Poll: Doctor Who isn't very good (My opinion) DO you think it is?

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rs2000

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Ok i have to start by pointing out that i have been a fan of Dr Who through 5 or 6 different incarnations of the Dr for the past 30 odd years. I grew up reading comics & watching the shows & the made-for-tv movies that stared Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin) & the books.

For those of you on the Escapist who either aren't British or aren't old enough (no offense) the whole British take on sci-fi has always been to not take it's self seriously, just look at Space 1999 for example or Red Dwarf even!
 
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Here's the problem. If you only watch RTD episodes, then you may think the show is crap. Before you judge Doctor Who definitively, watch at least one Steven Moffat episode. But make sure it is daytime. He is a great scriptwriter, but his episodes are bowel-voidingly terrifying. Case in point, "Blink". Silly idea, but done so well that I watched it for the first time at 10:30, and did not sleep at all that night.
 

chefassassin2

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Personal opinion I think. Personally I love the show, started watching and got hooked on the ninth Doctor. Warming up the the tenth more and more. I think it['s one of those shows that you just have to overlook the glaring discrepincies between reality and fiction. After all, if one can accept that a basically immortal, ever-changing, two hearted alien from out there can travel through time in a police box, one can accept that glass will contain radiation. If you can't, change the channel. For instance, I don't understand the popularity of "Lost", but people bloody love that show. I just find something else to watch. Or I put in a DVD of "Firefly".
 
Feb 13, 2008
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A13X T3h NubCak3 said:
Doctor Who is a tv programme on British television that is generally on BBC ONE
Macgyvercas said:
I think Doctor Who is amazing. Oh and OP, make sure you're not too loud or you'll summon the Escapist's number one Doctor Who fan: The_Root_of_All_Evil
*peers in*

Well, given it has been on since '63, making it older than Star Trek, it's bound to have some ropey episodes. But Hate? That's a strong word. That makes it sound more like you hate being with your family.

I personally (and this is just personally) Hate Doctor Who with a passion, it makes no sense and the characters and effects are so poorly done its just upsetting.
Let's take this in order.
It makes no sense: Yet your perfectly willing to believe in moustached plumbers rescuing princesses, blue hedgehogs collecting rings and Space Marines...Ok...
The characters are poor: I think you'll have to provide a little more evidence to sway people than "Catherine Tate: Yeuch!". I quite liked her portrayal.
The effects are poor: Now here's where I think the stickler is. See, special effects are unnecessary to a good story. The original Who had atrocious sets built on the flimsiest of budgets, but still was one of the greatest TV shows of all time. And still is.

So...I think the real reason is you've seen some crap shows with your family and you loathe that. That's fair enough. I hate having to watch Who with my family as well.

Tell you what, grab yourself a copy of Blink (It's not got much of the Doctor in it, promise) and watch it.

If you still loathe it, fair enough, but I'd hate to think you could be missing out on a show that's brought inspiration, joy and good times to millions of viewers over nearly 40 years.
 

MasterKirov

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knight of some random number said:
Edit: I should give my own thoughts on Doctor Who. Which are I like the show, the acting is quite good but far from perfect, the only thing that displeases me, is the new Doctor.
Ya mean old "Potato Head" as we all call him at home? Not a good start to Moffat's editing job. And yes, he was also the guy who did the Weeping Angel's story.
 

A13X T3h NubCak3

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
A13X T3h NubCak3 said:
Doctor Who is a tv programme on British television that is generally on BBC ONE
Macgyvercas said:
I think Doctor Who is amazing. Oh and OP, make sure you're not too loud or you'll summon the Escapist's number one Doctor Who fan: The_Root_of_All_Evil
*peers in*

Well, given it has been on since '63, making it older than Star Trek, it's bound to have some ropey episodes. But Hate? That's a strong word. That makes it sound more like you hate being with your family.

I personally (and this is just personally) Hate Doctor Who with a passion, it makes no sense and the characters and effects are so poorly done its just upsetting.
Let's take this in order.
It makes no sense: Yet your perfectly willing to believe in moustached plumbers rescuing princesses, blue hedgehogs collecting rings and Space Marines...Ok...
The characters are poor: I think you'll have to provide a little more evidence to sway people than "Catherine Tate: Yeuch!". I quite liked her portrayal.
The effects are poor: Now here's where I think the stickler is. See, special effects are unnecessary to a good story. The original Who had atrocious sets built on the flimsiest of budgets, but still was one of the greatest TV shows of all time. And still is.

So...I think the real reason is you've seen some crap shows with your family and you loathe that. That's fair enough. I hate having to watch Who with my family as well.

Tell you what, grab yourself a copy of Blink (It's not got much of the Doctor in it, promise) and watch it.

If you still loathe it, fair enough, but I'd hate to think you could be missing out on a show that's brought inspiration, joy and good times to millions of viewers over nearly 40 years.
I noticed quite a few people were talking about this Blink Episode..

I decided to watch it and see why everyone thinks its the best episode.
Firstly
The Doctor isn't in it... Maybe why its so good?
But yes it was very well written and i even liked the characters

Another thing i don't like about Doctor Who is the fact that they bring creatures and enemies to the Doctor back time and time again... Seriously how many times have the Darleks been completely whiped out? Or the cyber men been stopped?
And now they are bringing these Angels back..?
 

Zero=Interrupt

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Don't get me wrong: David Tennant's Doctor was really good and I'm glad they resurrected the series, but Russell T Davies is an absolute shit writer. Here are some of his violations:

- The new Master is, in fact, not the Master, but the Joker sans the makeup skills and punchy one-liners. John Simm is an excellent actor, but all he does in Dr. Who is run around screaming his fucking head off and not being very clever or witty at all. The Master of old was a classy, clever villain who was mean in small clever ways with an eye on the big picture. Now he's just a raving lunatic with an apocalypse fetish. Also, we didn't need to see not one, but two close-ups of him eating.
- The Daleks keep coming back, bringing Apocalypse with them every time. Time and time again we're told they were disposed of along with the Time Lords (another glaring RTD cock-up) and yet periodically millions of them show up to attempt universal apocalypto yet again. We could have enjoyed Davros for years to come if you hadn't resurrected and then killed him in one episode, you mewling berk. For that matter, The Cybermen. Sure, the parallel universe angle was cool, but you know what? The Cybermen of this universe were just as lethal and had a more interesting backstory, and guess what, special effects have caught up enough to make them watchable too. How about something with them, eh?
- Other Dr. Who stuff from the old series is pretty much still out there. RTD had a wealth of things to work from, but either blew it (the Sontarans) or never touched on them again (the Ice Warriors, etc).
-Catherine Tate. She is difficult, if not impossible to both look at and listen to. Ever see her show? IT'S NOT FUNNY. Who was the best companion of the David Tennant series? Wilf. Watch the finale. I know, it blew, but watch it. See Wilf? See him take everything in stride, make himself useful, and easy to listen to not to mention funny (with excellent timing) where appropriate? See how Wilf has issues that make him sad, thoughtful, extremely brave and well-adjusted? Seem him wrestle with inner demons from his WWII experience? That's good TV.
-For you K-9 haters, wise up. Aside from sarcasticly sniping at whatever character was talking at the time (K9 knew when people were fucking morons, and told them so with reckless abandon) K9 was a fucking tank. He rolled around and fearlessly shot things with his nose laser. Then he shot them again. Then he hacked computers, fixed the Tardis, and did things R2-D2 only dreamed of. Well, the pre-Clone Wars R2, anyway.
- Captain Jack Harkness. He was sold to us as someone who'd screw _anything_ at the drop of a hat. You know what that means, Jack? Some time in the series, you're gonna have to kiss girls and jump genderless aliens, almost, if not more than you bugger men (including your butler.... sexual harassment suit, anyone?). Oh, and by the way, the sexual aspect of his character ISN'T NECESSARY to make him interesting: his cool, shadowy, angsty past and lack of ability to die does that. Focus on the parts of his character that make him interesting to watch (and the reason Torchwood was a good show) rather than him being the Glen Quagmire of the Dr. Who universe.
- LEAVE EARTH. The previous eight Doctors hung around the place, sure, but he left Earth a lot, and saved bunches of aliens that weren't even human. He even thwarted the Master on those planets. Some of the best stories were whodunit murder mysteries on alien worlds, attempts to save colonies, etc. You know why the Doctor is so famous and loved around the universe? He travels fucking EVERYWHERE, and helps OTHER RACES than ours.
- "The universe will sing you to sleep." WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? The universe didn't see the need to sing the previous Doctors to sleep. From time to time the Doctor would be faced with a problem that required self-sacrifice, and after making sure his friends couldn't stop him, he went and did what he had to do. He didn't piss and moan for forty-five minutes like David Tennant did. He went and did it uncomplainingly, because he was the Doctor.
- Screaming like and idiot and bouncing around is not good TV. Ever. Robin Williams killed it for everybody.
- Hey RTD, keep your politics out of my show. I didn't need to hear "Barack Obama" twelve times in a Dr. Who ep, and why would anyone in Britain care whether he makes a speech or not anyway? If I wanted excessive preaching on bullshit that doesn't belong in a fiction TV show, I'll go watch Law and Order. You know what political content you should show? Try how the Time Lords got themselves into a nightmarish apocalypse war, how Rassillon got back in charge, and when the UK is bringing back the Torchwood Institute. For that matter, remember when the Doctor got involved in the machinations of smugglers, mad scientists, coup de-tats, military juntas, and other such ACROSS THE UNIVERSE? Hey, he also did it in ancient Egypt, Europe, China, and South America. See the point about leaving the 21st century, if not the Earth, behind.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Do yourself a favor, people, go back and watch the older episodes. Start with the Tom Baker ones, and go back or forward from there. Sure, the pacing is slower and the effects are cheesy, but in general, the plots and dialogue are much, much better. Here's some examples:

She lets her knowledge out a bit at a time, so as not to embarrass me.
Ian, talking about Susan, in "An Unearthly Child"

Don't you think you're being rather high-handed, young man? You thought you saw a young girl enter the yard, you imagine you heard her voice, you believe she might be in there. Not very substantial, is it?
The Doctor, to Ian, in "An Unearthly Child"

I tolerate this century but I don't enjoy it.
The Doctor, in "An Unearthly Child"

Have you ever thought what it's like, to be wanderers in the fourth dimension? Have you? To be exiles?
The Doctor, in "An Unearthly Child"

Your arrogance is nearly as great as your ignorance.
The Doctor, to Ian, in "An Unearthly Child"

There is no indignity in being afraid to die, but there is a terrible shame in being afraid to live.
Alydon, in "The Daleks"

End of ranting.
 

comet5002

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Is the Christmas/New Years special the first episode you saw? Of course you wouldn't like it then, none of it would have made sense. DW is one of those shows you have to watch from the beginning, or else everything's gone. I watched it from the very first episode (with Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston), and while some episodes miss the mark (I HATE the Daleks and every episode they're in), most others are quite good. My favorites happen to be The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances from season 1 and The Unicorn and the Wasp from season 4 (but for the latter, I'm kind of an Agatha Christie freak, so I'm biased :p).

As far as acting goes, I think everyone does a brilliant job. Difference of opinion maybe? Idk. Martha's my favorite companion and I like David Tennant a little more than CE (although I think the latter did REALLY good as well), and I like Rose and Donna too. I don't know. It depends on your interests. I just happen to like Sci-Fi stuff and this appeals to me. But again, it's like LOST (which I also love) -- If you don't watch it from the beginning, you might as well not watch it at all.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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A13X T3h NubCak3 said:
But yes it was very well written and i even liked the characters
My work here is done.
Another thing i don't like about Doctor Who is the fact that they bring creatures and enemies to the Doctor back time and time again... Seriously how many times have the Darleks been completely whiped out? Or the cyber men been stopped?
And now they are bringing these Angels back..?
Well...now you ask, the Daleks are on their fourth backstory, but exist in time, so can't really be destroyed. The Cybermen, originally from Mondas, are now replaced by their interdimensional clones, because RTD couldn't figure out a decent back story.
The Quantum Assassins though? Well, they are Moffat's property?

Oh, didn't I tell you? Well, the shivering little worm whose been feeding the dross episodes has been kicked out of his position as Scriptmangler to work on something that's going to crash and burn hopefully, and he's being replaced by the multi-talented genius who wrote Blink.

So...yeah...good news all around really. Try The Empty Child or Silence in the Library next, before working backwards and enjoying the good episodes. There's a plethora of websites that will tell you the ones to avoid.

There are 202 episodes (756 if you count the individual segments), some broke into as many as 6 half-hour segments; then there's the spin-offs (which are mostly awful), the annuals, the radio shows, the scripts, the novels, the crossovers (Buffy meets the Doctor [http://tymelord.mine.nu/episodes/vaults/slayers.htm]), (Doctor Who and the Muppets [http://tymelord.mine.nu/episodes/vaults/muppet.htm]).

Enough to keep even the most jaded fan happy. :)

comet5002 said:
DW is one of those shows you have to watch from the beginning, or else everything's gone. I watched it from the very first episode (with Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston),
*twitch* The first episode is An Unearthly Child broadcast on 23 November 1963. I think you mean the new one of the series, which would be Rose broadcast 26 March 2005.

As long as you start from the beginning of any one of the 32 seasons, you'll be fine.
 

WrongSprite

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A13X T3h NubCak3 said:
For instance.. In the on New Years Eve this person got stuck in a chamber that was about to flood with radiation. Firstly the barrier between him and the outside world was glass and as we know Gamma Radiation works on an electromagnetic wavelength and can only be stopped by high density materials.. like a lot of lead. They tried to explain how this was special glass that doesnt allow radiation to permiate.. okey ill dig...

They zoom into the person in the glass container and you can clearly see that between the door is a very wide GAP, quite noticeable.. so why have the radiation proof glass?
Oi, you.

If you want a program with realism, don't watch something with a man who can travel through time and space in a telephone box.
 

userwhoquitthesite

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A13X T3h NubCak3 said:
Doctor Who is a tv programme on British television that is generally on BBC ONE

After watching the last two seasons of Doctor Who and honestly hating every bloody minute of that tripe. I ask to you fellow escapistians. Do you like Doctor Who!

I personally (and this is just personally) Hate Doctor Who with a passion, it makes no sense and the characters and effects are so poorly done its just upsetting.

For instance.. In the on New Years Eve this person got stuck in a chamber that was about to flood with radiation. Firstly the barrier between him and the outside world was glass and as we know Gamma Radiation works on an electromagnetic wavelength and can only be stopped by high density materials.. like a lot of lead. They tried to explain how this was special glass that doesnt allow radiation to permiate.. okey ill dig...

They zoom into the person in the glass container and you can clearly see that between the door is a very wide GAP, quite noticeable.. so why have the radiation proof glass?

Im probebly just not very good at having an imagination but this isnt really trying.. Also its let down by bad acting and ... Well Catherine Tate... for god sake ...

Also i believe its very popular and want to find out why..

Edit: I have to watch tv with my family every so often.. i get made to watch it. I do not watch it off my own accord.
There isnt a gap, there was a black rubber stopper. It wasn't gamma radiation. and finally, the Tenth Doctor is dead. That may not mean much to you, but anyone that enjoys Doctor Who knows thats a big fuckin deal.

Yes, some of the acting is bad (Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were great, bille piper and black chick were atrocious), yes some of the effects are cheesy, and no, not every episode can be a "The Empty Child" or "Genesis of the Daleks", but on the whole the writing is good.

For once, I am at a loss to explain my viewpoint. Dr. Who, despite -and in some cases even because of- its flaws is just plain good. I have the entire New Dr. Who series except for the specials made past the finale, and am working on collecting the original series as well, of which I must admit I have only seen many episodes.

Besides, if you are watching in the UK aren't you obligated to like it? I once heard Dr. Who being described as "everything it is to be british" XD
 
Feb 13, 2008
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8-Bit_Jack said:
Besides, if you are watching in the UK aren't you obligated to like it? I once heard Dr. Who being described as "everything it is to be british" XD
That would be Fawlty Towers or Only Fools and Horses, depending on your social strata. ;)
 

mariosuperlative

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
8-Bit_Jack said:
Besides, if you are watching in the UK aren't you obligated to like it? I once heard Dr. Who being described as "everything it is to be british" XD
That would be Fawlty Towers or Only Fools and Horses, depending on your social strata. ;)
Oh God...Fawlty Towers. That stuff is just hilarious.
 

Bigsmith

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I have watched if from the start... at least twice. And I must say, I LOVED the 3 episodes David tenant did this year (waters on mars, Xmas and new years). Ontop of that, take you socks off or may blow them off, Im looking forward to the change in Actor playing the Dr. Maybe its because im NOT affriad of change ooOOOooh! scary!
 

userwhoquitthesite

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
8-Bit_Jack said:
Besides, if you are watching in the UK aren't you obligated to like it? I once heard Dr. Who being described as "everything it is to be british" XD
That would be Fawlty Towers or Only Fools and Horses, depending on your social strata. ;)
Or Python/Blackadder if others are to be believed. To be fair the person referring to Dr. Who as such said so well before NDW and was trying to keep it from being censored by Parliament
 

Rayansaki

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JaymesFogarty said:
I watched it for David Tennant; amazing actor.
This sums it for me. I skipped first season from the new series after 2 episodes and when I watched the first episode with Tennant I got hooked.