Davies vs. Moffat Eras

[Mr Awe]

There are things about both I like and things about both I dislike. I would say that Moffat is the stronger writer of individual stories but RTD the better show-runner.

I think that's a great way to put it. I went with No preference. I do like both eras immensely. Both RTD and Moffat made huge contributions to the program. They each have their pluses and minuses that approximately balance out.

One thing though, I think RTD timed his exit better. This Christmas special really should've been Moffat's final story, if not Time of the Doctor.

Mr Awe

 

[Blamo]

RTD-era.

Note though I don't consider it remotely perfect.

Series 1's humour was dreadful and some of early 2-4 stories felt like they belonged in a different show.

Series 2 was a complete and total mess and felt like an amateurish production (yes, even the excellent stories).

Series 3 was pretty damn good, except Martha was only slight better written than a Moffat companion.

Series 4 was let down by it's finale, but then the finales for series 2 and 3 were pretty bad also. The specials were hit and miss... Mostly miss, with the End of Time being cack.

 

[TommyR01D]

The colour bars are rather apt, given that the Davies era was under New Labour and the Moffat era is under the Conservatives.

I know Series 5 was mostly in the can before the 2010 General Election but it's still an interesting talking point.

 

[St. Squigolas]

For me, RTD all the way. RTD knew how to draw an emotional response out of me. The number of times that man made me cry.

Moffat, on the other hand, the only one I can recall is the end of Vincent and the Doctor. I didn't cry when Amy and Rory left, I didn't cry when River and 11 said goodbye, I didn't cry when Smith regenerated, and I didn't cry when Clara died. I just sat there with a feeling of "Eh, well that happened." RTD would have had me sobbing.

True. I got a little misty at the end of Vincent and 11's regen in Time of the Doctor (but I think that was because it was my first live regen as a fan).

As for Moffat the band, well you'd expect an album to come out only it'd be late, or for some 'creative' reason the band would have decided to release it as two EPs. The band would constantly be trying to one up themselves and doing risky things, and as a result you wouldn't have a clue when you got that new album just how many tracks you'd like and you might find some of them were a bit much and some of them downright terrible and, yes, some of them would contain riffs you'd heard before, though used in different ways. But some of those tracks would be bloody brilliant.

I think Moffat is like Chinese Democracy.

You know the band has cranked out some awesome stuff before (Sherlock) but now we wait forever to get to the point and when we actually get to it we're like "Oh. Well...that was meh."

 

[Captaindemotion]

I like Chinese Democracy...

 

[Timby]

I got so sick of Davies' finales that I was happy to see him go.

"Oh, shit, it's a huge Dalek fleet that's going to destroy the world!"

"Oh, shit, it's millions of Daleks and millions of Cybermen and they're going to conquer / torch the world!"

"Oh, shit, it's millions of future humans crammed into little death machines and they're taking over the world!"

"Oh, shit, it's millions of Daleks and Davros has a ~REALITY BOMB~!"

"Oh, shit, it's millions upon millions of Masters and they're taking over the world!"

Just exhausting. Moffat's run has had peaks and valleys, but his lows have never gotten as bad as some of Davies' shit, outside of maybe In the Forest of the Night, which was just dreadful.

 

[Starkers]

^ Yeah, Moffat has never made me want to throw things at the telly the way RTD did on occasion.

 

[JRoss]

Finally, who can forget Day of The Doctor? The 50th anniversary show is a freaking masterpiece by itself and something I don't think RTD could have produced.

While I agree that Grand Moff Steve is the better individual writer, I think Day of the Doctor was his most RTD-like script.

 

[Jax]

RTD probably edges it though Smith is my favourite Doctor probably over Tennant and RTD had the weakest companion in Martha. RTD had the advantage of the show being fresh and having that new smell but he was probably a better show runner. Moffat Silence/River arc is some of my favourite stories and the 50th celebration was superb but consistency has been an issue more so than RTD.

 

[knine]

I credit RTD for bringing back the show. From the interviews, I can see he really loved what he was doing. But like others have said, the best scripts during the RTD era were Moffat's.

RTD knew how to do a big build up for a finale, then it was like he wrote himself into a corner and to make it end, Donna flips a few switches and the Dalek Fleet explodes. BLAH. To be fair, there have been some stories in Moffat's era that have WTF endings. The Rings of Akhaten comes to mind.

I also didn't like how it's implied the Doc #10 lives for like 3 years only. (Yes yes, the Doctor lies....) Each year is a season. I much prefer how Moffat handled how the Doctor ages in Smiths era, particularly Series 6. I think he got what time travel REALLY means more than RTD.

Moffat's low point overall for me has been Series 8, yet Listen and Flatline are two of my most favorite episodes. Series 9 has made me a huge fan of Doctor 12.

 

[JRoss]

I also didn't like how it's implied the Doc #10 lives for like 3 years only. (Yes yes, the Doctor lies....) Each year is a season.

You'd probably hate the life of the Fourth, then. He only lived for just shy of three days.

 

[Pindar]

RTD but both are good and bad, but as I love the 10th doctor I have to vote RTD.

 

[DWF]

RTD's era is more cimematic to me and I have seen The Rise Of The Cybermen/Age OF Steel in the theater and it looks great on the big screen. But overall RTD's era generated more excitement and brought Doctor Who into the modern age. And I loved his finales, they were huge and memorable, not the messes that Moffat has given us.

 

[Unionized Elf]

I think he got what time travel REALLY means more than RTD.

Just because Moffat has actually made the show about time travel doesn't mean he has any kind of deep understanding of the subject.

 

[Timby]

RTD knew how to do a big build up for a finale, then it was like he wrote himself into a corner and to make it end, Donna flips a few switches and the Dalek Fleet explodes.

Donna's Dance Party actually made me groan aloud while watching it.

 

[Karzak]

^Sounds like you missed the entire point of that scene/season.

Apart from the 50th, Series 5 was the only part of the Moffat era I could tolerate. Davies wins, hands down.

 

[Unionized Elf]

No, even I agree Donna's Dalek Dance Party is a terrible scene and horrible way to end the season.

 

[St. Squigolas]

Just exhausting. Moffat's run has had peaks and valleys, but his lows have never gotten as bad as some of Davies' shit, outside of maybe In the Forest of the Night, which was just dreadful.

Would you rather have some really good episodes with some really bad episodes or constantly mediocre?

 

[Timby]

Just exhausting. Moffat's run has had peaks and valleys, but his lows have never gotten as bad as some of Davies' shit, outside of maybe In the Forest of the Night, which was just dreadful.

Would you rather have some really good episodes with some really bad episodes or constantly mediocre?

Considering I found much of Davies' run to be mediocre at best and I've only considered a few episodes of Moffat's run to be truly dire, I'll take the former.

 

[Samurai8472]

Some of Moffat's episodes were pretty forgettable like "Hide"