I just finished watching this. Actually I skipped episodes 4-6, so some of this might have been answered. And this was a great episode that really holds up well. Or, as my wife said, "It was better than the one with the Seventh Doctor and the green baby."
It's a great, ambitious story, that works surprisingly well given the real-world production constraints. It probably could have been edited down into 6 episodes without losing anything, but it was a different time, and I'm willing to accept that, even though I skipped about a hour of its midsection in which, I'm guessing, there was a lot of being captured and escaping.
The design of War Games Central (I didn't pick up the real name) is stunning. It's really a triumph of mid-century modern design. I wish my living room could look like it.
Here are the questions:
What was the deal with the Security Chief and the War Lord wearing such thick glasses? It takes a little while to get past that when you're thinking these guys are trying to conquer the universe.
What's the deal with the unusual facial hair? Awesome beards, particularly on the War Chief, but why?
I'm not at all saying the beards are bad--I'd love to cut mine that way, but I don't think I could pull it off. I'm just wondering if this was explained at all.
And just to really appreciate the episode, after I finished #10 I immediately fired up episode one of Spearhead from Space. It's amazing that it looks completely different, and not just because of the color. The way it's shot--the angles and pacing--are totally different.
The funny thing is that, since I watched Spearhead on Netflix Instant Watch, I got to see the old, non-restored print. So ironically The War Games actually looked better than Spearhead.
It's a great, ambitious story, that works surprisingly well given the real-world production constraints. It probably could have been edited down into 6 episodes without losing anything, but it was a different time, and I'm willing to accept that, even though I skipped about a hour of its midsection in which, I'm guessing, there was a lot of being captured and escaping.
The design of War Games Central (I didn't pick up the real name) is stunning. It's really a triumph of mid-century modern design. I wish my living room could look like it.
Here are the questions:
What was the deal with the Security Chief and the War Lord wearing such thick glasses? It takes a little while to get past that when you're thinking these guys are trying to conquer the universe.
What's the deal with the unusual facial hair? Awesome beards, particularly on the War Chief, but why?
I'm not at all saying the beards are bad--I'd love to cut mine that way, but I don't think I could pull it off. I'm just wondering if this was explained at all.
And just to really appreciate the episode, after I finished #10 I immediately fired up episode one of Spearhead from Space. It's amazing that it looks completely different, and not just because of the color. The way it's shot--the angles and pacing--are totally different.
The funny thing is that, since I watched Spearhead on Netflix Instant Watch, I got to see the old, non-restored print. So ironically The War Games actually looked better than Spearhead.
