so it seems I am posting about Who again

[wanderlight]

(1) Show, are you going to make me cry every week?

5.02: the beast below

a. The opening shot of Starship UK was a tiny piece of absolute beauty -- this is what exploring space & time should be like. ♥

b. I continue to adore Amy's attitude. She strikes a nice balance: a little fed-up cynicism (of the "you hopped into that box and left me hanging for twelve years, why should I listen to anything you say?!" type), a little delighted wonder.

c. I sort of feel like this ep had so much lovely stuff it hardly fit into 42 minutes. A two-parter might have been able to explore Liz Ten (who rocked, by the way) & the Smilers & the whole repressive government thing more, all of which I were intrigued by. I sort of wonder if mysterious things that weren't resolved will be later in the season, though? That mysterious crack seems to be threading itself through the story, to begin with ...

d. Continuing to be impressed by the aesthetic. I said this to faeriemaiden already: something about the Davies era was very crayon-y, whereas Moffat seems to be using pencil crayons, or maybe oil paints? More finesse, more shading-in.

e. So we've got the Doctor having to make a hard call, as per usual, with angry resignation, and you can almost feel the tiredness in him as he realises What He Has To Do, Again -- but then, because she's clever, and doesn't take the Doctor's word for law, Amy figures it out. And he doesn't have to kill the star whale, or anyone on Starship UK, and no one dies. I feel like this could be a kind of pivotal thing, between Davies and Moffat -- and these are, of course, blanket generalisations, not careful delineations -- or at least I hope it could be: that this Doctor will be allowed, by the writers, to be merciful and kind. It nearly killed me, to see the look in Ten's eyes, the despair settling in as he had to let people die, or the people he loved suffered because of him ("The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End"), and having to make impossible choices all the time. I just -- I don't know; too much of that and the magic goes out of it, for me.

f. "All that pain, and the misery, and loneliness -- and it just made it kind."

g. Oh, and at the end, there? One of the loveliest platonic hugs ever. \o/


(2) What was your first Who episode, everyone? (Or, failing that, the first one that drew you in, and why?) I'm curious about this because it seems that for everyone who knows avendya and ressie_noldo, it's "The Girl in the Fireplace" (I swear it was a widespread conspiracy, you two got us all), but there must be other firsts out there?

Comments

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Aww! Thanks, Angela -- you're a total sweetheart, and you just made my day. ♥
I miss you, too! How are you doing?

[avendya.livejournal.com]

As I said to Amy, Doctor Who is just filling me with joy. Pure, uncomplicated joy - I'm sure there will be issues (and there already are), but for right now, Doctor Who feels like a beautiful fairy tale.

My first episode wasn't Girl in the Fireplace - I saw School Reunion first, then Girl in the Fireplace. My first old school episode was The Five Doctors, followed by City of Death. My first audio was Caerdroia (which was brilliant but very confusing - it's in the middle of an arc.) Caerdroia remains my favorite audio, and well - School Reunion + Girl in the Fireplace are two of my three favorite episodes. (Blink is the other.)

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

YES. It's so rare for me to have joy in my TV -- this is probably my fault, I tend to pick stuff that has at least a little apocalypse in it, but also TV's fault! TV is always problematic! -- and so I'm treasuring this. As long as there is less fail than there previously was, I will be happy with my fairy tale.

Hm, now I'm having second thoughts. I might have seen School Reunion first. But no -- I'm pretty sure I remember running to my little sister after watching The Girl in the Fireplace and making odd noises? And re. old school Who -- Amy mentioned her first was The Five Doctors, too (probably your fault :D). I am thinking of trying old Who again, though! (... After I finish the Buffy-watching I owe my sister and the Wire-watching I owe S and the Avatar-watching I owe the boy. Argh.)

Aaah, favourite episodes are hard. Apparently I have five and half of them are two-parters, I need to narrow that list down a little. I love, love, love Blink, though. It's like a tiny Who-themed mini-movie, I've shown it to several non-Who, non-scifi fans, and they've loved it.

me --> ♥ --> you
(that is (a poor visual rendition of) me sending you a heart across space & time! well, mostly just space. um, across timezones?)

[such_heights]

Yes, this, all of it.

And my first Who episode was Rose when it first aired! It was a big deal in the UK even then, and my parents were going to watch it, so I did too. I'd, er, sworn off sci-fi because I thought it was uncool at that point. Which ... lasted well, as you can see! I've been tuning in every week ever since. <3 (So, my love of Who actually predates even knowing Ave and Noldo, I think! Certainly Ave. :O)

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

I'd, er, sworn off sci-fi because I thought it was uncool at that point. Which ... lasted well, as you can see!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I do not think I will ever stop laughing.

...Sorry, ickle!Amy. :D

[such_heights]

Oh, shut up. :P

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

I'd, er, sworn off sci-fi because I thought it was uncool at that point.

... My reaction is basically Jo's. :P
(I'm curious, though -- you were at least somewhat into fantasy when you were younger, yes?)

Do your parents watch New Who? I think it'd be sort of cool to have parents (or elders in general) who do -- mine had never even heard of it when I got obsessed, alas.

[such_heights]

I was hugely into both my sci-fi and my fantasy as a wee one, then I got to senior school and people made fun of me for liking Star Trek, so I stopped watching it. A sad story! Fantasy was more acceptable, so I kept up with HP and LOTR and His Dark Materials, etc.

My parents do watch DW - it was fun watching 5x01 with them while I was at home. My dad gets very into it, on account of how he is where I get my geek genes from.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Aww, no! *hugs little!Amy*

I really don't understand why fantasy is more acceptable than scifi. *frowns*

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Eep.
Sorry you had to start there -- I don't mind it, but I can imagine that watching it first wouldn't exactly work.

I am glad it finally drew you in, though. ♥ Just out of curiosity, who was your favourite companion? Or Doctor/Companion interaction? :)

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

*nods* I can definitely relate most to Martha -- I wasn't fond of the unrequited love thing, but I loved her, as a character. And yes! I'm almost sad that Carey Mulligan is a big-name actress now, because it means no more Sally Sparrow on Doctor Who, for sure.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Hee, "Tooth and Claw!" I like that one. :) Doctor Who is a bit ... well, it's not for everyone, I'm not sure that it's your kind of thing. Past seasons, at least. This season is shaping up to be more fairytale-ish, with character-based stories, and things that would be enjoyable for non-scifi fans, so you might want to give it a try?

What do you watch on the BBC? I have to admit I don't actually watch it, though I get most of my TV from Britain these days. :)

[breathingbooks.livejournal.com]

The first one I saw was the first one with Nine and Rose (I'm orderly like that). I hated it. I tried the Queen Victoria and Werewolves one. Meh. Then I saw Girl in the Fireplace. And... I liked it!

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Ah ... yes. "Rose" was a bit crap, I've never been able to bring myself to re-watch it. I remember your post a while ago about your adventures in Who-land, & how you were off to a rocky start, but I am glad it won you over eventually. :D (From your post I've got the sense that you've watched a bit from all the seasons, but are going through non-chronologically, right? Are you watching the new season at all?)

[breathingbooks.livejournal.com]

I went through non-chronologically, yeah, though I did watch S4 in order since I already knew I liked Donna and the show (which is why I haven't watched the last 3 eps in it). Normally this would drive me mad, but it's worked, probably because the girl goes out the airlock every season or so and we're back to square one *g*.

I'll watch the new one when it pops up on BBC America or itunes.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Okay, good -- NEVER WATCH THEM. "The Waters of Mars" is probably fine for you (one of the best & most coherent RTD eps, actually, I think), but AVOID AVOID AVOID Ten's two-parter finale.

Normally this would drive me mad, but it's worked, probably because the girl goes out the airlock every season or so and we're back to square one *g*.
Ahaha, yes, that's one way to put it. ;)

I look forward to discussing Who with you when it premieres over here. :) I think that's this week, or possibly next?

[lady-moriel.livejournal.com]

Okay, well, just butting in to say you have to watch "Turn Left," even if you don't ever see the last two, because it's basically one long ep of Donna Being Awesome. I mean, that's how I see it. Admittedly it hit a whole bunch of my own personal storykink buttons anyway, so it other people might not love it like I do, but...still an awesome episode.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Yes! I'm pretty sure she's watched/planning to watch all of S5, but "Turn Left" is an excellent piece of writing. Also the one right before it, "Midnight" -- no Donna in that one, but still great, and very creepy.

[breathingbooks.livejournal.com]

Watched it. It annoyed me at times (I get very impatient about things like the thing on her back), but it was mostly quite good. I especially liked how centered it was on Donna's family, and how Donna still had her own strength even without the Doctor. I wanted to punch Rose though - what a twit.

[tigerhearts.livejournal.com]

er I've never seen Dr. Who....i am pretty much confused by the premise and now don't know where to start.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's understandable. :) Are you at all interested in watching it? I'm sure that I & a bunch of these people would be happy to explain!

[laceglass.livejournal.com]

My first episodes were actually the Tom Baker ones... My dad was a huge fan so I grew up watching it a bit. Then I started seeing the episodes with Christopher Eccleston and I loved it. I think I liked him more than Tennant! & overall I enjoyed the Rose eps more than those with Martha. I have yet to see the newest season - I take it from you that it is worth watching though :)

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Aah, that's awesome! I think I remember you mentioning this before. :) Also, I've always been glad that you like Rose -- for some reason a lot of people I know don't, but I think she was wonderful.

I think you will definitely enjoy the new episodes!

[peaceinyou.livejournal.com]

skipping the cut text because i'm not yet caught up on the david tennant specials and series 5. :)

i think the first who episode i saw was new who series 1 episode 1 (called "rose" maybe?)--because i had friends who recommended i watch it and i started with that one. but my second "first" was "tooth and claw", because it happened to be on tv and i saw it. but then my friends told me not to watch random ones because then i might not appreciate nine as much and nine is awesome too.

but i think the first episode i really fell in love with was "father's day". that one really got to me.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

I hope you catch up soon, if you have time! I love this season so far, and response from the rest of the flist has been similar.

I love "Father's Day" -- it definitely made me cry. I'm glad you love Nine, I do too! Though, I love both Nine and Ten, and can never decide which one's my favourite, and also love Eleven immensely already, so ... I'm not very good at being judgmental. ;)

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm sorry you didn't like Ten! Four years of that must have been incredibly alienating. :(

Ooh, I also love "The End of the World". The concept of it gets me, I think -- watching the death of Earth -- and it really places the show in the context of bigness & wonder, in a way that "Rose" didn't. & Nine and Rose were adorable all the time.

[lady-moriel.livejournal.com]

You know, I think "Tooth & Claw" was my first real episode? I caught part of "New Earth" and what little I saw (uh, cat nuns?) seemed weird, so I didn't really bother to go back and watch even though I had it recorded. T&C I liked but didn't love; School Reunion the next week won me over.

And yes. This season is SO MUCH WIN so far. I mean, I get how people complain about Moffat's plotholes, but...well, I only notice those thinking about it later, and I love his episodes enough that I either don't care or make up personal canon to make it fit. RTD had the plotholes and less and less to make up for them as the show went on, so.

Also, I really need more S5 icons.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

The cat nuns are definitely weird. All I remember about New Earth, actually, is that the cat nuns were weird. I like "Tooth & Claw" -- bits of it are silly, but I just re-watched it the other day, and it held up.

I get how people complain about Moffat's plotholes, but...well, I only notice those thinking about it later, and I love his episodes enough that I either don't care or make up personal canon to make it fit
*nods* Me too. I just ... ignore them, actually, & gloss over. I don't know if it makes me a bad TV-watcher, but I just don't care. I think character consistency is waaay more important than plot consistency. Moffat has that, RTD definitely didn't! Plus he had the plotholes! Plus the plot randomness!

*loves that particular S5 icon* :)

[bornofstars.livejournal.com]

My first episode was "New Earth." No, I don't know why I kept watching, actually. I think sheer adoration of Ten was the only thing that kept me going. I loved that man like burning, and I still do, even after all the rubbish RTD put him through. I see my Ten and RTD's Ten as two different characters.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

I see my Ten and RTD's Ten as two different characters.
Yes! I do this, too! (I think it's what kept me from crying when all of fandom decided it'd had enough of Ten. Important distinction, people: you'd just had enough of RTD!)

Oh, Ten. ♥

[ressie-noldo.livejournal.com]

I am stranger than you all! The first Doctor Who episode I ever saw was, I believe, The Happiness Patrol, which is noteworthy for being dreadful and having a scene in which the TARDIS gets spray-painted pink in. (My parents taped a lot of UK Gold.) As you can guess, it wasn't exactly inspirational. (I also went to the Doctor Who exhibition in Llangollen -- I don't think it exists any more -- when I was six; I don't particularly remember it, but there's pictorial evidence of me hugging a Dalek.)

But ignoring all of that cultural detritus, the first new-Who I ever saw was The Christmas Invasion, since I was curious as to what all the fuss was about & sort of thought David Tennant was perhaps a bit attractive. (LITTLE DID I KNOW.)

(& ha ha, it was a conspiracy! Actually I think it was that one .mp4 I uploaded, perhaps?)

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

& sort of thought David Tennant was perhaps a bit attractive.
*cough* *cough* *bows down to Deepthi, master of UNDERSTATEMENT*

Actually I think it was that one .mp4 I uploaded, perhaps?
YES, I think that was it! Because I remember re-downloading it in .avi format so it would be shinier later on, once I fell in love & started downloading en masse. Just curious, was it "School Reunion" or "Girl in the Fireplace"? Also, I'm guessing you felled massive amounts of your flist with that one .mp4 ...

but there's pictorial evidence of me hugging a Dalek
IT IS NOT EVIDENCE UNLESS IT IS PRESENTED TO YOUR FLIST! Just saying. Ahem. :D

[barefoottomboy.livejournal.com]

You know, I think I need to start watching the 11th Dr, as all I hear from friends is how much they're loving the new series.

(I did start at the beginning of the Ninth Doctor to catch up at one point, but only got a few episodes in. Before that I believe I caught The Girl in the Fireplace when it was shown in TV in the UK.)

Having seen copperbadge's beginning recaps of Old Who, I'm also sort of tempted to go right back to the beginning and start from there...

[barefoottomboy.livejournal.com]

Damn, html fail:

copperbadge's recaps, of course.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you for the link to those recaps -- copperbadge's comparison of Old & New Who at the end makes me want to look into the earlier episodes, too, esp. because I'm a Supernatural fan & so the points there make a lot of sense to me ...

Also, I think you should watch this season, for sure, even if you don't get caught up on all of New Who -- it's shaping up to be a great one. :D