ocelotmom Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 So, let's say that Amazon announces that, two weeks from now, they will stop carrying BBC shows, including Doctor Who and spin-offs. Let's say you've been enjoying watching Doctor Who as a family, and have just finished Season 4. You have time to watch approximately 15 episodes from seasons 5-7. Which do you choose? Which are important for continuity? Which are standalone but excellent? Which are totally skippable? Or do you just call it done after season 4? (I don't think the kids will stand for that option) Say you also watch Torchwood (without the kids), have just finished season 1, and have time to watch maybe 7-10 more episodes. Which ones? Are there any that would both be ok for kids to watch (I understand they toned it down a bit in season 2) and that would contribute to an overall better understanding of the Who-universe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I think I would be tempted to keep watching the series, and when Feb 15 rolls around try a free trial month of Netflix, since they will be keeping Dr. Who. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Cancel school. Have a marathon. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 My two cents... Check the library. Don't skip episodes. Imho, Torchwood is not vital to enjoying the Whoverse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Get a trial of Netflix and cancel after you've finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Christmas episodes are always a bit stand alone and probably the best of those seasons. Make sure to watch the start of Matt Smith so you know the characters. Torchwood isn't essential. I would just work on season 2, we weren't fans beyond that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Well, I'll answer for real. I think Who is at its best when it's not being serial anyway. I mean, an episode like Vincent and the Doctor is great in part because it stands alone. Best mostly standalone episodes from seasons 5-7... The Eleventh Hour Amy's Choice Vincent and the Doctor The Lodger The Doctor's Wife Let's Kill Hitler The Girl Who Waited Closing Time Dinosaurs on a Spaceship The Bells of St. John Nightmare in Silver Gosh, looking back over that list is reminding me that I did not care for season 7 at all. I think The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor are still on there as well. They're interesting. I sort of like them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 The episodes I'd personally want to see again are Vincent and the Doctor (I think everyone should watch this episode, even if you aren't a Whovian), The Doctor's Wife, The Girl Who Waited, The God Complex, The Power of Three (doesn't stand alone well though)... and that's it. Unless I'm forgetting something. But I think part of the enjoyment comes from getting attached to the companion(s) and that's very hard to do when skipping episodes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davysmom Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I heard. Netflix is dropping Dr. Who too. I haven't confirmed that though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 I heard. Netflix is dropping Dr. Who too. I haven't confirmed that though... No - they're keeping Doctor Who (and the other BBC shows), and that's what prompted Amazon to drop it. Go figure. Maybe Amazon will come to an agreement, too. You all aren't very helpful :p Full-on marathon is not reasonably possible due to attention spans and the fact that I work several days in between now and the 15th (I'd potentially let them watch episodes that aren't essential for continuity on days I work). Netflix trial is an idea, but would need to wait until May-ish because of my own school schedule. Library is not a good option. Doctor Who and Torchwood are different timeslots, so watching Torchwood isn't going to take the place of Doctor Who. Here. I'll do Season 1-4. 1: This season was hard to cut without losing too much context. I'd cut The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead, Father's Day, and Boom Town. If I had to be really brutal, Aliens of London and World War III. I'd add Father's Day back in if I had the time. Cutting Aliens of London and WWIII means we don't know who Harriet Jones is at the end of Season 4, but that's ok, as there are other characters who aren't going to be familiar to people who don't watch the spin-offs. (Same rationale for cutting School Reunion from Season 2) 2: I'm finding this season easier to cut. New Earth (since I already cut The End of the World, it's lacking in context), Tooth and Claw, School Reunion, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Idiot's Lantern, Love and Monsters, and Fear Her. Maybe The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit if I were really short on time (the younger kids actually skipped those two, but I don't feel like cutting out the Ood storyline entirely). The Girl in the Fireplace and Love and Monsters would be my first to add back in - I liked those episodes, but they're not really crucial for continuity. 3: The Shakespeare Code, Gridlock, The Lazarus Experiment, 42. If I needed to be more brutal, Daleks in Manhattan/The Evolution of the Daleks (I think they provide background for the end of Season 4, but I find them quite unmemorable). Maybe Human Nature and The Family Blood, though they provide context for the end of the season. It sucks to cut the Face of Boe arc entirely, but I don't get the impression it's essential for long-term understanding. 4: Voyage of the Damned, The Fires of Pompeii, The Doctor's Daughter, The Unicorn and the Wasp, Midnight, The Next Doctor. Any further cuts remove the context for Turn Left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Ack! Say it isn't so! I didn't know Amazon was dropping Dr. Who. That was one of the reasons I've been keeping Amazon Prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I heard. Netflix is dropping Dr. Who too. I haven't confirmed that though... You heard wrong. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Ack! Say it isn't so! I didn't know Amazon was dropping Dr. Who. That was one of the reasons I've been keeping Amazon Prime. I wish I could realistically write to them and say it's the only reason we have Prime and we'll cancel if they don't come to an agreement with BBC, but we actually have Prime for the shipping, and the videos are just a side benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davysmom Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 You heard wrong. :)Oh good! I hadn't had a chance to look it up. Maybe they mistook Netflix for Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 It has to do with BBC licensing agreements. Neither Netflix nor Amazon will EVER willingly 'drop' anything. It just means the license to stream expired. These things are legal contracts and contracts have beginnings and endings.BBC will tell them they want more money for it, Amazon will pay it, just like Netflix did, and it will keep streaming. Netflix wants to stream everything. They would be so happy to get rid of their DVDs, but they can't, because it isn't up to them. They are dependent on the good will of the companies that own the rights to the programs. And Netflix kept all Doctor Who and a bunch of other things streaming. It lost the rights to stream Fawlty Towers and Black Adder. But it might get them again. BBC hates streaming/DVD rental almost as much as HBO. It really wants people to buy the DVDs to their shows instead of streaming them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Oh, ignore my recommendations. You don't care about watching "the good ones" - you just want to watch for continuity. Well, I wish you luck. To me, those are always the worst of the Who episodes. Well, not always, but... not my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 It has to do with BBC licensing agreements. Neither Netflix nor Amazon will EVER willingly 'drop' anything. It just means the license to stream expired. These things are legal contracts and contracts have beginnings and endings.BBC will tell them they want more money for it, Amazon will pay it, just like Netflix did, and it will keep streaming. According to the article, in this case, Amazon did willingly drop the BBC shows because they wanted exclusive rights and BBC wouldn't let Amazon have them. Netflix was going to let the BBC shows go, I guess because the BBC wanted more than Netflix wanted to pay, but they seem to have worked that out. Therefore Amazon can't have its exclusivity, so they're dropping the BBC shows. Silly, if you ask me. The videos are one of the things that keeps me going with Prime, but there just hasn't been enough lately for me to fork over $99 in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Oh, ignore my recommendations. You don't care about watching "the good ones" - you just want to watch for continuity. Well, I wish you luck. To me, those are always the worst of the Who episodes. Well, not always, but... not my favorites. No, I'd like to get "the good ones" in as much as possible, just not at the expense of the overall storyline. We may have a different definition of "the good ones", though. A lot (though not all) of the ones I cut from the first 4 seasons are ones that didn't hold my attention or capture my interest much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 According to the article, in this case, Amazon did willingly drop the BBC shows because they wanted exclusive rights and BBC wouldn't let Amazon have them. Netflix was going to let the BBC shows go, I guess because the BBC wanted more than Netflix wanted to pay, but they seem to have worked that out. Therefore Amazon can't have its exclusivity, so they're dropping the BBC shows. Silly, if you ask me. The videos are one of the things that keeps me going with Prime, but there just hasn't been enough lately for me to fork over $99 in a few months. Well, I just have to :lol: and then again :lol: at Amazon if the actually did that. They really Really REALLY hate Netflix. Man, oh man. It's like they had a temper tantrum over Sherlock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Well, I just have to :lol: and then again :lol: at Amazon if the actually did that. They really Really REALLY hate Netflix. Man, oh man. It's like they had a temper tantrum over Sherlock. Yep! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 No, I'd like to get "the good ones" in as much as possible, just not at the expense of the overall storyline. We may have a different definition of "the good ones", though. A lot (though not all) of the ones I cut from the first 4 seasons are ones that didn't hold my attention or capture my interest much. A lot of the ones you named above as ones you'd cut are the episodes I think are some of the very best of the whole series, like Girl in the Fireplace and Midnight. Or they're the ones that I think are by far the most fun, like The Shakespeare Code and The Unicorn and the Wasp. Some aren't - I mean, no one needs to see Fear Her or The Idiot's Lantern, but I'll take a really good standalone over a half decent story arc piece any day. For me, if I was telling someone to skip things, I'd say skip complete dreck like The Stolen Earth/Journey's End or The End of Time and just read a quick summary instead. You're not missing anything but overemotional nonsense and moments designs to make the fans squee but which on re-viewing just makes me sad for the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Definitely don't skip Midnight or The Girl in the Fireplace. If you're skipping that much, why does continuity matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatashainDFW Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 So if you paid to stream season 8 are you SOL come Feb 15? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 So if you paid to stream season 8 are you SOL come Feb 15? This was my first thought. Does that mean we will no longer be able to buy the new episodes there? And if so, where will we be able to get them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I definitely wouldn't skip Midnight, but I didn't like Girl in the Fireplace. I'm in the minority there though. If you ask 100 Whovians for the list of best episodes, you'd get 100 different lists, and if you asked for a list of worst episodes, they'd probably match someone's list of must-sees. Says the one who has seen Turn Left about fifteen times. A lot of the ones you named above as ones you'd cut are the episodes I think are some of the very best of the whole series, like Girl in the Fireplace and Midnight. Or they're the ones that I think are by far the most fun, like The Shakespeare Code and The Unicorn and the Wasp. Some aren't - I mean, no one needs to see Fear Her or The Idiot's Lantern, but I'll take a really good standalone over a half decent story arc piece any day. For me, if I was telling someone to skip things, I'd say skip complete dreck like The Stolen Earth/Journey's End or The End of Time and just read a quick summary instead. You're not missing anything but overemotional nonsense and moments designs to make the fans squee but which on re-viewing just makes me sad for the show. There is a book that is essentially emails back and forth between Russell T. Davies (show runner until the fifth series) and a journalist about his thought process and the development of the fourth season. He knew he had dug himself into a bit of a hole plot wise with the Stolen Earth and Journey's End episodes and wasn't really thrilled with the finished product. The book includes some of the early drafts of those episodes, and they were way worse, believe it or not! And I'll stop there before I turn this into a Moffat rant and derail the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I definitely wouldn't skip Midnight, but I didn't like Girl in the Fireplace. I'm in the minority there though. If you ask 100 Whovians for the list of best episodes, you'd get 100 different lists, and if you asked for a list of worst episodes, they'd probably match someone's list of must-sees. Says the one who has seen Turn Left about fifteen times. There is a book that is essentially emails back and forth between Russell T. Davies (show runner until the fifth series) and a journalist about his thought process and the development of the fourth season. He knew he had dug himself into a bit of a hole plot wise with the Stolen Earth and Journey's End episodes and wasn't really thrilled with the finished product. The book includes some of the early drafts of those episodes, and they were way worse, believe it or not! And I'll stop there before I turn this into a Moffat rant and derail the thread. I've actually read this. It was really good, if you enjoy books about the creative process and writers thoughts about writing. I do and I liked this one. I read it for more those reasons than anything to do with Doctor Who, actually. The Doctor Who stuff was fun, but I found the whole process part so much more interesting, Anyway, there are so, so many bumps in the road, as there are with any creative process, and Davies has all these lines that say "Oh, well, Bless Billie" or "What can you do, Bless Freema" or whoever. And I just had to :lol: because I am 95% sure that "bless" was neither the word he actually wrote nor the sentiment he was trying to convey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I definitely wouldn't skip Midnight, but I didn't like Girl in the Fireplace. I'm in the minority there though. If you ask 100 Whovians for the list of best episodes, you'd get 100 different lists, and if you asked for a list of worst episodes, they'd probably match someone's list of must-sees. Says the one who has seen Turn Left about fifteen times. There is a book that is essentially emails back and forth between Russell T. Davies (show runner until the fifth series) and a journalist about his thought process and the development of the fourth season. He knew he had dug himself into a bit of a hole plot wise with the Stolen Earth and Journey's End episodes and wasn't really thrilled with the finished product. The book includes some of the early drafts of those episodes, and they were way worse, believe it or not! And I'll stop there before I turn this into a Moffat rant and derail the thread. What is the title of this book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I've actually read this. It was really good, if you enjoy books about the creative process and writers thoughts about writing. I do and I liked this one. I read it for more those reasons than anything to do with Doctor Who, actually. The Doctor Who stuff was fun, but I found the whole process part so much more interesting, Anyway, there are so, so many bumps in the road, as there are with any creative process, and Davies has all these lines that say "Oh, well, Bless Billie" or "What can you do, Bless Freema" or whoever. And I just had to :lol: because I am 95% sure that "bless" was neither the word he actually wrote nor the sentiment he was trying to convey. I guess the Welsh also say "Bless her heart" then. :lol: The wacky and unfortunate final episodes (Waters of Mars excepted) of the Tennant years notwithstanding, the Moffatt regime has made me long for the days of the Davies one for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Turn Left creeped me out so much I almost couldn't watch it. That bug. :svengo: #heebiejeebies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I emailed amazon customer service and was told that episodes can still be purchased and past purchases will still be available. Hopefully, it was correct information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 skip nothing.Is this not Well Trained Whovians board??As far as I'm concerned, you're building a foundation. You can't just willy nilly ignore fundamental skills & knowledge. These are the hooks upon which you will continue to build & grow.... How will they understand the critiques of Moffat without this baseline? How will they appreciate the amazeballs of Jack Harkness if you don't prioritize this now? netflix or global netflix or library dvd'syou can do it! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 How will they appreciate the amazeballs of Jack Harkness if you don't prioritize this now? You will note I didn't eliminate any Captain Jack episodes, even though I otherwise might have. I realize, reading through some lists of episodes, that I didn't include some episodes on my cut list because they were so forgettable I forgot that they could be forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 What is the title of this book? The Writer's Tale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 skip nothing. Is this not Well Trained Whovians board?? As far as I'm concerned, you're building a foundation. You can't just willy nilly ignore fundamental skills & knowledge. These are the hooks upon which you will continue to build & grow.... How will they understand the critiques of Moffat without this baseline? How will they appreciate the amazeballs of Jack Harkness if you don't prioritize this now? netflix or global netflix or library dvd's you can do it! ;) amazeballs and Captain Jack in the same sentence makes me giggle. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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