So What If I Was Slow About Catching Up? It's A Show About Time Travel

[filkertom]

Here's how it's bouncing around in my head.

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is like the greatest love you will ever know, the greatest possible romance.

The Eccleston Doctor Who (which I finally just finished) is like the most fun, most stimulating, best possible sex.

So. I understand the Tennant stuff (which just went on sale today, what a co-inky-dink) is better...?

Comments

[hms42]

He makes an interesting Doctor.

Tom - If you CAN locate it, track down (via torrent) the Children In Need Special from 2005. Its about 7 minutes long and worth watching BEFORE seeing Series 2 (2006). It fills in a key hole that is NOT explained elsewhere and as far as I know, NOT on the DVDs (on either side of the pond.)

Harold

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Seems to be a little tough to find the vid itself online, but according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who:_Children_in_Need):

The mini-episode was included on the Series 2 DVD box set. The version of the special on the DVD is slightly different: the opening montage to recap The Parting Of the Ways has been changed, and the incidental music throughout being re-done (including a rare use of part of the main theme as incidental, when the TARDIS changes course to Earth).

[hms42]

The strongest episodes of the season have definately been mentioned by others.... Girl in the Fireplace is a WONDERFUL episode.

Even better than School Reunion which was pretty good. (Tied up a few loose ends and linked the old series and spin off pilot in one shot.)

Some fun lines from that too....

Harold

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

It's on the UK edition.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

So. I understand the Tennant stuff (which just went on sale today, what a co-inky-dink) is better...?</i. Different doctors, different strokes - some things Tennant does better, sometimes the scriptwriters do him worse in the stories they give him. However, episode three? Utter, utter, utter win if you liked old school Who. And that's all I'm going to say.

[skipjim.livejournal.com]

I think I like the Eccleston Doctor a little better, mostly because I had the experience of introducing my two young children to the good Doctor with his run of episodes.

Heck we even sat around this weekend and watched a marathon of the first season on BBC America this weekend.

Come to think of it there's an episode of it on right now..........

[opalcorn.livejournal.com]

"So. I understand the Tennant stuff (which just went on sale today, what a co-inky-dink) is better..." Well, yes, and no. I am besotted with the Eccleston Doctor Who, he's quite intense and more than a little sexy..imho. :) However, I do like the Tennant Doctor Who as well (I was so afraid I wouldn't). He's just very different, rather goofy and funny. What I don't like is how they dumbed down Rose for the 2nd season and turned her into a caricature. All in all tho, I do like both Doctors, and when I scrape up the funds, I will purchase both seasons on dvd.

[wwetuesday.livejournal.com]

Hard to find? Don't think so.

[aulayan.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE MY GOD! Where's the nearest goat?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

That would be you, rocking.

[druidsfire.livejournal.com]

The Children in Need special is important.

But I tend to prefer Christopher's run. David's was all fine and dandy, but I don't think it was rock solid the whole time... Christopher's was stronger the whole way through, IMHO.

But I'm still buying the DVDs when I have spare cash. :)

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

You know that Tennant's run is ongoing, right? The new season (over there they call it a series) starts soon. New Companion, same Doctor. :)

[aulayan.livejournal.com]

I have a long lasting man-crush on Eccleston so I can't find Tennant better...

However Tennant is GOOD. Just, IMO, many of the episodes of season 28 were disappointing to say the least. Having said all that, I've watched Girl in the Fireplace at least 8 times now.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

It like comparing Tom Baker's Doctor to Peter Davidson's. Both are wonderful but vastly different. Baker was much more whimsical, Davidson a lot most wistful. Tennet has the whimsy, Eccleston has the wistful.

Personally, I liked Eccleston's Doctor of the two.

And I disagree they dumbed down Rose. I think part of it is that in the first season, Rose was still pretty innocent, by the second season, she's lost her innocence and has lost the bravado of innocent. She's a lot more aware of how dangerous and scary the universe is.

[aulayan.livejournal.com]

For a bit there, I think the writers didn't know what to do with Rose. So she felt extraneous. Luckily they remembered who she was, what she saw, what she's been through, and even through some of the suckier episodes, wrote her properly.

All in my humble opinion of course.

[solarbird]

Eccleston had the haunted, and is the only Doctor Who of that sort. (Which makes sense, given what he'd been through in the books before the series started.) That makes him a big favourite of mine.

Tennet's doctor, I also like a lot. I agree that the writing in some of the episodes was not what it had been in Series 27, but I just look at it this way; in Series 27, you had, what, 15 years of script ideas bouncing around in peoples' heads? And you could pick from the best of those? You're going to do really well. And they did!

I still like Series 28 a lot, tho', even with "The Impossible Planet," which I thought was just an awful mess. It had the standout episode "Girl in the Fireplace" - that's the one that made me post about how you're going to love 18^th Century France - the whole Republic of Britain series, and the last few episodes running up to the series closer. So nice.

[chaosdancer.livejournal.com]

I think Tennant is more in the line of classic Doctors of the past; Eccleston was something completely different. Which isn't a bad thing at all, really. If I'd been the Doctor and got to be in a spiffy new body like Tennant's, I'd be happy too. (My son calls Tennant the "Happy Doctor" and loves him above all things.) I do think Nine and Rose had better chemistry than Ten and Rose, but it would have been hard to duplicate that.

As for the strength of the episodes - I'll leave you to it. :)

[superherogrlcat.livejournal.com]

Wait...people are saying Tennant is better than Eccleston!? D: Blasphemy!

As good, maybe, but no one can beat out Ecclescake's glorious Doctor Number Nine! -_-


I love them both, mind. Besides, the two of them play such incredibly different Doctors it's hard to compare.

[sdorn.livejournal.com]

Our first disk (from Netflix) came today. Whooeee!

[allisona.livejournal.com]

I preferred Doctor number Nine, but David Tennant is lovely, too. There are some episodes of Tennant's season that really lingered for me- "School Reunion" is my favorite, but also "The Girl In The Fireplace" and the season finale. Tennant has some great moments in the recent Christmas episode, too.

[ailsaek.livejournal.com]

Just to throw in my own heretical (at least in this company, it seems) opinion, neither of them measure up to John Pertwee.

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

That would be Jon Pertwee - no "h". Otherwise, I agree.

But as far as Doctors 9 or 10, just the new generation - both good, but I prefer Eccleston at the end of the day.

[inamac.livejournal.com]

It's a truism, but your first Doctor is your favourite. I still love the Hartnell stories - and my 8 year old niece much prefers Eccleston to Tennant. (And so do I.)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily. I found out about him when I was a kid. I honestly can't remember which I saw first, the British TV show or the Peter Cushing movies (shown on local Channel 7 when they had Sci Fi Week on the 4:00 Movie), but I knew about the guy from early on. I'm very fond of the Tom Baker years, and until this stuff thought Genesis of the Daleks was the best stuff they ever did with the character.

It's like I posted earlier: Before this, I liked and appreciated Doctor Who. Eccleston made me a fan.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

But, as both of us know, the structural hero of the Hartnell early stories wasn't the Doctor - it was Ian.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

My first Doctor was Hartnell. My favourite Doctor is Baker T. Like many truisms, it's only sometimes true. :)

[lizreay.livejournal.com]

I'm with your niece... though Tennant grew on me a touch by season's end. Eccleston's still my favorite.

[kirylyn.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree.

The first Doctor I saw was Tom Baker and I can NOT STAND him!!!

My Fav was Peter Davidson but I have to confess I'm liking Barty Crouch Jr. Tennant better.

Then again, I'm a HUGE Buffy fan so I *love love love* School Reunion. Between the Headmaster and the "surprise guest stars" and WOOT!!! Go Sarah Jane!!!

anyone know if us yanks are going to get a chance to see Sarah Jane's show without resorting to bittorrent??

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

I'll have to disagree there... sure, I love Tom Baker--he was just leaving as I found the fandom. But McCoy and Troughton are still it for me. Haven't sorted out where I put Eccleston and Tennant yet. Highly, with Eccleston higher. So far. Tennant's going to take the time to grow into the role; Eccleston hit that first episode like he'd been playing the Doctor for years.

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

I prefer David Tennant, but as you can see, people mileage is definitely varying. I'm afraid I'm a member of the "can't stand Rose" club. I was fairly disappointed they didn't kill her off at the end of the last series, leaving possibilities open for future spinoffs, I suppose. However, I didn't like the Christmas companion, either, and I hope they find someone better before the next series officially begins in a couple months. Then again, what do I know? :)

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you say about this except I prefer Eccleston - but really prefer Hartnell and Davidson - indeed, most of the other Doctors except those with the name Baker...

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

IIRC, the new companion will be from Earth, and either a med student or an M.D. If the latter, then every episode will be "The Two Doctors!" :)

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Though in the Paul McGann episode the "companion" was a medical doctor, though obviously he can never go back there because it would be a Pair-o-docs (groan!)

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

*groan*

Seriously, though, now that you mention it, Eight's girlfriend (Grace?) wasn't the only MD companion. Harry, who traveled with Four and Sarah Jane, was also an MD.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Wordy Word about the Christmas companion. I spent the hour muttering, please God, don't let her be next season's new companion... my friend assured me repeatedly that she was not but still. Super Annoying.

Loved the car/TARDIS chase though.

[cktraveler.livejournal.com]

I think Tennant is -- amazingly -- a better Doctor. But the writing is more uneven in his first season, with some episodes that are absolutely incredible and some that are just plain awful. The first half is unfortunately the better. I can't wait to see him next season, though.

[starsongky.livejournal.com]

Extended honeymoon in Maui?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Oh hell no. Barcelona. Only option.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

cancel Barcelona, Powell Estate London ....

[batyatoon]

They are both so damn good. So, so damn good.

I cannot choose! I MUST HAVE THEM BOTH!

-- I mean, uh, ahem.



WHY do I not have a Doctor Who icon.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

I didn't like Eccleston's Doctor at all. (I may have mentioned this once or twice.) He's allowed in the house now, on condition that he sits quietly in a corner and touches nothing, because he's a necessary bridge to Tennant, but I thought the actor brought far too much of his own baggage on board for someone who from the *outset* was only filling in for a year till they could get someone decent to do it.

Mind you, since the BBC officially denied that Tennant was planning to jump ship some time in the next year and a bit, he's on probation as well. Three years is a bare minimum for a stint as the Doctor. There are thousands of good (non-starry) actors who would be glad of the work, and would do well at it. If it had been me, they'd have had to pry the sonic screwdriver from my cold, dead fingers... (Somewhere I may still have the mockup of the Doctor Who magazine cover I did back in the eighties with my posterised face against a starfield and a little TARDIS floating in front. Yes, I am that sad geeky passionate.)

[lizreay.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't necessarily say better. If Eccleson's Doc is the most fun, most stimulating, best possible sex, Tennant's Doc is... the kinky wacky sex that you wish you could tell your friends about but it would break their brains. Both sexy, but in somewhat different ways. :)