How do we stop it, Doc?
The Claws of Axos is a fun little story that is also an excellent microcosm of the Third Doctor era in both the good and the bad.
The story is pretty straight forward as the Axons are a race of scavengers who promise technology to humans which will help them. But it is in fact a trap and then the Axons will consume all of Earth's resources. The Doctor suspects a trap and is confirmed when the Master escapes the Axons who had doubled crossed him. Working together, the Doctor and the Master manage to use the TARDIS to pull the Axons off Earth and catch them in an infinite time loop, from which the Doctor manages to escape but still finds himself tied to Earth in exile.
This story does very little mucking about in terms of pacing. The set up of episode could probably be contained to the cold open of a new series episode, but after than, the story moves quickly with not much time wasted on drawn out discussions. There is near constant action starting in episode two, with the Axons moving from seemingly benevolent to aggressive antagonists very quickly. While I liked that, I could see a benefit if this story had been given a bit more time to breathe and extended to five episodes. It's that sort of problem where you want action, but you still need a little bit of downtime to fully understand what is going on and how the protagonists are going to fix it.
Regarding the action, it looked pretty good. UNIT actually looked somewhat competent in their attempts to fight off the Axons, although they were highly overmatched. Effort was made to make it sees as though the Axons were being hit but were immune to the weaponry UNIT was using. Again, if a little more time and budget were available, we probably would have seen UNIT break out the flamethrowers as those would have likely been shown to be the most effective weapons against the Axons.
But, since we're on the subject of budget, let's talk about the major downside of this episode. There is no way around it, much of the sets and aspects of the Axons themselves looked cheap. Sometimes you can get away with it or you can forgive it like in the black and white days, but there is something about bringing a story into color and a style of filming that seems to magnify the limitations that these type of stories had. It's not so bad that it takes you out of the story, but when the Axonite comes out of it's dormant phase at the end of episode two, you have to work rather hard not to see a man covered and shaking a pink blanket around.
I would be remiss if I didn't also talk about the two other major players in this story: the Master and Bill Filer. The Master was quite good in this. It was possibly the best story I've seen the Master in simply because he didn't have a plan. Whatever convoluted plan he had tried, he'd already tried and been betrayed. So his role in this story was simply to escape. That meant he was more or less improvising and not grandstanding which made him even more likable even if he was still being a bit of a bastard. The uneasy alliance where it is the Doctor who breaks faith also made for an entertaining twist on their normal relationship.
Then there is Bill Filer. Filer is an amusing character as he is both great and terrible. On the good side, he's action oriented, a good fighter and seems genuinely dedicated towards the good. On the other hand, he indulges in action tropes, is over the top in his acting, and has one of the worst American accents I've ever heard. But I'd say the good outweighs the bad with Filer as you look forward to the moments where he is onscreen most in this story.
There's also the mocking of bureaucrats in this story but that's a fairly standard 70's and 80's trope so I tuned out of most of the scenes involving Mr. Chinn. It didn't really help or hurt the story except to defer the full assault of the Axons until episode three.
So overall, I'd say this was a good story. It has warts but those don't distract from it's overall entertainment value. Easily one that you could pop in and watch again.
Overall personal score: 3.5 out of 5.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Dalek
You would make a good Dalek.
Dalek is generally considered the best Dalek story of the New Who era and it is difficult to argue that thought. It would help if the Daleks were ever shown to be as competent as the one in this story is, but that's a discussion for another day.
Of all the new series Doctors, it is only the Ninth Doctor who seems to act as though the Daleks are a foe worthy to be scared of. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors were generally a bit too non-shalant about the Daleks while the Twelfth Doctor has a respect but not a fear of the Daleks. It is the Ninth Doctor's fear that sells this story more than anything.
The scenes that everyone seems to lock into are the two instances of confrontation between the Ninth Doctor and the Dalek. In the first, the anger and fear are palpable. My personal favorite moment is when we get the Dalek point of view and the Doctor thrusts his face into the eyestalk screaming about how not only did the destruction of Gallifrey and the Dalek race happen, he made it happen. That is the angry Doctor unleashed. That is the hatred borne of fear and self loathing coming to the surface.
The second scene that everyone remembers and loves is after the Dalek has destroyed most of the private army and the Doctor screams that it should just die and purge the universe of it's race. The Dalek pauses and remarks, I can imagine almost with a bit of humor, that the Doctor would make a good Dalek.
All that said, there are flaws in this episode. Intense as the Doctor's scenes are, there are moments where he does go over the top with his hysterics. That can be a bit cringe inducing. Also, Rose hits my annoyance factor hard in this episode. She energizes the Dalek and despite it's murderous rampage, still appeals for some level of mercy for it. It is only because it has absorbed this human quality from her that it eventually allows itself to recognize the futility of existing alone and destroys itself.
I understand the emotional depth that they were going for in this episode, but I get frustrated by the concept that there can be good in anyone or anything and that is something that must be cultivated to preserve the purity of the hero. This is rubbish. Evil must be opposed and that does require the use of extreme measures, including execution sometimes, to preserve the good. The Daleks have always been an absolute evil and to mitigate that evil with the idea that it can be infused with good, muddles the story and even gives a bit of a cop out ending where the Doctor ends up not having to destroy said evil again. I understand this is part of the overall redemption of the Doctor from the torment of what he did in the Time War, but it still feels like a cop out ending.
Still, a good story on many levels and well worth multiple viewings.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Dalek is generally considered the best Dalek story of the New Who era and it is difficult to argue that thought. It would help if the Daleks were ever shown to be as competent as the one in this story is, but that's a discussion for another day.
Of all the new series Doctors, it is only the Ninth Doctor who seems to act as though the Daleks are a foe worthy to be scared of. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors were generally a bit too non-shalant about the Daleks while the Twelfth Doctor has a respect but not a fear of the Daleks. It is the Ninth Doctor's fear that sells this story more than anything.
The scenes that everyone seems to lock into are the two instances of confrontation between the Ninth Doctor and the Dalek. In the first, the anger and fear are palpable. My personal favorite moment is when we get the Dalek point of view and the Doctor thrusts his face into the eyestalk screaming about how not only did the destruction of Gallifrey and the Dalek race happen, he made it happen. That is the angry Doctor unleashed. That is the hatred borne of fear and self loathing coming to the surface.
The second scene that everyone remembers and loves is after the Dalek has destroyed most of the private army and the Doctor screams that it should just die and purge the universe of it's race. The Dalek pauses and remarks, I can imagine almost with a bit of humor, that the Doctor would make a good Dalek.
All that said, there are flaws in this episode. Intense as the Doctor's scenes are, there are moments where he does go over the top with his hysterics. That can be a bit cringe inducing. Also, Rose hits my annoyance factor hard in this episode. She energizes the Dalek and despite it's murderous rampage, still appeals for some level of mercy for it. It is only because it has absorbed this human quality from her that it eventually allows itself to recognize the futility of existing alone and destroys itself.
I understand the emotional depth that they were going for in this episode, but I get frustrated by the concept that there can be good in anyone or anything and that is something that must be cultivated to preserve the purity of the hero. This is rubbish. Evil must be opposed and that does require the use of extreme measures, including execution sometimes, to preserve the good. The Daleks have always been an absolute evil and to mitigate that evil with the idea that it can be infused with good, muddles the story and even gives a bit of a cop out ending where the Doctor ends up not having to destroy said evil again. I understand this is part of the overall redemption of the Doctor from the torment of what he did in the Time War, but it still feels like a cop out ending.
Still, a good story on many levels and well worth multiple viewings.
Overall personal score: 4 out of 5
Planet of Evil
It's watching us. It knows every movement we make.
I always get the title of this one mixed up with The Face of Evil.
Planet of Evil is an episode that suffers from my preconceived notions. I have a strong feeling that if I went back and watched it again, I would rate it a bit higher than I currently do, so I'm going to try and be a bit softer with this one.
Before I saw this episode, I saw some still shots from episode one of the anti-matter creature manifesting and I instantly locked into the idea of this being similar to Forbidden Planet. This was true, but I was expecting that theme to carry through the entire episode rather than take the Jekyll and Hyde turn in episode three.
I have no problem with Jekyll and Hyde; in fact I rather enjoy the numerous twists that story has taken on over the years. But when you develop an idea in your head of what to expect and a story seems to reinforce that idea, shifting gears in to a different direction can pull you out of things a bit more than you would like.
It also doesn't really help that the foundation laid with a force that couldn't be seen or fought is then replaced with a monster-man who is tangible and can be dealt with in a somewhat logical manner. The beauty of the initial set-up and taken from Forbidden Planet is that the monster is undefined with the ability to be anywhere and you would not know of it. It takes that extra bit of psychological terror that comes only from imagination and uses it to put the protagonists off their footing and we the audience become that much more unsettled as a result.
Again, I'm not trying to bad mouth what was a pretty good episode on the whole. I just felt a bit let down by the second half.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
I always get the title of this one mixed up with The Face of Evil.
Planet of Evil is an episode that suffers from my preconceived notions. I have a strong feeling that if I went back and watched it again, I would rate it a bit higher than I currently do, so I'm going to try and be a bit softer with this one.
Before I saw this episode, I saw some still shots from episode one of the anti-matter creature manifesting and I instantly locked into the idea of this being similar to Forbidden Planet. This was true, but I was expecting that theme to carry through the entire episode rather than take the Jekyll and Hyde turn in episode three.
I have no problem with Jekyll and Hyde; in fact I rather enjoy the numerous twists that story has taken on over the years. But when you develop an idea in your head of what to expect and a story seems to reinforce that idea, shifting gears in to a different direction can pull you out of things a bit more than you would like.
It also doesn't really help that the foundation laid with a force that couldn't be seen or fought is then replaced with a monster-man who is tangible and can be dealt with in a somewhat logical manner. The beauty of the initial set-up and taken from Forbidden Planet is that the monster is undefined with the ability to be anywhere and you would not know of it. It takes that extra bit of psychological terror that comes only from imagination and uses it to put the protagonists off their footing and we the audience become that much more unsettled as a result.
Again, I'm not trying to bad mouth what was a pretty good episode on the whole. I just felt a bit let down by the second half.
Overall personal score: 3 out of 5
Love & Monsters
-We even have a love life...
-Elton!
Love & Monsters was the first true Doctor-lite episode. Because of scheduling constraints, an episode needed to be filmed at the same time as another episode. The Doctor-lite (and companion-lite) was the concept that was developed, allowing for most of an episode to be shot separate and then just have the Doctor and Rose film their scenes in a day at the end. It's a good concept and it worked fairly well in future episodes, but in this one, it fell a bit short.
My complaint with this episode was not that the Doctor and Rose were not in it. Far from it in fact. I rather enjoyed watching a band of misfits who had brief touches with the Doctor form first into a truth hunting society and then into a group of genuine friends. Perhaps not the most dynamic of people, but they were still entertaining in their own silly way.
No, my problem was with the monster: the Abzorbaloff. I didn't really buy his ability to just enter and manipulate the group back into the Doctor hunting society. I also didn't like his very haphazard way of absorbing their group one at a time and the rest just being oblivious to it all. Doctor Who often forces the audience to make leaps of faith or suspend disbelief to tell a story, but we are generally not asked to believe that people are that stupid. I'm not that stupid and watching someone blunder about is more frustrating than entertaining.
There is also the over-the-top performance of the Abzorbaloff himself. I'm sure Peter Kay was attempting to be funny, but the nature of his performance just because farcical and took me another step out of the story.
There is also have the half-ass ending of the story. Elton is being chased after discovering the secret of the Abzorbaloff, but then the Doctor and Rose just turn up so Rose can berate Elton for upsetting her mother. The Abzorbaloff is distracted by the Doctor's arrival which allows Elton to perform the deus ex machina of breaking the cane and destroying the monster. The Doctor gives a semi-happy ending by preserving Ursula in a slab of stone that apparently still allows her to interact with and give Elton a blow job on occasion. This is unsatisfying on just about all levels and a rather crass way to end an episode.
If you could separate an episode, I'd say the period before the arrival of the Abzorbaloff would be an average or slightly above average score. The characters are entertaining and the quirks they possess make for a fun little comedy. But the drag down that comes in the latter portion destroys any good will I had for the story. It is only that first part that keeps me from just going directly to zero on this one.
Overall personal score: 1 out of 5
-Elton!
Love & Monsters was the first true Doctor-lite episode. Because of scheduling constraints, an episode needed to be filmed at the same time as another episode. The Doctor-lite (and companion-lite) was the concept that was developed, allowing for most of an episode to be shot separate and then just have the Doctor and Rose film their scenes in a day at the end. It's a good concept and it worked fairly well in future episodes, but in this one, it fell a bit short.
My complaint with this episode was not that the Doctor and Rose were not in it. Far from it in fact. I rather enjoyed watching a band of misfits who had brief touches with the Doctor form first into a truth hunting society and then into a group of genuine friends. Perhaps not the most dynamic of people, but they were still entertaining in their own silly way.
No, my problem was with the monster: the Abzorbaloff. I didn't really buy his ability to just enter and manipulate the group back into the Doctor hunting society. I also didn't like his very haphazard way of absorbing their group one at a time and the rest just being oblivious to it all. Doctor Who often forces the audience to make leaps of faith or suspend disbelief to tell a story, but we are generally not asked to believe that people are that stupid. I'm not that stupid and watching someone blunder about is more frustrating than entertaining.
There is also the over-the-top performance of the Abzorbaloff himself. I'm sure Peter Kay was attempting to be funny, but the nature of his performance just because farcical and took me another step out of the story.
There is also have the half-ass ending of the story. Elton is being chased after discovering the secret of the Abzorbaloff, but then the Doctor and Rose just turn up so Rose can berate Elton for upsetting her mother. The Abzorbaloff is distracted by the Doctor's arrival which allows Elton to perform the deus ex machina of breaking the cane and destroying the monster. The Doctor gives a semi-happy ending by preserving Ursula in a slab of stone that apparently still allows her to interact with and give Elton a blow job on occasion. This is unsatisfying on just about all levels and a rather crass way to end an episode.
If you could separate an episode, I'd say the period before the arrival of the Abzorbaloff would be an average or slightly above average score. The characters are entertaining and the quirks they possess make for a fun little comedy. But the drag down that comes in the latter portion destroys any good will I had for the story. It is only that first part that keeps me from just going directly to zero on this one.
Overall personal score: 1 out of 5
An Unearthly Child/100,000 BC
Za make fire!
I'm going to break the first story down into two components because An Unearthly Child should be judged as a completely stand alone episode. It has no real bearing on the the following three episodes with the cave folk and you could have picked any of the early stories to stick in front of and it would have worked just as well. So let's treat it as its own thing.
An Unearthly Child is a very good set up episode which hints at the promise to which the show would eventually achieve. Barbara, Ian, and Susan are all introduced in a very simple and easy to follow fashion. They are likable and the teacher's source of concern is easy to recognize and their following reactions seem logical. It is also easy to see how the writers envisioned the show early on with Ian as the true lead and the Doctor as the knowledge fount (sort of a Ian as Kirk and the Doctor as Spock vibe) given that the Doctor is not introduced until the story is nearly 2/3 past.
If I did have to give a bit of a quibble, it's the future short shrift they give Susan. In this episode, Susan is shown to be a more or less typical teenager but with a taste for adventure if not the ability to keep her knowledge expressly straight. That she became a simpering screamer is not her fault, but it such a disappointment in hindsight.
Then comes the caveman story (The Cave of Skulls, The Forest of Fear, The Firemaker). I honestly have no idea why this story was chosen. I suppose that with Ian and Barbara's lack of understanding of what was going on, it was important to give them a scenario where they would have the intellectual advantage if not any other advantage. But when you take out the ability of articulation, the personalities of the tribe just go flat and that leads to the worst case scenario of a TV show: being boring. It was only three episodes long but there was almost nothing of interest going on. I didn't care about the caveman politics because all sides came across as stupid. What difference does it make if Za or Kal is in charge if both act like fools (even though the audience is meant to support Za).
I think elements of this story would have worked a bit better if it had been done in either a Celtic Britain or even the Dark Ages. There would have been a better chance for the locals to have interesting personalities while still giving the travelers the technological advantage that allowed them to outwit the locals and escape.
I would happily watch An Unearthly Child again but I have no interest in treading the ground of 100,000 BC again.
Overall personal score: An Unearthly Child - 4 out of 5; 100,000 BC - 1.5 out of 5
I'm going to break the first story down into two components because An Unearthly Child should be judged as a completely stand alone episode. It has no real bearing on the the following three episodes with the cave folk and you could have picked any of the early stories to stick in front of and it would have worked just as well. So let's treat it as its own thing.
An Unearthly Child is a very good set up episode which hints at the promise to which the show would eventually achieve. Barbara, Ian, and Susan are all introduced in a very simple and easy to follow fashion. They are likable and the teacher's source of concern is easy to recognize and their following reactions seem logical. It is also easy to see how the writers envisioned the show early on with Ian as the true lead and the Doctor as the knowledge fount (sort of a Ian as Kirk and the Doctor as Spock vibe) given that the Doctor is not introduced until the story is nearly 2/3 past.
If I did have to give a bit of a quibble, it's the future short shrift they give Susan. In this episode, Susan is shown to be a more or less typical teenager but with a taste for adventure if not the ability to keep her knowledge expressly straight. That she became a simpering screamer is not her fault, but it such a disappointment in hindsight.
Then comes the caveman story (The Cave of Skulls, The Forest of Fear, The Firemaker). I honestly have no idea why this story was chosen. I suppose that with Ian and Barbara's lack of understanding of what was going on, it was important to give them a scenario where they would have the intellectual advantage if not any other advantage. But when you take out the ability of articulation, the personalities of the tribe just go flat and that leads to the worst case scenario of a TV show: being boring. It was only three episodes long but there was almost nothing of interest going on. I didn't care about the caveman politics because all sides came across as stupid. What difference does it make if Za or Kal is in charge if both act like fools (even though the audience is meant to support Za).
I think elements of this story would have worked a bit better if it had been done in either a Celtic Britain or even the Dark Ages. There would have been a better chance for the locals to have interesting personalities while still giving the travelers the technological advantage that allowed them to outwit the locals and escape.
I would happily watch An Unearthly Child again but I have no interest in treading the ground of 100,000 BC again.
Overall personal score: An Unearthly Child - 4 out of 5; 100,000 BC - 1.5 out of 5
Monday, November 2, 2015
The Waters of Mars
The Time Lord Victorious is WRONG.
The Waters of Mars is arguably the best Tenth Doctor story in my opinion. There is almost nothing that doesn't work in this story.
The Doctor lands on Mars and walks into a Mars expedition that will be destroyed with all crew killed to prevent a virus escaping that is passing through the water extracted from the planet. The Doctor talks for a majority of the episode of how that while he will help them, he cannot openly thwart time. Then angry Ten shows up and tells time to go to hell. He rescues three of the crew and blows up the base to strand the virus. But in the end, the mission commander (who serves as the pseudo-companion) kills herself to preserve the essence of the timeline. This knocks the stuffing out of the Doctor who realizes that not even he can fully thwart time.
There is almost nothing bad to say about this story. The villains are simple, but very effective in their scariness. Simple zombies but with infection coming through something as ubiquitous as water, there is a feel of relenting attack from these foes. The overall tone is also impressive as there is a dark pall that hangs over the story. You get invested in the characters and you want them to escape, but the weight of inevitability hangs over things and you feel the futility as they attempt to fight. The scene of the Doctor walking away as the base prepares to fall to the water menace is both heartbreaking and intense at the same time. Then at the last moment, he comes back. But it's not the Doctor on the white horse. This is the angry Doctor. The Doctor who gives no second chances. The Doctor who watches without pity as you die or are sentenced to a fate of eternal suffering. But even then, it's not enough. When Adelaide kills herself, the shattering that the Doctor feels is palpable. The acting is extreme and intense.
There was no part of this story where I was bored. There was no part of this story where I winced at the poor effects. I cannot recall a point where I was taken out by bad acting. It was simply an intense and very enjoyable ride.
Overall personal score: 5 out of 5
The Waters of Mars is arguably the best Tenth Doctor story in my opinion. There is almost nothing that doesn't work in this story.
The Doctor lands on Mars and walks into a Mars expedition that will be destroyed with all crew killed to prevent a virus escaping that is passing through the water extracted from the planet. The Doctor talks for a majority of the episode of how that while he will help them, he cannot openly thwart time. Then angry Ten shows up and tells time to go to hell. He rescues three of the crew and blows up the base to strand the virus. But in the end, the mission commander (who serves as the pseudo-companion) kills herself to preserve the essence of the timeline. This knocks the stuffing out of the Doctor who realizes that not even he can fully thwart time.
There is almost nothing bad to say about this story. The villains are simple, but very effective in their scariness. Simple zombies but with infection coming through something as ubiquitous as water, there is a feel of relenting attack from these foes. The overall tone is also impressive as there is a dark pall that hangs over the story. You get invested in the characters and you want them to escape, but the weight of inevitability hangs over things and you feel the futility as they attempt to fight. The scene of the Doctor walking away as the base prepares to fall to the water menace is both heartbreaking and intense at the same time. Then at the last moment, he comes back. But it's not the Doctor on the white horse. This is the angry Doctor. The Doctor who gives no second chances. The Doctor who watches without pity as you die or are sentenced to a fate of eternal suffering. But even then, it's not enough. When Adelaide kills herself, the shattering that the Doctor feels is palpable. The acting is extreme and intense.
There was no part of this story where I was bored. There was no part of this story where I winced at the poor effects. I cannot recall a point where I was taken out by bad acting. It was simply an intense and very enjoyable ride.
Overall personal score: 5 out of 5
The Curse of Fenric
Time for the final game then.
The Curse of Fenric is a difficult story to fully judge. The broadcast version of the story was rather horribly edited mostly due to time limitations. Those edits were undone in a special edition released in 2003 which added 12 minutes of footage. Unfortunately, I have not seen the special edition so I can only judge the story based on what I've seen which is the broadcast version.
I've heard stories of how the editing and time compression make Ghost Light a difficult story to enjoy the first time around and The Curse of Fenric would seem to fall into that category as well. Perhaps most frustrating is watching this episode and knowing that there is so much good about it if it were just done better.
First the good. The use of location is very well done. The whole story is shot on location and it looks good. There is an ethereal feel that comes from the filming, which is also very 80's and appeals to my nostalgia. The acting was also good for the most part. Nearly all the actors turned in strong performances and it was quite good to see. I will also note that on the lecherous side of things, I enjoyed the quick flash of Sophie Aldred's garters in episode three. Since she was 27 at the time (even if she was supposed to be a teenager) I'm not going to feel creepy about it either.
Now the not so good. I did have a bit of a minor annoyance in that I had a very difficult time understanding some of the actors, especially the Doctor. Some of that is the accent combined with the rapid pace of speech, but I think the sound in general was not that great with this story.
But the real killer here is the editing. Nearly the entire time, you are filled with this idea that there is a big element of the story that is missing. It can be glossed over in the first couple of episodes as you wait for the back story fill in. But then the story progresses and no back fill comes. There are also hard jumps between story elements where it feels like you are entering mid-conversation. I had no idea why the story contained the bits where Ace met her grandmother and infant mother. It seemed like a long set up for the quick bit at the end to help destroy Ace's faith in the Doctor. There was also scant little information given about Fenric and the game that he played with the Doctor both in the past and now. More time also needed to be given over to understanding the Haemovores and why the Doctor trusted the Ancient One to turn on Fenric once his control was released. It just seemed too quick and easy a solution.
I can understand why people like this one and why it is considered the best Seventh Doctor story by some. Perhaps if I ever see the extended version I can revise my opinion. But judging it by the same merits on when it went it out, I can say that it left me more frustrated than entertained.
Overall personal score: 2 out of 5
The Curse of Fenric is a difficult story to fully judge. The broadcast version of the story was rather horribly edited mostly due to time limitations. Those edits were undone in a special edition released in 2003 which added 12 minutes of footage. Unfortunately, I have not seen the special edition so I can only judge the story based on what I've seen which is the broadcast version.
I've heard stories of how the editing and time compression make Ghost Light a difficult story to enjoy the first time around and The Curse of Fenric would seem to fall into that category as well. Perhaps most frustrating is watching this episode and knowing that there is so much good about it if it were just done better.
First the good. The use of location is very well done. The whole story is shot on location and it looks good. There is an ethereal feel that comes from the filming, which is also very 80's and appeals to my nostalgia. The acting was also good for the most part. Nearly all the actors turned in strong performances and it was quite good to see. I will also note that on the lecherous side of things, I enjoyed the quick flash of Sophie Aldred's garters in episode three. Since she was 27 at the time (even if she was supposed to be a teenager) I'm not going to feel creepy about it either.
Now the not so good. I did have a bit of a minor annoyance in that I had a very difficult time understanding some of the actors, especially the Doctor. Some of that is the accent combined with the rapid pace of speech, but I think the sound in general was not that great with this story.
But the real killer here is the editing. Nearly the entire time, you are filled with this idea that there is a big element of the story that is missing. It can be glossed over in the first couple of episodes as you wait for the back story fill in. But then the story progresses and no back fill comes. There are also hard jumps between story elements where it feels like you are entering mid-conversation. I had no idea why the story contained the bits where Ace met her grandmother and infant mother. It seemed like a long set up for the quick bit at the end to help destroy Ace's faith in the Doctor. There was also scant little information given about Fenric and the game that he played with the Doctor both in the past and now. More time also needed to be given over to understanding the Haemovores and why the Doctor trusted the Ancient One to turn on Fenric once his control was released. It just seemed too quick and easy a solution.
I can understand why people like this one and why it is considered the best Seventh Doctor story by some. Perhaps if I ever see the extended version I can revise my opinion. But judging it by the same merits on when it went it out, I can say that it left me more frustrated than entertained.
Overall personal score: 2 out of 5
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