Excuse me, Doctor...Who?

[sinanju]

I can no longer claim to be a Doctor Who virgin.  I've watched two episodes of the 2005 season (the ninth doctor) and the third one is starting right now.  (Edit: no, apparently this is a repeat of the first episode.  I don't know why the tivo recorded it twice.)

I set the tivo to record these because a) they're showing on the Sci Fi channel, b) I'm curious, never having seen the series, and c) I've gotten a taste of the Doctor and Rose as played by purplerhino in the crossing_lostrp game.  I figured it was time to dip my toe in the water and see how it felt.

I'd never watched Doctor Who for a variety of reasons.  It was my impression, from what I'd heard or read over the years, that it was a cheesy, silly sci fi show done on a shoestring budget by the BBC.  That it was an acquired taste that I was previously unable to attempt to acquire without buying a videotape or CD at a con.  Something I was unwilling to do sight unseen.  But--hey, it'll be turning up on Sci Fi.  I can tivo it for free and watch it whenever I feel the urge.  Opportunity cost has never been lower.

So I watched.  Was it what I expected?

Well, yes and no.  It's not a high-budget production.  Certainly they spend nothing like what gets spent on a series like Stargate or Battlestar Galactica.  On the other hand, it wasn't merely a step up from an amateur high school production, as I'd long imagined it would be.  (Think of the original Dark Shadows with a British accent--that's what I envisioned.)  On the gripping hand, all I've seen is two episodes from 2005.  Computer graphics and special effects are vastly cheaper and easier than once they were.  Older series of the show might be just as cheesy looking as I imagine them to be.

It's not highbrow art, but who cares?  A lot of what I like to watch isn't.  It was entertaining enough that I'll probably watch some more episodes.  Killer mannequins, man-eating plastic garbage bins, and sentient pools of liquid plastic are not the stuff of legend, but I've skipped past far worse (on a sadly regular basis) on this same Sci Fi channel.

The Doctor is interesting.  Listening to conversations about who was the best (or "real") James Bond over the years, I've concluded that as a rule people who enjoy Bond films tend to "imprint" on whomever they first see in the role.  I suspect, for similar reasons, that Christopher Eccleston will always be the real Doctor Who as far as I'm concerned, and all the other Doctors will seem like mere placeholders.  Not that I actually expect to see any of the earlier series.  I'm not that interested.

I have to say that The Doctor has excellent taste in traveling companions.  BIllie Piper (as Rose Tyler) is a very sexy woman.  I've seen photos of her before this and she's nice enough to look at but nothing special.  When she's animated she's much more interesting to watch.

So...anyway.  There you have it.  My review (such as it is) of Dr. Who.

Comments

[irishkate.livejournal.com]

I think Chris will always be my Dr Who as well. And I've only ever seen occasional episodes and I think 1 movie before this (I grew up in Ireland before we could get BBC easily) But I believe and from what I remember this series is high tech and huge budget compared to the previous shows. Having said that I did enjoy this series and will probably watch any more they show. But I don't know that I would have been a fan based on the earlier shows, they really did seem to be cardboard and wire coat hangers...

[starborn-scribe.livejournal.com]

Right there with ya, irishkate. I'm not a fan of the previous Doctor Who series. Tom Baker is wonderful, of course, but I can't take cardboard monsters seriously. The new series not only has a budget (which gets bigger after the pilot, sinanju, so better computer special effects), but great writing and acting.

Like I told fikgirl, the new series has its weak spots. If you can, just go with those episodes. The continuity throughout the series is wonderful. It pays off in the end.

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

I've long claimed that I was willing and able to overlook cheap sets, wooden acting, lame special effects and the like if the STORY was well done, with smart characters doing the next logical thing each step of the way. So maybe I would like earlier Dr. Who episodes. But I've long been turned off of it because while I heard about the cheap sets and $1.99 SFX budgets, I don't recall hearing about great writing. It may have had great writing, but that wasn't what I heard about.