# Doctor Who Season 5 US pace thread. \[No Spoilers until US Airing\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640 "2010-04-19T17:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/261 "2010-07-26T14:02:07Z")
I thought it was all sorts of awesome, a great season, easily my favorite. I’m thrilled that the Smith/Gilliam pairing will continue at least another year, and am glad they’re not doing the “romantic tension” bit that existed between the Doctor and Rose. Matt Smith: Of the three “new” Doctor’s, he’s the only one that convinced me that there was something, in fact, _different_ about this guy (Eccelston played the Doctor like he was merely doing a role, Tennant was too much the dandy). To quote Amy: “Why didn’t I take my wedding band with me when I ran off with another guy the night before my wedding? You really _are_ alien, aren’t you?” My wish for the new season: More interplanetary locations, less historical Earth settings. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/262 "2010-07-26T15:58:33Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > My wish for the new season: More interplanetary locations, less historical Earth settings. Pretty much what Amy’s been asking for as well. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/263 "2010-07-26T16:14:55Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > > [@JohnT](#): > > > > My wish for the new season: More interplanetary locations, less historical Earth settings. > > Pretty much what Amy’s been asking for as well. … On the Orient Express, In Space? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/264 "2010-07-26T17:00:10Z")
I’m another one who would have liked a 3-parter…less for the building of the Alliance, than to get more of a look at the World Without Stars. Since Vincent Van Gogh was a character in the season, for instance, I’d like to see how Starry Night either was executed or perceived. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/265 "2010-07-26T17:21:38Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Having being watching the whole series off bittorrent…you don’t feel ripped off… I would imagine not. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/266 "2010-07-26T17:26:05Z")
I think I’m going to have to watch it once (or more) again just to get The Doctor’s time line straight. So when Amy and Rory are dressed for the beach inside the Tardis, I guess they were headed for or just left Rio, instead of hitting the big drilling thing in Wales in 2020? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/267 "2010-07-26T17:42:43Z")
They’re going to Space Florida! ETA: Apparently an unaired adventure/vacation between “Amy’s Choice” and “The Hungry Earth.” Rory and Amy may have had several trips aboard the Tardis that we never saw. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/268 "2010-07-26T18:00:18Z")
Which is the case with most Companions, as well as the Doctor himself. Makes great fodder for the comics, novels, and audio dramas, as well as brief scenes like that one. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/269 "2010-07-26T18:31:44Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > > [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > > > Having being watching the whole series off bittorrent…you don’t feel ripped off… > > I would imagine not. ow. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/270 "2010-07-26T20:01:02Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Since Vincent Van Gogh was a character in the season, for instance, I’d like to see how Starry Night either was executed or perceived. Perceived by whom? We saw his perception of the starry night while he was on the ground with Amy and the Doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/271 "2010-07-26T20:14:31Z")
That was in the original universe. I’m talking about the World Without Stars that existed after the rest of the universe ceased to exist. The one where Amy was seeing a psychiatrist because she painted stars, and where Richard Dawkins was involved in a ‘Star Cult’. Would van Gogh have painted ‘The Moon On a Clear Night’ in this world? Or would he have still painted ‘Starry Night’, and people would have taken it as a further sign of his insanity? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/272 "2010-07-26T21:26:54Z")
The measure of excellence of this episode was that at the end, I yelled. “Yes! Rory’s staying!” He really has become the most interesting character of this season, to me. Also loved the hint that next season’s story arc is about River. Very much want to see more of her. > [@Quercus\_alba](#): > > Is this the first time the Doctor will be travelling with a married couple? Number Four (Tom Baker) traveled with a male and female companion - Sarah Jane Smith (yep, same actress) and a Royal Navy MD named Harry Sullivan. The usual Doctor-companion bickering dynamic was in this case between Sarah Jane and Harry - Harry was a bit of a male chauvinist, and you can imagine how well that played with Sarah Jane. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/273 "2010-07-27T00:29:13Z")
If we’re just going to list when the Doctor travelled with a man and a woman, that goes all the way back to number One. From the first episode, the First Doctor travelled with his granddaughter, Susan, as well as Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. While his actual companions changed, if I’m remembering correctly, the ‘Susan, a woman, and a man’ pattern was continued until Susan left. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/274 "2010-07-27T00:32:17Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > That was in the original universe. > > I’m talking about the World Without Stars that existed after the rest of the universe ceased to exist. > > The one where Amy was seeing a psychiatrist because she painted stars, and where Richard Dawkins was involved in a ‘Star Cult’. > > Would van Gogh have painted ‘The Moon On a Clear Night’ in this world? Or would he have still painted ‘Starry Night’, and people would have taken it as a further sign of his insanity? Oh, I see. Would these people, other than Amy, even exist? Vincent might stick around longer than others because he did travel to the 21st Century then back to his own time. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/275 "2010-07-27T00:40:21Z")
> [@Sean\_Factotum](#): > > I think I’m going to have to watch it once (or more) again just to get The Doctor’s time line straight. I saw this image linked in another forum, I think it’s pretty helpful for explaining the timeline. [Warning, large image!](http://imgur.com/5aTKj.png) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/276 "2010-07-27T00:44:20Z")
They did for a while - the universe was collapsing slowly - the Earth existed up until about the year 2000, and history was remarkably similar to the real world for the whole time, which could be the Doctor’s doing, or the TARDIS’s. Or it may simply be that a cosmically brief, but complete history of Earth up to the 21st century wouldn’t vary quite that much. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/277 "2010-07-27T00:49:39Z")
So the reaction seems to be about the same. I hoped so! But I’m curious: Sean and Snoopy, is it okay that Rory’s back? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/278 "2010-07-27T04:32:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > So the reaction seems to be about the same. I hoped so! But I’m curious: Sean and Snoopy, is it okay that Rory’s back? While it would have been ballsier to leave him erased, I’m cool with having him back around. He may not be the best companion, but he’s nowhere near the worst. And I have a feeling that marriage is going to help him lose a lot of his dweebiness; he doesn’t have to fret about whether Amy’s really committed to him. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/279 "2010-07-27T09:20:07Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > From the first episode, the First Doctor travelled with his granddaughter, Susan, as well as Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. While his actual companions changed, if I’m remembering correctly, the ‘Susan, a woman, and a man’ pattern was continued until Susan left. It continued after Susan left. The first Doctor’s companions were: Susan, Ian, Barbara Vicky, Ian, Barbara Vicky, Steven Steven, Katarina,\* Sarah\* Steven, Dodo Ben, Polly So at least one male companion at all times, barring a couple of transitional episodes. - Short timers, very short, but still usually counted. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640/280 "2010-07-27T18:03:24Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > > [@Tengu](#): > > > > From the first episode, the First Doctor travelled with his granddaughter, Susan, as well as Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. While his actual companions changed, if I’m remembering correctly, the ‘Susan, a woman, and a man’ pattern was continued until Susan left. > > It continued after Susan left. Well, once Susan left, the ‘_Susan_, woman, man’ pattern couldn’t, by definition continue… I ended the comment there because I wasn’t sure if he continued travelling with both sexes continuously after that (though I thought so, I just couldn’t confirm it), so thanks for confirming that. (I’d also thought thought Ian and Barbara left before Susan, actually. Been way too long since I’ve seen the First Doctor episodes.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-season-5-us-pace-thread-no-spoilers-until-us-airing/536640.md?page=15)