The Rescue:So far, this is the perfect warm down story to follow DIOE. We've had the expansive epic, so it's only right that it's followed with the quiet, claustrophobic piece. The first, and obvious contrast is the number of characters - DIOE had more in every episode than the five we've got here. And the concerns are so slight now - just one rather nasty alien as opposed to the hundreds of Daleks, and a quiet little mystery. That's not meant as a criticism. The joy of the show is its ability to swing from the epic to the intimate, to deal with planetary disaster one week and one crashed spaceship the next.If anything, this story is not helped by hindsight. We know it's only two episodes long, so it has to be a fairly slight tale. We know (and I suppose I should add spoilers here, because it's the stories twist...)SPOILERwe know that Bennet is the baddie, so we under-rate that aspect of the plot. Everyone says that it's an obvious whodunnit, with only one suspect. It's not really correct, in context. The quiet opening episode is not far different from those that open the Daleks and the Sensorites - not much happening apart from a slow build up of mysteries. There's no real reason to assume that there IS anything funny about Koquillion. If you know it's a whodunnit, it does seem obvious, yes. But the trick of the story is that is misleads you into thinking it isn't a mystery - or at least, the mystery isn't the one you think it is. When there could be four or six episodes to the story, and given the script's definite sense of room for expansion, it could still go anywhere. In deed, in a nice bit of writing, Bennet is immediately grumpy and not obviously likeable - and in a sort of reverse psychology, this makes his villainy less obvious (we tend to dismiss obvious villains as red herrings - notice, say in the Usual Suspects - spoiler warning again folks - that Keaton, the red herring Soze, is much more amiable than Verbal, the actual Soze, who has a tendency to being abrupt and a little rude in the interrogation scenes: an immediate device to make him less suspicious).Vicki is immediately appealing, ballsy and less hysterical than Susan. She describes the mass murder with admirable restraint (as I was saying in the last episode - restraint is so much more believable and affecting than hysterics and unfocused emotion).Likewise restrained is the dealing with Susan's departure. It's acknowledged, but gently, and without being overblown. It's treated as bittersweet, which is bang on. The travellers are still clearly affected by it, but they know that she will be happy.And the repartee and wit is in force in this episode too. The Doctor is now much more kindly and loveable than ever, veering between doddering to sharp, suddenly making sardonic asides (his quip about his being unable to press his back any further when they're shifting along the ledge has no purpose but to amuse, for example). You really get the sense that he cares for his companions now, and that they do likewise. It's a family proper now.Looking forward to episode two now. Its a lovely story, very well made. It's lack of import or worthiness means its never going to win any polls but its an excellent and superior piece of Who.
Dorney
The Rescue 2:The Doctor's gone all cuddly and sweet now - a much more fun, less serious figure. You can see why people keep travelling with him, and why Vicki eventually decides to go. Every inch the loveable grandfather - his chats with Vicki, her leading him by the hand. You could say that this is hard to reconcile with the initial figure we meet in the show, but it seems such a natural progression that it doesn't. It appears that Ian and Barbara have mellowed him.The death of Sandy is a little tacked on, but it does add some character death, and shows that Vicki has a lot more depth than Susan. Susan would have shrieked or cried, whereas Vicki stomps around in a huff which is far more entertaining.It seems that after the first season villains being, generally, misguided or at least morally complex and rarely entirely evil, season two is about utter bastards. The Daleks have been murdering randomly, with little provocation. Forrester kills a man for his own monetary gain, Bennett commits mass murder and genocide to avoid justice. They are the definition of psychopaths - unable to think or even care that other people have feelings. They are there to be disposed of at a whim. The pettiness of the motives rings true each time - what's that they say about the banality of evil? Say what you like about the later series villains, all your mad power hungry tyrants etc. etc, Forester and especially Bennet are underrated villains for the show. The sheer callousness. The Master kills in order to take over the universe or some such. When the stakes are that big, it seems apt. Wheareas to kill so many for so little is the act of the truly evil.The climax, with the Dr confronting Bennet is great. I'll say it again, this is the Dr as the hero proper, the lead proper. This could just as easily have been Ian's job, to fight down the villain. But the Dr goes it alone. Facing him off with naught but his wits. In deed, Babs and Ian do very little in the entire story, one dead Sand monster notwithstanding. The Doctor has become the lead now, and is given the stories best, dramatic scene.A lot of criticism is made of the slightly deus ex machina ending where a couple of fortunately unkilled Didoans turn up out of nowhere in the temple. I'm not sure it's justified. It's never properly established who they actually are - whilst there's some dialogue at the end that indicates they are some Didoans who survived, this is really just speculation of Ian and the Drs part. I prefer to view them as spirits (and interestingly, spirits is practically the first word Hartnell uses to describe them). Their first appearance is sudden, and jolting as if they appear out of thin air, and it's on top of an altar in the temple. Bennet's attempt at murder on their sacred ground, added to his previous genocide, brings forth spirits of Nemesis. Hence their ethereal quality, their silence, and their white outfits. If they are proper Didoans where have they been all this time? I think its best not to think this is some kind of weak ending pulled out of the hat, but rather more complex than it is given credit - heck, I may be giving them the benefit of the doubt, but it gives me a fab Shakespearian ending.A nice little story. Slight, but elegant in its simplicity. Good to see that as of Dalek Invasion 6 the TARDIS noise for materialisation and dematerialisation has standardised. Shame the cliffhanger's missing on the BBC video...
Doc Watcher
Hi Dorney,Just reading some of your reviews and there are excellent! You have prompt me to watch the Daleks again, for which I haven't seen in 5yrs or so. I wish I had the time to watch more, but sometimes working 12 hr days can really be tiresome! Best of luck to you, and look forward to your other reviews.
Dorney
Thanks for that - mad as it may seem, I think that when I finally finish this (in about two years time), I may go back and do most of season one again. I slightly regret the fact that the reviews of them are lacking in detail. Took me some time to get into the swing of things.
Ultimate Foe
I hate that on The Rescue/The Romans video... the cutting out of the cliffhanger at the end of The Rescue. It's a great little shot, and was probably quite jolting at the time...hopefully it'll be reinserted for the DVD.Having inspired me to start DIOE (Part 4 now...on an episode per night basis, due to the fact last time I watched it in one go I hated it)...I may very well move onto The Rescue next!It's one of my favourites... a great little tale of good against real evil (how else to describe Bennet). It introduces one of my all time favourite companions- Vicky, and is just full of delightful things (I think the ending is superb).Wonder what you'll make of The Romans...after the caught/escapes feel you found The Reign Of Terror to have!
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Monday, 30 March 2009
Dalek Invasion of Earth
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 1:Well, this is a bit fab - eerie and disquieting. The first proper location work in the series really grounds this story in reality. The bridge and warehouse sets combined with this look very real, and suddenly we feel less of an need to suspend the imagination. Of course, this does mean that sets and models that would have been ok elsewhere (the underground set, and, yes, the saucer) leap out a bit more when they turn up.But in general, the atmosphere and imagination work wonders - there's a lovely shot of the advancing Robomen from high above them which is incredibly creepy. The running sequence is pacey and tense. The direction and the music work hand in hand to make this possibly the most succesful episode yet - we feel we're in a different league now. (The music is smashing - and the location filming has real energy).Oddities - Ian and the Doctor see a flying saucer and then completely fail to be bothered by it, mentioning it only in passing. Very strange.It's a typical Terry Nation part one - split the travellers up, and have virtually nothing happen for the whole episode, bar a racking up of mystery and tension. It's more effective than either of his previous openings for me. The Daleks 1 was good, but still slightly straining for length, whereas there doesn't seem to be an ounce of fat here.Watched the info text with my mum and she told me that she knew the designer, Spencer Chapman. She was an actress several years ago and worked with him. Apparently his pregnant wife developed a craving for housebricks. They had to go out to building sites in the middle of the night to get some.That's what I like about doing this Day by Day. There's always something new.
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 2:Well, it's still pretty terrific. The common question about 'Why is the Dalek in the thames' doesn't matter a bit, it's a wonderful cliffhanger. The Doctor is clearly more of a proactive hero here. His berating and belittling of the Daleks seems to be misplaced considering he has no information about what's going on at all, and the little he knows would seem to suggest that the Daleks are in control. The 'I think we'd better pit our wits against them and defeat them' line is ridiculous, but it does sum up where the character is now. Previously he's been indifferent, or selfish, or mainly interested in keeping the good safe, rather than actively seeking out evil to defeat, just for the sake of it. Seems a desperately contrived nonetheless. The Doctor turns into voiceover man, stating his every intention for no clear reason. (And at no point do Ian or The Doctor express any concern at the disappearance of Susan and Barbara - wouldn't you be panicking?)The rest of the episode is excellent. The illustration of the Invasion is superb - cutting between two explanations and then into a thematic illustration outside the saucer (with the characters all entering just as their description starts). Brilliant, inventive direction. In fact, virtually the entire episode is directed effectively, only losing its footing in the battle at the end of the episode, which suddenly loses drama and coherence - its hard to tell what's going on. Do the bombs do anything? When David etc. duck, did the wall ripple, I wasn't sure. Were they fired on? It isn't clear.The character's seem based rather more in reality than last season. There's depth here, with the heroes being grumpy or bitter, or slightly barking, and not just the black and white stereotypes of the earlier stories. The performances are terrific.The cell test is both bollocks and clearly padding, but as with all of this story it's fun. In fact, a lot of this episode is padded, but its intelligently written, pacey and fun, so it hardly matters.This is right there with the Aztecs as the best stories so far, so the dvd releases are rather appropriate. This is all drama and conviction, pace, realism and grit. That's not to say these things are inherently better than say lightness (I love the Romans as much as the next man), just that after the slghtly relaxed style of season one, the slight air of children's show, this is turning into family drama. Not afraid to be thoughtful, or nasty.
Dorney
Just wanted to add - I sincerely hope that Daleks Masterplan 2 will be out before I get to it here!And I want the moon on a stick!
madame president
Your plan is an ambitous one. Dorney's Master Plan? Anyway, I've read your comments about each episode with interest and will continue to do so.
odoru tardis
Enjoying reading your reviews. Keep up the hard work.As much as I love Doctor Who, I can't imagine going throughthem all as quickly as you are, and reviewing them to boot.You'll have to speed it up though, if you want to finish in timefor the new series.
Ultimate Foe
I think I'm going to have to start watching DIOE again now! (last time was the UKGOLD day). I have the DVD (form Jan. Sales), but have yet to watch it.Keep it up...it gives me soemthing new and interesting to read everyday, and your views are enjoyable (maybe as for the stories I've seen, I agree with them)
Dorney
Thanks for that chaps! Much appreciated. You know, I wasn't sure if anyone was actually reading these at all - but now I've started I ain't stopping. Especially since I've got into the habit of doing what I'd wanted to do at the start - go over each and every single episode.OK, then, Dalek Invasion 3:This is a sort of filler episode. There's a temptation to say the word 'padding' again, but this is extremely well written 'padding', showing the way to fill in time effectively. If you watch the episode, very little actually happens - the bombs and the raid fail, and then everyone spends a bit of time getting away. Susan, The Doctor and Campbell spend the entire episode in someone's back garden, Barbara, Jenny and Dortmun run around London without obvious purpose.But, and this is the important part, it's all beautifully well written. The extra time is used to develop the world, show you how things work, deepen the characterisation - the burgeoning romance for Susan is truly believable. The shots of abandoned London and the random deaths all establish the reality of the situation. In deed, the realism is still the key factor here - its all about the bleak effects of domination and oppression, to a degree that is rarely done in Who. It's about fear (the scenes of running through London), horror (the offscreen screaming man's death is bleak beyond belief) despair (Jenny and Tyler's reactions to the whole situation are brilliantly real and human - they're not noble or heroic - they're people like you and me put in extraordinary circumstances). One of the most interesting moments occurs early on in the rebel base - in the background in one shot, we see one other rebel, unnamed, unreferenced, sat huddled in the floor, obviously half mad with despair. He's easy to miss, but rather a chilling detail. Especially since it's clear that everyone else is ignoring him as they know he can't be helped.Occasionally it goes a bit mad - Dortmun's death was always coming, but it seems rushed and a little dramatically pointless. Likewise the death of Baker - very casual and quick, unremarked elsewhere and serving no real dramatic purpose as he was going anyway. But of course, the lack of dramatic point is arguably exactly the point. This is the first real horror story in the show. Nation always compared the Daleks to the Nazis, and that's most true here. The random killing, meaningless and agonizing, reminds me of films like The Pianist. Obviously, its a slightly trite comparison, as this is entertainment drama, but it's grim and adult. Of course, this new, real brutality to the Daleks is totally at odds with their logic and seeming rationality of the first serial. This is the true beginning of the Daleks as they were to become. Nasty cold blooded killers, not just moving blasters, or henchmen. Shame it's a side so rarely seen later (and seeing as they feel little like the original Daleks in tone and action, and the attempts to reconcile this story with that fail miserably, its almost a shame that the two are connected at all. These are true monster in a way the original serial ones weren't.) The nastiness and sadism all add to the effect. This is no longer fun adventure fiction - this is adult drama.Also, the 'padding' has the same effect as some in Marco Polo - to give the real appearance of an epic. This is a story of scale, it takes place over time, over distance. The only slightly odd note in the episode is one brief moment. Ian hides in the spaceship. Daleks all around. He waits til it takes off - then decides to pop out of hiding? Why? He likes to take risks? On a dramatic level, it's purely to meet Larry and see the Robotised Craddock. But he's never given any good logical reason to leave. Hmm.But it hardly matters. God I love this story!edited to add:(incidentally, couple more thoughts - it's worth praising the location work. A very obvious point, it must be said, but it's one of the most memorable sequences in the series to date - for the first time ever, this is a threat to people and places we know. Saying the Daleks are in London is different to seeing them, in a creepy deserted Trafalgar Sq.And nice to see Pat Gorman as a slave! Haven't spotted him before in the show, apart from episode two, when I forgot to mention it - why exactly do the Daleks take exception to that girl in part two anyway? Cos she's the most photogenic? You can tell the Daleks don't read FHM.)
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 4:Precisely what has to happen to Ian before he loosens his tie, undoes his top button, and unbuttons his blazer? It’s fair enough wanting to look smart, but really. There's a time and a place for everything.I know everyone always goes on about the Slyther and the Saucer - yep, they're bad, but they're not a vast deal worse than any of the other effects seen to date - it's a testament to the strength and realism of the script that these seem to impact on this story rather more than the others.Its still an episode of marking time, in a way, but that's what this story is. It's about the journey, an epic, a quest if you like. Simple, everyday tasks become matters of life and death. Whilst Reign of Terror was a series of capture/escapes, and this is a series of obstacles, the difference is that there's a clear goal here. The travellers need to get to Bedfordshire - and in order to get there, they have to find a route, and suffer whatever obstacles they encounter. The reason the story works so well is that these obstacles appear realistic (I know I'm using that word a lot, but this is the first story that really exists in the same world we do - if anything, what with the enjoyable petty villainy of Forester in Planet of Giants to add to this, that's what this season seems to be aiming for - a more down to Earth feel). Jenny and Barbara have to pump up the truck wheels, Ian has to deal with the ugly face of the human factor in the form of Ashton the black marketeer. Only the breaking ladder that Susan steps onto, suspending her above loose alligators seems contrived, and out of keeping with the rest of the story's tone. Especially considering that it takes David a stupidly long time to come to her aid, leaving it, almost as if he knows Tyler's going to appear. And the fact that the alligators look like babies... Its important with quest/journey movies that the quest itself looks strenuous or complex or difficult (which is a problem I have with AI and Saving Private Ryan - the individual quests are solved too easily. Contrast also the novel of Cold Mountain with the film: Inman's journey in the novel is long, agonizing and painful - in the movie he ends up with one cut on his forehead, strolling along hands in pockets). Therefore, the journey in this story HAS to be long and strenuous, and at cost. The travellers have to cross half the country, against several different obstacles, in order to reach the objective.Ashton and Wells provide the centre of the episode in many ways, and illustrate the stories themes. Whilst this story is named after the Dalek's, it isn't really about them. It's about living under oppression, again dealing with World War II. Its about how people respond to this, for good and bad. Ashton exploits it for his own ends, and Wells is selfless. The story is essentially about human capacity for good and evil, if you like. About survival. It's a shame Ashton is disposed of as quickly as he is, and one can't help but think of Phillip Madoc's rather more memorable exit in the movie version.Thinking of the movie does rather contrast the difference between this tale and its Dalek predeccessor. The original doesn't seem to lose much in the translation - it gains pace at the expense of not much, really. The DIOE film is hugely entertaining, and again pacier than its tv equivalent - but loses the depth and horror, really. With no Jenny/Larry, there's no real bitterness - even Tyler becomes quite cuddly. (Though it has at least enough sense to realise that the grimness is the story - killing of Dortmun, the only time in either film any goody we've got to know well dies)Nice direction abounds - the framing of Jenny and Barbara's escape from behind Dortmun's corpse in particular. Ah, I love this. Favourite so far, easily. Even with the Slyther.(incidentally, how come every time I think I've got nothing to say about an episode I write a vast amount?)
madame president
You're making me really want to watch this story... Can I? Is this available in the US? I hope so!
Dorney
I believe the DVD has just come out there - the extras are good so far (only really done the info text - stunningly good for a seemingly simple extra), and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
madame president
I'm off in search of it then. This is one of those few stories people don't talk about much.
Dorney
A friend of mine, not a full on fan as such, and I were talking about my episode by episode journey. He liked the show, but has never really got any merchandise, or watched videos. He's decided to borrow the episodes when I've finished with them - today I have lent him the entire first series. I've asked him to email me his opinions on these stories too, on the basis that as someone outside of fan lore, but with an interest and knowledge of quality drama, his opinions on the stories will be worth hearing - he won't know that story x is supposed to be better than story y, will have no pre-knowledge of suprise monsters or regenerations, companions joining or leaving, etc. etc. so will hopefully have a fresh, unbiased interpretation of what's good and what isn't. I will post these answers in this thread in addition to mine.
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 5:Just managed to squeeze this one in today...It's more of the same, but I was trying to wonder why this story feels very different from the previous ones. And I think I may have done. This story has a cost, something at stake. Arguably, only the Aztecs has done that before.This struck me most with Larry. Up to this point in the series he does seem the only real good character to die (well, him and Dortmun, and Baker, but he crystalised this for me). Now, I'll have to qualify that. As far as I can recall, most of the deaths so far are bad guys - very rarely does a truly good guy die. The obvious exceptions are the Thals and the Second Elder (and Farrow I suppose). But the Thals never seem quite real - they're all slightly one note in characterisation, the noble one, the coward. We don't really get to know Farrow, so his death isn't a vast shock. DIOE is the first story were good likeable real people like you and me die after we take time to know them. And die in agony. (the Sensorite's death is quick, like Farrow - in deed, the death's are all but brushed aside, as if they aren't really there). Larry's death, machine-gunned by his brother, whilst strangling him back, is nasty. And tragic, too (the last word the dead Phil says is 'Larry'.) This script has an emotional cost for the viewer that we don't really get with stories before this. Up to now, it's been fun adventuring, and no-one really dies, not anyone important, or if they do they deserve it.To compare it once more to the original Dalek tale - this story seems to have a literal cost to the characters too, emotionally, physically, in a way that the journey into the city doesn't (and that has the faint air of contrivance - looters, oppurtunists, etc. seem logically derived from the setting in a way that chasm's and sea monsters aren't - they're more derived from Dan Dare stories, and cliche.) Watch Jenny's despair in the mine - it's believable and understandable. She isn't being a wimp, she is us. Also the death of Larry/Phil really does define the series. It's a reminder of the central evil, that the Doctor now seems to be determined to fight (the fact he can't enter the TARDIS is immaterial - it's ceased to be important. This is a man who fight's the villains now.)The Doctor states his beliefs here, quite clearly - he never kills unless his own life is threatened. The amount of people who complain about the 2 Drs and Shockeye's murder, when there's precious little difference. Of course, can't quite see why the Dr objects to the killing of a Roboman - it is after all well established that they are walking corpses, so it would be a mercy.Rather amazing that this grim, nasty tale can find the time for a believable and rather sweet romance. The fireside scene is lovely and unforced - I love David gently stroking Susan's hand, it's simple but true. And the Doctor clearly knows what's going on, which is equally sweet.Another fine moment of direction is when Ian sees Barbara in the mines. We only see the back of her head as she passes by, but she is unmistakeable. Again, subtle and unshowy.One minor niggle is the complete lack of tension in the two main fight's - the Slyther vs Ian, and the sewer scene. Obviously the difficulties of 1960s tv make it difficult to edit or control the camera as much as would be good, but these sequences could have done with some music to cover the awkwardness.I do see what they mean about Dalek's being boring communicators - the scenes with just them expositing the plot are very weak. It's ok for a while, but they are monotonous and you find yourself drifting. Shame their plan's seemingly barking. Let's hope they know a good reason to want to pilot Earth around the galaxy (yeah, we don't find out, but that doesn't mean they don't have one... er, yes...) Not quite clear why it had to be Earth, as Hartnell suggests.Fabulous cliffhanger - Ian trapped inside a bomb about to be dropped down a mine shaft. Well get out of that!Cannot wait til the final part.
Dorney
Eternal(1/18/04 4:55 pm)
Re: Day by Day
Oh, and a minor extra - everyone always wonders who or what the Waking Ally is - I dunno, but some thoughts:I think it could be Phil - he clearly knows who he is just at the moment of death. Not sure he could be described as an ally though...The Doctor returns at the beginning, could be him. Or possibly it means the Dalek that Barbara tricks (who seems to use his eyestick to indicate he's talking, rather than the lights - this leads to a wonderful bit where, after another blatant load of crap from Babs, his eyestick points straight up. It's clearly meant to suggestion he's in communion with his superiors, but to me it looks like he's rolling his eye up to heaven, and saying good grief).And finally - it really does beggar belief that Babs and Jenny stay with the mad old women who are clearly up to no good...
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 6:Bad stuff out of the way first - the defeat of the Daleks is slightly led by technobabble, frankly, but it at least seems quite logical. Not sure if they have saved the entire world, but it is implied that 'saucers', i.e: in the plural, have been caught in the explosion, so maybe they all popped back to watch the end! And it's very strange that the Robomen don't just attack the Daleks - they seem to turn back into humans - they're running along, gleefully battering the cases. Shouldn't they still be mindless zombies - albeit ones now working for the goodies.Really, that's about it for the bad stuff for - well, practically the entire serial. This episode abounds with lovely moments. Barbara gets to show her resourcefulness with her wonderful history speech, improvising and just generally being fab. Ian gets to defeat the Daleks (nice to see that his jacket is giving up with the strain, though I can't quite see why he doesn't use all the wood to block the bomb, just three rather measly planks. He succeeds, yes, but you can't help but feel he got lucky). Ian also gets the episodes funniest moment - his complete obliviousness to David/Susan's awkwardness, even when Barbara tries to subtly get him to go, before having to drag him away physically. Great. It's tempting however to think the best actor in the entire thing is one of the extras - just after the Robomen are instructed to attack the Daleks a whole load of slaves/robomen run into a corridor. First it's two Robomen. Keep an eye out for the guy who comes out right behind them - he's really going for it, it's hysterical!The episode does, however, really belong to Hartnell. Great performances, great lines, great characterisation. His instructions to David and Susan get amended with the beautiful line 'and don't go stopping to pick dasies', which he almost (but not quite, showing the master craftsmanship) throws away. Then his eccentricities, stopping mid invasion overthrow to stop Tyler calling him Doc. Then, the dramatic iconic figure as he stands waiting for the Dalek to close in on him. It has no real story purpose other than simply being a great shot, but damn it's a fabulous moment. This is the Doctor as icon, finally the character we've come to know writ large - the hero, good who defeats evil, with all the dramatics, wit and courage we've come to know.And of course, then we have the final scene. It's breathtakingly good, genuinely moving. I know a lot of people rave about the last scenes with Evelyn in Project: Lazarus, but for my money they're not even remotely moving. Sure, they're emotionally charged, but that's a different thing. The difference is the P:L wants to move you, whereas DIOE actually does. Compare and contrast - Evelyn screeching and wailing like a harpy - to Susan. From the moment she knows the Doctor's mind is set she does not say a word. Doesn't even react. Its more real (when traumatic personal events happen, in my experience, people don't run around wailing, it's always more shocked, frankly). Likewise Hartnell underplays the scene, allowing the moment to do its work. He doesn't oversell it - there's the faintest inkling of a tremor in his voice at the end of his speech as he says goodbye - but that's it. All the emotion is focused. We are moved because it is dignified, it is real, it is true.Of course, it is a bit odd to be sad that Susan's going - up to now she's been a bit annoying for the most part. Always getting hysterical seemingly instantaneously (I think the Velvet Web cliffhanger leaps to mind most clearly for that), seeming a bit stupid and childish, and always prone to act before thinking, only vaguely coming close to character in the first story and the Sensorites. All a bit odd for an alien time traveller, who you'd think would be harder to shock. But it's a testament to this story that she does seem to have grown up. The romance is believable and sweet, touchingly awkward (it's great that David can only ask her to stay when they're both pointedly not looking at each other). So farewell, Susan. It's an end of an era, a cliche, obviously, but true. You'll be missed, funny to say.All in all, probably my favourite story so far. Would have made the perfect finale if they'd had to stop at the end of the first recording block. Just brilliant, and thoroughly recommended.
Dalek Invasion 1:Well, this is a bit fab - eerie and disquieting. The first proper location work in the series really grounds this story in reality. The bridge and warehouse sets combined with this look very real, and suddenly we feel less of an need to suspend the imagination. Of course, this does mean that sets and models that would have been ok elsewhere (the underground set, and, yes, the saucer) leap out a bit more when they turn up.But in general, the atmosphere and imagination work wonders - there's a lovely shot of the advancing Robomen from high above them which is incredibly creepy. The running sequence is pacey and tense. The direction and the music work hand in hand to make this possibly the most succesful episode yet - we feel we're in a different league now. (The music is smashing - and the location filming has real energy).Oddities - Ian and the Doctor see a flying saucer and then completely fail to be bothered by it, mentioning it only in passing. Very strange.It's a typical Terry Nation part one - split the travellers up, and have virtually nothing happen for the whole episode, bar a racking up of mystery and tension. It's more effective than either of his previous openings for me. The Daleks 1 was good, but still slightly straining for length, whereas there doesn't seem to be an ounce of fat here.Watched the info text with my mum and she told me that she knew the designer, Spencer Chapman. She was an actress several years ago and worked with him. Apparently his pregnant wife developed a craving for housebricks. They had to go out to building sites in the middle of the night to get some.That's what I like about doing this Day by Day. There's always something new.
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 2:Well, it's still pretty terrific. The common question about 'Why is the Dalek in the thames' doesn't matter a bit, it's a wonderful cliffhanger. The Doctor is clearly more of a proactive hero here. His berating and belittling of the Daleks seems to be misplaced considering he has no information about what's going on at all, and the little he knows would seem to suggest that the Daleks are in control. The 'I think we'd better pit our wits against them and defeat them' line is ridiculous, but it does sum up where the character is now. Previously he's been indifferent, or selfish, or mainly interested in keeping the good safe, rather than actively seeking out evil to defeat, just for the sake of it. Seems a desperately contrived nonetheless. The Doctor turns into voiceover man, stating his every intention for no clear reason. (And at no point do Ian or The Doctor express any concern at the disappearance of Susan and Barbara - wouldn't you be panicking?)The rest of the episode is excellent. The illustration of the Invasion is superb - cutting between two explanations and then into a thematic illustration outside the saucer (with the characters all entering just as their description starts). Brilliant, inventive direction. In fact, virtually the entire episode is directed effectively, only losing its footing in the battle at the end of the episode, which suddenly loses drama and coherence - its hard to tell what's going on. Do the bombs do anything? When David etc. duck, did the wall ripple, I wasn't sure. Were they fired on? It isn't clear.The character's seem based rather more in reality than last season. There's depth here, with the heroes being grumpy or bitter, or slightly barking, and not just the black and white stereotypes of the earlier stories. The performances are terrific.The cell test is both bollocks and clearly padding, but as with all of this story it's fun. In fact, a lot of this episode is padded, but its intelligently written, pacey and fun, so it hardly matters.This is right there with the Aztecs as the best stories so far, so the dvd releases are rather appropriate. This is all drama and conviction, pace, realism and grit. That's not to say these things are inherently better than say lightness (I love the Romans as much as the next man), just that after the slghtly relaxed style of season one, the slight air of children's show, this is turning into family drama. Not afraid to be thoughtful, or nasty.
Dorney
Just wanted to add - I sincerely hope that Daleks Masterplan 2 will be out before I get to it here!And I want the moon on a stick!
madame president
Your plan is an ambitous one. Dorney's Master Plan? Anyway, I've read your comments about each episode with interest and will continue to do so.
odoru tardis
Enjoying reading your reviews. Keep up the hard work.As much as I love Doctor Who, I can't imagine going throughthem all as quickly as you are, and reviewing them to boot.You'll have to speed it up though, if you want to finish in timefor the new series.
Ultimate Foe
I think I'm going to have to start watching DIOE again now! (last time was the UKGOLD day). I have the DVD (form Jan. Sales), but have yet to watch it.Keep it up...it gives me soemthing new and interesting to read everyday, and your views are enjoyable (maybe as for the stories I've seen, I agree with them)
Dorney
Thanks for that chaps! Much appreciated. You know, I wasn't sure if anyone was actually reading these at all - but now I've started I ain't stopping. Especially since I've got into the habit of doing what I'd wanted to do at the start - go over each and every single episode.OK, then, Dalek Invasion 3:This is a sort of filler episode. There's a temptation to say the word 'padding' again, but this is extremely well written 'padding', showing the way to fill in time effectively. If you watch the episode, very little actually happens - the bombs and the raid fail, and then everyone spends a bit of time getting away. Susan, The Doctor and Campbell spend the entire episode in someone's back garden, Barbara, Jenny and Dortmun run around London without obvious purpose.But, and this is the important part, it's all beautifully well written. The extra time is used to develop the world, show you how things work, deepen the characterisation - the burgeoning romance for Susan is truly believable. The shots of abandoned London and the random deaths all establish the reality of the situation. In deed, the realism is still the key factor here - its all about the bleak effects of domination and oppression, to a degree that is rarely done in Who. It's about fear (the scenes of running through London), horror (the offscreen screaming man's death is bleak beyond belief) despair (Jenny and Tyler's reactions to the whole situation are brilliantly real and human - they're not noble or heroic - they're people like you and me put in extraordinary circumstances). One of the most interesting moments occurs early on in the rebel base - in the background in one shot, we see one other rebel, unnamed, unreferenced, sat huddled in the floor, obviously half mad with despair. He's easy to miss, but rather a chilling detail. Especially since it's clear that everyone else is ignoring him as they know he can't be helped.Occasionally it goes a bit mad - Dortmun's death was always coming, but it seems rushed and a little dramatically pointless. Likewise the death of Baker - very casual and quick, unremarked elsewhere and serving no real dramatic purpose as he was going anyway. But of course, the lack of dramatic point is arguably exactly the point. This is the first real horror story in the show. Nation always compared the Daleks to the Nazis, and that's most true here. The random killing, meaningless and agonizing, reminds me of films like The Pianist. Obviously, its a slightly trite comparison, as this is entertainment drama, but it's grim and adult. Of course, this new, real brutality to the Daleks is totally at odds with their logic and seeming rationality of the first serial. This is the true beginning of the Daleks as they were to become. Nasty cold blooded killers, not just moving blasters, or henchmen. Shame it's a side so rarely seen later (and seeing as they feel little like the original Daleks in tone and action, and the attempts to reconcile this story with that fail miserably, its almost a shame that the two are connected at all. These are true monster in a way the original serial ones weren't.) The nastiness and sadism all add to the effect. This is no longer fun adventure fiction - this is adult drama.Also, the 'padding' has the same effect as some in Marco Polo - to give the real appearance of an epic. This is a story of scale, it takes place over time, over distance. The only slightly odd note in the episode is one brief moment. Ian hides in the spaceship. Daleks all around. He waits til it takes off - then decides to pop out of hiding? Why? He likes to take risks? On a dramatic level, it's purely to meet Larry and see the Robotised Craddock. But he's never given any good logical reason to leave. Hmm.But it hardly matters. God I love this story!edited to add:(incidentally, couple more thoughts - it's worth praising the location work. A very obvious point, it must be said, but it's one of the most memorable sequences in the series to date - for the first time ever, this is a threat to people and places we know. Saying the Daleks are in London is different to seeing them, in a creepy deserted Trafalgar Sq.And nice to see Pat Gorman as a slave! Haven't spotted him before in the show, apart from episode two, when I forgot to mention it - why exactly do the Daleks take exception to that girl in part two anyway? Cos she's the most photogenic? You can tell the Daleks don't read FHM.)
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 4:Precisely what has to happen to Ian before he loosens his tie, undoes his top button, and unbuttons his blazer? It’s fair enough wanting to look smart, but really. There's a time and a place for everything.I know everyone always goes on about the Slyther and the Saucer - yep, they're bad, but they're not a vast deal worse than any of the other effects seen to date - it's a testament to the strength and realism of the script that these seem to impact on this story rather more than the others.Its still an episode of marking time, in a way, but that's what this story is. It's about the journey, an epic, a quest if you like. Simple, everyday tasks become matters of life and death. Whilst Reign of Terror was a series of capture/escapes, and this is a series of obstacles, the difference is that there's a clear goal here. The travellers need to get to Bedfordshire - and in order to get there, they have to find a route, and suffer whatever obstacles they encounter. The reason the story works so well is that these obstacles appear realistic (I know I'm using that word a lot, but this is the first story that really exists in the same world we do - if anything, what with the enjoyable petty villainy of Forester in Planet of Giants to add to this, that's what this season seems to be aiming for - a more down to Earth feel). Jenny and Barbara have to pump up the truck wheels, Ian has to deal with the ugly face of the human factor in the form of Ashton the black marketeer. Only the breaking ladder that Susan steps onto, suspending her above loose alligators seems contrived, and out of keeping with the rest of the story's tone. Especially considering that it takes David a stupidly long time to come to her aid, leaving it, almost as if he knows Tyler's going to appear. And the fact that the alligators look like babies... Its important with quest/journey movies that the quest itself looks strenuous or complex or difficult (which is a problem I have with AI and Saving Private Ryan - the individual quests are solved too easily. Contrast also the novel of Cold Mountain with the film: Inman's journey in the novel is long, agonizing and painful - in the movie he ends up with one cut on his forehead, strolling along hands in pockets). Therefore, the journey in this story HAS to be long and strenuous, and at cost. The travellers have to cross half the country, against several different obstacles, in order to reach the objective.Ashton and Wells provide the centre of the episode in many ways, and illustrate the stories themes. Whilst this story is named after the Dalek's, it isn't really about them. It's about living under oppression, again dealing with World War II. Its about how people respond to this, for good and bad. Ashton exploits it for his own ends, and Wells is selfless. The story is essentially about human capacity for good and evil, if you like. About survival. It's a shame Ashton is disposed of as quickly as he is, and one can't help but think of Phillip Madoc's rather more memorable exit in the movie version.Thinking of the movie does rather contrast the difference between this tale and its Dalek predeccessor. The original doesn't seem to lose much in the translation - it gains pace at the expense of not much, really. The DIOE film is hugely entertaining, and again pacier than its tv equivalent - but loses the depth and horror, really. With no Jenny/Larry, there's no real bitterness - even Tyler becomes quite cuddly. (Though it has at least enough sense to realise that the grimness is the story - killing of Dortmun, the only time in either film any goody we've got to know well dies)Nice direction abounds - the framing of Jenny and Barbara's escape from behind Dortmun's corpse in particular. Ah, I love this. Favourite so far, easily. Even with the Slyther.(incidentally, how come every time I think I've got nothing to say about an episode I write a vast amount?)
madame president
You're making me really want to watch this story... Can I? Is this available in the US? I hope so!
Dorney
I believe the DVD has just come out there - the extras are good so far (only really done the info text - stunningly good for a seemingly simple extra), and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
madame president
I'm off in search of it then. This is one of those few stories people don't talk about much.
Dorney
A friend of mine, not a full on fan as such, and I were talking about my episode by episode journey. He liked the show, but has never really got any merchandise, or watched videos. He's decided to borrow the episodes when I've finished with them - today I have lent him the entire first series. I've asked him to email me his opinions on these stories too, on the basis that as someone outside of fan lore, but with an interest and knowledge of quality drama, his opinions on the stories will be worth hearing - he won't know that story x is supposed to be better than story y, will have no pre-knowledge of suprise monsters or regenerations, companions joining or leaving, etc. etc. so will hopefully have a fresh, unbiased interpretation of what's good and what isn't. I will post these answers in this thread in addition to mine.
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 5:Just managed to squeeze this one in today...It's more of the same, but I was trying to wonder why this story feels very different from the previous ones. And I think I may have done. This story has a cost, something at stake. Arguably, only the Aztecs has done that before.This struck me most with Larry. Up to this point in the series he does seem the only real good character to die (well, him and Dortmun, and Baker, but he crystalised this for me). Now, I'll have to qualify that. As far as I can recall, most of the deaths so far are bad guys - very rarely does a truly good guy die. The obvious exceptions are the Thals and the Second Elder (and Farrow I suppose). But the Thals never seem quite real - they're all slightly one note in characterisation, the noble one, the coward. We don't really get to know Farrow, so his death isn't a vast shock. DIOE is the first story were good likeable real people like you and me die after we take time to know them. And die in agony. (the Sensorite's death is quick, like Farrow - in deed, the death's are all but brushed aside, as if they aren't really there). Larry's death, machine-gunned by his brother, whilst strangling him back, is nasty. And tragic, too (the last word the dead Phil says is 'Larry'.) This script has an emotional cost for the viewer that we don't really get with stories before this. Up to now, it's been fun adventuring, and no-one really dies, not anyone important, or if they do they deserve it.To compare it once more to the original Dalek tale - this story seems to have a literal cost to the characters too, emotionally, physically, in a way that the journey into the city doesn't (and that has the faint air of contrivance - looters, oppurtunists, etc. seem logically derived from the setting in a way that chasm's and sea monsters aren't - they're more derived from Dan Dare stories, and cliche.) Watch Jenny's despair in the mine - it's believable and understandable. She isn't being a wimp, she is us. Also the death of Larry/Phil really does define the series. It's a reminder of the central evil, that the Doctor now seems to be determined to fight (the fact he can't enter the TARDIS is immaterial - it's ceased to be important. This is a man who fight's the villains now.)The Doctor states his beliefs here, quite clearly - he never kills unless his own life is threatened. The amount of people who complain about the 2 Drs and Shockeye's murder, when there's precious little difference. Of course, can't quite see why the Dr objects to the killing of a Roboman - it is after all well established that they are walking corpses, so it would be a mercy.Rather amazing that this grim, nasty tale can find the time for a believable and rather sweet romance. The fireside scene is lovely and unforced - I love David gently stroking Susan's hand, it's simple but true. And the Doctor clearly knows what's going on, which is equally sweet.Another fine moment of direction is when Ian sees Barbara in the mines. We only see the back of her head as she passes by, but she is unmistakeable. Again, subtle and unshowy.One minor niggle is the complete lack of tension in the two main fight's - the Slyther vs Ian, and the sewer scene. Obviously the difficulties of 1960s tv make it difficult to edit or control the camera as much as would be good, but these sequences could have done with some music to cover the awkwardness.I do see what they mean about Dalek's being boring communicators - the scenes with just them expositing the plot are very weak. It's ok for a while, but they are monotonous and you find yourself drifting. Shame their plan's seemingly barking. Let's hope they know a good reason to want to pilot Earth around the galaxy (yeah, we don't find out, but that doesn't mean they don't have one... er, yes...) Not quite clear why it had to be Earth, as Hartnell suggests.Fabulous cliffhanger - Ian trapped inside a bomb about to be dropped down a mine shaft. Well get out of that!Cannot wait til the final part.
Dorney
Eternal(1/18/04 4:55 pm)
Re: Day by Day
Oh, and a minor extra - everyone always wonders who or what the Waking Ally is - I dunno, but some thoughts:I think it could be Phil - he clearly knows who he is just at the moment of death. Not sure he could be described as an ally though...The Doctor returns at the beginning, could be him. Or possibly it means the Dalek that Barbara tricks (who seems to use his eyestick to indicate he's talking, rather than the lights - this leads to a wonderful bit where, after another blatant load of crap from Babs, his eyestick points straight up. It's clearly meant to suggestion he's in communion with his superiors, but to me it looks like he's rolling his eye up to heaven, and saying good grief).And finally - it really does beggar belief that Babs and Jenny stay with the mad old women who are clearly up to no good...
Dorney
Dalek Invasion 6:Bad stuff out of the way first - the defeat of the Daleks is slightly led by technobabble, frankly, but it at least seems quite logical. Not sure if they have saved the entire world, but it is implied that 'saucers', i.e: in the plural, have been caught in the explosion, so maybe they all popped back to watch the end! And it's very strange that the Robomen don't just attack the Daleks - they seem to turn back into humans - they're running along, gleefully battering the cases. Shouldn't they still be mindless zombies - albeit ones now working for the goodies.Really, that's about it for the bad stuff for - well, practically the entire serial. This episode abounds with lovely moments. Barbara gets to show her resourcefulness with her wonderful history speech, improvising and just generally being fab. Ian gets to defeat the Daleks (nice to see that his jacket is giving up with the strain, though I can't quite see why he doesn't use all the wood to block the bomb, just three rather measly planks. He succeeds, yes, but you can't help but feel he got lucky). Ian also gets the episodes funniest moment - his complete obliviousness to David/Susan's awkwardness, even when Barbara tries to subtly get him to go, before having to drag him away physically. Great. It's tempting however to think the best actor in the entire thing is one of the extras - just after the Robomen are instructed to attack the Daleks a whole load of slaves/robomen run into a corridor. First it's two Robomen. Keep an eye out for the guy who comes out right behind them - he's really going for it, it's hysterical!The episode does, however, really belong to Hartnell. Great performances, great lines, great characterisation. His instructions to David and Susan get amended with the beautiful line 'and don't go stopping to pick dasies', which he almost (but not quite, showing the master craftsmanship) throws away. Then his eccentricities, stopping mid invasion overthrow to stop Tyler calling him Doc. Then, the dramatic iconic figure as he stands waiting for the Dalek to close in on him. It has no real story purpose other than simply being a great shot, but damn it's a fabulous moment. This is the Doctor as icon, finally the character we've come to know writ large - the hero, good who defeats evil, with all the dramatics, wit and courage we've come to know.And of course, then we have the final scene. It's breathtakingly good, genuinely moving. I know a lot of people rave about the last scenes with Evelyn in Project: Lazarus, but for my money they're not even remotely moving. Sure, they're emotionally charged, but that's a different thing. The difference is the P:L wants to move you, whereas DIOE actually does. Compare and contrast - Evelyn screeching and wailing like a harpy - to Susan. From the moment she knows the Doctor's mind is set she does not say a word. Doesn't even react. Its more real (when traumatic personal events happen, in my experience, people don't run around wailing, it's always more shocked, frankly). Likewise Hartnell underplays the scene, allowing the moment to do its work. He doesn't oversell it - there's the faintest inkling of a tremor in his voice at the end of his speech as he says goodbye - but that's it. All the emotion is focused. We are moved because it is dignified, it is real, it is true.Of course, it is a bit odd to be sad that Susan's going - up to now she's been a bit annoying for the most part. Always getting hysterical seemingly instantaneously (I think the Velvet Web cliffhanger leaps to mind most clearly for that), seeming a bit stupid and childish, and always prone to act before thinking, only vaguely coming close to character in the first story and the Sensorites. All a bit odd for an alien time traveller, who you'd think would be harder to shock. But it's a testament to this story that she does seem to have grown up. The romance is believable and sweet, touchingly awkward (it's great that David can only ask her to stay when they're both pointedly not looking at each other). So farewell, Susan. It's an end of an era, a cliche, obviously, but true. You'll be missed, funny to say.All in all, probably my favourite story so far. Would have made the perfect finale if they'd had to stop at the end of the first recording block. Just brilliant, and thoroughly recommended.
Planet of Giants
Dorney
Well, season 2. Planet of Giants 1: I quite like the way that it only takes five minutes for the Doctor to figure out what's going on. The story doesn't try to stretch out a twist that's fairly obvious to the audience (who have twice the information, and the title to go on, so anyone who complains that the audience knows before the characters - of course they do!)I thought the music was weird - but in a good way. Melodramatic and odd. Suprised to see it's the first Dudley Simpson score. Very nice.It's easy to forget that Forrester's quite an unusual villain. Terribly normal. Everyone else in the show has grand universe controlling schemes, so the individual deaths are completely lightweight to them. Forrester in contrast is just a plain murderer. I'm not saying this as a criticism, it's a very interesting change from the norm. It's great to have a villain whose motivation is simply monetary greed.Rather an odd little story so far, but quite a nice opener. The focus on the crew alone for the first ten minutes or so helps us get to know them again. A low key way to start a season, but the breaks were shorter then, obviously.
Dorney
Planet of Giants 2:Still good fun - Forrester really is a cold bastard, and to my amazement it is possible to hear of a character called Smithers without immediate associations! (Incidentally, its tempting to view Smithers as a goody, at the very least a misguided one - but it's worth remembering that he is perfectly happy to be an accessory to murder)The cliffhanger resolution's a bit trite - they stand still and the cat goes away. Well that's all right then.Forgot to say last time that the back projection is really rather lovely. The close up of Farrow's dead face is possibly my favourite special effect to date. In deed, most of the larger than life stuff is very good - the ants and flies all looking effective, if never actually really real.Ian comes over a bit dim - he gets trapped in a matchbox, gets hurt, and then hides in a briefcase. And gets hurt. He berates himself for that, talks about making sure they hide behind rather than in things - then the next time he needs to hide, it's straight back to the briefcase. Idiot. (And then he wastes a lot of time with a plan to open the case that goes nowhere)And why keep the briefcase at all - ok, the report needs to get sent in, but you just take that out. Keeping the briefcase when you go off to dispose of the body is evidence!The stuff with Babs touching the poison is nicely done. It's done subtly and cleverly so that Ian doesn't notice, and her growing panic is rather nice. Yeah, sure, she keeps it to herself, but she doesn't want to worry anyone. Ahh. Can't help wonder why it kills the fly instantly, and not her.Could Susan and the Doctor really have climbed all that way? Ah, who cares, it's fun. Lovely cliffhanger, such a banal action translated into massive threat. Fab.
Dorney
Planet of Giants 3:A couple of lovely weird bits in this one - that bit of Ian and Barbara in the reprise isn't anywhere near what happens at the end of the last one is it? It's clearly just exposition.Another fun moment is at the end - when the Doctor's explaining to Ian what's happened to the seed he isn't even looking at him - he's clearly mugging for the camera.Overall, quite a nice episode, if a little rushed, for obvious reasons. The only major casualties of the cuts are that the TARDIS crew are suddenly very determined to defeat DN6, when they'd been fairly indifferent moments before - and there's also no real sense that they impact on the main storyline at all - it would have been good if Hilda and Bert had overheard something over the raised phone, for example - but as it is, they get suspicious independently. The travellers only impact is to get bits of metal in Forrester's eyes.Still, its extremely well done and you can't tell that its two episodes compressed at all.
Well, season 2. Planet of Giants 1: I quite like the way that it only takes five minutes for the Doctor to figure out what's going on. The story doesn't try to stretch out a twist that's fairly obvious to the audience (who have twice the information, and the title to go on, so anyone who complains that the audience knows before the characters - of course they do!)I thought the music was weird - but in a good way. Melodramatic and odd. Suprised to see it's the first Dudley Simpson score. Very nice.It's easy to forget that Forrester's quite an unusual villain. Terribly normal. Everyone else in the show has grand universe controlling schemes, so the individual deaths are completely lightweight to them. Forrester in contrast is just a plain murderer. I'm not saying this as a criticism, it's a very interesting change from the norm. It's great to have a villain whose motivation is simply monetary greed.Rather an odd little story so far, but quite a nice opener. The focus on the crew alone for the first ten minutes or so helps us get to know them again. A low key way to start a season, but the breaks were shorter then, obviously.
Dorney
Planet of Giants 2:Still good fun - Forrester really is a cold bastard, and to my amazement it is possible to hear of a character called Smithers without immediate associations! (Incidentally, its tempting to view Smithers as a goody, at the very least a misguided one - but it's worth remembering that he is perfectly happy to be an accessory to murder)The cliffhanger resolution's a bit trite - they stand still and the cat goes away. Well that's all right then.Forgot to say last time that the back projection is really rather lovely. The close up of Farrow's dead face is possibly my favourite special effect to date. In deed, most of the larger than life stuff is very good - the ants and flies all looking effective, if never actually really real.Ian comes over a bit dim - he gets trapped in a matchbox, gets hurt, and then hides in a briefcase. And gets hurt. He berates himself for that, talks about making sure they hide behind rather than in things - then the next time he needs to hide, it's straight back to the briefcase. Idiot. (And then he wastes a lot of time with a plan to open the case that goes nowhere)And why keep the briefcase at all - ok, the report needs to get sent in, but you just take that out. Keeping the briefcase when you go off to dispose of the body is evidence!The stuff with Babs touching the poison is nicely done. It's done subtly and cleverly so that Ian doesn't notice, and her growing panic is rather nice. Yeah, sure, she keeps it to herself, but she doesn't want to worry anyone. Ahh. Can't help wonder why it kills the fly instantly, and not her.Could Susan and the Doctor really have climbed all that way? Ah, who cares, it's fun. Lovely cliffhanger, such a banal action translated into massive threat. Fab.
Dorney
Planet of Giants 3:A couple of lovely weird bits in this one - that bit of Ian and Barbara in the reprise isn't anywhere near what happens at the end of the last one is it? It's clearly just exposition.Another fun moment is at the end - when the Doctor's explaining to Ian what's happened to the seed he isn't even looking at him - he's clearly mugging for the camera.Overall, quite a nice episode, if a little rushed, for obvious reasons. The only major casualties of the cuts are that the TARDIS crew are suddenly very determined to defeat DN6, when they'd been fairly indifferent moments before - and there's also no real sense that they impact on the main storyline at all - it would have been good if Hilda and Bert had overheard something over the raised phone, for example - but as it is, they get suspicious independently. The travellers only impact is to get bits of metal in Forrester's eyes.Still, its extremely well done and you can't tell that its two episodes compressed at all.
Reign of Terror
Dorney
Reign of Terror 1 -First thoughts - worth noting that there isn't a defined TARDIS landing noise yet. Thinking back, we've only seen the TARDIS land once, on Marinus (maybe at the end of Unearthly Child too, can't remember). And that's from a distance so the lack of a materialisation noise isn't as noticeable as it is here. Have to see how long it is before the noise turns up (it has been there for take-off, just not arrival).Generally, a good episode. Sort of like a one-part set up in feel. The story seems to be heading somewhere different at the cliffhanger (which is terrific and is after the Daleks 1, the second great cliffhanger to appear in the show - pretty much the first traditional 'Perils of Pauline' style cliffhanger. The others have tended to be dramatic statements or highs rather than actual 'How do they get out of that' moments).There's a nice signalling of the way the story is going with the two aristocrats. Everything seems like they're going to be main characters, and then they get shot casually and without ceremony. Nasty and quite shocking.The video and sound quality is noticeably worse than the rest of the season, but hey, at least we have it.
deedee26m
I applaud anyone who attempts to watch the show in this way. Only my earnest post-modernism (in actuality a disguise for having an almost non-existant video collection) prevents me from doing so also.
Dorney
Why thanks very much - doing it is hardly an original idea on my part, but it certainly puts a new spin on the series.Reign 2 - Pure space filler. There's no real idea if there's going to be an actual plot yet, as opposed to a series of scenes set within revolutionary France with no real linking thread.However, whilst little in this episode seems to progress the plot (my hazy recollections indicate the Ian stuff is the only really relevant material) the padding is much more nicely done than in, say, the Sensorites or the Daleks. It's all for character - the Hartnell material is lovely. He's terribly sweet and lovable in the early scenes, and has a real air of wit and intelligence with the road workers. Really turning into the more traditional Doctor figure now, becoming the main character properly.The absence of Ian is a little awkward at first, though the filmed inserts balance this out a little after a while. And it does benefit Barbara greatly, as she gets to show she's an intelligent and resourceful woman in her own right. Shame Susan's still rather wet.The last cliffhanger has a strange resolution - that's one strong kid - but the new one, with Babs and Susan on the way to execution is cool. (And why is everyone so English on practically every word, but go for the more French version of Guilottine?)
Dorney
Oh, a few more thoughts I meant to add. There's a suprising lot of continuity and exposition in these two episodes ('you thought we were home once, and then we met Marco Polo' 'this reminds me of when we trapped in the stone age'). It seems a little contrived, to be honest, and like the recap in Sensorites, completely unneccesary. The individual tales no longer feel so much like part of one long adventure like for the first three/four stories, so it sticks out horribly.Considering that the Jailer is widely regarded as the first comic character in Who, he's remarkably unfunny in part two. Not even the faint whiff of being conceived as funny. Maybe the reputation's down to the next few episodes.And the first ever location shot is a little odd - you can't really see why they'd go to the expense. They're shot in a different tone to the rest of the story. Calm and relaxed. Does the Dr want to save his friends or is he just having an afternoon stroll?
Stahlman
I might enjoy Reign of Terror more if it weren't for the horrible version of the Marseillaise which pops up now and then in the incidental music. Where have I heard that exact same theme before? That's right, Carry On Don't Lose Your Head - now there's a way to increase the dramatic tension of the story...
Dorney
Reign 3:Well, still no sign of a specific plot (It's just one long capture/escape), but it's nicely performed and written so it's no big deal. Very enjoyable.The Jailer has one amusing line in the episode, his description of Ian's escape - but this still ain't enough for his reputation as a comic character. If one funny line was all it took, we've got plenty. In deed, the situation is funnier - the Doctor outthinking and manipulating everyone, really becoming the hero and more pro-active than before. (And does the Tailor really deserve his slot on the video cover?)The violence is - well, not exactly disturbing as this is a kids show from 40 years ago, but it is slightly brutal: the large handguns being fired at humans (rather than the broadly fantastical violence we've had so far) is closer to home and seems faintly nastier. Does show how dark the show could be in its early years.And can you dislike a story with Mr Meaker in it? He seems initially slightly creepy when chatting to Barbara, but charms up a bit as the episode progresses.
Dorney
Reign 4 - Well not much to say, really. Still very little plot, still just a series of capture/escapes, jailer still not noticeably funny (I'm sorry, but received fan opinion on this matter is just wrong - he is not a comic character at all, not even remotely) but still intelligently written so that this matters not one iota, and you still enjoy the story.This one's audio only, and suprisingly easy to understand for all that. The only moment that was tough was when someone gets clumped over the head, but logic dictated it had to be Ian, as it eventually was.The Robspierre scene is lovely, with the Doctor outthinking everyone else, manipulating everyone and being the smartest one there. He's no longer turning into the witty, intelligent hero - he is that hero totally!
Dorney
Reign 5: I seem to be banging on about this, but this story has no plot at all! It's still just a lot of escape/capture routines, and I slightly wish it was going somewhere. The general wisdom suggests its about Robspierre, and the James Stirling stuff, but it ain't. The former is barely featured, and so far hasn't really impacted on the TARDIS crew. And the Stirling stuff seems contrived. Beginning to get a bit tired of it now, it's going round in circles.Having said that, there's some nice stuff in here. Leon isn't presented as a villain proper, more of a different opinion. It's made abundantly clear that this isn't about goodies and baddies - the Doctors apparent betrayal at the end doesn't seem so outrageous in context. The scene with Barbara and Ian arguing is fab, and I can only wish that it still existed on screen. It's every bit as dramatic as the big speeches in the Aztecs, and because its between Ian and Barbara who've always been close, it has huge emotional weight. Indeed it says a hell of a lot about her developing feelings for Leon, without having to spell it out - always a good sign. The apologies later are heartfelt and touching, and the theme of the story seems to be the lack of black and white in motivation - which is such a rarity for Who.Very good cliffhanger too.
deedee26m
i haven't seen/heard this episode/story.... what is it about Ian and Barbara's argument that is so moving? Are they arguing about if they'll ever get home or...??(liked the notes you made about continuity in episode one - and i always thought they handled that sort of thing with consumate ease in the old days!)
Dorney
Nah, it's worse than that.Babs had sort of fallen a little for this bloke Leon, played by Mr Meaker from Rentaghost (and later on the War Lord/Chief whichever one isn't Phillip Madoc). He turns out to be the traitor in the ranks of the escape chain. Jules shoots him when he discovers this and rescues Ian.The argument is about whether one side is right or wrong. Barbara gets quite shirty that Ian seems to be taking sides, when he says Leon deserved it. She shouts at him to check his history books - there's a bit more to it than that, but it really is quite a moment.It does make the stories main point - about the complexity of good/evil, and how its related to our perspective. Leon is genuinely well written and you can see his point. The only thing that makes him a true villain in story terms is his methods.
Dorney
Reign 6:Er... It seems to have turned into a totally different story. The focus and narrative shift into a completely different area, and it seems to want to squeeze a hell of a lot of story into one episode. Very very rushed indeed.It's all a bit weird - the moment Lemaitre reveals himself as Stirling he loses all acting ability. Watch him through this episode, it's an incredibly bland and lifeless, heartless performance. Plus the fact that there's no twist on the cliffhanger - the Doctor genuinely did betray the others, admittedly with the proviso of no guards, but it's close enough.Oddest yet - apart from Ian's silly hat and comedy accent - is the amount of weight given to Barrass and Napoleon. Two characters we have not met before. It makes the story hugely unbalanced, and we should have had an appearance from one of them earlier (Barrass most easily). The stories entire aim and direction shifts, and it even doesn't really feel like its about the TARDIS crew. It's Lemaitre as the Pimpernel if anything, with them as guest stars in his show.The last shot of the starscape is nice, if a bit tacked on because it's the end of the season. But it's pleasant enough.Thoughts on it all so far? It's a very good opening year. Marinus is probably the weakest story. The most noticeable feel is that a lot of the stories don't really fit their length well. The Daleks, The Sensorites and Reign of Terror would all have been more effective shorter (the oft repeated truism that the Dalek film doesn't seem to lose any plot at all, but remains half the length is noticeable). Marco Polo might have been too, but the material is very well written there and the padding less obvious, and besides, the vague, rambling nature of the story is quite appropriate. So it is something of a relief that there are only three stories longer than 4 episodes over the next couple of years. It really does feel a better format for the show.I'm thinking of taking a day off to mark the end of the season. Might not, but probably will. So see y'all soon.
Reign of Terror 1 -First thoughts - worth noting that there isn't a defined TARDIS landing noise yet. Thinking back, we've only seen the TARDIS land once, on Marinus (maybe at the end of Unearthly Child too, can't remember). And that's from a distance so the lack of a materialisation noise isn't as noticeable as it is here. Have to see how long it is before the noise turns up (it has been there for take-off, just not arrival).Generally, a good episode. Sort of like a one-part set up in feel. The story seems to be heading somewhere different at the cliffhanger (which is terrific and is after the Daleks 1, the second great cliffhanger to appear in the show - pretty much the first traditional 'Perils of Pauline' style cliffhanger. The others have tended to be dramatic statements or highs rather than actual 'How do they get out of that' moments).There's a nice signalling of the way the story is going with the two aristocrats. Everything seems like they're going to be main characters, and then they get shot casually and without ceremony. Nasty and quite shocking.The video and sound quality is noticeably worse than the rest of the season, but hey, at least we have it.
deedee26m
I applaud anyone who attempts to watch the show in this way. Only my earnest post-modernism (in actuality a disguise for having an almost non-existant video collection) prevents me from doing so also.
Dorney
Why thanks very much - doing it is hardly an original idea on my part, but it certainly puts a new spin on the series.Reign 2 - Pure space filler. There's no real idea if there's going to be an actual plot yet, as opposed to a series of scenes set within revolutionary France with no real linking thread.However, whilst little in this episode seems to progress the plot (my hazy recollections indicate the Ian stuff is the only really relevant material) the padding is much more nicely done than in, say, the Sensorites or the Daleks. It's all for character - the Hartnell material is lovely. He's terribly sweet and lovable in the early scenes, and has a real air of wit and intelligence with the road workers. Really turning into the more traditional Doctor figure now, becoming the main character properly.The absence of Ian is a little awkward at first, though the filmed inserts balance this out a little after a while. And it does benefit Barbara greatly, as she gets to show she's an intelligent and resourceful woman in her own right. Shame Susan's still rather wet.The last cliffhanger has a strange resolution - that's one strong kid - but the new one, with Babs and Susan on the way to execution is cool. (And why is everyone so English on practically every word, but go for the more French version of Guilottine?)
Dorney
Oh, a few more thoughts I meant to add. There's a suprising lot of continuity and exposition in these two episodes ('you thought we were home once, and then we met Marco Polo' 'this reminds me of when we trapped in the stone age'). It seems a little contrived, to be honest, and like the recap in Sensorites, completely unneccesary. The individual tales no longer feel so much like part of one long adventure like for the first three/four stories, so it sticks out horribly.Considering that the Jailer is widely regarded as the first comic character in Who, he's remarkably unfunny in part two. Not even the faint whiff of being conceived as funny. Maybe the reputation's down to the next few episodes.And the first ever location shot is a little odd - you can't really see why they'd go to the expense. They're shot in a different tone to the rest of the story. Calm and relaxed. Does the Dr want to save his friends or is he just having an afternoon stroll?
Stahlman
I might enjoy Reign of Terror more if it weren't for the horrible version of the Marseillaise which pops up now and then in the incidental music. Where have I heard that exact same theme before? That's right, Carry On Don't Lose Your Head - now there's a way to increase the dramatic tension of the story...
Dorney
Reign 3:Well, still no sign of a specific plot (It's just one long capture/escape), but it's nicely performed and written so it's no big deal. Very enjoyable.The Jailer has one amusing line in the episode, his description of Ian's escape - but this still ain't enough for his reputation as a comic character. If one funny line was all it took, we've got plenty. In deed, the situation is funnier - the Doctor outthinking and manipulating everyone, really becoming the hero and more pro-active than before. (And does the Tailor really deserve his slot on the video cover?)The violence is - well, not exactly disturbing as this is a kids show from 40 years ago, but it is slightly brutal: the large handguns being fired at humans (rather than the broadly fantastical violence we've had so far) is closer to home and seems faintly nastier. Does show how dark the show could be in its early years.And can you dislike a story with Mr Meaker in it? He seems initially slightly creepy when chatting to Barbara, but charms up a bit as the episode progresses.
Dorney
Reign 4 - Well not much to say, really. Still very little plot, still just a series of capture/escapes, jailer still not noticeably funny (I'm sorry, but received fan opinion on this matter is just wrong - he is not a comic character at all, not even remotely) but still intelligently written so that this matters not one iota, and you still enjoy the story.This one's audio only, and suprisingly easy to understand for all that. The only moment that was tough was when someone gets clumped over the head, but logic dictated it had to be Ian, as it eventually was.The Robspierre scene is lovely, with the Doctor outthinking everyone else, manipulating everyone and being the smartest one there. He's no longer turning into the witty, intelligent hero - he is that hero totally!
Dorney
Reign 5: I seem to be banging on about this, but this story has no plot at all! It's still just a lot of escape/capture routines, and I slightly wish it was going somewhere. The general wisdom suggests its about Robspierre, and the James Stirling stuff, but it ain't. The former is barely featured, and so far hasn't really impacted on the TARDIS crew. And the Stirling stuff seems contrived. Beginning to get a bit tired of it now, it's going round in circles.Having said that, there's some nice stuff in here. Leon isn't presented as a villain proper, more of a different opinion. It's made abundantly clear that this isn't about goodies and baddies - the Doctors apparent betrayal at the end doesn't seem so outrageous in context. The scene with Barbara and Ian arguing is fab, and I can only wish that it still existed on screen. It's every bit as dramatic as the big speeches in the Aztecs, and because its between Ian and Barbara who've always been close, it has huge emotional weight. Indeed it says a hell of a lot about her developing feelings for Leon, without having to spell it out - always a good sign. The apologies later are heartfelt and touching, and the theme of the story seems to be the lack of black and white in motivation - which is such a rarity for Who.Very good cliffhanger too.
deedee26m
i haven't seen/heard this episode/story.... what is it about Ian and Barbara's argument that is so moving? Are they arguing about if they'll ever get home or...??(liked the notes you made about continuity in episode one - and i always thought they handled that sort of thing with consumate ease in the old days!)
Dorney
Nah, it's worse than that.Babs had sort of fallen a little for this bloke Leon, played by Mr Meaker from Rentaghost (and later on the War Lord/Chief whichever one isn't Phillip Madoc). He turns out to be the traitor in the ranks of the escape chain. Jules shoots him when he discovers this and rescues Ian.The argument is about whether one side is right or wrong. Barbara gets quite shirty that Ian seems to be taking sides, when he says Leon deserved it. She shouts at him to check his history books - there's a bit more to it than that, but it really is quite a moment.It does make the stories main point - about the complexity of good/evil, and how its related to our perspective. Leon is genuinely well written and you can see his point. The only thing that makes him a true villain in story terms is his methods.
Dorney
Reign 6:Er... It seems to have turned into a totally different story. The focus and narrative shift into a completely different area, and it seems to want to squeeze a hell of a lot of story into one episode. Very very rushed indeed.It's all a bit weird - the moment Lemaitre reveals himself as Stirling he loses all acting ability. Watch him through this episode, it's an incredibly bland and lifeless, heartless performance. Plus the fact that there's no twist on the cliffhanger - the Doctor genuinely did betray the others, admittedly with the proviso of no guards, but it's close enough.Oddest yet - apart from Ian's silly hat and comedy accent - is the amount of weight given to Barrass and Napoleon. Two characters we have not met before. It makes the story hugely unbalanced, and we should have had an appearance from one of them earlier (Barrass most easily). The stories entire aim and direction shifts, and it even doesn't really feel like its about the TARDIS crew. It's Lemaitre as the Pimpernel if anything, with them as guest stars in his show.The last shot of the starscape is nice, if a bit tacked on because it's the end of the season. But it's pleasant enough.Thoughts on it all so far? It's a very good opening year. Marinus is probably the weakest story. The most noticeable feel is that a lot of the stories don't really fit their length well. The Daleks, The Sensorites and Reign of Terror would all have been more effective shorter (the oft repeated truism that the Dalek film doesn't seem to lose any plot at all, but remains half the length is noticeable). Marco Polo might have been too, but the material is very well written there and the padding less obvious, and besides, the vague, rambling nature of the story is quite appropriate. So it is something of a relief that there are only three stories longer than 4 episodes over the next couple of years. It really does feel a better format for the show.I'm thinking of taking a day off to mark the end of the season. Might not, but probably will. So see y'all soon.
Keys of Marinus - The Sensorites
Dorney
Started Keys of Marinus last night. It's quite fun so far, if a little oddly staged and directed. It does seem Terry Nation is trying to recreate the success of the Daleks episode 1, with a long drawn out opening with little happening, a mysterious city, and slow menace, but does lose it a little when the story dictates it has to rush to an end.And it's interesting to see the non-altruistic nature of the TARDIS crew, flatly refusing to help when asked. It's not been as obvious so far (this is the first time they're asked to be heroic).
Dorney
Well, had the Velvet Web tonight. Quite interesting, and it's bizarre they didn't try to build a plot around the premise. Some of the alternative view stuff, altered perspective stuff is great. But it's all a bit rushed in one episode. And they all seem to forget about the Key to wallow in luxury!
Dorney
Well I fell a bit behind over XMas, what with various other things wanting my time, so I'm about four episodes behind (up to the Warriors of Death: Aztecs 2)The Screaming Jungle struck me very much as an episode that would work brilliantly if it had been wiped. The cheapness of the set, the dodgy direction of it all would be unnoticeable if all we had to go on was a soundtrack. It's a shame, as the speeded up forest is probably the nicest concept of the Marinus stories.The Snows of Terror is the only one of the stories that seems to fit one episode well - mainly because it doesn't seem to have an idea what it's about. No actual concept, or premise. It's they land in a snowy landscape. That's it. No real twists, no real idea. Not really about anything.The last two, Sentence of Death and Keys of Marinus are both entertaining enough. It's odd how the absence of the Doctor for two episodes doesn't really matter and shows how much of an ensemble show it is. Shame the whodunnit is made as easy as it is - it's solved in ten minutes. And why reveal who the villain is straight away, when it's played as a big suprise in the second half (why does he come to pick up the key wearing a bag on his head - surely that makes him look more suspicious? It's as if he expects someone to come and capture him and he wants them to have a nice dramatic moment).The stuff with Yartek is all very rushed, and Sabetha in Altos are suddenly in love (they've shown sod all inclination to romance in the previous four episodes).The Aztecs so far is sublime, of course. Doesn't quite feel like the same series as the rest of the stories though, which is odd. The DVD vidfiring adds to this feeling a bit - not that that's a bad thing. Probably the first story to have a really solid dramatic core - possibly excepting Unearthly Child and Edge of Destruction.
Dorney
Finished the Aztecs, and loved it as much as ever. Still feels like another series. And the shortness seems a bit of a shock after having had practically nothing but sprawling epics. Nice to see a taut script for once, probably the first time.Sensorites 1 doesn't work that well by being seen right next to it. It's pleasant enough, and quite tense at moments, but the writing is clearly weaker than the previous story - lots of padding and rather weird exposition (both combined in the odd initial scene with the 'story so far' recap). Seen on it's own it probably works better - but the padding would still be obvious.Strange and eerie cliffhanger though.
Alzarian
Congrats on your epic quest. My own random thoughts having read your posts...1-4. The first episode is still pretty cool, and the use of flashbacks gives this episode a totally different feel from the rest. And I suppose I'm more forgiving, but I find the next three episodes to be enjoyable, becuase it further develops the cast.5-11. The first appearance of the Daleks is handled rather well. They really are a magnificent creation, though I would in time grow rather weary of their monotic voices. Nonetheless, in this story they are fresh, and I really adore the costume design. Plus the hints of a romance for Barbara...12-13. The scene in "The Brink of Disaster" when Barbara lectures the Doctor is extremely powerful coming after the first twelve episodes. I much prefer this sort of continuity, that is, character development.14-20. I still haven't experienced the Marco Polo episodes in any format, except for having read the Target novelization long ago. I've yet to get the audio, and will, but must admit that there is a part of me that likes it remaining a mystery. Guess I'm wondering if it could live up to the epic adventure in my mind. I must say that I love the fact that this story breaks convention, (if that is possible so early in the series), by spanning a period of several months, as the crew travels by land. Very refreshing choice from the usual adventure in one or two days.21-26. The Keys of Marinus sequence is rather cool in my personal opinion, but then i like the idea of a quest, and the changing locales every episode gives this a bit more of an epic feel than most stories. The 2nd episode has the best bug-eyed moster yet. This story is really a collection of mini-adventures, almost a short story collection, and I appreciate the change in style as an experiment. Plus, how nice to see that Earth isn't the only planet with variety.27-30. Barbara is truly a goddess, and this show would have been nothing without the combined talents of William Russell, but especially Jacqueline Hill. The only sadness I get out of watching the early serials, is the realization that the balanced ensemble piece would eventually become a starring vehicle for one lead actor, with "companions". Back in this time, all roles were fairly well balanced.
Dorney
Very good points - the romance in the Daleks is so ignored (perhaps because fans want her to be with Ian). Very subtle and sweet.And there is definitely the feeling of a true ensemble show. The fact that the Dr doesn't feature at all in two episodes reemphasise this.The ongoing saga thing worked very well initially, with the first three really working as a unit, a journey. Basically a thirteen episode story (you never realise how much backstory is saved til the Daleks, what with the food machine turning up). Barbaras continuity gush in Edge seems perfectly justified in this context - it's still one big story, links going from tale to tale. By the time of Sensorites it isn't seeming the same. The lack of a solid, obvious link between Marco Polo, Marinus and the Aztecs loses continuity. The update at the beginning of Sensorites seem to be lip service.
Dorney
Up to episode three of the Sensorites.The second part is quite nice - ok, padded as hell, with Ian and Barbara searching for the Sensorites for no clear purpose (the moment they find them they run away). But it's quite tense and claustrophobic.One thing very noticeable so far are the weak resolutions to cliffhangers. Both are quite good, but seem arbitrary. At the end of part one, the Sensorites have a dramatic arrival - and then their presence is ignored for ten minutes or so (longer in real time) as the cast carry on the thread of the plot that the cliffhanger interrupted. Episode two's resolution is similar - Susan's acquiescence is desposed of so quickly and offhandedly it's untrue.You do really get the feeling the story was written first, the cliffhangers added in at the correct point at a later date.The move to the Sense-sphere is a jolt. There's real claustrophobia to the initial episodes, and it's bound to dissipate. Generally it's all okay. Nothing too exciting, but pleasant and interesting enough. It's probably best viewed in its first series context, as the show hasn't totally become an action adventure series yet - this is a slow thoughtful piece, that's more about ideas than actual plot. Rather atypical, and quite grown up in its treatment of aliens.The masks ain't bad either - for the time, they're quite convincing.
Dorney
Episode four. Still ambling along pleasantly enough.It's quite nice as an attempt at an alien culture. Too often in the show the aliens are all one note - defined by one characteristic. They're all either good or evil, the Daleks are fascists, the Sontarans warriors, the Draconians nobles, etc. The Sensorites are as varied as humanity. Anyone who complains that they aren't very alien is missing the point. They're a race of individuals, which is rather cool.And the criticism of the sash swapping seems out of place to me too. It's explicitly discussed in the show, and the Administrator only tries it on with the general populace who won't know them that well.Speaking of the administrator - Poor old Peter Glaze gets to play the chief villain and is only ever referred to as 'Fourth' Sensorite in the end credits! Despite his character having a proper name.
Dorney
Just finished the Sensorites - I'm an episode behind, so I'll pop on Reign later today.Thoughts on the last two - another couple of rather trite cliffhanger resolutions (the whole kidnap subplot goes nowhere at all, it lasts about five minutes).Interesting how John becomes a bland and badly acted cypher the moment his mind comes back. Dartnell has nothing but strange line deliveries...The famous 'I heard them over... over... talking' fluff is my favourite so far. If Hartnell or anyone else does them, they usually cover with a degree of conviction. (Going straight onto the correct line as if nothing's happened, or just pretending you said what you meant to say even if it's gibberish). However, in this one you can see him panic as he hasn't the faintest idea how to get out. Wonderful.John Bailey is rather brilliant as the lead human - shame that the other two humans are acting like the Tribe of Gum whilst he's acting like a school prefect. The ending is rather rushed though - the Administrator is foiled off camera, John and Carol depart off camera, we don't find out whether there was a monster, and if not what made the sound...Slightly barking cliffhanger too, with the Doctor completely over-reacting.General thoughts - rather nice. Not terribly exciting and never going to be the best story in the world - but the padding is no worse than 'The Daleks' and it's very different. Absolutely MUST be watched in episodes rather than a whole. Watch it for two hours solid, your mind will open and drive you mad too.
Started Keys of Marinus last night. It's quite fun so far, if a little oddly staged and directed. It does seem Terry Nation is trying to recreate the success of the Daleks episode 1, with a long drawn out opening with little happening, a mysterious city, and slow menace, but does lose it a little when the story dictates it has to rush to an end.And it's interesting to see the non-altruistic nature of the TARDIS crew, flatly refusing to help when asked. It's not been as obvious so far (this is the first time they're asked to be heroic).
Dorney
Well, had the Velvet Web tonight. Quite interesting, and it's bizarre they didn't try to build a plot around the premise. Some of the alternative view stuff, altered perspective stuff is great. But it's all a bit rushed in one episode. And they all seem to forget about the Key to wallow in luxury!
Dorney
Well I fell a bit behind over XMas, what with various other things wanting my time, so I'm about four episodes behind (up to the Warriors of Death: Aztecs 2)The Screaming Jungle struck me very much as an episode that would work brilliantly if it had been wiped. The cheapness of the set, the dodgy direction of it all would be unnoticeable if all we had to go on was a soundtrack. It's a shame, as the speeded up forest is probably the nicest concept of the Marinus stories.The Snows of Terror is the only one of the stories that seems to fit one episode well - mainly because it doesn't seem to have an idea what it's about. No actual concept, or premise. It's they land in a snowy landscape. That's it. No real twists, no real idea. Not really about anything.The last two, Sentence of Death and Keys of Marinus are both entertaining enough. It's odd how the absence of the Doctor for two episodes doesn't really matter and shows how much of an ensemble show it is. Shame the whodunnit is made as easy as it is - it's solved in ten minutes. And why reveal who the villain is straight away, when it's played as a big suprise in the second half (why does he come to pick up the key wearing a bag on his head - surely that makes him look more suspicious? It's as if he expects someone to come and capture him and he wants them to have a nice dramatic moment).The stuff with Yartek is all very rushed, and Sabetha in Altos are suddenly in love (they've shown sod all inclination to romance in the previous four episodes).The Aztecs so far is sublime, of course. Doesn't quite feel like the same series as the rest of the stories though, which is odd. The DVD vidfiring adds to this feeling a bit - not that that's a bad thing. Probably the first story to have a really solid dramatic core - possibly excepting Unearthly Child and Edge of Destruction.
Dorney
Finished the Aztecs, and loved it as much as ever. Still feels like another series. And the shortness seems a bit of a shock after having had practically nothing but sprawling epics. Nice to see a taut script for once, probably the first time.Sensorites 1 doesn't work that well by being seen right next to it. It's pleasant enough, and quite tense at moments, but the writing is clearly weaker than the previous story - lots of padding and rather weird exposition (both combined in the odd initial scene with the 'story so far' recap). Seen on it's own it probably works better - but the padding would still be obvious.Strange and eerie cliffhanger though.
Alzarian
Congrats on your epic quest. My own random thoughts having read your posts...1-4. The first episode is still pretty cool, and the use of flashbacks gives this episode a totally different feel from the rest. And I suppose I'm more forgiving, but I find the next three episodes to be enjoyable, becuase it further develops the cast.5-11. The first appearance of the Daleks is handled rather well. They really are a magnificent creation, though I would in time grow rather weary of their monotic voices. Nonetheless, in this story they are fresh, and I really adore the costume design. Plus the hints of a romance for Barbara...12-13. The scene in "The Brink of Disaster" when Barbara lectures the Doctor is extremely powerful coming after the first twelve episodes. I much prefer this sort of continuity, that is, character development.14-20. I still haven't experienced the Marco Polo episodes in any format, except for having read the Target novelization long ago. I've yet to get the audio, and will, but must admit that there is a part of me that likes it remaining a mystery. Guess I'm wondering if it could live up to the epic adventure in my mind. I must say that I love the fact that this story breaks convention, (if that is possible so early in the series), by spanning a period of several months, as the crew travels by land. Very refreshing choice from the usual adventure in one or two days.21-26. The Keys of Marinus sequence is rather cool in my personal opinion, but then i like the idea of a quest, and the changing locales every episode gives this a bit more of an epic feel than most stories. The 2nd episode has the best bug-eyed moster yet. This story is really a collection of mini-adventures, almost a short story collection, and I appreciate the change in style as an experiment. Plus, how nice to see that Earth isn't the only planet with variety.27-30. Barbara is truly a goddess, and this show would have been nothing without the combined talents of William Russell, but especially Jacqueline Hill. The only sadness I get out of watching the early serials, is the realization that the balanced ensemble piece would eventually become a starring vehicle for one lead actor, with "companions". Back in this time, all roles were fairly well balanced.
Dorney
Very good points - the romance in the Daleks is so ignored (perhaps because fans want her to be with Ian). Very subtle and sweet.And there is definitely the feeling of a true ensemble show. The fact that the Dr doesn't feature at all in two episodes reemphasise this.The ongoing saga thing worked very well initially, with the first three really working as a unit, a journey. Basically a thirteen episode story (you never realise how much backstory is saved til the Daleks, what with the food machine turning up). Barbaras continuity gush in Edge seems perfectly justified in this context - it's still one big story, links going from tale to tale. By the time of Sensorites it isn't seeming the same. The lack of a solid, obvious link between Marco Polo, Marinus and the Aztecs loses continuity. The update at the beginning of Sensorites seem to be lip service.
Dorney
Up to episode three of the Sensorites.The second part is quite nice - ok, padded as hell, with Ian and Barbara searching for the Sensorites for no clear purpose (the moment they find them they run away). But it's quite tense and claustrophobic.One thing very noticeable so far are the weak resolutions to cliffhangers. Both are quite good, but seem arbitrary. At the end of part one, the Sensorites have a dramatic arrival - and then their presence is ignored for ten minutes or so (longer in real time) as the cast carry on the thread of the plot that the cliffhanger interrupted. Episode two's resolution is similar - Susan's acquiescence is desposed of so quickly and offhandedly it's untrue.You do really get the feeling the story was written first, the cliffhangers added in at the correct point at a later date.The move to the Sense-sphere is a jolt. There's real claustrophobia to the initial episodes, and it's bound to dissipate. Generally it's all okay. Nothing too exciting, but pleasant and interesting enough. It's probably best viewed in its first series context, as the show hasn't totally become an action adventure series yet - this is a slow thoughtful piece, that's more about ideas than actual plot. Rather atypical, and quite grown up in its treatment of aliens.The masks ain't bad either - for the time, they're quite convincing.
Dorney
Episode four. Still ambling along pleasantly enough.It's quite nice as an attempt at an alien culture. Too often in the show the aliens are all one note - defined by one characteristic. They're all either good or evil, the Daleks are fascists, the Sontarans warriors, the Draconians nobles, etc. The Sensorites are as varied as humanity. Anyone who complains that they aren't very alien is missing the point. They're a race of individuals, which is rather cool.And the criticism of the sash swapping seems out of place to me too. It's explicitly discussed in the show, and the Administrator only tries it on with the general populace who won't know them that well.Speaking of the administrator - Poor old Peter Glaze gets to play the chief villain and is only ever referred to as 'Fourth' Sensorite in the end credits! Despite his character having a proper name.
Dorney
Just finished the Sensorites - I'm an episode behind, so I'll pop on Reign later today.Thoughts on the last two - another couple of rather trite cliffhanger resolutions (the whole kidnap subplot goes nowhere at all, it lasts about five minutes).Interesting how John becomes a bland and badly acted cypher the moment his mind comes back. Dartnell has nothing but strange line deliveries...The famous 'I heard them over... over... talking' fluff is my favourite so far. If Hartnell or anyone else does them, they usually cover with a degree of conviction. (Going straight onto the correct line as if nothing's happened, or just pretending you said what you meant to say even if it's gibberish). However, in this one you can see him panic as he hasn't the faintest idea how to get out. Wonderful.John Bailey is rather brilliant as the lead human - shame that the other two humans are acting like the Tribe of Gum whilst he's acting like a school prefect. The ending is rather rushed though - the Administrator is foiled off camera, John and Carol depart off camera, we don't find out whether there was a monster, and if not what made the sound...Slightly barking cliffhanger too, with the Doctor completely over-reacting.General thoughts - rather nice. Not terribly exciting and never going to be the best story in the world - but the padding is no worse than 'The Daleks' and it's very different. Absolutely MUST be watched in episodes rather than a whole. Watch it for two hours solid, your mind will open and drive you mad too.
An Unearthly Child - Marco Polo
Dorney:
Well, one down, 158 to go. I've just started my quest to watch one episode of Dr Who a day, right from the start.An Unearthly Child started on Sunday. Daleks starts tonight.Thoughts on the first serial - well, it's very good. It's suprising that the Dr doesn't really feel like the lead, more one of an ensemble, and that he's grumpy, selfish and decidedly unheroic.A genuine wit shines through - count the great lines across the four episodes. Episodes two to four get overlooked, but they've got wordy, theatrical dialogue. The episodes are slow but fun and well written with real depth. More thoughts later...
Barryum:
Good luck on your attempt. I watched every episode, in order, between January and September this year! Didn't intend to at the start but watched Unearthly Child and Daleks and just kept going. Even finally watched reconstructions I've had sitting around for ages. (Nearly packed the idea in during Web Planet, felt like about 10 episodes).At the end of it all, there were two over-riding impressions in my mind: Colin Baker was really not up to the job. I didn't like his era first time round but was prepared to give it another chance. He's an engaging guy in real life (I met him several times in the 80's) but his Doctor is so forced and phony;andWilliam Russell was *very* important to the success of the early series. As you say, the Doctor was not exactly the lead character back then. Ian was a very important part of the show and William Russell played it superbly, I found him very convincing even in the face of the awful sets and monsters he often appeared with.Perhaps the most under-rated companion among fans, I don't know.
Dorney:
Bit behind, but up to part two of The Daleks later today. Thoughts on the Dead Planet - very much more menacing in the context. The cliffhanger is superb, and has more impact, for me at least, when viewed as a sort of end of part five. The sense of an ongoing story arc is strong though, with the food machine, etc. turning up. Still introducing the main points. Amazing.
Castellan:
One a day is quite a challange I wish you the best of luck. I want to try and watch them all in order before the new series. Hopefully if im lucky I can time it so I finish survival just before the new series starts.
Dorney:
OK, I'm now up to episode one of Marco Polo, a story I've never seen before.It's a really weird experience, frankly. The sense of ongoing narrative is very clear. It's hard to get a sense of the characters coming together without preconceptions of the rest of the canon. However, a few things stick out - Hartnell's distrust of Ian and Barbara in Edge of Destruction after the events of the first two stories seems barking mad. And that story itself never seemed so strange as when viewed in context. It's like a totally different show.It's all rather striking and serious though. The light-hearted fun drama hasn't really materialised yet. Not to say that's a bad thing though.
Q Enigma 2:
if you'd stayed here in Oz, my dear Dorney, you would be seing one a day on ABC TV!*gloat gloat gloat*Hope you're well, mate.I'm vaguely doing the same thing, except I'm not taping the ones I already have on tape or DVD. The Web Planet finale is showing tonight...brendan
Dorney:
Dammit, the amount of stuff I could still have done - Into Marco Polo now, so to speak, and it's fab. Nothing happens, but nothing happens beautifully. It's about exploring places and people rather than being concerned with plot. The series being properly epic, rather than just long.The second episode is weird. I assumed it was a Hartnell holiday until he says one line about twenty minutes in. Then doesn't say another. What the hell's going on?
Then the Pen:
Sometimes cast members on holiday for an episode still appeared via film inserts shot previously. I'm not sure if that is the case here, but you may spot it happening as you watch subsequent stories.
Dorney:
True - but it's hardly worth the expense for one line!And the tv companion does say that he wasn't on holiday. Just shows how he wasn't the lead character yet within the show proper.
Bohemian 2003:
Er. I know I've harped on about this before - perhaps even about the same story - but how could you possibly have experienced Marco Polo in the same way as the rest of the Season One stories so far??? Are we talking audios here? Telesnaps? Scripts? I mean, that's all good and well, but you can't possibly claim to give a studied opinion on Marco Polo in comparison to your opinions on the stories you can actually see. I mean, I wish we could all sit down and watch Marco Polo in all its glory, but the fact is, we can't. The same thing vaguely annoyed me about the missing stories' entries in "The Television Companion". It was nice to see these stories spoken about in the same way as the ones that are still with us, but really, it's not the same, is it? Why pretend it is?
Dorney:
Was I pretending anything?I'm listening to the story on CD. But I don't think I have treated it as the same as the others.I am talking about how I'm enjoying it as a story - not as a piece of television. I have no visual stimuli for this story at all, bar a couple of vaguely remembered photos.I'm not sure I am treating it as anything other than an audio (my suprise at the Doctor having one line would probably be lesser if I saw it - I imagine he's more visible in the episode as it was, whereas when his voice comes out of nowhere about twenty minutes in you are suprised).All I'm claiming is an opinion of how Marco Polo works as it is now. Not as it was then. And one can have an opinion about an audio as much as one can have one about a book or a tv show. No comparison is implied. I challenge you to find a place in this thread where I make a comparison, or have stated any opinion on the story outside how it sounds.My interests are how it works as a story in it's current form - yeah, sure that's not how it was originally, but then none of the episodes are, and we are watching them all out of context (it's impossible to tell how well any tv episodes work when they are from a bygone age - The Daleks may seem slow to me now, but maybe it was fast paced compared to what else was on).To put it simply, I can give a studied opinion on Marco Polo. As it is now. I can't judge its sets or costumes, but then I haven't tried to. I can judge it's effectiveness as a story purely in the only form it now exists. I can give a studied response to Marco Polo - the audio, and how well that works as a piece of audio drama, whilst simultaneously allowing that this opinion is different to what it would have been if I'd been able to see it.What I'm not going to say is that it's the greatest story ever, or some such nonsense. I might say that it's a better story in audio form than a number of the other bbc audios. Or to put it another way - Marco Polo started as TV, and is now audio and we have to judge it on those merits. The lack of pictures means our opinions don't match those we would have had seeing it originally, but that doesn't matter.Or are you suggesting we shouldn't review or have an opinion on a piece just because we are not experiencing it in precisely the original way?(Just finished Marco Polo by the way, and thought it was wonderful, if a little long and repetitive in the middle and without much for the regulars, especially Barbara, to do - not really influencing the action.)
Dorney:
Actually, having had a think about this, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with comparing a missing story audio to a non-missing story.I don't see it's any different to thinking that Chimes of Midnight is better than Timelash. Sure, Marco Polo was on tv once, 40 years ago, but that story doesn't exist any more. Marco Polo is not a tv show, it's only memories and a soundtrack. It's like saying we can't judge The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes in it's own right as a movie, because it's not as the director intended. It'd be wrong to criticise the directors intentions from watching it, but the movie itself has to be judged on what it is now, not on what is once was or might have been. And that means comparing it to other works.We have to judge how the story works NOW. Today. And we can judge it as a story outside it's medium, to compare. Marco Polo (as it stands now) is a better 'tale' than Keys of Marinus (as it is now). Is it a better piece of television? I have no idea. Because that is a comparison it is impossible to make. I enjoyed the experience of listening to one more than the experience of watching the other. Much as I enjoy eating a steak more than I enjoy listening to a song by the cheeky girls. It may be an unfair comparison to make, but it is the only one we can. It is a comparison that doesn't apply to how they were originally screened, but what does in 2003?
Well, one down, 158 to go. I've just started my quest to watch one episode of Dr Who a day, right from the start.An Unearthly Child started on Sunday. Daleks starts tonight.Thoughts on the first serial - well, it's very good. It's suprising that the Dr doesn't really feel like the lead, more one of an ensemble, and that he's grumpy, selfish and decidedly unheroic.A genuine wit shines through - count the great lines across the four episodes. Episodes two to four get overlooked, but they've got wordy, theatrical dialogue. The episodes are slow but fun and well written with real depth. More thoughts later...
Barryum:
Good luck on your attempt. I watched every episode, in order, between January and September this year! Didn't intend to at the start but watched Unearthly Child and Daleks and just kept going. Even finally watched reconstructions I've had sitting around for ages. (Nearly packed the idea in during Web Planet, felt like about 10 episodes).At the end of it all, there were two over-riding impressions in my mind: Colin Baker was really not up to the job. I didn't like his era first time round but was prepared to give it another chance. He's an engaging guy in real life (I met him several times in the 80's) but his Doctor is so forced and phony;andWilliam Russell was *very* important to the success of the early series. As you say, the Doctor was not exactly the lead character back then. Ian was a very important part of the show and William Russell played it superbly, I found him very convincing even in the face of the awful sets and monsters he often appeared with.Perhaps the most under-rated companion among fans, I don't know.
Dorney:
Bit behind, but up to part two of The Daleks later today. Thoughts on the Dead Planet - very much more menacing in the context. The cliffhanger is superb, and has more impact, for me at least, when viewed as a sort of end of part five. The sense of an ongoing story arc is strong though, with the food machine, etc. turning up. Still introducing the main points. Amazing.
Castellan:
One a day is quite a challange I wish you the best of luck. I want to try and watch them all in order before the new series. Hopefully if im lucky I can time it so I finish survival just before the new series starts.
Dorney:
OK, I'm now up to episode one of Marco Polo, a story I've never seen before.It's a really weird experience, frankly. The sense of ongoing narrative is very clear. It's hard to get a sense of the characters coming together without preconceptions of the rest of the canon. However, a few things stick out - Hartnell's distrust of Ian and Barbara in Edge of Destruction after the events of the first two stories seems barking mad. And that story itself never seemed so strange as when viewed in context. It's like a totally different show.It's all rather striking and serious though. The light-hearted fun drama hasn't really materialised yet. Not to say that's a bad thing though.
Q Enigma 2:
if you'd stayed here in Oz, my dear Dorney, you would be seing one a day on ABC TV!*gloat gloat gloat*Hope you're well, mate.I'm vaguely doing the same thing, except I'm not taping the ones I already have on tape or DVD. The Web Planet finale is showing tonight...brendan
Dorney:
Dammit, the amount of stuff I could still have done - Into Marco Polo now, so to speak, and it's fab. Nothing happens, but nothing happens beautifully. It's about exploring places and people rather than being concerned with plot. The series being properly epic, rather than just long.The second episode is weird. I assumed it was a Hartnell holiday until he says one line about twenty minutes in. Then doesn't say another. What the hell's going on?
Then the Pen:
Sometimes cast members on holiday for an episode still appeared via film inserts shot previously. I'm not sure if that is the case here, but you may spot it happening as you watch subsequent stories.
Dorney:
True - but it's hardly worth the expense for one line!And the tv companion does say that he wasn't on holiday. Just shows how he wasn't the lead character yet within the show proper.
Bohemian 2003:
Er. I know I've harped on about this before - perhaps even about the same story - but how could you possibly have experienced Marco Polo in the same way as the rest of the Season One stories so far??? Are we talking audios here? Telesnaps? Scripts? I mean, that's all good and well, but you can't possibly claim to give a studied opinion on Marco Polo in comparison to your opinions on the stories you can actually see. I mean, I wish we could all sit down and watch Marco Polo in all its glory, but the fact is, we can't. The same thing vaguely annoyed me about the missing stories' entries in "The Television Companion". It was nice to see these stories spoken about in the same way as the ones that are still with us, but really, it's not the same, is it? Why pretend it is?
Dorney:
Was I pretending anything?I'm listening to the story on CD. But I don't think I have treated it as the same as the others.I am talking about how I'm enjoying it as a story - not as a piece of television. I have no visual stimuli for this story at all, bar a couple of vaguely remembered photos.I'm not sure I am treating it as anything other than an audio (my suprise at the Doctor having one line would probably be lesser if I saw it - I imagine he's more visible in the episode as it was, whereas when his voice comes out of nowhere about twenty minutes in you are suprised).All I'm claiming is an opinion of how Marco Polo works as it is now. Not as it was then. And one can have an opinion about an audio as much as one can have one about a book or a tv show. No comparison is implied. I challenge you to find a place in this thread where I make a comparison, or have stated any opinion on the story outside how it sounds.My interests are how it works as a story in it's current form - yeah, sure that's not how it was originally, but then none of the episodes are, and we are watching them all out of context (it's impossible to tell how well any tv episodes work when they are from a bygone age - The Daleks may seem slow to me now, but maybe it was fast paced compared to what else was on).To put it simply, I can give a studied opinion on Marco Polo. As it is now. I can't judge its sets or costumes, but then I haven't tried to. I can judge it's effectiveness as a story purely in the only form it now exists. I can give a studied response to Marco Polo - the audio, and how well that works as a piece of audio drama, whilst simultaneously allowing that this opinion is different to what it would have been if I'd been able to see it.What I'm not going to say is that it's the greatest story ever, or some such nonsense. I might say that it's a better story in audio form than a number of the other bbc audios. Or to put it another way - Marco Polo started as TV, and is now audio and we have to judge it on those merits. The lack of pictures means our opinions don't match those we would have had seeing it originally, but that doesn't matter.Or are you suggesting we shouldn't review or have an opinion on a piece just because we are not experiencing it in precisely the original way?(Just finished Marco Polo by the way, and thought it was wonderful, if a little long and repetitive in the middle and without much for the regulars, especially Barbara, to do - not really influencing the action.)
Dorney:
Actually, having had a think about this, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with comparing a missing story audio to a non-missing story.I don't see it's any different to thinking that Chimes of Midnight is better than Timelash. Sure, Marco Polo was on tv once, 40 years ago, but that story doesn't exist any more. Marco Polo is not a tv show, it's only memories and a soundtrack. It's like saying we can't judge The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes in it's own right as a movie, because it's not as the director intended. It'd be wrong to criticise the directors intentions from watching it, but the movie itself has to be judged on what it is now, not on what is once was or might have been. And that means comparing it to other works.We have to judge how the story works NOW. Today. And we can judge it as a story outside it's medium, to compare. Marco Polo (as it stands now) is a better 'tale' than Keys of Marinus (as it is now). Is it a better piece of television? I have no idea. Because that is a comparison it is impossible to make. I enjoyed the experience of listening to one more than the experience of watching the other. Much as I enjoy eating a steak more than I enjoy listening to a song by the cheeky girls. It may be an unfair comparison to make, but it is the only one we can. It is a comparison that doesn't apply to how they were originally screened, but what does in 2003?
Day by Day
For those who may be interested...
Over the past five and a half years I've been working my way through a Doctor Who marathon. Watching episode by episode and talking about the experience on the popular Doctor Who forum.
Initially, this was on the thread entitled 'Day by Day', because I was intending to watch an episode a day - an endeavour that would have taken a couple of years. However, as usual, the real world intervened, and I'm still only about half way through.
A lot of the delay is down to the time taken up by the process. The watching and reviewing takes well over an hour and this is simply quite hard to fit in with other commitments. But a lot of it is also down to my laziness and ineptitude. Certainly, like anything, it's easy enough to do when you're in the habit, but break the habit and it's hard to work back in.
After a suggestion on the forum, I've opted to further this endeavour in a blog, reposting my comments (and replies from others, where indicated) from the start. It's not all going to go up in one go, but I'll give it a shot.
Now there are one or two problems. The early reviews are very vague, short and generalised. It takes until about season two before I hit on what I want to do (and even then, on occassion, the format varies when I get bored). Equally, due to hackers on one of the message boards a few of the entries around about the beginning of season four have been lost to time (rather like most of the episodes themselves). In both cases I plan to go back and write new reviews when I finish off the rewatch (which I am currently planning on following with another - albeit, without the added hassle of text opinions).
So... here we go...
Over the past five and a half years I've been working my way through a Doctor Who marathon. Watching episode by episode and talking about the experience on the popular Doctor Who forum.
Initially, this was on the thread entitled 'Day by Day', because I was intending to watch an episode a day - an endeavour that would have taken a couple of years. However, as usual, the real world intervened, and I'm still only about half way through.
A lot of the delay is down to the time taken up by the process. The watching and reviewing takes well over an hour and this is simply quite hard to fit in with other commitments. But a lot of it is also down to my laziness and ineptitude. Certainly, like anything, it's easy enough to do when you're in the habit, but break the habit and it's hard to work back in.
After a suggestion on the forum, I've opted to further this endeavour in a blog, reposting my comments (and replies from others, where indicated) from the start. It's not all going to go up in one go, but I'll give it a shot.
Now there are one or two problems. The early reviews are very vague, short and generalised. It takes until about season two before I hit on what I want to do (and even then, on occassion, the format varies when I get bored). Equally, due to hackers on one of the message boards a few of the entries around about the beginning of season four have been lost to time (rather like most of the episodes themselves). In both cases I plan to go back and write new reviews when I finish off the rewatch (which I am currently planning on following with another - albeit, without the added hassle of text opinions).
So... here we go...
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