Last Classic Who Story you watched

[JD]

Since my last post I finished up The Monster of Peladon, and I pretty happy with how it ended. The one thing that did kind of shock me though, was The Doctor using the fake Agador and the weapon to kill the Ice Warriors, it's pretty rare to just see him blatantly kill like that.
I've now started the next serial, Planet of the Spiders, which is off to a pretty start after two episodes. I was a little surprised to see Mike Yates again, I figured Invasion of the Dinosaurs was the last we were ever going to see him.
I do have a bit of a problem with them having what is obviously a white guy squinting and doing a really offensive bad accent playing the Tibetan monk. The big chase car/helicopter chase in episode 2 was pretty fun.

 

[26138]

Yeah that entire episode is just Pertwee playing around in vehicles.

 

[Pindar]

Just finished Genesis again. I want to re-watch all the Harry/Sarah episodes before getting into the Big Finish Sarah/Harry stories.

 

[jaime]

Since my last post I finished up The Monster of Peladon, and I pretty happy with how it ended. The one thing that did kind of shock me though, was The Doctor using the fake Agador and the weapon to kill the Ice Warriors, it's pretty rare to just see him blatantly kill like that.
I've now started the next serial, Planet of the Spiders, which is off to a pretty start after two episodes. I was a little surprised to see Mike Yates again, I figured Invasion of the Dinosaurs was the last we were ever going to see him.
I do have a bit of a problem with them having what is obviously a white guy squinting and doing a really offensive bad accent playing the Tibetan monk. The big chase car/helicopter chase in episode 2 was pretty fun.

I’m never quite sure if it helps that the Tibetan Monk isn’t really a Tibetan Monk in the end or not, nor indeed if it helps that at the top of the production team is a practicing Buddhist.
I suppose there’s also pigbin Josh, sundry other bit parts, Glitz, and many many years later we would have an actual Doctor putting on a voice to play a sort of cheeky-chappy cockney Essex stereotype, proving that Who is at least equal opportunities in it’s attitudes.
(Some or indeed all of this statement is decidedly tongue in cheek.)

 

[Starkers]

and one actor who would later go on Blake's 7, and two actors who would appear again later (Michael Collings, - Mawdryn Undead) and Pamela Salem (Remberance of the Daleks), plus reprising their characters in what would would be final roles for both with Big Finish's Robots series.

I believe there's five Blakes 7 connections in the cast of Robots of Death.

Brian Croucher - As Travis
Pamela Salem - In Cygnus alpha
David Collings - In Blake
David Bailie in Project Avalon
Miles Fothergill - In The Web

Robots of Death is one of my favourite Classic Who stories.

 

[26138]

The Time Monster

Episode 1 is good. It goes downhill from there. Kronos is basically a guy in a chicken costume. I did like the bit where the TARDISes are inside eachother. I don't think I've watched this one since seeing it on PBS way back in the day. I remembered the TARDIS inside the TARDIS and the V1 bomb bit.

Funny quote:
MASTER [on scanner]: I'm sorry about your coccyx too, Miss Grant. How very sociable of you both to drop in.

 

[Q'OrnamentalDeqor]

"Frontier in Space". Some say it's slow and padded. Others say it's juggling a lot of characters double-crossing. I say it's meant to be watched one episode at a time, take a break whenever, and just enjoy the story in its own flow (elapsed or realtime in the story). In any case, I forgot how the Master could be written intelligently. Quite a change compared to the last two to four decades, give or take, where he just runs around like a first grader during lunch break recess. Loved the Draconians and their complexity as well (their name being allegorical, based on the Athenian statesman known for imposing stern laws) and the Doctor relating a previous experience, even if the scenes between the Doctor, Master and Draconian Emperor hark back to a cookie cutter trope* where each claims the other is full of it. The makeup is really good for the time as well. It's easy to see how they could be a possible influence on the TNG Klingons. Not sure what ther saddest bit it, either when we first know it's the Ogrons since the Daleks would be an easy guess as to the real baddies... or how the inevitable Dalek plot twist at the end was needlessly campy and unnecessary (yes, even the Master cracks a quip as if nobody else does, and given the story that follows this one ditching this one completely and instead focusing on being a retread of previous Dalek stories, this plot twist is an utter waste.)

8/10

* Tropey or not, it's still entertaining as all heck​

 

[26138]

"Frontier in Space". Some say it's slow and padded. Others say it's juggling a lot of characters double-crossing. I say it's meant to be watched one episode at a time, take a break whenever, and just enjoy the story in its own flow (elapsed or realtime in the story). In any case, I forgot how the Master could be written intelligently. Quite a change compared to the last two to four decades, give or take, where he just runs around like a first grader during lunch break recess. Loved the Draconians and their complexity as well (their name being allegorical, based on the Athenian statesman known for imposing stern laws) and the Doctor relating a previous experience, even if the scenes between the Doctor, Master and Draconian Emperor hark back to a cookie cutter trope* where each claims the other is full of it. The makeup is really good for the time as well. It's easy to see how they could be a possible influence on the TNG Klingons. Not sure what ther saddest bit it, either when we first know it's the Ogrons since the Daleks would be an easy guess as to the real baddies... or how the inevitable Dalek plot twist at the end was needlessly campy and unnecessary (yes, even the Master cracks a quip as if nobody else does, and given the story that follows this one ditching this one completely and instead focusing on being a retread of previous Dalek stories, this plot twist is an utter waste.)

8/10

* Tropey or not, it's still entertaining as all heck​

Lots of getting captured and escaping then getting captured again, but yeah... if you don't sit down at watch it all at once, it's not so bad. World-building in this one is good. Draconians are very interesting and look *good* especially for a 70s who serial.

 

[Mr Awe]

"Frontier in Space". Some say it's slow and padded. Others say it's juggling a lot of characters double-crossing. I say it's meant to be watched one episode at a time, take a break whenever, and just enjoy the story in its own flow (elapsed or realtime in the story). In any case, I forgot how the Master could be written intelligently. Quite a change compared to the last two to four decades, give or take, where he just runs around like a first grader during lunch break recess. Loved the Draconians and their complexity as well (their name being allegorical, based on the Athenian statesman known for imposing stern laws) and the Doctor relating a previous experience, even if the scenes between the Doctor, Master and Draconian Emperor hark back to a cookie cutter trope* where each claims the other is full of it. The makeup is really good for the time as well. It's easy to see how they could be a possible influence on the TNG Klingons. Not sure what ther saddest bit it, either when we first know it's the Ogrons since the Daleks would be an easy guess as to the real baddies... or how the inevitable Dalek plot twist at the end was needlessly campy and unnecessary (yes, even the Master cracks a quip as if nobody else does, and given the story that follows this one ditching this one completely and instead focusing on being a retread of previous Dalek stories, this plot twist is an utter waste.)

8/10

* Tropey or not, it's still entertaining as all heck​

I've always enjoyed this one. Creates a nice universe and nice change to have so much set in space. Agree that it's better not to watch all at once! Nice relationship between the characters, including the Master.