Doctor Who Season 6 on BBC America - Page 5

I should have done this before... but here's a spoilered summary of the clip:

I thought it was decent enough. Not a great episode... but better than the preceding episode ("A Good Man Goes To War") which seemed to have 1 minute of actual content (the reveal of who River Song is) surrounded by 41(?) minutes of filler. Perhaps it'll grow on me after seeing it a few more times... but so far that seems to be the low-point in Matt Smith's run as the Doctor.

I feel I should make it clear that I just didn't care for McCoy's version of The Doctor.

I have nothing against his acting abilities or dedication to his craft.

Those are fair points... and I'm more in that camp myself. It's hard to tell how much better he could have been IF the BBC hadn't been trying to tank the show by then.

I didn't care for the McCoy years either. The poor stories didn't help -- Delta and the Bannermen, The Happiness Patrol, etc. Ugh. And possibly the worst companion ever -- Mel (yes, I know that she started with Colin Baker). I actually liked Colin Baker, although the writers didn't seem to know how to write for him -- they should have backed off a little bit on the "he's unlikeable now" schtick. I still like Pertwee the best out of all of the original actors to portray the Doctor.

I can't believe both my Cox DVR and TiVo both missed recording "Night Terrors" both guides listed it as a repeat!!!! I really hate having to babysit my DVRs.

Did this happen to anyone else? gonna have to catch the repeat next Friday night.

Never, ever trust the BBCA guide data. Don't blame your DVRs for this one.

I hate to break it to you, but the guide data was correct on Dish.

I am a lifelong fan of the "classic" Doctor Who series and am a die hard fan of the new series. I think it's silly to say that the new show is totally different from the classic one. It's the SAME show. It's more accurate to say that TV is radically different in the 2000's than it was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I would argue that the show now is more similar to the 70's version of the show than the first season of the show was where the Doctor was an anti-hero bordering on villainous.

I can't argue, as far as the actual production style of the show. It's been brought "up to date" mainly by it's "short attention span" catering aspects.

But I think that "romantic and touchy-feely" stuff (to the extent that they've done it) between the Doctor and his companions completely messes with the legacy.

Also, other than during Pertwee's time (as far as I can recall), the show was never so Earth-centric. But that one doesn't necessarily change the gist of the show - they're still battling alien enemies. It's just that all the aliens seem to end up on Earth (or it's outer atmosphere), rather than the Doctor and his companions going to them.

I didn't much care for night terrors. Seemed like a mediocre filler episode at best.

The new Who is scarier. Don't blink, don't turn your back, and watch out for those cracks in your bedroom wall. I like that they've given the Doctors more dramatic range, stronger ties to earthlings, although it is true they tend to travel less and have longer story arcs. The Tardis prop borders on silliness, but I like how that the Old Thing has more personality. Tom Baker was my favorite old Doctor, but the new Doctors are more evenly matched, all had good qualities. I watched Davison after Baker, having enjoyed All Creatures. But other than celery, he didn't bring much new to the Doctor's personality.

I'm following the new series on DVD, as PBS had only Series I of the new doctor. We plan to watch one episode a night, and then we end up watching it all in two days.

Strangely enough... as I re-watch more of my older Doctor Who DVDs... I find myself noticing similar stories and similar tones in some cases.

I've noticed quite a bit of things in the current Smith Who that IF not lifted from McCoy Who, are very coincidental... including an episode where McCoy for no apparent reason dons a Fez and picks up a mop!

Also... there are quite a bit of things in the old Who that don't make any sense if you pick the episodes apart... so even the things I complain about in the new series have kind of always been there.


That is difficult to say. Hartnell's Doctor said Susan was his granddaughter. Assuming that to be true (technically they never officially proved it and have not shown whomever presumably was his wife and whether he had a son or daughter that then produced Susan as his granddaughter)... but that surely implies romantic entanglements for him to be a grandfather!

I can't speak to Troughton as most of his episodes are lost... Pertwee comes across as a bit flirty, though... even if he technically doesn't have romantic liasons with his companions. Tom Baker's Doctor may or may not have had a flirty relationship with Sarah Jane... but he definitely had one with the Romana's... moreso the 2nd Romana to whom he was married in real life for a bit.

Then the Doctor goes celibate again... with Davison, Colin Baker, and McCoy... but Paul McGann in the TV movie behaves quite a bit like the modern Doctors in terms of on-screen kissing and such.

I grant you that I prefer my Doctor less romantically entangled... but I'm hard-pressed to say it ruins the show yet.


I can go either way here. When they are earth-bound they tend to be UK-centric... but Star Trek was very US-centric when they were earth-bound for a story... so it kind of goes with the territory.

Every now and again Who needs to be on earth to give the viewers something or someplace to identify with. I like the space-bound alien stories too... but if every week was away from the earth... we would be asking for earth-based stories too.

Think of it like this... Doctor Who away from earth is like Star Trek. We have no point of reference for Gallifrey in the future or the past because it is an alien planet already...

They have to do earth-based stories to show the time-travel aspect... because they can show us things specific to the past that we identify with and say "hey, that looks like the 1500s"... whereas 1492 on earth would be identifiable, 1492 on the planet Skaro would be less so.

Yes, it happened to me with Cox in Fairfax, Va. Fortunately, I was watching TV just before it and was curious as to why it didn't show as new. I looked it up and made a manual recording.

I would agree with that point, and it's not that I've ever disapproved of them having Earth-based stories - I'd just prefer a more balanced mix of them, myself.

As far as the "touchy-feely" stuff - nothing heavy was ever really suggested or displayed, besides occasional, mere affection between some of the old series' Doctors and their companions (even when it was outright playful, or even slightly flirtatious). No hand-holding (past the point of just occasionally "pulling someone along" platonically), or romantic embracing, or worse yet, kissing.

No doubt there have been changes... thematically... I just don't think they are major changes.

Stories vary, of course... but I think you can pick similar stories and compare them and find most of the difference to be in production values, quality of modern technical advances and such.

The test to me usually is... when I'm watching new Who, do I feel like I'm still watching Doctor Who... and most of the time the answer is yes. I don't like all of new Who, mind you... but I didn't like all of old Who either. Some of it was kind of silly and overacted at times

Well, yeah - it's definitely "Doctor Who" - there's nothing like it, for sure (thank God). I'll always give it that, no matter what, and hopefully it stays that unique for as long as they ever keep producing it.

As far as the overacting, I'd say that all periods had that, at least to some degree (even without the silliness). The only Doctor himself (at least among the ones I've seen so far, which includes all but the newest) who wasn't really bad with that was Pertwee (I think the worst we ever used to see out of him was an occasional, "My God, man!!").

I haven't re-watched any Pertwee in a while... but I have a bunch on the shelf. I'll have to keep that in mind, but my gut says you're right... that I don't remember as much overacting from him.

I actually thought it was OK, right up until the end. Which was rushed, and frankly, stupid. "He's an alien. Hug him, and everything will go back to normal". Ugh. It was like those terrible newer Trek episodes that were resolved one minute before the end credits with some technobable like "We'll escape by reconfiguring the sensor array to transmit an occilating tachyon beam on an encrypted wavelength and cross the tractor beams using the Stay-Puft manuever with nano-thingies." I hate those kind of story resolutions. It ruins the whole episode.

They're called "mcguffins", for short. What would a sci-fi show be without 'em? After BSG it's a real short list. 'Charlie Jade' maybe. Certainly none of the 'Treks'; they were practically carved from a big block of mcguffinite.

lol

Mcguffinite?


Mcguffinite... Is that right next to unobtanium on the periodic table?

Now I'm hungry for an egg McGuffin...

Which reminds me... that's sort of how series 5 ended... so I'm not surprised to see more of it this series.

There is a claim by some of well-planned and thought stories in series 5 and 6... but honestly, I'm not seeing that for most episodes. I'm seeing a lot of final-minute solutions that either come out of nowhere or don't fit with the rest of the episode.

I'm still a fan... but feel like the show could be so much better with just some minor tweaks here and there.

This past episode "The Girl Who Waited" was REALLY good! I think it was a huge step above last weeks. It had good emotional resonance with the characters and reminded us that the doctor doesn't always do the "completely" right thing. Sometimes he lies or does the best he can for the universal well being not necessarily individuals. It also nicely set up the possibility of changing ones past or future given the right circumstances. This could come in handy to wards the end of the season (hint hint). The actress who plays Amy did a really good job with both of her parts. When she first started last season as the doctor's companion I wasn't sure about her but I have really grown to like and respect her!

HUUUUGGGGGGEEEEE improvement. We enjoyed it very much.

Agreed... I didn't find nearly as much to nitpick and I really enjoyed it. I've gone so far to say (on other forums) that it is my favorite episode so far of the current series... and may be my favorite of all the Matt Smith episodes even.

It was a story without a real enemy. there was no villain or bad guy here. Everyone was doing the right thing from their perspective... and it was a confluence of unfortunate events all at the same place.

Rory got to shine here... and old Amy got to shine as well.

The only real shame here... is that old Amy went through a lot and grew a lot and we know that young Amy is capable of much more than she usually gets to do... but young Amy doesn't get to retain any of that knowledge or experience... and may never reach some of that potential since her life will presumably be easier (good) so that she won't grow as much (bad).

Definitely my favorite M. Smith episode. Its not close. Interesting moral questions.

On the second point, I am kind of dispointed they showed the 'bots taking her down. I would have enjoyed the possibility of some kind of paradox mumbo jumbo in a future season where she re-appears as spurned katana & "probe" packing bad guy.

Totally agreed! This was one of the most agnst-filled DW in recent memory. Should have left it to the imagination as to her outcome and not shown the bots ending her.

Well we don't know for sure she is dead. We only have the Doctor's word on the fact that the injections are deadly and he was probably making an educated guess at best. I am not saying they will bring the old version of Amy back but it at least would be doable and since I am betting this will go down as one of the more popular episodes in awhile it at least might be considered. She could come in handy or be a good possible foe.

The medicine being poison to her is irrelevant... since by rescuing Young Amy, she wasn't there to stay and grow old. Unless the TARDIS preserves the paradox (which it didn't seem to want to do) old Amy disappeared as soon as they left.