Catching up with Doctor Who via the BBC iPlayer, I can see why it's fallen from favor in recent months: it's become less trashy.
I do not mean 'trashy' in any mean or derogatory sense, I simply suggest this as an appropriate label for something devoid of ambition and constructed merely to be consumed. I like trash. Trash makes up the vast majority of our entertainment and its existence and popularity allows our favorite forms of entertainment to continue because if people won't go see a piece of trash like Scary Movie when it's made just for them, what's the point of taking a chance on a new Scorcese or Mamet flick? Actually, that's misleading on my part - I don't accept that trash is something we must simply endure for the sake of art because I love trash and pretending I can be a snob the day after lamenting the passing of Drop Dead Diva would be a fool's errand. The highlight of my viewing week is probably Hawaii Five-0 and sitting here and writing as such I cannot summon to mind a single virtue in its favor beyond that I like it, but luckily that is all it needs. *
Anyway, trash... the RTD era of Doctor Who was trash, RTD said as much himself when he said that a mere 10 percent of the audience were tuning in every week and the rest were casual viewers and he was unashamed that he was making the telly equivalent of tomorrow's fishwrappers and more power to him, he seems to have done well by it and so has UK sci-fi television. The current era of Who, however, has decided to reward those who watch each week. Surprisingly, people don't seem to like this turn of events where they're assumed to have attention spans and are asked to employ them and have turned on the show like they've actually been personally affronted by basic storytelling practice.
I'm loving it so far, myself. For some reason I seem to have taken a time to say so, but that's pretty much it.
Enjoyed it.
*Actually, tell a lie, it's devoid of misanthropy in a way it's peers like NCIS and Law And Order: Los Angeles are not.
Hello Mr B:- I must admit, I'm loving it too. The Splendid Wife and I rarely miss an episode as it goes out, and if we do, we arrange a date to make sure we see it ASAP. Not with the fervor of fans, because of neither of us are that, but because it's fun and smart too, and there's not much TV around that's both.
ReplyDeleteBut was there ever a car-crash the equal of the last Torchwood series, which, after the rather splendid Children Of Earth, was simply terrible. An adequate first episode, a fun second, and then .... somebody forgot to write a story.
Easily done, I suppose.
"losing the plot" is apparently easily done and I know this from attempting such things, but then I'm a bum on a pc who doodles comics in his free time and not a functioning studio with a small army of writers and script editors. I have an excuse.
ReplyDeleteA shame about Torchwood, but then it was part-produced and part-written by the American bankrollers this time out, and tailored more to their timeslot sensibilities. And that ending with the pinks rocks being behind it all was especially terrible - did I imagine it or were they looking laterally towards the other side of the planet? I know we're supposed to take the science with a pinch of salt, but it's a bit much to ask your audience to forget what "down" is. Mind you, it's still going, and if it's still going it can improve again.
I'm trying to think of anything quite as fun and smart as Doctor Who on tv at the moment, but I'm drawing a blank as the level of exuberance on display is usually best found in comedies like Community. I'm looking forward to the season finale something rotten, now.