Spoilers

[jimhenley]

Finally watched the last of the David Tennant Doctor Who specials, which means when I work up the ambition I can now go back to any posts that immlass, hangingfire and leighleighla, among others may have written on the topic. Meanwile, some thoughts and questions from a mere Nuvian under the cut.

Comments

[immlass]

I don't know that I'd say S05E03 is the worst in the modern incarnation of Who (I'd put any of RTD's lachrymose season finales for Ten up against it, especially if WOSE TYLER is involved) but it was weak sauce. It felt like setup for another episode down the road and I'm tired of Dalek payoff. Terry Nation's estate needs to shut the new series down on using them. They only have 13 episodes now. We don't need a Dalek ep every season.

We had trouble *ahem* finding a good copy of this week's so I haven't seen it either.

[immlass]

Without spoiling it, I felt that it was a triumph of special effects over story. Having seen the Confidential, there were some historical pieces I disliked less, but the Daleks and all the plot pieces that tied directly to them left me feeling all oogy. How is this OK when the showrunner is the guy who gave us The Empty Child?

And I am a sap who cries at international coffee commercials, but I've really hated all the Ten season finales. Even when I've cried by reflex, I've hated the reflex and resented having my chain yanked.

And I think we have a good version now, but the first one had a bad audio/video sync. I thought it was some kind of effect until I realized everyone was doing it!

[mcroft]

Regeneration has previously been treated as "Oh, no! Here I go again!" or "well, he's unconsious or maybe dead. Now what?"

I was fond of Planet of the Dead, but perhaps that was not-companion Christina De Souza. I liked Mickey and Martha getting on with it and the dreaded "10 says goodbye to everyone for 907 minutes at the end" wasn't as bad as I'd feared.

I like the new stuff. It's more like the old stuff. So far, the Doctor hasn't shown any inclination to become romantically involved with someone 900 years his junior.

[immlass]

End of Time was disappointing to me. I hated what they did to Donna in the S04 finale and I hated the way they used her here. There was too much special effect and not enough story, and I mostly like Simm's master (for all that he's mostly a finale villain) and I loved seeing the Time Lords back again. But the whole thing was too self-indulgent for me. At the end I was really glad to see the back of RTD.

As for the questions:

1. I think regenerations have been more traumatic and less emo in the past. Emo is an RTD specialty.

2. Maybe this is because all the fanwank is about the Doctor's mother?

3. Yes.

4. I like the Next Doctor best of the specials too, I think.

5. You should watch old skool Who instead.

[jimhenley]

I ain't giving up my Eccleston Retrospective, but if you and Michael felt like recommending three Old Who storylines in the Netflix instant queue, I'd be delighted.

[immlass]

I'll have to see what's available in the instant queue that I'd recommend, but Genesis of the Daleks just hit DVD and it's pretty much my favorite serial ever, cheesy special effects and all. Tom Baker takes that shit seriously and that's a large part of it.

[jimhenley]

2. Right - but you'd think fanwank about her *husband* would be the obvious complement to that.