We're lucky to have him.
I'm doing this blog in reaction to the negativity towards that always seems to accompany any discussion of New Who, at least in my circles. I can't remember the last time I read a thread where the phrase "this is why Moffat needs to go" didn't come up.
We're nerds. We're passionate about our stuff. I get that. We're all capable of wonderful things, but it's easy for us to forget what whiny bitches we can be on such a regular basis. It happens with all the fiction beginning with 'Star' and with all the Goku versus Superman debates that have been settled twice (Superman wins. Get over it and go feed the homeless or something.) and Doctor Who is on the current pulse of popularity.
I don't know why people hate on Steven Moffat. He's not perfect, because there's no such thing as a perfect show runner. I'm guessing people hone in on the imperfections and forget to notice the truly wonderful things that he does right. So as a public service, I'm going to point them out in hopes that more of us recognize that it's a fine time to be a Whovian and maybe appreciate Moffat for as long as we still have him.
1. He takes risks
The last thing any of us want is for Dalek stories to become interchangeable. The Doctor needs monsters and crises to tell his stories, but it should never devolve into a monster-of-the-week format, becauase the solution is always 'kill the monster'. That's a warrior's narrative, not a doctor. Moffat excels at "We haven't seen the Doctor in this situation before, so let's do that". As such, our beloved Timelord finds himself in new situations with new ailments to find the appropriate remedy for.
2. He loves what he does
That's a big damn deal with a Doctor Who show runner. The majority of writers from the classic series didn't want to be there. In the current series, there is a genuine love for the show that radiates through the screen. Russell T. Davies had that same love for the series and his efforts resurrected it, and when he was out of stories he stepped down. Moffat was the only writer who really seemed ready to take up the mantle, and as long as he has stories in him, he has my trust. I truly have no idea who could replace him at this point.
3. He's GOOD at what he does.
People accuse Moffat of breaking their hearts on a regular basis. Did you guys forget the emotional hell Davies put us through? Moffat was the "Just this once! Everybody lives!" guy in a universe of tragedy, because that was Davies's strength as a writer; getting you to continue giving a damn after you'd cried yourself to sleep the previous week. Moffat's strength is in the plot's sleight of hand. He's a literary magician, always pulling a clever trick out of a hopeless situation. And better than any other writer I've seen, Moffat has fun using the time travel concepts to his advantage.
4. He still seems to have ideas coming
I want Moffat to leave when his brain is repeating the words "No more", but until then I want him right where he is. Holding stories like Doctor Who and Sherlock together is a massive challenge, and I fear that every writer who is capable of doing that is already doing it. So again, who takes over when he steps down?
Like I said, he's not perfect, but he's brilliant. And brilliance is exactly what we should be hoping for. Moffat carried us through the 50th anniversary, which had to be daunting. You'd think he would have bailed out after that and gotten some sleep, but he's opted to stick around. That's a respectful writer.
So let me close by saying thank you, Mr. Moffat, for all of your talent and energy and for the stamp you've left on our loved-by-generations sci-fi series. And I predict that there will someday be a 19th Doctor story where he encounters an alien race called the Moffats who tend to kill characters, sending their consciousnesses into a stasis whereupon they're only allowed to return to life if they can find a clever enough loophole.
To Gallifrey.
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