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I caught the last episode last night after I got home late from a poker game. It was pretty cool up until the "OMGWTF DEUS EX MACHINA" ending. The Daleks got punked in the lamest of ways....I would have much prefered to see The Doctor forced to kill off everything (or get killed by Daleks and later revived by Rose after the invasion force had left). The new Doctor seems cool enough.

Overall, I thought the series was pleasant with some very, very nasty low points (the reality TV show episode was so awful). I'm looking forward to more new Who but I hope they spend some time away from Earth. Of course this is coming from someone that hasn't seen any classic Doctor Who outside of "The Robots of Death"...whch I thought kinda sucked.

Can somebody explain why it is that The Doctor simply can't solve every problem he meets by going back in time and nipping it in the bud? I guess they were trying to explain it in this episode and the one with Rose's father, but it never really comes across that well. Seemed like the season finale would have been a good time to do it.

 

[God's Hand]

Yeah, I thought it was a decent season. I didn't like how they always went back to earth. I thought the original B&W Dr. Who's were more creative. I hope they take next season out to some weird and wacky places. I also hope this next Doctor is quirker than the last one.

 

[Danj]

Can somebody explain why it is that The Doctor simply can't solve every problem he meets by going back in time and nipping it in the bud? I guess they were trying to explain it in this episode and the one with Rose's father, but it never really comes across that well. Seemed like the season finale would have been a good time to do it.

It'd make for some very boring episodes, to be honest...

World+dog: Oh noes, we're going to be brainwashed by space aliens/made into slaves for 100 years by a huge talking slug/invaded by ghosts from the other side/turned into realestate for the Vogons!
Doctor: No problem, I'll just nip back in time and kick their arse/blow up their space ship/kill their grandfather so they never existed!
*Doctor nips into the tardis, hops back in time, sorts it out*
World+dog: Thanks Doctor!
Doctor: See you next time!

So basically, in the episode with Rose's father, they invented a sort of Ghostbusters-style don't-cross-the-streams plot device so that there's a reason they don't just go and do that.

Also, I'd like to point out that Doctor Who is by no means "over", although it's not coming back till Christmas (goddamn it! That's six months, how can they expect us to wait that long... Hope there's an early leak again or something). A second and even third season are coming sometime.

 

[Mama Smurf]

I forced my way through the first 7 episodes, got halfway through the 8th and gave up. So I can't talk for the last episodes:

Good points:

- I like the Rose character, Billie Piper plays her...decently.
- When the writing turns serious, as it occasionally did (first episode, the Doctor talking about being able to feel the world rushing through space for example), I was actually quite impressed.
- ...ermmm...

Bad points:

- EVERYTHING ELSE (is shite)

There are certain types of shows that we do really well here in Britain. We have great comedies, excellent documentaries, pretty damn good talk shows, addictive soaps (if that's your thing, not mine). However, when it comes to shows like Doctor Who, Buffy, Lost, Star Trek, anything like that, we're embarrasingly far behind. Direction, writing, acting (for some reason) are 10+ years off some US shows, 5+ from the rest.

I don't expect the same production values, I know they don't have the same budget and don't expect the same glossy sheen, but the rest is just inexcusable.

I don't know why it is. Possibly it's because most of these shows don't take off in the UK, so the writers simply haven't seen them and don't realise what they're up against. It's very sad.

 

[Danj]

However, when it comes to shows like Doctor Who, Buffy, Lost, Star Trek, anything like that, we're embarrasingly far behind.

Surely Star Trek hasn't had good writing for several years now...?

 

[Mama Smurf]

I was thinking of Next Generation, never really got into any of the more recent ones. Didn't even try.

Next Generation FINISHED over 10 years ago!

 

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I really don't think it's a problem with them being British or not having the budgets or something. The old Doctor Who shows looked like ass yet they're still very well loved.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Yeah, well I loved the old Doctor Whos. Well...I think I did. They haven't been shown in so long. I certainly liked them at the time, but I was younger so I'm not sure how discerning I was.

I didn't say the problem was with them being British. I said that attempts in Britain at these type of shows have been well below par. It's probably not a British thing at all, just that very few attempts have actually been made in recent years* and perhaps when they have they've been given to the wrong people. Or maybe all the British talent goes abroad, though I can't say I've heard of that.

The budget issue should really only effect surface details. Costumes, locations, special effects. Nothing that matters. Well, not as much as everything else. That's why the old Doctor Whos can be good despite the way they look.

*seriously, what has there been? Doctor Who, Strange (the WORST show I have ever seen), Hex...is that it? Please add any you think of, there is really nothing coming to me. And there's probably 5 or more shows a year in the US cancelled which fall into this category. Actually I heard Hex is alright, but I don't have satellite and I think it's only shown on Sky.

 

[Mr Mike]

I think this, what the BBC stupidly calls, "the first series" has been filled with great ideas - all of which have been horribly executed. I wouldn't mind so much that the performances felt uneasy at first, or that the directing was often unexciting, or that the dialogue was often terrible - but it's the fact that ALL these things come into play often.

The best episodes were the WW2 two-parter that were actually quite scary and touchy. Ironically, these episodes were not written by the much-praised showrunner Russel T Davies, whose writing seems to be amateurish at best.

Like Mama Smurf says, the UK is so behind in terms of writing and production that it's often laughable. Case in point: the 'reality TV' episode concept was handled (admittedly far differently) by the COPS-themed version of The X-Files. That was ages ago.

What is so gutting is that you look at forums where this is being almost-universally praised, and you have to wonder why - is it because it's good, or is it because it's the only SF/fantasy show the UK has produced in some time, and therefore people mistakenly believe it is automatically worthy of adulation? Just because it's all there is doesn't mean it's all there can be.

It's a three star season for me.

 

[mattx5]

I just want to add that I'm sad to see Christoper Eccleston go. He was a fantastic Doctor, charming, funny and serious when he needed to be. When I saw the new Doctor take shape, my heart just sank. I'm sure he'll do a good job, but I am going to miss Chris.