I watched the first episode. I would give this a solid 'B' rating. This is recognisably Doctor Who with a decent story, noticeably improved special effects, and a familiar theme. But Jodie Whittaker's Doctor is very, very different from Capaldi's, and may take some getting used to (by way of comparable change, Michelle Gomez's Master was practically identical to John Simm's version). Whereas the 12th Doctor was a mad wizard, inhuman with just a dash of slightly evil but the heart of a saint, the 13th Doctor is warm and friendly to a fault. Whittaker's comic timing seems to feel just a little off, and she desperately needs the opportunity to show some other emotion than polite, friendly diplomat. And the pacing of the episode felt at times a bit sluggish, though I'd choose this over the Matt Smith hyperactive era any day.
It's early days though, so I'm optimistically curious to see how this develops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEc-OQ_oqDk
I probably won't see it until it comes to Netflix or something, but from the previews, I was reminded more of Tennant's Doctor--upbeat, but not frenetic. Looking forward to seeing her, though.
ReplyDeleteThe second episode is 10x better. But I agree with your criticisms on the 1st. And some minor bits still seem overly dramatic or pushed. I think these are just warmups, to re-establish the story and characters.
ReplyDeleteShaun Griffith I thought the second episode wasn't out yet ?
ReplyDeleteRhys Taylor Someone I know gets to see the previews, to write reviews. Embargoed, of course. I probably shouldn’t get them in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI liked her very much but thought the story was mediocre. I've seen the actress on Graham Norton. She's actually married to an American so she clearly has good taste...
ReplyDeleteAuthor W. H. Mitchell Melania is married to an American as well.
ReplyDeleteShaun Griffith So is my wife so it's a crapshoot to be sure...
ReplyDeleteWhen I watched the first Capaldi episode, I was so unimpressed by it that I couldn't find the motivation to watch the rest of the season. It was over a year later before I bothered and found out how brilliant his Doctor had become.
ReplyDeleteNew Doctors often have big boots to fill, particularly so in this case.
Judging by the apparent ordering of the BBC-A marathon (I caught only the last day and a half), the new doctors' rankings, from most- to least-liked, are: 11 (Smith), 10 (Tennant), 12 (Capaldi), 9 (Eccleston), with "0" (Hurt) omitted.
ReplyDeleteProbably not the order I would have chosen, but I have some moderately large gaps in my recent viewing history, so it's hard to say. I do agree 9 did himself no favors by sticking around for only one season, though.
Anyway, I thought Whittaker's portrayal showed about as much promise as any regeneration episode. Heck, Tennant was asleep for most of his...
Greg Roelofs I think 9 was more or less fired before his season aired. I got the feeling chaos ruled on the set, and he didn’t put up with it, or something like that. (Now I need to go ask an expert.)
ReplyDeleteShaun Griffith Ah, I was unaware of that.
ReplyDeleteGreg Roelofs I went and got the lowdown from the expert. Eccleston is a quiet person, and the production needed him to be "the leader" on set. Also, his father was suffering from vascular dementia, and Eccleston was driving back and forth from Cardiff to Manchester often to deal with it. All this made for a stressful set, and he quit after the first season filming was complete, before the premier. He may have fallen out with the show runner. It's not clear that anyone really knew what he was going through at the time either.
ReplyDeleteShaun Griffith Many thanks! More than a little tragic. :-(
ReplyDelete