First Impressions of the 11th Doctor Who 379
Mirk writes "The first episode of Doctor Who's new series 5 has just aired on BBC1 in the UK. This is an important episode for the show because so much has changed: Matt Smith plays the new Doctor, replacing David Tennant, and Karen Gillan portrays a new companion, Amy Pond. Maybe most important, Russell T. Davies is replaced as showrunner by Stephen Moffat, who is known for acclaimed Doctor Who scripts including The Empty Child and Blink. Here is an early review of the new Doctor, companion, showrunner, and series."
Watched it, impressed! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Watched it, impressed! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Watched it, impressed! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Watched it, impressed! (Score:5, Informative)
The prisoner said it didn't create them. It teased the doctor because he didn't know who had.
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Re:Watched it, impressed! (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm fairly certain the reason the multiform taunted the Doctor about it was because the Doctor, or at least the Timelords, are the root of the problem. I'm aware he's supposedly the last Timelord alive, but we've seen how thinking you're the last often turns out... Of course, they could pull the whole alternate reality thing again. The Doctor never was clear about how alternate realities come to be, just that they're meant to be sealed off. I'd say alternate realities are the convenient writers-block fixer: Out of enemies? Bring an ancient and long-since-defeated enemy back from another alternate reality! The damaged Cyberman in the preview says it's at least possible. What I'm most curious about is the English-flag-stamped Dalek; though it's probably just some military immitation, and not a true Dalek...
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What I'm most curious about is the English-flag-stamped Dalek
Me too but that's a Union glag, not an English flag. The English flag [wikipedia.org] is a St George's cross, red on white. That's only a part of the Union flag [wikipedia.org].
Misidenttified (Score:4, Informative)
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There are two countries in Britain. Scotland and England. You may also be interested in the principality of Wales. Or the territory of Northern Ireland (from which we get the diagonal red cross on the flag).
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Having recently had dinner in LA with a lovely Welshman, don't tell him Wales isn't the third country in Britain.
For that matter, don't tell the UK Government: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/uk_countries.asp [statistics.gov.uk]
Re:Watched it, impressed! (Score:4, Insightful)
Honestly, I don't care what deus ex machina is required to bring the Time Lords back. I really wanted to see them again, and was kind of irritated that Russell T Davies wrote them as "The Time War turned them all evil", and then sealed them away "forever". I'd like to see the Time Lords as an actual civilization again, not something remembered in whispers.
It's not just the Time Lords, though. As much as I loved RTD's writing for the series, he had the idiotic tendency to keep committing genocide towards the recurring villains. You know you're not going to leave them "all dead", so please stop pretending like you killed them once and for all. The tricks that you need to use to bring them back get less believable every time. As a result, I accept that Stephen Moffat is going to have to do some epic hand-waving for basically every recurring villain he wants to bring back, but hopefully after that he'll have the sense to not "kill them off" every time, and we can get past it.
Re:Watched it, impressed! (Score:4, Interesting)
It certainly appears from the previews that the Weeping Angels have become recurring villains of a sort.
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I think the new Doctor will work out fine. He reminds me a bit of my favorite Doctor, Tom Baker (the 4th). And all through the new series with Eccleston and Tennant, there really wasn't a 'Fuck Yeah' moment (as far as I was concerned). This had that. I don't want to give anything away from those waiting for the BBC America showing, but you will know it when you see it.
The Companion (Score:5, Informative)
is hot.
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This is definitely +1 informative. She is indeed.
I am also sold on Matt Smith now after being initially disappointed that it wasn't Simon Pegg.
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"I am also sold on Matt Smith now after being initially disappointed that it wasn't Simon Pegg."
Oh my word. That would have been awesome.
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When they were throwing around ideas for who the new Doctor would be, Paterson Joseph [wikipedia.org] seemed the best choice to me, so I was a bit worried when they picked some 16 year old kid. But, having seen the first episode, I have to admit that Matt Smith was really, very very good.
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This is definitely +1 informative. She is indeed.
More like "+0 stating the obvious". Followed by "She is, but not quite as hot as you think she is". Despite my fondness for redheads, I'd have preferred to see the return of Michelle Ryan [wikipedia.org]'s Lady Christina de Souza [wikipedia.org] - but that wouldn't have worked with the (excellent) story.
I am also sold on Matt Smith now after being initially disappointed that it wasn't Simon Pegg.
I'm still undecided about Matt. When he was first announced, I was "oh no, that's the end of it" - but he admitted himself quite well on Saturday. I'll give him time to sink or swim before I make up my mind. This may (or may not) bode well
Re:The Companion (Score:5, Informative)
is hot.
Just a note to our cousins across the pond, British police officers *do not* look like that :(
She Wasn't (Score:2)
Re:The Companion (Score:4, Funny)
British police officers *do not* look like that :(
That's OK, US viewers certainly understand it, after all, the British police boxes likewise don't look on the inside like that (I hope).
Re:The Companion (Score:4, Informative)
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We do, in Edinburgh at least [google.co.uk]
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and 1 outside Earls' Court [ukattraction.com] in London
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is hot.
Just a note to our cousins across the pond, British police officers *do not* look like that :(
Aussie officers do though. For some reason, the law enforcement career path seems to attract a particular brand of perky blonde over here.
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Just a note to our cousins across the pond, British police officers *do not* look like that :(
Damn! I could see myself getting arrested over and over (and over and over and over) again if they did.
"I'm not going to be compliant ma'am...err officer. You're just going to have to wrestle me to the ground and handcuff me!"
Note to the British Police Forces. SEND TO SCOTLAND FOR MORE SEXY REDHEADS!
PICs (Score:4, Informative)
Pic 1 [photobucket.com] ;)
She is not really a police officer [listal.com] or a nun nor a nurse.
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Or 15 yet? ;)
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She is good but then it just seems like they've rolled all the past few companions into one.
Day before her wedding (Catherine Tate), probably been a doctor (Martha Jones) and rescued from the
'nice but boring' boyfriend (Rose & Mickey).
I heard they weren't going to use any of the previous companions again. I guess they wont need to now.
I just wish they'd kill off all the pathetic enemies once and for all. Please no more Daleks/Cybermen/Sontarans
and all the stuff that got old 40 years ago.
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I just wish they'd kill off all the pathetic enemies once and for all. Please no more Daleks/Cybermen/Sontarans
and all the stuff that got old 40 years ago.
Cybermen and Sontarans - I agree. Very boring. But the Daleks and their successive returns from oblivion never get old.
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The 9th Doctor episode "Dalek" kicked ass.
Every appearance of the Daleks in the new run since has been worthless. Doubly so fr the appearances since the 9th Doctor left. Too much reliance on the fact that CGI allows the show to use far more Daleks on screen than they could in the old series. Absolutely no thought given to whether or not showing a million CGI Daleks actually substitutes f
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Uh, hello, The Doctor is a mega-genius, remember? This was all part of his plan to get her into the Kissogram business so he'd have excuses for her to wear different costumes while looking hot.
Lovely and Scottish! (Score:5, Interesting)
"We saw some amazing actresses for this part. But when Karen came through the door, the game was up - she was funny, clever, gorgeous and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too." -- Steven Moffat
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As a Scotsman, I have to say that Steven Moffat must have never actually been to Scotland. I think he's getting confused with Ireland. A common mistake..
Re:Lovely and Scottish! (Score:4, Funny)
As a Scotsman, that must be difficult. Probably he had just seen an English woman up close recently and, after that, even a male goat looks funny, clever, sexy and gorgeous.
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Alright! Let's do this thing..
Plx change sig to: "OK guys, let's do this"
Oh. And, delete yout internet history.... 8I
Re:The Companion (Score:5, Funny)
Huh. I've always been under the impression that I enjoyed this show, but now that I know a random stranger on the Internet doesn't like it, I guess I'll have to reconsider.
Still on? (Score:2, Insightful)
I haven't watched it since Tom Baker
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Damn kids... Get off my lawn!
The New Tardis (Score:5, Interesting)
While Matt Smith seems capable of playing the Doctor, the new TARDIS on the other hand really was disappointing.
I'm sorry but a pinball plunger, an old typewriter and a decor that looks ripped from a kid TV show just doesn't suit the supposedly alien look of the inside of the TARDIS. Too many earth parts, levers and buttons too obvious. The new TARDIS is a pale joke compared to the previous one.
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I'm sorry but a pinball plunger, an old typewriter and a decor that looks ripped from a kid TV show just doesn't suit the supposedly alien look of the inside of the TARDIS.
I'm betting the 're-imaging' its getting is so it'll appeal to kids more.
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This I have to agree with. The controls and centre of the console look really silly (*even by Dr. Who standards). Plus the sonic screwdriver is no longer blue? Huh? Lore, people, lore?
Re:The New Tardis (Score:4, Informative)
Plus the sonic screwdriver is no longer blue? Huh? Lore, people, lore?
Lore? The sonic screwdriver only had a light on it for the new series. It wasn't any color at all in the originals.
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McWhover
Re:The New Tardis (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The New Tardis (Score:4, Insightful)
The Doctor and the Tardis influence each other, and the Doctor's fascination with Earth is well known, so a Tardis with lots of recognisably "Earth-tech" is hardly that much of a stretch. Anyway, the new Tardis is kinda SteamPunk, and I can't argue with that. Personally I like the new Tardis set, not sure about the "storm cloud tunnel" in the opening credits ... but I guess we'll get used to that.
It all got a big thumbs up from me. Thanks Auntie Beeb, glad to see you spending my license fee on something I actually like!
Re:The New Tardis (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyway, the new Tardis is kinda SteamPunk, and I can't argue with that.
Eh, it's not that good compared to the control room [wordpress.com] that the 8th Doctor had.
Re:The New Tardis (Score:5, Interesting)
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the new tardis appears to be a labout of love for a guy who posts on livejournal
his name is douglas442 and he appears to have started work on the tardis around 18 months ago.
"The steampunk console project"
all kudos to him and it fucking shows how much hard dedicated work he has put in :)
tremendous job
http://douglas442.livejournal.com/ [livejournal.com]
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You are aware that the McGann TARDIS is based on the one from Tom Baker's season that began with "The Masque of Mandragora"... the season that saw the end of Sarah Jane Smith's tenure and the start of Leela's. It was based on that wooden set (that warped in the off-season) along with what you saw in "The Deadly Assassin."
All that aside, I found the new Doctor and companion to be well done and the opening story quite entertaining. Could I pick it apart? Sure. Doesn't change that it was fun and well done.
Seriously? (Score:2, Insightful)
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The show was held back by the previous director/writer, Russel Davies. The only genuinely good episodes that you must have missed, were written by Steven Moffat, who has now taken over the series. It'll stop being a pathetic stereotypical pointlessly-camped-up shitly-written waste of a good concept and start being the good thing we occasionally saw shining through.
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Whilst I didn't like various of Russell T Davies work on Doctor Who, it is worth remembering that he brought it back from the dead, which was good. Whatever my personal feelings on who Also, I thought some of his scarier episodes (e.g. Midnight, Waters of Mars) were really very good at comparable to some of Moffat's stuff (hard to measure up to Blink, though).
Re:Seriously? (Score:4, Informative)
The Tardis Rotor (Score:3, Funny)
I think they went a bit too overboard with the "Tardis is dodgy" thing. Last tardis interior was a nice mix of steampunk and random bits. This one just seems to be random bits.
Lets not even mention the Tardis Rotor (the thing that pumps up and down in the middle of the console) because it now looks like a giant glass time dildo.
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lol So I'm not the only one that thought 'Wow, that's pretty phallic' when that part was on, eh?
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The thing in the middle always moved up and down, but it was usually a crystalline or squared off thing, very un-Dildo-like, so there was no chance of mistaking it for one. I'm glad to know that, while I have a dirty mind, I'm not the only one sorta vaguely disturbed by the fact that the Tardis looked like it was literally having sex with Time and Space.
Liked it! (Score:2)
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And it will only take you a million years... (Score:5, Interesting)
The Doctor is 900 years old. There are dozens of seasons.
Start with 2005, work forward. THEN go back and watch some of the classics. I like Tom Baker, but an Unearthly child is also worth a look.
Also, if you've seen even one episode, this [youtube.com] is priceless.
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If I were you I'd skip the shows from the 80s and earlier (I can't imagine acquiring that taste today) and just rent a DVD of any of the recent episodes. Seasons have overall plot arcs that build up to a climax in the season closer, but it's not the kind of show that you have to watch from the beginning. Most episodes are essentially self-contained stories.
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Start with the 2005 season. Once you've had enough to get you hooked, go back and watch all the past episodes with the Daleks. Then keep watching from wherever you left off from the 2005 series.
It's definitely worth it.
Re:Introduction to Dr. Who (Off-topic) (Score:4, Informative)
That's the one that got the current writer promoted so is a good prelude to the current series.
Unfortunately they aren't all as good as that.
Re:Introduction to Dr. Who (Off-topic) (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Introduction to Dr. Who (Off-topic) (Score:4, Interesting)
Moffat also did The empty child/The doctor dances in the first season and Silence in the library/Forest of the dead in season 4. Considering he consistently made awesome episodes in the past I was very pleased that he's now main producer of the show.
Personally I consider both Blink and Girl in the fireplace to be extremely good. For me Blink wins out by a bit; but that's just me. What's fascinating is that Blink doesn't follow the normal Dr Who cast all that much, but he manages to introduce us to several new people and make us care more about them in 45 minutes than most shows manage for their standard cast in several seasons.
For starting Doctor Who I'd recommend going with the 2005 reboot. Every season after that kind of builds on top of it, and while the episodes are largely separate there are a lot of continuing plots as well. If you want some of the backstory I recommend watching the "Doctor Who Confidential" episodes as well. There is one for every episode and it's as 1 hour per episode. These give a lot of information and flash backs into the vast Dr Who library as well as interviews with the cast and former cast of the show. It really is an impressive "behind the scenes" presentation.
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Gawd (Score:3, Informative)
Here is a rather more intelligent take: http://iainjclark.livejournal.com/222121.html#cutid1 [livejournal.com]
(for me: someone shoot Murray Gold and put a call into to Christophe Beck to write decent music)
Goofy (Score:2)
I think the new Doctor both looks and acts too goofy. If that doesn't somehow tie into the plot, I'm going to be very disappointed.
And it's in HD (Score:3, Interesting)
April 17th on BBCA (Score:2)
Looks like the new season finally starts on April 17 at 9 eastern here in the States.
Just finished my third viewing. (Score:3, Interesting)
Doctor Who is my one weakness. Well, my big weakness, anyway.
It's what makes me a NERD! -Not just some garden variety geek fanboy, but a full-on Nerd. My girlfriend looks at me funny and wonders where the other me went when Doctor Who comes up. I don't expose that part of myself to her very often, but I did make her watch a couple of episodes just to show her what I was all excited about. She liked "The Girl in the Fireplace", and I described the Rose arc to her. -Her reaction to that was the correct one, (no, she didn't walk out on me. She fell into story-listener mode and caught her breath at all the right parts as I described them. I tell stories fairly well and can sometimes even do decent voices. This was one of those times). And I made her watch the first twenty minutes of this new Matt Smith show. Figured she'd like the food-tasting scene. She did.
Best two scenes in the episode. . .
Amelia: "I'm not scared!"
Doctor: "'Course your not, you're not scared of anything! - Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of the box, man eats fish custard... and look at you. Just sitting there. So you know what I think?"
Amelia: "What?"
Doctor: "Must be a helluva scary crack in your wall."
And. . .
Doctor: "Twelve years! I'm not six months late. I'm twelve years late."
Amy: "He's coming!"
Doctor: "You said six months. Why did you say six months?"
Amy: "We've got to go!"
Doctor: "This MATTERS. This is important! Why did you say six months?!"
Amy: "WELL WHY DID YOU SAY FIVE MINUTES?!"
Wonderfully done! When big, important characters meet each other for the first time in a story, it's important to make it explosive or at least interesting. This was one of the reasons in the Phantom Menace, when Obi Wan and Anakin first met, it was stunningly stupid. (Remember how that went? It was a hand shake.) But this meeting was fantastic!
Anyway, as I figured, it takes about three viewings to "click" with a new Doctor, assuming that the Doctor is worth clicking with. And I think he is; the production values, casting, writing and acting were all top-notch for Doctor Who, but the Newness of it all takes a bit getting used to and certainly colors a viewer's reactions. The first Tennant episode, for instance, left a sour taste in my mouth the first time I saw it. But after a season of Who, going back to it was a joy. This leads me to thinking that the enjoyment of a show or film is far, far more than the sum of its parts. This is where Joseph Campbell and his various theories regarding mythology come into play. By the third viewing, the characters become familiar and comfortable. Matt Smith was very well cast; he's confident enough to walk through a scene and own it, and the new girl is going to challenge him nicely. And I hope to see some of the people of that little town become semi-regulars in the future. (I really like the new idea that family and friends matter in the DW universe.)
This is going to be a wonderful ride, I think! Hats off to everybody who put this together. -And thank goodness for 'pirate' distribution. The US broadcast version was cut down, I heard, to fit in more commercials. Lame.
-FL
Dr. Who on the Net? (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't keep a television in my house. Is there anywhere on the net to watch Dr. Who streaming that anyone could recommend?
My 6 year old son approves (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh and where the !@#$%! do I order up a kissogram!!!??!
Why can't (Score:4, Interesting)
..Hugh Laurie be a Doctor? That would be interesting.
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Always liked Christopher Eccleston more, he was much cooler. Tennant was also darn good though. Matt Smith got off to a decent start but as far as I'm concerned the jury is still out on him, after all we've only seen one episode so far. Didn't like the new intro music at all, a time vortex doesn't have smoke, for one, and the music was a lot worse - it didn't quite have that Doctor Who feel to it. The episode also seemed more low-budget than episodes from previous seasons, but that could be because it was t
Re:post title (Score:4, Informative)
The episode also seemed more low-budget than episodes from previous seasons, but that could be because it was the first time I've watched it in FullHD.
No, my reaction also was that the effects in this one were a bit naff. I thought that of the very first episode, too, though. Remember Mickey wrestling with the Dumpster? And the Nestene Consciousness wasn't very impressive. I figure they're just saving their budget for the best bits to come.
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He's more aware of the budget, I reckon. Things like shape-shifting, Rusty would have tried to show it and it'd have looked crap. Cutaways, good actors, good response, good writing kind of makes up for it.
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Actually, I thought the exact opposite.
The sets/makeup/costumes all finally look like they were designed to be filmed in HD (and I don't even watch it in HD -- the 2005-era sets must have been made on an incredibly low-budget)
The CG/compositing work is also definitely improved (there's one shot toward the beginning that shows the Tardis zooming through London that I thought was particularly well-done). The Atraxi did look a bit low-budget, but not embarrassingly so -- I liked them, and wouldn't mind seeing
Re:post title (Score:5, Funny)
...a time vortex doesn't have smoke...
Traveled through a few time vortexes have ya?
Re:His acting grew on me in the first 10 minutes (Score:5, Funny)
Indeed - "Box falls to earth; man falls out of box; man eats fish custard"
What's not to like?
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followed immediately by... (Score:3)
"all right, I'm never saying *that* again..."
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They screened it twice at WonderCon here in San Francisco yesterday... ...but the lines to get into the screening were too long. They seemed to wrap around the building. I went home and downloaded it instead.
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...Everyone who is in the US and saw the premiere last night please raise your hand now in a two fingered salute to whoever the executives are that have decided they still can't give us same day showing of Doctor Who on BBC America!
Screw BBC America. The show should be back on SyFy where it belongs here in the States.
SyFy is usually part of the basic cable package of most providers and the HD channel is usually part of the basic HD packages. BBC America is not part of most basic packages and BBC America HD is hardly available with any of the cable/fiber/satellite providers.
Sure, BBC America promotes the series more than SyFy did but that really does not matter since BBC America cannot even equal the ratings SyFy got - with hardly a
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I'm with you on Troughton, but Hartnell? I was more amused by his constant messing up of his lines. They really should have chosen an easier name for Ian than "Chesterton" - did Hartnell EVER pronounce it correctly? And, of course, Barbara and Susan were pretty much relegated to sound effects (screams) - especially Susan.
Actually, in a way, it was good they never had the budget for retakes in the early years. You could see the actors and actresses were really trying hard to get it right the first time.
S
Re:William Hartnell & Patrick Troughton (Score:5, Interesting)
Sorry, but your opinion is in my eyes bullshit.
I think the current series is really great
Sure, it’s not on the story complexity level of Revolver or the wow effect of Fight Club, or the thrills of Matrix...
But I don’t expect that from a weekly TV show.
And no, you don’t know more about good stories than I do, because I learned what makes a story good because of my job. (Of course I also don’t consider you bad. Because I don’t know you.)
By the way: Wannabe experts always thump that the story is so important. But in reality, the story is only one aspect. It is really the whole experience. A rollercoaster ride has no story at all, but is still a lot of fun.
So the aesthetics (including sound, behavior, everything that is styleable) are an important part.
And the technique/technology too.
In full games there also is gameplay as a fourth part.
Those parts strengthen each other. So even the charm of a character can be an essential part of what makes a whole show great.
Plus, it is very important to note, that every story has two parts: The part that Spok would enjoy. And the part that Troi would enjoy. A movie can have a complex emotional story, that us logic-loving male geeks would not even see as a story at all. Nonetheless it is just as important.
Ok, maybe that helped you get some perspective. If not, please enjoy life anyway, OK? You only have one! ^^
Re:William Hartnell & Patrick Troughton (Score:5, Insightful)
not to mention the theme itself, go read up on how it was actually made in the days before synthesisers and music-editing computer software. It was practically made before electronics were commonplace.
And you tell that they spliced individual notes together on analogue tape to the youth of today who expect to click the 'make music' button on your favourite music package and they won't believe you... (after saying "what's analogue tape")
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Yeah, its definitely a children's show. that's why its broadcast on pre prime-time slot on holidays, and then on Saturdays in the 5-6pm slot. That's typically before the sports start. Incidentally, its the same time-slot that the A-Team was broadcast, so you can kind of see the target audience age (and the reason why there's always some form of totty sidekick present for the Dads who have to watch it with their kids)
However, I think the 'modern' doctor series have done remarkably well in appealing to an old
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Essentially it felt as if Douglas Adams had written it, which is never a bad thing.
Of course, Adams used to work as a writer and script editor on Doctor Who, and several of his books (particularly "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "Life, the Universe and Eveything") contain material originally intended for Doctor Who.
Stephen Moffat certainly returned the favour with "The Girl in the Fireplace" which I felt was particularly Adams-esque (and possibly lifted a couple of ideas from Adams - the amnesiac spaceship computer from "Mostly Harmless" and the incongruous horse from "Dirk