Doctor Who

I watched the US premiere of the new Dr. Who on the Sci-Fi Channel tonight. They showed two episodes.

The first one was kind of boring, and I found myself flipping to G4/Tech TV several times, which was showing a TNG rerun. I guess I don't find mannequins coming to life very compelling...and to be honest, there wasn't much character development in the episode. Rose was established as a gutsy, passionate woman who provided a good counterpoint for the seemingly cold Doctor, but I didn't really care about the things she cared about (especially her boyfriend--though given the episode's ending, maybe that was intentional).

There was one really good part. The Doctor describes an object he's looking for, and Rose spots it over his shoulder. When she nods at it, he looks, then turns back and says, "What?" She nods again, and he looks again, but still--"What?" Finally, after the third "What?", he gets it. The comedic timing is perfect.

Still, the second episode was much better overall. I don't know if I liked the premise better--space and time travel are always good, and there were some excellent themes--or if the characterization was superior--I think it was, we get insight into the Doctor's past and some great introspection on Rose's part. Probably both. The parade of aliens was nothing new, but I enjoyed the humor. The idea of a bunch of rich aliens risking their necks to watch a planet be destroyed by its sun is so perfect, I can't imagine that no one's ever thought of it before. And the "last human"...wow.

I loved seeing the Doctor get pissed, too. (And by that I don't mean "drunk", you zany Brits.)

I enjoyed the performances of both leads; the Doctor is charismatic, and Rose is compelling (and a total babe). Also, Rose's mum rules.

So all in all, I am interested to see the next episode.

I had never seen any Doctor Who before tonight. I wonder what the differences are?