Moffat Who has got off to a rousing start...but can he resist RTD's old 'favourites'...?

If one were to read the fan boards across the internet, they would get the impression that you either loved Russell T Davies or thought him the Anti-Christ. Whether good or evil, he had the exalted honor – and unenviable task - of bringing Doctor Who back to the airwaves where it belongs. While the series reboot has been brilliant, there were some missteps along the way. It’s bound to happen, even to the best of writers. But we look toward a new regime, and so far, after only a few episodes, it looks as though Steven Moffat was definitely the right choice for the job. But here are a few things that – if avoided – might make his reign less scoffed at.

Prophecies – It really seems to be the “in” thing to have a prophecy. Somewhere, there’s a soothsayer/visionary/psychic who’s telling everyone they have a destiny, and what their part in all of it is. And RTD threw them at us every chance he could. Hell, even the science-minded, facts and figures Time Lords were, in the end, relying on a seer, and they can travel in time! If they don’t know what’s going to happen, nobody does (I know it has to do with the rules of traveling into one’s own future and crossing timelines, but seriously, when did the rules ever apply to the Time Lords?). I don’t mind a story arc, but enough’s enough.

Star-Studded Finales – Yeah, I liked every one of the finales of the first four series. But even I sit through Journey’s End and wonder how many more throwaway cameos they could have squeezed in. Everyone whose lives The Doctor had touched in the series reboot got thrown into the mix. Which means that characters who did so much before get stuck with a couple of lines each, and not much else. Give me a big finale, but really, we don’t need the cast of thousands. And for a guy that didn’t want the younger audience flipping over to Torchwood, he had no problem bringing Ianto and Gwen into the story.

Sarah Jane Smith – I really do love Sarah Jane. I loved her with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. And I was giddy when she showed up in School Reunion. But now that she has her own show, she can save the universe on her own. And it shouldn’t be too hard to stick to this one, as Moffat has said he isn’t interested in bringing anything from the previous series along. Although, I wouldn’t mind if he amended that, and found a way to have Ace make an appearance. I, for one, have missed Ms. Aldred.

Deus ex Machina – The Doctor is a genius. This is undisputed. And over the years, he has always found a way to fix any and all problems. But seriously, let’s put the sonic screwdriver down for a second. Moffat did a wonderful job in The Eleventh Hour by giving The Doctor twenty minutes to save the world without the aid of the screwdriver or the TARDIS. No over-the-top (even for Doctor Who) alien devices, twisted plot devices or meta-crises. And especially no lightning shooting, flying Time Lords (I still haven’t quite figured that one out yet).

Farting Aliens – Um, pretty self-explanatory.

Rose – See Above.

Romantic Infatuation With The Doctor – RTD started right with Donna. Have a companion who isn’t falling in love with The Doctor. I can see where he might be easy to fall for, seeing how he’s a time traveling righter of wrongs, and constantly saving Earth from some new disaster. But face it, without the TARDIS, he’s really the Chess club geek with the moped that the cool kids only talk to when they need him to do their homework. Sure, maybe I’m a little jealous, because if I’d had a time machine, I would have fared better in school, but there’s no reason to have the drama. So far, Amy seems to have a strong admiration for The Doctor, but no thoughts of romance. Let’s hope that remains.

I’m certain that we have little to fear from the Series 5, and that Moffat and crew will continue to surprise, entertain, and inspire us. But just in case, we need to remind him that some things should just be left outside of the TARDIS.

And Steven, please think about Ace.

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