What is it with Dr. Who?

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Artina89

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Oct 27, 2008
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I don't like the new seasons, I haven't liked Doctor Who since Christopher Eccleston. For me, the best Doctors were Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. My favourite companion is Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, even though he didn't really fill all the roles of an assistant (i.e he didn't travel in space with the Doctor) as the brig is a complete badass.
 

TimeLord

For the Emperor!
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theevilsanta said:
So I just watched the first 1 1/2 seasons of the new show + a few select ones that were supposed to be good from seasons 3 and 4. And I have some big problems with that show.
Watch more episodes. Much more episodes. A lot of the pre-2005 ones aswel.

Mainly, what exactly is the Doctor doing with his incredible power to traverse time and space? As far as I can tell it's picking up some pathetic younger woman (who's always from the late 20th century for some reason, whatever, I guess I get why) and go for a JOYRIDE until you get bored of her. Seriously, that's it.
If you watch enough episodes, and not just selected ones. Watch them in order. You will find out that the Doctor is the last of his species (normally), is a pacifist so doesn't go around abusing his power. And likes to travel to see the universe. The whole younger women thing is to increase the viewer market. Although there have been several male companions and in series 1 and 2 there were 2 brilliant male companions. Mickey and Cpt Jack.

I thought Firefly had a stupid motivation (they're just smugglers trying to get ahead). But at least that had an overarching storyline and being a smuggler is a LOT cooler than being a totally selfish prick that just wants to have a good time with his awesome powers.
He doesn't have "awesome powers" (bar regeneration). He has the TARDIS, his time machine. And the Sonic Screwdriver that can open nearly every door in the universe as long as it isn't deadlocked or made of wood. Both technology. If you had a time machine and a device to get you into nearly anywhere, would you not go exploring? As said before. He is a pacifist! So he's not going to go changing history to his will and go conquering races for giggles. That's the Master for you ;)

Sure they help people. But that's never his goal. His whole pitch to these young women is that it will be totally awesome to witness every sweet thing the universe has to offer.
What's your point? I sure as hell would go with him if I was offered that!

I guess it's a fun escapist fantasy for women. I mean, you get to ride around with this mysterious, sexy, "cursed with awesome" (see TV Tropes) time traveler and see every sweet thing ever. There's never a relationship or sex, curiously, but it's cool anyway. And of course they choose to leave behind all their family, friends, boyfriends, and responsibilities to do so. What an example.
I can't answer that, being a guy and all. Except the last point in that he can get his companion back a minute after they leave because he has a time machine!

I mean, I know they generally "do good" wherever they go, but that's never why they're there in the first place. Didn't all the Time Lord people get killed off or something? Doesn't he want revenge or to save them somehow? Nope, just to fly around in a phone booth with a woman.
It's a phone box ;) A phone booth is different ;)
They are there in the first place to travel. If an episode involved them arriving at a planet. Wandering around having a giggle and then going home. It wouldn't be much of an episode.
He doesn't want revenge. Because he's a pacifist! [And the Time Lords are stuck in the Time War. In a Time Lock. Only dead from the Doctor's point of view in his time stream. Watch the "End of Time" and it will clear things up (maybe)].

So what gives? Is there some extremely subtle mission I'm missing? Does the Doctor ever even grow as a person? What gives? Anyone watch this show?
"Does the Doctor ever even grow as a person?" This just proves you haven't watched enough episodes ;) If you watch from series 1 (2005) to current series 5 then you will see the difference between the different actors characters and they do evolve over the course of the series. I love the show. What confuses me is you obviously liked the idea to watch it in the first place?
 

flaming_squirrel

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Doctor Who gets put alongside Arthur and several other shows which I absolutely abhor.

I've not got the motivation to start writing essays explaining my complete motivations for this, but I will say that with the entire universe as your playground why the flying fuck would you spend 99% of your time on Earth?
Despite what people say the plot also never seems to go anywhere, "look out, the darleks are back (again) even though we permenantly destroyed them a few years ago!", "Oh no, the cybermen have returned!" and so forth. No clear goal is ever present, it's just a set of very loosely chained together events packed full of cheese.
 

etherlance

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As far as I can tell:

the doctor can't save his people because the time frame around his planet was somehow "Locked" preventing him from going there.

also he won't take reveange because he knows that it will simply make him no better than the Daleks.
The reason he goes randomly around time and space is because he has no home anymore and simply wishes to explore and appreciate the universe and all the differant things that it holds, which also leads him into situations in which he helps out and saves people.

the reason he has a companion is because of all the other races in the universe, the humans look exactly like the Time lords and he belives that they can achieve great things in the future when they all work together and stop fighting each over.
he has taken guys with him but they usually end up trying to steal future tech to make them rich while the females just seem to enjoy the exploration as much as he does, simple as that really.
 

TimeLord

For the Emperor!
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flaming_squirrel said:
"look out, the darleks are back (again) even though we permenantly destroyed them a few years ago!"
Daleks, not Darleks.

Sorry had to do that. It annoys me. But that point you made is a good one. They do bring back the Daleks because the Daleks are THE iconic Doctor Who enemy. His first in 1963 and still popular now. Steven Moffat has even written in the fact they are now running rampant around the galaxy now so there are infinite possibilities to bring them back.
 

Zykon TheLich

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I've never really been a fan of Dr. Who. The first 4 doctors I don't mind, I can watch them as examples of TV of the time but the more recent ones I have no interest in.
 

Mr Companion

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All I have to say about this subject is my newfound golden rule for doctor who: If the episode was written by Steven Moffat, watch it. If it wasn't, don't.

Thats almost becoming my rule for all tv shows now :D.
 

The Funslinger

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Sep 12, 2010
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I think for people after something a little more mature, Torchwood may be a good choice. For those who don't know, it's a spin off about Captain Jack Harkness (Empty child/The doctor dances until the end of that series) it's more mature, with next to no pacifism.
 

Technocrat

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Nov 19, 2008
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Unfortunately for me, Torchwood's definition of "mature" mostly involves "can't keep their pants on". I know if I were doing the hiring for a top-secret government agency, I certainly wouldn't have hired quite so many people who are so prone to sexing whatever alien menace of the week they're after. Then again, I also wouldn't have built their headquarters in Cardiff. Children of Earth was good, though.

As for Doctor Who, it's either one of those things you get, or you don't. Personally, I was raised on it (Pertwee's always going to be *my* Doctor), and I thought that the quality of episodes did take something of a hit in the last couple of years of Tennant, but Matt Smith has done a great job of getting away from the whole 'Deus-Ex-Machina-loved-by-everyone' charicature that the Doctor seemed to become under RTD. I think part of its enduring success is that it's not *just* a science fiction show. Like Quantum Leap, it uses his TARDIS as a means of putting the protagonists in different situations every week, for the purposes of exploring the human condition.

Wow, I'm really starting to sound like a media-studies student. Blech.
 

Spacewolf

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theevilsanta said:
So I just watched the first 1 1/2 seasons of the new show + a few select ones that were supposed to be good from seasons 3 and 4. And I have some big problems with that show.

Mainly, what exactly is the Doctor doing with his incredible power to traverse time and space? As far as I can tell it's picking up some pathetic younger woman (who's always from the late 20th century for some reason, whatever, I guess I get why) and go for a JOYRIDE until you get bored of her. Seriously, that's it.

I thought Firefly had a stupid motivation (they're just smugglers trying to get ahead). But at least that had an overarching storyline and being a smuggler is a LOT cooler than being a totally selfish prick that just wants to have a good time with his awesome powers.

Sure they help people. But that's never his goal. His whole pitch to these young women is that it will be totally awesome to witness every sweet thing the universe has to offer.

I guess it's a fun escapist fantasy for women. I mean, you get to ride around with this mysterious, sexy, "cursed with awesome" (see TV Tropes) time traveler and see every sweet thing ever. There's never a relationship or sex, curiously, but it's cool anyway. And of course they choose to leave behind all their family, friends, boyfriends, and responsibilities to do so. What an example.

I mean, I know they generally "do good" wherever they go, but that's never why they're there in the first place. Didn't all the Time Lord people get killed off or something? Doesn't he want revenge or to save them somehow? Nope, just to fly around in a phone booth with a woman.

So what gives? Is there some extremely subtle mission I'm missing? Does the Doctor ever even grow as a person? What gives? Anyone watch this show?
he carnt really get revenge considering he was the one who killed them, since the new seris have started its ussually implyed that he doesnt want to stop and think about what hes had to do previously it was because he just liked having fun
 

Chrono212

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May 19, 2009
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theevilsanta said:
just wants to have a good time with his awesome powers.
...basically just that :p

And the character development that you want depends on what the writers want to show about the inner feelings of the Doctor.
A better place to start would have been the first season of the reboot from 2005.

But I may not have been the first to say that :3
 

the trooper

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Oct 17, 2009
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it makes good tv viewing for some , plus he kind like an explorer or a tourist, plus going on holiday by yourself would be depressing.
 

Hlain

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Sep 26, 2009
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The only thing I can find a bit tedious is the bringing back of the Daleks... "Yay, we killed them all! Oh, no! One of them survived in a pocket dimension and multiplied"
I can understand that you will want to re-use iconic figures, since it is a series. I love the show anyway. :)

One of the things I love is the whole traveling around. The Doctor is not bound down by anything, and he doesn't really have any goal to work towards. So he's a ramblin' man, going around to new places, passing the time and taking care of troubles when he stumble upon them.