02-07-2020, 13:46
I've only recently discovered this thread and I've carefully read all of the posts. Let me start by telling you where I'm coming from. I'm a big fan of Classic Who but that's not to say I'm totally against NuWho. I can remember back in 2005 eagerly awaiting the reboot and getting a tingle down my spine when I heard the theme tune for the first time in years. I actually really enjoyed the Ecclestone era and I watched all episodes with the Ecclestone, Tennant and Smith Doctors, but missed a few of the Capaldi and Whittaker ones. The fact I never bothered to watch them on catch up tells you everything you need to know about the way I feel the series has deteriorated.
So where did they go wrong?
I feel the writers/production team made two big mistakes right from the start.
1) The majority of stories have lasted for just one episode. This has meant that the stories and characters haven't had time to develop, and everything has felt too rushed, particularly given the more complicated plots and story arcs from the Smith era onwards. At the end of most episodes my initial response has usually been "what the hell was that all about?" In Classic Who, six part stories were not uncommon during the second and third Doctors' tenures, thereafter four-parters became the norm. Yes, there was a lot of padding, particularly in some of the Pertwee stories (he did love a good chase sequence) but the more leisurely pace gave the viewer time to digest everything that was going on. I was never left scratching my head in puzzlement.
2) Since the reboot in 2005 there has been an increasing emphasis on the companions and their personal lives, to the extent that the stories often revolved around them and not the Doctor. In Classic Who the only time I can recall even the remotest hint of a companion's personal life was when Jo Grant married that chap from The Green Death, and Captain Yates and/or Sergeant Benton may have had a thing for her, but the emphasis was always on the adventure. we neither knew nor cared about the companions' personal lives. I can just about forgive season one of NuWho for this as it introduced us to Rose's mother, who I'd quite happily give one to, but this increasing emphasis on the companions has been to the detriment of the show.
There are many gripes about individual things that have occurred on the show over the last 15 years, but I've said enough I think. As M-L-L said (and I really couldn't put it better myself):
It's just a shame they didn't stick to the format and ethos of Classic Who. All I (and probably loads of others too) ever wanted from the reboot was for them to do that but with modern production values and effects.
So where did they go wrong?
I feel the writers/production team made two big mistakes right from the start.
1) The majority of stories have lasted for just one episode. This has meant that the stories and characters haven't had time to develop, and everything has felt too rushed, particularly given the more complicated plots and story arcs from the Smith era onwards. At the end of most episodes my initial response has usually been "what the hell was that all about?" In Classic Who, six part stories were not uncommon during the second and third Doctors' tenures, thereafter four-parters became the norm. Yes, there was a lot of padding, particularly in some of the Pertwee stories (he did love a good chase sequence) but the more leisurely pace gave the viewer time to digest everything that was going on. I was never left scratching my head in puzzlement.
2) Since the reboot in 2005 there has been an increasing emphasis on the companions and their personal lives, to the extent that the stories often revolved around them and not the Doctor. In Classic Who the only time I can recall even the remotest hint of a companion's personal life was when Jo Grant married that chap from The Green Death, and Captain Yates and/or Sergeant Benton may have had a thing for her, but the emphasis was always on the adventure. we neither knew nor cared about the companions' personal lives. I can just about forgive season one of NuWho for this as it introduced us to Rose's mother, who I'd quite happily give one to, but this increasing emphasis on the companions has been to the detriment of the show.
There are many gripes about individual things that have occurred on the show over the last 15 years, but I've said enough I think. As M-L-L said (and I really couldn't put it better myself):
(19-10-2013 21:50 )M-L-L Wrote: [ -> ]Looks amazing but does make me nostalgic for the old creaky "classic" series though, where not every story had to be part of an over-complicated arc or be overly obsessed with continuity / "Whoniverse" spin offs etc ; not every story had to have a direct link with the companion's back story; not every story had to take the Doctor or the companion on an "emotional journey" ; the season didn't have to build to an impossible "topping the last season" climax every time which now means writing themselves into a cul-de-sac and having to come up with an implausible "with one bound they were free" escape (Oh look we've destroyed the universe/blown up the TARDIS/ killed the Doctor, oh no we haven't let's just undo time/ it's a robot etc).
It's just a shame they didn't stick to the format and ethos of Classic Who. All I (and probably loads of others too) ever wanted from the reboot was for them to do that but with modern production values and effects.