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rj_andersonI have spent the last fourteen weeks with my nose in my laptop, writing furiously -- but now Arrow is all drafted and even a bit polished and ready to send to my editor for her comments, huzzah!
So now it is time to fulfill my promise of telling you all what I think of the new season of Doctor Who. Because I know you have all been waiting for my Very Important Opinion on this subject, and that nobody else on the entire Interwebs has had anything sensible or interesting to say about it in the meantime.
*coughs in an embarrassed fashion*
Anyway. My opinions, which are mine and also contain Great Walloping Wads of SPOILERS, are as follows:
THE ELEVENTH HOUR: Plot-wise, an over-the-top runaround with a curiously restrained though icky-looking villain and an even ickier giant eyeball. The crack in Amy's wall was more interesting than either of them. But that being said, oh, what a wonderful introduction to the Eleventh Doctor and Amy! Within the first few minutes I was charmed (fish custard = WIN), by about halfway through I was absorbed, and by the end I was trying to decide whether I like Eleven as much as or more than Five, and leaning heavily toward the "more" side, which is HUGE, people. Huge.
Though unlike others, I didn't at all care for Eleven's final, rather bombastic speech to the Giant Eyeball -- it smacked too much of all the things I was hating about Ten and the RTD era by the end. I'd rather be shown how scary the Doctor is than be told how scary he is -- especially when it's the Doctor doing the talking, which just makes me want to slap him. But still. A nice transition from the old era to the new.
THE BEAST BELOW: An episode with a great deal of style and panache and not a whole lot of sense, but frankly I didn't care about the plot holes. Not with Liz Ten being awesome and gorgeous and fierce and making me wish we could keep her for the whole season. Sophie Okonedo FTW. I need an icon. And more delicious character moments for the Doctor and Amy, and Amy being smart and figuring things out and saving the day, which I loved. I approve of how Matt Smith does anger. I actually believe he is angry and upset, instead of merely making loud noises and scrunching up his face. Nice.
VICTORY OF THE DALEKS: The last episode that made me scared of the Daleks was, um... "Dalek", actually. Which was also the first episode that ever made me scared of the Daleks, and that chilling sequence with the single Dalek taking out an entire squadron of soldiers gave me hope that they would actually be handled in a scary and interesting fashion in the new series. But no, they've just bored and/or vaguely embarrassed me ever since.
Not that episode was up to much in any case -- among other glaring plot problems, the Doctor's ability to fool the Daleks with a Jammy Dodger (however cute) strained credulity past the breaking point, and then having him turn around and fiddle with their scanners while they just stood there was equally preposterous. I mean, at least give me some reason for them not to do the obvious thing and shoot him. As it was, how am I supposed to be scared of villains that are that stupid?
I think there were some actually good bits somewhere in this episode, but what I remember were the bad bits and I have no desire to sit through it again. Also, we watched it with our kids and they were all bored.
THE TIME OF ANGELS: I did not think the Weeping Angels could possibly get scarier, and in a way I was right; this doesn't have the nail-biting Hitchcockian suspense of "Blink". But in another way it is MUCH SCARIER, because the stakes are higher and the angels are more dangerous than ever, in new and unexpected ways. Aieee! And also because I was so very worried for Amy.
Loving the characters even more in this one. The interaction between the Doctor, Amy and River is delicious, and there are a bunch of great lines. It's such fun to see the Doctor thrown off his game and Amy and River sharing amusement at his expense over things like landing the TARDIS -- but when things get tense, there's no doubt Who's in charge (oh, I'm sorry, that was bad, I'll stop now).
FLESH AND STONE: I was afraid that after such a wonderful Part One to this story, Part Two couldn't possibly live up to it -- but I was wrong. More tension! More danger! More wonderful Eleven/Amy/River interaction! And the scene where the Doctor leaves Amy alone in the forest and then comes back to reassure her (with bonus continuity strangeness in the form of his clothing being different when he comes back) is just heartbreaking and lovely. (I will never get tired of the forehead thing, never.) I am now firmly convinced that Eleven is my favorite Doctor, and like I said, that is HUGE for a lifelong Davison fan. I'm not sure that Amy isn't creeping up to become my favorite companion, either, though I'm going to have to reserve judgment on that for a while longer.
Now for some general, non-spoilery thoughts on Eleven hisownself:
Others have said that David Tennant was Ten (and to that I would add that Christopher Eccleston was Nine, as well) but Matt Smith is the Doctor, and I agree. He's got that wonderful old-man-in-a-young-man's-body thing going that Davison occasionally managed but didn't quite hit consistently. I almost feel, so help me, that Eleven is what Five should have been if the showrunners hadn't been so uptight at that point about making him Different From Four and also keeping him physically distant from his companions so that nobody would think anything was Going On There. What has also surprised me is how much Matt Smith even looks like Davison at times, even though in still photos they could scarcely be more different. It seems like at least once a week there's a moment where Eleven turns or looks up and I catch my breath at how much he reminds me of Five.
But he's also so much like Two, with the dithery hands and the bow-legged stance and that distracted air that can turn laser-sharp in an instant, and I'm loving that as well. Really a fantastic performance that doesn't feel like a performance... just a fine actor inhabiting the Doctor and bringing him to life, instead of Eccleston-as-Doctor or Tennant-as-Doctor like we've had before. So yes, I am sold, and I look very much forward to seeing Matt Smith's portrayal continue to refine and develop over the course of the season.
Also, FISH CUSTARD IS LOVE.
So now it is time to fulfill my promise of telling you all what I think of the new season of Doctor Who. Because I know you have all been waiting for my Very Important Opinion on this subject, and that nobody else on the entire Interwebs has had anything sensible or interesting to say about it in the meantime.
*coughs in an embarrassed fashion*
Anyway. My opinions, which are mine and also contain Great Walloping Wads of SPOILERS, are as follows:
THE ELEVENTH HOUR: Plot-wise, an over-the-top runaround with a curiously restrained though icky-looking villain and an even ickier giant eyeball. The crack in Amy's wall was more interesting than either of them. But that being said, oh, what a wonderful introduction to the Eleventh Doctor and Amy! Within the first few minutes I was charmed (fish custard = WIN), by about halfway through I was absorbed, and by the end I was trying to decide whether I like Eleven as much as or more than Five, and leaning heavily toward the "more" side, which is HUGE, people. Huge.
Though unlike others, I didn't at all care for Eleven's final, rather bombastic speech to the Giant Eyeball -- it smacked too much of all the things I was hating about Ten and the RTD era by the end. I'd rather be shown how scary the Doctor is than be told how scary he is -- especially when it's the Doctor doing the talking, which just makes me want to slap him. But still. A nice transition from the old era to the new.
THE BEAST BELOW: An episode with a great deal of style and panache and not a whole lot of sense, but frankly I didn't care about the plot holes. Not with Liz Ten being awesome and gorgeous and fierce and making me wish we could keep her for the whole season. Sophie Okonedo FTW. I need an icon. And more delicious character moments for the Doctor and Amy, and Amy being smart and figuring things out and saving the day, which I loved. I approve of how Matt Smith does anger. I actually believe he is angry and upset, instead of merely making loud noises and scrunching up his face. Nice.
VICTORY OF THE DALEKS: The last episode that made me scared of the Daleks was, um... "Dalek", actually. Which was also the first episode that ever made me scared of the Daleks, and that chilling sequence with the single Dalek taking out an entire squadron of soldiers gave me hope that they would actually be handled in a scary and interesting fashion in the new series. But no, they've just bored and/or vaguely embarrassed me ever since.
Not that episode was up to much in any case -- among other glaring plot problems, the Doctor's ability to fool the Daleks with a Jammy Dodger (however cute) strained credulity past the breaking point, and then having him turn around and fiddle with their scanners while they just stood there was equally preposterous. I mean, at least give me some reason for them not to do the obvious thing and shoot him. As it was, how am I supposed to be scared of villains that are that stupid?
I think there were some actually good bits somewhere in this episode, but what I remember were the bad bits and I have no desire to sit through it again. Also, we watched it with our kids and they were all bored.
THE TIME OF ANGELS: I did not think the Weeping Angels could possibly get scarier, and in a way I was right; this doesn't have the nail-biting Hitchcockian suspense of "Blink". But in another way it is MUCH SCARIER, because the stakes are higher and the angels are more dangerous than ever, in new and unexpected ways. Aieee! And also because I was so very worried for Amy.
Loving the characters even more in this one. The interaction between the Doctor, Amy and River is delicious, and there are a bunch of great lines. It's such fun to see the Doctor thrown off his game and Amy and River sharing amusement at his expense over things like landing the TARDIS -- but when things get tense, there's no doubt Who's in charge (oh, I'm sorry, that was bad, I'll stop now).
FLESH AND STONE: I was afraid that after such a wonderful Part One to this story, Part Two couldn't possibly live up to it -- but I was wrong. More tension! More danger! More wonderful Eleven/Amy/River interaction! And the scene where the Doctor leaves Amy alone in the forest and then comes back to reassure her (with bonus continuity strangeness in the form of his clothing being different when he comes back) is just heartbreaking and lovely. (I will never get tired of the forehead thing, never.) I am now firmly convinced that Eleven is my favorite Doctor, and like I said, that is HUGE for a lifelong Davison fan. I'm not sure that Amy isn't creeping up to become my favorite companion, either, though I'm going to have to reserve judgment on that for a while longer.
Now for some general, non-spoilery thoughts on Eleven hisownself:
Others have said that David Tennant was Ten (and to that I would add that Christopher Eccleston was Nine, as well) but Matt Smith is the Doctor, and I agree. He's got that wonderful old-man-in-a-young-man's-body thing going that Davison occasionally managed but didn't quite hit consistently. I almost feel, so help me, that Eleven is what Five should have been if the showrunners hadn't been so uptight at that point about making him Different From Four and also keeping him physically distant from his companions so that nobody would think anything was Going On There. What has also surprised me is how much Matt Smith even looks like Davison at times, even though in still photos they could scarcely be more different. It seems like at least once a week there's a moment where Eleven turns or looks up and I catch my breath at how much he reminds me of Five.
But he's also so much like Two, with the dithery hands and the bow-legged stance and that distracted air that can turn laser-sharp in an instant, and I'm loving that as well. Really a fantastic performance that doesn't feel like a performance... just a fine actor inhabiting the Doctor and bringing him to life, instead of Eccleston-as-Doctor or Tennant-as-Doctor like we've had before. So yes, I am sold, and I look very much forward to seeing Matt Smith's portrayal continue to refine and develop over the course of the season.
Also, FISH CUSTARD IS LOVE.
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mostly airing my icon
Date: 2010-05-02 07:22 pm (UTC)And I want it to be the 26th of June now!
Re: mostly airing my icon
Date: 2010-05-02 07:52 pm (UTC)*brb loling forever* :D :D :D
Re: mostly airing my icon
Date: 2010-05-02 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:10 pm (UTC)Also, the "New Improved Daleks, Now Available in
a Toystore Near YouPrimary Colours!" thing didn't help.no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-07 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 07:51 pm (UTC)..that is indeed HUGE. Will have to draw you some Five and Eleven at some point because I'm seeing the parallels too and they're fantastic parallels, and I'm going through the same process with Eleven vs Two. And SO MUCH WHAT YOU SAID about Smith being a fantastic actor inhabiting the character instead of character-as-played-by-actor, because that's what's so brilliant about Two as well. Eleven's definitely up there in my First Tier of favorite Doctors now, and Amy right up among my favorite companions. She's a creative fangirl! How awesome is that!
Eleven's bombastic speech at the eyeball threw me a little as well (the eyeball itself made me headdesk with lol -- couldn't take it seriously, but felt I didn't have to), but what it felt like was Eleven still partially inhabiting Ten's scary headspace, which will slowly be healing over the course of the season -- the end of The Beast Below was more of the same. And I love it: that what Ten went through won't just be swept under the rug, but that all that pain, as Amy said, can't permanently destroy what makes him the Doctor.
I was afraid that after such a wonderful Part One to this story, Part Two couldn't possibly live up to it -- but I was wrong.
Haven't seen this episode yet and was likewise afraid, but you've reassured me! ^____^
And fish custard IS INDEED LOVE. As is the forehead thing.<3 And Liz X and also River (who's exponentially more brilliant as a recurring character than as a one-shot guest). I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching this Team Tardis chasing around the universe. In conclusion, YAY.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:07 pm (UTC)I like your thoughts about Eleven in Ten's scary headspace for a bit. It makes sense he'd be in it for a while before coming out of it. I definitely feel like he's more himself now.
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Date: 2010-05-02 08:52 pm (UTC)*see icon*
..Yeah -- and it doubles as a healing process for the fans, too. ("--I grew up." "I'll soon fix that.~")
Oh! Also, epic congratulations on getting Arrow ready to be sent off~!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:11 pm (UTC)I was also a bit stupidly pleased at the respect with which the show treated Father Octavian and his clerics.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:12 pm (UTC)And love the icon. That scene was so beautifully framed.
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Date: 2010-05-02 08:15 pm (UTC)Others have said that David Tennant was Ten (and to that I would add that Christopher Eccleston was Nine, as well) but Matt Smith is the Doctor
I can't help but feel that this is something that is a result of having seen a greater portion of the former Doctors. I almost want to say generational, but that's too vague since some young people have started with Doctors that weren't Eccleston or Tennant. But I do think it's all in how you're introduced.
To me, since I started with the reboot, the idea that either actor could be more like "Nine" or "Ten" than like The Doctor is nonsensical-- they were introduced to me the viewer as the Doctor. In Confidentials, the modern reboot production cast always refers to them as the Doctor, as one continuing character, one person. That's always been immensely evident to me in the show. Any time they refer to him as separate identities, it's always "The fourth Doctor" or "Tom Baker's Doctor", not Four or Two or Ten. --Maybe this was different in past productions, but not in the modern one. They don't say "Rose and Ten", they say "Rose and the Doctor" or "Mickey and The Doctor" or "The Doctor and Donna". Yes, the Tenth Doctor's regeneration was presented as a type of death, meaning that his existence was unique and he feared change, but immediately afterward Eleven is telling the audience that he's really THE DOCTOR, just like Ten told Rose he was really THE DOCTOR. Same character.
The numerical labels of Nine v. Ten vs. Others is a fandom creation, a framework of convenience we fans created to ease our communication of our feelings about, and analyze the differences from, actor to actor and season to season. I think we allow that numerical labeling system to shape our interpretation of the character. But for better or worse, that system of separating them under these particular labels (and every thing these particular, specific labels represent when we hear them spoken or see them in an LJ review) is fan-driven.
Anyway, I don't necessarily disagree with your interpretation of the character, I'm just trying to communicate how alien your viewpoint on this is to me. I can't even picture it that way because it's starting from a different set of expectations than I come from.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:28 pm (UTC)I felt differently, though, when Eccleston and Tennant came along. I thought they were both fine actors and put in some admirable performances, and I wanted very much to believe they were the Doctor. Sometimes I even did. But I was still more conscious of the actor behind the character than I was of the character himself.
I'm not sure this was either of the actors' fault, since as I said, they're both very talented. I'm thinking this may have been a function of RTD's particular approach to the Doctor, which at times (particularly toward the end of S4) clashed painfully with what I believe the Doctor is or should be.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:48 pm (UTC)I guess as this season progresses and reaches its full delivery, we'll be able to see if Classic Who fans feel that Eleven has successfully turned back the clock on the Doctor's characterization within the hour-long dramatic format, or if he'll just end up being a new interpretation of the dramatic reboot Doctor.
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Date: 2010-05-02 08:15 pm (UTC)But I just wanted to say, I hated (yes, hated!) the Tennant and Eccleston stories, and the way the character of the Doctor was handled in them, and so was prepared to not like Smith's Doctor as well ... and he charmed me immediately. YES! Finally! Here is the Doctor again!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-02 11:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-03 10:43 am (UTC)Five was "my Doctor" growing up, and I agree very much with your comments comparing Eleven to Five. I am very interested to see the rest of the season and how it goes. I do enjoy seeing the Doctor as an emotional being, and the ups and downs and darks and brights, and so far with Eleven it's been hitting a very good balance for me.
And I think Amy is my favorite companion since Nyssa.
Hmm, I think I need more Dr Who icons too...
no subject
Date: 2010-05-03 10:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-03 02:42 pm (UTC)If you're interested, I have full reviews of the first three stories of this season up on my blog, here: http://bowjamesbow.ca/reviews/television/doctor-who/index.shtml
I also loved "The Eleventh Hour", but I liked "Victory of the Daleks" more than "The Beast Below". "Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone" was brilliant, but I'll post that review after F&S debuts in Canada a week from Saturday.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 03:54 pm (UTC)Jackpot!
Date: 2010-05-04 10:05 am (UTC)Then I find out the author is a Doctor Who fan, and I'm in heaven.
I've gotta say, I really agree with you on the 'Victory of the Daleks' episode. It just wasn't... good for me. Which is strange, since usually I'm completely wrapped in any episode of Doctor Who (I'm slowly rewatching series five. Not up to Tennant yet though).
'The Eleventh Hour' certainly had me wrapped as well, thanks to the introduction between Doctor and Amy - it almost makes me want to try fish fingers with custard!
I've yet to watch the next two (I'm in Australia, unfortunately), so I'm not going to read the opinions on them yet :3
So sticking around though xD
Re: Jackpot!
Date: 2010-05-04 03:53 pm (UTC)Glad to meet another reader who's also a DOCTOR WHO fan! Thanks for commenting.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-07 02:34 am (UTC)But as someone said, Smith's Doctor feels intuitive and I really like Amy Pond. She feels like the right balance of everything: I admire her, I identify with her, the Doctor treats her with a familiar mix of disdain and love, she treats him with surprising sense, considering that he's a childhood crush and a super-genius with a time machine. She's got enough of Donna's spunk and reality check to be a good balance to him, enough wonder to be a delight as she takes it all in, a great sense of humor, and enough sexual/social confidence to finally portray how a modern woman in her position would actually interact with him. I love the fact that she challenges him and he can't get rid of her because he needs her to help him figure out the Crack in the Universe. It's wonderful. And River ups the dynamic and keeps it coming. This is a happy fangirl. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 03:18 am (UTC)I'm with you on Eleven. I havn't felt this much love for The Doctor since I was about ten and watched dodgy video taped copies of Baker and Davison as The Doctor with my Dad! I also love Amy and especially River! She is such a cool addition to the Whoniverse in my opinion :)
This series has been fairly consistent too. In Australia, we are up to Cold Blood and I would say that so far the only meh to bad episode has been VOTD. Everything else has ranged from good to amazing which makes for some awesome fun tv watching.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 07:03 pm (UTC)