Great British Television!

[Invictus_88]

I don't know, I think it's the top-end bonkersness that makes people question Tennant's ability, whereas he was pretty good at the deeper moments too. Very good, in fact.

I'm also won-over by Smith now though, certainly.  

[Garwaire]

Personally, I think this series of Doctor who has gone downhill somewhat (though, having the said that, the finale is damn good, just hope the ending lives up to the 1st half). The script is written by a different person this series, and you can really tell. This series is not my cup of tea, regardless of Smith's ability.

But meh, that's my two cents/pennies. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion and all that jazz.  

[Invictus_88]

I prefer these storylines, really. Nothing yet up there with Human Nature/Family of Blood, but more consistently good.  

[Foetus In Fetu]

I enjoy the lack of farting aliens, sentient fat, palpable racism, etc.  

[Foetus In Fetu]

Haha, I don't even know where to put this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF_R5UJGt-g  

[Invictus_88]

Well, Nigel Kennedy was there first!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NCfM8UGkq0  

[Annie Anthrax]

Ohmygosh! gonk Sherlock starts tonight on BBC1! Sooo excited! Anyone else going to watch it? I'm interested to see how it'll work out in a modern setting with a new Sherlock (much like getting a new Doctor Who!).
Very big fan of Jeremy Brett, hopefully it'll live up to his legacy. 3nodding  

[Invictus_88]

I'm halfway through the first episode, came here wondering if anyone else was watching.

Impressed so far..  

[Foetus In Fetu]

I had massive problems with Sherlock. Like, I enjoyed the first episode despite some concerns -- but I hated the second episode, which had a knock-on effect on the way I viewed the third episode. Mostly, I don't understand how it was that the Sherlock Holmes movie, which was set in the Victorian era, actually managed to be more modernised in the ways that count than the show which is ostensibly set in the modern day -- because the show was a total boys club for literally no reason, and the movie managed to have a female character who actually got to be involved with the plot in more than a romantic/kidnapee capacity. Then you have the Victorian-esque Chinese stereotypes in the second episode, and the fact that Sherlock goes around making suppositions about women's sex lives (which the women in question always roll over in the face of and apologise for) and I don't even think the series was that much more progressive than the books (which, oh my god, actually contained a female character who got to be intelligent and outsmart Holmes -- where in the world is Irene Adler?)

I just feel like -- if you're going to update it then actually update it; don't just throw in a bunch of jokes about laptops and self-service check-outs and call it a day. I genuinely wanted to like that show. Also, I wanted Moriarty to be a woman and instead they cast literally the worst actor on the face of the planet. sad  

[Invictus_88]

Progressivism might be a modern value, but it's hardly modern practice. In which case, Sherlock isn't quite so behind the times as you'd suggest.
Except in respect to the Chinese. That was completely ******** ridiculous by any standard.  

[Foetus In Fetu]

Invictus_88

Progressivism might be a modern value, but it's hardly modern practice. In which case, Sherlock isn't quite so behind the times as you'd suggest.
Except in respect to the Chinese. That was completely ******** ridiculous by any standard.

I was going to write "I think that if we lived in a world where no Sherlock Holmes books had ever been written and Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss had pitched the series the BBC would never have let them get away with having only white male characters in significant roles; the only reason it was allowed was because of inertia -- it's Sherlock Holmes so of course Lestrade has to be a white man and of course female characters only show up as victims, wives/girlfriends/mistresses or secretaries devoid of all personality." But actually I don't think that's true; I think you're right that the series is not so out-of-place in the landscape of modern television -- but either way it's not an accurate depiction of modern-day London, and I just think that if you're going to take the trouble of updating the stories you may as well take full advantage of the modern setting to expunge some of the more distasteful elements of the books.

Also, Martin Freeman's Watson is a total wet blanket.
EDIT: Also, wow, that last post of mine makes me sound like a complete moron.
I don't even understand what the point of that episode was.  

[Invictus_88]

Whut? I'm sure I already replied to this.

Ohwell.

Yup, on reflection - for a feminist perspective - you're pretty accurate about its outdatedness. I don't really see an important issue with respect to the lack of ethnic diversity, though certainly there was an odd blurring of 1910 and 2010 in the presentation of China which got in the way of the adaptation.  

[NanaharaShuya]

I need a good British made show to watch.. orthough I am enjoying this new series of Spooks. Is it close to real world dealings or is that my imagination?  

[Invictus_88]

Definitely your imagination!  

[Foetus In Fetu]

Invictus_88

Whut? I'm sure I already replied to this.

Ohwell.

Yup, on reflection - for a feminist perspective - you're pretty accurate about its outdatedness. I don't really see an important issue with respect to the lack of ethnic diversity, though certainly there was an odd blurring of 1910 and 2010 in the presentation of China which got in the way of the adaptation.

That was pretty egregious considering those villains were cut from whole cloth (the original story it was based on, "The Dancing Men", featured white American villains).