Introduction

I've been a fan of the new Doctor Who since the first episode I watched, which was Tooth and Claw.  I then went back and watched the new series from the beginning, loving both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, though the Tenth Doctor will always be my Doctor.  I've also started watching the classic series from the beginning, and have just gotten to the second episode of the Second Doctor.

My favorite episodes are Blink, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, and The Girl in the Fireplace.  I even cosplay one of the Clockwork Droids (and won the Novice category at ChicagoTARDIS last year)!   What do all of those episodes have in common?  They were all written by Steven Moffat!  That means that I should absolutely love the new series 5 and 6, right?

Wrong.  So far, I just don't like the new Doctor.  At all.  Or Amy Pond.  Rory's pretty cool, though.

I am going to try to be fair and balanced here, but I'm not sure anyone would ever describe any of my opinions as "fair and balanced".  I am very passionate about the shows that I watch.

Of course these new episodes are not totally horrible, but the problem I have is that I get very excited about every episode, and then end up thinking, "WTF"?  To me, it's like a totally different show.   The feel of it has changed so much, and I can understand now why so many fans of the original series loathe the New Who.  So, because my husband and all his friends worship Steven Moffat, I felt it was better to write all of my feelings and observations in a blog, rather than continually get into heated discussions.  (For instance, my husband questions how I think it's a different show when I also think that Moffat reuses so many of his ideas, which I'll get into later.)

Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of things that I don't like about the previous series.  I don't like how Dumbass Donna often treats the Doctor like he's an idiot, Desperate Martha's pining gets super annoying (but I love her when they bring her back as a part of UNIT, and also later in Torchwood), Rose can be a whiny brat, and many episodes have gaping plot holes.  Also, Daleks and Cybermen!   I also am a fan of Torchwood, and I have no problem admitting that while it's interesting and has Captain Jack and Ianto (sigh), it's pretty horrendous at times.

So I don't know why the Eleventh Doctor is such a different story, why I can't dislike certain things but still enjoy the show as a whole.  I'll be going through the Eleventh Doctor episodes one by one and dissecting them for plot holes, actions that are uncharacteristic of the Doctor, and things that I just find ridiculous.  However, I'll also point out things that I DO like, because there ARE a lot of things that I find interesting, intriguing, and fun.

And maybe along the way I'll finally decide that the new episodes are okay.  Or maybe not.  I am trying to keep an open mind and be willing to love Doctor Who again, but every time I feel like I'm reaching that point, something happens that disappoints me.

Here's a little palette cleanser before I start talking about Matt Smith.