Doctor Who

[FSBlueApocalypse]

Don't give them any ideas. We might end up with another crappy TV movie.

Hah, yeah when the initial reports were that Torchwood would air on FOX I had some bad flashbacks. Although I still think Paul McGann was good as the 8th Doctor.

I'm a bit surprised Torchwood didn't end up on Showtime, considering their history with the BBC.

[FSBlueApocalypse]

Quit talking about NuWho for a minute, thoughts on the classic years?

Haven't watched any 1st Doctor story all the way through, sadly.

Only 2nd Doctor story I've seen all the way through is Tomb of the Cybermen and thought it was fantastic. If the Cyberman episode in the 2nd half of the season turns out to be a modern day remake I would love that.

I've seen 2 3rd doctor stories, The Three Doctors and Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Three Doctors is alright, although is sets a bad template other multi-doctor stories have followed. Invasion of the Dinosaurs though is an underrated story, IMO.

Seen plenty of 4 and 5. Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars, and The Caves of Androzani all deserve their spots on Top 10 Who stories ever. However, one story I'm not really found of is City of Death. The whole Mona Lisa subplot went nowhere, amongst other things. Also, I think the 5th Doctor story Arc of Infinity is underrated.

I was introduced to DW because PBS was showing reruns of 6 and 7. At the time I remember them fondly but now, ehh. I do feel sorry for Collin Baker as it seems he really wanted to have better characters/stories but was hamstrung by retarded chimps in management. Trial of a Time Lord had potential, but was let down by everything that killed Doctor Who in the 80s.

[MrBogosity]

Haven't watched any 1st Doctor story all the way through, sadly.

See An Unearthly Child and The Daleks for history's sake; they're good stories. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is good, as is The Aztecs and The Time Meddler. I'm not a fan of the recons, but Marco Polo was such a good story I enjoyed watching it; I think it'd be fantastic if they could recover that one.

Only 2nd Doctor story I've seen all the way through is Tomb of the Cybermen and thought it was fantastic.

Same here. I also liked The Mind Robber.

I've seen 2 3rd doctor stories, The Three Doctors and Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Three Doctors is alright, although is sets a bad template other multi-doctor stories have followed. Invasion of the Dinosaurs though is an underrated story, IMO.

Inferno and The Daemons are awesome. I also love Frontier In Space, even though they screwed up the ending to try and make it tie in with Planet of the Daleks.

Seen plenty of 4 and 5. Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars, and The Caves of Androzani all deserve their spots on Top 10 Who stories ever.

The Sun Makers is the best IMO. And it comes out on DVD in the US in October!

I do feel sorry for Collin Baker as it seems he really wanted to have better characters/stories but was hamstrung by retarded chimps in management.

I absolutely love the way Colin Baker handled the material he was given. Awesome actor.

Trial of a Time Lord had potential, but was let down by everything that killed Doctor Who in the 80s.

And the unfortunate death of Robert Holmes. Oh to have seen his original ending! (Fucking Eric Saward...)

[FSBlueApocalypse]

I'll take that to heart. Bored, so here are my 10 favorite episodes of NuWho

1. Amy's Choice
2. The Doctor's Wife
3. Human Nature/Family of Blood
4. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
5. Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
6. End of Time Parts 1&2
7. The Eleventh Hour
8. Dalek
9. Empty Child/Doctor Dances
10. Vincent and The Doctor

[FSBlueApocalypse]

ZOMG finally a trailer for the 2nd half of Season 6

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/videos/p00jb05r

[MrBogosity]

River wearing Kevarian's eye patch! Ooooh...

[FSBlueApocalypse]

Thoughts on the trailer

1. River with Kovarian's eyepatch, wow

2. Silence underwater, wth?

3. The Weeping Angels again? Just as I was singing Moffat's praises for not overusing any particular baddie...

4. At 0:36, are the beings that teleport Classic Series Cybermen?

5. I can already tell the Living Doll episode is going to be really creepy

[MrBogosity]

4. At 0:36, are the beings that teleport Classic Series Cybermen?

They look astronaut-shaped to me. Or maybe they're the creatures/robots we see Amy and Rory fighting at 0:38.

Oh, but hey, Cyber-carnage at 0:44!

[Virgil0211]

Well, my girlfriend and I resolved to go through the entirety of the nuWho series thus far, including all the episodes I may have missed along the way. Some of my conclusions from watching/rewatching the show up through season 4:

1. Rose and Eccleston seemed to have barely any chemistry with each other, making the little hints and romantic subplots seem more forced than anything else.

2. That being said, Eccleston's doctor had a great deal of unused potential. I'm hoping they have a special miniseries or something that covers the time war. I want to see what influenced the doctor into becoming the sort of man who would be driven to genocide and the sort of hatred he displayed in 'Dalek'.

3. Rose Tyler and Tennant had a great deal more natural chemistry. The romantic subplots and hints didn't seem as forced. However, one problem that seemed to be shared between both the Tennant and Eccleston eras was the distinct feeling that, at times, the romantic subplots were detracting from the overall effectiveness of some episodes. This was at its worst during Martha's tenure as a companion, to the point that it was just downright distracting at times.

4. Captain Jack is awesome. No further details are needed.

5. Thus far, my favorite companion/doctor pairing has been the 10th doctor and Donna Noble. No romantic subplots to drag down the story, and the two just played off of each other so well. I was a little sad when the Doctor had to wipe Donna's memory. I would've loved to see more adventures between her and Tennant-Doc. Maybe they could use the one left in Pete's world or something.

6. While I agree with FSBA that the Master's and Davros's respective returns could've been more effective, I disagree that they "fell flat". They were still good and enjoyable episodes, and they both seemed logical plots the two would devise (The Master using a paradox machine and the remnants of humanity to attempt starting an empire, and Davros with his reality bomb.). The Davros bit in particular seems to recall how the Daleks used him in Destiny of the Daleks and this little bit of dialogue (referring to the first one).

7. I'm afraid my familiarity with the original series is somewhat limited, so I may not be aware of the continuity of certain elements. However, I loved the Sontarans in Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky. Is their portrayal in NuWho different from their appearances in the original series?

8. Although Stolen Earth/Journey's End could've been done better, I loved the episode before it. I was especially fond of the ending. Red TARDIS is never a good sign.

9. Tennant had a great sendoff, Smith had the best introduction. I loved the montage of the previous doctors.

10. I'm a huge fan of Steven Moffet. Sherlock (available on Netflix, and another Steven Moffet show) is great, and the episodes he wrote of NuWho are some of my favorites. I'm looking forward to sitting down to watch what he does with season 6.

11. I'm still a little on the fence with Smith-doc, although that's primarily from not having seen many of his episodes yet. River seems like she'll be a very interesting character. I'm not too sure about Amelia character-wise yet, but she's gorgeous, so she gets a reprieve from my usual cynicism. My girlfriend said that Rory reminded her a great deal of me, therefore I hate him. :-P

12. I'd really like to see Davros return at some point to be fully utilized, though I wonder just how the new paradigm Daleks would react to him. They referred to the Daleks who found them as impure, and they were formed from Davros' own cells. How would they react to their creator, keeping that in mind?

So, yeah. Those are my thoughts so far.

[MrBogosity]

5. Thus far, my favorite companion/doctor pairing has been the 10th doctor and Donna Noble. No romantic subplots to drag down the story, and the two just played off of each other so well. I was a little sad when the Doctor had to wipe Donna's memory. I would've loved to see more adventures between her and Tennant-Doc. Maybe they could use the one left in Pete's world or something.

Agreed. Donna was awesome! Maybe she could come back for the 50th Anniversary Special...

The Davros bit in particular seems to recall how the Daleks used him in Destiny of the Daleks and this little bit of dialogue (referring to the first one).

I thought of that exact quote when I watched it.

7. I'm afraid my familiarity with the original series is somewhat limited, so I may not be aware of the continuity of certain elements. However, I loved the Sontarans in Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky. Is their portrayal in NuWho different from their appearances in the original series?

They're actually a bit closer to what Robert Holmes originally envisioned: they evolved on a planet (Sontar) with a much higher gravity than ours, so they're short and squat. But in the classic series, they always hired normal-height actors to play them. Also, I think there might have been a passing reference to Sontar in their first story, but other than that there was never any mention. Things like the war chant (Sontar-Ha!) are new, but then, this is the first time we've actually seen more than one or two Sontarans together at a time.

They've always been a clone race; presumably, natural-born civilian Sontarans still live on Sontar and the military uses cloning to boost its numbers. Literally, their whole reason for existing is to fight and die in the glory of battle. It also means that we can keep having Christopher Ryan and Dan Starkey back in episode after episode...

Ever since their first story, their ongoing war with the Rutans has been mentioned.

10. I'm a huge fan of Steven Moffet. Sherlock (available on Netflix, and another Steven Moffet show) is great, and the episodes he wrote of NuWho are some of my favorites. I'm looking forward to sitting down to watch what he does with season 6.

You ain't seen nothin' yet!

[Virgil0211]

Agreed. Donna was awesome! Maybe she could come back for the 50th Anniversary Special...

Is there a petition somewhere that I could sign in favor of this idea? Or, really, anything a bit more legal than abducting Steven Moffet at the next comic-con. :-P

Although, the thing I really liked wasn't just Donna, but the way she and the tenth Doctor were able to really play off of each other. Their personalities meshed together so well that I can't imagine another doctor actually replicating that. Then again, Steve Moffet was able to turn Moriarty into a gay midget and make it work, so he could probably pull this off.

I thought of that exact quote when I watched it.

Makes me wish they'd put the original Dalek/Cybermen episodes on Netflix already. The most I've seen of classic Who was a bit of "An Unearthly Child" and "The Daleks", and I don't remember much from them.

They're actually a bit closer to what Robert Holmes originally envisioned: they evolved on a planet (Sontar) with a much higher gravity than ours, so they're short and squat. But in the classic series, they always hired normal-height actors to play them. Also, I think there might have been a passing reference to Sontar in their first story, but other than that there was never any mention. Things like the war chant (Sontar-Ha!) are new, but then, this is the first time we've actually seen more than one or two Sontarans together at a time.

They've always been a clone race; presumably, natural-born civilian Sontarans still live on Sontar and the military uses cloning to boost its numbers. Literally, their whole reason for existing is to fight and die in the glory of battle. It also means that we can keep having Christopher Ryan and Dan Starkey back in episode after episode...

Ever since their first story, their ongoing war with the Rutans has been mentioned.

I've always had a bit of a partiality to the warrior/soldier races (Klingons, Krogans, Kilrathi, Germans(:-P), and so on). I don't know what it was about them, but I think it was their criticism/emphasis on strategy rather than individual skill or strength in battle. It seemed a little bit different from the typical soldier culture. The actors they hired were great, though I can't help but wonder if they would ever consider having R. Lee Emery play a Sontaran for a parody special or something.

The only way I'd heard about them before that episode was in an SFdebris review (actually, his review of Dalek is what got me into DW in the first place.) where he jokingly compared the Sontarans to the Hierarchy in an episode of Voyager. "When I first saw them, I immediately thought of the Sontarans from Doctor Who, large-headed aliens in grey suits who, in one episode, captured the Doctor. But no, these are the Hierarchy... large-headed aliens in grey suits who, in one episode, captured the doctor." Although, strangely enough, the hierarchy was almost completely the opposite of the Sontarans. Where the Sontarans were soldiers, the Hierarchy were almost all sniveling bureaucrats, though that made them more interesting as a concept than as villains.

Anyway, I'd love to see more episodes about the Sontarans. Maybe a conflict between the Sontarans and the Cybermen? Speaking of which, just where are the universe-prime Cybermen? Were they wiped out in the original series to be replaced by the Pete's World cybermen (and I ask only because I'm not as familiar with the original show)? Also, just what is the "pecking order" with regards to military strength and technology? I mean, I know that (barring events involving their endangerment or extinction) Time Lords and Daleks are pretty close to the top, but where is everyone else? I mean, the Cybermen barely stood a chance against the Daleks when they faced off.

I apologize, but I just realized at times that despite supposedly being older and more mature than this, I still have a part of me that approaches shows and movies from the standpoint of a 6 year old smashing his action figures together while making explosion noises. :-P

You ain't seen nothin' yet!

From what I've been reading in this forum, I'll get to see the Cybermen come back. I love the Cybermen. They're just so eerie, and the way they sound perfectly complements that trait. And plus, Steven Moffet. I'm sure it'll be a treat.

[FSBlueApocalypse]

The Cybermen issue has been one that's never really been resolved, which is why I asked about it in the trailer. Moffet's comments about redesigning the Cybermen as well makes me think we'll be seeing the original Mondas Cybermen at some point soon.

There are plenty of Classic Doctor Who stories on Netflix, though granted not many dealing with the Daleks or Cybermen. Still, City of Death, Pyramids of Mars, and Caves of Androzani are required viewing.

As far as a pecking order, it really does depend on the show runner and individual writer. Ie if there was such an episode under Moffet, wouldn't surprise me to see a Weeping Angel be able to wipe out a whole ship of Daleks.

[FSBlueApocalypse]

One last trailer observation, but at around 16 seconds that is an obviously older Amy. One episode title is "The Girl Who Waited", an obvious Amy reference.

[MrBogosity]

Speaking of which, just where are the universe-prime Cybermen?

No, they show up again in A Good Man Goes to War, although the design is still the same (minus the C logo on the chest).

Here's hoping they ignore that bit about killing a Cyberman by pushing a bit of gold into his chest...

I mean, I know that (barring events involving their endangerment or extinction) Time Lords and Daleks are pretty close to the top, but where is everyone else?

I think those were the only two Type III civilizations. The more ancient, keep-to-themselves races (like the Guardians, the Eternals, or the Disciples of the Light) could probably stand up to the Daleks. Anyone else would be toast.

[Virgil0211]

No, they show up again in A Good Man Goes to War, although the design is still the same (minus the C logo on the chest).

Here's hoping they ignore that bit about killing a Cyberman by pushing a bit of gold into his chest...

I think those were the only two Type III civilizations. The more ancient, keep-to-themselves races (like the Guardians, the Eternals, or the Disciples of the Light) could probably stand up to the Daleks. Anyone else would be toast.

*blink, blink*

Uhhh... Type III?

I'm guessing those more ancient keep-to-themselves races are a bit like the Q or Prophets from Star Trek?