This is probably going to be my last foray into the Doctor Who threads, as it seems so negative too much of the time.
But, I have to say, I really like Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who. Some of the scripts could be tighter, but you could say that of any of the Doctor Who series. Whittaker brings her own style, and has made the character her own. At the same time, she has the quirkiness of Tennant, and perhaps Smith, with the odd tangential sentences.
The previous regeneration she reminds me of most, though, is the Doctor of my early childhood, Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor. It's not just the long coat, and (recently announced) scarf, but also the puckish, yet deadpan, humour: I thought the Sheep Wars comment was brilliant -- imagine it being said with a straight face by Baker, and you can see what I think it was all along: a massive wind-up (along the lines of sheep all face the same way on a hill, because they have legs that are shorter on one side than the other*).
It's long been established, since the earliest days of Doctor Who that the TARDIS has some sort of mind of its own**, and goes places of its own accord. It is also notoriously hard to direct when it has one of these moments. That was one of the good things about DW -- that you, as the viewer, could travel with the Doctor, and none of you were entirely sure where the next destination might be. Except, that the TARDIS often sought out interesting times, per the supposed ancient curse.
I like Whittaker's use of the Sonic Screwdriver, which she mainly uses as a scanner and, although I'd like to see a few episodes with the return of scary monsters (and especially comfortable*** old adversaries, such as the Daleks), I think the this run has done pretty well. It's covered an intergalactic Predator creature, the monstrosity of man, toxic waste spiders (get bitten by one of them, Peter Parker...also, shudder), and an unknowable god-like being choosing to be seen as a frog because it's relatable to the minds of the Doctor and her companions, only to realise the danger of unintended consequences.
So, although I think this episode had a few plot holes, and was perhaps not as strong as some others, I liked it. And I am enjoying the whole run, so far. A lot. So, I'm sticking with this Doctor.
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*Not that I would ever have used that on the unsuspecting tourist, nor mentioned the annual Deeside wild haggis hunt held each New Years' Day. Never.
**It should also be remembered that the TARDIS is kind of broken, which is why it always looks like a police box. The camouflage system stopped working properly with the First Doctor, and the navigation system was iffy even with him. Then again, he did nick the TARDIS -- we've never fully established why, I don't think.
***I take a certain delight in imagining Davros' face at his creations being termed 'comfortable.
