...NEW DR WHO TOINIGHT, EPISODE 13, THE PARTING OF THE WAYS. 18/6/05...

[Funt Solo]

I really enjoyed this last episode (and pretty much the whole series).  My only complaint is a positive one, in that I'd have loved to see the Emperor Dalek stomping around exterminating a few things.  Big stompy robots, y'see?

Culturally, I think this series has been great:  you've got families around teles, all age groups can discuss it, it's not reality fecking tele, it's not a gameshowshow, it's not overly laden with irony-awareness, it's not American, it's not a soap opera and it's not pop-tarts 27.

It's easy to over-analyze it to death and make bizarre comparisons to earlier Who, in which we can gleefully forget that all the costumes, special effects and cardboard locations were actually crap, but why bother doing that?

Having seen Casanova, I'm happy with the choice for the new Doctor, although my sister is less so, declaring that he's a "weedy little shit", I think mainly because she's going to miss Christopher Eccleston so much.

[Artificial Idiot]

But why does it matter if the Doctor is a 'weedy little shit' anyway? It's not like he's well... Captain Jack is it?

[The Amstor Computer]

"It's easy to over-analyze it to death and make bizarre comparisons to earlier Who, in which we can gleefully forget that all the costumes, special effects and cardboard locations were actually crap, but why bother doing that?"

Having just recently watched two classics - Horror of Fang Rock, and Robots of Death - I'm quite happy to say that there were plotholes, iffy SFX, convenient coincidences and plot contrivances aplenty in even the best of Classic Who. However, the strength of the ideas being communicated, the conviction of the writers and actors and the apparent commitment of everyone involved took the show past these minor flaws - just as with this series, IMO.

This has been a fucking great first run, and for all its flaws it's still been the best damn thing on telly for the past few months. Fingers crossed for the Tenth Doctor!

[The Amstor Computer]

Heh - indeed. BTW, isn't David Tennant over 6' something, anyway?

[Aaron Smurf Murphy]

Despite all of it flaws in the last episode consider the following:

Only a few of those were really kinda "um...how's that possible?" moments and one of the words in SF is Fiction.

The bit with the Dalek outside the window with it's lights flashing in rythm to "exterminate" was bloody awesome and makes up for all of those afore mentioned flaws.

Tennant looks like he might be really good.

And I hated old Who. Everything looked crap, had awful music, took 12 episodes to do anything, involved gravel pits and often featured assistants with personalities that needed a good kickin'. This new one has been fun, looks great and has some interesting if not perfect storylines. Lots of people are diggin' it and if it remains ike this I'm sure they'll watch more.

Musics still crap though.

Finnigan Sinister

[Endjinn]

The thing with the Time War, which someone mentions on one of the episode of Dr Who Confidential, is that it was a war fought beyond time and space, which is why the Timelords and The Daleks are seen as legends, rather than historical species, by the humans of the future.

The Time War might've erased / messed with / altered a lot of the history of the universe, and who knows what kind of lasting damage / loss of interaction this could have had with the rest of the galaxy?

[opaque]

I liked it, some bits were a bit hokey but was fun. Pain we've got to wait until November for the proper dvd boxset.

Re: Ultraviolet was cancelled as it was filmed using film. It had the budget of a C4 film which was miles above what could be spent again nad they couldn't degrade the quality to normal video as it would look crap. Well that's what someone at work told me. Makes sense, it would have been great to have that come back, it was so well made.

[colcool007]

    Another thread that I have enjoyed reading, especially where we find the wannabe critics.

    I just want to add one thing. My kids (all girls) are having a bitch-fest at school every day, because they are playing a game at playtimes. The game is Dr Who. The winner/most popular/most whining gets to be Rose. Next one gets to be the Doctor and the loser gets to be the Dalek.  Now the last program that I remember kids being so mad about is those bloody Turtles. And that was 20 yrs ago!

    So if you want to pick holes in the plot, go ahead. If you wan't to complain about ropey dialogue, go for it. But if you want to complain about it not being family entertainment, then get a grip and find out what kids really want.

    After all, how many shows make bravery and sticking by your mates core values?

[The Amstor Computer]

"I just want to add one thing. My kids (all girls) are having a bitch-fest at school every day, because they are playing a game at playtimes. The game is Dr Who. The winner/most popular/most whining gets to be Rose. Next one gets to be the Doctor and the loser gets to be the Dalek. Now the last program that I remember kids being so mad about is those bloody Turtles. And that was 20 yrs ago!"

Fantastic! I love hearing these stories - and I'm hearing them from everyone with kids.

I'm delighted to see that the Daleks are striking a chord with children, but I'm also chuffed that the other new monsters - the Slitheen and the Empty Child in particular - are being picked up.

My friend's daughter spent an evening wandering after her mum asking, "Are you my mummy?" in a little sing-song voice. Amused her no end, but freaked her mum out! :-)

[Richmond Clements]

Fantastic! I love hearing these stories - and I'm hearing them from everyone with kids.


Yes, it is easy to forget that they are the audience for this show, not the 'adult' fan.
Peronally, it was delightful, on Saturday night, to hear my son outside playing, shouting at his mates, 'Doctor Who's coming on!' and then see the street suddenly empty of children.

[House of Usher]

Two nieces, aged 7 and 5 (I think), have been really enjoying Dr Who, watching it every Saturday evening. And yes, it was the Daleks episodes they've enjoyed more than anything else.

[paulvonscott]

Has anyone been reading the BBC's Fear Forecasts?  They are still online, on the who site, a family of mum and dad and the four kids reporting on each episode.  It's entertaining and funny, and you see how kids today react to it.  Not always that different from the old days.

[Eric Plumrose]

>> Forcefield around the station. Can't remember where it was mentioned, and as you aren't going to watch it anyway, I'm not going to take the time to check.

Yet a single Dalek is able to shoot its way in through a window.

>> ['Bad Wolf'] is the name of the media company, and the first thing she notices when she exits the TARDIS, "possessed" by the Vortex.

Sure, but it's still a lazy way of imbuing the series with a sense of mystery.

>> They didn't [all come back to life]; Jack did.

So all those other people weren't as worthy as Jack? How so? That's fucking shite morality.

>> But it's still a big change for him, and for Rose.

Not disputing that. But given the above, it still remains a token gesture on Russell's part for all those deaths the Doctor's responsible for.

>> In your opinion.

But of course :)

[The Amstor Computer]

-- Yet a single Dalek is able to shoot its way in through a window.

Well, you can look at that two ways:

1) A little creative avoidance of the forcefield mentioned earlier to allow for a cracking spooky moment, or;

2) The forcefield was set up to stop Dalek weapons - missiles, beam weapons etc. - but obviously couldn't prevent the Daleks themselves from swarming aboard the station. Perhaps the forcefield is only in effect just beyond the station, so if a Dalek got close enough - within a few feet - it could blast its way in?

-- So all those other people weren't as worthy as Jack? How so? That's fucking shite morality.

Well I read that scene as Rose, possessed by the Vortex, starting to resurrect everyone who had died. She started with Jack, but the Doctor realised what the power was doing to her and stepped in before she could do any more.

It wasn't a case of choosing only Jack, rather that she was only given chance to resurrect him. Convenient, perhaps, but not a case of Jack being more "worthy" than any of the others who died.

[Oddboy]

Plus - it's not unfair to consider those closest to you as being more worthy then other people.

If I only had time to save one person, I'd choose the most important person to me.