aliceylain (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aliceylain) wrote2013-11-24 06:22 pm
aliceylain) wrote2013-11-24 06:22 pm
let's dim the lights and put on a show
Soooooooo, the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who special aired last night.
Hoo boy, did it ever fan the flames of this little Whovian's heart!
Something to keep in mind is that I don't watch Doctor Who critically. If I tried to think about the logistics of time travel and whether the plot makes logical sense, I think my head would explode. I pretty much just roll with the plot punches and watch it for the characters. Actually...I do that with a lot of shows that I watch. I think I said before that I'm willing to forgive a ton of plot snafus if I connect with the characters emotionally and that's definitely true with Doctor Who.
Anyways, it was a very enjoyable special. The interaction between Ten and Eleven and the War Doctor was EXCELLENT and there were tons of funny moments, some good giggle-worthy dialogue. I was pleased with how Rose was used in the special; of course, I didn't particularly like the romance between her and Ten during their run. I thought using her this way in the special was a smart move, although I'm sure all the Ten/Rose shippers were terribly disappointed. Clara was fine, although I'm coming to realize that she isn't my favorite Companion. I feel more invested in Amy, Rory, Donna, Martha, and Rose than I am with her. I enjoy her! I just haven't really connected with her character yet.
All the little allusions to the previous incarnations were fun to find out about after the fact. (I have seen some Classic Who episodes but none really grabbed me hard, so I pretty much rely on the internet to clue me in to those things.) While I'm not particularly fond of the constant retconning in Doctor Who (see above regarding rolling with the plot punches), I was happy that the special ending on such a positive note for the Doctor. I love that he now has another purpose besides continually saving the world; now, he has something for himself to go after and I think it will be a good direction for the show. More scope for things to happen besides the normal END OF THE WORLD scenario that gets foiled by the Doctor.
I am a little disappointed that they didn't include all the living Doctors in the special but them's the breaks, I guess. I also wasn't completely thrilled with all of Elizabeth I's dialogue but like almost every other show out there, Doctor Who isn't always the best with representing women. Honestly, I can't really think of much that I didn't like. The 3-D paintings were wicked cool, even though I can't fathom how the three Doctors got IN one of them.
In short, it was a fun, HAPPY, hopeful special that I definitely will be rewatching. And I'm really jazzed for the Twelfth Doctor to make an appearance and the next season to begin. As much as I like Matt Smith, it's exciting to get a new face and new talent into the role. PETER CAPALDI, I'M EXCITED FOR YOU. God, have they announced when the next season will air? Pleeeeeeeease let it be Spring 2014 and not December 2014.
Hoo boy, did it ever fan the flames of this little Whovian's heart!
Something to keep in mind is that I don't watch Doctor Who critically. If I tried to think about the logistics of time travel and whether the plot makes logical sense, I think my head would explode. I pretty much just roll with the plot punches and watch it for the characters. Actually...I do that with a lot of shows that I watch. I think I said before that I'm willing to forgive a ton of plot snafus if I connect with the characters emotionally and that's definitely true with Doctor Who.
Anyways, it was a very enjoyable special. The interaction between Ten and Eleven and the War Doctor was EXCELLENT and there were tons of funny moments, some good giggle-worthy dialogue. I was pleased with how Rose was used in the special; of course, I didn't particularly like the romance between her and Ten during their run. I thought using her this way in the special was a smart move, although I'm sure all the Ten/Rose shippers were terribly disappointed. Clara was fine, although I'm coming to realize that she isn't my favorite Companion. I feel more invested in Amy, Rory, Donna, Martha, and Rose than I am with her. I enjoy her! I just haven't really connected with her character yet.
All the little allusions to the previous incarnations were fun to find out about after the fact. (I have seen some Classic Who episodes but none really grabbed me hard, so I pretty much rely on the internet to clue me in to those things.) While I'm not particularly fond of the constant retconning in Doctor Who (see above regarding rolling with the plot punches), I was happy that the special ending on such a positive note for the Doctor. I love that he now has another purpose besides continually saving the world; now, he has something for himself to go after and I think it will be a good direction for the show. More scope for things to happen besides the normal END OF THE WORLD scenario that gets foiled by the Doctor.
I am a little disappointed that they didn't include all the living Doctors in the special but them's the breaks, I guess. I also wasn't completely thrilled with all of Elizabeth I's dialogue but like almost every other show out there, Doctor Who isn't always the best with representing women. Honestly, I can't really think of much that I didn't like. The 3-D paintings were wicked cool, even though I can't fathom how the three Doctors got IN one of them.
In short, it was a fun, HAPPY, hopeful special that I definitely will be rewatching. And I'm really jazzed for the Twelfth Doctor to make an appearance and the next season to begin. As much as I like Matt Smith, it's exciting to get a new face and new talent into the role. PETER CAPALDI, I'M EXCITED FOR YOU. God, have they announced when the next season will air? Pleeeeeeeease let it be Spring 2014 and not December 2014.
SPOILERY DISCUSSION
But yeah, I'm not a fan of Moffat or the Tenth Doctor, so I was kind of nervous about going to see it with so many people who are much bigger fans than I am -- I honestly don't get joy out of not liking things -- but while I didn't like... hmm, about the first 35% or so of it? Once the plot really started moving forward, I loved it and was rather genuinely impressed.
I'm really curious about how the series will go from this point forward, because it really is changing the focus of things. On the one hand, I think that it's super smart for the longevity of the series, because it does give a whole new life and trajectory to things. On the other hand... I'm not sure how much I'll personally like it. Which is fine, because they're not writing the show for me! But I'm very interested in seeing how it will play out, and I hope that I do like it.
Re: SPOILERY DISCUSSION
I hope I like it too! From what I've read about Classic Who, the Time Lords were really a thorn in the Doctor's side back in the day. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Doctor finds Gallifrey and what sort of reactions there are...unless they switch showrunners and that thread is dropped, which could happen. I will admit to being really interested in the Doctor's family in particular.