Stories You've Watched Recently

[The]

I've clearly said City of Death is great. I rate it the full 5 stars. The rest of the season is really poor though.

Okay! That's good enough for me, then. I'm not very protective of the rest of the season. Just that one...

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I don't mind the Douglas Adams season:

*Horns of Nimon (particularly because I think Lalla Ward is lovely in her outfit; and I think the character Saldeed is hilarious)...

*Nightmare of Eden (not the best, but I liked it)

*City of Death (already mentioned; one of my favorites)...

*Destiny of the Daleks (interesting ideas, but I watched a fan-made review of this episode which got me thinking)

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Recently I rewatched:

Logopolis
Horns of Nimon (I second the Lalla Ward sentiment)
Forest of the Dead
Caves of Androzani
Last of the Time Lords
Partners in Crime

 

[Bones2]

I'd also reiterate that for me at least there's a difference between not liking a Doctor that much, and not liking his stories. Kinda, Earthshock, Snakedance, Frontios, and Caves are all great Doctor Who stories.

"Snakedance"? A "great Doctor Who [story]"? Seriously?

Yeah, it's really good. Definitely a worthy sequel to Kinda. Easily the best of its season.

 

[Captain Pike]

Creature from the Pit, Nimon.. and City.. are some of my favourite stories.. IMO season 17 craps on season 18 from a great height..

 

[Starkers]

Is 18 the one that starts with the Leisure Hive?

 

[Captain Pike]

Thar's the one (shudder)..

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I still can't bring myself to watch 'Leisure Hive'...(and I don't think I've ever seen that episode before).

 

[Starkers]

I own it on DVD, hated the firs time I watched it but didn't think it was quite as terrible second time around...not quite...

 

[Stevil2001]

I absolutely love The Leisure Hive.

 

[The]

Yeah, I'm no real friend of "The 4th Doctor: The Depressing Years". I generally just try and skip his final year, until Logopolis. I was bored to tears by the seriousness of it all. Not to mention, Tom looks like he's having about as much fun as I am...

 

[DWF]

Yeah, I'm no real friend of "The 4th Doctor: The Depressing Years". I generally just try and skip his final year, until Logopolis. I was bored to tears by the seriousness of it all. Not to mention, Tom looks like he's having about as much fun as I am...

Well he was sick toughout the season they even had to curl his hair since it affected his curly hair as well.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I'd also reiterate that for me at least there's a difference between not liking a Doctor that much, and not liking his stories. Kinda, Earthshock, Snakedance, Frontios, and Caves are all great Doctor Who stories.

"Snakedance"? A "great Doctor Who [story]"? Seriously?

Yeah, it's really good. Definitely a worthy sequel to Kinda. Easily the best of its season.

Hmmm. I'll have to admit, I've never seen "Kinda." I suppose that might improve my opinion of "Snakedance," but I doubt it. It feels like one of those typical alien subversion stories that's just going through the motions. But then, I'm probably not a Peter Davison expert. I seem to like "Time-Flight" & "Arc of Infinity" a lot more than most people do.

A more subtle actor? What does that even mean? You seem to be seeing a careful, nuanced, multi-layered performance where no one else does. I'm not denying Davison's a good actor. He was very convinving in the role of the Doctor. Sadly, that Doctor had a personality to match his silly beige costume. Your fondness of his Doctor seems only to be based on having watched him at the time.

You can blame Davison, Baker and McCoy's outfits on JNT none of them wore what they wanted to wear in the part.

http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/6s.html

The new star and his producer were less like-minded on the topic of the Sixth Doctor's costume. Baker preferred a black velvet outfit, but Nathan-Turner vetoed this on the grounds that it was too similar to the Master's usual dress. Instead, the producer wanted something totally tasteless to replace Davison's understated cricketing garb, and costume designer Pat Godfrey had to go back to the drawing board several times before finally devising something which Nathan-Turner felt was sufficiently garish. Godfrey was instructed to omit the colour blue from his pallet (since this would interfere with special effects shots using the Colour Separation Overlay technique), and was asked to retain the question-mark collars that Nathan-Turner had introduced in 1980. For his part, Baker decided to add a cat badge to the ensemble, which he would often swap out; this was inspired by “The Cat That Walked By Himself”, from Rudyard Kipling's 1902 anthology Just So Stories. Baker was otherwise reluctant to embrace Nathan-Turner's chosen design; indeed, years later, the producer admitted that the costume had been a mistake, and worked against the show.

Considering their respective Doctor personalities, I wonder how they would have come across had bland Davison been stuck with the garish coat while loud, shouty Colin Baker had been given the beige suit.

Mickey smith was an idiot, who grew up, and became a hero.. and finally found true love, and an ass that won't quit.. come on.. so he didn't get the white girl..who cares..what like that is the best representation a black person can achieve??..Come on, I think he did better with Martha.. at least in certain circumstances he doesn't have to worry about teeth chafing..LMAO

I agree. When Mickey ended up with Martha, he definately traded up. Plus, it's hard to say that they don't have anything in common, since we don't really know a whole lot about their respective experiences post-"Doomsday" & post-"Last of the Time Lords." Plus, they can at least relate to both being victims of RTD's insufferable Doctor/Rose worship.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

The only other McCoy episode I don't mind watching multiple times is 'The Happiness Patrol'....despite the horrible, horrible costumes. Although, I think the idea of the Kandyman is brilliant and hilarious....

I think "The Happiness Patrol" is probably the weirdest story that the show ever did. The art department did a great job putting together the Candyman costume, but what kinda crack were the writers on when they came up with the idea?!? A villain that can't chase the heroes because he literally gets stuck to the floor?!? It doesn't help that I, as a 21st century American, have absolutely no idea what any of the political allegories are supposed to mean.

I plan on watching (since I have a little time on my hands):

*Robots of Death
*The Krotons
*Mawdryn Undead
*Terminus
*Black Orchid
*Revenge of the Cybermen

I need to rewatch "The Robots of Death." That was only the 2nd Doctor Who story I'd ever seen and I was still getting used to the long format and super-chintzy production design. I suspect it will play much better the 2nd time around.

I haven't watched "The Krotons" but I did listen to it in audio format. (Why did they release it in audio format, anyway? I didn't think any of the episodes were missing. In fact, I thought it was one of the first Patrick Troughton stories to be fully recovered.) It's average. I love Zoe's bit, "Of course he'll figure it out. The Doctor is almost as clever as I am." She is so cute!

I LOVED the way the master computer talked in "The Invasion." He sounded so pathetic, like a dripping wet billy goat or something. The animated episodes were good, too.

Like a lot of other stories of the period, there's an awful lot of escaping/being recaptured/escaping again/being recaptured again. It'd be interesting to see if the capture/story ratio declined over the years.

It's been a while since I watched it, but I also remember Kevin Stoney's performance as Tobias Vaughn standing out, and the way his underling never got things right.

I love Tobias Vaughn. He's one of my all-time favorite human Doctor Who villains. I love how, whenever Packer screws up, he doesn't hesitate to take his screaming up to 11. "YOU'RE A USELESS INCOMPETANT!!!!"

Actually, I just rewatched "The Invasion" again. I gotta say it's definitely my favorite classic story. It's filled with great guest characters, like Professor Watkins, Captain Jimmy Turner, & Isobel Watkins. Heck, I'm so enamored with Isobel that I'm kinda hoping she comes back at some point (perhaps as a fellow journalist on The Sarah Jane Adventures). Plus, you've got the 1st appearances of UNIT & Corporal Benton, and the Brigadier's 1st surviving appearance.

I'd make an exception for a "Web Planet" marathon, though.

A decent, if very goofy story. But I think it's plagued by a persistent problem in a lot of these William Hartnell stories where not much happens in the 1st episode. It's just the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, & Susan/Vicki wandering around the new alien planet for 20 minutes. This is certainly true in the 1st episodes of "The Daleks," "The Chase," "The Web Planet," and even "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" to a certain extent. Finding something, ANYTHING else on the planet seems cause enough for a part 1 cliffhanger.

I also watched the 4th season of the nuWho, and found out that RTD isn't as infallible as I thought he was. Some episodes that I found dull:

*The Fires of Pompeii
*Midnight

Philistine! "Midnight" is one of the best episodes that David Tennant ever did. It bucks the normal running down corridors formula in favor of some genuinely creepy, claustrophobic moments that take the Doctor way outside his comfort zone. More modern stories should take this approach.

 

[Bones2]

"Snakedance"? A "great Doctor Who [story]"? Seriously?

Yeah, it's really good. Definitely a worthy sequel to Kinda. Easily the best of its season.

Hmmm. I'll have to admit, I've never seen "Kinda." I suppose that might improve my opinion of "Snakedance," but I doubt it. It feels like one of those typical alien subversion stories that's just going through the motions. But then, I'm probably not a Peter Davison expert. I seem to like "Time-Flight" & "Arc of Infinity" a lot more than most people do.

Kinda's definitely a worth a watch. Top 10 stuff. Arc of Infinity I like slightly more than most people do, but Time Flight's dismal.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I think "The Happiness Patrol" is probably the weirdest story that the show ever did. The art department did a great job putting together the Candyman costume, but what kinda crack were the writers on when they came up with the idea?!? A villain that can't chase the heroes because he literally gets stuck to the floor?!? It doesn't help that I, as a 21st century American, have absolutely no idea what any of the political allegories are supposed to mean.

I'm a 21st century American too...

From what I understand, the story was supposed to be a take on Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister....

I need to rewatch "The Robots of Death." That was only the 2nd Doctor Who story I'd ever seen and I was still getting used to the long format and super-chintzy production design. I suspect it will play much better the 2nd time around.

Even today, I can't really handle the very long episodes...lol

I haven't watched "The Krotons" but I did listen to it in audio format. (Why did they release it in audio format, anyway? I didn't think any of the episodes were missing. In fact, I thought it was one of the first Patrick Troughton stories to be fully recovered.) It's average. I love Zoe's bit, "Of course he'll figure it out. The Doctor is almost as clever as I am." She is so cute!

Yes, she is...

Philistine! "Midnight" is one of the best episodes that David Tennant ever did. It bucks the normal running down corridors formula in favor of some genuinely creepy, claustrophobic moments that take the Doctor way outside his comfort zone. More modern stories should take this approach.

It just didn't work for me the first time I watched it; maybe I'll watch it again, but...

***
​

SIDENOTE: Ahhhh! I finally found out where else I saw the brutha from 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy'! He's 'Frost' from 'Aliens'!

Interesting...

 

[Ubik]

I had seen all of Classic Who before, some of them years ago, but my wife had never seen any. Recently, she got hooked on the new series, so I thought I'd get her hooked on the old series now too. A couple of weeks ago, we started watching it from the very beginning, with Unearthly Child, and so far, we've watched Unearthly Child (all 4 parts), The Daleks, Edge of Destruction, and The Aztecs. We're half-way through Dalek Invasion of Earth. (I deliberately skipped Keys of Marinus, Sensorites, and Planet of Giants, because I remember quite clearly that they're not worth the time they take to sit through.)

And so far, we're both highly surprised at how much we're enjoying them. The first episode, with the cavemen, was surprisingly thoughtful and thematically rich. The Aztecs was absolutely wonderful. And the first two-thirds of Daleks was superb as well (it really falls apart in the last 2 parts or so.) Edge of Destruction was the only one that got significantly worse than my memory had prepared me for, rather than better.

I have to say, as much as I love the new series, there are some things that even the Hartnell era got right, that new the era hasn't yet - mainly, good science fiction. Oh, the new series is great at character and emotion, but it's rarely thoughtful and mysterious science fiction. We both think that, so far, the first half of Dalek Invasion of Earth is quite a lot better than any of the numerous alien-invasion-of-London episodes the new series has had. It treats its subject so seriously, without a wink to the audience in sight. It's not trying to be dramatic, or ironic, or hip - it's just telling a grim story, and telling it straight. We're loving it.

 

[Starkers]

It's surprising just how grim the Dalek Invasion of Earth actually is!

 

[The]

Just watched The Mind Robber for the first time, thanks to Netflix streaming. Pretty damn good, I have to say. Got a little repetitious towards the end. But, other than that, a very creepy opening that leads into what could be (with a lesser Doctor) a very dreary bit of nonsense. However, thanks to the marvels that are Pat Troughton, Wendy Padbury, and Frazier Hines, this episode ticked right along into a pretty fun adventure. I loved the literary references, even the alien ones from Zoe's culture (Karkaus!). Naturally, it was fun to watch Troughton play off Gulliver talking about "the Master".

Good stuff!

 

[starsuperion]

Just watched The Mind Robber for the first time, thanks to Netflix streaming. Pretty damn good, I have to say. Got a little repetitious towards the end. But, other than that, a very creepy opening that leads into what could be (with a lesser Doctor) a very dreary bit of nonsense. However, thanks to the marvels that are Pat Troughton, Wendy Padbury, and Frazier Hines, this episode ticked right along into a pretty fun adventure. I loved the literary references, even the alien ones from Zoe's culture (Karkaus!). Naturally, it was fun to watch Troughton play off Gulliver talking about "the Master".

Good stuff!

yeah I loved that one as well.. the tardis wall that is not an actual wall rather a print made to look like a wall bothered me..

I loved that the ship ended up outside of reality.. and then ended up in another dimension, mainly one of pure thought..when it seems like the Tardis was destroyed, it really wasn't, it wasn't the real machine.. once outside they were in the un-reality and trying to cope they made themselves believe they were headed back to their ship, but the dream state of the universe was too much and so they ened up succumbing to those forces and thus the world of words was reality..

a pretty wild epi..

One of my favourite things about that is the Tardis power room, where we see the doctor toiling away at some machinery.. and the mentioning of the fluid links power system..

The dream robots were cool, and the master brain.. the interplay with the characters was top notch, and troughton was in his old fun self throughout..the beginning was most exceptional.. especially his

"Well Zoe, that is, well because, well.. .. we're nowhere, and thats that." what a magnificent line! delivered just perfectly..I got goose bumps and actually became concerned!!

I loved that epi..

it is a definite recommend..

five thumbs!