The new Who: copycat or continuity?
Mar. 25th, 2006 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
acroyearI finished watching Dr. Who The Unquiet Dead (episode 3 of the new series) on Sci-Fi (yes, I'd seen it before). Its certainly one of the best of the new series and was the first to really show they could capture what made the original series work.
When it finished, I felt rather...driven...to watch an older story. I was called, in a sense, to watch the 1976 Tom Baker & Leela classic, Image of the Fendhal. The differences hit first, of course. The pace was so much slower back then, taking 5 minutes to introduce sideline characters rather than 15 seconds, and even then there was much in the way of backstory left out.
But then the similarities started to hit.
When it finished, I felt rather...driven...to watch an older story. I was called, in a sense, to watch the 1976 Tom Baker & Leela classic, Image of the Fendhal. The differences hit first, of course. The pace was so much slower back then, taking 5 minutes to introduce sideline characters rather than 15 seconds, and even then there was much in the way of backstory left out.
But then the similarities started to hit.
- A time fisure
- which the doctor says can lead to the impression that a place is haunted
- and where someone living in or near it has psychic abilities, and
- an alien has taken advantage of it to take control of the resident population, including
- the only attractive non-companion female in the story (who dies as a result),
- and, finally, the doctor wins by convincing a skeptic that its all real, just he's not ready to explain the alien science behind it all.
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-26 10:56 pm (UTC)because technically and by official bbc standards, this is in completely new hands. the show is being produced by BBC Wales, with a financial investment from CBC (Canada), in a total handover of control of licensing rights from BBC Drama that were producing the show originally. in addition, they have effectively re-titled the show also because if the show was considered an "official" continuation of the original, the licensing rights would revert to current contracts with BBC-Lionheart and PBS and it would not be affordable to send the show to America.
its tricky and it all has to do with licensing revenues and real world business requirements and nothing to do with actual continuity within the Doctor Who universe.
some people in fandom are still calling it season "27", but that holds no official status at all.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-27 01:26 am (UTC)Like when the comic books decided to take their most popular titles and start over at issue #1.
Doc
no subject
Date: 2006-03-27 02:32 am (UTC)comic books make new #1s out of old series for sales for collectors values. the concept is not the same.