Here I have to completely disagree. True, there weren't any cases where every aspect of production was terrible (I'm in the middle of watching Timelash...)
Funnily enough, I was thinking of Timelash when I wrote that... but the comparison seemed a little unfair. With the production values of modern who they had better not produce a Timelash equivalent. No, the early episodes weren't very original, but that hardly makes "terrible" telly. Dull, safe, conservative telly, yes, and of course one of the reasons people make dull, safe, conservative telly is to reduce the risk of stinkers. You and I may prefer "interesting failures" (I'm tempted to say "like Love and Monsters" here, but I don't actually consider Love and Monsters to have been a failure) but we seem to be something of a minority and, even if we weren't, I can sympathise we the tendancy of a prime time production team to try and avoid them.
the problem with Gridlock (well, one of them)
I'm not sure I'm any keener to defend Gridlock than you are to defend fandom, but the set-up makes sense to me (once you're on the level of letting food and water recycling pass). The Undercity is at the tail end of a process of turning into a Ghost Town as the population migrates to the Motorway and the promise of a better-life. The street vendors are desperate for trade and the last gasp of any business infrastructure. Once on the motorway there are only layby's every six months and its not clear that many of them allow you out of the Motorway's poisonous atmosphere. There is probably also a certain amount of social pressure NOT to stop in a lay-by and hold up the traffic behind you. It's thin in places, but coherent enough on a "don't think too hard" level.
the character development should be about travelling in time and space, not teenage crushes
YMMV. It was about more than teenage crushes. It was about the nature of being a companion; existing and operating within the Doctor's shadow. About how independence and ability are subsumed by his personality and ultimately can only really manifest in his absence. About, if you like, the way the character of the Doctor dominates the show, perhaps inevitably to the detriment of the character of the companion. At least that's how I read it, but then I'm stripping out much of the largely indefensible puppydog Martha stuff but part of the reason I object to puppydog Martha is that the really interesting parts of the story have little to do with it.
It would be really, really, really nice if get a progression from Rose (perfect companion, conceives of nothing more than being a sidekick), through Martha (thinks she wants to be a sidekick but learns she is better than that) to someone who is manifestly not a sidekick. I don't think we'll get it since it would fundamentally change the show into an ensemble show (which its not been since Ian and Barbara left) but its the logical place to go next.
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dancing_serpent
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-02 06:45 pm (UTC)Funnily enough, I was thinking of Timelash when I wrote that... but the comparison seemed a little unfair. With the production values of modern who they had better not produce a Timelash equivalent. No, the early episodes weren't very original, but that hardly makes "terrible" telly. Dull, safe, conservative telly, yes, and of course one of the reasons people make dull, safe, conservative telly is to reduce the risk of stinkers. You and I may prefer "interesting failures" (I'm tempted to say "like Love and Monsters" here, but I don't actually consider Love and Monsters to have been a failure) but we seem to be something of a minority and, even if we weren't, I can sympathise we the tendancy of a prime time production team to try and avoid them.
the problem with Gridlock (well, one of them)
I'm not sure I'm any keener to defend Gridlock than you are to defend fandom, but the set-up makes sense to me (once you're on the level of letting food and water recycling pass). The Undercity is at the tail end of a process of turning into a Ghost Town as the population migrates to the Motorway and the promise of a better-life. The street vendors are desperate for trade and the last gasp of any business infrastructure. Once on the motorway there are only layby's every six months and its not clear that many of them allow you out of the Motorway's poisonous atmosphere. There is probably also a certain amount of social pressure NOT to stop in a lay-by and hold up the traffic behind you. It's thin in places, but coherent enough on a "don't think too hard" level.
the character development should be about travelling in time and space, not teenage crushes
YMMV. It was about more than teenage crushes. It was about the nature of being a companion; existing and operating within the Doctor's shadow. About how independence and ability are subsumed by his personality and ultimately can only really manifest in his absence. About, if you like, the way the character of the Doctor dominates the show, perhaps inevitably to the detriment of the character of the companion. At least that's how I read it, but then I'm stripping out much of the largely indefensible puppydog Martha stuff but part of the reason I object to puppydog Martha is that the really interesting parts of the story have little to do with it.
It would be really, really, really nice if get a progression from Rose (perfect companion, conceives of nothing more than being a sidekick), through Martha (thinks she wants to be a sidekick but learns she is better than that) to someone who is manifestly not a sidekick. I don't think we'll get it since it would fundamentally change the show into an ensemble show (which its not been since Ian and Barbara left) but its the logical place to go next.