Quote: Godot Taxis @ May 14 2011, 10:56 AM BSTWhat's one disappearing pirate compared to hundreds of thousands of disappearing viewers?
Oh unfair all shows have langeurs, the scripts do need to dig their heads out of their arses though
A proper tragic death would help
How about if the dr gets a cat and they kill it in the next episdoe?
Quote: Matthew Stott @ May 14 2011, 12:04 PM BSTThe first few episodes have held up just fine in the ratings.
Stott's right. As much as we might like slack story telling and nonsensical story arcs to be punished by haemorrhaging viewers, it's not happening in great numbers. And Who is still probably the biggest kids show out there by quite some margin.
I suspect the reason Who retains its audience is less due to approval than lingering affection. Most people know it is crap, but its iconic status makes it a rare common reference point in age of market fragmentation. People watch it so they can share there experience of it with their friends. For those not signed up to soaps and reality shows, it is just about the only 'watercooler show' left.
Quote: Timbo @ May 14 2011, 12:26 PM BSTI suspect the reason Who retains its audience is less due to approval than lingering affection.
Personally I watch it because when they get it right, it's brilliant. And that's why I'm so disappointed when it's not right.
Quote: Timbo @ May 14 2011, 12:26 PM BSTMost people know it is crap,
Do they? Okay.
I was thinking that the no ones dies thingy is a big issue.
But season 1+2 had pretty hefty death tolls. Virtually everyone dies in episode 2, even Gods and Monsters makes a dark joke of the only 2 survivors. So there was a real sense of peril.
The new tensionless version is hmm unsettling it has become a little bit too much of a fairy tale.
Quote: sootyj @ May 14 2011, 1:02 PM BSTI was thinking that the no ones dies thingy is a big issue.
But season 1+2 had pretty hefty death tolls. Virtually everyone dies in episode 2, even Gods and Monsters makes a dark joke of the only 2 survivors. So there was a real sense of peril.
The new tensionless version is hmm unsettling it has become a little bit too much of a fairy tale.
Characters do still die though; think of the Angels 2 parter, and that scene where the angel has the soldier by the neck, and he and the Doctor both know that when he looks away, which he'll have to, the soldier will die.
The everyone lives thing is certainly being overplayed too often though.
In episode one a walk on character was randomly killed in the ladies loos by the Silence, for no obvious reason, if that helps.
Part of me died during last years Silurian two-parter. Does that count?
ok I have a major kink for dr who deaths
They keep getting my hopes up with Rory; time was male assistants were expendable.
Quote: sootyj @ May 14 2011, 2:28 PM BSTok I have a major kink for dr who deaths
Too right you have; you've already killed his cat, before he's even got it.
Quote: Timbo @ May 14 2011, 2:52 PM BSTThey keep getting my hopes up with Rory; time was male assistants were expendable.
But Rory is expendable. They've killed him at least twice.
Sorry can't remember who said it but Rory is there for the reasons of the story arc and once the Amy pregnancy is established/resolved Rory will be expended. Again. Unless he can be saved from one of the less terminable forms of death.
I'll be surprised if they ever actually kill off one of the proper companions; they haven't since the show came back. Not that they did much of that in the original run either. I'm not against the idea, I just seem to remember either RTD or Moffat (or perhaps both) talking about how you could never do that because of the kids watching. Or something. To me, it seems an obvious thing to do this far into the new run, though; it would be genuinly unexpected if you killed a companion and they actually remained dead!
Does Rory count as a 'proper companion'?