Stetsons are cool!
April 2, 2011 10:09 PM   Subscribe

 
Oh no. Nice try. Not going to watch it. Not going to let you spoil even the slightest detail.
posted by legion at 10:12 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


If this the season where everything changes, or was that last season?
posted by Catblack at 10:15 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Didn't this trailer leak back in the winter? I feel like I've seen this before, and not recently. I'm not even gonna speculate on the identity of Mrs. Doctor. I can't imagine Gaiman going the obvious route with that one.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:23 PM on April 2, 2011


Last season had a new Doctor and Companion. Everything DID change.

The ABC in Australia is showing it on 7:30 on Saturdays. It's going to put a cramp in my social life. First episode is airing on my birthday. Might move my party later or make everyone dress like Doctor Who characters.
My friend dated Jo Grant's son.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:24 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm not even gonna speculate on the identity of Mrs. Doctor.

Mel
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:26 PM on April 2, 2011


Didn't this trailer leak back in the winter?

It's a bit different from the last one.

There's a rather creepy little prequel too.
posted by Artw at 10:27 PM on April 2, 2011


The Oval Office prequel thingy is creepy has but the trailer that was released after that on is mad of epictwostepsfromhelldoctorwhosadclownwin.
posted by PapaLobo at 10:30 PM on April 2, 2011 [2 favorites]




Also, I shouldn't compose sentences with no sleep, and also? I love that the volume on the Beeb's streaming player goes to 11.
posted by PapaLobo at 10:33 PM on April 2, 2011


I'm officially stating here my theory that River Song kills the Eighth Doctor. Oh, my theory is insane and wrong, but I'm still recording it here just in case.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 10:33 PM on April 2, 2011 [3 favorites]


I came.
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 10:36 PM on April 2, 2011


Wait, can we post spoilery theories?

I predict that when River Song goes in for a smooch in the trailer, she's wearing the hallucinogenic lippy.

I have watched the trailer more than ten times. I still hope Amy offs Rory there at the end.
posted by sugarfish at 10:43 PM on April 2, 2011


I've heard a theory that River is the TARDIS.
I'm not enough of a Whovian to begin to understand how that would work.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:58 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm still freaked out by the little kid. "Mr President, Look behind you..."

shades of "are you my mummy?" *shiver*

why are children so scary?
posted by jb at 11:08 PM on April 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


Dr. Blu
posted by edgeways at 11:18 PM on April 2, 2011


I would like the record to show that I do not like that River Song.
posted by infinitywaltz at 11:21 PM on April 2, 2011 [11 favorites]


I was doing REALLY well and staying away from Who spoilers this year until this trailer. (Technically, the one that PapaLobo is linking to. This one.) But I had to know. I had to know why the hell it looked like [SPOILERS?] had returned. (You can glimpse it very briefly between the 35th and 37th second in the link.)

Also? "Fear me, I've killed hundreds of Time Lords." "Fear me. I've killed ALL of them." DOCTOR WINS.
posted by greenland at 11:27 PM on April 2, 2011 [8 favorites]


I'm not enough of a Whovian to begin to understand how that would work.

As any woman who's ever given birth will tell you, it is definitely possible to be bigger on the inside than she is on the outside.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 11:29 PM on April 2, 2011 [14 favorites]


It's a great trailer - both the BBC and the BBCA ones are exciting.

Gaiman's episode title is clearly sleight of hand - I bet the title refers to another doctor (ie, "The Next Doctor") or to something that is technically his wife but isn't (ie, "The Doctor's Daughter")

I just wish the new series was here already. Enough with the teasing! Too much teasing leads to the sort of anticipation that can't be lived up to. (I'm mean, seriously, there is the prequel and before that there was a frickin' teaser to the prequel! Come ON!)
posted by crossoverman at 11:40 PM on April 2, 2011


Easter? Seriously? Why couldn't Easter 2011 be like Easter 2010, which is to say a damn sight sooner.
posted by Slackermagee at 11:49 PM on April 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yeah. Late last year when they announced this upcoming season was getting split in half (is that a spoiler?), the BBC said there would be no more than three months waiting between Doctor Who this entire year. ie. 2010 Xmas special > 3 months > Series 6a > 3 months > Series 6b > 3 months > 2011 Xmas special. Someone must have forgotten that Easter is at the end of April this year! But I guess that means a little less time between 6a and 6b now.
posted by crossoverman at 11:53 PM on April 2, 2011


I predict this season will be the bestest evar.
posted by mek at 11:56 PM on April 2, 2011


IS IT EASTER YET?!
posted by Space Kitty at 12:33 AM on April 3, 2011


Where did you find the Australian airdate Lovecraft in Brooklyn?

I love that the Tardis is sentient. People are bigger on the inside too.
posted by Coaticass at 12:50 AM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


There's a rather creepy little prequel too.

That's Nixon, right? And the reel-to-reel they keep cutting to is recording the infamous lost section of the Watergate Tapes! No wonder they erased it...

Grumble grumble, officially released promos aren't spoilers, especially when they come from someone like Stephen Moffat, whose greatest joy in life is misdirecting his audience...
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:01 AM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]


I just want to say that Karen Gillan aka Amy Pond is the cause of global warming. That is all.
posted by tim_in_oz at 1:20 AM on April 3, 2011 [4 favorites]


Pleased to (not) read any American whingeing and griping in this thread about Doctor Who. THAT makes a change! Personally, I can't wait for the new series. I'm sure it will be as great as all those which have gone before. PS: I'm scared of Clowns.
posted by JtJ at 1:29 AM on April 3, 2011


Looking forward to Mark Sheppard (you know... Badger, Romo Lampkin).
posted by NoraReed at 1:38 AM on April 3, 2011


I'm still sticking with my theory that River Song is The Rani (or Davros)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:41 AM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


Never mind, I found the Australian airdate here, in case any other Aussies are planning to watch it on TV. (It could happen, right?) A week behind! Avoiding spoilers is going to be a pain in the arse.
posted by Coaticass at 2:10 AM on April 3, 2011


SPOILER: River Song is abandoned by The Doctor in 1997 Chicago where she gets a job as an E.R. doctor...
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:27 AM on April 3, 2011 [27 favorites]


This is the season where everything changes... halfway through!

I wonder if I'm the only one to realize that this will be the second Season 6B.
posted by BiggerJ at 2:32 AM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


SPOILER: River Song is abandoned by the Doctor in 1700s London where she gets a job as Moll Flanders...
posted by Pallas Athena at 2:32 AM on April 3, 2011 [4 favorites]


I'm really looking forward to the new season. I don't like River Song in the angels episode (more vamp, less dashing Indiana-Jones-style archeologist) and many of the episodes in the last season were kind of flat. But I love Eleven and Amy and Rory, and the season picked up as it went along. And I like Neil Gaiman as a writer, so that's a whole bunch of plusses for me.

Are preview trailers considered spoilers? I know the "next time on Doctor Who" ones are usually guaranteed to give away something plot-twisty, but the season previews have been ok before haven't they?
posted by harriet vane at 3:15 AM on April 3, 2011


The US premier of the new season is on St George's Day which seems somewhat appropriate.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:05 AM on April 3, 2011


Never mind, I found the Australian airdate here, in case any other Aussies are planning to watch it on TV. (It could happen, right?)

It used to be my antidote to lonely Sunday nights. But now it's a birthday present. Still prefer it on Sunday.
A few years ago I saw Neil Gaiman speak in Sydney. Someone asked him when he'd write for Doctor Who. I can't remember his answer beyond that he'd love to. A few days later I saw him at a panel with the author of The Time Traveller's Wife. At the time, it seemed a strange match.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:18 AM on April 3, 2011


It's interesting to realise that I am anticipating this series of Nu Who more than any other -especially as I was dreading the last one going into it because, despite Moffart, A BLEEDING CHILD!!! was playing the Doctor. That was all gone about 20mins into the first episode. Smith is definitely the best Nu Doctor, may be even the second or third evah. And Pond is like the fifth best companion. (After Sarah-Jane, Leela and Romanas I and II)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:32 AM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


Damn... Moffat, Freudian slip there.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:34 AM on April 3, 2011


SPOILER: River Song is abandoned by The Doctor in 1997 Chicago where she gets a job as an E.R. doctor...

Spoiler: The cosmic radiation she picked up from being in the Tardis is what caused Mark Greene's cancer.
posted by drezdn at 4:43 AM on April 3, 2011 [10 favorites]


Someone must have forgotten that Easter is at the end of April this year!

They might have been counting the two part Dr Who Comic Relief special (<1>Space and Time.

And for those of you not aware of the occasional Dr Who Comic Relief episodes, you've missed a treat in the mid 90s The Curse of Fatal Death (written in the 90s by Stephen Moffatt, the current head writer).
posted by Francis at 5:24 AM on April 3, 2011


Apparently he has legal trouble and hires Baltar's lawyer from Battlestar Galactica (BBC America link at 0:37).
posted by lordrunningclam at 5:32 AM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Sadly, just to get BBCA, I'd have to upgrade my cable subscription to a tier chock-full of crap I have no desire to watch, and crank my already-too-damned-high bill into low-earth orbit.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:58 AM on April 3, 2011


Huh, none of these are playing any voices - it's all muddled music that sounds like it was over-compressed. Still, looking forward to this.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 6:09 AM on April 3, 2011


Interestingly, for many, BBC America On Demand is available without subscribing to BBCA itself. They put Doctor Who on the day after broadcast last season. Hopefully they'll do the same again this year.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:20 AM on April 3, 2011


The American episode might be a crossover with the American season of Torchwood. Unless the co-production with STARZ prevents that?
I'm the opposite of American Who fans. Part of why inlive it is because It's the only genre show that airs here at the same time every week around the same time it airs originally. Every other scifi show gets jerked around. Fringe just disappeared, and now they're airing the Smallville season 9 premiere, for some reason. But Who is treated with respect.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:32 AM on April 3, 2011


Pleased to (not) read any American whingeing and griping in this thread about Doctor Who.

Well I'm Canadian so this doesn't count but I have to say these trailers look awful. The stories might be good for a change but the over the top enthusiasm hey wow isn't life great bit of every single doctor since the relaunch is just not my thing. The way the episodes are directed and the music continues to remind me of the awfulness of Russel T. Davies. Moffat, if memory serves, said he wants it to be appeal to kids and I guess I just don't like kid's shows. I've seen every episode of the old series and new and will probably end up watching these but I feel like a smoker who lights up automatically the distaste. They've moved the camp from the special effects and production into the characters. They are ok, but for British television, pretty weak.
posted by juiceCake at 7:01 AM on April 3, 2011


the music continues to remind me of the awfulness of Russel T. Davies

So my little camp of friends isn't the only lot that dislikes Murray Gold and his glurginess! I think sometimes the whole point of keeping Gold around is to have music to send to the BBC Proms (generally every time I've watched a classic serial and noticed how light the incidental music is).

My husband's comment about the Gaiman episode title was that Moffat and Gaiman were trolling the internet. Until he pointed it out, I hadn't even considered the idea that the title might have anything to do with the obvious, and was wondering who would be not just the character referred to in the title, but the other person implied by the title!

I'm really hoping this year, broadcast-wise, that they put the series on iTunes and we can get a season pass for it. I'm not buying BBC America and I'd gladly pay for Who. I just want it in a timely fashion. (See also: the Borgias.)
posted by immlass at 7:52 AM on April 3, 2011


OMG, ZeusHumms, I never noticed that before! I just checked my OnDemand menu and...Free BBCA! I'll be reviewing the last season of Doctor Who this afternoon! Oh, and TopGear, too.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:54 AM on April 3, 2011


Okay, assume I watched the old series when I was a kid. I tried to watch the new one, my wife fell asleep during the first episode so we didn't bother.

How do I get back into it? Where should I start? s1e02? Or jump ahead a bit? When does it get "good?"
posted by Lord_Pall at 8:05 AM on April 3, 2011


how many more episodes until Amy is offed? Most. boring. companion. EVER!!!
posted by Neekee at 8:11 AM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


How do I get back into it? Where should I start?

In order to watch the last two seasons, you can really start with the first episode of the last season, to be honest, as long as you can Google for the occasional bit of info. And you can skip the Dalek episode and the Space-Whale episode, and the Vampires one too, if you like.

(Apparantly the title of the Gaiman episode was used as a decoy title in the old series, so it's possible that it's not actually the title. They are having fun with us, aren't they?)
posted by Grangousier at 8:14 AM on April 3, 2011


How do I get back into it? Where should I start? s1e02? Or jump ahead a bit? When does it get "good?"

I think the answer might be "YMMV." I've got friends who enjoyed season 1, the ladies sure seem to like David Tenant (2-4), and myself, it kicked in with season 5.
posted by weston at 8:34 AM on April 3, 2011


If you do start watching a whole whack of New Who episodes, I implore you: skip ANYTHING with Slitheen in it (well, with the Slitheen having a major role in it, at least): Aliens of London/World War III and Boom Town.

Unless you want fart jokes in your life.

Really, you can begin with Season 5 if you so desire, but...

SUGGESTED EPISODES:
Season 1:
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances: just because it is so damn good
(optional) Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways : goodbye nine, hello 10! Also, a big ol' Rose moment

Season 2:
(optional) The Christmas Invasion: thoroughly "meh" until David Tennant's speech about who the new Doctor is at the very end
(VERY optional) New Earth: Face of Boe, who becomes... important.
(optional) The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit: people are fond of this one; it was OK, I guess

Season 3:
Runaway Bride: introduction to Donna Noble, Future Companion, so you can understand how awesome she becomes from such an annoying root (really, optional but strongly suggested)
(optional, if you skip the Utopia sequence below) Gridlock: FACE OF BOEEEEE
Human Nature/Family of Blood: Doctor becomes human, Martha Jones kicks ass (really, optional but strongly suggested)
Blink: best. episode. ever. The bad guys in this one get recycled in a season 5 episode.
Utopia/Sound of the Drums/Last of the Time Lords: The three main Master episodes. Also featuring Martha Jones taking about 10 levels in badass.

Season 4:
Partners in Crime: Donna Noble kicks ass, becomes the Companion
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead: Introduction to River Song, very important in seasons 5 and 6.
(optional) Midnight: Some people really, really like this episode. I am not one of them. Basically, a bottle episode and psychological study.
(optional) Turn Left: Donna continues to be awesome
(optional) The Stolen Earth/Journey's End: Goodbye, Donna
(optional, but recommended so you can get an idea of where the Tenth Doctor's psychological state) The Waters of Mars: The Doctor tries to change something that should not be changed; goes a bit bonkers.
(optional, but recommended if you watched the Master episodes) The End of Time: guess who's back? The Master's back! Also, Timothy Dalton.

Season 5
The Eleventh Hour: SO AWSUM. Hello Eleven! Hello Big-Amy and Wee-Amy! VERY important for continuity purposes.
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone: River Stone anew. Important for continuity purposes.
(optional) Amy's Choice: The Doctor's enemy traps the crew in their dreams, and they have to choose which dream to die in in order to escape. The other dream is reality, and death there is death. Good Amy moment.
(optional) Vincent and the Doctor: Sweet little episode.
(optional) The Lodger: I found this one to be pretty fun: Doctor pretends to be human, hilarity results.
Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang: damn near MANDATORY. The big bad in season 6 is going to be a continuation of what happened here (and in The Eleventh Hour).
posted by flibbertigibbet at 8:58 AM on April 3, 2011 [15 favorites]


If you're only recommending Silence In The Library / Forest Of The Dead because they introduce River Song, then you're selling those episodes really short. They're two of the best hours of television storytelling ever written, and I recommend them even to non-Who fans because they are just that fucking awesome.
posted by hippybear at 9:13 AM on April 3, 2011 [13 favorites]


I think I forgot how good they were because as I put them in I was debating going back and slotting in Girl in the Fireplace back in whatever season it takes place in, which I frankly liked better.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 9:18 AM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm too much in love with the show to be objective, but the opinion of my more casual friend Pete is that if I trust the person to give it a chance and stick with it, it's worth watching from Season 27 (aka season 1). If I'm worried that it needs to hit them running on all cylinders or they'll stop watching, I should start them with Season 31 (season 5) and hope they like it enough to want to jump back to 27 later.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:19 AM on April 3, 2011


how many more episodes until Amy is offed? Most. boring. companion. EVER!!!

No

If you do start watching a whole whack of New Who episodes

I agree with your assessment (and seriously, how much of S1 was wasted on the Slitheen? I count three episodes, which is like a quarter of the entire run. As much as I tend to defend Davies in these conversations, this is an early sign that his judgment was not always...good), but I would have to endorse "The Runaway Bride" a little more strongly. It is important to see this episode just to see how much Donna changes, but the spider-queen is one of the show's more successful creatures and is just basically a pleasure to behold. I also have to throw in a recommendation for "The Shakespeare Code" and "The Wasp and the Unicorn," because I apparently have a huge weakness for episodes where the Doctor interacts with real life historical figures (I even really liked Churchill in the dire Dalek episode from S5, even if the rest of it was total junk). There's a scene in "The Wasp and the Unicorn" that still makes me laugh every time I think of it.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 9:20 AM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Sidenote: the coolness about 'Midnight' is simply this: The Doctor has two things that he can always rely on: his ability to talk himself out of anything, and an unwavering faith that humanity will always do the right thing in the end.

In Midnight, both of those are taken away from him, and he has no idea what to do.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:21 AM on April 3, 2011 [10 favorites]


Also, for season 5, for continuity purposes, "The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" are useful. Not terribly important, but there are a couple of things in the season 5 finale that won't make sense without it. Watch before "Vincent and the Doctor"
posted by Hactar at 9:23 AM on April 3, 2011


If you're only recommending Silence In The Library / Forest Of The Dead because they introduce River Song, then you're selling those episodes really short. They're two of the best hours of television storytelling ever written, and I recommend them even to non-Who fans because they are just that fucking awesome.

Agreed. Those were the episodes that got me watching.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:30 AM on April 3, 2011


kittens for breakfast: it took me 4 tries to get into Doctor Who because I was a huge "MUST WATCH ALL EPISODES IN ORDER" type of person and the Slitheen just... made it very very difficult. So I asked around and only watched the best episodes from the RTD era, and it did me well. I then went back and filled in (most) of the gaps.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 9:31 AM on April 3, 2011


Oh! I forgot to mention Doomsday: the final 5-ish minutes made me a little teary, and I hate one of the characters involved in that scene.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 9:33 AM on April 3, 2011


The American episode might be a crossover with the American season of Torchwood. Unless the co-production with STARZ prevents that?

At this point, they're very much different productions, with different producers and all that. I would be very surprised, and extremely disappointed to see a crossover.

Torchwood itself premieres on July 8th on Starz.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:52 AM on April 3, 2011


EASTER EASTER EASTER
posted by you're a kitty! at 9:55 AM on April 3, 2011


How do I get back into it? Where should I start? s1e02? Or jump ahead a bit? When does it get "good?"

Some bits are more "good" then others. Shortest path is the most recent season of the current Doctor (Eleven), aka Season 5 with Matt Smith. Watch all the episodes, make your own judgements.

Otherwise, Nine/Christopher Eccleston/Season 1 is good and relatively complete. Ten/David Tennant/Seasons 2-4 and four specials are more accessible to some, as he's more emotive.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:57 AM on April 3, 2011


I am unhappy about this new Stetson development. We are staying put on Team Fez; in fact, my son just had his school picture taken wearing a fez.
posted by Dr. Zira at 9:58 AM on April 3, 2011 [5 favorites]


I'm officially stating here my theory that River Song kills the Eighth Doctor.

That would explain why she was briefly married to Voldemort.
posted by Dr. Zira at 10:04 AM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]


I agree with your assessment (and seriously, how much of S1 was wasted on the Slitheen?

You know, now that I think about it, every Eccleston episode I started to watch had the Slitheen, and I'm getting the distinct impression from this thread that these were not the best moments of Season 1. Perhaps this is why I didn't really get into the new who then, maybe I should go back and watch the other ones.
posted by weston at 11:03 AM on April 3, 2011


If you're only recommending Silence In The Library / Forest Of The Dead because they introduce River Song, then you're selling those episodes really short.

Indeed. Because if there's nothing else Moffatt can do, his ability to take short words or phrases and turn those small things into PANTS SHITTING TERROR gets me every. Single. Time.

are you my mummy?
posted by PapaLobo at 11:07 AM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]


I think some of the adjectives in this thread need to take a step down before we invent the ubersuperlative by accident.
posted by Slackermagee at 11:08 AM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Of course, there's a couple of Moffat tricks he could probably do with giving a rest for a bit, spooky kids and repeated phrases being two of them.
posted by Artw at 11:23 AM on April 3, 2011 [4 favorites]


maybe I should go back and watch the other ones

The one to watch is Dalek.
posted by Grangousier at 11:35 AM on April 3, 2011 [5 favorites]


I don't know; "Hey, who turned out the lights?" over and over and OVER got a little bit annoying for me. Don't get me wrong, those are two fantastic episodes, I love them, but "Are you my mummy?" was much scarier, and didn't just make me want to tell the monster to shut up already.

the spider-queen is one of the show's more successful creatures and is just basically a pleasure to behold

Dear lord, that was a scenery chewing tour de force even for Doctor Who. Empress Spider-Ham is one of my favorite Doctor Who villains that I hope never to see again.
posted by maqsarian at 11:38 AM on April 3, 2011


Speaking of Daleks and things that needed a rest, is it me or are they pretty much absent?
posted by Artw at 11:42 AM on April 3, 2011


Totally shocked that no one has mentioned the "Red Nose Day" webisodes. Here's Time, Part One and Time, Part Two, via the BBC's YouTube channel.

"Pond, put some trousers on."
posted by QuantumMeruit at 12:13 PM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


The Catherine Tate Red Nose Day cracks me up too.
posted by Space Kitty at 12:44 PM on April 3, 2011


I see no one has mentioned Blink yet, for shame Metafilter, for shame *wags finger*.

Well anyway it's one of Moffat's and is definitely worth watching even if it is a Doctor 'lite' episode, it's actually one of my favorite ever episodes.

Also I hope we get some more cool new monsters this season.
posted by invisible_al at 12:45 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


Newbies should just watch all of Series Five in a row. Just remember that the Doctor, who is not named Doctor Who but is simply the Doctor, is a centuries-old time-traveling alien in a time-traveling police box with a Sonic Screwdriver that is as useful as either the plot or RTD requires.

Watch all of Series Five. Don't skip bad episodes. Bad episodes are as important as good episodes. A huge part of DW fandom is mocking bad episodes and generally pretending as if you'll stop watching due to a decline in quality. Bad episodes help accentuate how truly good and awesome Doctor Who can be. Good episodes are fun to watch, but bad episodes are better conversation-starters. Bad episodes help keep you in suspense at the beginning of any episode. Bad episodes are also the true test of a Doctor's quality - anyone can seem admirable in a well-written story, but watch Eccleston boogie his way through that dire Big Brother parody, and you'll have a newfound respect for the man.

So, yes. Series five. It's consistently excellent. The "worst" episode would have been an average episode during most earlier runs, so don't worry about it. If you wind up liking it, then you should go back to the 2005 reboot starring Eccleston, which is an uneven but ultimately satisfying affair, standing as it does between the eventual sheen of the later years and the stodgy oddness of the Doctor's format. The Tennant years are fun as well, and just as uneven, veering wildly between extremes of "great" and "shit", all the while centered on a terrific premise, a charismatic central performance, and a catchy theme song.

Alternatively, or subsequently, or simultaneously, you should check out some of the better serials from so-called "Classic" Who, such as City of Death or The Mind Robber.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:45 PM on April 3, 2011 [6 favorites]


Watch Love & Monsters, then everything else afterwards will seem like pure gold. And Sad Tony was fucking robbed... I'm still bitter about that.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:03 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


(as a sidebar, check out feelinglistless' thoughts on what Modern DW should be, which he wrote up before the show returned and when we were just hearing it'd come back. Some elements of it match up almost perfectly, particularly with season 27/1 where playing it safe was much more necessary.)
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 1:07 PM on April 3, 2011


The first episode of Doctor Who I saw was Planet of the Ood, and it completely failed to attract me as a viewer. I lucked into seeing The Eleventh Hour (Series 5 premier) and it sucked me in, and led me to go back and watch all of modern era of Who. I really enjoyed series one and five, however despite some great moments, the years in between just don't satisfy me the same way.

That's a fantastic list you put together flibbertigibbet!
posted by Harpocrates at 2:23 PM on April 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


Moffat has ruined low budget horror for me. Everytime I see a Supernatural episode or a low budget horror short I wonder at how they're less scary than shadows and statues on a kid's show.
And I mentally turn most of the horror shorts I'm watching into Who episodes. Easy if you remove the gore.
And I LOVE the Doctor's lust for life.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 3:32 PM on April 3, 2011


skip ANYTHING with Slitheen in it

Unless you don't know who Penelope Wilton is. Watch these ... then wash the fart smell off you and enjoy her ever-so-polite battle of wills with Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey. SO GOOD.
posted by PapaLobo at 4:28 PM on April 3, 2011


I was hooked by Rose, the very first episode of the new series.

"Hi, I'm the Doctor. Run for your life!"

(misquoted)

----

"If you're an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a north!"
posted by jb at 5:30 PM on April 3, 2011 [4 favorites]


I still hope Amy offs Rory there at the end.
posted by sugarfish


YOU TAKE THAT BACK
posted by Windigo at 7:15 PM on April 3, 2011


Holy crap. Season 5, Episode 1 was fucking great (11th hour).

Hugely entertaining.

I don't remember it ever being that fresh and engaging. Moffat is kicking ass.
posted by Lord_Pall at 7:27 PM on April 3, 2011 [3 favorites]


"Hi, I'm the Doctor. Run for your life!"

Chameleon Circuit - An Awful Lot of Running

(The concept is better than the implementation, and it's hopelessly fanboyish of course, but I kindof enjoyed it anyway.)
posted by weston at 8:07 PM on April 3, 2011


And yeah, Lord_Pall.... I was immediately hooked after watching the 11th hour.
posted by weston at 8:07 PM on April 3, 2011


Man, BBA America has been promoting the heck out of this! I've seen a Season 6 trailer before Source Code, and major banners inside and out at WonderCon.

Sunday morning in San Francisco, Neil Gaiman, Toby Haynes and Mark Sheppard hosted a Doctor Who preview panel at WonderCon. I wanted to share my recollection of a few details of the clip shown from "The Doctor's Wife" or Season 6, episode 4:

SOME WOULD CONSIDER THE DETAILS BELOW TO BE SPOILERS FOR DOCTOR WHO SEASON 6 EPISODE 4....



















The Doctor, Rory and Amy are on the junkyard planet. The Doctor is speaking to two scavengers (one male and one older female, both wearing mismatched clothing). They call it "The room" and say that they are the only ones living there. There is a brief conversation about the nature of the junkyard world.

A wide shot shows that the scavenger group also includes Suranne Jones's character, Idris (who is unconscious on the ground) and a green-eyed Ood! The Ood appears to be wearing a work jumpsuit, and his translator isn't working, rendering it mute. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to activate the translator, which glows green and emits a cacophony of babbling voices.

Amy asks if the voices are the other inhabitants, and the Doctor does not think so. After a a minute or two, the voices cease. The Doctor recognizes the voices as...Time Lords! Hundreds of them!

The Doctor tells Rory and Amy to stay behind at the Tardis, then asks the scavengers to take him back to their dwelling to investigate the voices. The clip ends as Jones' character is picked up off the ground by the scavengers; they walk toward a set of doors leading into what looks like an underground bunker...

END SPOILERS
posted by JDC8 at 11:17 PM on April 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


So where do folks go to talk about Doctor Who nowadays? I tried to discover if Outpost Gallifrey had any living descendents, but it seemed not.
posted by philipy at 9:45 AM on April 4, 2011


. . . I usually just wait for a metafilter thread.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:54 AM on April 4, 2011 [5 favorites]


An amazing costume at Dragon*Con: Weeping Angel.
posted by kmz at 12:24 PM on April 4, 2011 [1 favorite]


The descendant of Outpost Gallifrey is Gallifrey Base at http://gallifreybase.com/. It's where everyone moved in the aftermath of the owner of Outpost Gallifrey removing the active content area (which has been remembered via archive.org). There are other resources too, including other forums. I usually talk Doctor Who at Television Without Pity, which has Who recaps and a forum but nothing as intense as GB.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:38 PM on April 4, 2011 [2 favorites]


I hope one day that they bring back the Movellans and the Mentiats. In the same episode...
posted by juiceCake at 1:34 PM on April 4, 2011


(optional) Vincent and the Doctor: Sweet little episode.

Not even a little bit optional. It doesn't necessarily speak to the overarching plot of the fifth season, but it's easily one of the best episodes both in terms of look and impact.

To be honest, it might be one of the best episodes of Doctor Who, period.

I wouldn't skip it.
posted by quin at 2:39 PM on April 4, 2011 [6 favorites]


Caitlin Moran (Columnist and TV critic for the Times) has been twittering from the Doctor Who press premiere earlier this evening:

Well, having watched the first two episodes of the new series of Doctor Who, I can tell you it is ALL KICKING OFF.

If you want a writer who can milk every single amusing, heart-breaking possibility of time travel, Stephen Moffat's your man.

River Song does a thing that's so cool, the whole auditorium applauded.

posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:20 PM on April 4, 2011 [1 favorite]


I am all for River Song doing a things that are cool.
posted by Artw at 3:24 PM on April 4, 2011 [3 favorites]






Karen Gillan is scheduled to be on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on 4/22.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:45 AM on April 10, 2011


NY screening Q & A - no spoilers but some very funny stuff.
posted by Artw at 7:32 AM on April 13, 2011


I am trying to phrase this as delicately as possible--I am recommending that "THE LODGER" gets upgraded from "optional" to "watching this might be a good idea for the upcoming season ayup."
posted by flibbertigibbet at 8:50 PM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]


Yeah, Vincent and the Doctor makes me tear up every time I watch it. Not that it's hard for media to make me cry, but still.
posted by NoraReed at 12:32 PM on April 28, 2011


« Older Muzzle the Defense   |   interspecies friendships Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments