Doctor Who Christmas special trailer

[MonKENy]

Just a=started watching a month ago. I agree the Doctor went from Great to very good to ok.

What I dont like is when it first started (as in the new 2005 series) They went all over the universe. Now its like (up to so far 2011) Stay mainly on earth.

The series was fantastic how it expanded the universe.

Eccelston had issues with the production cast and didnt want to stay on 🙁

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'd say it went from very good to great to pretty good.

I liked Eccleston as the dark and suffering Doctor, but Tenant did a great job of showing how he had overcome that somewhat, while still having that darkness at his core. Matt Smith is a lightweight compared to the other two, but has been decent and some of the stories have been quite good.

 

[ViRGE]

Matt Smith is like the Doctor become imbecile; it's all silliness and no substance. It's like all history of the character was lost. I can't wait for them to replace him.

The problem as it were is less Matt Smith and more the showrunner, Steven Moffat.

Moffat is a real life Promoted Fanboy. He grew up watching the show, loved it, and now gets to run the show he loves. And while it's great to have a showrunner that truly loves the show, it also means he's trying to mold it into all the things he loved as a child; dare I say all the silly, non-sequitur things that were a hallmark of Classic Who around the time he watched it, things that did not resonate well with the non-British.

So the problem isn't Matt Smith. Smith is just doing what Moffat tells him to.

 

[BladeVenom]

Commander Strax should be his companion.

 

[techs]

Commander Strax should be his companion.

I think the big Strax question is how did he rise from the dead.

 

[AreaCode707]

The problem as it were is less Matt Smith and more the showrunner, Steven Moffat.

Moffat is a real life Promoted Fanboy. He grew up watching the show, loved it, and now gets to run the show he loves. And while it's great to have a showrunner that truly loves the show, it also means he's trying to mold it into all the things he loved as a child; dare I say all the silly, non-sequitur things that were a hallmark of Classic Who around the time he watched it, things that did not resonate well with the non-British.

So the problem isn't Matt Smith. Smith is just doing what Moffat tells him to.

I dunno, some of the best episodes from the Eccleston/Tennant days were written by Moffat. The Empty Child / Doctor Dances, or Silence in the Library or Blink. Sherlock is going well too.

There probably isn't one person to blame for the current bland suckage of the Doctor. It seems to be a collective decision to return to the silliness of the original series rather than pursuing a (n over?) dramatic tendency in the series.

Admittedly, while I'm pissy about Matt Smith's ridiculous interpretation of the Doctor, perpetually continuing in the tension-ridden storylines, that would have eventually grown trite. So perhaps there's some merit in a relief of that line of storytelling. Meh.

 

[ViRGE]

I dunno, some of the best episodes from the Eccleston/Tennant days were written by Moffat. The Empty Child / Doctor Dances, or Silence in the Library or Blink. Sherlock is going well too.

That's very true. Those were among the best episodes in the first 4 seasons, and not enough praise can be heaped upon Sherlock. In this case it comes down to the difference between being a writer and being a showrunner; RTD kept Moffat in check. Specifically, Moffat stories under RTD had solid conclusions, something that Moffat either struggles with (or ignores) on his own.

 

[Timorous]

I like the Matt Smith doctor because he seems to be able to walk the line between excited child who is in awe of everything and an old man who has lost more than his fair share on the way.

Eccleston and Tennant were both good in their own way too.

 

[Imp]

I loved Eccleston as the Doctor, and Tennant was great, but Smith is my favourite (or slightly behind Eccleston) from the newer series (never seen pre-2005).

Looks like a love/hate relationship with the new direction of the show. I think the Moffat era is amazing and so much better than the RTD days. I got sick of the Daleks and Cybermen turning up over and over again doing roughly the same thing. If it wasn't them, it was some other race, or another ship attacking earth (especially during Christmas), and some British secret agency (wooo) acting as cannon fodder. I only watched the show in passing due to the mediocre storylines. Kind of felt like RTD was trying too hard with the nostalgia with the color scheme, music, and deliberately cheesy make-up of villains at times.

Since Moffat's taken over, I actually look forward to new episodes. Still more spaceships attacking earth, but a lot more dramatic and tied together.

 

[ImpulsE69]

With every new Doctor, they try to give him a completely different personality. Some work well..some don't. I just find Matt Smith looking too young to be a 900 year old wise man. If you look back, every incarnation of the Doctor seems to have gotten (physically) younger.

With the 2005 series, they tend to focus on the companions more than I remember happening in the old series. This adds for more drama I suppose because you would tend to get attached to them and more emotion evoked when they die/get put in another dimension etc as the story arcs in the 2005 series seem to actually revolve around the relationship of the companions and the Doctor more than anything else going on in the universe.

 

[techs]

With every new Doctor, they try to give him a completely different personality.

"Run, you clever boy"

You would not have heard that when Eccelston was the Doctor.

 

[kache]

With every new Doctor, they try to give him a completely different personality. Some work well..some don't. I just find Matt Smith looking too young to be a 900 year old wise man. If you look back, every incarnation of the Doctor seems to have gotten (physically) younger.

With the 2005 series, they tend to focus on the companions more than I remember happening in the old series. This adds for more drama I suppose because you would tend to get attached to them and more emotion evoked when they die/get put in another dimension etc as the story arcs in the 2005 series seem to actually revolve around the relationship of the companions and the Doctor more than anything else going on in the universe.

You know what has always stricken me about the companions? That the doctor doesn't do any training and doesn't equip them for dangers...
He pretty much takes them in the most fucked up situations, they get hurt (and/or die) and he gets sad. :facepalm:

It's like taking random people from the streets and shipping them to afganistan naked and untrained, and then get sad that they die like flies. :facepalm:

 

[techs]

Actually, at least in the new series, none of the companions have died. At least none have died who actually made it to their first trip on the Tardis. The one from the Titanic and Clara died before they actually got to go anywhere with the Doctor.

 

[Imp]

With every new Doctor, they try to give him a completely different personality. Some work well..some don't. I just find Matt Smith looking too young to be a 900 year old wise man. If you look back, every incarnation of the Doctor seems to have gotten (physically) younger.

With the 2005 series, they tend to focus on the companions more than I remember happening in the old series. This adds for more drama I suppose because you would tend to get attached to them and more emotion evoked when they die/get put in another dimension etc as the story arcs in the 2005 series seem to actually revolve around the relationship of the companions and the Doctor more than anything else going on in the universe.

Young piece of meat attracts more viewers than old guy, no matter how good/hot.

Never seen pre-2005 series, but during the RTD days, they went through way too many companions way too frequently. Rose lasted 2 series, Martha just one, and Donna for one plus a few specials. The "let's reunite all the companions in one episode or story-arc" didn't really work that well. Aside form the initial, "OMFG, it's Rose!!!", the novelty wore out quick.

Then again, Moffat doesn't really have a track record yet with only 3 series and just starting into his second companion.

You know what has always stricken me about the companions? That the doctor doesn't do any training and doesn't equip them for dangers...
He pretty much takes them in the most fucked up situations, they get hurt (and/or die) and he gets sad. :facepalm:

It's like taking random people from the streets and shipping them to afganistan naked and untrained, and then get sad that they die like flies. :facepalm:

Supposedly, he chooses his companions very carefully... With how often they die, I don't know.

 

[Imp]

Actually, at least in the new series, none of the companions have died. At least none have died who actually made it to their first trip on the Tardis. The one from the Titanic and Clara died before they actually got to go anywhere with the Doctor.

That was Kylie Minogue from the Titanic... Music superstar.