The new Dr who

[ommigosh]

Percon - where was the bad wolf reference in the very first episode of the new series? No-one I've talked to can seem to find it and it would be nice to know.

[lucifer_principle]

I grew up on Tom Baker's Doctor Who. Its still the best

Go Doc!

[PERCON]

Percon - where was the bad wolf reference in the very first episode of the new series? No-one I've talked to can seem to find it and it would be nice to know.

I'm sorry, I forgot about the first episode, lol you're right there wasn't a clue in the first one but there are clues in all the others. The episode will shed light on the whole Big Wolf thing but for those with minds that like to solve things themselves I have located the website of Bad Wolf...

http://www.badwolf.org.uk

Enjoy...

PERCON

[Ge'Anna Torrh]

David Tennant is a brilliant actor and will be perfect as the next Doctor.
He was superb in Cassanova and will bring the same sort of mischief to the TARDIS.

Apparantly he wants to honour his Scottish blood by wearing a kilt for the part, which I think would be

[Blue Mythril]

The best thing about this series is watching my five year old daughter hide behind the sofa during the scary bits! Ah, that takes me back.

Ha, yeah that used to be me!
I grew up on Dr Who and am pumped about the new series, so far we've only just had episode four over here, are you Brits already near the end?!
Its great fun sitting down on a saturday with my Mum and step-dad who are also old fans. I'm really liking Eccleston and Piper as a team.

[Quest]

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the series in the USA. Unfortunately our SciFi Channel turned it down. Many Who fans are hoping for a chance to see the show on some channel or network.

[ThulsaDoom]

Sorry if this is a bit long! Wrote it for another site, that went under before I posted, so I thought I'd drop it in here! It's basically a mini review of the whole series! Enjoy!

Rose - It introduces an utterly un-interesting companion, with a dim-witted grinning idiot of a Doctor with virtually no plot, and some extremely bad pacing and incidental music. There's not a lot else to say about it, really, since nothing happened.



The End of the World - Marginally better than 'Rose' in that we see our first outer-space scenario, albeit orbiting earth. Which is subsequently brought down by poor contemporary humor, paper-thin logic, very poor pacing, and the use of SF cliches that haven't been used since the 20s except for comedy value.



The Unquiet Dead - The best episode to date. This shows us what can happen when someone knows how to structure an episode, write interesting character dialogue, AND integrate an intriguing plot. Let down solely by the Doctor and Rose, who again just come over as idiots who things happen to. (Why, when he said he'd have loved the job, couldn't they have chosen Simon Callow as the Doctor? Gravitas, wisdom, style...)



Aliens of London/World War Three - Doctor who degenerates into farce. What more can be said. Penelope Wilton brings the proceedings a little gravity, trying her best in dire circumstances. Don't get me started on the poorly written and out-of-place soap opera elements that come to the fore in these two episodes. We're also back to the poor pacing, bad plotting and cringe worthy humor of the first two episodes, taken even further.



Dalek - This isn't the great episode everyone tells us it is. However, it's still far above the RTD fare to date. The pacing and script are all fine (though the Doctor and Rose still irritate). The effects and menace of the Dalek are introduced well, (though the hovering aspect is still too slow). I wish British programs could write Americans other than as cheap caricature though. The finale, however, had my stomach churning. Was I so torn up by the gut wrenching fate of the poor Dalek? No, it was the fact that an interesting premise ended up being used to lower the Doctor's most notorious foe, into a cuddly touchy-feely mess. Also the interior visual look of the Dalek, is reduced from a mysterious un-seen menace throughout all of Doctor Who, to a blue rubber squid that looked like a kid's toy.



The Long Game - Not as bad as some make out. The first RTD script to show any plot, even if it was in a 'funky 80s degenerate SF world' style (which I have a soft spot for). Still, it was marred somewhat by his usual over-reliance on juvenile jokes, placing it too far in the future to make logical sense, and again poor pacing (Though not as bad as his previous efforts). Over-all a pass-the-time episode, instantly forgettable.



Father's Day - As if the Soap opera elements of AOL/WWIII weren't enough, we're treated to a whole episode of it. The initial premise could've been vaguely interesting, but common sense and logic abandon this episode from the very beginning. Without going into detail... The Doctor can alter time in any number of ways in every adventure, and has never seen the creatures that appear here. However, one alteration of time in this episode (Which let's face it, was fairly minor and inconsequential in comparison to most of what the Doctor has done in the past) results in big flying monsters pulling people away? Not to mention the other myriad inconsistencies and illogical events that happen in this episode... And before anyone starts telling me about characterization, I personally believe that all good SF is character driven. However, there's a big difference between characterization and lame Soap Opera. On the plus side, it does prove RTD isn't the worst script writer so far.



The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances - This started off in a mediocre way. The Doctor making a fool of himself in a hidden night club? Rose getting stuck on a barrage balloon? (Not a bad idea itself, but at least make us feel it was a necessary escape, and not just her being stupid!) Then we get some illogical mistakes that even a primary school pupil wouldn't make. Captain Jack standing at an open window(A public place, no less) with the light on during a bombing raid? Revealing his 'cloaked' spacecraft, which is subsequently NOT shot at by passing German aircraft? Likewise with his turning on Big Ben's light? After this, the first part takes a more interesting and sinister turn.



Florence Hoath truly steals these episodes, showing us what an interesting companion could've been like. Before the child was revealed as hers, she had the perfect set up. A natural survivor, who wouldn't be missed from her current surroundings. Someone who could cope with life-threatening and frightening circumstances, and therefore would have taken to traveling with the Doctor easily, but still maintained a wide-eyed wonder. She could also act. Instead we get the annoying and politically correct Captain Jack as the new companion.



The conclusion was a little hasty and 'oh-look, everything's perfect again' but on the whole not bad. The pacing and script, after the first half of the first episode, became far better, with a reasonably good storyline, making these two episodes quite atmospheric and intriguing. Definitely the best after 'The Unquiet Dead'.



Boom Town - I have to be honest, except for a few examples, I had been so disillusioned by the current series, that upon seeing the trailer for another 'Slitheen' episode, I gave up and didn't subject myself to the torture.



Bad Wolf - Reality TV, arguably the worst facet of the modern media, is basically used as a premise for this. There's no subtlety whatsoever. We just get whacked in the face by a shovel full of it. Is there any interesting social commentary on them? As in something like The Running Man or Truman Show? No, of course not. This in an RTD episode, so they're basically here to cynically try and pull in the audience of said shows. Once again, logic goes out the window, as we're placed 200,000-something years in the future. Please, at least have the common sense to place it only something like 50-100 years on, if you're going to use this kind of premise!



The Robots look farcical, and again we're on a space station over earth. (The same one as 'The Long Game' no less!) So the Doctor is doomed never to have adventures beyond the gravitational pull of Earth, then?



RTD tries pointlessly to shoe-horn in some 'over-arcing' story here. It's as if he's watched other shows (Mostly just Buffy, by the sounds of it) and seen the trend started by Babylon 5, of an on-going storyline throughout the individual stand-alone episodes. However, instead of trying to give it much relevance, it just becomes a case of 'how often have we heard mention of the term Bad Wolf'. Sorry, but dropping a single 'mysteriously placed term' in different episodes, does not an over-arcing story make. By the final revelations, it just becomes a pointless stupid reference for the sake of it, so we can go 'oh, look!' and RTD can go 'ooh, aren't I clever!'. Then again, when has logic played a part in any of the RTD episodes so far?



And again, just for the hell of it, we have to keep being reminded of Captain Jack's sexual ambiguity. It's actually getting boring.



Then when the bad guys are revealed at the end... They make empty threats,(Which makes them REALLY menacing and threatening!) then the Doctor grins once more like an idiot for the climax!



All in all, a patchy episode. Faster paced for the most part, than RTD's other efforts. One or two interesting moments. Otherwise, another lackluster installment.



The Parting of the Ways - The big finale. More of a damp squid, literally. All of the Dalek menace set up in 'Dalek' is brought crashing down, as they become rather pathetic again. So many plot holes riddle this episode, with typically poor contrivances. Daleks want to harvest humans as Daleks, but then vaporize entire continents? Dalek's can vaporize said continents, but not destroy the Tardis in space? The Tardis is now indestructible and can land anywhere, even over people so they can be saved in it? This ability can't be used to easilly destroy the Dalek 'god'? The Daleks can vaporize entire continents, but don't just nuke satellite 5 to destroy the doctor, and instead let him play around? The doctor is a pathetic coward without the conviction of his actions, after eradicating his whole species to try and eliminate the Daleks?



These and many other holes aside, we are treated to the lamest sort-all-in-the-last-five-minutes-magical-solution ever conceived, joined with a may-as-well-not-bothered story arc.



I have read that RTD has said Doctor Who isn't Shakespeare. No, it isn't. Only Shakespeare is. However, the moment a writer stops trying his best to be Shakespeare, is the moment he just starts churning out work he thinks is 'satisfactory'. The moment 'satisfactory' becomes the acceptable norm, is the moment a writer should give up. I'm sorry, but if you can't at least try your best, get off the boat and let someone else have a go.



He also uses the excuse that Doctor Who is for children. If it was just for children, it would be on around 3:45, when they come home from school. Doctor Who is FAMILY entertainment. Intelligent enough for the adults and WATCHEABLE by children. Also, even if Doctor Who IS only for children, they are not idiots. I've loved science fiction since I was a child, and as a child, stupid science fiction used to annoy me even more than it does now. Children don't like to be insulted anymore than adults, RTD. So stop doing it.



So what can we say about the new series, all-in-all?

Would this have gained a second(now third) series if it were anything other than Doctor Who, with RTD behind it? I think not.

Would most of the episodes have been seen as anything other than un-original and forgettable, rather than getting rave reviews, if they were anything other than Doctor Who, and had RTD's name attached? I think not.

Some people would have us think we can't say anything against RTD, since we owe him for bringing Doctor Who back to our screens. However, we have the Doctor back at the expense of good characters and stories. Personally, I'd rather not have a poorly planned, ill conceived product churned out, at that price. I'd rather wait till someone could come along and make a genuine effort.

[edott]

yeah the new dr who is finaly coming on the sci-fi network and i can see it.

[edott]

ok saw the new dr who. and i loved it, during the scary parts my 4 year old daughter buried her head in my shoulder which was cute. my wife at first complained that it just wasn't the same without tom baker, but she got into it as the episode progressed.
cannot wait until next friday.

[Neopagan]

I agree and you'll be delighted to know that the Cybermen return in the second series and they have had a makeover - best villains by far!

[LeoCrow]

You may spit upon me but it has been many many years since i last saw a dr who episode and i honestly do not remember absolutely nothing (appart from the music and the very unconvincing daleks). so is this series accessible by new viewers or should i not bother? it seems nice though

[Twitchr4ng3r]

Originally Posted by rune

I didnt like the old stuff. But this new series is very entertaining

we must remember and respect the old stuff. ok you may have your opinion, but without the old stuff there wouldnt be new stuff..

[Loner]

Wow, ThulsaDoom.

That was comprehensive. (and a long time ago!)

I love the new series. I really enjoy it at the moment of watching. It makes me laugh (anything the Doctor says upon entering new environments), it makes me cringe (anything about Rose's parents) and occasionally it makes my skin crawl (The Empty Child... *shiver*).

But the points you make are valid. I do often sit back after an episode and think. Then I start to find the plot holes. But I still enjoy it. Its FUN.
I may be imagining it, but you don't like Russell T Davies, do you?

I personally love his characterisation and his dialogue better than most of the other episode writers. The plots are not 100%, but I'd rather have great characters carry a slightly dodgy plot than a fantastic plot, featuring people I would like to dismember with my bare hands. I might as well watch 24 if that were the case.

[ScottSF]

a certain online dvd mailer company has, in addition to your 3 movies at a time in the mail, a number of hours worth of free online viewing and they have included this recent Dr. Who. I must say I was never able to sit through an episode in any of the past incarnations but after 3 episodes I am hooked on the new one. The dynamic between the Dr and Rose is very compelling and I love how much of the Docs Dialogue aludes to a much bigger picture. It evokes some of the awe and wonder of the universe that is missing in so many sci-fi shows. I also love how the doc can say so much with a single look or facial expression and not saying a single word. woohoo! what a nice gem, I'm glad I gave it a chance.

[Loner]

Exactly! I love it when someone else sees what I see in a show. A large part of the show is just their reaction to weird stuff. It makes you wonder what you would do in their situation.
Its good to put yourself in someone else's shoes once in a while. Good sci-fi should do that.