Dr. Who tonight

[SineSwiper]

At least for those that get BBC America. Matt Smith is the coolest Doctor ever, thanks to Moffat's excellent writing. And here is the most badass intro ever to anything ever made:



To truly understand how badass that scene is, you have to understand that Rory, while often acting like a scaredy cat, will do anything for his wife. The whole intro was made to sound like Amy was talking about the Doctor until she mentions The Last Centurion, a nickname Rory acquired from the previous season. I really enjoy how real the personalities are, and how Moffat exposes all of the cracks in the Doctor's "Crazy Man on an Adventure with Chicks" motif. (Hell, the Doctor brought in Rory because Amy was getting too cozy with him the day before her wedding.) God Complex was one of my favorite "non-main-plot" episodes because of how well it illustrated that.

Hell, I don't think I can think of a "bad" episode with this Doctor. The writing really is that good. And this is coming from somebody who hated how RTD ruined certain episodes with over-the-top cliches and horrible writing.

Oh yeah, and if you're quick enough, you can catch this scene right now (since that episode is going to play at 1PM EST).

[SineSwiper]

Seriously? Nobody? You guys suck.

[Shrinweck]

I'm having trouble getting through the first season (3-4 episodes a week). If it makes you feel better, Tessian keeps bothering me about catching up. I'll do it sooner or later.

[SineSwiper]

I'm having trouble getting through the first season (3-4 episodes a week). If it makes you feel better, Tessian keeps bothering me about catching up. I'll do it sooner or later.

Fuck that. Start at Season 5. RTD sucks at writing Dr. Who episodes. It's a new Dr at that point, so you're not going to be missing too much.

[Shrinweck]

I'm not starting a sci-fi series several seasons in

[SineSwiper]

I'm not starting a sci-fi series several seasons in

It's not that kind of sci-fi series. Typically, everything starts of fresh with a new Doctor. Hell, I like the latter seasons because it's more "series based" than the previous stuff.

[Flip]

I dont think ive ever liked anything British. Food and the ridiculously terrible Monty Python is included. Ok, maybe i liked Mr. Bean... but fuck Dr. Who, does he still time travel in a phone booth? Get with the times, buddy!

[Shrinweck]

There are two or three really good episodes in season one and most of season two was good so I'm glad I didn't skip to the Matt Smith Doctor. The episodic stuff in season three kind of drags but I'm still making my way through it. The episodes that have to do with more of a main story than a crisis of the week are still good quality.

The worst episodes are still better than what I've seen of Torchwood.

[Zeus]

I dont think ive ever liked anything British. Food and the ridiculously terrible Monty Python is included. Ok, maybe i liked Mr. Bean... but fuck Dr. Who, does he still time travel in a phone booth? Get with the times, buddy!

Benny Hill was awesome

[SineSwiper]

There are two or three really good episodes in season one and most of season two was good so I'm glad I didn't skip to the Matt Smith Doctor. The episodic stuff in season three kind of drags but I'm still making my way through it. The episodes that have to do with more of a main story than a crisis of the week are still good quality.

I still think RTD ruined the Master for me. The season 3 finale was total garbage. I stopped watching for a while after that, until I discovered how good Moffat's writing was with Matt Smith.

There's also really stupid episodes like "Love & Monsters" and many of the Christmas specials.

The worst episodes are still better than what I've seen of Torchwood.

Probably depends on the season. Oddly enough, for the crap that RTD puts out for Dr Who, he can do some really good episodes with Torchwood. I guess mainly because he's not writing them all. Adrift was a dark and heartrending episode that I really liked, and all of the "miniseries" stuff (Children of Earth and Miracle Day) has been really good.

[Shrinweck]

Out of the first four or five episodes of Torchwood, Harkness is the only thing I've liked in any of the episodes.

I'll probably go back to it some day but it's a very low priority. The same way the crappy first episode of Doctor Who turned me off for like over a year.

[SineSwiper]

Out of the first four or five episodes of Torchwood, Harkness is the only thing I've liked in any of the episodes.

You could easily start at Children of Earth, since they killed off quite a few of the main characters beforehand. And yes, Capt Jack is pretty awesome overall.

[Shrinweck]

Okay I hit season five. Good lord Tennant and Tate were the only good things in most of season four.

[SineSwiper]

Okay I hit season five. Good lord Tennant and Tate were the only good things in most of season four.

Well, that and the Library. Her story seems to go backwards.

[Shrinweck]

Oh I get what you mean, now. Tate is the redhead actress he has as a companion during that season. The character River is pretty great too but her role is entirely mysterious until seasons five and six.

I caught up to where season seven left off now and that was definitely a hell of a way to take a break.

Spoiler: show

Everything with Amy and Rory was almost always well written but as characters they seemed entirely too convenient and perfect. I like my protagonists flawed and they just plain weren't. I'm looking forward to a series that moves on from them... That said I probably would have happily watched at least another two seasons with them as companions.

Not sure what series to start (re)watching next. There's nothing I'm putting off right now but Torchwood but I'm just not in the mood for more UK sci-fi at the moment. Leaning towards re-watching Twin Peaks. I should summon up the interest and finally get to watching Downton Abbey but between the synopsis not interesting me and the production company being so arrogantly called "Masterpiece Classics" I just cannot do it.

[SineSwiper]

Spoiler: show

Everything with Amy and Rory was almost always well written but as characters they seemed entirely too convenient and perfect. I like my protagonists flawed and they just plain weren't. I'm looking forward to a series that moves on from them... That said I probably would have happily watched at least another two seasons with them as companions.

Spoiler: show

Well, it was more like revealing character flaws with the Doctor in a way that the entire series had never done before, almost Fourth-Wall-breaking in a way. The whole season (or two) was showcasing how The Doctor can be careless/reckless with his companions:

1. Screwing up Amy's childhood by popping in for fish sticks for a day, promising to come back, and never showing up until 20 years later.
2. Amy getting "intoxicated" by his travels to the point of almost breaking her marriage with Rory.
3. The whole "Dream Lord" character from "Amy's Choice", as basically a reflection of himself. (In where Rory actually "died".)
4. Losing Rory in a time rift.
5. Almost getting Amy killed by her own android husband.
6. Losing Amy's baby... twice.
7. Denying Amy/Rory a normal child rearing of River.
8. Forcing River to use up her resurrections. (Though, the Doctor didn't want it, and it wasn't completely his fault.)
9. Having a version of Amy end up stuck in a time stream for 36 years, which he lies to and eventually "kills".
10. Failing to save a potential companion and almost losing Amy in the process.

These last two were especially good episodes, hammering that carelessness home, to a degree that even he would feel guilty of:

Amy: So. You're leaving, aren't you?
The Doctor: You haven't seen the last of me. Bad penny is my middle name. Seriously, the looks I get when I fill in a form.
Amy: Why now?
The Doctor: Because you're still breathing.
....
Amy: Even so, it can't happen like this. After everything we've been through, Doctor. Everything. You can't just drop me off at my house and say goodbye like we shared a cab.
The Doctor: And what's the alternative? Me standing over your grave? Over your broken body. Over Rory's body.