Continuing to Discover Doctor Who

[The Nightmare Doctor]

Yeah, a lot of people don't like The Invasion of Time, but I love it! Part of it is nostalgia, I admit (it was one of the first I watched as a kid), but I love the wanderings inside of the TARDIS and I don't care if it looked like a warehouse! So what?!

 

[Timewalker]

The Invasion of Time

Wow. I can't believe I have to say this. Really, I can't... I wish this had been only four episodes. Why? Apart from being rather slow and dull to get on with things, and from being somewhat confusing in its plot and execution (for me at least)... four episodes was about all I could take. I turned it off after that. I actually turned it off. I still can't believe I did it. This is the first time the show has ever truly disappointed me. Sure, there's been stuff that wasn't all that great, but this... this really was rather bad. I don't know how other people feel about this one, whether or not its a fan favourite, but then I've never been known for following the crowd!

You didn't like how they showed the different aspects of Gallifreyan society? Leela's friendship with apprentice Time Lady Rodan? The way Leela replied when questioned as to if she could look after herself outside the Citadel: "I can survive anywhere."

And this is an episode where a Companion (two, actually) leave -- you can't miss that...

 

[The]

Yeah, a lot of people don't like The Invasion of Time, but I love it! Part of it is nostalgia, I admit (it was one of the first I watched as a kid), but I love the wanderings inside of the TARDIS and I don't care if it looked like a warehouse! So what?!

I'm with you 100%...

 

[S. Gomez]

The Invasion of Time

Wow. I can't believe I have to say this. Really, I can't... I wish this had been only four episodes. Why? Apart from being rather slow and dull to get on with things, and from being somewhat confusing in its plot and execution (for me at least)... four episodes was about all I could take. I turned it off after that. I actually turned it off. I still can't believe I did it. This is the first time the show has ever truly disappointed me. Sure, there's been stuff that wasn't all that great, but this... this really was rather bad. I don't know how other people feel about this one, whether or not its a fan favourite, but then I've never been known for following the crowd!

You didn't like how they showed the different aspects of Gallifreyan society? Leela's friendship with apprentice Time Lady Rodan? The way Leela replied when questioned as to if she could look after herself outside the Citadel: "I can survive anywhere."

That part was interesting, yes. I liked the ideas the story had, but the execution wasn't all that impressive for me.

And this is an episode where a Companion (two, actually) leave -- you can't miss that...

Yeah. I'm beginning to think about going back and watching the last two episodes. The Sontarans finally turned up at the last cliffhanger...

 

[Tomalak]

I think it's really quite poor. It's barely fit for broadcast - though considering the constrainsts, I can't hold that against it too much. Still, discovering that the Tardis interor looks like my old junior school isn't particularly exciting.

It starts off well, with a real sense of mystery about what the Doctor's up to, but soon degrades into a very cheap runabout. In fact, never has that been quite so accurate with regards to a Doctor Who story. I swear at least 60% of it consists of people running around Gallifrey or the Tardis.

Then the part four cliffhanger is brilliant - easily the best ever in the classic series, because it's so utterly unexpected. Even when I know it's coming, it's still effective. Sadly, the promise of a good story is followed up by more running about, but this time the Doctor is being chased by the rubbishest Sontaran in history. Derek Deadman's cockney potato must go down as one of the worst villains in all of Doctor Who. All together now: "You wiwl doi nar tarme lowrd."

"The ending is also a massive anticlimax, as well as being rather out of character for the Doctor. Leela is also totally betrayed, and just when you think K9's gone for good, the Doctor has a little box waiting for him.

If it were shorter, it might have a "so bad it's good" quality. As it is, it's just so bad.

Having said all that, John Arnatt is brilliant.

 

[DWF]

I love The Invasion Of Time it was my second ever Dr. Who story right after Robot and it was my first six parter, it was rushed though production and they had little money by that time in the season but I still love the story and I'm looking forward to seeing it on DVD.

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

I'll admit Leela's sudden decision to stay on Gallifrey with Andred always bugged me. Bleah.

 

[Stevil2001]

Having said all that, John Arnatt is brilliant.

Oh yes. The best Borusa by far.

 

[S. Gomez]

On a slight tangent, have we ever seen/been told what the real exterior of the TARDIS looks like? (If you could answer with a minimum of spoilers, that would be nice!)

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

Possibly. In The War Games, we saw the exterior of a SIRDAT, which appears to be a "short distance" traveling machine, but with the same transcendental properties as a TARDIS. They don't employ chameleon circuits (or at least in that case), so it's possible the TARDIS has the same appearance as a SIRDAT.

 

[Stevil2001]

I think it's either Embrace the Darkness or Neverland that refers to a fleet of WarTARDISES as looking like "dull, grey boxes".

In The Ancestor Cell, we see some WarTARDISes that are as large as moons (because they're the same size on the outside), but I do not recall what they look like.

 

[S. Gomez]

Darn. Here I was hoping it was something a bit more mysterious.

 

[Judge Death]

I'll admit Leela's sudden decision to stay on Gallifrey with Andred always bugged me. Bleah.

It's not even like they'd spent much time together! It'd have made more sense if she'd decided to stay to be with Rodan (er...I'll be in my bunk).

Then again companions do leave abruptly at times and in curious circumstances. I still can't believe Mel left

Spoiler: Dragonfire Spoiler

to travel with Glitz- he probably sold her into slavery 24 hours later!

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

Yeah, if Leela had stayed with Rodan...

As for Mel, that one never bugged me. In fact, I think only Leela's departure has ever bugged me. Oh, that's not true, Vicki's departure bugs the hell out of me, too.

 

[Cutter John]

Possibly. In The War Games, we saw the exterior of a SIRDAT, which appears to be a "short distance" traveling machine, but with the same transcendental properties as a TARDIS. They don't employ chameleon circuits (or at least in that case), so it's possible the TARDIS has the same appearance as a SIRDAT.

I've only seen the final part of War Games, but weren't those Tardis's we saw near the end of the episode?


The only 'miltary Tardis' I can recall was in one of the Dr Who magazine strips from back in the 80's. It looked a bit like a fairly bulky art deco wardrobe, with a big sensor dish near the top, surrounded by what four gun barrel projections like an old WW2 anti-aircraft tank.

BTW, could someone please tell me where the button for creating spoilers tags is.

 

[Tomalak]

Then again companions do leave abruptly at times and in curious circumstances. I still can't believe Mel left

Spoiler: Dragonfire Spoiler

to travel with Glitz- he probably sold her into slavery 24 hours later!

Who'd pay for that?

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

Possibly. In The War Games, we saw the exterior of a SIRDAT, which appears to be a "short distance" traveling machine, but with the same transcendental properties as a TARDIS. They don't employ chameleon circuits (or at least in that case), so it's possible the TARDIS has the same appearance as a SIRDAT.

I've only seen the final part of War Games, but weren't those Tardis's we saw near the end of the episode?

I always assumed they were SIDRATs, but Dr. Who Guide calls them TARDISes, although I don't think there's any reference to them directly as TARDISes in the episode.

BTW, could someone please tell me where the button for creating spoilers tags is.

The code is

Spoiler: description

Spoiler[ /spoiler]

Without the space in [/spoier]. The description isn't necessary, but the "=" is.

 

[Cutter John]

Possibly. In The War Games, we saw the exterior of a SIRDAT, which appears to be a "short distance" traveling machine, but with the same transcendental properties as a TARDIS. They don't employ chameleon circuits (or at least in that case), so it's possible the TARDIS has the same appearance as a SIRDAT.

I've only seen the final part of War Games, but weren't those Tardis's we saw near the end of the episode?

I always assumed they were SIDRATs, but Dr. Who Guide calls them TARDISes, although I don't think there's any reference to them directly as TARDISes in the episode.

As I said, I am kinda hampered by the fact I've not seen the whole episode. But I always assumed the

Spoiler: description

end of the episode took place on Gallifrey. And with Jamie and Zoe living in different eras,

they'd pretty much have to be Tardises.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Then again companions do leave abruptly at times and in curious circumstances. I still can't believe Mel left

Spoiler: Dragonfire Spoiler

to travel with Glitz- he probably sold her into slavery 24 hours later!

Who'd pay for that?

A masochist, one assumes.

...Oh, the mental images are wrong wrong wrong.

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

I've only seen the final part of War Games, but weren't those Tardis's we saw near the end of the episode?

I always assumed they were SIDRATs, but Dr. Who Guide calls them TARDISes, although I don't think there's any reference to them directly as TARDISes in the episode.

As I said, I am kinda hampered by the fact I've not seen the whole episode. But I always assumed the

Spoiler: description

end of the episode took place on Gallifrey. And with Jamie and Zoe living in different eras,

they'd pretty much have to be Tardises.

No, they could still be SIDRATs because they're from Gallifrey, too.