Thank You for Making Me Feel Special - An Overview of "Doctor Who" Series 8

“Pain is a gift. Without the capacity for pain we can’t feel the pain we inflict.” – 12th Doctor

Despite the apprehension going into BBC1’s Series 8 of ‘Doctor Who’ with Peter Capaldi taking over the lead role of the Doctor, the show’s high expectations were met! Capaldi played the same character of 50 years, but his Doctor’s outlook and morality put him at cross purposes with the people around him, especially his companion Clara.

In many respects this Series 8 focused on Clara’s desire to have it all: traveling with the fantastical Doctor while enjoying a real life with her boyfriend, new character Danny Pink. Naturally, this pushes her to the breaking point. Danny is killed and she forces the Doctor to take them into the afterlife, where they have to stop Missy/the Mistress/the Master’s plot to rule the universe by resurrecting the dead into Cybermen! We are lucky to have such good acting in a children’s show. Capaldi’s darker version of the last of the Time Lords is a refreshing departure from previous actors while Michelle Gomez was surprisingly good as the regenerated Master. I hope Jenna Coleman’s performance as Clara has finally put to rest the unwarranted criticism of her and her character.

Finally, Samuel Anderson was a revelation to me as Danny. He made the ex-soldier-turned-teacher likeable despite being antagonistic to the Doctor. Even after he was killed Danny was still in charge. Pink choosing to bring back to life a boy he killed while fighting in Afghanistan over being with Clara was truly gut-wrenching!

The writing was its usual high quality, from the light-hearted Deep Breath to the whimsically violent Last Christmas. There were many good episodes written by showrunner Steven Moffatt (Listen, Dark Water/Death in Heaven) and others, but once again my favorite episode for this series goes to Mark Gatiss' Robot of Sherwood: a hilarious mash-up of science fiction and fairy tale!

The thing I can’t figure out about “Doctor Who” is some of the hate from a very vocal minority. Far be it for me to tell haters how to live their lives, but why watch something you know you won’t like? As someone who has enjoyed watching “Doctor Who” since he was ten, I am grateful it is still around for my enjoyment. And Coleman’s announcement that she is returning for Series 9 as Clara is the best Christmas present I have had in a long while!