woot.
I'm about a week late since it premiered last week, but who cares. New Doctor Who!
M@
I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the new series of Dr Who. It's pretty nifty-neat, and I like the guy who they got to play the Doctor.
(Yes, admitted Sci-Fi channel junkie. I was also pleasantly surprised that I liked the new Battlestar Galactica, as I didn't like it much when I was a kid.)
Chief Technical Officer
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I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the new series of Dr Who. It's pretty nifty-neat, and I like the guy who they got to play the Doctor.
Christopher Eccleston is really, really good, and Billie Piper is startlingly good as Rose. They're my favorite Doctor and companion... which is saying a lot, because, you know, you never forget your first Doctor.
(Yes, admitted Sci-Fi channel junkie. I was also pleasantly surprised that I liked the new Battlestar Galactica, as I didn't like it much when I was a kid.)
I didn't even watch it for a year and a half for that very reason. But finally, the overwhelming number of recommendations from people I trust made me give in. I think it's one of the best series on TV now... though I felt really, really cheated by the season finale.
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Christopher Eccleston is really, really good, and Billie Piper is startlingly good as Rose. They're my favorite Doctor and companion... which is saying a lot, because, you know, you never forget your first Doctor.
I thought he did a good job with being the Doctor. I was pleased. I had my doubts about a new Doctor Who since Fox's horrid movie they did.
M@
If you like the new doctor who, wait till you see The Christmas Invasion.
(On BSG)
I think it's one of the best series on TV now... though I felt really, really cheated by the season finale.
Me as well...I have to wait 'til October for the new season! GRR!
Vic
I have to admit the he is also my favorite Doctor now. You and Erik gave me grief over who my previous favorite Doctor was, although in my defense, if they had continued to make him more mysterious and manipulative, he could have been a really good Doctor.
Why do you feel cheated by the season finale of Battlestar Galactica? I thought they did an interesting job setting up next season. You don't know where the storyline will go.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Why do you feel cheated by the season finale of Battlestar Galactica? I thought they did an interesting job setting up next season. You don't know where the storyline will go.
I felt like, as a viewer, I had a lot invested into the characters, and skipping ahead a year was a big cheat in their development (or, for some of them, in their lack thereof).
I'll probably get over it.
-Vic.
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Why do you feel cheated by the season finale of Battlestar Galactica? I thought they did an interesting job setting up next season. You don't know where the storyline will go.I felt like, as a viewer, I had a lot invested into the characters, and skipping ahead a year was a big cheat in their development (or, for some of them, in their lack thereof).
I'll probably get over it.
-Vic.
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One of the things that kept happening during the second half of the second season was that they started the episode at a certain point in time and then flashed back to how they got there. I think that will be how the third season plays out. How did they get to where they are now? What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? We also didn't see certain characters during the flash forward. So it will be interesting to see those stories.
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Chief Technical Officer
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One of the things that kept happening during the second half of the second season was that they started the episode at a certain point in time and then flashed back to how they got there. I think that will be how the third season plays out. How did they get to where they are now? What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? We also didn't see certain characters during the flash forward. So it will be interesting to see those stories.
I already watch that show—it's called Lost.
-Vic.
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One of the things that kept happening during the second half of the second season was that they started the episode at a certain point in time and then flashed back to how they got there. I think that will be how the third season plays out. How did they get to where they are now? What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? We also didn't see certain characters during the flash forward. So it will be interesting to see those stories.I already watch that show—it's called Lost.
-Vic.
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I forgot about Lost. (I watch Veronica Mars instead) And maybe Doctor Who will do something similar with a new spin off show called "The Lost Eighth Doctor Adventures with Paul McGann". One can only hope!!
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Chief Technical Officer
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And maybe Doctor Who will do something similar with a new spin off show called "The Lost Eighth Doctor Adventures with Paul McGann". One can only hope!!
They have done a series of books and a series of audio adventures that might be up your alley; McGann reprises the role for the audio adventures—you can find more here.
As for other TV spin-offs, there are plenty.
•Doctor Who Confidential, a documentary series that airs after each new episode in the UK
•Totally Doctor Who, a kid-oriented "magazine" show that will start later this year
•Torchwood, an adult drama spin-off featuring Captain Jack Harkness (one of the characters introduced in the new series)
•Rumor has it they're considering another spin-off starring Sarah Jane Smith and K-9—not the old K-9 and Company, but an all-new (and hopefully much better) thing
-Vic.
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Why do you feel cheated by the season finale of Battlestar Galactica? I thought they did an interesting job setting up next season. You don't know where the storyline will go.I felt like, as a viewer, I had a lot invested into the characters, and skipping ahead a year was a big cheat in their development (or, for some of them, in their lack thereof).
I'll probably get over it.
-Vic.
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Have to disagree with you Vic. I thought it was a good twist. Now instead of following the same formula of running from the cyclons week in and out, they now have to use what's left of the BattleStar crews to figure out a way to save the population trapped on New Caprica.
You can see it's the beginning of the end for Baltar. I suspect when everyone is rescued he will have no choice but to remian with the Cyclons or be exected as a traitor.
I've been liking the new Doctor Who series so far. I grew up watching the old episodes on PBS. Favorite Doctor is probably still incarnation #4 (Tom Baker). It would however be interesting now that they seem to be on Earth for a while again to see some of the Doctor's old points of contact/companions show up for a cameo. I think Jo Grant, Tegan, Sarah Jane & K9, or the Brigadier would all be interesting choices. I can't however say if all of the original actors & actresses for those roles are still living/working. The new (9th) Doctor is really good. Very hyper. I do wish we had a regeneration scene from Doctor #8 to Doctor #9. Maybe they show it in a flashback sometime and explain what happened this time around? Did they ever produce a novel, comic, article, whatever covering that?
I really enjoy the new Battlestar Galactica too. Very gritty and intense. Plus, you can't go wrong with Cylon 6. :-)
L
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Chief Technical Officer
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It would however be interesting now that they seem to be on Earth for a while again...
No more than most Doctors, and less so than Pertwee...
...to see some of the Doctor's old points of contact/companions show up for a cameo. I think Jo Grant, Tegan, Sarah Jane & K9, or the Brigadier would all be interesting choices.
You'll get two checks off your wishlist in series 2, which starts airing in the UK this month.
I can't however say if all of the original actors & actresses for those roles are still living/working.
All still around; most of them have reprised their roles in some of the audio productions I mentioned earlier. (All but Jo Grant—though Katy Manning, the actress that played Jo, performed a different character in some of them. Janet Fielding's first audio production as Tegan is due out later this year.)
I do wish we had a regeneration scene from Doctor #8 to Doctor #9. Maybe they show it in a flashback sometime and explain what happened this time around? Did they ever produce a novel, comic, article, whatever covering that?
Not really... but you'll learn more about the circumstances as the new series unfolds.
-Vic.
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Flat-out best two episodes: The Empty Child and the Doctor Dances. Very well written, very well played, and very Doctor Who. Set your Tivo/recorders kiddies.
The wonders of living a few miles away from Windsor, Canada.
I like bananas,
GGG
season 2 starts here this saturday. eccleston was a great doctor but i have to say that tennant looks like hes gonna be even better. on the regeneration front, there has been nothing written yet as far as i know cos they wanted the new viewers to discover the doctor from a fresh start. the last eight doctor book by the BBc, the gallifrey chronicles may have forshadowed a regeneration but i havent got round to reading that yet. has the first season had a DVD release over in the US yet?
season 2 starts here this saturday. eccleston was a great doctor but i have to say that tennant looks like hes gonna be even better. on the regeneration front, there has been nothing written yet as far as i know cos they wanted the new viewers to discover the doctor from a fresh start. the last eight doctor book by the BBc, the gallifrey chronicles may have forshadowed a regeneration but i havent got round to reading that yet. has the first season had a DVD release over in the US yet?
The DVD gets released in the US on July 4. However, you can buy the same DVD set from Canada right now. Those of us close to the Canadian border that get CBC were lucky enough last year to see the episodes about 10 days after the UK viewers. This year it looks like the CBC is waiting until the fall to show the second season. I've also heard rumors that if the showings on SciFi do well enough in the ratings that SciFi will show the second season right after the first season ends since the show that Doctor Who replaced (Battlestar Galactica) doesn't return until September.
cool. well i got 13 weeks of good tv for once. and my favourite bad guys are back too... the cybermen :) on the dvd side i use a candian site every so often and they have the season 1 set listed as a feb release at $100 cad, which is what we payed for it in the UK. nice set too commetries and background stuff. the first season 2 dvd is out here next month with christmas invasion and episode 1 of season 2 but a box set will be out later in the year with more gubbins on it.
a question, is it true that the 4th Doctor (tom baker) is the favoured doctor in america? i know that if who is mentoned in simpsons or other tv shows tom is the one that is there. guess he is iconistic with the scarf and everything.
a question, is it true that the 4th Doctor (tom baker) is the favoured doctor in america? i know that if who is mentoned in simpsons or other tv shows tom is the one that is there. guess he is iconistic with the scarf and everything.
Most people here first saw Doctor Who when Tom Baker was the Doctor. He also played the Doctor for the longest time and had a distinct costume. He personally isn't my favorite Doctor, but he is the one that comes to mind for a lot of people here.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Whether you live in the US or the UK, this is a good week to be a Doctor Who fan.
The UK has Series 2 starting up, while in the US we've got the broadcast of "Dalek" this week, which, for my money, is the episode where it all really starts to knit. It's (almost) all uphill from here...
-Vic.
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But not Canada ... season 2 starts in the UK this week, but it won't be on the CBC until Sept/Oct ... oh well.
My kids (6 and 8) love the new Doctor Who, so I dug up some old episodes, and they like it too! Whoo hoo!
excellent, i used to watch who when davidson was doc then didnt like it when they changed( the 6th doc is one of my favorites now) and apart from a few seventh doctor shows i didnt get back into it till the 96 movie. its great to have such a back catalogue of shows top watch new and im glad your children will have this experience.
season 2 started last night. very good episode all in all. tennant is still growing to be one of my favourites. preview for episode 2 looks amazing. queen victoria, martial arts monks and werewolves :)
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Chief Technical Officer
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season 2 started last night. very good episode all in all.
I think Russell T Davies makes a great creative director, but his actual scripts have rarely been as good as the ones he's gotten others to write. In "New Earth," I thought the plot wasn't the most well-thought-out, but the "Cassandra moments" gave Billie Piper a chance to show off her talents. I like Piper (and Rose) better every episode. Overall, a pretty good start...
-Vic.
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Bah humbug. I personally think the new series is pretty smug, post-modernly ironic and something of a travesty. I remember watching the original series when I was a kid on the BBC - terrifying. And (on occasion) damn good science fiction - Genesis of the Daleks with its comments on nuclear war, genetic engineering, morality and genocide (and they actually commit genocide TWICE in that story, plus a spot of further mass-muder at the end when the daleks slaughter the Kaled scientist before turning of Davros - ah, bliss, wobbly sets and all) to name but one.
Maybe I'm just remembering the good bits with rose-tinted spectacles (after all - there was the "green bubblewrap" monster from the Ark in Space) but I can't see what the fuss is about the current stuff.
Then again, maybe I should consider watching it. :-)
Yours in blind, nostalgic bigotry
Aub
For me, the best part of the new Doctor Who is the fact that in each episode there been a moment of tension between the Doctor and the Companion that doesn't seem contrived. It's driven by the story.
Moreover, we've seen how being a Companion isn't all roses and cream, especially for the people close to her whose lives are disrupted by this interdimensional vagabond.
Showing the Doctor's alien-ness (he's so outta place stuck inside watching the news on TV; driven by revenge, he allows the 'last human' to dry out and pop) has been refreshing. It's been a long time since the producers have gone down that road successfully.
But they've done all of it without losing the best part of the Doctor -- matching wits with fun monsters! Aliens in human suits with zippers! Gas demons! What a hoot!
In Canada, we got to see thses episodes last year
they are all really well done...
The new 2nd season in Britain started 3 weeks ago and those episodes are FANTASTIC ... Forget Eccelston .. David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr for all you Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Fnas) is absolutely brilliant !!!!
Just saw Sarah Jane Smith in the 3rd ep....wow...brings back memories of John Pertwee and Tom Baker..yes..she's still got IT !!!
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Chief Technical Officer
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I think Russell T Davies makes a great creative director, but his actual scripts have rarely been as good as the ones he's gotten others to write.
When I saw that "Tooth and Claw," the second episode of the new season in the UK, was a werewolf story featuring Queen Victoria, I was afraid. When I saw that Russell T Davies was the writer, I was very afraid. Having seen the finished episode, well, I have to eat my words above. I think Davies gave us one of the best episodes of the series ever with that one.
-Vic.
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Chief Technical Officer
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We just had "The Girl in the Fireplace" here on Friday. It was a wonderful episode...
I agree—"Girl in the Fireplace" was even better than "Tooth and Claw." On the whole, I've been really happy with all the episodes so far except "The Idiot's Lantern," which was lacking cohesion.
-Vic.
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"Are you my mummy?"
*creeped out*
Bad Wolf
Bad Wolf
B-A-D W-O-L-F
"Oh, c'mon Rose, it can't be that bad."
We just had "The Girl in the Fireplace" here on Friday. It was a wonderful episode...I agree—"Girl in the Fireplace" was even better than "Tooth and Claw." On the whole, I've been really happy with all the episodes so far except "The Idiot's Lantern," which was lacking cohesion.
-Vic.
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Actually on the whole (and I know there will be desenters), I think most of the non-RTD (Russel T. Davies) scripts have been shot on this 2006 season. "Idiot's Lantern" being the only exception, which could have used an extra 10-20 minutes of play time. RTD has come a long way from naughty farting aliens, but still lags a bit behind some of his other writing staff. For the record this is coming from a guy who got a Dungeon rejection a couple of weeks ago. Also for the record I really didn't have too much trouble with the farting aliens themselves rather that annoying scene where our Doctor weighs the entire human race's future against the possibility Rose might get cacked. I realize he was going through a difficult time in that life but still.... It just didn't sound at all genuine and I think that's been my problem with RTD. This season he's gotten better (starting with last season's two part finale, which apparently only about half the people who saw it, and commented on it, got), but there are still times that I think he lets the characters get away from him and where did the armed monks go at the end of "Tooth and Claw" anyway? And why all the kung-fu if in the end they had to resort to guns?
Anyhow, I the end of the season approaches with three more RTD scripts and I have no idea how he's going to pull off the final two-parter based on the spoilers I've heard for it.
Though I have my suspicions,
GGG
PS I haven't seen the "Satan Pit" yet, but if "Impossible Planet" is any indication this should have been a feature length movie. So far it's neck-and-neck with the "Empty Child/Doctor Dances" and "Girl in the Fireplace" for my Best of the New Show Award (though for different reasons the dialogue in the all the Moffat scripts are excellent).
PPS Siccorax Rock! Vic you should suggest that as a band name to James Sutter.
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FYI, non-UK viewers, David Tennant has a record of sci-fi/fantasy work.
As well as parts credited previously, he also played the dimension-hopping title role in the audio version of The Chronicles of Luther Arkwright (opposite Blake's 7's Paul Darrow, as Cromwell).
A recent documentary revealed that he learned he'd got the part of the Doctor during the filming of a live broadcast of The Quatermass Experiment (a word-for-word recreation of the 60's sci-fi horror classic).
He also played Casanova, but I think that's a slightly different kind of fantasy....
Well, the new Doctor is gonna have to prove himself to me; Eccleston did a good job. Funny that though, I never really liked the Doctor in any of the old Doctor Who episodes as he always seemed a lot of hype and never got much done; I just like the story. I think in the new episodes they have done a good job; the Doctor is still mostly unprepared for anything and still playes off the cuff; but then, that is the character. I think they did a great job with the Daeleks; they look great and true to form and the stories are pretty well written with decent character developement given the time and real plot lines, ah, is a nice break from most crap tv.
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Chief Technical Officer
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PS I haven't seen the "Satan Pit" yet, but if "Impossible Planet" is any indication this should have been a feature length movie.
I think they're pretty much treating it like a feature film! Like doing an entire underwater shoot for a 20-second special-effect shot that would have been accomplished with CSO or CGI on any other show—but it was the right thing to do. And the sets for this one are especially good.
PPS Siccorax Rock! Vic you should suggest that as a band name to James Sutter.
My current D&D character is modeled after the Sycorax: Corax, the half-orc, who's working a custom blood-magic prestige class.
-Vic.
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My current D&D character is modeled after the Sycorax: Corax, the half-orc, who's working a custom blood-magic prestige class.-Vic.
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So, Vic Rocks!?!
;)
GGG
So, Vic Rocks!?!Even though almost none of them have seen the episode, or, for that matter, even know about it or the Sycorax connection, they all do know "Corax is strong! Corax is mighty! Corax rocks!"
-Vic.
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Then the answer is indeed, yes!
Now I just have to see it I can get my pepper-pot shaped warforged sorcerer named Kaled past the DM.
;)
GGG
And of course we all know what the control word is for his death ray wand. It never fails to kill nowadays as no one can make a save vs. death ray anymore.
Stay back, mustn't touch, I have horrible eczema,
GGG
They had a mini-marathon of Doctor Who t'other night and they played "Dalek" again. Still one of my favorite first season episodes, especially when the Doctor walks into The Cage and all you see is a blue light...
GGG, Steve Moffat wrote 4 series of an excellent comedy called "Coupling" in the early part of this decade. Some people thought it contrived or too much like "Friends", but I thought it was very well constructed, very funny, and had good characters. Series 1 did sometimes feel a bit contrived, but it gets much better. I wish that he'd do series 5, but I guess the actors are all too successful now... :-(
I heard about US version. It's disappointing that it was cancelled, but from the bits I saw it wasn't well cast (maybe the UK/US nuances were different).
Perhaps I'll have to pick it up. I've had a taste for British comedy since watching Monty Python, Young Ones, and odds and ends since.
Oh, and I got to watch "Fear Her" last night and though it was good and solid New Who the preview for next week was f****** incredible. I obviously have died and gone to Who-Heaven. RTD is now forgiven for his poor attempts at bodily and (in my opinion) crude sexual humour which tend to muck up otherwise solid epsiodes (see "Love and Monsters").
Fanboy-4-Life,
GGG