First off, my family’s television broke in 1976, when I was 10 years old, and as a result, aside from a brief 5-year period between 1991 and 1996, I’ve been effectively “not a TV watcher”. But I’ve been a Netflix streaming subscriber for the last year or so, and I’ve finally started watching Doctor Who. Specifically, the 2005 reboot(?) reimagining(?)/continuation of the series that actually started 2 years before my birth. If for no other reason than the realization that my lack of Doctor Who knowledge was a serious, gaping hole in my “nerd credentials”.
I’ve become completely smitten with Billie Piper as Rose Tyler.
But ultimately, the question at hand is this:
I’ve watched the first 2005 season, and I’m now 3 episodes into Season 2. Is it too early for me start arguing about which actor is the best Doctor?
Season 2, Ep. 4 “School Reunion” - Sarah Jane Smith.
Is this the same actress from an earlier incarnation of the show? And yes, I"m asking for spoilers. Once I finish the new series, I plan to go back and start from the 1964 beginning.
Why does the Sarah Jane actress remind me so much of the President from the Battlestar Galactica reboot?
Yes, she is. Elizabeth Sladen first played Sarah Jane Smith from 1973 through 1976, as companion to the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and the Fourth (Tom Baker). That’s old seasons 11 into 14. Her first episode was “The Time Warrior” which also introduced the Sontarans, and also the episode where we learn the Doctor’s home planet is called Gallifrey.
Just be aware that the show has changed a LOT since 1964. Some of the first season reminds me more of video-taped stage plays than what we see on modern TV. The lack of special-effects budget in early Who is infamous. Some very good stories from way back, but we’re talking black and white TV with heavy use of tinfoil covered cardboard. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but since you started with the 2005 version the differences may be jarring at times.
I too love Christopher Eccleston, though my first Doctor was Tom Baker. I would actually wait until you have run through all the netflix episodes, and do sample some of the older Doctors as well.
Eh, Star Trek: TOS debuted the year I was born (1966) and I still love it. I bolded the “Sone very good stories” bit in Broomstick’s post, because that’s ultimately what matters. One of my favorite SF movies is still the old B&W “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.
Starting at the end of (New) Season 2 you should interweave episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Torchwood. They are spinoffs using a few of the same characters, but one show is aimed at Tweens, the other at Adults, respectively, and though they’re not crucial, they do crossover and expand the canon.
Sadly, Elizabeth Sladen died of cancer at the height of her Sarah Jane fame renaissance.
Re: Eccleston- he has a fan base, but when you go to a sci-fi con you’ll see easily a hundred Matt Smiths and eighty David Tennants for every one Christopher Ecclestons you see in costumes or T-shirts or the like.
It always takes me about half a season to decide that the current Doctor is the best. I loved Ecclestone, and was very wary of Tennant when he started, but after 6 episodes, he seemed much better. Same thing happened with Matt Smith.
I have complete confidence in whoever gets the gig next (btw, I am still available)
In Chris Eccleston’s defense, the man did apparently think long and hard about what the Doctor should look like before deciding, “I know! He should look like Christopher Eccleston!” Both Smith and Tennant have had their own little signature pieces of Doctor apparel (fez, white sneakers and long coat) that make them easier/more visible for cosplay. He also hopped ship before he could build up a truly passionate fanbase.
Yeah, I don’t like watching the first season of the new series cause I just don’t care for Eccleston. He doesn’t stand up as well after seeing David and Matt. And of course any episode with Rose is poor off to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her at first too but the more I watched the more I was just done with her. She’s too ‘perfect’ and as close to a Mary Sue character as I’ve seen in the series.
As for the older episodes. People say they’re great. And I want to think they’re great too but…I just can’t. With the recent anniversary specials showing each month, I’ve been exposed to a lot of the older episodes. And I just…can’t even watch them. They’re so slow…ugh. I’m sure the story is good but I can’t bear to watch them
It’s a little like seeing the same play or opera multiple times - you may have a particular fondness for the way one actor approached, say, Sir John Falstaff, but every performer/director/composer/conductor/designer team tries to find the most honest way to tell the story.
It’s one of the things that makes Doctor Who great; seeing the way Christopher Ecclestone’s ‘Doctor’ has the same back story as all the others, and yet - he’s different from David Tennant’s ‘Doctor’. Also, the writing team and the directors are getting better and better at playing to each actor’s strengths.
When you watch the older episodes, it’s good to remember that they were not shown all-of-a-piece, but in smaller sections (about 30-to-40 minutes, IIRC), with cliffhangers. When they’re strung together and shown as one episode, they do tend to drag. Having said that: Tom Baker rules.
Ah, one of those must be what my sister was talking about when I asked her if she’d watched Doctor Who. She said something about a spinoff that she just couldn’t get into, but she couldn’t remember the name and I wasn’t aware of any spinoffs.
