I've been seeing a few vizzed members post reviews on movies and books as of late, and I have to say that it makes me feel good.  I'm well aware that vizzed is a site focused on gaming, but I'm rather pleased with the idea of vizzed members being well rounded, accomplished individuals: people who have a variety of tastes and aren't blind to the rest of the world and what it has to offer.  That being said, I never really was a very rounded individual myself.  Many of my peers called me a geek or a nerd, but the word was truly overused.  I was totally clueless in fact, about the fact that I was NOT a nerd or a dork.  While I had more dorky qualities than my peers, being MORE blue than a white wall doesn't make me blue.

I became interested in trying some other form of reviewing. I don't have a lot of time to game, and so completing a game for the sake of a review seemed rather implausible. (I started a walk through at some point and I never got far. I don't even know where that is anymore.  :/)  I then tried to recall all the movies I've seen recently or the books that I've read, and I became rather disheartened. I realized that I hadn't watched a movie I felt strongly about, or read a book... in a very, very long time.  Work simply keeps me too busy, and although I've read many books and watched many movies I would love to review, none of them are fresh enough on my mind.

It was then that I got another idea:  What about TV shows?  A TV show does not require as much time as a movie, has the potential to build strong character, and usually garnishes enough attention so that any readers of the review are likely to know something about the topic.  I honestly think TV shows are a more popular choice in today's culture of constant movement and instant gratification... than movies which take up hours at a time.   I've only recently gotten into TV shows myself because my parents were actually more 'movie' people.  In all actuality, I didn't really know much about ANY TV series until I was married and I learned Jason and his folks binge watch most shows.  They slowly grew on me until I was watching reality shows, dramas, and comedies.  And I must admit.... they are awfully convenient.

So where does that leave me now?  I've watched dozens of shows all the way through completion.  Chuck, John Doe, Wife Swap, Master Chef, Stargate Atlantis, Columbus, and even Spongebob fill my repertoire.   My range of tastes is very wide and not limited by much other than the desire to stay away from things displeasing to God.  So which should I choose? I have a terrible memory when it comes to screens... often forgetting a movie one week after I've watched it. While it's a little humorous in my opinion, it can be bothersome to others wanting my opinion on what to watch.

Well, as some of you may have seen, I recently got done watching The Following. I've got to say it is one of THE best shows I've ever watched. It kept me riveted the entire time, and every shock was truly... shocking. (lol!)  When I finally caught up on the most recent episode, I was quite saddened, and also eager for the next one to come out.  I can't see the story being stretched for more than three seasons though, which causes me distress.  It's a wonderful show, and if you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend it.

Finishing "The Following" left a gap in my life. What would I grade while watching papers or waiting on dinner to cook.... or while I'm jogging on the treadmill and trying to forget the passage of time?

As I've spent more time here on vizzed, I've slowly become more and more of a nerd.  Trust me.. I can never... EVER compare to most of you. The sheer amount of video game/ computer/ cinema knowledge you have is far more than my simple brain can ever even begin to fathom.  (Hey, I still can't handle the two dimensional-edness of an XBOX 360 controller!)  That being said, I've been more interested in earning that title of geek or nerd.

And so finally... after all of this, I made a decision.  What was the nerdiest thing I could watch... something I heard about from 'geeks' of all walks in life?  The answer, quite simply is this:

Dr. Who.

I can't tell you HOW many people I've heard talking about this show. From my college classmates, to my vizzed peers, this name seems to escape the lips of every self-proclaimed video game nerd I know. What is the magical attraction to this show?  I knew nothing about it other than it was science fiction that dealt with time travel.  I once asked my husband for his opinion and he told me that the show wasn't worth watching and was a complete bore.  Until now, I took his opinion to heart. The more and more I thought about it though.... the more I wanted to try the show for myself.  After all, he hated The Following... and I loved it.

And so, vizzed...
Yesterday morning (or perhaps it was this morning?  I'm too tired to remember... lol), I tried Dr. Who for the first time ever.  I was expecting a really old show with lots of dry humor and a black and white picture. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew there was an older version of the show, and I had no idea the science fiction had been remade.  Therefore, when I was confronted with bright colors and a relatively modern setting, I started to wonder if I was watching the right show.  Furthermore, minutes into the show, I was cracking up!  The Brits have always had an odd sense of humor, but this was humor anyone could get!

The more and more I watched the first episode, the more I was sucked into it.  Horribly cheap graphics were counterbalanced by rich satire.  I had to wonder throughout the whole thing though.... are the cheap graphics intentional?  The last set of Dr. Who shows were produced in 2005, so I know our film technology was capable of doing better. Heck, I watched one of the black and white episode and the images were 1000 times better!  Does any die hard fan of the show know if the show's style is meant to mimic the original version, or to add to the hilarity?  Are they part of the intended charm? In any case, I give it mad props.

In the first season, I saw all of the necessary ingredients for crazy- successful show:

1.  A dashing hero  (or at least, the show sure seemed to want the viewer to agree
2.  A damsel in distress (sort of )
3.  A daring woman not afraid of bugs (same woman )
4.  Intrigue (Why the heck mannequins?!)
5. Humor (Mother:  "Anything could happen...", Dr. Who: "No.")
6. Action!  (lots and lots of action! gun welding mannequins!)

Let's talk about this zany show a little more in detail.  For those who haven't seen the show but would like to in the future, I highly recommend skipping over the next bit of this article.  I'll put a line separating the end of the spoilers from the end of the article so you can scroll down until you see a thick line, and begin reading again.

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For those of you who don't mind re-living the show, I absolutely have to share my reactions to some of this material. I can't say I've been this amused with a show in a long time.  If every episode is like the first few, I can totally understand the addiction.  Right off the bat, it seemed like this first episode was a quick attention grabber meant to introduce the two characters as quickly and succinctly as possible. I got the impression that the writers were eager to start the rest of the season with our heroes already defined and set in their ways.  The show starts with the damsel in distress and her assailants... of all possible things.... are flexible mannequins.  While I tried not to giggle through the absurdity, we were quickly drawn to the attention of a pale, scrawny wire of a man who's tongue was quicker than his departure.

This man actually closes the door in her face, opens it again to introduce himself and ask her name, tell her it's a pleasure to meet her, and then advises she run for her life while shutting the door in her face again.

There was even another bit where he asked her what she was doing in her house, and she said "I live here".... upon whence he asked her "What'd ya do that for?"  While it may not seem funny as text, I'm sure there were at least some of you laughed.  Context and inflections make a huge difference in comedy.

The whole time, I was sitting there pondering over the actual threat of these mannequins. Even watching them slowly wail their soft arms made me want to bust out laughing. Of all things to be a threat.... -mannequins-?!  The hilariousness ensued when it was suddenly burping plastic garbage cans that were threatening people.  "Scoot, scoot"... the horror of watching those green bins scoot a few inches forward!  I just can't feel threatened by plastic!  Of course, I guess the main character felt the same way, because she didn't feel a bit of doubt while she ate dinner with her extra shiny boyfriend of impossibly pasty skin.  "Oh, but my dear, you're looking a little peckish tonight.  Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

I think quite possibly the best piece of humor for me though... was the idea of 'anti- plastic'.  Just take a moment to let that roll of your tongue, won't you?  Take all the ideas of anti-anything.... anti-war, anti-gravity, anti-depressants... and anti-plastic has GOT to be the best one by far.  I totally wish they had played on this a lot more than they had, as I think it was one of my favorite quips in the first episode.

Another aspect of the show that put me in stitches were the 'bay-watch' scenes.  I don't even think I can begin to count the number of scenes where to strangers were holding hands and running for absolutely no reason with gigantic grins on their faces. I half wanted to join them simply because they looked like they were having so much fun.  I'm not sure I've EVER seen so much enthusiasm on the actor's faces.  Even while on the verge of death, Dr. Who constantly had this unbelievable "I'm having the time of my life!" expression.  I don't know what's funnier.... The end of the world scenes involving mannequins dancing the robot.... or two strangers laughing at the world in peril, enjoying it all in their best-friend relationship that developed in the course of 30 minutes.  To top all of it off... watchers of the show are rewarded with a scene of "dying" mannequins... the last one giving a few dramatic twitches.... like a cockroach leg.

And of course, as everyone probably expected, the bond formed between the two strangers was strong enough that the heroine completely abandons her mother and boyfriend to travel through the universe with a man who asks for her never-ending company after knowing her for one day.  Sounds legit, right?  I still feel sorry for the boyfriend, who was never really made out to be a bad guy... He may have been a little wimpy, but if a mannequin threatened your life, wouldn't you cower as well?

I can't remember if I watched the second or third episode next, but I think I went on to the third because the second had séances and what not. I realize that for most of you that's not a big deal, but I didn't want to be subjected to it and moved on.  In the episode after that, I fell in love with the character design.  The writers and artists took a huge step towards character improvement, and I was no longer disappointed in play doughy murderers.  The characters were colorful, unique, and interesting.  (Am I, by the way, the only one who thought the tree-love-interest was a pretty creature?  I did half expect her to become a money-greedy enemy or something, though, when she first realized who he was.)

That same episode also impressed me with the deepening of the plot and the 'moral' at the end of the episode.  For those of you who don't remember, the episode is about earth getting destroyed.  There's a whole plot that revolves around a party commemorating the event, in which everyone's lives are threatened and earth almost doesn't blow up.  After a near death experience, the girl and Dr. Who travel back into town and step out of the TARDIS and into the crowds of the street.  Even the music is strongly appropriate to the scene, and the hero and heroine almost appear like people basking in the sun with a new found appreciation for its warmth.  Dr. Who then gives her a small speech, basically about appreciating life, now that she's seen it all end... even if the ending isn't in her lifetime.  It was an oddly sweet and deep moment that even caused me to do some thinking myself.  

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Now, by all means, let me do clarify that my little jabs at the show are not meant in a bad way whatsoever. I was genuinely amused by the show and loved it.  My comments above are simply a reflection of the joy I found in watching the show.  I felt conflicted, however, because I didn't know if certain aspects of the show were MEANT to be funny.... or came out as being funny when the writers of the show were trying to be funny.  I think my husband didn't like it because for whatever reason.... he is insistent on the idea that the show was never meant to be a comedy.

Whether it was or not.. I found it funny and that's all that matters.  I ended up watching several more episodes this morning and found them just as entertaining.  Even as the plots of the shows become a bit more serious, there seems to be the perfect combination of drama and comedy.

When I first watched the show though, I was not aware of the production time line.  In the second episode, a jukebox was described as an iPod and the music played on it were fairly recent pieces.  I became curious since (as mentioned earlier), I always considered Dr. Who to be an older show.  I suddenly wasn't sure if all these Dr. Who fans were obsessed with the newer set of seasons starting in 2005, or with the older set starting in 1963.  (1963!  Wow!)

Luckily, netflix had both and so I was able to compare them.  I was pretty astonished at how different they were, and I didn't get far into the older series.  I did become curious of all you fans out there though.  Have you watched the older seasons AND the newer ones?  Which ones do you like better? Are the older ones only attractive to you as a part of the fan-base and the foundation of the story?  Has anyone watched ALL the older episodes?  I think I saw that there were over 900 episodes made.  O.o

Like any good classic, I'm absolutely thrilled that I decided to be brave and explore something I had heard so much about.  I won't deny that I expected a completely opposite reaction, and I can guarantee I'm at least going to watch through the newer seasons.  I know that one of the TV stations started writing some fresh episodes again, and I've heard positive reviews.  Who knows... maybe I'll get into them as well?

What else would you guys recommend, that like Dr. Who?  Time to majorly dorkify my tv show experience, I think.    Be kind to me.

Because I'm ready to delve into this, I'd also like to know a few other things.  What is your favorite episode and why?  Your favorite character? If David chose these for movie night, how would you feel about it?  Do you believe the cheap graphics and plots are intentionally done so as to increase the shows funniness?

I hope I was able to amuse and not bore, even if I can't share an ounce of wit the doctor has.  In case you did not catch on to this, I definitely, definitely, definitely DO suggest you try the show.  Give it a shot, no matter how nerdy you think it may be. Maybe you'll find the kid in you.  

I hope you all have a wonderful night, and God bless!  (Who knows, maybe we can convince David to do Dr. Who for our movie night.  Now that would be tons of fun, even if it's not technically a movie. )

YESSS!!!!  I'm so glad you got around to watching this show.  It's one of my favorites, and has one of the best hooks in the history of television.  I haven't seen much of the older episodes, to be honest.  Christopher Eccleston is good, but David Tennant is my favorite Doctor (he's next!)  While I agree that some episodes aren't very good, the majority of them are excellent and really get you to think.  I hope Netflix gets series (season) 7 soon!

Yeah, you all are teaching me to be a better nerd.

Much love to all of you. My life has been enriched. hehe

I'll make it to your levels some day... some how.  I'm determined!

I first found Dr. Who last summer, and I've since watched every episode of the new series. And to answer your question about that, it is the new (2005-today) series that has gathered all of the attention. I've just started watching the older (1963-1989) series, and it's very different. I ultimately plan to watch all of the older episodes, but it's going to take a lot of dedication (and probably a few years). About the low quality, the show has a very low budget (I think it's done by a nonprofit company, but I'll have to check that). Despite this, it does manage to work around some of its effects issues. Especially in the later seasons, you'll notice the effects get way better.

I would also like to recommend the show to those who haven't seen it already. Even if you're not into sci-fi, there's probably something in it for you. And to Singelli, I'm glad you like the show. Because you haven't seen anything yet.

Oh my goodness...This is my favorite show!!! Trust me, it gets a lot better as the show goes on, effects wise. You can tell just when they got a bigger budget. lol Every now and then there's an episode that just flops, but the good ones outweigh the bad ones by the tons! This got me into sci-fi and all the sort. lol It's just a good story, I think. The Doctor (Not Doctor Who; The Doctor is his name. ) tries to be more human, and the relationships he has with his companions are worth sitting through. I think people mostly like it because of the silly looking aliens, the action, or the basic themes of the show. Like how as bad as people are they CAN do good too, dealing with loss, and devotion to those you love.

I'm really glad you like the show so far; it'll only get more awesome!

That was a good review. I thought you stayed pretty neutral when judging it's qualities.

I like to binge on TV shows and tried to binge Dr. Who. I think I made it most of the way through season 3 before it lost my interest. One of the main reasons that it lost my interest (and I'll shock many David Tennant fans by saying this) - I liked Christopher Eccelston better.

Another one of the things that I didn't like about it was how MOST times that the Doctor deals with Earth it has something to do with England. OK, I know Dr. Who is an English creation and beloved by the English but there's a whole world of possibilities for a time traveling alien here.

However, the major reason that this show lost me is that I like my science fiction to be a little more believable. That is why I'm recommending a show for you Singelli called Falling Skies. It's science fiction/suspense/drama and I have personally teared up at least a half dozen times due to the production value and emphasis on family and/or friendship. It's up to season 3 and season 4 begins June 22.

Here are my answers to your Dr. Who questions
Favorite episode of those that I've seen is S03 E03 - Gridlock
Reason - Well, that would spoil the plot!
Would I watch it at movie night? - Eh, I think a movie would be better because there are just too many episodes of Dr. Who to choose from. For example,  if somebody picked S05 E09, some will have seen it and some will be completely lost.
Question about cheapness - I think the writers and producers knew that their budget was going to be limited and therefore wrote the stories to match. There is nothing worse than serious Sci-Fi with lame effects/sets/props, unless they were state of the art when they were made. Star Trek: The Original Series is a good example of what I mean by that.

I'm glad that you've started to turn to "The Nerd side of the Force"!

thephantombrain :  Yaaaaaay!  Someone read my review and gave a very thoughtful response!  Almost nothing makes my day more complete than when someone reads my rambling and then rambles back at me.    Plus, most people who do that come off as much more intelligent than I, which makes me feel smart.  Maybe it will rub off on me some day.  haha!

As for binge watching Dr. Who, I'm pretty sure I can do it, simply for the fact that I have periods of time where watching TV shows is very convenient, and I don't feel like there are lots of shows I am willing to explore (too much sex or what not).  I don't know who the actors are that you mentioned, but I'll look them up and find out as I continue to watch the show.  I don't think the England focus will bother me at all, to be honest.  It's sad that they didn't take advantage of the potential, but I don't think it will detract from the show for me.

Thank you so much for the recommendation, by the way!  I might take a pause in watching Dr. Who to watch that (if it's good enough) so that I can start watching season four with  you.  XD  That is, if I can find somewhere legal to watch it. I just looked it up on netflix and it's not there.  

I have to admit your response about the budget made me laugh. Nothing worse?  Aren't the MAJORITY trying to be serious while having cheap graphics?  It seems to be a trademark of sorts. haha.  (I'm mainly speaking about Sci-Fi Channel movies. XD)

A user of this :
Thebiguglyalien :
Thanks for letting me know the graphics and effects get better.  I actually think the bad graphics are kind of funny, but I'm sure as I delve into the series, the better effects will be much appreciated. XD

It's about TIME that you started watching Dr. Who!!! I've seen all the new generation episodes (including the recent final episode of the eleventh doctor). Can't wait for the new series soon. Some people have already told you that the graphics get better. If I remember correctly, the reason why the graphics look weird in the first series of the new ones is because BBC was still using standard definition television and not High Definition, so when they put some special effects in there, it looks a little weird, but still, story is definitely the stronger part of this show, both as stand alone episodes, or the plotline as a whole each series (some are quite mind blowing and self referencing)

You should update me on where you are at so that we can nerd off each other

play4fun : hehe.. yeah, you're all rubbing off on me.  

I'll tell you where I'm at tomorrow and you can rub off on me some more. XD  I'm sure I still have a lot to learn. lol

After many, many weeks of binge-watching, I finally finished Dr. Who! I have to say that the series continued to blow my mind, and as play4fun said, the graphics, and even the cohesiveness of the series just got better and better! I sat on the edge of my seat for so many hours, and I don't know if any show can mesh comedy and action quite so well. There are so many aspects that work to the show's advantage, such as being able to use any genre or theme imaginable, and the ability to kind of 'make up rules' as the seasons moved along. I felt (at first) that the show was a collection of ideas which weren't really united. However, as I continued watching, the episodes seemed more tied together and with a common eventual aim.

Every time a doctor or companion swapped, there was a huge feeling of doubt in my mind because I didn't believe the next actor or actress could pull off the same role. Time and time again, I was proven wrong! I had the most resistance towards Matt Smith and although I like him the least by quite some extent... I was still able to feel comfortable with his role as the seasons progressed.

Some of the surprises also seemed to be more predictable. For example, I was able to figure out who 'River Song' was far in advance to the actual revealing. It was perhaps a bit sloppy to place so many clues (such as the obvious name), but the story might not have made sense without them, either. There were still enough shockers to leave me very, very happy though (such as "The Face of Bo"s true identity.)

I'm so excited for the next season! I heard that a lot of 'Whovians' are disappointed with the actor choice because of his age. What are the opinions of all you vizzed users? I'm hoping that the producers of the show picked someone that will fit in, and have confidence (and hope?) that the new actor will fit seamlessly into the roll despite his appearance.

Torchwood was recommended to me since it's a spinoff, but I can't say I like it. While I loved Jack as a character and was missing him in the last couple of seasons... Torchwood just feels odd to me. I've watched maybe half a dozen episodes and can't get into it. Does it get any better?

Nice review and yeah we all feel that way about the companions. But they are all great. This is one of my all time favorite shows. It keeps you on your toes. Just like life something always happens when you least expect it. That's one of the biggest lessons the show has taught me. Don't get attached to anything because it can be taken from you but life moves on whether you want it to or not. An one last thing its Doctor not Dr. ,because his name is The Doctor and his last name isn't Who. lol