Doctor Who 50th Anniversary (and general series discussion)

[Antonio the Sixth]

50 years... Impressive.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Happy Whoday!

Just watched the anniversary episode. I can't say I was amazed, but it wasn't bad either. Earlier, I would have expected something more grandiose, but after Moffat brought the show to its knees with season 6, I'm decently satisfied with what he's done since season 7. The episode was... weird, it had its deal of WTF moments, but on balance it was a nice take. A bold move to address a centerpiece of the story was necessary on such an occasion, and the episode managed to address it in a pretty moving way. The ending was pretty heartening.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I was a bit disappointed about Eccleston's absence (well, except for about two seconds, that is ). In an episode so much centered on the Time War and the Doctor's actions to end it, Nine should have been a key element of the plot considering that he came immediately after these events and had his entire personality shaped by them. I don't know if his absence is due to his lack of popularity compared to the other two (but really, it should be obvious to everyone that popularity among Doctor actors is a direct function of the amount of screen time) or some other reason, but it's sad.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Eccleston was offered a role, but politely declined to appear in it - he's rather distanced himself from the show since he left it.

Oh, that's sad.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, he quit the show after one series in part because of the poisonous atmosphere on set (in that respect, as in many others, New Who is much like Old Who), and afterwards there was a lot of vicious and misleading briefing to the media by certain persons. I do agree that it's a shame (he's a great actor and happens to be my personal favourite in the role), but it would have been awkward for all concerned.

Why exactly did this hostility emerge in the first place?

I am also convinced that Eccleston had the potential to be the best Doctor (though I can only speak for the new series), so it's quite depressing to think how much we may have lost because of that. Tennant did an amazing job too, though.

[Antonio the Sixth]

After having watched it last night, I can say that I was fairly lost at several points and had to ask for explanations, but overall, I thought Tennant, Smith and Hurt all brought energy to the show. Though, I didn't really agree with my fiancee who called it "epic".

Nah, it wasn't epic. I can't think of a single episode of the Moffat era I would qualify as such (though a few in season 7 were really good).