"Doctor Who," He's Back and it's About Time!

[LordBest]

I'm quite enjoying the current Doctor, I think it has a long way to go before the current series is as abysmal as some of the late 80s series I grew up watching. It will be interesting to see if the second season improves at all, I think Tennants did.

Have to say I loved the way the Daleks were handled, no Big Red Button at the end, at long last. Though it would be nice if they referenced it in the show a bit more, were I the Doctor I would be rather concerned.

I did dislike Angel Bob, despite wholehearted approval of the name. Too few villains named Bob, in my view. I think the Cult of Skaro would have been greatly improved had it consisted of Dalek Bob, Dalek Cecil and Dalek Larry.

 

[Miss Scarlet]

I'm really becoming non plussed by this new Doctor.
Also when it comes to style I think he's too plain jane. Not as bad as the leather jacket T-shirt combo Eccleston had, but plain jane as in no real flare is in the outfit. If the bowtie had heart, the jacket had a quirk, the trousers weren't so... so... so exactly what you find in fit and style to what the guy next to me on the sidewalk is wearing. He also appears to be trying to channel the last Doc too much and it wears.

The new show has actually received a few complaints that the doctor wears clip on braces instead of button-on braces (I think you call them suspenders in America?) I think if he was going to channel old fashioned dress, bow tie and tweed he should at least do it properly. Mind you a lot about this production comes across as sloppy.

 

[swinggal]

I grew up with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as the Doctor scaring the hell out of me when it was on telly when I was a nipper. These new fangled Doctors are crap, and what the hell have they done with the music??!!

One of those things they've arsed about with and made a shambles out of.

I won't be watching the new ones.

Same here Smithy re the scary eps as a kid! BUT I did really like David Tennant as the 10th Doctor though. He brought back something in the Doctor that I had not seen since Tom Baker's time as well as having his own personality. The new Doc...nup. Don't like him. I warmed to Tennant's Doctor right away but this newbie is just insipid and meh. It's like trying too hard or something and he's annoying. I've been forgetting to watch as well...to be honest, I'd rather throw in my DVD of 'The Seeds of Doom' - Tom Baker his best

 

[Nathan Dodge]

BUT I did really like David Tennant as the 10th Doctor though. He brought back something in the Doctor that I had not seen since Tom Baker's time as well as having his own personality. The new Doc...nup. Don't like him. I warmed to Tennant's Doctor right away but this newbie is just insipid and meh. It's like trying too hard or something and he's annoying. I've been forgetting to watch as well...to be honest, I'd rather throw in my DVD of 'The Seeds of Doom' - Tom Baker his best

If you compare Tom's debut--"Robot"--with Tennant's--The Christmas Invasion--you'll see that Baker was The Doctor straightaway whereas Tennant hadn't "found" his take on the character.

Tom Baker is the definitive Doctor and while there were some latter-season excesses, the least of Tom's run is far greater than the best of a lot of others. John Nathan Turner truly destroyed the series.

 

[swinggal]

If you compare Tom's debut--"Robot"--with Tennant's--The Christmas Invasion--you'll see that Baker was The Doctor straightaway whereas Tennant hadn't "found" his take on the character.

Tom Baker is the definitive Doctor and while there were some latter-season excesses, the least of Tom's run is far greater than the best of a lot of others. John Nathan Turner truly destroyed the series.

Hmm, well, I remember as a kid in the 70s seeing Tom Baker 'become' the doctor for the first time and he took a little getting used to after Jon Pertwee. Tom was very animated and clownish and I don't believe he became the 'Doctor' we knew and loved straight-away. Of course I can watch 'Robot' now and think that he did, because I love Tom Baker and have been watching him as the Doc for 30 years - but at the time, all us kids thought..."hmmm...I wonder how he will go?"

Of course he developed into the bohemian cool dude that he was and the initial craziness was toned down a bit. Yes, David Tennant worked his way into the character but I 'liked' him from his first ep.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Hmm, well, I remember as a kid in the 70s seeing Tom Baker 'become' the doctor for the first time and he took a little getting used to after Jon Pertwee. Tom was very animated and clownish and I don't believe he became the 'Doctor' we knew and loved straight-away. Of course I can watch 'Robot' now and think that he did, because I love Tom Baker and have been watching him as the Doc for 30 years - but at the time, all us kids thought..."hmmm...I wonder how he will go?"

Of course he developed into the bohemian cool dude that he was and the initial craziness was toned down a bit. Yes, David Tennant worked his way into the character but I 'liked' him from his first ep.

If you've ever seen Jon Pertwee's first story, Spearhead from Space, you'll find that the (soon to be) serious Third Doctor is a bit loopy after his regeneration (falling out of bed, racing around in the wheelchair, singing in the shower and dressing like an Italian Count), so it was with Tom. Plus we were used to Pertwee after five years, so anything coming afterwards would've been an adjustment for the audience.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

John Nathan Turner truly destroyed the series.

I've been known to speak poorly of JNT over the years, but I have come to realize that without him the series would have ended with Peter Davison in 1984. For better or worse, the only thing that kept the series going for the next four years was JNT at the helm. If he had resigned as producer, I don't theink the BBC would have renewed the series. For better or worse, JNT deserves credit for that.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

I've been known to speak poorly of JNT over the years, but I have come to realize that without him the series would have ended with Peter Davison in 1984. For better or worse, the only thing that kept the series going for the next four years was JNT at the helm. If he had resigned as producer, I don't theink the BBC would have renewed the series. For better or worse, JNT deserves credit for that.

The ratings were strong throughout the Davison era, yet because he wasn't the strongest Doctor--though I actually like him--he gets lumped in with the show's demise. The truth is, Doctor Who got larger viewing numbers with Davison than Tom Baker had at the end of his run. Doctor Who recovered from the drop-off suffered during season 18. The move from a dying Saturday late-afternoon time slot kept Who from going under, as well.

So yes, JNT deserves credit for keeping the program "alive" using his charismatic, forceful personality, but Doctor Who was still going to die when it did, which had more to do with lousy stories and above all, the creative decisions made by JNT.

 

[The Sky Ranger]

I like the new Doctor. Matt Smith is a good Doctor with a lot of nostalgic elements. Tennant was "new" and he attracted many new viewers.
Smith stands for a new series strongly based in classical Doctor Who seasons.
Now the season has ended and, no, I won't write any spoilers.
But I'm glad that The Doctor has got a hat.
:eusa_clap

 

[swinggal]

If you've ever seen Jon Pertwee's first story, Spearhead from Space, you'll find that the (soon to be) serious Third Doctor is a bit loopy after his regeneration (falling out of bed, racing around in the wheelchair, singing in the shower and dressing like an Italian Count), so it was with Tom. Plus we were used to Pertwee after five years, so anything coming afterwards would've been an adjustment for the audience.

Seem em' all. Doctor Who was broadcast here in Australia at 6:30pm every night on ABC for 20 years+. I think I've seen every ep up until Peter Davidson's time about 30 times! Haha

 

[Yeps]

After watching the most recent episode (and unfortunately season finale), my wholehearted approval of Matt Smith's portrayal is solidified. I know everyone hates him, but honestly, I think he is fantastic. I love how he can go from joking to deadly serious at the drop of a pin, and also that he just seems, well, a bit alien.

The last episode really played well to his strengths, and I thought it was great.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

After watching the most recent episode (and unfortunately season finale), my wholehearted approval of Matt Smith's portrayal is solidified. I know everyone hates him, but honestly, I think he is fantastic. I love how he can go from joking to deadly serious at the drop of a pin, and also that he just seems, well, a bit alien.

The last episode really played well to his strengths, and I thought it was great.

I'm with you. I certainly don't hate what Matt Smith is doing and he absolutely shone in the series finale. As much as I'm looking forward to the Christmas episode, I think it will be very interesting to sit down watch this season in it's entirety. I think the episodes are much more intertwined than they first appeared.

And I must say, as heretical as it is, I think The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang was a better story than The Stolen Earth/Journey's End .

 

[Edward]

I loved the David Tennant Doctor Whos, but the writing for the new one has been appalling. I'm so sad Russel T Davis left because I found his writing excellent. I have no problem with Matt Davies as the new Dr, but there are just too many inconsistencies with the plot every week and severe mistakes made in the writing that completely demeans the story.

Long live the plurality of opinions, I guess.... I was delighted when RTD went, precisely because of his writing. There was, frankly, no excuse whatever for Love and Monsters (aka the "Peter Kay in a green fatsuit" episode). Ironically, the only worthwhile idea in the whole thing was the Blue Peter kiddy-competition winning idea for the alien, but it was incredibly poorly realised, badly scripted, and casting Kay was a howler of a mistake IMO. Otherwise, RTD was directly responsibled for every single one of the most appalling decisions. Rose as Badwolf - utter nonsense; I can only presume that he went with it as it was the one thing noone would have suspected... thing is, the surprise ending that noone thought of is not necessarily a good one (see further the finale of the US version of Life on Mars). He also completely undermined noe of the best things he wrote - Rose and the Doctor's original separation - by bringing her back, and then leaving her with a duplicate of himself; a plotline unworthy of even the poorest piece of fan fiction. Both that and the following season closer were badly hampered by RTD's self-indulgence in reintroducing characters better left alone simply because he wished to work with those actors again. Poor. I've not found everything about this latest series to be perfect, nor have I agreed with all Moffat's decisions (the new Daleks are stupid, loathe the new arrangement of the theme), but on the whole I find the integrity of the brand to be much less compromised than under RTD.

Some of the writing in this latest series could certainly have been better - I thought the episode with the Daleks and Churchill was very disappointing (Mark Gatiss has done so, so much better in the past), but then I'm also biased against it because of its peddling of the tedious Churchill hero myth. Your mileage may, naturally, vary. Nonetheless, as an overall entity I found my enjoyment of it much less qualified than any under RTD.

I am very much enjoying Smith's Doctor, myself; in my opinion, he found his own character much faster than many of the others. While I didn't care for the fish fingers and custard nonsense of the first fifteen minutes of his opening episode, I was pleased that he featured so largely in the story. The Christmas Invasion was rather a let down for me, given how very little the Doctor actually did in it. This was, of course, all the worse due to the bulk of the show then falling to weak characters whom I detested, such as Rose. Amy Pond I like rather a lot as a character - after two tedious and irritating assistants (the inane Rose, followed by the grating Martha Jones and her two facial expressions), she is a welcome change. I was very disappointed when they seemed to be going the route of having her infatuated with the doctor - bringing Rory on board was welcome, and also I liked that they broke the straitjacket of "doctor plus female assistant" which the rebooted series seemed to have created for itself.

The ending of the finale didn't bother me at all, though

SPOILER ALERT....

I would have preferred a much darker alternative where Rory did not come back and was simply forgotten by all bar the Doctor. Still, what they did din't feel like a cop-out at all to me, within the parameters of the show. All of the RTD endings I had distinct reservations about; this one, not so.

 

[swinggal]

I don't hate him, I just haven't warmed to him at all. But that's just me.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

The Van Gogh episode could've been touching except for the fact that they had to shoehorn a lame monster and some didactic art history exposition, which I'm not opposed to, but it could've been less hamfisted.

The fact that SPOILER ALERT Van Gogh dedicated Sunflowers to Amy is a bit silly. Why change established history? To provide a cheap, emotionally manipulative moment for the audience to give a character some "cred" she's unworthy of at this point? Rose got this kind of glorification and she wasn't worthy of it, either.

Here's another reason why I don't care for Amy Pond; her dopey, clueless expression that she often has:

 

[Yeps]

The Van Gogh episode could've been touching except for the fact that they had to shoehorn a lame monster and some didactic art history exposition, which I'm not opposed to, but it could've been less hamfisted.

The fact that SPOILER ALERT Van Gogh dedicated Sunflowers to Amy is a bit silly. Why change established history? To provide a cheap, emotionally manipulative moment for the audience to give a character some "cred" she's unworthy of at this point? Rose got this kind of glorification and she wasn't worthy of it, either.

Here's another reason why I don't care for Amy Pond; her dopey, clueless expression that she often has:

You see, this is where we differ. I realize that these are purely opinions and as such are subjective, but Amy Pond is my favorite companion of the new series (The DoctorDonna does not count. She was only there for a few minutes.) I think that her character is immensely entertaining, especially how strong willed and temperamental she gets. I guess that goes with the whole red-head scot thing.

Then again, my opinion might be influenced by the fact that she is gorgeous.

 

[LordBest]

Spoilers:

I don't have an opinion about Churchill in this regard, but I thought this episode was one of the best of the new series. I absolutely loved the fact that the Daleks were left as a threat at the episode end instead of having their numbers reduced to next to none or being exterminated altogether. I'm still a few episodes behind, so I don't know how the season ends, so I am a little dissapointed that so far the new paradigm Daleks don't seem to be worrying the Doctor much. If they end up being annihilated in the finale I will be exceedingly miffed. Let the Doctor have the threat from his arch-enemy hanging over him.

Some of the writing in this latest series could certainly have been better - I thought the episode with the Daleks and Churchill was very disappointing (Mark Gatiss has done so, so much better in the past), but then I'm also biased against it because of its peddling of the tedious Churchill hero myth. Your mileage may, naturally, vary. Nonetheless, as an overall entity I found my enjoyment of it much less qualified than any under RTD.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Here's another reason why I don't care for Amy Pond; her dopey, clueless expression that she often has:

I will agree with that, but Ameilia Pond was the freshest companion choice since Jamie McCrimmon. Don't you just want to see an entire series with these two?

Now that would have been an even bolder choice than Coupling in the Tardis.

 

[Yeps]

Now that would have been an even bolder choice than Coupling in the Tardis.

I am not sure that would have worked out, but I was very glad that they brought her back for the finale. She was a great character.

 

[Giben]

I have to admit i Had / Have underestimated matt smith's ability as an actor. I think the is fantastic! he does strike me as almost vintage because of his "bow ties are cool" line and I really wished he kept that fez!
I also agree Amelia Pond is now one of my favourite companions but she grew up too fast and was her marriage too soon? (And she should of kept Amelia) when I first saw her something about her made the think of the avengers character miss Peel.