Doctor Who SE04 EP03: Planet of the Ood (spoilers)

[evildmguy]

I don't think that's true at all; quite the opposite, in fact.

This is mostly from memory.

The first Doctor barely cared about Ian and Barbara, much less others. He gladly let people die, in Romans, Aztecs, Daleks, although he tried to do good overall.

The second Doctor was better about it, overall, but it's tough to say as I have only read his adventures and it's been decades.

The third Doctor did it a lot. He cared about Benson, Yates and the Brigadier but the average soldier he barely went out of his way to save.

The fourth Doctor also did it a lot. In Genesis of the Daleks, the mission was more important than many Thals and he sacrificed many for it, even many Kaleds. Key to Time saw many people die and the Doctor didn't do much to stop it. In Deadly Assassin, he picked up a gun and was ready to kill!

The fifth Doctor tried to do more. I think he was probably the most compassionate, because it was a big deal when he picked up a gun and faced Davros. However, even then he couldn't do cold blooded murder. And he still let people die in the fight against evil.

The sixth Doctor also let it happen, although he was shown as compassionate, especially shown with Litton. However, I think he was shown to be more directly callous than previous versions, except his companions.

etc.

I am not saying the Doctor isn't on the side of life. I am not saying he doesn't do good. I am saying that perhaps he is more LG than we think. In that, I think he understands that sometimes people die when fighting evil. Look at how many the ninth doctor sacrificed, and even lied to them, when fighting the Daleks! I just think he knows that death happens and he tries to balance the equation in favor of life, as we saw last episode.

Of course, it could just be me.

edg

 

[evildmguy]

I don't think that's true at all; quite the opposite, in fact.

After reading what I wrote, I wanted to clarify some things.

While some of it is tongue in cheek, I do think the Doctor has let people die. I do think, in general, that the writers put him in the situation of needs of the many versus the needs of the few, i.e. a hard decision. But I still think he has let people die. If it had been his companion at times, he would have talked them out of it or stopped them. But there are those that he lets do this.

edg

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Heck, in the very first adventure he was appearently going to abbandon Ian and Barbara in the remote past just because they knew about the TARDIS, despite Susan's pleading for him not to. And he picked up a rock with the obvious intention to kill a caveman prisoner because he was an inconvienience, but Ian stopped him. (And he lied about what he was going to do.) And when things went wrong in later episodes he was quick to blame the Earthers for it. He may have come around in the end, but I don't think he could be called very compassionate at all.

 

[Fast Learner]

I'm still seeing too much 'Catherine Tate' and not enough 'Donna' in her characterisation too.

I suspect we're lucky, on this side of the pond, to have never seen her as anything but Donna.

 

[Huw]

I suspect we're lucky, on this side of the pond, to have never seen her as anything but Donna.

Just like you're lucky you've never heard Billy Piper sing

 

[Mark Hope]

Just like you're lucky you've never heard Billy Piper sing

And why? Because we want to...

 

[Felon]

Nice to see a Dr. Who episode that actually feels like a science fiction story. External brains? That's got to suck.

I agree that the setting was way too mundane to be the far-flung future. I'm beginning to miss silver jumpsuits.

 

[evildmguy]

I agree that the setting was way too mundane to be the far-flung future. I'm beginning to miss silver jumpsuits.

?

I don't know about that.

One of the things that I cringe at now when I watch older episodes, such as Planet of Evil, is the very unlikely outfits they are wearing. No pockets. No belt. Where do they hold things? Where do they carry things? Makes no sense.

At least having them in "modern" clothes that were business makes sense. Why reinvent the suit?

edg

 

[horacethegrey]

I agree that the setting was way too mundane to be the far-flung future. I'm beginning to miss silver jumpsuits.

I actually had more problems w/ the sets they used more than anything. It seemed as if they filmed the story in some sort of abandoned steel mill. Not very convincing as an alien holding pen in my view.

 

[Felon]

I actually had more problems w/ the sets they used more than anything. It seemed as if they filmed the story in some sort of abandoned steel mill. Not very convincing as an alien holding pen in my view.

Yes, the sets and props were the big issue. However I also do think our manner of dress will change over the coruse of time, and apparently the folks in charge of Dr. Who disagree or simply can't be bothered.