Remember that the people had to eat a pill for those aliens to form.
At least post the pics of the new Cybermen.
Yeah, I kind of touched on it, but I do more often then not like it when the show really commits to the creepy, or the gothic, or the macabre. My main problem is that I feel its often just kind of pasted on as an aesthetic tool without really impacting the episode in a meaningful way. Textbook case of this on a mild level is The Beast Below: what is the purpose of the weird two faced robots that look out of style with the rest of the episode? Is there a good reason why they're so aesthetically mismatched? Its not like the eclecticness is a significant part of the episode's design like it was in Rings of Akhetan (which I did enjoy for its zany future alien melting pot on even if the story breaks down at the end)
Yeah, theme was the wrong word there, but as you've acknowledged, so was integral. I grew up with a few collections of older (60s-80s) sci-fi short stories (including some DW comics) and even as a young'un I noticed that these stories were often asking questions or comparing values, something there was a dearth of in most other age appropriate literature.
I'd say it's a prominent feature. Calling any particular theme an integral part of a work of fiction is restrictive and allows your expectations to dictate your perception.
How many of the historical episodes since the revival have been set in Victorian GB? It's got to be close to half. Retreading the same social setting again and again doesn't really help matters as far as aesthetic content informing thematic content goes (though I didn't mind the last ep because it wasn't afraid to go all out with the cheese). Hind was a good way of bridging the divide I think, with the right types of characters and blend of sci-fi and supernatural horror, but it sort of fell apart towards the end and didn't do as much as it could have with its premise.
I too greatly enjoy speculative fiction, but I also recognise that it's not a defining element of modern Doctor Who. Forewarning: this is going to sound confrontational but that's mostly due to the desertion of my eloquence. Browsing these threads on and off for the past few years it seems to me that frequently you do what I mention above and allow your expectations to dictate your perception. That's why I asked if you value social commentary above entertainment value, as it seems (once again, to me) that even paper-thin attempts at social or cultural critique are enough for you to hold otherwise mediocre episodes in esteem (here's looking at you, Gridlock). OT: Full disclosure, I do this myself, particularly with games such as New Vegas or Bioshock, but that's generally because a) this sort of thing is rare as hen's teeth in high-budget interactive media and b) they're willing to even attempt to wed their gameplay to their commentary, which is even rarer. What strikes me though is that I can't think of a single episode of modern Who that tackles these sorts of issues as thoroughly as the videogames mentioned above, which to me is a little dire. The limitations of the 45 minute episodic format play a large part in that, I reckon.
One other thing I feel I must say is that the lengths you go to to point out racist or right wing undertones in the show borders on the insulting: many of the occurences you list are so contrived that your decrying them comes across as though you're actually decrying the viewers who failed to note them as less enlightened than yourself. You acknowledged you went overboard with regards to the salvagers in The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, but recently you also did it with the submarine episode. I can't help but feel that if you spent less time searching for otherwise innocuous elements to justify your criticisms and treated episodes with social inquiry as a bonus and not an entitlement you'd enjoy the show more.
All that said, I generally enjoy your posts and would strongly agree with your last paragraph if you hadn't included Gridlock in it
I too greatly enjoy speculative fiction, but I also recognise that it's not a defining element of modern Doctor Who. Forewarning: this is going to sound confrontational but that's mostly due to the desertion of my eloquence. Browsing these threads on and off for the past few years it seems to me that frequently you do what I mention above and allow your expectations to dictate your perception. That's why I asked if you value social commentary above entertainment value, as it seems (once again, to me) that even paper-thin attempts at social or cultural critique are enough for you to hold otherwise mediocre episodes in esteem (here's looking at you, Gridlock). OT: Full disclosure, I do this myself, particularly with games such as New Vegas or Bioshock, but that's generally because a) this sort of thing is rare as hen's teeth in high-budget interactive media and b) they're willing to even attempt to wed their gameplay to their commentary, which is even rarer. What strikes me though is that I can't think of a single episode of modern Who that tackles these sorts of issues as thoroughly as the videogames mentioned above, which to me is a little dire. The limitations of the 45 minute episodic format play a large part in that, I reckon.
One other thing I feel I must say is that the lengths you go to to point out racist or right wing undertones in the show borders on the insulting: many of the occurences you list are so contrived that your decrying them comes across as though you're actually decrying the viewers who failed to note them as less enlightened than yourself. You acknowledged you went overboard with regards to the salvagers in The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, but recently you also did it with the submarine episode. I can't help but feel that if you spent less time searching for otherwise innocuous elements to justify your criticisms and treated episodes with social inquiry as a bonus and not an entitlement you'd enjoy the show more.
All that said, I generally enjoy your posts and would strongly agree with your last paragraph if you hadn't included Gridlock in it
Haha cheers. You can't take that sort of thing too seriously; as an Australian I'm pretty much obliged to mock, support and antagonise each side in turn.
Yeah, I didn't want to go too hard on you about that, as I know what I suggested isn't your intent but just what sometimes comes across.
Now that I think on it I didn't mind Gridlock when it aired, so it might be worth a rewatch. I remember all those elements in your post, but none really stuck with me whereas (unfortunately) Father Dougal recreated as a Khajiit in Oblivion's character creator fathering a litter of kittens did. Maybe I need to be more willing to give the show the time of day with regards to its exploratory moments instead of just expecting it to be light entertainment all the time
