"Doctor Who," He's Back and it's About Time!

[Almost Vintage]

I know it starts back up here on April 23. Can't wait!

 

[Edward]

That's interesting anise traditionally production rarely left the UK. They've already filmed in Croatia last season. It's nice that they are painting with a broader brush.

It's little surprise. Back in the day, the show was made on a budget of about twenty pence an episode, hence the wobbly sets and rubbery aliens. It is now a BBC flagship product, so it gets the money to do things like this. The beauty of it is that (for the most part...), they haven't let the story side of things slide just because they have pretty effects with which to play (or, as i might be put in some corners of fandom, they haven't done a George Lucas).

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Did anyone catch last nights episode? The ending was interesting to say the least.

 

[Yeps]

Did anyone catch last nights episode? The ending was interesting to say the least.

I have no idea what to think about that ending. I thought it was a very good episode.

 

[Effingham]

Back in the day, the show was made on a budget of about twenty pence an episode, hence the wobbly sets and rubbery aliens.

US fans occasionally mention the SF con in the US where John Nathan-Turner was one of the guests, and he was a judge at the costume competition. One fellow came out wearing a white T-shirt screen-printed with "Generic BBC monster" and Nathan-Turner reportedly stood up, enraged, and yelled at the competitor for wearing it, and to "get that costume back to the BBC's costume department where it belongs *at once!*"

 

[Edward]

I enjoyed the opening two-parter very much. I particularly liked the CIA (or was it FBI?) character: I would love to see him travel with the Doctor as a companion. All the companions in the rebooted franchise so far have been drawn from contemporary earth: it would be really nice to see something different. It would especially be fun to see a character from the Sixties or earlier experience our "present day". I very much appreciated that they left plenty of unanswered questions to run through the rest of the series. I was of the opinion that the little girl in the space suit was a very young River Song - not so sure given what clearly happened at the end. But then we don't know what species River actually is, do we? And she can pilot a TARDIS... I do suspect she may be Amy Pond's daughter.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I am also enjoying this season so far. Matt Smith is brilliant. He brings so much to the part. This 2-parter was epic! It was almost like watching a Who film. It certainly had the highest production value I have seen yet for the series.

I am so upset about the scene by the lake. I am wondering how they are going to sort all of that out!

 

[Miss Moonlight]

I'm a ridiculously infatuated Doctor Who fan. My daughter, who is 21 months old, knows that when I ask, "What does the Doctor say?" The answer is, "Allons-y!" I don't let her watch but she LOVES the opening credits and the small parts she's seen (nothing scary obviously) and she knows my ring tone a remix of the theme by The Timelords-Doctorin' the TARDIS from the 80s.

But then we don't know what species River actually is, do we? And she can pilot a TARDIS... I do suspect she may be Amy Pond's daughter.

I've been under the impression she's an exceptional human. And that she pilots the TARDIS so well to show how much time she's spent with the Doctor. That theory however is a really cool idea.

When this season/series started, I at first felt like I wasn't watching Doctor Who. It had a different feel somehow. But by the end of the two parts I felt back in DW land.

I'm a huge fan of the 10th Doctor. David Tennant was quintessential for me. But I really like where Matt Smith has taken the role and how he's portraying The Doctor. I admit that while I love River Song, and Rory, I've yet to find a place for Amy among companions. I don't find her dynamic enough. I felt the same about Martha. It's nothing against either of them, they just don't do anything for my perception of the show. They feel like footnotes, where Rose and Donna felt like pivotal characters.

 

[Edward]

Interesting... I loathed Rose and Martha; Donna I liked because at last in the reboot we had a genuinely strong female character that wasn't hopelessly in love with the Doctor. Amy Pond I like a lot, though River Song towers far above them all (that Alex Kingston's River Song is also the first of the assistants / supporting cast with whom I have been hopelessly infatuated is wholly irrelevant here, of course ). The course of her relationship with the Doctor is wonderful - the whole conceit of them living it out at opposite ends of the timeline.

I am also enjoying this season so far. Matt Smith is brilliant. He brings so much to the part. This 2-parter was epic! It was almost like watching a Who film. It certainly had the highest production value I have seen yet for the series.

I am so upset about the scene by the lake. I am wondering how they are going to sort all of that out!

It's well seen that they have had a jump up in the budget (at least I assume so, as this is the first of the rebooted series billed here as a co-production between BBC Wales and BBC America). The lovely thing is that for all that the story and characterisation are still what is first and foremost, not effects. I'm sure there are plenty of ways around the scene at the lake... it seems to me that this is the theme that will run for the rest of the season. I'll be interested to see who (or what) the little girl emerges as after what we saw happen to her in that second episode.

 

[adouglasmhor]

my ring tone a remix of the theme by The Timelords-Doctorin' the TARDIS from the 80s.

I used to love that but the other bit of the tune when they shout "Dr Who" is using a Garry Glitter tune (Rock and Roll part 2) and like most Brits I don't like to be reminded of him.

You knew Ford Tardis and the Timelords were really the KLF right?

 

[LocktownDog]

All the companions in the rebooted franchise so far have been drawn from contemporary earth: it would be really nice to see something different. It would especially be fun to see a character from the Sixties or earlier experience our "present day".

I'm all for bringing back Leela. Can't go wrong with leather bikinis in space.

I don't care much for the Amy & Rory side of things. I would have preferred River highlighted as the companion instead, but am unsure how that would work in the long-term story. Even better would have been Amy as the original little girl. They shouldn't have let her grow up.

 

[Yeps]

I don't care much for the Amy & Rory side of things. I would have preferred River highlighted as the companion instead, but am unsure how that would work in the long-term story. Even better would have been Amy as the original little girl. They shouldn't have let her grow up.

Little Amelia was one of the best characters ever, and I am glad that they brought her back for the series 5 finale. Rory is growing on me. Since he remembers his time as a Roman, that makes him the oldest character in the show, twice as old as the Doctor, which makes him kinda cool, and he is developing a nice character. Certainly better than Mickey the idiot.

Just a side note, bringing back random characters from the old show would be very strange, since it is not actually a reboot, and the continuity remains intact.

 

[Edward]

Ah, jings, aye..... I loathed Mickey. My greatest upset at the hideous travesty that was RTD's self indulgent pile of steaming doo-dah of a finale was that both he and Martha didn't get gunned down in a hail of bullets.... Mean spirited, I know. I'm a bad person. Rory is great, I agree about the age thing being interesting. I hope they will make more of that as time goes on. What I can't remember is whether he is 'organic' again now - he was a robot from Roman times on??

I'm all for bringing back Leela. Can't go wrong with leather bikinis in space.

WEll, they did bring back Sarah Jane, so who knows. I think it might be interesting to bring back Adric or one of the other, much younger companions in a grown-up state.

I don't care much for the Amy & Rory side of things. I would have preferred River highlighted as the companion instead, but am unsure how that would work in the long-term story. Even better would have been Amy as the original little girl. They shouldn't have let her grow up.

What I love about them is that they are so much a couple, it has broken away from what was becoming a tedious 'mould' of 'Doctor plus Female Companion That Is In Love With Doctor'. Unlike Mickey, Rory has something to contribute rather than just being a device to show how travelling with the doctor changes the companion.

 

[Yeps]

Rory is great, I agree about the age thing being interesting. I hope they will make more of that as time goes on. What I can't remember is whether he is 'organic' again now - he was a robot from Roman times on??

I am pretty sure he became human again in the big band 2, but he still has all of the plastic memories.

WEll, they did bring back Sarah Jane, so who knows. I think it might be interesting to bring back Adric or one of the other, much younger companions in a grown-up state.

That I am all right with, as long as they are brought back in a way which is consistent with the show, and not just "let's bring an old character back." I think that with non-time lord characters, it really does have to be the original actors, or at least should be.

What I love about them is that they are so much a couple, it has broken away from what was becoming a tedious 'mould' of 'Doctor plus Female Companion That Is In Love With Doctor'. Unlike Mickey, Rory has something to contribute rather than just being a device to show how traveling with the doctor changes the companion.

The Doctor plus female was getting kinda old. That is why my two favorite companions from Tennant's run were Jack, who is just a great character (he should make another appearance) and Wilfred (Donna's grandfather). Wilfred is one of the best characters that has been in the show, I think.

 

[Effingham]

Jack is coming back -- the new season of Torchwood will be here soon.

 

[Yeps]

Jack is coming back -- the new season of Torchwood will be here soon.

meh. I didn't like Torchwood very much. I thought it got canceled.

 

[Miss Moonlight]

You knew Ford Tardis and the Timelords were really the KLF right?

Yes.

I love the friendship with Donna Noble because of the way she handled the Doctor. He met his match with her, really.

I wasn't ever much of a Mickey fan but I don't think I loathe anyone from the show. I just found Martha boring.

 

[Argee]

meh. I didn't like Torchwood very much. I thought it got canceled.

It's now being made by Starz, and season 4 is set in the USA.

 

[Yeps]

It's now being made by Starz, and season 4 is set in the USA.

That is interesting. It makes sense. I always thought it was a more American feeling show, and the good Doctor just got a spike in popularity due to the wonderful stunt of actually releasing the episode on time in the States, so why not capitalize on it.

 

[Miss Moonlight]

I'm personally very excited about the return of Torchwood. I love it. The darker, more promiscuous (thanks to 51st century attitudes and pheromones) cousin to DW. I adore Captain Jack. And... I loved Ianto. And that it was filmed in Wales.

However... I do not know how it's going to still be Torchwood after the cast changes. I'm not fond of Gwen, I find her annoying.

And how on earth is Jack going to recover from what he had to do to save Earth's children in Children of Earth? I think he will answer a call when it comes, because he's Captain Jack. But he was rightfully, completely devastated.

I would hope for more cross-over eventually, however. Matt Smith's Doctor showing up on Torchwood or vice-versa is much less likely now that Torchwood is filming in the USA. Unless they did something with this brief DW USA visit... but they're also different production companies now.

I am concerned about how the show might change though... the budget being 3x larger is awesome. But... the violence was kept at a decent level (for my tastes anyway), and an American production company now? Ugh please don't go over-violent, Torchwood.