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 Lint wrote:

 Paradigm wrote:

That said, I can more that live with that plot hole, in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter so long as we keep getting good adventures. To be honest, I'd like to see less of a focus on plot arcs in general (have them, but not so obviously, as in series 1-4) and just get back to good old adventuring in time and space.

Indeed. Except for the plot arcs involving the Master, my favorite episodes have been the one-offs.

Honestly, I think that many Whovians agree with this. However, market research has shown that folks who watch "normal" TV shows have started watching more shows where the entire series has a multi-season story arc that gets intermixed with a inter-seasonal arc as well (think Fringe, where all 5 seasons have this massive epic story, but each season concentrates on a smaller aspect of it)... The problem with that is, Dr Who really works best as a string of one off, or 2 part series episodes, much more so than a grandiose conspiracy type show.

Definitely a disappoint for me. It felt rather like a rushed montage of clips with a shred of a story tenuously holding it all together. I thought at least the regeneration scene would save it*, and it ALMOST did. That is, right until the split-second insta regeneration that completely deadened the emotion of the scene. Geeze, give a a little time to mourn with a proper regeneration scene. RIVER'S regeneration sequence was longer.

Also, is anyone else tired of the "save the universe" trope? It was okay for a while, and now it's just like "oh look, the universe is in danger. Wow. Much peril. So scary." The smaller-scale episodes with smaller stakes tend to work better for me - look at Vincent and the Doctor for a good example of that.

They did tie up a lotta loose ends. Here's to hoping they take advantage of that clean slate in series 8.

All in all, I give it 2 and a half stars. Matt Smith deserved so much more.

~Tim?

*like it did in The End of Time, which was otherwise an episode I've tried to erase from my memory.

Yeah, they have saved the universe too many times, especially when using a mysterious girl with a special power to save the universe.

I too would like to see more one- and two-off stories. I don't see why they can't weave them into an overall long story but it shouldn't be about saving the universe for a bit. Particularly if a mysterious girl is involved. Girls okay, but no more mysterious powers!

The Master stories weren't about saving the universe, and they still made a great long running story.

Also, no more mysterious girls for a season or two, please.

A return to the 3-5 episode story would be pretty awesome.

More Russel T Davis style writing, less Moffat style.

 Corpsesarefun wrote:
More Russel T Davis style writing, less Moffat style.

I have nightmares about RTD returning to the show. I'd frankly like to see a totally new writer, preferably someone who could take the show in a new direction unlike anything Moffat or RTD have done. I wonder how Gatiss would work as a head writer?

~Tim?

They need to bring back Douglas Adams.

 pretre wrote:
They need to bring back Douglas Adams.

Y'know, I've never seen Doctor Who that he was involved with. Wasn't he writing during the McCoy era?

My biggest pipe-dream would be to have Neil Gaiman as head writer. That man is a master.

~Tim?

I love Neil Gaiman's work as an author but I didn't enjoy his episodes, I think a totally new head-writer would be interesting.

He wrote the Pirate Planet and Shada. Co-wrote City of Death and edited on Season 17. This was the Tom Baker period.

re: Gaiman: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Nothing_O%27Clock_%28short_story%29

Both RTD and Moffat have done excellent work. It can't be easy to resuscitate an old show and pump out dozens of script concepts. There is a danger of getting spread too thinly. Not every script can be a humdinger.

Moffat and RTD, as has been mentioned above, produced some amazing work, and some real stinkers. Moffat's work pre being head writer was better than his more recent stuff, though (although Day of the Doctor proves he can still put out stunning scripts). I think RTD is done with Who now, and to come back to it after so long wouldn't do him or the show any good. I do think Moffat has been around as boss too long though, as it seems to be him that's driving the convoluted plot arcs and 'timey-wimey' nonsense.

Gatiss has the calibre to be head writer, he's written some good stuff (and is probably the best of the Sherlock writers as well). There are a lot of great writers for Who, but I don't think any of them could be consistent enough to be head writer. What I think would be the best idea (although it would never happen) would be to increase the work given to each writer to say, 2-3 episodes a series rather than 1 writer doing half the series.

Gaiman I'd like to see more of, he's great as a novelist, but while The Doctor's Wife was amazing, Nightmare in Silver lived up to the title in that it was a nightmare, almost single-handedly destroying the idea of the Cybermen (they're not Borg, Neil!). I really do need to see more of his work before I'd back him for head writer.

Toby Whithouse I'd like to see being given a chance to do more, his scripts for School Reunion, Vampires in Venice and Town Called Mercy were all among the best in their series.

There's a load of great talent in the show in all areas, it's just that Moffat is getting too carried away with what seem to be delusions of grandeur and taking on too much.

That would be my ciriticism of the writing over the last few years. There have been some brilliant one-off scripts, but the over-arching plot arcs have been in my opinion needlessly convoluted and complicated. A little timey-wimey is fine... actually expected, but the constant "who's on first", bouncing back and fourth, changing realities stuff is becoming cheap theatrical background noise as opposed to something monumental feeling. Too many things in the show seem to be turmped-up as significant, rather than tugging at your heart strings (which takes a lot more writing effort) & being naturally significant.

 Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:


My biggest pipe-dream would be to have Neil Gaiman as head writer. That man is a master.

~Tim?

IIRC, he did Nightmare in Silver... which was not the greatest episode, IMO.

More than anything, I'd just like the "classic" bad guys to actually be scary and capable again. They manage to get a lot of convincing one-off bad guys in there, but they keep making the Daleks and Cybermen look like confused children/comic relief when they should be exceedingly dangerous.

The first dalek episode of the new-who was fantastic, it really captured their menace without highlighting the silly aspects.

Yeah, Dalek is among the best of nuWho full stop, it was a great episode that really captured the menace of the Daleks. In the same way, I think Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel did a great job of showing off the Cybermen. Nightmare in Silver just killed them, all that 'upgrade in progress' stuff was just nonsensical.

Let Garth Ennis write Dr Who for a bt

Unfortunately for many of the world's Who fans. The show recently inked a deal that saw them bring in George R R Martin as lead writer, and the show will now be shown on HBO instead of BBC

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Unfortunately for many of the world's Who fans. The show recently inked a deal that saw them bring in George R R Martin as lead writer, and the show will now be shown on HBO instead of BBC

If that happened we'd be seeing some VERY creative uses of the old Sonic.

~Tim?

They better get a whole new case of regenerations...

SPOILER

I still would like to see the Doctor's daughter show up again.

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I still would like to see the Doctor's daughter show up again.

Or better yet, grand daughter.

 pretre wrote:

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I still would like to see the Doctor's daughter show up again.

Or better yet, grand daughter.

Both of those would be very interesting. I'm not sure they could do Susan any point soon as she was back on Gallifrey after she left the Doctor, so presumably was there in the Time War (although if they do bring Gallifrey back then it's doable). Bringing back Jenny (from the Progenitor) would be far easier, just pop forward to the future and run into her. I've read that Moffat said he'd like to bring her back at some point, so it's not a too distant possibility.

Jenny was easy on the eye, and being his daughter there could not be any romantic entanglements with him. And she can kick arse, which might spark some interesting "challenge resolution style" shenanigans.

Dr. Who trivia: The actress who plays her is the actual daughter of Peter Davison, and is married to David Tennant.

 Paradigm wrote:

 pretre wrote:

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I still would like to see the Doctor's daughter show up again.

Or better yet, grand daughter.

Both of those would be very interesting. I'm not sure they could do Susan any point soon as she was back on Gallifrey after she left the Doctor, so presumably was there in the Time War (although if they do bring Gallifrey back then it's doable). Bringing back Jenny (from the Progenitor) would be far easier, just pop forward to the future and run into her. I've read that Moffat said he'd like to bring her back at some point, so it's not a too distant possibility.

I could see that working. She got that one episode and then she was just sorta...forgotten. Weird, considering the ending of her episode.

~Tim?

Would definitely be a fun way to have a companion. Even if there is a problem with getting the original actress, there's always the regeneration angle.

 AegisGrimm wrote:
Would definitely be a fun way to have a companion. Even if there is a problem with getting the original actress, there's always the regeneration angle.

Would be even better if, even with multiple regenerations, the Doctor still recognized Susan, and Susan the Doc... the difficulties of such a situation could be solved with a simple line of dialogue... Just as 11 "Never forgets his own face", he may never forget his own kins faces, even if he's never seen them?

 AegisGrimm wrote:
Would definitely be a fun way to have a companion. Even if there is a problem with getting the original actress, there's always the regeneration angle.

If you're referring to Jenny, I don't think she can actually regenerate, as it was the terraforming device that brought her back to life, rather than a regeneration.