To be specific, my recent binge consisted of the last eight, mind-bending, timey-wimey episodes of the 2015 season, the second with Peter Capaldi (pictured at top) in the title role. My brain still hurts from making sense of what I saw, a challenging task that became hugely rewarding once narrative clarity (or something close to it) was achieved. (Thank the heavens that I have a friend who obsesses over the Whoniverse and can tie together seemingly disparate details from the franchise’s 52-year multi-media run in a way that makes it all make sense.)
This isn’t the first time I have been blown away by the storytelling on this show, and I know it won’t be the last. I can’t possibly sum it up here, but the main storyline that ran through the second half of the season set the stage for the departure of the much-loved actress Jenna Coleman (pictured below) and her equally adored character Clara Oswald, who had been the Doctor’s most recent companion. (No spoilers here, but it has to be said that Clara’s departure is really rather fantastic.)