Doctor Who Series 5

Anyone out there follows the series? Any thoughts on it? I have the opportunity to watch the Series 5. The one with the new Doctor. Is it a good starting point for or should i wait and watch from series one? Thanks!

At first glance, I thought this would be a spam topic telling me to download this series somewhere unclean. Obviously it isn't, hopefully, but I was in the same boat as you years ago and ended up watching it, marking it my first experience with anything Doctor Who (due to Amy Pond/Karen Gillan being in it). I wouldn't be surprised if other Doctors followed the same formula of "oh shit, this shit's fucked yo" to "yay, we fixed it" over and over, so I don't think you'd be missing much if you skimped out. I do hear much clamor for the previous Doctor, David Tennant, so it wouldn't hurt to try if you have access to his corresponding series/seasons. I haven't personally, but know that the Doctor never/rarely fails at anything (only seen the first two series of Matt Smith's run) so that stuff can get stale after awhile. I know it did for me hence my unwillingness to start watching the eighth or so series. Sorry, spoilers.

@procrasturbate said:

Anyone out there follows the series? Any thoughts on it? I have the opportunity to watch the Series 5. The one with the new Doctor. Is it a good starting point for or should i wait and watch from series one? Thanks!

Start at the modern Season 1 ... the best is Season 4 though... There's stuff that builds from the first episode and pays off right at the end. Then those specials ... some aren't as good as others, but the final two episodes with David Tennant are among the best sci-fi television/movies I've seen.

Matt Smith as the Doctor is great and I think Amy and Rory are cool too. But Season 5 is sort of forgettable. There's no big threat and the finale was, for lack of a better word, confusing. Season 5 was when Steven Moffat took over from Russel T Davis... and truth be told Moffat wrote some of the best episodes while Davis was in charge, but Davis knew how to write epic stories and thread plotlines that would last for seasons. The Moffat era is more about slapstick humour and overly sentimental scenes... and he has no idea how to write a love story. Plus the main characters talk they are from the Gilmour Girls.

Season 5 is good not great, Season 6 was a big improvement. Beyond that I don't know. I've sort of jumped off the wagon a bit.

I will say that Season 1 does drag a little and feels like a show trying to find it's feet, Season 2 is the same and is a bit too cheesy, Season 3 is where the greatness starts and Season 4 plus the specials are the best example of what makes Doctor Who so great that I can think of ... barring some the classics like Genesis of the Daleks or Talons, Weng Chiang or The Deadly Assassin (but they're super old and not a good place to start)

@rjayb89 said:

At first glance, I thought this would be a spam topic telling me to download this series somewhere unclean. Obviously it isn't, hopefully, but I was in the same boat as you years ago and ended up watching it, marking it my first experience with anything Doctor Who (due to Amy Pond/Karen Gillan being in it). I wouldn't be surprised if other Doctors followed the same formula of "oh shit, this shit's fucked yo" to "yay, we fixed it" over and over, so I don't think you'd be missing much if you skimped out. I do hear much clamor for the previous Doctor, David Tennant, so it wouldn't hurt to try if you have access to his corresponding series/seasons. I haven't personally, but know that the Doctor never/rarely fails at anything (only seen the first two series of Matt Smith's run) so that stuff can get stale after awhile. I know it did for me hence my unwillingness to start watching the eighth or so series. Sorry, spoilers.

That's another point. Season 1 the Doctor is a tragic figure, Season 2 - 3 he becomes more a hero, Season 4 it's his friends that pay the price and at the end of the specials.... it gets pretty grim. Davis knew how to make the show epic yet tragic, Moffat (for as good as he is) is making a kids show about a funny spaceman. The show never hits rock bottom, but it's fallen a long way.

All IMHO obviously.

@PandaBear: i hate correcting people over stuff like this but its davies, not davis. I also enjoy season 3 the most, but that doesnt matter. also, i completely agree abot the specials. Anyway, if you have any interest in doctor who check out the episode blink in season 3. its a brilliant moffat episode that makes a good starting point because the episode is purely from the perspective of someone who doesnt know the doctor. I have used the episode several times as a gateway drug of sorts to get people into doctor who.

watch it if you want ... its weird and british anyway regardless which season you watch , so if you can get past that , its only a matter of confusion and continuity that demands you watch it in a particular order.

that being said ive been watching since tom bakers era so i definatley approach it differently , but i feel its a good enough show that you could easily watch a few episodes here an there and hopefully get something out of it .. i mean otherwise it would be a shit show

I will wait and watch from the first series then. Man, Christopher Eccleston is a great actor. Didn't know he was involved in this. Show looks very interesting. Thanks for all the help.