I’ve been harboring three big worries about Doctor Who for the last several months.
1) The Professor River Song story seemed to be broken.
2) The trailers showed The Doctor punching someone.
3) The trailers showed The Doctor firing a pistol.
As of right now, all three of my concerns have been put to rest (though in truth #2 and #3 didn’t worry me all that much.) I’m confident that The Doctor remains true to the overarching elements of his character, and that the River Song story has not only not been broken, it’s going to rock the Tardis.
I’m also of the opinion that Stephen Moffat is going to succeed in turning the Weeping Angels into a returning Doctor Who villain worthy of upstaging the Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen (all of whom have been played pretty far past their shelf life, so upstaging shouldn’t be a big trick.)
In short, I’m really, really happy with Season 5 thus far.
Sir, as someone who has always meant to watch Dr. Who yet has never been able to get into it due to having no idea what has happened up to this point in the series, where, in your opinion, is a good introductory point to enter said series? I don’t have to watch all 30 years of it, do I?
Heyo,
Yes, the new season with Matt Smith as the doctor is designed as a jumping on point, episodes are written as standalone and any information required tends to be given in the actual episode. You do not need to watch all 30 seasons.
There was a fantastic introduction written on IO9 http://io9.com/5521264/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doctor-who which does a pretty good “need to know guide” but it isn’t necessary.
The most important thing to note is that Doctor Who isn’t for everyone! There’s no need to force it, if you don’t like it, that’s cool too.
Tho there is rumours over expats being created by public dislike of the doctor >.>;
ST~
p.s: sorry for sticking my nose in.
I’d start with the reboot from 2005, personally, with Christopher Eccleston. If you have Netflix, you can watch all four seasons plus some of the 2009 specials instantly. =)
Yeah, I started with Eccleston, and really enjoyed it.
At the same time, I’ve gone back to the first season and I’m now approaching the end of the 6th or 7th season, and I’m already finding the cybermen and daleks to be a bit tiresome… Maybe it’ll turn around by the time I reach the 4th doctor though. I do like how they referenced the first story of the second season when they made the end of the 4th season of the new show… Nice pulling the whole thing together like that. I had watched the second season already by the time I hit the 4th season of the new show and it was nice and fresh in my mind when it was referred back to…
As others have said, you COULD start with this season; otherwise, the best point is the reboot beginning with Eccleston. If you don’t do that, you’ll have to go a LONG way back.
(Or I could just enrage the fanboys and suggest you start with the Whovie from 1996, THEN go on to Eccleston…)
Sir, as someone who has always meant to watch Dr. Who yet has never been able to get into it due to having no idea what has happened up to this point in the series, where, in your opinion, is a good introductory point to enter said series? I don’t have to watch all 30 years of it, do I?
Heyo,
Yes, the new season with Matt Smith as the doctor is designed as a jumping on point, episodes are written as standalone and any information required tends to be given in the actual episode. You do not need to watch all 30 seasons.
There was a fantastic introduction written on IO9 http://io9.com/5521264/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doctor-who which does a pretty good “need to know guide” but it isn’t necessary.
The most important thing to note is that Doctor Who isn’t for everyone! There’s no need to force it, if you don’t like it, that’s cool too.
Tho there is rumours over expats being created by public dislike of the doctor >.>;
ST~
p.s: sorry for sticking my nose in.
I’d start with the reboot from 2005, personally, with Christopher Eccleston. If you have Netflix, you can watch all four seasons plus some of the 2009 specials instantly. =)
Yeah, I started with Eccleston, and really enjoyed it.
At the same time, I’ve gone back to the first season and I’m now approaching the end of the 6th or 7th season, and I’m already finding the cybermen and daleks to be a bit tiresome… Maybe it’ll turn around by the time I reach the 4th doctor though. I do like how they referenced the first story of the second season when they made the end of the 4th season of the new show… Nice pulling the whole thing together like that. I had watched the second season already by the time I hit the 4th season of the new show and it was nice and fresh in my mind when it was referred back to…
As others have said, you COULD start with this season; otherwise, the best point is the reboot beginning with Eccleston. If you don’t do that, you’ll have to go a LONG way back.
(Or I could just enrage the fanboys and suggest you start with the Whovie from 1996, THEN go on to Eccleston…)
C’mon, I’m sure you could borrow the transmitter shtick for schlock. It’s totally worth it.
Now, i’m just waiting for the reveal that these angels go back for vengeance in blink.
C’mon, I’m sure you could borrow the transmitter shtick for schlock. It’s totally worth it.
Now, i’m just waiting for the reveal that these angels go back for vengeance in blink.
If River turns out to be Romana (as discussed in my LJ) or possibly the Rani, it’ll be good. Otherwise I see no way to save it from suckitude. The Angels were lame to begin with, but with this sudden Munchkinization they’ve become super-lame.
OTOH, this Doctor and his companion are cool.
I would love it if they could bring Romana back. She’s brilliant enough to have figured out how to get out of E-Space.
BBC Canon is that she not only got out, she was President of Gallifrey for a while, with Leela her bodyguard.
THAT depends entirely on what you consider “Canon”, and a great many people do not consider the Big Finish stories to be canon. The bit with Romana leaving E-space and then ruling Gallifrey was never televised, or even alluded to in ANY of the televised stuff.
(Besides, do you really think that Romana would have let the Timelords get involved in something so stupid as a War, with the Daleks, through Time, and then be destroyed???)
If the BBC thinks it’s canon, it’s canon. People laugh at ME when I try to pick and choose canon, so I don’t think anyone else has much chance of getting away with it either. I personally prefer to ignore anything that wasn’t shown on screen, but the BBC doesn’t agree, and neither, apparently did RTD, nor Moffatt. (of course, the fans that say “wasn’t televised” as their cutoff standard ALSO often try to close their eyes and cover their ears when I mention Paul McGann…)
Insofar as the Time War, I don’t think there was any choice involved. The Daleks were intending to start that war, and it was really the CIA’s fault all along — plus The Doctor’s, of course. It may have taken (by Gallifreyan standards) quite a while for it all to come to a head, but in the end there wasn’t much avoiding it.
If you go by the televised material, they’ve already provided an explanation for why it went THAT badly; for some reason they went and revived Rassilon himself, who turned out — unsurprisingly — to be a cast-iron bastard on wheels. Presumably Romana would either have been imprisoned, killed, or exiled/ran away. If we take River Song as a possible Romana, then the bit about “going back to prison” might point to her having escaped/been released from a Timelord prison (“Shada”?).
That’s just it, the BBC hasn’t ever come out and said “Yes, the Big Finish adventures are Canon and will be treated as part of Continuity…”, and if they have- well- I’d like very much to see that press release. 😀
And Yes- Paul McGann was the Eighth Doctor, though poorly served by only having the single script. I think he would have been brilliant, if given the chance,(and NOT on Fox!)
THAT said… yeah- The Daleks have always spoiled for a fight, (OH!- how I wish the Doctor had crossed those stupid wires!) and reviving the Mad Time Lord Rassilon was a colossal mistake on the part of the Time Lords. IF Romana had come back from E-space, I seriously doubt she was alive when THAT happened.
If things should turn out that River is a partially fob-watched Romana, or even her daughter/sister/cousin- I could handle that- and even appreciate that the Doctor and River keep meeting up in the wrong order! 😀
“A cast-iron bastard on wheels.”
May I steal that phrase? Cause really- That’s brilliant.
If River turns out to be Romana (as discussed in my LJ) or possibly the Rani, it’ll be good. Otherwise I see no way to save it from suckitude. The Angels were lame to begin with, but with this sudden Munchkinization they’ve become super-lame.
OTOH, this Doctor and his companion are cool.
I would love it if they could bring Romana back. She’s brilliant enough to have figured out how to get out of E-Space.
BBC Canon is that she not only got out, she was President of Gallifrey for a while, with Leela her bodyguard.
THAT depends entirely on what you consider “Canon”, and a great many people do not consider the Big Finish stories to be canon. The bit with Romana leaving E-space and then ruling Gallifrey was never televised, or even alluded to in ANY of the televised stuff.
(Besides, do you really think that Romana would have let the Timelords get involved in something so stupid as a War, with the Daleks, through Time, and then be destroyed???)
If the BBC thinks it’s canon, it’s canon. People laugh at ME when I try to pick and choose canon, so I don’t think anyone else has much chance of getting away with it either. I personally prefer to ignore anything that wasn’t shown on screen, but the BBC doesn’t agree, and neither, apparently did RTD, nor Moffatt. (of course, the fans that say “wasn’t televised” as their cutoff standard ALSO often try to close their eyes and cover their ears when I mention Paul McGann…)
Insofar as the Time War, I don’t think there was any choice involved. The Daleks were intending to start that war, and it was really the CIA’s fault all along — plus The Doctor’s, of course. It may have taken (by Gallifreyan standards) quite a while for it all to come to a head, but in the end there wasn’t much avoiding it.
If you go by the televised material, they’ve already provided an explanation for why it went THAT badly; for some reason they went and revived Rassilon himself, who turned out — unsurprisingly — to be a cast-iron bastard on wheels. Presumably Romana would either have been imprisoned, killed, or exiled/ran away. If we take River Song as a possible Romana, then the bit about “going back to prison” might point to her having escaped/been released from a Timelord prison (“Shada”?).
That’s just it, the BBC hasn’t ever come out and said “Yes, the Big Finish adventures are Canon and will be treated as part of Continuity…”, and if they have- well- I’d like very much to see that press release. 😀
And Yes- Paul McGann was the Eighth Doctor, though poorly served by only having the single script. I think he would have been brilliant, if given the chance,(and NOT on Fox!)
THAT said… yeah- The Daleks have always spoiled for a fight, (OH!- how I wish the Doctor had crossed those stupid wires!) and reviving the Mad Time Lord Rassilon was a colossal mistake on the part of the Time Lords. IF Romana had come back from E-space, I seriously doubt she was alive when THAT happened.
If things should turn out that River is a partially fob-watched Romana, or even her daughter/sister/cousin- I could handle that- and even appreciate that the Doctor and River keep meeting up in the wrong order! 😀
“A cast-iron bastard on wheels.”
May I steal that phrase? Cause really- That’s brilliant.
haven’t seen the latest ep – but I had to chime in to say this – I agree about the daleks & the cybermen…but the recent treatements of the Master have been *fun*. Simm has been nothing short of entertaining every moment he’s been on screen.
And they actually managed to make him tragic! I was impressed.
I mean…massive massive retcons…but well handled, and well set up over several seasons.
I am so totally out of step with NewWho fandom. The most popular things often make me cringe. Simm just wasn’t the Master for me. Never really made it. He did his best and there were some nice ideas, and some of the things in the last sequence were references only a geek like me would even CATCH, but still… Not the Master.
haven’t seen the latest ep – but I had to chime in to say this – I agree about the daleks & the cybermen…but the recent treatements of the Master have been *fun*. Simm has been nothing short of entertaining every moment he’s been on screen.
And they actually managed to make him tragic! I was impressed.
I mean…massive massive retcons…but well handled, and well set up over several seasons.
I am so totally out of step with NewWho fandom. The most popular things often make me cringe. Simm just wasn’t the Master for me. Never really made it. He did his best and there were some nice ideas, and some of the things in the last sequence were references only a geek like me would even CATCH, but still… Not the Master.
I have been less than impress thus far. Matt Smith is ok and I adore Amy but the problem hasn’t been the acting. Actually I think the acting so far has been really good.
But the writing so far I have been very disappointed with. The plots themselves have been ok, but it’s all seemed to be rushed with too little development through the story to make the final outcome believable.
I’m also not sold on River Song yet. She seems a little convenient and is being used as a crutch in place of better writing.
I could be wrong and things may turn around, but I really wanted to like the Weeping Angel story and it’s just sorta left me feeling blah so far. And Blink was one of my favorite episodes ever.
–Mav
I have been less than impress thus far. Matt Smith is ok and I adore Amy but the problem hasn’t been the acting. Actually I think the acting so far has been really good.
But the writing so far I have been very disappointed with. The plots themselves have been ok, but it’s all seemed to be rushed with too little development through the story to make the final outcome believable.
I’m also not sold on River Song yet. She seems a little convenient and is being used as a crutch in place of better writing.
I could be wrong and things may turn around, but I really wanted to like the Weeping Angel story and it’s just sorta left me feeling blah so far. And Blink was one of my favorite episodes ever.
–Mav
Mr Smith is much much better than I feared he would be, but there are a few little niggles in the stories at the moment. Hopefully they’ll iron out with time and various writers.
One of the wonderful things about such a long lived series as Doctor Who is that you know, even if things get bad for a while, that it’ll pull its socks up eventually.
Mr Smith is much much better than I feared he would be, but there are a few little niggles in the stories at the moment. Hopefully they’ll iron out with time and various writers.
One of the wonderful things about such a long lived series as Doctor Who is that you know, even if things get bad for a while, that it’ll pull its socks up eventually.