6) Lighter On The Story Arc
Something that’s typified Steven Moffat’s era as showrunner is the increased emphasis on extended story arcs. Whereas David Tennant’s era had a concept or even just a phrase (e.g. “Bad Wolf”) to link each season’s episodes together, Matt Smith’s tenure was full of complex, timey-wimey narratives. Peter Capaldi’s era, meanwhile, has toned down the complexity and has tried to delve deep into the Doctor’s character, asking questions that most fans don’t want answered. For example, why did the Doctor really leave Gallifrey?
This season, though, has really dialled down on the season-long story arc, which has for the most part allowed for the individual episodes to stand on their own. The first half of the season, in particular, had a fun mystery which the audience was asked to solve: who was the prisoner in the vault hidden under Bill’s university? The second half, on the other hand, has switched to the concept of Missy joining the Doctor, which was bubbling under the surface until it was brought into focus with the penultimate episode.
While a season-long arc with a heavier presence can produce amazing results, at its core, Doctor Who has to be an episodic show, so the ongoing storylines need to be pushed to the background for it to be at its strongest.
