Season 4 disappointing???

[Ulysses]

I have to say that I think season 4 of the new Doctor Who is probably the weakest by far, I cant say there has been any memorable great episodes at all in this new season, I dont think its down to DT or Cathy Tate but the lacking stories and scripts.....my feeling is that maybe RTD ran out of steam after 3 years of very good who and I still say season 1 was the best with some really good episodes but this season has totally missed that benchmark.

[kyran]

I suppose for a kids show it is a bit weak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but this old man enjoys it , and I thought the last two episodes were great

 

[TFMF]

In some ways I agree with you. I think, for me, Shadows in the Library really saved it - it was such a brilliant story, and even though there has been better Who, it's still really boosted this season for me. It's definitely had bad episodes this season, however.

 

It could be the stories, but the actors are still very good, and Tennant seems to be putting more and more energy into his work.

[Ulysses]

I guess we have been spoiled abit in the other seasons :)  one good thing about this season is we know we are going to have a what I hope is a really good ending to the season

[Tenebrae]

I'm thinking back... none of the episodes have been toward the upper end of the spectrum... Donna hasn't helped.

 

The Pompeii episode has been the best so far but that felt as if it would have been better suited to two episodes than the Sontarans or the Library, both of which felt considerably padded... While Tennant may well be putting more energy into his performance, I think that it may be a reaction to the lack of energy in the writing... it's not surprising to me that RTD is passing it off, I think he's losing interest because as the executive producer etc. etc. he's pretty much in charge of running a tight ship and that's been lacking, which probably shows RTD should have been sent packing a while ago.

 

I think they've also struggled to fit Donna in. She strops and berates the Doctor but there's no real chemistry... Not to mention the "WE'RE NOT MARRIED!" gag just instantly sapping my will to live. They just don't seem to know what to do with her...

 

Billy and the Dr. had the whole unspoken love thing going on... and of course her field of expertise was being bold and brassy.

 

Martha had her unrequited love and was an actual doctor.

 

Donna is... just loud and irritating, occasionally prone to pointing out THIS IS TERRIBLE! And maybe the odd bit of SUPER OFFICE POWERS! Seriously, the contrived way they've fitted that in is pretty hilarious. What next "OH NO, we're trapped in THE UNIVERSAL OFFICE OF INFINITE DOOM! Donna, use your super office powers!"

 

I think this is one of the problems British TV has... there's no stamina. In the US, you've got shows with a season of 20+ episodes and often running for years... some of them even stay good for years! I'm not sure that we've really got any equivalent shows... but then I suppose that's a function of brain drain and money.

[manicart1]

I don't agree at all-- if anything I think this season has been one of the most consistent since the show's return. Season one rode in on a tide of unprecedented goodwill-- I think everyone expected it to flop so we overlooked it's faults at the time, and a breakout performance from Billie Piper alongside the great Christopher Eccleston didn't hurt either.  Aliens of London, World War Three and the Long Game have all aged badly and are not nearly as good as anything from season 4.  Season two is possibly the most wonky of the four, with David Tennant initially faltering in his portrayal of the Doctor before finding his feet in later stories. There were some pretty bad cheap filler episodes too. Season three set the bar higher with some true classics like Human Nature and Blink, plus it took the show out of twenty first century London a bit more. Season four hasn't quite hit the high notes of last season but  it hasn't  truely sunk to any of the revived show's previous lows yet either.  Every episode so far has felt like an individually produced movie-- you can't deny that the scope and ambition of the show has expanded a great deal since season one. In 2005 we rarely ventured further than the Powell estate, and in this season we've had visits to ancient Pompeii, 1920's England, four alien planets and a virtual reality dreamscape.

 

I just get the feeling  it's the same old British disease we're having that once something-- a TV show, a band, a personality, anything-- gets too sucessful, it's time for us to arbitarily start knocking it down. Why do we do this?

[Ulysses]

Yeah season 4 maybe consistant, but at the moment season 4 has benn consistantly poorer than the other seasons....and  Its not down to the actors either!

 

I also would say it was unique to british shows, looks at ST:A that also suffered after season 2 with the same problem.

 

 

[trebor]

I enjoyed the Pompei episode and of course, Shadows in the Library. And I will admit that I thought that Midnight was good too. it starts a bit slow with the conversation bits, but when the shuttle stops, the action picks up and time flies. Considering the entire episode happens in a single room, it's pretty good drama and it relies on the actor performances more than flashy special effects.

 

I know a lot of people hate Donna (a british friend told me he can't stand her fake accent). But I don't like in the UK, so I haven't seen this actress perform in her TV series and so she doesn't bother me (not as much as Rose who can't act and is not 1% credible).

 

of all the companions for this doctor, I must admit I preferred Martha.

[Ulysses]

Yeah I also liked the Pompei episode which in my view was the best so far