Mad Men/Dr. Who

[Soldier of the One]

I know this is an incongruous combination...

First: Mad Men. Is it worth getting into that series? Is it any good?

Second: Dr. Who. I feel embarrassed for admitting to this but I am completely ignorant on Dr. Who. Both the past series and the current series. Where oh where do I start? I think it would be a universe I'd enjoy very much but I feel out of my depth. Any tips?

Thanks!

[CrankyCatLady]

I've never seen Mad Men either but I can tell you ALL about Doctor Who. I'd start with the reboot, that starred Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor. You can watch all the seasons on Netflix, barring this latest season. It's not necessary to have seen all the old episodes, and someone better versed in Old Who could answer better than me which episodes are worth watching and which aren't. I've seen a few of the first season and found it more than a bit dated. I also have seen some of the Tom Baker episodes, but way back in the dark ages, when I was a kid, so I don't remember much about him beyond the scarf, crazy hair and floppy hat.

[Soldier of the One]

Great, thanks!

What's the basic premise of Dr. Who? He travels through time, right?

[formergothardite]

All of time and space!

If you scroll down a little you can see Doctor Who explained to various types of people:

http://www.collegehumor.com/article/682 ... ent-people

[CrankyCatLady]

Great, thanks!

What's the basic premise of Dr. Who? He travels through time, right?

Yep. He travels in the TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It looks like a 1960s police box. It's bigger on the inside.

If you want to watch a one-off episode that doesn't require any back story, watch Blink. It's fantastic. But starting at the beginning of the re-boot will be fine. It's a fun show - sometimes scary, sometimes campy, always has a couple of witty or memorable one-liners in each episode.

[formergothardite]

Blink scared me out of my mind.

[CrankyCatLady]

Blink scared me out of my mind.

Me, too. Still does. I cannot look at statues the same way since seeing it.

[formergothardite]

When it came on BBC America a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't bring myself to watch it. And even though I know it isn't real, all those statues make me nervous now.

[Soldier of the One]

Uh oh... ;)

Thanks for the tips and links. Sounds like something I'd enjoy. I know ilovetchotchkes has been trying to proselytize me into Dr. Who for a fair bit of time now :)

[Irishy]

I know this is an incongruous combination...

First: Mad Men. Is it worth getting into that series? Is it any good?

Second: Dr. Who. I feel embarrassed for admitting to this but I am completely ignorant on Dr. Who. Both the past series and the current series. Where oh where do I start? I think it would be a universe I'd enjoy very much but I feel out of my depth. Any tips?

Thanks!

Oh my god YES! Best thing I've seen since the west wing. Really worth seeing.

[crazyforkate]

I haven't seen Dr. Who in any incarnation, but I LOVE Mad Men. Definitely worth a look. It's slow-burning but always, always compelling. If you like history you'll like this. Try the first season and you are likely to be hooked by the end.

[PennySycamore]

Another Mad Men fan here.

I can't wait till the next season starts this spring. I was watching a repeat one Sunday morning recently and saw some foreshadowing of things that happened this season. The season I was watching was the one were baby Gene was born. Sally had thrown her Barbie out the window and Don fetched it out of the shrubbery. It's legs were all akimbo and reminded me of the bad dream that Don had later had that he killed a woman during rough sex and pushed her body under the bed. Her legs were still sticking out from under the bed. I know a whole lot of us fans were so relieved it was only a dream. There was also a scene with Lane Pryce that seemed to foreshadow his suicide.

Edited for spoilers. If you're new to MM, let it unfold and then come read the spoilers later! :)

[thekate]

Another Mad Men fan here. I can't wait till the next season starts this spring. I was watching a repeat one Sunday morning recently and saw some foreshadowing of things that happened this season.

The season I was watching was the one were baby Gene was born. Sally had thrown her Barbie out the window and Don fetched it out of the shrubbery. It's legs were all akimbo and reminded me of the bad dream that Don had later had that he killed a woman during rough sex and pushed her body under the bed. Her legs were still sticking out from under the bed. I know a whole lot of us fans were so relieved it was only a dream. There was also a scene with Lane Pryce that seemed to foreshadow his suicide

.

Spoilers! Which is a also a fun word if you're a Dr. Who fan.

[Blahblah]

Dr Who rocks! (hence my avi).

I agree with the earlier posters plus I suggest that you read up a little about the Doctor and how he operates including time travel, regeneration and his companions.

Then if you have time, jump into season 9 and keep going.

I adored David Tennant as the Doctor with Rose (Billie Piper). I cried buckets at the end of their time together.

But the current Doctor, Matt Smith, is a joy to watch. I didn't really like his last companion Amy Pond as a character but it did make for some good story lines with her husband Rory.

Having seen the latest Christmas special I have high hopes for the upcoming season with the Doctor's new companion Claire Oswin Oswald. She intrigues me.

[CrankyCatLady]

Amy wore on me after a while. I loved Rory, though. I was more sad to see him go that to see Amy go. I agree that Claire seems like she's going to be an interesting companion. I loved her in the Christmas special. She's spunky.

David Tennant is my favourite, though. I love him.

[Shirley MacLaine]

Dr. Who is just not my bag, baby.

I love Mad Men, though, although I will say it took awhile for me to get really into it. I did not 100% enjoy the first season although I admired a lot of it. So you know: if you decide to watch and you're not totally on board for a few episodes, don't give up! It might grow on you.

[formergothardite]

Christopher Eccleston is my favorite doctor. Donna is my favorite companion. Amy did get old fast.

[MamaJunebug]

I watch Mad Men with a morbid fascination -- they get the '60s *so *right.

Sometimes it borders on ptsd (small letters), me having worked in ad/pr from the early '70s.

Very little of it is anachronistic, so it's really interesting viewing for those whose parents or grandparents lived through those days.

Dr. Who, I just can't get into.

[CrankyCatLady]

Christopher Eccleston is my favorite doctor. Donna is my favorite companion. Amy did get old fast.

Have you seen the special she and David Tennant did a few years back? It was hilarious.

http://youtu.be/WxB1gB6K-2A

[sparkles]

That Comic Relief clip is brilliant, and it was my intro to Catherine Tate.

Can't comment on Mad Men because I've never seen it but the reboot of Doctor Who is one of the few shows I watch (although I have to catch up on the current season). I usually watch on my computer with its USB TARDIS hub, drinking tea from my TARDIS mug, writing with my sonic screwdriver pen, sitting alongside the Ten and Runaway Bride Donna mice that I had made for me from House of Mouse on Etsy.

I adored Eccleston and though S1 Rose was good. I did like Tennant although he and Rose together weren't my cup of tea and by the end of S2, I found Saint Rose intolerable. I like Martha too, and Donna was all sorts of awesome. Unfortunately for me Tennant's departure just dragged on and on and on and on so I was really ready for him to just be gone already at the. No fault of Tennant's; I'm looking at YOU, Rusty.

I do adore Matt Smith and his Doctor probably ties with Eccleston. Love River and Rory but I could never warm to Amy (young Amy is gold though). For some reason, I find Karen Gillan extremely difficult to understand and I usually never have a problem with even the heaviest accents. She's very mumbly and she tends to bite off the ends of her words so I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what she's saying and less time on following the storylines.

Fave eps:

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

Father's Day

Human Nature/Family of Blood

Blink (probably my all time fave)

and I'm drawing a blank on so many others.

[NovemberRain]

Every season i watch Mad Men and desperately wish i had a time machine. *sigh*

[Shirley MacLaine]

Every season i watch Mad Men and desperately wish i had a time machine. *sigh*

Dear god, why??

[crazyforkate]

Every season i watch Mad Men and desperately wish i had a time machine. *sigh*

And a clothing replicator for me!

[Markie]

I have loved Mad Men since it came out -wish there was not so much time between seasons. I totally recommend you watch it from the beginning. I have enjoyed Dr. Who, as well. I had watched a few episodes with David Tennent and was surprised to see a different Dr. Who when I watched again. This is one series I'd like to see more of, and intend to.

[NerdyHil]

I am more than slightly Doctor Who obsessed. I love Nu Who, and I will happily sit through even the really bad Classic Who stuff. If anyone wants recommendations for classic episodes I would love to share my addiction. Most of the really good ones are on Netflix too.