274 replies to this topic

[NBooth]

It's more of a niggle than a real issue.

Spoiler

Presumably, as a lord of time and space, it would have been a simple thing for the Doctor to take a trip to some advanced hospital--say, the one in New New York--and pick up a cure for the dying woman, rather than letting her die.

Of course, I wouldn't trade the emotional punch (and the implied theme of letting go that seems to crop up in Moffat's other Who work, such as "The Girl in the Fireplace") for a trumped-up happy ending. It's the sort of minor plot issue that could have been addressed in a single line, but wasn't--and, honestly, the story works so well that I'm not willing to hold it against it.

[NBooth]

Only if we get to include the Shalka Doctor, too. Forget it. I totally missed Grant in that list.

I've not made it through Scream of the Shalka yet, but from everything I've read, I really like the concept behind it. I almost wish there were a way to re-fold it back into main continuity, instead of shunting it off to a side-universe as it is now.

(Seriously, though. Rowan A. all the way.)

Edited by NBooth, 08 January 2011 - 09:55 PM.

[opus]

An awesome trailer for the upcoming season, which starts 4/23.



Even cooler, though, is this short promo/prequel for the season starring Richard Nixon.

[NBooth]

I'm so pumped for this season. It's a little indecent how excited I got when the BIG BAD VOICE said "Fear me, I've killed hundreds of Time Lords" and Eleven replied "Fear me...I've killed all of them."

This season is going to rock. That's my unbiased critical opinion.

Edited by NBooth, 30 March 2011 - 12:52 PM.

[opus]

NBooth, on 30 March 2011 - 12:50 PM, said:

I'm so pumped for this season. It's a little indecent how excited I got when the BIG BAD VOICE said "Fear me, I've killed hundreds of Time Lords" and Eleven replied "Fear me...I've killed all of them."

Yeah, that line is all kinds of awesome.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Can I just say that I find the very concept of "trailers" for TV shows kind of ... strange? Certainly when you keep in mind why trailers are CALLED "trailers" in the first place ...

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 30 March 2011 - 02:27 PM.

[NBooth]

Peter T Chattaway, on 30 March 2011 - 02:27 PM, said:

Can I just say that I find the very concept of "trailers" for TV shows kind of ... strange? Certainly when you keep in mind why trailers are CALLED "trailers" in the first place ...

Ha! And here I thought you would take issue with the Nixon clip being called a "prequel" when it manifestly isn't.

[NBooth]

Not really to do with the new series, but since she was such a generally well-loved companion, it should probably be mentioned that Elizabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) has died at the age of 63. Even to a casual fan like me, this is incredibly sad news.

Quote

Along with the Brigadier (who also recently passed), Sladen became perhaps the Doctor’s most popular companion in the show's history, returning in the 20th-anniversary special The Five Doctors, several Big Finish audio plays, and the 1981 spinoff K-9 And Company, which never went beyond the pilot stage. She made a more lasting, high-profile return in the series' modern-day reincarnation with Tenth Doctor David Tennant in the episode "School Reunion," which led to a starring role in another, much more successful spinoff, The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Edited by NBooth, 19 April 2011 - 07:06 PM.

[Darrel Manson]

I'm thinking of dipping my toe into the drwho pool. Is it OK to just start with the 2005 season, must I begin with the earlier incarnations or can I just visit those later, or can I just ignore them?

[NBooth]

I'm a more casual fan than some folks I know, but I think 2005 is a great point to jump in (it's the season that introduced me to the show). That series gives a reasonably good introduction to the Doctor and has few ties to the show's history--those ties start creeping in during the Tennant years and positively explode all over the most recent series. If you're curious about the general background, this Youtube video covers forty seven years of Who history in six minutes:



I've also found it helpful to dig around the Tardis wikia for background information on the show and storylines.

FWIW, I've found what early Doctor Who I've seen to be a little hit-and-miss. General fan consensus seems to be that the Colin Baker years were horrible and the Sylvester McCoy tenure had a very good Doctor with very poor scripts. Same goes for the mid-nineties TV movie. Tom Baker is, of course, the classic Doctor (City of Death was written by Douglas Adams, FWIW) but I'm partial to Jon Pertwee, myself (The Green Death. It's all about The Green Death).

Edited by NBooth, 20 April 2011 - 10:29 AM.

[SDG]

Darrel Manson, on 20 April 2011 - 09:50 AM, said:

I'm thinking of dipping my toe into the drwho pool. Is it OK to just start with the 2005 season, must I begin with the earlier incarnations or can I just visit those later, or can I just ignore them?

Suz and I started with the 2009 season a few days ago, our first experience with the series. (A friend sent us that season on DVD as a Christmas present, in part because of resonances with one of my summer-vacation role-playing tandem stories I do with my kids and their cousins.) We're enjoying it so far.

[opus]

What Nbooth said. And if you have Netflix, nearly all of the recent seasons -- with the exception of last season -- is available via streaming.

[Peter T Chattaway]

ous wrote:
: And if you have Netflix, nearly all of the recent seasons -- with the exception of last season -- is available via streaming.

Many of the old seasons, too, at least in Canada. My wife watches them often.

[NBooth]

Peter T Chattaway, on 20 April 2011 - 02:42 PM, said:

ous wrote:
: And if you have Netflix, nearly all of the recent seasons -- with the exception of last season -- is available via streaming.

Many of the old seasons, too, at least in Canada. My wife watches them often.

In the U.S. as well; they have at least one story from each Doctor there (including the First Doctor story The Aztecs, which gets considerable attention in The Truth is Out There). I've had some trouble with the audio synching up on some (as I recall, the issues were with Davidson and McCoy stories, but I can't remember the titles offhand). The entire Tom Baker Key to Time series is there as well--my first experience with "classic Who," but not really all that memorable; City of Death or The Talons of Weng-Chiang ore both, imo, superior stories, though I think the latter might no longer be available for streaming.

[Thom Wade]

Yeah...really, starting with the Eccleston run is a terrific beginners point. I have never seen a post Baker episode of Who until the Eccleston return, and I found it quite easy to understand.

[M. Leary]

I have been watching Dr. Who since I was about four years old, and the Tennant episode "Waters of Mars" may be my favorite episode. Well, top three at least. If you are looking for a reason to start watching Dr. Who, I recommend watching this episode.

[Ryan H.]

M. Leary, on 23 April 2011 - 04:56 PM, said:

I have been watching Dr. Who since I was about four years old, and the Tennant episode "Waters of Mars" may be my favorite episode. Well, top three at least. If you are looking for a reason to start watching Dr. Who, I recommend watching this episode.

Really? Huh. I enjoyed it, but it isn't an episode I'd care to see more than once.

I would recommend starting with the two-parter "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead," which I really enjoyed. Or maybe "Blink," though I suppose that's perhaps not a great intro as much as it is a great episode.

Edited by Ryan H., 23 April 2011 - 05:19 PM.

[M. Leary]

That episode is a great starter episode. It contains the inner Dr. Who dialog that is at the heart of the Dr. Who time lord arc. And the scene in which the doctor looks at the captain and recounts the galactic history of the human species is a stunning, beautiful moment. I am a big time sucker for space opera, and that part of the script ranks right up there with the cusp of Schismatrix.

But the moment where David Tennant Dr. reclaims the rules with such panache? I have been wanting to see that for... 25 years? And the horror of the flash in the window at the end. The horror.

Edited by M. Leary, 23 April 2011 - 07:30 PM.

[NBooth]

"Waters of Mars" is pretty great; my own love of Moffat's stuff would push me toward recommending any of his episodes, but I can't see why "WoM" would be a bad intro.

Meanwhile tonight was fantastic; the characters feel more lived-in than ever and the River Song arc is developing some nice emotional resonance. Matt Smith does four or five things at once with every line he delivers, and he makes it absolutely natural. Dialogue, generally, was loads of fun (again, the River-Doctor byplay demonstrates exactly how lacking the Doctor-Rose romance really was). Some favorites:

Quote

"...and Doctor Song, you've got that face on again"
"What face?"
"The 'he's hot when he is clever face'."
"This is my normal face"
"Yes it is"

Quote

"These are my companions: the legs, the nose, and Mrs Robinson

Oh, and River's whole speech to Rory about meeting the Doctor and what, exactly, each meeting means to her.

Too soon to comment on the plot, but I've got to say that the only thing I really have my doubts about is the Amy pregnancy subplot. I mean, it's a natural development I suppose, but a bit, um, rote.

Edited by NBooth, 23 April 2011 - 10:40 PM.