(1.)First… I never get the sense that the Doctor’s going to come in and take control or sort out the problem.
Yes. And that started pretty early. Yes, I miss Ten, but I'm used to the fact that the actors change in the role. I have other favorite doctors besides Tennant. During the premiere ep, I was sitting watching, waiting for the Doctor to come and solve the problem, because it just didn't even feel like he was THERE. LOL. I thought it was just because they may've filmed this ep a bit early (they always film out of order, it's madness, hehe) and Matt didn't have a hold on what he wanted to do with the character yet. I was wrong.
(2.)That as soon as you saw the Doctor on screen, you knew everything was going to be all right. I’m absolutely not getting that from the Doctor this year.
Yes, again. And that's not how DW is supposed to be. Of course there should be suspenseful moments like this, after all, that's how you create great drama. But I feel no emotional pull at all with this Doctor. Not like there was with Eccleston or Tennant or anyone else.
(3.)I feel no sense of companionship between the Doctor and Amy. I’m not looking for shipper stuff here, mind you.
There is no mistaking that Matt Smith can act. He can. I'm not going to sit here and type out how horrible he is. He's just not experienced enough an actor for this role. I'm sorry. That's how I feel. They had a LONG while to pick the right actor. And they didn't. How do I know? Because SO MANY FANS feel the same way and have had the same reaction. Countless Live Journals, Youtube reviews, etc, reveal this. That Smith is just "meh" in the role. There's no meat to him; there's no heavy emotion, there's no weight to the character. And it's very disappointing.
The other problem is how green an actress Karen G. is. Her two modes seem to be "bug-eyed" and "not bug-eyed." I'm sure she's a very nice person, but as a viewer, she's a very weak actress. Much of her acting comes across as flat and emotionless. She has her moments where you think she's going to really HIT IT, and she just doesn't. And that is also very disappointing.
(3.)The characters are flat and barely two-dimensional.
Yes, and that can tie into your other point I copied and pasted for #2. Russell Davies might've been picked on for his over-doing stuff, but you can't deny he was a master of character development. He could make us care about characters whom only had 5 minutes of screen time.
Amy is not a strong companion for me because Karen does not seem to fit the demands of the companion role. Davies' relaunch of WHO in 2005 redefined a lot of what it means to be a companion and that requires an intense, involved actress. But again, as a viewer, that's what I'm getting. I've watched a lot of Doctors and have been through a lot of regenerations now with a lot of companions. It's just my reaction as a viewer.
The best moments on the show so far have gone to Alex Kingston. She was the best thing that happened so far. I expected a LOT more from somebody like Steve M. and I'm just not getting it. I stopped watching a few weeks back and I don't think I can go back. I'd rather catch up on my classic DW. And that's just...well, again, disappointing.
The one thing I'll disagree with here is Matt & Karen. I don't know that it's fair to say they're not capable of the parts. I don't think they're being given much to work with here. It's true that an actor can make a small part into a scene-stealer, but I don't know how possible that is when you're already the main characters.
Not to say that you're completely wrong on this - hell, they might not be up to the roles. But I'm feeling like the deck is stacked strongly against them on this with poor writing.
Yes, and that's the one point I wish I'd addressed now that I think about it! The writing is just...like bits of rehashed stuff from the era that Steve M supposedly wants to shy away from. THE HUNGRY EARTH had elements we've already seen from a series 2 two-parter; and another crack in the universe? Haven't we had enough of that?
I agree that the writing has been poor, but these actors also have a substantial amount of screen-time in the majority of episodes each series because they are playing the main characters. On the other hand, as an actor, all you have is the script, and if the scripts are poorly written or the direction is bad or the pacing in the script is badly structured, then you have a whole host of problems. It's all been very disappointing.
Definitely rehashed in many ways (although it could be argued that much of TV/Movies are... take Dances With Wolves vs. Avatar, for example).
The Hungry Earth, on its own, may be one of the dullest episode I've seen - it could have been retitled "And Now for a Period of Time in which Absolutely Nothing Happens."
I mean, hell - The Long Game is not exactly a shining example of great DW - but there's an okay story there, and it definitely sets up portions of the series finale. When I first watched it, I thought it was a pretty good romp.
But the two-parter I just saw - I basically saw 90 minutes of setup for a crack eating a character that had nothing to do with the rest of the episode (in which Nothing Really Happened).
I'm convinced it's horrible writing that's making the Doctor and Amy appear flat. I look at how they banter in the Confidentials and see that there's a huge amount of potential that's being underused. It's as if the focus is on worldbuilding and what we're seeing visually, that what should be the main focus is being forgotten (the Doctor and Amy and their growth as individuals).
Case in point on the horrible writing. Donna was /terrible/ in Runaway Bride. I hated her, and when I heard she was the Companion for Season 4 I was so angry and frustrated that it would be a horrible season because the "bad Companion" was coming back. I was floored at how much better she was as a character with the improvement in writing in Season 4 to the point that she's my favorite Companion thus far.
Ah, see, I enjoyed Donna in the Runaway Bride. She was loud and obnoxious, but it was pretty clear by halfway through she was loud and obnoxious specifically because she was an insecure person who got shit upon quite a bit. The fact that she doesn't allow the Doctor to pull the shit he did with Rose cracked me up.
That said - I'm very thankful she'd mellowed down for the series, because yeah, she would have been too overbearing and distracting at that level of protective sarcasm.
Donna is my favorite companion of the new series. Yes, the Doctor/Rose shipper thing is fun, but it really is a fanon invention for the most part (I will not argue the reality of flirting and a clearly complex relationship right on that friends/unrequited love line in the show). Fun to play with and put back when I'm done.
But the Doctor and Donna's friendship, which was clearly a deep best-friends having the time of their lives friendship? Absolutely awesome.
(1.)First… I never get the sense that the Doctor’s going to come in and take control or sort out the problem.
Yes. And that started pretty early. Yes, I miss Ten, but I'm used to the fact that the actors change in the role. I have other favorite doctors besides Tennant. During the premiere ep, I was sitting watching, waiting for the Doctor to come and solve the problem, because it just didn't even feel like he was THERE. LOL. I thought it was just because they may've filmed this ep a bit early (they always film out of order, it's madness, hehe) and Matt didn't have a hold on what he wanted to do with the character yet. I was wrong.
(2.)That as soon as you saw the Doctor on screen, you knew everything was going to be all right. I’m absolutely not getting that from the Doctor this year.
Yes, again. And that's not how DW is supposed to be. Of course there should be suspenseful moments like this, after all, that's how you create great drama. But I feel no emotional pull at all with this Doctor. Not like there was with Eccleston or Tennant or anyone else.
(3.)I feel no sense of companionship between the Doctor and Amy. I’m not looking for shipper stuff here, mind you.
There is no mistaking that Matt Smith can act. He can. I'm not going to sit here and type out how horrible he is. He's just not experienced enough an actor for this role. I'm sorry. That's how I feel. They had a LONG while to pick the right actor. And they didn't. How do I know? Because SO MANY FANS feel the same way and have had the same reaction. Countless Live Journals, Youtube reviews, etc, reveal this. That Smith is just "meh" in the role. There's no meat to him; there's no heavy emotion, there's no weight to the character. And it's very disappointing.
The other problem is how green an actress Karen G. is. Her two modes seem to be "bug-eyed" and "not bug-eyed." I'm sure she's a very nice person, but as a viewer, she's a very weak actress. Much of her acting comes across as flat and emotionless. She has her moments where you think she's going to really HIT IT, and she just doesn't. And that is also very disappointing.
(3.)The characters are flat and barely two-dimensional.
Yes, and that can tie into your other point I copied and pasted for #2. Russell Davies might've been picked on for his over-doing stuff, but you can't deny he was a master of character development. He could make us care about characters whom only had 5 minutes of screen time.
Amy is not a strong companion for me because Karen does not seem to fit the demands of the companion role. Davies' relaunch of WHO in 2005 redefined a lot of what it means to be a companion and that requires an intense, involved actress. But again, as a viewer, that's what I'm getting. I've watched a lot of Doctors and have been through a lot of regenerations now with a lot of companions. It's just my reaction as a viewer.
The best moments on the show so far have gone to Alex Kingston. She was the best thing that happened so far. I expected a LOT more from somebody like Steve M. and I'm just not getting it. I stopped watching a few weeks back and I don't think I can go back. I'd rather catch up on my classic DW. And that's just...well, again, disappointing.
luv jackie
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Not to say that you're completely wrong on this - hell, they might not be up to the roles. But I'm feeling like the deck is stacked strongly against them on this with poor writing.
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Yes, and that's the one point I wish I'd addressed now that I think about it! The writing is just...like bits of rehashed stuff from the era that Steve M supposedly wants to shy away from. THE HUNGRY EARTH had elements we've already seen from a series 2 two-parter; and another crack in the universe? Haven't we had enough of that?
I agree that the writing has been poor, but these actors also have a substantial amount of screen-time in the majority of episodes each series because they are playing the main characters. On the other hand, as an actor, all you have is the script, and if the scripts are poorly written or the direction is bad or the pacing in the script is badly structured, then you have a whole host of problems. It's all been very disappointing.
luv jackie
Reply
The Hungry Earth, on its own, may be one of the dullest episode I've seen - it could have been retitled "And Now for a Period of Time in which Absolutely Nothing Happens."
I mean, hell - The Long Game is not exactly a shining example of great DW - but there's an okay story there, and it definitely sets up portions of the series finale. When I first watched it, I thought it was a pretty good romp.
But the two-parter I just saw - I basically saw 90 minutes of setup for a crack eating a character that had nothing to do with the rest of the episode (in which Nothing Really Happened).
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Case in point on the horrible writing. Donna was /terrible/ in Runaway Bride. I hated her, and when I heard she was the Companion for Season 4 I was so angry and frustrated that it would be a horrible season because the "bad Companion" was coming back. I was floored at how much better she was as a character with the improvement in writing in Season 4 to the point that she's my favorite Companion thus far.
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That said - I'm very thankful she'd mellowed down for the series, because yeah, she would have been too overbearing and distracting at that level of protective sarcasm.
Donna is my favorite companion of the new series. Yes, the Doctor/Rose shipper thing is fun, but it really is a fanon invention for the most part (I will not argue the reality of flirting and a clearly complex relationship right on that friends/unrequited love line in the show). Fun to play with and put back when I'm done.
But the Doctor and Donna's friendship, which was clearly a deep best-friends having the time of their lives friendship? Absolutely awesome.
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