arabian: (Billie Piper_01)
arabian ([personal profile] arabian) wrote2008-08-16 02:27 pm

Sorta, kinda unpopular 'Doctor Who' opinions

For the most part. Just reading comments here and there over the last couple of months and finding myself thinking but I DO like that or I DON'T like that, and after writing up this quite, quite unpopular opinion re: Donna post, I was inspired to compile a list and am just now putting it up. Now, I know one is extremely unpopular, and one I found out after I wrote the list, edges more towards popular and my goodness, can I ramble? Anyhoo, the list in no particular order ...

- I actually quite like "Love & Monsters." I wouldn't put it in my top ten, and I know it's both Doctor and Rose-lite, but I still enjoy it. I like the story, I like Elton and I think that it's a fabulous little mini Jackie story. Plus, I love the few moments we do get with the Doctor and Rose.

- Here's the biggie: I don't really care about Jack. I do not understand for the life of me why he is SUCH a huge part of fandom, why an entire other show was built around him, etc. He's handsome, but nothing to write home about in my book; he a decent actor, but nothing to write home about. And I don't get the whole great, fabulous, amazing friendship between the Doctor, Rose and Jack. They traveled together for what really amounted to one episode: "Boomtown." And sure, they had travels in between, and were all buddy-buddy and rah!rah!rah! in said "Boomtown," but Mickey fit in pretty nicely with those three and yet I don't see OT4 fics with them. I just don't get it.

On that note, I pretty much despise the OT3 thing with Doctor/Rose/Jack. I just ... ick, it gives me the ickies. Just yuck. The Doctor belongs with Rose. Rose belongs with the Doctor. Jack can have a raging hard-on for either one all he wants, but for me, it's all on him, and Rose is into the Doctor, and the Doctor is into Rose and if Jack were to attempt to insert himself in the mix, they'd be as squicked as I am.

So, yeah, that one was the biggie, the major, 'that is SOOOOOOOOOOO unpopular.' Moving along.

- Due to forms of character assassination ranging from mild to OHMYGOD!GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SHOW!!!!, I've found that I only love "Blink" by Moffat. I love some of the moments in "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" and do adore the overall concept, but the episodes themselves rub me the wrong way in light of Rose's characterization and some of the Doctor stuff too. I think that "The Girl in the Fireplace" is a gorgeously written, conceived and acted episode ... but one that does not even REMOTELY fit character-arc wise in RTD's Who. The less said about "Silence of the Library/Forest of the Dead" the better, other than that the only thing I liked about it was the alternate Donna-verse, but everything else? Meh to Noooo. "Blink," though? I loved. (Like lots of others, I know.)

- I've said this before and I know I'm not the only one, but I'll still add it: I love Ten, but I do love Nine just that little bit more.

- On that note, I think that Eccleston has more chemistry with Billie Piper than does David Tennant. (And on the chemistry note, I don't see anything but BFF chemistry between Piper and Tennant in real-life ... at all, nothing hinting at some underpinning of longing, etc.)

- Donna is not just my favorite companion (I'm sorry, Rose, I do adore you, but Donna is just ... Donna), Donna is my favorite character EVER on Who -- yes, I love her more than the Doctor (Nine or Ten). In fact, Donna Noble may be one of my top five favorite characters ever in ANY fandom. EVER! I love her so much.

- My favorite kiss is the Nine/Rose kiss from "The Parting of the Ways." None other comes close.

- I may be lynched for this, but {ducks}, I don't like David Tennant's hair in series four. I just don't. It's too short, too spiky, just not as ... yeah, don't like. It's okay in series three, but do not want in series four. I ADORE it in series two. A-D-O-R-E it in series two. I almost like his hair, series two, as much as I like Donna. But series four? Yeah, just no.

-I don't care if they keep popping up after being exterminated once and for all: I don't think I'll ever get tired of the Daleks. E-V-E-R!

- "The Unquiet Dead" is one of my favorite episodes. In fact, I won't be surprised if when I'm done rewatching the whole series again that it's in the top five, if not top three. I really, really love it.

- I apologize in advance to Christopher Eccleston because for the first time in forever I'm actually acknowledging that even he can't overcome something. It's not his fault, but still ... even he couldn't overcome the cheese of the "You need a doctor" line from "The Parting of the Ways." I keep hoping it will get better each time I watch it and I'll grin and glory in the romantic cheesiness, but no. It's just always groan-inducing cheese. Sigh. Not even the amazing Christopher Eccleston can save it.

- [verysmallvoice]I like the blue suit.[/verysmallvoice] I ADORE the brown pin-striped suit, but yeah ... [verysmallvoice]I like the blue suit.[/verysmallvoice]

- I like John Simm, he's a great actor, very charismatic. Still, I way, way preferred Sir Derek Jacobi over him and really wished that Jacobi had just stayed as the Master. (I know! This one rivals the Jack/OT3 above for unpopularity.)

- Poorly-conceived/written character or not, I think the biggest problem with Martha is that compared to most other regular/recurring actors on this show, Freema Agyeman is just not that good. I like her, I think she's very personable and quite lovely. I simply don't think she's a strong enough actress to make Martha work as RTD likely envisioned her. I just find it difficult to believe that a man who is so amazingly wonderful at creating characters and writing such fabulous character arcs and motivations for them would mess up so with Martha Jones. Therefore, I think the fault in the character lies in Agyeman not able to deliver on RTD's vision. (Why do I feel guilty writing this? It's not like she'll ever read it. Sigh, I DO like her, I just ... well, you know.)

- I really, really loved Yvonne Hartman. I did.

So share your thoughts, your own opinions that might be a tad outside the norm. Will be fun to read. :D (I know some of my other Who icons are much more appropriate, but new Billie icon! Squee!! I had to use it.)

[identity profile] arabian.livejournal.com 2008-08-16 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh man, I adore "Love and Monsters." I thought it was fun and creative and utterly charming.

Oh, I love that I'm not the only one who really enjoys that one. Yay!

On Jack: I enjoyed him well enough during the first season and I loved when he showed up for 'Utopia' because that entire episode was gold, but I've never been super excited for him. And Torchwood bores the hell out of me.

See, I'll give you that. I ADORE "Utopia" so, so, so much. If it weren't the first of a three-parter (where the following two were LA-AAAME!), I'd likely have that in my top 3 eps ever. Still haven't watched Torchwood, but it's on my Netflix queue.

You know this already, but I really don't love Eccleston as the Doctor.

I know! It does boggle my mind. We actually agree a LOT in fandom, but yet not when it comes to the Eccleston as Nine. Ah well.

I agree that having more Jacobi as Master would have been AWESOME, but... I adore Simm in that part, and I think the way they did the reveal as the Master was sort of perfect. 'Utopia' is one of my favorite episodes because I think the writing/pacing is like SUPERB.

I can't disagree with this. I too adore "Utopia." I was soooooooo excited for the last two eps of series 3 even with no Rose because "Utopia" kicked SO MUCH ASS, and then it just fell apart. But, yes, Simm was good and maybe that was part of my problem. Jacobi was the Master in "Utopia" which was awesome. Simm was the Master in "The Sound of the Drums/The Last of the Time Lords" and those two eps were meh. He was great, but the surrounding material was just not and so I equate Jacobi/Master with awesomeness over Simm/Master because of the eps they were in mostly.

My unpopular opinion: Midnight fucking OWNED every single Moffat episode, all of which I liked a lot. But Midnight KILLED THEM WITH ITS AMAZING.

I don't think that's unpopular. I don't think I read ONE negative comment (okay, some idiot -- yes, I'm calling them an idiot -- complained about RTD's homophobia by having the only gay character die in the episode ... WTF?!?!?). Anyway, point is, I mainly read nothing but OHMYGOD! kick-ass praise for "Midnight." Yes, I do think that many would still say "Blink" is better -- I don't think so, I think that "Midnight" is one of THE best episodes ever, heck one of the best hours of television ever. So I don't think that's terribly unpopular.

I also think Human Nature/Family of Blood were better than the Moffat episodes.

It's very good, but I hate that it's the Doctor (sorta) falling in love with someone else. And then to make it worse John Smith/Joan had no chemistry and honestly while she had some good qualities, she was slightly arrogant and preachy and I just didn't like her. Plus, honestly? I hated the fact that we got to see her have a "human" life -- kids and all -- with the Doctor and that kind of quick fantasy could never have been envisioned for the Doctor/Rose. I can't help it.

Another sort-of unpopular opinion: I like it when the Doctor is unhappy. I mean, I like him happy too, but I adore the angst. I'm not at all upset that the brown-suit Doctor is left on his own.

I agree. Completely.

I mean, 'Doomsday' is one of my favorite episodes purely for the indescribable heartbreak of those last few scenes. SO GOOD.

Yuppers. I mean, seriously, my default Rose/Ten icon is this one ... from "Doomsday."