"DALEK" - 4/30/05

Since the other Doctor Who Thread was closed (grrrrr), I thought I'd start anew here.

Just saw the episode via Real Player in California (BBC 1 was broadcasting their entire line up today - INCLUDING Doctor Who).

All I can say is - THAT is everything a Dalek episode SHOULD be. FANTASTIC. WONDERFUL! For the first time in a very long time, the Dalek was a real threat.

My only problem with the episode was the acting of the American heavy. Ugh.

This episode has replaced "The End of the World" as my favorite episode.

Andrew

Judging by the reactions of the fans (who've already praised every new episode so far), this episode was just sublime. There are usually some negative rants over at Gallifrey, but it looks like this episode left many speechless. And quite a few are saying it's the best episode ever, even amongst the classic series.

Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until tomorrow night to catch this, being on a dialup (takes about 35-40 hours to get the episode). Boy am I looking forward to this. And I can't wait to hear about the viewing figures too.

Don't know about the best episode EVER but I seriously enjoyed it. Granted, this type of story has been done to death in other Sci-Fi venues (even in Doctor Who itself in the Big Finish audio Jubilee) but the writing on this really shined. And Eccelston was great!

And the Dalek kicked some serious ass.

Dammit....I'm still a fanboy!



From Oupost Gallifrey:


Looks good!

Andrew

When and on what channel is this airing on in America?

No word as of yet.

You can get it on CBC if you live near the Canadian border! I am lucky enough to get it Tuesday nights..don't think the Dalek episode is next tho on CBC.

Excellent episode this week. From the previews, you got the impression the Dalek wasn't going to show up until the last scene. I'm glad that wasn't the case.

Anybody else watching Dr. Who Confidential? Great stuff. It's just as "available" as the main series and comes recommended.

So I finally got to see this last night, and have to say it was brilliant. The extremely positive reactions did hype it up a little though, but in the end, I thought it was a very unique and complex Doctor Who story. I liked the Dalek's silence in many scenes- it made it quite menacing. The scene in the beginning when the Doctor was thrown into the dark room with only the faint blue glow from the eyestick and he had no clue what he was sharing the room with- that was fantastic. Cyberman's head- cool too. Don't know about Adam though; hope he's not too much of a drag. I'd rather they develop Rose's character further before having someone else hitch a ride.

Overall, definitely the best so far of the new episodes, and though it's still quite fresh in our memories, it should deserve a spot in the pantheon of old series classics.

still waiting to see this episode. I think they all have been pretty good so far. I don't know why Sci-Fi passed on this. The Aliens in London looked better thatn 1/2 of the movies they show (ie..Man-Thing. now I know why Marvel sent that to video )

The new Doctor Who is... fantastic! I can't believe how good it is, some of the best sci fi television ever made. every episode it seems to get better.

That Dalek episode was pretty cool. Wish there was just more than the Cybermen in the Museum tho.

When was the Time War that destroyed Galifrey and the Daleks. I musta missed it, I did not watch Dr. Who much after Peter Davidson and until the 1996 movie, mainly because it was not on anywhere around me anymore.

I'm no Who expert, but I think that's the overall subplot for this season. It's something we'll find out more about as the show progresses. You're in the dark as much as I am.

it was never shown on a TV episode, this is a completely new story line... I can only guess it happened sometime between the 1996 8th Doctor TV movie and the new series.

Is this something that anybody can jump into (meaning are they starting from scratch kind of like the new Battlestar Galactica series) or is this a continuation of the zillion other Dr. Who series? I've always wanted to give this show a go, but just never knew where to start.

You can definitely start with the new 2005 series. That's the whole point- it's a complete NEW Doctor Who TV series (after a 16 year absence) so that people watching it for the first time can enjoy it. Sure, fans and reviewers and whatnot will always call Chris Eccleston the "9th Doctor", but that certainly doesn't mean you need to know what his 8 predecessors did to enjoy the current show. And a new audience (especially the kids) is definitely enjoying the ride so far. You do know this show is oriented to a family audience, right? Just wanted to let you know in case; you won't see anything on it that's not appropriate for a 7 or 8 year old to see.

enjoy.

IMO, it's the best of both worlds... it's not a complete redo like the new Battlestar Galactica... it is in fact a continuation of the same show it was before with the "new" 9th Doctor.. BUT you don't need to know anything about the old series to get into the new series... because it is a NEW series.

So, if you are new to the show, the new series is a perfect place to start and you won't need to know anything about the old series to enjoy it, yet at the same time the old school fans won't be put off like some of the old Battlestar fans were, because it's the same show.

This Dalek episode was friggin brilliant!

Made the Dalek to be really menacing and not just a walking tin can.

Gonna really miss Eccleston as the Doctor, well money talks and since this series is kicking butt, maybe he can be bought back for another series. Surely he must enjoy the celebrity.


I am essentially a new viewer and i am loving it.

I watched a few episodes when young but remember next to none of it,

Because of the long gap between this series and the previous one, most viewers would be new and the producers knew this. You don't need to know any history of the show.

If the BBC is smart, they'd release all of the old series on DVD right now to capitalise. I'd personally but the Tom Baker ones.

So far i'm liking the balance between enough action but still making it family friendly. Not sure about this new guy, but we'll see.

Ok, great. I guess I just didn't understand how the show's continuity worked or what have you. So the various Dr. Who's kind of work like the Bond films in a loose way? Tied together pretty loosely and all. I have the first batch of eps and can't wait to dig into them. I watched one of the Dr. Who confedentials (about the side kicks) and that helped me a bit want to watch the show as I'm kind of in love with the new companion already. The Confedential was really informative and I hope I can find time to see the other ones as well. They're like Dr. Who cliff notes.

Now if only I could bring myself to try Red Dwarf.

yeah James Bond is a great way to look at it. The Time Lords can regenerate into a new body whenever they die, so when an actor leaves the part of the Doctor they kill him off and he regenerates into a new Doctor, it becomes a part of the story.

In the 26 year run of the original series, besides one Doctor regenerating into another or one of his companions or side kicks coming and going and a very few other exceptions, most of the stories stand on thier own, there isn't usually much continuity from one adventure to another. All you need to know if the Doctor has a time machine and companion or two and he's going to land somewhere, get into trouble and save the day.

It was an enjoyable episode, though the story was a little cliched.

Not knowing any of the history, but if a Time Lord can regenerate into a new body when they die, why is he the last one? Why didn't the dead time lords regenerate?

Back when I was in the second or third grade, I would occasionally watch Dr. Who on PBS. The only things I still clearly remember about it are the opening credit sequence and the Daleks.

I had been keeping up with the thread(s) on the new series, but had not been downloading any of the episodes. When I saw that the episode last week was titled "Dalek", I knew I had to find a copy of it.

Watching the show was a very odd experience. I had a big smile on my face the entire time. The show was very well written and very entertaining, but it was more than that. It was as if watching the show was bringing back fond (and cloudy) memories of the original. It seems odd that I would feel such nostalgia for a show that I barely remember and that I have not seen in fifteen years, but I cannot think of a better way to describe the feeling.

I have downloaded the episode from tonight and I will return with some comments after I have a chance to watch it.

I believe Time Lords have a total of 13 lives, so I assume all the other Lords used up their regenerations.

Also, if the time lord's body can't regenerate when they "die", they're not going to regenerate.

For example, in the US TV movie, the Doctor is shot, but taken to the ER where surgery is performed on him to try and save him. The anesthetic almost screws up the process, IIRC...

I somehow doubt the Time Lords were in the type of war where they could just die, fall over, and regenerate. These are beings who can travel through time and destroy stars... a war wouldn't have left anything to regenerate.