Doctor Who

Being a long time Whovian, I've experienced many a doctor on and off screen (audio dramas and novels). I can say that the 11th is definitively my favorite. It will be even more heart wrenching to see him go than it was Tennant, truly. This season, while there are some lackluster episodes that feel like fillers (showrunn Moffat promised no single episode will feel like a filler) this season attempted the one-off approach to every episode, and succeeded in telling compelling stories. It was a good experiment, just not one I would've conducted during the 50th anniversary. Albeit, the successfulness of said experiment is up for debate, I digress. Episodes like Hide, Asylum of the Daleks, Bells of St. John, and The Name of the Doctor (coincidentally 3 out 4 written by Moffat himself) give credence that show hasn't lost it steam. There are quite a few things we expected to be answered this year, but we have yet to experience whatever content the Moffinator (yes, I just made that up) has to throw at us. See you all in the Time Vortex on Nov. 23rd.

I adore the new Doctor Who serial. It really is fantastic. Though it's not as dialogue driven as it's 20th Century counterpart, there are some really brilliant new ideas and stories. I've loved nearly every minute of it. That said, episodes from the era of Russell T. Davies, the 9th and 10th Doctor, are by far superior to the Moffatt era with the 11th. I don't have anything against Matt Smith, he's phenomenal. He puts a great personality into the character. But with the mass attention the show now has from America, along with a new generation of viewers, my generation of kids, the show is a lot more action-centric. I felt that Seasons 1-4 had a great balance between dialogue/story and action. It never felt too "Action Movie" to me. Character development was great, there were interesting new plots, and the writing for some of the episodes often brought me to tears. But I feel that Season 5 and onward lack that balance. It's got a lot more of a mainstream appeal to it, as much as I hate to use the word mainstream. Less thought-provoking dialogue, less relate-able characters, and less interesting plots(Though there are a few here and there.)The Doctor never seems to know anything now!

I have watched through all of the new series, from the 2005 episodes up till now, almost 3 times through. If you are a fan of amazing writing, great stories, and awesome acting, and sci-fi, then this is for you. The show always ends up tying together so well and always makes you think. But you truly do need to watch from the beginning series with Eccleson. Never watch this show out of order the first time through.