Amph Doctor Who Discussion (Russell T. Davies returns)

All The Strange, Strange Creatures.
Rose's theme
Hologram
I'm coming to get you
Doomsday
Martha's theme
Dalek from Series 1
The Dark and Endless Dalek Night
Several of Amy's theme's.

 

Got this via Facebook from some fellow MSTies...

 

Vale Decem.



The last minute in particular gives me chills (for obvious reasons, given what's happening in the actual episode).

 

ForceSmuggler: The last 15 minutes of Forest of the Dead, from the death of River Song to the exchanges between the Doctor and Donna and finally River's "afterlife", is exquisitely scored. It runs the gamut: heart-rending, melancholy, rousing, and then soothing. It helps that FotD is a Top 5 episode.

 

The Greatest Story Never Told. Another good one.

 

The full version of Blink:


I also love the Cyberman theme in all it's many variations:

 

I see that some of the arguments have now fully shifted over to claiming that a female doctor was always possible and was always considered. The reason why there hasn't been one before is because a woman good enough to play the role was not found, or a quality script or authentic inspiration for a female doctor wasn't there so they decided not to cast a woman on the basis that the scripts would not be of the required quality.

In other words. They can only make quality, artistic decisions when it was a male doctor. Either that or quality of art is not as necessary a consideration when a man plays the part of the Doctor. But when a woman is cast then it must only be for the most immaculately artistic reasons.

 

Song of Freedom (Flying the Earth Home).

 

Top 5 you say? I think it's one of Moffat's weakest personally.
Hmmm perhaps it's time to do another NuWho countdown?!... maybe after Christmas?


In regards to the casting of Jodie Whittaker;
My initial response to the casting was anger and denial. 36 hours later I have moved on to acceptance.
I'm not convinced it is necessary and don't understand why the likes of Romana, River, Jenny (The Doctor's Daughter) etc, who are essentially archetypes of The Doctor, are not enough.

But none of that matters, my opinion doesn't matter, and I'm okay with that.

I will say this though; PLEASE JODIE DO MORE THAN 3 SERIES OF THE SHOW!
I have no concept of just how tiring and demanding being the lead on a show such as DW is so I really don't see why we haven't had someone stick around for longer. It's an arbitrary rule that doesn't need to be adhered to.

 

This was posted on the Agony Booth site, and it's a more cynical take on the decision. We'll have to see how accurate it turns out to be.

http://www.agonybooth.com/the-new-doctor-who-the-trials-of-a-timelady-57089

By the way, can anyone find a copy of Tom Baker's resignation announcement from 1981, where he wished the next Doctor, "whoever he or she may be", good luck?

 

How would you define the necessity that determined that men should be cast as the doctor up till this point?

It's not about placating people who want something they shouldn't have with a sort of archetype for the Doctor every few years.

 

On reflection, there honestly shouldn't be much in the way of dissonance. This isn't James Bond we're talking about; the attributes of the character--the principal ones being his compassion and asexuality--should largely render the gender identity issue moot.

Just let Whittaker be the Doctor--who helps people and smiles as s/he does it.

 

I agree that it will be interesting to see how the change is addressed, or even if it's addressed at all. There could be some stories that thoughtfully look at how the Doctor adjusts to being female for the first time in his/her lifespan. Or, they could just do stories according to the usual formula, but sticking with the Doctor's previous view that gender identity isn't all that important. ("That's right, now I'm female. So, let's go stop those Daleks over there.") I just hope they don't go the "Hell Bent" route and treat it as a joke.

 

Also, I've been primed for a female Doctor ever since Suranne Jones's indelible performance as Idris (The Doctor's Wife). Here's hoping Whittaker channels a similar idiosyncratic quirkiness and kindness.

 

The new TARDIS:

 

I'd... watch that...

 

The show will be a ratings smash in its first week next year - no doubts. I would go as far as saying that the ratings will rival Rose because you will obviously get the contingent of the fans who genuinely wanted a female Doctor watching. You'll then get those who hate the idea watching it either because of their love for the show, the want to see it fail or watching it in the hope their minds will be changed. Finally, slews of newcomers who haven't been into the show will come to see it purely for its own curiosity. It will be a ratings boom. But what happens following say...week 5....we'll see.

But, new producer, new Doctor and, overall, a bold new direction bodes very well for the early weeks of Series 11.

 

You'll also get the ones that hated Moffat with a passion and wanted him gone and swore they wouldn't watch until he was gone possibly watching as well

 

It would be interesting if they had Whittaker bump into the Roman dude that Capaldi played.

 

What annoys me is I've seen some say they'll now start watching it having never been interested in it before simply because there's a female Doctor.
Yet criticize those who have voiced concerns about the gender change from a writing perspective as sexists who are against women in the show.

Surely watching it based solely on the gender of the lead actor is more sexist than worrying about the cast choice because of potential writing issues

 

For some, the change of gender might induce the writers to get out of their comfort zone and spark some originality

For others, the change is gratuitous and they see gender, whatever it is, as the natural product of quality writing. Putting the cart before the horse precludes the possibility of authentic writing of any quality..

It's no surprise that there's a "damned if..." aspect to all this. It applies to just about everything in a show that is inherently interchangeable and has various people constantly assuming ownership of the narrative.