Fear not, a Spiderman: Homecoming review is in the works, but I just wanted to do a quick post on some news that has been blowing up all my social media. So, Doctor Who? has a new doctor, and "gasp of horror," it's a woman! The B.B.C. just announced that Jodie Whittaker will be playing the 13th Doctor, and responses have been mixed, to say the least. Some people are delighted to see a woman step into the iconic role and bring something new to the show. Others, however, question the motives of the show-runners in casting Ms. Whittaker, and view the choice as tokenism, or selling out to political correctness. As a longtime Doctor Who? fan, I want to add my two cents to the debate, and try to bring a little perspective to the debate.
First, I want to clarify that I am not familiar with Ms. Whittaker as an actress. I don't know her work, and so I will say nothing about the specific choice for the role. I am sure she is very qualified; a brief glance at her IMDb page shows performances in a number of excellent shows, and historically, the B.B.C. has a very good record for casting the Doctor. So instead of looking at the choice of Ms. Whittaker in particular, I want to talk about the idea of casting a female Doctor, the pros and cons of such a decision, and what it might mean for the show.
In looking at many of the criticisms I have seen, number one has been the complaint that the choice to cast a woman as the Doctor is purely political, and an attempt to make the show appear progressive and open minded, to the detriment of the character, who is traditionally male. I am of two minds on this critique. Firstly, I am adamantly opposed to placing a woman in any position simply because "it has never been done before." For more on this, check out my post from last year on feminism and the American presidential election (link). Basically, it boils down to the fact that, in my opinion, it is just as sexist to cast a person in a role because they are a woman as it is to not cast them in that role because they are a woman. Merit should be the rule for placing an individual in a position, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or creed. So, yes, if the B.B.C. cast Ms. Whittaker simply because of social or political pressure to appear diverse and non-discriminatory, then yes, I am angry at the choice.
On the other hand, I won't let myself get too upset because, in all honesty, we all knew it was coming. Ever since show-runners introduced the idea that a Time Lord can regenerate into a body of the opposite sex (I believe it was the episode "The Doctor's Wife" that first opened the door), the inevitability of a female Doctor has been looming. Many fans were actually upset that he choice was not made with the 12th Doctor. And opening up the possibility of the gender transition has been a benefit for the show. Michelle Gomez's Missy, or female version of the Master was one of the most interesting characters of the more recent seasons of the show, bringing a fresh interpretation to a classic character, and allowing the relationship between the Master and the Doctor to develop in new and interesting ways. With the possibility allowed, and with Gomez's masterful performance, it was inevitable that we would eventually see a female Doctor, and the choice to allow that transition to happen sooner rather than later can be seen as a gamble that will hopefully pay off.
All this to say... Whovians always hate a new regeneration. The choice for a new Doctor will always be controversial: "He is too young," "too old," "too white," or "still not ginger." Fans of the show always struggle to say goodbye to the version of the character that we have come to know and love. But each new regeneration of the Doctor wins our hearts, and brings new elements to the character. I am really looking forward to seeing what new strengths Ms. Whittaker will bring to the Doctor, how having a woman play the role will change the character, and how the dynamic will change and stay the same between the Doctor and her companions. Ultimately, Doctor Who? is a story about how people change, how they evolve over time, and how the events we experience and the people around us alter the very fabric of the person we were in the past. This is the power of each new regeneration, and why, in the long run, I am hopeful about all of time and space in the TARDIS.
Well, back to reality.
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