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I'm going to disagree with you on almost every point. Most of the poorly written episodes aren't written my Moffat. Moreover, Moffat wrote nearly all of the fan favorite episodes during Davies's run as head writer: The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, Silence in the Library, and Forest of the Dead. If anything, he's just a bad lead writer.

Sure, he can write short episodes. See my below point. His plot arcs are so cringeworthy.

I'm not sure which female characters you think are cringe worthy, but I found Amy to be far more compelling of a character than Rose or Martha. I feel this way about many of the minor female characters too, including River Song.

Clara. Clara is sooo cringe-worthy. Amy wasn't really his character, in any case. Didn't the main writer for season five create her? River.. River has her ups and downs for me.

I do agree some of his plots don't make sense, but the same can be said about other writers, so it's not a Moffat issue only. If anything, it's an issue with the genre of a Space Opera television show that features a "monster of the week" feel.

The other writers tied up a lot of their plots, though. Moffat.. didn't? I'm going to have to disagree here a lot. I mean, look at the last episode of season 7. I watched it, and was more confused than ever before.

I've always argued that 10 and 11 were opposites. 10 was a serious doctor put into silly episodes and situations. Meanwhile 11 is a silly doctor put into serious episodes and situations. Obviously this doesn't always hold true, but I feel it's pretty solid. As such, I felt Smith did an excellent job, and fit the episodes he was placed in perfectly.

Personally, I feel that he could have been placed in some better situations. Not sure what I'm trying to go at here, but he didn't have as much enjoyment for me that I feel he could have had. His humor felt forced, and wasn't very funny to me, nor did I feel like his episodes fit. They certainly wouldn't go with the other Doctors, but I don't feel like they fell into place with him.

Except for Blink, his major contributions prior to taking over as lead writer were multi-parters, so I don't see your point? I do feel he needs work on planning and executing story arcs, but on the flip side I also feel Davies's needs to attend a writing class due to his inconsistent performance every season.

Blink, to me, was one of his only really good episodes. His ability to execute story arcs continues to completely astound me. I mean, he has the creativity. But I'm not sure where it goes.

Mind explaining the sexist thing? I'm not sure what you mean.

The way he writes his female characters compared to his male characters. I see most of the female characters as.. really dull. Either really spunky and a pretty face (Clara) or incredibly kick-butt with no development underneath.

also, this article sums up my feelings perfectly

Personally, I don't dislike Moffat, but I do think he needs work on executing story arcs. I also think he needs to realize that each new creation of his doesn't need to be the next Weeping Angel. I really disliked the Silence. Other than that though, I think he's a fine writer. And again, he's written most, if not all, of the fan favorite episodes. ^_^

Edit: If your female complaint is Clara, then I understand. But you shouldn't lump all of his females together due to one bad apple.

Aren't all the fan favorite episodes one shots, though? I'm not saying he should stop writing Doctor Who, I'm saying that he needs to step back and let someone else take over as head. He has creativity. But he can't extend it well which is where the show suffers.

Also, I dislike how dark the entire seasons have been. Doctor Who is supposed to be, for the most part, bright and happy. Kills the vibe.

Edited by LarkoftheRiver
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One thing both Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat have had problems with is: consequence.  They hint at it, but arcs wrap themselves up with no aftereffects almost as soon as what they mean is clarified (unintentional, but fitting pun).  New Who deserves credit for attempting seasonal arcs in the first place, but they tend to be: name drop something once every episode or two, warn of it, and it turns out to just be the season ender.  Bad Wolf?  The Face of Boe's message to the Doctor? The Impossible Girl?  Hooks more than running storylines.

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Amy is a Moffat character. he wrote most of the episodes in which I feel she was utterly, breathtakingly amazing in. Though Tom MacRea blew him out of the water with The Girl Who Waited.

 

As for fan favorites, Blink is at the top of the list, and then the lists I've seen have the library duo immediately after (which is Moffat too). After that it's a bit of a mix, but I've seen multiple lists of fan favorites with the Jack intro duo after that (also Moffat).

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I'm also going to disagree on the sexism thing. I don't know if Moffatt himself is sexist--I don't know the man--but the way he writes every female character except Clara feels, to me, very respectful and organic. And the relationship dynamics feel egalitarian to me. Take Amy and Rory. This is a relationship where the gender roles are reversed, with an assertive woman who takes the lead and a gentle man who follows. This could have been a stereotypical sitcom setup, with a nagging wife and a henpecked husband....yet it became one of the sweetest relationships on the show, in my opinion. Their love for one another was genuine, and although Amy and Rory did have difficulties later on, they pulled through. This relationship was shown in an unflaggingly positive light, and Rory's respect and love for Amy were hailed as noble qualities.

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What would you do if you saw a weeping angel with an extra shadow? Would you stare at it to make sure it didn't move, or would you run. And what would happen if a weeping angel and a silence encountered each other. Would the weeping angel forget it, or would it move closer once the silence moved away.

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What would you do if you saw a weeping angel with an extra shadow? Would you stare at it to make sure it didn't move, or would you run. 

 

I think the appropriate response would be to let the Weeping Angel get you. At least that way you still get to live, versus being devoured by the Vashta Nerada.

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What would you do if you saw a weeping angel with an extra shadow? Would you stare at it to make sure it didn't move, or would you run. And what would happen if a weeping angel and a silence encountered each other. Would the weeping angel forget it, or would it move closer once the silence moved away.

 

In the background, Mjolnir goes up an elevator.

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Favorite Doctor: David Tennet

Favorite companion: Rory the Roman

Favorite monster: The silence, or the weeping angles from blink, or the old darleks 

Favorite villan: The dream lord and the master

Favorite episdoe: Amy's choice, blink, the library episodes or the Pandorica opens 

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Favourite Doctor: Matt Smith, although Peter Capaldi has had some excellent lines, and his character being deliberately 'unlikable' was a decision he made before he started filming. Apparently, the next season will see Capaldi chill out a little as the Doctor.

 

Companion: Amy. I can't think of a single episode where she was badly acted.

 

Monsters: Weeping Angels (early versions)

 

Villain: John Simms playing the Master.

 

Episode: Ironically, an episode that has none of the above in it. My favourite episode was written by Neil Gaimen, and it has some of the absolute best Doctor interactions in it - The Doctor's Wife, where the TARDIS is personified by a young woman.

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Let's face it, there's only one choice for Best Doctor.

doctor_whooves_by_xain_russell-d4po1xa.p

But besides him, I'm actually kind of fond of Eight. My favorite Doctor tends to vary depending on my mood, but I do keep coming back to that sort of romantic and hopeful incarnation... which is funny because I hate the movie he is so much. Paul McGann's performance, however, just saves the character for me, so much so that, while I liked Hurt, I would have prefered if McGann had been the War Doctor.

Other Doctors I like include Six, Seven, Nine and Ten. I feel like season eight was-purposefully- an extended "finding out who the Doctor is" season, so I'm reserving opinions on Capaldi until next year. I liked Season 5!Eleven, but after that... no.

As far as Moffat goes as a writer... I am firmly on the "lost his touch" side of things. Season five is as close to perfect as a Doctor Who season has ever gotten to me, but his following work... yikes. Moffat has a very distinct bag of tricks that I feel he's pulled from too many times; I've seen Listen praised as an amazing episode, but for me, it's just another rehash of Blink.

As far as the sexism goes, I don't know if he's sexist, but I also don't think he writes women very well. Others have mentioned finding Clara a bit flat, but besides her, Moffat females seem to be... very similar; I think there's a reason why I (and some others?) have assumed the Papal Mainframe had to be a regeneration of River Song.

Yes, AMY is pretty cool; but I get the feeling she's the exception rather than the rule.

EDIT Know what, here's my quippy way of summarising problems I have with Moffat: for someone who is praised for intricate plotting and elaborate plot twists, I feel like he leaves a lot of loose ends and unexplained things.

I still have no idea why the TARDIS exploded, what happened to Madame Kavarian, or how the crew found out about the Silence (species) pretty episodes.

Edited by Quiver
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Well... I seem to be alone in saying: I don't really have an opinion on Moffat. I don't really pay attention to who writes the episodes. I just like some more and some less.

 

Favorite Doctor: Ten, because he balances his dark and light sides very well

Favorite monster: No idea, they're all pretty cool. (Except the Abzorbaloff.) The Silence?

Companion: I liked Martha a lot, but again, they're all pretty cool.

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9 is my fav as that's who I started with. 11 is 2nd.

I'm going with Dalek cause their crazy but they look cheesy as hell.

I'm even on Rose, Martha, Amy, and Clare

Rings of Akaten is easily my fav episode. It had epic all over it for me.

Fav Xmas show was the Scrooge/Dumbledore, flying sharks/fish episode.

I lost BBC America so I won't be seeing this coming season!!! :(

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Well... I seem to be alone in saying: I don't really have an opinion on Moffat. I don't really pay attention to who writes the episodes. I just like some more and some less.

 

Not really. To be honest, I have trouble remembering who wrote which episode, so couldn't tell you if I like Moffat or not. The only one I really remember is the Neil Gaiman one I listed as my favourite episode of all time.

 

Fav Xmas show was the Scrooge/Dumbledore, flying sharks/fish episode.

I lost BBC America so I won't be seeing this coming season!!! :(

 

I'll possibly agree with you on the Christmas episode, mostly for the Policewoman and Roman Centurion on the bridge of the starship. That was just funny.

 

Can you not get access to iPlayer in the US? It's the BBC "On Demand" viewer, and has Dr Who episodes usually within half an hour or so of them being broadcast.

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I never really got into doctor who.  My reaction after the first episode I watched was like this: :blink:   All of it is over my head.

 

You'll have to be a little clearer. Was that the first season's first episode  with William Hartnell, the first season's first episode with Christopher Eccleston, or the first season's first epsiode with Matt Smith (which for some reason, people pretended was a new season one)?  :P

 

Joking aisde, that's fair enough. If you ever do want to check out the show, you could always just try a different Doctor; whenever a new actor takes over, the show (more or less) "reboots" in how it does stuff, so maybe some other creative team would be more in line with what you like.

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