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[God's Hand]

I watched Episode 1, and I got douche chills for every person on this show. I mean, most British TV is terrible (there are a few gems), but this takes the cake. Is this for real? Mannequins coming to life? The cliched female teen Rose? The cheesy and forgettable music (not including the theme, which will always rule)? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, what is going on? This could have been a great series.

Hope it doesn't give picked up for another season...

And I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.

 

[iapetus]

I mean, most British TV is terrible

I think you lost most of your audience somewhere around there.

 

[spliced]

Yes...Yes it is.

 

[Koshiro]

I think you lost most of your audience somewhere around there.

I was going to say the same thing as you, with the same quote.

 

[Ecrofirt]

I watched Episode 1, and I got douche chills for every person on this show.

what exactly is a douche chill? Is it like a puddin pop?

 

[Vormund]

I'm guessing a douche chill is when you feel embarrassed watching it, but not so much that you personally feel embarrassed, you feel embarrassed for the poor bastards you're watching.

 

[COCKLES]

First episode was shit, no doubt about that.

In the original series, from the 1970 episode Spearhead from Space - the Nestene is an alien made of energy that can inhabit synthetic objects made of plastic. So quite how over 30 years later they've become actual plastic aliens (the big blob of talking plastic at the end) - I really don't know. Sloppy stuff.

By I give it until the Dalek episode before I pass final judgement. Death by sink-plunger is promised!

If you can't make an exciting episode with the Daleks in, then go home frankly.

 

[Hamfam]

That's the whole point of Dr.Who. To be cheesy and absolutely ridiculous. Look at the Daleks, the apparently most fearsome enemies in the Dr.Who universe, they're just really awkward bins with guns on them that they have to turn their entire body to move!

Anyway, in saying that, I do think it'll get alot better once they get off Earth. I mean, if you saw the preview of the next episode, it looks absolutely incredible.

 

[MrPing1000]

yeah it's supposed to be cheesy its dr.who! I thought it was pretty damn good. Christopher Eccleston was a great choice imo and Billie Piper can actually act

 

[Hamfam]

and Billie Piper can actually act

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

 

[SpoonyBard]

I didn't think it was as cheesy as most of the older episodes I have seen.

 

[FnordChan]

I watched Episode 1, and I got douche chills for every person on this show.

You have no concept of bad television. Last night I choked down three episodes of Pink Lady and Jeff. You want bad television? Pink Lady is a serious contender for the worst television show ever made. The new Doctor Who? Rough around the edges and more than a bit cheeseball, but reasonably entertaining and not bad for a first episode.

FnordChan

 

[pestul]

what exactly is a douche chill? Is it like a puddin pop?

I think it's more like a 'zing'.. I dunno.

 

[mrklaw]

I liked it. Watching interviews with the exec. producer (and main writer), its pitched firmly at this generations 6-9 year olds, with nods and winks to their dads. Think about it from their point of view. Next time they are in town with mum and dad and they pass by a clothing store with all those mannequins in the window.

How many kids will give their wheely bin an extra wide berth next time they leave the house?

Its not aimed at a discerning grown-up audience, but you should be able to go along with the ride. Remember, first time around you were probably under ten yourself.

======


a douche chill is like when you drink very cold milk and you feel it going down your throat - only at the other end.

 

[SickBoy]

I haven't seen it, but even the fact that some people aren't amped about the first episode does nothing to cool my excitement to watch it... April 5 is pretty damn close..

I'll probably give it a handful of episodes even if it starts poorly. Stylistically, it seems like a good update from the very little I've seen.

 

[SFA_AOK]

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

She was pretty good in the Chaucer thing she did.

 

[Crazymoogle]

I can see why expectations were high - it's been god knows how long since the last series and the glory that is Battlestar Galactica raised the bar for reinvisioned shows from any part of the earth let alone the BBC.

The one thing that comes across from watching the first episode, though, is that having similar expectations for Dr. Who is probably unrealistic. The show has been littered with cheesy effects, low budgets, and questionable writing for so long that we could really only expect a return to form and not the fanboy dream of a serious doctor, more character development and wall-to-wall Daleks/Cybermen/Time Lords.

So as per usual, just wait for the occasional great episode and bear/ignore the others. Well, at least, that's what the British and Canadians will do (CBC sure was quick on picking it up!)

 

[COCKLES]

fanboy dream of a serious doctor, more character development and wall-to-wall Daleks/Cybermen/Time Lords.

Sniff.

The Dalek episode sounds intresting.

Spoiler

It's set in an underground base in Utah. Which houses a collection of alien artifacts / technology, including a chained up Dalek. Apparantly one of the characters in the episode laughs at the Dalek, as it's had it's weapon disabled, so the Dalek kills the person by sucking their face off with it's plunger arm. :lol But they've cut it out because it was gruesome. BOOOOOO!!!!! So now they get crushed to death instead

 

[Crazymoogle]

Sniff.

I know what you're thinking, Cockles, but come on, giving money to the Dr. Who department - one that has basically been asked to film episodes for crackerjacks at various points in the last fifty years - is basically insane. No matter how much their budget goes up, we'll still be waiting for the golden days of time lord assistants, wise-talking robot dogs and stories that don't take place on earth.

I just pray the Cybermen don't wander too close to the nearest jewelry store.

 

[Mr Mike]

I liked it. Watching interviews with the exec. producer (and main writer), its pitched firmly at this generations 6-9 year olds, with nods and winks to their dads.

What offends me most about this claim is that they weren't saying that when it went into production. Clearly they've decided that a kid audience is all it's good for. The effects are nonsense, the writing laughable and the story a total joke. The acting in everyone (except the leads, Ecclestone and Piper did very well considering what they were given) was DREADFUL.

I think people saying 'well, that's how it was back then!' are kidding themselves, because, frankly, it wasn't. There was no Stan Winston back when Dr Who hit big, no Lucas, no Spielberg. So Dr Who pioneered the use of costumes, make up and bluescreen on the BBC, or a CGI opening sequence - no other shows had done it, back then it was unheard of and particularly exciting to see. It was the UK's equivalent of Star Trek TOS, if you will. Cut to now and somehow we've got exactly the same thing. I'm sorry, where's the evidence of this huge (in UK terms) budget? They've shot it on video, and it shows. Even the last series of the League Of Gentlemen was shot on film.

And that's without going into the plot errors and other poor production work on show in the pilot.

Apparently, it hits its stride from the next ep onwards - I should bloody hope so.

 

[mrklaw]

It has always been a family/younger persons show. Its a bit like star wars.

Just because you've grown up and can no longer fill in the gaps with your imagination, or find fault with some of the plotlines, just means you might have grown out of it.

Thats sad, but no reason to bash the program.

 

[8bit]

For those that didn't like it, what exactly were you expecting?

 

[Flynn]

I really liked the show, and am glad that it's not the humorless, bland and way too self-serious kind of sci-fi show that the Sci-fi channel seems to churn out lately.