Doctor Who and the Triumph of Hope over Experience

In about an hour, I’ll be watching the newest episode of Doctor Who.  I’ll finally get to see Peter Capaldi’s new Doctor in action.

I wish I could say that I was counting the minutes, at the same time I wish I could say I was over it.  Instead, I’m (very) cautiously optimistic.  And, yes, a little excited.

Just because the last few episodes have been more plot hole than actual plot doesn’t mean that this episode will leave me eyerolling so hard that I have to chase down my eyeballs.

And hey, the fact that Clara’s characterization has been inconsistent is a good thing, because it means that it’s impossible to get her out of character!  Right?

Sarcasm aside, I actually am hopeful.  Mostly because of Peter Capaldi.  If there’s one thing Steven Moffat is good at, it’s choosing actors.  I would have gotten sick of the Eleventh Doctor’s goofball from space routine a lot sooner if it weren’t for Matt Smith’s ability to infuse the character with a genuine sense of alienness, Karen Gillan kept Amy Pond watchable despite a story “arc” that led her over the same ground again and again, and Jenna Louise Coleman manages to make Clara into something resembling an actual character, rather than a collection of whatever traits were grafted on to serve that episode’s plot.

So, as the hour approaches, I can only cling to hope.  Maybe Peter Capaldi can really regenerate the show, as he has the Doctor.  Maybe the show I still love will return to being a show I actually enjoy.  Maybe Steven Moffat will learn how to create a logical story arc and craft consistent characters.

(Okay, that last one might be a little far-fetched, even for Doctor Who.)