Friday, July 30, 2010

Doctor Who Finale-Spoiler Free Review

This season of Doctor Who  gave us a lot of changes.  We got a new Doctor, we got new companions, we got a new variation on the theme, we got a new show runner, we even got a new logo.  Needless to say the change was abrupt and almost didn't feel like the same show. 

The season for the most part has been a monster of the week type theme that shouldn't surprise any Dr. Who fans.  We were visited by the Daleks, the Weeping Angels, and some new creations as well.  These were all tied together with the crack in the wall that would ineveitably show up. 

The first half of the finale sets us up with lots of promise.  We get a rogues gallery of Dr. Who villians, River Song and a character that we all thought was gone.  The first half has suspense and a great cliff hanger.  The second half turns into a comedy.  Time travel is about as deux ex machina as you can get, but then the Dr. goes all Bill and Ted on us, or maybe it was an homage to the Mister Bean spoof episode (strangely, written by one Stephen Moffat), but the episode slips into slapstick and paradoxes. 

Overall the season was just average with "The Hungry Earth" being my favorite of the season.  Matt Smith's Doctor is almost played as an Idiot Savante.  It is a different take on things that is for sure.  Because of this there is a need for a strong overbearing companion.  Amy fills this pretty well and River Song lets us know that it isn't going to stop.  As Rory is a rather weak willed character too, I wonder what Stephen Moffat is saying. 

Hopefully next season is better. 


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

partial agreement as i haven't finished the season due to- gasp- lost interest

maybe its just the Tennant fangirl in me, but wasn't captivated by the 11th.

although i do protest the idiot savant epitaph. i felt his doctor portrayal was both competent and consistent with his 10 prior incarnations; but i just wasn't as interested in his adventures

the companion Amy was, however, abysmal. i so hoped with Moffatt as the show runner we'd be free form the rose-effect. SIGH

p.s. perhaps Moffatt expended too much of his creative genius on his co-production of Sherlock to give WHO the talent and time it deserved

Budd said...

Anon-Different doctors have different personalities. This one is on the wackier side of the spectrum and he tends to fall into his problems and solutions. Not saying Smith is doing a bad job, just that they have written a really wacky Dr.