slyprentice: (doctor)
[personal profile] slyprentice

Despite the fact that the new series of Doctor Who hasn't yet aired in the US (next week!), I pleased as punch to say that I've seen the first two episodes (The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below) and absolutely loved every minute of them. That said I should probably backtrack a bit and talk about my initial reaction to New Who (which will further be known as NW, as I'm a lazy sod who doesn't feel like typing it out every time)...

Much like everyone else in the Who 'verse, I was saddened at David Tennant's depature as The Doctor and blown away by his exit, which was equal parts painful and fantastic. Unlike the Tennant loyalists, however, I was more than a little elated by the idea of having a brand spanking new Doctor and Companion on the way (sidenote: Donna will forever and always be my companion and I truly hope that they revisit her at some point because the Doctor Donna is an amazing thing).  Ten was never really my Doctor, if you take my meaning, and though I thought RTD and David Tennant (and the Master, and Donna, and Wilf, and...) were a forced to reckoned with, I just really never connected to him in a way that said: THIS IS MY DOCTOR!

Matt Smith has cured me of that. He's brilliant and sassy and saucy and just perfect. I love his floppy hair and his bowties and his strangely positive but entirely all over the place attitude. He brings something fresh and fast and new to the Doctor that I didn't realize I was missing and Steven Moffat, you brilliant man, you know how to tell a story and weave in little details that I can already tell are building into some sort of crazy-awesome story arc. But, anyway, yeah, Matt Smith might just be MY Doctor and I can't wait to find out if I'm right. XD!

Now onto the new companion...

I really really feared that Amy Pond (I agree with 11; Amelia Pond is so much better) was going to be a Rose 2.0 and I wasn't prepared for that because Rose is Rose and no one else will ever be her (just like no one else will ever be Donna or Martha or Sarah Jane Smith or...). I also feared that she would somehow be absolutely awful in her role and...she's not. Don't get me wrong, she's not spanking but she's good and I liked (liked liked liked) her storyline with the Doctor. It was cute and sweet and didn't leave me feeling like they were trying to rip off previous companions in any way.

Now onto the show itself...

They're bringing back the Weeping Angels! Holy Fucking Balls! YES!

Now that I've gotten that out the way, I love the new design of the Tardis (and how 11 is so obviously in love with her (you sexy thing, indeed)) and I'm warming up to the new sonic screwdriver (thank you, dear). It's too early yet to say if the storylines are going to be fabulous but from what I've seen they're nicely paced, well thought out, and more lighthearted than previous series have been. They've also given us a bit of a lookie-lou into future episodes and between the Weeping Angels and River Song (I'll never not think that's a stupid name; double negatives for you!), I'm set for something special
 
I even enjoyed the Star Whale bit in the second episode (The Beast Below; cool story, bro) , which I know a lot of people have complained about. I do wish they'd cut down a bit on CGI, though. I mean, if there's any complaint I can make, it's that they're overdoing it  with the CGI. As Eddie Izzard would say: scale it down a bit, we're British. ;)

Hmmm, what else...

Oh, yes, one last thing: GOTCHA! XD


(no subject)

20/4/10 05:30 (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] ellex42.livejournal.com
You poor dear! No one has left you any comments on this!

I just watched "The Eleventh Hour" yesterday (actually day before yesterday, now - how did 1 am get here already?) and it was utterly fantastic. I'd heard some encouraging snippets of interviews with Stephen Moffatt, and he's been a Whovian since long, long ago, so I felt that he'd do the show justice.
Now, I will say that like Moffat, I'm an old school fan - Tom Baker was my first Doctor, and he was MY Doctor (I know exactly what you mean by that). But I absolutely adored Tennant, and Donna was just - well, Donna was ME, in a way that no other companion has ever been. I really connected to her in a way I'd never connected to any TV character ever before, so yeah, it'd be fantastic if she reappears at some point.
But Matt Smith was simply awesome (brilliant hair!), even if I don't care for the bow-tie, but I've never cared for bow-ties, and that's just wardrobe. But I love his energy, and the way he manages to be similar to Tennant and yet immediately different. Very impressive from such a young actor.
Karen Gillan was also awesome - I loved how everyone in her little village knew her, and knew about her "Raggedy Doctor", and I loved the very distinct feeling that everyone's attitude was that you don't mess with Amy. That kid that played her as a little girl was simply amazing, too - and such a wonderful background piece! Adorable without ever crossing the line into too cute.
If Matt Smith really was eating fish sticks and custard, my admiration for him triples, because yuck. Maybe they were actually French toast sticks...
The episode was so good - simple but effective plot, cool special effects, info dumps that were concise, interesting and non-repetitive. The new TARDIS is very cool (the console is a bit like the one in the 1996 Paul McGann film, which is fine with me because that was a great console). I heard that Matt Smith got stopped by security at Heathrow because he was carrying a sonic screwdriver prop. Apparently, there are no Whovians in Heathrow security.
River Song is so clearly Bernice Summerfield from the Virgin Publishing New Adventures novels that she makes my brain go wacky. If you haven't read any of those books, don't worry about it - it's probably easier to deal with her if you haven't. I worry that she'll be a little too much like Romana from the old series - just too competent. But I do like Alex Kingston, and the character is an interesting idea, so I'm willing (as always when it comes to Doctor Who) to wait and see.
They're bringing back the Weeping Angels! Honestly the scariest villains EVER!
I DO NOT like the new logo. New opening credits are fine, but I just really dislike the new logo.
So tempting to download and watch the eps ahead of time...but no. I'll wait for BBCAmerica to show them each week. Maybe I'll pull out the season 4 DVD's and watch Donna again in the meantime.
In other news: BBCAmerica, why in hell's name are you showing Star Trek: The Next Generation?! I watch BBCAmerica for BRITISH TELLY. If I want American TV, I can watch all the other channels I get. *is srsly peeved*
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