Sunday, July 03, 2005
"Doctor Who" - season 27 (or, if you prefer, season 1)
Although it was great to finally see the Doctor back on our television screens, I was ultimately disappointed by the first season of the new series.
That's not to say that there wasn't a lot to enjoy. Several of the episodes - 'The Unquiet Dead', 'Dalek' and the 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' two-parter - were highly enjoyable. It's probably too early to tag these as "classics" just yet, but they were certainly very good. There was also some solid support from the likes of 'Rose' (a flawed, but decent opener) and 'The End of the World'.
However, there were some real clunkers in there as far as I was concerned: 'Aliens of London' and 'World War Three' were dreadful, while 'Father's Day' just didn't work for me. The series' new monsters, the Slitheen (or whatever they're called, "Slitheen" being their family name) were poor, with an emphasis on farting to appeal to the youngest part of the audience.
Worryingly, all but one of the episodes I'd place at the bottom of the pile was written by the series' lead writer, main cheerleader and executive producer, Russell T Davies ('Father's Day' was the only non-RTD episode that really disappointed me).
RTD's insistence on retaining strong links to Earth (in the form of Rose's mum Jackie and her boyfriend Mickey) was understandable as the series didn't want to alienate casual viewers with an over-emphasis on sci-fi. But ultimately these ties were restrictive. Unless one or both characters joined the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS then their presence required stories to be set on Earth and within one or two years of 2005. Not only that, but I found the characters annoying and Noel Clarke in particular was guilty of poor acting - something that, the human Slitheen characters aside, was virtually absent otherwise.
Even if including these characters throughout season 27 was deemed necessary, I would have liked the series to cut loose next year and feature them in at most one story. Constantly having them pop up whenever there's an contemporary Earth story is stretching credulity in the same way that Tegan's presence in Amsterdam during 'Arc of Infinity' did.
Other aspects of RTD's stories disappointed me, although he wasn't the only one guilty of some of the following problems. Too many stories seemed badly paced, with quick solutions that didn't seem to involve the Doctor doing anything much. In some ways the season was a learning curve, and it's to be hoped that problems of pacing will be ironed out next year, although plotting does seem to be one of RTD's weakness.
It's also to be hoped that the idea of giving the Doctor catchphrases ("fantastic!", "another stupid ape") and slipping (oo-err!) a sexual innuendo into every episode will be junked next year.
Having not been 100% taken with Christopher Eccleston's performance or character I would like to be more hopeful about next season, but I'm not sure.
With the season being successful, it would be easy for the production team to think "more of the same" is the way ahead. Personally, I'd disagree as catchphrases, Mickey and Jackie, easy solutions, and the lack of alien planets would be in danger of looking repetitive. The series has been successful, but the production team need to move it on for season 28, not simply serve up more of the same.
And, it's unlikely that ITV1 will put up such a poor fight for viewers next time around. "Who" might not have such an easy ratings ride next season.
Although it was great to finally see the Doctor back on our television screens, I was ultimately disappointed by the first season of the new series.
That's not to say that there wasn't a lot to enjoy. Several of the episodes - 'The Unquiet Dead', 'Dalek' and the 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' two-parter - were highly enjoyable. It's probably too early to tag these as "classics" just yet, but they were certainly very good. There was also some solid support from the likes of 'Rose' (a flawed, but decent opener) and 'The End of the World'.
However, there were some real clunkers in there as far as I was concerned: 'Aliens of London' and 'World War Three' were dreadful, while 'Father's Day' just didn't work for me. The series' new monsters, the Slitheen (or whatever they're called, "Slitheen" being their family name) were poor, with an emphasis on farting to appeal to the youngest part of the audience.
Worryingly, all but one of the episodes I'd place at the bottom of the pile was written by the series' lead writer, main cheerleader and executive producer, Russell T Davies ('Father's Day' was the only non-RTD episode that really disappointed me).
RTD's insistence on retaining strong links to Earth (in the form of Rose's mum Jackie and her boyfriend Mickey) was understandable as the series didn't want to alienate casual viewers with an over-emphasis on sci-fi. But ultimately these ties were restrictive. Unless one or both characters joined the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS then their presence required stories to be set on Earth and within one or two years of 2005. Not only that, but I found the characters annoying and Noel Clarke in particular was guilty of poor acting - something that, the human Slitheen characters aside, was virtually absent otherwise.
Even if including these characters throughout season 27 was deemed necessary, I would have liked the series to cut loose next year and feature them in at most one story. Constantly having them pop up whenever there's an contemporary Earth story is stretching credulity in the same way that Tegan's presence in Amsterdam during 'Arc of Infinity' did.
Other aspects of RTD's stories disappointed me, although he wasn't the only one guilty of some of the following problems. Too many stories seemed badly paced, with quick solutions that didn't seem to involve the Doctor doing anything much. In some ways the season was a learning curve, and it's to be hoped that problems of pacing will be ironed out next year, although plotting does seem to be one of RTD's weakness.
It's also to be hoped that the idea of giving the Doctor catchphrases ("fantastic!", "another stupid ape") and slipping (oo-err!) a sexual innuendo into every episode will be junked next year.
Having not been 100% taken with Christopher Eccleston's performance or character I would like to be more hopeful about next season, but I'm not sure.
With the season being successful, it would be easy for the production team to think "more of the same" is the way ahead. Personally, I'd disagree as catchphrases, Mickey and Jackie, easy solutions, and the lack of alien planets would be in danger of looking repetitive. The series has been successful, but the production team need to move it on for season 28, not simply serve up more of the same.
And, it's unlikely that ITV1 will put up such a poor fight for viewers next time around. "Who" might not have such an easy ratings ride next season.
