Owen Update
He isn't walking yet, but he is standing with just one hand on something. He's taking a fair number of tumbles as he figures all this out, but he keeps on going.
He really likes going into our bedroom. He usually giggles while he crawls at full speed in that direction, like he's getting away with something. The other day I was in the bathroom and I knew he was outside the door that goes to the living room, so I decided to go out through the other door, that goes to the bedroom, to surprise him. He was crawling around the corner into our bedroom to catch me going out through that door. Huge grin on his face.
Doctor Review in Progress (best to worst)
Still working my way through the great mass of Doctor Who episodes, so I really only can rank five of the eleven so far. But this is where we are to date.
Eleventh Doctor
For all the obvious reasons. Best companions, best stories, most interesting character.
Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton has the charm and almost childlike enthusiasm and naivete that Matt Smith brings to the role. He comes across as being an ancient alien in a way that Hartnell can't, while still being engaging and interesting. The awful production values aren't something you notice as much because the writing gets progressively stronger and more confident. Also, very solid companions. Victoria, Jamie and Zoe are all interesting and well rounded characters who add a lot to the stories through their own perspectives and personalities. Also, none of them are from the modern era, which I like.
Tenth Doctor
There's a big gap ahead of this one, and a big gap after him. David Tennant is all over the place. A lot of his stories are written in the style of the Ninth, and therefore run into the silly and the absurd; when he tries to play eccentric he ends up coming across as a weirdo. He is stronger when he's playing a bad ass, which the Ninth never did convincingly. The writing gets better as you go along. The thing where the Master turns him into Nobby the House Elf is just embarassing, though, so he loses a lot of points there. Companions are a mixed bag; he inherits a lot of the Rose Tyler era but Martha is okay and I always liked Donna Noble (but then Rose is an easy act to follow). Some really good stories, a lot of meh.
First Doctor
Amateur hour. It's a lot like watching a stage play, people trip or flub their lines and everybody just keeps going. The Doctor is an irritable old man who doesn't seem to really know what he's doing. Part of this is just because they hadn't developed the mythology yet but a lot of it is that William Hartnell just doesn't bring the charm. Also: awful, awful companions. Susan is an idiot and Dodo is worse. Ian and Barbara are reasonably interesting but obviously don't fit and the show suffers when they leave.
Ninth Doctor
Ugh. Telling old-style stories without the charm. This Doctor is tedious, somber, and frankly a bit of a spaz. Rose Tyler manages the unimaginable feat of knocking Dodo Chaplet out of the zero rank of companions, and don't get me started on that idiot Mickey. The episodes with Captain Jack Harkness are at least vaguely watchable but that's in spite of the Doctor, not because of him. Weak tea.
He isn't walking yet, but he is standing with just one hand on something. He's taking a fair number of tumbles as he figures all this out, but he keeps on going.
He really likes going into our bedroom. He usually giggles while he crawls at full speed in that direction, like he's getting away with something. The other day I was in the bathroom and I knew he was outside the door that goes to the living room, so I decided to go out through the other door, that goes to the bedroom, to surprise him. He was crawling around the corner into our bedroom to catch me going out through that door. Huge grin on his face.
Doctor Review in Progress (best to worst)
Still working my way through the great mass of Doctor Who episodes, so I really only can rank five of the eleven so far. But this is where we are to date.
Eleventh Doctor
For all the obvious reasons. Best companions, best stories, most interesting character.
Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton has the charm and almost childlike enthusiasm and naivete that Matt Smith brings to the role. He comes across as being an ancient alien in a way that Hartnell can't, while still being engaging and interesting. The awful production values aren't something you notice as much because the writing gets progressively stronger and more confident. Also, very solid companions. Victoria, Jamie and Zoe are all interesting and well rounded characters who add a lot to the stories through their own perspectives and personalities. Also, none of them are from the modern era, which I like.
Tenth Doctor
There's a big gap ahead of this one, and a big gap after him. David Tennant is all over the place. A lot of his stories are written in the style of the Ninth, and therefore run into the silly and the absurd; when he tries to play eccentric he ends up coming across as a weirdo. He is stronger when he's playing a bad ass, which the Ninth never did convincingly. The writing gets better as you go along. The thing where the Master turns him into Nobby the House Elf is just embarassing, though, so he loses a lot of points there. Companions are a mixed bag; he inherits a lot of the Rose Tyler era but Martha is okay and I always liked Donna Noble (but then Rose is an easy act to follow). Some really good stories, a lot of meh.
First Doctor
Amateur hour. It's a lot like watching a stage play, people trip or flub their lines and everybody just keeps going. The Doctor is an irritable old man who doesn't seem to really know what he's doing. Part of this is just because they hadn't developed the mythology yet but a lot of it is that William Hartnell just doesn't bring the charm. Also: awful, awful companions. Susan is an idiot and Dodo is worse. Ian and Barbara are reasonably interesting but obviously don't fit and the show suffers when they leave.
Ninth Doctor
Ugh. Telling old-style stories without the charm. This Doctor is tedious, somber, and frankly a bit of a spaz. Rose Tyler manages the unimaginable feat of knocking Dodo Chaplet out of the zero rank of companions, and don't get me started on that idiot Mickey. The episodes with Captain Jack Harkness are at least vaguely watchable but that's in spite of the Doctor, not because of him. Weak tea.
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