Though I prefer DS9 overall, you are right that Stewart is clearly TNG's trump card. Though I think Sisko might even be the more interesting character on paper, I don't feel like I ever met him. Every moment he was onscreen I saw Avery Brooks acting (sorry, make that ACTING). There's just no contest.

True, the DS9 stinkers (and I agree they are legion) need to be taken into account in any discussion of the show's overall quality. However when actually watching (or, more accurately, rewatching) they can be happily ignored, leaving the high points, which I would argue are more numerous and reach higher than those on…

That's a good point, but when was the last great romantic comedy?

End of TIme: worst episode ever. I'm a bit biased though. When the Ninth Doctor first said that he was the last Time Lord in 2005, I was aghast. I've been waiting for them to undo that ever since and I hate the survivor's guilt/last of his kind aspect to the Doctor in the revival. Why don't I like this…

I agree. A regeneration of the Doctor hasn't fully come into his own until we see him interact with more than one set of companions. 11's arc has been tied to Amy's since the beginning and it would be nice to see him break away, given that (as much as I like her and Rory) she's just a companion and he's the Doctor.…

What is that song? It sounds like someone decided to rewrite "Space Oddity" only more generic and obtuse.

I don't see any need to do them all at once. They're only linked by a common macguffin. If "The Ribos Operation" were covered first it would be enough to set up any of the other ones later. That would work well since that's one of the best ones in the season, plus it introduces Romana which makes it a good choice to…

It's also my favorite story from all of Doctor Who. I don't understand why people are so averse to the longer stories (yes, I understand there's padding. I just don't get why that is such total anathema to so many people). I could watch The War Games for twenty episodes.

We'll probably get to that before too long. It's generally acknowledged as a high point in the Third Doctor's era, and the entire series. It's certainly one of my favorites. I think it's pretty necessary to do "Terror of the Autons" next, since we really should cover it before any other Master episodes and I think we…

Indeed it would be great to see some McCoy. I still maintain that Revelation of the Daleks is the only great Dalek serial post-Genesis. That, Curse of Fenric, Ghost Light and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy can stand tall with all but the very best of the first four Doctors. And I like McCoy better in the role than…

It should only be a lockpick and occasional machine repair tool. The more it's a tricorder or a magic wand the more the Doctor is a superhero.

Aggressive background music is a chronic problem in new Who. I agree that it was especially bad in this episode.

I saw it as a bit of 4th wall humor more than anything else.

Understood. The point you raise about Amy confusing the ganger with the real is the only thing that gives the ganger theory any credence, in my opinion.

Good point. I didn't want to ramble on too much, but sending someone off into the woods of Classic Who with no guidance is probably not a good idea. My personal favorite period from the show is the collective eras of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Doctors, though every period is hit-or-miss. The format of the old series is…

I generally like Smith despite his age, but I agree with your point. I don't blame Smith so much as the change of emphasis in the presentation of the Doctor (young, flirty, frenetic, self-aware) in the new series.

I'm of two minds about River more than I think I've ever been about a character. On the one hand I find the long-form temporal interaction between her and the Doctor incredibly fresh and fascinating. Especially now that we seem to have only hit the mid point, and we get to see the other side of her, where the Doctor…

They've made a big point to say yes that was really the Doctor and yes he's actually dead. That's my biggest problem with the "it was really the ganger" theory. However, they're clearly going to get out of it somehow so that might be it. I don't think they'd go to such lengths to emphasize the finality of the death…

I think that just means that the poison is such that it would prevent regeneration, which is something we've seen a few times in the past. It makes sense, since the poison was specifically to assassinate the Doctor. I thought the "disabled" was just putting that into interface-speak. It is a bit confusing/ambiguous…

I agree with your boy's assessment. But I'm also a pretty big RTD (the show-runner for the first four seasons) hater. I think his style is generally irritating, and particularly ill-suited for Doctor Who. However, a lot of people like that era so you should see for yourself. At least check out Blink because it's…