Doctor Who

[masterthes]

just got done with the Tennant years. Very sad. The End of Time is definitely in my top 5 Who episodes so far, probably even number one. I hated though they hooked up Martha and Mickey. I never really liked that guy

[ariich]

WHAT

Mickey is awesome.

[robwebster]

just got done with the Tennant years. Very sad. The End of Time is definitely in my top 5 Who episodes so far, probably even number one. I hated though they hooked up Martha and Mickey. I never really liked that guy

End of Time's brilliant. Certainly my favourite of Tennant's finales. Think I prefer Human Nature, Silence in the Library, though - the late-season two-parters.

Do like Mickey - didn't at first, though, I was like the Doctor. I thought he was an idiot, and the tin dog. Eventually earned his place with me, but maybe it happens over months, rather than days.

[hefdaddy42]

I guess my next one is Bells of St John.  I will try to hit that one tonight.

[robwebster]

Oh! No! The Snowmen's next. They've done a very weird thing with the scheduling, which has made this more confusing than it should be, but I wouldn't advise watching The Bells of St. John without catching the christmas special first. You can, if you want, but it's an interesting special. More than just a stop-gap.

This is, unless you've already watched the Snowmen. In which case... disregard this, I'm a div!

[hefdaddy42]

Oh! No! The Snowmen's next. They've done a very weird thing with the scheduling, which has made this more confusing than it should be, but I wouldn't advise watching The Bells of St. John without catching the christmas special first. You can, if you want, but it's an interesting special. More than just a stop-gap.

This is, unless you've already watched the Snowmen. In which case... disregard this, I'm a div!

I don't think I have access to a Christmas special.

[robwebster]

Ack! Well, if you can find it - brilliant. It seems to be $3 on iTunes, if that's any use, cos the events of the episode are... relevant, to the Bells of St. John, in a time travelly kind of way. That said, it's not compulsory viewing, and $3 does seem like a lot for an hour of telly, so if you want to watch the episodes you have access to, rather than mucking about with the episodes you haven't, that's fair. It's a mid-season opener, so it explains the most important stuff that gets carried forwards.

[hefdaddy42]

We'll see.  Thanks for the info.

[hefdaddy42]

I watched The Bells of St. John and The Rings of Akhaten.  Great stuff, once again.

[robwebster]

Eeeeexcellent! The Bells of St. John hold up all right without The Snowmen?

[abydos]

Am I in the minority for thinking that the Asylum of the Daleks and Snowmen were miles ahead of the episodes after them? Don't get me wrong, I love 'em but they all seem to kind of lose "it" in the middle-towards the end for me. Kind of disappointed Moffat isn't writing more.

[robwebster]

I think Asylum and Snowmen have been my favourite episodes of the run... but, every run has best episodes. A Town Called Mercy's not far below, and that wasn't a Steven Moffat episode.

He had to have a break after series six - part of the reason for seven's delay. The workload's huge, he's pumping out as many eps as he can. And I do think it's only right that the showrunner's writing the best episodes - imagine if he wasn't, how rubbish would that be! Get what you're saying, a series of Asylums would be superb... but there's only one Steven Moffat, and he's going as fast as he can! "Not as good as Asylum of the Daleks," or "Not as good as Steven Moffat," are fairly faint, as damnation goes. I'd give my left arm to be not as good as Steven Moffat. Not even a turn of phrase - I actually would! All right, left leg, can't really type with one arm, but still.

For what it's worth, Mark Gatiss has given his best script since The Unquiet Dead this series, we've got Neil Gaiman yet to come, and a seemingly-quite-unorthodox Neil Cross ep on Saturday. I'm sure there are some non-Moffat corkers to come.

[Sigz]

I just have to say, the scene from the street > the TARDIS > the plane in The Bells of St John is probably one of my favorite scenes in the modern series. Brilliant cinematography, and a great way to introduce the new companion to the TARDIS.

[hefdaddy42]

Eeeeexcellent! The Bells of St. John hold up all right without The Snowmen?

Yeah, I guess.  I mean, I was a little in the dark about why the Doctor was in 1207, but I'm always somewhat in the dark anyway, so I just accepted it and moved on.

[ariich]

Am I in the minority for thinking that the Asylum of the Daleks and Snowmen were miles ahead of the episodes after them? Don't get me wrong, I love 'em but they all seem to kind of lose "it" in the middle-towards the end for me. Kind of disappointed Moffat isn't writing more.

Asylum, Town Called Mercy and Bells are my favourites so far, so yeah I probably do have a preference for Moffat's stuff, but then I love his style so that does kinda make sense. Doesn't mean I'm not really enjoying the other stuff though! Only weaker moments for me have been Dinosaurs (still an absolute blast, just lacked any real sense) and the second half of Rings, but even those I still enjoyed a lot and had some really nice touches.

[hefdaddy42]

OK, just caught Cold War.  Pretty good, but probably my least favorite so far.

[Fiery Winds]

OK, just caught Cold War.  Pretty good, but probably my least favorite so far.

It's definitely more of a "bottle episode" in scope and production, but I enjoyed the villain more than in Rings.

[robwebster]

OK, just caught Cold War.  Pretty good, but probably my least favorite so far.

And you're up to date!

Huzzah!

[masterthes]

Finally started 5th series. I could get used to Matt Smith. My initial reaction is that he seems to be more subdued than Tennant, which is fine by me, anf Karen Gillan is very fine indeed

[robwebster]

Yes, Matt's great. Different animal to Tennant - more subdued at times, I think. At his manic, he's probably rather more manic... but, I'll let you find out!

Five is my favourite series. Report frequently!

[Fiery Winds]

Yes, Matt's great. Different animal to Tennant - more subdued at times, I think. At his manic, he's probably rather more manic... but, I'll let you find out!

Five is my favourite series. Report frequently!

Five is definitely up there for me, as well.  The marked improvement in production, writing, and revised vision is what really pulled me back into the series, as opposed to just being another show I watched.  Those final four hours of Series 5 are just magnificent.   

[masterthes]

I'm at the return of the Angels. Definitely liking what I've seen so far. Is Karen Gillan related to a certain Deep Purple singer by any chance?

[abydos]

Nope.

[hefdaddy42]

OK, just caught Cold War.  Pretty good, but probably my least favorite so far.

And you're up to date!

Huzzah!

[masterthes]

Time of the Angels is better than Blink

Umm, and how come River never acknowledged Amy if technically she already met her at that point?

[masterthes]

That Van Gough episode was simply beautiful

[robwebster]

Time of the Angels is better than Blink

Umm, and how come River never acknowledged Amy if technically she already met her at that point?

Time traveller! Needs to be careful. And yes, the Van Gogh ep is possibly the highlight of that series. So, so good. I might prefer The Eleventh Hour. And the finale. But, not by much.

New ep - jesus christ, that was a bit good. First three were decent. This one, whoa! The creature... it was what I think it was, right? Begins with a T?

[Sigz]

Yeah, great ep. Loved the high five when they got back.

Journey to the Center of the TARDIS looks great as well.

[Super Dude]

I just have to say, the scene from the street > the TARDIS > the plane in The Bells of St John is probably one of my favorite scenes in the modern series. Brilliant cinematography, and a great way to introduce the new companion to the TARDIS.

Oh totally. Say what you want about the episodes of this season as a whole (what little we've seen anyway), but what make them for me are the fantastic little bits like that.

[Heretic]

MAN Hide was definitely my favorite of series 7 thus far. Clara was amazing and really came into her character her. The episode was actually very creepy whilst having an amazing twist and resolution. The acting was superb and the characters were great, too. If Neil Cross can put out episodes of this quality, they surely better recruit him for series 8. Awesome.

[masterthes]

so nice to finally have a cheery series finale for once. On to series 6!

[robwebster]

MAN Hide was definitely my favorite of series 7 thus far. Clara was amazing and really came into her character her. The episode was actually very creepy whilst having an amazing twist and resolution. The acting was superb and the characters were great, too. If Neil Cross can put out episodes of this quality, they surely better recruit him for series 8. Awesome.

Yep - word for word. Nothing but praise. Superlative. Fantastic. Phenomenal episode. More like this, please.

so nice to finally have a cheery series finale for once. On to series 6!

You asked, at Journey's End, "Is there ever a happy finale?"

Yes!

Also, currently looking at a potential tie on the DWS1 survivor, so... your vote counts!

[ReaperKK]

Ok so I haven't read any of this thread but I want to check this show out. Where would I start? Doctor Who has been around for ages hasn't it?

[robwebster]

It has! And I'd advise against starting right at the start, because...crikey! You'd be here for years. Doctor Who owes its longevity, in part, to a format that isn't tied to a single cast. The leading man, leading lady - everyone can be and is replaced, thrives on change. Had 26 series between 1963 and 1989, rested for a bit, and started a new run in 2005.

The latest "everything brand new" change of the guard was at the top of series five of the new run, an episode called "The Eleventh Hour" - which is also a one-stop Doctor Who FAQ. You can watch that and continue onwards without needing any prior knowledge, you'll get it all at the top of the hour, it was designed to appeal to new viewers. You could do the same starting with series one, if you wanted, and many would recommend that above all, but I think S5 is the better crash-course. More recent, more relevant. S1's a great place to start, too, if a little more dated now that it's almost a decade old, but none of it's required reading - you could even start with the current series, if you wanted, just as hefdaddy did a few days ago. Heck, series five episode six was designed as an episode new viewers could happily latch onto.

S5E1 is the best, though, followed by S1E1. The Eleventh Hour is the first ep with the latest Doctor, Rose is the first ep of "modern Doctor Who." Have at it!

[Super Dude]

Only nine minutes through the new ep, but lemme just say that Clara is about as cute as a button.