Doctor Who’s Best Season
As I may have said before, I’m a big Doctor Who fan. And the new series is such a huge improvement on the old one. Not only are the effects really good now, the acting an the writing are top notch. It’s really become the best Science Fiction show on television, in my opinion. Yes, better than Battlestar. But then, it’s apples and oranges.
I like it so much I download the show on Bittorrent as soon as new British aired episodes become available. So I have seen all the episodes this season, while the SciFi channel has 4 more to air. And I have to say this season has been the best one to date. The current Doctor may be the best. Scots actor David Tennant is one of those rare thespians who can speak volumes with a look, and yet can be all over the map personality-wise yet remain consistent and true to the character. He really makes you believe his Doctor is a real person. It never feels like he’s acting.
But no actor would be anywhere without good writing and producer/writer Russell T. Davies has been a real inspiration in many ways. He is a Who fan at heart, so he’s woven all the past continuity into the new and more importantly, creating truly three dimensional characters into his fantastic tales. The old show often had preposterous stories with bad sets and wooden acting. This show has none of that. Well, the stories are often preposterous, but they are made believable through the sincerity of the writing and acting. People expect wacky stories with Doctor who. That’s what makes it fun, and Davies knows how to tell a fun story and still make it scary or thrilling as need be, His cliff hangers have been superb and he really gets the old characters he brings back. His detractors didn’t like his politics (he’s gay) or his focus on more romance than the show ever had. But I think he kept those things in reasonable check. He let his hair hang down in Torchwood which was more aimed at adults. Doctor Who is a kid’s show, that is written intelligently so that adults can enjoy it. In some respects it is more intelligent than most adult shows on TV.
This season is his last on the show, so the three part season finale was an incredible blow out, bringing in all the Doctor’s companions from the last four seasons plus Torchwood and Sarah Jane Smith, one of the most popular companions from the old Doctor Who series. It also had arguably the most devious and brilliant villain of the series, Davros. In his best realization yet. Davies managed to tie up all the loose ends from his four year run in these last three episodes. It was an amazing achievement,
If you’ve ever watched Doctor Who in the past or have an interest in science fiction, check it out on Friday nights on the SciFI channel (if you are in the US). There are four more episodes left. The final three are not to be missed.
Next year there will be four specials, then in 2010 the new producer writer will be Steven Moffat who has written some of the best episodes of the new series. I’d say the Doctor will be in good hands.
Here’s the trailer for the first part of the season finale.
The new Doctor Who ( Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant ) is so good it made me wonder what I had been missing in it’s earlier incarnations. When Doctor Who came up prior to these 2 I edged away at the site of rubber monsters and long scarfs. Now I find it all endearing.
Posted by Sara Dorn on 07/08 at 12:00 PMThe new Doctor Who ( Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant ) is so good it made me wonder what I had been missing in it’s earlier incarnations. When Doctor Who came up prior to these 2 I edged away at the site of rubber monsters and long scarfs. Now I find it all endearing.
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Posted by on 07/08 at 12:02 PMI grew up on the old show. It has a lot of charm and its fun. But the new show is like the new Batman movies. It takes the character seriously and treats it like it’s not a joke. And the cool thing is, the people doing it really know what they’re doing. Even the new soundtrack is superb. Better than a lot of movie scores.
Posted by on 07/08 at 01:16 PMHey, I love rubber monsters! I’ve seen them in many a Japanese superhero show or monster movie (although those are getting a lot better), so that was one thing I loved about the old DOCTOR WHO series. The Doctor’s many alien threats (including the Daleks) were just as imaginative as the monster & alien foes from the Ultra Series.
But I absolutely enjoyed the new DOCTOR WHO series! I enjoyed it more than any US-made SF series (most of which are just STAR TREK or BABYLON 5 ripoffs). My big brother Peter really got us all hooked on it. Even Mom, who liked the old series, LOVES the new series.
Posted by John Cassidy on 07/08 at 08:19 PMWait’ll you see this season’s last three episodes. The one this week isn’t bad either. But the three after that are almost as good as it gets for genre TV.
Posted by on 07/08 at 09:48 PMi admit this episode really blew me away!
Posted by Myke on 07/08 at 11:02 PM
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