The New Doctor Who

I'm surprised there hasn't been any mention of the new Doctor Who here, given it has been a day or two since it aired. I watched it last night starting off with both my daughters watching (age 3 and 6), but they were banned from the room about half an hour in when the monster appeared. Oddly my 3 year old loves monster movies so was fine but my 6 year old is more sensitive and did have nightmares.

I thought it was solid but not brilliant. Unfortunately I have high hopes for the series, mainly because 4 of my favourite 5 episodes of the revived series were written by Steven Moffat, who has now taken over as head writer. I was sceptical that Matt Smith was too young when I saw all the preview shots, but for some reason he felt a lot older in the episode.

Later I was watching the 8 minute special that Steven Moffat wrote where the 10th doctor meets the 5th doctor, and at the end of that the 10th doctor says that the 5th was his favourite because he was more dashing and didn't rely on the tardis or sonic screwdriver that much. I suspect that is what we will see more of, as that was really Steven Moffat talking not the 10th Doctor (although I suspect that David Tennant agrees as his line "You were my Doctor" obviously comes from the heart).

I should probably say little. I am a huge fan of classic who. The new episode was fine, but there were a lot of Moffat plot points, which reappeared. No real surprises, but still a solid episode.

Haven't seen it yet. We've got the final episodes of Season 4 to finish. We've been delaying the inevitable for quite some time because my wife isn't ready to let Donna go.

fortressat.com/index.php?option=com_cont...tid=65&Itemid=100059

Over the last month or so I have been rewatching the entire ‘new who’ series in the lead up to this new run. Fantastic series which in my opinion shits on BSG, with very few dud episodes (I especially enjoyed torchwood season 1 much more on rewatch.)

New episode was great fun, but I don’t know where the RTD haters are getting thier ‘best episode eva!’ cries. This felt pretty much like a RTD episode, you could hardly feel the change in the showrunner at all. Anyone who is claiming vindication that the series is in much better hands based on this episode is delusional. I mean the plot was almost a rehash of ‘Smith and Jones’. And as Matt pointed out the metaplot was as subtle as a cricket bat to the face

The plot was by far Moffatt’s shitest, and I found the creature design of both the aliens and prisoner 0 dumb. The alien’s logic didn’t make much sense either.
Matt Smith was great as the doctor – loved the manic energy. He can pull of the insanity brilliantly, only concern I have is if he will have the gravida’s that Tennat did in his darker moments (which were my favourite).

Pond is looking to be an awesome companion with the potential to even beat Donna this early on. The companions whom challenge the Doc a bit are far more interesting than those whom just fawn over him.

There are RTD haters? The guy did bring Doctor Who back. I would gladly sit through the worst episode from his period if it would keep the show on the air.

Not sure I agree that the plot is Moffat's worst. The plots in Time Crash, Silence in the Library, and Forest of the Dead weren't the strongest parts of those episodes.

Speaking of meta-plot, why are all the DW forums talking about Myth computers?

Walterman wrote:

There are RTD haters?

You have never hung out at aintitcoolnews I take it?

Not sure I agree that the plot is Moffat's worst. The plots in Time Crash, Silence in the Library, and Forest of the Dead weren't the strongest parts of those episodes.

Time crash was an 8 minute special and the 'plot' was simply an excuse to get two doctors together for a cool moment, so I don't think that counts.

What was wrong with the Silence in the Library 2 parter plot? I quite liked it. The shadow idea was cool, I liked the notion of the library planet and the little girl. Dona being 'saved' was great. I liked the plot.

Does remind me of another 'problem' with this episode though - at the end he does the whole "Do you know who I am? I'm the doctor so run!" thing which he did in forest of the dead, the last Moffatt episode. I'm a bit scared Moff is a bit heavy with reusing stuff.

Speaking of meta-plot, why are all the DW forums talking about Myth computers?

The laptop the guy dude was using in the ep had the brand logo 'myth'.

Walterman wrote:

There are RTD haters?

You have never hung out at aintitcoolnews I take it?

Not sure I agree that the plot is Moffat's worst. The plots in Time Crash, Silence in the Library, and Forest of the Dead weren't the strongest parts of those episodes.

Time crash was an 8 minute special and the 'plot' was simply an excuse to get two doctors together for a cool moment, so I don't think that counts.

What was wrong with the Silence in the Library 2 parter plot? I quite liked it. The shadow idea was cool, I liked the notion of the library planet and the little girl. Dona being 'saved' was great. I liked the plot.

Does remind me of another 'problem' with this episode though - at the end he does the whole "Do you know who I am? I'm the doctor so run!" thing which he did in forest of the dead, the last Moffatt episode. I'm a bit scared Moff is a bit heavy with reusing stuff.

Speaking of meta-plot, why are all the DW forums talking about Myth computers?

The laptop the guy dude was using in the ep had the brand logo 'myth'.

Haven't been to aintitcool in a long time, and if they are RTD haters then even more reason not to go back.

The library episode's plot wasn't bad. I just thought that it was worse than Eleventh Hour. Maybe it was because library was the first episode where Moffat really reused earlier ideas. "Hello, are you my mommy?", "Hey, who turned out the lights?". The doctor in a time jumping romance (Girl in the Fireplace did River Song type romance earlier). And so on.

I referred to the laptop logo because some fans think myth will be the next Mr. Saxon or Bad Wolf. One episode is not enough to judge though.

I watched the second episode at the weekend and thought it was actually pretty poor. Although the dialogue and atmosphere were up to scratch, the plot really didn't make any sense.

So far after watching the first two episodes, I found it about the "average fare" for Dr. Who. of course the new Muse for Who, Karen Gillan is H.O.T.

I didn't find the first 2 episodes all that great, and they probably could have mixed it up a bit for originality, but it wasn't bad.

Just got back from watching the new one.

Liked it better than last weeks, but 2 things I didn't understand:

(how do I do spoiler tags?)

SPOILERS BELOW

What the fuck was the start with the kid failing the test about, then getting 'killed' because he didn't walk. What the hell did that have to do with the plot?

Unless I missed something the whole thing made no sense - was it the earth that was burning? If so then how the fuck did all the other countries escape? It's even stated Scotland got its own ship. Or was it englands original space ship that was burning? Did I miss something?

Mr Skeletor wrote:

What the fuck was the start with the kid failing the test about, then getting 'killed' because he didn't walk. What the hell did that have to do with the plot?

It had nothing to do with the plot.

Unless I missed something the whole thing made no sense

Nope, you didn't miss anything. The whole thing made no sense.

And yet you thought it was better than last weeks' episode? Man you must have thought that was really crap.

The teaser trailer for next weeks' episode suggests it's either going to be blindingly brilliant or awful. We'll have to wait and see ...

I found it better than the first as well .... and I thought I had understood the plot - people had to be selected somehow to 'keep the ship moving' by feeding the beast, one way was the 'object' button and it seems being a little shit in school was another way (oh - if it wasn't just fiction) except the kids were safe from the beast.

It was an OK story - but what was with that shiney crack in the ships base right at the end, another link to what prisoner zero was saying last week ?

Once again, an OK story but still at the bottom of this list to watch currently;

Super14 Rugby
Lost
True Blood
Ashes to Ashes
Sons of Anarchy
Flash Forward
Mad Men
The Pacific (forgot all about it last night)
Heroes (I'm persevering, although I missed one and never even noticed)

That should start some shit-fest replies ....

Southernman wrote:

I found it better than the first as well .... and I thought I had understood the plot - people had to be selected somehow to 'keep the ship moving' by feeding the beast, one way was the 'object' button and it seems being a little shit in school was another way (oh - if it wasn't just fiction) except the kids were safe from the beast.

Yeah right, except that it was known the Beast didn't eat children. So why bother feeding them to it?

And what was the point of the whole police state thing with those clowns in the booths: everyone had chosen to forget! And why sinister clowns in any case?

Rubbish. I'm enjoying both The Pacific and Ashes to Ashes a whole lot more at the moment.

It doesn't help that Smith's take on the Doctor is starting to look like a repressed-homosexual physics teacher.