So whenever I watch Doctor Who and am excited to see what other fans enjoyed about it, I make the mistake of going to Gallifrey Base, the forum for that show. Nowhere else have I seen a more dedicated group of whiners with a finer command of the details of a show. These posters can quote dialogue from four or five years ago but complain about not understanding how / why a spaceship got from one planet to another.
It's like they are actively and aggressively not understanding the plot of episodes.
Then the ones that are simple and can't possibly be misunderstood are decried as "dumbing down" the series. The series which is a family show. Goodness.
I know you think I am a Doctor Who zealot in that line, Zampano- though I certainly didn't mean to give that impression- but I think we can both agree that Gallifrey Base is a scary comment on humanity.
I mean, the guy who owned the original place (Outpost Gallifrey) gave it up because he basically couldn't match that level of sheer fanaticism; he sold out and gave it to someone else (hence the name change).
Originally posted by Ushgarak
I know you think I am a Doctor Who zealot in that line, Zampano- though I certainly didn't mean to give that impression- but I think we can both agree that Gallifrey Base is a scary comment on humanity.I mean, the guy who owned the original place (Outpost Gallifrey) gave it up because he basically couldn't match that level of sheer fanaticism; he sold out and gave it to someone else (hence the name change).
I didn't know that about the history there! I usually log on, feeling excited about an episode and wondering if there is a piece of the original series that's being referenced. Then there is page after page of unpleasantness so I have to bounce out quickly. For all that you and I don't usually get along, there's usually some substantive point of contention at stake. By contrast it's a very emotive culture over there, but they don't seem to recognize that fact?
Anyway, I've liked a lot Capaldi in episodes 1,2,5 this season. Honestly until now I've found him either inconsistent or forgettable. (How much of that is due to writing vs. acting I am not sure.)
The original guy set it up as a fansite whilst the show was off-air and it kinda got adopted by the fans. At first he liked that; when the show returned, it became the go-to place and he was delighted, and then the fans came in earnest, and he was... 'less delighted'. He posted up a big message that basically read "Too much for me, good luck, bye" and entrusted the assets to others.
It's nothing but emotion- it;s always been sheer hate and contempt. It comes form the old fanzine days before the net- people were fanatical even back then and some of them are still putting up battle lines now. The meme used to be that RTD was a moron, now it;s Moffat, but the people arguing the other way get just as bad.
I agree with you- I think they always miss the point. There's a lot I didn't like about RTD, but also a lot I did- the man is a genius. He did a fantastic on-screen commentary for his last story. You may remember that one ends with the Doctor deciding the fate of Gallifrey by shooting a crystal. Some have argued this was a rather story-poor way to resolve such a big plot point- and broadly speaking, I agree.
But on the commentary- which was recorded before the episode went out, so it was not a reaction to what was said after- RTD notes that some people will think that, and spectacularly stated, mockingly 'Watch me care."
That was amazing. People throw all of these accusations at RTD, like he is incompetent or stupid or can't see basic things, but that's absurd thinking. His was the vision that brought it all back, and 'Watch me care' proves that the accusation that he doesn't know what we was doing is eminently false- he knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote that. I might have preferred a plot-sophisticated means (RTD uses the 'magic win' button a lot), but for RTD, it was the emotion and drama that counted for more, and that's what he wrote for, and he got the ratings and the reviews to back himself. Fair play to the guy. Like you say, this is, in the end, a family show. It doesn't need to be The Wire.
But no-one talks about that on GB. It's just personal rage and the moderate voice gets drowned out.
I like Capaldi but I think, much as I love Moffat, he's maybe been doing it too long. There's a lot of recycled ideas here, and he can only write for one sort of woman (Amy and Clara are pretty much the same... and they share the same traits as iver as well)