THE DOCTOR...is in

[Moderator]

A forum for discussion related to Doctor Who.

Please post warnings about Spoilers, Sweetie.

[Steve Evil]

Did somebody say Doctor Who????

[Ezra Lb.]

Who's on first.

sorreee...


Here's my situation. I was one of the Tom Baker generation who discovered the show when the local Atlanta PBS station started airing them way back when. I immediately fell in love with the show's inventiveness and whimsy and manic quality that no American F&SF show every had. (Star Trek is soooo frigging serious.) After Baker left the show I lost interest because...well...he nailed it and any follow-up was inevitably going to be disappointing.

That said I've heard lots of good things, some from you folks, about the quality of the show since the big hiatus. I haven't had a TV since 1998 so I've seen only one episode, and that while I was in the hospital last year*. Sooo... here's MY question.

For someone who doesn't really need to have every last episode what season(s) since the return would you recommend for somebody who might want to snagg the DVDs?

I thank you.


*The Fires of Pompeii which I thought was terrific. The ending was very powerful.

[Steve Evil]

My attachment to the old series would take more space than is available here, suffice it to say it was an is a landmark in my development. Great as it may be, the new series for me will only ever be a foot-note.

That in mind, the seasons which I have been most able to reconcile with my memories tend to be individual episodes rather than seasons. The first and third seasons I thought were splendid, as was Matt Smith's second season (with the silence). The Rings of Akhatten is my favourite episode ever, the 50th Anniversary was brilliant, as was Smith's send-off.

The Christmas specials are best avoided.

But that's just me!

[diane bartels]

Hi! Rick, this thread is a super idea. I too got acquainted with Dr. Who in the Tom Baker incarnation. And I didn't watch the next shows cause like Steve, I couldnt imagine anyone doing better or even half as good. Starting to come here to Harlan's place got me reinterested and I started again in the middle of the Rose episodes. Seen a lot of them, and then found myself in the midst of the Amy and Rory. Have trouble keeping the last three drs. clear in mind with the right actor. But I see they seem to be on Netflicks so I intend to start catching up. This cheered me up a lot.

[Mark Tiedemann]

As much as I like Tenant ( for my money he's been the best Doctor since Baker ) I would have to say the Christopher Eccleston season, if for no other reason than the absolutely wonderful episode The Doctor Dances, which has got one of the best resolutions of any of them. It also has one of the most poignant Dalek episodes ever, introduces Captain Jack Harkness, and does a turn with Charles Dickens that is an absolute delight.

Come to think of it, once you get through this one you will probably automatically continue on into the Tenant years, so...

[Rick Keeney]

I started with Baker, by Jon Manzo's suggestion that I start with "The Genesis of the Daleks."

Then at Christmas BBC America had a marathon. Ben and I watched the Runaway Bride and a Matt Smith episode where he gets dipped in a vat or somedamnthing and one female character has awful scarring around her eyes and is blind and we kinda pooped our pants watching that.

Many cool things since then, mostly by accident. No plans to go consecutive right away. Happily running across "Blink, the episode Ben lovingly refers to as "Episode Ten" ("The Doctor Dances"). Cool Dalek episodes. The Neil Gaiman episode, which horrified Ben (no spooky ladies please-so I've put off the pirate episode for now). Like that.

First question: Do the newer seasons confuse everything with their numbering system, Season One, etc.? Seems so.

[Steve Evil]

Well, one loses track after a while - especially with the stand alone specials, which weren't really part of any season. . .

[Rick Keeney]

I mean Season 1 (on Netflix at any rate) is what Eccleston? Is there a reboot timeline of seasons of some goddamnthing? Eccleston wasn't the first Doctor, I know that much. Red Skelton was that, apparently. And now I look and it's Series One. That could just be Netflix' cataloging?

Okay, so does the apology thing run through all the shows? I notice the Doctor apologizes a lot.

[Rick Keeney]

See, this is why newbies are unpopular. I'm not asking good questions. Somebody tell me something I need to know.

[FinderDoug]

Your questions are fine. I, for one, recall being a newbie in many things, once upon a time.

Netflix - because I believe it only has the new incarnation of the series - numbers the new run from Season 1; it is, for all intents, actually Season 27 of the show, but by and large no one is performing a continuous numbering from 1963 in discussing it (they also differentiate Season vs Series (a nomenclature change you see in the modern BBC - SPOOKS (that's MI-5 to those of us outside the UK) is referred to in terms of Series vs Seasons).

It can be VERY confusing, but in the end, I expect only the die-hardest fans could tell you what season gave us "The Mark Of The Rani" or "The Time Monster" without looking it up anyway. So consider Eccleston's season as Series 1 of the new incarnation for now, and know that a whole lot of things came before.

As for the apology - the Doctor DOES say he's sorry. A lot. At least during the first two new incarnations. Not sure that Matt Smith's is especially sorry for anything. To be honest, I need a re-watch of the first couple of years of the new series as refresher anyway.

[Mark Tiedemann]

Mt take on the constant apology is that he's suffering survivor's guilt. Big Time.

[Steve Evil]

Eccleston is Season (or Series) One. It also helps that he was only in it for one!

(It doesn't help that a great many Tennant/Smith episodes were seasonal specials that weren't part of any season at all. . )

When they rebooted, they figured it was easier to start from the beginning rather than calculate how many there had been previously. I for one never paid attention to season numbers - there were too damn many, and I watched them all in syndication anyway. I found season numbers less useful for keeping track than which companion was around, what the Tardis interior looked like, or what colour his scarf was. Which producer/script editor was in charge later became quite informative, as their respective approaches differed greatly. . .

[Rick Keeney]

I don't know if my 5 year old should be watching. But he is. He didn't like the spooky merwoman, nor vampires, nor the rise of the old god. Nor Ood.

[diane bartels]

this such a cool topic.***** Spoiler possible below*****

I go with companions too to tell what year when in the series it is. Frankly a lot of things in the series confuse me. Like the episode with River Song and Amy where the Doctor "dies?"
Did he? About Ben. I think he's a smart kid and as long as he has you and his mom to remind him of what is real from what is not and that you guys are there to protect him, he'll be ok. Look at some of the stuff we watched as kids. The Wizard of Oz is one scary movie really. Ditto Bambi, and other Disneys. DB over and out for tonight.