There is currently a popular thread running named "So what is 'lacking' about this series?" in which people who are not enjoying Series 5 very much are venting their spleens about it, and they have every right to do so. I have decided to put the boot on the other foot and introduce a thread where people who prefer Series 5 to Series 1 to 4 can now vent their spleens.

I am currently enjoying Series 5, but then there was also much about Series 1 to 4 that I liked, so I can't honestly say that I prefer one or the other. I don't think that Series 5 is any better or any worse than the previous series, it's just different.

However, there are certain aspects of Series 5 that I definitely prefer and they are as follows:-

1. Series 5 feels much more like Classic Who than Series 1 to 4 ever did.

2. Series 5 seems a lot less "soapy".

3. The Eleventh Doctor has a much more alien quality than his two predecessors.

4. Series 5 has yet to feature monsters (for want of a better word) as ridiculous as the Slitheen or the Adipose.

5. Rose and Jackie Tyler are thankfully absent from Series 5.

I pretty much would concur with your series 5 preferences

I like that this Doctor seems to be less angst-ridden than previously.

I like that we seem to have settled on a multiple companion format rather than a single companion format.

Not that I mind the single companion format but it's nice to have a change and previous series only really carried a second companion as more of a hitch-hiker for a story than an actual companion.

Regards

Julian

1. is debatable, as apart from the last episode, and the Doctor being a lot like Doc Two, and similar dress sense, and the outside of the Tardis....for me its no more classic Who like than the last five years were.....

2.Nope its equally soapy if you are usaing that word to determine what is classed as "soapy".....it may not feature a mum or dad....but taking your companions boyfriend/fiance along with you, is the same....the emotional content, is the same, Families featuring in other forms...is the same....

3. That i would more or less agree with....

4. the Rainbow Daleks are to some what Slitheen were fro others.

5. Well why would they feature in series 5....Its Moff's turn to create characters that will remain constant through his era....



For me the one thing that this series i loved that hasn't been in the past five years is the fairytale feel.....but this isn't at the expense of saying that the series is better for it....no just that I like this take to the show.....if we had it in the last five years, and again this year...it may have actually got boring....so this way its just a nice fresh take to it.....as there is every time there is a change to the show.

Mostly, what you list is what I'm liking, too-that and the fact that I think the writing is generally better and the stories more credible.

I give it half an hour though, before this thread is hi-jacked by the moaners.

Just like the moaners thread was hijacked by the 'you're wrong, it's brilliant' posters you mean....

Well it's not so much what you like than what you don't miss, anyway. Maybe it's time to find something you actually like.

Well, RTD is nowhere near it.

Thats the best thing. but the below contribute to its excellence.

- No shoddy deux ex machinas
- no gratuitious celebrity cameos
- no overwrought dialogue
- no chip on shoulder Donna Noble
- no council estates
- no "I wuv you Doctor"
- no "why dont you love me Doctor.."
- no Tennant gurning passing as characterisation
- no Tennant crying passing as characterisation
- no naggin mothers
- no RTD bigging himself up Confidential
- no TARDIS towing the earth through space
- no Dobby Doctor
- no earth being invaded then saved by reversing time
- No Master mugging like an imbecile
- no fellatio with a paving stone
- no Torchwood
- no Big Brother rubbish
- no Kylie being unable to act
- no titanic falling on Buck House
- no absorboloff
- no burping wheelie bins
- no second Tennant acting as a Rose sex toy

The comedy is far better written/acted/directed and far more natural IMO.

I found myself eye rolling a few times an episode at some of the cringeworthy "comedy" in the previous series.

Only a couple of eye rolls for the entire run this time.

This is a forum for debate, no posters can or should be excluded in posting in any thread. The exception being "appreciation"-type threads, of which there actually aren't many on this forum.

I don't think it's right to try and segregate posters in to separate camps anyway, this isn't a war you know!!!

Anyway, on topic, I don't think this series is radically different to past series in the way that some seem to think. I guess I am enjoying that it has some more subtle, deft touches in plotting and characterization at times, but i did't really have any beef with how they were handled before. Also I do like how it looks visually this series, the colour palette seems to be complimenting the "fairy tale" concept.

Actually I guess Matt Smith is the biggest plus point for me this year.

I disagree with no. 2 - if a bride 'running away' on the eve of her wedding or someone realising that they love someone when it's too late isn't 'soapy', i don't know what it And I think the emotional themes are similar - love, death, loneliness, trust etc I like the human scale drama of Who mixed in with the epic drama, though, and have no problem with it. I'm glad Moff has retained it.

I think the difference between RTD Who and SM Who is very subtle but I am liking the difference.

The raw emotion and emotional performances have been dialled back a bit. Big tick!

I am loving Matt's performance as the Doctor. As you say he's very alien. Previously I had wished DT had stayed for a season under Moffat, now I am completely sold on Matt Smith. Sorry DT, still love you though


As for ridiculous monsters, well, keeping fingers crossed. There's usually one silly one a season, we could get one yet. Mind you the new Daleks were rather silly so ...

Or the anti-RTD brigade.

series 5 i feel has so much energy and such a filmlike production in comparison to the previous four series, i mean there were aspects i have loved over the previous series of course! but for me series 5 just NAILS IT in every single way thus far and is the best introduction series by a doctor yet!(therefore knocking series 1 and 2 back!) and the most consistent any of the series have been in terms of development of the sotry arc, plots, characterisation and action.

there have been my most favourite episodes of the show thus far in this series with The Eleventh Hour,TIme Of Angels/Flesh & Stone,Amy's Choice (and so far depending on part two of course) The Hungry Earth and the fun storylines had so much going to make them a romp with Vampires Of Venice,Victory Of The Daleks and even The Beast BElow!!

Matt Smith just NAILED it in the first minute of TEH and he is my doctor for sure, Amy is one of the best companions there have been on the show and Rory has grown on me a lot. i have enjoyed River Song this time around and she got much recquired and shocking development too making me anticipate the next storyline she is in!!
the humour is so natural and funny, the scares are bigger and more shocking than previous years (TTOA and F&S are the scariest epsidoes EVER IMO!) and the adventure and scale of the action is flawless. plus the heightened tension and drama every week to make it such an enjoyment to watch and also makes you proud to be a fan of the show

Comedy is definitely one of Moffat's strong points.

The other thread was about people "moaning" about the current series....now this thread gives an opportunity to "maon" about the last five years...as demonstrated by one poster already....instead of stating what they like....they have stated a list of things that are supposedly not in the new series that were in the last five years that they hated(i say supposedly becuase it is opinion after all for all we know we could see a time reversal of sorts this series, the use of DEM is debatable, and some would argue James Corden is a gratuitious celeb cameo...and we may have not had Amy tell the Doc she loves him, but it was hardly subtl that at one point she wanted him)



I agree...and yes Matt is definitely a plus point too



Well I wouldn't have had a problem if he had retained it or not....but he has definitely retained all that emo stuff....we had a whole story based on emotional choice....



I guess maybe its a case that it doesn't seem to overt to you....personally I'd argue in most cases the emotional stuff is the same, and in some cases very much in our faces than ever before...for example the fact that Amy had to point out three times why she felt the Star Whale was like the Doctor....I'd say that was bang you on the head moment so you undertsnd how she came to take her chance of pressing that button....



And we have had Karen say that the finale is very emotional as well......so get your box of tissuies ready.....

I view the current series as a contunuation of the previous four, there is nothing radically different, just a few minor tweaks here and there.

All in all it is shaping up to be a great series, certainly on a par with what has gone before. Absolutely loving it.

My two favourite things being the wonderfull 11th Doctor and the gorgeous Tardis revamp. Ofcourse I still adore the 9th and 10th Doctors too, but their Tardis was a bit naff if I'm being honest.

Or to put it another way I'll quote my partner:

The 9th Doctor is the man you want to be, the 10th Doctor is the man you want to shag and the 11th Doctor is the guy you want to be best mates with. Hmm, I see a fantasy forming there

I loved most things about s1-4 but I'm enjoying s5 even more.

I'm glad that so far this series has avoided the occasional lapses in taste that meant some moments of RTDs era just collapsed into silly camp self awareness= I'm quite confident we wont see the doctor imitating a ghostbuster, Barbara Windsor throwing a ghost out of her pub, a tacky queen impersonator, Kylie Minogue, Paul O Grady and s**t like needlessly shoehorning in a scene where the doctor eats an easter egg BEACAUSE ITS THE EASTER SPECIAL!!! DONT YOU GET IT!!!

Also, while I felt it was a refreshing change at the time and was certainly a big part in the return of the show being such a massive success, I'm glad that s5 has toned down the 'human' elements so far and by this I mean the constant juxtaposing of the tedium of day to day human existence (launderettes, temp jobs, office blocks, council estates) with the wonders of travelling with the doctor. This served the show well during RTDs years but had for the most part been played out. The human element is still there but not quite so overdone. For instance had Rory appeared in s1-4 you can damn well be sure we would know alot more about his family and past. And also the Clerics in the Angels two parter would have been shackled with some brief and conveninet backstories about their loved ones (and no doubt at least two of them would have been having an illicit affair so as to give their demise so much more emotional resonance with the viewer )

I'm growing into this series by the week.

Although I have to say I'm not sure it's a healthy outlook to compare it with what went before it. That era had its fans and even those that found it so-so (such as myself) were still happy to watch it, so 'talking-it-down' is a bit harsh.

I remember the older series in a good way but am enjoying the way it has now moved on. I have had my moments where I wasn't convinced though

Definitely has to be the fact its thought about, and the cliffhangers aren't "everyone about to fall into complete doom".

When i say thought about i mean like the idea that River Song left a message for 12000 years for the doctor to find, with RTD it tended to be called off with the "psychic paper" or just bumping into each other!

Its so much darker, less "party" feel to it, with the right amount of humour!

sorry just to clarify this point....are you talking about the last time River met the Doctor in the Library? If so that was written by Moff...

As for Cliffhangers we have definitely had more this series than ever before....good thing...bad thing...neither really, just different, and an interesting style to put a stamp on the series...

The Bad Wolf cliffhanger was probably the most different one in the last five years, in that the ones in Danger were not the Doctor and co...but the Daleks!!

I really did love the cliffhanger of Time of Angels (it was a sense of doom) only spoiled by the banner for over the Rainbow...this weeks was a little ho hum...different but ho hum

I do indeed feel the dramas not as overt. I think that scene done by RTD would have been quite different. The cut-away shots and shots of Amy thinking would have been exposition dialogue for example. However I don't want to get into RTD vs SM territory because I liked seasons 1-4 as well.

I don't think our little discussion is really "who is better" dabate"...but just a comparison on styles...


For example I would agree that we wouldn't have got that flashback style with RTD, becuase that isn't his style...we would have just had Amy tell us....with Moff we got the interesting cut away shots...and Amy saying it at least three times. A similar example I can think of with RTD is Donna, and how she worked out what the Doctor was like and needed. in the Runaway Bride, or how he was feeling in Midnight...all we got was a few lines of dialogue at the end....and a hug in the latter, with a general dialogue about what should happen now....

So out of the three ways of of a companion working out what the Doctor is like and how they see him....I feel the RTD style there is subtle. But again this by no means mean that I didn't like what happend in the Beast Below....just that for me, it was less subtle....through dialougue and cut away shots...just to add, the less subtle aproach makes sense in this case because it was a plot point, in that the audience were being told how Amy came to the decision she did, albiet an emotional logic....so had to be less subtle...while the other two points were character moments....so didn't need to be so loud...and therefore weren't....

- No shoddy deux ex machinas- ok, yes I agre,, so far.
- no gratuitious celebrity cameos-James Corden anyone?
- no overwrought dialogue-love a bit of angst.
- no chip on shoulder Donna Noble- that , to me, is a bad thing Donna was wonderful, she developed into a well rounded caing companion
- no council estates-whats wrong with council estates? that was only 2 series anyway.
- no "I wuv you Doctor"-instead we had, I want to jump your bones, Doctor.
- no "why dont you love me Doctor.."instead we had, why wont you shag me Doctor?
- no Tennant gurning passing as characterisation-sadly
- no Tennant crying passing as characterisation-sadly again.
- no naggin mothers-I agree on that one
- no RTD bigging himself up Confidential- I loved RTD on confi, it just seems bland now
- no TARDIS towing the earth through space-that was 1 episode
- no Dobby Doctor-Sadly, I loved him
- no earth being invaded then saved by reversing time-ntohing wrong with that storyline
- No Master mugging like an imbecile-mores the pity
- no fellatio with a paving stone-I agree, LOATHE L&M
- no Torchwood-sadly, it has left a massive big hole in my viewing pleasure
- no Big Brother rubbish-Again, that was 1-2 episodes
- no Kylie being unable to act-I thought she was OK , and at least we had the bionic eye too
- no titanic falling on Buck House-turn left was a classic though
- no absorboloff-thankk Christ
- no burping wheelie bins-aw never mind
- no second Tennant acting as a Rose sex toy-she loved him, you have to understand that.

Everybody keeps going on about this James Corden bloke, saying he's a 'celebrity guest star'. I've never heard of him. I've just looked him up on Wiki and I'm still none the wiser.

Oh, another great thing about this series: no David Tennant acting like a hyperactive four year old.