The New Doctor, ... inevitably Options

[Tarantio]

I'm going to try to avoid spoilers in this thread, so if anyone replying could do the same, I'm sure people who haven't seen it yet would appreciate it

So, what do folk think of the new series of Doctor Who? Not just the new Doctor himself; so much has changed from the previous series it's almost unrecognisable. What do folk like/dislike so far, and how does it compare to your expectations/previous series?

Personally, I enjoyed the new episode. It had some dodgy moments (in the kitchen, near the start), but overall I was happy. Matt Smith managed not to be too irritating, and once he got a bit of composure towards the end I thought he really showed some promise. I'll refrain from commenting much on Karen Gillan; her casting and role are unfortunately in the sort of alignment to give me funny feelings just below my tummy, so I'm biologically biased there. I think the most objective thing I could say about it is that I think she hasn't been given the strongest introduction from a writing standpoint; the other companions (from Rose onwards) generally had a bit more involvement in their introduction to the TARDIS, while Amy feels a bit "tacked-on". Hopefully that'll improve, though, and in the meantime I'll content myself hoping to see that french maid outfit... ¬.¬

As for the new TARDIS... From what I had heard/read so far there was going to be more to it, not sure if the Doctor describing it was what they were talking about, or if we're actually going to get new sets for all those "extra rooms" they promised. I'd like to see that sort of thing, as the new control room only looks different to me from close up...

As for whether Matt Smith can do better than David Tennant? Everyone's asking that question and it annoys me a bit, as I preferred Christopher Eccleston in any case...

[michael1384]

I have absolutely no doubt after seeing that episode that I will fall in love with Matt Smith in the same way I did with David Tennant. I never really like Christopher Eccleston. Am I allowed to say spoilery things if I put them in spoiler tags? Well, that's what they're there for, so I'm doing it.

The episode itself was amazing in my opinion. It introduced the new guy and reinforced the idea that this is the same man very well. I particularly liked that they showed all the old Doctors. For some reason that was awesome. I'm now really looking forward to the next ones and pretty much all doubts I had were evaporated by the line, "Follow that nurse!" And the music was good too.

[Novander]

He doesn't need to do better than Tennant. He's doing different to Tennant. I think the wackier style won't have quite the broad appeal that Tennant's Doctor had, though I liked it far more than I was expecting to, particularly how he snaps out of his madness into moments of clinical clarity. I've always been a fan of Steven Moffat and I thought this was a brilliant episode.

And Karen Gillan is indeed lovely enough that I would be willing to forgive a lot, but don't feel I've needed to so far.

[Tarantio]

So yeah, despite iPlayer not wanting me to see the episode for several hours, I managed to get round to seeing episode two, and I am now massively confused.

I was looking forward to a few things in this new series; Stephen Moffat's fantastic writing, Karen Gillan (obviously), and the slim chance that Matt Smith could pleasantly surprise me. I expected the first two would at least be what kept me watching. So how confused am I now, that in the second episode, the writing was sub par, the dialogue other than the Doctor's terrible, Karen Gillan's performance seemed awfully forced... but Matt Smith was utterly awesome! And with a return to "oh noes, its the Daleks AGAIN!" next week, I'm wondering how many of Stephen Moffat's family are being held hostage by BBC execs to force him to use the tired old tricks that I hated his predecessor for. That said, I like that the Doctor seems to be back in a dark place again, as he was when Christopher Eccleston reintroduced him so well; if Karen Gillan can pull off half of what Billie Piper managed that first season then I reckon we're at least in for great things with regards to the characters.

...not sure why I think my opinion needs spoiler tags, but better to be safe than sorry.

[michael1384]

It wouldn't be Doctor Who without Daleks. Besides, nothing is funnier than a Dalek shouting, "YOU DO NOT REQUIRE TEEEA?"

I liked the Angels, they freaked me out last time, so i'm looking forward to the next episode.

[Tarantio]

Fair point, but as a man who loves a good villain, I hate to see something as nefarious as the Daleks reduced to comic relief. Quoting a friend of mine from facebook: "New daleks, Drone spice, Scientist spice, Strategist spice, Supreme spice, Eternal spice". Really? They didn't even need to be back in the series at all. Good villains need shock factor, and to preserve that they need to be used sparingly. As it is, they're more like the faceless grey-ninja bad guys from the Power Rangers now, instead of the ruthless supreme galactic threat they used to symbolise. . However, I'm looking forward to the next one for the same reason as you

[Mata]

He's managed quite a feat so far: I was actually very prepared to dislike him. He's too young for the part and seems far to wacky... However, it's working out really pretty well. There's less of David Tennant's usual method for solving everything (mumbling for a few seconds, shouting suddenly, then running to pull a series of levers) and more dealing with characters and situations.

I like that they've taken the character out of his comfort zone by limiting his resources - the psychic paper and the sonic screwdriver were implemented as easy narrative devices to get plots rolling fast, but now they're being reined in to force the Doctor to think his way around problems.

And yes, the new assistant is a hottie, although facially she does look disturbingly childlike sometimes.