I haven't seen Casanova or Bob and Rose, but a big YES X 1000 to the rest of your list!
And can I add to your list? A lot of my favorites actually deal with the themes RTD espoused, hope those count. :-)
11. "Human Nature/Family of Blood." Paul Cornell wrote it, but Rusty approved it, and it's a tour de force all around, for David, Freema, Jessica, everyone involved. It's a stunning character drama, period, one of the best I've seen on any show. For me, HN/FoB defines Ten, both in what it says and what it does not say about him.
12. John Simm as the Master. He was a perfect foil for Ten, and through him we could see how close to the edge Ten really was. They were two sides of the same coin.
13. RTD's Doctor was fallible. We saw how his actions had real consequences, for him and for others, both short-term *and* long-term. I love this to pieces! Rusty was not afraid to question and criticize the Doctor's actions in-text. Companions, villains, one-time characters, they all called him on his decisions at some point. For me that's remarkable, because I never got that sense in the Classic Who episodes I've seen. (Not that I've seen many; I find it hard to get into it.)
14. I adored the "Lonely God" arc for Ten. Nine dealt with the acute post-War loss and grief. Ten had to deal with the chronic loss and grief. He had to re-define who he was, what "last of the Time Lords" meant, and where he fit in with the universe. It was a painful journey, too; Ten sometimes stumbled badly, and RTD didn't shy away from that either.
15. That the companions saved the day as much, if not more, than the Doctor. And that "saving the day" sometimes meant rescuing him from himself. I love that kind of adult complexity, as uncomfortable as it is to watch sometimes.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-02-07 08:15 pm (UTC)And can I add to your list? A lot of my favorites actually deal with the themes RTD espoused, hope those count. :-)
11. "Human Nature/Family of Blood." Paul Cornell wrote it, but Rusty approved it, and it's a tour de force all around, for David, Freema, Jessica, everyone involved. It's a stunning character drama, period, one of the best I've seen on any show. For me, HN/FoB defines Ten, both in what it says and what it does not say about him.
12. John Simm as the Master. He was a perfect foil for Ten, and through him we could see how close to the edge Ten really was. They were two sides of the same coin.
13. RTD's Doctor was fallible. We saw how his actions had real consequences, for him and for others, both short-term *and* long-term. I love this to pieces! Rusty was not afraid to question and criticize the Doctor's actions in-text. Companions, villains, one-time characters, they all called him on his decisions at some point. For me that's remarkable, because I never got that sense in the Classic Who episodes I've seen. (Not that I've seen many; I find it hard to get into it.)
14. I adored the "Lonely God" arc for Ten. Nine dealt with the acute post-War loss and grief. Ten had to deal with the chronic loss and grief. He had to re-define who he was, what "last of the Time Lords" meant, and where he fit in with the universe. It was a painful journey, too; Ten sometimes stumbled badly, and RTD didn't shy away from that either.
15. That the companions saved the day as much, if not more, than the Doctor. And that "saving the day" sometimes meant rescuing him from himself. I love that kind of adult complexity, as uncomfortable as it is to watch sometimes.
I'm sure I have others, but I'll stop now. :-)