I finally watched them.

[ceebee_eebee]

I finally sat down and watched the first 5 eps of the new season.



I'm sorry to say it started out with a lot less squee than I'd hoped there would be. I find Matt and Karen to be pretty crap actors, actually, which makes me SO UNBELIEVABLY SAD. I don't want to dislike the new series, in fact I want to LOVE it. I miss loving new eps. But so far I'm pretty lukewarm. Don't love it, don't hate it, though I did enjoy the Moffat eps quite a bit because I think his dialogue can be downright hilarious. Sadly, Matt didn't sell it to me as well as I'd hoped he could have.

BUT, dearest flisties, it's not all doom and gloom because you know what? I LOVE RIVER SONG. I mean I loooooooooooove her. And do you know what else? I think River/Amy is the hottest pairing that's come along in ages. They were DELIGHTFUL together and couldn't keep their damn hands off each other. And it was so clear that River really likes Amy quite a bit. There was so much genuine worry when Amy was in danger. Just gorgeous. I adore them and can only hope we'll get more of them in the future. And that the fanfic writers are already crafting me some delicious stuff in the meanwhile. ;-)

And yes, the weeping angels managed to scare that crap out of me again. I jumped a few times and was devastated when Octavian died. I enjoyed the hell out of that two-parter despite the weaknesses in Matt Smith's performance that are just really jarring for me. I don't find myself believing that this is really the Doctor. As I've said often enough, I thought Tennant's portrayal of the Doctor was shit, but I blame that mostly on the way he was written. Tennant is a damn fine actor, and I have to give him credit where it's due. Smith, on the other hand...I just don't know. I'm REEEEEALLY hoping he grows into the role because I want to love him. I truly do. I mean, he's the DOCTOR. I need to love him.

Comments

[vann.livejournal.com]

Awww, Matt was more the Doctor in the first five seconds of his first episode than Tennant ever managed to be. So I am sad you're not there yet. He's really working extremely well for me. River, though, eh. She was better in the second episode than the first, but I'm really not loving her.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I want to like him, I REALLY DO. Especially since people are going on about how he's a throwback to Hartnell and Troughton and you know how I feel about that. I just don't understand why I'm not seeing it. I am going to keep watching and keep an open mind about the whole thing and eventually, HOPEFULLY, at some point he'll click for me.

[eve11]

I think The Eleventh Hour was the best outing of the five so far, but I did like the latest two-parter. I am liking Matt Smith as the Doctor so far but keeping in mind that he still needs to settle in to the part-- especially since they filmed it out of order and the weeping angels were the first story they did. Not sold on Amy, and yeah so far the writing and direction has seemed a bit clunky in places. But I'm fine with the acting, for the most part. It's weird because some angles and shots can make MS look really young and others (like the scene where he falls on the ground at the duck pond) make him look really old and weird. But I take that as a good thing.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I think The Eleventh Hour was the best outing of the five so far

See, I thought it was a very weak opener. I liked the writing quite a bit, and like I said I laughed out loud a few times, but the acting was...not to my liking. It just really didn't work for me. Beast Below and Victory of the Daleks seemed like throw-away episodes. I doubt I'll ever bother watching them again. But the two-parter was a huge step up. I'm genuinely SHOCKED to hear those were their first eps together because the whole thing seemed more settled to me. More believable. Even if I'm still finding Matt and Karen pretty weak. Which breaks my heart, especially with respect to Matt, because people keep saying how he's so much like an old skool Doctor and I'm ALL ABOUT the oldest of the old skool Doctors. Ugh. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed something happens soon that makes me take to him.

[azdaja-dafema.livejournal.com]

I hope that he does click for you eventually, it's always a shame when they don't.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Thank you, babe! I'm gonna rewatch the 2-parter again today and see how I feel about it. I really did enjoy the hell out of those eps (mostly because of the River-Amy dynamic) but hopefully Matt will grow on me.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

I was hesitant about MS at first, but he really did click in in the two-parter for me. And I also found the two-parter better on the second go-round, so I do recommend rewatching! That said, Smith felt like the Doctor for me from the beginning, where Tennant never did (I don't find him entirely untalented, but I usually find him unconvincing - except, ironically, as John Smith!). I thought he was more like Davison, originally, though he's becoming more… I don't know! It's not Troughton, exactly, and not Tom Baker, exactly, maybe even a little Colin Baker, but a recognizable Doctor without being an imitation, or a collection of imitative points. But that scene with Amy with her eyes were closed came close to some of the emotional depth of Eccleston, while still seeming sort of Old-School Doctory.

Funnily enough, I don't find the Angels scary at all - startling occasionally, but I understand their function in terms of suspense. I even started to like River Song, which I didn't in her previous outings - I think Alex Kingston also managed to get herself around the part in a more solid way.

Still having fun with your iPad?

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I've watched the two-parter a couple of times already and DAMN do I love it. LOOOOOOOOVE. Despite whatever reservations I have about Matt and Karen, it's just SO SO GOOD. And I've always loved River, so no change there.

I think part of the problem for me has been the utter crappiness of the first 3 episodes. I honestly thought the Eleventh Hour was AWFUL and the less said about Victory of the Daleks the better. But if the rest of the season can build on the Angels, then maybe I'll find myself loving Eleven. Fingers crossed? ;-)

[livii.livejournal.com]

I'm rather pleased to see someone else who isn't a huge fan of Gillan's acting. I've been distinctly underwhelmed. I think having Catherine Tate as a companion ruined me for unknown young actresses. :/ That said, I am in MAD (platonic) love with Eleven and Smith's acting, and I hope he clicks for you! I haven't really loved any episodes yet but I keep grinning every time I think about Eleven. It's like the reverse of much of Ten's era!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I think you might be onto something! Tate was pretty much the acting gold-standard as far as new Who companions go. I think Karen has the potential to improve, but so far I find she mumbles her lines too much and relies too heavily on her eyes to carry her emotion. Does that make sense? And when she's opposite someone like Sophie or Alex...well, it's obvious she doesn't have the experience. I like the idea of her, though. So, time will tell. <3