After inexplicably neglecting this show for years, I've started catching episodes here and there during dinner. I liked it enough to start from the beginning of the modern series (i.e. Eccleston). Note that I've never seen anything prior to Eccleston, and it will be some time before I can begin to catch up on those episodes. (Although I somewhat accidentally watched most of Matt Smith's season (which was great) prior to all this.)
So Eccleston sucks. And maybe it's unfair that I can only retroactively compare him to Tennant and Matt Smith. I never got a chance to see him 'fresh.' But, no, he sucks. His only attempt at acting is bouncing around with a goofy smile. Billie Piper is fine. The Jack Harkness guy is a bland anachronism whose acting belongs in a MacGyver or Airwolf type show from the 80s.
I liked the episode with Rose's father. It felt real and not forced. A good, meaningful moment for the character.
Mostly I watched the season finale to see Eccleston die. I wouldn't miss never seeing this season again, especially after getting into the Tennant stuff.
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Atari 2600
Posted 28 March 2011 - 01:35 PM
I have nothing against Eccleston - and it's a bit harsh to say that he sucks, because he really doesn't - but after a few episodes of the Tennant Doctor, the Eccleston series ended up feeling like a 13-episode pilot, and after an entire run of Tennant, I have a hard time finding any incarnation of the Doctor that holds up as well.
Matt Smith was a hard sell. At the time of Tennant's departure, I was hoping that the Doctor would regenerate as a woman. To me, it was the only way I could deal with watching the show and not comparing the replacement - and being disappointed by him. Sure enough, the first couple of Smith episodes were painful to me. He was trying so damn hard to capture Tennant's energy. Then something happened in the thick of the vampire episode (I think it was a mix of the Hammer film vibe of the episode and the fact - which I didn't know at the time - that it was written by Being Human creator Toby Whithouse), and I remember thinking, "Yeah...this could work."
From there, I quickly warmed up to Smith (despite it being a year full of plot holes). Amy and Rory were great companions. And, like a big baby, I cried a bunch of times - which I'd done before when Rose and Donna left the show. The Vincent van Gogh episode destroyed me. I sobbed for ten frickin' minutes. Smith is no Tennant, and the show is nowhere near as sharp as it was during his run...but I'll take 'em.
There was never a moment like that during the Eccleston year. It was straightforward adventure and madcap running about, with no emotional punch. At the time, that was fine. I grew up on Tom Baker's Doctor and Eccleston's show was a fine update. But clearly, the soup was still cooking.
And don't knock Captain Jack until you check out Torchwood!
Matt Smith was a hard sell. At the time of Tennant's departure, I was hoping that the Doctor would regenerate as a woman. To me, it was the only way I could deal with watching the show and not comparing the replacement - and being disappointed by him. Sure enough, the first couple of Smith episodes were painful to me. He was trying so damn hard to capture Tennant's energy. Then something happened in the thick of the vampire episode (I think it was a mix of the Hammer film vibe of the episode and the fact - which I didn't know at the time - that it was written by Being Human creator Toby Whithouse), and I remember thinking, "Yeah...this could work."
From there, I quickly warmed up to Smith (despite it being a year full of plot holes). Amy and Rory were great companions. And, like a big baby, I cried a bunch of times - which I'd done before when Rose and Donna left the show. The Vincent van Gogh episode destroyed me. I sobbed for ten frickin' minutes. Smith is no Tennant, and the show is nowhere near as sharp as it was during his run...but I'll take 'em.
There was never a moment like that during the Eccleston year. It was straightforward adventure and madcap running about, with no emotional punch. At the time, that was fine. I grew up on Tom Baker's Doctor and Eccleston's show was a fine update. But clearly, the soup was still cooking.
And don't knock Captain Jack until you check out Torchwood!
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