Doctor Who *Spoilers Abound! We've lost Containment*

Series Three really picks up toward the end - Human Nature/Family of Blood is excellent; and I'd easily put Blink among the top science-fiction/horror TV episodes ever - it's THAT GOOD (when RTD leaves, give the show to Moffat, please, BBC?). Oh, and that whole run at the end...good stuff.

I'm a little late to the party on Torchwood, but I've "aquired" the first few eps, I just haven't watched them yet - is it worth it?

And I'm not quite sold on Tate - okay in the Christmas episode, but I saw a couple of clips from her sketch show on Brit TV - it's pretty terrible. I think a great deal of S4's success will be how they handle her introduction; I'd hope it'd be a completely different dynamic than either Rose (who I quite liked) or Martha (who really has potential, but the writers never managed to tap - maybe someday.) Another love story, unrequited or no, would get tedious - some anatgonism might be fun after three years of goo-goo eyes.

I finished watching season 3 tonight and I just have to say WOW! Pretty much the entire season was great. Blink was probably the best episode of any sci-fi show I have ever seen. And that's after watching it twice. The season ending arc was also very well done. Tennent has really grown on me. I love his youthful enthusiasm and sense of adventure. He's like a big kid with a time machine, until he gets ticked off, that is. Great show. I'm already pining for season 4.

Where are people getting season 3? Is it on DVD or something?

I've heard of people downloading torrents.

I loved the Eccleston season. Absolutely loved it. For some reason, I wasn't as enamored of the following season. I think there are even a few episodes in it I haven't seen yet. Haven't seen any of season three. I think I was more disappointed in the actor switch than I realized.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I loved the Eccleston season. Absolutely loved it. For some reason, I wasn't as enamored of the following season. I think there are even a few episodes in it I haven't seen yet. Haven't seen any of season three. I think I was more disappointed in the actor switch than I realized.

Season 3 really picks it back up though. Stick with it.

oldmanscene24 wrote:

I'm in the camp that likes Martha more than Donna. I'm not a big fan of obnoxious loudmouths, no matter the gender. I obviously don't have much to go on, but as companions go, I like Martha better than Rose. I was really sad to see Rose go and see an end to her relationship with the Doctor, but I think Martha will make a better companion in the long run. Time will tell.

Donna was annoying as a standalone character, but I really enjoyed watching her boss around the Doctor, and how he would just sheepishly comply. It's not really how I expected him to react to that situation. I have mixed feelings about how she would fare as a regular character, though. As for Martha, I can't really say. So far I've only seen the sci-fi re-airings and she hasn't really done anything to stand out as a character in the one episode of her that they've broadcast.

ruhk wrote:

As for Martha, I can't really say. So far I've only seen the sci-fi re-airings and she hasn't really done anything to stand out as a character in the one episode of her that they've broadcast.

Martha starts to grow on you after a while - I thought she has a few good moments in episode two (which we americans ought to see officially this weekend), and in Human Nature/Family of Blood - though I don't think the writers ever managed to really knock it out of the park with her character during this series.

On the whole, though, I kind of liked Rose a little better, even if Martha, as the character was conceived, anyway, is a better suited candidate, intellectually.

Maybe they'll do better

spoiler wrote:

[color=#ffffff]when they bring her back in Torchwood series 2 and mid-season 4[/color]

I agree about "Blink". That episode was fantastic.

Just watched Blink tonight. Scared the bejeezus out of my wife. Great episode! On the whole, I thought Season 3 began weakly (Shakespeare and Gridlock were trite), but it's really turned it around recently. Only four more episodes. I hate that these seasons are so short.

I watched Blink tonight as well...fantastic stuff.

So, the consensus is that these recent series hold up compared to...Tom Baker?

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Haven't seen any of season three. I think I was more disappointed in the actor switch than I realized.

I think it took a while for Tennant to settle into the roll, particularly starting with a co-star who'd been around longer. And it usually takes the audience a while to get used to the new guy--it's always been that way. Season 3, particularly the back half, is some of the best stuff the revamped series has ever done. The remaining three episodes to air in the U.S. should be a real treat to anyone, fan of the old or new series.

A word of warning, though: it paves over one of the big surprises in Torchwood's premiere episode and a couple of that series' central mysteries.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

A word of warning, though: it paves over one of the big surprises in Torchwood's premiere episode and a couple of that series' central mysteries.

... and is about 5 kinds of awesome!

FYI. Any of you lucky individuals who have the HDNet channel they are showing Torchwood in HD.

Well, it looks like SciFi actually got it right. They are now only a few weeks behind the BBC airing of this season of Doctor Who.

And holy crap!

Spoiler wrote:

[color=white]They brought back Rose![/color]

Hey Gaald, update the thread title to make it a catch-all!

Nimcosi wrote:

Well, it looks like SciFi actually got it right. They are now only a few weeks behind the BBC airing of this season of Doctor Who.

And holy crap!

Spoiler wrote:

[color=white]They brought back Rose![/color]

Hey Gaald, update the thread title to make it a catch-all! :)

Well, that's not fair... next thing you know you'll be getting BBC shows before us... oh wait - that already happened! >:(

Ever since the first season's "Bad Wolf" finale I've been looking for clues towards the story arc for each season- this series I've noticed that in two of the four episodes yet aired there have been allusions to The Doctor and Companion being worshiped as gods (episodes 2 and 3). If that is this series' arc I'm interested to see where it goes.

I like the new choice of companion, but I wish they'd made her even more brassy and more willing to needle the doctor a little bit. The past two companions have been so filled with Doctor adulation that it wouldn't hurt to have a season where the companion isn't quite so in love with him.

Funkenpants wrote:

I like the new choice of companion, but I wish they'd made her even more brassy and more willing to needle the doctor a little bit. The past two companions have been so filled with Doctor adulation that it wouldn't hurt to have a season where the companion isn't quite so in love with him.

Ugh! I really don't like Catherine Tate... i hated her comedy show as well and i really don't think that she has any facial acting what-so-ever. Plus, she can't run.... what good is a doctor's companion if they're unable to run? I think that the best choice for companion would have been a man because after the recent spate of women it'd be nice for the doctor to have a change of plotline rather than leaning back on the over-used male/female dynamic.

Duoae wrote:

Ugh! I really don't like Catherine Tate... i hated her comedy show as well and i really don't think that she has any facial acting what-so-ever. Plus, she can't run.... what good is a doctor's companion if they're unable to run? I think that the best choice for companion would have been a man because after the recent spate of women it'd be nice for the doctor to have a change of plotline rather than leaning back on the over-used male/female dynamic.

The inability to run is a bit of a downer, but really, how much more running down corridors do we need? I've never watched anything else Tate's been in, but mugging for the camera doesn't make for good acting. That said, I enjoyed the miming in the premiere quite a bit, and episodes two and three show more seriousness from the character.

Duoae wrote:

Ugh! I really don't like Catherine Tate... i hated her comedy show as well and i really don't think that she has any facial acting what-so-ever. Plus, she can't run.... what good is a doctor's companion if they're unable to run?

I'm not a huge fan of that actress so far, but her value to the show will depend on the plot lines. If they made Tate into more of a raging battleaxe, she opens up new avenues for the writers to follow instead of going back to the same well they've been drawing on for the past three years. If they make her too sympathetic immediately they don't have much place to go.

Adding a male companion is a good idea, but I can't remember a time when the doctor had only a single, male companion. From the series history I remember, they tend to come along only when there's already a female companion there.

I'm a fan of Tate and her character Donna. I like her quips and reactions, ("I'm waving at fat"). It's a nice contrast from the last two companions.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

The inability to run is a bit of a downer, but really, how much more running down corridors do we need? I've never watched anything else Tate's been in, but mugging for the camera doesn't make for good acting. That said, I enjoyed the miming in the premiere quite a bit, and episodes two and three show more seriousness from the character.

At the risk of summoning the 80s, Ace was a pretty strong female character that didn't have too much 'lip' and 'attitude' tacked-on to her persona. While the character was written with clear 80s influences and as such the dialogue and general script writing tended to be campier back then. However, i'd really like a 'not from our time' companion because they're taking the 'relating with the audience' too far. It's just rehashing the same persona with a slightly different vocal script... they're all 'strong' women who speak their mind and act of their own volition, regardless of what the doctor says. All three: Rose, Martha and Donna really aren't very different.

Also i don't get what you mean when you say 'mugging for the camera'. I was saying that she has little ability to make her face interesting when acting... i can't sympathise with her and the only facial acting i see her do is when she shouts - kinda like how Nicolas Cage only has two faces... his angry determined/pissed-off face and his caring-slightly-melancoly/vulnerable look which he alternates between in all the movies i've seen him in.

Gdawg27 wrote:

I'm a fan of Tate and her character Donna. I like her quips and reactions, ("I'm waving at fat"). It's a nice contrast from the last two companions.

Tate is an abysmal actress (but then I'm not a huge fan of Tennant's acting either), but what is really annoying me is that the show seems to be sliding into allegory-hell with her as your everyman commentator - that sh*t was old with Piers Plowman.

Umm....slavery is bad, mmm-kay. Guns are bad, mmm-kay.

I'm getting a tad fed-up with the "the doctor is like fire, you'll get burned." That was covered, maybe, 3 or 4 companions ago. We get it. Everyone felt sad when Rose left. Why must they all be warned again and again? Just have some fun w/ the Doctor and leave it at that.

I'm enjoying the new season so far, despite the fact that I find Donna to be really annoying. I didn't instantly fall in love with Martha either though, so I'm hoping that the character will grow on me as the season progresses. Did anyone else think that the Pompeii episode was one of the worst ever? I love the cheesiness of Doctor Who, but that episode was just too much for me, and the dialogue was fairly bad.

Did anyone watch the second season of Torchwood? I loved it, but it was pretty crazy.

Aramina wrote:

I'm enjoying the new season so far, despite the fact that I find Donna to be really annoying. I didn't instantly fall in love with Martha either though, so I'm hoping that the character will grow on me as the season progresses. Did anyone else think that the Pompeii episode was one of the worst ever? I love the cheesiness of Doctor Who, but that episode was just too much for me, and the dialogue was fairly bad.

Did anyone watch the second season of Torchwood? I loved it, but it was pretty crazy.

I agree....

Seriously though, i'm finding it difficult to get into torchwood because i keep getting the impression that it's all just one big ego trip for Mr. Barrowman.... plus i keep missing the episodes... but i'm almost certain it's the first reason

Aramina wrote:

Did anyone else think that the Pompeii episode was one of the worst ever?

The Pompeii episode hasn't aired in the U.S. yet. That's coming up on Friday.

Duoae wrote:

Seriously though, i'm finding it difficult to get into torchwood because i keep getting the impression that it's all just one big ego trip for Mr. Barrowman....

Whoa. Cut the guy some slack. He's just acting out the scripts they give him. And based on what I've seen, he's barely the main character in the show. Most of the big emotional moments and character development they've done over the past two seasons focused on Gwen and to a lesser extent, Owen.

I've had the same difficulty getting into the show. It's a little too much soap opera/relationship oriented for my tastes. Like maybe they are hoping to draw from the Josh Whedon fans as well as those who like Doctor Who.

Funkenpants wrote:

Whoa. Cut the guy some slack. He's just acting out the scripts they give him. And based on what I've seen, he's barely the main character in the show. Most of the big emotional moments and character development they've done over the past two seasons focused on Gwen and to a lesser extent, Owen.

It's probably because i'm sick of seeing him in everything here. He's literally everywhere, all the time - on TV, in theatres - we even had his face on buses around here for a couple of months over Christmas when he was in a pantomime.

So does anyone know why the CBC (Canadian TV) stopped carrying this? I live across the border and am really missing my Who fix.