Dear Mr Moffat,
Women don't want a "puppy dog" boyfriend (a term you used yourself). Danny Pink's single tear made him seem unstable...not a tragic hero. It read PTSD, not vulnerable and open. That image of him, coupled with his falling over himself to take her up on her offer to attend a party, just makes Clara his friend. She feels badly for him and takes control.... but she does not seem attracted. If anything, she seemed amused. After all, Clara didn't "fancy" the Eleventh Doctor because she could control him. Let's be honest, unlike Russell T Davies, you don't know what makes a man attractive.
We like the Tenth Doctor when he says, in his PJ's no less, "no second chances...that's the kind of man I am". He goes on to be down right goofy, "ding!". Matt Smith gave us a chilling "run" to the Atraxi, and then sweeps us off our feet (and Amy in her nightgown) to go off on adventures. As romance will be off the table for the Twelfth Doctor it seems you are attempting to force that element elsewhere, but creating men that have both passion and sensitivity cannot be done with an unmotivated single tear.
So you give us, and Clara, Danny Pink - I could mention the lack of onscreen chemistry, which has been championed a lot of late (Did you do a screen test with these actors or were you too eager to add diversity to see that they don't connect?), or I could just say this: Mr. Moffat, give us a man.
Clara loves, is in love with, adores and is frustrated by the Eleventh Doctor. He is/was a complex man, and the nooks and crannies of his toasted English muffin hold the butter and make him delicious. Again, give us a man... we (and Clara) don't want a boy. Clara would NEVER relinquish the idea of Eleven so quickly, so please stop wrapping boys up as presents for her. She can collect men, "flirt with a mountain range" and you can tell us ALL YOU WANT that because she is smiling she is attracted - but it's clear from all we know about her character that she would not be. Clara is amused at Danny Pink's awkwardness, and her kindness makes her give him assistance. She is a caring person who helps people.
Into The Dalek was forced and awkward - using a prying kid's question to make a grown man cry? Slow down, man and create. You don't know what onscreen chemistry will take because you don't let it develop. You are brilliant - give yourself the respect we want to give you. You can't replace everything that Matt Smith bought to the role any more than you could replace everything Benedict Cumberbatch brings in Sherlock. The Twelfth Doctor's era is clearly going to be completely different, you don't have to force a badly conceived romance into it just to fill a void.
Mr. Capaldi and Samuel Anderson are putting their careers in your hands, Sir. You have a franchise, a legacy, and you are betting the house on red six. It's too early to play it all on one number. I feel you are so determined in dictating your POV that ultimately you've let these men, Jenna Coleman, and us the audience, down.
Mr. Moffat, this open letter is not to complain - how you steer the show is your job - but this ill-conceived romance comes after the lukewarm response to Deep Breath, and a tumble in ratings. This disastrous opening is only a mistake if you don't learn a lesson. You have ten more stories left in Series 8, please consider this and if it's not too late re-edit the remaining season accordingly. If this continues then I fear that the big plans for movies, world tours, future specials and spin-offs will disappear, Sir. I hope you can relinquish your iron control before you Margaret Thatcher yourself back to 1989 and Doctor Who ends up on hiatus again.
Stacy is a new Who fan. She came on-board with The Snowmen and then binged the back catalog - even using Matt Smith's Doctor in her classroom. An Educational Psychologist and Drama Director, Stacy teaches secondary education in Indianapolis, IN.
