The new season of Doctor Who is is right around the corner, and the BBC has begun to release a few snippets of teases of trailers. The build up to Peter Capaldi as the Doctor has felt epic. This really does seem like a momentous occasion, and I can’t wait. I was let down by Season 7, and I hope Capaldi and showrunner Steven Moffat can turn things around! Say what you will about Moffat, I love most everything he’s brought to Doctor Who. And the cumulative 10 seconds we’ve seen of Capaldi so far have been out of this world!

Photoshop is no one’s friend

So what can we expect from Capaldi’s Doctor? We’ve seen the outfit, we’ve heard the snippets, and I’m sure people smarter than me have found actual descriptions of what we’ll see. But I’m a creative sort of guy. And I have some ideas for Moffat, Capaldi and the whole crew. Join me after the jump for six things I want from the new season of Doctor Who when it returns on Aug. 23!

6. Full season narrative

Don’t look so shocked, Peter

I like serialized storytelling on TV, so sue me. That was one of the things that made Season 7 feel so weird to me: there wasn’t really a full season narrative to go with it. Each episode stood on its own, and for the most part, they were all mediocre at best. There’s another reason for that dip in quality, which I’ll get to in a moment, but mainly, I think Doctor Who benefits from larger storytelling. I think all TV shows benefit from larger storytelling, quite frankly. It holds a season together, and can track a character’s growth from beginning to end. Doctor Who is easily adaptable to done-in-one stories, and I’m sure there are fans for that, but I like bigger, serialized storytelling. And with Peter Capaldi stepping in as the new Doctor, that is deserving of some kind of larger story around him.

5. Tighter continuity

That’s right, accept what I have to say

My biggest problem with Season 7 was that there was very little continuity from episode to episode. In previous seasons, including those with Matt Smith, there was a real sense of flow from one episode to another. You understood where (and when) the characters were in relation to previous episodes. We followed the lives of the companions in a linear fashion. But in Season 7, I never had any idea what the heck was going on with Amy, Rory, and the Doctor. Sometimes they were happily married? But did they get a divorce at one point? A baby? The Doctor bounced in and out of their lives too rapidly and randomly, it dragged the whole season down.

Same with Clara. It could never tell how much time was supposed to have passed between adventures with the Doctor. And while that might make sense for a time-traveler, it unravels the show just a bit.

4. No snogging

Tennant snogged a lot

More specifically, no more romance between Clara and the Doctor. It was cute when the Doctor was the handsome and charming Matt Smith, but it would be kind of creepy with Peter Capaldi. Though perhaps Clara could explore her feelings for the Doctor now that he has a new body – just not act on them. Speaking of Clara…

3. Flesh out Clara’s life and character

You know what you’ve done

Of the myriad of differences between Moffat and original showrunner Russell T. Davies, the biggest one is that Davies’ show was about the companions, and how their lives were impacted by the Doctor, while Moffat has focused on the Doctor and his mythology. That’s all well and good, but it means I never connected with Amy, Rory and especially Clara as well as I did with Rose, Martha and Donna. Davies just did a better job with the companions, and a lot of times, their stories ground the whole show. So I would love if Moffat could do the same to Clara.

I want to like Clara, I really do. She’s kind of adorable, and actress Jenna Coleman seems really game to make a fun show. But we know so little about Clara herself! For awhile she was nanny to a couple of random kids? Then she was a teacher? Then she had parents and a grandmother? Where did they come from? Why don’t we know more about them? I would love it if Moffat actually bothered to give Clara an actual life. That always enriches the companion’s interactions with the Doctor. What is she giving up to be with him? What is she risking? Does anybody care about her on the outside?

Now is the time to make Clara the best companion ever! Or at least try.

2. Cameos!

Damn straight I mean Wilfred

This is probably what everybody wants! Just because we’re getting a new Time Lord doesn’t mean we want to forget everybody who once mattered to him! And half the fun of new Doctors is seeing them interact with old characters. We know that Lady Vastra and Jenny will be back (yes!), as well as those new UNIT people from the 50th Anniversary special, but why not go back even further? River Song, Captain Jack Harkness, and dare I say, Mickey and Martha? It’s what the fans want, and I bet it’s what the actors want too. So why not indulge a little? What will it hurt?

1. The most badass Doctor of all time

We’re all thinking it

The phrase ‘Rebel Time Lord’ has been bandied about in reference to Capaldi’s Doctor, and I love it! That’s actually the perfect description of I want for Season 8, and Capaldi’s take on the character. Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith were all whimsical Doctors, Smith especially. There were other parts to their character, sure, but they were happy-go-lucky fellows having a good time. And sure, maybe that’s who the Doctor is. But why not try something really new for Capaldi? How about a truly badass Doctor?

Granted, it’s easy to argue that the Doctor is already badass, but I’m talking a real firecracker of a badass. We all know the types of roles Capaldi had before becoming the Doctor. I think they should infuse some of that strength into the Doctor. Obviously he shouldn’t be dropping F-bombs and swear words left and right, but there are other kinds of volatile strength he could tap into. He’s got the attitude, he’s got the look, he’s got those kickin’ Doc Martens!

I want to see Peter Capaldi kicking ass, taking names and chewing bubble gum – oh wait, it looks like he might be all out!

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What do you want to see in the new season of Doctor Who? What sort of Doctor do you want Peter Capaldi to be? Let us know in the comments!

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