Doctor Who and the NEW Daleks!

[George Geddes]

Tam

I look forward to debating some of these points with you at the weekend...

George
(minus tie, even though bow-ties are cool... )

[stratmantd]

Unfortunately I won't be there George

[drakula63]

Before this series started, my feelings were that in terms of writing it would be an improvement over the previous two or three, but that Matt Smith would be the weak link as the Doctor.

How wrong I was!

In terms of writing, I'd say that the stories have been generally uninspiring and certainly no better than those from the previous four years. As the Doctor, I'd say that Matt has been eye-opening. His performance has been incredible and much more to my liking than either Eccelstone or, dare I say it, Tennant. At last we have the strange/alien/weird/eccentric Doctor back. His 'old man in a young body' take on the character really works. I was so doubtful at first, but he's won me over. Is he the best Doctor since Tom Baker? Not sure about that, but he's certainly the best since the original series ended. The costume is great too - retro whilst being just a little bit current too. Best line of the series so far? In response to River's question about what he has on his head... "It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool." Something tells me that messrs Troughton, Pertwee and Baker would have approved. Old Billy H. might have as well.

Not that impressed with the final story. It seemed to be more about Steven Moffat saying "Look how clever I am," as opposed to actually telling a good story. I found it a bit confusing and drawn out, if I'm honest, although it did have some good moments of genuine drama. Karen Gillan as Amy -- yes, she's stunning, but she does seem rather limited in terms of her range. The little girl who played the young Amy was far more impressive as an actress. Maybe she'll replace Karen in a few years? Even Rory is not as annoying as he was at first and it looks like they are trying to recreate the classic Doctor/Sarah/Harry team which worked so well in the mid 70s.

So, worth watching, but disappointing as far as stories went. Personally I'd like to see the Zygons coming back, as even after just one appearance in 1975, they established themselves as truly unforgettable aliens. So, Mr Moffat, Let's have some more engaging stories and less time spent trying to impress your fellow writers. And to return briefly to the original topic! The idea of making the Daleks sleeker and more futuristic is a good one, but it has fallen down slightly in the execution. Maybe they just need a little bit of fine tuning and they'll be perfect. Oh and please get rid of the awful new arrangement of the theme tune -- it really is the worst ever!!!!