Certainly, but I think it's not a stretch to say that out of all the male friendships we've seen in the old Doctor Who, this one is probably the closest to an actual romance.
Classic Who day by day
- Thread starter OmahaStar
- Start date
Whatever happened to just being good old chums, that's what I wanna know... 
Well, there's plenty of that too.Whatever happened to just being good old chums, that's what I wanna know...
The Masque of Mandragora 3 & 4
Juliano escapes and meets up with the Doctor.
Fortune teller guy hypnotizes Sarah. She is found by the Doctor and Juliano, and she's acting odd.
The Doctor goes to meet with fortune teller guy. Sarah sneaks up behind him and tries to attack her friend.
Later, in a cell, the Doctor tells her he knew that she was under someone else's influence, since she hadn't ever asked about translation before, and it isn't her fault.
Uncle poopyhead, who is trying to steal the throne from his nephew Juliano is killed by the Helix.
The Doctor rescues Sarah Jane again, then plays dress up.
Bad guys who worship the Helix dress up in their own masks.
Juliano has a boyfriend named Marco, who comes out of nowhere.
The Doctor fights fortune teller guy, who appears to be part of the Helix, then defeats it. So they take off in the Tardis.
* * *
It's another tie-in with the modern era here. Sarah asks why she can understand people who are speaking Italian. The Doctor doesn't come out and say it's the Tardis, just that it's sort of a gift from the Time Lords.
The third episode really drags, yet again. But for the most part, it's an enjoyable little story of little consequence.
Juliano escapes and meets up with the Doctor.
Fortune teller guy hypnotizes Sarah. She is found by the Doctor and Juliano, and she's acting odd.
The Doctor goes to meet with fortune teller guy. Sarah sneaks up behind him and tries to attack her friend.
Later, in a cell, the Doctor tells her he knew that she was under someone else's influence, since she hadn't ever asked about translation before, and it isn't her fault.
Uncle poopyhead, who is trying to steal the throne from his nephew Juliano is killed by the Helix.
The Doctor rescues Sarah Jane again, then plays dress up.
Bad guys who worship the Helix dress up in their own masks.
Juliano has a boyfriend named Marco, who comes out of nowhere.
The Doctor fights fortune teller guy, who appears to be part of the Helix, then defeats it. So they take off in the Tardis.
* * *
It's another tie-in with the modern era here. Sarah asks why she can understand people who are speaking Italian. The Doctor doesn't come out and say it's the Tardis, just that it's sort of a gift from the Time Lords.
The third episode really drags, yet again. But for the most part, it's an enjoyable little story of little consequence.
That line might have been added by Robert Holmes (no way to know), but it could equally come from the writer, Louis Marks. When not working for the BBC, Professor Marks was a noted expert on the history of the Italian reformation... (and still is: he's one of the few people who wrote for the first Doctor who's still around).
K9 and Company - A Girl's Best Friend
Written by Terence Dudley
Directed by John Black
We finally meet Sarah Jane Smith's auntie, Lavinia. In Sarah's introduction, she was undercover, pretending to BE this auntie, so it's nice to see that connection.
Lavinia has a young ward named Brendan, and she's got a package she's been holding onto for years, waiting for Sarah to show up. She leaves, heading for America.
Sarah Jane arrives, and loads of people call and show up to say hello.
When they're alone, the two open the giant package. Inside is K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor.
Brendan is kidnapped (but Sarah isn't, they're changing the formula up a bit).
Together, Sarah and K9 rescue him, then Aunt Lavinia calls and everyone lives happily ever after.
* * *
Who thought this was a good idea? And what drugs were they on? From the opening theme - which has to go down in history as one of the worst theme songs ever - to the "let's blame everything on witchcraft" subplot to the hilarious "let's never have Lavinia and Sarah in the same room at the same time" nonsense, it's just a huge, stupendously bad idea.
It is not possible to reconcile this story with the rest of Doctor Who, though we have to. K9 came later, when the Doctor was traveling around with Leela. Sarah never "met" him, even in the multi-Doctor stories (in Five Doctors, she already had him). And yet after she was done traveling with him, she receives this mechanical dog as a gift, from the Doctor. Later, when she meets up with him again, she says she thought he must have died because she never heard from him.
If that's the case, how could she possibly have been traveling around with K9, a gift she received after her travels? (and while I'm on that tangent, if she was so concerned about K9 re-writing technology because he's from the future, why did she have him in the back of her car, years after he was no longer functional? she's on a trip to a school, what possible use could a "dead" tin dog have?)
Oh, that theme song. It's horrific. It will give your children nightmares. It's scarier than anything in the story.
I admire them for producing a pilot for a second Doctor Who spin-off, but come on. (oh, first pilot was during the First Doctor's era, when Terry Nation was trying to do a spin-off with the Daleks, though it didn't go to series) It took a few more decades before Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures finally became spin-offs on their own. And yes, I'm aware of the appallingly bad spin-off now starring K9. Fortunately, it's not being broadcast here.
It was nice to see Sarah Jane again, but she felt so ... weak. She had traveled the stars, through time and space with a Time Lord. She was not the same person at the end of her travels as she was when they first met. The Sarah Jane here lost all of that. She acts like she's met some guy in her past, and whoopidy doo. She isn't the strong, forceful woman she becomes in the modern era, and that's too bad. There was so much promise here, they could have done anything they wanted with the character, but in the hands of this hack Terence Dudley, it was a failure on every level.
Written by Terence Dudley
Directed by John Black
We finally meet Sarah Jane Smith's auntie, Lavinia. In Sarah's introduction, she was undercover, pretending to BE this auntie, so it's nice to see that connection.
Lavinia has a young ward named Brendan, and she's got a package she's been holding onto for years, waiting for Sarah to show up. She leaves, heading for America.
Sarah Jane arrives, and loads of people call and show up to say hello.
When they're alone, the two open the giant package. Inside is K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor.
Brendan is kidnapped (but Sarah isn't, they're changing the formula up a bit).
Together, Sarah and K9 rescue him, then Aunt Lavinia calls and everyone lives happily ever after.
* * *
Who thought this was a good idea? And what drugs were they on? From the opening theme - which has to go down in history as one of the worst theme songs ever - to the "let's blame everything on witchcraft" subplot to the hilarious "let's never have Lavinia and Sarah in the same room at the same time" nonsense, it's just a huge, stupendously bad idea.
It is not possible to reconcile this story with the rest of Doctor Who, though we have to. K9 came later, when the Doctor was traveling around with Leela. Sarah never "met" him, even in the multi-Doctor stories (in Five Doctors, she already had him). And yet after she was done traveling with him, she receives this mechanical dog as a gift, from the Doctor. Later, when she meets up with him again, she says she thought he must have died because she never heard from him.
If that's the case, how could she possibly have been traveling around with K9, a gift she received after her travels? (and while I'm on that tangent, if she was so concerned about K9 re-writing technology because he's from the future, why did she have him in the back of her car, years after he was no longer functional? she's on a trip to a school, what possible use could a "dead" tin dog have?)
Oh, that theme song. It's horrific. It will give your children nightmares. It's scarier than anything in the story.
I admire them for producing a pilot for a second Doctor Who spin-off, but come on. (oh, first pilot was during the First Doctor's era, when Terry Nation was trying to do a spin-off with the Daleks, though it didn't go to series) It took a few more decades before Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures finally became spin-offs on their own. And yes, I'm aware of the appallingly bad spin-off now starring K9. Fortunately, it's not being broadcast here.
It was nice to see Sarah Jane again, but she felt so ... weak. She had traveled the stars, through time and space with a Time Lord. She was not the same person at the end of her travels as she was when they first met. The Sarah Jane here lost all of that. She acts like she's met some guy in her past, and whoopidy doo. She isn't the strong, forceful woman she becomes in the modern era, and that's too bad. There was so much promise here, they could have done anything they wanted with the character, but in the hands of this hack Terence Dudley, it was a failure on every level.
Well said.
The Ribos Operation, episode 1 - Also known as the beginning of the Key to Time
Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by George Spenton-Foster
The White Guardian summons the Doctor. He is sending the Doctor to collect the pieces of the Key to Time. He's been given an assistant - Romana. Though young, she is every bit his equal.
They land on a planet named Ribos and go off in search of the first part.
They follow a scanner they've been given, to a museum sort of room guarded by a big scary monster. As they try to get the first piece, the room is locked and the monster snarls.
* * *
This introduces the Key to Time, as well as Romana. Romana is a really rather popular character. She's played by two different actresses. Well, two different women, anyway. Here, she's played by the wonderful actress Mary Tamm. Later, when the character regenerates, she'll be played by the less-than-stellar Lalla Ward. I wish Ms. Tamm would have stayed, because she is in every way the Doctor's equal. Romana II ... not so much.
This episode is mostly used to set up the concept of this season-long story arc and introduce the players: Romana, the White Guardian, and the Black Guardian.
It's the first time the creators tried to do a season-long arc, something later repeated in the Trial of a Time-Lord for the Sixth Doctor, and then used every season with the modern series.
Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by George Spenton-Foster
The White Guardian summons the Doctor. He is sending the Doctor to collect the pieces of the Key to Time. He's been given an assistant - Romana. Though young, she is every bit his equal.
They land on a planet named Ribos and go off in search of the first part.
They follow a scanner they've been given, to a museum sort of room guarded by a big scary monster. As they try to get the first piece, the room is locked and the monster snarls.
* * *
This introduces the Key to Time, as well as Romana. Romana is a really rather popular character. She's played by two different actresses. Well, two different women, anyway. Here, she's played by the wonderful actress Mary Tamm. Later, when the character regenerates, she'll be played by the less-than-stellar Lalla Ward. I wish Ms. Tamm would have stayed, because she is in every way the Doctor's equal. Romana II ... not so much.
This episode is mostly used to set up the concept of this season-long story arc and introduce the players: Romana, the White Guardian, and the Black Guardian.
It's the first time the creators tried to do a season-long arc, something later repeated in the Trial of a Time-Lord for the Sixth Doctor, and then used every season with the modern series.
I too think Mary Tamm is the best Romana. She's regal, cocky, self assured, brilliant and has, unlike the Doctor, actually passed most of her exams at the academy. Apart from her appearance, which is hot enough to melt lead, she also has a lot of screen presence, and a really great dynamic with Tom's Doctor. That relationship is what sells this season.
Something that typifies that relationship is the 'Call me Fred' bit of dialogue -
The Doctor: One more thing. Your name.
Romana: What about my name?
The Doctor: It's too long. By the time I've called out, "Look out... " What's your name?
Romana: [slowly] Romanadvoratrelundar.
The Doctor: By the time I've called that out, you could be dead. I'll call you "Romana".
Romana: But I don't like "Romana".
The Doctor: It's either "Romana" or "Fred".
Romana: All right, call me "Fred".
The Doctor: Good. Come on, Romana.
Initially, there is a slight bit of friction in their relationship, mixed with intellectual playfulness that is very appealing.
It's interesting to hear Tom & Mary doing DVD commentaries - they still have that playful dynamic, though not restricted by the boundaries of a script, it often turns rather bawdy. And Mary can be every bit as naughty as Tom when she wants to..
BTW - love the guest cast in The Ribos Operation, and best of all are the Somerset accents It's not the most exciting story though.
Something that typifies that relationship is the 'Call me Fred' bit of dialogue -
The Doctor: One more thing. Your name.
Romana: What about my name?
The Doctor: It's too long. By the time I've called out, "Look out... " What's your name?
Romana: [slowly] Romanadvoratrelundar.
The Doctor: By the time I've called that out, you could be dead. I'll call you "Romana".
Romana: But I don't like "Romana".
The Doctor: It's either "Romana" or "Fred".
Romana: All right, call me "Fred".
The Doctor: Good. Come on, Romana.
Initially, there is a slight bit of friction in their relationship, mixed with intellectual playfulness that is very appealing.
It's interesting to hear Tom & Mary doing DVD commentaries - they still have that playful dynamic, though not restricted by the boundaries of a script, it often turns rather bawdy. And Mary can be every bit as naughty as Tom when she wants to..
BTW - love the guest cast in The Ribos Operation, and best of all are the Somerset accents
It's not the most exciting story though.
The Ribos Operation 2
The monster is trapped, so the Doctor goes back to work, until he's interrupted within seconds.
Lots of camp comedy between a Quark-type schemer and an evil royal dude, as the Doctor and Romana spy on them.
Later that night, the Doctor sneaks back in, only to get trapped inside, escape, then get captured and sentenced to death. Again.
* * *
Not a whole lot of material here. It's mostly comedy, and it had me giggling so it worked.
The monster is trapped, so the Doctor goes back to work, until he's interrupted within seconds.
Lots of camp comedy between a Quark-type schemer and an evil royal dude, as the Doctor and Romana spy on them.
Later that night, the Doctor sneaks back in, only to get trapped inside, escape, then get captured and sentenced to death. Again.
* * *
Not a whole lot of material here. It's mostly comedy, and it had me giggling so it worked.
The Ribos Operation 3 & 4
The Doctor tricks royal dude. They are taken to a cell instead. The Doctor uses a whistle to call K9 for help.
K9 stuns the guard and they escape.
They make their way into the catacombs below the city, with royal dude hot on their trail.
A monster (the same type that attacked them in episode 1) crawls by, not eating anyone.
Much walking around, back and forth with the natives, then the Doctor and Romana return to the Tardis with K9 and the first piece of the Key to Time.
* * *
There is a seer here, a soothsayer/witch type, and I have a hard time deciding if I think she's totally awesome, or totally annoying, cuz she's like half of each.
There was a wonderful first episode, an ok second, and two boring episodes to follow. I had a hard time staying focused on the episode during #4. At least it had the hilarious monster costume. Boy, it was awful!
The Doctor tricks royal dude. They are taken to a cell instead. The Doctor uses a whistle to call K9 for help.
K9 stuns the guard and they escape.
They make their way into the catacombs below the city, with royal dude hot on their trail.
A monster (the same type that attacked them in episode 1) crawls by, not eating anyone.
Much walking around, back and forth with the natives, then the Doctor and Romana return to the Tardis with K9 and the first piece of the Key to Time.
* * *
There is a seer here, a soothsayer/witch type, and I have a hard time deciding if I think she's totally awesome, or totally annoying, cuz she's like half of each.
There was a wonderful first episode, an ok second, and two boring episodes to follow. I had a hard time staying focused on the episode during #4. At least it had the hilarious monster costume. Boy, it was awful!
The Pirate Planet, episode 1
Written by Douglas Adams (yes, THAT Doug Adams!)
Directed by Pennant Roberts
The Doctor and Romana head toward a planet named Calufrax, the location of the second piece.
Elsewhere, an insane captain belittles his subordinate, Mr. Fibuli.
They land, but the Doctor says it's not Calufrax. Oh, and K9 is possessed. They are at the right coordinates, but the wrong planet.
They walk around, trying to talk to people, but are mostly ignored.
Captain dude is still insane. And apparently, like Harvey Dent, he's a twofer. He's half-human and half-robot.
While trying to help a guy in a coma, Doctor gets knocked out by a group of telepathic waitresses who are looking for vampires.
* * *
As expected by a Douglas Adams script, there is a lot of humor in here. Most of it is centered on Romana, and how she is better at (almost) everything than the Doctor.
At the beginning, she is studying the Tardis manual, and tries to teach the Doctor a few things about flying his machine. Since he's never read the manual, he assumes she's going to screw things up. Yet another tie-in between the classic and modern series. In last week's story with River Song, she tries to teach the Eleventh Doctor how to fly this same Tardis. Seems he is always too busy to read the manual.
Poor Doctor. How must it feel to hear from everyone, including the tin dog, that his companion is prettier than he is? And on a side note - bwahahaha!
Doctor: "Where'd you get those jelly babies?"
Romana: "Same place you do. Your pocket."
Yeah, this one made me laugh. A lot.
Written by Douglas Adams (yes, THAT Doug Adams!)
Directed by Pennant Roberts
The Doctor and Romana head toward a planet named Calufrax, the location of the second piece.
Elsewhere, an insane captain belittles his subordinate, Mr. Fibuli.
They land, but the Doctor says it's not Calufrax. Oh, and K9 is possessed. They are at the right coordinates, but the wrong planet.
They walk around, trying to talk to people, but are mostly ignored.
Captain dude is still insane. And apparently, like Harvey Dent, he's a twofer. He's half-human and half-robot.
While trying to help a guy in a coma, Doctor gets knocked out by a group of telepathic waitresses who are looking for vampires.
* * *
As expected by a Douglas Adams script, there is a lot of humor in here. Most of it is centered on Romana, and how she is better at (almost) everything than the Doctor.
At the beginning, she is studying the Tardis manual, and tries to teach the Doctor a few things about flying his machine. Since he's never read the manual, he assumes she's going to screw things up. Yet another tie-in between the classic and modern series. In last week's story with River Song, she tries to teach the Eleventh Doctor how to fly this same Tardis. Seems he is always too busy to read the manual.
Poor Doctor. How must it feel to hear from everyone, including the tin dog, that his companion is prettier than he is? And on a side note - bwahahaha!
Doctor: "Where'd you get those jelly babies?"
Romana: "Same place you do. Your pocket."
Yeah, this one made me laugh. A lot.
The Pirate Planet 2 - 4
Yep, I know it's early for 3 & 4, but ... Monday I'll be getting ready, and Tuesday is the world premiere of the movie I'm in, Destination: Outer Space, so obviously I'll be there and won't be thinking about anything else. So ... here goes!
The Doctor finally realizes Romana isn't there. K9 smugly reminds him that he'd tried to tell him about four times about her kidnapping.
Romana has been taken to the crazy captain, who interrogates her. The Doctor is hot on her trail, and arrives shortly.
It doesn't take them long to escape, cased by the crazy captain's guards. While on the run, they discover the planet's secret. The planet is a hollow ship. It dematerializes, then rematerializes around small planets, then mines them for whatever minerals it has, then leaves it dead, moving on to the next victim.
Still on the run, the telepathic waitresses find the gang, saying they've come for the Doctor.
The band of Sookies put up a mental forcefield between the Doctor and the guards, allowing them to escape.
For a few minutes.
Then the Doctor is captured again, while Romana does her thing.
The Doctor falls down a well. Where's Lassie when you need him. (yes, him. You know that bit of trivia, right?)
The Doctor survived by tricking the crazy captain. It wasn't really him, just a sort of holographic projection.
Someone else is controlling the crazy captain.
Romana and the traveling Sookies arrive to help the Doctor.
Crazy Captain targets Earth next. The Doctor and Romana head off to stop them.
Crazy Captain is killed. Things blow up, and they get the second piece. The inhabitants live happily ever after.
Yep, I know it's early for 3 & 4, but ... Monday I'll be getting ready, and Tuesday is the world premiere of the movie I'm in, Destination: Outer Space, so obviously I'll be there and won't be thinking about anything else. So ... here goes!
The Doctor finally realizes Romana isn't there. K9 smugly reminds him that he'd tried to tell him about four times about her kidnapping.
Romana has been taken to the crazy captain, who interrogates her. The Doctor is hot on her trail, and arrives shortly.
It doesn't take them long to escape, cased by the crazy captain's guards. While on the run, they discover the planet's secret. The planet is a hollow ship. It dematerializes, then rematerializes around small planets, then mines them for whatever minerals it has, then leaves it dead, moving on to the next victim.
Still on the run, the telepathic waitresses find the gang, saying they've come for the Doctor.
The band of Sookies put up a mental forcefield between the Doctor and the guards, allowing them to escape.
For a few minutes.
Then the Doctor is captured again, while Romana does her thing.
The Doctor falls down a well. Where's Lassie when you need him. (yes, him. You know that bit of trivia, right?)
The Doctor survived by tricking the crazy captain. It wasn't really him, just a sort of holographic projection.
Someone else is controlling the crazy captain.
Romana and the traveling Sookies arrive to help the Doctor.
Crazy Captain targets Earth next. The Doctor and Romana head off to stop them.
Crazy Captain is killed. Things blow up, and they get the second piece. The inhabitants live happily ever after.
Just like the BBC, I'm reviving Doctor Who.
On Friday, I'll be going in for surgery, and will be in the hospital until the day before Thanksgiving. It will have me laid up until just about the end of the year. I'll be off work until the 28th, of December basically stuck at home and not able to leave. Or walk. But that's another story.
While I'm in the hospital, I'm bringing in a portable dvd player and a stack of Doctor Who dvds to help pass the time. I won't have net access, but I should have comments written for several stories by the time I'm home.
Next up, as I recall, is more of the Key to Time.
On Friday, I'll be going in for surgery, and will be in the hospital until the day before Thanksgiving. It will have me laid up until just about the end of the year. I'll be off work until the 28th, of December basically stuck at home and not able to leave. Or walk. But that's another story.
While I'm in the hospital, I'm bringing in a portable dvd player and a stack of Doctor Who dvds to help pass the time. I won't have net access, but I should have comments written for several stories by the time I'm home.
Next up, as I recall, is more of the Key to Time.
As with the others, I wish you the very best of luck, Omaha.
15 - The Space Museum
Written by Glyn Jones
Directed by Mervyn Pinfield
The Doctor and his crew are very solemn as they stand around inside the Tardis. This is after their adventure in The Crusade, which apparently ended unhappily.
They land on a planet and go out to explore. It's a museum in space. (just go with it) Something weird is going on. They can't hear other people, and they can't touch anything - their hands go through any object they try to touch. Until, that is, they find their own bodies as part of an exhibit.
Part 2 - Dimensions of Time
Apparently, they jumped a time track. Their spirits arrived at a different time than their bodies.
People stand around bickering for ten solid, mind-numbing minutes, then they cut to the Doctor, who is hiding in an empty Dalek casing.
The Doctor gets captured and interrogated.
Part 3 - The Search
Ian looks for the Doctor, and takes a hostage. With a gun. Weird.
The crew is separated. Vicki finds herself with a group of youth. The Doctor is taking a nap somewhere. Ian is running around kidnapping people, and Barbara is hiding.
Part 4 - The Final Phase
The Doctor and Ian reunite. Vicki and Barbara reunite. Then they all get together in the Tardis.
Lots of silly fighting on the planet.
Tor (played by Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett) gives the Doctor a gift - a viewer they'll use in the next story.
The Daleks make a cameo at the end, leading directly into The Chase.
* * *
Bizarre. That's a good word for this one. The four episodes here are basically a set up for The Chase, the next story. Otherwise, they're pretty much in a holding pattern.
It was nice to finally see Jeremy Bulloch's first appearance in Doctor Who. Later, he plays Boba Fett in Star Wars, and he also appeared in the story that introduced the Sontarans and Sarah Jane Smith.
I don't remember where I heard the phrase "Taking a nap" ... A podcast, I'm sure. It's a terrific explanation for the mysterious absences of the Doctor, especially the First Doctor. He takes a lot of mini vacations, where Ian is in charge and the Doctor doesn't show up, unless it's in a bit that was pre-recorded and spliced in. The Second Doctor does it a time or two as well. Anyway ... it amuses me.
Overall, fun if not really all that important.
Written by Glyn Jones
Directed by Mervyn Pinfield
The Doctor and his crew are very solemn as they stand around inside the Tardis. This is after their adventure in The Crusade, which apparently ended unhappily.
They land on a planet and go out to explore. It's a museum in space. (just go with it) Something weird is going on. They can't hear other people, and they can't touch anything - their hands go through any object they try to touch. Until, that is, they find their own bodies as part of an exhibit.
Part 2 - Dimensions of Time
Apparently, they jumped a time track. Their spirits arrived at a different time than their bodies.
People stand around bickering for ten solid, mind-numbing minutes, then they cut to the Doctor, who is hiding in an empty Dalek casing.
The Doctor gets captured and interrogated.
Part 3 - The Search
Ian looks for the Doctor, and takes a hostage. With a gun. Weird.
The crew is separated. Vicki finds herself with a group of youth. The Doctor is taking a nap somewhere. Ian is running around kidnapping people, and Barbara is hiding.
Part 4 - The Final Phase
The Doctor and Ian reunite. Vicki and Barbara reunite. Then they all get together in the Tardis.
Lots of silly fighting on the planet.
Tor (played by Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett) gives the Doctor a gift - a viewer they'll use in the next story.
The Daleks make a cameo at the end, leading directly into The Chase.
* * *
Bizarre. That's a good word for this one. The four episodes here are basically a set up for The Chase, the next story. Otherwise, they're pretty much in a holding pattern.
It was nice to finally see Jeremy Bulloch's first appearance in Doctor Who. Later, he plays Boba Fett in Star Wars, and he also appeared in the story that introduced the Sontarans and Sarah Jane Smith.
I don't remember where I heard the phrase "Taking a nap" ... A podcast, I'm sure. It's a terrific explanation for the mysterious absences of the Doctor, especially the First Doctor. He takes a lot of mini vacations, where Ian is in charge and the Doctor doesn't show up, unless it's in a bit that was pre-recorded and spliced in. The Second Doctor does it a time or two as well. Anyway ... it amuses me.
Overall, fun if not really all that important.
The Chase
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin
Part 1 - The Executioners
In the Tardis, the Doctor plays with a giant machine he acquired from the Space Museum. Vicki whistles, annoying him. Ian reads a book and Barbara works on a dress for Vicki.
The machine is giving off a loud warning noise, so the others rush in to see what it is. It's some sort of time television, showing various events in history, time and space. Anything they want to see, they can. Ian gets to see Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg. Barbara sees a meeting of the Queen and Shakespeare (foreshadowing The Shakespeare Code?). *In the UK version, Vicki sees the Beetles. It's edited out of this version. Jerks.*
The Tardis lands on a hot planet, which has two suns. Vicki and Ian go exploring while Barbara and the Doctor get to work on their tans.
The Doctor sings ... badly. The machine makes a noise and Barbara asks what that awful noise is. The Doctor asks if she's complaining about his singing. Her response: "No. Not that awful noise. The other one."
She goes inside, and finds the machine is showing Daleks. They have their own time machine. They are coming for the Doctor personally ... They are coming to exterminate the four time travelers.
Vicki and Ian find a ring. Ian picks it up and a trap door opens below them. She goes down to investigate. The Doctor and Barbara desperately look for their friends so they can get the heck out of there.
The trap door closes and a tentacle monster lunges towards them.
On the surface, a sandstorm causes havoc for the Doctor and Barbara. When it's over, they discover the Tardis is gone and the whole landscape has changed. Directly in front of them, a Dalek rises from the sand!
Part 2 - The Death of Time
They are surrounded by Daleks. The Doctor and Barbara find the fish-like Aridians, learning more about the planet's history.
There is an explosion. Ian is knocked out. Vicki runs to find help. The Doctor and Barbara go down into the tunnels. The Doctors force the Aridians to take the Doctor and Barbara prisoner.
The Daleks find the Tardis. Vicki finds them guarding it. She rushes back to find Ian, but finds the others instead, then helps them escape.
Ian wakes up, also finds the Daleks outside the Tardis, then goes back inside and reunites with the others. They trick the Dalek guard and slip inside, quickly departing the planet.
Part 3 - Flight Through Eternity
They arrive in New York City, inside the Empire State Building. American accents are hilarious. They talk with a guy then depart. Almost immediately, the Daleks show up.
Next up, the Mary Celeste. Barbara goes out to get some air, then is captured as a stowaway. Vicki helps her escape. They leave. Then the Daleks show up. Every one of the sailors abandons ship.
Part 4 - Journey Into Terror
They land in a spooky old mansion. The men go off exploring, leaving the frightened women behind.
They find Frankenstein's monster as the women find Dracula. As they explore, the Daleks arrive.
After a chase, the Tardis takes off - without Vicki.
The Daleks depart. They are creating a robot duplicate of the Doctor. They have no idea Vicki is on their time ship.
The Tardis lands in a swamp.
The robot duplicate is to infiltrate and kill the Doctor and his companions.
Part 5 - The Death of Doctor Who
The Doctor, Barbara, and Ian go out to explore the swampy area. They think it would be an excellent place to fight the Daleks.
Vicki explores too, starts screaming, then attracts her companions.
After their brief reunion, Vicki, the real Doctor, and Ian are together. Barbara is with the robot Doctor, who tries to kill her.
The Doctor and his duplicate fight each other.
Later, they discover a beautiful city in the distance. A mechanoid helps them escape the Daleks, presumably taking them to the city.
Part 6 - The Planet of Decision
In the city, they meet Steven Taylor, the new companion.
The Daleks fight the mechanoids while our heroes escape.
The Doctor and Vicki go inside the Daleks ship. Ian and Barbara decide it's time to go home.
Barbara and Ian use the Dalek ship to return to London, 1955, and destroy the ship.
* * *
Damn. This one was painful. Not because it's bad, but because Ian and Barbara are gone. Sure, there have been dozens of companions over the years, but (with Susan) these were the first. And now they're gone, leaving only the replacements Steven and Vicki. Sure they're ok, they're no Barbara and Ian.
As is usual with Terry Nation scripts, it could have easily lost two episodes and not lost a single story beat. He likes to pppppaaaaaadddddddddd his stories. The only time I can recall watching one of his stories and not thinking "this is padding right there" was during Destiny of the Daleks, during the Fourth Doctor's era.
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin
Part 1 - The Executioners
In the Tardis, the Doctor plays with a giant machine he acquired from the Space Museum. Vicki whistles, annoying him. Ian reads a book and Barbara works on a dress for Vicki.
The machine is giving off a loud warning noise, so the others rush in to see what it is. It's some sort of time television, showing various events in history, time and space. Anything they want to see, they can. Ian gets to see Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg. Barbara sees a meeting of the Queen and Shakespeare (foreshadowing The Shakespeare Code?). *In the UK version, Vicki sees the Beetles. It's edited out of this version. Jerks.*
The Tardis lands on a hot planet, which has two suns. Vicki and Ian go exploring while Barbara and the Doctor get to work on their tans.
The Doctor sings ... badly. The machine makes a noise and Barbara asks what that awful noise is. The Doctor asks if she's complaining about his singing. Her response: "No. Not that awful noise. The other one."
She goes inside, and finds the machine is showing Daleks. They have their own time machine. They are coming for the Doctor personally ... They are coming to exterminate the four time travelers.
Vicki and Ian find a ring. Ian picks it up and a trap door opens below them. She goes down to investigate. The Doctor and Barbara desperately look for their friends so they can get the heck out of there.
The trap door closes and a tentacle monster lunges towards them.
On the surface, a sandstorm causes havoc for the Doctor and Barbara. When it's over, they discover the Tardis is gone and the whole landscape has changed. Directly in front of them, a Dalek rises from the sand!
Part 2 - The Death of Time
They are surrounded by Daleks. The Doctor and Barbara find the fish-like Aridians, learning more about the planet's history.
There is an explosion. Ian is knocked out. Vicki runs to find help. The Doctor and Barbara go down into the tunnels. The Doctors force the Aridians to take the Doctor and Barbara prisoner.
The Daleks find the Tardis. Vicki finds them guarding it. She rushes back to find Ian, but finds the others instead, then helps them escape.
Ian wakes up, also finds the Daleks outside the Tardis, then goes back inside and reunites with the others. They trick the Dalek guard and slip inside, quickly departing the planet.
Part 3 - Flight Through Eternity
They arrive in New York City, inside the Empire State Building. American accents are hilarious. They talk with a guy then depart. Almost immediately, the Daleks show up.
Next up, the Mary Celeste. Barbara goes out to get some air, then is captured as a stowaway. Vicki helps her escape. They leave. Then the Daleks show up. Every one of the sailors abandons ship.
Part 4 - Journey Into Terror
They land in a spooky old mansion. The men go off exploring, leaving the frightened women behind.
They find Frankenstein's monster as the women find Dracula. As they explore, the Daleks arrive.
After a chase, the Tardis takes off - without Vicki.
The Daleks depart. They are creating a robot duplicate of the Doctor. They have no idea Vicki is on their time ship.
The Tardis lands in a swamp.
The robot duplicate is to infiltrate and kill the Doctor and his companions.
Part 5 - The Death of Doctor Who
The Doctor, Barbara, and Ian go out to explore the swampy area. They think it would be an excellent place to fight the Daleks.
Vicki explores too, starts screaming, then attracts her companions.
After their brief reunion, Vicki, the real Doctor, and Ian are together. Barbara is with the robot Doctor, who tries to kill her.
The Doctor and his duplicate fight each other.
Later, they discover a beautiful city in the distance. A mechanoid helps them escape the Daleks, presumably taking them to the city.
Part 6 - The Planet of Decision
In the city, they meet Steven Taylor, the new companion.
The Daleks fight the mechanoids while our heroes escape.
The Doctor and Vicki go inside the Daleks ship. Ian and Barbara decide it's time to go home.
Barbara and Ian use the Dalek ship to return to London, 1955, and destroy the ship.
* * *
Damn. This one was painful. Not because it's bad, but because Ian and Barbara are gone. Sure, there have been dozens of companions over the years, but (with Susan) these were the first. And now they're gone, leaving only the replacements Steven and Vicki. Sure they're ok, they're no Barbara and Ian.
As is usual with Terry Nation scripts, it could have easily lost two episodes and not lost a single story beat. He likes to pppppaaaaaadddddddddd his stories. The only time I can recall watching one of his stories and not thinking "this is padding right there" was during Destiny of the Daleks, during the Fourth Doctor's era.
The Time Monster
Written by Robert Sloman and Barry Letts
Directed by Paul Bernard
The Doctor has weird crazy dreams about The Master. Useless finally has something "smart" to say: "I know I'm exceedingly dim." Well no kidding. Talk about a revelation there, Useless.
The Master is masquerading as a professor, working on some kind of experiment named TOMTIT.
Newspapers are reporting the possible discovery of Atlantis.
Big LOL at the two scientists - There's a guy and a girl. She talks about how all men are big jerks, then says not to worry, he's not a real man. And he doesn't even blink. They're either brother and sister, or he's gay and she's his BFF. Or both. Ah yeah, they are brother and sister, plus he's gay and she's his BFF.
The Doctor and Useless head towards the signals from the Master's Tardis - the TOMTIT. They are using a scanner which is quite obviously designed based on a certain piece of male anatomy. And this is WAY before the Russell T Davies era!
The Master turns his machine on and everyone loses their shit.
The Doctor arrives and reverses the polarity. The gay brother, Stewart, has rapidly aged from his 20s to his 80s. The Master runs away.
The Greek Titan Kronos was apparently a time traveler, and the Master intends to bring him back, to help him harness phenomenal cosmic power, in an itty bitty living space.
However, it wasn't Kronos who showed up via TOMTIT. It was a high priest of the temple of Poseidon.
Kronos does appear. He's little more than a child covered in a bedsheet, pretending to be a ghost. Where's the scooby gang when you need them?
The Master sends hallucinations to attack the UNIT soldiers, who are transporting the Doctor's Tardis.
As the Brig, the Doctor, and Useless watch, a bomber plane appears and fires on the soldiers. They watch, horrified, as it looks like their friends are toast.
Some are hurt, but none are killed. The Master goes inside TOMTIT. The Doctor uses wibbly wobbily to put his Tardis inside the Master's ship. Just go with it.
The Tardis is inside the Tardis, which inside the Tardis. It's an infinite loop.
The two Time Lords argue and play games with each others' ships.
Kronos "eats" the Doctor. The Master separates the two Tardi (Tardises?) and Useless faints.
The Doctor is alive, in the time vortex. He talks to Useless. The Tardis rescues him.
The Master arrives at Atlantis, followed by the Doctor and Useless.
Wondering around, exploring, separating and lots of politics follow.
The Minotaur screams at Useless and it looks like she's finally going to die! But sadly, the Doctor saves her. And the Minotaur is dead too. Double damn.
The Master kills the King and takes over as the new King of Atlantis.
The Master unleashes Kronos on them, kidnaps Useless and escapes in his Tardis, followed by the Doctor in his.
Useless sabotages the Master's Tardis, causing them to be trapped in time/space. Kronos, now a benevolent being, frees them.
TOMTIT is destroyed, the gay brother is restored to his youth, UNIT soldiers are back to normal, and we all have a laugh at Benton's expense.
* * *
What the hell? A perfectly good opportunity to get rid of the most annoying companion of the classic series, and they save her? I don't understand this at all.
I also don't understand Russell Davies. In the spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, he does a two-parter bringing back a classic series companion. The man who is utterly obsessed with the chav Rose Tyler picks Useless as the one to bring back.
He needs to have his head examined. For a gay man, he is seriously obsessed with bottle blonds with large mammories and empty heads.
I did at least get one laugh at Useless admitting she's dumb as a box of rocks.
This was a great two part story stretched to six parts. There just is not enough story to justify the padding. At best, it could have been padded to three parts and still kept up some of the good points.
Written by Robert Sloman and Barry Letts
Directed by Paul Bernard
The Doctor has weird crazy dreams about The Master. Useless finally has something "smart" to say: "I know I'm exceedingly dim." Well no kidding. Talk about a revelation there, Useless.
The Master is masquerading as a professor, working on some kind of experiment named TOMTIT.
Newspapers are reporting the possible discovery of Atlantis.
Big LOL at the two scientists - There's a guy and a girl. She talks about how all men are big jerks, then says not to worry, he's not a real man. And he doesn't even blink. They're either brother and sister, or he's gay and she's his BFF. Or both. Ah yeah, they are brother and sister, plus he's gay and she's his BFF.
The Doctor and Useless head towards the signals from the Master's Tardis - the TOMTIT. They are using a scanner which is quite obviously designed based on a certain piece of male anatomy. And this is WAY before the Russell T Davies era!
The Master turns his machine on and everyone loses their shit.
The Doctor arrives and reverses the polarity. The gay brother, Stewart, has rapidly aged from his 20s to his 80s. The Master runs away.
The Greek Titan Kronos was apparently a time traveler, and the Master intends to bring him back, to help him harness phenomenal cosmic power, in an itty bitty living space.
However, it wasn't Kronos who showed up via TOMTIT. It was a high priest of the temple of Poseidon.
Kronos does appear. He's little more than a child covered in a bedsheet, pretending to be a ghost. Where's the scooby gang when you need them?
The Master sends hallucinations to attack the UNIT soldiers, who are transporting the Doctor's Tardis.
As the Brig, the Doctor, and Useless watch, a bomber plane appears and fires on the soldiers. They watch, horrified, as it looks like their friends are toast.
Some are hurt, but none are killed. The Master goes inside TOMTIT. The Doctor uses wibbly wobbily to put his Tardis inside the Master's ship. Just go with it.
The Tardis is inside the Tardis, which inside the Tardis. It's an infinite loop.
The two Time Lords argue and play games with each others' ships.
Kronos "eats" the Doctor. The Master separates the two Tardi (Tardises?) and Useless faints.
The Doctor is alive, in the time vortex. He talks to Useless. The Tardis rescues him.
The Master arrives at Atlantis, followed by the Doctor and Useless.
Wondering around, exploring, separating and lots of politics follow.
The Minotaur screams at Useless and it looks like she's finally going to die! But sadly, the Doctor saves her. And the Minotaur is dead too. Double damn.
The Master kills the King and takes over as the new King of Atlantis.
The Master unleashes Kronos on them, kidnaps Useless and escapes in his Tardis, followed by the Doctor in his.
Useless sabotages the Master's Tardis, causing them to be trapped in time/space. Kronos, now a benevolent being, frees them.
TOMTIT is destroyed, the gay brother is restored to his youth, UNIT soldiers are back to normal, and we all have a laugh at Benton's expense.
* * *
What the hell? A perfectly good opportunity to get rid of the most annoying companion of the classic series, and they save her? I don't understand this at all.
I also don't understand Russell Davies. In the spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, he does a two-parter bringing back a classic series companion. The man who is utterly obsessed with the chav Rose Tyler picks Useless as the one to bring back.
He needs to have his head examined. For a gay man, he is seriously obsessed with bottle blonds with large mammories and empty heads.
I did at least get one laugh at Useless admitting she's dumb as a box of rocks.
This was a great two part story stretched to six parts. There just is not enough story to justify the padding. At best, it could have been padded to three parts and still kept up some of the good points.
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