Russell T Davies yes/no

[Alidar Jarok]

Let's see (in spite of the biased thread, I'm bored from studying so I'll give it a shot):

Rose - yes
The End of the World - maybe (can I do that?)
Aliens of London/World War Three - no
The Long Game - yes
Boom Town - no
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways - yes
The Christmas Invasion - yes
New Earth - yes
Tooth and Claw - no
Love and Monsters - maybe
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday - yes
The Runaway Bride - maybe
Smith and Jones - yes
Gridlock - yes
Utopia - yes
The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords - yes
Voyage of the Damned - yes
Partners in Crime - maybe
Midnight - yes
Turn Left - yes
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End - yes
The Next Doctor - no
Planet of the Dead - yes
The Waters of Mars - yes
The End of Time - yes

Overall direction of Doctor Who - yes

 

[Bones2]

(in spite of the biased thread...

Why's it biased?

Anyway, because I'm sad with no life and intrigued to see if I'm still the forum RTD hater (well, you never know...), here's the like percentages so far:

captcalhoun - 96%
Kelso - 96%
RoJoHen - 96%
Canadave - 92%
Steve Mollmann - 92%
Silnet Bob - 88%
Alidar Jarok -84%
Count Zero - 84%
Sci - 84%
Pseudo - 80%
McIntee - 80%
Hanukkah Solo - 76%
Dennis - 72%
The - 68%
Bacl - 52%
Timby - 44%
Bones - 20%

Clearly I'm not a fan of the Welshman's.

 

[RoJoHen]

Not to put the thread too far off topic, how did you feel about the latest season with RTD out of the picture? Because honestly, I'm finding it boring and the stories even more nonsensical than the RTD era. Not to mention the fact that I find Amy Pond incredibly unlikable.

 

[The]

Not to put the thread too far off topic, how did you feel about the latest season with RTD out of the picture? Because honestly, I'm finding it boring and the stories even more nonsensical than the RTD era. Not to mention the fact that I find Amy Pond incredibly unlikable.

Wow! Really? I'm exactly the opposite. All of my friends consistently voiced their relief throughout the season that the episodes made so much more sense. Also, there is a real air of cleverness and fun to The Moff's era. Whereas, I always felt that RTD was apologizing for daring to write science fiction the entire time, and did his best to stuff Who with as many useless pop culture references that were dated the moment the season ended. I am, genuinely, shocked that anyone wouldn't consider Moff's run an immediate step-up in the writing department. But, I guess there will be those who agree with you. And, I'm sure there are those that just love Tweenant, and don't care about Doctor Who otherwise.

As for Amy, she's not my favorite, but she beats every companion in the RTD era...............except Donna! Mainly, I guess, because Donna was written like a real woman, rather than a Mary Sue or one-season fill-in until Catherine Tate became available. Amy Pond, for my money, is as close to a real female of that age and environment than I have seen in the entirety of Doctor Who (1963-now). Her display of lust during the season was pitch-perfect for a real person, who had real emotions, and real needs. That's the moment she stopped being a tv character and became a real person for me.

I hope you find something to enjoy as the show continues. I'd hate to think you were only turned on by a single creator's vision, rather than the concept of the show itself. No matter, to each their own...

 

[The]

(in spite of the biased thread...

Why's it biased?

Anyway, because I'm sad with no life and intrigued to see if I'm still the forum RTD hater (well, you never know...), here's the like percentages so far:

captcalhoun - 96%
Kelso - 96%
RoJoHen - 96%
Canadave - 92%
Steve Mollmann - 92%
Silnet Bob - 88%
Alidar Jarok -84%
Count Zero - 84%
Sci - 84%
Pseudo - 80%
McIntee - 80%
Hanukkah Solo - 76%
Dennis - 72%
The - 68%
Bacl - 52%
Timby - 44%
Bones - 20%

Clearly I'm not a fan of the Welshman's.

You should tally up the percentage of which episodes are the most liked/disliked. I'd be interested in seeing how many we all have in common...

 

[Skywalker]

Yeah, 76% or so sounds about right to me. But that 24% was bad. Davies didn't have much in-between for me. When he was good, he was really good, but when he was bad...well, then we got "Love & Monsters."

 

[RoJoHen]

Not to put the thread too far off topic, how did you feel about the latest season with RTD out of the picture? Because honestly, I'm finding it boring and the stories even more nonsensical than the RTD era. Not to mention the fact that I find Amy Pond incredibly unlikable.

Wow! Really? I'm exactly the opposite. All of my friends consistently voiced their relief throughout the season that the episodes made so much more sense. Also, there is a real air of cleverness and fun to The Moff's era. Whereas, I always felt that RTD was apologizing for daring to write science fiction the entire time, and did his best to stuff Who with as many useless pop culture references that were dated the moment the season ended. I am, genuinely, shocked that anyone wouldn't consider Moff's run an immediate step-up in the writing department. But, I guess there will be those who agree with you. And, I'm sure there are those that just love Tweenant, and don't care about Doctor Who otherwise.

As for Amy, she's not my favorite, but she beats every companion in the RTD era...............except Donna! Mainly, I guess, because Donna was written like a real woman, rather than a Mary Sue or one-season fill-in until Catherine Tate became available. Amy Pond, for my money, is as close to a real female of that age and environment than I have seen in the entirety of Doctor Who (1963-now). Her display of lust during the season was pitch-perfect for a real person, who had real emotions, and real needs. That's the moment she stopped being a tv character and became a real person for me.

I hope you find something to enjoy as the show continues. I'd hate to think you were only turned on by a single creator's vision, rather than the concept of the show itself. No matter, to each their own...

I just finished "Vincent and the Doctor," which I actually thought was very good (now waiting for Netflix to send me the next disc). On the whole, though, I'm just not enjoying it that much. The stories seem haphazardly put together, and it might have something to do with Amy'd accent, but I can almost never understand a word she's saying. Even episodes that were good, like "Amy's Choice," were completely ruined for me by the ending. Oh, look, this whole thing was caused by random crystal things that we never saw before! Um...what?

Plus, the sonic screwdriver is getting absolutely out of control. I know Tennant used it a lot, but Matt Smith uses it to an absolutely absurd degree.

I am enjoying Matt Smith's portrayal, though. He is a great Doctor. It's the stories themselves that I'm finding incredibly sloppy.

 

[mimic]

Rose - yes
The End of the World - yes
Aliens of London/World War Three - no
The Long Game - yes
Boom Town - yes
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways - yes
The Christmas Invasion - yes
New Earth - no
Tooth and Claw - yes
Love and Monsters - yes
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday - yes
The Runaway Bride - yes
Smith and Jones - yes
Gridlock - yes
Utopia - yes
The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords - no
Voyage of the Damned - no
Partners in Crime - yes
Midnight - yes
Turn Left - yes
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End - no
The Next Doctor - yes
Planet of the Dead - no
The Waters of Mars - yes
The End of Time - no

I tend to dislike RTD finales and not mind the other stuff. That said, my least favorite of his episodes was Planet of the Dead followed by The Last of the Time Lords.

 

[The]

The stories seem haphazardly put together, and it might have something to do with Amy'd accent, but I can almost never understand a word she's saying. Even episodes that were good, like "Amy's Choice," were completely ruined for me by the ending. Oh, look, this whole thing was caused by random crystal things that we never saw before! Um...what?

Okay, I hear you. But, I have to ask, is that any worse than RTD creating a deus ex machina for most of his finales, or the whole Jesus-Doctor thing? Sure, the reason the entire psychic episode happened was because of some crystals or something. But, wasn't the point that we were exposed to The Doctor's darker half (The Valeyard)? Seriously, I hear you on the crystals, because I felt that could have been better. But, also keep in mind The Moff didn't write that one, either.

Plus, the sonic screwdriver is getting absolutely out of control. I know Tennant used it a lot, but Matt Smith uses it to an absolutely absurd degree.

No, I actually disagree 1000% here. There are videos on YouTube where you can see the only "absurd" use of the screwdriver was the ENTIRE RTD era. Mainly Tennant. I would, though, love to hear some examples from you where Smith overuses the screwdriver. The only one I remember was using it to heal Amy's vampire bite (which is a bit absurd, I agree). But, that was no better/worse than when Ten used it to do....everything.

I am enjoying Matt Smith's portrayal, though. He is a great Doctor. It's the stories themselves that I'm finding incredibly sloppy.

Well, maybe that's just up to it being The Moff's first time behind the wheel? I don't know. But, I honestly (no insult intended) cannot see where anything in his era has been "sloppy". In fact, I haven't experienced a Who that's been as cohesive as Moffat's so-far run...

 

[RoJoHen]

All I know is the Sonic Screwdriver never bugged me at all until I started watching this season. Every time he whips it out I just want to take it away from him and break it in half. I'm not saying it uses it to do absurd things (well, sometimes); he just uses it TOO MUCH! I mean, yes, Tennant used it a lot, but his overuse was spread over 3 years. I've only seen Smith use it for half a season, and it's already super annoying.

As for the sloppiness, yes, I hope that maybe things will get better as he has more practice being in charge. I just don't feel a sense of cohesion between Amy, The Doctor, and the stories. It's almost as if they're all doing their own separate thing without really caring about how they all fit together. There is no chemistry. It just comes across very amateurish to me.

 

[Bones2]

Not to put the thread too far off topic, how did you feel about the latest season with RTD out of the picture? Because honestly, I'm finding it boring and the stories even more nonsensical than the RTD era. Not to mention the fact that I find Amy Pond incredibly unlikable.

Series 5 was better. A lot better, though the Dalek and Silurian episodes were abominations every bit as bad as the worst the RTD era had to offer. The Big Bang was a disappointment too; pretty much Moffat trying to out-RTD RTD. River Sue also gets on my wick. The sooner she's fucked off completely, the better. Matt Smith is brilliant. Amy Pond is...well, tolerable, though I wouldn't be too sorry to see the back of her. Overall an improvement, but there's room for more.

 

[The]

All I know is the Sonic Screwdriver never bugged me at all until I started watching this season. Every time he whips it out I just want to take it away from him and break it in half. I'm not saying it uses it to do absurd things (well, sometimes); he just uses it TOO MUCH! I mean, yes, Tennant used it a lot, but his overuse was spread over 3 years. I've only seen Smith use it for half a season, and it's already super annoying.

Hmmm, okay. But, I just cannot bring up anything from memory where he used the screwdriver "too much". But, maybe I just need to re-watch the season.

As for the sloppiness, yes, I hope that maybe things will get better as he has more practice being in charge. I just don't feel a sense of cohesion between Amy, The Doctor, and the stories. It's almost as if they're all doing their own separate thing without really caring about how they all fit together. There is no chemistry. It just comes across very amateurish to me.

Fair enough. Have you actually finished the season, though?

 

[RoJoHen]

I have not. I've only watched through "Vincent and the Doctor."

 

[Bacl]

Hmmm, okay. But, I just cannot bring up anything from memory where he used the screwdriver "too much". But, maybe I just need to re-watch the season.

Agreed, it seems to do a lot less under the Moff than RTD. Smith whips it out and waves it around a lot, but I can't recall it doing anything beyond the "opens things/closes things/turns things on" realm. Heck, I think he uses it as a flashlight more than anything.

I was especially pleased in "Vincent and the Doctor" that it did absolutely nothing to the monster (in fact, I think he likes it!) and afterwards the Doctor declared it would only be used for screwing in screws.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

• Rose - No
• The End of the World - Yes
• Aliens of London/World War Three - Hell, no for AoL. No, but only barely for WW3 (It's a shame, because it could have been a great story if the audience could take the Slitheen seriously.)
• The Long Game - No.
• Boom Town - No (Another shame, because I liked the basic gist of the plot.)
• Bad Wolf - No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
• The Parting of the Ways - Yes
• The Christmas Invasion - Yes
• New Earth - No
• Tooth and Claw - No (Rose and the Doctor are complete assholes in this episode.)
• Love and Monsters - No (Yes, until the Absurdalaugh sent it off the rails.)
• Army of Ghosts/Doomsday - No (Both parts opened with Rose promising a happy ending, but RTD wussed out.)
• The Runaway Bride - Yes
• Smith and Jones - Yes
• Gridlock - Yes
• Utopia - Yes
• The Sound of Drums - Yes
• Last of the Time Lords - No. Just... no. (I can honestly say that this is the worst episode of any show I've ever liked. That's not an exaggeration. Mumu-clad lawyer tricks kids into taking over the Enterprise? Better. Transwarp lizard babies? Better. Quark gets a sex change? Better.)
• Voyage of the Damned - Yes, barely.
• Partners in Crime - Yes
• Midnight - Yes
• Turn Left - Yes
• The Stolen Earth/Journey's End - Yes
• The Next Doctor - The Cyberking took the very concept of stupidity to here-to-fore unimagined levels. So... Yes.
• Planet of the Dead - Yes, I suppose.
• The Waters of Mars - No. (It was almost good, but I just felt its "big twist" ending was too heavily telegraphed.)
• The End of Time - Yes, barely. (Mainly thanks to Wilf.)

 

[Jax]

Doesn't it ever bother you when a story's complete nonsense?

This is Doctor Who remember.

Rose - yes
The End of the World - yes
Aliens of London/World War Three - no
The Long Game - yes
Boom Town - no
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways - yes
The Christmas Invasion - yes
New Earth - yes
Tooth and Claw - yes
Love and Monsters - GOD NO
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday - yes
The Runaway Bride - yes
Smith and Jones - yes
Gridlock - yes
Utopia - yes
The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords - yes
Voyage of the Damned - yes
Partners in Crime - yes
Midnight - yes
Turn Left - yes
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End - yes
The Next Doctor - yes
Planet of the Dead - no
The Waters of Mars - yes
The End of Time - yes

 

[Davros]

Without him the only new Doctor Who adventures we would get to enjoy would be books or by Big Finnish.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Rose-Yes
The End of the World-Yes
Aliens of London/World War Three-No
The Long Game-No
Boom Town-Yes
Bad Wolf-Yes
The Parting of the Ways-Yes
The Christmas Invasion-Yes
New Earth-No
Tooth and Claw-No
Love and Monsters-No
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday-Yes
The Runaway Bride-Yes
Smith and Jones-Yes
Gridlock-No
Utopia-Yes
The Sound of Drums-Yes
The Last of the Time Lords-Yes
Voyage of the Damned- Yes barely
Partners and Crime-Yes
Midnight-Yes barely
Turn Left-Yes
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End-Yes
The Next Doctor-No
Planet of the Dead-Yes
The Waters of Mars-Yes
The End of Time-Yes


Had more no's in there than I thought I would.

 

[Captain Pike]

Rose - No
The End of the World - No
Aliens of London/World War Three - No
The Long Game - No
Boom Town - No
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways - No
The Christmas Invasion - Yes
New Earth - No
Tooth and Claw - Yes
Love and Monsters - No (x1000)
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday - No
The Runaway Bride - No
Smith and Jones - Yes
Gridlock - No
Utopia - No
The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords - No
Voyage of the Damned - No
Partners in Crime - Yes
Midnight - Yes
Turn Left - Yes
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End - No
The Next Doctor - No.
Planet of the Dead - No
The Waters of Mars - Yes
The End of Time - No

 

[The]

Agreed, it seems to do a lot less under the Moff than RTD. Smith whips it out and waves it around a lot, but I can't recall it doing anything beyond the "opens things/closes things/turns things on" realm. Heck, I think he uses it as a flashlight more than anything.

Agreed. For me, it's been a sigh of relief not to have Smith stand there and casually "REWRITE TIME" or something with the screwdriver. RTD took it into absolute fantasy-land. But, rebuilding barbed-wire? All Moffat. Damn him.

I was especially pleased in "Vincent and the Doctor" that it did absolutely nothing to the monster (in fact, I think he likes it!) and afterwards the Doctor declared it would only be used for screwing in screws.

Yeah, I LOL'ed that part exactly because "The Sonic" was as useless as it should be!

Without him the only new Doctor Who adventures we would get to enjoy would be books or by Big Finnish.

Total conjecture. You don't know that someone else might have brought it back if he didn't. It's not like only Russel Davies could bring Doctor Who back to tv. He just happened to be the guy.

And really, does this have anything to do with the point of the thread? No. So, why don't you just make a list like the rest of us.

• Aliens of London/World War Three - Hell, no for AoL. No, but only barely for WW3 (It's a shame, because it could have been a great story if the audience could take the Slitheen seriously.)

Well, I think that's because RTD himself was embarrassed to take them, or the show, seriously. If it wasn't camp, people might have mistaken it for quality drama. Oh well. He's gone now.

Boom Town - No (Another shame, because I liked the basic gist of the plot.)

What is the hate here? I've noticed quite a few people stating they don't like Boom Town. I didn't find it that bad, except for The Doctor having any remorse in sending Blon back to her planet to die...give me a break. When she started the whole "who can look me in the eye" thing, The Doctor should never, ever have a problem confronting evil. No matter the insipid-liberally-slanted personal beliefs of the writer.

Or, wait...is that why you didn't like it?

Bad Wolf - No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Why? The RTD Weakest Link/pop-culture shit?

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday - No (Both parts opened with Rose promising a happy ending, but RTD wussed out.)

Awesome!!

Last of the Time Lords - No. Just... no. (I can honestly say that this is the worst episode of any show I've ever liked. That's not an exaggeration. Mumu-clad lawyer tricks kids into taking over the Enterprise? Better. Transwarp lizard babies? Better. Quark gets a sex change? Better.)

While I agree that Jesus-Doctor is, possibly, the absolute worst moment in Doctor Who history (yep, worst....there's nothing in the history of the show that profoundly shallow, silly, and meaningless), I feel that The Doctor's Daughter (not written by RTD) is an overt and intentional insult to anyone with an intellectual and emotional range beyond five. What pisses you off about LotTL specifically?

The End of Time - Yes, barely. (Mainly thanks to Wilf.)

What is it with the Wilf-love? Sure, the guy is a good actor, and quite charming. But, the Brits seem to take their "cuddliness" of Wilf to the extreme (and I realize you're probably in The States). Is it a "grandfather"-thing that people latch onto? Seriously, just curious. No judgment involved. I honestly wish that actor would come over to the US and do some tv work. But, as far as Wilf goes, I can take or leave the character...