Doctor Who’s New Season Is Full of Confusing Timey-Wimey Moments—Will It Repeat Past Mistakes?

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The current season of “Doctor Who” has started, and viewers who subscribe to Disney+ were introduced to Belinda Chandra’s first meeting with The Doctor. They also experienced some peculiar scenes that seemed difficult to comprehend, which later turned out to be the classic time-travel complexities or “timey-wimeyness” of the show at its best.

For the newcomers who’ve recently jumped into the fandom due to their affection for Ncuti Gatwa portraying The Doctor, the term might be unfamiliar, but for those well-versed in David Tennant’s monologue from “Blink” (a standout episode of Doctor Who), it carries a wide and weighty connotation. For those who may not have encountered this term yet, let’s delve into its significance below as I share my apprehensions about this season, drawing upon previous experiences.

Doctor Who’s Latest Story Is Heavy On Timey-Wimey Plot Points

As a movie enthusiast, I must admit that watching “Doctor Who” occasionally leaves me scratching my head due to its intricate handling of time-related concepts, such as the elusive term “timey-wimey.” Essentially, these moments may seem puzzling or inexplicable at first glance, only to later make perfect sense within the unfolding narrative.

In simpler terms, we’re dealing with scenarios involving parallel timelines, characters appearing in multiple places simultaneously, and time paradoxes. When context is sparse, it can be a bit perplexing initially. But fear not, for once the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place, it all becomes crystal clear!

In my opinion, it’s not just a time-traveling gimmick exclusive to the world of Doctor Who. Even other franchises like Harry Potter and Star Trek have used time travel as a narrative device to present stories in an unconventional order. Often, these tales can be confusing at first, leaving the audience slightly puzzled about the sequence of events. However, by the end, everything falls into place, making sense of those seemingly random moments that occurred earlier in the adventure. When executed skillfully, this technique can lead to outstanding storytelling.

It can be challenging to execute these plotlines effectively, and even a series as time-travel focused as Doctor Who has struggled when attempting to convey them. In fact, there’s a fairly recent instance within the franchise that leaves me astonished at the thought of Russell T. Davies tackling such a storyline so soon again.

Doctor Who Tried This With Its Flux Storyline, And The Response Was Heavily Critiqued

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I’ll openly admit that Chris Chibnall’s tenure as showrunner for Doctor Who wasn’t without its controversies. Now, while I don’t entirely agree with all the criticisms, such as those aimed at Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor, there’s one area where I find myself in alignment with many fans – the final season, titled “Flux”.

The production of this series was a challenging feat amidst pandemic shutdowns. Ambitiously, it attempted to weave a complex, “timey-wimey” narrative spanning an entire season. However, the reception was far from unanimous, and fans had legitimate concerns about the storyline.

From my point of view, I found some aspects of the story confusing and felt that certain characters, including Jo Martin’s Doctor, didn’t have a clear connection to the main narrative. Despite enjoying her portrayal, I felt that her character’s role was not fully developed or significant. Although it’s acceptable for a story to have elements with unclear relevance, it becomes more frustrating when watching a season where unexpected developments could potentially impact the overall plot.

It’s clear that this new season has its apprehensions for me. Simultaneously, I can’t help but assume that there are top-level staff at the BBC who recall the Flux saga and might express worry if they perceived Davies’ creative approach as mirroring it too closely.

It seems that some viewers may have found the plot of Flux somewhat complex and confusing, which could explain their mixed feelings about the show. Personally, I must admit that I struggled to grasp its premise initially, but the anniversary specials helped clarify things for me. Considering the showrunner’s significant contributions to Doctor Who’s most memorable stories, it might be worth giving him the benefit of the doubt.

With All The Chatter That Doctor Who Is Potentially Not Returning For A New Season, I’m Mildly Concerned

It was a daring move for Doctor Who to tackle such complex storytelling during a season that could potentially decide whether the show gets renewed or not, as it wasn’t clear at the time of filming. However, the BBC has announced that there won’t be a new season until they evaluate the audience numbers for the upcoming season, which suggests we might be in for a best-case scenario – a break year without any fresh episodes of Doctor Who on our screens.

There’s some uncertainty about Ncuti Gatwa’s involvement in the series, considering he’s committed to an eleven-week play starting in August. This scheduling doesn’t align with expectations of him filming Doctor Who in 2025, leading me to ponder if Gatwa signed up for this role because he believes the series won’t resume until 2026 or later, or if he’s already filmed his regeneration scene and won’t reprise The Doctor’s role for a third season.

In essence, we’ll only find out these answers once the entire season has concluded. All we can do is keep up with each episode as they air and make sure we’re not lagging behind. The rest of the series’ development is largely beyond our control as viewers. It seems a bit ironic that I’m saying “only time will tell” about how things unfold, given that this phrase could easily apply to the current season itself.

Tune in for the latest episodes of “Doctor Who” every Saturday at 3:00 a.m. ET on Disney+. With all the exciting previews we’ve been shown, I have high hopes that this season will live up to the hype!

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2025-04-17 18:07