Last Classic Who Story you watched

[Qonundrum]

On blu-ray:

Terror of the Zygons - definitely is UNIT's final great after a bunch of duds, and of what we see of UNIT after that, only one (Battlefield) is any good.

The Android Invasion - a poor copy of "Zygons", a more than decade before "Silver Nemesis" copied "Remembrance of the Daleks".

Season 13's restoration and upscaling methods don't seem to be as good as previous seasons, if anything the 16mm film sequences look like they were overly smoothed then digital noise added to have them blend in with the videotape look more.

 

[diankra]

I decided to get back to work on Classic Who today, since I've already watched The Time Warrior I decided to jump over it and watched the first episode of The Invasion of the Dinosaurs. It got off the a good start, the whole thing with evacuated London was kinda creepy, and it was a little scary how casual the general, or whatever he was, was about shooting looters. I'm a little confused by why the Brigadier was referring to dinosaurs as "monsters" when it was pretty clear what they were. I would have assumed even back most people would have been able to recognize dinosaurs. I know it said on the Tardis Wiki that the called this episode only The Invasion instead of The Invasion of the Dinosaurs Episode 1, so was that also part of that?

That seems to be a 'dead granny'. As overseas sales moved to colour tapes, b&w telerecordings stopped during Dinos. Barry Letts was unhappy, so let it be wiped fast. But as BBC Wales ran season 11 on Monday they were sent the tapes and kept most of them.

 

[JD]

I watched episode 2 of Invasion of the Dinosaurs this morning, and it was a lot of fun. I'm a little disappoint the description on Prime/Britbox the reveal that Mike Yates was working for the bad guys, it would have been a huge shock if I hadn't know about it before hand.
I'm curious what exactly the scientists are up to, and what this "golden age" or whatever it is that they have planned is. And I'm also curious if the general is part of their plot and that's why he's being an ass, or if he's just an ass, right now it's kinda 50/50.

 

[Qonundrum]

"Terror of the Vervoids" (blu-ray special edition reworked as an independent story without the underlying Trial)

The 5.1 audio remix is superb, especially for the opening theme music but is given the deft handling worthy of the series.

The acting is really good all around, though I wish some characters - like Professor Lasky - had more to do. Still, each character gets some gems of dialogue.

Some alleged nitpick issues might be deliberate as, along with their hoping to get audiences to not run to the thesaurus, they were probably wanting to get audiences to think of possibilities out the (tv) box just a little:

1. The security guard who tells Mel how she is needed until-- (then he is electrified and dies) definitely implies he may have been in league with Security Chief Rudge.​

2. Cabin six and cabin nine do not share the same key. Lasky believed to be in cabin six and the door easily could have been opened so she didn't think twice. If it were locked, the key would have not worked and then would have realized that nine was her lucky number.​

"Vianesium" is related to "Magnesum", solely for the sake of greater oxygen brightness to accelerate the Vervoid lifespan. Otherwise, the bulk of real science issues are based in real life science and extrapolated upon.

Except for the black hole, but I'm rolling with that one. The story is otherwise too well done, increasing in the scope and threat of the Vervoids and how it is a true impasse given how the Vervoids outright say "animalkind" and, to ensure anyone snoozing during the airing of the story could be caught up to speed, they show Lasky trying to make besties in hopes she will be spared because she created them and, go figure, they promptly kill her to add her into the "animal compost heap". This story also creatively plays with the tropes associated with gardening.

The original version is indeed watchable, but this blu-ray edit is nothing less than spectacular.

 

[Mr Awe]

"Terror of the Vervoids" (blu-ray special edition reworked as an independent story without the underlying Trial)

The original version is indeed watchable, but this blu-ray edit is nothing less than spectacular.

I always thought this was one of the better 6th Doctor stories and generally underrated. I agree with you that it pretty good! I think it's main problem is that visually it is pretty awful. However, I don't generally consider that as a relevant criterion for the classic series in general. But I do think this one was particularly not good visually. However, if you can get past that, it's a really good story!

I haven't seen that Blu Ray edit. I'll need to check that out! I do have the Blu Ray but I must've skipped that.

 

[Qonundrum]

I always thought this was one of the better 6th Doctor stories and generally underrated. I agree with you that it pretty good! I think it's main problem is that visually it is pretty awful. However, I don't generally consider that as a relevant criterion for the classic series in general. But I do think this one was particularly not good visually. However, if you can get past that, it's a really good story!

"Mid-80s overload" definitely did not help. Even the doors have a recurring triangular theme that definitely are of their time. While 60s and 70s Who had various aspects of the decades in which they were made*, the 80s upped the ante to varying extents and, as JNT the producer loved modernizing the show so it wouldn't look dated**, he did go even farther. Season 24 manages to be far worse with set and costume designs as well, so I'm just glad this got made during season 23 and it's the one story that made me glad for the hiatus as this is easily the best story of the four, with "Mindwarp" succeeding more for its direction and buildup of threat/suspense of a story (even though it was too soon to have Peri hype up the Doctor being good with season 22 remaining on the minds of some viewers and only 4 episodes that showed a more refined Doctor... "Vervoids" definitely gets Six down perfect, even if I missed some of the more acerbic and potentially caustic nature of his character.)

* such as groovy hairdos, groovy costumes (but the show being in black and white only showed groovy patterns without groovy colors), 70s sport jackets made from recycled sofa fabric with beige yet gauche tartan patterns that would have inspired the 6th Doctor's coat to be the antimatter universe's equivalent of... the coat grew on me, though. It's iconic, but ironic that it looked better on McCoy! (Color theory class/color wheel prevailing, of course.)​

​

** the irony is, extensive overload of then-topical patterns and looks made it date far faster than what preceded it and not even the 80sest of the 80s went to such goofy extremes. Sheesh, even that Atari 7800 commercial with kids dressed up to look like full grown adults twice their age wasn't as tacky...​

Overlook the Vervoids' design being the most unintentionally camp***, and thankfully they're sparingly used for the most part, and there's enough of the surrounding plot and characters to make it work. I think the Vervoid design was meant to show a flower bud but it, um, doesn't quite, eh, work as intended... nor does it help when you get the then-latest issue of DWM sporting said head in 35mm detail quality on glossy, glorious A4-sized cover and then people stare and wonder what the hell the magazine is for if it's got a dirty picture in plain view with no blue cellophane hiding the good parts, zoiks!!! (Actually, rude or otherwise, the costume does manage to look more expensive than it should. Yet it looks like any number of things you'd sit through during Biology class during Anatomical Design week...) I'm just glad they didn't do fourth wall breaks back then.

*** Which is preferable to intentional campiness, unless it involves characters such as Mrs Slocombe, Captain Peakcock, Mr Humphires and in the distinct genre of comedy (subcategory: farce). YMMV, but sci-fi taking itself seriously makes it better, especially for parody. Sci-fi shows that integrate self-parody consciously just come off as bizarre, with making actual parody of them far easier to do, like this:​

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Unless it's sci-fi parody like "Red Dwarf", which somehow nails every aspect across the board. Same with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", but the Dwarfers are more fun.

I haven't seen that Blu Ray edit. I'll need to check that out! I do have the Blu Ray but I must've skipped that.

You're in for a treat then!

Yeah, both the original and special cuts are on the same disc and it's buried in one of the menus requiring an extra keypad press. :\

 

[Mr Awe]

"Mid-80s overload" definitely did not help. Even the doors have a recurring triangular theme that definitely are of their time. While 60s and 70s Who had various aspects of the decades in which they were made*, the 80s upped the ante to varying extents and, as JNT the producer loved modernizing the show so it wouldn't look dated**, he did go even farther. Season 24 manages to be far worse with set and costume designs as well, so I'm just glad this got made during season 23 and it's the one story that made me glad for the hiatus as this is easily the best story of the four, with "Mindwarp" succeeding more for its direction and buildup of threat/suspense of a story (even though it was too soon to have Peri hype up the Doctor being good with season 22 remaining on the minds of some viewers and only 4 episodes that showed a more refined Doctor... "Vervoids" definitely gets Six down perfect, even if I missed some of the more acerbic and potentially caustic nature of his character.)

* such as groovy hairdos, groovy costumes (but the show being in black and white only showed groovy patterns without groovy colors), 70s sport jackets made from recycled sofa fabric with beige yet gauche tartan patterns that would have inspired the 6th Doctor's coat to be the antimatter universe's equivalent of... the coat grew on me, though. It's iconic, but ironic that it looked better on McCoy! (Color theory class/color wheel prevailing, of course.)​

​

** the irony is, extensive overload of then-topical patterns and looks made it date far faster than what preceded it and not even the 80sest of the 80s went to such goofy extremes. Sheesh, even that Atari 7800 commercial with kids dressed up to look like full grown adults twice their age wasn't as tacky...​

Overlook the Vervoids' design being the most unintentionally camp***, and thankfully they're sparingly used for the most part, and there's enough of the surrounding plot and characters to make it work. I think the Vervoid design was meant to show a flower bud but it, um, doesn't quite, eh, work as intended... nor does it help when you get the then-latest issue of DWM sporting said head in 35mm detail quality on glossy, glorious A4-sized cover and then people stare and wonder what the hell the magazine is for if it's got a dirty picture in plain view with no blue cellophane hiding the good parts, zoiks!!! (Actually, rude or otherwise, the costume does manage to look more expensive than it should. Yet it looks like any number of things you'd sit through during Biology class during Anatomical Design week...) I'm just glad they didn't do fourth wall breaks back then.

*** Which is preferable to intentional campiness, unless it involves characters such as Mrs Slocombe, Captain Peakcock, Mr Humphires and in the distinct genre of comedy (subcategory: farce). YMMV, but sci-fi taking itself seriously makes it better, especially for parody. Sci-fi shows that integrate self-parody consciously just come off as bizarre, with making actual parody of them far easier to do, like this:​

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Unless it's sci-fi parody like "Red Dwarf", which somehow nails every aspect across the board. Same with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", but the Dwarfers are more fun.



You're in for a treat then!

Yeah, both the original and special cuts are on the same disc and it's buried in one of the menus requiring an extra keypad press. :\

We're the same page about a lot of stuff! Down to even the Dwarfers being more fun!