Moff says less heavy story arcs

Formerly: Do you hate story arcs?

Moff promises a less arc-heavy story next series: http://subwavenetwork.tumblr.com/post/9294299046/steven-moffat-speaks-about-series-7-33-of-doctor-who

Good, get back to a more Classic feel with individualize story/episodes, they arrive, investigate, find the bad guy, beat them with a few twists and turns and on to the next story. I'm very bored with these ongoing soap opera in space. I hope he sticks to his guns and gives us something fresh for 2012 into the 50th year of Who!

I don't hate the story arcs, but I don't enjoy them much. I understand the need for them but this year it's too much. Come to think of it, I haven't really enjoyed any of the New Series story arcs. Moffat's are too jumbled and RTD's weren't really "story arcs" so much as the same word dropped somewhere in every episode.

A story arc I did enjoy - The Key to Time series. 6 stories that each stand on their own as good, independent stories with a minor link between them. You don't have to watch The Pirate Planet and Androids of Tara in order to fully understand & enjoy The Power of Kroll. Other than them saying which number segment they were looking for, you could really watch them in any order and still follow along just fine (other than the final, of course).

rdks wrote:

I don't hate the story arcs, but I don't enjoy them much. I understand the need for them but this year it's too much. Come to think of it, I haven't really enjoyed any of the New Series story arcs. Moffat's are too jumbled and RTD's weren't really "story arcs" so much as the same word dropped somewhere in every episode.

A story arc I did enjoy - The Key to Time series. 6 stories that each stand on their own as good, independent stories with a minor link between them. You don't have to watch The Pirate Planet and Androids of Tara in order to fully understand & enjoy The Power of Kroll. Other than them saying which number segment they were looking for, you could really watch them in any order and still follow along just fine (other than the final, of course).

And the first.

I don't mind story arcs, but I am getting a little tired of them.

Story arcs can be pretty good like Babylon 5. Unfortunately for me I haven't been enjoying DW like I used to because it's being written just like Lost. The constant questions with little answers gets to be annoying after a while which is why I dropped out of Lost so many times. BTW I still have no idea what happened in the last episode of that series. Going back to DW though when I watch an episode and I feel like I didn't because I have no clue what's going on it's a turn off. I want to feel like I'm included in the story not like an outsider. I get enough of that in my own life thank you much.

I don't mind the story arcs. I think I prefer them when they are a bit loose though, like RTD did. Moff's are good and I really wouldn't change them but I'll be interested to see how a series without them or lighter one them under the Moff would be.

I like them,if they are done right, as in "not made up as you go along" type. That is when you get really lame resolutions to the arc, and feel like you wasted your time watching it. I think Moff has a plan, he dropped too many hints in early episodes last season to not have some idea where he is going. I also think some are making this too complicated in their own minds, looking for clues that are not there. Babylon 5 is by far, the best example of a story arc done right. A 5 season plan, with back up loop holes in case of cast changes. MJS knew where he was going,and what he wanted to do. I hope Moff has the same plan. Star Trek did not do this well. Their 2-part season cliffhangers, and the Dominion War story arc were more of a "OK, how do we get out of this situation" on the part of the writers. And many of those resolution were very disappointing.

I think he ment for this to happen. Making people scramble their brains and not know which is right or wrong.

Ronpur wrote:

I like them,if they are done right, as in "not made up as you go along" type. That is when you get really lame resolutions to the arc, and feel like you wasted your time watching it. I think Moff has a plan, he dropped too many hints in early episodes last season to not have some idea where he is going. I also think some are making this too complicated in their own minds, looking for clues that are not there. Babylon 5 is by far, the best example of a story arc done right. A 5 season plan, with back up loop holes in case of cast changes. MJS knew where he was going,and what he wanted to do. I hope Moff has the same plan. Star Trek did not do this well. Their 2-part season cliffhangers, and the Dominion War story arc were more of a "OK, how do we get out of this situation" on the part of the writers. And many of those resolution were very disappointing.

Not to mention the Dominion War story sucked to begin with, and was so un-Trekian, anyhow.

Do I hate story arcs? Not really - just really bored with them & wish they would give us more stand alone episodes that send chills up our spines - like the good old days!!

I'm disappointed to hear there won't be a tighter story arc next year. This year's arc really hasn't been very tight. Of the 8 episodes we've had, 4 have been arc-heavy. The other 4 more adventure-type episodes with RTD-style references dropped in here and there. I think that's a fair compromise there...

I don't mind the arcs and don't see the problem in it. In fact, it keeps me watching and keeps me at the edge of my seat more so, especially this current 'River Song/Doctor's death' arc.

I do, however, enjoy stand alone stories like 'Curse of the Black Spot,' and 'The Doctor's Wife'.

Whether it be stand alone or story arcs, it's Doctor Who and that's good enough for me. Peoples, stop moaning and just enjoy it, please?

Scary wrote:

Whether it be stand alone or story arcs, it's Doctor Who and that's good enough for me. Peoples, stop moaning and just enjoy it, please?

Now now Mr Scary....we all have our opinions & we are entitled to express them. We don't have to agree with each other but we can not stop others from speaking their minds (providing it falls in with the Be Nice policy of course!! )

Yes, I know, everyone express yourself and all that meh. But I find it pointless to nitpick at the smallest things regarding one's favourite show.... It's Doctor Who. That should be enough, no?

Some prefer the stand alone stories because of the classics, others prefer the arcs because of the new series. I like both. Know why? Cos it's Doctor Who.

Those who grew up with the classics would surely recognise the fact that Doctor Who is about change, right? The Doctor is always changing his face, always changing his costume and the interior of the TARDIS (and sometimes exterior [Attack of the Cybermen])... And now, in this 21st century modern age, it would seem that for the most part the new series is written completely different to the classics.... Because it's all about change... And if one can't handle that.... Why are you still watching?

Just my two pennies worth, flame me if you will... But really, some people need to learn to deal with things never staying the same forever.

I, too, am among the ones who prefer stand alone adventures without an overrriding arc. I don't need a continuing thread to keep me interested if the stories are good enough. Simple threads like RTD did with "Bad Wolf", "Mr. Saxon", or "DoctorDonna" are much more preferable to me than the complicated ones Moff tries to do. But that's just my preference. We all watch Doctor Who for different reasons and have our own levels of enjoyment. That's why it's lasted for nearly 50 years bringing in new fans all the while.

Jaredofmo asked the question "Do you hate story arcs?"

I, amongst others, have answered the question. I fail to see why & where you are getting so heated about it all?

I am sure that you have asked questions & left it open to the forum to answer & discuss??

workstinx wrote:

Jaredofmo asked the question "Do you hate story arcs?"

I, amongst others, have answered the question. I fail to see why & where you are getting so heated about it all?

I am sure that you have asked questions & left it open to the forum to answer & discuss??

No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as angry with you, but it's reading people's comments and thoughts on episodes that annoy me.... This specific person would be Batmanmarch from Youtube. I swear, he just sits in front of the telly every Saturday night and purposely waits for stuff to nitpick at. I'm just slightly annoyed with the whole "classics are better" idea that is commonly shared between a lot of fans. I just can't see why one can't like both... They are both Doctor Who, it is mind boggling to think someone can like one part of the franchise and hate the other.

Scary wrote:

workstinx wrote:

Jaredofmo asked the question "Do you hate story arcs?"

I, amongst others, have answered the question. I fail to see why & where you are getting so heated about it all?

I am sure that you have asked questions & left it open to the forum to answer & discuss??

No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as angry with you, but it's reading people's comments and thoughts on episodes that annoy me.... This specific person would be Batmanmarch from Youtube. I swear, he just sits in front of the telly every Saturday night and purposely waits for stuff to nitpick at. I'm just slightly annoyed with the whole "classics are better" idea that is commonly shared between a lot of fans. I just can't see why one can't like both... They are both Doctor Who, it is mind boggling to think someone can like one part of the franchise and hate the other.

Sadly in life, we can't please everybody all of the time. Who fans tend to fall into 3 camps. The Classic camp, the NuWho camp & the All Who is great camp. Each think that they are right & everyone else is wrong. I PREFER Classic Who but I LKE NuWho.

Don't get me started on Classic Star Wars over New Star Wars & that *@!"$^*£@?* Jar Jar Binks!!!

Scary wrote:

I'm just slightly annoyed with the whole "classics are better" idea that is commonly shared between a lot of fans. I just can't see why one can't like both... They are both Doctor Who, it is mind boggling to think someone can like one part of the franchise and hate the other.

I could not agree with you more. You can take ANY episode and nitpick as much as people are doing now. Just because someone isn't enjoying the show right now, it is so easy to complain about the little things and say 'it was better before'. You can do that with the classic series, or any pre-series 5 episode. Nitpick them to death. I can complain about everything before series 5, because of how there is now an added component of more drama (I for one, prefer the focus on companions) that has been missing in the show up until now.

Every "era" and every producer does his or her own thing differently. Again, it's what keeps Doctor Who fresh. "Change, my dear. And not a moment too soon." To your point, Scary, it's quite possible to like one part and dislike another. The difference between Doctors themselves can be a reason. Sometimes it's a change in tone of the show. Take, for example, Tom Baker and Philip Hinchcliffe's era versus Tom Baker and Graham Williams'. Robert Homes versus Douglas Adams as script editor. VERY fifferent in tone and perceived quality. We all can't like every change done to our beloved show. It's all the show we love, but it's not all as equally enjoyable to us all.

Let's not flame on this. We all have our own level of enjoyment and should respect each other's. No one is "right" or "wrong" on this.

SeaDevil wrote:

Let's not flame on this. We all have our own level of enjoyment and should respect each other's. No one is "right" or "wrong" on this.

Wise words.

Thanks, my friend, I just wanna avoid any hurt feelings amongst all our fellow Whovian friends.

you know, it's not so much the story arcs i hate, but moffat's writing. series 5 wasn't so bad, because i enjoyed a fare number of episodes (the ones not written by him). this season, though, because of all of his "story arcs", most of it has been him, and i've hated every minute of it. i know he's the showrunner, but can we at least have half the series not written by him, and not have to tie into the arc? last year we had "vincent and the doctor", the lodger, victory of the daleks, and amy's choice. those were my favorites. this year, i really don't have any.