# Dr Who?



## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

I just watched the new Dr Who. We do find out why who, which is nice after all this time, but the apparent paradox with the new companion is making my head hurt.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It's not on till 9PM EDT tonight here in the US?  Or did I miss the real premiere?

Betsy


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

We get to see it at 6pm here in Honolulu, I guess it's a west coast feed. Can't wait!!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I thought this was a neat episode.
I liked it.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I've been really critical of Moffat since he took over, and there were a few moments where I wondered why they had to be included, but I think this was a pretty great episode. There are a ton of questions raised by the introduction of


Spoiler



Oswin


 and a few questionable things with the Daleks (though most had concrete support in the lore, when the heck did they


Spoiler



steal the Cybermen's MO?


), but I felt like we were finally getting back to a Tennant episodic style and Matt finally got to be the Doctor. There were a lot of great lines, even Amy got a couple, so yeah... pretty impressed so far. I hope he can keep it going without feeling the need to make it all fit together in the end in some slapdash way.

Though... I'm not sure why Moffat felt the need


Spoiler



for the Daleks to give the Doctor a new nickname. The Predator? Really? They were terrified enough of him without needing to label him like that.


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## ChrisHewitt (Dec 24, 2011)

I haven't seen it since the days of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. 
Maybe I should catch up a bit and watch some more mordern episodes.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Watched it last night; loved it. Nice twists. Going to DVR it next Saturday and watch it Sunday morning.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I haven't watched it. . . .just discovered we have BBCAHD on Friday. . . .I think we actually got it a day or two earlier but I hadn't seen the message on TiVo.  This past weekend they had a marathon and showed all the Matt Smith episodes. . . .so Season 5 on.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to start recording until around episode 9 of Season 5.  So I have to go find the others on Amazon -- we have seen episodes 1 and 2. . . . . 

We'd watched up to the end of the David Tennant era on SyFy . . . . but then they stopped carrying it.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, now I've seen it. Enjoyed it. I like Oswin, hope we can see more of her.... I didn't get the whole "Predator" bit either.

Loved the marathon, caught some episodes I missed first time around, including the Christmas episode which was the Dr. Who take on _The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe_. 

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

<fingers in ears> nananananana I can't hear you

Obviously I must stay OUT of this thread as it will be filled with spoiler's galore!


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## MF Strnad (Jun 21, 2011)

I managed to record it and watch it after the kiddos went to bed. I liked it, although I think I might have missed something.


Spoiler



Why wasn't the Doctor affected by the stuff in the air? I understood why he did the sneaky switch and didn't mention it, just missed why he in particular wasn't affected.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

MF Strnad said:


> I managed to record it and watch it after the kiddos went to bed. I liked it, although I think I might have missed something.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


It was sort of addressed...


Spoiler



One of the things the Daleks need in order to manage the conversion is to strip feelings of love, pretty much every emotion except hate. To strip the Doctor of all the love he's held for so many people over hundreds of years...that would take _a lot_ of time. He likely knew that he had far more time than either Amy or Rory, so he could risk removing the wrist band.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> <fingers in ears> nananananana I can't hear you
> 
> Obviously I must stay OUT of this thread as it will be filled with spoiler's galore!


If you're talking about me, the episode is called "The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe" so that was my first clue.... 

Betsy


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

We really enjoyed it last night! My 10yo was suitably afraid of the Daleks, and I loved Rory especially. He and Amy are great together. Very fun! Do you think we'll see Oswin again?


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

hsuthard said:


> Do you think we'll see Oswin again?


I don't know how many of you follow the various social media for DW so ...


Spoiler



The actress who played Oswin is cast as the new Companion, although the leaked name has been Clare (or Clara can't remember which). Is "Oswin" the new Companion? A Dalek as a Companion?! That's the question now. Other folks are speculating that we'll be seeing her in every episode up to her introduction, which is slated to be episode 6. The Ponds leave us on episode 5. And Moffitt has said to have tissues at hand.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

ChrisHewitt said:


> I haven't seen it since the days of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
> Maybe I should catch up a bit and watch some more mordern episodes.


Start with the first new series, i.e. the Christopher Eccleston episodes broadcast in 2005, and work your way forwards from there, if you enjoy them. New Doctor Who is more arc driven than old Doctor Who used to be, so it's better to watch them in order. Besides, I personally prefer the Eccleston and David Tennant episodes produced by Russell T. Davies to the current Matt Smith episodes produced by Steve Moffat.

There are also two spin-offs, _Torchwood_, which is darker and more adult oriented and focuses on the Captain Jack Harkness character, who's a supporting character/occasional companion in the Eccleston and Tennant episodes, and _The Sarah Jane Adventures_, a spin-off featuring former companion Sarah Jane Smith, which is aimed at younger viewers. _Torchwood_ is hit and miss and no one can quite decide which parts are hit and which are miss. You either like series 1 and 2 of _Torchwood_ (though I like only series 1) or you like only series 3. No one seems to have liked series 4. _The Sarah Jane Adventures_ are fun when you're twelve or have kids.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Note, if you're going to watch Torchwood, you kind of need to space them into where they fit in the Dr. Who episodes.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

kind of.    I didn't.  Loved Torchwood.

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> kind of.  I didn't. Loved Torchwood.
> 
> Betsy


i recommend it to newbies. but obviously it's not a hard and fast rule. i've had people who didn't and were a bit annoyed when they realized the how the connections worked (people who watched Torchwood first).

and i loved Torchwood Season one. loved most of season 2. haven't seen anything else.

and remember, i'm the one who flew to Scotland just to see John Barrowman in concert....


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> i recommend it to newbies. but obviously it's not a hard and fast rule. i've had people who didn't and were a bit annoyed when they realized the how the connections worked (people who watched Torchwood first).


the connections?



> and i loved Torchwood Season one. loved most of season 2. haven't seen anything else.


loved them all...



> and remember, i'm the one who flew to Scotland just to see John Barrowman in concert....


Did you? I wasn't aware of that. Is he the actor who played Jack?

Betsy


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> the connections?


People who watched Torchwood without watching Dr. Who did not realize that Jack had been a companion or why


Spoiler



he couldn't die


. Also the return of Captain Jack to Dr. Who takes place between seasons 1 and two of Torchwood, so if you don't watch them, you don't know who Martha is when she shows up at Torchwood.



Betsy the Quilter said:


> the connections?
> Did you? I wasn't aware of that. Is he the actor who played Jack?


Yes, November 2010. And yes.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> People who watched Torchwood without watching Dr. Who did not realize that Jack had been a companion or why
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I didn't know those things....must have happened before I started watching Dr Who...still loved TW. I think it stands on its own pretty well...



> Also the return of Captain Jack to Dr. Who takes place between seasons 1 and two of Torchwood, so if you don't watch them, you don't know who Martha is when she shows up at Torchwood.


I did see those.

Edit: I should add that I watched very few of the Dr Who episodes in order, catching them in repeats as I found them...And have really only seen David Tennant episodes.

Betsy


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

mom133d (aka Liz) said:


> I don't know how many of you follow the various social media for DW so ...
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


My take on this...


Spoiler



I figure his companion must be one of her ancestors. There's some new prequel to the episode that sort of hints at this, saying this woman's daughter is in trouble on Skarro. I had thought that maybe she went Dalek -after- her time with the Doctor, and something happened while she was his companion, but too many things don't make sense for that. It wouldn't be the first time he met someone after he knew them in their timeline without knowing them in his, but she said something about this trip being the first time she saw the stars. I know the Doctor wiped Donna's memory, so it's possible this happened with her as well but there's also this... I'm also pretty sure his companion is picked up in the Victorian era, so her being on a space ship just seems odd.

But her saying "I'm Oswin. I'm human and I fought the Daleks. Remember me." seems like it means something, too. Too many twists to really figure out what's going on. I know a couple companions at least played different characters before becoming his companion, but never in the same season, so I doubt it's as simple as that.


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## ChrisHewitt (Dec 24, 2011)

CoraBuhlert said:


> Start with the first new series, i.e. the Christopher Eccleston episodes broadcast in 2005, and work your way forwards from there, if you enjoy them. New Doctor Who is more arc driven than old Doctor Who used to be, so it's better to watch them in order. Besides, I personally prefer the Eccleston and David Tennant episodes produced by Russell T. Davies to the current Matt Smith episodes produced by Steve Moffat.
> 
> There are also two spin-offs, _Torchwood_, which is darker and more adult oriented and focuses on the Captain Jack Harkness character, who's a supporting character/occasional companion in the Eccleston and Tennant episodes, and _The Sarah Jane Adventures_, a spin-off featuring former companion Sarah Jane Smith, which is aimed at younger viewers. _Torchwood_ is hit and miss and no one can quite decide which parts are hit and which are miss. You either like series 1 and 2 of _Torchwood_ (though I like only series 1) or you like only series 3. No one seems to have liked series 4. _The Sarah Jane Adventures_ are fun when you're twelve or have kids.


Cheers Cora
I just looked on Netflix UK and there are 4 series of Dr Who, they star Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith. There are also 3 series of Torchwood as well.
I'll give them a look when I have time, thanks


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

hsuthard said:


> My 10yo was suitably afraid of the Daleks,


Nice to hear that some things never change.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

All seasons of the "modern" Doctor Who are available free for streaming via Amazon Prime Instant Videos.

We watched all of the Eccleson season (1) and the Tenant seasons (2-4).  I liked Eccleson, but liked Tenant better. At the time, they were aired on SyFy in the US.  Then they switched to BBC America which we didn't get. . . .it was part of the next tier package and was the ONLY thing in that tier that we wanted. . . decided we didn't need to spend an extra $30 a month.  

BUT, they've switched things up so now we have it.  We've watched the first 4 episodes of the first Smith season (5).  His Doctor is growing on me, but Tenant is still my favorite.  My son has a bit of a thing for Amy Pond.

I'm feeling like I want to go back and re-watch the last couple episodes of Season 4 to remind myself why he had to regenerate.  Many of those episodes (from seasons 1 to 4) are airing on WETA-UK -- a PBS station.  Quality isn't great, unfortunately, and they're shown in order, more or less, but also repeated a lot. Result is that the schedule is so jumbled it's hard to know when any particular episode is airing -- the descriptions don't really explain.  So I was really glad to find them all with Prime Instant Video. . . .and yay for my Fire.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I just found this on my facebook feed: from the BBCAmerica, a trivia game about the new episode.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/extras/doctor-who-season-7-trivia-giveaway/

Did you watch the "Doctor Who" season premiere, "Asylum of the Daleks"? Do you have every single solitary thing from the episode imprinted in your "Who"-lovin' brain? Prove it! Send along the correct answers to the questions below. You'll be entered into a random drawing where one lucky grand prize winner will be chosen at random and will receive a "Doctor Who: Enemies Crossing the Road T-Shirt" (Regular retail price: $24.9 from the BBC America Shop.

Submit this week's trivia answers along with your name, address and phone number to [email protected] by Saturday, September 8 at 9am/8c for the chance to win. Thanks so much for playing!

No purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 or older at the time of entry. The giveaway is open to residents in the 50 United States and District of Columbia. See official rules before entering the giveaway.

1. What is name of the original home planet of the Daleks?

2. In "Asylum of the Daleks," what do the Daleks ask of the Doctor when they first come face-to-face with each other?
A. "Trust us"
B. "Save us"
C. "Doctor Who?"

3. Fill in the blank: The Doctor asks "soufflé girl": "Where do you get the ____?"

4. Amy tells The Doctor that her relationship with Rory isn't as easy as what?
A. Intercepting Signals
B. Tracking Alien Life
C. Fixing His Bow Tie

5. Fill in this blank: "Scared? Who's Scared? ____!"
HINT: Check out the Fall 2012 Season 7 trailer

6. Who do the Doctor and Amy meet on their way to the Asylum of the Daleks?
A. Henry
B. Harvey
C. Horatio

7. What nickname does Rory go by in this episode?
A. Nina
B. Alaska
C. Hannah

8. What do the Daleks identify the Doctor as?
A. Their Prime Minister
B. A Time Lord
C. The Predator

9. How long do the Doctor, Amy and Rory have to escape once the force field is down?

10. Why did Amy give Rory up?
A. She can't have kids
B. He wanted to move far, far away
C. She is in love with somebody else


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Potential spoilers in the quiz!


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

Next ep looks like a fun, silly ep - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship!

On the plus side we have 



, who likes like he should be a fun character.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

It was a terrific show, I thought.
Loved the Steg chasing the golf ball.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

geoffthomas said:


> It was a terrific show, I thought.
> Loved the Steg chasing the golf ball.


Fun, although a bit reminiscent of the ball rolling through a time anomaly and winding up at the feet of a T Rex in _Primeval_.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Hubby and I rather hoped we'd see a few pterodactyls make it to Earth to have a nice nod/tie-in with an early episode of Torchwood.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

geoffthomas said:


> It was a terrific show, I thought.
> Loved the Steg chasing the golf ball.


I have three kids who love dinosaurs - it was a triceratops, not a stegosaurus. There were two stegs that walked past in the beginning swinging their mace-like tails, though. FWIW, we call triceratops affectionately Cera, after the young girl dino in Land Before Time.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship was good. Looking forward to Saturday.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm still catching up. . . . . .watched the Vampires in Venice one last night (11th doctor). . . .and also a couple of the early season 3 episodes of the 10th Doctor, the first few with Martha -- up through Daleks under NYC in 1933.  I LOVE the Shakespeare one. . .and basically just never get tired of David Tennant.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the first couple of episodes I saw were Ecclestone, and was rather shocked to find Tenant in the next episodes, but grew to like him very much.  I watched most of the Tenant episodes out of order, so sometimes the companion was Martha Jones, sometimes Rose Tyler, sometimes Donna Noble.  Don't think I ever saw any where Jack was the companion.  I really am going to have to watch the Tenant episodes in order some day....

I did love Donna Noble...  

Liked Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I think the first couple of episodes I saw were Ecclestone, and was rather shocked to find Tenant in the next episodes, but grew to like him very much. I watched most of the Tenant episodes out of order, so sometimes the companion was Martha Jones, sometimes Rose Tyler, sometimes Donna Noble. Don't think I ever saw any where Jack was the companion. I really am going to have to watch the Tenant episodes in order some day....


They're all available for Streaming via Amazon! Eccleson was first -- I liked him, wasn't sure about this whole regeneration thing, but then decided I liked Tennant even better. And have hardly seen any of the Matt Smith episodes as that's when SyFy stopped carrying them. . . . . .



> I did love Donna Noble...


She's not my favorite. . . I think I liked Martha the best. . . .but haven't seen enough of Amy to judge.



> Liked Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
> 
> Betsy


I expect I'll get caught up in a couple of months! Yay for TiVo.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> She's not my favorite. . . I think I liked Martha the best. . . .but haven't seen enough of Amy to judge.


I'm not sure Donna's actually my favorite as such...I think I liked Martha as a complete package better. But Donna was so different from the others...all of the others are kind of Wonder Women and Donna was just so...normal....and funny. She cracked me up. It was nice to see someone "normal" thrust into unusual circumstances. We can't all be Martha Jones or even Rose Tyler....

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I'm not sure Donna's actually my favorite as such...I think I liked Martha as a complete package better. But Donna was so different from the others...all of the others are kind of Wonder Women and Donna was just so...normal....and funny. She cracked me up. It was nice to see someone "normal" thrust into unusual circumstances. We can't all be Martha Jones or even Rose Tyler....
> 
> Betsy


That's true. . . possibly because of how she first became a companion. . . it was kind of an accident the first time. . .and she didn't want to stay with him after. Then she decided that, after all, that might be fun, and had her bags all packed the next time she met up with him! But she still never seemed to be quite sure it was what she should be doing!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> . . . .just discovered we have BBCAHD on Friday. . . .I think we actually got it a day or two earlier but I hadn't seen the message on TiVo.


Same here. After years of my whining about not having the HD feed for BBCA on DirecTV, I discovered it by accident Saturday (long story). Did the research and found it had started on 16 August. I would have thought they would do a message or something. I think that one or two other HD feeds were added also, but nothing I watch.

Mike


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

We had gotten a message on our Tivo.  . . But didn't pay attention right away...we get a lot of these 'channel lineup change' messages.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i just realized that i haven't even watched all the David Tennant episodes.... and for some reason, i have no desire to figure out where i left off and pick it up again.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

telracs said:


> i just realized that i haven't even watched all the David Tennant episodes.... and for some reason, i have no desire to figure out where i left off and pick it up again.


Because you realized it would be a lot more fun to start from the beginning!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> Because you realized it would be a lot more fun to start from the beginning!


what, start with the eccleston stuff? only for john barrowman. and no desire to do that. and no desire to see any of the tennant post Martha stuff. or any of the any stuff post-tennant.

i saw some of the amy/rory/riversong stuff at a friend's place and it didn't do much for me.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I wasn't excited about Matt Smith -- 'cause I really liked David Tennant -- but he's growing on me. . . .I think I've watched the first 5 episodes of last season and, while I still miss Tennant, I am beginning to think of that young kid as "The Doctor".


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I just saw the first episode with Donna Noble and absolutely loved her! Of course I'd seen her in several episodes already, but I didn't remember this first one. She has really grown on me. Of course, Amy is definitely my favorite


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The very first Donna episode was a Christmas Special. . . .right after Rose went away. . . . . . at the time she was sort of an 'accidental' companion.    I'm not sure that episode aired everywhere. . .it's not technically part of any particular 'season'.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)




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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, bit the bulllet; started watching Season 1 on Prime.  Rose is in a storeroom with creepy mannequins.  I always knew there was something wrong with mannequins.

Betsy


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

Oooh have fun Betsy. I just met Amelia Pond!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I've seen some and some I haven't. And very few of them in any kind of order.  So this _will_ be fun!

Betsy


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I am still working season four can't wait until my next break

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

ak rain said:


> Oooh have fun Betsy. I just met Amelia Pond!


Fun! For his birthday, I got my son a t-shirt that reads "Fish Custard"


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Great fun!  The actress who later plays Gwen in Torchwood is the second female lead in the third episode of season one: "The Unquiet Dead."  Gwen is one of my favorites...

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> OK, bit the bulllet; started watching Season 1 on Prime. Rose is in a storeroom with creepy mannequins. I always knew there was something wrong with mannequins.
> 
> Betsy


Wait 'till you find out how creepy angel statues are!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Wait 'till you find out how creepy angel statues are!


That's my all time favorite Dr Who episode, bar none!! Though the second iteration of the statues wasn't as good.

(Remember--I've seen quite a few, probably most, of the episodes, just not in order.) I've already seen one and maybe two of the three episodes I've watched so far. I hadn't seen the third episode, The Unquiet Dead, however. The first episode of Season one was vaguely familiar; it could be that I only saw part of it. The Dr Who expert that Rose goes to see, her boyfriend staying in the car and then the incident with the trashcan were all familiar. But I think I missed the beginning of that episode because I don't remember the mannequins or how Rose met the Doctor. I definitely saw the second episode before. I've seen episode four, too, I think based on the preview.

I'm looking forward to seeing them in order, though. And I'm reminded that I did really like whathisname, Ecclestone?, the season one Dr Who and was initially disappointed that he left... (Though I became a huge Tenant fan.)

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

> That's my all time favorite Dr Who episode, bar none!!


A friend sent me a Christmas card last year with a picture of an angel statue on it. . . I really did NOT want it in the house! 



Betsy the Quilter said:


> I'm looking forward to seeing them in order, though. And I'm reminded that I did really like whathisname, Ecclestone?, the season one Dr Who and was initially disappointed that he left... (Though I became a huge Tenant fan.)
> 
> Betsy


I felt the same. . . I was really disappointed when he left. . . . .I'd never really watched the old Doctor Who series so didn't completely get the whole re-generation thing. I remember watching the episode and thinking, "What? He can't DIE. . . .he's the main character! . . . . .What? WHAT?" Then it was explained that even if this Doctor was gone they could continue the series.

But then, yeah, I got to really liking the 10th Doctor. Still my favorite.

I've been catching up on the 11th, though. . . . .he's beginning to grow on me. . . . . .

FWIW, there's a PBS station in the DC area -- WETAUK -- that's re-airing episodes featuring the 9th and 10th doctors. The thing that's kind of nice about those broadcasts is that there are no commercial interruptions and then they fill out the rest of the hour slot with filming and backstory stuff. I watched the one the other day where he took Donna to ancient Rome but they ended up in Pompei on Volcano day. . .there was a really interesting bit following it where David Tennant toured the exposed ruins and talked to one of the guides/archaeologists.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

Don't blink


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ak rain said:


> Don't blink


Seriously....still scares me.

Betsy


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

But I really liked Sally Sparrow. No angels are going in my garden!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ak rain said:


> But I really liked Sally Sparrow. No angels are going in my garden!


Watching _Aliens of London_ now (S1:4). Toshiko Sato of Torchwood! Yay! I haven't seen this episode before, I don't think.... This is so much fun....

Betsy


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

Well don't blink is on here tv on Netflix list I am in season 5 with new Amy Pond

It is way fun


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

_Blink_ is the first episode I really sat down and watched. Despite being really into British television and even fantasy stuff like Doctor Who, I could never get into it before. But Blink hooked me enough to get me to watch that season, then I started from Eccleston and have been hooked since. I think, though, if I had to choose a favorite episode... it would probably be _Dalek_. That one gets me tearing up every time.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I watched the one the other day where he took Donna to ancient Rome but they ended up in Pompei on Volcano day. . .there was a really interesting bit following it where David Tennant toured the exposed ruins and talked to one of the guides/archaeologists.


I haven't rewatched the episode, but that was Karen Gillian's first Who role. She's an extra, IIRC.

We get to see the Weeping Angels again this year. Reminds me, I really need to find an angel statue for the front lawn for Halloween... Facing away from the house so I don't get scared looking out the window 

Regarding Eccleston, I understand why he only stayed one season (He didn't want to be typecast), but I don't feel Tenant has been typecast. As far as classic Doctors go, perhaps all except for Davidson. I've read that fans back then had a hard time adjusting to Davidson because he had been on All Creatures Great and Small. Although, being the first Doctor on the relaunch, he had no idea what to expect.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I think Eccleston was also really upset with the direction the show was taking and didn't agree with it at all.  It was definitely not a pleasant break up and I think there's still hard feelings there.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> _Blink_ is the first episode I really sat down and watched. Despite being really into British television and even fantasy stuff like Doctor Who, I could never get into it before. But Blink hooked me enough to get me to watch that season, then I started from Eccleston and have been hooked since. I think, though, if I had to choose a favorite episode... it would probably be _Dalek_. That one gets me tearing up every time.


Interesting story about Blink. The reason that the Doctor and Martha are barely seen is because they were shooting 2 episodes at one time in order to meet their production schedule.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Scheherazade said:


> I think Eccleston was also really upset with the direction the show was taking and didn't agree with it at all. It was definitely not a pleasant break up and I think there's still hard feelings there.


I hadn't heard that. Not surprised though.


----------



## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Great fun! The actress who later plays Gwen in Torchwood is the second female lead in the third episode of season one: "The Unquiet Dead." Gwen is one of my favorites...
> 
> Betsy


Her performance in that episode and in a sitcom that Russell T. Davies did before _Doctor Who_ convinced them to offer her the part of Gwen. For more familiar _Torchwood_ faces, the actress playing Toshiko shows up one or two episodes down the line in a small part as a doctor autopsying an alien. I think it has never been resolved whether the character in that episode actually is Toshiko from _Torchwood_ or just someone who happens to be played by the same actress. Jack shows up in episode 9 as a not so nice character.

ETA: Ah, I see you already got there.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Watched "Blink" today. . . .seriously spooky even in the middle of the afternoon with the sun shining brightly!

I think I'll have to stream Torchwood. . . .assuming it's on Amazon. . . .or maybe look for IT on BBCAmerica.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

CoraBuhlert said:


> Her performance in that episode and in a sitcom that Russell T. Davies did before _Doctor Who_ convinced them to offer her the part of Gwen. For more familiar _Torchwood_ faces, the actress playing Toshiko shows up one or two episodes down the line in a small part as a doctor autopsying an alien. I think it has never been resolved whether the character in that episode actually is Toshiko from _Torchwood_ or just someone who happens to be played by the same actress. Jack shows up in episode 9 as a not so nice character.
> 
> ETA: Ah, I see you already got there.


Thanks--I wondered; one site said it was the same character, but that could be revisionist history...

Betsy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Watched "Blink" today. . . .seriously spooky even in the middle of the afternoon with the sun shining brightly!
> 
> I think I'll have to stream Torchwood. . . .assuming it's on Amazon. . . .or maybe look for IT on BBCAmerica.




Loved Torchwood....


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well if we're talking cross casting. . . . . the actress who plays Martha was  in the episode where the cybermen and daleks are fighting over earth -- last couple episodes of the last Rose series.  She was basically a red shirt . . . one of the people who monitored "ghost shift" which is what allowed the connection to the void and let the Cybermen into this world.


----------



## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

Not a torchwood fan (only watched the 1st season) but in that same episode, isn't the guy that "Martha" is having the office affair with a torchwood regular actor. Don't know his name but he was always in a suit and kind of ran the Torchwood office/office manager. Looked like him anyway.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

derek alvah said:


> Not a torchwood fan (only watched the 1st season) but in that same episode, isn't the guy that "Martha" is having the office affair with a torchwood regular actor. Don't know his name but he was always in a suit and kind of ran the Torchwood office/office manager. Looked like him anyway.


Yes, that is Ianto in that episode. I believe it's pretty clear that he is later playing the same character in Torchwood that he played there.


----------



## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

OK.

I'm running behind, but I only just watched Dinosaurs On A Spaceship.


Spoiler



When #11 and Amy are working on the ship and having their talky moment, #11 says "You'll be there till the end of me" and Amy says "or vice versa". The Doctor gives her a really sad or knowing look. Yeah... bad things in the future for Amy.



Liked Rory's dad. Are we supposed to see any River this season? Maybe not quite as much as season six but I would still like to see her turn up sometime. Surely she'll show for the Pond's final story.


----------



## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

derek alvah said:


> OK.
> 
> I'm running behind, but I only just watched Dinosaurs On A Spaceship.
> 
> ...


I saw a brief glimpse of River in the season trailer.

Regarding your spoiler:


Spoiler



Not necessarily. Didn't the Doctor try and ditch the Ponds last season because he realized that he gets the people he cares about killed? So it could be that. But since we know the Ponds leave us this season (and in a few episodes) I completely agree with you.



I tried to watch Dinosaurs as I thought my son would. He doesn't like violence, or "scary" things. Hubs has said all week that he is going to make kiddo watch Star Wars with him this weekend. I think this maybe a good episode of the Doctor to watch with him, without having to recall the details of any classic Who story arcs.


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## PatrickWalts (Jul 22, 2011)

ChrisHewitt said:


> I haven't seen it since the days of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
> Maybe I should catch up a bit and watch some more mordern episodes.


It is an altogether different type of show; more fast-paced/action packed, more melodramatic, more frantic, but I enjoy it. I miss the low-budget charm of the originals, but seeing something like an army of millions of Daleks flying across the sky is very satisfying in its own way. And the newer Doctors, especially the last two, all have that unique kind of quirkiness that they've all had throughout the years, so they've certainly retained that aspect of the original show.


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## PatrickWalts (Jul 22, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> OK, bit the bulllet; started watching Season 1 on Prime. Rose is in a storeroom with creepy mannequins. I always knew there was something wrong with mannequins.
> 
> Betsy


Those are the Autons. They were introduced during the John Pertwee era. I think "Spearhead from Space" is where they made their first appearance. That may be available for streaming on prime. It is on Netflix.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I loved the first episode of the season, because I always love the Daleks.  The next two were just OK.  I can't wait for River to show up again - but I will be sad to see the Ponds go (whatever Rory's actual real last name is)


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Rory is Rory Williams. . . .

I just finished watching the episode with the Pandorica and the one that followed. . . . . .

I'm also re-watching earlier season episodes too. . . .free Prime streaming on the HD7 Fire is cool. Like bow ties.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> . . .free Prime streaming on the HD7 Fire is cool. Like bow ties.


Especially with fezes and Stetsons


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

For the Who-O-Philes who don't have a streaming video subscription, the Amazon Gold Box Deal Wednesday is for a huge 26-disk collection of The David Tennant Years. I can't promise this will work outside the United States. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I saw that. . . . .I was sorely tempted. . . .but I do have Prime with Amazon and they periodically re-air on BBCA and WET-UK. . . .so I think I'll pass.

The Tenth Doctor _is_ my favorite.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Hubby showed me this as I was getting ready for work.

"Are the lights going dim?"
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/22674/is-this-the-recurring-theme-of-doctor-who-series-7

and the episodes intros that seem to be getting dimmer:





Personally, this early into the season, I think they are grasping at straws.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well, I'm still catching up. . . .I'm at episode 4 of season 6 -- when they're lured outside the universe via a Time Lord distress cube.

I'm also re-watching season 5 as it airs on BBCAmerica. . . . . . need to remind myself why/how the 10th doctor ended up having to regenerate. . . . .


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I will note that it might not be the best idea to watch multiple episodes in a row.

It tends to make ones head spin with wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff - - - - - even more than usual.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I will note that it might not be the best idea to watch multiple episodes in a row.
> 
> It tends to make ones head spin with *wibbly wobbly timey wimey * stuff - - - - - even more than usual.


is that a technical term, Ann? since i've been accused of time traveling in the mp3 thread, i'm interested.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I am quite enjoying the new season. I loved the Daleks opening episode.  The two next episodes have not quite lived up to that first one, but even a mediocre Dr. Who is better than most shows on TV these days.  I am sad that the Ponds are leaving soon, but cannot wait for River to show up again!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

telracs said:


> is that a technical term, Ann? since i've been accused of time traveling in the mp3 thread, i'm interested.


Actually, yes. It's how the 10th doctor explained the whole time travel thing to Sally Sparrow.

I've just finished the last season and. . . . .mind totally blown. . . . . .Probably have to absorb all that before starting in on the new episodes from THIS season.


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

balaspa said:


> I am quite enjoying the new season. I loved the Daleks opening episode. The two next episodes have not quite lived up to that first one, but even a mediocre Dr. Who is better than most shows on TV these days. I am sad that the Ponds are leaving soon, but cannot wait for River to show up again!


Over seasons five and six, I never really warmed towards Amy but I've actually liked her in the most recent episodes. Don't know why. I'm also waiting for some more River. Recently re watched the Silence In The Library episodes from season four. River is a great character.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

derek alvah said:


> Over seasons five and six, I never really warmed towards Amy but I've actually liked her in the most recent episodes. Don't know why. I'm also waiting for some more River. Recently re watched the Silence In The Library episodes from season four. River is a great character.


I'm just about up to those in my re-watching of the last season of the 10th Doctor. . . . .

And, of course, now that I know who River is, it will all make much more sense. Of course it will.


----------



## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

I kind of get the main gist of the River story and just go with it. On the one hand her story seems so well planned out in advance and then


Spoiler



her being Amy and Rory's daughter just felt made up as they went along...like a whim "wouldn't it be cool if she was their daughter"...kind of thing. And if she went to prison for killing a very good man ,who we believe to be the Doctor...well now that that has been dealt with, why is she still in prison? Or have I missed something along the way?


 Love the character though.

Still wish #11 would pop in on Donna or Wilf to see how they're doing.


----------



## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Well, I'm still catching up. . . .I'm at episode 4 of season 6 -- when they're lured outside the universe via a Time Lord distress cube.


That's Neil Gaiman's episode, for which he just won a well-deserved Hugo award. The actress who plays the female


Spoiler



TARDIS


 also played David Tennant's wife in the BBC miniseries _Single Father_ a few years ago.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

derek alvah said:


> Over seasons five and six, I never really warmed towards Amy but I've actually liked her in the most recent episodes. Don't know why. I'm also waiting for some more River. Recently re watched the Silence In The Library episodes from season four. River is a great character.


She's had genuinely funny lines without coming across as "Hey, look at me! I'm the star of the show!" We've also only seen one episode actually written by Moffat. He seems to be the one who has the love affair with her, and he really does write her as the lead and makes the Doctor play second fiddle. So far this season she hasn't been that, but I'll hold my judgment until we see more Moffat episodes. I guess she -did- get her own little mini web-series thing with Rory, so maybe that got it out of his system. But I agree, after really disliking Amy, I've found her kind of cute this season.


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

mom133d (aka Liz) said:


> Personally, this early into the season, I think they are grasping at straws.


Grasping at straws, maybe, but it's hard to tell with Moffat. He strikes me as the type of creative person who gets bored and tries to challenge himself. Whether it means anything in the end or not, I can see him saying "I'm going to work bananas into every episode this season somehow!" Here are a few other things that have happened every episode so far to keep an eye out for...

The light bulb theme that you mentioned.
Christmas has been mentioned in every episode.
The Doctor being an unknown person or forgotten, truly a Doctor who?
Amy being a mother has been brought up each episode.
The Doctor being viewed through computer screens.
The Doctor claiming to have played classical music.
Eggs. Souffles, dinosaur eggs and an egg-shaped ship.
Enemies with Dalek-esque eye stalk paraphernalia.

Something else that's interesting... The Doctor is suddenly 1200 years old. He was 900 last season. During Eccleston's season he aged one year. During Tennant's he aged 5-6 years. Now suddenly Smith's Doctor has jumped 300 years over a single season.

And here is a flickering light bulb theory that's going about... I'll spoiler tag it since it could be spoilery if it's true, but who knows if it is.


Spoiler



Some people are supposing that Amy is a Dalek Puppet, the sort they introduced in the first episode. They claim the lights flicker more when she is around them. The light in her house is broken. In one episode the Doctor says, "Give me a Dalek any day." and the camera pans directly to Amy. She also fixed a computer on the dinosaur ship which one would think would be beyond her knowledge. We've also had evidence that the Doctor cannot tell the Dalek puppets apart from humans.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

As to age: I just finished watching the last season. . .there was major timey wimey stuff in that and when Rory, Amy, River, and the FBI guy met him in the dessert the first episode, he said he was 1103. Then he was killed by the 'impossible astronaut'. _Then_ they meet his 'contemporary' self, who's only 909. So he did a lot of traveling after he dropped Amy and Rory at the house toward the end of the season: went to say goodbye to an old friend and ended up dealing with Cybermen living below the Marks and Sparks  and THEN went off to get the pieces together for his death which, by then, he knows about. So 1200 doesn't seem too out of line. . . he went off for quite a while after that before coming back for the current season.

As to having forgotten him. . .that was kind of the point. . . .he was, as far as the universe knows. . .killed at 5:02 on April 22, 2011. Had to be that way so the Silence would not keep coming after him. So he could go back to working in the shadows. He was becoming too well known and the legend needed to be put down. Quite apart from the question of the answer to the First Question.

The Cybermen under the shop were causing the flickering lights in that episode.

Again. . .I've not had a chance to yet start watching the current season, so maybe I'm all wet. . . .


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Scheherazade said:


> Grasping at straws, maybe, but it's hard to tell with Moffat. He strikes me as the type of creative person who gets bored and tries to challenge himself. Whether it means anything in the end or not, I can see him saying "I'm going to work bananas into every episode this season somehow!" Here are a few other things that have happened every episode so far to keep an eye out for...


Agreed, I just feel that we're too early to really be seeing a trend. Although it probably is...especially the lights and Christmas.


> And here is a flickering light bulb theory that's going about... I'll spoiler tag it since it could be spoilery if it's true, but who knows if it is.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I hope not.


Spoiler



Been there - done that. (Ganger) I bought the computer "repair". She was trying to one up Cleo and just did what the Doctor did. We've seen Companions solve things they probably wouldn't have until the Doctor started rubbing off on them.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

O.K.  I'm caught up.

Love Rory's dad (aka Mr. Weasley  )

I wasn't sure I liked Amy at first. . . . . didn't think she treated Rory very well, for one thing. . . .but once they became companions together it totally worked.

Love River Song -- just finished watching the episodes set in the Great Library and I've really enjoyed her with The 11th Doctor -- I hope we see more of her.

I hope they do more of the 'historicals' too. . . .my favorites are the ones with Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. . . .love how they put a bunch of references to their works in the dialog.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Agatha Christie was or of my absolute favorites. Loved it!


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Last night, hubby tells me that the latest Whovian theory is that Rory is The Master. The reasoning:

- He is the only person not surprised that the TARDIS is bigger on the inside (Not true. Melody wasn't either. And they both grew up hearing Amy talk about it all the time.)
- A close up of a watch that looked like The Master's (not sure what watch they are talking about.)
- The TARDIS makes a different sound when Rory is there (I haven't noticed that...)

one site with the theory:
http://midnightmanifesto.tumblr.com/post/21260429919/so-is-rory-williams-actually-the-master


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

That would be an excellent story twist. Everyones attention has always been on Amy Amy Amy...and there's the Master under their noses all this time.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Yeah. . . .No.

The Master is another Time Lord -- two hearts and all that.

River has some Time Lord aspects -- the whole regeneration thing -- because of having been conceived while the Tardis was in the vortex. But even she's still human.

Rory's just Rory.

The watch they're talking about is similar to one the 10th Doctor had as well. He used it to lock his Time Lord Self away to hide from the Family of Blood. That was a 2 episode story with Martha where he ended up as a school teacher in a boy's school just before WWI -- fell in love with the school nurse and everything.

The Master had a similar watch which had a perception filter on it . . . he was hiding out at the end of the universe and had no one to tell him he was really a Time Lord until Martha recognized his watch and made a comment that weakened the perception filter.

You can have your very own if you want: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/e793/


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

The Master?


I guess as I work my way forward in order, it'll make sense.  It's dimly familiar...


Betsy


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The Master shows up at the end of the Martha era.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, like I say, it's vaguely familiar...I've seen some of the Martha episodes....

Betsy


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)




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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Moffat is really turning things around for me this season. The Angels are back to the creepiness level they should be at... and I'm actually starting to like Amy.


Spoiler



And despite a friend telling me how sad this episode was and preparing for it I still teared up, and I've been a huge proponent of Amy and Rory going for a good while now.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I was really pleased when I saw this was an episode written by Steven Moffat and was about The Angels - who are fast becoming one of the creepiest 'villains' on the show - but I was totally unprepared for what happened - I hadn't even realised it was the last episode of the series. Yikes!

Great episode though!


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> I hadn't even realised it was the last episode of the series. Yikes!


They've been billing it as the mid-season finale.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

mom133d (aka Liz) said:


> They've been billing it as the mid-season finale.


I'm really not even sure what that means! Mid-season? It's not on again now till Christmas Day and then presumably we wait for the new series


Spoiler



and the new companion(s)


 next year.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It seems like they often do Christmas themed specials that don't necessarily feature the regular companions. . .


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Gah, that wasn't as happy an ending for Amy and Rory as I had hoped


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Linjeakel said:


> I'm really not even sure what that means! Mid-season? It's not on again now till Christmas Day and then presumably we wait for the new series
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


It's been known for some time, per Moffat, that Amy and Rory's stint with the Doctor would wrap up in the middle of Series 7, the new companion would come on board during the Christmas special, and that the balance of Series 7 episodes would play out in the new year, only shortly after the holiday episode.

So, it's not two short, separate seasons.

Think of it like a USA Network show... USA orders like 18 episodes of Royal Pains per year... they air about 12 of them during the "summer season," then break in the fall and air the other six in January/February. But all 18 episodes are part of the same season.

Same thing happens these days with GLEE... which is split twice... about 8 episodes in the fall leading up to sectionals, 6 winter episodes leading up to regionals, and then 8 episodes closing out the spring run, climaxing at nationals.


----------



## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

hsuthard said:



> Gah, that wasn't as happy an ending for Amy and Rory as I had hoped





Spoiler



But at least they wound up together and lived long, happy lives. It's like the happiest saddest ending I've ever seen. Or the saddest happiest...


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Spoiler



One assumes that Amy was sent back to the same time/place that Rory was - because she appeared on the same tombstone. (did you note that her age was 5years more than his?).

And we already know the actor(actress) that will be the new companion.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Spoilers!


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> It's been known for some time, per Moffat, that Amy and Rory's stint with the Doctor would wrap up in the middle of Series 7, the new companion would come on board during the Christmas special, and that the balance of Series 7 episodes would play out in the new year, only shortly after the holiday episode.
> 
> So, it's not two short, separate seasons.
> 
> ...


I hadn't heard anything about the fate of the companions etc as I try not to be spoiled, whether it's rumour or Moffat himself.

So then, yet one more example of the BBC pandering to the US networks. It's to be hoped that no other British shows start up with this bloody ridiculous splitting of series lark. I have no idea what 'sectionals', 'regionals' and 'nationals' are in this context, but I'm pretty certain we don't have them, so we don't need to split our series up to fit in with them. /rant



geoffthomas said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> And we already know the actor(actress) that will be the new companion.


I don't - and I'd like it to stay that way!


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Linjeakel said:


> I hadn't heard anything about the fate of the companions etc as I try not to be spoiled, whether it's rumour or Moffat himself.
> 
> So then, yet one more example of the BBC pandering to the US networks. It's to be hoped that no other British shows start up with this bloody ridiculous splitting of series lark. I have no idea what 'sectionals', 'regionals' and 'nationals' are in this context, but I'm pretty certain we don't have them, so we don't need to split our series up to fit in with them. /rant


Actually, the Doctor Who Series 7 split came about NOT at the behest of any American interests (not even BBC America has a say) but at the sole discretion of showrunner Steven Moffat, who handled it as he did more to accommodate his own schedule, as well as the schedules of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill... and others who shall remain nameless since you don't like spoilers. 

But mostly, I think, it's Moffat's schedule that dictated the split of the season. He has been involved in the also-unpredictable scheduling of the Sherlock series, and wrote that Tintin movie for Spielberg. He's in demand, and totally committed to staying with Who.

As for Matt Smith's Doctor, he's apparently on board for at least two more series: recent articles indicate that he signed on to commit through the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2014. All of it, or part of it? That's unknown.

But Matt'll be the Doctor through the rest of Series 7, all of Series 8, and at least part of Series 9. That's four-plus series, potentially five series, minimum, which would eclipse (or, arguably, match) Tennat's tenure.

That means only Tom Baker will have outlasted Smith in the role, if he does exit during/after Series 9. (Tenant lasted 4 1/2 years, but only produced three full series of episodes, and a handful of specials in his final year.)

Of course, nothing's set in stone and things could change. Smith might change his mind and leave earlier, or stay longer... but the current buzz is, he's secure in the role till 2014, minimum. (Though arguably, the 50-year anniversary for Who comes in late 2013, not 2014... so maybe this means he'll stay through the 50th season... which Moffat has huge plans for.)

After that, who knows?

There's always the (un)reliable rumor that BBC will shutter the TV series and re-launch Doctor Who from scratch (no current continuity would carry over) as a motion picture franchise.

There's also the counter-rumor that BBC isn't about to shutter the series and take a risk on a film franchise that may or may not work on a global scale the way the TV series is, so once Smith moves on, we'll get another new Doctor... and once Moffat moves on, we'll get a new showrunner.

Who knows, really?

Who, that's who! 

But returning to the main point: it's not BBC pandering to America behind the split-season. It's BBC complying to the schedules of Moffat and the main cast.

And, here's a sub-point: Only in the re-invented DOCTOR WHO did the schedule dictate Who as a Spring Season show.

In the original Who run, it debuted in the fall... from at least the time of Colin Baker, and possibly before that... but I know it dates back to C.B.'s era, because I read a whole 10K word article on C.B.'s era, recently, and it was talked about as a fall-debut show, but during one of his seasons, the show got delayed... because BBC was actually thinking of shuttering the series at the time... but instead let C.B. have one more season (Trial of a Time Lord) and then shuttered HIM instead, which led to the disappointing (personally) Sylvester McCoy era...

So, really, Who is just returned to its roots under Moffat, by going back to fall debuts.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> And, here's a sub-point: Only in the re-invented DOCTOR WHO did the schedule dictate Who as a Spring Season show.
> 
> In the original Who run, it debuted in the fall... from at least the time of Colin Baker, and possibly before that... but I know it dates back to C.B.'s era, because I read a whole 10K word article on C.B.'s era, recently, and it was talked about as a fall-debut show, but during one of his seasons, the show got delayed... because BBC was actually thinking of shuttering the series at the time... but instead let C.B. have one more season (Trial of a Time Lord) and then shuttered HIM instead, which led to the disappointing (personally) Sylvester McCoy era...


I would say that the original Doctor Who ran the same way _all_ TV shows did back then. It's only been in the last few years that networks have hit on the idea of having special summer series or debuting shows in the spring. Used to be new shows started early September and ran until around the end of November. Most of December was Christmas specials and reruns from earlier in the season and new shows started airing again in January and ran until May. And then there was a dearth of new television until September again. When there were only 3 networks, plus a static-y PBS channel, that worked. But with all the cable networks nowadays, there's lots more competition. I kinda like that things have different start times throughout the year because then when one's just showing re-runs or not airing episodes at all, there's probably something else that's got new episodes.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Craig: I bow to your obviously superior knowledge.


Ann: Here in the UK things have traditionally been a little different. Series here tended to be shorter and run for a quarter - so the autumn ones would run right up until Christmas - there would be no re-runs from earlier in the series though some shows had Christmas Specials. Then another new lot of series would start in January. Those were to the two big TV seasons. There would be some new stuff April to June and then summer would be mostly re-runs.

One thing you rarely had was a split series, where say something would run for a few weeks up until Christmas and then go off for three or four weeks and then resume in the new year. Nor would things be rescheduled or shown out of sequence purely to show 'strong' episodes at a particular time. I can't understand why audiences put up with it.

As you say though - that was before the advent of of all the satellite and cable networks, who are a law unto themselves.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> As you say though - that was before the advent of of all the satellite and cable networks, who are a law unto themselves.


Ah! That makes sense though. We did live in the UK for 3 years, but didn't have a TV so I never really learned all that. 

It's pretty close to the US method, except here they don't bill it as two separate series before and after Christmas. Incidentally, as to terminology, here, a 'season' -- what you are calling a 'series' -- normally goes for 26 episodes or so. . .some shows book fewer episodes, but that's the standard. Usually about half are aired before Christmas and the rest after and then it's all re-runs all summer. A Series, in the US, is the whole show which could go on for years. And have multiple Seasons.

As to the extra networks, I kind of think they've been pretty smart about things. . . .they observed that the 'classic' networks pile all sorts of new stuff at the beginning of fall and paid attention to when the new episodes stop being shown for whatever reason. . . .and they fill up those times with new content. Of course, the major networks try to advertise that if you missed the beginning of the series, now's the time to 'catch up', but anyone who's been watching from the start might be looking for something completely different. Their 'seasons' generally start in June and they run into August or September and stop when the major networks start new stuff. Some have one or two special episodes at Christmas and then also usually air new episodes in late Spring. By that time the duds on the major networks leave some holes in the schedule which the minor networks use to try to draw viewers who don't want to watch reruns and second tier shows.

Oh, the other thing that can affect when they air new stuff is the "Sweeps" which is when the ratings people do their main count so networks have viewership information to use to bill advertisers. They have a couple of weeks each in November, February, and May, so there are almost _always_ new episodes or highly hyped specials on all the networks during those weeks in an effort to get a maximum audience.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

So. . . . . .just finished watching _The End of Time_ which is the two part special that marks the transition between David Tennant and Matt Smith. And I have a question. . . . . . .anyone familiar with the episodes?

 
Part 1 Part 2

I'm pretty sure they never aired here. . . . or it might be that SyFy stopped carrying the show before they were aired. Then with the Matt Smith era it moved to BBCAmerica. Anyway, _I'd_ never seen 'em. . . it explains why Amy met the Raggedy Doctor.  But there was a mysterious woman . . . . a Time Lord (Time Lady?) . . . wondering who she is to the Doctor. . .also learned something interesting about the origin of the Weeping Angels. . . .


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> So. . . . . .just finished watching _The End of Time_ which is the two part special that marks the transition between David Tennant and Matt Smith. And I have a question. . . . . . .anyone familiar with the episodes?
> 
> 
> Part 1 Part 2
> ...


They did air in the US. I'm pretty sure it was on BBC America, though. For a while, BBC sold the US broadcast rights off to SyFy. Then they came to their senses and said, "Why are we airing so much Gordon Ramsey when we could be airing arguably our best export, Doctor Who, on our own US channel?"

I believe the Tennant-Smith transition was handled as a Christmas special, which aired after Tennant's final full season, but he'd done 3-4 "TV movie"-length specials in the interim. (Including The End of Time.)

So about 18 months had passed since Tennat's last full season, until The End of Time aired. During that time was when BBC moved Doctor Who from SyFy to BBCA in the US. One REALLY had to scour the BBCA listings to find the specials, including THE END OF TIME, but they did air.

Only after Smith's first season started in earnest on BBCA did folks really get accustomed to looking for it on BBCA instead of SyFy, on this side of the pond.

And, really, only in the last two series has BBC stopped embargoing episodes from the US. Earlier in the series, new WHO would air in the UK in the spring, but wouldn't show up on US broadcast channels for another several months.

Then it shortened up to a few weeks.

With the last couple seasons, though, BBC America gets new WHO episodes only a few HOURS after they air in the UK on BBC1.  Which is much better for avoiding spoilers. 

What was the character name of the woman wondering who she is to the Doctor?

If her name is River Song... then just hang on... all will become clear eventually.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Linjeakel said:


> Here in the UK things have traditionally been a little different. Series here tended to be shorter and run for a quarter - so the autumn ones would run right up until Christmas - there would be no re-runs from earlier in the series though some shows had Christmas Specials. Then another new lot of series would start in January. Those were to the two big TV seasons. There would be some new stuff April to June and then summer would be mostly re-runs.
> 
> One thing you rarely had was a split series, where say something would run for a few weeks up until Christmas and then go off for three or four weeks and then resume in the new year. Nor would things be rescheduled or shown out of sequence purely to show 'strong' episodes at a particular time. I can't understand why audiences put up with it.
> 
> As you say though - that was before the advent of of all the satellite and cable networks, who are a law unto themselves.


In a lot of ways, I've admired the British system of broadcasting series.

What I've especially admired is that very structure...

...shorter seasons, complete arcs, that sort of thing.

The main reason I like it is this: I don't see a lot of BBC shows that are told "do 22 episodes, you're on our fall schedule," and then, after the first two or three episodes are aired, are then told, "forget the other 19-20 episodes... Idol drew better than you... you're canceled."

By ordering shorter seasons, one nice thing about BBC shows is that it SEEMS like BBC will allow an entire run to air before they cancel something.

I mean, if a network has ordered 22 episodes and is getting slaughtered in the ratings, it makes sense (in a sad way) to pull the plug so early on.

But if one has ordered only six episodes, say, of DIRK GENTLY, and it's not drawing eyes, you can pretty much let the last 3-4 episodes air out without hurting too much.

Plus, it seems like actors over there are less prone to typecasting into one specific role, because they can do a run of 12 episodes of one show, but still find time in the same year to play another role on an entirely different series for six or 12 episodes.

USA Network has come the closest I've see on free broadcast TV (as opposed to HBO or Showtime) to adopting something closer to the BBC's broadcast model. TRUE BLOOD and DEXTER both get 12 episode seasons, and the average season order for USA shows like BURN NOTICE, WHITE COLLAR, PSYCH, ROYAL PAINS and MONK (until it was finally cancelled, sadly) was around 12-16 episode seasons. Shorter commitments, but less likely to be cancelled mid-season.

As a person who's often been burned by falling in love with series that were supposed to get full 22-episode orders (Ann, 26 eps is RARE these days... 22 is the standard, except for top-rated sitcoms) only to see them cancelled early, I'd applaud the US taking a more BBC-style approach.

Yet 26 eps was the standard for a long, long time. Even that is down from earlier eras, though. In the 1960s, Gilligan's Island had episode counts that go like this: Season 1... 36 eps. Season 2... 32 eps (in color)... Season 3... 30 eps (in color). 98 episodes in all, over three seasons. These days, you wouldn't reach 98 episodes until halfway through your fifth season...

Except in the US, tempers burn hot if a show falters at all, so they'd almost have to order no more than six episodes at a time... and even that might be "too long" for impatient US network execs.

(The entire first season of CHEERS, it was at the ABSOLUTE ratings basement... but NBC's Brandon Tartikoff believed in it, audiences caught on in Season 2, and it ran 11 seasons before they called it quits! Though, for me, the best era of the show ended when Diane Chambers (Shelly Long) left.)

These days, NO show would be allowed to flounder like that in order to build an audience. It's unfortunate.

Shows cancelled far too soon, for me, include (not a comprehensive list):

Wonderfalls
Firefly
Pushing Daisies
Better Off Ted

...ahh, that's enough. I don't agree that all series cancelled early are missed, but those four? Definitely.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> They did air in the US. I'm pretty sure it was on BBC America, though. For a while, BBC sold the US broadcast rights
> What was the character name of the woman wondering who she is to the Doctor?
> 
> If her name is River Song... then just hang on... all will become clear eventually.


No, it's not River. I know River. My KINDLE is called River Song.  It's a woman who first appears to Wilfred (Donna's father) in a church and then she talks to him from a telly. She's also, apparently, one of the Time Lords . . . . . . can't say much more without giving away the whole plot but she's not given a name. . . .but I have the impression she's someone who was important to The Doctor. At the end Wilfred asks who she is but the Doctor doesn't answer. I'm guessing mother or wife.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Wow, I'd have to re-watch. Don't recall that.

Was she the same person as the recurring newscaster?

Or Sarah Jane Smith?

Guess I'll have to dig up the episode....


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It was NOT Sarah Jane. . . .she actually showed up later in the episode when the Doctor was sort of saying goodbye to all his mates.

I don't recall seeing her in any other episode and I've watched pretty much the whole 10th and 11th Doctor series in the last few weeks.

They're available to stream on Amazon. . . .listed under the David Tennant specials. Free for Prime members.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Okay, yeah... she's never named. It's just one of those weird things that Russel T. Davies did as he was on his way out. Had he decided to stick around, I'm sure she'd have become something to the storyline.

Here's what the episode summary says:

Wilfred is repeatedly warned by an apparitional woman in white (Claire Bloom) to arm himself to protect the Doctor before joining him in the TARDIS.

Her credit line in the episode is The Woman. Just that.

So... who knows? Davies never did anything more with her, and Moffat hasn't picked up on the dangling character... thus far. (And I suspect he's unlikely to, as he wanted to make his run on the Doctor more distinctly his own, and doesn't use many of Davies' uniquely-created characters.)

The only ones I've noticed Moffat using are The Ood and The Face of Boe.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I was intrigued by the apparent explanation of the origin of the weeping angels. . . .but I can't say as it completely jives with what else we learn of them in other episodes. . . . . . .


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> No, it's not River. I know River. My KINDLE is called River Song.  It's a woman who first appears to Wilfred (Donna's father) in a church and then she talks to him from a telly. She's also, apparently, one of the Time Lords . . . . . . can't say much more without giving away the whole plot but she's not given a name. . . .but I have the impression she's someone who was important to The Doctor. At the end Wilfred asks who she is but the Doctor doesn't answer. I'm guessing mother or wife.


I'm pretty sure I saw those; and I watched on BBC America.

I was kind of meh about the latest Weeping Angel episode. It was better than the last time they appeared. And while I liked Amy and Rory, I didn't get all weepy about their departure, though I expected to...

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I've tried to avoid spoilers. . . . .and I've not yet had a chance to watch it. . . .but knowing what the Angels' method is, I have an idea of what will happen to them.

The _End of Time_ episodes might have been on BBCA, but that just showed up in our line up recently. We'd watched everything up to that on SyFy.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

On the whole split season thing... isn't in normal for a series in the UK to be just 6 episodes?  I know several of the half hour comedies are if not all.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Scheherazade said:


> On the whole split season thing... isn't in normal for a series in the UK to be just 6 episodes? I know several of the half hour comedies are if not all.


Yes and no. BBC and its sister channels actually order series in various lengths.

Six episodes is a common quantity. So is twelve.

But, Sherlock gets ordered three episodes at a time.

Dirk Gently got a four-episode run. (Sadly, it was canned after its initial season.)

Episodes (which IS a BBC-originated production, but they have a partnership in the financing of it with Showtime) got a 7-episode order in Series 1. Series 2 was 9 episodes, and the third series is said to be for another 9 episodes.

Psychoville seems to come in groups of seven episodes at a time.

Bedlam gets six per series.

Merlin comes 13 episodes per series. (Series 5 starts soon!)

Touch of Cloth was only 2 episodes.

So, as you see, it's almost random and can very greatly. But I like it. Some shows would be better off if they only lasted two episodes and then were done, instead of running the same joke into the ground for 22 episodes a season, trying to stay on the air as long as possible.

Oh, sure, for my favorite shows, I wish the proper seasons were longer than 22 episodes, even. I'd gladly watch 30 episodes of GLEE per year, for example, if that were available.

But just because some series wear well when you get a lot of episodes per season doesn't mean every show should.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

6/7 or 12/13 episodes are common, depending on the type of show. Anything over an hour and more movie-like in length - such as _Sherlock_ - will often only get three or four episodes - I guess this is not only because of the time needed for filming but also because they tend to be the big budget shows.

Shorter runs also helps to maintain the quality - something which is hard to do on a long running series like Dr Who.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

True, Lin.

There's a lot to be said in favor of the BBC-style system.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Totally teared up this weekend and will miss the Ponds very much.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I just finished watching the episode.  . . . . .  very good. . . can't wait for more. . . .


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> But, Sherlock gets ordered three episodes at a time.


I do know that in Sherlock's case it was meant to be a miniseries at first and only got a second series due to the sheer popularity of it. I think the episodes are pretty close in length to what a 6 episode season might have normally been, too... but not doing all that math.

One thing I like about the BBC, but it seems to be changing a bit lately, is that they're not afraid to just say a show is over and end it at the height of its popularity. The Office is a great example... hugely popular and only got two seasons plus some Christmas specials for a total of 14 episodes. Compare that to the US where we milk everything for all its worth... going on 9 seasons now with 178+ episodes even while losing its main character's actor. That's just crazy. Fawlty Towers and Black Adder are other really good examples of this, and pretty sure both were attempted in the US as well (I know Fawlty Towers was at least.)


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## Starfire (Jun 25, 2012)

However did I miss this thread??

My take on this:


Spoiler



I've read the new companion is Clara Oswin. If that's true, I suspect she's mother or other maternal ancestor to Oswin. It's not uncommon for surnames to be repurposed as given names down the line (at least not in my family tree.

I had missed that Clara was Victorian; I'd only seen the modern clothes pics! So it would be a FAR back ancestor. Hmmm.





Scheherazade said:


> My take on this...
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


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## Starfire (Jun 25, 2012)

I loved the first ep of this season; just adored Oswin. 2, 3, and 4, left me bored


Spoiler



(except for Rory's dad. I adored Brian, too).[\spoiler] And then the last ep. Oh, my heart.


Spoiler



Amy calling River "Melody" for the first time since she was lost, and telling her to be a good girl and watch after the Doctor. And I love love love that Amy got to choose her fate. And that River has a way to contact her (at least enough to send her the book; after all, that vortex manipulator can get places the TARDIS can't).



Now I'm really looking forward to the Christmas Special.

I also love these two videos on youtube: "500 Miles" , made when Tennant was leaving: (



) And the Ballad of Russell and Julie, made about the same time or earlier: (



)


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Available for pre-order for $2.47


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

So cool...


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Today's Teefury one-day t-shirt special:

11th of Hearts by WinterArtwork








http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001odE-vQfwr0_HKN2Q9wowFisRKf2iHmSQRrEq-qjxgi7WdTaUbsga551Y4mY_Vg44TS-_4G0MzJv72DZMonIfHwUY-FWiJG2h0NYdXxiZnDFVkfy_WUx_LA==


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

geoffthomas said:


> Today's Teefury one-day t-shirt special:
> 
> 11th of Hearts by WinterArtwork
> 
> ...


And that has what to do with anything Dr. Who?

Nothing.

Please stay on topic. Thank you.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> And that has what to do with anything Dr. Who?
> 
> Nothing.
> 
> Please stay on topic. Thank you.


Craig, I think you'll find it _was_ to do with Dr Who but the t-shirts being promoted change regularly and now you'll have to click on the 'after hours' tab to see the one I think Geoff was originally linking to. But note the time of my reply, because that will also disappear in about an hour and three quarters!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Yes. . . .the tshirt on offer when Geoff linked was an "11th of Hearts" t-shirt, which was actually pretty cool. Nearly as cool as a bow tie. Here's what it looked like:










'course, that might only be there for another hour or so.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

thanks for fixing it for me.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I can't believe the "fall break" is here for this show already.  Remember when shows just ran through until spring


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