Last Classic Who Story you watched

[Emperor-Tiberius]

The Androis of Tara - The first three episodes are a delightful romp. Really enjoyable, and reminds me of other medieval-esque stories like The Time Meddler and The Time Warrior. However, the cliffhanger of episode 3 left me in sour taste. Surely the story's over? But no... kidanp Romana again, making her escape pointless, and kill the android King, just as he was getting interesting.

Watching episode 4, I feel like I've just watched a movie and someone's forcing me to stay in the theatre to watch something else entirely - a last-minute theater production or something. Has this ever occured to anyone else?

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

The Androis of Tara - The first three episodes are a delightful romp. Really enjoyable, and reminds me of other medieval-esque stories like The Time Meddler and The Time Warrior. However, the cliffhanger of episode 3 left me in sour taste. Surely the story's over? But no... kidanp Romana again, making her escape pointless, and kill the android King, just as he was getting interesting.

Watching episode 4, I feel like I've just watched a movie and someone's forcing me to stay in the theatre to watch something else entirely - a last-minute theater production or something. Has this ever occured to anyone else?

Sometimes.. Sometimes I feel like they did the main story in the first 2 episodes and should be on their way then we get two episodes of what feels like padding.

 

[DarthPipes]

The Androids of Tara was a lot of fun, particularly the Count Grendel character.

 

[diankra]

The last episode of Androids of Tara was cut back from initial plans: there was to have been a full assault on Castle Gracht by Zadek's laser-crossbow-wielding men, but the castle where thy were planning to film was requisitioned to host a peace conference (one of the ones leading up to the Israeli-Egypt Camp David agreement), and the security teams suggested to the BBC that lots of actors-as-armed men might be a bad idea.
Even if they were in Ruritanian uniform and carrying SF crossbows, a guard might get worried and trigger-happy...

 

[mythme]

I just forced myself to rewatch "Delta & the Bannermen." God, it's so awful! The romance between Delta & Billy is given no development at all. And then that nice bus driver is killed too suddenly. (BTW, as awful as the rest of the story is, I'm fully on board with the fan theory that the beekeeper is actually a future incarnation of the Doctor, similar to the Curator from "Day of the Doctor.")

I just slogged through "Delta and the Bannermen" myself (after 2 tries). This is the first I've heard of the beekeeper being a Doctor. Is there more to this theory?

 

[Volpone]

You have my condolences. Back in the late '80s, I moved to a town where the PBS station didn't run "Dr. Who" after the first 6th Doctor story. So I've been literally waiting for more than half my life to see the Baker and McCoy stories. You can guess how that's turned out.

Anywho, RetroTV is on their second time around on weeknights and we just got to the Hartnell episodes where Vicky has joined the crew. It's interesting how much they changed The Doctor after Susan leaves. He gets fight scenes ("The Rescue" and "The Romans"). Ironically, he's much more grandfatherly. He regularly does his eccentric laugh to himself. Over all, I like it. But I do kind of miss the selfish dick Doctor of 1963. "What's that? You're trapped here? Sucks to be you. Come on, Susan, let's go."

 

[Aldo]

I recently got back into the class series and continued my Seventh Doctor marathon with 'Silver Nemesis.'

I enjoyed this one a lot. McCoy was on target as the Doctor, Ace was great, and there was so much going on it was never boring. I'm sure some people could make an argument that it was too convoluted, but it never felt that way for me. Also, the parallels to 'Remembrance of the Daleks' is not lost on me, but it didn't bother me in the slightest.

A friend let me borrow 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy." I'll probably get to it tomorrow.

 

[DWF]

Doctor Who revisited: Earhshock

While I will be seeing this one again on the Cybermen DVDs, I haven't gotten tired of watching it yet, the story works so well and the quick editing speeds the pace up the further into the story you go. And Peter Davison though still in his first year had a real handle on his Doctor already, which was another plus.

 

[Volpone]

For my money, Davison's first year is his best year. Best stories, strongest production.

Yeah, I didn't hate Silver Nemesis. I feel like they could have somehow done the story without the neo-Nazis or whatever they were and that would have improved it tremendously. Might have given them the time and money to have a more satisfactory response from The Authorities--the cops show up, they all get killed and...I guess England doesn't have any other cops or military or anyone they could send as reinforcements? Weak. I probably wouldn't have spent as much time on the jazz concert in the beginning either. It was a nice establishing shot, but it goes on and on and wastes time that could have been used on the story.

It is hard to pick a worst McCoy story, but damn, Greatest Show in the Galaxy is right up there. It is shout at the TV and bang your head on the coffee table repeatedly frustrating.

 

[Aldo]

It is hard to pick a worst McCoy story, but damn, Greatest Show in the Galaxy is right up there. It is shout at the TV and bang your head on the coffee table repeatedly frustrating.

I think it's interesting you say that, because the girl that lent it to me cites is as one of her favorite Seventh Doctor stories. I'm not saying you're wrong, or even that she's wrong, but I always find it fascinating when I find such polar opposite views.

I of course will judge for myself, most likely sometime tomorrow.

 

[Flibble]

The Time Monster. I had forgoten a lot of this story as I thought a lot more of the action was set on Atlantis rather than back on Earth.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Oddly, the opening jazz concert was my favorite part of "Silver Nemesis."

I am finding lately that not only is McCoy a polarizing Doctor but also there are wildly differing opinions about which stories are his best and worst. I really hate "Delta and the Bannermen" but a friend of a friend says that it's her favorite.

I just forced myself to rewatch "Delta & the Bannermen." God, it's so awful! The romance between Delta & Billy is given no development at all. And then that nice bus driver is killed too suddenly. (BTW, as awful as the rest of the story is, I'm fully on board with the fan theory that the beekeeper is actually a future incarnation of the Doctor, similar to the Curator from "Day of the Doctor.")

I just slogged through "Delta and the Bannermen" myself (after 2 tries). This is the first I've heard of the beekeeper being a Doctor. Is there more to this theory?

Not really. It's just suspected that he might be a future version of the Doctor. That is all.

 

[DWF]

The Time Monster. I had forgoten a lot of this story as I thought a lot more of the action was set on Atlantis rather than back on Earth.

For the record Atlantis is on Earth.

 

[kirk55555]

It is hard to pick a worst McCoy story, but damn, Greatest Show in the Galaxy is right up there. It is shout at the TV and bang your head on the coffee table repeatedly frustrating.

Yeah, it might be my most hated Doctor Who story I've ever seen. From beginning to end, it was just painful. I'm overall not a fan of the 7th Doctor's era, but even in a bad era that episode stuck out as being especially terrible.

 

[DWF]

It is hard to pick a worst McCoy story, but damn, Greatest Show in the Galaxy is right up there. It is shout at the TV and bang your head on the coffee table repeatedly frustrating.

Yeah, it might be my most hated Doctor Who story I've ever seen. From beginning to end, it was just painful. I'm overall not a fan of the 7th Doctor's era, but even in a bad era that episode stuck out as being especially terrible.

Personally I always liked The Greatest Show In The Galaxy, i liked the idea of creepy clowns and I loved seeing McCoy as a performer and I really liked Mark Ayres music too.

 

[mythme]

It is often said, and I'm particularly thrilled by it; that Doctor Who is like no other show in that everyone has a favorite: era, Doctor, story, companion, etc.

There are no right or wrong answers to reasons why. And for the most part, discussions of "why I like... vs. why you like..." are generally polite and civil.

I can't think of any show or any genre with so many "options" to chose from and yet so little that is polarizing.

(hmm...wish politics was a little more like Doctor Who.)

 

[Volpone]

Yep. I need a [like] for that post (and the one further up).

 

[Aldo]

It is hard to pick a worst McCoy story, but damn, Greatest Show in the Galaxy is right up there. It is shout at the TV and bang your head on the coffee table repeatedly frustrating.

Yeah, it might be my most hated Doctor Who story I've ever seen. From beginning to end, it was just painful. I'm overall not a fan of the 7th Doctor's era, but even in a bad era that episode stuck out as being especially terrible.

Personally I always liked The Greatest Show In The Galaxy, i liked the idea of creepy clowns and I loved seeing McCoy as a performer and I really liked Mark Ayres music too.

I just watched it this evening and really enjoyed it. Yeah, like most of the Seventh Doctor stories it starts out a little silly (the "rap" of the Ring Master was particularly cringe worthy way to open the episode). But once the main story kicked into gear I was drawn in by the mystery.

And yes, the music really helped give the whole thing an equally creepy vibe. It was a great time all around.

 

[Volpone]

Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Maybe it us like Yoda's tree: you get out of it what you bring into it.

 

[Volpone]

Web planet. So trippy and surreal. Wild sets. Bold costume design. And a downright alien performance of the Menoptera.

Oh, and Vickie and the Doctor have such a wonderful chemistry together. He's like the kindly grandfather to her, while he was the cranky old one to Susan.