Warning: all reviews contain some spoilers
Season 1: episode 5
Having retrieved two keys on my quest to free Marinus from the evil Voord, I find myself in yet another dark dungeon staring at a dead-end. The Dungeon Master asks me to roll a d20. I pick up the die and give it a spin. Success! I spot a trap hidden in the idol at the end of the hall. I trip its wire and reveal a hidden door...
The plot to Keys of Marinus runs like an old D&D module, or maybe a computer RPG. I'm sure you're familiar with the old formula: "Quest for X number of Y to defeat Z" Where Y can be the One Ring, or a Staff broken into 7 parts, or a sword shattered in three, or 9 components of a magic spell. Each piece hidden in a different location, guarded by a different 'boss' monster. The plot of Marinus could have been ripped directly from one of the old DnD Gold Box games. Come to think of it, writer Terry Nation was also responsible for the Lord of the Rings rip off Dalek story. Maybe this guy is an old fantasy nerd.
The format wasn't a draw back for me. Moving from location to location kept things moving and varied -- though I still found it difficult to watch more than a couple parts in a row. Rather than drawing out a single concept until it grows dull, Nation puts the heroes up against a variety of dangers. It's possible this story is just as bad as all the rest I've seen up to this point and my judgment is simply clouded by watching the Edge of Destruction. Watching baby seals clubbed would seem enjoyable after that debacle.
The effects in Marinus are a bit weak in places, but that's to be expected. I can forgive low-budget effects from the 60's... even when an alien falling down a well looks like someone dropped a GI Joe into a glass of water. Some of the FX are actually amazingly effective. The overlords of the false Utopia are brains under a bell jar, two eye stalks protruding high -- Sufficiently creepy to cause a chill, even in a jaded and CGI tainted audience.
The other similarity between Marinus and Terry Nation's Dalek story is the near unimportance of the Doctor. He has little to do and actually disappears for a full episode. Ian and Barbara take center stage instead, probably to tackle the more 'physical' threats. When the Doctor does return, its for an awkward courtroom drama, simplistic and cliche. He 'tricks' the real killer into revealing himself as in every Mattlock, Ironsides, and Perry Mason episode to date. The Doctor neither comes off as a likable secondary character rather than the eponym of the series. He's playing Grampa to Ian's Herman Muenster.
Overall, I give the episode a thumbs up but desperately hope that future episodes will have a bit more substance to them.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The Edge of Destruction
Warning: all reviews contain some spoilers
Season 1: episode 3
Let me start with the good... this episode has only two parts. Even then, I'm afraid I couldn't watch the whole thing all the way through. 45 solid minutes of Susan freaking out, Ian and Barbara walking around like zombies, and the Doctor either flubbing or improvising every line he has makes for excruciating torture. On the whole, the episode feels like it is stalling, or trying to get the most out of the TARDIS set, which hasn't had much screen time up until now -- save for brief visits at the beginning and end of the prior story arcs.
The feel of the episode is supposed to be one of mystery and a number of red herrings are thrown into the mix. Is there an invisible enemy? Is the TARDIS broken? Did Ian and Barbara actually have a hand in sabotage? The answer is none of these... the answer is one of the springs in the time machine is broken and a button was left at the ON position. Err... come again?
Apparently there is a 'fast return' switch on the TARDIS, which can take them back from the far future of the Daleks and Skaro. The TARDIS, being the extremely advanced machine that it is, tried to warn them with some sort of psychic emergency system. Why a machine that can communicate psychically with its passengers relies on a spring release button is never explained. Nor is it explained why a machine that can psychically communicate danger isn't better at doing so... a simple red-lettered warning sign would have been more effective.
The whole episode also has the feel of a live broadcast. Either the show was live back in 1963 or they had precious few takes to get things right. Ian and the Doctor have some clumsy exchanges where they walk over each other's lines or seem to forget what should be said next. Very strange from an American perspective -- even the crappiest shows from the 60's still had a polish to their productions. They may not have said anything interesting or thought provoking, but they said it correctly and with expert editing.
Had I been watching in 1963 I may have been apt to leave the series for a while. As it is, I have my task ahead of me. I can only assume things go upward from here.
I've decided to skip incomplete or reconstructed story arcs, so I'll be skipping over Marco Polo and on to the Keys of Marinus.
Season 1: episode 3
Let me start with the good... this episode has only two parts. Even then, I'm afraid I couldn't watch the whole thing all the way through. 45 solid minutes of Susan freaking out, Ian and Barbara walking around like zombies, and the Doctor either flubbing or improvising every line he has makes for excruciating torture. On the whole, the episode feels like it is stalling, or trying to get the most out of the TARDIS set, which hasn't had much screen time up until now -- save for brief visits at the beginning and end of the prior story arcs.
The feel of the episode is supposed to be one of mystery and a number of red herrings are thrown into the mix. Is there an invisible enemy? Is the TARDIS broken? Did Ian and Barbara actually have a hand in sabotage? The answer is none of these... the answer is one of the springs in the time machine is broken and a button was left at the ON position. Err... come again?
Apparently there is a 'fast return' switch on the TARDIS, which can take them back from the far future of the Daleks and Skaro. The TARDIS, being the extremely advanced machine that it is, tried to warn them with some sort of psychic emergency system. Why a machine that can communicate psychically with its passengers relies on a spring release button is never explained. Nor is it explained why a machine that can psychically communicate danger isn't better at doing so... a simple red-lettered warning sign would have been more effective.
The whole episode also has the feel of a live broadcast. Either the show was live back in 1963 or they had precious few takes to get things right. Ian and the Doctor have some clumsy exchanges where they walk over each other's lines or seem to forget what should be said next. Very strange from an American perspective -- even the crappiest shows from the 60's still had a polish to their productions. They may not have said anything interesting or thought provoking, but they said it correctly and with expert editing.
Had I been watching in 1963 I may have been apt to leave the series for a while. As it is, I have my task ahead of me. I can only assume things go upward from here.
I've decided to skip incomplete or reconstructed story arcs, so I'll be skipping over Marco Polo and on to the Keys of Marinus.
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Daleks
Warning: all reviews contain some spoilers
Season 1 : episode 2
The TARDIS is off again and this time they land on the ruined world of Skaro, scarred by an ancient war between two people, the inhuman Daleks and the noble Thals. In the end, the Doctor disables a whole people by removing their static cling.
I had heard nothing of the Daleks before my friends spoiled their nature for me a few days before beginning my series review. After taking a look at the BBC episode guide to assist me in viewing order, I became aware of how important the Daleks are to Doctor Who. It seems they pull these bad boys out around once a season. Like Superman and Lex Luthor or Batman and the Joker, The Doc and his pylon shaped enemies are peas and carrots.
Imagine my surprise when I was totally unimpressed. Let's set aside their voices. Sure, if I ask a seven year old to talk like a robot, he would sound just like a Dalek. We'll just assume for the sake of argument that Doctor Who invented the whole stilted robot-speak in 1963. Even beyond that the Daleks are easily outrun, can't climb stairs, have horrible peripheral vision, have a toilet plunger for an arm, if they're knocked over they couldn't upright themselves, and they shoot invisible rays played out by the cameraman flashing the negative switch on his camera. They don't seem altogether smart either. On top of that, they can ONLY travel on static charged metal floors? Put a rug down and they're disabled...
As they say, in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Perhaps 60's England just hadn't seen a good monster up until this point. I guess the sheer novelty of them drove their success. I also have to assume that the beasts become a bit more sophisticated as time wears on. I can't imagine the new series resurrecting these bad boys without some serious upgrades.
I'm being a bit harsh, and based on the ump-teen Who episodes with Dalek in the title, they must have quite a following. I'm sure the fans boys would be frothing at the mouth if they heard me blast the wheeled garbage cans they call a monster.
To give the episode and the Daleks their due: There was a very nice scene where the Doctor and Ian pry open a Dalek and peel its gooey body out like a clam. Wrapped up in someone's coat, the little mutant's tentacle only appears for a split second, writhing from underneath. Knowing that these tin cans contain something even more horrible, and worse... alive, does add to their appeal.
After thinking about the story line, I did come to a strange revelation. The plot in the four later episodes nearly mimics The Lord of the Rings. The Doctor as Gandalf, makes a frontal assault on the city with the Thals (Elves) while Frodo Chesterton treks his way through a dangerous swamp and then a dank cave, to sneak into the evil city where the Daleks least expect. Catching the them unaware, Ian's job is to destroy the source of the Dalek's power, leaving them helpless. I double checked, and LOTRs precedes the Dalek story by about a decade.
Overall, the episode does work. The action is split up between different locations providing different dangers and making certain to keep the viewer's interest. The Daleks, while a bit inept, are fun to watch play bumper cars with each other. The sets are a bit weak in the cave, the Styrofoam actually breaks off in Ian's hand at one point, but the Dalek city looks great considering the era and budget.
In my opinionit is the Doctor who steals the show once again. Irascible and ornery, it's his fault they get caught by the Daleks by ignoring his companions' wishes and disembarking from the TARDIS. Pompous, yet rightly so, he plays Odysseus to Ian's Achilles, thinking through problems rather than bashing through them with brute force. He is never short on opinion and quick to counter bad ideas. I even laughed when he proclaims near the end: "I rarely give out advice, but for you I'll make an exception." The character played well enough that the irony of the comment is not lost.
The show is still in its infancy at this point but the potential is definitely there.
Season 1 : episode 2
The TARDIS is off again and this time they land on the ruined world of Skaro, scarred by an ancient war between two people, the inhuman Daleks and the noble Thals. In the end, the Doctor disables a whole people by removing their static cling.
I had heard nothing of the Daleks before my friends spoiled their nature for me a few days before beginning my series review. After taking a look at the BBC episode guide to assist me in viewing order, I became aware of how important the Daleks are to Doctor Who. It seems they pull these bad boys out around once a season. Like Superman and Lex Luthor or Batman and the Joker, The Doc and his pylon shaped enemies are peas and carrots.
Imagine my surprise when I was totally unimpressed. Let's set aside their voices. Sure, if I ask a seven year old to talk like a robot, he would sound just like a Dalek. We'll just assume for the sake of argument that Doctor Who invented the whole stilted robot-speak in 1963. Even beyond that the Daleks are easily outrun, can't climb stairs, have horrible peripheral vision, have a toilet plunger for an arm, if they're knocked over they couldn't upright themselves, and they shoot invisible rays played out by the cameraman flashing the negative switch on his camera. They don't seem altogether smart either. On top of that, they can ONLY travel on static charged metal floors? Put a rug down and they're disabled...
As they say, in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Perhaps 60's England just hadn't seen a good monster up until this point. I guess the sheer novelty of them drove their success. I also have to assume that the beasts become a bit more sophisticated as time wears on. I can't imagine the new series resurrecting these bad boys without some serious upgrades.
I'm being a bit harsh, and based on the ump-teen Who episodes with Dalek in the title, they must have quite a following. I'm sure the fans boys would be frothing at the mouth if they heard me blast the wheeled garbage cans they call a monster.
To give the episode and the Daleks their due: There was a very nice scene where the Doctor and Ian pry open a Dalek and peel its gooey body out like a clam. Wrapped up in someone's coat, the little mutant's tentacle only appears for a split second, writhing from underneath. Knowing that these tin cans contain something even more horrible, and worse... alive, does add to their appeal.
After thinking about the story line, I did come to a strange revelation. The plot in the four later episodes nearly mimics The Lord of the Rings. The Doctor as Gandalf, makes a frontal assault on the city with the Thals (Elves) while Frodo Chesterton treks his way through a dangerous swamp and then a dank cave, to sneak into the evil city where the Daleks least expect. Catching the them unaware, Ian's job is to destroy the source of the Dalek's power, leaving them helpless. I double checked, and LOTRs precedes the Dalek story by about a decade.
Overall, the episode does work. The action is split up between different locations providing different dangers and making certain to keep the viewer's interest. The Daleks, while a bit inept, are fun to watch play bumper cars with each other. The sets are a bit weak in the cave, the Styrofoam actually breaks off in Ian's hand at one point, but the Dalek city looks great considering the era and budget.
In my opinionit is the Doctor who steals the show once again. Irascible and ornery, it's his fault they get caught by the Daleks by ignoring his companions' wishes and disembarking from the TARDIS. Pompous, yet rightly so, he plays Odysseus to Ian's Achilles, thinking through problems rather than bashing through them with brute force. He is never short on opinion and quick to counter bad ideas. I even laughed when he proclaims near the end: "I rarely give out advice, but for you I'll make an exception." The character played well enough that the irony of the comment is not lost.
The show is still in its infancy at this point but the potential is definitely there.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
An Unearthly Child
Warning: All reviews contain some spoilers
Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end, or so great Greek minds tell me. The Doctor's auspicious beginning starts in what appears to be a warehouse of junk. Susan is a child prodigy who excels at science, 'corrects' mistakes in her history book, and acts a bit out of sorts. Ian and Barbara, her teachers, in meddling naivety decide to poke into her business and speak with her grandfather. They follow her to the warehouse and ultimately follow her and her irascible grandfather into a police box, only to be whisked away to 10,000 BC. Seems The Doctor and his daughter are time travelers and now Ian and Barbara have unwittingly cast their lot with the curmudgeon.
The first episode was decent. It had my attention and reminded me a of the old Twilight Zone episodes in its pace and content. The difference being that Rod Serling would have Ian and Barbara meet some ironic fate, like stop themselves from being born or travel in the future to see their own deaths, or end as infants from some time glitch, all with a glib narration between puffs on his Winston's.
I really enjoyed the Doctor as a character. He's a bit of an anti hero before anti-heroes became popular. A cranky old bastard who snips at Ian, mumbles to himself, and doesn't suffer ignorance even when it comes to the mysteries of time travel. He almost bashes a wounded man with a stone to save his own hide (though he denies it) and is altogether uncooperative. He reminds me a bit of Dr. Smith from Lost in Space - though perhaps not as comic. Now that I think of it, Lost in Space would end with a cliff hanger too, perhaps it owes more to the Doctor than is first evident...
In the other three episodes the story dragged a bit. I suppose if you are starting a new series about time travel on a tight budget, take them to the stone age, give the actors some loin clothes and paint some Styrofoam to look like rocks.
One glaring thing I noticed about the 'cave-men' is how well spoken they were. These low-brows may not be able to make fire, but hell if they can't wax poetic about what they lack. Maybe its my biased ears hearing a proper English accent, but I felt like I was watching a Shakespearean play... "Forsooth, Ugluk! Dashed be the hopes of a hundred man's prayers! Without fire we do not eat, without meat we shall all perish. Woe be the life of a cave man!" [Ogog exits] I'm paraphrasing... but not much.
For a first foray it's not a bad introduction. We establish what parts each will play. Ian Chesterton gets to be the dashing hero, Barbara the emotional one, and Susan flips-flops as the liaison between the Doctor and his stowaways at some points, and the helpless damsel in distress at other times.
I'm surprised at how much of my current Who knowledge was brought out right in the first arc. We have our police box, we've established that the Doctor is an alien, and we know his time machine is called a TARDIS (Time and relative dimension in space). No hot jungle-girl and no scarf, but I suppose I have a few Doctors to wait out before we get to that.
The format reminds me of the old Flash Gordon serials, which I suppose is what the creators were shooting for. Each week our heroes will be stuck in some new situation and loyal viewers must tune in next week to see what implausible confabulation causes them to escape eminent destruction. Snarky as I sound, I'm looking forward to it.
Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end, or so great Greek minds tell me. The Doctor's auspicious beginning starts in what appears to be a warehouse of junk. Susan is a child prodigy who excels at science, 'corrects' mistakes in her history book, and acts a bit out of sorts. Ian and Barbara, her teachers, in meddling naivety decide to poke into her business and speak with her grandfather. They follow her to the warehouse and ultimately follow her and her irascible grandfather into a police box, only to be whisked away to 10,000 BC. Seems The Doctor and his daughter are time travelers and now Ian and Barbara have unwittingly cast their lot with the curmudgeon.
The first episode was decent. It had my attention and reminded me a of the old Twilight Zone episodes in its pace and content. The difference being that Rod Serling would have Ian and Barbara meet some ironic fate, like stop themselves from being born or travel in the future to see their own deaths, or end as infants from some time glitch, all with a glib narration between puffs on his Winston's.
I really enjoyed the Doctor as a character. He's a bit of an anti hero before anti-heroes became popular. A cranky old bastard who snips at Ian, mumbles to himself, and doesn't suffer ignorance even when it comes to the mysteries of time travel. He almost bashes a wounded man with a stone to save his own hide (though he denies it) and is altogether uncooperative. He reminds me a bit of Dr. Smith from Lost in Space - though perhaps not as comic. Now that I think of it, Lost in Space would end with a cliff hanger too, perhaps it owes more to the Doctor than is first evident...
In the other three episodes the story dragged a bit. I suppose if you are starting a new series about time travel on a tight budget, take them to the stone age, give the actors some loin clothes and paint some Styrofoam to look like rocks.
One glaring thing I noticed about the 'cave-men' is how well spoken they were. These low-brows may not be able to make fire, but hell if they can't wax poetic about what they lack. Maybe its my biased ears hearing a proper English accent, but I felt like I was watching a Shakespearean play... "Forsooth, Ugluk! Dashed be the hopes of a hundred man's prayers! Without fire we do not eat, without meat we shall all perish. Woe be the life of a cave man!" [Ogog exits] I'm paraphrasing... but not much.
For a first foray it's not a bad introduction. We establish what parts each will play. Ian Chesterton gets to be the dashing hero, Barbara the emotional one, and Susan flips-flops as the liaison between the Doctor and his stowaways at some points, and the helpless damsel in distress at other times.
I'm surprised at how much of my current Who knowledge was brought out right in the first arc. We have our police box, we've established that the Doctor is an alien, and we know his time machine is called a TARDIS (Time and relative dimension in space). No hot jungle-girl and no scarf, but I suppose I have a few Doctors to wait out before we get to that.
The format reminds me of the old Flash Gordon serials, which I suppose is what the creators were shooting for. Each week our heroes will be stuck in some new situation and loyal viewers must tune in next week to see what implausible confabulation causes them to escape eminent destruction. Snarky as I sound, I'm looking forward to it.
Ground Rules
What is the experiment?
One pop-culture dork in his thirties, ignorant of all things Doctor Who, watching the series from start to finish. A gargantuan task, and by a rough estimate looking at the episode list, almost 400 hours of viewing time.
I was a little disappointed to find out that some of the episodes have been lost forever. Apparently the BBC didn't keep old shows around in the archives for very long. I decided I'd only watch complete story lines, leaving out partial episodes and what appear to be fan made reconstructions using the old audio.
I would watch each episode in order, from beginning to end and attempt to shield myself from any spoilers. A difficult task, but not as hard as you would think. Normal people don't discuss the plot of a 35 year old British program in regular conversation.
After each episode I'll write my review and afterward I'll poke around and see what others may have said about the same story arc. Looks like the BBC has all I need in regards to a guide.
Since I've seen the first season, these first few reviews are written after the fact. Once I catch up I intend to write my response after each viewing before moving on to the next.
If you happen to wander in and decide to comment (I can't imagine how minuscule my audience will be based on such a narrow subject) please don't post any spoilers. Understand that I am speaking from a position of complete ignorance on purpose. If I don't understand that "Doctor Who's brother is a trained veterinarian which is where he got the idea to defeat the Lion men in episode 126" it's not because I'm dense, but because I don't have the luxury of hindsight.
Hopefully my reviews will be enjoyable and informative enough to provide a guide for anyone else who wants to follow along. If I'm lucky, it will prove interesting for the die hard fan and those who are about to dip their toes in the waters of Doctor Who-dom. I always like it when I can bring someone new into the Firefly fold, so maybe the Who-heads will get a kick out of my descent into Who-madness.
So let's quit putzing around. I have 26 seasons and a TV movie to get through. (And the new series...)
One pop-culture dork in his thirties, ignorant of all things Doctor Who, watching the series from start to finish. A gargantuan task, and by a rough estimate looking at the episode list, almost 400 hours of viewing time.
I was a little disappointed to find out that some of the episodes have been lost forever. Apparently the BBC didn't keep old shows around in the archives for very long. I decided I'd only watch complete story lines, leaving out partial episodes and what appear to be fan made reconstructions using the old audio.
I would watch each episode in order, from beginning to end and attempt to shield myself from any spoilers. A difficult task, but not as hard as you would think. Normal people don't discuss the plot of a 35 year old British program in regular conversation.
After each episode I'll write my review and afterward I'll poke around and see what others may have said about the same story arc. Looks like the BBC has all I need in regards to a guide.
Since I've seen the first season, these first few reviews are written after the fact. Once I catch up I intend to write my response after each viewing before moving on to the next.
If you happen to wander in and decide to comment (I can't imagine how minuscule my audience will be based on such a narrow subject) please don't post any spoilers. Understand that I am speaking from a position of complete ignorance on purpose. If I don't understand that "Doctor Who's brother is a trained veterinarian which is where he got the idea to defeat the Lion men in episode 126" it's not because I'm dense, but because I don't have the luxury of hindsight.
Hopefully my reviews will be enjoyable and informative enough to provide a guide for anyone else who wants to follow along. If I'm lucky, it will prove interesting for the die hard fan and those who are about to dip their toes in the waters of Doctor Who-dom. I always like it when I can bring someone new into the Firefly fold, so maybe the Who-heads will get a kick out of my descent into Who-madness.
So let's quit putzing around. I have 26 seasons and a TV movie to get through. (And the new series...)
Baseline
Obviously I wasn't born in a vacuum. I've heard of Doctor Who.
Best to start with my baseline.
Before I began the first season (1963!), here's what I knew about Doctor Who (or thought I knew):
Because of the need to find these shows to watch them, I needed episode lists and was exposed to further 'spoilers'. I quickly found out the format of the show, how many seasons, episodes, and stories there were, when each doctor made his appearance and exit, and the fact that the Doctor has a revolving door of different 'Companions.'
NOTE: Companion must have slightly different connotations in the UK. To me it sounds a bit sexual. Unless the Doctor swings both ways... And who knows what the sexual practices of a time traveling alien really are? James T. Kirk claimed more strange alien tail in the name of exploration than any astronaut before him... who can blame the Doctor for mixing it up in the TARDIS? If he wants both male and female companions, more power to him. I'm sure it's quite lonely in the 4th dimension.
I think perhaps companion is used for lack of a better word. As in 'traveling companion.' Ah, well. No free love for the Doctor, though he might be able to use his Doctorate to convince young women to submit to a physical.
Best to start with my baseline.
- I'm American, not British which is probably why I've been able to escape all Who-mania.
- I saw a total of 5 minutes of Doctor Who on PBS at the age of 13.
- Despite being a Who-retard, I've watched plenty of Star Trek, Firefly, and the original Buck Rogers and Battlestar Gallactica. I'm a fan boy.
Before I began the first season (1963!), here's what I knew about Doctor Who (or thought I knew):
- Doctor Who is an alien time traveler
- He's on the run from some group called the Time Lords
- He has a hot jungle-girl side-kick
- He wears a long scarf and is pretty damn homely for a traditional hero
- Sometime in the 80's they replaced him with a blond dude and the series tanked (imagine my surprise when I realized there were 10 doctors...)
- His time machine is phone booth for some unknown reason
- His name isn't Doctor Who, it's just The Doctor
- The Daleks are some sort of robotic enemy of the Doctor who like to exterminate
- The Doctor actually IS a Timelord
- There are 10 total doctors at the present time, a nice mechanism for replacing old actors
- It's a police box, stupid. And it's called the TARDIS.
Because of the need to find these shows to watch them, I needed episode lists and was exposed to further 'spoilers'. I quickly found out the format of the show, how many seasons, episodes, and stories there were, when each doctor made his appearance and exit, and the fact that the Doctor has a revolving door of different 'Companions.'
NOTE: Companion must have slightly different connotations in the UK. To me it sounds a bit sexual. Unless the Doctor swings both ways... And who knows what the sexual practices of a time traveling alien really are? James T. Kirk claimed more strange alien tail in the name of exploration than any astronaut before him... who can blame the Doctor for mixing it up in the TARDIS? If he wants both male and female companions, more power to him. I'm sure it's quite lonely in the 4th dimension.
I think perhaps companion is used for lack of a better word. As in 'traveling companion.' Ah, well. No free love for the Doctor, though he might be able to use his Doctorate to convince young women to submit to a physical.
Introduction
The New Doctor Who series hit BBC-America a few years ago and all my Sci-Fi buddies were frothing at the mouth. Fans of the old BBC series, they were ecstatic their old friend, The Doctor, was back on the airwaves cruising the fourth dimension. A new series starting fresh with the tried and true Doctor formula sounds like a great time to step in and catch up. One glaring issue: I know nothing of Doctor Who and I can't stand starting something in the middle...
It may border on the obsessive. If I arrive at the movie theater 5 minutes into the show, my disappointment is tangible. When I pick up a new series of books, I make certain to get the very first instance of the author's world. With Raymond Feist and Terry Pratchet, I didn't start just anywhere, I went to the first Midkemia book and the first Discworld book. I refuse to watch the show 24 because I haven't seen the first season. I like to be in the know, to have all the background information, to watch a series from its genesis.
I couldn't just jump into the thick of Doctor Who, a show that even in my ignorance I knew had a deep mythology and back story. I'm certain the new series is kind to newcomers, but that's just not good enough for me. Where did the Doctor come from? What has he done so far? When he faces his enemies, do they have a long history or is this some new foe? These are questions important to me, if not to the new series. I had to start from the beginning.
26 seasons!? Well, that's a bit daunting, but not impossible.
So I embarked upon my journey: Doctor Who from the beginning. It was shortly after finishing Season 1 that I realized I was in a unique position. I was literally untainted by prior Doctor Who knowledge. I was in the enviable position of being able to experience the show with the eyes of an innocent. Would the show hold up to a modern viewing? Would my fresh viewing in the 21st century hold up to the conventions of the past? Would I give high marks to the old favorites and low marks to the traditional scoundrels?
I once read a piece by someone who watched all of the Star Wars movies, in story order, for the first time ever as an adult. So I will attempt to do the same and perhaps the Who fans in Whoville will find something interesting to read.
The blog begins. Doctor Who, from beginning to end, from someone who knows nothing of show and its mythology.
It may border on the obsessive. If I arrive at the movie theater 5 minutes into the show, my disappointment is tangible. When I pick up a new series of books, I make certain to get the very first instance of the author's world. With Raymond Feist and Terry Pratchet, I didn't start just anywhere, I went to the first Midkemia book and the first Discworld book. I refuse to watch the show 24 because I haven't seen the first season. I like to be in the know, to have all the background information, to watch a series from its genesis.
I couldn't just jump into the thick of Doctor Who, a show that even in my ignorance I knew had a deep mythology and back story. I'm certain the new series is kind to newcomers, but that's just not good enough for me. Where did the Doctor come from? What has he done so far? When he faces his enemies, do they have a long history or is this some new foe? These are questions important to me, if not to the new series. I had to start from the beginning.
26 seasons!? Well, that's a bit daunting, but not impossible.
So I embarked upon my journey: Doctor Who from the beginning. It was shortly after finishing Season 1 that I realized I was in a unique position. I was literally untainted by prior Doctor Who knowledge. I was in the enviable position of being able to experience the show with the eyes of an innocent. Would the show hold up to a modern viewing? Would my fresh viewing in the 21st century hold up to the conventions of the past? Would I give high marks to the old favorites and low marks to the traditional scoundrels?
I once read a piece by someone who watched all of the Star Wars movies, in story order, for the first time ever as an adult. So I will attempt to do the same and perhaps the Who fans in Whoville will find something interesting to read.
The blog begins. Doctor Who, from beginning to end, from someone who knows nothing of show and its mythology.
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