Doctor Who’s New Spinoff Means RTD Can Fix Another Big Whittaker Era Mistake

Russell T Davies is working through Doctor Who one mistake at a time – especially if reports regarding the franchise’s next spinoff are accurate. RTD’s Doctor Who return has not been the smooth ride that was expected following the tumult of Chris Chibnall’s time as showrunner. Everything from Davros’ redesign to singing goblins has prompted division, and that’s before even getting to Doctor Who‘s bi-generation twist. Nevertheless, RTD has already taken the opportunity to address mistakes of the past. “The Giggle” offered a clearer explanation for the Timeless Child via the Toymaker, and whereas Chibnall largely shunned existing foes, RTD is mixing deep-cuts with new creations like the goblins and Not-things.

Another major fix Russell T Davies is making to Doctor Who concerns the wider franchise. The concept of Doctor Who spinoffs seemingly died a death after Class was canceled in 2017, but RTD is now booting open the doors to the Whoniverse, confirming other Doctor Who projects are in the pipeline. Tales of the TARDIS already released in 2023, and there is more where that came from. A new listing suggests Doctor Who‘s next spinoff will be called The War Between The Land & The Sea, and the teased topic of this project affords RTD the opportunity to fix another mistake from the Whittaker era.

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Chris Chibnall’s Doctor Who Brought Back The Sea Devils – But Wasted Them

One of the classic villains Chris Chibnall did bring back was Doctor Who‘s Sea Devils, who appeared in 2022’s “Legend of the Sea Devils.” Despite initial excitement over these Third Doctor enemies washing up after so long, the episode itself was one of the weakest from Chibnall’s stint as showrunner. A distinctly middle-of-the-road, by-the-numbers entry in the history books of New Who, “Legend of the Sea Devils” felt too much like a thin excuse to wear admittedly-impressive costumes and hop around a pirate ship, and the Sea Devils were its biggest victims.

Entirely non-intimidating in both appearance and intent, the classic villains could have easily been switched for any other baddie with little consequence. Again, it seemed like the Sea Devils were brought back merely to justify a Jodie Whittaker pirate caper, when the creative process probably should have worked in the opposite direction. At no point were the Sea Devils as threatening as during their 1970s debut – quite a feat considering the original aired half a century ago and featured a Clangers reference.

The strongest thread in the entire episode was the teased romance between Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor and Mandip Gill’s Yaz – a story that would go absolutely nowhere, but that seemed important at the time. This gripping romantic tension completely pushed the Sea Devils into the background – forgotten faces at their own homecoming. The War Between The Land & The Sea can finally right that wrong.

Doctor Who’s Spinoff Would Need To Do The Sea Devils Much Better

Were Doctor Who to dedicate an entire spinoff to the Sea Devils, one could naturally expect the villains to receive better treatment than they did in “Legend of the Sea Devils.” Deeper mythology, a more threatening presence, big story moments – all things missing in 2022’s episode that The War Between The Land & The Sea could provide. Moreover, the rumored Doctor Who spinoff would likely not feature the franchise’s titular hero themselves, leaving even more spotlight for the fishy foes to make a splash. A battle between the Sea Devils and Doctor Who‘s UNIT, for instance, would be a much more closely-fought struggle.

Whenever modern Doctor Who revisits old enemies, it walks a fine line in terms of visually updating classic designs. Too many changes can trigger backlash, but replicating those old, low-budget styles simply doesn’t cut it. 2022’s Sea Devils should be praised for their dedication to authenticity, but the grainy murkiness of 1970s Doctor Who – only recently transitioned from black-and-white – played a big role in making the Sea Devils creepy. That same design with modern special effects in HD doesn’t have quite the same impact, meaning The War Between The Land & The Sea would need to find a middle ground between keeping the Sea Devils recognizable and avoiding 2022’s “post-facelift Baby Yoda” look.