New Dr Who rocks...

[SJHigbee]

Matt Smith lives up to the hype - and although the 3rd episode of the new series is rather silly, I'm more than willing to forgive this dip in the writing quality after such a storming start to this new Dr Who season.

Following in David Tennant's footsteps was always going to be a big ask - but Matt manages to pull it off... So Saturday nights sparkle again. Yipee!

[che2000]

I couldn't agree more. David Tennant was always gonna be a hard act to follow, but Matt Smith has already begun to stamp his own identity on the part.

Spitfires in space! What's not to like?

[PaulMc]

I'm reliant on BBC America and therefore, two episodes behind.

We enjoyed the premiere very much.

[Richard H. Fay]

My thoughts on Matt Smith's premiere episode...

Smith was good, better than I feared (after Colin Baker, I always fear what may happen when they bring in a new Doctor). However, I don't think he quite lived up to the hype. Best new Doctor ever? Please, I think that distinction should go to either Eccleston or Tenant, not Smith. Have the hype-mongers already forgotten what both Eccleston and Tenant did with the role? Have they forgotten how high they both set the bar?

Like I said, Smith was good, but perhaps not great. Granted, he seemed sufficiently "Doctorish" to me, but he also seemed to be lacking that extra spark, that bit of panache, displayed by both his predecessors. In my opinion, he does not surpass Eccleston or Tenant in breadth, depth, or charisma. He may come close to matching them, at times, but, in my mind, Tenant and Eccleston remain top of the list of "Best new Doctors ever".

Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I have a problem with the Doctor getting younger, and younger, and younger. Or maybe I need to see more episodes to see what Matt Smith can really do.

Anyway, speaking of episodes, I liked the premiere episode very much. The writing seemed smart, although I never watch Doctor Who with an overly critical eye. I get that it's meant to be fun, and sometimes scary. Matt Smith's premiere episode was just that - fun, but also a bit scary. I like how they seem to be making a conscious effort to acknowledge that scary side of Doctor Who, that side tinged with the crimson stain of horror. I always liked the more atmospheric, more Gothic Doctor Who episodes, so this new season may mark a return to the things I've loved most about the show.

The episode looked great, and the effects were neat, in a strange sort of way. However, I must say, the new adaptation of the theme, and the new title sequence, will take some getting used to. I think I preferred the orchestral rendering of the theme when they first brought back the show in '05.

These are just my opinions. I'm sure others will disagree. That happens a lot.

[Richard H. Fay]

An additional word about the theme song...my daughter says it reminds her of the "Dr. Who Theme Song" on Mannheim Steamroller's Halloween 2: Creatures Collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Who-Theme-Song/dp/B001HU4FD0

I can see her point (you really have to hear the whole thing for the full effect - the Mannheim Steamroller version just repeats the first few notes of the melody(?) of the theme over the rhythm(?) .)

[PaulMc]

My thoughts on Matt Smith's premiere episode...

Smith was good, better than I feared (after Colin Baker, I always fear what may happen when they bring in a new Doctor). However, I don't think he quite lived up to the hype. Best new Doctor ever?

I haven't seen that level of hype, myself. But I'm not looking very hard.

Please, I think that distinction should go to either Eccleston or Tenant, not Smith. Have the hype-mongers already forgotten what both Eccleston and Tenant did with the role? Have they forgotten how high they both set the bar?

Like I said, Smith was good, but perhaps not great. Granted, he seemed sufficiently "Doctorish" to me, but he also seemed to be lacking that extra spark, that bit of panache, displayed by both his predecessors. In my opinion, he does not surpass Eccleston or Tenant in breadth, depth, or charisma. He may come close to matching them, at times, but, in my mind, Tenant and Eccleston remain top of the list of "Best new Doctors ever".

Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I have a problem with the Doctor getting younger, and younger, and younger. Or maybe I need to see more episodes to see what Matt Smith can really do.

Um, yeah. You're judging him on one episode. Did you really believe strongly that Eccleston or Tenant really hit it of the park on their first episodes? I think you need to give Smith a little more time, you've just seen Eccleston and Tenant do a lot more.

Anyway, speaking of episodes, I liked the premiere episode very much. The writing seemed smart, although I never watch Doctor Who with an overly critical eye. I get that it's meant to be fun, and sometimes scary. Matt Smith's premiere episode was just that - fun, but also a bit scary. I like how they seem to be making a conscious effort to acknowledge that scary side of Doctor Who, that side tinged with the crimson stain of horror. I always liked the more atmospheric, more Gothic Doctor Who episodes, so this new season may mark a return to the things I've loved most about the show.

Agreed. Smart writing and nicely spooky.

The episode looked great, and the effects were neat, in a strange sort of way. However, I must say, the new adaptation of the theme, and the new title sequence, will take some getting used to. I think I preferred the orchestral rendering of the theme when they first brought back the show in '05.

Yes, they might have left the theme alone, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. It's not just a new Doctor, it's a new production team (or, you know, promotions from the the last crew) so they're putting their own stamp(s) on it.

I'm curious about the season's arc, which seems to involve cracks in time-space and the "Pandora Core". The fact that the alien laughed at the Doctor's ignorance is very interesting. Does that mean it's something the Doctor has done unknowingly - or the Time Lords?

[Richard H. Fay]

Um, yeah. You're judging him on one episode. Did you really believe strongly that Eccleston or Tenant really hit it of the park on their first episodes? I think you need to give Smith a little more time, you've just seen Eccleston and Tenant do a lot more.

Actually, even though they concentrated on Rose, I thought Eccleston was great from his first episode. He showed even more breadth and depth in later episodes ("Dalek" in particular), but I loved him right from "Rose". I was very impressed with his acting abilities and his particular take on the character of the Doctor.

Tennant, on the other hand, spent most of his first episode in bed. He didn't really have much of an opportunity to show what he could really do until later. Of course, when he did, WOW!

I'm not saying Matt Smith did a bad job, not at all. I also understand that some actors need a bit of time to really settle into a new role. However, I am saying that, in my eyes, Smith's performance in his premiere episode didn't quite match that of Eccelston's in his. Perhaps it came close at times, but not quite.

Anyway, the show seems to be in capable hands. There was nothing in Matt Smith's premiere episode to make me turn away from the show, unlike what happened during Colin Baker's troubled stint as the Doctor. I actually stopped watching the show back then, and didn't return to it until Sylvester McCoy took over.

[Richard H. Fay]

To give you an idea of what I thought of Eccelston's performance as the Doctor, right from the very beginning - I didn't get to see Series One until it came out on dvd. Once we started watching, my daughter and I were so impressed, so excited by the stories and characters, that we ended up watching the whole of Series One in one night. We couldn't stop watching. We stayed up until something like four in the morning. (Too tired to stay up that late, my wife went to bed after the first few episodes).

Yes, I remember being very impressed, right from Episode One.

[SJHigbee]

I hadn't been thinking in terms of Matt Smith being the best Dr Who ever, truth to tell... But I was anxious when I'd heard he was replacing David Tennant - who, let's face it made the role his own. Like Richard I'd been very impressed and excited when Christopher Eccelston first took on the role and was frustrated and more than a bit hostile that he stepped down so very quickly. So I'd not expected to like David Tennant's version very much - and feared that Matt would hit the same kind of attitude.

I already knew that Matt Smith was a very fine actor - my son did a season with the NYT in London and Matt was starring in the other production. Robbie was blown away by him and came back full of this amazing young actor with a face that looks 'like the caricature of a handsome man' (my son's words). But it takes more than just acting talent to pull of the role of Dr Who - and to my mind Matt Smith has delivered the goods.

At 27 he is one of the younger Dr's - but Peter Davidson couldn't have been much older when he took on the role, could he? For what it's worth, I don't expect they will necessarily keep Dr Who so young... The likes of Matt Smith don't grow on trees. After all, David Tennant was in his 30's when he became the Dr, which seems to be the average age.

[Ropespor]

Eleventh Doctor, to aliens who threatened Earth: Ask yourself one more question, just one. Is this planet protected?

[Montage of all the threats to Earth from Cybermen to Daleks, followed by headshots of the ten Doctors, which the Eleventh Doctor then steps through]

Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically... Run.


(Love it, love it, love it. Love Moffat. Chuffed that he's taken the reins. And think Matt Smith's great: interestingly different, fun to watch, quirky in a slightly different way from Tennant but also, I think, capable of delivering the gravitas--for which see his reaction in Episode 2: "Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" Just brilliant.)

[tchernabyelo]

Yes, that snarled line in episode 2 had an astonishing complexity to it. Bravura stuff, and since he may have, in Amy, a companion who has the gutsiness of Donna without all the other annoying characteristics, we could be in for another good ride.

[Richard H. Fay]

Eleventh Doctor, to aliens who threatened Earth: Ask yourself one more question, just one. Is this planet protected?

[Montage of all the threats to Earth from Cybermen to Daleks, followed by headshots of the ten Doctors, which the Eleventh Doctor then steps through]

Hello, I'm the Doctor. Basically... Run.

That was a great scene, and a great way to signify that Matt Smith's Doctor is truly the latest version of the character of the Doctor. He's still the Doctor, although a somewhat different version than his predecessor (which is the way it should be).

[woundwort]

I haven't watched the third episode yet. I'm also reliant on BBC America and I have it saved on the DVR for tonight. I started watching the new Dr. Who in the 4th series and actually backtracked my way to Eccleston. I had watched so much Tennant by the time I had the opportunity to watch the first series that I didn't really know how to feel about a different doctor. I was impressed and then, when I finished series one and went back to finish up the Tennant episodes I missed, I didn't know how to feel about that. In short, both 9 and 10 were great with the edge going to Tennant (who also had a much larger body of work).

Steven Moffat wrote some of the best Tennant episodes so I wasn't really worried about the direction of the show but I was worried about Matt Smith. I'm already tired of hearing him yell "Geronimo!" but I'm not soured on him by a long shot. The scenes in the premiere episode with Amelia Pond as a child was as good as it gets. He slipped a bit later on but I think part of the problem is Moffat. He's writing in lines that were already spoken by Tennant and Eccleston ("You look time lord"). He needs to ease up on trying to please the fan base and just do what he does (a la Blink and Slience in the Library...).

As a last note, out of all 3 premiere episodes (this one, Rose, and the Christmas Invasion), I think this one was the best. I was never particularly impressed with either of the other premiere episodes but it's also important to know that I didn't see either of those first (Midnight first for Tennant and Dalek first for Eccleston).

[PaulMc]

OK, "Victory of the Daleks" was a stumble, no denying it. Disappointed.

spoilers.

I really did like the new, bigger, badder, color Daleks but the story was so cartoon-y. Spitfires made ready for space flight in a matter of moments? Churchill and the Doctor as chums I could believe, but not that the Doctor would allow Churchill to have knowledge of the TARDIS or his alien nature. Too pivotal a person in human history for that. The android convincing himself of his human nature was a really weak quick bomb defusing cop-out.

I hope the Daleks come back strong. If not this season, then next.

[Ropespor]

But don't you think they risk overexposure with the Daleks, Paul? (My wife would argue they've already overexposed them.)

The re-introduction of the lone Dalek in the revamped series with Eccleston was brilliant. The unconcealed, profound fear the Doctor showed when he realized what was in that alien-gadget collector's collection was so out of character for the normally unflappable Doctor, it really drove home that these are his greatest foe. And them being the big bad for the showdown, and their evolving relationship with Rose---all great. But then, the third or fourth time in four seasons that they returned after being defeated "forever"...I love the Daleks as much as the next guy, but their ominous threat is somewhat undermined when we keep seeing them defeated time after time.

[PaulMc]

Yes, always a risk of Dalek overexposure. I just feel that if they went through all the trouble to revamp the design, we will probably see more of it. Unless, it was so they would have nice color Daleks in the upcoming online game

I think you've touched on the issue. But, I don't think the problem is so much that they are defeated every time as much as the show keeps upping the stakes until they are left with nothing to do but wipe them all out "finally".

And then they come back!

I still think the worst 'Doctor Who' comeback was the Master when the Fifth Doctor watched him die and then the Sixth Doctor, encountering him again, asked how he survived and the Master replied, "The whole universe knows I'm indestructible." They didn't even try with that one.