I’m always fascinated with how unsentimental both this and Caves are for the eras they’re ending.
I always much prefer the idea that The Doctor never really gets to choose his companions but just picks up waifs and strays, compared to the new series idea that he only picks the most special people.
That's one of the things Chibnall did get absolutely right, I think; the "Fam" are definitely all very ordinary and clearly aren't 'destined' for greatness, and they exit in a fairly downbeat way too (I think that notorious support group scene is very much about that element, which isn't really present in either the RTD or Moffat eras.)
It's one of my favourite seasons. Granted I was 7/8 years old when it came out, which is always the golden age of Doctor Who, but even now it holds up very well. The combination of JNT's determination to drag the production into the 1980s and Bidmead's commitment to an eccentric but rich model of scientific fairytale makes for a quite special run of stories.
“ Why does this season not feature more heavily in fan discourse or memory when it’s so bloody good? The dominant age in fandom when the narratives got set? The ratings?”
Isn’t this largely an anti-Bidmead thing? Will admit I’m in full-on received wisdom territory here but the pivot towards Proper Science And That following Douglas Adam’s’ stint didn’t sit well with everyone I’m let to believe.
It was weirder seeing Tennant’s Doctor fall from the sky relatively unscathed around the time I last watched Logopolis though. A smaller tumble offing Tom made me believe that his Doctor was clearly not a fan of drinking milk and it was the lack of calcium that did for him in the end. Bones like wafers.
I’m always fascinated with how unsentimental both this and Caves are for the eras they’re ending.
I always much prefer the idea that The Doctor never really gets to choose his companions but just picks up waifs and strays, compared to the new series idea that he only picks the most special people.
Totally agree with this. It almost feels insincere now, the amount of times The Doctor now says it.
That's one of the things Chibnall did get absolutely right, I think; the "Fam" are definitely all very ordinary and clearly aren't 'destined' for greatness, and they exit in a fairly downbeat way too (I think that notorious support group scene is very much about that element, which isn't really present in either the RTD or Moffat eras.)
It's one of my favourite seasons. Granted I was 7/8 years old when it came out, which is always the golden age of Doctor Who, but even now it holds up very well. The combination of JNT's determination to drag the production into the 1980s and Bidmead's commitment to an eccentric but rich model of scientific fairytale makes for a quite special run of stories.
“ Why does this season not feature more heavily in fan discourse or memory when it’s so bloody good? The dominant age in fandom when the narratives got set? The ratings?”
Isn’t this largely an anti-Bidmead thing? Will admit I’m in full-on received wisdom territory here but the pivot towards Proper Science And That following Douglas Adam’s’ stint didn’t sit well with everyone I’m let to believe.
It was weirder seeing Tennant’s Doctor fall from the sky relatively unscathed around the time I last watched Logopolis though. A smaller tumble offing Tom made me believe that his Doctor was clearly not a fan of drinking milk and it was the lack of calcium that did for him in the end. Bones like wafers.