The 12 Best Written Moffat Characters
Guest contributor Harpal Khambay counts down 12 of Moffat’s finest so far.
12. Father Octavian
The way Octavian was written was intriguing as Moffat wrote a perfect balance of calmness and anger. This was conveyed when Octavian told the Doctor he’d explain the clerics’ death to their families. He was a character who held his own when talking to the Doctor, and it was subtlety clear that at times Octavian looked down on him, without erupting into a fit of rage, which made the character different and quite unique, as despite all of this Octavian put his own thoughts aside and at the end was content to die for the Doctor.
11. Reinette
I’m not a massive fan of ‘The Girl in the Fireplace,’ but there are aspects of it I enjoy. One is the dialogue between the Doctor and Reinette, particularly when the Doctor reads her mind, and it is the way Reinette describes the Doctor that I find particularly touching. It is endearing that Reinette sees him and it’s good to see a writer use a character to illustrate the Doctor in another way that makes us ponder if the Doctor is slightly angelic. I also love Reinette’s letter as it incorporates such emotion and sadness within, and this really says a lot about her character.
10. Nancy
Nancy appeared in the first Who episode that really terrified me, and it was communicated brilliantly of how fiercely protective she was of those kids, and this was just one side of her. It was like she was protecting every child from the danger, and I found her to be warm and motherly. Nancy could’ve easily become a companion, as her curiosity, loyalty and feistiness are qualities all companions should have. Nancy had many dimensions to her character, as I have mentioned above, and it is surprising that a character with so many layers was so well-integrated into the Whoniverse and the storyline of the two episodes.
9. Sally Sparrow
Sparrow was driven, determined and clever. It was important for the story that she was clever, as her deduction throughout ‘Blink’ conveyed her as a strong-minded, independent individual whose self-belief pushed her to solve the mystery of Wester Drumlins. I felt it was good for the character to finally find stability with Larry, as from then on she knew she understood, and this tells us that Sally is a character that needs some form of closure to move on. This also made her realise that she can focus on other things, such as Larry. In a Doctor-lite episode it is essential for the lead character to be almost as strong a character as the Doctor to drive the story forward to its conclusion, and Sally is definitely one of the best Doctor-lite main characters.
8. Missy
The reason Missy is at number eight is, despite her fantastic villainy, I found her plan flawed and this contradicted her character slightly. Missy’s character was written in the way that made the audience continually appalled by her murderous nature but also gripped by her madness and badness. I doubt many expected that such a massive villain would be dressed up as a Mary Poppins lookalike. Aside from her madness, I also enjoyed her outburst aimed at the Doctor, about how she thought he always wanted an army. This showed that she does have some form of sense as she can think ideas through, and that she has an underlying jealousy and fondness for her greatest rival. This also shows that she has a bit more to her than madness, and maybe a side she doesn’t show often.
7. Rory
Rory started out as an odd hero, but as time progressed his popularity and importance increased. The subtlety of his heroic transformation was well-mastered, and his emotion toward TARDIS life enabled the Doctor, him and Amy to grow closer. I love Rory’s speech in ‘The Vampires of Venice,’ as he tells the Doctor, what I believe is partly truth, that people become dangerous to themselves as they want to prove themselves to the Doctor. Rory would only do this for Amy. This strengthened the character, and told us he was sure of himself and comfortable in his own skin.