New Doctor Who For You, Too
The eleventh doctor debuted on British teevee this weekend, in the 31st season of Doctor Who. It will be airing on BBC America on
the 17th, so I’m going to avoid any spoilers. Still, consider this something of a warning; if you don’t wanna know diddley, go no further.
If you’re still with me, here’s what you will need to know: Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will do just fine, thank you. Smith plays the
new doctor as a younger and brasher version of David Tennant’s doctor, which is only appropriate given Smith’s age. He wisely retains the 10th doctor’s joie de vive; he’s having a ton of fun. And Gillan plays the skeptical sense of wonder beautifully in what is this time a particularly demanding role. But the actors are not the most important aspects of doing Doctor Who correctly.
The most important aspects are the writing and the production. I never met a doctor I didn’t like, but the last two guys on the original series were hamstringed by uninspired scripts. No worries here: Steven Moffat is an excellent writer and as producer he truly gets it. His predecessor ran each show at breakneck speed; Moffat kicks it up a notch.
The season-opener presents a particular nightmare for the writer: he has to introduce a new lead character in a show that’s been around for 31 seasons. Origin shows, often called pilots, are a bitch to write because you’ve got to introduce everybody and set everything up while you’re telling a
compelling story. That’s a lot to squeeze into one episode; Moffat had the
additional problem of satisfying those fans of Tennant’s or, for that matter, any of the preceding doctors.
The fact that he pulled it off is a minor miracle. Matt Smith won’t be the only person having fun here.
Woo-Hoo! The first endorsement!And not only that, an endorsement from somebody whose credentials and opinion I trust.Thanks, Mike!
I loved it! I am looking forward to the rest of the series.Jimart & graphic design portfoliohttp://reddjam.com
Well I'm going to say that the new shows music is going to need a bit of getting used too, but loved the show as you really got know the Doctor really quickly as no "I have just changed and need a good sleep" type of thing thats been over done so meny times in the in the past.The funny moment was for me was when the doctor was trying to find "What Doctor's like best" to eat with the line "Your scottish, fry something"or near the end "Who da man ??".Also the fact that his new travelling parter "might" be the problem to the crack !, look at the screen on the Tardis in the final moment of the show just before the Doctor turns it off !!! :)
I loved his remark about the carck about cowboys – "I didn't mean literally – of course, sometimes you *do* get cowboys" (or whatever he said exactly – the first thing that comes out of the kid's wardrobe in "Time Bandits" is a mounted cowboy.Add that to Prisoner Zero's line about "cracks in time"…