Watch Doctor Who? Who me?

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

So after many years of gentle and not so gentle prodding I have finally started watching Doctor Who.  In the past I have seen snippets of the new series, and generally walked away muttering “…alright …that was odd…don’t see much point in that.” However my friends BatMatt and Doc kept suggesting I try it (much the same way we kept suggesting Rich try watching Firefly…) and since I share a lot of tastes in
common when it comes to TV shows and comics a few months ago I relented and let Doc know that I had come to terms with fact that someday I would eventually ended up watching some Doctor Who but needed to know where to start.

Fast forward to two weeks ago when my father had me open a Netflix account so we could figure out why Netflix streaming wasn’t working for him (no streaming outside the 50 states and DC…you lose out if you live in a Commonwealth of the US it turns out…bummer).  Since I had started the clock on my 2 week trial I figured I might as well take advantage of it once we were back in Rochester.

So early last week I started out watching Season 1 of the New Doctor Who series, starring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. The first 13 episodes are available via Netflix streaming, and I have watched 12.

If you haven’t watched the series yet…you might as well stop reading unless you want to be spoiled as to how I reacted…

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

S1.e.1: Rose: It was a good call to start at the beginning…I have seen pieces of lots of episodes, and know all about Daleks (exterminate!) and the TARDIS and heard the Doctor referred to as a Time Lord, but none of that caught my attention, thankfully “Rose” was created for people just like me, people who had some sort familiarity with Doctor Who, but thought it was some old cheesy show… By introducing Rose, and having the Doctor wander into her life without much explanation, and having her demand answers, a lot could be introduced. I have to tell you I immediately liked the Doctor. In this incarnation he has a devil may care roguish charm that is frankly right up my alley. Felt bad for Mickey though.

S1.e2: The End of the World: The series almost lost me right here. Very alieny…with high potential for cheese. The Doctor decides to take Rose to see the end of the world…apparently to impress her with his power…however in some ways it ends up as more of test for both of them…can she hack it and can he do what he needs to do with someone else along for the ride. I ended up liking the dynamic that the Doctor has grown overconfident over the years, rarely fearing for his life, and having Rose around has upped the stakes.

S1.e3: The Unquiet Dead: Doc had mentioned that literary figures have a habit of showing up on Doctor Who…thought this was a okay but not great episode. I had been thinking of letting the girls watch Doctor Who with me…but this episode convinced me that the girls should probably wait a little longer…the floating spectral transdimensional beings would have freaked them right out.

S1.e4/e.5: Aliens of London & World War Three: These two episodes were good…loved going back to Rose’s supporting cast and dealing with the fact that Rose’s choice had repercussions not just for her but for her family and friends. Also it served again to challenge the Doctor’s opinion of himself as he underestimates how long they have been gone. The Doctor is fallible…which up the stakes whenever they are facing end of the world situations and The Doctor makes a gut decision.

S1.e6: Dalek: Emotional…I cried during this. I liked the questions it raised about the Doctor…I would be as freaked out as Rose by his passion after all he wants to exterminate this genocidal race with fearsome zeal.

S 1.e7: The Long Game: Simon Pegg! Okay…I haven’t seen him in much (haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead yet!) but I always love him. Since the Doctor entered her life, other men have paled in comparison so it was interesting to see her try to make a connection with Adam…taking a page out of the Doctor’s and showing off for the newbie…but he is not as innocent as they somehow think he is (people…he worked for secretive mogul and looked the other way while he tortured their one living alien…you don’t do that by being naïve and innocent).

S1.e8: Father’s Day: Hey Paul Cornell wrote this one…I have really liked his comics books…still bummed they canceled M1:6. So I cry easily…and this episode had me crying. I loved how hard the Doctor worked to save everyone…even her dad, while knowing exactly what it would take. In the end her Dad goes out the hero she always thought he was.

S1. e9/e10: Empty Child & The Doctor Dances: Ah..Captain Jack. So this whole season I have been trying to figure out what the heck is up with the Doctor…flirtatious at times, cold and detached in others, invested in Rose, totally fine with Rose picking up someone…what is she to him…pet? Love interest? Just a traveling partner? In comes Jack and with him the potential of a real complications. He is serious competition…for both of them. I can see why Jack is going to get his own spin-off!

S1.e11: Boom Town: Again…just when I think they have gone and forgot the folks back home…they check in with them again. Glad Mickey stood up for himself.

S1.e12: Bad Wolf: Running out of Netflix streaming episodes for season 1, had to go bump Disc 5 to the top of my queue! Back to Sat 5…so the theme of the season so far seem to be what I thought it was…The Doctor has been bouncing around the galaxy and time for a long time, and in many ways he had become jaded, and since taking Rose along he has been forced to look at things through her eyes and he is seeing some surprising and terrifying things about himself and the his impact on the worlds and lives he touches.
That is it so far…probably should get back to homework!

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

Ana, glad you're watching...but we actually have a Doctor Who group. Why not post there?

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Because she's spreading the news to the non-Who masses! Ana, after watching the second series, I would recommend the Sarah Jane Adventures for viewing with your girls. Same universe, same writers, a bit younger audience in mind.

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

Cav...I thought about that and will consider double posting but personally I wouldn't have read myself had it been posted there.

Cavalier said:

Ana, glad you're watching...but we actually have a Doctor Who group. Why not post there?

[The Baron]

This is very interesting to me - as I've said elsewhere, I watched to the old show from when I was a little kid, and came to the new show very much steeped in the new show's "mythos", so I enjoy seeing the reactions of someone who comes to it without most of my preconceptions of what the show is, or what it ought to be.

[The Baron]

The Baron said:

This is very interesting to me - as I've said elsewhere, I watched to the old show from when I was a little kid, and came to the new show very much steeped in the new show's "mythos", so I enjoy seeing the reactions of someone who comes to it without most of my preconceptions of what the show is, or what it ought to be.

To be precise, "steeped in the old show's mythos".

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

Had I realized I was just one episode away I might have waited one more day before posting! The way the Netflix order was set up for some reason I thought there were a couple more episodes left in the season.


S1.e13: The Parting of Ways: Well! That was one bang of an ending. Feel like I need to watch things again. Once again Mickey and Rose's mom come through for Rose, even as she makes it clear that her life with the Doctor is way more important. Time Vortex Rose is more hard-core than the Doctor was which is a nice switch. The Doctor as much as he wants to destroy the Daleks couldn't sacrifice what is left of the human race in the process (Maybe because he is rethinking his own race's choice to die taking down the Daleks...considering how that turned out!). Poor Jack...stranded in a ghost satellite over a nearly dead Earth...once again the Doctor leaves the scene before the dust has all settled!

I hope Rose eventually remembers what she did! On to Season 2!

[The Baron]

(Maybe because he is rethinking his own race's choice to die taking down the Daleks...considering how that turned out!).

All I can say to that is...stay tuned!

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

I will check it out...The girls ended up watching S2.e1: Christmas Invasion...and are sucked in despite A. having to run out of the room several times because of the ugly alien "cigarettes" as they called them. I had to stop and explain what was happening to the Doctor several times...but they wanted to keep watching. They cracked up at the idea that all he needed was the cup of tea!

Doc Beechler said:

Because she's spreading the news to the non-Who masses! Ana, after watching the second series, I would recommend the Sarah Jane Adventures for viewing with your girls. Same universe, same writers, a bit younger audience in mind.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

I love the "you're speaking English" scene in The Christmas Invasion.

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

That was fun... A. ended up having a hard time falling asleep, she kept remembering the first image we get of the Zigarruts on the video feed from near Mars.

Doc Beechler said:

I love the "you're speaking English" scene in The Christmas Invasion.

[The Baron]

It hadn't occurred to me that the Sycorax might be freaky to a little kid. All I can say is that you may want to preview some of these before you let the girls watch them - "Blink" and "Silence in the Library" spring to mind, particularly.