April 11, 2005

Doctor Who 2005 Eps 1 & 2

Okay, so I've finally got around to watching the first two epsiodes of the new series of Doctor Who and, because I don't want to go to sleep just yet, am going to post my thoughts.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Cool. That's the word that popped into my mind most often during the watching of these episodes. There were so many ideas that were used during the epsiodes that made me grin, chuckled, think 'wow' or just say "How cool!" Which for any TV programme is a good thing and I'm definately looking forward to episode 3 (I missed it on TV last night, I was busy doing something else). My background in Doctor Who isn't detailed. I can remember watching some episodes of the Sylvester McCoy Doctor (I can also remember fancying Sophie Aldred) and I think I quite enjoyed them. I also remember reading one Dr Who book during my childhood. I couldn't tell you which one it was though. I of course know about the daleks and hte 'master' and other small pieces of Who trivia. And I know that the show is meant to be good solid fun, with a few 'frights' and a large helping of SCI-FI.

So with all that in mind I wasn't expecting too much from the latest episodes. To be 100% honest I tuned in as much for Billie Piper as for the new ideas and storylines. And I wasn't really disappointed on either count. Billie isn't too bad an actress (although she does seem to have a degree in 'grinning') and the storylines are fun, if kinda daft. What I wasn't expecting was for Christopher Eccleston's Doctor to be so childish in his ways. He looks for trouble, gets excitied about it. Take the second epsiode for example where he says something like:

DOCTOR: So if we get in trouble there'll be non-one to help us.
RANDOM CHARACTER WHOSE NAME I'VE FORGOTTEN: I suppose so.
DOCTOR: Fantastic!
RANDOM CHARACTER: Sorry? What part of this is fantastic?

He seems to look for trouble and relish it. I know my memory isn't great but I'm sure Sylvester McCoy's 'Doctor' didn't do that. Still, it does bring a light-hearted sense of fun to the show and that is definately welcome. As a matter of fact, when the severed plastic arm tried to strangle the Doctor in 'Rose' or when the bin swalloed Rose's boyfriend and then burped I thought I was watching a sketch show. I think those moments though, and others, re-inforce the fact that this series is 'fun'. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Doctor and Rose pairing seems to be working out for me, though I wish the Doctor would take his role more seriously. However, his tale of woe at the end of the episode two gives me hope that there is some seriousness left inside him, rather than childish "Can't. No Money." Type sentences. And Billie is nice to look at.

The second episode was cleverer and more watchable than the first, despite the fact that Rose just lay they and waited to die from the sunlight. Anyone else would be trying to get out but not her. The aliens were clever, and I enjoyed the fact that the last human being alive had been 'surgeried' to almost non-existence.

So yeah, two good eps and I'm waiting for a third. Great stuff!

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