Watching NuWho

[Willie Oleson]

THE GIRL WHO WAITED is a great episode about different time streams and magnifying glasses and "acts of kindness" that are not so kind.
The visit was supposed to be sort of a holiday present for Rory and Amy but because of a plague the timing was a bit off.

The series 6 finale was better than the one from series 5, imo.

It's very colourful with shades of Indiana Jones (the Doctor wears a hat) and it turns out that we've been tricked from the very beginning!
The plot twist of mini-Doctor inside robot-Doctor is hilarious although I didn't immediately understand how he could have survived the "cremation" of the Teselecta.
But then I remembered that the crew members were beamed up out of the robot when they were attacked, so that's what must have happened after the robot was shot by River "Hello, sweetie!" Song.
Only goes to show that you really can't miss an episode.
Having said that...the Two Men And A Baby type of story in CLOSING TIME is the first episode I didn't finish. Sorry but it just wasn't doable.
The 2011 Christmas special is possibly the most Christmassy one so far, unfortunately but inevitably that also makes it a rather weak Doctor Who episode.

Series 7 kicks off with a terrific Daleks episode.
Amelia Pond Williams has become a bitchy supermodel and the marriage is on the rocks. To be honest I had suspected to see a new Companion but this is a very interesting starting point for the Williamses (although the series insists on calling them the Ponds).
Their issues get fixed in this very episode which disappointed the soapfan in me, but the story also has a very surprising The Others sort of twist.

Prior to the series 6 finale I hadn't noticed the series' religious undertone.
There was the worldwide collective believing in David Tennant's Doctor that saved the day, but it's even more obvious when the series 6 Time Disaster was averted simply by making everyone believe that the Doctor no longer existed.
Speaking of David Tennant, I've noticed that I no longer think of him as a Doctor because the only true Doctor is the current one. It doesn't matter who came before or comes after Matt Smith.
I know it's his last series and I'm seriously dreading having to watch his departure, but I guess that's how it should feel. Lifelong fans have done it over and over again.

 

[Whovian]

Anyone else a bit peeved that the next series of Who will be dropping at midnight?

 

[James from London]

Anyone else a bit peeved that the next series of Who will be dropping at midnight?

No it’s fine. It’ll make a nice hangover treat the next morning.

 

[Whovian]

No it’s fine. It’ll make a nice hangover treat the next morning.

It ruins the event television aspect that Doctor Who was one of the few shows left to have.

 

[James from London]

It ruins the event television aspect that Doctor Who was one of the few shows left to have.

It’s still an event to me.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There's a sense of indecision when the Doctor and the Ponds don't know how to move on with or without each other.
I wondered if the extended exit would continue for the rest of series 7, but then it ended in THE ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN.
The departure of the Companion is almost as important as their time with the Doctor, and this is my favourite one so far.


It's almost sadistic that the Doctor's Christmas companion also dies, but because she died twice she didn't actually die at all. Because....well, that would a paradox (I think).
And yes yes, she's the soufflé girl from the Daleks episode.
Matt Smith looks great with a high hat (because of his FORSYTE SAGA face) and I wish he'd wear it more often.

 

[Willie Oleson]

 

[pete lashmar]

I'm fine with the show dropping at midnight as I work evenings anyway, but it will be much more difficult to avoid spoilers.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I always love it when the Doctor goes Black Mirror, which happens in THE BELLS OF SAINT JOHN.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think the Eleventh Doctor ever got one of those super-great stories like the ones I've seen in the Ninth and Tenth Doctor episodes (Russell T Davies' retirement from the series may have something to do with that) but Matt Smith is and perhaps always will be the perfect Doctor for me.
I love his expressive face and voice, and there's never a moment in his performance that looks wasted.
Everything about him is too big and it only takes him three steps to dance around the Tardis engine.

Having said that, now that I've only got 9 DW11 episodes left before the regeneration, I already start to feel curious about the Twelfth Doctor who will be my last one of the revival series.
For the time being anyway. I don't have any more DVDs and the Jodie Whittaker episodes are not available on Prime (yet?). But that's all right, I can do that after I've finished Classic Who. Ha!

 

[James from London]

Matt Smith is and perhaps always will be the perfect Doctor for me.
I love his expressive face and voice, and there's never a moment in his performance that looks wasted.

Yes, I just love him.

If you have "The Green Death", a 1973 Who story, on DVD, then among the special features you may find "The Death of the Doctor", a two episode story of The Sarah Jane Adventures that Matt Smith's Doctor guest stars in. That's really good too.

 

[James from London]

the Two Men And A Baby type of story in CLOSING TIME is the first episode I didn't finish. Sorry but it just wasn't doable.

Ha! There's just two Doctor Who stories I haven't been able to get all the way through (so far), each from the mid to late '80s. In both cases, I left them playing and just turned my back on them and went to sleep.

 

[Willie Oleson]

If you have "The Green Death", a 1973 Who story, on DVD, then among the special features you may find "The Death of the Doctor", a two episode story of The Sarah Jane Adventures that Matt Smith's Doctor guest stars in. That's really good too.

Yes I have it and all the easter eggs are included.
I'm surprised to see something from 2010 on a Classic Who DVD, I thought they were released before the revival series began (or maybe that's just a subconscious desire for chronology). Of course it's also possible that the DVDs have been re-released, perhaps more than once.

Sooo, looking at the air date of that Sarah Jane episode I should have watched it right after the last series 4 specials (and in fact before the first Eleventh Doctor episode) but that ship has sailed now (*balls fists in frustration*).
I'm very curious to see what a Sarah Jane story looks like but I didn't know I already had one. Thanks for the tip!

 

[James from London]

I'm surprised to see something from 2010 on a Classic Who DVD, I thought they were released before the revival series began (or maybe that's just a subconscious desire for chronology). Of course it's also possible that the DVDs have been re-released, perhaps more than once.

I remember they were still releasing the old DVDs while the new series was going out. In fact, the interest created by the new series probably encouraged them to keep releasing them. The new series is certainly what rekindled my interest in the old series. But yes, "The Green Death" was one of the stories that was then given a special edition re-release with extra extras on it.

Sooo, looking at the air date of that Sarah Jane episode I should have watched it right after the last series 4 specials (and in fact before the first Eleventh Doctor episode) but that ship has sailed now (*balls fists in frustration*).

Hmm, I think that must be the Sarah Jane episodes featuring the 10th Doctor (called "The Wedding of Sarah Jane", I think). It's up to you of course, but it might be fun, in a timey-wimey sort of a way, to wait till you've gone back to 1973 to watch "The Green Death" before watching "The Death of the Doctor". Or you could watch it now and then watch it again in the past when you get there. (If you're anything like me, you'll have pretty much forgotten what happens by then anyway.)

 

[Willie Oleson]

In fact, the interest created by the new series probably encouraged them to keep releasing them.

That makes sense.

Hmm, I think that must be the Sarah Jane episodes featuring the 10th Doctor

You're right, I hadn't looked carefully enough. The Death Of The Doctor aired between WHO's Series 5 and 6. But that still doesn't change the fact that I failed the chronology.

If you're anything like me, you'll have pretty much forgotten what happens by then anyway

I'd be hard-pressed to describe my favourite episodes from the previous series unless I'd go back a few pages and I read what I wrote about it.
Sometimes I click on a random page of the Sons and Daughters discussion thread and I don't even recognise the person who wrote my comments, let alone what it's all about.

I haven't decided yet how I'm going to approach the Classic Who DVDs. When I enjoy a film or series I don't want to know too much about the how/why/whens or how popular it was.
I prefer to enjoy the stories "in isolation", if that makes any sense. I'll probably skip the commentaries and interviews and only watch those specific easter eggs like the Sarah Jane episodes. Unless I change my mind, it wouldn't be the first time.

 

[James from London]

I haven't decided yet how I'm going to approach the Classic Who DVDs. When I enjoy a film or series I don't want to know too much about the how/why/whens or how popular it was.
I prefer to enjoy the stories "in isolation", if that makes any sense. I'll probably skip the commentaries and interviews and only watch those specific easter eggs like the Sarah Jane episodes. Unless I change my mind, it wouldn't be the first time.

When I first started watching DVDs of old programmes I'd originally watched as a kid like Doctor Who and The Tomorrow People, I'd watch each episode followed by the commentary for that episode immediately after -- because the programmes themselves just seemed too creaky and old-fashioned to watch by themselves without having some modern perspective alongside them. I've gradually stopped doing that, partly because the novelty of listening to DVD commentaries has gradually worn off and partly because I've probably heard all the most interesting Who commentaries by now (the New Who ones are too new to offer any historical perspective; the '60s ones are so old, no-one who's still alive can really remember what happened), but mostly because I've gotten used to watching old TV again.

 

[Willie Oleson]

but mostly because I've gotten used to watching old TV again

Are you still rewatching everything from the 1960s?

The ninth episode called HIDE starts with a couple that investigates paranormal activity in a mansion with a dark history.
Naturally, the Doctor has to stick his nose into it which means that the original set-up is going to be turned upside down.
I thought the guest characters were interesting enough to make it a Doctor-lite episode, like the BLINK story.
The addition of a person from the future and also an alien love story makes it look a bit crowded, but Clara makes an interesting point about all earthlings in the Doctor's travels being ghosts.

It's interesting that the next episode JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE TARDIS is actually a much better Haunted House story.
The Tardis is not some cuddly Pixar vehicle because when it's attacked it will stop at nothing to protect itself, and saying "it's bigger on the inside" is the understatement of the century.
The damage caused by a salvage crew (just when the Doctor allowed Clara to experiment with the console) causes the ship to leak history which sends all characters on a psychedelic run & escape mission while being attacked by future zombie versions of themselves.
It reminds me of Wonka's chocolate factory which is not an evil place at all, but it can do very spooky things in order to confront children with their bad behaviour.

I like the way the Doctor tricked the ruthless spacecombers into becoming his rescue team, and then there's the hilarity of the brother aptly named Tricky who had been tricked into thinking he was an android.
The solution looks a bit like a half-baked running time casualty and they made it just in time before the end credits. I think the Tardis was important enough for a two-part story.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Anyone else a bit peeved that the next series of Who will be dropping at midnight?

Definitely.
It is already disappointing that the season was delayed this long.
It could derail, at least partially, the momentum that The series has built,
after the dismal Chibnall/Whitaker era
With RTD back in charge, the production team from the beginnings of the series' return,
David Tennant's return, the Toymaker, Ncuti Gatwa's casting, the surprisingly good
reintroduction of Bonnie Langford, a plausible correction of
Chibnall's (contradictory/ just plain wrong) origin story (The Toymaker admitted to manipulating the Doctor's past,
which even makes his memory or understanding of his past questionable at best), etc
The Ratings, Appreciation Index and quality have all risen to respectability again.
Not sure what to think about bigeneration - It could lead to some good stories, but
it also could be mishandled badly, depending on the showrunner

Also disappointing that Millie Gibson will have the shortest one season main companion status.
Since she is returning for some episodes in the next season, her story is clearly incomplete.

I have a sense that Disney is making more decisions than we realize.
The delayed season and replacing Millie Gibson would be possible examples.
Given how Disney has been mishandling various franchises ie (Star Wars, Marvel, Indiana Jones)
I have to wonder about their plans for Doctor Who
In any case, this season will be interesting

 

[James from London]

Are you still rewatching everything from the 1960s?

Yes. I'm up to May 67, where Betty Cord and Barnabas Collins are each having their portraits painted to resemble previous portraits of evil dead people, Catherine Peyton and Barnabas himself (when he was alive the first time). Which portrait will be completed first? I would have said Betty's because Sam Evans, the artist painting Barnabas, has become somewhat distracted ever since his daughter became possessed by a vampire, but as Dark Shadows airs five times a week and Peyton Place only twice, Barnabas's might still have the edge.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There's still enough left of the evening to meet the Twelfth Doctor, but after the Impossible Girl, The Great Intelligence, Trenzalore and River Song (again!) I feel my head is about to explode. And Iike the Doctor himself, I hate endings, it's not good for my sweetie dreams.

I loved the grande dame guignol in THE CRIMSON HORROR, starring Dame Diana Rigg in a special guest villainess role.
It's a great mix of campy horror , gothic sci-fi and a Mary Shelley type of drama.
THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR reveals everything but his name and that's fine with me. I mean, what if his name is Michael, like the many Michaels in Dynasty?
It doesn't look as big as, say, PANDORICA, but because it reinvents the Who history it kinda feels bigger. In fact, it's the first thing about NuWho that *could* influence the way I'm going to watch Classic Who (trying to spot Clara, oh and wouldn't it be great if she's actually "there"!)

 

[James from London]

There's still enough left of the evening to meet the Twelfth Doctor, but after the Impossible Girl, The Great Intelligence, Trenzalore and River Song (again!) I feel my head is about to explode. And Iike the Doctor himself, I hate endings, it's not good for my sweetie dreams.

I loved the grande dame guignol in THE CRIMSON HORROR, starring Dame Diana Rigg in a special guest villainess role.
It's a great mix of campy horror , gothic sci-fi and a Mary Shelley type of drama.
THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR reveals everything but his name and that's fine with me. I mean, what if his name is Michael, like the many Michaels in Dynasty?
It doesn't look as big as, say, PANDORICA, but because it reinvents the Who history it kinda feels bigger. In fact, it's the first thing about NuWho that *could* influence the way I'm going to watch Classic Who (trying to spot Clara, oh and wouldn't it be great if she's actually "there"!)

So you've got as far as The Name of the Doctor ... does that mean you've got The Day of the Doctor next?