Sea Devils And Die: GeroniMoffat's Doctor Who In The 2010s

Steven Moffat, speaking in 1995, on Doctor Who.

" …when I look back at Doctor Who now. I laugh at it, fondly. As a television professional, I think how did these guys get a paycheck every week? Dear god, it's bad! Nothing I've seen of the black and white stuff - with the exception of the pilot, the first episode - should have got out of the building. They should have been clubbing those guys to death! You've got an old guy in the lead who can't remember his lines; you've got Patrick Troughton, who was a good actor, but his companions - how did they get their Equity card? Explain that! They're unimaginably bad. Once you get to the colour stuff some of it's watchable, but it's laughable."

He likes Davison though. But that's about it.

http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv43/onediscussion.html

He's OTM though. Most of the first Hartnell season and the first Baker season, ie the bits I've watched all the way through, are largely terrible. Not because of the lack of bells and whistles or effects or whatever the fuck it is Rusty thinks he brought to the table, the plots just aren't very interesting and there's no tension and the ending to almost every story is awful. I'm including Genesis of the Daleks in this.

My nephew has seen Saturday's episode, the lucky wee sod. I'm not asking him what he thought, because he doesn't understand the concept of not blabbing everything and is too young to give subtle hints, so I'm just not going to talk to him until Sunday.

aww, I just watched Genesis and was pretty entertained. admittedly my standards for old Who are probably lower than I had even for most cartoons I watched during the 80s and 90s

My nephew has seen Saturday's episode, the lucky wee sod.

Someone in my office saw it in London a month or two ago but wouldn't tell us anything.

They did a thing up in Inverness for it, and because my nephew is in school with Karen Gillan's niece, his class got to go.

I am very much not stoked for the new series. Matt Smith is, let's face it, not David Tennant. In any way. I keep telling myself "b-b-but Steven Moffat", but it's not working. I may well not feel like this on Saturday night, I know.

Matt Smith is, let's face it, not David Tennant.

Bit early to judge that isn't it? He might be better. Weren't you the one going "I want Ecclestone back" for a series or so?

Yeah, but I am fickle. Hence disclaimer of probable reversal after an hour of watching him. I am basing this entirely on him being a boring bastard on Jonathan Ross the other night, btw.

I am excited about an Inverness accent on prime time telly though.

Also, I liked David Tennant plenty pre-Who, but didn't like him in the role. I just mean it's been a long time since there was a proper series. DT would give good press and get people (well, me) stoked. MS, well, doesn't.

long time - just over a year. I am so nu-Who boring popular culture kid it's actually embarrassing me reading back my own posts.

my girlfriend refuses to watch this w/o tennant

I feel Matt Smith may have residual cooties left over from his school days.

He caught them from childhood acquaintance Dom Passantino.

Never thought I could get into post-Dom ILX but here I am. Doesn't bode well for Smithy, does it.

I think I would refuse to watch this series if it was another with Tennant.

Doesn't bode well for Smithy, does it.

Oh thanks, you've just made me think of James Corden. In fact, he's in one, isn't he?

It probably took me a season and change for me to get used to Tennant, and I'm still not sure that I prefer him over Eccleston.

http://imgur.com/6KeAh.jpg

http://imgur.com/2MLWY.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY4c2aWIyL0

GMTV's top 10 companions list is some bullshit, but KG is... nice. Despite her awful posture.

Amy Pond, River Song, looks like Moffatt is gonna be working his Finnegans Wake this series.

"Amazing, interesting face."

PS I would call her posture "sassy" or "coy."

awww Lil Ailsa saying her prayers.

That was medium awesome

Wish he'd taken the 8 yr old version with him, she'd have been a fantastic companion.

Though to be fair I wouldn't have really really fancied her the way I do with the one he did take. Er, obviously.

He's playing it a bit close to tennant though, so far.

BEST DOCTOR EVER (just countering all the moaners)

the bit where the camera revealed the door had opened was classic Moffat, kinda wish they had stuck to keeping it on that smaller ghost story level instead of extending the threat to the whole planet. interesting that we never actually saw Amy's Aunt. was there one arc meme dropped ("silence will fall") or two (something about "Pandorum"?)? not enough sarcastic Olivia Coleman despite the extra episode length. but totally good enough.

Already said BEST DOCTOR EVER to the fam. I think the silence and the Pandoracle(?) were connected.

i forgot when it was happening so only joined it at the what-do-tiggers-like-best bit (although: 'you're scottish, aren't you? fry something!' heeeeeee) but oh oh that was so fun!

new graphics: good
new music: terrible, shocker (altho i do appreciate the attempt to re-introduce some synthetic sounds, a bit)

WILD SPECULATION: Amy's aunt is River Song. They've both got red hair, River could have been off adventuring in time and space instead of looking after Amy the night Amy met the Doctor, er River / Pond... *shuffles feet*

WILDER SPECULATION: Amy is the young River! OMGWTFBBQ etc

Anyway, I really enjoyed that, although Smith does seem to be playing a bit Tennant so far. Hopefully he'll do more to put his own stamp on the role. The Who Bingo cards upthread were disappointingly OTM in several places :(

Have considered the possibility that Amy will somehow become River at some point, yeah. But iirc Alex Kingston shd be on dis ting at some point during the series??

Considering Moffat's love of the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff I could see River and Amy being on screen together. Possibly without Amy (or the audience) realising River is her future self for maximum poignancy further down the line.

Does seem a bit predictable for Moffat's style, though...

Gotta say that if that rottweiler had spoken it would've pushed this episode even higher up the auspicious beginnings chart

Ha, the same thought occurred to me. I'll give S-Moff the benefit of the doubt and assume the budget didn't stretch to it.

I already regret "S-Moff", tbh.

also he wd probably have permanently scarred many, many children

More than this atrocity did?

http://www.doctorwhoworld.org.uk/Images/sitegraphics/kandyman.jpg

Shirley not!

ok amy growing up into river song would be an absolute fucking travesty? i mean not only for the sheer laziness - like the whole 'sally sparrow for new companion!!' tedium, why is it any time there's a charming female character dudes are like 'let's stop at this one'? But also, I can't put this all that clearly, but there is something fundamentally awesome in "girl has an imaginary friend at seven, and then he turns out to be real and they go on adventures" which would be smothered by "oh and she becomes his most trusted boon companion 51st century kickass archaeologist river song".

Hey, I did say it was wild speculation - and predictable. Moffat's a much smarter writer than that.

I like the setup for Amy's relationship with the Doctor a lot, even if it does have a bit of a hint of "The Girl In The Fireplace" about it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Moffat does with this series.

There was some quite "Girl in the Fireplace"-y music playing during the slow reveal of the house after his first "brb" moment

oh no that probably means there's a whole bunch of nobs "predicting" that Amy is also Madame Pompadour then...

Like it. Like him - less in your face, less gurning. Like the time afforded for calm sections - the freneticism of RTD/David Tennant got wearing on the nerves. Like the fairy tale element. Like what perhaps were little references to the previous reign? (DT being made to have an English accent/Amelia Pond goes from English to Scottish + instead of the RTD tv news channels across the world thing, just tuning the radio).

Liked the early childhood scenes.

Music was terrible.

deliberately rendering the screwdriver and the TARDIS useless was the biggest nod to the previous regime I think

new Tardis possibly a wee bit Steampunk for my liking

Yep, good point about the screwdriver and tardis, it was good that bit. And less needless sudden grinning as well, that used to drive me spare about both Ecclestone and Tennant.

Wee! Loved! Enjoyed the 'corner of your eye' stuff...Moff's so good with the stuff-of-nightmares stuff. And the build up to fish custard was lovely. And Amelia Pond has a nice edge to her as well as being incredibly gorgeous. Got a faint hint of Donna shoutiness in her, which I hope comes out a bit more.

But all round exciting good fun. Ripping stuff!

I am very much not stoked for the new series. Matt Smith is, let's face it, not David Tennant. In any way. I keep telling myself "b-b-but Steven Moffat", but it's not working. I may well not feel like this on Saturday night, I know.

OMG how wrong was I? <3 Matt Smith already. Slightly driven to distraction by Amy's accent (which, as someone who left Inverness and only goes back into full-on accent in the presence of other Invernessians, is a rubbish and massively hypocritical criticism), but otherwise, great.

awww Lil Ailsa saying her prayers.

Yes, that was remarked upon here. How the hell do you know what I looked like when I was that age?

"You're Scottish - fry stuff" = top lolz.

Alex Kingston was in the "coming soon" trailer, btw. As was James Corden, Bill Nighy and Meera Syal, who are evidently less spoilertastic.

I dunno, James Corden spoiled it for me

lol

I suspect any Tennantisms in Matt Smith are down to - or could be plausibly attributed to - the Doctor being in a transitional phase. I think there was enough evidence that he will become less Tennanty as the series progresses.