Neil Gaiman on Doctor Who, and Damages related fretting

For those of us who can't go to conventions in other countries, someone very kindly put up the panel with Neil Gaiman, Mark Sheppard and Chris Hardwick in which they talk about being fans of and working for Doctor Who up, here. (Minus very secret new episode clips, as wished by the panelists.) I very much enjoyed watching and listening to them (if not to one of the fans in the audience who kept annoying me by shouting out to Shepphard), and was endeared and amused by Neil Gaiman pointing out that before he discovered Greek, Egyptian, Aztec mythologies or fairy tales as a child, he knew what a Dalek was because he started watching DW from age 3 onwards. He also mastered the task of giving non-spoilery info about his episode sublimely. Since it was originally scheduled as ep 11 of the previous season until the show ran out of budget, so that his episode was put in s6 instead, the biggest rewrite necessary was adding Rory, who, err, was not around at the point where ep 11 of s5 took place, and by adding Rory he fell in love with the character and ended up enjoying his lines most. He also ships Rory/Amy, which pleases yours truly, and quotes a very funny bit of dialogue between them. Regarding the Doctor, there's much praise for Matt Smith and N.G. too shares the widely popular view of Smith being able to convey the sheer age of the character in a youthful body "better since anyone since Tom Baker".

(He has also kind words for Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, btw; was also amused by the characterisation of DT as a "glorious fanboy", because it's true.)

So I'm very much looking forward to the new season, in between reactions in the previous one and all. In fact, it occurs to me that I have a paradox going on (no, not a temporal one). I liked the last DW season very much, I just wasn't in passionate love with it, and I'm really looking forward to the next one. I did love, unreservedly, the last season of Damages, and yet am having mixed feelings ever since it was announced there would be a fourth season. This despite the fact that Patty and Ellen are among the best female characters on tv right now, and Damages is one of those rare shows built around the relationship of two women. It's just - I think s3 brought them full circle and had a storyline that made for a really good conclusion of the show. And s2 had been a mixed affair, as opposed to s1 and s3. So I suppose I'm afraid of an even-numbered curse. (Reverse Star Trek joke.) That the fourth season won't match what came before and so instead of going out on a glorious note the show will decline. And then I chastize myself and argue I should have more faith in the writers.

...I think the difference is: DW is eternal. There might be a good, stellar, mediocre, bad season, but it will continue, and there's an in-build flux of characters and writers. Damages is a unique story and if it's, well, damaged, there won't be a chance of narrative recovery some years later...