The Dr Who thread

Kronos · Post by **Kronos** » Mon May 01, 2006 6:42 pm 0

HGFB wrote:After reading that I'm speechless. You don't play Counterstrike do you?

nah, carrier command is about the only strategy game ive ever played

the k9 episode was better, a lot better (just saw that fully after a torrent) but i still stand by the fact that if series 2 of the relaunch of the dr who franchise had been what actually launched it (not eccleston's) the viewing figures would be lower today. that episode "worked" on many levels where the other 2 prev episodes didnt but hes still not as good a dr as mr E imo but less pipskweeky than prev 3 episodes

LOL @ cheapness of K9 bless his little stainless steel bearings you gotta love him init.

IronGiant · Post by **IronGiant** » Mon May 01, 2006 6:52 pm 0

As is always the case after regenerations, people take a while to adjust to the new actor playing the character. Some never adjust to the new actor which is fair enough - from my own point of view, none of the actors playing the Doc were as good as Tom Baker ........ although David Tennant is close (but still very different). Eccleston never really came across right to me - he did his best (bless his cotton socks) and was very good in episodes where he wasn't required to grin stupidly in nearly every scene and be forcefully jolly (manic?), but overall he just didn't fit in.

If Tennant had played the Doc from "series 1" of New Who then I'd have enjoyed it even more - as it is there are few "series 1" episodes that I can watch without Eccleston irritating me.

But there you go, we're all different.

Istar · Post by **Istar** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:36 pm 0

Just got back from a weekend away, so I've just watched School Reunion.

An essentially 'meh' main story (for me, just the Slitheen again). Rose/Mickey doing their pouty thing, as usual. A couple of good lines from both, and maybe, just maybe, Mickey grew on me a bit.

Tennant still not quite settled overall, I feel, but getting there. I'm happy with his Doctor, and he seems to be getting a feel for it. Less manic, more considered, a soupcon darker.

K-9 was under-used, over-played (when he was used), and didn't sound right until the last scene - and even then, it wasn't -quite- right. Although that can be explained as internal technical failures, and a rebuild.

But Sarah-Jane Smith. Sarah. Jane. Smith.

Tennants' face when he first sees her. Her reaction to finding the TARDIS, and then their 'proper' meeting. The little bit of 'shared experience' with Rose at the end; "come and find me".

And then, for me, the crowning glory of the final scene. "Goodbye, my Sarah-Jane". Fuck me, did I blub. Tennant got it right, the writer got it right, and you can't go wrong with Sladen in a scene. Her expression as she hears the demat sequence kicking-in. The half-turn, to see it disappear. The look on her face; memory, regret, sadness, hope, love.

If it hadn't been an SJS story, I'd've given it 5/10. The SJS/Doctor scenes kicked it up to an easy 9.

It's been 30 years since I last saw SJS (K-9 & Co. excepted). And I still would

.

Ollie · Post by **Ollie** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:25 pm 0

Tell you what, though, I'm getting fed up with RTD in the Confidential episodes coming across like every story decision that has been made for the series (many of them by him) is not only the right decision, not even merely the best decision, but the only conceivable way the story or characters could have progressed at that point, and therefore sheer genius.

anon76235 · Post by **anon76235** » Mon May 01, 2006 11:53 pm 0

face of boe expecting baby boemina

WiteWulf · Post by **WiteWulf** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:58 am 0

What can I say other than "Cover me in chocolate and throw me to the assistants!".

Loved this episode...always been a big fan of SJS and she hasn't half aged well.

merman · Post by **merman** » Thu May 04, 2006 11:36 am 0

Mixed feelings on this one. Just because it had Anthony Head in it, it didn't need to turn into "Dr Who The Vampire Slayer"... Weak plot, and the effects weren't up to much...

...BUT the dialogue sizzled, particularly the interaction between Rose and Sarah-Jane. If previous "new" episodes have dealt with how the companion's family back on Earth are dealing with their absence, this was a clever look at how a companion feels when their time in the Tardis is over.

And K-9! Awesome.

(Cybermen episode is a two-parter, starts a week on Saturday. When Trigger tries to take over the world

)

HGFB · Post by **HGFB** » Thu May 04, 2006 11:44 am 0

If the episode didn't have Anthony Head in it nobody at all would be making Buffy comments.

kalmar · Post by **kalmar** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:06 pm 0

HGFB wrote:If the episode didn't have Anthony Head in it nobody at all would be making Buffy comments.

I've only seen a few episodes of Dr Who so far (the first couple from last year and odd ones from this season) but I did really like the school one, and possibly because it I thought it did have a couple of buffy-like elements:

The "plot" about the bat teachers was clearly secondary to the episode. It wasn't bad or dull or anything, but it was background, and doesn't bear analysing too deeply. Just like the way many Buffy episodes have a token demon or vampire or whatever to deal with, whilst the main story is really about a relationship or growing up experience. And that's why it's more interesting (I think the new Dr Who is a lot more like that anyway compared to the older series)

It had some quite funny lines, and the "action" wasn't taken too seriously - "ignore the shooty dog thing".

Useless sidekick Mickey had more of a touch of "Xander" about him, emphasised with the "I'm the Tin Dog" bit.

And it had Anthony Head in it

Zoot · Post by **Zoot** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:09 pm 0

HGFB wrote:If the episode didn't have Anthony Head in it nobody at all would be making Buffy comments.

Well, having never watched Buffy, I didn't know who the heck he was anyway, but thought that he was appropriately vie and nasty.

kalmar · Post by **kalmar** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:11 pm 0

Zoot wrote:
HGFB wrote:If the episode didn't have Anthony Head in it nobody at all would be making Buffy comments.
Well, having never watched Buffy, I didn't know who the heck he was anyway, but thought that he was appropriately vie and nasty.

He actually plays an impossibly nice and wise good guy in Buffy, so it's not really like the role is reprised here or anything

PeeknPoke Lee · Post by **PeeknPoke Lee** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:22 pm 0

The way I am watching all the new Doctor Whos is its a kids show.
Plain and simple.
Its really not created for 30plus males finding plot points that do not work. Its not on that level.
Although its great family entertainment, something missing these days - its the only show I watch with my kids.
Dont get me wrong, Its very very enjoyable I watch this on the same level as I did the new Star Wars trilogy - a kids show. I would have adored this new series if I was young - and I do now.
My kids also think Doctor who is fantastic so its doing its job well.

Lee

Darkflame · Post by **Darkflame** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:45 pm 0

Piff.
Theres NO excuse for a kids show to be less inteligent then an adults.
I think that thinking often comes from the overestimation of adult inteligence as well as the underestimation of childrens. :p
(to use a clichÃ©; They would know if a pokemon did a move it couldnt do wouldnt they?

That said there was nothing too wrong with this epp.

HGFB wrote:If the episode didn't have Anthony Head in it nobody at all would be making Buffy comments.

But he is rather type-cast these days.

HGFB · Post by **HGFB** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:48 pm 0

Typecast? How do you work that one out? He plays a lot of evil alien villains then?

Nothing to do with my point anyway. If it had been someone else playing Mr Finch people wouldn't even have thought to make Buffy comments.

HGFB · Post by **HGFB** » Thu May 04, 2006 1:34 pm 0

Ratings update from Outpost Gallifrey

Saturday's episode, School Reunion, achieved the joint highest AI (measuring audience appreciation) of the bank holiday weekend, with both the episode of Doctor Who and Five's CSI: New York both scoring 85. This is the same score as New Earth secured a couple of weeks ago, making these Series Two episodes two of the five most popular instalments since the return of the series (see OG news, 18 April).

Sunday evening's BBC Three repeat of School Reunion attracted an average of 599,400 viewers (4.1%), 57,200 up on the previous Sunday's Tooth and Claw repeat, and about 60,000 up on the Sunday repeat of Dalek on the same Sunday in 2005. School Reunion was BBC Three's second-placed programme on Sunday, behind the sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, and was fifth in the multichannel top ten, behind two editions of The Simpsons, the Two Pints episode, and a Sky Sports programme.

We also have a detailed breakdown demonstrating the series' popularity among children in the UK: of School Reunion's 7.6m overnight average, 1.2m were under 16, an audience share of 55%. Doctor Who is by far the most-watched television programme among children, its nearest rival being BBC One's EastEnders (0.9m, 36.7%). The ITV1 competition on Saturday, the Hulk movie, reached only 0.3m under-16s (18.3%). Interestingly, the same chart shows that, while Totally Doctor Who's audience of 0.8m is equivalent to the figures for Blue Peter, only 0.3m (up to 19%) of the viewers for each children's show are actually children.

Meanwhile, the BARB consolidated ratings for the BBC One transmission of Tooth and Claw on Saturday 22 April are now available. With timeshifted viewings taken into account, the episode was watched by an average of 9.24m viewers, the tenth most watched programme of the week (behind five episodes of Coronation Street and four episodes of EastEnders) and the third highest television show. This is an increase of 0.62m on the previous week's episode and is 1.26m higher than the 7.98m achieved by World War Three on the same Saturday in 2005.

The second edition of Doctor Who Confidential, Fear Factor on Saturday 22 April, was BBC Three's top-rated show of the week, with 0.65m viewers, reaching number 16 in the week's multichannel chart. The Sunday evening repeat of Tooth and Claw charts at number eight for the channel with 0.56m.