Review Doctor Who (2005)

[chainsaw_metal1]

No, the people who are contributing to Rotten Tomatoes are a mix of young and old, male and female, long-time fans, recent fans and casual viewers.

I expect there are some "butthurt fanboys" amongst them, just as there are SJWs amongst them.

I've also heard - although I can't confirm it at present - that RT doesn't actually include scores of 1 star or less in their calculations, to prevent "butthurt fanboys" and right-wing extremists from having too great an effect on the overall score.

I know that there are people who don't like the new direction, and are upset. I get that. But my YouTube feed gets overrun with video suggestions from guys who are rabid about their vitriol about the subject. And instead of actual explanation for why they dislike it, 99% of them all just ramble on with the same tired script. "Virture signaling, SJW agenda, feminism bad, neutering men". I'm just tired of hearing it. I'm not saying one can't have an opinion, but when you see some folks out there basically repeating the same thing over and over, it gets really old.

You know me, mate, we go back a while. I don't lump you in with those other guys, so I really hope you didn't take it as an attack on you. Between this fandom and the Star Wars fandom, I'm getting tired of feeling like I'm under attack from so many because I continue to enjoy the product.

 

[ant-mac]

I know that there are people who don't like the new direction, and are upset. I get that. But my YouTube feed gets overrun with video suggestions from guys who are rabid about their vitriol about the subject. And instead of actual explanation for why they dislike it, 99% of them all just ramble on with the same tired script. "Virture signaling, SJW agenda, feminism bad, neutering men". I'm just tired of hearing it. I'm not saying one can't have an opinion, but when you see some folks out there basically repeating the same thing over and over, it gets really old.

You know me, mate, we go back a while. I don't lump you in with those other guys, so I really hope you didn't take it as an attack on you. Between this fandom and the Star Wars fandom, I'm getting tired of feeling like I'm under attack from so many because I continue to enjoy the product.

No worries, mate. I've generally kept out of the discussion, because I saw the way it was coming down on the old IMDb message boards. But every so often...

Strangely, I feel just the same as you do, but for a different reason. I'm getting tired of feeling like I'm under attack from so many because I liked certain products just the way they were. I like film or TV franchises that at least try to remain loyal to the original source material.

For example, James Bond is a white British male. He's not black, brown, yellow, red or pink. He's not a she, he's not gay and he's not Generation X or a fucking Millennial. And for that matter, Moneypenny is not black, Felix Leiter is a tall, white Texan with straw-coloured hair and missing body parts and M has always been a man. The films should be set in the 1950s and 1960s, with era appropriate clothes, vehicles and technology.

The thing that annoys the shit out of me more than anything else is when they try to change already established film or TV franchises to please some new political ideal or movement. What's wrong with creating new film or TV franchises for that? Or new and original characters within an already existing one?

I think it'd be very interesting to see a Time Lady having adventures in space and time. Just not one called the Doctor. And why have Michelle Gomez play Missy? Why not another incarnation of the Rani instead? She would've been perfect for that.Why limit the scope of the TV series - especially one like DOCTOR WHO - by having less characters in it? Especially when there are already established characters that'd be perfect for whatever expectations modern audiences have?

I'm aware of the difficulty the STAR WARS franchise is having, although I can't say I really care. I've always struggled to maintain an interest in it. As for STAR TREK: DISCOVERY... WHAT THE FUCK do they think they're doing to it? They've seem to have screwed up the established continuity of characters, the timeline and technology. And for what? STAR TREK has already been everywhere many of these "Johnny-Come-Lately" fans seem to think it should go. They've already had a black lead and a female lead.

If ST:D had followed the template of other ST TV series and had two strong female leads - one black and one Asian - no one would've batted an eyelid. Provided the TV series focused on telling good stories about interesting characters. And that seems to be the biggest problem with most of these failing franchises now. The people in charge have made it all about politics and have forgotten about how to provide the sort of entertainment that the majority of viewers want to see.

 

[Doctor Omega]

I cannot help but notice the the amount of negative comments that are accompanying the negative votes.... Some short, dismissive and even simple minded.

Others going into great articulate depth, expressing their disappointment after being thrilled, hopeful and optimistic.

All deriding the current manifestation of the show.

Many - in fact it seems the vast majority - giving half stars that are not being registered.


https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/doctor_who/s11/reviews/?type=user


Can they all be wrong-headed?


Common themes seem to be that Chibnall is a poor showrunner and that Jodie - even to those who were willing to give a female Doctor a chance - is a poor choice of actress for the Doctor.

(I have to nail my colours to the mast at this point and say that the only good things I have seen in this series have been Bradley Walsh and the somewhat haunting incidental music. I think Jodie has been seriously and truly floundering in the role, completely out of her depth, lacking any true charisma, presence or gravitas, pulling faces and doing a somewhat clumsy impersonation of Tennant-Smith instead of, you know, creating an actual, believable 2000 year old Doctor of her own at any point. I am also certain that many, many other actresses could have done a far, far better job than Jodie has managed. But there seems to be an invisible pressure to praise her simply because she is the first ever actress in the role. That seems unfair.

I thought she was at her best when she [poignantly said nothing; while reacting to something serious - such as at the end of ROSA and the PUNJAB episode. But as soon as she opened her mouth again with THAT accent the Doctor - imo - vanished. Completely.)

I don't know or care about any of the terms being hurled around by or at critics. Fandom has learned new words now... Words Peter Haining never used in his big fat books of yesteryear - such as "Woke, SJW, Sexist, Bigot, Racist". These words are part of being a fan now. It's all very toxic - in both directions. I miss the days when Terrance wheezed and groaned and Peter had a pleasant, open face.

Ultimately, all I have wanted to see is adventures in time and space, regardless of whether the Doctor is a he or a she. I have seen that over the course of 10 episodes, but it's all been very, very lacklustre imo. With lots of poor acting.

What bothers me is that - for all the whooping, cheering and hollering - when Jodie's casting was announced, and all the "Good riddance, and don't let the Tardis doors bang yer arse on the way out!" comments thrown at anyone daring to voice doubts, even in the abilities of the chosen actress, why are they not voting the series up on RT now? Where are the lengthy defences of series 11 - and of Jodie's interpretation - by enthusiasts, to counterbalance the 225 pages of largely negative comments and sometimes in depth analysis and critical deconstruction of those 10 episodes and of the performance of the actress in the main role?

There is nothing to stop these champions of Chibnall and Whittaker signing up to RT, voting five stars and adding a defence of series 11 to turn around that still-dropping score.

But it seems that they just ain't doing it.

Where have these "fans" gone?

Could it be that, while approving of the idea of a female Doctor, they had no intention of actually sticking around to see if the actress was up to the part - and watching the series itself - or Jodie herself?

Did they just approve of the glass ceiling being broken, without actually tuning in to see the end result on screen? Were they even fans of the show to begin with?

Their votes and comments are needed now. But where are they?

 

[Doctor Omega]

I think it'd be very interesting to see a Time Lady having adventures in space and time. Just not one called the Doctor. And why have Michelle Gomez play Missy? Why not another incarnation of the Rani instead? She would've been perfect for that.Why limit the scope of the TV series - especially one like DOCTOR WHO - by having less characters in it? Especially when there are already established characters that'd be perfect for whatever expectations modern audiences have?

I think that they did leave it far, far too late to make the gender changing Time-Lords believable as a concept. Hammering us over the head with it in the last few years does not make it believable. Telling us that we were going to get left behind if we weren't on board with it (RTD) is a questionable way of winning over your audience.

Also.....

The Doctor refused to change into a woman for thirteen bodies. Then did.

What was his stubborn problem? The sexist t**t.


THE ROMANA ADVENTURES would have been fine by me instead - and would have made more narrative sense.
The JENNY ADVENTURES
The SUSAN FOREMAN adventures.

Or a completely new Time Lady.

All would have been preferable to the way it was handled and, to damn Whittaker one last time, I do not think she would have even been believable playing any of those three Time Ladies.

 

[ant-mac]

I think that they did leave it far, far too late to make the gender changing Time-Lords believable as a concept. Hammering us over the head with it in the last few years does not make it believable. Telling us that we were going to get left behind if we weren't on board with it (RTD) is a questionable way of winning over your audience.

Also.....

The Doctor refused to change into a woman for thirteen bodies. Then did.

What was his stubborn problem? The sexist t**t.


THE ROMANA ADVENTURES would have been fine by me instead - and would have made more narrative sense.
The JENNY ADVENTURES
The SUSAN FOREMAN adventures.

Or a completely new Time Lady.

All would have been preferable to the way it was handled and, to damn Whittaker one last time, I do not think she would have even been believable playing any of those three Time Ladies.

ROMANA would've been the natural choice I think.

We saw her first two incarnations, so it'd be easy to pick-up either with her aged second incarnation or her brand new third incarnation and take it from there.

I see Jenny more as a possible guest character in either TV series.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Susan chose not to regenerate when her time comes. After all, her life was with David and their children.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

The thing that annoys the shit out of me more than anything else is when they try to change already established film or TV franchises to please some new political ideal or movement. What's wrong with creating new film or TV franchises for that? Or new and original characters within an already existing one?

With Doctor Who, I'm fine. I understand 100% why some hate it. Hell, even up to the day of the announcing I ranted about the idea. And then it happened, and I went out of town and cleared my head, and I found I was fine with it. Others aren't, and that's okay. Again, I feel like most of the vocal opponents are screaming about it simply out of some misplaced fear that all of the women of the world got together and decided that they're going to turn all of us men into women. And that isn't the case. I, for one, would make a really ugly woman, and nobody wants to see that.

But there is a movement to change established characters in the name of diversity, and that's the wrong way to go about it. Marvel did that, got backlash, then changed it all back and said "See, no one wanted diversity". No, we all want it. You just make new characters. They did it with Black Panther, Luke Cage, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, etc.

 

[The Seeker]

Judging my a variety of the reviews I've read or heard about, they watch.

Many of the reviews are quite detailed and intricate, while others are more blunt and to the point.

However, like the reviews that favour the TV show, they all have one thing in common - they're all valid opinions.

Well, as long as they watched the episodes and didn’t just vote them down.

 

[ant-mac]

With Doctor Who, I'm fine. I understand 100% why some hate it. Hell, even up to the day of the announcing I ranted about the idea. And then it happened, and I went out of town and cleared my head, and I found I was fine with it. Others aren't, and that's okay. Again, I feel like most of the vocal opponents are screaming about it simply out of some misplaced fear that all of the women of the world got together and decided that they're going to turn all of us men into women. And that isn't the case. I, for one, would make a really ugly woman, and nobody wants to see that.

But there is a movement to change established characters in the name of diversity, and that's the wrong way to go about it. Marvel did that, got backlash, then changed it all back and said "See, no one wanted diversity". No, we all want it. You just make new characters. They did it with Black Panther, Luke Cage, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, etc.

Yes, that pretty much sums it up for me. I like the idea of diversity and support it, if they're creating new characters to compliment already existing characters, some of whom are already from a diverse background. But if you start forcing established characters to change, then I'm dead set against it.

And I still believe in portraying historically realistic characters and circumstances if you're producing a period piece. I can see certain reasonable excuses for there being an exception for this in science fiction, due to alien interference or time travel changing the past and endangering the timeline and so forth, but other than that, stop trying to "rose-tint" everything - pardon the pun.

I think you're doing a disservice to your audience, the people who lived in the era you're depicting and the people who have - and who continue even to this day - fought for change and improvement. Besides, surely increased diversity means a larger number and variety of characters? Not just the same old ones that have been changed or warped into something else...

 

[Doctor Omega]

“Who” Producer On Doing Political Stories





The most recent season of The BBC’s “Doctor Who” brought one key change that hasn’t much been a part of the reboot before now – socio-political themed historicals.

Episodes like “Rosa,” “Demons of the Punjab” and “The Witchfinders” all used their period settings to explore issues like racism, nationalism and sexism along with their more regular stories of alien involvement in human affairs.

Chris Chibnall, who became the new showrunner this year, tells The Radio Times this week that having those kinds of stories is very important:

“I think you want to be writing about the world that we live in. The show is not a standalone thing, it’s a response to the times that we’re living in and the world that we’re in. When it comes to things that affect people’s lives – I think particularly things that children and young adults are going through – that feels really important.”

‘Who’ returns briefly with a New Year’s Day episode which is imminent. After that it’s expected the show won’t return until sometime in early 2020.

 

[Doctor Omega]

“I think you want to be writing about the world that we live in.

Yes, but THE GREEN DEATH managed to educate me about needing to look after the planet, without being worthy, dull and boring.

And that message stayed with me.


It was storytelling through a proper science fiction filter, rather than a Bafta-worthy drama with the Doctor, companions and a lame alien threat added clumsily, like so much ketchup.




And the ending, with a lonely Doctor driving away, moved me more than anything in series 11.


So I would say that - despite the current superior budget - that that puts the classic series and "the one with the maggots" ahead in terms of both writing and acting.


If Chibnall wants to write Bafta-worthy, non-science-fiction dramas then he should go away and write them, and hand over DOCTOR WHO to a creative with a real science-fiction vision.

 

[The Seeker]

They used to be better at historicals imo. The Romans, The Aztecs, and The Reign of Terror were VERY good. The Aztecs and was sort of a morality tale. I think Star Trek does a better job addressing social problems. I do like the premise of these three episodes but the science fiction elements weren’t so well done in Rosa and Demons of the Punjab.

 

[The Seeker]

(I have to nail my colours to the mast at this point and say that the only good things I have seen in this series have been Bradley Walsh and the somewhat haunting incidental music. I think Jodie has been seriously and truly floundering in the role, completely out of her depth, lacking any true charisma, presence or gravitas, pulling faces and doing a somewhat clumsy impersonation of Tennant-Smith instead of, you know, creating an actual, believable 2000 year old Doctor of her own at any point. I am also certain that many, many other actresses could have done a far, far better job than Jodie has managed. But there seems to be an invisible pressure to praise her simply because she is the first ever actress in the role. That seems unfair.

These are valid criticisms. But I think Jodie’s doing fine, if anything she’s doing what she can with the script she’s being given. I think perhaps the writers are intimidated writing for a woman? From what I’ve seen the Doctor’s changing personality was pretty well established from the time of regeneration (well maybe not Capaldi so much). Maybe she’s suffering from Colin Baker syndrome.

 

[The Seeker]

The JENNY ADVENTURES

Oh please no. I like RTD’s notion that she flew into the sun.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

Oh please no. I like RTD’s notion that she flew into the sun.

Aw. I like Jenny. I would have liked to have seen her at least once get back with The Doctor and have one good adventure.

 

[The Seeker]

I didn’t care for that episode at all.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

Oh yeah? Well, I don't like Fear Her! Fight me!

(Actually, I don't hate it, it's just not one I go back to much)

(And, quite honestly, I have no idea if you like that episode or not. I'm just adapting the internet persona that every keyboard warrior on message boards seems to use)

 

[The Seeker]

I don’t like Fear Her either, but Love and Monsters is worse. The worst, worst, WORST Doctor Who episode of all time is Kill The Moon.

 

[ant-mac]

Oh yeah? Well, I don't like Fear Her! Fight me!

(Actually, I don't hate it, it's just not one I go back to much)

(And, quite honestly, I have no idea if you like that episode or not. I'm just adapting the internet persona that every keyboard warrior on message boards seems to use)

I seldom come back to New Who...

I've seen every available Classic Who serial multiple times. Some of them well over ten or twenty times.

With New Who, I've seen DALEK, THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR, THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR, INTO THE DALEK and WORLD ENOUGH AND TIME / THE DOCTOR FALLS more than once. I've also seen various segments of certain serials more than once.

 

[Doctor Omega]

I seldom come back to New Who...

I've seen every available Classic Who serial multiple times. Some of them well over ten or twenty times.

The same.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

I don’t like Fear Her either, but Love and Monsters is worse. The worst, worst, WORST Doctor Who episode of all time is Kill The Moon.

Love and Monsters is worse. I think I have watched that one twice all the way through, and of the Doctor-Lite episodes, it fails. Although, I still giggle at the idea that Elton and Moaning Myrtle still have a "love life". I wonder how soft her lips are being she's now cement...hmmmm

I've only watched Kill the Moon the once, but I seem to remember liking it, even with the whole moon/egg thing. I should give it a rewatch, to see if I was drunk when I saw it and missed something.