Last Classic Who Story you watched

[Timewalker]

I remember being an occasional watcher of DW at the time and I liked Adric fine. I found his death quite shocking and saddening (but I was only about 10 or 11, admittedly).

I knew about it long before I got to see the episode (somebody spoiled it in one of the magazines). It was fitting that the end credits were absolutely silent, showing Adric's broken Badge of Mathematical Excellence, and it annoyed me greatly that during the 50th anniversary marathon (Earthshock was the episode chosen to represent the Davison era), they used the same bright, spangly music at the end as for all the other episodes.

^Ditto. I have a friend who's still traumatised by the death of Adric!

My view of Adric seems to be constantly shifting. Back in the day I had no problem with him, but later I came to realise what a terrible actor he is, that said the last few times I've watched Adric episodes I've found the character more interesting than I gave him credit for. He's a git, and not above siding with the bad guys, or at least being taken in by the bad guys, which is a refreshing take for a companion.

He's probably my least favourite companion of the Baker/Davison era but I don't hate him nearly as much as I used to.

Adric was a misfit no matter where he was. He was an outsider among his peers on his home planet - too smart and serious to hang around with his brother and his friends, and too young to be accepted as an equal among the adults. No sooner had he earned some respect from his brother, then his brother was killed.

In the TARDIS it was a similar story - he was too-whatever (smart, serious, moody, etc.) to be completely accepted by the Doctor and Tegan. Nyssa was the only one who liked him for himself, and that was largely due to their becoming friends on Traken.

Yes, Adric was somewhat selfish and self-centered. He'd grown up being constantly praised for how smart he was, and he naturally assumed he was smarter than almost anyone except the Doctor (Fourth) and Romana. I think he redeemed himself at the end, and came full circle () in the scene where he's facing his death and clutching the belt that used to be his brother's.

 

[kirk55555]

Time and the Rani was just ok. I liked the 7th Doctor well enough, and the overall story was ok, but it had problems. Mel was really annoying, especially when she screamed. She seriously just screamed for about 30 seconds at one point, even restarting after taking a breath/being interrupted. The Rani was better in her first appearance. In this she just didn't seem as interesting, and it was annoying when she was pretending to be Mel. The big threat of rani's plan was ok, although it wasn't that interesting. Overall, this wasn't horrible, but it wasn't a very impressive way to start the 7th Doctor's run. Next up is Paradise Towers.

 

[Sindatur]

Time and the Rani was just ok. I liked the 7th Doctor well enough, and the overall story was ok, but it had problems. Mel was really annoying, especially when she screamed. She seriously just screamed for about 30 seconds at one point, even restarting after taking a breath/being interrupted. The Rani was better in her first appearance. In this she just didn't seem as interesting, and it was annoying when she was pretending to be Mel. The big threat of rani's plan was ok, although it wasn't that interesting. Overall, this wasn't horrible, but it wasn't a very impressive way to start the 7th Doctor's run. Next up is Paradise Towers.

Heh, as far as Time and The Rani goes, I think yours is a glowing review.

Paradise Towers feels very different than any Doctor Who story previously (Many of McCoy's stories have this "new" feel, I believe, though, style of writing does change in his second Series), I believe, but, it's one I really like (1 of the 2 of McCoy's first Series that I really enjoy)

 

[DWF]

Earthshock one of all time favorites a great action/adventure storyline and a wonderful return of the Cybermen. Plus Adric's death was a great addition to the storyline, it was the first companion's death since Katrina's in The Dalek Master Plan and Sarah Kingdom's as well, but Adric's death meant that travelling with the Doctor isn't safe. Of course few people liked Adric or Matthew Waterhouse so his death didn't quite have the impact I'm sure it was meant to.

Adric was one of my favorite characters, and I thought his death was well-handled. Many fans have nothing but contempt for the character, but think of it this way: If Adric hadn't gone back to figure out the last computations, the human race would never have existed. Adric's actions and last encounter with the Cyberman put the freighter back in time - exactly on schedule to crash into Earth and kill the dinosaurs.

And unlike Star Trek, there are actual consequences from this. Even after death, Adric is still very much a presence in the TARDIS and in the minds of the Doctor, Tegan, and Nyssa.

Well after Time-Flight and small appearance at the end of Caves Of Androzani Adric really isn't mentioned, so I don't really agree with you. However after Tasha died on TNG she was brought up several times and even ressurected and given a daughter.

 

[Timewalker]

Earthshock one of all time favorites a great action/adventure storyline and a wonderful return of the Cybermen. Plus Adric's death was a great addition to the storyline, it was the first companion's death since Katrina's in The Dalek Master Plan and Sarah Kingdom's as well, but Adric's death meant that travelling with the Doctor isn't safe. Of course few people liked Adric or Matthew Waterhouse so his death didn't quite have the impact I'm sure it was meant to.

Adric was one of my favorite characters, and I thought his death was well-handled. Many fans have nothing but contempt for the character, but think of it this way: If Adric hadn't gone back to figure out the last computations, the human race would never have existed. Adric's actions and last encounter with the Cyberman put the freighter back in time - exactly on schedule to crash into Earth and kill the dinosaurs.

And unlike Star Trek, there are actual consequences from this. Even after death, Adric is still very much a presence in the TARDIS and in the minds of the Doctor, Tegan, and Nyssa.

Well after Time-Flight and small appearance at the end of Caves Of Androzani Adric really isn't mentioned, so I don't really agree with you. However after Tasha died on TNG she was brought up several times and even ressurected and given a daughter.

What does Tasha Yar have to do with this?

Considering the Fifth Doctor never really got over Adric's death (hence calling his name during the regeneration), I wouldn't dismiss the scene in Caves of Androzani.

You've forgotten the scene in Terminus, where Tegan gives Turlough Adric's old room, and gets upset when Turlough dismisses it as a "kid's room" (since nobody had cleared out Adric's belongings yet).

 

[DWF]

Adric was one of my favorite characters, and I thought his death was well-handled. Many fans have nothing but contempt for the character, but think of it this way: If Adric hadn't gone back to figure out the last computations, the human race would never have existed. Adric's actions and last encounter with the Cyberman put the freighter back in time - exactly on schedule to crash into Earth and kill the dinosaurs.

And unlike Star Trek, there are actual consequences from this. Even after death, Adric is still very much a presence in the TARDIS and in the minds of the Doctor, Tegan, and Nyssa.

Well after Time-Flight and small appearance at the end of Caves Of Androzani Adric really isn't mentioned, so I don't really agree with you. However after Tasha died on TNG she was brought up several times and even ressurected and given a daughter.

What does Tasha Yar have to do with this?

Considering the Fifth Doctor never really got over Adric's death (hence calling his name during the regeneration), I wouldn't dismiss the scene in Caves of Androzani.

You've forgotten the scene in Terminus, where Tegan gives Turlough Adric's old room, and gets upset when Turlough dismisses it as a "kid's room" (since nobody had cleared out Adric's belongings yet).

Well you said that there was no conquences of death on Star Trek, which is why I mentioned Tasha Yar. And really Tegan wasn't too upset for giving Adric's room to Turlough. Although I did find it funny that Matthew Waterhouse wasn't given a script beforehand and had to steal Peter Davison'sscript to learn of Adric's death.

 

[Timewalker]

Well after Time-Flight and small appearance at the end of Caves Of Androzani Adric really isn't mentioned, so I don't really agree with you. However after Tasha died on TNG she was brought up several times and even ressurected and given a daughter.

What does Tasha Yar have to do with this?

Considering the Fifth Doctor never really got over Adric's death (hence calling his name during the regeneration), I wouldn't dismiss the scene in Caves of Androzani.

You've forgotten the scene in Terminus, where Tegan gives Turlough Adric's old room, and gets upset when Turlough dismisses it as a "kid's room" (since nobody had cleared out Adric's belongings yet).

Well you said that there was no conquences of death on Star Trek, which is why I mentioned Tasha Yar. And really Tegan wasn't too upset for giving Adric's room to Turlough. Although I did find it funny that Matthew Waterhouse wasn't given a script beforehand and had to steal Peter Davison'sscript to learn of Adric's death.

In general, people who die on Star Trek are rarely remembered by the end of the episode, let alone several episodes later.

The novel version of Terminus disagrees with your assessment of Tegan's frame of mind. Since the novelizations were done using the scripts, I consider it valid.

As for Matthew Waterhouse not being given a script, what is your source for that?

 

[DWF]

What does Tasha Yar have to do with this?

Considering the Fifth Doctor never really got over Adric's death (hence calling his name during the regeneration), I wouldn't dismiss the scene in Caves of Androzani.

You've forgotten the scene in Terminus, where Tegan gives Turlough Adric's old room, and gets upset when Turlough dismisses it as a "kid's room" (since nobody had cleared out Adric's belongings yet).

Well you said that there was no conquences of death on Star Trek, which is why I mentioned Tasha Yar. And really Tegan wasn't too upset for giving Adric's room to Turlough. Although I did find it funny that Matthew Waterhouse wasn't given a script beforehand and had to steal Peter Davison'sscript to learn of Adric's death.

In general, people who die on Star Trek are rarely remembered by the end of the episode, let alone several episodes later.

The novel version of Terminus disagrees with your assessment of Tegan's frame of mind. Since the novelizations were done using the scripts, I consider it valid.

As for Matthew Waterhouse not being given a script, what is your source for that?

The novel of Terminus is much better than the televised version, but really Tegan spent little time thinking about Adric and it was probably the first time she thought about him since his death and we have no idea how long ago that was for her. And for the script info, it's in the commentary, the DVD also has an ep. five where you can see that Adric didn't kill off the dinosaurs by the ship's impact, it rather funny to see.

 

[Timewalker]

Well you said that there was no conquences of death on Star Trek, which is why I mentioned Tasha Yar. And really Tegan wasn't too upset for giving Adric's room to Turlough. Although I did find it funny that Matthew Waterhouse wasn't given a script beforehand and had to steal Peter Davison'sscript to learn of Adric's death.

In general, people who die on Star Trek are rarely remembered by the end of the episode, let alone several episodes later.

The novel version of Terminus disagrees with your assessment of Tegan's frame of mind. Since the novelizations were done using the scripts, I consider it valid.

As for Matthew Waterhouse not being given a script, what is your source for that?

The novel of Terminus is much better than the televised version, but really Tegan spent little time thinking about Adric and it was probably the first time she thought about him since his death and we have no idea how long ago that was for her. And for the script info, it's in the commentary, the DVD also has an ep. five where you can see that Adric didn't kill off the dinosaurs by the ship's impact, it rather funny to see.

I never said she spent a lot of time thinking about Adric. She didn't actually like him much at first, but then she was getting used to the idea of having been accidentally shanghaied away from Earth and her precious stewardess job.

I do have the DVD of Earthshock, but haven't watched it yet. Is that something that was actually filmed as a real part of the story? 'Cause to me, if it wasn't on TV and it wasn't in the official novelization, it's not canon (exception being the Paul McGann webisode).

 

[DWF]

No it's an extra on the DVD not an official ep. but it rather funny and I really liked the 40th Anniversary music video.

 

[diankra]

The Terminus novel, ISTR, makes it clear that the Doctor's put Turlough in Adric's room to make them all Get Over It. Stages of grief, etc. (Ps... note that Mawdrun ends with a spaceship blowing up... but Turlough has run away and got off before it does...)

 

[Timewalker]

The Terminus novel, ISTR, makes it clear that the Doctor's put Turlough in Adric's room to make them all Get Over It. Stages of grief, etc. (Ps... note that Mawdrun ends with a spaceship blowing up... but Turlough has run away and got off before it does...)

Yep, I just re-read that part of the novelization. It's ironic, though, that by the time of his regeneration, it's the Doctor who still has guilt feelings over Adric.

And there are only two occasions I can recall when Turlough wasn't an utter coward or selfishly saving his own skin at the expense of everyone else: In Frontios, he creatively tries to bluff the aliens by making them think the TARDIS hat stand is a weapon, and in Planet of Fire, when he finally makes contact with his own people - and a member of his own family.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I watched 'Revelation of the Daleks' a few days ago.

While I like the 6th Doctor and Peri - Peri is one of my favorite companions next to Clara - this wasn't one of my favorites. Weird characters, and a downbeat storyline...

7 out of 10

 

[kirk55555]

Paradise Towers isn't very good. The Chief Caretaker was horrible (especially after his body was possessed), the "gangs" were kind of annoying, and the overall story was just not that interesting. The Doctor was ok, but that was about it. Next up is Delta and the Bannermen.

 

[Sindatur]

Paradise Towers isn't very good. The Chief Caretaker was horrible (especially after his body was possessed), the "gangs" were kind of annoying, and the overall story was just not that interesting. The Doctor was ok, but that was about it. Next up is Delta and the Bannermen.

I actually like Paradise Towers quite a bit myself.

Anxiously awaiting your opinion on Delta and the Bannermen

 

[diankra]

Paradise Towers isn't very good. The Chief Caretaker was horrible (especially after his body was possessed), the "gangs" were kind of annoying, and the overall story was just not that interesting. The Doctor was ok, but that was about it. Next up is Delta and the Bannermen.

First time round, I watched Paradise Towers thinking "Richard Briers is a really good actor, what the !!!! is he playing at?"
Then I realised "He's going to be taken over. He's saving it up for then. He'll be great then."
Then he got taken over. And got even worse.

He does, however, show quite how good he can be when he's trying in his Torchwood episode. (His wife was passable in Dalek Invasion of Earth, and his daughter was OK in her Red Dwarf episode - Holoship).

 

[Pindar]

I hate Paradise Towers, awfull stuff. I like Richard Briers best as Bertie Wooster in the old Radio 4 plays.

 

[kirk55555]

Paradise Towers isn't very good. The Chief Caretaker was horrible (especially after his body was possessed), the "gangs" were kind of annoying, and the overall story was just not that interesting. The Doctor was ok, but that was about it. Next up is Delta and the Bannermen.

First time round, I watched Paradise Towers thinking "Richard Briers is a really good actor, what the !!!! is he playing at?"
Then I realised "He's going to be taken over. He's saving it up for then. He'll be great then."
Then he got taken over. And got even worse.

He does, however, show quite how good he can be when he's trying in his Torchwood episode. (His wife was passable in Dalek Invasion of Earth, and his daughter was OK in her Red Dwarf episode - Holoship).

I've never heard of Briers before, but I have to figure that a professional actor couldn't be as he was on a regular basis. The wikipedia page says that the DVD special features for this story had Briers admit he ignored all instructions to tone down his performance, which seems really unprofessional (wouldn't they just fire an actor who wasn't listening to the director?). Either way I'm not sure if a good performance would have saved the story, but it couldn't have hurt.

This post does remind me that I had intended to get to Torchwood after getting caught up on modern Who, but as much as I like Jack as a character (I wish we'd seen him team up with the 11th Doctor at least once) the idea of an "adult" Who spinoff, especially when most sources say it starts off as bad as that sounds, made me decide to just ignore it. I'll probably watch at least the first few episodes of Torchwood soon, just to check it out. That's not related to this thread, but its just something I was thinking about.

With classic Who watching, next up is Delta and The Bannermen. I'll probably get to it fairly soon, because I really want to get to Dragonfire so that Mel can leave, Ace can join the Doctor, and hopefully the next season picks up a bit from this one.

 

[diankra]

I'll probably watch at least the first few episodes of Torchwood soon, just to check it out.

That is probably the worst thing you could do: if the fourth episode doesn't make you give up, then the sixth will. Or... well, anything written by Chris Chibnall, which is pretty much every other episode in season one.

Unless you find you love season one (there are people who do), then try just skipping to season two after the first few, as that's when it hits its stride and starts to click. Before being totally restructured for a superb season three, and then again for a... less successful fourth run.

 

[kirk55555]

I'll probably try that. But, wouldn't skipping about 11 episodes (assuming I watch the first two) make series 2 confusing? I guess I could just read wikipedia. Either way, I'll watch the first 2 episodes, and then try series two if I don't like them.