I am the Doctor. You are the Daleks.

[walkwithheroes]

I watched episode 5.03 of Doctor Who today. I have to say that I'm not really feeling this series. It's like it's lost some of that magic. Or maybe it is Steve Moffat - he's great at the creepy episodes where the Doctor loses his companion and hooks-up with the "girl of the episode" (Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, Silence in the Library, Forest of the Dead) and he's great at quick and funny interactions between characters (The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances), but he seems to not be able to do just plain old 'monster of the week' type episodes. This makes me believe that he's also not great at planning them, either.


5.01, The Eleventh Hour was very jarring and just so out there and everywhere. 5.02, The Beast Below had more holes in it than Swiss Cheese. Now, we have 5.03 - Victory of the Daleks. Yup, they are back, again. Mark Gatiss wrote this episode, as well as The Unquiet Dead (1.03) and The Idiot's Lantern (2.07). Both were good episodes, though The Unquiet Dead was more solid. So, we know Gatiss isn't a horrible writer. In fact 5.03 had some really great one-liners and some nice interaction between the Doctor and Amy (it's cute that he calls her 'Pond' now and again.)



Honestly, I think this season was rushed. Therefore, it was poorly planned. I remember reading an article with Moffat that stated that the series had already finished filming; usually they still have four or more episodes to film when the series starts - I think. I just remember reading that they had been very rushed with this series.


At the end of the day - I just think the Eleventh Doctor doesn't have that magic that the others have had. Matt Smith is a fine actor. And yet, the Doctor comes across as someone unlikeable at times. Not that that's a bad thing, but it makes the Doctor seem less like himself. There are moments where I feel like I'm watching some new guy whose picked up the TARDIS.

Comments

[sunnytyler001.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way! I lost my emotional bond with the show, the characters... it's like I didn't care for them anymore...
And then, I thought that Mark Gatiss wrote Amy wayyy too much like he wrote Rose. Her actions (kissing the historical character's cheek, ...) and reactions were just like Rose's..; And that was kind of annoying.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

Mark Gatiss wrote Amy wayyy too much like he wrote Rose.

Agreed. I actually think Amy is being written not only way too much like Rose, but it's also kind of weird (re: annoying) that she's been saving Eleven's ass for the last two weeks. I know most companions do save the Doctor at the end of the day, but I find it really odd that Amy's seeing things the Doctor doesn't. Don't get me wrong, I like Amy as a character, but I feel no emotional bond with her, like I did Rose, Donna, Jack, and Mickey. (Never liked Martha, but that's another story.)

[homocoucho.livejournal.com]

I'm still iffy about this series, though I loved the first ep and I like Eleven. It's just that I feel like I'm still waiting for something to grab me.

Semi-OT, it's funny that I somehow friend DW fans without my knowledge. I'd like to think I have a radar for it, but it's more likely that a lot of people just love DW. :)

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

So true. I'm still waiting for the grab. In S1 with Nine, I was grabbed by episode 2 or 3. With S2 and Ten, I was grabbed early as well. I like Eleven and I like Amy, but I don't feel any type of bond with them. They are just sort of there.



Re Semi OT: I agree. I think a surprisingly amount of people love DW. Glad to have another DW lover on my flist.