Stories You've Watched Recently

[Worf2DS9]

*Terminus (the only episode I found Nyssa attractive)

Did that perchance have anything to do with the fact that she doffs most of her clothes in that one?

Me, I'm still trying to get through "The Krotons". There's nothing particularly bad about it, but I just don't feel that omg-I-can't-wait-to-see-the-next-episode vibe, which is why it's taken me almost two months to get through it. I do like the Second Doctor, though, and once I get through this story I plan to get "The Three Doctors".

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

but I just don't feel that omg-I-can't-wait-to-see-the-next-episode vibe

In The Krotons, that special vibe mostly comes from the skirt.

 

[starsuperion]

I just watched the Brain Of Morbius last night.. I watched it years ago, but had forgotten much about it, as I am trying to gain more back ground knowledge on Karn for the Time Lord compendium book..

anyhow, it was a great story. I think that the monster Morbius became was a bit cheesy...costume wise..

but overall a great story.. the sisterhood of Karn it seems are the decendants of the Pythia??? Or am I wrong on that?

Also, is that part of the Cartmel planning showing through?? If so, then I have to concede that RTD had a bit of that in his End of Time Serial...

As for the Pythia, and such, is there any other mention of them in any other episodes of doctor who? Or for that matter, any mention of Pythia at all??

if not then where did that originally arise from?

the sisterhood using their psychic powers to bring the tardis to them was a pretty cool effect, and the whole mystic ways they had were kinda coo, and if not reminiscent of the order of women seers in the fires of Pompei..

I felt sad for Morbius, and yet wondered what he must have looked like in his military dictator garb, as far as I know, he is the only Time Lord who lead other races with an army an fought the time lords, which is apparently why Karn looks the way it does..

an intriguing idea, and worth seeing..

this is definitely a 4 out of 5!

 

[Bones2]

Watched The Robots of Death. I think a lot of the highly rated Tom Baker stories don't quite deserve their usual 5 star rating. I think his popularity as the Doctor means that many of his stories get a little overrated. After all, to refer to his tenure as the Tom Baker era is something of a misnomer; in his seven years there were numerous different producers and changes. And while he has many great stories, there were quite a few weak ones, and I'm not always convinced a lot of the supposedly very best are the full 5 stars: Genesis tends to get there on its epicness and iconicness, whereas it actually has stretches of dullness; The Deadly Assassin spends a bit too long in the Matrix; Talons is good, but not quite that good; I've never quite got the fuss about Pyramids; Horror of Fang Rock is more atmosphere than story, etc...
But Robots really is deserving of its reputation. It's brilliant from start to finish. If you asked me to choose my favourite Tom Baker story, I'd struggle to choose between this and City of Death.
Yeah, long waffle short, Robots of Death is definitely a 5 star classic.

 

[TedShatner10]

I've seen "The Caves of Androzani" and while it's not without its cheesy, unconvincing moments (like that shoehorned in dragon monster and the main villain killing a rival by pushing him into a bad matte painting) it is a brilliant, brilliant story and not since "Children of Earth" have I seen a story steeped in so much banal evil and selfishness, and as with "The Parting of the Ways" just about everybody dies (squabbling over a resource that gets buried).

Did you really have to review the best story ever with reference to complete rubbish?

I think he makes some valid points, and has obviously done a lot of thinking about how that story compares to others he's seen.

After seeing this story it's obvious that Russell T. Davies has been heavily influenced by "The Caves of Androzani" and he even hired its director (Graeme Harper) for many episodes. And while Graeme Harper was often not given the best scripts (like "The Unicorn and the Wasp"), Harper's absence as an episode director has been felt in Season Five, despite Matt Smith, a much needed break from the RTD season finale formula, and sharper Moffat dialogue.

Not that it invalidates RTD output and half of his stories are still going to be fondly remembered by the much expanded DW fandom for decades to come.

 

[starsuperion]

I can't understand why the caves of androzani are so popular.. I wasn't too fond of it.. If someone can explain why it is so special that would help me to maybe see it in a different light??

 

[OmahaStar]

I can't understand why the caves of androzani are so popular.. I wasn't too fond of it.. If someone can explain why it is so special that would help me to maybe see it in a different light??

The Sixth Doctor is introduced in this story. That's why it's so popular.

 

[Starkers]

I can't understand why the caves of androzani are so popular.. I wasn't too fond of it.. If someone can explain why it is so special that would help me to maybe see it in a different light??

Cos it's near perfect (take out the dragon and it is) It's a story that works on a lot of levels and features essentially no likeable characters aside from the Doctor and Peri, it has an interesting political dimension and features the Doctor at perhaps his most selfless and heroic (whiny number Ten take note) and--though I hate to admit it--it is probably the best regeneration for a Doctor, and probably the best arrival for the next Doctor (shame it all went a bit tits up from there on!)

Plus its the last time I got to see my Doctor (well until time Crash!)

Watched The Robots of Death. I think a lot of the highly rated Tom Baker stories don't quite deserve their usual 5 star rating. I think his popularity as the Doctor means that many of his stories get a little overrated. After all, to refer to his tenure as the Tom Baker era is something of a misnomer; in his seven years there were numerous different producers and changes. And while he has many great stories, there were quite a few weak ones, and I'm not always convinced a lot of the supposedly very best are the full 5 stars: Genesis tends to get there on its epicness and iconicness, whereas it actually has stretches of dullness; The Deadly Assassin spends a bit too long in the Matrix; Talons is good, but not quite that good; I've never quite got the fuss about Pyramids; Horror of Fang Rock is more atmosphere than story, etc...
But Robots really is deserving of its reputation. It's brilliant from start to finish. If you asked me to choose my favourite Tom Baker story, I'd struggle to choose between this and City of Death.
Yeah, long waffle short, Robots of Death is definitely a 5 star classic.

God you had me worried at the start there, but I'm very glad you're a fan cos Robots is one of my favourite Who serials.

 

[TedShatner10]

I can't understand why the caves of androzani are so popular.. I wasn't too fond of it.. If someone can explain why it is so special that would help me to maybe see it in a different light??

Cos it's near perfect (take out the dragon and it is) It's a story that works on a lot of levels and features essentially no likeable characters aside from the Doctor and Peri,

Yes, everybody's a bad guy, but there's different degress of badness - the government soldiers were only doing their job, the mercenaries were thugs out for money, Jak was genuinely fucked over and out for revenge through any means necessary, however Morgus was the closest thing to pure evil in the context of real life (let alone a dramatic setting).

it has an interesting political dimension

Like job outsourcing and the war on terror?

it is probably the best regeneration for a Doctor, and probably the best arrival for the next Doctor (shame it all went a bit tits up from there on!)

The quality and popularity crash during Colin Baker's time was so severe (see the gaudy "Revelation of the Daleks"), it rendered the Doctor Who franchise virtually dormant for the best part of two decades (apart from the still born TV movie). And some very loud people whinge about Tennant's later seasons as the worst thing that happened to the franchise?

 

[The]

The Myrka. Mel. Dimensions in Time. Half-human. The Absorbaloff. The Doctor's Daughter. Jesus-Doctor. These are "the worst things to happen to the franchise". Not Tennant, alone...

 

[Bones2]

The quality and popularity crash during Colin Baker's time was so severe (see the gaudy "Revelation of the Daleks"), it rendered the Doctor Who franchise virtually dormant for the best part of two decades (apart from the still born TV movie). And some very loud people whinge about Tennant's later seasons as the worst thing that happened to the franchise?

None of this is true. I've had to explain here more than once how there was no drop in ratings for Colin's first season compared to Davison's seasons, and how he was actually better received as a new Doctor than most of those before him. It was only after Michael Grade cancelling the show for 18 months, it returning in truncated form, and insisting on sacking Colin as a present to his wife that the show suffered irreparably and the ratings didn't recover. I do wish people would get their facts straight before shooting their mouths off about how Colin and his coat ruined the show forever, because it gets tedious having to correct it.

Furthermore, season 22 is better than all of Davo's, and Revelation of the Daleks is my favourite Doctor Who story. Of course, these are my personal opinions, but the above is all fact.

 

[Starkers]

Hmm, subtle manipulation of the facts there Bones. It's true that Colin's first season was comparable to Davison's second and third, but nowhere near the figures Davison's first season had (which was even bigger than Tom's last season I believe).

Of course Colin's second season was much, much lower. But I think a lot of that can be contributed to the 18 month gap.

Is it actual fact that Grade canned the show because of his wife? I mean one would imagine that if that was FACT that Colin would be quite a wealthy man now...

 

[Worf2DS9]

The Myrka. Mel. Dimensions in Time. Half-human. The Absorbaloff. The Doctor's Daughter. Jesus-Doctor. These are "the worst things to happen to the franchise". Not Tennant, alone...

I still don't get the vehement hate for "The Doctor's Daughter". I think it's one of the more enjoyable episodes in Series 4. It was a fun adventure that saw Martha return to Companion mode for a while, Donna coming up with an Important Bit of Information and an interesting dynamic for the Doctor with the introduction of Jenny. Aside from Ten being a bit overly shouty towards the end, what's not to like? Even if it's someone's least favourite episode, I don't see how it could be considered "one of the worst thing to happen to the franchise." IMO, of course.

 

[Bones2]

Hmm, subtle manipulation of the facts there Bones. It's true that Colin's first season was comparable to Davison's second and third, but nowhere near the figures Davison's first season had (which was even bigger than Tom's last season I believe).

Yes, after one season of Davo, they were so bored of his Doctor that they stopped watching. Of course, I'd say his first season's his best; it has its duds but Kinda and Earthshock are terrific. He also did get higher ratings than Tom's last season, I imagine due to renewed interest in the show because of the regeneration. Mind you, after the pretty poor Douglas Adams season, I'm not surprised people didn't bother the next year. Destiny of the Daleks got high ratings (I imagine the Daleks were still event television, even if he story's damn poor), and if I recall correctly, City of Death is still the most watched story ever (it's brilliant, after all). The rest of that season is damn weak, and looks pretty poor because they were saving the money for Shada, which was of course never made.

Of course Colin's second season was much, much lower. But I think a lot of that can be contributed to the 18 month gap.

Definitely, as well as being a shorter season too. I think there might have been some silly scheduling too, though I'm not sure. It's a shame, because I think Trial's pretty decent on the whole.

Is it actual fact that Grade canned the show because of his wife? I mean one would imagine that if that was FACT that Colin would be quite a wealthy man now...

Michael Grade didn't like Doctor Who, so he had it cancelled. The star was his wife's ex, so he insisted on his being sacked (despite what people might insist on repeating, Colin's Doctor was not unpopular at the time). I don't want to sound condescending, but isn't this the first you've heard about Colin's ex wife and Grade?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I don't want to sound condescending

What happened to you, man?!

 

[starsuperion]

I just watched the Time Warrior.. now that was awesome! A magnificent episode.. the intro of Sarah Jane Smith, the Sontaran warrior, the two kingdoms at war, and the 3RD doctor all in a wonderfully shot, and directed piece of scifi heaven.. The effects were great (for it's day) and the setting was top notch, a real castle layout, and the costumes were brilliant..
I think the Sontaran was better then latter versions until the recent series.. but overall he was still scary.. some shots of his head in the right light made him look as if he were grinning evilly.. and the attitude and the presence brought by the actor who played him felt very Sontaran in format..

This is a must see for those who want to enjoy a cool classic. this episode is also the 1st time that we hear the name of Gallifrey and the Doctor reveal it to the Sontaran.. Also we got the new opening which look very similar to that of the fourth doctor's opening.. nice!

this one is a serious 5 thumbs up!

 

[Bones2]

I don't want to sound condescending

What happened to you, man?!

Sorry, you'll have to do enough condescending for the both us.


































Anyway, I've watched 4 classic Doctor Who stories this past couple of days: The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, Castrovalva, and Frontios.

The Keeper of Traken - It's ok as a story, but it's a bit bloody dull. Seemingly a prototype for the Davison years in that way. It has its moments though, and the return of the Master elevates it bit. Still, would I sit through it twice? Not in a hurry. 2 or perhaps 2.5 stars.

Logopolis - I love this. I'd not seen it in such a long time that I'd complete forgotten it, but I'd have no trouble in rating it with City of Death and The Robots of Death as one of Tom Baker's very best. I have to say too, though Adric isn't very popular, I like his interaction with the Fourth Doctor in this. The hard science of the story has been well scrutinised, but as I understand it, it stands up pretty well overall. Bidmead's quite unique among DW writers, but I love the ideas. Tardis within a Tardis, entropy, block transfer computation - it may not be perfect, but it's the kind of thing they'd never even try these days, and more's the pity. The regeneration's brilliant too, perhaps my favourite. That pained look on the Doctor's face before he falls, his last lines, the Watcher; it's beautifully tragic. I love the sense of doom that grows throughout the whole story, it's just great stuff. *****

Castrovalva - Gets off to an interesting start. The stuff in the Tardis is interesting, the Zero Room, and having to eject bits of it to get away from its course to event one seems barmy, but it's entertaining nonetheless. Things get quite dull though when it comes to actually landing on Castrovalva, and though it picks up towards the end, it is hurt by the loss of momentum. Still, it's nice to have the Master being a genuinely evil genius rather than the pantomimish moustache-twirler Ainley would often be in later stories. And, y'know, recursion was sort of interesting. Also, Tegan was surprisingly quite likeable. Shame Davison's lack of personality wasn't just post-regenerative trauma. ***

Frontios - Being massively impressed by one of H's stories and mildly whelmed by the other, I thought I'd give his last one a try. It's a good-un for sure, and Davo is as much the Doctor as he ever would be. Also it seems every above average idea in the series 5 Silurian two-parter that Chibnall didn't steal wholesale from the original Pertwee story came from this instead. It's hard to believe, but I think him even more of a talentless hack than I did before. They should get Bidmead to write a two-parter next time. Frontios though is mostly great. The Tractators don't look too bad considering, and the Tardis being destroyed and that might be a bit lunatic, but I can accept it. A bleak but interesting story. ****

 

[Stevil2001]

Bidmead's a total rock star. I love all three of his story, and most of his season.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I recently watched:

*Masque of Mandragora-

I remember seeing this when I was little, or actually I recall someone watching this particular episode(we're talking 1985-86) although, there are things I notice now that I'm a bit older...i.e. Sarah Jane is cute in the skirt and boots; actually she is cute nevertheless.

I do like one scene where she is at a ball dancing with the prince. What went through my head is 'How does Sarah Jane know the moves, if she is new to that era?'

If you look closely, she is actually 'winging it'...and looking to others, checking their movements, etc..

I wouldn't put it 'up there' as my top Tom Baker stories, but he made it enjoyable.

*** out of *****

*Revenge of the Cybermen-

Again, Tom Baker makes this enjoyable.

The story is a bit dull, but there are some definite laughs with Harry Sullivan always saying, 'I say'...and being stereotypically British...

The Cybermen don't have robotic voices, as they are 'voiced' by the actors in the costumes. (Still, the Cybermen remain my favorite of the WHO villains; and I dislike what the nuWHO has done with them...although, the nuWHO ones are still menacing).

Interestingly, in an unfortunate way, there is some NASA stock footage doubling as an alien (Vogon) rocket being launched towards an impending Cybermen attack. (I think they did the same thing in 'Android Invasion').

Another thing I thought was interesting, is that this particular episode is a sequel to 'Ark in Space.' However, this episode takes place many years before 'AIS.'

A little sidenote: Isn't AIS a car insurance company...?

Anywho...*** out of *****

*The Greatest Show in the Galaxy-

Interesting episode for being in the McCoy era.

A couple of nitpicks:

I know this was the late 80s/early 90s, but did they really have to get a Afro-American an have him do some lame 'rap' repetition throughout the episode?***

And the music...*sigh* the music.

It's not as bad as I'm making it out to be (it's actually worse in 'Paradise Towers')but I'm not really a fan of the electronic themes.

*** out of *****

Terror of the Zygons-

Weird, enjoyable episode with the Doctor and Sarah Jane (and her boots) taking on aliens who double as humans...an aspect I do like in sci-fi.

***1/2 out of *****

The Rescue-

A very early 60s episode of Doctor Who.

I particularly like it because it's only two episodes, when some of the Hartnell episodes run pretty long.

*** out of *****

Earthshock-

I have to agree with USS Bones that this episode is one of the best of the Davison era. Of course, my favorites..i.e. the Cybermen, make their appearance.

Yes, Adric dies...but that's not necessarily the reason I'm giving this such a high grade...

Tegan, however, looks nice in that jumpsuit....and is pretty cool(and funny) trying to take on a Cyberman contingent herself after she gets her hand on a Cyberman weapon.

**** out of *****

*
​

***Actually, I think the Doctor Who franchise handles their black characters pretty well; even better than Star Trek, IMO....(BIG kudos to RTD, for expanding on that greatly in the nuWHO years)....

And they know how to cast them as well: I'm looking at you, Freema Agyeman, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, to whom have to devote a thread to each of those ladies and their hotness....

 

[Bones2]

***Actually, I think the Doctor Who franchise handles their black characters pretty well; even better than Star Trek, IMO....(BIG kudos to RTD, for expanding on that greatly in the nuWHO years)....

Yeah, well. On that RTD point, I'm not sure he does that well. Mickey's portrayed as a hapless idiot who rolls over and takes it when the Doctor shows up, takes the piss out of him, puts him through a year of ostracization after being accused of having something to do with Rose's disappearance because feckless northerner Ninth can't control the Tardis properly (and then, rather than apologising for this, he carries on calling Mickey an idiot), and then when him and Rose are finally separated from the Doctor in a different universe, she keeps dreaming about the Doctor to the point she drags him and her family to a cloudy beach to cry her eyes out at how she'll miss him. Then she gets her own human-Doctor sex doll and Mickey's forever out in the cold from her after that.

As for Martha, she falls in love with handsome whitey Tennant within about 10 seconds of meeting him, but he's still cutting himself over Wose being gone and doesn't even consider Martha.

So, what happens to Mickey and Martha? Well, despite having completely mismatched personalities, RTD marries them off to each other, because black people should only really marry black people. The despicable talentless hack.