Doctor Who

[Gizensha]

As some of you know, the first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast last night in the UK. All I can say is that it was fantastic. Chris is a marvelous doctor, and Billie Piper is great as Rose. While not being without faults, I'd say the new series got off to a 4/5 start.<br><br>Not wanting to give any spoilers to anyone, all I'll say is this. Fear the wheelie bins ^^

[Zaaphod]

I await seeing the new episodes with great anticipation. Along, of course, with Stephan and his dad. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... iggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--><br>

[Gizensha]

<!--QuoteBegin-Zaaphod+Mar 28 2005, 02:11 AM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Zaaphod @ Mar 28 2005, 02:11 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> I await seeing the new episodes with great anticipation. Along, of course, with Stephan and his dad. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... iggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> Yes... About that... Maybe DCS knows if the two of them pick up CBC considering it'll be aired on that network long before it's aired in the US... (early next month, actually. Tuesdays at 8 iirc)<br><br>!!!<br><br>That might explain why Stephan hasn't been in the strip for so long. Him and his dad moved to Canada to watch Doctor Who before the US, or moved to the UK to watch it when first transmitted.

[Doop]

It was dreadful. Dreadful acting, dreadful story, dreadful humour - no wonder the Sci-Fi channel turned it down. <br><br>Eccleston was annoying, Piper dull, the boyfriend a refugee from the kind of kids' shows no-one watches...<br><br>But worst of all was the painful attempt to be hip and postmodern. That's not why Dr. Who worked. It was crap, but it always took itself seriously. Without that charm, it's just crap.

[Muninn]

Billie Piper can act?

[Tom Flapwell]

I'm always weary of new material from entertainers who gained fame on a shoestring budget. When they have real money, the charm often fades. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is an exception; <i>Blair Witch 2</i> is not.

[Gizensha]

<!--QuoteBegin-Tom Flapwell+Mar 29 2005, 07:32 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Tom Flapwell @ Mar 29 2005, 07:32 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> I'm always weary of new material from entertainers who gained fame on a shoestring budget. When they have real money, the charm often fades. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is an exception; <i>Blair Witch 2</i> is not. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> Technically it's still a shoestring budget, $1.5 million per episode compares fairly poorly with most US sci-fi (an exception being Battlestar Galactica) (for example... I think it was Buffy that was quoted as having a budget of $2.4 million per episode)<br><br>...Absolutely huge by BBC standards, of course.<br><br>Personally I don't feel that the charm has faded one bit. <br><br>As for post-modernism, I didn't notice any. Care to clarify what part you found too post-modern? Also, it didn't seem to be trying to be hip to me, so if you could clarify what you mean by that... And certainly no sillier than half of Tom's episodes.<br><br>On the otherhand... postmodernism is used on a couple of occasions within the original series. In Feast of Steven, the doctor turns to the camera and says "And a merry christmas to all of you at home", and in The Face of Evil, the doctor directly talks to the camera. Postmodernism and fourth wall breaking are, afterall, one and the same thing.<br><br>According to people with previous experience of Russel T Davies's work, it was fairly typical of his writing style. And (apparantly like other pieces of his work) gets better with repeat viewings.<br><br>Also - I'd disagree that the old series was ****. On any other level than special effects, which when they worked were superb, and when they didn't... Well, they quite definitely didn't work, but you could see the ambition of them. You actually have that with the CGI in the new series, oddly enough, and it quite clearly takes itself as seriously as it always did.<br><br>Look forward to discussing this with you more, doop <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Tom Flapwell]

"Postmodernism," I'm afraid, has been used more broadly than you understand. Sometimes it has nothing to do with hypermediacy. I wonder what exactly Doop meant. Having seen little of the old series (never even saw the Daleks in action) and none of the new, I can hardly judge.<br><br>BTW, I meant to say "wary," not "weary."

[Gizensha]

<!--QuoteBegin-Tom Flapwell+Mar 29 2005, 09:25 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Tom Flapwell @ Mar 29 2005, 09:25 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> "Postmodernism," I'm afraid, has been used more broadly than you understand. Sometimes it has nothing to do with hypermediacy. I wonder what exactly Doop meant. Having seen little of the old series (never even saw the Daleks in action) and none of the new, I can hardly judge.<br><br>BTW, I meant to say "wary," not "weary." <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> Fair enough. Just looked up the dictionary definition, since I oh so often disagree with it. I just normally hear postmodernism used to describe MEHTUL Gear Solid, so wound up with an overly specific definition of the term, obviously...<br><br>...I still disagree that the program was postmodern, though, after reading that definition. It maintained the old doctor who and updated it to 2005.<br><br>...OK, so the minor viral advertising via www.whoisdoctorwho.com (do not go to this site if you haven't seen Rose, it contains heavy plot spoilers of it. Well, of the sub-plot, anyway) is present...<br><br>The charm, for me, didn't fade, incidently.

[Gizensha]

Since, to my eyes, it isn't worth starting a new thread for this...<br><br>Second Episode, The End of the World, was fantastic. 5/5... And special effects that looked good on a bbc budget. Unbelievable. Also of note is the concept of anthromorphic trees, satire of the ipod and of plastic surgery. Far slower pace, but wasn't what I'd describe as being slow paced.<br><br>First episode is broadcast in Canada on Tuesday at 8pm local time in most of Canada, but there's one place that it's 8:30pm, but I forget where that is, sorry.

[Northern_l33tness]

Taped the Canadian premier and watched it Friday night, have the second episode on tape. Might not get to it for a while because I have an exam next week, though.<br><br>I loved it, though I never watched the old series and therefore have no reference. I did think the first couple minutes before we meet the Doctor were lacking, but after that it was just so much FUN to watch that I loved it. If the next few episodes hold up as well, I'll finally have something to add to my short list of TV programs (basically, I watch the news, the Canadian political satire "This Hour has 22 Minutes" on occassion, and the occassional documentary. I spend a lot more time online.).

[Gizensha]

And again... (though a little late, and about 6 hours fifteen minutes before I watch the next episode...<br><br>Third episode, The Unquiet Dead, was beautiful. Very much in the grain of some of the older episodes in terms of writing, setting and tone. (not that tone was universal throughout the initial 26 year run). Gatiss is a fantastic writer, based upon TUD to the past two episodes, in fact, a better scripter than RTD, though I think it needed RTD to actually set it going.<br><br>5/5, and best yet. If things don't get any better over the next 13 episodes this will be the best season of doctor who ever.