1 Aug 2005, 12:35 pm
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
Last On: Today 9:46 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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Spearhead from Space 1:
It's hard to overstate how vastly different this story feels when watched in order. Even in the context of pick and mix, backwards and forwards watching, it still feels out of place. Watched directly after the War Games, it's like an electric shock. As era change overs go, this is still the biggest sea change of the lot. And that includes McCoy/McGann/Eccleston. This episode truly feels like a completely different series - but at the same time it does still feel Whoish.
Now, there is a degree to which this is a false emphasis. The one off film look for this episode immediately places it in a more epic and realistic world, but it is not, of course, representative of the series we are to get. And it doesn't help either that there is no direct link to the preceeding serial, no carry over actors at all, this story starts with a sort of blank slate. Pertwee steps out of the TARDIS and he could be anyone, there's an obvious lack of continuity (in its literal sense). Obviously, the presence of the Brigadier levels it out a bit, but it doesn't really help all that much. I'm reminded of the James Bond relaunching film Goldeneye. Up until that point there had been a clear throughline throughout the stories, with no more than two regulars changing at any given time. Then suddenly it's a complete white wash, bar Q who seems to have been retained for sentimental reasons more than anything else. Whilst it's nominally part of the same series, there is a clear and distinct break. It's the same here. Now the Brig does help, and the fact that the Doctor is clearly the same person even in the short scenes he gets here (Pertwee nails the part pretty quickly I feel), but it doesn't stop the whole thing feeling jarring. The whole identity of the series has shifted. Jarring doesn't mean poor though, just that the sudden change in style, pace (the facility to cut more is noticeable) narrative freedom and, heck, colour, will take a bit of getting used to. Still, Troughton did as well, so the more things change... etc.
Precisely how much of this impacts on the general reception of this story, I don't know. It was one of the earliest Pertwee stories I saw, and I loved it very much at the time, but I keep coming and going on it. I recall reviewing the video release and giving it a 10/10 rating, but I don't feel I could in all conscience do the same now. It is, I feel, the only Doctor Who story that works much better as the compilation VHS than as a four part serial. I also have a sneaky feeling that it's probably the weakest serial of season seven (not actually bad, just not as good as the others) and it's reputation as a classic largely hangs on how expensive it looks (this is the one Doctor Who story that doesn't look like it was made for telly - and the compilation helps that feeling). I'll come back to this later in the story though, as I haven't got enough evidence to back this up yet. Hell, I may even change my mind.
As for this episode itself... well, it's fun, but a little empty. Pertwee himself is instantly entertaining, and most of the scenes revolving round him are amusing. With the main plot being confined to hints and minor mysteries (none of which really grab you yet, they're all too vague - strange bloke hanging around, bunch of meteorites? They all feel less interesting than the new Doctor stuff, and you can see that the writer think this too) this episode feels like an alien has landed sitcom rather than part one of a four part story, and to be fair it does that rather well. The Brigadier is still likeable and intelligent (as opposed to the buffoon he's to become), with a nice line in dry wit. WIth the other cast members, Holmes' characterisation is subtle, but present, meaning characters like Doctor Henderson come across nicely. Although, it is a little odd to cast Talfryn Thomas and not have him play a spitting demented Welshman (his first lines as Mullins are noticeably poshed up a touch. But that's probably to differentiate from the fact he's just clearly done the voice of the Doctor who examined the blood). Still, he comes over pleasingly too.
One character who doesn't is Liz. It's odd that they manage to take a character so broadly speaking similar to the personable Zoe and make her irritating so quickly. Her first scene in this story, only proper scene in the episode as well, makes her come over as prissy, smug and uptight - generally unappealing. I think a lot of this is Caroline John warming her way in, rather than the script, but it really isn't a good start.
Overall it's an enjoyable episode, but it's a bit lacking in actual content to hook you. When the BBC repeated this story a few years back, they opened with the first two episodes back to back, and I can see why. This episode lacks incident, depsite its pace, and just comes over as slight. Fun, but slight. The climax with a sudden attack does begin to push the story forward though (even if you do get the wonderfully crap line: 'who told you to fire you stupid...' at the cliffhanger leading to an unintentional laugh). Perhaps that's why it doesn't grab me yet. There's no obvious danger, nothing at stake in the episode, until the end. Strange men and meteorites aren't threatening in themselves, it's only when they do something that you get tension, and neither of them are that obviously threatening in themselves, because the episode does little with either til the final two or three minutes.. Up until then it just ambles along. This sort of pacing would be fine in a feature length film, but feels slightly awkward in a twenty five minute adventure serial. But as a holding episode goes, it's promising.
Dorney
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#257 1 Aug 2005, 3:00 pm
The Secretive Bus
Time Lord
Edinburgh
Joined April 18, 2004
Last On: 27 Jun 2009 7:02 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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A very refreshing review.
"Spearhead" is a story that's probably regarded as a classic due to a) it looks expensive and b) it's got "that bit where the Autons break out of the shop windows", which of course doesn't happen for ages. In fact the Autons do far less in the story than you expect. It's the same problem with "Doctor Who" invasions - you've got to show the aliens as being a powerful threat, but you can't have them launch a successful invasion because otherwise the story wouldn't finish; solution - defeat them within minutes of the invasion, before they've gained any sort of foothold. "Spearhead" sort of carries over from "The Invasion", where a superb race of monsters are waiting in the wings, ready to wander the streets of London and to achieve stuff all. The best invasion stories (or at least the ones that present the menace as being considerably threatening) are the ones where the aliens have already launched the invasion before the TARDIS arrives; "Dalek Invasion of Earth", "Web of Fear" etc. Tellingly, "Spearhead" was a story that my 8 year old self taped when it came onto UK Gold, because I thought "It's the one with the Autons - cool!" I ended up watching it once and then taping something else because I thought the story was too boring.
I like "Spearhead" now, but it does take a while to get going, and the pacing seems all wrong - since the Doctor's out of it for the first couple of episodes, he's still investigating the situation half way through part 4, whereas he's usually finished all that by the beginning of part 3. Fortunately the guest cast are top notch and hold your interest whilst Pertwee's faffing about with his wheelchair and comedy shower shenanigans. Best to watch it in 2 episode chunks, really - then it feels like two different stories taking place in the same location.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#258 2 Aug 2005, 7:06 am
Dr Lorenzo
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Newtown, Sydney
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Re: Day by Day
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Great review.
Thought I'd mention that I advised a friend who has watched New Who to watch a bit of classic, starting with Spearhead. He really didn't like episode 1, but loved 2, 3 and 4.
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Dr Lorenzo
+ http://laurencebm.blogspot.com/
+ Sleeping beauty awoke at the kiss of a scientist and expired at the fatal puncture of his syringe! - The Illustrated Man [Ray Bradbury]
Quote:
Originally Posted by War Arrow
I feel that I can state with some degree of certainty that the first incarnation of the Doctor probably had pretty much everything by the Rollins Band. Just look at that face when his temper starts to slip. You can almost hear Low Self Opinion cranking away in the background.
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#259 2 Aug 2005, 9:12 am
Max K Wilkie
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Sydney, Australia
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Re: Day by Day
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Onto the Pertwee era then...I can't wait to see what you think of Ambassadors of Death.
I really appreciate/like/enjoy your reviews, Dorney. They're probably the best Doctor Who reviews I read.
You've still got Uncle Pat in your avatar, though...
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Mind the gap.
The Next Doctor - 9/10
Planet of the Dead - 7/10
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#260 2 Aug 2005, 2:47 pm
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
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Last On: Today 9:46 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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Oh, bless you for that. Any praise greatly appreciated. And I do have to change over the avatar...
Spearhead from Space 2:
You know, it takes the Doctor half this episode to properly appear. Over 12 minutes. That is weird. After a few late arrivals last season – Seeds and Space Pirates most noticeably – this story goes for a slightly different tack. The episodes are about the Doctor, but he remains heavily in the background. I’m not sure I like it. Two episodes in, and we only really get to meet the new Doctor in the last ten minutes or so. He only has one proper scene in the whole of the first forty five minutes. When Pertwee gets to strut his stuff it’s very entertaining, but it just takes so long, and you do wonder if it’s the most sensible way to introduce your new lead.
It does also mean that the story still lacks overall coherency. The script is largely made up of a few rather disparate strands, and this does mean it feels somewhat diffuse, and lacking in direction. The Doctor usually acts as the narrative glue for the story, but here he remains on the sidelines (as in deed do UNIT). The rest of the story is developing elsewhere, without really seeming to touch him. (Of course, this is pretty much the same criticism as with Holmes’ last script, The Space Pirates, another story where the Doctor was barely involved by the end of part two). Again, this is less of a problem with the compilation version, as these threads aren’t left separate, but in episodic chunks, the story feels… well, episodic. Suddenly introducing new threads (the plastics factory) and continuing others without really developing them (Seeley – the inexplicably West Country accented Essex inhabitant has a lovely scene with his wife, but it doesn’t really progress his storyline a jot) reinforce this feeling. Lots of separate storylines that aren’t really coming together. Whilst there is a clearer sense of a story, you still don’t really feel it’s actually started yet. Sequences like Ransome’s visit to the factory really need to take place in part one to establish the set up. As it is, we’re just left with the feeling that the story is still getting going. In fact, this episode does feel like it’s a first part. Most of the detail of part one is discarded (do we ever find out why the Autons were interested in the Doctor, and wanted to kidnap him? Or were they just in the area and a bit bored?). Notice how they have to contrive an action sequence with the Auton making the jeep veer off the road (the whole ‘second missing meteor’ sequence lasts, what, a minute? Kind of irrelevant), to at least give the impression that there’s some direct interaction between the goodies and the baddies. Story’s tend to work their best when the antagonists are directly providing obstacles for the protagonists – here, most of the difficulties being experienced by both sides are of sideline characters – Ransome, Doctor Henderson, etc. Drama is about conflict, they say, and but there is a degree of false conflict when there’s no real connection, and the conflict is with minor foes not worthy of the battle.
All this does feel terribly rude about the story, but I am still enjoying it. Remember, I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just a bit over-rated. It’s good, but not quite good enough to deserve classic status. The writing is still rather nice, with a nice line in wit for the good guys. And it’s still impressive to watch. The picture quality is only half of the battle. The direction adds the other half, and that’s why this story still looks beautiful. The shots are beautifully picked (the bloodied windscreen is creepy and memorable), the locations well selected, and the cast pretty much flawless. It’s just I find it hard to get worked up about. It’s pleasing viewing, but not really a grabber yet. It’s just too slight and lacking in incident and drama so far. High on atmosphere and prettiness, just a tiny bit hollow. Still, as I say, it’s only warming up, so I’m hoping I’ll get more into it as the episodes progress. As long as next time they stop setting up threads, and start tying them together. Then I’ll be happy.
Dorney
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#261 2 Aug 2005, 3:06 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Edinburgh
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Last On: 27 Jun 2009 7:02 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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It really is an odd way to introduce perhaps one of the most active Doctors. It's a bit of a hangover from the 60s, where the Doctor could bugger off for a few episodes and nobody really batted an eyelid. Pertwee's Doctor is one who rarely seems to sit around in the background, he's usually "in there" doing something by the end of part 1 at least. The only ones that don't fit the rule, off the top of me 'ead, are "Day of the Daleks" where Pertwee spends part 1 indulging in a cheese and wine dinner and "The Green Death" where he's wandering about Metebelis 3 for a while before deciding to go to Wales. You could argue the case for "Carnival of Monsters", as the Doctor doesn't connect with the "real world" stuff until part 4, but at least he's active for the other three episodes and working things out.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#262 2 Aug 2005, 6:07 pm
sephzoni
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Joined April 24, 2004
Last On: 19 Jun 2009 7:02 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorney
You know, it takes the Doctor half this episode to properly appear. Over 12 minutes. That is weird. After a few late arrivals last season – Seeds and Space Pirates most noticeably – this story goes for a slightly different tack. The episodes are about the Doctor, but he remains heavily in the background. I’m not sure I like it. Two episodes in, and we only really get to meet the new Doctor in the last ten minutes or so. He only has one proper scene in the whole of the first forty five minutes. When Pertwee gets to strut his stuff it’s very entertaining, but it just takes so long, and you do wonder if it’s the most sensible way to introduce your new lead.
Perhaps I can offer an alternative perspective? Imagine if you were a viewer in 1970 who had seen the cliffhanger ending to The War Games. One of the main reasons you'd be tuning in would be curiousity as to what the new Doctor is like. And rather than just give him to you on a plate, the story teases you for a while with only glimpses of what he'll be like. As you say, he's very relevant to what's going on, but more as a presence than an actual character. Thus the Doctor himself becomes the key element in the story's suspense-building - just what can we expect of him? Initially the story is told from the perspective of the Brigadier and Liz which is probably a deliberate tactic - the Brigadier, being the only recurring face from previous episodes, represents the established audience whilst the cynical Liz represents the new audience Sherwin etc. were hoping to win over with the earthbound style. For the first time since the series began, the Doctor is viewed from the POV of ordinary earthlings - it's the first of many attempts to put the 'Who' back in the title. I think the approach makes a lot of sense!
I'm loving the reviews by the way, I've just been checking your back catalogue and you give some wonderful insights I had never considered. Thank you! Maybe it's too early to say, but I was just wondering - are you finding the earthbound format at all... disappointing? It's easy for us to look back on it now as a kind of 'arc' with an ending, but at the time there's nothing to suggest the Doctor will ever make it to other planets again. I imagine if you were a particular fan of the "adventures in time and space" aspect of the programme, it must have been a particularly crushing blow.
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#263 2 Aug 2005, 6:24 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Edinburgh
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Re: Day by Day
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I must say that "Spearhead" is really a rather good "first story" for people not acquainted with the series. Sets up the whole premise of the Doctor being an alien, about the TARDIS, what the Doctor does etc. whilst giving us some decent characters, a recognisable setting and a classy monster. Which is possibly why "Rose" is basically the same story.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#264 2 Aug 2005, 8:10 pm
Dorney
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Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sephzoni
Initially the story is told from the perspective of the Brigadier and Liz which is probably a deliberate tactic - the Brigadier, being the only recurring face from previous episodes, represents the established audience whilst the cynical Liz represents the new audience Sherwin etc. were hoping to win over with the earthbound style. For the first time since the series began, the Doctor is viewed from the POV of ordinary earthlings - it's the first of many attempts to put the 'Who' back in the title. I think the approach makes a lot of sense!
I take your point, but I'm not convinced a four part serial is the best place to try and pull off such a trick. With so little time for the story anyway, you've got to get it going, and keeping the Doctor on the sidelines for so long stalls the script in first gear. Even Unearthly Child has the Doctor a complete part of the first story pretty much the moment he arrives, and is within the context of a one off episode dedicated entirely to his mystery. Here, two episodes in the story's barely started. It's a nice idea, and as the Bus says it leads to the story being a good restart for the show (as it was on BBC 2, albeit not for long), but nonetheless I feel there's only so much teasing you can do before you short change the actual story itself. It kind of works in episode one, but in this part where he's held back and barely referenced it begins to annoy.
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#265 3 Aug 2005, 7:27 pm
Dorney
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Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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Spearhead from Space 3:
I had a moment of terror when I started watching this episode that nothing on screen could match. My DVD player sometimes will start randomly in the middle of a disc for no obvious reason, and it tried doing this this time, by pure fluke with episode 3. Now I wouldn’t have minded this, but for one thing. It was impossible to switch the commentary off. Anyone who’s heard that exercise in tedium (Courtney and John basically describing what’s on screen and then berating themselves, then repeating the pattern for 100 minutes) will understand the terror I felt as I fumbled for the remote and corrected it. I can still taste the fear.
The problems with the slow opening of this story are still playing out in this one. The plot’s getting more interesting, and the direct interaction with the villains is a bonus, but it’s still just slight.
Having left the investigation proper until this episode, the plot requires the villains to be discovered remarkably quickly, as they heroes have only been left with two episodes to tidy it all up. So rather than the Doctor uncovering what’s going on, other characters turn up and tell him. Ransome in particular is a lucky find for UNIT, stumbling into them by chance and able to identify instantly the source of the invasion. You could argue that with the Auton’s range being incredibly limited, meaning the meteorites have to have landed close to the factory, so him running into the army isn’t too unlikely… but it still requires the story to be built around chance. It’s a narrative short cut that immediately lacks any real drama or tension. The moment the Doctor starts to look at the case, he has it solved instantly. Seeley is a similar figure, turning up just when necessary in order to give the Doctor another piece of the puzzle.
There also remains a lack of overall narrative drive. The various different segments of the story don’t really interact, and are merely switched on and off as required, used simply to fill in time. None of them are coming together into an actual plot. So far the villain’s grand scheme is pretty much ‘hanging about’, whilst they wait to locate the final spheres, and the goodies to find them. They’re not really doing anything yet. It’s more a series of episodic riffs on a central theme than all the events being tied into an actual narrative. And it also feels like the Doctor and co. are running around behind events, rather than interacting with them. They’re following the story around, commenting on it, but they’re not really part of it yet.
One other point – One of the factors I think enters into the popular status of this story is violence. Doctor Who fans, in general, tend to rate violent stories higher (as if they’re automatically better, more serious, more adult – my ‘rating stories that don’t feel like they’re from a kid’s show, because I’ll feel better’ theory raising it’s head again). Now there are some moments of quite unpleasant violence in this script (the car crash in part two, with its bloodied windshield in particular) and the Autons are genuinely menacing and scary (as Mrs Seeley sees the one raiding her house in this episodes, it’s blank face looking almost melted, you can’t help but feel discomforted) – but underneath all that, it’s strangely wimpy. Sure, Ransome’s death is quite unpleasant, but it’s more to do with the creatures appearance rather than the death itself. Otherwise, they’re not that monstrous or powerful, they radiate strength but do nothing with it – why, for example, do they not kill Mrs Seeley? It’s a slight wimping out (almost as if Holmes is too fond of the character). Similarly, the fact the creature just runs away when UNIT attack is terribly disappointing. And for all the nastiness of the car crash, it’s not directly caused by the Auton. This story is slightly scared of violence. It only really begins to get tense and threatening in this episode, because for all their wandering around and looking creepy, they don’t really do all that much until now… and even then, they only really manage to kill Ransome, and that’s only cause he comes back in range. The last image is wonderfully striking, but once again I’d prefer it if it didn’t take til part three of a four parter before I get any real sense of menace. All too often in the first three episodes, the villains aren’t actually doing anything. They figure out UNIT are on to them, but they don’t follow through. It all feels like the Doctors having it a little easy.
This all sounds very negative, but I am enjoying the story. I come from a vague writing background, and so my criticisms are always going to be mainly based on story and structure, and this is clearly a weakness in this tale. But there are going to be other factors too, such as atmosphere. Spearhead doesn’t just look well made, it is well made. The fact that the plot is inherently simplistic shouldn’t distract us from this. I can only think of one other Who story that I think carries through on surface swagger, despite weak plotting (I was tempted to leave that as a cliffhanger, but what the hey – it’s Revelation of the Daleks), and I’d argue that this story is certainly better put together than that one (still good, but more another time). There’s considerable confidence in the making of this story, and it certainly has an air of professionalism to it that is down to more than film stock. Whilst it is easy to suggest that its reputation rests on its appearance, it’s likewise easy to take this too far. There is plenty of good work going on underneath, several arresting ideas and images, plus bags of originality. The new set up and format for the show is promising, and I should add, something of a daring move akin to the first regeneration itself – basically this is a show rewriting it’s own format. I can’t really think of any other tv show that has changed so radically, successfully (in fact, the only show I can think of that tried something similar is ‘Between the Lines’, and that caused the show to fall apart). The Brigadier is dry and entertaining, and Liz has warmed up a bit – she’s gone from uptight prig to naughty schoolgirl and that’s far more appealing. Pertwee is still warming in – he’s good value and grabs the part with both hands, but he doesn’t entirely feel like the Doctor yet to me, but one thing that watching the show in order has taught me is that the Doctor’s actual personality is more flexible than I thought (watched randomly they all seem more like the same man, but the individual attitudes are so clearly distinct it surprises). I’m sure I’ll get used to him in time. The series is thoroughly embracing it’s new freedoms, and feels less studio bound (obviously). Overall, the story’s lack of narrative complexity and tension means it’s the least interesting of season seven, but that hardly makes it poor, does it?
Dorney
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#266 3 Aug 2005, 11:07 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Edinburgh
Joined April 18, 2004
Last On: 27 Jun 2009 7:02 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorney
Spearhead from Space 3:
Now I wouldn’t have minded this, but for one thing. It was impossible to switch the commentary off. Anyone who’s heard that exercise in tedium (Courtney and John basically describing what’s on screen and then berating themselves, then repeating the pattern for 100 minutes) will understand the terror I felt as I fumbled for the remote and corrected it. I can still taste the fear.
"Nauddy nauddy!"
Do you often listen to the commentaries? I listened to the one for "Dalek Invasion" just recently and enjoyed it quite a bit, actually.
Quote:
This all sounds very negative, but I am enjoying the story. I come from a vague writing background, and so my criticisms are always going to be mainly based on story and structure,
I'd argue that's what makes your Who reviews the best ones out there - anybody can say whether they like the performances or the effects or the general storyline, but it takes a bit more to be able to analyse the story itself. Your reviews usually get me thinking and often point out aspects I'd previously missed or overlooked.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#267 4 Aug 2005, 12:08 am
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
Do you often listen to the commentaries? I listened to the one for "Dalek Invasion" just recently and enjoyed it quite a bit, actually.
I try to do all the extras on all my DVDs, to be honest. Way behind at the moment. Spearhead is easily my least favourite Who commentary, whereas most of the others I find good to very good. Always get disappointed that it tends to get positive notices, whereas the commentary for Robots of Death gets slagged (it seems people are more interested in hearing a couple of names arse around than listen to two backroom boys delivering an actual insight into the making of the programme).
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#268 4 Aug 2005, 4:59 am
bingo99
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Joined April 25, 2004
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Re: Day by Day
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There seems a hesitancy in quite a few new Doctor stories to give him any dialogue at all. From my memories of watching a recon, Power of The Daleks part 1 has a lot of Troughton ignoring Ben and Polly's questions and just playing the recorder. Even Hartnell doesn't have much to do in the first 15 minutes of An Unearthly Child. You get the feeling later on as well that the recovering from the regeneration idea is being used as breathing space till the writer can work out what the hell the new Doc's character is. We only had to wait five minutes in Rose, but that's a full episode in new series terms.
Spearhead From Space was the first old series story I watched after the new series ended. I did judge the pacing a bit more harshly, but there's still an awful lot to like. It's like an alternate world where ITC have been given the contract to make Doctor Who. Especially considering Pertwee ended up as the Beeb's answer to Jason King.
I very much approve of your one episode at a time policy. There's some real classic 25 minutes in some ghastly stories. Part ones of Silver Nemesis and The Time Monster spring to mind. But anyway, that's the future, back to a time when Edison Lighthouse were at number one.
Enjoying your mammoth efforts, keep up the good work. If I disagree, I'll just jump across to Cute Blaine's thread, hopefully read the opposite and then I'll be fine again
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Reviewing every story randomly
Currently under review - The Mutants
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Last edited by bingo99; 4 Aug 2005 at 5:16 am.
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#269 4 Aug 2005, 1:14 pm
Dorney
Time Lord
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Re: Day by Day
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Spearhead from Space 4:
Honest to goodness, this is like a completely seperate serial. With a lot of the continuing elements of the story (Seeley, Ransome) wrapped up by the end of part three, this episode suddenly finds itself bunging in whole new elements - most noticeably the Madam Tussauds scenes - and the whole thing feels somewhat disconnected from the first three quarters of the story. The Waxworks element is particulary weird, because it adds a new plotline for no obvious reason and then doesn't explore it. If we ignore the ludicrous suggestion that a top tourist attraction would want to display sculptures of top ranking civil servants, and the fact that the Doctor learns pretty much nothing new, we still have the suggestion that part of the invasion plan is to replace high ranking figures. Which does suggest an invasion by stealth. Which doesn't go well with the Autons themselves attacking en masse and causing nationwide panic. The only real resons it's there seem to be to justify the duplication of Scobie (which hardly needs an excuse), and to explain how the good guys know he's a duplicate (couldn't they just notice the pallour of his skin?)
The reason this is weird is because the episode feels like four episodes compressed into one. The slow pacing of the first half has meant that all the actual plot has go shifted into this episode. All of the usual elements are there - investigation, threat, confrontation, the Doctor being part of the plot (with his influencing of Hibbert, although that doesn't affect the outcome, merely tie up a loose end) rather than a spectator etc., but all are squeezed in. It all feels like the story proper starts in this episode, and the previous three have been sideshows whilst the villains have been waiting for something proper to do. As a result, it does all feel a little full - surprisingly, not rushed though. When you analyse how much happens in this episode, in comparison to the others, it's remarkably packed and suggests it could have been quite an impressive six parter. Each scene is written with the utmost tightness, staying as long as it needs to in order to make it's basic point. This does lend a slightly trivial feel, though. The general ease with which the villains base is discovered and raided is rather disappointing. In deed, imagine the story without the famous shop window dummy sequence - which, crap breaking glass sound effect notwithstanding, is rather wonderfully done, especially in comparison to the rather messier equivalent in Rose. You get a sense of a huge uprising and a massive panic (albeit one that's ignored rather swiftly the moment the sequence is over). This gives huge dramatic weight to the rest of the episode - but without it, the final episode would seem a little inconsequential, and once again, easy. The Doctor's method of defeating the Autons is incredibly annoying, and it's here that the only real problem with the episodes pared down nature causes a problem. A box, that might as well be magic for all the proper explanation we get. After all the build up and genuine menace the Autons exude, to resolve the story with something that equates to an on/off switch is hugely annoying. You do feel that a little more time devoted to figuring this out would have been in order, but unfortunately that's one thing this story doesn't have. As it is, the Doctor pretty much instantly figures out an easy way to destroy the monsters within seconds of having seen one. In any story, if it is this easy to destroy the villains, at your first attempt, there is an obvious lack of tension. Plot is usually about obstacles for the hero, obstacles of increasing difficulty. Here he only has one, and he beats it easily. Where's the threat? Difficulty of solving heightens drama. When you think about the plot, it really does come down to this: 'The Doctor is told that aliens are invading via a plastic factory. He goes to the factory with a magic box and kills the aliens'. That's not even a particularly cut down version of it. It's the sort of storyline you'd come up with when you were eight. There's a lot of promise in the story, and a lot of quality work, but it's all held back by a lack of a properly gripping plot. Too much of the story is sideshows and time wasting and avoiding getting to the nub of it, too little is actual complication and obstacle.
It works for what it is though, a slight piece, a two parter that just happens to be four episodes long. The central premise of the Autons is lovely and original. I can't help but wish that a lot more people would pay more attention to the explanation of who the Nestenes are - there's a tendency in spin off fiction for them to be a single entity along the lines of the Great Intelligence, or the Mara, but it's clear if you pay attention that they are a race of individuals (hence 'Nestenes', plural) with a group mind, a group consciousness. The new set up is promising, with the Brigadier in particular coming across well. Pertwee is good for the most part, but he has a few problems in this episode - the gurning and silly noises in the finale is laughable, and whilst his dismissal of money is Doctorish, his coveting of a roadster seems a little petty and out of character. Still, early days, and I was similarly unsure of Troughton.
Once again though, I am going to have to reiterate that whilst this review comes over as very negative, it’s more in response to the popular opinion of this story than because I particularly dislike it. It is good, I’m not denying that. The design, the performances, the script, the direction et al are all excellent, and as a whole it’s very enjoyable. I just wish it was supported by a tighter, stronger plot, that’s all. It might be style over substance, to a degree, but in a lot of works you do have to look at all factors, and for the polish alone it does rate above a lot of its contemporaries. Spearhead is an easy going, simple story, that looks great in every department, is enjoyable popcorn enterttainment and is one of the best made stories of its era. Shame it's not one of the best put together scripts of its era too, but then you can't have everything. Ultimately it's lack of plot depth holds it back from absolute classic status, but it still comfortably rests in 'very good'.
Dorney
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#270 4 Aug 2005, 5:03 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Edinburgh
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Last On: 27 Jun 2009 7:02 pm
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Re: Day by Day
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Hurrah! Splendid overall review, and probably one of your best. I don't generally find the Pertwee era stories particularly interesting to read about compared to, say, the 60s, but you've revitalised that wane in interest. Can't wait till you get to "Ambassadors", which is one of my favourite stories from any era, though I can't quite put my finger on why.
And, for extra marks, try to spot the exact moment in the Pertwee era where the Brigadier turns into "cutting military commander" to "loveable buffoon".
Your point about the Autons doing little (they seem to have the same role as the Cybermen in "The Invasion" and even the invasion sequence itself looks roughly the same - and has as much consequence and narrative-affecting properties as that earlier incursion did, too) is quite interesting, as, when you think about it, most Doctor Who stories involving monsters have them doing not very much at all. The Yeti, the Cybermen, the Krotons, even the Dominators and the Ice Warriors - all of them in the 60s had stories where they sat around for a while waiting to do something, but never quite getting round to it. The Cybermen invade London and do nothing with it. The Krotons have spent centuries revitalising themselves, wake up, and then find out that they're going to "exhaust" in 3 hours anyway. The Yeti wander about the London Underground and do nothing that the Web couldn't do more effectively anyway. It's that old problem of giving the monster a power-balance - too little and it looks puny, too much and there's no way that the Doctor could defeat it. That's why most invasions don't happen until the last few moments of a story so that the Doctor can repel it before they get a real foothold (mot notably "Terror of the Autons" in a few stories time), or the monster's plan is to get itself a new form (the Nestenes here, the Krotons in the last season, and the Great Intelligence in the season before that) and either it gets destroyed before it can do so (ie. it gets killed before it really has the power to defend itself) or it gets its new form but doesn't have a plan of what to do afterwards, do sits around doing nothing at all (the Krotons). Only the Daleks ever seem to regularly do anything...
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“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
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#271 4 Aug 2005, 7:33 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
Can't wait till you get to "Ambassadors", which is one of my favourite stories from any era, though I can't quite put my finger on why.
I'm rather looking forward to it myself. Might be a short while though. I'm off to the Edinburgh festival for about ten days, so there'll be a hiatus. I'll try to get through some of Silurians in advance though, just for the hell of it.
Good point on the monsters. It could also be about threat. I seem to recall Hitchcock talking about one of his earlier films (Blackmail, I think) which has a famous sequence with a boy on a bus unwittingly carrying a bomb. It's incredibly tense. But Hitchcock then said that he made a mistake - the bomb goes off. Suddenly, all the tension is defused, as it gives the audience a release. Maybe it's the same thing. Having monsters invade and walk around the streets shooting people looks kind of cool, but it has little drama to it. There's nowhere to go, where's the suspense to keep you watching (unless you put some form of ticking clock on it, with the tension coming from the efforts of the heroes to escape and survive - a good example of this sort of storyline in Who is the Dalek Invasion of Earth). However, contrast with the threat of an attack, the potential for huge violence. The battle to stop a catastrophe has more tension than a battle to stop that catastrophe getting worse. Are children scared by getting smacked, or by the threat of smacking? (Again, a particularly good example of the slow burn suspense monster story is Power of the Daleks).
But I argue that in a lot of cases, you're right - it's simply the authors painting themselves into a corner, where they can't have the monsters too powerful. In deed, it's telling that the Autons tell us they're indestructible in this story, even as they're blatantly getting killed. Either that or inept scripting.
Dorney
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#272 4 Aug 2005, 10:25 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorney
I'm rather looking forward to it myself. Might be a short while though. I'm off to the Edinburgh festival for about ten days,
Performing or spectating?
Lucky you, I'd like to go up there for some of that m'self. But lack of funds state that I can't (I also doubt I'll attend any of the university open days for the same reason, even though Edinburgh Uni is top of me list). The fact that I live on the opposite side of Britain makes travelling there expensive.
Also, watched three episodes of "The Dæmons" this evening. I've never noticed before, but it's a) the most Hammer-esque story in Who, far more than anything the Hinchcliffe era gave us (it has specific echoes of "The Devil Rides Out", where Christopher Lee sort of played a combo of the Doctor and Miss Hawthorne), and b) it's absolutely rubbish. Laughably bad rubbish. The dialogue is atrocious and the Doctor acts like a total berk throughout. Not to mention the Master in his comedy specs. My favourite bit was some poor sod who casually gets out of his van just in time to see it explode in a fireball. I laughed at that blighter for ages afterwards.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#273 4 Aug 2005, 11:37 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
Performing or spectating?
Tiny bits of stand up, and seeing a few mates shows... but I'm probably going to avoid too much of both, weirdly, so I don't blow all my cash in one go. I'll see a dozen or so shows I'm keen on, and just have a laugh.
And not too much Daemons info - I haven't seen it in yonks, and it's one of the stories I'm looking forward to!
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#274 5 Aug 2005, 12:39 am
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day
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Ooo, stand up. I'd like to do a bit of that some day, but I don't know if my jokes are actually funny.
I'm just writing comedy sketches to perform at t' college instead, for the mean time..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorney
And not too much Daemons info - I haven't seen it in yonks, and it's one of the stories I'm looking forward to!
Ah, in that case I won't tell you about the bit where Jo walks in on Mike Yates giving the Master a bath - oh damn, sorry...
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#275 5 Aug 2005, 2:35 pm
supervoc
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Re: Day by Day
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It’s taken me a while to read through your review of the War Games, so I am going to backtrack a bit and offer some comments.
The ‘German sniper’ bit at the start of episode two is a bit oblique. The OG guide is completely wrong in this respect.
The book offers a different view entirely to what we saw in the tv version:
Before he could utter the word ‘Fire!’ a single shot broke the silence. One of the kneeling soldiers fell backwards. Zoe looked up at the trees. For a second she saw a tattered British army uniform, a grimy unshaven face and the glint of a rifle. Another shot rang out. The sentry holding her fell to the ground.
“German sniper!” shouted Ransom. “Fire at will!”
Now all members of the execution squad knelt to take aim and fire into the tree. Zoe raced across the grass to Doctor Who (sic). She started to untie his hands.
“What’s happening” he said. “Get this stupid blindfold off me, whoever you are. I want to see what’s happening”.
Zoe released his hands first. He dragged off the blindfold himself. “Who are they shooting at?”
But she didn’t answer. She had already formed a plan of escape in her mind and this was no time for discussions. Grabbing the Doctor’s hand she tugged him with her into dense bushes. (Hulke 1979:20).
Whether this comes from the script, a half forgotten viewing of the finished version or his own tangent, I have no idea.
I treat the broadcast version as canon.
There are quite a few differences in the tv version. Ransom just shouts “Sniper!” The sniper is in the grounds of the chateau HQ and is actually firing from a barn and not from the trees.
The sniper is actually a confederate soldier from the American Civil War Zone, you can see the crossed swords on his hat (the restored DVD will be perfect like the Mind Robber, these grabs are from the recent WH Smith version).
Here are some confederate soldiers from episode 3 for comparison.
The sniper is clearly one of the rebels but at this point their existence is, of course, a mystery yet to be revealed. That the rebels harry the various armies in different time zones later becomes vital to the effort to sabotage the aliens war games. The War Games makes great use of unexplained intrigue at times.
I would also add that the music is usually greatly underrated. The constant barrage with gunfire in the background of episodes one and two in particular, is excellent. If you are listening on headphones it really does provide a great atmosphere that is much better than most war movies. It is jarring when it suddenly stops, as Jamie noted at the end of episode 2 when they entered the Roman zone. An excellent piece of sound design that few people ever notice, perhaps one of the best in the series, and not least for its subtlety. As I think you have noted there are some marvellous musical pieces in there, with a nice range of atypical instruments and takes on European military music. I much prefer it to the music of the 80s and 00s, not least because it is much more accomplished and luxurious.
You really hit the nail on the head with some other points. I really don’t know why many people think it is padded. As you rightly observe, the characterization is not only essential to the plot and sub-plots, it is in itself a reason to watch! I get the impression that some people watch for the plot – if you know what happens, the end of the journey is not the important point, it’s the journey itself!
As you said, there is not one weak performance, all of the actors create their characters with superb skill. Edward Brayshaw and the other aliens are excellent, but all the bit actors are also excellent and that’s what makes the War Games the gem it is. Those who complain about James Bree, as the Security Chief, either fail to realize the stilted performance was entirely intentional or just don’t like it!
Philip Madoc’s performance also stands out as a totally creepy Master prototype. I am surprised that more people don’t notice that, or appreciate the quality of Madoc’s performance. Doubters should watch it again. I think he was much underrated, though he appears on TV much more these days, especially on Welsh TV, so he is rightly being appreciated at long last.
The ending of episode 2 in the Roman zone where the screen goes black and silent before the titles start is IMHO part of the charm of the thing. I hope they don’t change it for the DVD.
The sooner this is released on DVD the better!
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#276 6 Aug 2005, 12:30 pm
Dorney
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Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
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Re: Day by Day
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Thanks for that. It did seem something of a loose end, and that's clarified it well.
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