the great who discussion of 2010

ok, so i decided to start my own post to start a discussion of who. lately, as many of you know, i have been very critical of the show. that doesn't mean i've stopped watching, or that i even want it cancelled. it just means that i am not enjoying this season as much as i have the last 5 years(i'm counting the specials).

i also noticed that when rtd was in charge of the show, it was commonplace to bash him, and not many people got in trouble for that. for my complaints, my fanhood has been questioned. it's been wondered if i even saw the "classic" series(which is what i started on). what i liked more, the classic series, or the rtd era. that i'm not a "real" who fan. i find this akin to calling someone un-american because they don't have a flag on their lawn, and they criticize the president(any president will do, usually the one you didn't vote for).

i started watching the classic series from baker onward, got into the first 3 doctors through vhs tapes and dvds. i'm one of the few fans who can look past all of the tv movies faults, and still love it. the evolution to the rtd era made sense to me, but since i'm just not "getting it" this season, does that make me any less of a who fan?

i have posted my opinion on the colin baker years. the first one(imo) was not good at all, with him always berating peri, and his worst traits being front and center. the trial of a time lord year, he got along better with his companions, and showed less bad manners on-screen. that to me showed what the show could have been with him in it. i went on to love the mccoy years, but some people despise them, which is they're preference. one of my least favorite years are the pertwee years, but that's mostly because of the bad background music(imo) and the stunt doubles doing karate. other than that, pertwee was a great doctor.

so i'm going to have a poll at the top of this. what do you think? should a who fan love everything? only the classic? just not the tv movie? am i just being sensitive? you tell me, and we'll make this post the great discussion board of 2010(at least i hope so, or this will flop like sex and the city 2 did).

I can't honestly vote. I didn't like RTD episodes more than Moff's or Moff's more than RTDs because at the time, I didn't know that there really was a difference and right now, I don't think it's really that important. All I know is what I like and what I don't like.

And I also think the whole, "You're only a real fan if..." is kind of lame. Can you imagine saying that to a child, who has just gotten into the show and is hugging his little TARDIS, Doctor figure, or Dalek toy? I mean seriously... no, this "you're only a fan if..." is really ridiculous and completely unfair. It's based on opinions.

You're a fan if you say you are. That is all I need to know for someone being a fan.

Plain and simple.

Do you like "Doctor Who"? Why, yes I do! You're a fan! Good enough for me.
~

Good topic, actually...I think you can pick and choose what you like or not and still call yourself a fan, although if you hardly like any of it, I almost want to say, why bother? But yes, absolutely, if you consider yourself a fan, you are! Enough said!

I started on Classic Who, but I'd been away from it for a long while and had never gotten to the point of being overly critical or nitpicky by the time the TV movie showed up -- I was excited for that, and really enjoyed it when it aired for the first time, and I still rather like it, though looking back, I can see why some fans complain about it...then, new Who came along, but it wasn't till David Tennant that I was pulled back in and never looked back -- and I am pleasantly amazed that I'm finding Matt Smith amazing, and that I absolutely love his companions -- especially Rory, who is dangerously close to being my favorite...besides Wilf, of course, who has gotta be #1, but anyway...

I never did understand all the RTD bashing, because after all, it was his era that brought me back stronger than ever...but I also enjoy what Moffat has done/is doing...sure there are some things that I like more or less than others, but overall it's been great. Then again, I tend to see Doctor Who, or anything/anyone I choose to be a fan of, in a positive light, and I'm generally very forgiving, or at least, accepting of what turns out to be canon. Some fans enjoy the debate, though, and that can be positive as well. What I don't like is when fans berate each other for disagreeing about what's good and what's bad. If you love Love and Monsters, but hate Blink, I don't think that makes you a bad fan, anymore than liking RTD's work better than Moffat's or vice versa...but you know, you can like what you want...just let others like what they want and discuss it without beating each other up...

I voted #5.

I always thought that the 6th Doctor had great potential to be "bigger than the universe" as far as heroism and the personality, but they, in my opinion, made the misstep of making him so disagreeable early and too much. Colin and Nicola seem to be the closest Doctor/Companion pair outside the show after Pertwee and Manning were. Just imagine how great they could have been if that had been allowed on the show!

As for the RTD/Moff differences, I have only seen the first 4 episodes so cant say too much. I do like Smith and his portrayal so far. With that said, after Doomsday I felt that RTD Who got very 'soapy'. One thing I noticed in the first part of the Angel story this year, was that it was repetitive with the dead soldier/Angel talking to the Doctor over the communicator just like the dead scientist/Vashta Nerada did in last years two parter.

As far as what I like, The TV stories first, followed by Target novelisations, that was how I 'saw' many of the early shows and thus my imagination filled in the blanks. I will say I was a bit disappointed when I saw the reel deal.

I also enjoy the comics. Especially Gibbons artwork.

I would say I count the behind the scenes books also, I really like reading my archive collection and the history books.

I never got into the continuing adventures, from the novels to the audios. These began ata time when I didnt have the money to get them, so never did. And now I have to spend my money on the toys, so wont be trying to get these. "Must have Krynoid CAB!"

Enough from me.

ok, i think this post is a bigger bust than the prince of persia.

bret_owen99 wrote:

ok, i think this post is a bigger bust than the prince of persia.

But I bet the princess of Persia has a bigger bust!

Sincerely,

Bill

lol@redfern. ok, i think i'll speak some more of my opinion in this post, since it's stagnant. the "classic" series was good for it's time, but tv did change. you could even see changes over the years from the first 3 doctors, to the 4th and 5th doctor's, and when they ended the show with the 6th and 7th doctor(they ended it twice, first with the 6th, but then bringing it back without colin).

when they made the tv movie, i know they "hollywooded" it, but it was still a step in the right direction in my OPINION. when rtd had the plan to bring it back, he knew it had to be a full blooded drama to succeed in this day and age(think of the success buffy the vampire slayer had).

some people complain about the "love" relationship the doctor had with rose, but i think it was the main reason the first two seasons were successfull. i mean, i can't tell you how many people i've shown doomsday to, who cried(and i hadn't seen them cry during any other tv show). even steven moffatt wrote the line during the doctor dances(i'm paraphrasing here) that the doctor was 900 years old, of course he's danced before.

the next year we got martha, who wasn't my favorite companion(although i do love freema agyman, don't get me wrong). she was a rebound companion, and the doctor didn't know quite how to treat her. she left on her own accord(which not many companions got to do), and he was left alone again.

now we come to my favorite year of doctor who. the donna noble year. some people were not happy with donna, but i thought she was the closest to a "classic" companion that we got during the rtd era. she wasn't a girlfriend like rose. she wasn't a groupie like martha. she was a friend. she was there to tell him to stop, or to hold his hand when he had to make a horrible decision. when she left at the end of the series, i was heart-broken not only for her loss, but for the doctor as well.

the specials, to me, were the best and worst of rtd's era. the next doctor was a cheesy-campy romp that was there just for fun. the planet of the dead was good(and finally an off-planet adventure). the waters of mars was one of the most terrifying episodes ever(not only because of the monsters, but because of the doctor's mental breakdown at the end of the episode, showing real character "change").

then we come to the end of time. i almost see people as loving or hating it. i loved it. i know it has faults, but overall, the character development of the doctor, the master, wilf, and almost every other character rtd introduced in his series reached a new height.

some of you may know that i was having a rough time earlier this year, and at the time i bought the dvds, i was on anti-depressants. now, if you've never been on anti-depressants, i'll tell you one thing, it's really hard to be sad. trust me, i tried. i would listen to sad songs, watch sad movies, but nothing could faze me(it was almost a funny game to me). however, when the doctor had to save wilf, and the next half hour of him saying goodbye, i was crying like a baby. that's real story power in my OPINION.

some people think i hate the current season, but i don't. i'm just kind of bored of it. my favorite episode was the victory to the daleks, because i wanted to see the daleks win(which they did). my second favorite was amy's choice(which i'm really hoping they bring back the dreamlord-see my post in final foes spoilers if you want my theory). every other episode has been kind of blah to me. even the whole "crack" thread is boring me(untill i find out what's going on).

i hope i enjoy next season, but if i don't, i don't think i should be labelled a non-fan. some people had said that this season is as close to the "classic" series as ever. i disagree with that(imo). i enjoy almost every episode of the classic series(except the first year of colin baker).

some people don't like certain doctor's. that's not the case here. time and time again, i have praised matt smith's performances. i like doc 11, i just don't like the writing very much.

I would never say that you weren't a fan just because you don't like the new series.

I haven't seen "Water of Mars" yet and have been avoiding "The End of Time" since it came out. I just don't want to see it because I really don't want to say goodbye to my first Doctor. Even thinking about it makes me very sad.

~

I voted 5, even though I am a #1. I do love everything. Some things (Pertwee) more than others

To paraphrase: "Splendid show, all of them!"

And, now after reading all of the posts above (where is everybody?) I find it strange that I agree with everything everyone says? I may not feel as strongly about some issues with the show, for instance, I enjoy the bickering of Peri and the Doctor. It just seams to me, that despite the bickering, there is great affection between the two in the way they look at each other and help each other. That is, in no doubt to me, because of the fantastic affection Colin and Nicola had for each other. I love the scene at the end of The Mark of the Rani, when asked what they do in the TARDIS, the Doctor says "Argue, mainly"
There are many other issues everyone brings up, that I do see, but they have never detracted from my love of an episode, no matter how bad the effects, how cheap the make-up, or how predictable the plot. I love it when every episode is so different from last week, that it may not work as well. I don't mind if an episode isn't as memorable to me as The Daemons, or Genesis of the Daleks or the last 30 minutes of The End of Time (especially the bookstore and church scene). I don't love every character as much as Wilf, or the Brigadier or Jamie. I don't even hate characters like Tegan or Adric or even Mel.
But, I do no want to see crap on TV that is meant to be passed off as Doctor Who. So far, I don't believe I have yet. And RTD and Moffet both have too much love for the show to just not try. They both have different styles, like Barry, or Phillip or Verity. I just enjoy some of their styles more than others.