Doctor Who

[jonny108]

My ranking:

Series 5
Series 7
Series 4
Series 3
Series 1
Series 6
Series 2

Love them all.

[Scorpion]

I'll probably keep you updated as I make my way through Doctor Who - that is, if anyone is interested in what a noob thinks of the series on first watching.

Today I watched:

The Shakespeare Code: Brilliant. I love how Shakespeare phrases are worked in there and the Harry Potter references had me laughing as well. The villains were pretty standard, though I loved how they were defeated in the end. The very ending had me intrigued - is there a sequel to this that explains that that I can look forward to? Also: "57 academics just punched the air." is probably my favourite Doctor line so far.

Gridlock: Since I had already seen that many of you dislike it, I didn't have high expectations and wasn't disappointed in the least. The story was pretty interesting, I found, though the execution was pretty tedious at times. The ending with the Face of Boe has me very intrigued about what is to come and about the possibility of encountering other Time Lords.

Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks: Not bad, but not brilliant either. I liked Dalek Sec though and I'm intrigued when the Doctor meets Dalek Caan again. Also, during that speech of the black guy whose name I forgot, I had a really uneasy feeling throughout, that was a really good setup, though I did feel sorry for him when he was killed. The resolution of the whole thing did feel a little like a cop-out, though.

The Lazarus Experiment: Probably my least favourite episode of the day, along with Gridlock. Again, not bad, but it felt very standard and nothing really exciting either. The monster felt very over-the-top to me.

42: Amazing, probably my favourite of the day and one of my favourites of the whole show. I loved the whole premise of it, those heat monsters were really, really creepy in a good way and the resolution of the whole thing was both original and brilliant.

Human Nature and The Family of Blood will probably follow tonight. More tomorrow, that is, if this is of interest to anyone.

[robwebster]

I am always interested in exactly what a noob thinks of the series on first watching, and this saves me the trouble of constantly asking.

The Shakespeare Code. To answer your question... sort of! There's more to come on Elizabeth I. And you don't know how true that sentence is.

Gridlock. Fair thoughts. But, curiosity - where did you see that so many of us dislike it?

42. I love 42. As you say, great concept, and the peril feels genuine throughout. I think it's really cool, and I'm glad you agree.

Er... enjoy tomorrow!

[Scorpion]

I think you said in a survivor that I randomly opened that you hated it? I really have no idea, but I'm fairly sure that you've expressed the sentiment somewhere that most of Season 3 is pretty great, except for Gridlock.

Anyway, looking forward to the rest. Season 3 is quickly shaping up to be my favourite so far, and Tennant is an AMAZING doctor, far better than Ecclestone ever was - not that he was bad, mind you, but Tennant is really something else.

[Heretic]

mine would probably be:

Series 5
Series 7
Series 4
Series 3
Series 6
Series 2
Series 1

[ariich]

I enjoy Gridlock a lot, and don't really see what the problem is with it. I'd rank it around the middle of that series probably.

But yeah, from Human Nature onwards it's basically pure bliss.

[Jaq]

Gridlock's a little uneven, but that one moment where everything gets all solemn and the traffic jam starts singing along to the hymn, which by all rights shouldn't work and yet does, makes up for any flaws it has. RTD needed to aim for more moments like that and fewer farting alien moments. 

[ariich]

Oh god, the Slitheen.

[robwebster]

I honestly, sincerely didn't mind the Slitheen when I first caught Aliens of London. It wasn't until much later, when I heard everyone else going on about it, that I thought, "You know? That farting might've been a bit misjudged." That said, I missed The End of the World, so Aliens of London was only the third episode I saw, and completely in keeping with what had mostly been Keith Boak's interpretation of Doctor Who.

What I'm saying, really, is the flatulence kind of worked for me at the time! Completely the opposite of the stuffy old sci-fi show gathering mothballs that I'd always believed Doctor Who to be. The surname gag, the fart gag, the decoy ship, it was the opposite of every cliché invasion. I totally went along with it. It's only now that I've got the context of the later seasons that I've gone, "Crikey, that was actually a little shaky in retrospect, wasn't it?"

Doctor Who! Round 4! Here it is!

[Scorpion]

Alright, today's fare.

Human Nature / The Family of Blood: Amazing. Great, great acting from Tennant and that conflict between the Doctor and John Smith is all kinds of awesome. The scarecrows are amazing as well, they really captured the creepiness. Also, the end features some of the most badass shots of the Doctor, ever. - well, up to now.

Blink: Even though I had high expectations, this episode absolutely destroyed them. The concept behind the Weeping Angels is as genius as it is scary and the way that the Doctor was worked into the episode without actually being there for most of the part was brilliant. When it was shown how the Doctor tricked the Angels, I was applauding in front of my laptop. Easily my favourite Doctor Who episode up to now.

Utopia / The Sounds of Drums / Last of the Time Lords: Very grand and very good. I felt pretty sorry for the Doctor a lot of the time, but that finale was amazing. The Master was brilliant as well, I loved his portrayal as a very dangerous but pretty funny maniac. Plus, another badass shot of the Doctor at the end. Also, I think I know who's hand that was at the end... time (lol!) will show if I'm right, I guess.

[robwebster]

That is a properly incredible run of episodes to watch all at once.

Which was your favourite of the three stories? And whose hand do you think it is? We promise not to say anything! Not even "Hm, interesting." Well, I promise, anyway.

Doctor Who, round 5. With some bonus statistics, to apologise for my tardiness.

[Scorpion]

Out of those three stories? Blink, easily. The Weeping Angels are probably my favourite Doctor Who villain up to date, and that interaction across time and space between the Doctor and Sally was mind-boggling, in a good way. The other three were very good as well, though I'd say that the closing trilogy is one of the weaker links of Season 3, actually. It's not bad, and the Master is amazing, but it feels a little like it's trying to cram too large a scope into one story.

As with the hand, I thought that it was the hand of the woman that worked for the Master, that you'd seen during the earlier episode, where Martha's mother gives her phone to her - I think she had the same nails.

Also, will it be explained where the sound of drums come from, in the Master's head? 'Cause I'm guessing that it's not just a byproduct of looking into the vortex, otherwise the Doctor would have probably known about it.

Also, today's episodes! Beware, today was a long day of Doctor Who.

Voyage of the Damned: Great. I loved the setting, and Kylie did a pretty good job as a companion. It was kinda clear that Max Capricorn would be involved somehow, and I quickly got the impression that he's behind the whole thing, even though I would have never, in a million years, guessed the resolution. Probably my favourite Christmas special so far.

Partners in Crime: So-so episode, I guess. It wasn't bad, but nothing about it really wowed me and that moment with Donna at the door and the Doctor at the window was downright stupid. The Adipose were kinda cute, though, and I felt a little like punching the air when Ms. Foster dropped down - I don't know what it was, but she really got under my skin for some reason.

The Fires of Pompeii: Great episode, once again. I loved how it wove into the historical events, and the Pyroviles were really an interesting villain. I can't pinpoint the exact reasons - there was nothing really especially special about this one - but I just loved this episode to bits.

Planet of the Ood: Amazing. I was really happy that the story of the Ood, of which I was curious after The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit was expanded on, and when I found out the real origins of the Ood, I felt pretty sorry for them. The ending was brilliant though, that dick deserved what he got.

The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky: Very good. I loved it that Martha returned for this one (I think I prefer her over Donna - not sure about Rose) and the way that the suspense was build and held was absolutely brilliant, both with regards to what the Sontaran were actually planning and the Martha situation. Also, Rattigan was a dick, but I guess he did redeem himself at the end.

The Doctor's Daughter: Something about this story rubbed me the wrong way... I liked the premise, but there were several plot-holes here that really bothered me. Why did they shove the Doctor into that machine, without any tests before? And why were they so quick to lay the weapons down at the end, after the Doctor basically told everyone that everything is a big lie? Why was that Hath ready to sacrifice himself for Martha so quickly - weren't they as entrenched in their hate as the humas were? I guess, all in all, it felt like the character development was incredibly rushed and a little unrealistic - maybe by expanding on this a little and by making it a double episode, it would have worked better. I liked Jenny, though, I loved how she put the Doctor into his place sometimes - that, and she was SMOKING.

The Unicorn and the Wasp: Maybe it's because I love Agatha Christie, but I absolutely adored this episode. The two interweaving stories of the wasp and the unicorn were pretty great and I loved how they tied together. And that moment with the Colonel confessing was hilarious.

Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead: Oh. My. God. I love Steven Moffatt, and this was a serious mindfuck episode. For a long time, I had no fucking idea what was actually going on, but the way that it was resolved was brilliant. And the addition of River Song was amazing and added another dynamic to this already amazing story. Also, when I heard that the Doctor's name will be unveiled, I nearly fell of my chair - isn't that, like, the Doctor's best-kept secret? I did find out that there is an episode called The Name of the Doctor, so I am really looking forward to that one now.

[masterthes]

And you know Tennant is married to Jenny in real life, right?

[ariich]

He is now - they met filming that episode.

[snowdog]

And you know Tennant is married to Jenny in real life, right?

I find that a bit creepy given that she is the daughter of Peter Davison who Tennant has said was his favorite Doctor.

[ariich]

How is that creepy?

[Scorpion]

Today's episodes were:

Midnight: Great episode. Even though I was pretty sure that the Doctor wouldn't be thrown out, I was still pretty terrified and the way that the woman manipulated him and all the others was great. I also really liked that you didn't see the monster or whatever it was, it added another level of mystique to it that really fit this particular story.

Turn Left / The Stolen Earth / Journey's End: Turn Left was amazing, and I loved how they constructed the total dystopia that the world has become in the absence of the doctor, and that beatle was terrifying. Plus, that ending had me waiting with bated breath. The other two parts were pretty good as well, but they were more standard-Doctor-Who fare, whereas Turn Left was a little bit more subtle and different, making it the standout of the trilogy. The ending of Journey's End and the involvement of Dalek Caan were amazing, though.

The Next Doctor: The premise of this story was amazing, and it was executed nearly as well. I really liked Jackson Lake as well, he made a great one-off companion and the final battle between the Doctor and the Cyberking was all kinds of awesome as well.

Planet of the Dead: Pretty good, but not great. In my opinion, it dragged in some parts, it could have easily been shortened by fifteen minutes or something. Malcolm was pretty brilliant, though, and the introduction of the "He will knock four times" was perfectly set up - I didn't even know what it was about, but it sent shivers down my spine all the same. One thing - while lots of Doctor Who episodes are probably not scientifically correct, the explanation of the wormhole creation struck me as a little contrived and unlikely, even within those parameters.

The Waters of Mars: This episode was amazing, and probably one of my favourite of the entire series. Like no episode before, it really showed the Doctor's soul and his dilemma as a Time Lord, and that ending, when the Doctor broke down on the street, nearly made me tear up. The main story with the water-borne virus was pretty great as well, but what really made this episode was the portrayal of the Doctor (again, applause for Tennant!) and the insights shown into his... well, person.

The End of Time: The story had a great premise and it was very well executed most times, but I think that it got a little too complicated for its own good sometimes - the two independent story arcs of the Time Lords and the Master were necessary, yes, but a little overloaded, in my opinion, and it could have easily been compressed to two episodes of normal length, I think. I did enjoy the explanation of the drums in the Master's head, how the "He will knock four times" thing was resolved and the farewell scenes, though they did get drawn out a little at the end. Welcome Matt Smith.

Also, tentative rankings of Series Four (which is still the freshest in my mind).

1. Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead
2. The Waters of Mars
3. Planet of the Ood
4. Midnight
5. The Next Doctor
6. The Unicorn and the Wasp
7. Voyage of the Damned
8. The Fires of Pompeii
9. Turn Left / The Stolen Earth / Journey's End
10. The End of Time
11. The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
12. Planet of the Dead
13. The Doctor's Daughter
14. Partners in Crime

Though I really like them all a lot, except for maybe Partners in Crime, it's just a little too... silly, I suppose.

[masterthes]

Planet of the Dead was definitely the weakest of the specials, but damn that girl was easy on the eyes

[ariich]

Yeah she is properly hot.

And Scorp, I highly recommend that you stop paying attention to the science. Doctor Who has never, ever been even pretending to have realistic science. A lot of people (myself included) wouldn't even call it sci-fi. The show is all about imagination, so taking scientific ideas but doing something creative with them, rather than realistic.

[Scorpion]

Oh, I know that, but nevertheless, it felt a little half-assed to me. I don't know why, it's never really bothered me, but when that explanation came, I was like "Oh, come on.". I know that the shows no about that, but it bothered me for some reason.

And yeah, Michelle Ryan is seriously smoking.

[Super Dude]

Don't know if this has made it into 50th anniversary speculation yet, but I think it's more probable than not that David Tennant and Billie Piper are going to come from that alternate universe they were dropped off in from Journey's End.

[masterthes]

I think that's probably a given

[Heretic]

Nah, it's actually been disproven. We've seen the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS in pictures, various reporters and even Moffat said that it was a proper "multi-Doctor" story, and his haircut has been spotted as the one from Series 2. He's also wearing the suit from series two in pictures.

[masterthes]

That makes more sense

[Scorpion]

Today's fare!

The Eleventh Hour: AMAZING. I loved Matt Smith right from the start, but that food scene cemented it for me. The story was great as well, I loved the way that the Doctor hunted Prisoner Zero throughout the city and the way that he and Amy beat him was superb. Plus, that showdown on the roof is probably one of the most badass Doctor Who scenes, ever.

The Beast Below: Again, amazing. I loved how the suspense was built throughout and the those Smilers were seriously creepy. I also really enjoyed that Amy is finally a smart companion once again that can develop her own ideas and stuff - nothing against Donna, but she was a little lacking in that aspect.

Victory of the Daleks: Great, but probably my least favourite of today's episodes. I would have liked the initial situation of the Daleks pretending to be subservient to continue for a little longer, it did have a lot of potential. I have to say, I also wasn't a fan of the new Dalek design, due to the different colours, they looked a little less deadly, not like the old Daleks. The showdown was great again, and I loved Amy's role - that girl is quickly becoming one of my favourite companions - better than Donna and Rose, definitely.

The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone: I was skeptical if Moffatt would be able to recapture what made Blink so special when I found out that this features the Angels again. Well, Blink is still better, but not by much, and this is an amazing episode in its own right. The Angels were terrifying again, especially Angel Bob, and that scene where Amy had to keep her eyes closed was pure genius. Plus, that crack in time and what happened with the soldiers really sent shivers down my spine. Great, great ending as well. I'm also very interested in the story of River now, even though I didn't like her that much in Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead.

Overall, I can already say two things:

1. Matt Smith is a BRILLIANT doctor - I still prefer Tennant, but Smith is amazing in his own right.
2. The change from RTD to SM has only done the show a world of good - Season Five is, in my opinion, the strongest to date.

[senecadawg2]

I'm obviously late on this, but are you watching all of these for the first time now and posting your thoughts as you go along? If so, that's very cool, and I'm jealous of the journey ahead of you.

Regardless, season 5 is great, and Matt Smith is phenomenal!

[Scorpion]

Yeah, I am. I have no idea why I put it off for so long, but I'm here now, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. It's the most consistently good TV show that I've ever seen.

[ariich]

Series 5 is the bestest.

[masterthes]

Series 5 is the bestest.

QFT

[Scorpion]

Yesterday's lot!

The Vampires of Venice: Another good episode (I'm really starting to sound like a broken record here, but it's true!). I really like the explanation of the vampiric traits in an unexpected way, and that question and answer scene was pretty awesome as well. I really felt sorry for the fish vampires at the end - it was just that situation where there's no ideal solution.

Amy's Choice: SERIOUSLY AWESOME. Great story, great pacing and it made for an interesting change that the Doctor wasn't in charge this time. The way that it was resolved felt a little lackluster, though - very anticlimatic.

The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood: Pretty good. I liked the Silurians and the conflict that humans and Silurians were facing and the Doctor and Amy were awesome as always. The ending nearly had me in tears, especially when Amy forgot all about Rory.

Vincent and the Doctor: To be honest, after seeing everyone sing the praises of this episode in the survivors, I was a little underwhelmed. True, the acting was incredible and the final scene was very moving, but the story itself felt a little straightforward to me - I was expecting something a little more intricate than "Monster on the loose - we hunt it - we kill it - over", which is basically what was happening in a nutshell (slight exaggeration, but you get my point). Mind you, it was still pretty good, I was just expecting something more.

[ariich]

The monster in Vincent is only a framing device, the whole point of the episode is the story about Vincent himself and the monsters that he was battling with his whole life.

[Scorpion]

Yeah, that does make sense, but it still left me a little unsatisfied.

[robwebster]

I think that's fair! It kind of snuck up on me, how good it was. Despite some nice touches, the monster is fairly normal. I left thinking it was a relatively standard, but perfectly satisfying episode of Doctor Who. Repeated watches treated it well, though. I think, with multiple viewings, I saw it more as Vincent's story than the monster's, and Vincent's is an utter corker - played with a pathos that's not entirely common in Doctor Who, and despite its monster-hunting setting, it's chillingly real. Probably the best use of the "celebrity historical" format. They touch on the tragedies of Agatha Christie, and Queen Victoria, but Vincent's the one where it hurts.

Round eight! Half-way through the final game.

[Scorpion]

The Lodger: Very enjoyable. I loved all the scenes of the Doctor trying to be all domestic and stuff and Craig and Sophie were great as well. The alien backstory was a little pedestrian, but it wasn't the main focus and it did work in the context of the episode. Not great, but very good.

The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang: This was a seriously amazing finale. That alliance between the Doctor's enemy, the TARDIS exploding, the end of the universe... everything fit together really well while resolving the "cracks in the universe" arc while still keeping a lot of questions unanswered. Great finale, definitely one of my favourites.

The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon: That was some serious mindfuck. While some questions were answered, even more were left open, and that opening scene had you knowing right away that shit's going to hit the fan. That orphanage scene was probably one of my favourites, so dark and creepy without seeming over the top or anything. Plus, seriously awesome way that the Doctor defeats the Silence.

The Curse of the Black Spot: Enjoyable and self-contained, but nothing special. Still a very good episode though, I liked the relationship between Toby and Henry and how it evolved, even though the character development seemed a little quick. I wasn't too fond of the ending, though - can't pinpoint why, exactly.

The Doctor's Wife: AMAZING. Gaiman totally delivered on this one, so much good stuff - the dialogue between the Doctor and Idris/the TARDIS, the scenes on board of the TARDIS, House, ... everything about this episode was brilliant, definitely one of my favourites of the whole show so far.

The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People: Not bad, but it didn't wow me and some scenes just felt a little contrived - especially that final monster. There were some really nice touches with the continuity here, though, like that Amy told the Doctor about his death and that final cliffhanger was amazing.

A Good Man Goes to War / Let's Kill Hitler: I'm of two minds on this one, mainly on the two episodes. The first one was brilliant, I loved how the Doctor assembled all those people and took over Demon's Run, only to be tricked by the Eye-Patch Lady again - great buildup. The Headless Monks made great villains as well and that final scene was amazing, even though I kinda suspected that revelation, but it was still brilliantly executed. The second episode, however, was just all over the place and really lacked coherence and had so many plotholes and stuff that I was just scratching my head most of the time - why the Third Reich? Why Hitler - he didn't do anything in the story at all. Plus, the introduction of a totally new friend that just happens to be their Time Lord daughter to Rory and Amy felt really weak to me and River's whole character didn't really make any sense either. I'll rewatch it, I guess, but for the time being, this one was very weird, and not the good kind.

[senecadawg2]

One of my all-time favorite Doctor Who scenes is from The Lodger, watching him play soccer