Doctor Who: 10 Unpopular Opinions About The Thirteenth Doctor (According To Reddit)

Doctor Who fans have their unpopular opinions about Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, and Reddit is a great place for viewers to discuss all of their thoughts and feelings about the character. Whovians all have their preferences about the show and the characters, and the debates go on about pretty much anything.

These unpopular opinions include Thirteen’s personality, Jodie Whittaker’s performance, and the episodes themselves. Some accuse Thirteen of being too similar, while others say she’s too different. What are the most unusual Redditor opinions about the Thirteenth Doctor?

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Ryan Is Forgettable

Tosin Cole co-stars as the Thirteenth Doctor’s companion Ryan Sinclair in Doctor Who seasons 11 and 12. In the subreddit Doctor Who, the user Geek_of_nature says, “Ryan was honestly bland and unforgettable.”

What makes this unpopular is that Ryan was a fairly unique companion. Ryan’s first episode establishes that he’s very close with his grandmother, but not at all with his step-grandfather Graham. His grandmother dies, and suddenly, Ryan finds himself traversing with Graham through time and space. Watching their relationship grow is wonderful, particularly when Ryan calls Graham “Grandad” for the first time.

The Thirteenth Doctor Isn’t Alien Enough

Viewers want to see the Doctor at a certain level of “alien.” Waitingforadragon says of the Thirteenth Doctor, “There is something missing and for me, she doesn’t always feel like the Doctor. I think a sense of alienness is missing somehow.”

Even though this comment came from Thirteen’s first season, there’s already plenty of “alienness” in that season. There’s even enough of her being an alien in her first few minutes. She falls through the roof of a train and faces off against an orb with electric tentacles. After being told she’s a woman, she says, “Am I? Does it suit me? Oh, I remember! Sorry, half an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman.”

The Thirteenth Doctor Isn’t Confident Enough

Waitingforadragon continues in “Doctor Who” by saying of Thirteen, “While I’m glad they haven’t made her too arrogant in the way that previous Doctors sometimes were, I think they’ve made her a little too unconfident. You can be sure of yourself without being arrogant and it would be good to see more of that in the next season.” This was after season 11 aired.

In response, DrXenoZillaTrek says, “I love 13 and find her [a] much-needed breath of fresh air. The Oncoming Storm had no more character development left. 13’s quiet, approachable, optimistic, take was the reset the show needed.” DrXeno refers to the “Oncoming Storm” version of the Doctor viewers had seen over numerous seasons. Thirteen isn’t unconfident, she’s just more reserved compared to what viewers had seen for 10 seasons.

The Thirteenth Doctor Copies The Tenth And Eleventh Doctors

In the Doctor Who subreddit, Tobbit_is_here says, ” From some sources, it’s said she tries to copy Tennant and Smith, but I take these with a pinch of salt. ” It’s worth noting that Tobbit is just sharing something they heard, and they even say they’re not sure they trust it.

It’s odd for anyone to say one Doctor copies another. Even though the Doctor regenerates and has different personalities every time, the Doctor is still the same character as the previous regeneration was. Every Doctor has traits of other Doctors. Not only is this not copying, but it would be strange to not have any similarities to other Doctors.

The Thirteenth Doctor Doesn’t Have A Good Outfit

Redditor MrJakeSimmons says, “I dislike the 13th Doctor’s outfit. It just feels too simple and childish, if that makes sense. It is quirky like a Doctor Who outfit should be, but something is definitely missing. The coat has no texture or interesting features, apart from the hood (which is never used anyway) and I feel she deserved better.”

The user accurately describes the outfit as quirky, but “simple and childish” really should go along with quirky. All of it makes a Doctor’s outfit, and Thirteen’s outfit meets the criteria. The Doctor really could wear anything and have it work, with the Sixth Doctor’s mash-up of colors being the biggest example. And Thirteen did have a great alternate costume. Twelve also had a hood that he didn’t use, so that isn’t a good argument either.

The Thirteenth Doctor Can’t Have Big Specials

In the Gallifrey subreddit, Thunderbirbthor says, “I can’t see Doctor Who reaching those levels [of popularity from past seasons] again. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of Chibs and Jodie and whatever, the glory days of specials and proms and big crossovers like Stolen Earth/Journey’s End are long gone.”

This 2019 comment didn’t age well, as 2021’s New Year’s special told an interesting Dalek story, and it wonderfully tied up Ryan and Graham’s story. CliffExcellent123 adds, “I’m sure people said the same back when Sylvester McCoy was the Doctor, or afterwards when the show was dead for a couple of decades. It revived once, it can do so again. It only survived as long as it did by reinventing itself every now and then.” Fans may want to watch essential episodes to catch up for season 13.

The Thirteenth Doctor Takes The Twelfth Doctor’s Final Speech Too Literally

HotsuSama says of Thirteen, “My current vibe is that she’s an incarnation taking the plea for optimism and kindness from 12’s closing speech too literally.” Moments before Twelve regenerated, he said a speech to his next self, including, “Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And never ever eat pears! Remember; hate is always foolish, and love is always wise. Always try to be nice and never fail to be kind.”

Thirteen wouldn’t be doing much with this speech if it wasn’t taken literally, as those are literal actions to take. Also, these concepts doesn’t just apply to Thirteen, this is a huge part of who the Doctor is as a whole. To not act on these words would be to ignore who she is as the Doctor.

Jodie Whittaker Wasn’t A Good Casting Choice

Redditor GG14916 says, “Jodie Whittaker, whilst clearly trying her best, and improving, was not a good pick for the role of the Doctor. Her previous work tends towards playing a supporting character in gritty human dramas.”

Jodie Whittaker’s performance as the Doctor is excellent, getting many comparisons to David Tennant and Matt Smith. She’s also done more than gritty dramas. She notably had a role in the alien action film Attack the Block starring John Boyega, which showed her knack for sci-fi stories. She also captures the Doctor’s heart in real life, and supporting Children’s Mental Health Week is one of the best things she’s done.

The Thirteenth Doctor Doesn’t Have Any Defining Moments

Beniebabom mentions the 4 previous Doctors’ quotes that were their defining moments, and says, “In my opinion, the 13th Doctor is yet to have any moments like these, or show a personality we haven’t seen before that sets her apart from other Doctors.”

Redditors mention Thirteen’s quotes that show that she did have defining moments. One such defining quote is when she says, “I’ve lived longer, seen more, loved more, and lost more. I can share it all with you, anything you want to know about what you never had.” A memorable scene appears in one of Thirteen’s best episodes, “Rosa.” It shows the Doctor saying they must allow history to unfold when they realize they’re about to see Rosa Parks being arrested for refusing to give up her seat. She knows it’s an important stand against racism.

The Thirteenth Doctor’s Era Erases White, Male Characters

When women or POC are in lead roles, it’s not uncommon to hear some fans rant about “erasing” white and male characters. In Doctor Who, A Redditor doesn’t side with that opinion, but they mention it, saying, “All the PC/white male erasure (apparently this is a thing) complaints about [season] 11 are bulls***. It has issues, yes, but I didn’t find it to be any more blatantly political than some past series.”

This sort of opinion pops up often, notably around the Star Wars sequel trilogy. It’s always unpopular, and it doesn’t make sense. White, male characters have always been everywhere, and they still are. Adding women and POC doesn’t “erase” anyone, it just diversifies movies and shows.

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