
Overall, this entire season was amazing, and I can’t wait to see what Season 9 has in store. I hope there is a lot more of Peter Capaldi action, because he is possibly my second favourite Doctor right now.
That is all for this week’s Monday Musings post! I hope you enjoyed it.
Are you a Doctor Who fan? What did you think of Season 8?
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