Where do I start? - Page 2

MacLeod · December 23 2012, 09:36 PM

sbk1234 wrote:

I just watched Rose and the next episode about the end of the world. I can't remember the title. It was close to midnight when I watched it. I do like it, so I'll keep watching. It's a good reason to keep Netflix.
Another question. Is there a continuity with all the series, or is each one a reboot? How will the answer affect my watching?

And if all of this companions are as cute as Rose, I'm definately watching more.

Oddly enough the episode about the end of the world was called "The End Of The World"

And as other have already said it's a continuation. So the 2005-Pres, is a continuation of the 1963-1989, 1996 run of the show.

But given the time travel nature of the show, time can be rewritten.

Cutter John · December 23 2012, 09:43 PM

sbk1234 wrote:

I just watched Rose and the next episode about the end of the world. I can't remember the title. It was close to midnight when I watched it. I do like it, so I'll keep watching. It's a good reason to keep Netflix.
Another question. Is there a continuity with all the series, or is each one a reboot? How will the answer affect my watching?

And if all of this companions are as cute as Rose, I'm definately watching more.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the first two. A lot of long-time fans were luke-warm about the series at first. But everyone agrees that things start to shift into high gear by episode six. So you're in for a treat.

The best comparison I can think is to a comic book. Companions come and go, the Doctor changes his appearance from time to time, old enemies return, and (since its 2005 return) most series have had their own mini-arc's that are resolved in a big season finale. But the overall universe has pretty much stayed the same since 1963.

Redfern · December 24 2012, 04:20 PM

Another notable difference between the 2005 (and onward) series and the 1963-89 era is the episodic structure. Most episodes today are more or less self contained with about 45 minutes running time, a lesser number are "two parters" the first ending upon a "cliff-hanger".

The original series stories usually spanned an average of 4 to 6 episodes each running roughly 22 minutes. There were exceptions, of course. A few stories ran just two episodes, others were 7 to 10, especially during the first two Doctors' eras. Ecah episode ended upon a cliff-hanger. Think of them as the television equivalent to the the old Republic theater serials like Commando Cody, or even the earlier ones like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers from the 30s.

Some people, when they watch one of these in "omnibus" format (back to back in a single setting), may find the material bit repetitive, but keep in mind these segments were originally aired at weekly intervals, and at a time before the convenience of domestic video playback technology, they were scripted to recap plot elements the viewer may have forgotten from a week earlier.

Speaking of cliff-hangers", during the earliest years, even stories led directly into the next. Example, at the end of the fourth broadcast when the Doctor and the rest have escaped the ...bleep...to the safety of the TARDIS, they materialize upon a different planet and time and decide to explore the surroundings. As they exit the craft, a radiation metter upon the console climbs into the danger zone as the scene fades to black. In later years, those last episodes of each 'story" would conclude with a bit more finality.

Just something to keep in mind when you finally start watching the "classics". Personally, I LOVE them. I started with the fourth Doctor (as did many other US viewers when various PBS stations started airing the show in the early 80s), so that's my Who. Just remember they are a product of their time and how television in general was produced back then.

Sincerely,

Bill

marillion · December 24 2012, 05:00 PM

^^ That's really the best way to put it... Product of it's time.. Budgets were low, even when the series was at its highest as far as ratings go. The show was serialized, much like our old movie serials of the 30's, 40's and 50's, so there was a lot of running around and filler (IMHO) that can make some of the classic shows a bit tedious... That said, there were some really good stories coming out of the classic Who era and so some of them are not to be overlooked.

Cutter John · December 24 2012, 08:53 PM

Otoh, that extra length meant there was more time to devote to characterization. Especially villains, so you ended up with baddies who IMO were a lot more memorable than the current crop.

It took a lot of us classic fans awhile to get used to the shorter, more rushed story format.

Ar-Pharazon · December 24 2012, 08:57 PM

^ I never owned any DVD's until the new series, so with the 20 years off (not counting the movie), I didn't have any problem adjusting to the new format

sbk1234 · December 24 2012, 10:39 PM

I just finished watching Dalek. I would say the quality is definately improving. Somehow, I'm not too attached to the Doctor, though.I suppose that even though I've never seen it before, I still managed to have my own preconception of how he'd behave. Maybe I was expecting someone not so chaotic. Is that the right word? It will be interesting to see how other incarnations of him will be.

Sindatur · December 24 2012, 11:11 PM

sbk1234 wrote:

I just finished watching Dalek. I would say the quality is definately improving. Somehow, I'm not too attached to the Doctor, though.I suppose that even though I've never seen it before, I still managed to have my own preconception of how he'd behave. Maybe I was expecting someone not so chaotic. Is that the right word? It will be interesting to see how other incarnations of him will be.

Not so chaotic? That's a tough one, Eccelston (First Doctor Actor in the Revival Series) is one of the least chaotic of all the portrayals of the Doctor in Classic or NuWho

sbk1234 · December 25 2012, 12:57 AM

Shows what I know! Considering before this week I never even saw an episode, my ignorance is understandable. Oh, well, I'm enjoying getting educated.

Cutter John · December 25 2012, 01:54 AM

Don't worry. You get used to it.

intrinsical · December 25 2012, 05:37 AM

sbk1234 wrote:

I just finished watching Dalek. I would say the quality is definately improving. Somehow, I'm not too attached to the Doctor, though.I suppose that even though I've never seen it before, I still managed to have my own preconception of how he'd behave. Maybe I was expecting someone not so chaotic. Is that the right word? It will be interesting to see how other incarnations of him will be.

I was in your shoes too, coming in as a total newbie when I first watched Rose. For the longest time, I could not puzzle out who or what The Doctor is. Is he a do-gooder or someone more like Loki? Human or Alien? What drives him? Why does he do the things he do?

It took me till the beginning of the David Tennant era before I can truly say I have an inkling of what kind of person The Doctor is.

Nick Ryder · December 25 2012, 05:37 AM

Honestly what got me into Dr. Who was that Epic Rap Battles of History Doc Brown VS Dr. Who (Actually if you don't mind, it's just the Doctor!) and this Women of Dr. Who special they ran on BBC and I kinda got a little sample of 'nuWho' and it sort of whetted my appetite, I do remember watching some of Eccelston's run and a couple of Tennant episodes on PBS - but thanks to the magic that is Netflix - I decided to start with the 10th Doctor's first episode and go from there. I'm in the 4 series now and I have to say within the past month I have reeeally gotten into it.

My only lament about nuWho is... the seasons are so short! I guess I'm used to Star Trek or Stargate's like 23-22 episode seasons, so only getting 12-14 is kind of like "aww man it's already the finale?" And I know Tennant's time is almost done. But I do think something like Netflix is a great way to get a new watcher interested. You can hit up a random 'good' episode or just start at the get-go and go fromt here. I was going to start with Matt Smith's first episode, but I felt like I really needed to know more about the previous series before I could appreciate it better. I dunno why I skipped Eccelston's season, but I do recall watching maybe most of it already years ago, so I wanted to see something different before revisiting that.

I haven't watched any of the Classic Who straight through, besides a few clips on YouTube. So that may be my next stop - or check out Torchwood.

I've been looking for a new series to get into since I've already watched all the Star Trek seasons, SG1 and BSG so Dr. Who was a natural and at least it's still being produced so when I finish the back catalog, I can still look forward to new stuff!

Nick Ryder · December 25 2012, 05:43 AM

intrinsical wrote:

sbk1234 wrote:

I just finished watching Dalek. I would say the quality is definately improving. Somehow, I'm not too attached to the Doctor, though.I suppose that even though I've never seen it before, I still managed to have my own preconception of how he'd behave. Maybe I was expecting someone not so chaotic. Is that the right word? It will be interesting to see how other incarnations of him will be.

I was in your shoes too, coming in as a total newbie when I first watched Rose. For the longest time, I could not puzzle out who or what The Doctor is. Is he a do-gooder or someone more like Loki? Human or Alien? What drives him? Why does he do the things he do?

It took me till the beginning of the David Tennant era before I can truly say I have an inkling of what kind of person The Doctor is.

I think Tennant's run helped really define/redefine who and what the Doctor is at his core. And how he was pretty damaged and angry and hurt in his 9th regeneration but Rose helped change all that and how he was able to move past it into the quirky, more complete Time Lord he eventually became by Matt Smith's run - of course I think I still like Tennant the best, but I'm slowly getting to like him too. Although any Who fan has to watch the "Time Crash" special where Tennant's Doctor meets Davidson's Doctor (who incedentally became his father in law - after he married Jenny aka Georgia Moffat - Davidson's real life daughter in like 2011)

Cutter John · December 25 2012, 06:25 AM

Here's a taste of some of what new viewers have to look forward to. Watching this fan video never fails to get me excited about the show. Its 50 years of Doctor Who compressed into seven minutes.

I don't THINK it gives away any major spoilers.

Pindar · December 25 2012, 01:05 PM

That was excellent, someone put a lot of effort into that.

It's got me right in the mood for later, 5 hours to go.

December 24 2012, 04:20 PM	#18
Redfern Fleet Captain Location: Georgia, USA	Re: Where do I start? Another notable difference between the 2005 (and onward) series and the 1963-89 era is the episodic structure. Most episodes today are more or less self contained with about 45 minutes running time, a lesser number are "two parters" the first ending upon a "cliff-hanger". The original series stories usually spanned an average of 4 to 6 episodes each running roughly 22 minutes. There were exceptions, of course. A few stories ran just two episodes, others were 7 to 10, especially during the first two Doctors' eras. Ecah episode ended upon a cliff-hanger. Think of them as the television equivalent to the the old Republic theater serials like Commando Cody, or even the earlier ones like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers from the 30s. Some people, when they watch one of these in "omnibus" format (back to back in a single setting), may find the material bit repetitive, but keep in mind these segments were originally aired at weekly intervals, and at a time before the convenience of domestic video playback technology, they were scripted to recap plot elements the viewer may have forgotten from a week earlier. Speaking of cliff-hangers", during the earliest years, even stories led directly into the next. Example, at the end of the fourth broadcast when the Doctor and the rest have escaped the ...bleep...to the safety of the TARDIS, they materialize upon a different planet and time and decide to explore the surroundings. As they exit the craft, a radiation metter upon the console climbs into the danger zone as the scene fades to black. In later years, those last episodes of each 'story" would conclude with a bit more finality. Just something to keep in mind when you finally start watching the "classics". Personally, I LOVE them. I started with the fourth Doctor (as did many other US viewers when various PBS stations started airing the show in the early 80s), so that's my Who. Just remember they are a product of their time and how television in general was produced back then. Sincerely, Bill __________________ Tempt the Hand of Fate and it'll give you the "finger"! Freighter Tails: the Misadventures of Mzzkiti

December 24 2012, 05:00 PM	#19
marillion Vice Admiral Location: Hangin' with Smokey Bear	Re: Where do I start? ^^ That's really the best way to put it... Product of it's time.. Budgets were low, even when the series was at its highest as far as ratings go. The show was serialized, much like our old movie serials of the 30's, 40's and 50's, so there was a lot of running around and filler (IMHO) that can make some of the classic shows a bit tedious... That said, there were some really good stories coming out of the classic Who era and so some of them are not to be overlooked. __________________ Find a new way of life - www.marillion.com

December 24 2012, 08:53 PM	#20
Cutter John Rear Admiral Location: Beyond the wall of sleep, just south of Seattle.	Re: Where do I start? Otoh, that extra length meant there was more time to devote to characterization. Especially villains, so you ended up with baddies who IMO were a lot more memorable than the current crop. It took a lot of us classic fans awhile to get used to the shorter, more rushed story format. __________________ "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things. But vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant."

December 24 2012, 08:57 PM	#21
Ar-Pharazon Admiral of the Rear	Re: Where do I start? ^ I never owned any DVD's until the new series, so with the 20 years off (not counting the movie), I didn't have any problem adjusting to the new format __________________ Rimmer, on what period of history to live in- “Well, It’d be the 19th century for me, one of Napoleon’s marshals. The chance to march across Europe with the greatest general of all time and kill Belgians” - (White Hole).

December 24 2012, 10:39 PM	#22
sbk1234 Rear Admiral Location: Los Angeles	Re: Where do I start? I just finished watching Dalek. I would say the quality is definately improving. Somehow, I'm not too attached to the Doctor, though.I suppose that even though I've never seen it before, I still managed to have my own preconception of how he'd behave. Maybe I was expecting someone not so chaotic. Is that the right word? It will be interesting to see how other incarnations of him will be. __________________ In all the history of the world, a riot has NEVER broken out at a Sci-Fi convention. "It's a fucking TV show!" - Gary Lockwood

STAR TREK

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ABOUT US

December 25 2012, 12:57 AM	#24
sbk1234 Rear Admiral Location: Los Angeles	Re: Where do I start? Shows what I know! Considering before this week I never even saw an episode, my ignorance is understandable. Oh, well, I'm enjoying getting educated. __________________ In all the history of the world, a riot has NEVER broken out at a Sci-Fi convention. "It's a fucking TV show!" - Gary Lockwood

December 25 2012, 01:54 AM	#25
Cutter John Rear Admiral Location: Beyond the wall of sleep, just south of Seattle.	Re: Where do I start? Don't worry. You get used to it. __________________ "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things. But vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant."

December 25 2012, 05:37 AM	#27
Nick Ryder Fleet Captain Location: Milwaukee, WI Da Brew City	Re: Where do I start? Honestly what got me into Dr. Who was that Epic Rap Battles of History Doc Brown VS Dr. Who (Actually if you don't mind, it's just the Doctor!) and this Women of Dr. Who special they ran on BBC and I kinda got a little sample of 'nuWho' and it sort of whetted my appetite, I do remember watching some of Eccelston's run and a couple of Tennant episodes on PBS - but thanks to the magic that is Netflix - I decided to start with the 10th Doctor's first episode and go from there. I'm in the 4 series now and I have to say within the past month I have reeeally gotten into it. My only lament about nuWho is... the seasons are so short! I guess I'm used to Star Trek or Stargate's like 23-22 episode seasons, so only getting 12-14 is kind of like "aww man it's already the finale?" And I know Tennant's time is almost done. But I do think something like Netflix is a great way to get a new watcher interested. You can hit up a random 'good' episode or just start at the get-go and go fromt here. I was going to start with Matt Smith's first episode, but I felt like I really needed to know more about the previous series before I could appreciate it better. I dunno why I skipped Eccelston's season, but I do recall watching maybe most of it already years ago, so I wanted to see something different before revisiting that. I haven't watched any of the Classic Who straight through, besides a few clips on YouTube. So that may be my next stop - or check out Torchwood. I've been looking for a new series to get into since I've already watched all the Star Trek seasons, SG1 and BSG so Dr. Who was a natural and at least it's still being produced so when I finish the back catalog, I can still look forward to new stuff! __________________ "Here you are in the club with your bottle full of Bud, you got grillz you got bling, but playa you don't know a thing..." Alice Cooper - Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever

December 25 2012, 06:25 AM	#29
Cutter John Rear Admiral Location: Beyond the wall of sleep, just south of Seattle.	Re: Where do I start? Here's a taste of some of what new viewers have to look forward to. Watching this fan video never fails to get me excited about the show. Its 50 years of Doctor Who compressed into seven minutes. I don't THINK it gives away any major spoilers. __________________ "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things. But vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant." Last edited by Cutter John; December 25 2012 at 03:31 PM.

December 25 2012, 01:05 PM	#30
Pindar Rear Admiral Location: 76 Totters Lane	Re: Where do I start? That was excellent, someone put a lot of effort into that. It's got me right in the mood for later, 5 hours to go.