Watching NuWho

[Willie Oleson]

One of these is the Woman played by Claire Bloom

Oh, I had no idea it was her. Makes me wonder what other big names will make an appearance in the series.

The first episode focuses on creating a new team of Doctor and companion. It's very entertainingly done and I didn't mind that the sci-fi adventure took a backseat.
The Doctor's make-over appears to be all-inclusive: a remake of the intro theme, a new font for the title, a redecorated Tardis and even a new sonic screwdriver this time with green light.
THE BEAST BELOW looks like an old-fashioned kids-friendly story and for the moment it's a welcome change from the mega-dramatic "end of everything" epics from the previous series.
The properly scary Smilers are somewhat underused and perhaps they could have done more with it in a two-part story.
The way the Doctor lashes out at Amy Pond and her explanation why she had to do it based on her perception of the Doctor himself solidifies them as a team.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Hmm, perhaps the worst best is yet to come?

It's still early days for me as a Who viewer so I don't know what it is considered too much emotion/comedy or too little emotion/comedy, especially compared to the classic Doctors.
I think I liked Christopher Eccleston a little bit better, but one out of two isn't saying very much.
Catherine Tate is a very good actress but Donna Noble could be challenging to watch sometimes. I could have watched more of Martha but one series of Donna was precisely enough.

I just watched the Easter episode Planet Of The Dead, the CGI isn't very awesome but overall I found it a very enjoyable piece of escapism. The inconsistent tone of the series works very well for me because I never know what to expect, but maybe I'll feel different when I rewatch these NuWho stories.

I agree with much of what you say. I liked CE more than Tennant - a shame he lasted only one series.
Martha Jones is my favorite companion of the new series.a She should have been on more.
Donna Noble was good for one series. Didn't care for bringing her back, as her story seemed
complete enough
POD - an OK show, with a great ending.

I had assumed that the Master was part of the Toymaker's game, but now I am reconsidering

Was the Master acting on behalf of the Black Guardian?
The 4th Doctor was acting on behalf of the White Guardian during the Key to Time series.
The Master than went to the Toymaker, lost the game (on purpose?) and knew that
regardless of the outcome, the Doctor would find him.
Mrs. Flood - a water related name - like River Song?
Is she River Song or some other connection to her?
If not the Black Guardian, Sutek?
Unlikely to be another Time Lord (except maybe Borusa or Omega, who isn't technically a Time Lord) because the being would have to have
powers beyond a Time Lord to deter the Toymaker.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There's not much to say about VICTORY OF THE DALEKS. The improved Daleks look like a bunch of 1980s Toyotas and I prefer the orginal gothic design that is similar to the inside of the Tardis. But it was fun to watch them serve tea.

A double return in the next story, River Song featuring The Weeping Angels.
Great intrigue provides just enough information, suspense is about what you see and don't see and drama is about what happens and doesn't happen.
River Song's story arc in the LIBRARY episodes was perfect and part of its strength was in the "goodbye" and "could-have-beens". However, since Doctor Who can go back and forth in time - and alter events in the process which would be considered retcons in a linear narrative** - they would be crazy not to bring her back.
But like I said, it was precisely the teasing and the unknown that made her such a fascinating character in the first place and perhaps that's why they've added the mystery of her crime, the murder of "a very good man".
The mischief and hidden agenda and also her connection with the Doctor actually makes her more of a Catwoman 66 than Lady Christina De Souza was.

The angels are much more aggressive, action-packed and in-your-face (literally) so this is ALIEN vs. ALIENS, but they cause a lot of trouble and that's what's supposed to happen.
I wonder if the crack in time and space that can make events un-exist was based on The Twilight Zone episode AN WHEN THE SKY WAS OPENED.
It all goes back to the crack in the wall of little Amy's room and that also makes it very LOST.

But to me, more important than watching a fantastic story was to see this new Doctor coming to life for the first time since his regeneration.
Christopher Eccleston's Doctor was a bit dark and moody, David Tennant was cocky and cheeky but Matt Smith's Doctor is the most alien one. A semi-awkward, semi-autistic mad wizard who is less aware of his TimeLordiness. Totally disrespectful in his "life" jokes to dead Sacred Bob, not in a sadistic way but more like someone who can only see the bigger picture. This makes the occasional emotional outburst all the more effective, I think.
Of course I have no idea what's to come, but in this episode it felt like watching a quintessential version of Doctor Who. Again, I have no idea how it compares to Classic Who and what fans consider to be the "standard".


**has anyone ever attempted to rearrange all the time travels into a chronologically historical order?

 

[James from London]

Matt Smith's Doctor is the most alien one.

Yes, I've always thought so, which is why on some days he's my favourite Doctor of all. (On other days, he's nearly always in my Top 2).

A semi-awkward, semi-autistic mad wizard who is less aware of his TimeLordiness.

Watching David Tennant as the Doctor, I'm kind of aware of an actor making choices: "This is a funny bit ... this is me being angry or going for the big emotion." With Matt Smith, very much like Tom Baker before him, it all feels much more instinctive and unpredictable. He's naturally strange and funny in a way that never feels contrived.

**has anyone ever attempted to rearrange all the time travels into a chronologically historical order?

This book makes a valiant effort:

Ahistory: An Unauthorized History of Doctor Who [Third Edition]

Out of print; digital version still available. The Third Edition of AHistory amends and vastly expands the work of the sold-out Second Edition, continuing to incorporate the whole of Doctor […]

www.madnorwegian.com

However, it's so incredibly detailed as to be almost unreadable. I'd settle for one that just deals with his travels on Earth.

 

[James from London]

has anyone ever attempted to rearrange all the time travels into a chronologically historical order?

Ooh! Someone's done it here:

Watch Doctor Who in Chronological Order! — Stitches in Time

www.stitchesinti.me

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Ooh! Someone's done it here:

Watch Doctor Who in Chronological Order! — Stitches in Time

www.stitchesinti.me

I vaguely remember attempts at it. Probably a useless exercise at this point.
ie is "The Daleks" or "Genesis of the Daleks" the origin story?
Now the minisode with David Tennant adds another ambiguity.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Yes, I've always thought so, which is why on some days he's my favourite Doctor of all. (On other days, he's nearly always in my Top 2).



Watching David Tennant as the Doctor, I'm kind of aware of an actor making choices: "This is a funny bit ... this is me being angry or going for the big emotion." With Matt Smith, very much like Tom Baker before him, it all feels much more instinctive and unpredictable. He's naturally strange and funny in a way that never feels contrived.



This book makes a valiant effort:

Ahistory: An Unauthorized History of Doctor Who [Third Edition]

Out of print; digital version still available. The Third Edition of AHistory amends and vastly expands the work of the sold-out Second Edition, continuing to incorporate the whole of Doctor […]

www.madnorwegian.com

However, it's so incredibly detailed as to be almost unreadable. I'd settle for one that just deals with his travels on Earth.

I thought Tom Baker and Colin Baker had the most alien qualities. Matt Smith to an extent, I guess.
Gatwa may be developing that alien quality

 

[Willie Oleson]

This book makes a valiant effort:

With Vincent van Gogh on the cover?

I'd settle for one that just deals with his travels on Earth

And even that's going to be very tricky. David Tennant and Billie Piper's last scene happens before the first episode of the Ninth Doctor, and young Amy Pond must have been circa 1992/93 and if the Who Movie from 1996 deals with the (then) present time then Matt Smith was the first NuWho in the classic series.

Unfortunately I haven't had much time to watch anything this week so it's only two new entries in this Doctor Who diary thread.
THE VAMPIRES OF VENICE is just as fabulous as the POMPEII episode, but the aliens are scarier. They're hazardous to humans but unlike, say, the Daleks it is purely based on survival. And exploring new planets may not be that different from frontiering new lands and killing or enslaving natives in the process.
I guess that's why the Doctor (an alien himself) often wants to give them the benefit of the doubt and also the choice to do it differently.

It's also a very funny story with lots of humorous scenes and dialogue.

Amy's fiancé Rory has been added to the Time Travel cast and he's the type of character (both in looks and personality) that I have seen in many other films and TV series. But if it works it works, and that's all that matters.
I didn't understand how the Doctor figured out he had to climb the tower in order to stop the destruction of Venice but it made me laugh out loud to see that it was only a matter of flipping a switch.

Next episode AMY'S CHOICE is a fascinating one.
The Tardis has accidentally been infected by space dream pollens and this manifests itself in a Dream Lord version of the Time Lord. Well, that's how it's explained at the end of the story so before that there's the intrigue of two dreams in one big space pollen dream. Somehow I found it very Wonka-esque and that's always a good thing.
I found Amy's dilemma itself too lighthearted and not nearly as strong as Rose Tyler's hesitation a moment before she decides to join the Doctor.
But Amy shouldn't be about "my boys", it's her mysterious history and the crack in her bedroom wall that makes her a unique companion.
However, when the Doctor in the disguise of the Dream Lord confronts Amy with her deepest desires there's a threat of "too much information" being exposed, and in that regard I found it surprisingly adult.
And he calls Rory a Pointy Nose and I'm a sucker for nose jokes.

The next episode is about drilling a hole in the earth, as deep as possible. Is that a hobby or is this what humankind needs - a very deep hole in the ground? What's next, a hole in the ozone layer?
But that's just the first 5 minutes. I hope to finish this series over the weekend.

 

[James from London]

Probably a useless exercise at this point.

Well, I suppose it's all useless really, which is part of the fun.

is "The Daleks" or "Genesis of the Daleks" the origin story?

At the moment, I'm working my way through the Sarah Jane Adventures, ten minutes every morning. When I eventually finish that, I think I'll make a start on watching this chronological thingy so if and when I eventually get there, I'll let you know.

Now the minisode with David Tennant adds another ambiguity.

And more ambiguity means more fun.

With Vincent van Gogh on the cover?

Spoilers!

David Tennant and Billie Piper's last scene happens before the first episode of the Ninth Doctor, and young Amy Pond must have been circa 1992/93 and if the Who Movie from 1996 deals with the (then) present time then Matt Smith was the first NuWho in the classic series.

Reading that sentence made my head fall off.

The next episode is about drilling a hole in the earth, as deep as possible. Is that a hobby or is this what humankind needs - a very deep hole in the ground?

It's kind of a sequel to a story from 1970, but you don't really need to know that.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Spoilers!

Oh...has River Song anything to do with it?

Reading that sentence made my head fall off.

Not my heeaaad! (but that was another British series)

I had never thought about it before but drilling huge holes in the ground actually makes our planet more porous and that can't be a good thing. Hey look, Doctor Who gave me environment awareness! We're never too old to learn.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Something's going up and something's going down in the Silurians story.
WARRIORS OF THE DEEP was the very last DVD I bought to complete my Classics collection.
It's very entertaining and there are beautiful sets, I'm sure some of it was CGI'd but it looked like the real thing to me. If all of the budget went into creating the world of the Silurians then perhaps that explains the lack of life on the surface. It's only a small family and two geologists.

The Silurian society reminds me of the 80s cult classic "V" and its war-happy Diana character.
In one of the previous episodes Rory accused the Doctor of endangering people because they want to prove themselves to him, and while the Doctor has never defended himself (because that would sound like defending the series itself) I think this Eleventh Doctor is more vulnerable and more uncompromising. And sometimes plain out of his depth.
I can't imagine the whole world chanting the word "doctor" for Matt Smith like they did for David Tennant.
Of course it can happen if the writers really want to, but I suspect they'll stick with the change in tone created by this new Doctor.
I can only see it as an advantage to let the actors bring out the best in "their" Doctors. Even if the stories will become more familiar there's still the freshness of a new Doctor and companions.

Geologist Nasreen replaces Amy because she's been eaten by the earth, and to be honest I thought she was more fun than the family.
Just before their escape, the Doctor is distracted by the appearance of the mysterious crack and this gives the dying Restac the opportunity to shoot.
It's Rory who takes the bullet beam and not only does he die for real (as in, not being saved by the Doctor in a last second twist) he's also consumed by the evil space-and-time crack.
Perhaps a blessing in disguise because the loss would make it impossible for Amy to continue her time travels.
This is a very unexpected twist but Rory was always going to be "that other person" who needed to be rescued, something that could hinder future storylines.
And, to quote another Diana, three's a crowd.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Well, I suppose it's all useless really, which is part of the fun.

At the moment, I'm working my way through the Sarah Jane Adventures, ten minutes every morning. When I eventually finish that, I think I'll make a start on watching this chronological thingy so if and when I eventually get there, I'll let you know.

And more ambiguity means more fun.

Spoilers!

Reading that sentence made my head fall off.

It's kind of a sequel to a story from 1970, but you don't really need to know that.

Yes, more ambiguity is more fun when it is well-written, serves a purpose and does not definitely establish
a blatantly contradictory narrative.

An example of something that was done well.
I was not a fan of the 7th Doctor era, on overall quality
However, one good point about it was the mystery of the Doctor himself
The name of the show is Doctor Who, implying
that his true background and origin is an unsolved mystery.
Andrew Cartmel wrote a number of clues.
Lady Pentafore knew of the Doctor's past, Fenric's story,
the Hand of Omega, the Merlin identity - all of these were hints
of something without a final reveal.
The Doctor seems to imply some sort of collaboration with Rassilon and Omega,
which is seemingly contradictory, but it could be interpreted as
an erroneous choice of words, false memory, or attempt to mislead.
In "The Three Doctors", Omega is depicted as a legendary figure
who the Doctor only knows about from stories.
Rassilon is usually described the same way.
When Tennant meets Rassilon, it may be a title, or a resurrected Rassilon for the Time War,
since Rassilon supposedly had powers that transcended those of other Time Lords.
"Ghost Light" was originally supposed to take place on Gallifrey and further explore the Doctor's past
The 7th Doctor book "Lungbarrow" while not canon (supposedly)
describes the Doctor's family
The Virgin Adventure series also explores the Doctor's past, again
in a way that is mysterious but not definitive.
The BBC book range would also do the same, at times,
same with Big Finish.
Now that the Toymaker has admitted to manipulating the Doctor's past,
nothing is certain, not even the Doctor's own memories
and/or his assumptions.
And as RiverSong said, "The Doctor lies"

 

[Willie Oleson]

The Doctor and Amy meet Vincent van Gogh, number three in the celebrity-centered stories.
It looks very wholesome and atmospheric and I think it would have been a perfect Easter Special episode (because, painting, painting eggs).
Speaking of celebrities, I spotted another special guest star: Bill Nighy as Dr. Black. Of course we all know Dr. Black as the famous murder victim in the CLUEDO game and that's why I can't believe that the name was chosen randomly.
And yet he's not in the Agatha Christie story.
The main theme is about seeing and not-seeing from both an artistic and alien point of view. Amy is aware of van Gogh's talent but unaware of her personal trauma, and vice versa.
Naturally the Doctor also needs something to do.

He digs up a wacky device - a present from his two-headed godmother - in order to chase the invisible but very destructive alien. The alien itself turns out to be blind and this is the reason why it causes so much damage. Maybe it's an allegory of the damage caused by people who can't see the truth because they're blinded by emotions.
It's one of those stories that just feels so very right, and it reaches out to what has gone before and what has yet to happen.

From the painter to THE LODGER there is going to be the inevitable drop in enchantment, and the spaceship on top of a house disguised as the top of the house is kinda stupid.
It does combine all of the Who trademarks - horror, absurdness, comedy and shenanigans - but the new (and hopefully one-off) characters kinda take the sting out of their alien predicament. The Doctor has to go out of his way to become part of their world and it looks like putting the cart before the horse.
It also shows the Doctor in a peculiar state of undressedment and I thought "oh, are we going to do this now?"

The Pandorica/Big Bang is the climax in the mystery of the history-eating space crack.

It's Rory who takes the bullet beam and not only does he die for real

I'm just so very gullible.
He returns as a plastic robot Roman warrior because...."don't know". A plot twist that happens just because and because we don't know. This is new to me.
At this point I'm not sure if he's still that robot or if he has become the 100% human Rory again.
The story plays with clashing timelines and characters being/not being/not being yet in some place and to be perfectly honest I found it a little exhausting and I was glad when it was over.
Also, I didn't remember why and how the Tardis exploded in the first place, if it's been mentioned at all.
As I feared, River Spoilers Song becomes less intriguing the more I see of her, but it was a nice touch that she was crucial in the resurrection of the Doctor.
Even though it is the series' conclusion I think it's going to look better when watched in isolation.

Continuing with the Christmas Special (but series finale per watch count).
The whole set up is brilliant. A sci-fi society based on a Dickensian version of earth, with flying fish, frozen people as collateral and a gothic organ of sorts that controls the sky and the clouds. I'm sold.
It also stars singer Katherine Jenkins, a name that sounds familiar to me but maybe I'm confusing her with Katherine Ellis, a singer in a very different genre although both singers have been involved with Almighty Records.
The story does everything what a great Christmas movie needs to do, and then some.
Kazran Sardick is a delightful remake of the nasty Scrooge character, and he has to decide whether or not a spaceship is going to crash. The Doctor is rewriting his time on film and in my opinion it looks much better than the time-thing from the previous story.
One of Kazran's younger versions reminded me Malcolm McDowell.

And it also features the best quote from series 5: "Marilyn, get your coat!"

 

[James from London]

more ambiguity is more fun when it is well-written, serves a purpose and does not definitely establish
a blatantly contradictory narrative.

I don't really worry about that sort of thing with Who. To be honest, I can't keep track of everything that's happened in the past anyway. I just try to take each new story at face value and if it resonates with something I remember from before, then that's a nice little bonus.

the new (and hopefully one-off) characters

Well you can hope ...

It also shows the Doctor in a peculiar state of undressedment and I thought "oh, are we going to do this now?"

This was actually the second time the Doctor has taken a shower on screen, the first time being forty years earlier, and both times he sings the same song.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I can't keep track of everything that's happened in the past anyway

I'm glad if I can keep track of everything that happens within the episode.

and both times he sings the same song

Ha! What a lovely piece of character-based continuity.

When the Doctor presented himself as Kazran's substitute nanny I thought - Mary Poppins, then.
The Doctor immediately responded with "that would be a rubbish comparison". It felt like a slap on the wrist, as if the Doctor spoke to me directly.

Well you can hope ...

And skip!
All right, that was an idle threat because I never skip anything.
What I meant was that it may have been more fun if it had happened to a "Mickey" or "Jackie" character. But then again, Amy hadn't got her memory and family back so there weren't any established present-day characters to play with.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Michael Jayston, who portrayed the Valeyard (a version of the Doctor) in all 14 episodes of season 23 has passed.
Among his roles, he portrayed Tzar Nicholas II in "Nicolas and Alexander", a film that also featured Tom Baker as Rasputin.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

According to this article, RTD is suggesting that all Doctors bigenerated at the same time

MSN

I respect RTD as a showrunner, and he is doing a wonderful job in bringing the show back after the declining ratings,
but this is a bit much.

Did the Doctors bigenerate into the same or different appearances? Both?
Will there be Trigenerations or more?

Doesn't it beg the question about who is the "real Doctor"

The show seems to be turning into a kind of "anything goes"
It is uncertain territory at best.
Now matter how continuity is handled, there still needs to some firm foundation, or
the writing becomes complete chaos.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Seems like it will be a long delay until the next episode. I hope it does not
impair the show's new momentum.
The departure (firing?) of Millie Gibson is perplexing.
It would have been better to have her story in progress, at least, until making such a decision.
From what I have read, she isn't leaving willingly, and she will make a handful of appearances
in season 15 (or is it now season 2?), indicating that her story was unresolved.

Ncuti Gatwa appears to be a good choice for the Doctor
He seems able to bring a positive energy to the role.
My only critique has nothing to do with hil.
I would have preferred Tom Ellis, who I think would be ideal for Doctor Who
Maybe he will be the next Doctor

I understand that there will be no more minisodes, at least for now.
Too bad, could have been some interesting stories.

Biggest misfortune is that given the age of actors from the classic series,
opportunities were missed t use them. No classic Doctors in 50 (except Tom Baker, of course) or 60.
No classic companions, except for a surprisingly well-written Mel.
Many opportunities to use Paul McGann have been wasted.

Anyway, a new era. I think the big villain is probably the Black Guardian.
The Toymaker was not hesitant about confronting the Doctor or the Master.
It is highly unlikely that any other Time Lord (The Valeyard, the Rani, Romana, the Monk, Morbius, Iris)
would give him concern, unless it is Rassilon?
Technically, Omega is not a Time Lord, so maybe.

Now that the Toymaker has
admitted to some form of manipulation with the Doctor's past,
the Doctor's understanding of his past can not be considered accurate
Furthermore, the Faction Paradox may be involved, complicating matters even more.
and as River Song said 'The Doctor lies'

Stay Tuned

 

[Willie Oleson]

And so the SPOILER ends at the end of series 6 seventh episode: River Song is Amy's daughter. I don't know if the Doctor actually recognised her, and this has been River's main story arc since she first appeared in the Library episode.

Series one to four had many end-of-the-world scenarios, series five was about the end of the universe - but I don't think bigger is always better.
Series 6 starts with the future death of the Doctor and I thought it was a peculiar thing to do so soon after his demise and resurrection at the end of series 5,
It's all very intricate with snippets of information about upcoming plot developments, and it already takes enough concentration to understand what is going on in the adventure of the week.
The Rebel Flesh/Almost People is my favourite so far because the group of survivors turned out to be a mix of humans and clones, and it continued with the shock revelation that Tardis Amy was a clone too, and then they did it again with the baby.
The fact that the doppelgangers are aware of their origins kinda contradicts the idea that they are so perfectly developed that they believe to be the originals.
On the other hand, that's what gave the story such a dramatic twist.

Episode seven also serves as the unholy "mid-season" finale. I didn't know that kind of tomfoolery happened in British TV.

 

[Willie Oleson]

The mid-season premiere episode brings the Tardis trio to pre-Third Reich just when Hitler is about to be assassinated by a FANTASTIC VOYAGE team inside a giant robot disguised as a human.
And that's just the opening scene. Hitler himself is immediately shoved into a cupboard - which conveniently sweeps the kids-unfriendly Nazi theme under the carpet - and then it turns out that Amy's irritating "ain't I adorably anarchic?" friend Mel is Amy and Rory's daughter MELody.
We're getting a more clear picture of Melody/River as the Tardis Child, the girl in the astronaut suit and the fixed point in time of the Doctor's death.
Regenerated Melody continues to be irritating - she's not as cool as her alter ego River Song - and I think the most interesting stuff is everything that happens inside the robot which has become a copy of Amy.

An even better version of that predicament is when Amy and Rory are trapped inside a spooky doll's house in NIGHT TERRORS.
It's a break from the River/assassination story arc therefore I can understand that this might annoy some viewers, and because it ends with a simple "love will save the day" solution it's actually not such a great or innovative story. Nevertheless I enjoyed everything I saw.
I liked the twist with the alien child but I was expecting something else.
When the Doctor was looking through the family photo album I noticed that father Alex was wearing the same shirt in every picture so I thought it was going to reveal something special about Alex rather than son George. But failing to remember that his son was never born is special enough, I guess.
Alex and the Doctor had good TV chemistry and while I'm typing this I suddenly realise he was this episode's guest Companion.


Silencio, and the Silence that happens after a certain question has been asked, it's all very fascinating.
There's also that blue box and Club Silencio in MULHOLLAND DRIVE but I'm still not sure how it all connects.