Doctor Who

[Elliot Kane]

The Telegraph talks to Matt Smith

[Elliot Kane]

Well, just finished watching the first ep of Matt Smith's run as The Doctor. Always some trepidation with a new Doctor, so I wasn't entirely sure how much I'd like it. Well, wondering over. It was a GREAT ep.

Moffat plays with the time travel angle very well, as usual. The story is well plotted, engaging and at times laugh out loud funny.

Matt Smith looks like being a very fun and engaging Doctor. I like him already. A great combination of hyper-smart and utterly crazy. Still early days of course, but I think his Doctor will be one of my favourites.

Karen Gillan plays a very feisty and independent minded Companion, which is how I like 'em. She has NO problem with arguing with the Doctor and clearly is intended to hold her own as a character, not just be an adornment for the Doctor. Very promising, though hard to say where she'll stand in the Companion rankings as there have been so many of them. Likely to start winning best looking Companion polls in very short order, however.

So overall: great first ep, great Doctor, great Companion. Perfect start! Now they just have to match it next week... ;D

***

Also: pinning, as we now have an 8 page thread with ongoing and regular discussion.

[SPS]

Apr 3, 2010 20:30:08 GMT Elliot Kane said:

Karen Gillan plays a very feisty and independent minded Companion, which is how I like 'em. She has NO problem with arguing with the Doctor and clearly is intended to hold her own as a character, not just be an adornment for the Doctor. Very promising, though hard to say where she'll stand in the Companion rankings as there have been so many of them. Likely to start winning best looking Companion polls in very short order, however.

=

Oh yeah. I went there.

Seriously Amy Pond was a 20 year younger, and 30 pound lighter version of Donna Noble, at least judging by the first episode. Yes they are different in key aspects but the characters are very similar in personality, and circumstances surrounding them IMO. Thats not to say I don't like Amy Pond, its just that I'm reserving judgement until I proclaim Amy Pond as the Doctor's greatest companion yet. Rose started out good also, but progressively got more annoying. I really hope that they don't jump the shark and have Amy start to fall in love with the Doctor...again. I can just see it coming, and I pray Moffat doesn't go that route.

Now on to the real meat of the episode.

It is a very good episode, as is every Moffat written episode. Matt Smith's Doctor still has a few aspects of the 10th Doctor, and I am hoping they do more to differentiate him from David Tennant. That said this episode would have worked equally well with the 10th Doctor, so much that I heard Tennant's voice speaking Matt Smith's scenes instead of Matt Smith. So far the real changes have been only cosmetic, and not as deep as have been proclaimed. But I am taking it more as a pilot than a real episode.

Pond creates some great conflict with the Doctor, and I am interested in seeing more of her, though refer back to my ramblings above. Also Pond is quite simply the most attractive companion the Doctor has had out of the ones I've seen.

Also I really hope that the 11th Doctor doesn't scream Geronimo in every episode, that is going to get about as annoying as the 9th's fantastic. Catch phrases do not work if you do them every episode.

I would say that this is an average episode since this is the only episode of the 11th Doctor we have seen. But I do have major reservations that could hurt the rest of the series if not addressed.

[Elliot Kane]

'Feisty' and 'mouthy' are not the same thing I see more Sarah Jane Smith or Jo Grant in Amy than anything else - and those are great comparisons to be making. Both would fight with the Doctor if it came to it, neither was annoying or obnoxious. Both were also very independent minded.

Gotta say, I love the new look Tardis interior, too...

[Gray Lensman]

Finally saw "Eleventh Hour", and I have to agree that it was very enjoyable. I'm fairly well pumped up for the Doctor at this point.

I like how Moffat likes to explore all the little consequences of time travel, and he does that well here as would be expected. The Doctor misses the target date by 12 years, and Amy is deeply emotionally affected as a result. Doesn't help that Amy seems as lonely in her own way as the Doctor is... she grew up alone except for a distant aunt, and there's a side to her that even Rory (who seems closest) doesn't really get.

Anyway, yeah, I like Amy Pond thus far. She questions the Doctor and is a feisty redhead, but it's bold inquisitiveness rather than a confrontational attitude. Karen Gillan does a good job with the character, and it seems there's a lot yet we don't completely know about her either. The angle of the small town girl who's never seen an inch outside her window, and is suddenly offered to see the universe... yeah, no surprise that the Doctor would be certain she'd agree.

Amy and Donna... well, perhaps in the sense that they're both feisty redheads who have their weddings interrupted by the Doctor, maybe. ;D I think there are subtle distinctions, though... Amy doesn't cover insecurity with bluster as Donna does, and she's got issues that Donna never really had (a deep feeling of isolation, trust problems, and doubts about whether her childhood experiences with the Doctor were real), nor does she come across as being annoying so far. I wouldn't be surprised if Donna had some influence on her, but they seem fairly distinct to me.

So... the Doctor. Yeah, he so far comes across as much like the Tenth Doctor, except with no fashion sense to speak of. ;D Not that I mind too much at this point, as the basic foundations of who the Doctor has always been are there. It may be that the Eleventh Doctor will evolve more into his own man over time as Smith settles more into the role. I expect we'll have a better sense of this Doctor in about a year's time. For now, though, we have the fun, manic, and subtly dangerous Doctor of old back, which is a nice change from the oppressive darkness of the last three specials.

The upcoming stuff previewed looks like Moffat is throwing a lot of great challenges up at the Doctor. Daleks, Cybermen, and the Weeping Angels? Count me in.

[Elliot Kane]

The Beast Below is also Moffat and also brilliant. I won't say a single thing more as there are about a gazillion plot twists, but I have to add that I am loving this series! And the trailer for ep three looks awesome, too!

[SPS]

Just saw the latest episode. It kind of dragged at the beggining but the ending was just a tear-jerker, and it felt kind of similar to the episode where Simon Pegg guest-starred, due to one of the similar elements, but that was forgiven due to the ending. I am liking Amy about as much as last episode even though the obvious similarities to Donna Noble are still grating. Also Matt Smith's Doctor is still too similar to David Tennant for me to like him yet, though please the catch phrase of Geronimo grates on me whenever I hear it, just as Eccleston's Fan-tas-tick did. I also liked the Queen in this episode, she was just wonderful, I think we're going to see a return of her by the end of the season, I almost wanted to see her become the Doctor's companion. Overall I'll keep watching it not for the characters but for the plot, even though I'm beggining to see some of the similar tropes pop up.

Though the Daleks again? I thought they were all gone? Especially since the Doctor got rid of Davros. Better be a darn good explanation for them being back.

[Gray Lensman]

"Beast Below" is another good Moffat episode; I like both the dilemma of this story and the fact that the Doctor isn't the one who saves the day this time.

This Doctor still reminds me more than a little of Tennant (which I really don't mind), but Amy seems now like a much more distinct character to me after what she does in this episode. Nothing like a good crisis to bring out the best in a character.

"Beast Below" also brings home as to why the Doctor needs a good companion with him. He needs that contact with humanity, or else he loses touch with the people (and other beings) he wants to save. It's a major point that separates him from the Master, or any of the other Time Lords that have lost themselves. Not that he'd admit any of it to Amy, of course.

[Elliot Kane]

A new Dalek episode and rather a good one. Not a GREAT ep, but one that is certainly satisfying and properly re-establishes the Daleks as a threat without going overboard. I like how they are developing Amy as very emotionally intelligent, to complement the Doctor's vast scientific/intellectual intelligence. Makes them a good team.

[SPS]

Not every episode can be a winner, and this one was definetly not one. Kind of bland, kind of boring. At least Smith didn't yell geronimo in this episode.

[SPS]

Are you ready for Doctor Who the musical? Warning one part does contain strong language.



I like Martha's theme lol ;D

[Elliot Kane]

The Time Of Angels... Cliffhanger! Argh! ;D

[Gray Lensman]

Just finished "Victory of the Daleks", which is a decent, fun episode, if not one of the classics. I do have to wonder why the Daleks never bothered to use android weapons to destroy the Earth before this, but that's a minor nitpick. Overall, the Daleks come across well here, and the ep is a decent enough reintroduction to them.

Am curious as to why Amy didn't remember the Daleks myself, though. Even Adelaide Brooke remembered them, and that wasn't until decades after the Dalek invasion. I'd not be surprised if the Atraxi were involved somehow, but I guess we'll see.

Continuing to like the development of Amy as the companion this season. She holds her own quite nicely with the Doctor here. I like the sense of an equal partnership that's forming between them. (Or as close to it as one can have between a human and a centuries-old Time Lord, anyway.)

More to say once I get to the next ep, probably.

[SPS]

Good episode. Felt really light but I liked the development of the Angels and I liked Dr. Song and her growing mystery. I can't wait for next week's episode.

[Elliot Kane]

I agree there, SPS. Some great character moments combined with the ratcheting up of the tension made for some great TV. Now the second half has to live up to the first, of course, but Moffat is usually fine in that regard.

[Gray Lensman]

Must admit I liked "Time of Angels" quite well myself. Dr. Song fits into the mix so perfectly, and I really love how much more threatening the Angels are in this episode. They were already incredibly dangerous before, but now they've reached a whole new level of menace. I can very easily see the Angels reaching "classic recurring enemy" status by the time Moffat is done with them.

Looking forward to seeing how this all turns out.

[Elliot Kane]

The revelation of the full threat was incredibly well handled, I thought.

I agree that the Angels could well become a recurring villain - but I hope not TOO recurring. I think they are best in small doses, lest the threat be ruined by too much repetition.

It's the 'Marvel Problem' - too many appearances and too many defeats discredit and ruin even the best villains, eventually. It's also why I hope we don't see the Daleks again this season. They have the victory they needed to establish them as a threat again, now they need a rest.

[Gray Lensman]

Yeah, agreed on the Daleks... I thought even this was a little too soon. Though I suspect the Daleks will always show up every year in some role because they're too much of a fixture on this show. Still, I have the feeling the Daleks will be sidelined until at least next year. The impression I'm getting is that this season's big threat will be the return of the Atraxi, but it may be too soon to say on that yet.

For this season, I think the idea is to reintroduce the Doctor, including his major adversaries. So it makes sense to give the Angels, the Daleks and the Cybermen some exposure and then let them rest for a while. At least, I hope that's the plan.

[Elliot Kane]

Same here Makes sense with a new Doctor, after all. I gather that the Daleks' fast return was at the insistence of the BBC anyway, as they were very nervous about having a new Doctor and wanted to ensure viewer interest. You'd think they would have SOME faith in the world's longest running TV program, wouldn't you? ;D

[SPS]

I am one of the few who do not like most of the Doctor's recurring villains, at least of the ones I've seen. The Daleks are pretty obnoxious at times, look absolutely stupid in their traditional armored form (though their true forms are actually pretty creepy looking), and half of the time I feel no real tension when they're on screen.

The Cybermen are a little scarier and not as obnoxious but they still aren't that good IMO.

Then to top it all off Star Trek TNG did both the Daleks and the Cybermen a whole lot better when they created the Borg (then they were ruined but that's another argument).

The only recurring threats I have seen of the Doctor's that I have liked so far are the Weeping Angels, and the Master (Davros to to a lesser extent). Oh and the Doctor himself.