Doctor Who is all about the symbolism. Anyone who denies this simply isn't paying attention to how the show is functioning. In a show about time and space and alternate timelines, a single decision (or turn) could be the difference between an entire universe being saved or collapsing. This should be a writer's dream. The show encourages the viewer to have a high level scrutiny when watching the show because the viewer knows any moment could be crucial in later episodes. This means that that writers can throw in a lot of vivid imagery and symbols, with at least some viewers picking up on it. This is done in TV shows all the time. You symbolically set the stage for things to come because while people might not consciously pick up on it, their sub-conscious will. Doctor Who takes this potential and turns it into a barrage of conflicting messages. I find myself often confused by the significance of certain symbols or incredibly certain about what something means, just to find it reduced to a pointless gesture. Let's go through some of the big ones.
Dalek-
The episode Dalek and the other episode with the human Dalek are two great examples of expanding the Dalek character from their one dimensional evil post to a more tangible race of aliens. But the show consistently abandons this progress for their one dimensional template at the end of every season. At the end of every season, the Daleks come in full evil force and the Doctor destroys them in classic fashion. This cheapens episodes like "Dalek". The final season of episode 4 hints at a Dalek's propensity for humanity, but completely glosses over it with the introduction of the creator of the Daleks. This is a theme that I think should be explored more and utilized. The show is doing tremendous work for the Dalek's as a character, but never uses it. Why not have an episode where the Dalek's need saving? Even more exciting, why not a Dr. Who season finale that ends with the Doctor saving the Dalek? This would put the Doctor in an interesting moral dilemma.
The "marriage"-
This is the first image we're given of the Doctor-Donna combo. The symbolism here is heavy handed and absolute. There is a symbolic marriage between the two. He even goes through the whole "I do" routine later on in the episode. And then to top it all off, Donna proves to be one of the best companions in character depth and Doctor development. So given all of this, why is it that this occurs?
This is completely out of place. If there was anyone at the end of season four that should be kissing the Doctor, it's Donna, not Rose. Rose had an opportunity to be with the Doctor. It existed at the end of Season 2 and she blew it. We then had a season long to get over her. But instead of just letting it go, the writers decide to bring Rose back for no reason. To make matters worse, they bring back a love interest that had been dead for two seasons. The Doctor and Donna were symbolically married. There was tons of sexual tension between the two, as she always made it a point that the Doctor could never be with her. Donna was even changed to better suit the Doctor at the end of the season, making their pairing incredibly logical. But of course in the writers' infinite wisdom, they have her go after captain Jack last minute for absolutely no reason. Idiotic.
Bad Wolf-
Bad Wolf was meant to be a clever subliminal message that is never explained and holds no significance whatsoever. When I saw Bad Wolf, I immediately thought of the Big Bad Wolf. You know, a character that's hidden, that's trying to trick another character into their own demise. Instead Bad Wolf serves a myriad of confusing and pointless purposes. It's a warning in the first season. A location in the fourth. It's more like an indication that our favorite companion is back for another whine fest. Why this was made such a prevalent message in the entire series is beyond me. It could have been replaced with any other word. Why not call it Black Rock? Tepid Tower? Or Ominous Symbol insinuating the return of Rose.
The limits and bounds of the Time Lord-
In the episodes in that weird flux period between season 4 and season 5, there are a few episodes where David Tennant explores the Doctor as a character. The phrase " a little too late" doesn't do justice to how bitter sweet these episodes were. A theme that one of the episodes explores is the theme of limits and bounds that time Lords had to follow. Until this point the Doctor has been dictatorial concerning the "rules of time", but for some inexplicable reason he decides to save the lives of a bunch of last minute famous people. Sure the show tries to plug some emotional explanation with a Dalek flashback and allusions to the future, but viewers find it hard to connect to these things because we didn't experience them ourselves. I think this is something that definitely needs to be explored in later seasons. Hopefully the new Doctor touches on this, but until then this was just out of place and very off putting.
The episode Dalek and the other episode with the human Dalek are two great examples of expanding the Dalek character from their one dimensional evil post to a more tangible race of aliens. But the show consistently abandons this progress for their one dimensional template at the end of every season. At the end of every season, the Daleks come in full evil force and the Doctor destroys them in classic fashion. This cheapens episodes like "Dalek". The final season of episode 4 hints at a Dalek's propensity for humanity, but completely glosses over it with the introduction of the creator of the Daleks. This is a theme that I think should be explored more and utilized. The show is doing tremendous work for the Dalek's as a character, but never uses it. Why not have an episode where the Dalek's need saving? Even more exciting, why not a Dr. Who season finale that ends with the Doctor saving the Dalek? This would put the Doctor in an interesting moral dilemma.
The "marriage"-
This is the first image we're given of the Doctor-Donna combo. The symbolism here is heavy handed and absolute. There is a symbolic marriage between the two. He even goes through the whole "I do" routine later on in the episode. And then to top it all off, Donna proves to be one of the best companions in character depth and Doctor development. So given all of this, why is it that this occurs?
Bad Wolf-
Bad Wolf was meant to be a clever subliminal message that is never explained and holds no significance whatsoever. When I saw Bad Wolf, I immediately thought of the Big Bad Wolf. You know, a character that's hidden, that's trying to trick another character into their own demise. Instead Bad Wolf serves a myriad of confusing and pointless purposes. It's a warning in the first season. A location in the fourth. It's more like an indication that our favorite companion is back for another whine fest. Why this was made such a prevalent message in the entire series is beyond me. It could have been replaced with any other word. Why not call it Black Rock? Tepid Tower? Or Ominous Symbol insinuating the return of Rose.
The limits and bounds of the Time Lord-
In the episodes in that weird flux period between season 4 and season 5, there are a few episodes where David Tennant explores the Doctor as a character. The phrase " a little too late" doesn't do justice to how bitter sweet these episodes were. A theme that one of the episodes explores is the theme of limits and bounds that time Lords had to follow. Until this point the Doctor has been dictatorial concerning the "rules of time", but for some inexplicable reason he decides to save the lives of a bunch of last minute famous people. Sure the show tries to plug some emotional explanation with a Dalek flashback and allusions to the future, but viewers find it hard to connect to these things because we didn't experience them ourselves. I think this is something that definitely needs to be explored in later seasons. Hopefully the new Doctor touches on this, but until then this was just out of place and very off putting.
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