Doctor Who
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
I feel the same about QI. When the host transformed into a woman I stopped watching.
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
Forogar wrote:
Damn you BBC!
I am afraid it is not their fault. I would suspect that they and many other producers are under a mandate to create more politically correct content. This mandate "may" be coming from more persuasive entities. Get used to it.
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
So, my tenure is not so long; I was indoctrinated into the Whovian life at a young age during the Tom Baker years. I've enjoyed the new seasons to varying degrees (and at least they're not Colin Baker!), and particularly liked how Capaldi played the part, even if I was not a fan of the writing during his tenure. I also completely understand your take on leanings of the show, but to be fair I think the dissonance you're feeling has more to do with shifting social lines than with any activist or political mentality. Honestly, when they first announced a female Doctor I assumed it was a gimmick, designed to cash in on the new-wave feminists and to be the "cool" kid on the block in an age where transgenderism has moved from the realm of Body Dysphoria and into mainstream culture. I expected to be preached at by the episodes about how I was evil for being a dude, and that I would not be able to connect with the show in any way, shape, or form. I'm happy to say that I was not even remotely correct. For starters, Jodie Whittaker is good. Really good. She plays the part a little on the Tennant side for my liking, by she brings the proper quirkiness to the part. There is still a writing problem, but I suspect that is to avoid alienating viewers by pushing too many boundaries, too fast. The run has not been terribly preachy so far, and gender has not even been a factor outside of some comments about her running around dressed as an angry Scotsman. I don't think I can tell you how grateful I was that they decided not to smack everyone over the head with it. It definitely alleviated my concerns that this was all a gimmick, or at least "only" a gimmick. Every Doctor has had some issues in initial character development. Every regeneration has a few awkward initial episodes while the writers and the actor find their feet. This iteration is, so far, no different. I'm happy that I gave it a chance, and hope that once the new iteration settles in, the show can start doing great things again.
"Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
I've noticed quite a bit of gratuitous "inclusiveness" in UK TV offerings. It has certainly been creeping (rather aggressively) into US TV, as well. Torchwood rapidly became desperately annoying. To another extreme in subject matter, like Midsomer Murders, and on it goes. OK. It's TV, not real life, but still. I don't resent the variations on relationships - but I do resent having shoved in my face to excess. Well - it's never been the most tasteful of media.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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Forogar wrote:
Damn you BBC!
I am afraid it is not their fault. I would suspect that they and many other producers are under a mandate to create more politically correct content. This mandate "may" be coming from more persuasive entities. Get used to it.
Slacker007 wrote:
Get used to it.
Errhhmmm, no! If I don't like the way a show evolves, I just stop watching it and that's that!
"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability!"
Ron White, Comedian
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
Forogar wrote:
why ruin what used to be the best Sci-Fi show on TV?
Because they can't keep up with "The Expanse" ... :laugh:
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640 Never throw anything away, Griff Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
One of the best Doctor Who episodes I've watched in a long time was centered around Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. I suspect you wouldn't like that episode either, there appears to be a lot of that kind of feeling here in the Soapbox lately. Its your TV you can watch what you like and not watch what you don't like.
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
To be honest, I haven't got a problem with the idea of the Dr as a woman. If you accept the idea that the character can regenerate every cell in their body then the idea of changing from a man to a woman isn't that much. As long as the stories are well written then I don't care who plays the lead and that's the rub, the stories have to be well written. That is where my problem is, apart from the Rosa Parks episode, I don't think the stories have been that well written and I certainly haven't taken to the relationship between the Dr and the companions. There has been a trend recently of relying on the companions to solve all of the problems while the Dr pontificates and this series hasn't really been any better.
This space for rent
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To be honest, I haven't got a problem with the idea of the Dr as a woman. If you accept the idea that the character can regenerate every cell in their body then the idea of changing from a man to a woman isn't that much. As long as the stories are well written then I don't care who plays the lead and that's the rub, the stories have to be well written. That is where my problem is, apart from the Rosa Parks episode, I don't think the stories have been that well written and I certainly haven't taken to the relationship between the Dr and the companions. There has been a trend recently of relying on the companions to solve all of the problems while the Dr pontificates and this series hasn't really been any better.
This space for rent
Yeah. The old stories, circa Tom Baker, for example, where just better written. I think it's they knew their audience had a reasonable attention span and thus did not have to rely on so many special effects. Prior to the current Dr., his arch nemesis, The Master, had already been regenerated as a woman. They just took the idea and pushed it along. The only surprise, to me, is that it wasn't made all the more inclusive by making it a black, or better still, Asian woman. Looks like they messed up.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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I have three episodes of the new Doctor Who backed up on my DVR and haven't watched them yet. I'm not sure I want to. Let me explain... I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since William Hartnell started it all off 50-odd years ago. He was a character who always meant well and tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. I looked up to him as a role-model of gentlemanly behaviour and of the intellect overcoming brute force. A thinking man's man. Recently this man, under the writer's control, has with Peter Capaldi taking the role (of whom I had high hopes as he is a fine actor) gone completely off track and become a political advocate for the worst kind of feminism, tarnishing the intellectual detachment I was so fond of. The last guy, Matt Smith, was leading that way with the red-haired girl running the show half the time - but this was quite acceptable to me (although my wife really disliked this) as it was part of the story and for the purpose of the story - which is what Doctor Who used be all about. During the latter part of Capaldi's tenure (again, I have no problem with the actor, it's the writers) then we gained a girl companion who seemed bright and competent except for constantly reminding everyone that she was female (which was stating the obvious), a lesbian (which shouldn't have mattered) and that everything men did was wrong - which as a man, I took a little objection to, at least the "everything" bit. On top of this, the doctor started backing up this position and when the first doctor, played by the excellent David Bradley, briefly returned he was insultingly written as a misogynistic buffoon and was constantly being corrected by Capaldi, who also appeared embarrassed by Doctor#1's natural comments about women from the time when men were men and sheep were nervous! Now, with the latest "show-runner" (I suppose the writers just write what they are told to write) the man has become a woman (there was some set-up for this with the Master becoming female and a very contrived speech when a newly female, feminist-judgmental, time-lord commented on "how can one stand having such an ego" when they were previously male or some such pointless, unnecessary to the story, statement. The worst part is that it was done "because it was about time"... What? Not because of the story or anything valid like that? No. Clearly political. Epic series ruined forever. My wife refuses to watch these new episodes and, as we used to watch together for many years, I have lost a welcome bonding ti
I stopped watching when I witnessed the ridiculous identity politics driven Bill character who kept having to tell us her sexual orientation. If the sexual orientation of a character is pertinent to a story, such as in the film the Imitation Game, then by all means explore that area but don't just keep telling us for no particular reason. So I started watching the new Doctor Who full of doubts, however... I have actually found the new series fairly good. I think the quirkiness of the Doctor is done very well by Jodie Whittaker. Why is this? Well because in a well written story the gender of a character is not particularly important, what is more important is the character development which is why I think Battlestar Galactica was such a great television series as there were a lot of very strong women leads and their gender did not, in my opinion, matter because the character development was so well done. My only criticism so far is a rather poor and silly attempt of bringing Trump into Doctor Who again with the the evil hotel owner character. When I watch Doctor Who I want to watch a grown up version of good story telling and don't want modern day politics brought into it. I think, for the moment, I will however keep watching.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Yeah. The old stories, circa Tom Baker, for example, where just better written. I think it's they knew their audience had a reasonable attention span and thus did not have to rely on so many special effects. Prior to the current Dr., his arch nemesis, The Master, had already been regenerated as a woman. They just took the idea and pushed it along. The only surprise, to me, is that it wasn't made all the more inclusive by making it a black, or better still, Asian woman. Looks like they messed up.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
