Disappointed.

[icebluenothing]

Well, shit. Who would have thought that my favorite show could go so far downhill in just three years?

The first episode of the new season of Doctor Who aired last night, and I downloaded it, of course, even though I found most of last season didn't really live up to my expectations. And, well, I guess it was okay. Actually, no. I thought it was pretty terrible. All gloss and no substance. They are seriously out of ideas, and it really shows.

I just don't know. When I heard it was coming back in 2005, I was so damn excited. But now? Maybe I'm just burnt out on it. Maybe it's a case of setting my expectations too high. Maybe -- god forbid -- I've finally outgrown it.

Whatever the case, I don't think I'll be watching it anymore. And I probably won't be writing any more fanfic, either.

Comments

[darkmane.livejournal.com]

Uh -huh.

You're just trying to keep it all to yourself.

;-)

[calandria.livejournal.com]

That or it's just the fact that it's April 1st.

[icebluenothing.livejournal.com]

No, I'm not trying to keep it to myself -- I don't want it anymore. If this is what Doctor Who has turned into, I'm not interested.

Maybe that's just the problem -- I had it all to myself for years, and now that it's back, and I'm seeing what pop culture is dumbing it down into, I can't deal with it.

[deadrose.livejournal.com]

I know better than to believe anything you write on April 1st :-)

[lokheed.livejournal.com]

If I had a dollar for every time they trot out the tired old "space rhinos teleport a hospital to the moon" storyline, I'd be rich.

[icebluenothing.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "space rhinos" that are just a cheap Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Judge Dredd ripoff. Big deal.

But it's not the broad outline of the plot -- it's the details. The flirty banter instead of real dialogue; the annoying family that gets left behind; the Doctor being manic and zany to substitute for any real mystery or quirkiness to the character; and ultimately, the Doctor just being a Needy and Lonely Little Boy -- yes, okay, Russell, we get it.

Russell T. Davies just can't write an interesting close friendship between the Doctor and, well, anyone without giving it this weird teenage boyfriend/girlfriend vibe. As a writer, he's really only got a few tricks up his sleeve, and at this point, I think we've already seen all of them.

[ilion.livejournal.com]

But didn't you think the exploration of Timelord childhood and how he evolved from that really gave it some depth?

[lokheed.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree that the family was annoying and pointless. It felt to me like RTD was trying to shoehorn in another Eastenders-type hook family for casual viewers to relate to in order to replace Rose's family, and it fell flat on its face.

Regarding the boyfriend/girlfriend vibe, I am fervently hoping that that is not the direction that the relationship with Martha goes. She is a much more educated and experienced character than Rose was, which makes her if not the Doctor's intellectual equal at least more on a solid footing and in a position to challenge the Doctor. That to me is a much more interesting dynamic than just bringing in another love interest, which would only cheapen his relationship with Rose.

I am worried about the series bringing back the Daleks yet again this season, although the setting in Depression-era Manhattan sounds promising. I am also worried that the season my fall into the same pattern yet again of introducing a foe in the middle of the season, and then bringing them back in the finale as the "surprise" ultimate adversary. Once was cool. Twice was a little weak. Three times would be the death knell.

I am, however, looking forward to Paul Cornell's adaptation of Human Nature. Done well it could be very interesting, and given that it is the original author adapting his own book there is every sign that it will be done well. I am also looking forward to John Simm appearing in the season finale. He was excellent in Life On Mars (I assume you have checked out that series, based on the title alone), and if the spoilers are true as to which character he is playing it could be very interesting indeed. Or awful, depending on how it is executed.

One other thing worth noting, all indications are that Russel T. Davies will probably move on after the fourth series. I suspect David Tennant will as well, since three years is about par for a Doctor and Tennant's star has been rising dramatically enough that he has to be considering other more profitable options before much longer. Which is all to say, whatever direction the series has taken at present it is likely due for another sea change in a year or two. It will be 1970 all over again.

Very much in the same boat...

[ssandv.livejournal.com]

I made a horrible mistake when I finally decided to catch up with the new series. The first episode I saw was "The Empty Child", which was a very dark, fairly traditional episode--and hell, it even featured a gas mask used as a costume. Aside from some asinine nanobot special effects, it felt like it belonged in the series, like it was at least mostly of a piece with the older stuff. "Boom Town", which was the next new story ("Empty Child" being paired with "The Doctor Dances") I couldn't get through the intro for. The special effects were flashy for the sake of being flashy, it seemed like a standard television scene-setting "moments from earlier episodes", and it just basically wasn't Doctor Who. Maybe the episode was better than the intro, but I didn't stick around to find out. It looked like it was just another show. If I wanted that, I wouldn't have stayed up until 2 in the morning to watch KVOS when I was a kid every frigging weekend. There were lots of "just another show" on at more reasonable hours.

It's almost like finally having a budget gave them an excuse to quit _trying_.