This past Christmas, the universe got a brand new Doctor in the older form of long time fanboy Peter Capaldi. And since his opening post-regeneration scene one of the major questions Whovians have had, as we have every time a new Doctor arrives: WHAT’S HIS NEW COSTUME!
Well, it only took a month, but we finally have a picture:
The Doctor…or The Pimp?
My verdict: I LIKE IT!
I was pleased when the BBC announced they’d cast an older Doctor, but seeing him in costume just takes it to the next level for me! Mostly because of the reminiscence of a past Doctor this new Doctor conveys…
My favorite Doctor is Jon Pertwee: “The Third Doctor” from 1970-1974. He was the Doctor that would attempt reasoning with the villain of the week, and when that failed would karate chop them into submission! His Doctor wasn’t afraid to get rough, which was a visual surprise considering his older look. And like David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor, when he acted as if he was the smartest man in the room…it’s because he was!
Since Dr. Capaldi’s casting, the BBC has managed to take every new tidbit of released information and spin it towards him being the new Pertwee! While this excites me greatly, I’m still unsure if the end result will actually make good on this insinuation.
Seeing the outfit: my faith is growing in the “12 is the new 3” idea!
I mean look at the two Doctors side-by-side:
Old School meets New School
Pimptastic poses aside let’s talk the overall look. The dark coat with the red lining is definitely similar. Gives the darkness a pop! Although Pertwee was in black, Capaldi is in dark blue, which is also a good color. Of course you’ve got the little peak of white cuffs escaping the sleeves.
As for trademark flair, while Pertwee has his velvet and frills, Capaldi has a cardigan. A CARDIGAN! Is this the Doctor making a joke at his age, or are sweaters “cool” now like the bowtie?
Now deep down I know that the quality of a Doctor is not in his outfit, but in the quality of his stories. And in not having Dr. Capaldi’s first episode to judge yet I cannot make any definitive statements, but there are assertions that can be made off what we know/have seen so far!
1: For the most part the Doctor’s outfit is a physical representation of the type of Doctor they are. Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor’s wild scarf and crazy mishmash of coats and vests told you exactly what type of Doctor you were dealing with just from a picture: a crazy one!
Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor’s leather jacket and dark colors reinforced his solemn self reflection as to his involvement in the Time War.
Meanwhile Pertwee and from the looks of it Capaldi’s Doctor’s look says refined, authoritative, and no nonsense. Doctors who mean their business and business is booming!
2: While I know it’s become popular to hate this man let me just say Steven Moffat has done Doctor Who right in my eyes! Yeah, some of the plot points have been misses and sure it’s much sillier than the RTD era, but let’s not forget the highlights of the Moffat era:
“THE ELEVENTH HOUR”
“THE PANDORICA OPENS”
“THE BIG BANG”
“THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT”
“DAY OF THE MOON”
“ASYLUM OF THE DALKES”
“THE NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR” {He gave us the return {and regeneration} of the Eighth Doctor!}
“THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR”
All that goodness, and people are worried the Twelfth Doctor won’t have any epic? Are you crazy?
3: As stated before, Peter Capaldi is an admitted lifelong fanboy for Doctor Who. He’s seen it all and knows it all. And if memory serves me, wasn’t there another Doctor who was a diehard Whovian…
Yeeeeah, remember me?!?!
Oh yeah that’s right, and we all know how he was received!
Short-Story-Long:
From everything that’s been released about Capaldi’s impending run so far, as well as what we’ve seen from Moffat thus far, I’m very hopeful as to the future of Doctor Who!
~_M.H._~
Follow Me on Twitter: @MHSmith22
The Pork-Chop Express 