Hello Sweetie
The Husbands of River Song was interesting in more how it ended up. We knew going into it that this was going to be a comedy romp and it delivered on that. It got so far that it became a bit silly at a few points, but that was okay given how dour Series Nine was. What was interesting was how the episode ended and how it seemed to be a bit of a swan song for Steven Moffat.
Plot Summary
The Doctor is taken by a servant who has confused him for a surgeon to a crashed space ship. Inside, River Song welcomes him, not recognizing him as the Doctor, and asks him to remove the head of the king she is married to. There is a valuable diamond lodged in his brain and it is going to kill him. River acts like she is wanting to save the king's life, but she just wants the diamond. The king gets wise to this and removes his head from his cyborg body, ordering it to kill River and the Doctor. They steal the head and run for the TARDIS. River has been looking for the Doctor but is only looking for his previous incarnations. The cyborg body takes the heads of her two accomplices and gets into the TARDIS. Before it can kill them, the TARDIS takes off and they land on a ship where River plans to sell the diamond. She makes the deal but the buyers intend to worship the head of the king they believe dead and will kill River and the Doctor on the orders of the king. Before they can, the cyborg body breaks in. It recognizes that the head of the king is beyond repair and destroys it, deciding to take a new head. It opts for the Doctor and that is when River realizes that he is the Doctor. Before the cyborg can take the Doctor's head, the ship is caught in a meteor storm and crashes on the planet Derilium. The Doctor and River are saved in the TARDIS, although River is briefly knocked out. The Doctor sets up things to see that a restaurant is built on the crash site in front of the singing towers. When River wakes up, he has reserved a table through the night. River senses what is coming, having dug ahead and found that the night on Derilium was to be their last. She is sad at that thought, but the Doctor reveals to her that night on Derilium lasts 24 years.
Analysis
I liked this one. It wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable. After a dark couple of series, it was nice to see a light-hearted tone being taken. In fact, I think that is the best way to play River: either very serious as in Silence in the Library/Forrest of the Dead or the last few minutes of The Angels Take Manhattan or in a heavy comedic role such as with Richard Nixon in The Impossible Astronaut. I thought the Doctor's comedy routine, especially with the little asides to River's comments were particularly funny. The rompy run-around was also enjoyable in the episode taking itself too seriously.
If there was one part I didn't care for in the rompy bits, it was the fact that I thought River's nonrecognition of the Doctor went on a little too long. It was funny for a while but when the Doctor did his funny and over-the-top reaction to the inside of the TARDIS, that should have been the clue to River that he was taking the Mickey a bit. At the very least, she should have recognized that he had actually been in the TARDIS before. It also would have lessened the suspension of disbelief that he could pull levers on the TARDIS console and seem to know what he was doing (the button to seventh floor not withstanding.
But we must mention the end. After a big romp, things settle down and we are granted a quiet moment where we say a form of goodbye to River. Since we saw that she didn't realize that the Doctor had been granted a new regeneration cycle until the singing towers, it will effectively be impossible to insert newer Doctors with River. If any future events are shown with the 12th Doctor and River, it will have be confined to that night (24 years in duration). So this is more or less goodbye to River (again). To me, this also seemed a little like Steven Moffat hinting that his own time on the show is coming to an end. I could be reading into it but there has been speculation that he will leave when Peter Capaldi leaves, making a clean break just like RTD did for him. I don't know if that is true, but it gave an extra layer of melancholy that I appreciated after the earlier comedy.
So, this was a good one. Not the absolute best, but a good bit of a fluff with just a sting in the tail at the end to balance out the saccharine.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Tomb of the Cybermen
You belong to us. You shall be like us.
I had seen enough clips of Tomb of the Cybermen to have a pretty good idea of the plot before I had even watched the whole thing. I was really interested in this one because the opening clips and the music reminded me very strongly of The Twilight Zone. So it was quite a different viewing experience when I finally was able to sit down and watch the episode.
Plot Summary
The Doctor, Jamie and a newly added Victoria land on the planet Telos where they meet up with an expedition from Earth looking for the lost city of the Cybermen. The Doctor soon recognizes that the scientific leader Eric Klieg and his colleague Kaftan (who are funding the expedition) are hoping to revive the Cybermen and use them to gain domination of the world. The Doctor manipulates the situation to allow Klieg to awaken the Cybermen from hibernation, confirming his suspicions about him. The Cybermen attempt to break out of the caverns with Klieg still believing that if he aids the Cybermen, they will take orders from him. The Doctor manages to trick the Cybermen to go back into their hibernation state and the Cyber Controller is killed when the tombs are resealed. Most of the expedition was also killed in the battle with the Cybermen and the survivors fly back to Earth while the Doctor and his party leave in the TARDIS.
Analysis
I enjoyed this story, but I was also a little let down by it. Part of that was the build up, but it was also due to the relative incompetence of both Klieg and the Cybermen. The Doctor is the one who ends up allowing the expedition into the Cybermen's base and then is also the one who allows them access to the hibernation chambers. What's more, it is not until the end of Episode Two that Klieg manages to awaken the Cybermen and he is promptly slapped aside by the Cyber Controller.
The Cybermen themselves don't do very much. It is only the Cyber Controller who ever engages in a fight and that is mostly with the mute servant Toberman after Toberman breaks free of the Cyberman mind control. There is also the attack by the Cybermats. This is actually somewhat creepy, despite the fact that the Cybermats themselves look a little silly. However, once the initial wave is thwarted, the attack is over and it becomes an internal watch again.
The story has moments of action, but it also has some slow moments. There is a touching scene between the Doctor and Victoria about family since Victoria is still mourning the death of her father from the previous story (The Evil of the Daleks), but aside from that, most of the slow moments come across as a bit dull with not enough character study to liven the mood.
One other unsatisfying thing is the dispatching of Klieg. Like most classic Doctor Who stories, Klieg is undone by his actions and killed by the Cybermen. However, this is done in his second attempt to gain control of the Cybermen when he believes he can take over as Cyber Controller. The Cybermen do not accept this (Cyber Control was merely stunned rather than killed) and Klieg is knocked to the side once again and the Cybermen kill him off-screen. I understand that as the show was intended for a family audience, the producers couldn't show Klieg killed in a gruesome manner, but it still felt unsatisfying to simply see him fly to the side, a couple of Cybermen move towards him and then zoom in on Victoria's horrified face.
I wish this story had had a bit more action and that either Klieg or the Cybermen were presented as a more formidable villain. It's entertaining enough, but I just have this sense that this story could have been so much better given the set up it had. I would watch it again given the opportunity but there are certainly better Second Doctor stories out there to enjoy.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
I had seen enough clips of Tomb of the Cybermen to have a pretty good idea of the plot before I had even watched the whole thing. I was really interested in this one because the opening clips and the music reminded me very strongly of The Twilight Zone. So it was quite a different viewing experience when I finally was able to sit down and watch the episode.
Plot Summary
The Doctor, Jamie and a newly added Victoria land on the planet Telos where they meet up with an expedition from Earth looking for the lost city of the Cybermen. The Doctor soon recognizes that the scientific leader Eric Klieg and his colleague Kaftan (who are funding the expedition) are hoping to revive the Cybermen and use them to gain domination of the world. The Doctor manipulates the situation to allow Klieg to awaken the Cybermen from hibernation, confirming his suspicions about him. The Cybermen attempt to break out of the caverns with Klieg still believing that if he aids the Cybermen, they will take orders from him. The Doctor manages to trick the Cybermen to go back into their hibernation state and the Cyber Controller is killed when the tombs are resealed. Most of the expedition was also killed in the battle with the Cybermen and the survivors fly back to Earth while the Doctor and his party leave in the TARDIS.
Analysis
I enjoyed this story, but I was also a little let down by it. Part of that was the build up, but it was also due to the relative incompetence of both Klieg and the Cybermen. The Doctor is the one who ends up allowing the expedition into the Cybermen's base and then is also the one who allows them access to the hibernation chambers. What's more, it is not until the end of Episode Two that Klieg manages to awaken the Cybermen and he is promptly slapped aside by the Cyber Controller.
The Cybermen themselves don't do very much. It is only the Cyber Controller who ever engages in a fight and that is mostly with the mute servant Toberman after Toberman breaks free of the Cyberman mind control. There is also the attack by the Cybermats. This is actually somewhat creepy, despite the fact that the Cybermats themselves look a little silly. However, once the initial wave is thwarted, the attack is over and it becomes an internal watch again.
The story has moments of action, but it also has some slow moments. There is a touching scene between the Doctor and Victoria about family since Victoria is still mourning the death of her father from the previous story (The Evil of the Daleks), but aside from that, most of the slow moments come across as a bit dull with not enough character study to liven the mood.
One other unsatisfying thing is the dispatching of Klieg. Like most classic Doctor Who stories, Klieg is undone by his actions and killed by the Cybermen. However, this is done in his second attempt to gain control of the Cybermen when he believes he can take over as Cyber Controller. The Cybermen do not accept this (Cyber Control was merely stunned rather than killed) and Klieg is knocked to the side once again and the Cybermen kill him off-screen. I understand that as the show was intended for a family audience, the producers couldn't show Klieg killed in a gruesome manner, but it still felt unsatisfying to simply see him fly to the side, a couple of Cybermen move towards him and then zoom in on Victoria's horrified face.
I wish this story had had a bit more action and that either Klieg or the Cybermen were presented as a more formidable villain. It's entertaining enough, but I just have this sense that this story could have been so much better given the set up it had. I would watch it again given the opportunity but there are certainly better Second Doctor stories out there to enjoy.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
Gridlock
You are not alone.
Gridlock was the first episode where I keyed into the "gay agenda" prevalent in the RTD era. That threw me a little bit at first, but on reflection, this is a rather good episode.
Plot Summary
In a return to New Earth (New Earth), the Tenth Doctor and Martha find the planet recovering from a plague that struck nearly fifty years prior. Martha is kidnapped and dragged into a car on the Motorway, a wall of cars trapped in a long tunnel under the city. The Doctor pursues and ends up in another car. After getting Martha's location, the Doctor chases through the cars to discover the bottom of the tunnel inhabited by Macra (The Macra Terror) who eat the travelers granted access to the "fast lanes." Before he can reach Martha's car, the Doctor is transported by a hospital agent to see the Face of Boe. The Doctor and the Face of Boe work together to open the roof of the Motorway, but the act is too much for the Face of Boe, who dies afterwards, warning the Doctor that he is not alone. Martha returns to the Doctor who tells her about the Time War and how he believes he is the last of the Time Lords.
Analysis
While there are some action sequences near the beginning and the Doctor's chase through the cars, Gridlock is more of a character piece story, which is something that is right up Russell T. Davies alley. The Doctor spends a good deal of time with Brannigan (an Irish cat person) and his human wife Valerie while Martha spends even more time with her kidnappers, who are only trying to use her to escape the Motorway. Both instances give time for interaction and reflection in a close environment. It can get a little dull but the dialogue stays fairly witty through most of the period which also makes it fairly enjoyable.
The use of the Macra was lost on me in the first go around. It was enough that the Doctor knew who they were. But, having now seen The Macra Terror, the use of an old foe is a nice touch. Why worry yourself to create a new villain, especially for such a small scene, when you can call back to an old one. This saves creative effort and gives classic fan boys a little thrill.
Much has been made of The Face of Boe's death and while it is a nice scene, it's a bit underwhelming for me. Although the Face is in two other episodes, he's still more or less just there and the emotional connection wasn't really made for me. Far greater impact is the end where the Doctor is just talking about Gallifrey to Martha and finally opening up a little bit. That was a nice scene and one that I wished could have gone on a little longer.
This episode was not a major standout, but it was a nice story and it had the advantage of being a good story surrounded by several bad stories (The Shakespeare Code, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks). I'd watch this one again without any issues.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
Gridlock was the first episode where I keyed into the "gay agenda" prevalent in the RTD era. That threw me a little bit at first, but on reflection, this is a rather good episode.
Plot Summary
In a return to New Earth (New Earth), the Tenth Doctor and Martha find the planet recovering from a plague that struck nearly fifty years prior. Martha is kidnapped and dragged into a car on the Motorway, a wall of cars trapped in a long tunnel under the city. The Doctor pursues and ends up in another car. After getting Martha's location, the Doctor chases through the cars to discover the bottom of the tunnel inhabited by Macra (The Macra Terror) who eat the travelers granted access to the "fast lanes." Before he can reach Martha's car, the Doctor is transported by a hospital agent to see the Face of Boe. The Doctor and the Face of Boe work together to open the roof of the Motorway, but the act is too much for the Face of Boe, who dies afterwards, warning the Doctor that he is not alone. Martha returns to the Doctor who tells her about the Time War and how he believes he is the last of the Time Lords.
Analysis
While there are some action sequences near the beginning and the Doctor's chase through the cars, Gridlock is more of a character piece story, which is something that is right up Russell T. Davies alley. The Doctor spends a good deal of time with Brannigan (an Irish cat person) and his human wife Valerie while Martha spends even more time with her kidnappers, who are only trying to use her to escape the Motorway. Both instances give time for interaction and reflection in a close environment. It can get a little dull but the dialogue stays fairly witty through most of the period which also makes it fairly enjoyable.
The use of the Macra was lost on me in the first go around. It was enough that the Doctor knew who they were. But, having now seen The Macra Terror, the use of an old foe is a nice touch. Why worry yourself to create a new villain, especially for such a small scene, when you can call back to an old one. This saves creative effort and gives classic fan boys a little thrill.
Much has been made of The Face of Boe's death and while it is a nice scene, it's a bit underwhelming for me. Although the Face is in two other episodes, he's still more or less just there and the emotional connection wasn't really made for me. Far greater impact is the end where the Doctor is just talking about Gallifrey to Martha and finally opening up a little bit. That was a nice scene and one that I wished could have gone on a little longer.
This episode was not a major standout, but it was a nice story and it had the advantage of being a good story surrounded by several bad stories (The Shakespeare Code, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks). I'd watch this one again without any issues.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
The Dalek's Master Plan (Episodes 8-12)
I, Mavic Chen, will decide when the alliance is at an end!
It is probably best when kicking off the later portion of this story to just pretend Episode Seven didn't happen. That leaves a better narrative flow. Of course, jumping over Episodes Eight and Nine wouldn't hurt either.
Plot Summary
Episode Eight continues the journey of the TARDIS crew. They note a pursuing time ship and, after a few hops, land on a volcano in a far galaxy. There they are confronted by the Meddling Monk, last seen trapped in 1066 at the end of The Time Meddler. He sabotages the TARDIS lock but the Doctor manages to get it open and take off. The Doctor then lands in ancient Egypt to make repairs to the lock. The Monk follows along with a Dalek time ship. The Daleks confront the Monk but Mavic Chen convinces them to allow the Monk to steal the weapon core in exchange for his life. The Monk confronts the Doctor but the Doctor gets the drop on him. He is found by Steven and Sarah and together they look for the Doctor but are captured by the Daleks. Mavic Chen trades the hostages for the weapon core. The Doctor and his companions flee, having stolen the directional unit from the Monk's TARDIS. This allows the Doctor to fly back to planet Kembel while the Monk can only wander aimlessly.
Back on Kembel, the Doctor rushes into the jungle. Steven and Sarah pursue him but lose track of him. They enter the city but find it deserted except for the delegates who have been betrayed and locked up. Sarah releases them and they return to their respective galaxies to order their armies to turn on the Daleks, except Mavic Chen who fakes his own death. He captures Steven and Sarah and takes them to see the Daleks, demanding that the Daleks obey his commands. The Daleks stun him, carry him away from the Time Destructor weapon and exterminate him. While they are away, the Doctor enters and activates the Time Destructor. The Daleks cannot fire on him as they risk destroying the weapon and themselves. The Doctor orders Sarah and Steven back to the TARDIS while he follows. Steven makes it back but Sarah leaves Steven and doubles back to the Doctor. The Doctor is slowly aging as is the planet around him. Sarah follows the Doctor but the effects of the Time Destructor cause them both to collapse outside the TARDIS. Steven sees them on the scope and heads out to help them. He manages to reverse the flow of the Time Destructor, sending time backwards and reverting the Doctor back his regular age. Sarah had already turned to dust and was not revived. Steven drags the Doctor into the TARDIS while the Time Destructor regresses the Daleks to the point of non-life. Eventually the Time Destructor burns itself out and Steven and the Doctor leave Kembel.
Analysis
This is probably the point where Dalekmania started to wain. The first six episodes were a fairly well paced story. Episode Seven is a comedy detour but it's lack of involvement in the overall story allows it to be bypassed. Picking things back up in Episode Eight, one would expect things to dive back in to the previous pace. Instead we get very obvious padding. Not only is it padding, but it is light, comedic padding as well since Episode Eight coincided with New Year's and the powers that be felt that it also should be easy on the audience. Unlike The Feast of Steven though, Episode Eight actually continues the plot and can't be overlooked readily. It marks a very strong contrast with the first six episodes which moved well. I found myself starting to doze at a few points, especially in Episode Nine which has long portions of minimal dialogue. That might work if the episode existed, but sound effects only in a recon does not make for attention grabbing storytelling.
Episode Ten brought us back in to the realm of moving pictures and it is a welcome improvement. It also helps that the Monk stopped being an antagonist and more of a treacherous ally (like the Master in a few notable stories). The return of the Daleks and Mavic Chen especially as the focus villains improved things a good deal.
Things wrap up well, although it's obvious that William Hartnell goes on holiday for Episode Eleven. But, Sarah and Steven make it so that the Doctor's absence is less noticeable, despite mentioning him in every other sentence. It is a real shame that Episode Twelve does not exist as I would have been very interested to see how they handled the rapid aging of Sarah and the Doctor and then the rapid de-aging of the Daleks. I imagine it would have also landed a greater emotional impact.
In the comparison between Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner, I'd say Terry Nation comes up better in this one. Spooner had the dramatic resolution in Episode Twelve, but Episodes Eight through Eleven have moments that drag and it just feels less tense than the first half. Story fatigue may also play a factor, although I think if the villain focus had not shifted in the middle, it would have done better.
Overall, it's a good story, but the drag factor is hard to ignore. I think if all episodes were recovered I'd enjoy watching this again, but with nine of twelve episodes being recons and one of those being the complete oddball that is The Feast of Steven, I can't see myself picking this one up again anytime soon. I was leaning towards a 3.5 for the first half and if they had then jumped to the resolution in Episode Twelve, it probably would have stayed there as a solid seven-part story. But it is hard to overlook how the other five episodes drag it down.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
It is probably best when kicking off the later portion of this story to just pretend Episode Seven didn't happen. That leaves a better narrative flow. Of course, jumping over Episodes Eight and Nine wouldn't hurt either.
Plot Summary
Episode Eight continues the journey of the TARDIS crew. They note a pursuing time ship and, after a few hops, land on a volcano in a far galaxy. There they are confronted by the Meddling Monk, last seen trapped in 1066 at the end of The Time Meddler. He sabotages the TARDIS lock but the Doctor manages to get it open and take off. The Doctor then lands in ancient Egypt to make repairs to the lock. The Monk follows along with a Dalek time ship. The Daleks confront the Monk but Mavic Chen convinces them to allow the Monk to steal the weapon core in exchange for his life. The Monk confronts the Doctor but the Doctor gets the drop on him. He is found by Steven and Sarah and together they look for the Doctor but are captured by the Daleks. Mavic Chen trades the hostages for the weapon core. The Doctor and his companions flee, having stolen the directional unit from the Monk's TARDIS. This allows the Doctor to fly back to planet Kembel while the Monk can only wander aimlessly.
Back on Kembel, the Doctor rushes into the jungle. Steven and Sarah pursue him but lose track of him. They enter the city but find it deserted except for the delegates who have been betrayed and locked up. Sarah releases them and they return to their respective galaxies to order their armies to turn on the Daleks, except Mavic Chen who fakes his own death. He captures Steven and Sarah and takes them to see the Daleks, demanding that the Daleks obey his commands. The Daleks stun him, carry him away from the Time Destructor weapon and exterminate him. While they are away, the Doctor enters and activates the Time Destructor. The Daleks cannot fire on him as they risk destroying the weapon and themselves. The Doctor orders Sarah and Steven back to the TARDIS while he follows. Steven makes it back but Sarah leaves Steven and doubles back to the Doctor. The Doctor is slowly aging as is the planet around him. Sarah follows the Doctor but the effects of the Time Destructor cause them both to collapse outside the TARDIS. Steven sees them on the scope and heads out to help them. He manages to reverse the flow of the Time Destructor, sending time backwards and reverting the Doctor back his regular age. Sarah had already turned to dust and was not revived. Steven drags the Doctor into the TARDIS while the Time Destructor regresses the Daleks to the point of non-life. Eventually the Time Destructor burns itself out and Steven and the Doctor leave Kembel.
Analysis
This is probably the point where Dalekmania started to wain. The first six episodes were a fairly well paced story. Episode Seven is a comedy detour but it's lack of involvement in the overall story allows it to be bypassed. Picking things back up in Episode Eight, one would expect things to dive back in to the previous pace. Instead we get very obvious padding. Not only is it padding, but it is light, comedic padding as well since Episode Eight coincided with New Year's and the powers that be felt that it also should be easy on the audience. Unlike The Feast of Steven though, Episode Eight actually continues the plot and can't be overlooked readily. It marks a very strong contrast with the first six episodes which moved well. I found myself starting to doze at a few points, especially in Episode Nine which has long portions of minimal dialogue. That might work if the episode existed, but sound effects only in a recon does not make for attention grabbing storytelling.
Episode Ten brought us back in to the realm of moving pictures and it is a welcome improvement. It also helps that the Monk stopped being an antagonist and more of a treacherous ally (like the Master in a few notable stories). The return of the Daleks and Mavic Chen especially as the focus villains improved things a good deal.
Things wrap up well, although it's obvious that William Hartnell goes on holiday for Episode Eleven. But, Sarah and Steven make it so that the Doctor's absence is less noticeable, despite mentioning him in every other sentence. It is a real shame that Episode Twelve does not exist as I would have been very interested to see how they handled the rapid aging of Sarah and the Doctor and then the rapid de-aging of the Daleks. I imagine it would have also landed a greater emotional impact.
In the comparison between Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner, I'd say Terry Nation comes up better in this one. Spooner had the dramatic resolution in Episode Twelve, but Episodes Eight through Eleven have moments that drag and it just feels less tense than the first half. Story fatigue may also play a factor, although I think if the villain focus had not shifted in the middle, it would have done better.
Overall, it's a good story, but the drag factor is hard to ignore. I think if all episodes were recovered I'd enjoy watching this again, but with nine of twelve episodes being recons and one of those being the complete oddball that is The Feast of Steven, I can't see myself picking this one up again anytime soon. I was leaning towards a 3.5 for the first half and if they had then jumped to the resolution in Episode Twelve, it probably would have stayed there as a solid seven-part story. But it is hard to overlook how the other five episodes drag it down.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
Monday, December 21, 2015
The Dalek's Master Plan (The Feast of Steven)
This is a madhouse, it's all full of Arabs.
This episode is weird. I admit that there are aspects of British comedy that I don't get, but this seems bizarre even for me. It doesn't help that the story has a lot of visual action that simply cannot be expressed in the recon form.
Plot Summary
The story, as far as I can tell, is a double dose of meta. The Doctor, Steven, and Sarah land outside a police station in the 1960's. The police are confused and take the Doctor into the station when he emerges from the TARDIS. Inside, he explains that the box is his ship and the police naturally suspect that he has gone mad. Sarah sets about to repair the visual scanner while Steven steals a police jacket and walks into the station. He poses as an officer from another precinct who has been sent to collect the Doctor and take him back to his home.
The TARDIS dematerializes but then reappears in the midst of a 1920's movie studio. The team gets separated while attempting to aid a screaming woman, unaware that it is a movie scene. The story gets even odder and the breaks in between each scene are cut with silent movie cards noting the shift in action. There is a lot of running around but the Doctor and his companions gets back to the TARDIS and disappear.
Analysis
If this episode existed, it might make some sense but as a recon, it's a mad, jumbled mess. There is so much action taking place that is impossible to tell what is going on without a moving picture. There is also a lot of background noise, presumably from the chaos of the set, that makes it nearly impossible to hear the primary dialogue. If you could see the people and focus on them, you might be able to hone on their voices outside of the background, but it's very difficult when all you have audio.
The setting of the first half outside a police station is a level of meta within the context of the show itself. But the second half is another level of meta which culminates in the Doctor breaking the fourth wall to wish the viewers a Happy Christmas. I can understand what Terry Nation was going for in his writing, but I feel like there is a bit too much inside baseball going on in this one for me to appreciate. Or maybe it's my American nature the prevents me from appreciating the comedy of this one.
Overall personal score: 1 out of 5 (The Feast of Steven only)
This episode is weird. I admit that there are aspects of British comedy that I don't get, but this seems bizarre even for me. It doesn't help that the story has a lot of visual action that simply cannot be expressed in the recon form.
Plot Summary
The story, as far as I can tell, is a double dose of meta. The Doctor, Steven, and Sarah land outside a police station in the 1960's. The police are confused and take the Doctor into the station when he emerges from the TARDIS. Inside, he explains that the box is his ship and the police naturally suspect that he has gone mad. Sarah sets about to repair the visual scanner while Steven steals a police jacket and walks into the station. He poses as an officer from another precinct who has been sent to collect the Doctor and take him back to his home.
The TARDIS dematerializes but then reappears in the midst of a 1920's movie studio. The team gets separated while attempting to aid a screaming woman, unaware that it is a movie scene. The story gets even odder and the breaks in between each scene are cut with silent movie cards noting the shift in action. There is a lot of running around but the Doctor and his companions gets back to the TARDIS and disappear.
Analysis
If this episode existed, it might make some sense but as a recon, it's a mad, jumbled mess. There is so much action taking place that is impossible to tell what is going on without a moving picture. There is also a lot of background noise, presumably from the chaos of the set, that makes it nearly impossible to hear the primary dialogue. If you could see the people and focus on them, you might be able to hone on their voices outside of the background, but it's very difficult when all you have audio.
The setting of the first half outside a police station is a level of meta within the context of the show itself. But the second half is another level of meta which culminates in the Doctor breaking the fourth wall to wish the viewers a Happy Christmas. I can understand what Terry Nation was going for in his writing, but I feel like there is a bit too much inside baseball going on in this one for me to appreciate. Or maybe it's my American nature the prevents me from appreciating the comedy of this one.
Overall personal score: 1 out of 5 (The Feast of Steven only)
The Daleks' Master Plan (Episodes 1-6)
I, Mavic Chen, will be ruler of the Universe!
The Daleks' Master Plan is a big eleven part saga that is interrupted by a Christmas comedy in Episode Seven (The Feast of Steven). As such, I thought it best to break down my review into three parts: the six before the Christmas break, The Feast of Steven by itself, and then the final five episodes. It also works that the first five episodes and The Feast of Steven were written by Terry Nation while the other six episodes are written by Dennis Spooner so that also gives a reason for splitting the story into different views.
Plot Summary
Terry Nation takes a bit of flak (justified in many cases) for his recycling of the same story. But even then, he could twist the plot elements fairly well together to keep you entertained. Likewise, the first half of The Daleks' Master Plan is also entertaining. In this section of the story, the Doctor, Steven, and Katarina land on the planet Kembel where they encounter the lone survivor of an investigative mission (Bret) following up on the events of Mission to the Unknown. Working together, they learn that the Daleks have allied themselves with other races to conquer the universe, starting with the Earth solar system. To aid them, they have enlisted the aid of Mavic Chen, the ruler of the solar system, who has dreams of ruling the entire universe.
The Daleks have constructed a weapon to aid them that must be powered by a mineral only found on the planet Uranus. Mavic Chen is delivering fifty years worth of mining of this mineral to power the weapon. The Doctor disguises himself as one of the delegates and steals the core, escaping with his crew aboard Mavic Chen's ship. They are deviated by the Daleks to a prison planet where one of the prisoners sneaks aboard and takes Katarina hostage. Attempting to escape, she opens the outer door and both are ejected into space.
Upon landing on Earth, the Doctor, Steven, and Bret are pursued by Mavic Chen's forces. Bret is killed by the head of security, his sister Sarah Kingdom. She tracks the Doctor and Steven down but the three are caught in a transport beam experiment and sent to another planet near Kembel. The Daleks land and attempt to take the weapon core but the Doctor and his team escape, stealing the Dalek ship. They are forced to land on Kembel but trick the Daleks with a fake weapon core the Doctor constructed during the flight and escape back to the TARDIS.
Analysis
If a quick scene was added where the Daleks and Mavic Chen were blown up installing the fake weapon core, the story could have ended here and I think many people would have considered it one of Terry Nation's best stories. Unlike The Daleks or The Keys of Marinus, there are no real slow scenes. Even the scenes which are more dialogue heavy, such as those between delegates, feel like they are both building character and giving the audience enough information to go on with out being too clunky on the exposition. Once the chase begins at the end of Episode Two, it doesn't really stop, with Episode Four being particularly tense, ending with the death of Bret.
It is rather unfortunate that only Episodes Two and Five exist in this stretch. I would have been very curious to see how Katarina's death was done in Episode Four and Steven's escape from the Daleks in Episode Six. But, of what is available, it looks good and the acting is well done. Mavic Chen has his slightly over-the-top moments, but that is to be expected.
While on the subject of Mavic Chen, it is interesting to see Terry Nation dive back into his WWII experiences with Mavic Chen and his chief lieutenant Karlton. Mavic Chen gives off a Hitler rising to power vibe with his political persona for the public but the slightly deranged rantings in private. Karlton is a near perfect stand-in for Goebbels, both in his slimy, power behind the throne persona, but also in how he looks with the thin, sharp face and piercing eyes. Although Mavic Chen is the face, you almost get the impression that Karlton is actually the more dangerous man to be dealing with.
It is also nice to see the Daleks be a bit more restrained in their actions. The ego-manical nature is still there, but with the reliance on allies, the Daleks are adopting a more cunning mode that we see play out further in The Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Daleks. So far at least it is also nice to see the Daleks take a bit of a secondary villain role. Although they are the overriding evil, the primary villain so far is Mavic Chen and his henchmen, including Sarah Kingdom although she is now allied with the Doctor on seeing Chen's treachery.
I'm going to reserve my final score for the Episode Eight through Twelve review, but again, if this were a six-parter, I could see giving it either a 3.5 or a 4. I'd probably lean more towards the 3.5 side just because of recons which deprive you of the action. But it is a good start to a story and does a pretty good job of keeping the viewer engaged.
The Daleks' Master Plan is a big eleven part saga that is interrupted by a Christmas comedy in Episode Seven (The Feast of Steven). As such, I thought it best to break down my review into three parts: the six before the Christmas break, The Feast of Steven by itself, and then the final five episodes. It also works that the first five episodes and The Feast of Steven were written by Terry Nation while the other six episodes are written by Dennis Spooner so that also gives a reason for splitting the story into different views.
Plot Summary
Terry Nation takes a bit of flak (justified in many cases) for his recycling of the same story. But even then, he could twist the plot elements fairly well together to keep you entertained. Likewise, the first half of The Daleks' Master Plan is also entertaining. In this section of the story, the Doctor, Steven, and Katarina land on the planet Kembel where they encounter the lone survivor of an investigative mission (Bret) following up on the events of Mission to the Unknown. Working together, they learn that the Daleks have allied themselves with other races to conquer the universe, starting with the Earth solar system. To aid them, they have enlisted the aid of Mavic Chen, the ruler of the solar system, who has dreams of ruling the entire universe.
The Daleks have constructed a weapon to aid them that must be powered by a mineral only found on the planet Uranus. Mavic Chen is delivering fifty years worth of mining of this mineral to power the weapon. The Doctor disguises himself as one of the delegates and steals the core, escaping with his crew aboard Mavic Chen's ship. They are deviated by the Daleks to a prison planet where one of the prisoners sneaks aboard and takes Katarina hostage. Attempting to escape, she opens the outer door and both are ejected into space.
Upon landing on Earth, the Doctor, Steven, and Bret are pursued by Mavic Chen's forces. Bret is killed by the head of security, his sister Sarah Kingdom. She tracks the Doctor and Steven down but the three are caught in a transport beam experiment and sent to another planet near Kembel. The Daleks land and attempt to take the weapon core but the Doctor and his team escape, stealing the Dalek ship. They are forced to land on Kembel but trick the Daleks with a fake weapon core the Doctor constructed during the flight and escape back to the TARDIS.
Analysis
If a quick scene was added where the Daleks and Mavic Chen were blown up installing the fake weapon core, the story could have ended here and I think many people would have considered it one of Terry Nation's best stories. Unlike The Daleks or The Keys of Marinus, there are no real slow scenes. Even the scenes which are more dialogue heavy, such as those between delegates, feel like they are both building character and giving the audience enough information to go on with out being too clunky on the exposition. Once the chase begins at the end of Episode Two, it doesn't really stop, with Episode Four being particularly tense, ending with the death of Bret.
It is rather unfortunate that only Episodes Two and Five exist in this stretch. I would have been very curious to see how Katarina's death was done in Episode Four and Steven's escape from the Daleks in Episode Six. But, of what is available, it looks good and the acting is well done. Mavic Chen has his slightly over-the-top moments, but that is to be expected.
While on the subject of Mavic Chen, it is interesting to see Terry Nation dive back into his WWII experiences with Mavic Chen and his chief lieutenant Karlton. Mavic Chen gives off a Hitler rising to power vibe with his political persona for the public but the slightly deranged rantings in private. Karlton is a near perfect stand-in for Goebbels, both in his slimy, power behind the throne persona, but also in how he looks with the thin, sharp face and piercing eyes. Although Mavic Chen is the face, you almost get the impression that Karlton is actually the more dangerous man to be dealing with.
It is also nice to see the Daleks be a bit more restrained in their actions. The ego-manical nature is still there, but with the reliance on allies, the Daleks are adopting a more cunning mode that we see play out further in The Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Daleks. So far at least it is also nice to see the Daleks take a bit of a secondary villain role. Although they are the overriding evil, the primary villain so far is Mavic Chen and his henchmen, including Sarah Kingdom although she is now allied with the Doctor on seeing Chen's treachery.
I'm going to reserve my final score for the Episode Eight through Twelve review, but again, if this were a six-parter, I could see giving it either a 3.5 or a 4. I'd probably lean more towards the 3.5 side just because of recons which deprive you of the action. But it is a good start to a story and does a pretty good job of keeping the viewer engaged.
School Reunion
The Mrs and the ex together. Every man's worst nightmare.
I first saw School Reunion in my early days of Doctor Who watching, before I started to go back and watch the classic series. I was aware of who Sarah Jane was given my viewing of Masque of Mandragora, but the depth of her relationship with the Doctor was unknown to me and I certainly hadn't seen The Hand of Fear yet. I think this gave me a perspective on the episode that would have been shared with a good percentage of the viewing audience at the time.
Plot Summary
The Tenth Doctor and Rose, on a tip from Mickey, go undercover in a school to investigate some strange happenings there. Unbeknownst to them, the Doctor's old companion Sarah Jane is also investigating. Together they discover the headmaster and some of the teachers are an alien race trying to use the children to unlock the formula that will allow them to manipulate all of matter, energy, and time. After a chase, the Doctor sets a trap for the aliens where they will be blasted with the same oil being used to control the children, which is toxic to them. This involves K-9 (Mark III) sacrificing himself but it does blow up the aliens. The Doctor offers to let Sarah Jane come back with him but she refuses, noting that she must move on to other adventures. The Doctor repairs K-9 for Sarah Jane and then leaves with Rose and Mickey.
Analysis
With this episode being early in Series Two, a good portion of the audience (like me at the time) would have either no or a mere passing knowledge of who Sarah Jane and K-9 were in relation to the Doctor. That put the writers in the position of needing to avoid too many references to the past. They do a pretty good job but slip in a few references that would please the old school fans but not hinder the story. These come mostly in the competition banter with Rose and the reunion talk that referenced the end of The Hand of Fear. The competition banter is mostly for fun and Sarah could have referenced anything she wanted but the fact that old school fans could reference every story by the cites she gave was nice. The rehash of the end of The Hand of Fear was necessary but it was done in a a way that it didn't feel like you were missing anything by not having seen that scene.
The banter between Sarah Jane and Rose was funny, but it was a bit of a reinforcement to me as to why I don't like Rose very much. She was very bitchy in the beginning and reacted badly to the mere thought that someone else might have held the same place that she currently does. This led to her confronting the Doctor about whether she was just next in the line or meant something special. This was always my main problem with Rose. She was so needy about the idea that she loved the Doctor and that what they had was "the real thing." It plays like a tired teen romance and it makes whatever good characteristics Rose has fade into the background because she is acting like a petulant child.
Shifting gears, the Krillitane were a decent adversary but it was good that Mr. Finch was there as the front man. The CGI on the Krillitane was not great but no so bad that it stood out. The acting of the other teachers was also a bit off but I think that was intended to showcase their alieness. It was Mr. Finch that really sold it though. He carried himself with a superior air that gave the Krillitane a menace they were otherwise lacking. He also got off a few amusing one-liners that both added menace and gave some levity to the scenes: "Ignore the shoot-y dog!"
Overall, I'd say the episode was pretty good. I recently rewatched it and enjoyed it on a new level as I've now seen all of the Sarah Jane/Fourth Doctor stories and nearly all of the Sarah Jane stories in total. There are some small nits, mostly with the acting in some of the minor characters, but it's an easy story to get in with excellent rewatch value.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
I first saw School Reunion in my early days of Doctor Who watching, before I started to go back and watch the classic series. I was aware of who Sarah Jane was given my viewing of Masque of Mandragora, but the depth of her relationship with the Doctor was unknown to me and I certainly hadn't seen The Hand of Fear yet. I think this gave me a perspective on the episode that would have been shared with a good percentage of the viewing audience at the time.
Plot Summary
The Tenth Doctor and Rose, on a tip from Mickey, go undercover in a school to investigate some strange happenings there. Unbeknownst to them, the Doctor's old companion Sarah Jane is also investigating. Together they discover the headmaster and some of the teachers are an alien race trying to use the children to unlock the formula that will allow them to manipulate all of matter, energy, and time. After a chase, the Doctor sets a trap for the aliens where they will be blasted with the same oil being used to control the children, which is toxic to them. This involves K-9 (Mark III) sacrificing himself but it does blow up the aliens. The Doctor offers to let Sarah Jane come back with him but she refuses, noting that she must move on to other adventures. The Doctor repairs K-9 for Sarah Jane and then leaves with Rose and Mickey.
Analysis
With this episode being early in Series Two, a good portion of the audience (like me at the time) would have either no or a mere passing knowledge of who Sarah Jane and K-9 were in relation to the Doctor. That put the writers in the position of needing to avoid too many references to the past. They do a pretty good job but slip in a few references that would please the old school fans but not hinder the story. These come mostly in the competition banter with Rose and the reunion talk that referenced the end of The Hand of Fear. The competition banter is mostly for fun and Sarah could have referenced anything she wanted but the fact that old school fans could reference every story by the cites she gave was nice. The rehash of the end of The Hand of Fear was necessary but it was done in a a way that it didn't feel like you were missing anything by not having seen that scene.
The banter between Sarah Jane and Rose was funny, but it was a bit of a reinforcement to me as to why I don't like Rose very much. She was very bitchy in the beginning and reacted badly to the mere thought that someone else might have held the same place that she currently does. This led to her confronting the Doctor about whether she was just next in the line or meant something special. This was always my main problem with Rose. She was so needy about the idea that she loved the Doctor and that what they had was "the real thing." It plays like a tired teen romance and it makes whatever good characteristics Rose has fade into the background because she is acting like a petulant child.
Shifting gears, the Krillitane were a decent adversary but it was good that Mr. Finch was there as the front man. The CGI on the Krillitane was not great but no so bad that it stood out. The acting of the other teachers was also a bit off but I think that was intended to showcase their alieness. It was Mr. Finch that really sold it though. He carried himself with a superior air that gave the Krillitane a menace they were otherwise lacking. He also got off a few amusing one-liners that both added menace and gave some levity to the scenes: "Ignore the shoot-y dog!"
Overall, I'd say the episode was pretty good. I recently rewatched it and enjoyed it on a new level as I've now seen all of the Sarah Jane/Fourth Doctor stories and nearly all of the Sarah Jane stories in total. There are some small nits, mostly with the acting in some of the minor characters, but it's an easy story to get in with excellent rewatch value.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Friday, December 18, 2015
The Celestial Toymaker
Lady luck will show the way, win the game or here you'll stay.
I'm not sure I understand the dislike for this one. Is it a great episode; no. But is the spawn of the devil; also no.
The story is very simple. An entity known as the Celestial Toymaker (one might assume he is is in the same vein as the White and Black Guardians) captures the Doctor and his companions. He sets the Doctor to a logic game while Steven and Dodo must play games against opponents of his creation. If Steven and Dodo lose or the Doctor solves the logic puzzle before Steven and Dodo get through their games, the Toymaker wins and Steven and Dodo will be turned into dolls for his collection while the Doctor will remain the Toymaker's prisoner and play in a continuous match of wits.
Episode one sets the premise and starts the games which continue through episodes two, three, and the first part of four. The story ends with the Doctor figuring out how to escape as the completion of the logic game will cause the world to be destroyed, taking them with it. The Doctor ends up using a voice trick to make it seem as though the Toymaker solved the puzzle, allowing him and his companions to dematerialize before the planet is destroyed.
First, the elephant in the room, there is casual racism in this episode. Celestial was word used in the 19th century to refer to Chinese people, especially those who had emigrated to English speaking countries. The fact that the Toymaker wears Chinese robes that would have been period to this time reinforces the idea that this was an implied meeting. Of course, the Toymaker himself is not Chinese and the term in this context had fallen into disuse even by the 1960's. So this is more subtle and would go over nearly everyone's head, even at the time.
The second piece of racism is more historical. In episode two, the King of Hearts recites an old nursery rhyme to decide which chair to test first and the nursery rhyme contains the "n" word. In the Loose Cannon recon, the audio of the rhyme is turned way down so that it sounds more like the King is just mumbling to himself. If you weren't paying close attention, you would probably miss it. This is an unfortunate artifact of the time. Nursery rhymes containing this word were common up through WWII (see Ten Little Indians). It seems odd that the production would have been able to get away with saying it even in 1966, but it is there. However, I view this as an artifact of the time and while we might cringe at these things from a modern perspective, I don't think it is blatant or vile enough to denigrate the story as a whole.
There are good elements in this story. In many ways, it's not that far removed from Amy's Choice. A powerful entity sets the rules for a contest that the Doctor and his team must manipulate to first stay alive and then to win outright. The premise is interesting and Steven and Dodo do a decent job of showing a proper sense of tension due to the stakes applied in not only losing the games, but even in being delayed.
Episodes two and three also do well in introducing opponents who are not simple caricatures of henchmen, but actually have personalities and provide entertainment in their own right. In a way, though they are not real, you can almost feel a bit bad that Steven and Dodo have to beat them to advance. The King and Queen of Hearts do an especially good job of noting that they view themselves just as real as Steven and Dodo and wish their liberty just as much. The clowns and Cyril fall more in the vein of unsympathetic competitors whom you are happy to see Steven and Dodo triumph over.
Of course, there are poor elements to this story as well. Probably most annoying is the fact that Steven and Dodo do not really win any of their games, they simply fail to lose:
Against the clowns, they stop the clowns from cheating and Joey falls from the course allowing them to win by default.
The cards end up with a 50-50 chance of winning and only lose because they select the wrong chair. You could argue that if only one had sat in the chair rather than both they would have won, but it was still a lucky chance that they picked the wrong chair.
Steven and Dodo would have lost the dancing trap if Sergeant Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs hadn't stepped on to the dancing floor to try and get to the TARDIS, allowing the dancer dolls to capture other players.
Cyril did win the hopscotch challenge but slipped on one of his own traps which again allowed Steven and Dodo to win by default.
I know that bringing the dolls to life allowed them to be fit with human failings and sympathies, but to have all four games end because the opponent made a mistake is a bit unsatisfying. It seems like Steven and Dodo should have won at least one of the games by outright skill to make it more believable.
Also on the subject of the games, Dodo became more and more annoying. She was repeatedly taken in by the opponents into things that cost time or might have cost them the game outright. Some of her sympathies towards the King and Queen of Hearts or Sergeant Rugg and Mrs. Wigg might be understandable, but giving in to Cyril despite Steven's repeated warnings and reminders just made her look foolish.
One final notch on the negative side is the acting of the Toymaker himself. He seemed rather stiff and his speech was stilted. I don't know if that should be chalked up to the director or to the fact that he was acting against an empty room for the majority of the story (the Doctor was invisible and mute for most of episode two, all of episode three, and part of episode four). But it made the Toymaker a bit less convincing as a villain when he came across as so wooden.
Despite all of these faults, I found myself enjoying this story. I would put the weight of that on the enjoyability of the opponents in episodes two and three. If things had gone along the lines of episodes one and four where Steven and Dodo have to carry the attention against annoying opponents, it would have been a lot less enjoyable, especially since they did not win outright in any case. As it exists mostly in recon form, I doubt I would pull this off to watch again, but if it was discovered, I think I would watch it again without any reservation.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
I'm not sure I understand the dislike for this one. Is it a great episode; no. But is the spawn of the devil; also no.
The story is very simple. An entity known as the Celestial Toymaker (one might assume he is is in the same vein as the White and Black Guardians) captures the Doctor and his companions. He sets the Doctor to a logic game while Steven and Dodo must play games against opponents of his creation. If Steven and Dodo lose or the Doctor solves the logic puzzle before Steven and Dodo get through their games, the Toymaker wins and Steven and Dodo will be turned into dolls for his collection while the Doctor will remain the Toymaker's prisoner and play in a continuous match of wits.
Episode one sets the premise and starts the games which continue through episodes two, three, and the first part of four. The story ends with the Doctor figuring out how to escape as the completion of the logic game will cause the world to be destroyed, taking them with it. The Doctor ends up using a voice trick to make it seem as though the Toymaker solved the puzzle, allowing him and his companions to dematerialize before the planet is destroyed.
First, the elephant in the room, there is casual racism in this episode. Celestial was word used in the 19th century to refer to Chinese people, especially those who had emigrated to English speaking countries. The fact that the Toymaker wears Chinese robes that would have been period to this time reinforces the idea that this was an implied meeting. Of course, the Toymaker himself is not Chinese and the term in this context had fallen into disuse even by the 1960's. So this is more subtle and would go over nearly everyone's head, even at the time.
The second piece of racism is more historical. In episode two, the King of Hearts recites an old nursery rhyme to decide which chair to test first and the nursery rhyme contains the "n" word. In the Loose Cannon recon, the audio of the rhyme is turned way down so that it sounds more like the King is just mumbling to himself. If you weren't paying close attention, you would probably miss it. This is an unfortunate artifact of the time. Nursery rhymes containing this word were common up through WWII (see Ten Little Indians). It seems odd that the production would have been able to get away with saying it even in 1966, but it is there. However, I view this as an artifact of the time and while we might cringe at these things from a modern perspective, I don't think it is blatant or vile enough to denigrate the story as a whole.
There are good elements in this story. In many ways, it's not that far removed from Amy's Choice. A powerful entity sets the rules for a contest that the Doctor and his team must manipulate to first stay alive and then to win outright. The premise is interesting and Steven and Dodo do a decent job of showing a proper sense of tension due to the stakes applied in not only losing the games, but even in being delayed.
Episodes two and three also do well in introducing opponents who are not simple caricatures of henchmen, but actually have personalities and provide entertainment in their own right. In a way, though they are not real, you can almost feel a bit bad that Steven and Dodo have to beat them to advance. The King and Queen of Hearts do an especially good job of noting that they view themselves just as real as Steven and Dodo and wish their liberty just as much. The clowns and Cyril fall more in the vein of unsympathetic competitors whom you are happy to see Steven and Dodo triumph over.
Of course, there are poor elements to this story as well. Probably most annoying is the fact that Steven and Dodo do not really win any of their games, they simply fail to lose:
Against the clowns, they stop the clowns from cheating and Joey falls from the course allowing them to win by default.
The cards end up with a 50-50 chance of winning and only lose because they select the wrong chair. You could argue that if only one had sat in the chair rather than both they would have won, but it was still a lucky chance that they picked the wrong chair.
Steven and Dodo would have lost the dancing trap if Sergeant Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs hadn't stepped on to the dancing floor to try and get to the TARDIS, allowing the dancer dolls to capture other players.
Cyril did win the hopscotch challenge but slipped on one of his own traps which again allowed Steven and Dodo to win by default.
I know that bringing the dolls to life allowed them to be fit with human failings and sympathies, but to have all four games end because the opponent made a mistake is a bit unsatisfying. It seems like Steven and Dodo should have won at least one of the games by outright skill to make it more believable.
Also on the subject of the games, Dodo became more and more annoying. She was repeatedly taken in by the opponents into things that cost time or might have cost them the game outright. Some of her sympathies towards the King and Queen of Hearts or Sergeant Rugg and Mrs. Wigg might be understandable, but giving in to Cyril despite Steven's repeated warnings and reminders just made her look foolish.
One final notch on the negative side is the acting of the Toymaker himself. He seemed rather stiff and his speech was stilted. I don't know if that should be chalked up to the director or to the fact that he was acting against an empty room for the majority of the story (the Doctor was invisible and mute for most of episode two, all of episode three, and part of episode four). But it made the Toymaker a bit less convincing as a villain when he came across as so wooden.
Despite all of these faults, I found myself enjoying this story. I would put the weight of that on the enjoyability of the opponents in episodes two and three. If things had gone along the lines of episodes one and four where Steven and Dodo have to carry the attention against annoying opponents, it would have been a lot less enjoyable, especially since they did not win outright in any case. As it exists mostly in recon form, I doubt I would pull this off to watch again, but if it was discovered, I think I would watch it again without any reservation.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
Time Heist
What did you say earlier? Un-shut up.
Time Heist is a fun little story as long as you don't think about it too hard. Like most heist stories, if you poke at it a bit too much some unfortunate holes appear.
Plot Summary
The story is very Ocean's Eleven. The Doctor and Clara are teamed up with two other folks (Psi and Saibra) and told that they are to break into the Bank of Karabraxos. They've had their short term memories wiped but are told that the object they desire is in the bank and each of them has a specific role to play. They break in but the security measures appear to kill two of the party before completing the mission. The Doctor and Clara are captured but are freed by their compatriots thought dead. They break into the final vault and find Madame Karabraxos is holding the companion of the teller hostage. The teller is an alien who can sense and eat the thoughts of others. The Doctor and his companions free the companion and set her and the teller free on another world while the Bank of Karabraxos is destroyed by a solar flare.
Analysis
I like this one. It's a bit more action-y than the new series tends to get in a normal episode. It follows the normal pattern of a heist movie where the team is assembled, there is a fake out, it looks like things are going south with some members getting caught and then the big twist at the end revealing the purpose of the heist.
This episode is fun with the Twelfth Doctor starting to show elements of the less abrasive Doctor that he will emerge as at the end of the series and into Series Nine. You also have an interesting villain in the form of Ms. Delphox/Madame Karabraxos. It's actually a bit of a shame that she isn't given more screen time. There is also the attractive, disheveled suit look that Clara has. Very nice look for her.
Now, like any heist movie, there are a few flaws. The two biggest ones are why the teller did not kill the Doctor when they were discovered in the vault and how Psi and Saibra were able to replace the guards with themselves? If you look too closely, this is where things fall apart a bit, but I didn't find them egregious.
I remember hearing that some fans were disappointed that the twist at the end when the purpose of the heist was to rescue the teller's mate and set them free (a more romantic ending). I don't really understand that as it made much more sense. The others needing things I understand. What could the Doctor possibly want that is squirreled away in a bank? Information perhaps, but helping to rescue a nearly lost race is much more in line with the personality of the Doctor than anything else.
I'd watch this one again easily. I'd probably put it in the fourth position for episodes of Series Eight and easily watchable again.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Time Heist is a fun little story as long as you don't think about it too hard. Like most heist stories, if you poke at it a bit too much some unfortunate holes appear.
Plot Summary
The story is very Ocean's Eleven. The Doctor and Clara are teamed up with two other folks (Psi and Saibra) and told that they are to break into the Bank of Karabraxos. They've had their short term memories wiped but are told that the object they desire is in the bank and each of them has a specific role to play. They break in but the security measures appear to kill two of the party before completing the mission. The Doctor and Clara are captured but are freed by their compatriots thought dead. They break into the final vault and find Madame Karabraxos is holding the companion of the teller hostage. The teller is an alien who can sense and eat the thoughts of others. The Doctor and his companions free the companion and set her and the teller free on another world while the Bank of Karabraxos is destroyed by a solar flare.
Analysis
I like this one. It's a bit more action-y than the new series tends to get in a normal episode. It follows the normal pattern of a heist movie where the team is assembled, there is a fake out, it looks like things are going south with some members getting caught and then the big twist at the end revealing the purpose of the heist.
This episode is fun with the Twelfth Doctor starting to show elements of the less abrasive Doctor that he will emerge as at the end of the series and into Series Nine. You also have an interesting villain in the form of Ms. Delphox/Madame Karabraxos. It's actually a bit of a shame that she isn't given more screen time. There is also the attractive, disheveled suit look that Clara has. Very nice look for her.
Now, like any heist movie, there are a few flaws. The two biggest ones are why the teller did not kill the Doctor when they were discovered in the vault and how Psi and Saibra were able to replace the guards with themselves? If you look too closely, this is where things fall apart a bit, but I didn't find them egregious.
I remember hearing that some fans were disappointed that the twist at the end when the purpose of the heist was to rescue the teller's mate and set them free (a more romantic ending). I don't really understand that as it made much more sense. The others needing things I understand. What could the Doctor possibly want that is squirreled away in a bank? Information perhaps, but helping to rescue a nearly lost race is much more in line with the personality of the Doctor than anything else.
I'd watch this one again easily. I'd probably put it in the fourth position for episodes of Series Eight and easily watchable again.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The Crusade
I am Sir Ian, Knight of Jaffa
The Crusade is a bit of a mixed bag for me as the acting is very good, but the storyline gets a bit bogged down.
Plot Summary
The First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki land in a wood outside of Jaffa where King Richard is hawking. A band of Saracens ambush them. Richard escapes and takes the Doctor, Ian and Vicki with them. Barbara and a knight are taken captive by the Muslims. Barbara and the knight pretend to be Richard and his sister Joanna but were found out by Saladin's brother, who desired Joanna for his wife. Barbara is then kidnapped by El Akir, the emir who captured her originally, desiring her and revenge on her for humiliating him in the eyes of Saladin.
Meanwhile, Ian is knighted by Richard and sent as an envoy to Saladin, proposing marriage between Joanna and Saladin's brother to seal a peace treaty. Saladin agrees but Joanna balks and threatens to go to the pope. This interplay catches the Doctor and Vicki in intercourt politics and the Doctor gets leave from Richard to go to Acre, but instead he heads towards Jaffa and the TARDIS.
Barbara escapes El Akir's palace and finds refuge with a man named Haroun, who had sworn revenge on El Akir for murdering his wife and taking his eldest daughter into his harem. Barbara later is recaptured trying to save Horoun's younger daughter but escapes again into the harem. She is betrayed by one of the women, but El Akir is killed by Haroun who has snuck into the palace. Ian also arrives shortly afterwards after escaping torture from a thief named Ibrahim. They return to the woods and rescue the Doctor from an English knight who followed him thinking him a traitor. They then disappear in the TARDIS.
Analysis
For a four part story, this is incredibly complex. It doesn't help that episodes two and four are only available as recons. But the acting is very good throughout. It is rather a pity that there are no shared scenes between Richard (Julian Glover) and Saladin (Bernard Kay) as I can imagine that these two actors would have been very impressive. In fact, nearly all the actors are very good. Some of the minor roles are less than stellar, but they are quickly overlooked. In fact, the only performance I had any problem with was with the thief Ibrahim and that was only due to the fact that the sniveling accent he was using made him a bit difficult to understand.
The downside of this story (aside from two episodes being missing) is the complexity of the plot. There are little side plots going on with the Doctor designed to highlight the court politics, but they are a bit rushed and add very little. They really seem to be more additions to keep the Doctor in the story as the bulk of the action revolves around Barbara. Barbara is the only member of the crew, aside for Ian in a few scenes at the end, that has any interaction with the Muslims and yet that is where the bulk of the action takes place.
The Doctor and Vicki spend episodes one and two dealing with a clothing merchant who is selling goods stolen from the palace. Things are resolved in their favor but even while it is going on, it feels like the story is spinning it's wheels with things that don't matter much. Vicki's posing as a boy and then discovery to be a girl also is more of a vehicle to give the Doctor a few lines and to give Joanna more of a presence in the story since the peace proposal revolves around her. It's a mild glimpse into court politics, but given how heavy the end of the story is, it feels like a bit of a waste of story space.
The whole of episode four has a bit of a rushed feel. It requires the Doctor and Vicki to leave Richard's palace and get back to the wood, for Ian to escape Ibrahim's clutches and get to Barbara, for Barbara to escape El Akir and help Haroun's daughter to escape, and then for Ian and Barbara to get back to the TARDIS. That's a lot of action to contain in one episode. Ian and Haroun's rescue of Barbara and the harem feel very last second rescue with neither of them having any trouble getting into El Akir's palace and getting the drop on him and his two guards. That makes the rescue feel a bit unsatisfying to me, which is a shame as the characters (even Ibrahim) had a bit of depth to them that would have been interesting to explore more.
Because of the quality of acting, I want to like this story more than it deserves. But it is hard to deny that the multitude of plots, especially those involving the court politics, bog the story down. If you streamlined it to mostly the adventures of Barbara, this would be a top tier story. But the rest drags it down. If they find the rest, I'll be interested to watch it again, but I probably won't seek this out for an immediate rewatch.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
The Crusade is a bit of a mixed bag for me as the acting is very good, but the storyline gets a bit bogged down.
Plot Summary
The First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki land in a wood outside of Jaffa where King Richard is hawking. A band of Saracens ambush them. Richard escapes and takes the Doctor, Ian and Vicki with them. Barbara and a knight are taken captive by the Muslims. Barbara and the knight pretend to be Richard and his sister Joanna but were found out by Saladin's brother, who desired Joanna for his wife. Barbara is then kidnapped by El Akir, the emir who captured her originally, desiring her and revenge on her for humiliating him in the eyes of Saladin.
Meanwhile, Ian is knighted by Richard and sent as an envoy to Saladin, proposing marriage between Joanna and Saladin's brother to seal a peace treaty. Saladin agrees but Joanna balks and threatens to go to the pope. This interplay catches the Doctor and Vicki in intercourt politics and the Doctor gets leave from Richard to go to Acre, but instead he heads towards Jaffa and the TARDIS.
Barbara escapes El Akir's palace and finds refuge with a man named Haroun, who had sworn revenge on El Akir for murdering his wife and taking his eldest daughter into his harem. Barbara later is recaptured trying to save Horoun's younger daughter but escapes again into the harem. She is betrayed by one of the women, but El Akir is killed by Haroun who has snuck into the palace. Ian also arrives shortly afterwards after escaping torture from a thief named Ibrahim. They return to the woods and rescue the Doctor from an English knight who followed him thinking him a traitor. They then disappear in the TARDIS.
Analysis
For a four part story, this is incredibly complex. It doesn't help that episodes two and four are only available as recons. But the acting is very good throughout. It is rather a pity that there are no shared scenes between Richard (Julian Glover) and Saladin (Bernard Kay) as I can imagine that these two actors would have been very impressive. In fact, nearly all the actors are very good. Some of the minor roles are less than stellar, but they are quickly overlooked. In fact, the only performance I had any problem with was with the thief Ibrahim and that was only due to the fact that the sniveling accent he was using made him a bit difficult to understand.
The downside of this story (aside from two episodes being missing) is the complexity of the plot. There are little side plots going on with the Doctor designed to highlight the court politics, but they are a bit rushed and add very little. They really seem to be more additions to keep the Doctor in the story as the bulk of the action revolves around Barbara. Barbara is the only member of the crew, aside for Ian in a few scenes at the end, that has any interaction with the Muslims and yet that is where the bulk of the action takes place.
The Doctor and Vicki spend episodes one and two dealing with a clothing merchant who is selling goods stolen from the palace. Things are resolved in their favor but even while it is going on, it feels like the story is spinning it's wheels with things that don't matter much. Vicki's posing as a boy and then discovery to be a girl also is more of a vehicle to give the Doctor a few lines and to give Joanna more of a presence in the story since the peace proposal revolves around her. It's a mild glimpse into court politics, but given how heavy the end of the story is, it feels like a bit of a waste of story space.
The whole of episode four has a bit of a rushed feel. It requires the Doctor and Vicki to leave Richard's palace and get back to the wood, for Ian to escape Ibrahim's clutches and get to Barbara, for Barbara to escape El Akir and help Haroun's daughter to escape, and then for Ian and Barbara to get back to the TARDIS. That's a lot of action to contain in one episode. Ian and Haroun's rescue of Barbara and the harem feel very last second rescue with neither of them having any trouble getting into El Akir's palace and getting the drop on him and his two guards. That makes the rescue feel a bit unsatisfying to me, which is a shame as the characters (even Ibrahim) had a bit of depth to them that would have been interesting to explore more.
Because of the quality of acting, I want to like this story more than it deserves. But it is hard to deny that the multitude of plots, especially those involving the court politics, bog the story down. If you streamlined it to mostly the adventures of Barbara, this would be a top tier story. But the rest drags it down. If they find the rest, I'll be interested to watch it again, but I probably won't seek this out for an immediate rewatch.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
The Fires of Pompeii
Just someone. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone!
If A Town Called Mercy took the easy way out of a no-win scenario, The Fires of Pompeii embraced the full darkness of it and it is so much better because of it.
There is a great deal to like in this episode, not the least is the fact that there is a future companion actress (Karen Gillian) and a future Doctor (Peter Capaldi). The Tenth Doctor and Donna land in Pompeii and fall in with a local Roman household. They investigate strange happenings where the daughter of the household is being turned to stone and uncover a plot by a volcanic alien race to burn the Earth and turn it into their new homeworld. The Doctor's only choice to stop them is to shut down their machinery, overloading the system and triggering the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The Doctor and Donna flee as the town is overcome by the explosion, but Donna pleads with the Doctor to save someone. They go back and rescue Caecilius and his family, who had housed and helped them while investigating. They are taken to a far point from Pompeii where they then relate the news back to Rome.
If you are going to do a no-win scenario drama, this is how you do it. In many ways, this episode starts as a bit of a comedy romp. Caecilius is a bit of a good-hearted fool. He is interested in social climbing but genuinely thinks it will bring better things for his family. He is optimistic and good-natured. A bit like a slightly smarter Roman Homer Simpson. The Sibylline Sisterhood is threatening but not in an overly grim way. Even when Donna is captured and threatened with sacrifice, she is making witty remarks and generally keeping the tone of the episode up. Even the Doctor running around threatening people with a squirt gun, although a legitimate threat when dealing with fire and hot stone, is still rather comical in appearance.
The episode would have been successful if it had stayed a comedy romp, but probably would have dimmed as somewhat forgettable. But then comes the Kobayashi Maru. The Pyroviles can only be stopped if their machinery is destroyed. If their machinery is destroyed, the energy stored will be released and Vesuvius will erupt, destroying Pompeii. No alternative presents itself. No other being steps forward to sacrifice itself so that others can live. In the end, the Doctor decides that the lives of the planet do outweigh the lives of a single city. But it is the scene after that really sells the episode. The Doctor has gone back mentally to the Time War and can only run, hating himself for what he feels he can't do. Donna pleads with him to go back. He can't save everyone but to at least save someone; to make that small difference that is in his power. That moment delivers on emotion and reinforces that even when there is the unwinnable scenario, the ability to have some good come out of it is of paramount importance.
There are a few small knocks to the episode too. Most of them come in the form of the acting. Because the majority of it is presented as a comedy romp, many of the characters go a bit over-the-top in their silliness. The performance of the villains can be a bit hammy and the Doctor has his "overly dramatic peril" face on few times in the episode. I also think the director lingered on a few shots too long. When the Doctor is leaving Caecilius and his family behind despite their pleas for help and Donna is just standing there incredulous, there scene plays a bit too slowly. I understand that there was an attempt to play up their fear and the darkness of the Doctor leaving them behind to die, but the length of lingering just made the actors look uncomfortable. The length of the shot also makes me wonder why the family just stayed huddled there when the Doctor ran in to the TARDIS. If the man you just asked for help ran into his box, why would you not run up to either the blue box or to Donna (who was still outside) and cling to them for help. Being paralyzed by fear is probably the explanation there, but the long shot just gives it that overly long feel.
Definitely a good episode and one that I would happily watch again. A good punch at the end to make it stick as well.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
If A Town Called Mercy took the easy way out of a no-win scenario, The Fires of Pompeii embraced the full darkness of it and it is so much better because of it.
There is a great deal to like in this episode, not the least is the fact that there is a future companion actress (Karen Gillian) and a future Doctor (Peter Capaldi). The Tenth Doctor and Donna land in Pompeii and fall in with a local Roman household. They investigate strange happenings where the daughter of the household is being turned to stone and uncover a plot by a volcanic alien race to burn the Earth and turn it into their new homeworld. The Doctor's only choice to stop them is to shut down their machinery, overloading the system and triggering the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The Doctor and Donna flee as the town is overcome by the explosion, but Donna pleads with the Doctor to save someone. They go back and rescue Caecilius and his family, who had housed and helped them while investigating. They are taken to a far point from Pompeii where they then relate the news back to Rome.
If you are going to do a no-win scenario drama, this is how you do it. In many ways, this episode starts as a bit of a comedy romp. Caecilius is a bit of a good-hearted fool. He is interested in social climbing but genuinely thinks it will bring better things for his family. He is optimistic and good-natured. A bit like a slightly smarter Roman Homer Simpson. The Sibylline Sisterhood is threatening but not in an overly grim way. Even when Donna is captured and threatened with sacrifice, she is making witty remarks and generally keeping the tone of the episode up. Even the Doctor running around threatening people with a squirt gun, although a legitimate threat when dealing with fire and hot stone, is still rather comical in appearance.
The episode would have been successful if it had stayed a comedy romp, but probably would have dimmed as somewhat forgettable. But then comes the Kobayashi Maru. The Pyroviles can only be stopped if their machinery is destroyed. If their machinery is destroyed, the energy stored will be released and Vesuvius will erupt, destroying Pompeii. No alternative presents itself. No other being steps forward to sacrifice itself so that others can live. In the end, the Doctor decides that the lives of the planet do outweigh the lives of a single city. But it is the scene after that really sells the episode. The Doctor has gone back mentally to the Time War and can only run, hating himself for what he feels he can't do. Donna pleads with him to go back. He can't save everyone but to at least save someone; to make that small difference that is in his power. That moment delivers on emotion and reinforces that even when there is the unwinnable scenario, the ability to have some good come out of it is of paramount importance.
There are a few small knocks to the episode too. Most of them come in the form of the acting. Because the majority of it is presented as a comedy romp, many of the characters go a bit over-the-top in their silliness. The performance of the villains can be a bit hammy and the Doctor has his "overly dramatic peril" face on few times in the episode. I also think the director lingered on a few shots too long. When the Doctor is leaving Caecilius and his family behind despite their pleas for help and Donna is just standing there incredulous, there scene plays a bit too slowly. I understand that there was an attempt to play up their fear and the darkness of the Doctor leaving them behind to die, but the length of lingering just made the actors look uncomfortable. The length of the shot also makes me wonder why the family just stayed huddled there when the Doctor ran in to the TARDIS. If the man you just asked for help ran into his box, why would you not run up to either the blue box or to Donna (who was still outside) and cling to them for help. Being paralyzed by fear is probably the explanation there, but the long shot just gives it that overly long feel.
Definitely a good episode and one that I would happily watch again. A good punch at the end to make it stick as well.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Planet of Giants
It died instantly when it landed on that pile of grain.
I must admit that I found Planet of Giants a bit disappointing and for once, it was not the story or the acting that let it down. The story has two prongs: the Doctor and his companions land on Earth but have somehow shrunk to the size of insects. Meanwhile, there is a man who is trying to release a new experimental insecticide and ends up killing a man who was going to recommend shutting the program down. The Doctor and his companions get trapped in a lab where the man and the scientist he is working with try to get away with the murder and release the insecticide. The team manages to make enough of distraction to attract the attention of the police. They then flee back to the ship and restore their size, curing Barbara as well as she had been poisoned by the insecticide.
That sounds like it should be an interesting story and it started out that way. There was the oddity of being insect sized and the adventures that created while there was the jump back to the two men trying to get away with a murder. It had a Twilight Zone meets Alfred Hitchcock Presents vibe to it. Episode one established the problems and episode two exacerbated things but also started the team on the track to recovery. It wasn't setting up for a perfect score, but it was engaging.
Things however fell apart in Episode Three. The fundamental problem was that the producer, Verity Lambert, saw episodes three and four and thought they dragged, hurting the overall story. She told the production team to splice together the pertinent points from the two episodes and ready it as a single Episode Three. This also created the situation that required the episode, Mission to the Unknown. I don't know if Ms. Lambert was correct, but the editing job that was done on Episode Three did not do it any favors. The actions of the Doctor and his companions feel rushed and they jump to various conclusions without much thought. There is a strong feeling that things are happening that you are not seeing. The perspective of the two men at normal size is almost completely abandoned and when we do get a few shots of them, they are so rushed that you can't tell why they are acting the way they are. The scientist who is assisting the murderer started so passionately about the good that his development is going to do. Now he is suddenly talking about how the chemical compound is more dangerous than radiation. There is only the briefest jump cut of him seeing how the chemical was killing everything, both bad and good. Too much is left out to see the man's mental processes and that hurts the pacing.
Ian also comes across as a bit thick in this one. He dismisses Barbara and what she is saying when she is first poisoned, dismissing what she says and the obvious trepidation she is displaying when they discuss the insecticide and how to destroy it. It is only when Barbara collapses that the Doctor clues in that she has been poisoned and he had been separated from her for a while so his ignorance is understandable. But it is a bit of a regression on Ian's part.
In a way, this story has some of the same problems that crop up in the Seventh Doctor era. There is more to the story than what is being shown on screen and you are left with a sense of being excluded from something. Unlike the Seventh Doctor stories, you know all the relevant facts, you are just left out on the journey of how they were discovered and how they motivate the actions of the Doctor and his companions. I don't know if the story would have improved a great deal if episodes three and four were shown in total, but it would have been smoother and maybe a bit less jarring.
Overall personal score: 2 out of 5
I must admit that I found Planet of Giants a bit disappointing and for once, it was not the story or the acting that let it down. The story has two prongs: the Doctor and his companions land on Earth but have somehow shrunk to the size of insects. Meanwhile, there is a man who is trying to release a new experimental insecticide and ends up killing a man who was going to recommend shutting the program down. The Doctor and his companions get trapped in a lab where the man and the scientist he is working with try to get away with the murder and release the insecticide. The team manages to make enough of distraction to attract the attention of the police. They then flee back to the ship and restore their size, curing Barbara as well as she had been poisoned by the insecticide.
That sounds like it should be an interesting story and it started out that way. There was the oddity of being insect sized and the adventures that created while there was the jump back to the two men trying to get away with a murder. It had a Twilight Zone meets Alfred Hitchcock Presents vibe to it. Episode one established the problems and episode two exacerbated things but also started the team on the track to recovery. It wasn't setting up for a perfect score, but it was engaging.
Things however fell apart in Episode Three. The fundamental problem was that the producer, Verity Lambert, saw episodes three and four and thought they dragged, hurting the overall story. She told the production team to splice together the pertinent points from the two episodes and ready it as a single Episode Three. This also created the situation that required the episode, Mission to the Unknown. I don't know if Ms. Lambert was correct, but the editing job that was done on Episode Three did not do it any favors. The actions of the Doctor and his companions feel rushed and they jump to various conclusions without much thought. There is a strong feeling that things are happening that you are not seeing. The perspective of the two men at normal size is almost completely abandoned and when we do get a few shots of them, they are so rushed that you can't tell why they are acting the way they are. The scientist who is assisting the murderer started so passionately about the good that his development is going to do. Now he is suddenly talking about how the chemical compound is more dangerous than radiation. There is only the briefest jump cut of him seeing how the chemical was killing everything, both bad and good. Too much is left out to see the man's mental processes and that hurts the pacing.
Ian also comes across as a bit thick in this one. He dismisses Barbara and what she is saying when she is first poisoned, dismissing what she says and the obvious trepidation she is displaying when they discuss the insecticide and how to destroy it. It is only when Barbara collapses that the Doctor clues in that she has been poisoned and he had been separated from her for a while so his ignorance is understandable. But it is a bit of a regression on Ian's part.
In a way, this story has some of the same problems that crop up in the Seventh Doctor era. There is more to the story than what is being shown on screen and you are left with a sense of being excluded from something. Unlike the Seventh Doctor stories, you know all the relevant facts, you are just left out on the journey of how they were discovered and how they motivate the actions of the Doctor and his companions. I don't know if the story would have improved a great deal if episodes three and four were shown in total, but it would have been smoother and maybe a bit less jarring.
Overall personal score: 2 out of 5
The Rings of Akhaten
Go on then. Take my memories. I hope you've got a big appetite.
The Rings of Akhaten is another episode where there seems to be very little middle ground. Fandom seems to either hate this episode or love it. I'm in the middle. It's not a bad episode, but there are poor elements to it.
First, the good. Far and away, this episode has some wonderful music. It's not really a surprise that it was the Long Song that was later co-opted as the Eleventh Doctor's regeneration music. Whatever faults lie in the story or the production, the music has the ability to sweep you away on a wave of enjoyment. Also enjoyable is the performance of the Doctor. I think the reputation of the speech he gives to the star god is a bit overblown, but it is a heart-felt speech and he delivers it with a great deal of passion. There are other moments of both whimsy and concern that play well and make for enjoyable television.
Then there is the not so good side of things. Despite what I believe to be a good effort, this episode looks cheap. The alien gathering looks too much like people in masks and make-up, more so than other times. Worse, the lighting is too bright so that the flaws in said make up are exposed easier. The scooter ride to the temple also is a very bad green screen effect. There is a certain acceptance of the cheap look in Doctor Who, but the modern series has done a better effort in trying to hide and this just sticks out as off.
I also must admit that I didn't care for the resolution to the problem. The sun wakes up and must feed so the Doctor offers up over 1,200 years of memories spanning one end of the universe to the other. The star god does indeed choke on it, but he is able to swallow all of it. Yet he is then defeated by a simple leaf. Not for the memories it contains, but for the potential memories that could have existed with it. That seems rather dumb to me. It doesn't make Clara or the leaf special. Any being there could have held up an object owned by someone and declared the memory potential of that object. For it is the declared potential of the memories, not the object itself. Clara's leaf had regular memories in that it was how her parents met. But it was her declaration that it held potential memories due to her mother's early death that caused the star god to choke. Of course, any object can contain potential memories. The pen on my desk has a number of potential memories of all the work that I will do in the future, the crossword puzzles I will fill out with it, and even potential places I will take it because I left it in my coat pocket. I can declare of it and that would be enough to defeat this creature. It just seems silly and a rather poor excuse to make Clara the hero of the episode.
An unsatisfying ending would seem to shift things more in the negative, but it was an enjoyable ride of an episode, even if it looked off. It is not one that I would choose readily to watch again, but I could plug it in without any real complaint.
Overall personal score: 2 out of 5
The Rings of Akhaten is another episode where there seems to be very little middle ground. Fandom seems to either hate this episode or love it. I'm in the middle. It's not a bad episode, but there are poor elements to it.
First, the good. Far and away, this episode has some wonderful music. It's not really a surprise that it was the Long Song that was later co-opted as the Eleventh Doctor's regeneration music. Whatever faults lie in the story or the production, the music has the ability to sweep you away on a wave of enjoyment. Also enjoyable is the performance of the Doctor. I think the reputation of the speech he gives to the star god is a bit overblown, but it is a heart-felt speech and he delivers it with a great deal of passion. There are other moments of both whimsy and concern that play well and make for enjoyable television.
Then there is the not so good side of things. Despite what I believe to be a good effort, this episode looks cheap. The alien gathering looks too much like people in masks and make-up, more so than other times. Worse, the lighting is too bright so that the flaws in said make up are exposed easier. The scooter ride to the temple also is a very bad green screen effect. There is a certain acceptance of the cheap look in Doctor Who, but the modern series has done a better effort in trying to hide and this just sticks out as off.
I also must admit that I didn't care for the resolution to the problem. The sun wakes up and must feed so the Doctor offers up over 1,200 years of memories spanning one end of the universe to the other. The star god does indeed choke on it, but he is able to swallow all of it. Yet he is then defeated by a simple leaf. Not for the memories it contains, but for the potential memories that could have existed with it. That seems rather dumb to me. It doesn't make Clara or the leaf special. Any being there could have held up an object owned by someone and declared the memory potential of that object. For it is the declared potential of the memories, not the object itself. Clara's leaf had regular memories in that it was how her parents met. But it was her declaration that it held potential memories due to her mother's early death that caused the star god to choke. Of course, any object can contain potential memories. The pen on my desk has a number of potential memories of all the work that I will do in the future, the crossword puzzles I will fill out with it, and even potential places I will take it because I left it in my coat pocket. I can declare of it and that would be enough to defeat this creature. It just seems silly and a rather poor excuse to make Clara the hero of the episode.
An unsatisfying ending would seem to shift things more in the negative, but it was an enjoyable ride of an episode, even if it looked off. It is not one that I would choose readily to watch again, but I could plug it in without any real complaint.
Overall personal score: 2 out of 5
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Gunfighters
When there's blood on the sawdust in the Last Chance Saloon
A person's appreciation of The Gunfighters is directly proportional to your attitude going into it. If you expect a serious historical, you will be sadly mistaken. But if you are expecting a mild parody of the traditional Western, especially as seen in 60's television, it's an enjoyable story.
I'm of two minds on this one. On one hand, it was a well put together story, straight out of John Wayne movies or TV shows I heard my dad talking about. On the other hand, I'm a bit of a historical pedant and a historical story filled with as many inaccuracies as this one is always slightly off putting. I've not seen My Darling Clementine but I imagine this is closer to that.
The story is very lawmen vs. ranch. The Doctor arrives in Tombstone looking for a dentist and is taken care of by Doc Holliday. The Doctor is mistaken for Doc Holliday by the Clanton brothers who are searching for him since he killed their brother Reuben. Doc Holliday goes along but his girlfriend Kate manages to get the Doctor arrested by Wyatt Earp. The Clantons try to force the issue but one is arrested for attempting to hang Steven. The barman spills the beans to the Clantons as to Doc Holliday's identity after he kills a hired gun in the saloon. The Clantons fall in with Johnny Ringo who has arrived in town also looking for Doc Holliday. He takes Steven with him since Doc Holliday has fled with Dodo. The Clantons meanwhile break into the jail and free their arrested brother, killing Warren Earp in the process. Wyatt then sends a challenge to the Clantonss to meat him at the OK Corral at sunup. Johnny Ringo falls in with the Clantons and goes along. Doc Holliday arrives back in Tombstone with Dodo and agrees to go with the Earps. The Doctor and Steven ride to the Clantons to try and stop them but they are too late. Virgil and Wyatt Earp fight with Ike, Billy, and Phineas Clanton in the street. Johnny Ringo tries to sneak behind but Dodo interferes and Doc Holliday shoots him down. Holliday then joins the Earps and they gun down the Clantons. The next day the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo leave Tombstone.
If you can separate the story from the history, it's quite fun. It's a little slow in the middle as most Westerns are but the gunfight at the end makes up for it in spades. There is a lot of cracking and shooting and the bad guys get gunned down in the end. Exactly what young boys would have loved watching. The story is punctuated throughout by lines from a song called "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon." It goes from entertaining, to annoying, and then back to catchy all in one watch. It helps that the tempo alters a bit as the mood of the story changes and Kate's voice is very pleasant as she sings the various lines.
But there is the history to consider as well. The marshal is Bat Masterson, except that Bat Masterson never set foot in Tombstone. He was marshal in Dodge City with Wyatt Earp but that was before Tombstone. Morgan Earp is mentioned but is missing from the story. Morgan was actually at the OK Corral with Virgil and Wyatt. Also, while Johnny Ringo was part of the Clanton gang, he was not in Tombstone at the time of the fight. Even the source of the fight is wrong. The Earps were all deputized and trying to serve a warrant when the fight broke out, not setting out for a private vendetta. The outcome of the fight was altered as well. Only Bill Clanton was actually killed of the Clantons. Two other associates of their's were killed and Ike Clanton actually ran away before the fight started.
Now, to be fair, it is very unlikely that anyone would have known this information unless they did some serious digging. It wasn't until the movies Tombstone and Wyatt Earp came out that there was even an attempt at portraying the OK Corral in a historical context. It was much more interesting to show the white hat Earps killing the black hat Clantons. To hold a British show to at standard that even American shows weren't hitting would be rather hypocritical.
Also, while we're on the subject of Americans as perceived by the British, one must give a large grain of salt to the actors for their attempts at American accents. I'm sure the British people laugh at Americans when we try to do their accents. And in truth, after about five minutes you barely notice it. So at least the actors were consistent in their portrayal.
Overall, I'd say the story is pretty good. There are other historicals I like better, but this one is enjoyable, especially when you keep it in context of the time it was made. I'm betting that if I showed this to my dad, he would be absolutely enthralled with it.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
A person's appreciation of The Gunfighters is directly proportional to your attitude going into it. If you expect a serious historical, you will be sadly mistaken. But if you are expecting a mild parody of the traditional Western, especially as seen in 60's television, it's an enjoyable story.
I'm of two minds on this one. On one hand, it was a well put together story, straight out of John Wayne movies or TV shows I heard my dad talking about. On the other hand, I'm a bit of a historical pedant and a historical story filled with as many inaccuracies as this one is always slightly off putting. I've not seen My Darling Clementine but I imagine this is closer to that.
The story is very lawmen vs. ranch. The Doctor arrives in Tombstone looking for a dentist and is taken care of by Doc Holliday. The Doctor is mistaken for Doc Holliday by the Clanton brothers who are searching for him since he killed their brother Reuben. Doc Holliday goes along but his girlfriend Kate manages to get the Doctor arrested by Wyatt Earp. The Clantons try to force the issue but one is arrested for attempting to hang Steven. The barman spills the beans to the Clantons as to Doc Holliday's identity after he kills a hired gun in the saloon. The Clantons fall in with Johnny Ringo who has arrived in town also looking for Doc Holliday. He takes Steven with him since Doc Holliday has fled with Dodo. The Clantons meanwhile break into the jail and free their arrested brother, killing Warren Earp in the process. Wyatt then sends a challenge to the Clantonss to meat him at the OK Corral at sunup. Johnny Ringo falls in with the Clantons and goes along. Doc Holliday arrives back in Tombstone with Dodo and agrees to go with the Earps. The Doctor and Steven ride to the Clantons to try and stop them but they are too late. Virgil and Wyatt Earp fight with Ike, Billy, and Phineas Clanton in the street. Johnny Ringo tries to sneak behind but Dodo interferes and Doc Holliday shoots him down. Holliday then joins the Earps and they gun down the Clantons. The next day the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo leave Tombstone.
If you can separate the story from the history, it's quite fun. It's a little slow in the middle as most Westerns are but the gunfight at the end makes up for it in spades. There is a lot of cracking and shooting and the bad guys get gunned down in the end. Exactly what young boys would have loved watching. The story is punctuated throughout by lines from a song called "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon." It goes from entertaining, to annoying, and then back to catchy all in one watch. It helps that the tempo alters a bit as the mood of the story changes and Kate's voice is very pleasant as she sings the various lines.
But there is the history to consider as well. The marshal is Bat Masterson, except that Bat Masterson never set foot in Tombstone. He was marshal in Dodge City with Wyatt Earp but that was before Tombstone. Morgan Earp is mentioned but is missing from the story. Morgan was actually at the OK Corral with Virgil and Wyatt. Also, while Johnny Ringo was part of the Clanton gang, he was not in Tombstone at the time of the fight. Even the source of the fight is wrong. The Earps were all deputized and trying to serve a warrant when the fight broke out, not setting out for a private vendetta. The outcome of the fight was altered as well. Only Bill Clanton was actually killed of the Clantons. Two other associates of their's were killed and Ike Clanton actually ran away before the fight started.
Now, to be fair, it is very unlikely that anyone would have known this information unless they did some serious digging. It wasn't until the movies Tombstone and Wyatt Earp came out that there was even an attempt at portraying the OK Corral in a historical context. It was much more interesting to show the white hat Earps killing the black hat Clantons. To hold a British show to at standard that even American shows weren't hitting would be rather hypocritical.
Also, while we're on the subject of Americans as perceived by the British, one must give a large grain of salt to the actors for their attempts at American accents. I'm sure the British people laugh at Americans when we try to do their accents. And in truth, after about five minutes you barely notice it. So at least the actors were consistent in their portrayal.
Overall, I'd say the story is pretty good. There are other historicals I like better, but this one is enjoyable, especially when you keep it in context of the time it was made. I'm betting that if I showed this to my dad, he would be absolutely enthralled with it.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
Voyage of the Damned
Allons-y Alonso!
I'm not entirely sure why Voyage of the Damned is seen in a negative light by a high percentage of fandom. It's not a particularly deep story, but as a Christmas special, it's a fun little romp.
A space vessel named the Titanic has crashed into the TARDIS. The Tenth Doctor goes aboard to investigate and while there, a system malfunction occurs that will cause the ship to crash into the Earth and kill millions when it's nuclear reactor blows. With a small band of survivors, it turns into The Poseidon Adventure with the Doctor leading this group to a the bridge where he can regain control. The Doctor discovers that the accident was deliberately set by the ships designer who is seeking revenge on his former company. The designer is killed by a hostess that the Doctor had invited to be his companion, Astrid Peth (played by Kylie Minogue) but she is also killed in the process. The Doctor saves the ship but only a small number of the original passengers survive the accident.
I happen to like The Poseidon Adventure so I rather enjoyed this episode. I also didn't mind the grim tone it took with killing off likable characters, although I wish RTD didn't seem to take such glee in doing so. It certainly would have been satisfying to see the more jerky characters killed off as well. But as far as a plot, I enjoyed it.
I also don't recall having any problem with Kylie Minogue's acting either. She wasn't the best actress I'd seen, but she was a sight better than a lot of people who perform that think they can act. I actually enjoyed the idea that she would be a companion, even though in the back of my mind I knew she would either die or be prevented in some other way.
I would imagine that a number of folks thought this story was too much of a mix between a silly romp and a grim death march. I could see how that might turn some people off but it didn't really bother me. I can't recall anything off the top of my head that bothered me about the story. It had moments that looked a little cheap, but that was just the nature of the era. I thought a number of stories in the Tenth Doctor era took on a cheaper look and I don't recall dinging them for that either.
In the end, I enjoyed it. It wasn't deep, but Christmas specials rarely are. It was an enjoyable romp with a bit of a grim bite.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
I'm not entirely sure why Voyage of the Damned is seen in a negative light by a high percentage of fandom. It's not a particularly deep story, but as a Christmas special, it's a fun little romp.
A space vessel named the Titanic has crashed into the TARDIS. The Tenth Doctor goes aboard to investigate and while there, a system malfunction occurs that will cause the ship to crash into the Earth and kill millions when it's nuclear reactor blows. With a small band of survivors, it turns into The Poseidon Adventure with the Doctor leading this group to a the bridge where he can regain control. The Doctor discovers that the accident was deliberately set by the ships designer who is seeking revenge on his former company. The designer is killed by a hostess that the Doctor had invited to be his companion, Astrid Peth (played by Kylie Minogue) but she is also killed in the process. The Doctor saves the ship but only a small number of the original passengers survive the accident.
I happen to like The Poseidon Adventure so I rather enjoyed this episode. I also didn't mind the grim tone it took with killing off likable characters, although I wish RTD didn't seem to take such glee in doing so. It certainly would have been satisfying to see the more jerky characters killed off as well. But as far as a plot, I enjoyed it.
I also don't recall having any problem with Kylie Minogue's acting either. She wasn't the best actress I'd seen, but she was a sight better than a lot of people who perform that think they can act. I actually enjoyed the idea that she would be a companion, even though in the back of my mind I knew she would either die or be prevented in some other way.
I would imagine that a number of folks thought this story was too much of a mix between a silly romp and a grim death march. I could see how that might turn some people off but it didn't really bother me. I can't recall anything off the top of my head that bothered me about the story. It had moments that looked a little cheap, but that was just the nature of the era. I thought a number of stories in the Tenth Doctor era took on a cheaper look and I don't recall dinging them for that either.
In the end, I enjoyed it. It wasn't deep, but Christmas specials rarely are. It was an enjoyable romp with a bit of a grim bite.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
The Web of Fear
Thank you Doctor for being so cooperative.
The Web of Fear is the sequel to The Abominable Snowmen as is possibly one of the best "base under siege" stories of the Second Doctor era.
This story was lost for a long time and then recently found again along with The Enemy of the World. Episode two is still missing unfortunately but that the majority of it is still there is very nice.
In the story, the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria land in the London Underground in the early 1970's. London has been evacuated due to a mysterious mist covering parts of the city while pockets of the British Army are fighting mechanical Yeti who are spreading a web-like substance through the tunnels. While there, the Doctor meets Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and uses the experiences of his men with the Yeti to battle the Great Intelligence. Things are complicated as the Doctor soon discovers that someone in their party has been taken over by the Great Intelligence and is working against them. Eventually the Doctor gains control of one of the Yeti and is planning to trick the Great Intelligence into destroying itself but Jamie and the rest of the party get in the way. The Great Intelligence is defeated, but it escapes from the Doctor's plan to destroy it entirely.
Most "base under siege" stories have the outside threat which occasionally makes forays against the Doctor and his party to build tension. This one has that as well, but it also makes excellent use of the "traitor among us" theme to add an extra level of fear. The dark enclosed atmosphere of the Underground tunnels and the base add to the feeling of claustrophobia that pervades the story. That the Doctor keeps his companions (and by extension the audience) in the dark of his plan also keeps everyone on edge as they wait to see what is going to happen.
Probably one of the best things to come out of the story being discovered is the full realization of the battle in Episode Four. For about half the episode, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart takes nearly the entire squad from the base up to ground level to fight against the Yeti. They fight well, but are overwhelmed. It is one of the best close quarters battle scenes I've seen. It is shot better than many urban battle sequences in WWII movies in my opinion. It is intense and you feel for these troops who you have come to like be taken down by the Yeti robots all while also feeling them close in on the survivors. The story was shot by Douglas Camfield and his excellent direction comes to the forefront in this battle sequence.
Now there are a few small flaws with this story, although two of those are not the story's fault. The biggest problem I have that there was some control over was the fact that the Doctor is not in episode two. Patrick Troughton was on holiday for that week so the Doctor disappears from the story. In the First Doctor era, this wasn't as big a deal as Ian, and later Steven then Ben, could be counted on to drive the story without him. But when the Second Doctor was absent, Jamie and the other companion were not of the same caliber so the story would slow with placeholder information. In this case, we see sporadic fighting and the introduction of several characters, but nothing that couldn't have been compressed within other episodes if the Doctor had not been absent.
That was the only real flaw that was part of the story itself. The second nit to pick is just the fact that Episode Two is still missing. It's an annoying interruption, made worse by the fact that the Doctor isn't there so moving pictures might have helped keep the flow of the story going. Also, Episode Two is where Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is introduced in this episode and it just feels wrong that such a major character's first appearance is only in still form. That's no one's fault, but it is still aggravating
The colonel also is the basis of my third and final nit. I mentioned earlier that there is a "traitor among us" element to this story in the middle stages. Throughout the story, three characters are thrust prominently forward as being the candidate for the traitor. The first is the reporter Chorley. He's a bit of a jerk and you want it to be him, but he legs it about halfway through and gets dropped as a candidate. Driver Evans is also put forward as he is something of a coward and wants nothing to do with the fighting. He is played with a slight over-the-topness to make you think it's him in the classic red herring style. Kids would have keyed on that, but anyone familiar with this style would have easily seen this as a misdirection. That leaves Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and there is a lot of subtle suspicion placed on him. The viewer is clearly meant to suspect him from the start and then get gobsmacked by the true reveal at the end. Of course, anyone who knows anything about Doctor Who knows about how Lethbridge-Stewart will be promoted to the head of UNIT and become a great friend of the Doctor. It's an unfortunate side effect of knowing the future that undercuts both good direction and good acting in this story. That's obviously not the story's fault, it's just a fault of future developments.
All in all, this is a very good story and I'd happily watch it again. The lack of Episode Two and the absence of the Doctor drags it down from ideal, but still something that's quite watchable a few times around.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
The Web of Fear is the sequel to The Abominable Snowmen as is possibly one of the best "base under siege" stories of the Second Doctor era.
This story was lost for a long time and then recently found again along with The Enemy of the World. Episode two is still missing unfortunately but that the majority of it is still there is very nice.
In the story, the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria land in the London Underground in the early 1970's. London has been evacuated due to a mysterious mist covering parts of the city while pockets of the British Army are fighting mechanical Yeti who are spreading a web-like substance through the tunnels. While there, the Doctor meets Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and uses the experiences of his men with the Yeti to battle the Great Intelligence. Things are complicated as the Doctor soon discovers that someone in their party has been taken over by the Great Intelligence and is working against them. Eventually the Doctor gains control of one of the Yeti and is planning to trick the Great Intelligence into destroying itself but Jamie and the rest of the party get in the way. The Great Intelligence is defeated, but it escapes from the Doctor's plan to destroy it entirely.
Most "base under siege" stories have the outside threat which occasionally makes forays against the Doctor and his party to build tension. This one has that as well, but it also makes excellent use of the "traitor among us" theme to add an extra level of fear. The dark enclosed atmosphere of the Underground tunnels and the base add to the feeling of claustrophobia that pervades the story. That the Doctor keeps his companions (and by extension the audience) in the dark of his plan also keeps everyone on edge as they wait to see what is going to happen.
Probably one of the best things to come out of the story being discovered is the full realization of the battle in Episode Four. For about half the episode, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart takes nearly the entire squad from the base up to ground level to fight against the Yeti. They fight well, but are overwhelmed. It is one of the best close quarters battle scenes I've seen. It is shot better than many urban battle sequences in WWII movies in my opinion. It is intense and you feel for these troops who you have come to like be taken down by the Yeti robots all while also feeling them close in on the survivors. The story was shot by Douglas Camfield and his excellent direction comes to the forefront in this battle sequence.
Now there are a few small flaws with this story, although two of those are not the story's fault. The biggest problem I have that there was some control over was the fact that the Doctor is not in episode two. Patrick Troughton was on holiday for that week so the Doctor disappears from the story. In the First Doctor era, this wasn't as big a deal as Ian, and later Steven then Ben, could be counted on to drive the story without him. But when the Second Doctor was absent, Jamie and the other companion were not of the same caliber so the story would slow with placeholder information. In this case, we see sporadic fighting and the introduction of several characters, but nothing that couldn't have been compressed within other episodes if the Doctor had not been absent.
That was the only real flaw that was part of the story itself. The second nit to pick is just the fact that Episode Two is still missing. It's an annoying interruption, made worse by the fact that the Doctor isn't there so moving pictures might have helped keep the flow of the story going. Also, Episode Two is where Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is introduced in this episode and it just feels wrong that such a major character's first appearance is only in still form. That's no one's fault, but it is still aggravating
The colonel also is the basis of my third and final nit. I mentioned earlier that there is a "traitor among us" element to this story in the middle stages. Throughout the story, three characters are thrust prominently forward as being the candidate for the traitor. The first is the reporter Chorley. He's a bit of a jerk and you want it to be him, but he legs it about halfway through and gets dropped as a candidate. Driver Evans is also put forward as he is something of a coward and wants nothing to do with the fighting. He is played with a slight over-the-topness to make you think it's him in the classic red herring style. Kids would have keyed on that, but anyone familiar with this style would have easily seen this as a misdirection. That leaves Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and there is a lot of subtle suspicion placed on him. The viewer is clearly meant to suspect him from the start and then get gobsmacked by the true reveal at the end. Of course, anyone who knows anything about Doctor Who knows about how Lethbridge-Stewart will be promoted to the head of UNIT and become a great friend of the Doctor. It's an unfortunate side effect of knowing the future that undercuts both good direction and good acting in this story. That's obviously not the story's fault, it's just a fault of future developments.
All in all, this is a very good story and I'd happily watch it again. The lack of Episode Two and the absence of the Doctor drags it down from ideal, but still something that's quite watchable a few times around.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Monday, December 7, 2015
Hell Bent
Memories become stories when we forget them. Maybe some of them become songs.
I have a strong feeling that I'm in the minority with my opinions of this one. It was good, but I didn't like it as much as many of the other folks out there. More so because of use of the get out of jail free card used on Clara. Yes, she will die eventually in the trap street with the Raven; but she is not aging, nor is Ashildr, so they are free to roam about as long as they want so long as they go back to Gallifrey for Clara to die in the end.
To me, the poignancy of Face the Raven and especially of Heaven Sent, is the way the Doctor has to deal with the loss of Clara; to know that you can do all the right things and sometimes bad things happen and we suffer loss. Pulling Clara out and letting her effectively get away with cheating death seems like a cop-out. Granted, the Doctor did suffer loss and that is sad, but knowing that Clara and Ashildr are roaming the cosmos will mitigate the feeling of loss the audience has.
It was again, just too much of not wanting to deal with hard choices. Contrast this to The Girl Who Waited. There was no magical solution there. The Doctor made a choice that saved Amy, but he thrust Rory into the position of making the hard choice of deciding which Amy will die. That is the type of Kobayashi Maru situation that leaves a lasting impact and makes the drama that much more powerful. Similarly, Heaven Sent had great heft because the Doctor was forced to sacrifice himself many times, accepting the pain and death of each iteration to complete the final solution. It landed with impact because of what we saw the Doctor was sacrificing to achieve what was needed. Clara's escape from death cheapened both her original death and the Doctor's sacrifice in the two previous episodes, in my opinion.
With that out of the way, I did like the rest of it. There were a lot of comedic moments, especially in the interplay between the Doctor and Rassilon. I especially loved Rassilon's quip wondering how many regenerations they gave the Doctor and then saying he has all day. There were a lot of Western motifs in the first half of the story and that was also quite enjoyable.
One side note that bothered me was the presence of the Sisterhood of Karn. They were there to provide exposition but with Gallifrey having been transported to the end of time, how did the sisterhood get from Karn in a more or less contemporary plane to Gallifrey some many billions of years in the future? I suppose they could have been brought by another Time Lord, but the impression given is that the Time Lords are still in a bubble and unable or unwilling to leave their position. It's just odd.
I did enjoy the repartee regarding fan theories between Ashildr and the Doctor. The Doctor suggesting that Ashildr is the hybrid while she counters with the idea first proposed in the Doctor Who Movie that he is half human. That the hybrid question is left unsettled and ends up being something of a maguffin to the story is fine and neither helps nor hinders the story. It made for witty discussion.
I realize that most of my comments have focused on the negative and that is unfortunate. I enjoyed the episode overall and would happily watch it again. I just felt that the great impact of the previous episodes, the whole season even, were just undercut by the ending. It was well done, but it still leaves an unpleasant aftertaste in what had been such a good set up. Unfortunately, aftertaste is what tends to stick with you after the meal is over.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
I have a strong feeling that I'm in the minority with my opinions of this one. It was good, but I didn't like it as much as many of the other folks out there. More so because of use of the get out of jail free card used on Clara. Yes, she will die eventually in the trap street with the Raven; but she is not aging, nor is Ashildr, so they are free to roam about as long as they want so long as they go back to Gallifrey for Clara to die in the end.
To me, the poignancy of Face the Raven and especially of Heaven Sent, is the way the Doctor has to deal with the loss of Clara; to know that you can do all the right things and sometimes bad things happen and we suffer loss. Pulling Clara out and letting her effectively get away with cheating death seems like a cop-out. Granted, the Doctor did suffer loss and that is sad, but knowing that Clara and Ashildr are roaming the cosmos will mitigate the feeling of loss the audience has.
It was again, just too much of not wanting to deal with hard choices. Contrast this to The Girl Who Waited. There was no magical solution there. The Doctor made a choice that saved Amy, but he thrust Rory into the position of making the hard choice of deciding which Amy will die. That is the type of Kobayashi Maru situation that leaves a lasting impact and makes the drama that much more powerful. Similarly, Heaven Sent had great heft because the Doctor was forced to sacrifice himself many times, accepting the pain and death of each iteration to complete the final solution. It landed with impact because of what we saw the Doctor was sacrificing to achieve what was needed. Clara's escape from death cheapened both her original death and the Doctor's sacrifice in the two previous episodes, in my opinion.
With that out of the way, I did like the rest of it. There were a lot of comedic moments, especially in the interplay between the Doctor and Rassilon. I especially loved Rassilon's quip wondering how many regenerations they gave the Doctor and then saying he has all day. There were a lot of Western motifs in the first half of the story and that was also quite enjoyable.
One side note that bothered me was the presence of the Sisterhood of Karn. They were there to provide exposition but with Gallifrey having been transported to the end of time, how did the sisterhood get from Karn in a more or less contemporary plane to Gallifrey some many billions of years in the future? I suppose they could have been brought by another Time Lord, but the impression given is that the Time Lords are still in a bubble and unable or unwilling to leave their position. It's just odd.
I did enjoy the repartee regarding fan theories between Ashildr and the Doctor. The Doctor suggesting that Ashildr is the hybrid while she counters with the idea first proposed in the Doctor Who Movie that he is half human. That the hybrid question is left unsettled and ends up being something of a maguffin to the story is fine and neither helps nor hinders the story. It made for witty discussion.
I realize that most of my comments have focused on the negative and that is unfortunate. I enjoyed the episode overall and would happily watch it again. I just felt that the great impact of the previous episodes, the whole season even, were just undercut by the ending. It was well done, but it still leaves an unpleasant aftertaste in what had been such a good set up. Unfortunately, aftertaste is what tends to stick with you after the meal is over.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp
I AM KING YRCANOS!
Over the years of Doctor Who, there have been excellent performances, bad performances, hammy performances and blatantly over-the-top performances. Brian Blessed as King Yrcanos in Mindwarp is in a class by itself. One's enjoyment of this story is going to be more or less tied to one's enjoyment of his extremely over-the-top performance.
In this story, the Doctor and Peri stumble across a hideaway of Mentors, one of whom (Kiv) is dying from a swelling brain. He has hired a doctor named Crozier to develop a process that will allow his mind to live on in a new body. One of the experiments is on King Yrcanos who frees himself while the Doctor is being experimented on. The Doctor is separated from Peri and Yrcanos where he gains the trust of Crozier and the Mentors. Meanwhile, Yrcanos and Peri align with a group of rebels but are recaptured while trying to get to a stash of weapons. Peri is taken by Crozier to experiment on and the Doctor frees Yrcanos to rescue Peri. They free the slaves as a distraction but before they can get to Crozier's lab, the Doctor is taken out of time by the Time Lords. Peri's body is used to house Kiv's mind, effectively killing her, and we last see Yrcanos break into the lab and appear to kill everyone in it.
For the most part, I enjoyed Brian Blessed's performance. He is way over-the-top hammy, but he's clearly having such a good time doing it that you can't help but enjoy the ride with him. It also makes the few times that he does go quiet and introspective all the more enjoyable due to the contrast. However, like this story overall, there are points where it goes too far and the enjoyment goes out of it.
If I had to pick a single thing that bothered me most about this story, it was how much I could cut out of it. There is a point early in episode two where the Doctor is separated from Peri and King Yrcanos who then meet up with Yrcanos' squire Dorff. If you stopped the story there and then immediately jump to the last two or three minutes of episode three, where King Yrcanos, Dorff, and Peri are recaptured, you would miss very little. Kiv is transferred to a temporary body and Yrcanos recruits the resistance to aid him, but it is very little advancement overall.
The other thing that bugs me is how odd the end is. We are treated to three episodes of Crozier being good at his job but still fighting with working out the specifics. Then we find that he has suddenly perfected the process to transfer Kiv and kill Peri? I know there is going to be more revealed at the end of the Trial as a whole, but it was a sloppy and rushed ending to this story.
Still, there is a lot to like about this one. It has moments of good atmosphere, especially in using the dim lighting to hide flaws that might otherwise exist. There are also nice moments of humor, such as the Doctor suggesting to Peri that they use the "skedaddle technique" or Crozier finishing his cup of tea before performing CPR on Kiv after his first mind transfer.
On the whole, I'd say it's one I wouldn't mind watching again. In fact, I think I might pick up on some of the nuance that eluded me on first watch. But I don't think I would select it as a classic story to watch just because I was in the mood for an adventure.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
Over the years of Doctor Who, there have been excellent performances, bad performances, hammy performances and blatantly over-the-top performances. Brian Blessed as King Yrcanos in Mindwarp is in a class by itself. One's enjoyment of this story is going to be more or less tied to one's enjoyment of his extremely over-the-top performance.
In this story, the Doctor and Peri stumble across a hideaway of Mentors, one of whom (Kiv) is dying from a swelling brain. He has hired a doctor named Crozier to develop a process that will allow his mind to live on in a new body. One of the experiments is on King Yrcanos who frees himself while the Doctor is being experimented on. The Doctor is separated from Peri and Yrcanos where he gains the trust of Crozier and the Mentors. Meanwhile, Yrcanos and Peri align with a group of rebels but are recaptured while trying to get to a stash of weapons. Peri is taken by Crozier to experiment on and the Doctor frees Yrcanos to rescue Peri. They free the slaves as a distraction but before they can get to Crozier's lab, the Doctor is taken out of time by the Time Lords. Peri's body is used to house Kiv's mind, effectively killing her, and we last see Yrcanos break into the lab and appear to kill everyone in it.
For the most part, I enjoyed Brian Blessed's performance. He is way over-the-top hammy, but he's clearly having such a good time doing it that you can't help but enjoy the ride with him. It also makes the few times that he does go quiet and introspective all the more enjoyable due to the contrast. However, like this story overall, there are points where it goes too far and the enjoyment goes out of it.
If I had to pick a single thing that bothered me most about this story, it was how much I could cut out of it. There is a point early in episode two where the Doctor is separated from Peri and King Yrcanos who then meet up with Yrcanos' squire Dorff. If you stopped the story there and then immediately jump to the last two or three minutes of episode three, where King Yrcanos, Dorff, and Peri are recaptured, you would miss very little. Kiv is transferred to a temporary body and Yrcanos recruits the resistance to aid him, but it is very little advancement overall.
The other thing that bugs me is how odd the end is. We are treated to three episodes of Crozier being good at his job but still fighting with working out the specifics. Then we find that he has suddenly perfected the process to transfer Kiv and kill Peri? I know there is going to be more revealed at the end of the Trial as a whole, but it was a sloppy and rushed ending to this story.
Still, there is a lot to like about this one. It has moments of good atmosphere, especially in using the dim lighting to hide flaws that might otherwise exist. There are also nice moments of humor, such as the Doctor suggesting to Peri that they use the "skedaddle technique" or Crozier finishing his cup of tea before performing CPR on Kiv after his first mind transfer.
On the whole, I'd say it's one I wouldn't mind watching again. In fact, I think I might pick up on some of the nuance that eluded me on first watch. But I don't think I would select it as a classic story to watch just because I was in the mood for an adventure.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
Boom Town
You let one of them go, but that's nothing new.
I must admit, I don't recall much of Boom Town except for the basic outline of the plot and the restaurant scene. I believe this was a last minute replacement episode and since the Slitheen costumes were on hand, it was easy to create a story that would have cost very little and been quick to make.
The plot, as I recall, involves the last surviving member of the Slitheen from Aliens of London/World War Three, Margaret Blaine, having spirited herself away to Cardiff and been elected mayor. She is using her political power build a nuclear reactor that would then fail and be used as cover to make her escape from Earth. The Doctor arrests her and is determined to take her back to her home planet but she begs him to allow her to leave since she knows she will be executed. Jack Harkness sets off a trap that gives Margaret a chance to escape but she is caught in the heart of the TARDIS, which she looks in to and reverts back to an egg. The Doctor disables the trap and states that he will take Margaret back to her home planet and placed in the care of a new family.
I'm not going to say that this was a bad story, only that it was not overly memorable. I enjoy morality plays, especially when there is a real conundrum to be had about what is right. Of course, I also don't think there was any real question that Margaret should have been taken back and executed for her crimes. Nurture has a great deal to do with it, but in the end, one must own up to the decisions that they make.
But, the narrative for the Ninth Doctor was just how broken he was after the war. Even without the war, he was surrounded by death and to have a direct hand in a death where it was not necessary to ensure his or his companion's survival did make for an interesting question. I go back to the restaurant scene. Margaret was a bit disingenuous as she did try to kill the Doctor and escape. All while that is going on, she probes the wound of the war, feeding into guilt and the idea of what would one more death do.
But one can't judge an entire episode based on a single scene. There is the rest of the story and that is what drags things down. You have Mickey, Rose, and Jack and their role is minuscule. I can recall that Mickey and Rose more or less end their relationship officially and Jack sets off the surfboard which opens the rift. That opening of the rift is what allows the TARDIS console to open up and revert Margaret back to her egg state, effectively creating the easy resolution to the dilemma of whether to take Margaret back or not. Again, its not bad, it's just not memorable either.
I can't say that I think I would jump up to watch this again, but I know I could watch parts of it again fairly readily. I would also say that of the three episodes featuring the Slitheen, it is certainly the best. That may not be saying much, but it will still allow it a higher rating in my book.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
I must admit, I don't recall much of Boom Town except for the basic outline of the plot and the restaurant scene. I believe this was a last minute replacement episode and since the Slitheen costumes were on hand, it was easy to create a story that would have cost very little and been quick to make.
The plot, as I recall, involves the last surviving member of the Slitheen from Aliens of London/World War Three, Margaret Blaine, having spirited herself away to Cardiff and been elected mayor. She is using her political power build a nuclear reactor that would then fail and be used as cover to make her escape from Earth. The Doctor arrests her and is determined to take her back to her home planet but she begs him to allow her to leave since she knows she will be executed. Jack Harkness sets off a trap that gives Margaret a chance to escape but she is caught in the heart of the TARDIS, which she looks in to and reverts back to an egg. The Doctor disables the trap and states that he will take Margaret back to her home planet and placed in the care of a new family.
I'm not going to say that this was a bad story, only that it was not overly memorable. I enjoy morality plays, especially when there is a real conundrum to be had about what is right. Of course, I also don't think there was any real question that Margaret should have been taken back and executed for her crimes. Nurture has a great deal to do with it, but in the end, one must own up to the decisions that they make.
But, the narrative for the Ninth Doctor was just how broken he was after the war. Even without the war, he was surrounded by death and to have a direct hand in a death where it was not necessary to ensure his or his companion's survival did make for an interesting question. I go back to the restaurant scene. Margaret was a bit disingenuous as she did try to kill the Doctor and escape. All while that is going on, she probes the wound of the war, feeding into guilt and the idea of what would one more death do.
But one can't judge an entire episode based on a single scene. There is the rest of the story and that is what drags things down. You have Mickey, Rose, and Jack and their role is minuscule. I can recall that Mickey and Rose more or less end their relationship officially and Jack sets off the surfboard which opens the rift. That opening of the rift is what allows the TARDIS console to open up and revert Margaret back to her egg state, effectively creating the easy resolution to the dilemma of whether to take Margaret back or not. Again, its not bad, it's just not memorable either.
I can't say that I think I would jump up to watch this again, but I know I could watch parts of it again fairly readily. I would also say that of the three episodes featuring the Slitheen, it is certainly the best. That may not be saying much, but it will still allow it a higher rating in my book.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Death to the Daleks
The Daleks appear to be having a root problem.
It is a bit of a shame that either Terry Nation or the Doctor Who brass thought that ever story that featured a Dalek had to have the name Dalek in the title. Death to the Daleks is probably one of the oddest names that could have been chosen for this story. The Daleks aren't the primary villain, nor is their death/destruction the central focus of the story. Really, this is the story that should have been called City of Death, rather than the Season 17 story. But that's a digression.
This story is a bit of a departure for Terry Nation. He still fills it with his usual tropes: dangerous plague, valuable mineral to be extracted, arrogant and direct Daleks, and the noble savage that helps the Doctor. But, the shoe is at least on the other foot in that the Doctor and his allies are forced to team up with the Daleks for mutual benefit against an outside power. That goes by the wayside towards the end of episode two, but it at least starts with an interesting dynamic.
That would actually be a good description of how this story goes overall. The initial set up is very interesting. The loss of power mystery and the creatures attacking in the dark made for a very creepy opening. Even when the Doctor met up with the Earth expedition, it kept this fearful air about it. But after the Daleks show up, it starts to slide downhill.
None of the Earth expedition crew are that interesting or sympathetic except for the Captain and he is killed early in episode two for the sake of creating tension by having Galloway take over as senior officer. This is never really utilized. Likewise, the Daleks gain the upper hand with a reversion to projectile based weapons (machine guns), but they still work with the Earth crew only now they simply dictate orders. It takes them back to the one note baddies of the past rather than the more sinister and plotting versions shown in the Second Doctor era.
There is also the matter of the effects to consider. They were trying and I'll give them credit for that, but the Dalek heads were wobbling when they would swivel and the roots of the city looked very cheap. Worse for the roots, when it emerged and attacked the Exxilons, the wires holding it up were very visible. It was actually worse than the wire holding Cyber Control in The Tomb of the Cybermen. It took what was already a less than stellar effect and just made it look bad. I know that forgiveness is necessary regarding the effects when watching the classic era, but if it looks bad by 1970's standards, then I think it's fair to ding it.
On an overall evaluation, I would have to give this one a middling grade. The idea was sound and the idea of putting the Daleks in a supporting role rather than as the principle villains was also good. But the story lost its edge as the episodes went on and again, the effects just started to look really bad after a while. It's worth seeing once, but I can't imagine I would rush back to give it a second pass.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
It is a bit of a shame that either Terry Nation or the Doctor Who brass thought that ever story that featured a Dalek had to have the name Dalek in the title. Death to the Daleks is probably one of the oddest names that could have been chosen for this story. The Daleks aren't the primary villain, nor is their death/destruction the central focus of the story. Really, this is the story that should have been called City of Death, rather than the Season 17 story. But that's a digression.
This story is a bit of a departure for Terry Nation. He still fills it with his usual tropes: dangerous plague, valuable mineral to be extracted, arrogant and direct Daleks, and the noble savage that helps the Doctor. But, the shoe is at least on the other foot in that the Doctor and his allies are forced to team up with the Daleks for mutual benefit against an outside power. That goes by the wayside towards the end of episode two, but it at least starts with an interesting dynamic.
That would actually be a good description of how this story goes overall. The initial set up is very interesting. The loss of power mystery and the creatures attacking in the dark made for a very creepy opening. Even when the Doctor met up with the Earth expedition, it kept this fearful air about it. But after the Daleks show up, it starts to slide downhill.
None of the Earth expedition crew are that interesting or sympathetic except for the Captain and he is killed early in episode two for the sake of creating tension by having Galloway take over as senior officer. This is never really utilized. Likewise, the Daleks gain the upper hand with a reversion to projectile based weapons (machine guns), but they still work with the Earth crew only now they simply dictate orders. It takes them back to the one note baddies of the past rather than the more sinister and plotting versions shown in the Second Doctor era.
There is also the matter of the effects to consider. They were trying and I'll give them credit for that, but the Dalek heads were wobbling when they would swivel and the roots of the city looked very cheap. Worse for the roots, when it emerged and attacked the Exxilons, the wires holding it up were very visible. It was actually worse than the wire holding Cyber Control in The Tomb of the Cybermen. It took what was already a less than stellar effect and just made it look bad. I know that forgiveness is necessary regarding the effects when watching the classic era, but if it looks bad by 1970's standards, then I think it's fair to ding it.
On an overall evaluation, I would have to give this one a middling grade. The idea was sound and the idea of putting the Daleks in a supporting role rather than as the principle villains was also good. But the story lost its edge as the episodes went on and again, the effects just started to look really bad after a while. It's worth seeing once, but I can't imagine I would rush back to give it a second pass.
Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Heaven Sent
Now, get off your ass and WIN!
In the past few years that I have started watching Doctor Who, I've yet to find an episode that was flawless. Heaven Sent has probably come the closest to that mark of perfection than any other story.
I'm not sure any Doctor other than the Twelfth could have pulled this one off. Almost the entire story takes place within an isolated environment where it's just the Doctor talking to himself and trying to figure a way out of the maze he is in with an unknown figure pursuing him. We've seen other Doctors talk to themselves, but to carry an entire episode where one is just talking to himself, working out clues half to himself, half to the audience, takes a strong acting talent that other actors may have not been quite up to.
This also was a genuinely scary episode. There were a couple of horror movie tropes but generally it was the steady volume of the flies that worked so well to unnerve the watcher. The Doctor would have moments of quiet where he could work out the puzzles, but then there would be the slow buzz of the flies. A single frame landing on a fly and it set the viewer off that the creature was approaching again. Some folks remarked that it was like a puzzle game where there is a hunter so you have to either solve the puzzle quickly or flee to a different room since there was no way to combat the creature. Very impressive.
I don't know how it was for other people but I keyed in pretty quickly that there was a time loop going on. I was half convinced that the hand we saw at the beginning was the Doctor's and then the laying out of the clothes tipped it pretty hard. The acknowledgement that the position was the same but 7,000 years in the future was also a pretty strong tell. I was just confused on how the Doctor was going to escape the time loop.
Even after he started punching the wall, I still didn't get it until we finally got a frame ahead where he was deeper and a little further in the story (I looked up the story as well to verify that it was real). Once the montage was going, I was reminded of a line from Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption where Andy asks the warden what would happen if a single drop of water fell on a rock once a year; that eventually the rock would break. It's effectively the same line as from the Grimm story and it was interesting to see it in action with the Doctor getting three or four punches in every couple of days over the course of two billion years.
It'll be interesting to see if the two plus billion years that the Doctor iterated in the confession dial was reflective of any real time or if was just perceived time and that he emerged from the confession dial only a short time after he entered it.
I think the only thing that might ding this episode for me is the rewatch value. It was so good on initial viewing, but that was with me having not completely figured it out. Knowing what the answer and the resolution will be, does that hinder the watchability of the story? I don't know. I think the montage of the Doctor iterating through the wall went a bit long and I wonder if that was indicative that I may not be as fully engaged a second time around. Or was it that I was champing at the bit to see him get through? I don't know.
A great episode regardless and I am very eager to see how it does in the rewatch value.
Overall personal score: 5 out of 5
In the past few years that I have started watching Doctor Who, I've yet to find an episode that was flawless. Heaven Sent has probably come the closest to that mark of perfection than any other story.
I'm not sure any Doctor other than the Twelfth could have pulled this one off. Almost the entire story takes place within an isolated environment where it's just the Doctor talking to himself and trying to figure a way out of the maze he is in with an unknown figure pursuing him. We've seen other Doctors talk to themselves, but to carry an entire episode where one is just talking to himself, working out clues half to himself, half to the audience, takes a strong acting talent that other actors may have not been quite up to.
This also was a genuinely scary episode. There were a couple of horror movie tropes but generally it was the steady volume of the flies that worked so well to unnerve the watcher. The Doctor would have moments of quiet where he could work out the puzzles, but then there would be the slow buzz of the flies. A single frame landing on a fly and it set the viewer off that the creature was approaching again. Some folks remarked that it was like a puzzle game where there is a hunter so you have to either solve the puzzle quickly or flee to a different room since there was no way to combat the creature. Very impressive.
I don't know how it was for other people but I keyed in pretty quickly that there was a time loop going on. I was half convinced that the hand we saw at the beginning was the Doctor's and then the laying out of the clothes tipped it pretty hard. The acknowledgement that the position was the same but 7,000 years in the future was also a pretty strong tell. I was just confused on how the Doctor was going to escape the time loop.
Even after he started punching the wall, I still didn't get it until we finally got a frame ahead where he was deeper and a little further in the story (I looked up the story as well to verify that it was real). Once the montage was going, I was reminded of a line from Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption where Andy asks the warden what would happen if a single drop of water fell on a rock once a year; that eventually the rock would break. It's effectively the same line as from the Grimm story and it was interesting to see it in action with the Doctor getting three or four punches in every couple of days over the course of two billion years.
It'll be interesting to see if the two plus billion years that the Doctor iterated in the confession dial was reflective of any real time or if was just perceived time and that he emerged from the confession dial only a short time after he entered it.
I think the only thing that might ding this episode for me is the rewatch value. It was so good on initial viewing, but that was with me having not completely figured it out. Knowing what the answer and the resolution will be, does that hinder the watchability of the story? I don't know. I think the montage of the Doctor iterating through the wall went a bit long and I wonder if that was indicative that I may not be as fully engaged a second time around. Or was it that I was champing at the bit to see him get through? I don't know.
A great episode regardless and I am very eager to see how it does in the rewatch value.
Overall personal score: 5 out of 5
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
The Macra Terror
I obey Control
From more than one source I've heard that The Macra Terror is reminiscent of The Prisoner and I can see where that would come from. Fortunately it's no where near as surreal as The Prisoner or there would be no hope of following the story as it only exists in telesnap form.
The Doctor, Ben, Polly, and Jamie land on an Earth colony planet and immediately run into a man feeling from authorities. He is believed to be suffering from delusions but the Doctor believes him. The colony appears to be the model of happiness and efficiency with cheerful music playing, recreation facilities, and a cheerful optimistic attitude. They are overseen by the Controller, who is very evocative of Big Brother as he seems to know all of what is going on in the colony but is only seen as a large still picture with a booming voice. Ben is brainwashed while sleeping but the Doctor realizes what is happening and destroys the equipment before it can work on Polly and Jamie. The Doctor, Jamie and Polly are sentenced to work in the gas mines while Ben is dispatched to oversee them. Jamie escapes down an unused shaft while the Doctor figures out how the piping system works. Jamie is confronted by the Macra but the Doctor manages to reroute the mining gas to lull the Macra back to sleep. Jamie reemerges into the colony while the Doctor and Polly discover the control room with the Macra running things. They show it to the Pilot who had been starting to resist Control anyway. They are locked up to be killed but Ben finishes coming back to his senses and destroys the piping per the Doctor's instructions, killing the Macra.
This one was a pretty tight little story. It was a bit less engaging as a recon due to there being more action and less talking that in other stories, but the recon was good enough to keep me engaged. One of the things that struck me most was how a preview clip worked into the end of The Moonbase was used as a key plot development in the first two episodes of this story. Had the Doctor and his companions not seen that clip they might have been less accepting of Medok's story. Of course, the Second Doctor was always suspicious of authority so that was keeping within his nature.
It was nice to see Ben given an interesting arc with him becoming brainwashed by the Macra and the others not. Jamie was given the adventure plotline while Polly assisted the Doctor so that no one felt wasted which is done a lot with three companions. There was nice depth with the supporting cast and it was interesting to see how the fully brainwashed ones could go from so inviting and cheerful to authoritarian when "the rules" were threatened.
I've got two downsides to this story, aside from it being a recon. First is the Macra. Because of the Australian censors decided they were too scary and cut the footage out, the only moving bits of this story are of the Macra attacking in episodes one and two. I'm sure the production team was trying hard and the director did a good job of keeping them in shadow, but even with that the Macra look a bit shoddy. It's part of the ease that one has to give to Sixties Doctor Who sometimes.
My second tick is that the ending felt very rushed. This is a bit of a recurring problem in the classic series where there is a real meandering through the first few episodes, establishing the problem and then there is a slap dash rush to fix things again. More time should have been paid to convincing the Pilot to see the Macra and I would have preferred to see the Doctor a little more involved in the final resolution other than shouting instructions to Ben through the door. I know he had confirmed that Ben was back to normal in a subtle way in the Pilot's office, but it was still a bit of a risk, especially since it was dependant on Control also sending all guards out of the drilling control room, giving Ben the ability to destroy the machinery unencumbered.
The ending aside, this was a good one and I think I might give it a half point more if it was not a recon. Seeing the action would keep me even more engaged, but it was reasonably engaging enough. A good story and one that I could enjoy again. I would certainly jump at the chance to watch it again if the full episodes were recovered.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
From more than one source I've heard that The Macra Terror is reminiscent of The Prisoner and I can see where that would come from. Fortunately it's no where near as surreal as The Prisoner or there would be no hope of following the story as it only exists in telesnap form.
The Doctor, Ben, Polly, and Jamie land on an Earth colony planet and immediately run into a man feeling from authorities. He is believed to be suffering from delusions but the Doctor believes him. The colony appears to be the model of happiness and efficiency with cheerful music playing, recreation facilities, and a cheerful optimistic attitude. They are overseen by the Controller, who is very evocative of Big Brother as he seems to know all of what is going on in the colony but is only seen as a large still picture with a booming voice. Ben is brainwashed while sleeping but the Doctor realizes what is happening and destroys the equipment before it can work on Polly and Jamie. The Doctor, Jamie and Polly are sentenced to work in the gas mines while Ben is dispatched to oversee them. Jamie escapes down an unused shaft while the Doctor figures out how the piping system works. Jamie is confronted by the Macra but the Doctor manages to reroute the mining gas to lull the Macra back to sleep. Jamie reemerges into the colony while the Doctor and Polly discover the control room with the Macra running things. They show it to the Pilot who had been starting to resist Control anyway. They are locked up to be killed but Ben finishes coming back to his senses and destroys the piping per the Doctor's instructions, killing the Macra.
This one was a pretty tight little story. It was a bit less engaging as a recon due to there being more action and less talking that in other stories, but the recon was good enough to keep me engaged. One of the things that struck me most was how a preview clip worked into the end of The Moonbase was used as a key plot development in the first two episodes of this story. Had the Doctor and his companions not seen that clip they might have been less accepting of Medok's story. Of course, the Second Doctor was always suspicious of authority so that was keeping within his nature.
It was nice to see Ben given an interesting arc with him becoming brainwashed by the Macra and the others not. Jamie was given the adventure plotline while Polly assisted the Doctor so that no one felt wasted which is done a lot with three companions. There was nice depth with the supporting cast and it was interesting to see how the fully brainwashed ones could go from so inviting and cheerful to authoritarian when "the rules" were threatened.
I've got two downsides to this story, aside from it being a recon. First is the Macra. Because of the Australian censors decided they were too scary and cut the footage out, the only moving bits of this story are of the Macra attacking in episodes one and two. I'm sure the production team was trying hard and the director did a good job of keeping them in shadow, but even with that the Macra look a bit shoddy. It's part of the ease that one has to give to Sixties Doctor Who sometimes.
My second tick is that the ending felt very rushed. This is a bit of a recurring problem in the classic series where there is a real meandering through the first few episodes, establishing the problem and then there is a slap dash rush to fix things again. More time should have been paid to convincing the Pilot to see the Macra and I would have preferred to see the Doctor a little more involved in the final resolution other than shouting instructions to Ben through the door. I know he had confirmed that Ben was back to normal in a subtle way in the Pilot's office, but it was still a bit of a risk, especially since it was dependant on Control also sending all guards out of the drilling control room, giving Ben the ability to destroy the machinery unencumbered.
The ending aside, this was a good one and I think I might give it a half point more if it was not a recon. Seeing the action would keep me even more engaged, but it was reasonably engaging enough. A good story and one that I could enjoy again. I would certainly jump at the chance to watch it again if the full episodes were recovered.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
Face the Raven
You'll find it's a very small universe when I'm angry with you.
Face the Raven was not quite what I expected when I saw the preview for it last week. I thought it might have more of a Poe tie in, especially since the alley looked an awful lot like the Diagon Alley set that was used in the Harry Potter movies. I guess I was expecting something a little more like The Unquiet Dead. But, to a degree, it did have a little of that flavor.
Naturally the big thing to talk about with this episode was the death of Clara. Of course, Clara has already died twice back in Series 7, but this is Clara Prime as we might call her and unlike the previous versions, we've gotten to know her over the course of two and a half series. I think the most interesting thing is that Clara did not die as a true act of sacrifice (although there was a sacrifice made on her part) but died as a result of making an arrogant assumption that she or the Doctor would be in full control of events. I rather liked that.
It was not that I didn't like Clara, I actually did enjoy her as a companion. But there was a certain arrogant recklessness that swirled around her character. Amy had a touch of recklessness but there was also a dash of fear that would draw her back. She also had her love for Rory that tended to draw her back into reality when she stepped outside the breach. Clara acted more like an adrenaline junkie. This was especially notable when the bit of turbulence they hit caused her to nearly fall out of the TARDIS. Instead of being scared, she laughed it off like she was getting a rush.
I think it is also fitting that her death should involve Rigsy. Flatline, where we first met Rigsy, was the first story where Clara fully took on the role of the Doctor and also fully embraced the pleasure thrill of danger. There were flashes of it before in Time Heist, but in Listen, Kill the Moon, and Mummy on the Orient Express there was still this healthy respect for danger with flashes of fear drawing her back. The fear was so strong in Kill the Moon that she had the scared teenager temper tantrum that created the initial schism between her and the Doctor that wasn't fully reconciled until Last Christmas. I do like the fact that her character developed in such a way that an empty death was her ultimate fate.
I also enjoyed the development of Ashildr over her three stories. She was naive but enjoyable in The Girl Who Died and then cold and desperate in The Woman Who Lived. This story had her more mature but willing to compromise for the sake of protecting her people. It gave her purpose so you can understand her desire to keep things safe. I don't really think Ashildr can be faulted for much of what happened. She set a puzzle with the full expectation that once the Doctor had figured it out, Rigsy would be released and no one would die. Even selling out the Doctor probably didn't matter too much to her since she could easily assume that Clara would still be around with control of the TARDIS and that she could assist the Doctor in getting out of whatever trap she had put him in. She hold up her end of the bargain and it's not her fault that whomever she made it with couldn't kill or keep the Doctor contained, whatever their final purpose was.
So overall, I enjoyed it. I thought the middle was both a bit slow and that part of the puzzle was a little too easy to manipulate. Also, while emotional, I didn't get hit quite in the feels as hard about Clara's death and I think I was meant to. Whether that's because I heard the Clara died before I saw the episode or that it was heavily telegraphed at the halfway point, I'm not sure. But there was a brief moment where it was supposed to be touching that I was starting to get the "just die already" feeling. But still, an easy episode to pick up and watch again with full enjoyment.
Overall personal score: 4.5 out of 5
Face the Raven was not quite what I expected when I saw the preview for it last week. I thought it might have more of a Poe tie in, especially since the alley looked an awful lot like the Diagon Alley set that was used in the Harry Potter movies. I guess I was expecting something a little more like The Unquiet Dead. But, to a degree, it did have a little of that flavor.
Naturally the big thing to talk about with this episode was the death of Clara. Of course, Clara has already died twice back in Series 7, but this is Clara Prime as we might call her and unlike the previous versions, we've gotten to know her over the course of two and a half series. I think the most interesting thing is that Clara did not die as a true act of sacrifice (although there was a sacrifice made on her part) but died as a result of making an arrogant assumption that she or the Doctor would be in full control of events. I rather liked that.
It was not that I didn't like Clara, I actually did enjoy her as a companion. But there was a certain arrogant recklessness that swirled around her character. Amy had a touch of recklessness but there was also a dash of fear that would draw her back. She also had her love for Rory that tended to draw her back into reality when she stepped outside the breach. Clara acted more like an adrenaline junkie. This was especially notable when the bit of turbulence they hit caused her to nearly fall out of the TARDIS. Instead of being scared, she laughed it off like she was getting a rush.
I think it is also fitting that her death should involve Rigsy. Flatline, where we first met Rigsy, was the first story where Clara fully took on the role of the Doctor and also fully embraced the pleasure thrill of danger. There were flashes of it before in Time Heist, but in Listen, Kill the Moon, and Mummy on the Orient Express there was still this healthy respect for danger with flashes of fear drawing her back. The fear was so strong in Kill the Moon that she had the scared teenager temper tantrum that created the initial schism between her and the Doctor that wasn't fully reconciled until Last Christmas. I do like the fact that her character developed in such a way that an empty death was her ultimate fate.
I also enjoyed the development of Ashildr over her three stories. She was naive but enjoyable in The Girl Who Died and then cold and desperate in The Woman Who Lived. This story had her more mature but willing to compromise for the sake of protecting her people. It gave her purpose so you can understand her desire to keep things safe. I don't really think Ashildr can be faulted for much of what happened. She set a puzzle with the full expectation that once the Doctor had figured it out, Rigsy would be released and no one would die. Even selling out the Doctor probably didn't matter too much to her since she could easily assume that Clara would still be around with control of the TARDIS and that she could assist the Doctor in getting out of whatever trap she had put him in. She hold up her end of the bargain and it's not her fault that whomever she made it with couldn't kill or keep the Doctor contained, whatever their final purpose was.
So overall, I enjoyed it. I thought the middle was both a bit slow and that part of the puzzle was a little too easy to manipulate. Also, while emotional, I didn't get hit quite in the feels as hard about Clara's death and I think I was meant to. Whether that's because I heard the Clara died before I saw the episode or that it was heavily telegraphed at the halfway point, I'm not sure. But there was a brief moment where it was supposed to be touching that I was starting to get the "just die already" feeling. But still, an easy episode to pick up and watch again with full enjoyment.
Overall personal score: 4.5 out of 5
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Five Doctors
Easy as Pi!
The Five Doctors is a decent twentieth anniversary story. I'm not sure it would stand that well without knowing that it was a large piece of fan service.
The plot line is very simple as the Doctors are taken out of their respective timestreams with one of their previous companions, brought to the Death Zone on Gallifrey and must enter the tower of Rassilon. There, President Barusa uses their work to claim immortality, but instead falls into a trap and is imprisoned.
It really isn't so much of a story as it is a series of vignettes of each Doctor interacting with a paired companion and overcoming the various obstacles put in their way. There is only a little interaction between the Fifth Doctor and the First Doctor in the beginning and then the grand meet up of all the Doctors in the last fifteen minutes. But the vignettes are both well written and well acted. They are enjoyable both for those of us who have seen a lot of the past, and probably even more enjoyable for those who had seen very little of the First and Second, as would have applied to a lot of people when this was first broadcast in 1983.
I have two quibbles about the story overall, neither of which could really be helped at the time. First is the special effects. The production team is trying hard but the story is very ambitious for 1983 capabilities. You can gloss over it by in large, but there are a few moments where you wince a little when you see what actually shows up.
The second is the companion utilization. The story was ambitious in trying to bring back whomever they could but when Tom Baker bowed out, that created a bit of a hurdle. Tegan and Turlough were the companions at the time so they were givens. That Susan would come back with the First Doctor was also obvious. I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that the original plan had been for the Fourth Doctor to be with Sarah Jane, the Third Doctor with the Brigadier, and then have the Second Doctor with Jamie. But when the Fourth Doctor was unrealized, things got shuffled and because it was so important to keep Sarah Jane and the Brigadier in prominent roles, Jamie got relegated to a bit part with Zoe.
As I said before, the pairings worked well because of the quality of the writing, but the Second Doctor only interacted with the Brigadier in The Web of Fear, The Invasion and The Three Doctors where the Third Doctor spent nearly his entire time in the company of the Brigadier. Likewise, Sarah Jane was the Third Doctor's companion for his final season but then spent an additional two seasons as the Fourth Doctor's companion. It worked, but it would have worked better if the full compliment of the Doctors was there.
Two other small notes on the companions. Swapping out Susan for Tegan in the First Doctor's march to the tower worked very well. Playing up the sexism of the 1960's in the form of the First Doctor's personality and then meshing that with an independently minded Tegan was quite amusing. The downside of that was that Susan was once again relegated to do nothing status, much like her original time on the series. It's my understanding that originally the Fifth Doctor would have been too weak and would have stayed in the TARDIS so Susan and Turlough would have been looking after him and it would have been the Fourth Doctor to head back to the Panopticon with the Master's recall device. But as it was, the Fifth Doctor goes and Turlough and Susan have to babysit the TARDIS while the Cybermen prepare to bomb it. I would have at least like to see Susan talk about engaging the HADS system since she should have been aware of it. It would have given her and Turlough something to do instead of staring at a screen and looking helpless.
All that said, this was a fun story and if I wasn't already fairly well versed in First and Second Doctor stories, I would have appreciated it even more. There are a few warts, but not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of it. Nor to make me hesitate from pulling it out for another watch.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
The Five Doctors is a decent twentieth anniversary story. I'm not sure it would stand that well without knowing that it was a large piece of fan service.
The plot line is very simple as the Doctors are taken out of their respective timestreams with one of their previous companions, brought to the Death Zone on Gallifrey and must enter the tower of Rassilon. There, President Barusa uses their work to claim immortality, but instead falls into a trap and is imprisoned.
It really isn't so much of a story as it is a series of vignettes of each Doctor interacting with a paired companion and overcoming the various obstacles put in their way. There is only a little interaction between the Fifth Doctor and the First Doctor in the beginning and then the grand meet up of all the Doctors in the last fifteen minutes. But the vignettes are both well written and well acted. They are enjoyable both for those of us who have seen a lot of the past, and probably even more enjoyable for those who had seen very little of the First and Second, as would have applied to a lot of people when this was first broadcast in 1983.
I have two quibbles about the story overall, neither of which could really be helped at the time. First is the special effects. The production team is trying hard but the story is very ambitious for 1983 capabilities. You can gloss over it by in large, but there are a few moments where you wince a little when you see what actually shows up.
The second is the companion utilization. The story was ambitious in trying to bring back whomever they could but when Tom Baker bowed out, that created a bit of a hurdle. Tegan and Turlough were the companions at the time so they were givens. That Susan would come back with the First Doctor was also obvious. I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that the original plan had been for the Fourth Doctor to be with Sarah Jane, the Third Doctor with the Brigadier, and then have the Second Doctor with Jamie. But when the Fourth Doctor was unrealized, things got shuffled and because it was so important to keep Sarah Jane and the Brigadier in prominent roles, Jamie got relegated to a bit part with Zoe.
As I said before, the pairings worked well because of the quality of the writing, but the Second Doctor only interacted with the Brigadier in The Web of Fear, The Invasion and The Three Doctors where the Third Doctor spent nearly his entire time in the company of the Brigadier. Likewise, Sarah Jane was the Third Doctor's companion for his final season but then spent an additional two seasons as the Fourth Doctor's companion. It worked, but it would have worked better if the full compliment of the Doctors was there.
Two other small notes on the companions. Swapping out Susan for Tegan in the First Doctor's march to the tower worked very well. Playing up the sexism of the 1960's in the form of the First Doctor's personality and then meshing that with an independently minded Tegan was quite amusing. The downside of that was that Susan was once again relegated to do nothing status, much like her original time on the series. It's my understanding that originally the Fifth Doctor would have been too weak and would have stayed in the TARDIS so Susan and Turlough would have been looking after him and it would have been the Fourth Doctor to head back to the Panopticon with the Master's recall device. But as it was, the Fifth Doctor goes and Turlough and Susan have to babysit the TARDIS while the Cybermen prepare to bomb it. I would have at least like to see Susan talk about engaging the HADS system since she should have been aware of it. It would have given her and Turlough something to do instead of staring at a screen and looking helpless.
All that said, this was a fun story and if I wasn't already fairly well versed in First and Second Doctor stories, I would have appreciated it even more. There are a few warts, but not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of it. Nor to make me hesitate from pulling it out for another watch.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
Donna, stay out of the shadows.
Given all the history between River Song and the Eleventh Doctor, her introduction with the Tenth Doctor can feel a bit out of place on rewatch. But, taken as a story in and of itself, Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead are excellent.
Donna and the Tenth Doctor are summoned via psychic paper to the largest library in the universe by River, except that she sends the message too early the Doctor hasn't met her yet. While there, the team of archaeologists are attacked by the Vashta Nerada, tiny creatures in the air that act like piranhas when in swarms. Most of the team is consumed and Donna is trapped within the computer memory. The Doctor strikes a bargain with the Vashta Nerada to release the trapped people within the core memory, which will also restabilize the computer. River, however, stops the Doctor from hooking himself to the computer and does it instead to save his life. He, in turn, is able to preserve her mind and those of her fallen comrades within the computer memory.
Silence in the Library is a wonderfully scary set up. The Vashta Nerada are a well imagined menace. The bit play with River is witty and unlike many of her subsequent appearances, she gives in to her fear with only traces of the brashness she will sometimes show. The interplay with Donna is also good as Donna had been somewhat sidelined in the Sontarian two-parter and The Doctor's Daughter and then played only for comedy in The Unicorn and the Wasp. Here she was allowed to do drama again and does it very well. Even the mystery with CAL has an interesting hook as you can't quite figure who this girl is that is observing and controlling the library.
The Forest of the Dead fell a little short of the bar set by Silence in the Library. It is still good and the drama, especially with Donna in the computer, is good and tragic. However, the Doctor gets a little cocksure and it feels like a little bit of a let down to have a more or less mindless monster negotiate a cease-fire based solely on the Doctor's reputation. That feels like a cheap trick of the writer to show the Doctor getting out of a situation that they can't actually think of any other way to escape.
Still, it does deliver on the scariness still and the tension stays high. The final scene with the Doctor and River is also touching and it is something that improves once you've seen River's arc through the time of the Eleventh Doctor.
I would be always up to rewatch these two and have already watched them more than once. They make for an excellent story and entertaining television.
Overall personal score: Silence in the Library - 5 out of 5; Forest of the Dead - 4.5 out of 5
Given all the history between River Song and the Eleventh Doctor, her introduction with the Tenth Doctor can feel a bit out of place on rewatch. But, taken as a story in and of itself, Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead are excellent.
Donna and the Tenth Doctor are summoned via psychic paper to the largest library in the universe by River, except that she sends the message too early the Doctor hasn't met her yet. While there, the team of archaeologists are attacked by the Vashta Nerada, tiny creatures in the air that act like piranhas when in swarms. Most of the team is consumed and Donna is trapped within the computer memory. The Doctor strikes a bargain with the Vashta Nerada to release the trapped people within the core memory, which will also restabilize the computer. River, however, stops the Doctor from hooking himself to the computer and does it instead to save his life. He, in turn, is able to preserve her mind and those of her fallen comrades within the computer memory.
Silence in the Library is a wonderfully scary set up. The Vashta Nerada are a well imagined menace. The bit play with River is witty and unlike many of her subsequent appearances, she gives in to her fear with only traces of the brashness she will sometimes show. The interplay with Donna is also good as Donna had been somewhat sidelined in the Sontarian two-parter and The Doctor's Daughter and then played only for comedy in The Unicorn and the Wasp. Here she was allowed to do drama again and does it very well. Even the mystery with CAL has an interesting hook as you can't quite figure who this girl is that is observing and controlling the library.
The Forest of the Dead fell a little short of the bar set by Silence in the Library. It is still good and the drama, especially with Donna in the computer, is good and tragic. However, the Doctor gets a little cocksure and it feels like a little bit of a let down to have a more or less mindless monster negotiate a cease-fire based solely on the Doctor's reputation. That feels like a cheap trick of the writer to show the Doctor getting out of a situation that they can't actually think of any other way to escape.
Still, it does deliver on the scariness still and the tension stays high. The final scene with the Doctor and River is also touching and it is something that improves once you've seen River's arc through the time of the Eleventh Doctor.
I would be always up to rewatch these two and have already watched them more than once. They make for an excellent story and entertaining television.
Overall personal score: Silence in the Library - 5 out of 5; Forest of the Dead - 4.5 out of 5
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