Last Classic Who Story you watched

[The Four Doctor]

(Natalie after several crap Whos)

ROBOT: I MUST INFILTRATE AND KILL! INFILTRATE AND KILL!

(Natalie: Oh, Rassilon's Star! He doesn't even look like the other guy! (headbutts desk in despair))

 

[diankra]

"Masque of Mandragora". I may have to read up on the production of it, because it is really nice. Good costumes, good sets, nice location work. I know they shot in England because the first time they shot on the Continent was "City of Death," but Sarah still manages to find an orange grove in 15th Century Italy.

Wales, actually. Same place they shot The Prisoner.

 

[Volpone]

Ah, Portmeiron. You would get a "like" if we had them.

The other thing I meant to say about that serial is it is a bit odd, watching the final lines, saying the 20th Century was an interesting century, now that we are also looking at it in the past tense.

How many "dark future" sci fi stories I've seen, set in the late 1990s. And it turns out it took a couple decades longer than that for Detroit to become "Robocop."

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Just finished The Masque of Mandragora. First time I've actually seen that one, and I found it to be enjoyable overall, though hardly the best of the Tom Baker era. Everyone getting hit over the head and captured every five minutes, sometimes just seconds after they'd escaped. Ah, well, that's 1976.

Now, am I the only one to pick up on a certain "vibe" between Giuliano and Marco? I may be reading into it, but there seemed to be an underlying connection that went beyond friendship...

 

[DWF]

Just finished The Masque of Mandragora. First time I've actually seen that one, and I found it to be enjoyable overall, though hardly the best of the Tom Baker era. Everyone getting hit over the head and captured every five minutes, sometimes just seconds after they'd escaped. Ah, well, that's 1976.

Now, am I the only one to pick up on a certain "vibe" between Giuliano and Marco? I may be reading into it, but there seemed to be an underlying connection that went beyond friendship...

Guiliano was pretty clearly attracted to Sarah Jane and she felt something for him.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Guiliano was pretty clearly attracted to Sarah Jane and she felt something for him.

They had that one scene where he's telling her the Earth isn't flat, and then a bit of awkward dancing. Guiliano was far more curious about the Doctor and his knowledge than he was romantically interested in Sarah Jane, or so it seemed to me. And I didn't get any sense of her being attracted to him, either.

 

[Sindatur]

Just finished The Masque of Mandragora. First time I've actually seen that one, and I found it to be enjoyable overall, though hardly the best of the Tom Baker era. Everyone getting hit over the head and captured every five minutes, sometimes just seconds after they'd escaped. Ah, well, that's 1976.

Now, am I the only one to pick up on a certain "vibe" between Giuliano and Marco? I may be reading into it, but there seemed to be an underlying connection that went beyond friendship...

I've always felt they were a couple

 

[O_Kav]

The first episode of The Aztecs, The Temple of Evil

Barbara is a badass. I love how she puts the First Doctor back into his place.

 

[Orac Zen]

Watched Two Patrick Troughton serials today - The Web of Fear and The Underwater Menace. Enjoyed both of them. Troughton's Doctor was just brilliant and his interplay with the companions of his era is always great fun. A minor example from The Underwater Menace:

Ben: Do you know what you're doing?
Doctor: Oh, what a question! Of course I don't!

The first episode of The Aztecs, The Temple of Evil

Barbara is a badass. I love how she puts the First Doctor back into his place.

Barbara is fabulous. Her refusal to take crap from anyone and ability to rescue herself from all manner of situations is great to watch. As is her telling the Doctor where to go when necessary.

 

[DarthPipes]

Barbara is great. She starts off as a screaming companion but becomes a stronger and stronger character as the show goes on. The Aztecs of course is one example and The Dalek Invasion of Earth is another.

 

[Timewalker]

Just finished The Masque of Mandragora. First time I've actually seen that one, and I found it to be enjoyable overall, though hardly the best of the Tom Baker era. Everyone getting hit over the head and captured every five minutes, sometimes just seconds after they'd escaped. Ah, well, that's 1976.

Now, am I the only one to pick up on a certain "vibe" between Giuliano and Marco? I may be reading into it, but there seemed to be an underlying connection that went beyond friendship...

The first time I saw this episode, I was reminded of Regis Hastur and Danilo Syrtis in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series.

Guiliano was pretty clearly attracted to Sarah Jane and she felt something for him.

They had that one scene where he's telling her the Earth isn't flat, and then a bit of awkward dancing. Guiliano was far more curious about the Doctor and his knowledge than he was romantically interested in Sarah Jane, or so it seemed to me. And I didn't get any sense of her being attracted to him, either.

There wasn't a lot of romance at all in that era of Doctor Who. I got the impression that their "romance" was nothing more than the courtly flirting that went on in a lot of the European courts of that historical time.

 

[DWF]

Guiliano was pretty clearly attracted to Sarah Jane and she felt something for him.

They had that one scene where he's telling her the Earth isn't flat, and then a bit of awkward dancing. Guiliano was far more curious about the Doctor and his knowledge than he was romantically interested in Sarah Jane, or so it seemed to me. And I didn't get any sense of her being attracted to him, either.

She did ask the Doctor if Guiliano wold be OK and took a last look at him before entering the TARDIS. She was also teh only who seemed to take his notion of how the universe works seriously.

 

[Volpone]

Must. Not. Make. Inappropriate comment about Guiliano's relationship to his ginger Italian sidekick, Marco.

 

[Volpone]

Anyways, getting back into "Talons of Weng Chiang" on the weeknight rotation.

It's been mentioned upthread the overt racism we notice in this otherwise excellent serial and how the main antagonist is a white man in yellowface(?)

It's easy to forget how far Asians have come in the past little over a generation. George Takei was truly groundbreaking in his supporting role as Sulu. Remember, "Kung Fu" was supposed to have Bruce Lee as Kane, but it would be silly to have an Asian in the lead role of a prime time TV show, so they cast David Carridine as an Asian.

As a kid, not long after the series first aired, I remember being confused as to why they had a white guy playing someone named Kwai Chang.

And of course for the great film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", the irate Japanese upstairs neighbor was played by the great Japanese actor, Micky Rooney--complete with Coke bottle eyeglasses and big buckteeth.

 

[Turbo]

Oooooooooops, posted this in the listening thread:

Just finished K-9 and Company. It wasn't exactly the best of Classic Who, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd been lead to believe. Brendan and most of the villains were annoying as hell but Sarah Jane was spot-on, as usual. (I still think Lis Sladen was stoned while filming the title sequence, though.) Alas, calling the plot "wafer-thin" would be an insult to wafers.

Anyways, getting back into "Talons of Weng Chiang" on the weeknight rotation.

It's been mentioned upthread the overt racism we notice in this otherwise excellent serial and how the main antagonist is a white man in yellowface(?)

It's easy to forget how far Asians have come in the past little over a generation. George Takei was truly groundbreaking in his supporting role as Sulu. Remember, "Kung Fu" was supposed to have Bruce Lee as Kane, but it would be silly to have an Asian in the lead role of a prime time TV show, so they cast David Carridine as an Asian.

As a kid, not long after the series first aired, I remember being confused as to why they had a white guy playing someone named Kwai Chang.

And of course for the great film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", the irate Japanese upstairs neighbor was played by the great Japanese actor, Micky Rooney--complete with Coke bottle eyeglasses and big buckteeth.

That's a very good point. I had no idea Kung Fu was supposed to be a Bruce Lee vehicle. How disappointing. And the less said about Mickey Rooney's role, the better. That seemed bad even for the times.

 

[Volpone]

Oooooooooops, posted this in the listening thread:

Just finished K-9 and Company. It wasn't exactly the best of Classic Who, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd been lead to believe. Brendan and most of the villains were annoying as hell but Sarah Jane was spot-on, as usual. (I still think Lis Sladen was stoned while filming the title sequence, though.) Alas, calling the plot "wafer-thin" would be an insult to wafers.

Anyways, getting back into "Talons of Weng Chiang" on the weeknight rotation.

It's been mentioned upthread the overt racism we notice in this otherwise excellent serial and how the main antagonist is a white man in yellowface(?)

It's easy to forget how far Asians have come in the past little over a generation. George Takei was truly groundbreaking in his supporting role as Sulu. Remember, "Kung Fu" was supposed to have Bruce Lee as Kane, but it would be silly to have an Asian in the lead role of a prime time TV show, so they cast David Carridine as an Asian.

As a kid, not long after the series first aired, I remember being confused as to why they had a white guy playing someone named Kwai Chang.

And of course for the great film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", the irate Japanese upstairs neighbor was played by the great Japanese actor, Micky Rooney--complete with Coke bottle eyeglasses and big buckteeth.

That's a very good point. I had no idea Kung Fu was supposed to be a Bruce Lee vehicle. How disappointing. And the less said about Mickey Rooney's role, the better. That seemed bad even for the times.

Well, in fairness, the Bruce Lee/Kung Fu bit is from Lee's widow and/or the movie "Dragon". Wikipedia says it's a bit more complex than that and skimming the synopsis, Kane is at least part American. But yeah, it's astonishing how politically incorrect things were in Olden Dayes, when it made perfect sense to have some "good ol' boys" driving around in a car with a Confederate flag plastered on it. Geez. Don't even get me going on "Blazing Saddles." I realize the message in it is the complete opposite of racism, but you could never release that film in this day and age.

 

[Starkers]

Hey those good ol boys never meant no harm...

Blazing Saddles is a product of its time, and a vital step along the way in terms of equality. You could argue the average modern Adam Sandler film is more offensive, and more sneaky about it into the bargain.

I've just re-watched The Face of Evil, which is a really good serial IMO, sure the crash survivors evolving into two tribes is a bit derivative I guess, but its done well and it's a great introduction for Leela, Louise Jameson was brilliant. It is a bit depressing to note she seems to be the only woman on the planet, or at least the only one we see!

 

[mythme]

y'know you're right. It never occurred to me that Leela IS the only woman on the planet.

 

[Volpone]

HA! Leela is Smurfette!

 

[Volpone]

And since she left with the Doctor, that planet is doomed.