Doctor Who: The (Eleventh) Doctor is in the House
June 5, 2010 by Stephanie Jaar
Filed under Feature, feature overlay, Television
If there were ever a time to start watching Doctor Who, now would be it.
Every so often, when an actor’s contract expires and they decide not to renew, the famed Time Lord goes through a process known as regeneration. He’s the same person mentally, but he takes on a completely different physical appearance. It’s also usually the ripe time for a new assistant to join him on his travels.
Now, I had caught a few episodes of Doctor Who with David Tennant in the lead before, but it’s only with the introduction of Matt Smith and Karen Gillan that I’ve really gotten hooked. It’s like a fresh start for the show, and I’ve found it easier to follow along with everything through Gillan’s character, Amy Pond, who is just as much a newbie as I am.
The lovely Amy Pond first meets the Doctor at the age of four, but he doesn’t come back for her until she’s in her early twenties. There’s a lot revolving around Amy: she’s due to get married the morning after she runs off with the Doctor and something about her wedding date has to do with these bizarre time cracks in the universe that keep popping up.
So far, Amy and the Doctor have traveled way into the future to a time when England is no longer on Earth but in a giant spaceship being driven by a creature called the star whale. They’ve also gone back in time to World War II and Venice in the 1500s battling evil aliens along the way. The amount of aliens on this show is endless!
We also end up meeting River Song, another time traveler, again. Her character is pretty huge, yet very mysterious. She knows a lot about the Doctor and has apparently already met him several times in her past, his future. Yeah, these time traveling shenanigans get confusing after a while! Amy guesses that the two eventually marry, though it seems her involvement is far bigger than that. The Doctor’s eventual downfall, maybe?
After Amy’s had her fair share of time traveling, the Doctor brings her back to her present day the night before she gets married. But it seems Amy’s affections for the Doctor are getting a little out of hand and she doesn’t want to let him go.
A few episodes into the season, before we forget about Amy’s pending nuptials, the Doctor thinks it might be a good idea to invite Rory, Amy’s fiancé, to join them in the Tardis. The Doctor’s brilliant idea comes about after Amy starts getting a little too frisky with him, and even Rory is now beginning to get jealous of the close bond between Amy and the Doctor. Rory’s presence was definitely a welcome change during the Venetian episode – he provided some great comic relief trying to sword fight a vampire-like sea alien with a broom.
It’s been a very exciting season so far, and news from across the pond is that it’s only going to get more intense. Matt Smith has successfully managed to keep the charm and passion that David Tennant so wonderfully played in my eyes and Karen Gillan is a great fit for this eleventh doctor. This season has me hooked for good!
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I have to agree with Lana, sadly. I love Moffat’s writing, but this season has left me surprisingly underwhelmed. I don’t feel any connection to the characters. The writing has been flat. The crack storyline is being beaten and set up so strongly that I can’t imagine it’s going to live up to the set-up, based on the uneven, rushed, half-baked stories I’m seeing each week.
The only episode I’ve truly enjoyed was Vincent and the Doctor. And even that one was not good enough for me to desire a second viewing.
I think it was RTD’s time to move on – but I really did expect more from Moffat. At this point, I’ve given up on Series 5. Here’s hoping there are some tweaks and improvements for Series 6.
Although I’m glad L A Goreth is enjoying the new season, I have to disagree with everything else said about RTD’s tenure. RTD was a huge fan of the series, and he did everything right in bringing the show back for 21st century audiences. Anyone approaching the series with the same mindset that existed in the 70s or 80s would have failed. RTD made the show relevant again. I really advise watching a bit more than 2 hours of the thing. It worked, and I speak as an uber-fan who has seen every existing episode of the show. RTD knew perfectly well what worked and how to tweak it for new viewers WITHOUT turning it into a Battlestar Galactica or Firefly or (best example) Stargate clone, which lesser writers would have done. And now Moffat, a brilliant choice based upon his track record and the fact he too is a fan (and was once interviewed on TV as a teenager lambasting the 1980s era of the series!). RTD could have chosen to offer the job to someone else — the record shows it was HE who hand-picked Moffat according to his book The Writer’s Tale — but he chose wisely.
The thing is Doctor Who doesn’t just regenerate actors, it also regenerates production team. Every few years it changes, and the show’s focus changes, and every time without exception you have people saying “(insert current showrunner) doesn’t know how Doctor Who works” and “This is so much better than (insert previous showrunner)’s era.” When a new production team took over in 1970 and decided to keep the Doctor on Earth for the next few years, you can bet some people hated that. Others see the Pertwee era as the show’s pinnacle. John Nathan Turner held sway for a decade and there are people who blame him for the original show dying in 1989, while others love his era, and many of the stories from his time are being reevaluated in a positive way now that they’re on DVD.
So part of me is happy that lots of people seem to love Moffat and Smith (lots of people hate them, too – look around the forums). Part of me is sad that people are using this to throw stones at Russell T Davies — the man who saved Doctor Who and made it relevant again, full stop. But then I remember that this is nothing new. Even today some of the more vocal fans are quick to condemn the work done on Doctor Who around 1979 by a script editor who tended to make Doctor Who a bit funnier, following several years of almost gothic sensibilities. That man’s name was Douglas Adams. So if RTD has to take a few bricks for the team, at least he’s in good company.
I just want to make a comment to L A Gorenth.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I have nothing but respect for Stephen Moffat’s writing as I too, loved the episode “Blink” as well as all of the episodes that he has written past and present.
My disappointment lies with the other writers’ on board Doctor Who. There is a lack of fluidity when it comes to those other episodes.
Cheers
Stephanie Jaar starts her article with “If there were ever a time to start watching Doctor Who, now would be it.”
No truer words have ever been spoken! (Or…maybe, written?)
Lana says that when RTD was writing, you couldn’t wait to see what happened in the next episode, and that this season would have been better if RTD was still doing the writing.
Having just finished watching the latest episode (Amy’s Choice) and having just finished a marathon of watching the first 6 episodes (that’s 6-7 hours in one go!), I have to say:
If RTD was still doing the writing…I would have by now chucked something through the screen on my laptop…AND my tv! After 4 years of the resurrected and “new and improved” series, I can say that I doubt I have seen 2+ hours TOTAL…and can only say that, because there WAS one show that I actually started to watch…and instead of doing my usual “Watch 1-2 minutes, channel surf, check back for another 1-2 minutes, channel surf some more,” because usually there was NOTHING to catch my interest, I watched it FROM BEGINNING TO END. It was called “Blink” – and – oh! – how odd…it was written by someone called Steven Moffat!
RTD’s tenure left me constantly feeling, “This person has NO clue as to why people liked this show…or what The Doctor is all about.” Everything I’ve watched so far, has me saying, “YES! THIS person “gets it!” And I’m past words for how DELIGHTED I am with Matt Smith’s portrayal! As far as I’m concerned, between the two of them, the “REAL” Doctor that I so fondly remember (from my teen years and High School…another time…LOL, actually, another millennium!) has been SAVED! And I just read that he has signed a 5-year contract? OH YEAH…one VERY HAPPY! person here!
I also want to say that Karan Gillian (as Amy Pond) gives me something that I haven’t seen in a companion (at least, since the old “Classic” series shows). That is…a companion that I actually LIKE. She strikes just the right “balance” between her interactions and feelings about/towards The Doctor. I even like the way Rory has been included (and how his character is changing/adapting).
So I just want to say to everyone involved…please…Please…PLEASE! keep up the good work. There are some of us “out here” that are VERY HAPPY! to have you all on board! This is going to be ONE GREAT TRIP!
Although I have been enjoying Matt Smith and Karan Gillian’s performances, the writing has left me disappointed. As a result, I don’t find myself excitedly waiting for the show’s next episodes.
It is a shame really. I remember when RTD revamped the show. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The writing was fluent and fantastic. It didn’t matter which actor was in the role of the Doctor. Christopher Ecceleston and David Tennant were fabulous in the roles.
I can’t help but think that this season’s Doctor Who could have been that much better if RTD had stayed on board.
Amy/Amelia is 7 years old when the Doctor first meets her, 19 years for most of episode one (“12 years and 4 psychiatrists!”) and 21 when he finally takes her into the TARDIS the night before her wedding (“14 years since fish custard”).