Rose- S1E1 (new)

Doctor DooM wrote: »

I actually found it a frustrating watch, as I did many episodes of RTD's era. There's really cool moments- such as 9's little speech about how he's aware of everything happening everywhere, and how manic he is when dealing with the Nestene - he's clearly still wounded by the Time War - but it's so at odds with the stupid stuff (belching plastic bin eating Micky? Should have seen that as a warning sign really) that it's jarring.

What really struck me is how... simple it was compared to now. There's a bad guy, the Doctor fights it, uses a little science to win, end of show.

I reckon it was because it was the first one DD. They were trying to find the measure of a new audience for the show. So you had the cool bits for the adults/more hard core SF fans and the jokey bits for the kids(and some adults). It was more a mainstream at night family on the couch show at first, now while it retains some of that it's more aimed at the SF/fan end.

I like and can be meh about both drivers of the series in their own time, but for me anyway I find that Moffat is more biased towards the puzzle, the plot which I think finds more favour with Whovians(and the US market?), whereas RTD is as much about the character/relationships, the fantasy/SF setting is more a backdrop. While I'd be right behind the baying for blood of crap like the tardis towing earth(among other howlers), I think RTD is generally the better writer of people(esp women). He tends to write more "real people" you might meet and know, often with irritating tendencies(Rose a perfect example).

Their reactions to the "alien" is often less obvious too. Take this episode when Rose first crosses the threashold of the tardis. The bigger on the inside bit He starts to explain about he's an alien and she starts crying, he thinks it's about the shock of him, but it's about her BF Mickey that she thinks is dead and how she's going to have to explain this to his family, rather than jsust saying "is he dead" etc. More subtle, more real. All my humble of course *ducks*

It's amazing how despite being the same series it's grown so much darker and complex in the last few seasons.

Complex yes, dark I'm less sure DD. Lots of death going on in the first season. The episode where our Doc takes Rose back to witness her fathers death, not once, but twice and then after actually getting to know him has to watch him die again. And the Doc has a fair idea this is a v bad idea to start with, yet goes ahead with it. That's pretty head wrecking and dark right there. Other ones had animated corpses(and the Welsh lass has to die to save the world). Then you had a walking dead child with a gas mask for a face looking for his mummy. For me the first series had more "local" less fantasy dark if you know what I mean. The Father's day one in particular. Many viewers would have lost loved ones and the thoughts of going back to see them die again and again would be well freaky. RTD had other dark stuff that didn't make the cut, like the original plan that the Doc had "groomed" Rose's timeline to make her the perfect companion for him. Pity they didn't run more with that as it might have been interesting, especially given Eccleston's Doctor is no babyface matinee idol like Tennant(or obviously a youngfella like Matt), he's an older man asking a teenage girl to come with him. Her ma when introduced to him the second time called the rozzers, accused him of meeting her on the internet and slapped him.

Also, a few years later looking back, I really like the RTD Tardis set. Funny, I never did really when it was ongoing!

I liked it when I saw it first, but then grew to be a bit meh for me. I think they made the mistake later on of over lighting it. It was better darker and moodier IMHO. It would be my fave of the sets(closely followed by the current, with the Jules Verne hall of mirrors coming well behind for me). I liked the organic nature of it. More alive, less of a machine.

So DD when do we get to read your article? I'd love to read it.

I have to say with time I'm appreciating Eccleston's Doctor more and more. Outside of Who he's the darkest, "heaviest" actor of all of the new guys. I was surprised at the time how he (mostly) handled the frivolous jokey stuff as well as playing to his strengths. For me he's not directly dark. It's a behind the eyes kinda dark. Tennant while I liked him was too obvious when he tried the dark stuff and he rarely appeared actually dangerous(I'm still undecided on Smith in this). Eccleston did "alien" pretty well too and there's the element of being a thug with his physicality. Maybe it's just me but I'm sorry he didn't get another series to develop it further. Him and Rose would have been very different too, if they kept the "they love each other" bit in play. Uneasier. Dare I say it darker on his side.