Last Classic Who Story you watched

[Qonundrum]

The first episode of Underworld is great.
The rest is running around cso corridors.

Worse - inane running with bizarre plotting with things happening that don't make sense in-universe and relying on, go figure, another power-nutter computer where the P7E Inhabitants just follow because the stunt actors wearing dumb gold helmets with CSO kaleidoscope eyes tell them to because they're the token scary. Now try piecing the backstory regarding the P7E and its crew-- Hmm, dare I sit through that story in full again? Yeah, parts two and three are definitely iffy and cliche-ridden and what's vaguely remembered is not in a good way for those, but part one really ratchets up intrigue and promise and pt 1 is fairly great....

All that said, part 4 is a surprising turnaround, leading to some great dialogue and a surprisingly decent conclusion. IMHO, it's not as bad as its reputation - but only because of the bookend episodes. Maybe there could be a special edition where the following happens:

1. Decolorize it
2. Edit it into an omnibus form - say 52 minutes
3. Recolorize what's left

The fact that 90% of parts 2 and 3 could be snippied without issue -- they plop into the soft soft planet, wander briefly with de-frizzed CSO with new cave background and improved lighting effects to blend everyone and everything together... find nutter'puter, pop out the genetic banks (or bypass the "it's the old 'swap the genetic banks with bombs trick thanks to the sonic screwdriver mobile e-doggy there scanning them out'" padding altogether if enough complementary scenes make carving out the bomb bit genuinely practical, that'd work even more) and then leave.

Of course, and I was waiting to mention that until now for, just forget pts 1 and 3, just edit the sucker via step 2 and then use modern effects generation processes to fill in new cave sets around the actors, edge detection is so much more refined compared to even 10 years ago...

But keep the original. If nothing else, parts 2 and 3 do assist in naptime. Especially for us fogies.
(And no worries, the Portreeve will pop up in his tailored ice cream container hat and remind us that some need sleep less than others... Dr Who was rarely better than when it got poetically new wavey and all. I'm still rewatching "Castrovalva" first, then circling back...)

 

[Christopher]

Maybe there could be a special edition where the following happens:

1. Decolorize it
2. Edit it into an omnibus form - say 52 minutes
3. Recolorize what's left

What are you talking about? "Underworld" was from 1978. It was made in color to begin with, not colorized.

 

[Chaos Descending]

What are you talking about? "Underworld" was from 1978. It was made in color to begin with, not colorized.

What exactly do you think "Decolorize it" at Step 1. means?

 

[diankra]

When it, Nimon and Time Monster were released on dvd my sister put on her Xmas list The S--- Collection. I knew what she meant...

 

[Marc]

When it, Nimon and Time Monster were released on dvd my sister put on her Xmas list The S--- Collection. I knew what she meant...

she must have been a competist to put them on her Christmas list.

 

[Christopher]

Is "The Time Monster" considered bad? I remember rather liking it. Although the main thing I remember is that Sgt. Benton was impressive in it, catching onto things that the Brig was totally clueless about. "The gap between now and... now."

Now, "Underworld" and "Horns of Nimon" are both terrible. Most of the classic serials I dislike the most are from Graham Williams's tenure as producer.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Horns of Nimon is especially terrible, but is still fairly laughable for the most outlandish performance by a guest actor ever. Underworld is only a really, reallly, reaaaallllllyyyyyyyy boring story shot horribly.

 

[JRob94]

Is "The Time Monster" considered bad? I remember rather liking it. Although the main thing I remember is that Sgt. Benton was impressive in it, catching onto things that the Brig was totally clueless about. "The gap between now and... now."

Now, "Underworld" and "Horns of Nimon" are both terrible. Most of the classic serials I dislike the most are from Graham Williams's tenure as producer.

For what it’s worth, I’ve always been a fan of it. I even like the TARDIS interior redesign with the washbowl roundels

 

[VDCNI]

The Time Monster always appears near the bottom of DWM and Gallifrey Base polls so yes it does have a poor reputation.

For me it is probably the worst Pertwee story and bottom 10 of the classic series.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

It's only mediocre, really. The Mutants is way, way worse.

 

[The Knappos]

I love The Time Monster

 

[Qonundrum]

What are you talking about? "Underworld" was from 1978. It was made in color to begin with, not colorized.

There's an attempt at a facetious joke in there about deliberately removing the color... I do already know when it was made and how it was made in color, and with none of the videotapes wiped after being transferred to B&W film.

Is "The Time Monster" considered bad? I remember rather liking it. Although the main thing I remember is that Sgt. Benton was impressive in it, catching onto things that the Brig was totally clueless about. "The gap between now and... now."

Now, "Underworld" and "Horns of Nimon" are both terrible. Most of the classic serials I dislike the most are from Graham Williams's tenure as producer.

The story is better than its reputation. The first half is slow with needless padding and I refuse to address the one scene involving a cork where the actors are working harder than ever before (which says a lot), but once the Doctor gets to his TARDIS in pt 4 is when it begins to really pick up.

 

[Qonundrum]

The Time Monster always appears near the bottom of DWM and Gallifrey Base polls so yes it does have a poor reputation.

For me it is probably the worst Pertwee story and bottom 10 of the classic series.

A poor reputation, but it's not always _bad_... maybe more bad scenes than enough to rescue it. Fan consensus isn't a perfect litmus test, either and there's always a point of view somewhere...

It's only mediocre, really. The Mutants is way, way worse.

Overly padded, and has as much of a message that "The Web Planet" had. At least the latter tried selling an alien world with non-humanoid species throughout and showing an alien environment (with the obvious debate regarding smearing petroleum jelly over the lens to distort the image, when smearing that over a glass panel placed over the lens would have made cleanup a lot easier, and for the inevitable digression they really didn't do a lot of matte paintings on glass to help sell the illusion of spatial depth until later on as well...)

 

[Mr Awe]

What exactly do you think "Decolorize it" at Step 1. means?

Whoosh! Right over his head!

 

[Mr Awe]

Worse - inane running with bizarre plotting with things happening that don't make sense . . .

What you and @diankra write are undoubtedly true. But I've always enjoyed this story a bit more than a should! Totally agree about the fourth episode be a nice turnaround.

While lots of it is cliché, I first watched it when I was fairly young and many of the ideas were new to me. Probably why I have some fondness for it.

 

[Mr Awe]

It's only mediocre, really. The Mutants is way, way worse.

The Mutants is not bad! It's a fantastic story that horribly misunderstood!

Time Monster is bad. Some good ideas but they don't gel into an actual story. Very disjointed. Some people like Sergeant Benton in it, but while he momentarily stops the Master, he's made to look foolish very quickly.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Just watched Underworld because of the convo here about it.

I agree with the poster that praised parts 1 and 4. Those were pretty decent. 2 and 3 were filler, and not all that great.

Also, the CSO was quite bad.

 

[diankra]

Just watched Underworld because of the convo here about it.

I agree with the poster that praised parts 1 and 4. Those were pretty decent. 2 and 3 were filler, and not all that great.

Also, the CSO was quite bad.

Budget overruns meant Underworld might not be made, until the director suggested doing it by CSO.

 

[Marc]

Budget overruns meant Underworld might not be made, until the director suggested doing it by CSO.

But if wasn't made we might have gotten a better story but then again we could have gotten worse.

 

[diankra]

If it wasn't made we wouldn't have had a better story, just a 22 episode season.