Doctor Who - The Beast Below

[Zarniwoop]

I have to say 2nd episode in and I'm not really feeling the new doctor.

Either the Actor or the writing or both is making the Doctor come across far too arrogant and superior. Whilst the Doctor at times has been known to show some of these traits (he is 900+ years old after all) this was always tempered with understanding.

Also we all know the Tardis has a rather large wardrobe with centries worth of clothing so how come our latest sidekick runs around the whole damn episode in a nightie! ... What young woman would go into a strange large public area in her nightie, and by the way why does virtually no-one seem to think it strange when they meet her.

I will see what episode three brings but I am getting less hopeful the more I see. The series in going darker yes, but the quality of writing is still not there. I am also troubled by the trailers for the new series as it looks like yet again they are going to go through the back catalogue of WHO enemies. Why can they not just draw a line under the old and bring in some new ideas.

Lets hope things get better......

[Dat]

I believe it is a common occurance around those 24hr supermarkets, for women to wander in of an evening in nought but her nightclothes. I also have it on good authority that early morning shopping trips by young mothers visit these establishments in much the same attire. I read an article in The Times about a welsh woman being barred from the premises for such slothenly behaviour. I suggest this disturbingly common occurance would be viewed as de-rigeur, given time. 

[carldjcross]

I have to say 2nd episode in and I'm not really feeling the new doctor.

At the risk of making a habit of it I disagree. The new Doctor has something of Tom Baker's otherwordlyness about him which can only be a good thing. You have to remember that the Doctor is not only 900 years old he's also not human, fond of us though he is. The Doctor's arrogance is the kind that toddlers feel when adults tell them "just because". His ire isn't reserved just for us though, top moment at the end of the first episode when he tells off the alien guards for threatening the Earth without reason.

Good though David Tennant's Doctor was he was a wuss, he'd blub at the drop of a hat unlike the Matt Smith's at the end of the second episode, also proving he doesn't always have the all the answers.

I take your point on Amy's nightie although I suspect that was to preempt any complaints about sexing up the companion. She seems to be back in street clothes for the remainder of the series.

I also have no problem with classic aliens, it's not like Moffat's not added to the lexicon; if he contributed nothing else but the Clockwork Man and the Screaming Angels he'd have earned his place in the Who universe I reckon. Speaking of which Moffat's writing has IMHO also been excellent, Blink was a standout episode and while the two episodes I've seen so far come nowhere near that (although the first episode was sweet) there's still plenty of time for improvement.

[Snakes in the Tiki Lounge]

I'd pretty much just like to agree with everything Carldjcross just posted.

[Zarniwoop]

I have to say 2nd episode in and I'm not really feeling the new doctor.

At the risk of making a habit of it I disagree. The new Doctor has something of Tom Baker's otherwordlyness about him which can only be a good thing. You have to remember that the Doctor is not only 900 years old he's also not human, fond of us though he is. The Doctor's arrogance is the kind that toddlers feel when adults tell them "just because". His ire isn't reserved just for us though, top moment at the end of the first episode when he tells off the alien guards for threatening the Earth without reason.

I take your point but my issue is not that he should not be arrogrant but the degree to which he is being arrogrant. Given that he has a long history with Humans and he has several lifetimes of experience surely there should be a bit more "cutting some slack" for the childish humans. It may be THIS doctors first experience of them but not the "Doctors" thats all I am saying, he has all the memories of the others and now he is fully regenerated he should be able to remember his past experiences.

Every personality is different, I get that but his experiences and attitude to races he has encountered should be similar. If that was not the case then everytime a Timelord regenerated we would have a another potential Master!

Just my 2 cents...

I will try and watch the 3rd episode tonight and see how this effects my opinion.

[Slatie]

I agree with the 'getting angry at humans' thing.  If he thinks that little of us why bother.  And please if he could stop starring into the middle distance and producing half finished sentences!  Just strikes me he's trying to be David Tenant but without the Charisma!

Was it just me or did the creature with the long spiky things tapping on the sides of a pen look and sound like scene from Half-Life the computer game.

 

[Dat]

Yes, much the same creature made horrible metal bashing/tapping noises in Half-life. There was a tunnel full of them i had to traverse down and avoid. It took me about a week of reloading the save to avoid blade-tentacled death/impaling. - Scary creatures in many ways.

Once again, i vote for the new dr who. because.

[Snakes in the Tiki Lounge]

Was it just me or did the creature with the long spiky things tapping on the sides of a pen look and sound like scene from Half-Life the computer game.

Quite possibly using the same sound sample, you never know.

Though I suspect my Squirrelly chum would have had much less re-loading to do if the Half-life ones were actually attached to a caring, sharing Star Whale who just wanted to give Gordon Freeman a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

[carldjcross]

I take your point but my issue is not that he should not be arrogrant but the degree to which he is being arrogrant. Given that he has a long history with Humans and he has several lifetimes of experience surely there should be a bit more "cutting some slack" for the childish humans. It may be THIS doctors first experience of them but not the "Doctors" thats all I am saying, he has all the memories of the others and now he is fully regenerated he should be able to remember his past experiences.

Every personality is different, I get that but his experiences and attitude to races he has encountered should be similar. If that was not the case then everytime a Timelord regenerated we would have a another potential Master!

Perhaps we'd be more like really, really nice labradors to Timelords? Nice to have around but can be bloody annoying when you're trying to sort out a crisis.  

It's not just humans the Doctor has to care for but all life hence he was really annoyed when he was put in the impossible position of choosing between a ship full of humans (and British humans at that!) and a completely innocent creature. Frankly I was surprised he choose us!

It did remind me that William Hartnell's first Doctor sent his companions into a trap just to see what would happen and I'm sure I remember watching/reading about a Tom Baker era storyline in which he encountered an evil future self which I'm pretty sure was supposed to be the 11th regeneration ! Wonder if they'll work that one into the storyline somehow?

Personally I was disappointed to see that they were going with the repeated motif. It was quite cute with Bad Wolf and even the knocking four times worked in the end but it seems we've got a slashed motif going on this time.

I suppose in the end it comes down to whether it rings true or not for you.