Last Classic Who Story you watched

[Turtletrekker]

I recently realized that between Netflix streaming, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus, I have access to the entire "Key to Time" season. It was going to be my next venture into Classic Who, but some of the comments here (particularly about "The Power ofKroll) make me wonder if it's worthwhile. Opinions?

The Key to Time is absolutely worth it. This is the first time we meet a Time Lady who isn't just a forgettable guest character - Romana is a recent Academy graduate who is centuries younger than the Doctor and full of the kind of self-confidence that acing her courses gives her, but she lacks practical life experience. The Doctor is skeptical of how helpful she'll be in the task the White Guardian has set for him, so they clash pretty much right away. The season is not only about the two of them accomplishing the quest for the six segments of the Key to Time, it's also about getting to know each other and coming to a place of mutual respect, friendship, and trust (remember, the Doctor isn't fond of other Time Lords since they've always tried to either spy on him, order him around, or use him to perform some task they don't want to get their own hands dirty doing).

I started watching this story arc with the second one, The Pirate Planet. I have to admit, I found it bizarre, but realized that part of the problem was that I just didn't understand Douglas Adams' take on Doctor Who (I had yet to see or read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Stones of Blood is excellent, with a terrific guest character (Professor Amelia Rumford). The Androids of Tara is a decent story. The Power of Kroll's problem, at least for me, is that the technical aspects of the episode are just really bad. This is the worst of the 6 stories, in my opinion, but still tolerable. I'd watch it over some of the other Tom Baker-era shows (ie. Pyramids of Mars or Talons of Weng-Chiang, neither of which I like). The Armageddon Factor is definitely worth watching, and we're introduced to Lalla Ward, who goes on to play the second incarnation of Romana when she regenerates at the beginning of the next story, Destiny of the Daleks. Eventually I got to see The Ribos Operation in which Romana is initially introduced, and found it an interesting way to introduce a new companion, along with a decent story.

Thanks!

 

[DWF]

I haven't read the text commentary yet. I have been listening to the commentary. From what I have learned, Doctor Who had two major issues that aren't discussed often:

1. BBC believed that theatre dramas were superior to anything produced on the telly.
2. Doctor Who was being influenced by the success of Star Wars.

When in this situation, the franchise was making an attempt at being Star Wars-like with a reduced budget, while working for an entity that didn't see its value.

They weren't really major issues, they were brought by Jonathan Powell and Michael Grade and really they didn't like Doctor Who so the first chance they had ot take it off the air they did. But we have Star Wars to thank for Doctor Who being re-introduced to America.

 

[DarthPipes]

I just finished watching The Deadly Assassin. What a great serial that was!

 

[DWF]

The Curse Of Fenric the movie version, I really like this version most telelvised versions are edited down but with the added scenes and music you can get a better picture of the story Ian Briggs wanted to tell.

 

[mythme]

the Krotons

Finally got around to watching this one. I wasn't in a rush from what I've heard about it, but I found it wasn't bad at all. Its a little slow moving in spots and the Krotons themselves got a little irriating, but the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie were great. They were all written very much in character, remembering that Zoe is a genius and Jamie is a "primative". Troughton also has a few very funny moments in it. Actually, out of all the Doctors, #2 has made me laugh out loud the most. Probably why he's my favorite.

 

[DWF]

The Mark Of The Rani, I recently got the 50th anniversary CD and I really got into the track for Mark of The Rani and I had to seeit again. I've always like the story and not just for Jonathan Gibb's music, the costumes and the introduction of The Rani were also pluses for the story.

Dalek Invasion Of Earth, it's still a highly entertaining story and I've always liked how the Dcotor and companions seperately made their way to the mine.

 

[DarthPipes]

The Face of Evil. Very good debut episode for Leela.

 

[mythme]

Silver Nemesis

So that was the 25th anniversary huh? Underwhelming. Too convuluted. The Nazi thing was pointless, the 16th century witch (or whatever she was) was confusing and her motives are undefined and the cybermen were completely unthreating and actually looked rather foolish. If I was re-writting it I would have gotten rid of the secendary characters and made it a contest between the Doctor and the Master. But at least Ace got to blow some things up (and I do really like Ace).

 

[Doctorwhovian]

Funny thing about Silver Nemesis, it's pretty much a modern day (well, 1988)retread of Rememberance of the Daleks (from the same season!). Also a lot more campy.

Rememberance of the Daleks also should've been the anniversary story, as it goes back to the setting of the first episode, and was far better anyway.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Well, Remembrance of the Daleks still is the essential 25th anniversary story. I mean, it goes back to 1963 and all that.

 

[kirk55555]

I just watched The Web of Fear (I got the DVD with X-Mas money). It was pretty good. I'd already seen The Abominable Snowmen (mostly through reconstructions, obviously) and it was pretty good, and this worked well as a sequel. It was also cool to see the first appearance of (then Colonel) Lefhbridge-Stewart. The second Doctor was as good as ever, as was Jaimie. Victoria was ok, and most of the side characters were decent (although the cowardly soldier was a bit annoying). Also, as goofy looking as they were, I'd like to see the Yeti appear again in nuWho, obviously with a bit of a redesign. OVerall, this was an enjoyable 2nd Doctor serial.

 

[DrFrankhamstien]

I just watched The Web of Fear (I got the DVD with X-Mas money). It was pretty good. I'd already seen The Abominable Snowmen (mostly through reconstructions, obviously) and it was pretty good, and this worked well as a sequel. It was also cool to see the first appearance of (then Colonel) Lefhbridge-Stewart. The second Doctor was as good as ever, as was Jaimie. Victoria was ok, and most of the side characters were decent (although the cowardly soldier was a bit annoying). Also, as goofy looking as they were, I'd like to see the Yeti appear again in nuWho, obviously with a bit of a redesign. OVerall, this was an enjoyable 2nd Doctor serial.

Can't promise the Yeti will ever return to TV, but they will return... (Check out the link in my sig for more info.)

 

[DWF]

The TV movie, it's a nice New Year's Day holiday story and despite the complaints about the story I've always liked how it was filmed. While it was a shame that no American series came out of the movie, I wondered why Paul McGann wasn't the Doctor when the series returned in 2005.

The Tenth Planet, it's a nice throwback to the old science fiction films of the '50s and the Cybermen were in their first appearance rather nightmareish. Casting a black American astronaut was pretty progressive. And for Hartnell's final story as the Doctor he's really not it very much, butthen his condition mirrored The Doctor at the end of his first incarnation.

 

[mythme]

Ok there's a sequence in the TV movie that puzzles me. Maybe someone can explain it. After #8 has wandered out of the morgue, he seems to walk into part of the hospital that looks completely trashed. its right before he does the famous "Who...am....I" shout. Where/what is behind that?

 

[DWF]

Ok there's a sequence in the TV movie that puzzles me. Maybe someone can explain it. After #8 has wandered out of the morgue, he seems to walk into part of the hospital that looks completely trashed. its right before he does the famous "Who...am....I" shout. Where/what is behind that?

I don't know of any story behind that scene but it was disused wing a hospital.

Location filming began on January 15th, and was interlaced with the studio work which started on the 31st. Various sites around Vancouver were used, including a disused wing of the BC Children's Hospital, the Plaza of Nations, and several street exteriors (No filming was actually carried out in San Francisco; for establishing shots, stock footage was employed.)

 

[Mr Awe]

^ I seem to also recall that at the point of filming the Doctor Who movie, the same hospital wing had recently been used for an X-files episode (or movie) and that they had painted it in a weird color and done other things to it.

Mr Awe

 

[mythme]

Ark In Space

An excellent solid episode. The acting and conviction by everyone involved was so solid it overshadowed any cheese factor (green bubblewrap anyone?). I read this is Moffett's favorite classic episode.

It was a good one. The whole serial just flew by. So I continued on with -

Revenge of the Cybermen

I didn't even get through part 1. It was jumbled, unfocused and dull. I'll get back to it sooner or later, but its funny how two stories with the same Doctor, same companions and even the same season can be so disparate in quality.

 

[DWF]

Ark In Space

An excellent solid episode. The acting and conviction by everyone involved was so solid it overshadowed any cheese factor (green bubblewrap anyone?). I read this is Moffett's favorite classic episode.

It was a good one. The whole serial just flew by. So I continued on with -

Revenge of the Cybermen

I didn't even get through part 1. It was jumbled, unfocused and dull. I'll get back to it sooner or later, but its funny how two stories with the same Doctor, same companions and even the same season can be so disparate in quality.

Robert Holmes wrote The Ark In Space and it shows whereas Gerry Davies wrote Revenge Of The Cybemen. But I do think that Revenge is alot of fun and a fairly typical Cybermen story. The symbols on the Volgan chairs though became the now famous Gallifreyan symbol.

 

[CmndrSela318]

Robot--all 4 parts. Tom Baker was the Doctor from the first scene he was in. I love Robot. I've got Robot on iTunes and I recently added the Jon Pertwee 4-parter Carnival Of Monsters. I like Carnival Of Monsters but I love Robot.

 

[Doctorwhovian]

Revenge of the Cybermen actually was the first Doctor Who release on home video-probably due to the popularity of their return in "Earthshock" (I think fans voted for Earthshock to be released but instead ended up with this). The initial box photo-at least for the UK release-shows I believe season 18 Tom and Doctor Who logo with an Earthshock style Cybermen, both of which were not in the story.


Although it's often viewed as a bad story, later Cybermen stories were influenced a bit by it, most noticeably the use of black on the 'handles' to identify the Cyberleader. Also like later classic Cybermen, the leader has a deeper voice and says 'excellent'-and it's a "Revenge" style head that the Doctor comments on in "Dalek".