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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jun 17, 2016 22:01:58 GMT
Since we're not short on voices decrying aspects of New Who, what is something, presentation and budget aside, that you really like if not adore about the revived series?
Sound off below!
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Post by omega on Jun 17, 2016 22:14:38 GMT
It's really embraced the kinds of stories time travel can facilitate. I know Moffat gets some flak for his complicated storylines, but they are very clever in incorporating time travel and its consequences.
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Post by jasonward on Jun 17, 2016 22:35:33 GMT
It exists.
I'm not being flippant, I spent a large part of my life with no new TV Doctor Who, and the prospect of it seeming to get smaller with each year that passed.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 1:25:47 GMT
It exists. I'm not being flippant, I spent a large part of my life with no new TV Doctor Who, and the prospect of it seeming to get smaller with each year that passed. To build on that -- not only does it exist, but it's also successful. Think about it, it's revival of a long-running British science fiction series that started in the 1960s and stopped round about the time the Berlin Wall came down. There was no guarantee that this revival was going to work. Whatever you think of the Paul McGann telefilm, it fell flat on its face in terms of reviving the series for the 1990s, only managing to achieve at best a new phase in the Wilderness Years where the series started to move away from pessimistic cyberpunk and darkness into a more optimistic fantasy aesthete. The fact that RTD and his fellows were able to take this show, revitalise it and then have it so readily accepted for an entirely new century just speaks to the talent involved in making the new programme. I mean, I was watching old Hartnell black-and-white serials and Season 22 on VHS recordings and I still loved the new series for what it was trying to do. I remember that explosion of popularity that happened on the school grounds when the Tenth Doctor emerged onto the scene, suddenly when I mentioned the words Doctor Who everyone knew what I was talking about. The show may be in a rut at the moment (your mileage may vary on that front), but I think that's because we've recently just come out of a remarkable five year golden age. The really frustrating thing I find with the Moffat era is that when that production team get it right, it's not just adequate, it's often downright groundbreaking. Time of the Angels / Flesh and Stone with its Earthshock-inspired storyline that manages to outdo its inspiration, Vincent and the Doctor with its heartbreakingly beautiful story about trying to bring a little light into the life of a man who is doomed to misery, Heaven Sent with its ingeniously inventive way of turning what would otherwise be failures into virtues, The Snowmen with its wonderful Bob Holmesian atmosphere... The last one in particular I wish could have been an old fashioned six-parter because if the quality had stayed up, it would have had a nice seat next to The Seeds of Doom or maybe even The Talons of Weng-Chiang. |
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Post by constonks on Jun 18, 2016 2:28:11 GMT
I'll probably have more to say in this topic at some point - I'm an All Who kinda guy - but I'll say this now:
It got me here.
Without Chris Eccleston (who I knew from Heroes) I wouldn't have checked out Who at all. No Who means no missing episodes to check out on audio which means no interest in audio drama and a lot less inspiration and diverse stories.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 2:53:34 GMT
New Who has given me some of the best television I have seen. It gave me Season 4,5 and 9 which I love to bits and pieces even with its problems(Stolen Earth,Vanpires of Venice and The Woman Who Lived) and it made fall in love with Doctor Who, without it I wouldn't have found the classics of Classic Doctor Who or the always wonderful Big Finish and their other various ranges. New Who has helped me fall in love Doctor Who!
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Post by elkawho on Jun 18, 2016 4:39:04 GMT
-I will repeat that it got me here as well, so that's a plus.
-I know this is heresy is some circles, but I love the addition of the families and backgrounds of the companions, especially in the RTD era. They are so much more fleshed out as characters because we know where they came from. And, IMO, it's done in a way that doesn't take away from The Doctor/companion relationship itself. I love how Jackie starts out hating and distrusting The Doctor for taking Rose away, and then ends up willing to protect him fiercely. And seeing the relationship between Donna and Wilf, or Donna and her mother, helps her become more of a rounded character, not just a shrill voice in the Doctor's ear. Done correctly, it might have even been able to help the TV Mel become a lot more accessible at the time.
- As much as many stories seem constrained by the shortened run time per story, I think many shine because of it. Midnight is prime example of a story that needed that 43 minute (or whatever it actually was) run time. It wouldn't work quite as well if it had to drawn out over a number of episodes. Others I can think of off the top of my head that I believe benefit from a one part, 43 minute story: 42 (I know it has it's detractors, but I like that story), Amy's Choice, even Dalek. I'm sure there are more but I'm tired.
- For me, personally, I was introduced to some amazing actors because of Doctor Who, old and new.
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Post by fuurei on Jun 18, 2016 4:40:07 GMT
I'm yet another person who only learned about Doctor Who through the new series. What probably hooked me first (and is probably still one of my favourite things about the new series) is RTD's writing and characters. I do also enjoy Moffat's twisted and complicated plotlines. And Murray Gold's music!
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Post by constonks on Jun 18, 2016 5:17:16 GMT
- I know this is heresy is some circles, but I love the addition of the families and backgrounds of the companions, especially in the RTD era. They are so much more fleshed out as characters because we know where they came from. And, IMO, it's done in a way that doesn't take away from The Doctor/companion relationship itself. 100% agree. Don't know why anyone wouldn't want to see the backgrounds and families. It adds a lot to the more character-focused tone of Nuhu. And I mean the EU definitely introduces classic families (and the EU helped define the new series). |
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Post by relativetime on Jun 18, 2016 5:33:57 GMT
Does it even need saying?
Besides being where I started watching Doctor Who, New Who has given us such wondrous adventures as The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, Blink, Silence in the Library/The Forest of the Dead, Midnight, Turn Left, The Waters of Mars, pretty much all of Series 5 (well, minus one or two), The Doctor's Wife, The Girl Who Waited, and need I go on? We've had three amazing actors play the Doctor and we now have John Hurt's War Doctor thanks to New Who too!
New Who has introduced so many great things into the Doctor Who universe as well. As I mentioned above, we have the Time War and John Hurt's Doctor, but also Jack Harkness and Torchwood, the Paternoster Gang, and even the continuing television adventures of Sarah Jane Smith! And as for monsters - how about pretty much all of Steven Moffat's creations? The Weeping Angels, the Silents, the Vashta Nerada, the Gas Mask Child (not sure if he has an official name, but whatever) and the Clockwork Droids. Oh and River Song too! (I'm kidding! I'm kidding! She's great!)
New Who may have its problems, but it has done just as much good as Classic Who, I would argue.
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Post by agentten on Jun 18, 2016 7:55:00 GMT
I'm a big fan of the majority of new Who. When I think about the positives, I have a long list. For one thing, even if someone where not a fan of new Who, one of the results of its popularity has been more classic Who stories out there and revived interest in the original series. This is definitely a win-win for Who fans. We've also gotten some amazing new monsters such as the Weeping Angels, the Vashta Nerada, and The Silence, and exciting new elements to the Who mythology such as the Time War and Torchwood. As others have said, I too love getting to know the companion's families and friends as I feel it adds considerable emotional depth to the stories. I'm also a great fan of the casting since new Who began. Each actor who has played the Doctor has been as amazing and unique as the previous one. Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, Hurt, and Capaldi. How amazing is it that we have actors of this caliber leading the show? With this actor selection, there's a Doctor for most everyone to enjoy. Sometimes my friends who are just casual Who fans ask me how I deal with it when a Doctor I love is regenerating. I tell them two things: First, after five great casting choices in a row I no longer worry about new Who's new Doctors. Second, if you ever don't like one, wait three years and you're sure to get a new choice that will be totally fresh and unique. I think no matter what type of Who fan you are, we're in the midst of an embarrassment of riches. We have new episodes on the way, new Big Finish on an almost weekly basis, new monthly comics from Titan, and a steady stream of novels to keep us entertained, just to name a few. New Who is truly a case of the tide raising all ships.
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Post by icecreamdf on Jun 18, 2016 8:06:45 GMT
Well, the biggest positives about New Who are Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi. Compared to the Classic Series, I like how New Who focuses on characters. Classic Who would never give us an episode like Face the Raven thay deals with the consequences of a companion travelling with the Doctor. I also like seeing the companions' families, and I love the big event episodes that the Classic Series rarely did. Overall, my favorite thing about the new series is that new episodes still come out. I've seen every episode that already exists, so I'm glad that I always have new episodes to look forward to.
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Post by dalekbuster523finish on Jun 18, 2016 10:41:01 GMT
The writing and characterisation is in my view extremely better than it was during the classic series. The classic series as great as it is has quite a few generic lines, whereas the new series seems to make the dialogue more dramatic and sometimes even poetic.
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Post by acousticwolf on Jun 18, 2016 11:09:41 GMT
More money for better realised monsters, some great stories, Matt Smith, Murray Gold's epic music.
Cheers
Tony
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Jun 18, 2016 12:39:00 GMT
I'm not gonna say anything, because it would mostly be pick and mixing from whats said above. So no need
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 13:20:58 GMT
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....nuff said.
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Post by barnabaslives on Jun 18, 2016 15:15:18 GMT
Oh, let's see... there's a lot to like, I'm sure. The casting continues to be outstanding like the OS, the New Series hasn't burned its bridges with the OS or turned its back on continuity, it still works hard to surprise us, it's a very striking show visually, it's as creative as ever in dealing with limitations, and it's introduced numerous enduring and endearing characters. It's about the only TV drama I care to watch anymore except for its spin-offs (and Dark Shadows of course). I'm very grateful for the interest the New Series sparked in the whole franchise which has probably helped make many things possible, and I'm still very impressed at the way the appeal manages to span generations.
I don't know how much I really need to get to know a companion's family but I like a lot of the things they've done in that area and I'm glad it does get addressed finally that companions might have family who'd notice they were missing if they just disappeared in a time machine.
Also, I may not be all that thrilled about what some of the overarching plot lines turned out to be, but I think it's very exciting the way the shows throws in something we probably don't find out about until near the season finale. For me it helps provide plenty of incentive to take a season as a whole and keep following where the teasers lead.
(I just wish the show didn't allow some companions to overstay their welcome and then do weird things to them trying to compensate, or offend even my meager scientific sensibilities usually by mixing science with hyperbole or fantasy. There are many New Series episodes I'd probably put on a par with many classic episodes if it weren't for those two ongoing transgressions against the viewer). :-)
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Post by mrperson on Jun 18, 2016 16:56:06 GMT
Classic Who would never give us an episode like Face the Raven thay deals with the consequences of a companion travelling with the Doctor. I'd say Earthshock makes the same point.... |
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Post by seeley on Jun 18, 2016 20:10:15 GMT
The writing and characterisation is in my view extremely better than it was during the classic series. The classic series as great as it is has quite a few generic lines, whereas the new series seems to make the dialogue more dramatic and sometimes even poetic. That's a rather disingenuous comparison, methinks. New Who comprises nine years, two show-runners, and four Doctors. Classic Who ran for nearly nearly three times that length, had a myriad of producers and script-editors, and featured seven Doctors. Don't get me wrong, I generally like the writing on the New Series (in fact, it's easy to forget its baseline quality until you watch something like Star Trek: TNG,) but the Classic Series under Verity Lambert and the Classic Series under Barry Letts are no more the same beast than the Classic Series under Cartmel and the New Series under Moffat. |
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Post by paulmorris7777 on Jun 19, 2016 9:42:05 GMT
Classic Who would never give us an episode like Face the Raven thay deals with the consequences of a companion travelling with the Doctor. I'd say Earthshock makes the same point.... Remind me, what are the consequences? |
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