Doctor Who: Rose and The End of the World reviews
I posted this on my MySpace blog, but decided I may as well open a LiveJournal account and post it here, too.
Last night, the new series of Doctor Who made its U.S. debut on the Sci-Fi Channel. I've been a fan of the original series (1963-1989 plus a 1996 TV-movie) since the late '70s. I was involved in Who fandom in the late '80s/early '90s when I was president for two years of Time Travellers Anonymous, a fan group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. So, I've been looking forward to the new program since it was announced in September 2003.
Rose
The opening titles are a reworking of the 'time tunnel' sequence that was used for most of Tom Baker's episodes (and the last season of Jon Pertwee), so it grabbed me right into the series again. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper had their names before the series logo which hasn't been done before. I suppose that's deserved since the charisma of the actor playing the Doctor really carries the audience's interest along. I recall episodes of the original series that weren't that great, but were kept intriguing because of the personality of the Doctor (particularly Tom Baker for me). His persona should hold your interest even if the story doesn't. You always want to know what he'll say or do.
In a sense, this story seemed like a 4-part story in which the Doctor has already done the legwork of the first two parts by the time you tune in. This worked for me as it put you in the state of mind of Rose. The audience can identify with her as her life resembles that of a great deal of many of us: living in a mundane existence. Get up, go to work, live your life as time always passes around you. When she encounters the Doctor, her life is turned inside out. With the destruction of her place of employment, she no longer has a job, knocking her out of her routine. He gives her a chance to explore the cosmos with him. There is a sense of disappointment for both Rose and the Doctor when she declines, but she is grateful when given a second chance.
The TARDIS interior is consistent with previous versions, yet expanded and updated. I even liked that the Doctor has to pump the controls, bringing a bit of low tech into this alien technology. I hope we get to explore more of its vast interior.
Overall, I do like this Doctor. He brings a sense of humor in his initial dealings with Rose and her mother, Jackie. His rejection of Jackie's proposal produced a genuine laugh. He still maintains his alien nature when he is pushed too far. He has a sense of morality in giving the Nestene consciousness a chance to surrender that calls to mind the 4th Doctor's questioning nature in Genesis of the Daleks.
Since it's been almost 9 years since the last televised adventure, the producers have a chance to reinvent a sense of mystery, always a vital component in the character's nature. For a character that travels in time and space, there's no telling how much he's experienced since last we saw him.
For those interested in the Autons (not mentioned on camera, but that's what they were), I'd recommend Spearhead from Space (DVD and VHS) and Terror of the Autons (VHS). There were also 3 Auton fan films in the late '90s, but I haven't had a chance to see those.
The End of the World
The Sci-Fi Channel aired the second episode immediately after the premiere. I felt this episode tried to get you into the frame of mind of the Doctor. As someone who walks in Eternity, past, present, and future are all one and the same to him. By witnessing the end of her home planet, Rose is given a sense of perspective. All who dwell in Time are finite. It's sometimes important to just appreciate the moment where you're residing and enjoy something simple, like the smell of someone selling chips.
I liked the alien races depicted here. Setting the story so far in the future gave the creators the freedom to come up with races apart than the ones we previously saw in the series. I especially liked Jabe. She shares a tender moment with the Doctor as she extends her sympathy to the loss of his home planet.
The effects were fairly decent. The CG spider droids were well done as was the various space imagery. They were an improvement over the CG dumpster in the previous episode. (Although bad special effects have always been common in the past.)
The story wasn't the best I've seen. However, I view this as still being intended to (re)introduce the viewer into the Doctor's world. Taken together, the two stories are the equivalent of a 4-part story of the earlier series.
On the whole, I'm pleased with what I've seen so far. It's great to again get to watch new episodes and explore the universe. I hope we are given more information on the fate of the Time Lords. It's weird for me to see it with commercials (5 breaks per hour). I look forward to the DVDs to watch them without interruptions and to have the end credits in a legible format.
Last night, the new series of Doctor Who made its U.S. debut on the Sci-Fi Channel. I've been a fan of the original series (1963-1989 plus a 1996 TV-movie) since the late '70s. I was involved in Who fandom in the late '80s/early '90s when I was president for two years of Time Travellers Anonymous, a fan group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. So, I've been looking forward to the new program since it was announced in September 2003.
Rose
The opening titles are a reworking of the 'time tunnel' sequence that was used for most of Tom Baker's episodes (and the last season of Jon Pertwee), so it grabbed me right into the series again. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper had their names before the series logo which hasn't been done before. I suppose that's deserved since the charisma of the actor playing the Doctor really carries the audience's interest along. I recall episodes of the original series that weren't that great, but were kept intriguing because of the personality of the Doctor (particularly Tom Baker for me). His persona should hold your interest even if the story doesn't. You always want to know what he'll say or do.
In a sense, this story seemed like a 4-part story in which the Doctor has already done the legwork of the first two parts by the time you tune in. This worked for me as it put you in the state of mind of Rose. The audience can identify with her as her life resembles that of a great deal of many of us: living in a mundane existence. Get up, go to work, live your life as time always passes around you. When she encounters the Doctor, her life is turned inside out. With the destruction of her place of employment, she no longer has a job, knocking her out of her routine. He gives her a chance to explore the cosmos with him. There is a sense of disappointment for both Rose and the Doctor when she declines, but she is grateful when given a second chance.
The TARDIS interior is consistent with previous versions, yet expanded and updated. I even liked that the Doctor has to pump the controls, bringing a bit of low tech into this alien technology. I hope we get to explore more of its vast interior.
Overall, I do like this Doctor. He brings a sense of humor in his initial dealings with Rose and her mother, Jackie. His rejection of Jackie's proposal produced a genuine laugh. He still maintains his alien nature when he is pushed too far. He has a sense of morality in giving the Nestene consciousness a chance to surrender that calls to mind the 4th Doctor's questioning nature in Genesis of the Daleks.
Since it's been almost 9 years since the last televised adventure, the producers have a chance to reinvent a sense of mystery, always a vital component in the character's nature. For a character that travels in time and space, there's no telling how much he's experienced since last we saw him.
For those interested in the Autons (not mentioned on camera, but that's what they were), I'd recommend Spearhead from Space (DVD and VHS) and Terror of the Autons (VHS). There were also 3 Auton fan films in the late '90s, but I haven't had a chance to see those.
The End of the World
The Sci-Fi Channel aired the second episode immediately after the premiere. I felt this episode tried to get you into the frame of mind of the Doctor. As someone who walks in Eternity, past, present, and future are all one and the same to him. By witnessing the end of her home planet, Rose is given a sense of perspective. All who dwell in Time are finite. It's sometimes important to just appreciate the moment where you're residing and enjoy something simple, like the smell of someone selling chips.
I liked the alien races depicted here. Setting the story so far in the future gave the creators the freedom to come up with races apart than the ones we previously saw in the series. I especially liked Jabe. She shares a tender moment with the Doctor as she extends her sympathy to the loss of his home planet.
The effects were fairly decent. The CG spider droids were well done as was the various space imagery. They were an improvement over the CG dumpster in the previous episode. (Although bad special effects have always been common in the past.)
The story wasn't the best I've seen. However, I view this as still being intended to (re)introduce the viewer into the Doctor's world. Taken together, the two stories are the equivalent of a 4-part story of the earlier series.
On the whole, I'm pleased with what I've seen so far. It's great to again get to watch new episodes and explore the universe. I hope we are given more information on the fate of the Time Lords. It's weird for me to see it with commercials (5 breaks per hour). I look forward to the DVDs to watch them without interruptions and to have the end credits in a legible format.