In his third year as the Doctor, Matt Smith will be entering somer uncharted territory. His predecessor David Tennant lasted three years and a set of specials, so unless he regenerates at the end of this year, Smith could soon be the longest lasting actor in the role since Tom Baker. A true eccentric, Smith has brought some much needed charisma and energy to the role. The stories have not been the best (many have been downright awful) but through it all, Smith has remained strong, probably the best of the new series Doctors.
The long tradition of bringing back classic monsters (Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, the Macra, Silurians, etc) continues as the Ice Warriors are scheduled to make a comeback along with the largest army of Daleks ever assembled on screen in ‘The Asylum of the Daleks.’ The companion team of Rory and Amy Pond will of course be leaving (amid a torrent of tear-jerking Murray Gold-music) and the return of the Weeping Angels (this time as babies and probably as the Statue of Liberty). Despite all the spectacle… I hold out hope that this year will be an improvement on the last.
Set for an Autumn 2012 debut, the 7th series of Doctor Who sets the stage for the program’s 50th anniversary.
Doctor Who: Full Length New Series Trailer Autumn 2012 – Series 7
(A bit of admin: as many readers may have noticed, this is the first week that I missed the new releases post. I am moving house, so expect some gap in coverage, thanks for your patience.)
The Daily P.O.P. 
Aside from the obligatory “it has to be better, since it couldn’t be worse”… I’m seeing the cult of Moffat out in spades already. Any hint of negativity gets you smacked down in forums as a “non-believer”… people “trust” Moffat because he wouldn’t do things unless they were good.
For clarity… I’m a Joss Whedon fan.. I liked Buffy, liked Angel, passed on Firefly until it was canceled but then found and loved it later… also liked Dollhouse and want to see his Cabin in the Woods movie. BUT… even critics of Joss Whedon aren’t smacked down with “heretic!” shouts like critics of Moffat… and I honestly can’t point to all the greatness that has earned Mr Moffat such reverence.
I hate to say it… but that level of cultism actually spins me the other way… and I like Doctor Who, I want it to succeed… and I’ve gone on record as not only liking Matt Smith but saying he might be the best actor to ever be in the role. Note that I’m not saying his Doctor is necessarily better than, say, Tom Baker… but I am saying that Matt Smith just might be a better actor. I say this because he is good AND because he is often good very much in spite of the script handed to him. Matt Smith has consistently lifted episodes above what the plot warrants me thinking of the episode… but it’s hard not to notice the cracks.
It’s funny… Moffat’s first series as showrunner had the running cracks-in-space theme… and I found it oddly mirroring cracks-in-the-story as things unfolded.
But I am hoping for better… and story complaints aside, I hope Matt Smith sticks around for a while.
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I’ve given up hoping for the series to get good. Moffat is trying his best to turn the doctor into an action hero. You can see this in the poster they have of matt smith holding the (hopefully) deceased amy pond. The Daleks are made to look like a joke with smith being surrounded by millions as they stand there and watch the doctor talk trash (as seen in the trailer). I can only hope that the master makes an appearance sometime this season.
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@sjv and @roscoe, how right you are! The praise for Moffat is baffling, he’s been responsible for some good material (Press Gang is still his best) but nothing *great*, he had a few ideas for Doctor Who – not all good, by any means – and he’s revisited them ad infinitum, ad nauseum yet people fall weeping at his feet as he’s the messiah. As for the out-of-control praise for Sherlock now that’s pathetic, I find myself wondering if people have seen *anything* else or if the world’s just gone Mad(der) when they praise something that’s, at best, ok. As for Matt Smith, eh he’s all right but the best actor to’ve played the role? Um. No. No more than Cumberbatch is the best actor to play Holmes, now *that’s* ridiculous. Ooh, Bitchy!
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I think I have figured it out…
Moffat’s Doctor Who works like his Weeping Angels.
When you look at it, it stops dead in its tracks… the plot doesn’t advance and nothing interesting happens… but when you look away, it appears to move faster 🙂
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