Watching The Doctor

[DigificWriter]

Sadly it was less to do with choice and more to do with the fact that it was done on a BBC budget. That and for about a decade prior there hadn't been any real special effect heavy British shows.

As I noted earlier, I assumed it was a deliberate choice because the prop design, shot process, and the way that the props and makeup fit into the more modern aesthetic of the remainder of "Rose", particularly in the climax, looked and felt like they could've come straight out of the original two Ghostbusters films.

 

[DigificWriter]

Double post, sorry.

Real life and other extracurricular pursuits delayed my viewing of The Unquiet Dead until about an hour ago, and I have to say that it's my favorite of the three episodes Ive watched so far.

Seeing the Doctor and Rose interact with Charles Dickens reminded me very much of DC's Legends of Tomorrow having its characters interact with real-life figures such as George Washington and George Lucas, although the story surrounding his inclusion 'flowed' better than the LoT stories involving those two did.

The 80s-esque VFX, as in The End of the World, didn't feel nearly as jarring as they did in Rose, and the 'old school quality' actually made the 'ghost effect' of the Gelth inhabiting the bodies of the dead look really neat.

I don't really understand the significance of this "bad wolf" recurring 'Easter Egg' that was slipped into dialogue in both this episode and the previous one, but I did like the way Gwyneth 'saw' into Rose's head as they sort of bonded.

I also really liked the way the Doctor and Rose bonded when they thought they were in danger of dying, even though I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see them right off the Gelth physically before Dickens showed back up.

As I noted earlier, The Unquiet Dead is my favorite of the episodes I've watched this far, and was a fun little adventure that hit everything that I like about time travel stories and did so without feeling 'forced'.

 

[Mr Soak]

I don't really understand the significance of this "bad wolf" recurring 'Easter Egg' that was slipped into dialogue in both this episode and the previous one, but I did like the way Gwyneth 'saw' into Rose's head as they sort of bonded.

It gets resolved, so don't worry about it for now.

I don't know if you're going to watch Torchwood, but

Spoiler

the actress who plays Gwyneth is in the main cast. It's even acknowledged on-screen in a later episode of Doctor Who. It's not an plot-related point so if you miss it, it doesn't detract from the episode.

 

[Chaos Descending]

I love Doctor Who entirely.

You should not watch it. It's awful.

 

[Steve Roby]

You should watch it. It's awful once in a while, frequently good, and sometimes great.

(I'm not sure if Chaos Descending is talking about Torchwood or Doctor Who, but hey, it works either way.)

 

[DigificWriter]

I just finished Aliens of London/World War Three, and have to say that if I'd known that Doctor Who had produced this kind of Indiana Jones/Flash Gordon-esque B-movie space adventures, it wouldn't have taken me this long to dive into the series.

I wasn't really sold at first on Jackie and Mickey, finding both to be rather annoying or ineffective in "Rose", but these two episodes changed my opinions on them and I actually liked them here.

The Slitheen were really interesting in design, execution, and appearance, both in terms of their "natural" forms and in their "human suit" disguises. I didn't even mind the ridiculously childish fart jokes associated with them.

I also really liked that Asian doctor lady and Harriett Jones, and apparently both are recurring characters for both the DW series itself and the broader DW franchise in general.

These two episodes were both pretty great and well-executed in terms of narrative and pacing, and would've definitely made me watch the series before now if I'd known about their existence.

As an aside, I found a nuWho podcast that I've started listening to, and the hosts, while being fairly biased towards later seasons of the series and showtunner Steven Moffatt, are still surprisingly fair to this "era" of the show. They're also extremely entertaining, so it should be fun to listen to them going forward.

 

[The Wormhole]

I also really liked that Asian doctor lady and Harriett Jones, and apparently both are recurring characters for both the DW series itself and the broader DW franchise in general.

Toshiko Sato, who does go on to become part of Torchwood's main cast.

 

[Mr Soak]

Toshiko, that's it. I kept thinking Sato but could only dredge up Hoshi Sato, and I knew she's from Enterprise. Must be the default Japanese name for that decade.

 

[matthunter]

AoL/WW3 was a bit eye-rolley at points but the space pig was surprisingly poignant when the Doctor got angry that the soldiers shot it.

Most sherry is acidic enough the Doctor could have just chucked it at the Slitheen without all that "triplicating the flammability" bluffing.

I suspect the constant digs at the US President (Bush at the time) won't come off so high-handed now they have a genuine dangerous loon in the White House.

 

[DigificWriter]

Apparently, the hosts of that Doctor Who podcast I mentioned think Aliens of London (and presumably World War Three too) is utter crap, making me reconsider listening to the next couple of episodes of their show since I don't really have any desire to hear them complain about how bad they think the episodes are... particularly since I disagree with that assessment.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Apparently, the hosts of that Doctor Who podcast I mentioned think Aliens of London (and presumably World War Three too) is utter crap, making me reconsider listening to the next couple of episodes of their show since I don't really have any desire to hear them complain about how bad they think the episodes are... particularly since I disagree with that assessment.

Understandable, but at the same time, most fans of the show think that two-parter is crap.

 

[The Wormhole]

Strangely enough, the Aliens of London story was the one that actually sold me on the show, which always seemed so odd to me that the majority of fandom hated it so.

 

[DigificWriter]

most fans of the show think that two-parter is crap.

Why? There's nothing in it that's not in the three episodes that precede it as far as action beats and humor is concerned, it's got good character development, and it expands the world-building of the series. It's also just a fun adventure.

 

[Orac]

Strangely enough, the Aliens of London story was the one that actually sold me on the show, which always seemed so odd to me that the majority of fandom hated it so.

Sounds to me like the "majority of fans" are adults watching a children's show who are too "mature" to appreciate fart jokes.

 

[DigificWriter]

I don't typically like "body humor" such as fart jokes, but it worked for the context of the story of AoL/WW3 and thus didn't "turn me off".

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Strangely enough, the Aliens of London story was the one that actually sold me on the show, which always seemed so odd to me that the majority of fandom hated it so.

Thank you! This was the point where I was loving the show because of how silly it was and not just liking it despite its silliness. By the time Father's Day rolls around, I was set to be a fan for life.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Yeah, I always thought the hate for Aliens of London was overblown nonsense. It’s a fun 2 parter.

 

[Astra]

I also really liked that Asian doctor lady

Yes, she is also one of the main roles in Torchwood, if you should happen to watch that as well.

Margret the Slitheen also will be back and I really love her story.

Why? There's nothing in it that's not in the three episodes that precede it as far as action beats and humor is concerned, it's got good character development, and it expands the world-building of the series. It's also just a fun adventure.

I'm happy that you liked this one! It's only getting even better from now on, so I guess the show has convinced you now.
I never got all the hate for these episodes either. I don't mind fart jokes, it's the vomiting jokes in American movies that gross me out. I don't get why these are funny.

And yeah, you've stumbled right into the big fandom divide, much as which Star Trek show is the best - there are those that love the Russel T. Davies years, there are those that love the Moffat years, there are also those that love both.
Moffat wrote some brilliant episodes through the RTD years but as the show runner - in my opinion - he concentrated too much on clever time travelling twisted stories and his characters felt less rounded and loveable to me.

 

[starsuperion]

If you want to start somewhere in the classic era, there's no better place then Jon Pertwee's action-man doctor. Its fun, fun, fun! We also have tons of firsts in his run. The De-mat circuit. The reversing of the neutron flow. Bessie, whomobile, the Master first appearance, UNIT, etc...

Its that action man action figure from the 70s in a blue box! You'll also love Ms. Grant! Cute bubbly and fun!

P.S. yes, I know UNIT was in Troughton's cyber story, but it really comes along under Pertwee

 

[diankra]

I wasn't really sold at first on Jackie and Mickey, finding both to be rather annoying or ineffective in "Rose", but these two episodes changed my opinions on them and I actually liked them here.

Noel Clarke's said a few times that he didn't get the tone right in the first block, and over did the comedy idiot side, before reining that in later on. Fortunately that works well in Mickey's 'Zero to hero' character arc.