One simple fix could've made the Weeping Angels so much scarier...
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00:00 Over the last 60 years, Doctor Who has given us some amazing characters and some truly
00:05 astonishing stories. From one-off belters like Blink to more complex storylines that
00:10 span across multiple seasons such as the River Song story arc, these moments remind us just
00:16 how astonishing this wibbly wobbly series can be.
00:20 But it goes without saying that with that many decades worth of content, there are always
00:24 going to be moments that don't quite hit the mark.
00:27 So with that in mind, I'm Ellie with WhoCulture, here with 10 Simple Fixes That Would Have
00:32 Improved Doctor Who.
00:34 10. Film the Doctor and River's Confrontation at the Same Time as the Impossible Astronaut
00:40 When Series 6 opened with a mysterious astronaut rising from Lake Silencio and shooting the
00:45 Doctor dead, there was universal confusion as to who was in the spacesuit. By the time
00:50 the Wedding of River Song aired, the pieces had been put together to reveal that it was
00:54 River, trapped in a pre-programmed suit by the Silence.
00:58 The Impossible Astronaut version of that scene was filmed on location in Utah, but the Wedding
01:03 of River Song version was filmed at a later date in a studio with the use of a green screen.
01:08 And a rather shoddy green screen at that, with these really unconvincing visuals distracting
01:14 from what should have been the most engaging and emotional moment of the entire series.
01:18 And that's not to mention the blatant lack of continuity. In the original version, the
01:25 astronaut opens the visor with one green fingertipped gloved hand, but River opens it with two hands
01:30 which suddenly change colour from green to clear. The Doctor's hair is completely different,
01:35 the reflection in the visor also different, and the mountains in the background are different
01:40 between the two shots.
01:41 And there's a really simple fix to these issues. Film both versions of that scene whilst
01:46 on location in Utah.
01:49 Understandably, there were some very valid reasons why they didn't do this. Firstly,
01:54 both episodes had different directors, but for a tiny little scene like that, that really
01:58 shouldn't have made much of a difference. But more importantly, there was a real fear
02:03 of spoilers being leaked, as fans had spotted the filming in Utah and they really didn't
02:07 want that reveal of who was in the spacesuit to be leaked, and obviously we all know how
02:12 River Song feels about spoilers.
02:14 Number 9 actually show Jack's resurrection abilities in Revolution of the Daleks
02:19 When Captain Jack Harkness first took that second breath of new life in Parting of the
02:24 Ways, it opened a new chapter in the Time Agent's life. From that moment on, he could
02:29 no longer die. Or rather, he couldn't stay dead. His ability to resurrect himself became
02:34 a handy tool when trying to force the hand of a menacing alien, or to trick his way into
02:39 or out of places he shouldn't be. That iconic gasp of new life became the character's
02:45 signature move, being showcased at least once in almost every episode of Doctor Who he appeared
02:50 in.
02:51 Imagine then the disappointment fans felt when Captain Jack made his long-awaited and
02:55 highly anticipated return in Revolution of the Daleks, only to remain alive and kicking
03:00 throughout the entire runtime. Now, it's fair to say that fans were expecting him to
03:05 dramatically die and come back to life at least once during that episode, and he even
03:09 spoke to Yaz, Graham and Ryan about his resurrection abilities, which really felt like Chris Chibnall
03:14 was setting that seed ready for a future scene. But that scene never came. Captain Jack's
03:20 deaths are among his most iconic moments in Doctor Who, and it was actually quite disappointing
03:25 when another one wasn't delivered. And considering how many Daleks were in that episode, it would
03:30 have been pretty simple to script one.
03:32 8. Tone down the design of the new Paradigm Daleks
03:36 The Daleks are as iconic to Doctor Who as the TARDIS and the titular Time Lord, the
03:41 evil foe that torments the Doctor throughout their life, always wreaking havoc and always
03:46 finding a way to survive. The most important element of an iconic symbol like this is a
03:51 maintained design across the decades. Although there have been some minor alterations to
03:56 the Daleks' design over the years, the overall layout remains the same – metallic casing,
04:01 round nose and toilet plunger arms. The most daring upgrade came in series 5 with the new
04:06 Paradigm Daleks. And while the overall shape remained the same, the bright new colours
04:11 and larger size did not receive praise from fans. Placed next to even the World War 2
04:17 camouflage design, these bold giants seemed too cheerful and lacked the steely, cold aura
04:23 of these soulless creatures.
04:25 The simple solution here would have been to stick more closely with what worked, making
04:29 the new Paradigm Daleks just slightly less vibrant and slightly less chunky. Even Stephen
04:35 Moffat admitted that these were a mistake. He said, "When I looked at them in person,
04:40 I thought, 'My God, the new Daleks are awesome. They're so huge and powerful. They're
04:45 brilliant.' But I learned a grave lesson, which is that when you put them on screen,
04:50 of course, they don't look bigger, they just make all the other Daleks look smaller."
04:53 Even the man responsible for this new design can admit that it was a mistake, then you
04:58 know that it didn't work. And it is no surprise then that these Skaro Skittles were barely
05:03 seen again after this episode.
05:05 7. Make Swarm Azure and The Grand Serpent One Character
05:10 The events of Flux sent the Doctor in all different directions to find answers and solutions.
05:16 The story did, at times, feel rather jumbled and busy, which is perhaps why the big bads
05:21 of the series seemed to lose their steam almost as soon as they got going.
05:25 Now, Flux was already in an unfortunate position with its reduced episode count, and there
05:30 was already so much to cover. You had Belle and Vinda, you had Jericho, Claire and the
05:35 Weeping Angels, you had Carvanista, Dan and Diane, you had the Sontarans, you had Tecteune,
05:41 you had the Division, and that's just a few.
05:44 All of those main plotlines going on, it just felt like everything was incomplete, or at
05:49 least rushed to an ending. And with regards to those big bads, Swarm Azure and The Grand
05:54 Serpent, it probably would have been better for the series to have a single, consistent,
06:00 memorable villain as opposed to those three characters who all fell short of the mark.
06:05 The best candidate would have been Swarm, since Azure felt more like a henchman anyway.
06:10 Swarm definitely had potential to be a truly remarkable villain, but was seemingly dismissed
06:15 in exchange for The Grand Serpent halfway through the series.
06:17 It was a bit jarring, to say the least, to suddenly be introduced to this whole new,
06:22 seemingly disconnected story about the origins of Unit, right in the middle of all those
06:26 other storylines.
06:27 And even worse, The Grand Serpent was just left on an asteroid at the end of the series,
06:31 almost as if Chris Chibnall didn't know what to do with him.
06:34 Now imagine that same plotline, but with Swarm, who had already spent two episodes getting
06:40 to know as the Mastermind instead of The Grand Serpent. The audience probably would have
06:45 been more engaged with that, and then that plotline would have felt more closely linked
06:49 to the main events of the series.
06:52 6. Don't shoot the absorbal off in broad daylight
06:56 Lover Monsters is considered, almost universally, one of Modern Who's weakest episodes.
07:02 The first of many stories to follow the Doctor Companion Lite format, it received very divisive
07:07 opinions from fans. Some applauded the offbeat structure of the episode, while others criticised
07:12 it for feeling like a parody rather than a proper episode of the show.
07:16 The overall storyline actually showed great potential, but the main gripe viewers had
07:21 was the questionable design of Peter Kaye's absorbal off. Extremely grotesque in premise,
07:27 but rather laughable and false looking in its execution.
07:31 It must be acknowledged that this creature was designed by the winner of a Blue Peter
07:35 competition, but still, one cannot help but criticise the final masterpiece.
07:39 Of course, in the classic era of Doctor Who, the costumes and makeup were much simpler,
07:45 and they lacked the budget or technology of modern visual effects. But you would think
07:50 that a creature that was created in the same year as the Ood and the Clockwork Men would
07:54 be just slightly more refined.
07:55 But there is one simple fix that would have at least helped to make the absorbal off just
08:00 be a little bit more intimidating and slightly less rubber looking.
08:05 Shoot those scenes with more shadows and dimmer lighting. By simply adding an element of ominous
08:10 mystery and darkness, the absorbal off could have been much scarier.
08:14 But at the very least, they could have given him some pants.
08:17 Number 5. Give Dalek a different episode title
08:21 It was only a matter of time before Russell T Davies would bring the Daleks into his 2005
08:26 reboot, and the ninth Doctor episode, aptly titled Dalek, marked the much anticipated
08:32 return of Doctor Who's most iconic monster.
08:35 The episode centred around the last surviving Dalek of the Time War, and the consequences
08:40 of it absorbing energy from Rose in order to repair itself.
08:43 The premise of an emotionless cold machine developing compassion and hopelessness in
08:47 the wake of a long, devastating war was a great avenue to explore with the Daleks, and
08:52 the episode did a remarkable job of switching those dynamics around to show the Doctor as
08:57 the merciless monster rather than the Dalek.
09:00 What was slightly disappointing though was the lack of mystery or surprise surrounding
09:04 the episode.
09:05 The big reveal of the Dalek is treated like some massive twist, but it's literally there
09:10 in the title, and that left nothing up to the imagination and kind of ruined that big
09:14 reveal.
09:15 Imagine that same episode, but with a more ambiguous title. Something that hints towards
09:21 that big surprise, but also maintains an innocence. Like Metal Tron or something like that.
09:27 Now really it's an unrealistic change to make, because it would have been foolish for
09:31 them to hide the Daleks in the lead up to series 1, but just imagine how chilling it
09:37 would have been to have learned of the Daleks' survival in the exact same moment that the
09:42 Doctor does.
09:43 4. Introduce Mel's Before Let's Kill Hitler
09:47 Let's Kill Hitler was an episode filled with surprises, not least of all the revelation
09:52 that Amy and Rory's childhood best friend Mel's was in fact their long lost daughter
09:57 Melody Pond, aka River Song.
10:00 Towards the beginning of the episode, we were treated to a montage that showed the trio
10:04 growing up together, and the parental role that Amy and Rory still managed to play in
10:08 Melody's life, as well as the strong interest Mel's took in the Doctor. Although it is
10:13 often easy to forget, of course the Doctor's companions had a whole life before they met
10:17 this madman with a box, and so it was great to see them hanging out with their more normal
10:22 friends.
10:23 What didn't make sense though, is that Mel's is supposedly Amy and Rory's oldest and closest
10:29 friend, and yet the audience had never seen her before Let's Kill Hitler. Although her
10:34 absence from their wedding was explained away with her saying that she doesn't do weddings,
10:39 it did then make it hard to believe that she was as close to them as they proclaim.
10:43 There's a really simple fix for this, which would have been to just add a brief scene
10:48 between the three of them at the beginning of the series.
10:51 And there was the perfect opportunity for this at the beginning of The Impossible Astronaut,
10:56 when we saw Amy and Rory in their everyday life before they went to America. So why not
11:01 add a birthday party scene, or a dinner, or even just a shot of Mel's leaving their house
11:07 before the postman arrives with the invitation from the Doctor. Hell, even just mentioning
11:11 her name would have at least been something.
11:14 Number 3. Have the 13th Doctor reassure Graham with a hug. The closing moments of Can You
11:20 Hear Me included a touching, heartfelt moment between the 13th Doctor and Graham.
11:25 Or more accurately, Graham opened up to the Doctor about the fear of his cancer coming
11:29 back and the Doctor just shuffled away awkwardly. By her own admission, she can be socially
11:33 awkward, and we know that the Doctor has a history of struggling with acts of affection.
11:38 See 11's wavy hands when River kisses him for the first time, or 12 saying he's not
11:43 a hugger in deep breath.
11:44 But this particular moment just felt rather insensitive and actually resulted in the BBC
11:49 receiving multiple complaints about the way in which the Doctor responded to Graham's
11:54 confession, and eventually they issued a statement which explained, "The intention of this
11:58 scene was to acknowledge how hard it can be to deal with conversations on this subject
12:02 matter. When faced with these situations, people don't always have the right words
12:06 to say at the right time. By showing the Doctor struggling to find the right words, the intention
12:11 was to sympathise with all those who may have found themselves in a similar position."
12:16 In this particular situation, we can't help but feel that it would have been more appropriate
12:21 for the Doctor to just simply give Graham a hug. No additional dialogue was needed,
12:25 just a simple gesture to let him know that he has people who care about him.
12:29 And actually, it could have been a moment to show growth in the Doctor, heeding 12's
12:33 departing instructions to "laugh hard, run fast, be kind".
12:37 I mean, what's kinder than giving Graham a hug in his moment of need?
12:41 2. Don't show the weeping angels moving
12:44 The weeping angels are without doubt some of the scariest monsters in Doctor Who. The
12:49 entire premise of a statue hunting you in the dark and killing you with time is arguably
12:54 more terrifying than just a grotesque creature with a gun.
12:58 One of the most intimidating elements of the angels is the way they approach their victims,
13:03 jumping forward with each flash of darkness as their mouths widen and their arms raise.
13:08 Part of the fear factor comes from never actually seeing them physically move. When light shines
13:13 upon them, they are still as a statue. Yes, pun intended.
13:17 And so we only ever see them progressing forward in unseen jumps. That is, until the series
13:23 5 episode "Flesh and Stone". Although the majority of the episode does show the angels
13:27 moving in their normal way, there's one moment where we see them slowly turning their
13:32 heads as they approach Amy.
13:33 Now, arguably the reason we can see them moving here is because Amy has her eyes closed and
13:38 so technically they're unseen, but for the audience, this kind of ruined that ominous
13:43 element of how they move and merely reminded us that they're just performers in costumes.
13:48 So the simple fix here would have been to maintain that ambiguity of the weeping angels.
13:54 Simply remove those scenes of the slow, human-like movement and make better use of flashes and
14:00 faster cuts to build up that tension even further. When the weeping angels attack, the
14:05 audience needs to feel like they cannot blink. But all this scene really did is make them
14:09 roll their eyes.
14:10 Number 1. The Tenth Doctor visits Joan Redfern, not her great-granddaughter.
14:16 The final moments of "The End of Time" saw the Tenth Doctor embarking on a farewell
14:20 tour, revisiting his friends and companions for one last time before he regenerated.
14:26 Now most of the people in that line-up made absolute sense. Friends that had played important
14:31 parts in his tenth life. But there is one amongst those that doesn't make sense, and
14:36 that is the great-granddaughter of Joan Redfern.
14:39 Now of course, Joan Redfern played a very important part in the short-lived human life
14:44 of John Smith, and it cannot be denied that the Doctor experienced great feelings for
14:48 her. Whether those final feelings were that of continued love or the guilt of breaking
14:53 her heart remains to be seen. Perhaps it's both.
14:55 So of course it does make sense that in his final hours he'd wished to learn what became
14:59 of her. Whether she was happy, whether she remembered the time they shared together.
15:04 But what doesn't make sense is that he sought these answers out from her great-granddaughter
15:08 rather than from Joan herself.
15:10 Now there are some who believe that this scene should have been removed entirely, but there
15:14 are two simple fixes that could have at least made it make more sense.
15:18 Firstly, the Doctor has a time machine. So why not simply travel back in time and find
15:24 out those answers for himself? He needn't have interfered, just observed from afar.
15:29 Or if travelling back in time was too risky, why not visit Joan as an old lady?
15:34 We've seen a similar concept to this in a deleted scene from The Unicorn and The Wasp
15:39 when the Doctor and Donna visit an elderly Agatha Christie.
15:42 This would have removed that risk of interfering with her timeline and altering her life, but
15:47 it would have given Ten the closure he needed. Instead, he questions a woman who couldn't
15:52 possibly know how Joan truly felt.
15:54 Which was very odd.
15:56 And that concludes our list. If you think we missed any, then do let us know in the
15:59 comments below. And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap
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16:07 Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias
16:11 just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
16:13 I've been Ellie with Who Culture, and in the words of River Song herself, goodbye,