The first in a series? Maybe. What's your favorite series premiere?
RTD Retrospective #1
- Thread starter Stevil2001
- Start date
Mine would be "Smith and Jones" too. I just watched it the other day: the shots of the hospital on the moon are cool enough (love that incongruity), then you throw in the Judoon, Mrs Finnegan and Mr Stoker, the Doctor shaking radiation into his shoe, and a brilliant companion introduction. Plus: "I like a little shop."
"Rose" and "Partners in Crime" are both very good. Last would be "New Earth", which I don't dislike, but hangs together somewhat awkwardly. (Love those cat nuns, though.)
"Rose" and "Partners in Crime" are both very good. Last would be "New Earth", which I don't dislike, but hangs together somewhat awkwardly. (Love those cat nuns, though.)
"Rose" then "Smith and Jones"
"Rose" gave us a taste of the zany child like humor to come in the future(man eating trash bins, plastic head Mickey)
Also Ecchelston pulled off the alien vibe when he was fumbling with the deck of cards.
"Rose" gave us a taste of the zany child like humor to come in the future(man eating trash bins, plastic head Mickey)
Also Ecchelston pulled off the alien vibe when he was fumbling with the deck of cards.
PiC. if for no other reason than the mime conversation
Rose. You won't see many better "pilot" episodes anywhere. Did exactly what it had to do to attract a new audience while not scaring off the fans. Few episodes of Who have borne such a weight of expectancy, and while there have been far, far better Who stories, both before and since, you won't find many so cleverly crafted for what it needed to be.
"Partners in Crime" gets my vote, although "Smith and Jones" is a close second. I have a greater appreciation for the latter after reading Steven Moffat's thoughts about it.
Smith And Jones
"Smith and Jones", by far. Not only is it the best first episode in a series, it's the best introduction to the Doctor Who concept that's ever been made, as far as I'm concerned.
"Rose" was a very good start too. "New Earth" was just average, and probably not the best way to kickstart a new series. I thought "Partners in Crime" was funny and lighthearted, but I can't quite understand why it's so popular.
"Rose" was a very good start too. "New Earth" was just average, and probably not the best way to kickstart a new series. I thought "Partners in Crime" was funny and lighthearted, but I can't quite understand why it's so popular.
No, it didn't, did it? The appearances in Midnight and The Poison Sky made some kind of sense, but not this one. I really thought the whole point was that she missed the Doctor but would be later found to have picked the sonic pen out of the bin. In fact, one of my biggest surprises in all of Who history is that we never saw that pen again - it seemed like blatant foreshadowing to me at the time!
Smith and Jones for me.
Partners in Crime for me.
Partners in Crime.
"Smith and Jones" is probably the most enjoyable, and all together most representative, season premier in the revived Doctor Who.
Having said that, "Rose" comes close. It's not quite as much fun as "Smith and Jones," but I still love seeing a normal, working-class girl who dreams for a better life suddenly finding that better life crashing down on top of her. (But I adore Rose, so what else is new?)
Having said that, "Rose" comes close. It's not quite as much fun as "Smith and Jones," but I still love seeing a normal, working-class girl who dreams for a better life suddenly finding that better life crashing down on top of her. (But I adore Rose, so what else is new?)
I went with "Rose". It was such a great intro to the revived series and introduced a great Doctor in Christopher Eccleston. And Billie is also wonderful as the eponymous character. It's also very nostalgic with all the stuff we remembered as a kid from earlier Who (mainly the Baker era in my case). I still watch this ep now and have a grin on my face through most of it. 
(For the record, "Smith and Jones" would be 2nd place).
(For the record, "Smith and Jones" would be 2nd place).
Partners in Crime with Smith and Jones close behind.
Before Easter 2008, I wasn't a fan of Catherine Tate, I've seen some of her sketches and I loathed Donna in The Run Away Bride, but at the end of Partners in Crime, I thought she was brilliant, she had grown up and was a breath of fresh air after Rose falling in love with the Doctor and Martha falling in love with the Doctor, she was a mate to him, and it bloody well worked for me. Also, it was fun, it had a spaceship straight out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and overall it was fantastic.
As Steve Mottaf has said, Smith and Jones was very subtle in it's technical greatness and I understand it, I just feel that Martha wasn't as great as she was made out to be (especially by Rusty himself) although the Judoon essentially being Vogons was pretty cool, but on the whole, it was just ok. Oh and I can not stand that Radio One DJ in it, but that might just be me!
As for Rose and New Earth, it's been a while since I've watched them both, but I prefer Rose over New Earth, New Earth is just a pile of unadulterated shite for me.
Before Easter 2008, I wasn't a fan of Catherine Tate, I've seen some of her sketches and I loathed Donna in The Run Away Bride, but at the end of Partners in Crime, I thought she was brilliant, she had grown up and was a breath of fresh air after Rose falling in love with the Doctor and Martha falling in love with the Doctor, she was a mate to him, and it bloody well worked for me. Also, it was fun, it had a spaceship straight out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and overall it was fantastic.
As Steve Mottaf has said, Smith and Jones was very subtle in it's technical greatness and I understand it, I just feel that Martha wasn't as great as she was made out to be (especially by Rusty himself) although the Judoon essentially being Vogons was pretty cool, but on the whole, it was just ok. Oh and I can not stand that Radio One DJ in it, but that might just be me!
As for Rose and New Earth, it's been a while since I've watched them both, but I prefer Rose over New Earth, New Earth is just a pile of unadulterated shite for me.
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"Rose" was not the best DW episode and some of its gags fell a bit flat (burping bins), but it was overall a promising introduction, with the dialogue between Chris and Billie sparkling.
"New Earth" is perhaps the weakest opener, with a fair bit of padding like in "The Planet of the Odd", although it's still a solid episode overall, with attractive alien vistas and cat people, and Cassandra's death is poignant.
Don't listen to the post-S2 DW haters, "Smith & Jones" is the most entertaining opening episode and has a lot going on that does not bore, although it is not necessarily the smartest (that goes to "Rose") with Martha and Co. being a disappointment.
"Partners in Crime" is overrated and roughly comparable to "New Earth", although Donna is not the car crash we expected her to be, and we've got the right tone of slapstick achieved.
"New Earth" is perhaps the weakest opener, with a fair bit of padding like in "The Planet of the Odd", although it's still a solid episode overall, with attractive alien vistas and cat people, and Cassandra's death is poignant.
Don't listen to the post-S2 DW haters, "Smith & Jones" is the most entertaining opening episode and has a lot going on that does not bore, although it is not necessarily the smartest (that goes to "Rose") with Martha and Co. being a disappointment.
"Partners in Crime" is overrated and roughly comparable to "New Earth", although Donna is not the car crash we expected her to be, and we've got the right tone of slapstick achieved.
