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I've just seen The End of the World for the first time...wow.
nattoyaki
Posts: 7,080 Forum Member
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I missed a lot of the first series, probably most of it.
In the days before ubiquitous catch-up, I'd just come back from many years as an ex-pat and Saturday nights were for partying! Plus I'd seen the first episode and wasn't overly impressed with the poor 'comedy' tone I felt it had (was that the one with the wheelie bin? - if so, enough said!).
So I just caught the very odd episode. Series 2 was when I got really interested - it took Tennant a while to get a handle on it I thought but from The Girl in the Fireplace onwards I was hooked
I've just been back and watched The End of the World for the first time, wow, what an episode. The CGI looks terrible now but in every other respect I was knocked out!
The pacing was just superb I thought. There were enough quiet moments, though being self-contained it didn't feel rushed, ever. The story had enough room to breathe, the main characters likewise grew and developed. And largely a tour de force from Chris imo!
I'm moving onto the next episode now, but I've a feeling this (for me) will be The Doctor we never got to see properly (Mk II after McGann)
Anyway, I just wanted to sat how superbly I thought it was paced and how impressed with Chris I was
In the days before ubiquitous catch-up, I'd just come back from many years as an ex-pat and Saturday nights were for partying! Plus I'd seen the first episode and wasn't overly impressed with the poor 'comedy' tone I felt it had (was that the one with the wheelie bin? - if so, enough said!).
So I just caught the very odd episode. Series 2 was when I got really interested - it took Tennant a while to get a handle on it I thought but from The Girl in the Fireplace onwards I was hooked
I've just been back and watched The End of the World for the first time, wow, what an episode. The CGI looks terrible now but in every other respect I was knocked out!
The pacing was just superb I thought. There were enough quiet moments, though being self-contained it didn't feel rushed, ever. The story had enough room to breathe, the main characters likewise grew and developed. And largely a tour de force from Chris imo!
I'm moving onto the next episode now, but I've a feeling this (for me) will be The Doctor we never got to see properly (Mk II after McGann)
Anyway, I just wanted to sat how superbly I thought it was paced and how impressed with Chris I was
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When you travel with The Doctor, when you step into that Blue Box, you may never come back, but without thinking you just step aboard for the adventure, curiosity and all the characters you'll meet instead of having to wake up to another Monday going to work, eating fish and chips and watching the telly. Then suddenly you're fighting for your life On board a gamestation, or your trapped on a planet underneath a black hole with no way out, or even the man who promised to look after you becomes human for a day and your stuck in the past having to fend your own against an alien family of hunters who want to kill you.
I like how they touch upon this in several dark sort of episodes like in The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, Waters of Mars, 42, End of the World and you get that feeling throughout Series 4, send you a postcard to quote another DogitalSpy. Forum Member.
It'll be fun to have that feeling back.
There are also some really lovely supporting characters, especially the amazing Lady Cassandra. She is really the first iconic character of New Who with a superb catchphrase - and she's right there in episode 2!
I got a sense of wonder from Rose in these early episodes that has diminished with each companion since - her being overwhelmed by the aliens in this story and then, in The Unquiet Dead, her reaction to stepping from the TARDIS onto snow that fell more than 100 years before she was born.
They were all lovely touches that just rooted Rose in the real world. And she was great with the 9th Doctor too. I can't say I'm sorry Chris only did one year because although I enjoyed him, I loved the 10th Doctor and Rose. That said, season 1 is amazing
It's worth noting also, that in terms of international sales, Season 1 remains the most successful season of Doctor Who ever - in fact it is the most frequently bought drama in the entire 40 year history of BBC Worldwide's Showcase event. It has attracted buyers 629 from countries including Bahrain, Hong Kong, France and Chile! I just thought that should be mentioned as some people seem to feel the show only became a success internationally after 2010
I do question some of the choices that were made with Rose though. It felt like her character was throwing out a lot of frustration and "realism" as psuedo-character development, without actually building a very sympathetic character. That tree lady was far more interesting, to be honest.
Still, the phone call to Jackie was touching.
I found her wooden
She was smoking hot at the end though, to put it bluntly.
I've only got a moment for now, so will say just that I've now seen The Unquiet Dead, and blow me down I think that's the first Gatiss episode I've ever fully enjoyed
I thought it was top class stuff again. 'Enough' of a story to hang the characters on, generally great acting, and decent and interesting guest characters. It also had some quite bold/unusual directorial shots compared to the recent past series imho (which are more industry 'standard fare', for me), which made it interesting and feel more like Classic Who. (Series 5 was very different there, in the best way, for me. Not in terms of Classic Who but in terms of a directorial style. I don't know why that bold vision wasn't carried onto 6). Despite the alien element, it really felt like a piece of its time (which makes sense on no level whatsoever most probably I realise, but I know what I'm trying to say!
I know I've got a few 'stinkers' to come, having seen them at the time, but it'll be very interesting indeed to see what difference hindsight (and more age and wisdom - ?!!) make
Dalek was pretty damned good as well.