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I am completely unfamiliar with Doctor Who.
Should I bother watching either the old or the new versions?
Complete the following sentence: If you liked (or didn't like) ___________, which you've probably seen, you will probably like (or not like) the [old or new] Doctor Who.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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I like Doctor Who, but haven't seen the newest ones. Sylvester McCoy was the last Doctor I've seen - he was the 7th Doctor. Jon Pertwee was the first one for me, so I've seen 3 through 7.
Other Sci-Fi shows I like or have liked in the past: Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, Sliders, Firefly (of course!), Quantum Leap, Star Trek (each show, at the time, but don't watch it any more), Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Red Dwarf ...
I liked the original Night Stalker series, never got to see the new one. I liked the old Battlestar Galactica, the new one lost my interest in the pilot when the Cylon chick killed the baby.
What I liked about Doctor Who: that's hard to say. I started watching in the late 70s, in high school. Each Doctor has his own personality quirks. One thing that's fairly true throughout is the Doctor's sense of being always right about a situation and his frustration with people doing the wrong (in his eyes) thing. The special effects in the early shows are, well, special in their own special way. There is a sense of fun in the show, though, and I always enjoyed watching it. I even started writing a fan story, which is rare for me. Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Porter, my favorite Dr. Who episodes were those with Tom Baker as the doctor. Some of these were written by Douglas Adams, and I think it's safe to say if you like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the books, not the movie, which was dreadful) then you will like the Tom Baker Dr. Who episodes. If you're talking about the new ones, I really don't know, as I haven't seen them. I liked Sylvester McCoy pretty well, but probably wouldn't have all that much had I not already gotten into the series earlier with Tom Baker.
I seriously loathed a couple of the doctors, (this means writing as well as acting, during the time they were part of the show) and didn't ever watch them once I realized. Others were indifferent. Tom Baker was great (except for one episode which really sucked, and possibly another here and there which were only mediocre). I think of Monty Python or Hitchhikers as being the same type of humor.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Tatiana, I'm so curious now as to which Doctors you despised, and which Tom Baker episode you thought sucked. I'd also love to know which Baker episodes you liked best. City of Death is my favorite by a wide margin.
I've seen all of the Tom Baker episodes, and he's my favorite Doctor as well, though I don't dispute that some of his episodes weren't that wonderful. I didn't particularly like his first one, Robot for example, and there is even one written by Douglas Adams, The Pirate Planet, that was pretty bad (although in that episode I think that the problem was probably in the editing room rather than in the script).
Christopher Eccleston's take on The Doctor is easily my second favorite. The scripts, while not achieving the brilliance of the best of the Tom Baker Era, are consistently solid, the production values are quite good (in earlier seasons production values were pretty hit or miss. You'd occasionally have to suffer through episodes whose sound was so poorly mixed that the incidental music would completely drown out the actors, or episodes in which the editing was so awful that it was a challenge just to follow what was supposed to be happening), the absence of utterly campy special effects turned out to be okay, and the acting is first rate.
One thing that I particularly enjoyed with the Eccleston season was the exploration of the psychological impact that being a companion had on Rose, and the impact that her leaving had on her mother and boyfriend.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Ahhhhh, Dr. Who - it was the one show on TV I watched during my sophomore year of high school. Tom Baker was great! Absolutely - if you like the humor behind Adams' writing, you like a lot of Dr. Who.
*theme song plays in head*
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Oh, back twenty-some years ago, in college, I used to watch Dr. Who with the D&D crowd. And it was a blast. Good times. But then, later, I tried watching the show by myself, and it was no good at all. It is the kind of show that requires a roomful of geeks shouting geeky things at the screen to be fully appreciated.
Without that, it's like watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 without the witty commentary, just the dreadful movies.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: I seriously loathed a couple of the doctors, (this means writing as well as acting, during the time they were part of the show) and didn't ever watch them once I realized. Others were indifferent. Tom Baker was great (except for one episode which really sucked, and possibly another here and there which were only mediocre).
Letsee... I'd guess the episode to be "Underworld." (Maybe "The Power of Kroll" or "Meglos," but probably "Underworld.")
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mph, If you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer you might like the new series of Dr. Who. Eccelston was outstanding, as was the assistant Billie Piper. It has more fun with science fiction than most shows out there. It is a breath of fresh air and fun in an era of Sci Fi where everything mainstream is grim, gritty and depressing (BSG, Lost, Invasion, etc., etc.). It has a deeper and more mature underpinning that comes up from time to time (the current Dr. Who is supposedly the last Timelord and he has issues with this...because he may be responsible for that...) but for the most part you have rubbery looking badguys, fun dialogue and a lot of getting out of problems using brains, wit, or just hoofing it.
I love the old Tom Baker stuff but it doesn't always hold up as well as I would hope. Watching it on a tiny b/w telly in my basement in snowy UHF seems to make it look better than the crisp DVD versions of today. The acting and writing of the show were always great but the production values of the show are very dated. The new version looks better, though they aren't afraid of guys in rubber suits.
I also saw the X-Mas special with the new Doctor, David Tennant. I am happy to report that Tennant is a great replacement for Eccelston. He has big shoes to fill but he does it admirably and with a great sense of humor and adventure. From what they previewed for Season Two of the new series, we also get a lot of old-school returns. Cybermen are back (and a pic of one graces my desktop...it looks great), K-9 is back (shudder) and Sarah Jane Smith, Tom Baker's companion, returns. Also, for Buffy fans, Anthony Stewart Head makes an appearance as a bad guy.
mph, there is a ton of history in the Doctors and the new series has many references to the old stuff but not so many as to overwhelm the viewer. A new fan can watch it and enjoy it for what it is but an old fan will see a lot of nods to the classics. It is fun television and well worth your time when Sci-Fi picks it up in March.
Posts: 896 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Concerning the old Whos -- do I need to watch it from the beginning ?
I know essentially nothing about the plot or backstory of Dr. Who, except that he owns a time-traveling phone booth. Wait? That sounds like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Anyway, I also know that there were more than one Dr. Who, but I don't know if they are supposed to be the same character or not.
If I jump right into the Tom Baker episodes, will I be completely lost?
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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It's not a phone booth. It's a blue police box a la nineteen fifties Britain. Kind of.
I don't think you'll be lost jumping in somewhere, as long as you start at the beginning of a series/season/storyline but since each series/season/storyline is so different you might really like one and not the other. You might find the modern one good and the others not, or vice versa...
And I don't know about fil's Buffy/Dr. Who comparison, but I think it does bear a kind of resemblance, albeit a British one, to that kind of Seriousness and depth combined with Wittiness and light. It's not as dark as BSG but it's not as light as Star Trek, which I suppose is Joss Whedon's kind of domain- the middle line.
Only it's British and not American. It's a lot funny if you get the British jokes, but you definately don't have to!
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Nah, you'll be fine starting wherever you happen to start. You wouldn't even necessarily need to start with the first Tom Baker episode, really.
The idea is that there is this character, The Doctor, who is a member of an alien race called the timelords. Exactly what timelords are, and what role they play in the universe seems to be subject to change, but they are capable, when sustaining injuries that would otherwise be fatal, of regenerating. A regenerated timelord maintains the memories of his or her previous incarnation (although they may be somewhat jumbled, especially immediately after a regeneration), but they behave and look quite differently from generation to generation (a convenient plot device which allows new actors to play the role of The Doctor, and to put their own spin on the character.
In his first three incarnations The Doctor went from being a crochety old man to a space hobo to a dandy, for example.
You're kind of right about the time travelling phone booth. Timelords' ships are called TARDISes, and are supposed to be able to shapeshift (on the outside) to blend in with their surroundings. The Doctor's TARDIS has a broken chameleon circuit (or something like that) and is stuck in the shape of a 1950s (or is it 1960s) British police box.
TARDISes are much larger on the inside than they are on the outside, by the way, so the characters aren't crammed into a tiny little space as they flit through time and space.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Noemon, that episode City of Death was a great one. One of my favorites as well. Did you notice that all the count's henchmen (as well as the count himself, whose name was actually Scarlotti I thought) were named after Italian composers? The stuff that I adore the most about Dr. Who is just the funny inconsequential stuff they toss in the corners. The writing sparkled with wit at this point. Remember "and take arms against a sea of troubles... that's a mixed metaphor!!!" and "see you earlier, the Doctor" a note hastily scribbled to Leonardo in backwards writing.
The Tom Baker episode I remember thinking sucked was one about The Pleasure Hive or somesuch. No clue the name of the episode.
I actually loved Dr. Kettlesworth and his robot that he loved and didn't want to harm. Is that the one where the Brigadier said "Just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that's not immune to bullets"? I seem to remember that happening right after they upsized the robot, but maybe I'm confusing two episodes. Best Brigadier Quote Ever!
I really loved the Pirate Planet too! "Moons of Madness!" I loved how the dude cried when K9 killed his robot killer bird thingy. Queen Xanxia and the time dams, ah I remember them fondly. Oh and this episode had the repeat of the H2G2 gag about how boring it is being a henchman, all the shouting and shoving all day, no intellectual stimulation, etc. when the guard was taking them to be spaced. Oh and the Mentiads! "Life Force Dying" I really liked this episode!
Okay, the Doctor I truly loathed was the one that was second after Tom Baker, I believe. He had brown curly hair, and a very whiny American girl sidekick (Mel?), then more and more sidekicks, I think at least 3 total, because he was so dull himself that he could not carry the show.
I didn't like the blonde guy immediately after Tom either, though he made a fine Campion on some other PBS show that my dad used to like. The rest were okay but the very first one, that old white haired guy, was pretty boring I thought.
Help me get all the Doctors straight. 1 - Old white haired guy. 2 - Guy with the Moe haircut who played the flute or something. 3 - Dashing white haired fellow with yellow antique car. Sarah Jane was his sidekick and the Brigidier made his entrance during this era. 4 - Tom Baker, THE Doctor. 5 - Blonde hapless fellow who also played Campion. Fairly lame. 6 - Brown curly haired guy I detested. 7 - Sylvester McCoy? He was good! 8 - There's a new one now?
Please correct that, Dr Who fans, and supply actual names.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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It's funny. I originally liked Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor) the best. But after seeing the Fifth Doctor (I think it was Peter Davidson), I decided he was my favorite. All I ever saw of the Sixth Doctor was the episode where he showed up.
Anyway, they're running out of time. I think they're actually on the Ninth Doctor now, and I have a theory that they won't be able to go past the 11th.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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1. William Hartnell .... The Doctor (1963-1966) 2. Patrick Troughton .... The Doctor (1966-1969) 3. Jon Pertwee .... The Doctor (1970-1974) 4. Tom Baker .... The Doctor (1974-1981) 5. Peter Davison .... The Doctor (1981-1984) 6. Colin Baker .... The Doctor (1984-1986) 7. Sylvester McCoy .... The Doctor (1987-1989) 8. Paul McGann .... The Doctor (1996) 9. Christopher Eccleston .... The Doctor (2005) 10. David Tennant .... The Doctor (2005-)
All from IMdb. And here's my theory.
The Doctor and the Master are the same person. When we first meet the Master, he's in his 11th incarnation. I think that the 11th Doctor goes nuts and becomes the Master.
But then again, I might just be remembering Adam Warlock and the Magus...
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I'll give the Robot episode another chance, Tatiana--I think it's in my Netflix queue already, actually. I just saw The Pirate Planet a couple of years ago, though, so I'm fairly sure that my take on it then would be the same as my take on it now. It's an episode that had a lot of great stuff going for it, including the writing, but was doomed (in my eyes) by horrible editing and awful sound mixing.
So Lisa, what are your reasons for thinking that the Doctor and the Master are one person? Do you think that this is an idea that they've had from the time the Master was introduced, or do you think that they arrived at it at some point in the series?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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They will have to deal with a big issue when the Eleventh Doctor arrives, and resolving it will make some earlier stories impossible; but there are enough time paradoxes in Doctor Who already that one more shouldn't matter. I just hope they do deal with it, as the issue is much more than, say, a throwaway line in a random episode from the '60's. And of course the shows have been saying for some time that the Doctor has only 13 lives total, but in the past villains have been able to get around that so it shouldn't be a problem for the Doctor to do so too.
Posts: 781 | Registered: Apr 2005
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One of the post Baker doctors went on trial, where it was declared that he would become "The Master" in the future.
The McCoy doctor hinted that there was more to him than just another Time Lord--that he might be the original and greatest of all Time Lords (who's name I forget).
I enjoyed the doctor when I watched them kill off characters, important characters, in the show. That just never happened in American Sci Fi. Oh, sure, one character may die in an episode, or several "red shirts" nameless characters. But the Doctor routinely killed off good and bad people in each episode.
Although I did notice a pattern around President Baker episode. Anyone good or bad, who threatened The Doctor, even by mistake, ended up dead.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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"The McCoy doctor hinted that there was more to him than just another Time Lord--that he might be the original and greatest of all Time Lords (who's name I forget)." Dan_raven, you must be talking about Rasilon?
We used to go around naming things "The Fork of Rasilon", "The Broom of Rasilon", "The Fuzzy Slippers of Rasilon", etc.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Dan_raven: One of the post Baker doctors went on trial, where it was declared that he would become "The Master" in the future.
I think you're thinking of the Valeyard -- there's a 6th Doctor series arc -- "The Trial of a Time Lord" -- where the Doctor is put on trial for his life, the prosecuting attorney is the Valeyard, and the Master shows up to say that the Valeyard is the Doctor from the future -- something about him showing up between the Doctor's 12th and final regeneration...
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There is a sense of fun in the show, though, and I always enjoyed watching it. I even started writing a fan story, which is rare for me. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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