Maybe I have bad luck but every time I watch an episode it seems bad. It almost seems like it’s cheesy on purpose. Anybody else not get it? I like SciFi shows if they are good.
Which ones have you watched? You might not like it anyway (not everybody does, and that’s fine) but it’s probably easier to get into it if you start with one of the more “accessible” episodes.
I suggest either “Blink” (which is one of the best Who episodes ever) or “Rose” (the first episode of the Who reboot, with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor).
I’ve only been a fan for a couple of years and I’m in the process of catching up with all the classic Who episodes, but I get the feeling that the “cheesiness” is part of the charm of the show. The reboot has better special effects and a bigger budget, but still retains a bit of that charming old style that the original fans remember.
Hey, sometimes that happens. It might just not be your cup of tea. I enjoyed Time Heist last night, if you want a simple episode that was pretty decent.
I saw recent episodes don’t recall which ones. At least the sidekick is cute.
It’s okay to not like things. Why are you worried about this?
Not worried, just figured it would be much better given the popularity.
It may just be popular for things you might not like. The cheesiness is part of the show’s appeal to many fans, and, yes, it is deliberate. They can be un-cheesy when they want to. One of the most remarkable things about it is the fact that, in the midst of all the cheese, there are moments of deadly seriousness and pathos. I find the contrast an interesting and effective approach.
Infovore suggested “Blink” (which is a very good episode), but for the lactose-intolerant, “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances” two-parter might be a better look at what the show is capable of.
(None of which means you have to like it, of course. I’m just trying to show why many of us do.)
Yeah, it’s hit or miss with me.
Whenever I see it’s going to be an episode about those indestructible robot things (Whatever they’re called) I’ll skip right through that episode.
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[li]Humanoid=Cybermen[/li][li]Rolling Pepper Pot with a toilet plunger=Dalek[/li][/ul]
Thanks for that. Dalek is the one I was thinking of. (And I love your description!)
Don’t feel bad. I’ve been dipping into Dr. Who for the last 40 years, and I still don’t like it. Doesn’t mean anything - just one less thing to spend my viewing time on.
Different strokes for different folks. I like Doctor Who, but have never been able to get into any iteration of Star Trek. Try a couple of the suggestions, and if it’s still not your thing move on.
Just remember that, ultimately, it’s a kid’s show. It’s never going to be really gritty.
You know I can’t appreciate Wagner’s Ring cycle. Or wheat beers. I have friends who do, and who don’t like The Who’s Tommy. Or a good stout. All of which I do like. It is not a question of “good”; it is a question of individual taste.
Doctor Who and some sci fi you like may be in the same group just like Wagner’s Ring Cycle and The Who’s Tommy are both operas and wheat beers and stout are both beers. Some people like all of 'em but some don’t.
Yes the cheesiness and goofiness is part of the appeal. I would not say that liking Babylon 5 or BSG would be predictive one way or the other of liking Doctor Who. OTOH I would guess that someone who liked Firefly might like it and even more someone who liked Hitchhiker’s Guide.
Some good suggestions to really test it out. If you don’t like those eps then this is not a show for you. Honestly I am surprised that it a show for as many as it is!
I watched my first reboot Dr. Who today, “The Girl in the Fireplace”…it was pretty good. And the Sci-Fi was solid…well, the base concept.
It’s actually pretty accurate. The shape of the original Daleks was based on a salt cellar, and one of its weapon “arms” was a plunger. Or based on one.
I was very lucky; the first episode I ever saw was the one where he is in a “TV” universe, trapped in various game shows and reality shows. The one where Anne Robinson (?) parodied herself as the emcee of “Weakest Link.”
It was hilarious! It was brilliant! And…it was also dark enough to be more than just comedy. The guy who was “Voted out of the House” in the Reality Show spoof was going out to his death. The blending of emotional tonalities was magnificent.
(In just the opposite kind of luck, the first episode I saw of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was one of the worst episodes, and so I went away thinking the show had to have been completely stupid. Oops! No, just one of the rare episodes that wasn’t up to par!)
I’ve had at least a nodding acquaintance with “Dr. Who” throughout the fifty-odd years since its inception; and have always had trouble seeing what all the fuss was about. I tend to be hard to please with entertainment and fiction generally, and essentially don’t “do” TV series – this, a case in point. Was always put off, for a start, by the title: Doctor Who, as a name for a hero, struck me as extremely lame.
And ardent fans of that universe, who style themselves “Whovians” – UGH ! For me, that’s as bad as (re another thing in which I’m seemingly out of step with most of the world – I can’t stand Terry Pratchett): devotees of the aforesaid author, who call him “Pterry”. That, and “Whovian” – bloody precious beyond description, and have me wanting to commit murder. I suppose I’m just a grumpy old man…
It’s not his name; he’s always referred to as The Doctor, never as Doctor Who, unless Moffatt is being cute.
you have watch all the episodes in order.