I miss David Tennant.

So I'm doing something a bit daring... I'm finally sitting down to Episode 4 of the latest series of Doctor Who. Yes, I know I'm behind, but I stopped watching the show.
Why?
Two words: Episode Three.
Oh, I shudder still!

Let me explain. I became a fan of the Doctor a couple years ago.
In 2006, I had just gotten back from the Brit-Lit Tour and found myself, one Saturday night, watching an episode about this guy in a leather jacket and this blond girl who meet Charles Dickens on Christmas Eve and there are these ghosts inhabiting dead people and making them come back to life. Spooky and really cool. THEN the ghosts turn out to be aliens!
Wow. 
Turns out they filmed the show in Swansea, Wales. A place I had been (listening to Dylan Thomas read his own poetry for two hours. Not a great memory). Anyway, loved the episode.

Now, I hadn't ever really heard about Doctor Who before this (I honestly thought it was some song or TV show The Who had put together). But this seemed quite cool. I think I caught a couple other episodes, but didn't really get into it.
A couple of years went by and I was living Sheffield, England, when some friends introduced me to Series 4 - with David Tennant and Catherine Tate. I was hooked! I even went online and watched as many previous episodes as I could, including ones with Christopher Eccleston. I really loved this show. Well written and well-acted (except for the chick who placed Martha... my least fav companion). You never knew where they would go next! It had cool aliens, like the Ood and the Sontarans. Sadly, they never did anything Medieval, but we met Shakespeare, close enough.

So when David announced that he was leaving, I was very sad. However, it meant Russel T was also leaving and Steven Moffat was taking over. Steven Moffat! The man who wrote some of the best episodes in the series. The man who made angel statues scary, who made libraries and shadows frightening. He also wrote "Time Crash," which was fabulous.

The first episode of Series 5 was good. I loved Amelia Pond. Matt Smith as the Doctor was quite good. The second episode was good too. Especially as it had a cameo by Father Abbot from Brother Cadfael (the best Medieval mystery series ever. Go watch it. Now.) and Liz 10 (brilliant idea).
I was quite excited for the third episode. It's set in WWII London, one of my favorite historical subjects. Also, the location of another Steven Moffat-penned thriller: "The Empty Child."

Then, I watched it. The episode, "Victory of the Daleks," was horrible. This was not a Doctor Who episode. It was Star Wars meets IronMan (seriously one character turns out to be made of metal with a large glowing light in his chest!). WWII planes FLY into space surrounded by bubbles. BUBBLES!
This in addition to numerous plot holes and just stupid inconsistencies (the Daleks turn on the lights of London so Germany can bomb it.. that fails... But WAIT - now they have a bomb! Which logic would suggest you set off first and not bother with the lights.)
And the Daleks are just... old. Not scary. Not ever scary. Been there. Has been. Move on!
Only now they're in color. Because tin cans are much more frightening in color. Like the Emperor in Star Wars in a bright yellow cloak. Think about it.

Dear Writers, For the love of all that is holy... forget the Daleks.

I maintain it is one of the worst episodes of television I have ever seen. I suspect that David might have read this episode. I would have left too. And so, I just could not bring myself to watch another episode.

However, I have been asked by my friends to give it another try. So it is with bated breath and not a small leap of faith that I will attempt to watch the rest of the series.
I do it for The Doctor and for Stephen. Who, I hope, was not fully conscious when he selected this episode to air.

Anyway, now I feel better.

FYI: A lot happened today, which I will write about later. Right now, I'm going to relax and watch some Doctor Who. If all else fails, I have some old David Tennant episodes on hand. ;-)

Allons-y!