Board 8 > Yo Doctor Who folks, what should I check out?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've completely avoided this franchise because I was on Tumblr during it's height if internet popularity and uh...yeah that speaks for itself I think.

However, I just finished watching this 5 hour essay about how awful the last two seasons were, and I got so invested that I'm actually super interested in checking out the good stuff now.

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Start with the 2005 reboot.

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DoomTheGyarados posted...

Start with the 2005 reboot.

Just to be clear, I have absolutely no problem watching old shows. Adam West Batman I could watch all day. So I just want to make sure this is an actual statement of quality and not just that the old stuff is cheesy.

Which knowing you I would not assume so, but just covering bases.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Just to be clear, I have absolutely no problem watching old shows. Adam West Batman I could watch all day. So I just want to make sure this is an actual statement of quality and not just that the old stuff is cheesy.

Which knowing you I would not assume so, but just covering bases.

2005 reboot is a very nice clean start with a lot of fun mystery that got me into the show voter stuff and be watched after. The first.. hm 10 seasons are good watching in a row.

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If you want to watch the classic series, the Third, Fourth and Fifth Doctors are generally considered the high point, with Four in particular being by far the most popular and iconic.

A good place to start would be the serial The Time Warrior, a Third Doctor serial that marks the first appeance of Sarah-Jane Smith (the most beloved classic series companion) and the Sontarans.
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I'd say start with the Reboot. You can always watch the classic stuff later. That's what I did/am doing (Currently on the Second Doctor). A lot of old episodes are missing, and it can be a bit slow paced at times.

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The issue is not one of quality more that the original run is huge, large parts of the 60s stories are lost, they are almost all multi-part serials rather than single TV episodes, and there is not a generally agreed start point. Watch the 2005 series from Series 1 on, as said the first 10 series are great. If Series 1 is a bit too cheesy for you up front I would say watch Series 5 episode 1 - which is a GREAT introduction to the show, and then go back and watch the rest starting from Series 1 of you like that episode. The first five episodes if the 2005 show arent amazing and have not aged well, but its clear sailing from there. Hope you enjoy it!

Edit: Though if you really, really want to start with the classic series start with the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, which is when the show shifts to colour and modernises somewhat, with no lost episodes from there on. However, you should start with 2005.

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Dancedreamer posted...

A lot of old episodes are missing

Oh well that's gonna be a no from me, lol. New series it is.

Where does one actually watch it?

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Assuming you arent sailing the seas, its on a service called BritBox (I think) and is all on on-demand platforms like itunes. Im not in America though!

They made a HUGE mistake taking it off Netflix a few years ago.

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Looks like it's on HBO Max.

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Yeah. Its on HBOMax for sure.

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Yeah, the entire revival (I'd say that is more accurate term than reboot, for a few reasons) from 2005 onward is on HBO Max. Pretty easy to watch.

I would definitely recommended starting there even if you're interested in the Classic series. They're set up like two different shows in a lot of ways. The Modern version is like a typical drama; a season's worth of hour long episodes that include story arcs. The Classic series was more like a radio serial. A single story would be broken up in multiple segmented episodes that would each be broadcast weekly. It's such a huge difference in pacing and story design that makes them two different experiences.

I think the series is amazing though, and it's well worth your time investing in. Each season isn't that long anyway, so you can progress though the new series fairly quickly. Some people struggle with the earlier episodes (I've heard people recommend skipping the first season of the revival, which I DON'T agree with, but it does start off slightly shaky at moments. People really hate and are embarrassed by the episode with the farting aliens, although ironically that one does have some really good character stuff in it). My advice is if you try it out and it still doesn't hook you, at least watch up to ninth and tenth episodes of the first season, which I think perfectly exemplifies how good the show can be at its peak.

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Lightning Strikes posted...

Assuming you arent sailing the seas, its on a service called BritBox (I think) and is all on on-demand platforms like itunes. Im not in America though!

Yes, the classic series is on BritBox in the US. Though the US version lacks The Tenth Planet, while the UK version does have it. Which really sucked.

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Yeah the first season is pretty rough for most of it though it does have some really good episodes in it, and unfortunately the first episode is not one of those.

Classic Who does have missing episodes, but because there's no real story arcs there's not really a whole lot that you miss by not having them. Some of those episodes have been animated/edited with production stills and you have the books if you really want to get into them.

Starting with Rose is the go-to point. Some people would recommend The Eleventh Hour, but given that the showrunner for the first four series will be coming back to Who, I think it's a wiser idea to get a real feel of his storytelling. That run is also pretty phenomenal tbh.

If you really like Doctor Who after watching the modern series, you can go back to watch Classic Who, but I would recommend going on a subreddit or forum to asking for a "must-see Classic Who episodes" rather than watching the entire series; the pace can get properly grating at times. All those Doctors have their charms, especially the Second and Seventh which are probably the high points of Classic Who for me.

And if you're really invested, there's also the spin-offs Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Class. Torchwood is a pretty generic action show for the first two season, then the third season is a phenomenal piece of television, and the fourth series I haven't seen yet. SJA is a children's show but 100 % worth watching, no matter your age. Class I haven't seen yet either but it's there.

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I remember a lot of people talking about Torchwood, but had no idea it was a Doctor Who thing!

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Yes its the for-adults spinoff. If you watch it wait until after series 2 of Doctor Who, though as warning Torchwood series 1 is bad. Series 2 is a good if standard to an extent sci-fi action show, 3 is a great miniseries, and 4 is alright though about 3 episodes too long.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

I remember a lot of people talking about Torchwood, but had no idea it was a Doctor Who thing!

it's even an anagram for Doctor Who

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Definitely start with the reboot

You can either start with the first episode of the first season, which is the 9th Doctor, or you could start with the first episode of season 5, which is the first episode of the 11th Doctor - the Eleventh Hour.

My experience with the series was that I randomly saw a commercial about an upcoming season premiere and it looked interesting. I didn't know anything about Doctor Who at the time. I watched it and it was wonderful. It hinted at so much beyond while accomplishing so much else within the episode. It felt like a fresh start. Turned out it was the season 5 premiere. I watched that season and absolutely loved it. The 11th Doctor will always be *my* Doctor because of this.

I eventually went back and watched season 1-4. Honestly, the first episode of season 1 sucks ass. I was blown away how bad it was. I'm so glad that wasn't my introduction to the series. The 9th Doctor is fantastic, but that ep didn't do him any favours. Still, I'm glad I watched s1-4 too, they are excellent.

Starting with season 1 will be fine but just go into it realizing the first episode won't be good and the season will be pretty hit or miss in general.

Personally, I have yet to get into the old stuff. It looks like it could be good but I keep trying to start from the beginning and watch what I can find, but it's not really hitting for me. The right thing to do might be to just jump around to different Doctors and see highlights but it's pretty overwhelming.

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CoolCly posted...

or you could start with the first episode of season 5, which is the first episode of the 11th Doctor - the Eleventh Hour.

starting at the last good season is a genius strategy

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NFUN posted...

starting at the last good season is a genius strategy

This is an incorrect post.

For starters the best season is after then (its 9).

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NFUN posted...

it's even an anagram for Doctor Who

....Fuck

NFUN posted...

starting at the last good season is a genius strategy

I think it's a way better strategy than starting something bad and getting turned off. The main reason it's so good for this is that the Eleventh Hour is a really good fresh start for someone who hasn't seen anything before.

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11th Hour is great, but the first half of season five is otherwise terrible. Eccleston and Rose are a quality duo to start with.

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the first episode of the 2005 reboot is fine

you can set your expectations as, like, it's not some super modern serious poignant episode. but it's not bad

The Eleventh Hour serves a better "Pilot" that introduces the series, but "Rose" isn't bad at all. It does what it needs to do to catch your interest.

I remember when it first aired in the US they paired the first and second episode of the series as the premiere, which worked really well to get me interested in the show when I saw it.

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"What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

"What would you do that for?"

Why would anyone tell me to skip an episode with a line like that?


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UshiromiyaEva posted...

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

"What would you do that for?"

Why would anyone tell me to skip an episode with a line like that?

I expect this topic to become a full watchthrough.

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I can't say the you will see a whole lot of reaction, but I'll see what hits.

Typically you'll only see rapidfire reaction from me is something SUPER BAD, like when I stated losing it in the Zesteria topic.

Even Umineko I only had one part where I was constantly posting because of what the heck was going on.

The difficult part here is I can only understand about 50% of the dialogue.

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Oh, I'll definitely be interested in even an only "big moments" watchthrough. Watching this series for the first time is a pretty good experience.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

The difficult part here is I can only understand about 50% of the dialogue.

Yeah, I usually have to turn on closed captioning when I watch. It's not that I typically need it, and I don't normally use it, but this show has a lot of great little lines that can easily zip past you. Also, tons of British slang and references I don't get at a glance.

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*triple rapid zoom in on Kennedy's head with a bullet sound effect*

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Fun fact: the original series premiered the day after Kennedy was assassinated.

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Remember the 5 things you can say to a doctor who fan to make them think you are cool:

• Allons-y
• Bad Wolf
• 'Bowties Are Cool'
• Kill The Moon
• Clara Oswald

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Got interrupted right when I started the 2nd episode, but yeah first down.

Yeah it wasn't amazing but it was fine! There's kind of, like, a bit of CW feel to it but I know the budget goes up.

The only thing that seems really off and on is the music. There were a few tracks that were like...what is this? Why is this playing?

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Ep 1 feels off in all kinds of ways. I'm not sure there's another Doctor Who episode that feels quite the same. The music and direction are just weird.
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