The farewell tribute to Peter Capaldi, the 12th Dr. Who in the long-running series, is something quite special. He’s been one of the most beloved Time Lords for a while now and he’s obviously going to be missed but like all things this too must pass. Every Dr. Who before him has had to stand down at some point and move on, and so must Capaldi. It’s not with sorrow that he goes on his merry way though but with pride as has been seen in his dealings with the fact that he will be handing off the reins to the new and still somehow controversial Dr. Who, Jodie Whittaker. Why she’s still being hammered for her role as the new Time Lord is hard to imagine but there are some basic reasons and they’re still just as foolish as anything you might have heard before.

Who says a woman can’t take on a man’s role? In life there are some things men can do that women can’t, or that men are more predisposed towards thanks to culture than women. The same is true when it swings the other way. But in this instance there’s no reason why there can’t be a female Time Lord, unless of course some ignorant and insubordinate writer decided to buck their own system and write something in saying that a woman could not accept the mantle of Time Lord. That however would show a clear bias that would hopefully be even less acceptable to fans than the current predicament that seems to be clouding the minds of so many.

Whittaker is after all an accomplished actress and someone that could easily step into the role that Capaldi is regretfully leaving. Her acting chops are more than developed enough to allow her to take up the role of a Time Lord and do justice to the series in a way that has not been seen before. Capaldi is leaving some very big shoes to fill since whether fans have liked him or not, he has been one of the more successful Dr. Who’s in a long line of them. He’s brought a certain feel to the role that his predecessors did and didn’t possess at times in order to distinguish the iconic character in a way that will not soon be forgotten. But now that his time is over it’s time to be thankful for the experience and be on his way. When the last curtain call is over it is time to make your way onto the next stage of life and the next project that might come along. He won’t be idle after all, good actors don’t just fade away whenever they exit the show that helped to make them a sensation. Likely as not you’ll see Capaldi again in another show or feature and recognize him as the iconic Dr. no matter who he’s playing.

In the meantime it will be necessary to either embrace the new Dr. or simply tune out as one’s nature demands.