Starting with the tangent first:
I HAVE SCORED A TELLING BLOW AGAINST MY INTERNET ARGUMENT OPPONENT BY MAKING A REFERENCE TO GODWIN'S LAW. MARVEL AT MY WIT.
Don't flatter yourself, Drethelin; there's a big difference between "argument opponent" and "guy who says stupid shit all the time".
Moving on to the subject at hand:
I've had a lot harder time than most enjoying Doctor Who fanservice. I can't get into the Cybermen because, while they certainly look pretty awesome, there is absolutely nothing to them aside from their desire to blow up the world. I can't get into the Daleks because, while they're sometimes funny, there is absolutely nothing to them aside from their desire to blow up the world.
Depends. I'm less impressed by the Cybermen than most, but there've been some good scary Dalek eps -- as well as some thoroughly stupid ones, and some that fall somewhere in the middle.
The Daleks, at their best, are something that you laugh at at first sight but, after spending enough time with the series, can gasp along when they slide into a room simply on the strength of the actors' reactions to them. At their worst, of course, they ARE just another Freak of the Week.
I like the old Doctor Who and all, but it's a lot like regular Doctor Who in that the best thing about it was whoever was writing. As characters, Devros, the Sontarans, the Autons, etc, are pretty one-dimensional villains who worked in their original episodes only due to the suspense of the leadup and the suprise of the resolution.
Wow, I'm going to have to disagree with you on all counts. The resolutions to ALL those villains' original appearances were really hackneyed. Davros's in particular.
Outside of that, they've really only been doled out whenever the current show needed some action, and large-scale action really is not this show's strong suit.
I would say that the original "Dalek" ep and the first Cybermen arc were well-told stories and not just flash. The second and third Dalek stories had their moments too, though the last was pretty lame.
I really liked the new Master, and he had an interesting role to fill as the Doctor's evil twin, so I was pretty stoked when he showed up. Wish his arc had finished a little stronger instead of just throwing him back up into the role of Guy Who Wants To Rule The World, but I guess hoping for something a little sexier than WORLD INVASION for the season finale was asking a bit much.
I didn't mind that so much -- it's the sort of thing the Master would do, and the fact that he did it more to hurt the Doctor than as an ends in and of itself was classic Master -- but the denouement was lousy. As Shark said when it aired, it was "clap your hands" deus ex machina followed by a giant reset switch, and closing with the ring schtick from Flash Gordon.
I dunno, I just look back on all the worthwhile episodes in the past few seasons, and only the ones with completely original ideas and villains - The Satan Pit, Doctor Dances, Girl in the Fireplace, Idiot's Lantern, 42, Family of Blood, Blink - stand out as good ones.
See above for my thoughts on the initial Dalek and Cybermen eps; thought they were pretty good.
I liked Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, but it's hard to call it an original idea, much less an original villain. Cool setting and good suspense, but demonic possession is hardly a new concept.
Idiot's Lantern was kind of cool because of its setting, but the "people get sucked into TV's" bit isn't new, and the "companion gets sucked into another world and Doctor has to save her"/"Doctor gets sucked into another world and companion has to save him" bit is plenty played. Plus the showdown on the radio tower was straight out of Logopolis. It was all right, but I certainly wouldn't count it as one of the best.
And as for 42...really? You're going to call THAT one original? It is the SAME FUCKING EPISODE as Impossible Planet/Satan Pit. I mean, I liked it, but...well, the fact that I liked it despite it being largely redundant is sort of the point.
I don't think Tenant can deliver the pathos like Eccleston could, but that's just me.
[...]
Technically speaking, the Doctor is a very static character who doesn't change much except when he nearly dies.
Disagree.
While Tennant inherited Eccleston's "whatever the cost" inclinations (which weren't really new with the Ninth Doctor, either; the Ninth's agonizing over whether to destroy the Daleks at the cost of the Earth mirrored the Fourth's "Have I the right?" moment when faced with the opportunity to destroy the first Daleks before they had the opportunity to do any harm), he's expanded on them. The saving grace of "Runaway Bride" was the moment with the flames, and since then we've seen him coldly mete out justice in "Family of Blood" (after his very well-played self-sacrifice scene as John Smith), and Fires of Pompeii was another one about making hard decisions. Donna's most interesting attribute is that she grounds him, she pulls him back from the brink and keeps him human. That's true of all the companions in the current series, but it's more overt in her case -- though I can understand how some might not see "more overt" as a good thing.
