I propose the impeachment of Steven Moffat for the following crimes:
1. Repeated violations of basic rules of continuity and story-telling. See, e.g., Season 6; the whole "Doctor's Name" thing; and that phone call from Matt Smith.
2. Wiping-out the very good continuity created by Russel M. Davies by having Matt Smith pointlessly "reboot the universe."
3. Unnecessarily, and senselessly, violating fundamental concepts of Doctor-hood without any justifiable benefit. (E.g., there was no reason to decide, for the first time in Time of the Doctor, that contrary to everything said before the Doctor was out of regenerations.)
4. Sub-textually redefining the Doctor's character in crucial ways that seem subtle at first but turn to make no sense. (E.g., the Doctor goes from anonymous random traveler, renegade from his own people, to the most famous and powerful man in the universe? When exactly did that happen?)
5. Reusing ideas in a desperate attempt to continue to seem new and clever (e.g., "don't blink" = "don't breathe").
Note that impeachment of Mr. Moffat is *not* a judgment on Matt Smith, any of the 11th Doctor's companions, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, or the continuation of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in their current roles.
Nor would impeachment of Mr. Moffat forbid him from working on the show in a less-senior capacity such as writer. It would simply remove him as showrunner. And require him to publicly apologize to the audience and all living actors who have played the doctor.
The conversation surrounding these creative choices has revealed how deeply invested this community remains in the integrity of the series. I am currently cataloging the most pointed feedback provided in the comments to better articulate why the current direction feels so disconnected from the show's established spirit.
September 29, 2015
Reaching this current level of support confirms that many others share my deep frustration regarding the direction of the show. It is encouraging to see that my concerns about narrative consistency and character integrity resonate with so many viewers.
19 Comments
P
Paula Quintana
10 years ago
Featured
All I had to comment is already on my tumblr site. But Doctor Who is getting boring.
N
Natasha
10 years ago
Featured
And, if you needed any more reasons, he's actually not good for your money - he's loosing the show its viewers. This year's premiere was a disaster in that sense. People stop watching it year by year.
C
cindy
10 years ago
Featured
i really do not like moffat sexist writting and i feel that he does not understand Doctor Who.
J
Jamie
10 years ago
Featured
Moffat can't handle Doctor Who properly, the pressures of being headwriter has left a damaging effect on his scriptwrting.
D
Dave Hughes
11 years ago
Featured
bring back the old doctor who writers. moffat just wants to show off how clever he thinks he is but it is just confusing garbage now
S
Sarah Yang
11 years ago
Featured
The plots make no sense anymore. He just writes himself into a corner every time and then uses a magic fix to get out. Completely ruined the show for me.
I propose the impeachment of Steven Moffat for the following crimes:
1. Repeated violations of basic rules of continuity and story-telling. See, e.g., Season 6; the whole "Doctor's Name" thing; and that phone call from Matt Smith.
2. Wiping-out the very good continuity created by Russel M. Davies by having Matt Smith pointlessly "reboot the universe."
3. Unnecessarily, and senselessly, violating fundamental concepts of Doctor-hood without any justifiable benefit. (E.g., there was no reason to decide, for the first time in Time of the Doctor, that contrary to everything said before the Doctor was out of regenerations.)
4. Sub-textually redefining the Doctor's character in crucial ways that seem subtle at first but turn to make no sense. (E.g., the Doctor goes from anonymous random traveler, renegade from his own people, to the most famous and powerful man in the universe? When exactly did that happen?)
5. Reusing ideas in a desperate attempt to continue to seem new and clever (e.g., "don't blink" = "don't breathe").
Note that impeachment of Mr. Moffat is *not* a judgment on Matt Smith, any of the 11th Doctor's companions, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, or the continuation of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in their current roles.
Nor would impeachment of Mr. Moffat forbid him from working on the show in a less-senior capacity such as writer. It would simply remove him as showrunner. And require him to publicly apologize to the audience and all living actors who have played the doctor.
The conversation surrounding these creative choices has revealed how deeply invested this community remains in the integrity of the series. I am currently cataloging the most pointed feedback provided in the comments to better articulate why the current direction feels so disconnected from the show's established spirit.
September 29, 2015
Reaching this current level of support confirms that many others share my deep frustration regarding the direction of the show. It is encouraging to see that my concerns about narrative consistency and character integrity resonate with so many viewers.
19 Comments
P
Paula Quintana
10 years ago
Featured
All I had to comment is already on my tumblr site. But Doctor Who is getting boring.
N
Natasha
10 years ago
Featured
And, if you needed any more reasons, he's actually not good for your money - he's loosing the show its viewers. This year's premiere was a disaster in that sense. People stop watching it year by year.
C
cindy
10 years ago
Featured
i really do not like moffat sexist writting and i feel that he does not understand Doctor Who.
J
Jamie
10 years ago
Featured
Moffat can't handle Doctor Who properly, the pressures of being headwriter has left a damaging effect on his scriptwrting.
D
Dave Hughes
11 years ago
Featured
bring back the old doctor who writers. moffat just wants to show off how clever he thinks he is but it is just confusing garbage now
S
Sarah Yang
11 years ago
Featured
The plots make no sense anymore. He just writes himself into a corner every time and then uses a magic fix to get out. Completely ruined the show for me.
All I had to comment is already on my tumblr site. But Doctor Who is getting boring.