Dr. Who

[yaralindi]

You got it right about Peter Yar! I hope he proves a good choice.

Peter is an exceptional actor. I positively loved the way he did Mr. Frobisher in Torchwood, didn't like World War Z but loved the W.H.O. Doctor character, and Malcolm Tucker was brilliant.

I wanted to add a link to a thing or two that Peter has been in, but the only thing the Internet seems to like that he's done is when he is swearing. Since I don't post links to that sort of thing and rarely even go see that sort of thing, I guess we just have to do with comments on his acting ability, which is top notch.

I can't see Moffat turning a 50 year old actor into an action hero like he did with Tennant and Smith, so maybe the direction of the show will get back to real stories and not all this running around and leaping over tall buildings. I'd love to see them do away with the story line where the Gallifreyans are evil. Just that little bit would make the show watchable again as I think that concept has set the tone for everything else. It would be great to tie this "return to a normal Who universe" to a plot by The Master and get him away from being the mad hatter the show has portrayed him to be as well. It won't happen, but one can dream.

[yaralindi]

Hmmm, they've made a sonic screwdriver. It takes a bit more gadgetry than the Doctor's, but it does turn things using sound.

Sonic Screwdriver

[daughter_of_kings]

One more bit of evidence that Science Fiction is just a prelude to Science Fact.

[yaralindi]

One more bit of evidence that Science Fiction is just a prelude to Science Fact.

And yet not one author predicted the Internet.

I think speculative fiction is free to experiment with associations. What would you get if you mixed a keyboard with a toaster? Can a juicer and alarm clock combined give you something useful? If we have Higgs Particle that transfers energy from the Higgs Field to matter so that it can have mass, why can't we block those Higgs Particles and end up with vehicles that have little or no mass and since it has virtually no mass it takes almost no energy to get it into orbit and to speeds that let you go to Mars in an hour?

The authors get more wrong than they do right. Where is my Jetson's car!

The authors can experiment with science facts and come up with things that people go, "I want one!" Businesses and government hear that and go, "Let's see if we can give them one." Several years and a few billion dollars later, we get some of the things these authors dream up.

And really, where is my Jetson's car!

[yaralindi]

Nine of the original episodes that were lost when the BBC cleaned out a warehouse years ago have been recovered in Nigeria, of all places.

Found Dr. Who

We'll finally get to see The Doctor battle the Robot Yeti! All six episodes of Web of Fear have been found.

[True-Hearted Easterling]

I'm hosting a Doctor Who marathon on November 23 and I made my own sonic screwdriver for it. I'm pretty pleased with it! It even lights up and glows green.

[daughter_of_kings]

Cool, True. Will this be a costumed marathon, then?

[True-Hearted Easterling]

Yes. I'm planning on going as River Song.

[Mrs_Pippin-Took]

Since I was a child I heard of Dr Who but never cared for it. I was more a Blake's 7 person. But last year I got introduced to this show. I watched all of new Who and this year I decided to give the classics a go. I watched Tom's seasons and finished it all till 7. I already saw the mcGann movie. Last thursday or friday I finished my long journey when I watched Pat Troughton's last episode the War Games. My journey had ended but it was a good journey. My love for the show is so deep it is almost a life form for me. In June I went to Birmingham UK to my first DR Who but also my first CON ever. I met Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) and told her she made my day and that it was one of the best days ever. She gave me this huge bear hug and asked for my name. She remembered it I also went for the autograph session and she personalized two items for me. I don't think I need to explain I could cry from joy. I met Madame Vastra and Jenny and Neve (Vastra) is one of the most beautiful persons I ever met. She is so laid back and so nice and cool.

What can I say about the classics? I LOVE and adore Tom Baker. He is my fav Doctor ever but I also adore Jon Pertwee almost the same. From the new series it is David Tennant who is my fav and he is my second fav Doctor. I'm very happy Peter Capaldi is taking over and wonder what he will bring. Just a few more weeks till we see his first appearance as the Doctor and not the Roman

[yaralindi]

Since the reboot, I've been growing ever more disillusioned with the whole show. Stodgy Time Lords turned into monsters that believe they can save themselves by destroying the entire universe. A Doctor so gripped with guilt at stopping them that he is virtually ineffectual until his companions manage to pull him out of his self pity long enough for him to save the day. Endless Save-The-Universe-From-Ultimate-Destruction stories that can only be solved by the companion - Rose, Donna, Martha, Amy, and/or Clara - doing something The Doctor had not thought of.

I actually liked Eccleston. Tennant, while being a brilliant actor, could not quite make up for the horrid story telling, or even a horrid companion (Martha Jones, good lord!) or two. Then came Matt Smith and I knew the time had finally come for me to turn my back on one of my favorite Science Fictions shows. While Tennant pretty much turned The Doctor into an action figure, Smith turned him into an inept action figure. His horrid acting, the horrid scripts, the special effects that only served to point out the show had a big budget all came together in one horrible Battlefield Earth type disappointment. I still haven't seen Season 7.

That pretty much ended tonight. I tried as hard as I could to stay away from the 50th anniversary show, The Day of The Doctor because I was certain it would simply combine all the horridness of the reboot into one gigantic mess. I didn't trust Moffat to do the series justice. Fortunately, I couldn't help thinking about the possibility that he might pull out a good show - crisp, tightly written script, good acting, tying together some loose ends, etc. I missed the Saturday showing, but I still found myself wanting to see it, so today I purchased it from iTunes. I've watched it 3 times so far.

I won't spoil the plot because some may not have seen it yet, but it is quite simply one of the best Science Fiction shows I have ever seen. Almost all of the misery and suffering of watching all those horrid shows gets tied together into this one show and suddenly most of these others make sense. I still don't like River and Moffat really needs to do something about The Master, but this show is quite simply brilliant. Smith even acts well in it! John Hurt is amazing.

If you haven't seen it yet, see it. It really is that good and more.

[MiddleEarthMunchkin]

I don't have BBC so I missed the Saturday airings, and I just realized that it's in theaters for one showing tonight. But of course it's 3D as well, which makes the ticket quite expensive and I hate 3D (I usually wear glasses in the theater because my contacts dry out, and I hate wearing glasses over glasses). I was hoping it'll be out on DVD sooner rather than later.

But your review, yaralindi, hmm .... I need to think more on this.

If I'm more of a fan of the reboot - and know pretty much nothing about the original doctors or storylines - is it worth it to see, or should I wait for DVD rental?

[tinidril]

The Anniversary Special is worth seeing sooner than later, but it's great in 2D, you don't have to suffer with 3D glasses. I recommend you do what Yar did and get it online, or search out a friend who can do this for you if you can't purchase it yourself (for whatever reason).

My non-spoilery review: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: A Shining Moment (Spoilers in comments, so don't read those)

[yaralindi]

If I'm more of a fan of the reboot - and know pretty much nothing about the original doctors or storylines - is it worth it to see, or should I wait for DVD rental?

If you have the means to purchase it on iTunes ($7.99) and get it from iTunes to a decent sized TV, it is definitely worth getting it now rather than waiting for a DVD. I believe you can also stream it from Amazon and they have the Blue-ray/DVD for $24.

There are a lot of nods to Classic Who, but it is all about the reboot. It pulls many of the stories since the show rebooted into a conclusion I, and many others, did not see coming. It is absolutely brilliantly acted. The script is quick and clean. It really is a must see for those who love The Doctor.

[yaralindi]

My non-spoilery review: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: A Shining Moment (Spoilers in comments, so don't read those)

A very nice review. I loved your idea for why the 1st Doctor (though we don't really know if he's the first or just the first shown on the show) might have left Gallifrey. That could still work, since now we know he was definitely there. It would also be wonderfully circular to tie this together.

Perhaps, Moffat will do that during 13's incarnation. It would be nice to know exactly why he was so afraid he had to leave home. There are wonderful hints in some of the writings, such as Lungbarrow where we learn he liked a group known as Interventionists and that he worked for a time at the Chapterhouse's Bureau of Possible Events. We know he fled and the Hand of Omega helped him escape a fight with his cousin Glospin, leave Gallifrey, and find Susan. It would be great to see the Hand again. I think it's only seen once in the show. Sylvester McCoy used it in 1989 (I think) in Remembrance of the Daleks to do some Dalek bashing.

But I'm rambling. I'm still not happy with The Moff for making me hate Doctor Who just so he could create a wonderful 50th anniversary surprise. He still needs to fix a lot of things. This was the largest one and solves much of what I didn't like about the rebooted Doctor.

Now, can we please hurry up and get rid of Matt Smith and bring on that sinister looking Peter Capaldi. The canon has it that the 13th incarnation will not be a nice Doctor. Capaldi certainly has set that up well. The next few years will definitely be interesting.

[tinidril]

Lookie what I got for Christmas! My daughter-in-law knitted it