Terror of the Autons Very satisfying story and, of course, the introduction of the Master. No one did it better than Delgado. NuWho's "Rose" was supposed to be a direct homage to the Nestene and the Autons, but so much is left puzzleing and unclear unless familiar with this one; which is far superior anyway (although the end is a rushed and its not quite as good as Spearhead From Space). The title should have been different, since the Autons are hardly more than the henchmen to the Master - its HIS story totally. My only nit with "Terror" is that the Doctor seem a little more confrontational with the Brigadeer than usual. Loved the killer daffodil shooting (and shutting) Jo's mouth
Watched before Capaldi debuted, but finally posted a review for The Mind of Evil. Might have to rethink that closing statement in light of Dark Water/Death in Heaven
I havent watched DR. WHO since the original show aired...... I dont like the new ones nearly as much.......
I watched "Horror of Fang Rock" and I am in the middle of "The Invisible Enemy". I can't explain it properly - I feel that there are issues with the Leela character in how she was written and depicted. The franchise showrunner wanted a character that was primitive, which would bring in the dads. The question becomes, what was primitive? Sarah Jane Smith was from a primitive species, as seen in the pov of a Time Lord. The depiction of Leela's tribe, from what she said and from what I saw, was a hodge-podge of British stereotypes of so-called primitive societies.
Did you see Leela's first story, "Face of Evil"? Leela is the descendant of technologically advanced humans who were sent on a survey mission. Something happened to them and the subsequent generations backslid into a more primitive society that forgot its true origins. Leela's tribe name, Sevateem, is a corrupted version of 'Survey Team.' It wasn't her 'primitive' nature that was supposed to attract the dads. It was her skimpy costume.
Leela is a great character, but never watch her stories from season fifteen to see it. After 'Horror of Fang Rock', all of her character development is swept aside and she just becomes a savage again. From 'Robots of Death' to 'Horror of Fang Rock' she was going through some great development, as the Doctor educated her. She was like a sponge, soaked up everything experience. A very smart woman who was simply lacking an education. Alas, it all gets forgotten and ignored from 'Invisible Enemy' onwards. Which is tragic, really, as she was becoming a truly great character. Not surprised Louise Jameson left so soon - the character she was promised never surfaced.
"The Invisible Enemy" is cringe-worthy for me. I cringed when I saw a grown woman cowering on the floor holding and bitting the scarf of the Doctor, while saying that she is afraid. Leela's culture in "The Face of Evil" was depicted believably. The slide in the depiction of her culture came when she begged the Doctor to kill her in "Horror of Fang Rock" because she was blind. Tribes couldn't afford to lose a member; they would come together to keep a member alive and give the member a productive role in their culture. People who believed that less advanced cultures were savage were liable to believe anything about them. Louise Jameson wore a leotard in Season 14, then a dress in Season 15. The Victorian underwear she wore in "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" was more skimpy than that thing, When wetted, it revealed the areola and nipple of each breast. It's good that she was wearing lower garments; otherwise, we would have seen her pubic hair. Of the seasons I have seen (1-15), I think that Season Fifteen has some of the worst writing and directing of the female companion.
Clearly for the Sevateem, a blind warrior was of no use. They are not an Earth tribe, neither are they based on one. As evidenced on screen via Leela in particular. But you are right. Season fifteen is some of the shoddiest Who writing period, especially in their treatment of Leela. Probably the worst written companion, at that point, since Susan.
The Ultimate Foe, while Colin Baker liked it, it was a rather horrible way to end the Trial Of A Time Lord season. I liked the Dickensesque feel to the Matrix setting, but the Master was wasted in the story and the Valeyard while being a good concept comes off as being rather ineffective in the long run.
Even compared to the rest of classic WHO,The Graham Williams era's production values/effects/sets etc. were pretty bad IMO, with the exception of City of Death and some of the Key To Time stories.
I was listening to the commentary for the "Image of the Fendahl". One of the comments that got my attention was that Williams didn't think females could be scientists. As he had this belief about females, what other beliefs did he have? I think these beliefs had an influence on the depiction of women.
To be fair though his eera was hit rather with double digit inflation, a strike ans some badly rushed though scripts. Even City Of Death had to be massively rewritten and Pirate Planet took most of the money out of The Key To Time season.
O-kay... was it his idea as well, to have Leela kiss one of the male scientists? That came out of nowhere. She wasn't even that affectionate with Andred, her eventual Gallifreyan husband. The Power of Kroll is one of the worst Doctor Who stories ever. In all aspects.
It was another story rushed into production but I thought that Holmes' script dealt with any group is displaced people. And Williams was sick about that time, his duties were taken over by Anthony Read and JNT. I certainly didn't tink it was as bad as The Nightmare Of Eden or The Horns Of Nimon.