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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2018 3:38:37 GMT
I still kind of love that the name Time Lords - one of the biggest cornerstones in the Who mythos - probably came from Terrance Dicks or Malcom Hulke thrashing it out at a typewriter, though. Actually, the name came from Derrick Sherwin, who suggested it to Terrance (I think it was in the Second Time Around special feature on The Krotons DVD; it's a fantastic feature!)
IMPULSE PURCHASE MADE
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2018 6:11:11 GMT
The Seeds of Death. I really enjoy this story. It fits it's length perfectly and juggles enough separate strands to keep interest. Plus there's Patrick Troughton vs Foam, what more can you want? And now for the 10 episode epic! The Seeds of Death is one of my all time favourite (and among the first stories I can remember seeing, so it's got an even special-er place in my heart) Props to the cast for some genuinely lovely characters. Kelly for her cool rationality, Commander Radnor for his drive, Professor Eldred's dewy-eyed sense of wonder for an old man's dream and Fewsham in particular for being the ordinary man in fear for his life. And Slaar for just being a mean old beast. No wonder the Martians sent him, his ruthlessness well lives up to his predecessors' penchant for "shoot first, strong-arm later". The War Games Exciting, gripping, mysterious, revealing, universe-redefining epic Time Lord finale! (^^ One word per episode, I hope that was concise enough... ) I love The War Games's transition between what first appears to be a story about alien interference in history to something that somehow manages to be even more ambitious . It's a great moment when the Doctor and the War Chief recognise one another (I can still hear " STOP THEM!" ringing in my ears). A perfect foil and equal for Troughton's final story. The strained triumvirate of the War Lords' representative, the War Chief and the Security Chief is really entertaining to watch as well. The situation really does feel like something that the Doctor can't handle. It's too big. And when he's forced to call in his own people, there's this little voice in the back of the head that asks: Are they just like the War Lords or are they something else entirely?The War Lords themselves continue to fascinate me. We still know very little about them. Even the novelisation manages to be very vague about their origins: they require the War Chief for the green crystals they use to power their own machines, obtainable only on Gallifrey itself. They remind me a little of the Third Zoners that pop up in The Two Doctors or the inhabitants of Dronid from Shada (maybe one and the same?); a society that is "fraternal" to the Time Lords, if not directly linked by any biological lineage. It's got a wonderful, unshakeable sense of grandeur.
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Post by number13 on Jun 8, 2018 17:49:13 GMT
Well, I've enjoyed the 'early years' very much and filled in the gaps of the last four (surviving) stories I'd never seen, and been impressed all over again by William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton and their eras. And now it's time for cars, capes, combat and colour TV! Jon Pertwee has been 'my' Doctor since I was 5 and that's over 50 years ago now, but some things last a lifetime. His is an era like no other. Stranded on Earth to begin with, teaming up with the original UNIT and the outstanding Brigadier (a man of unshakable courage and highly variable moustaches ) and defeating 'mad scientists' and 'alien invasions' one week after another for five glorious years (with occasional trips off-world, thanks to the Time Lords.) The first season is very different from the rest, more serious and 'scientific' and with four classic stories imo. And it's the era of Liz Shaw, Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith, splendid Companions, all of them. So as a lifelong Pertwee fan, if this is your first time for some or all of his stories, I hope you'll enjoy them but please don't expect rational TV criticism from me for the next nine evenings. I love them all; yes, even 'The Time Monster'! So here goes... monsters, soldiers, bureaucrats, gadgets, Venusian aikido and a hot cup of tea! It's the Pertwee Years!
EDIT: Loving the 20 minute live pre-show btw - with Katy Manning, it's fun!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2018 19:45:14 GMT
Well, I've enjoyed the 'early years' very much and filled in the gaps of the last four (surviving) stories I'd never seen, and been impressed all over again by William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton and their eras. And now it's time for cars, capes, combat and colour TV! Jon Pertwee has been 'my' Doctor since I was 5 and that's over 50 years ago now, but some things last a lifetime. His is an era like no other. Stranded on Earth to begin with, teaming up with the original UNIT and the outstanding Brigadier (a man of unshakable courage and highly variable moustaches ) and defeating 'mad scientists' and 'alien invasions' one week after another for five glorious years (with occasional trips off-world, thanks to the Time Lords.) The first season is very different from the rest, more serious and 'scientific' and with four classic stories imo. And it's the era of Liz Shaw, Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith, splendid Companions, all of them. So as a lifelong Pertwee fan, if this is your first time for some or all of his stories, I hope you'll enjoy them but please don't expect rational TV criticism from me for the next nine evenings. I love them all; yes, even 'The Time Monster'! So here goes... monsters, soldiers, bureaucrats, gadgets, Venusian aikido and a hot cup of tea! It's the Pertwee Years!
EDIT: Loving the 20 minute live pre-show btw - with Katy Manning, it's fun!
Katy was LOVELY on that pre-show
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Post by sherlock on Jun 8, 2018 22:51:54 GMT
Missed out Spearhead (which I have on DVD anyway) but tuned in in time for Doctor Who and The Silurians. Pretty good story. The length works well. The Silurian design is great, and the characterisation of the third Doctor is really strong.
Though I should add, I have listened to audiobook of the novelisation before (it was a part of the action figure set, you could assemble the Pandorica out of CDs! I only collected the two halves of The Cave Monsters, which came with a NuWho Silurian figure and Amy figure if I remember correctly). The novelisation adds so much depth to this story, not that it's lacking in TV form. Definitely recommended.
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Post by number13 on Jun 8, 2018 23:02:04 GMT
Spearhead from Space
It’s a great, tense tale of dummies, doubles and duplicity where even your boss might be a Nestene Replica and if you go window shopping the tailor’s mannequin might be the last thing you ever see … The Doctor's dazed from regeneration and trying to come to terms with being in exile and facing the growing threat from the Nestenes who recognise his importance even before the Brigadier does. I love the moment when he is 'caught' by Liz and the Brig trying to escape in the TARDIS – for that scene Jon Pertwee is clearly playing Patrick Troughton playing the Doctor, clever acting and a nice nod to his popular predecessor.
‘Spearhead’ looks fantastic and totally different from any other ‘Doctor Who’, made all on film and all on location thanks to a studio workers’ strike at the BBC. What a very 1970s reason, but what a great result! Derek Martinus’ direction made full use of the freedom given by film with some great location shots. An excellent one-off creation, never replicated in its all-film style; a splendid colour spearhead to lead the Third Doctor’s time on earth.
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Post by number13 on Jun 8, 2018 23:09:27 GMT
Missed out Spearhead (which I have on DVD anyway) but tuned in in time for Doctor Who and The Silurians. Pretty good story. The length works well. The Silurian design is great, and the characterisation of the third Doctor is really strong. Though I should add, I have listened to audiobook of the novelisation before (it was a part of the action figure set, you could assemble the Pandorica out of CDs! I only collected the two halves of The Cave Monsters, which came with a NuWho Silurian figure and Amy figure if I remember correctly). The novelisation adds so much depth to this story, not that it's lacking in TV form. Definitely recommended. Like the idea of the CD Pandorica! & agree, it's an excellent novelisation; all Hulke's novelisations are. The early Target novels were generally the best imo and most of them are Pertwee stories as he'd just finished his run - I'd also recommend 'The Auton Invasion' sometime if you haven't read/heard it.
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Post by pazzer on Jun 8, 2018 23:28:23 GMT
Slightly disapointed I didn't manage to catch The War Games. But am looking forward to revisiting the third Doctor.
Spearhead from Space Really enjoyed it. The Doctor escaping in the wheelchair along with stealing clothes and a car made me smile. While the Auton attack scene was just as brilliant as when I saw it as a kid. Also can't believe I didn't notice the tattoo.
Doctor Who and the Silurians Not a bad story but felt it was a bit long and the finding a cure bit was just dull. Was a bit distracted by Nyder, Mr Mackay and Avon.
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Post by fantasticalice on Jun 9, 2018 10:13:26 GMT
The Enemy of the World It's 2018, but not as we know it! In the middle of the legendary 'Monster season', a refreshingly unique story which goes off into 'mad scientist / political thriller' territory and lands the Doctor and friends in a complex, action-packed 'globe-trotting' epic in the style of 'Bond meets the Avengers', directed with great panache (and a decent budget judging by results) by Barry Letts.
Patrick Troughton was obviously having a wonderful time playing hero AND villain (think evil govenor from 'Zorro' ), the large, multi-national cast is really good and David Whitaker's excellent script has more than enough twists and turns to keep a six-parter going. (And I always lol at the Doctor mishearing 'meet under the disused jetty' as 'meet under the disused Yeti'. Surely that line's a Patrick Troughton contribution? It wasn't in the novel!)
Now it's time to meet a legend and for a 'disused Yeti' to wake up...
I actually had a lot of fun doing some Tardis wikia editing due to wanting to write about this story. I had to be vague(partly due to being appropriate and because there are names I never want to read in a DW text) but i really enjoyed feeling it was necessary to write that this stream has caused a reevaluatiom of many stories including the Web Planet. and for this I just wrote that a lot of people were comparing Enemy to OUR 2018. Which I think is the first time anyone has really looked at A past serial in context of it's year. I also think Enemy of the World gives more ground to the whole Space Year 2000 concept. It's clearly not as advanced a world as the world of Wheel In Space.
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Post by fantasticalice on Jun 9, 2018 10:19:48 GMT
The Mind Robber. One of my favourites, it's so creative. They even find a way to get around Frazer Hines' illness without resorting to Hartnell-era character disappearances mid-story. See, Brilliant moves like that is why I like the show. It's atmospheric creepy and unsettling. Nobody but the most cynical is going to say "hur hur Fraser just couldn't work that day" because it really does look planned and Zoe is clearly very uncomfortable around wrong face Jamie.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2018 10:29:05 GMT
The Enemy of the World It's 2018, but not as we know it! In the middle of the legendary 'Monster season', a refreshingly unique story which goes off into 'mad scientist / political thriller' territory and lands the Doctor and friends in a complex, action-packed 'globe-trotting' epic in the style of 'Bond meets the Avengers', directed with great panache (and a decent budget judging by results) by Barry Letts.
Patrick Troughton was obviously having a wonderful time playing hero AND villain (think evil govenor from 'Zorro' ), the large, multi-national cast is really good and David Whitaker's excellent script has more than enough twists and turns to keep a six-parter going. (And I always lol at the Doctor mishearing 'meet under the disused jetty' as 'meet under the disused Yeti'. Surely that line's a Patrick Troughton contribution? It wasn't in the novel!) Now it's time to meet a legend and for a 'disused Yeti' to wake up...
I actually had a lot of fun doing some Tardis wikia editing due to wanting to write about this story. I had to be vague(partly due to being appropriate and because there are names I never want to read in a DW text) but i really enjoyed feeling it was necessary to write that this stream has caused a reevaluatiom of many stories including the Web Planet. and for this I just wrote that a lot of people were comparing Enemy to OUR 2018. Which I think is the first time anyone has really looked at A past serial in context of it's year. I also think Enemy of the World gives more ground to the whole Space Year 2000 concept. It's clearly not as advanced a world as the world of Wheel In Space. Yeah, it's got this lovely grounded feeling to it. Helicopters are still recognisably helicopters, radios are still recognisably radios, newspapers still newspapers, etc. Funny to think that an earthquake machine seems closer to reality nowadays than not. Replace some of the technology with touch screens and digital displays, change the fake nuclear war to a global plague and the whole story wouldn't be too far removed from some of the more optimistic entries of Black Mirror.
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Post by number13 on Jun 11, 2018 18:00:55 GMT
*Checks supplies for the 777 marathon. (Series 7, two stonking seven-parters.)*
Healthy raw vegetable pieces drizzled with olive oil, unsweetened fruit smoothie, tea, biccies, crisps, bag of toffees... goldfish bowl (breathes: huff, huff), eyepatch. Good to go.
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Post by pazzer on Jun 11, 2018 22:00:01 GMT
The Ambassadors of Death Seemed like there was lots going on and felt very Bond like. Probably due to all the action scenes. Not too keen on Unit as they seemed incompetent and that they'd been taking shooting lessons from stormtroopers. Would have liked to know more about the villains motivation as he seemed really interesting. But overall found it really enjoyable.
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Post by number13 on Jun 11, 2018 22:03:58 GMT
The Ambassadors... of Death I love this one as the most 'Bond' story of the most 'Bond' Doctor and for the quality of its stunts and location work. Personally I place 'Ambassdors', 'Inferno' & 'Axos' equal second on the location stakes, second only to 'The Sea Devils' and 'The Daemons'. And for the industrial hardware that was so Pertwee-era, this one wins out for me. The winter landscapes and low sun are all part of the ambience - it just wouldn't have worked as well in leafy mid-summer. This is the story which really binds the Doctor and the Brig together as the classic team we all know. It's very much a double-act story between them, where each needs the other and it's great seeing their friendship develop across the seven episodes, from the post-'Silurians' mistrust of the opening to the confidence of the later episodes. And the story and the complex plot hold up very well - I was amazed when I first heard of the convoluted background to this story's development, because the final result works. That said, I don't envy the original viewers trying to follow the plot over seven weeks. I've usually watched split over two evenings which is OK and doing the full marathon view in one sitting was better still. Two final points - Regan is a brilliant guest character - ruthless, highly skilled, smooth, charming, deadly. Like a human prototype for the Master (with hindsight, though I've no idea if he actually was a prototype in any way.) And the sense of mystery is excellent - fogged-up helmets conceal the aliens and we never really learn much about them; an attempted First Contact gone wrong and abandoned. Part of me would like to see BF explore this; part of me likes a mystery which not even the Doctor knew the answer to.
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Post by mark687 on Jun 11, 2018 22:09:24 GMT
The Ambassadors of Death Seemed like there was lots going on and felt very Bond like. Probably due to all the action scenes. Not too keen on Unit as they seemed incompetent and that they'd been taking shooting lessons from stormtroopers. Would have liked to know more about the villains motivation as he seemed really interesting. But overall found it really enjoyable. Ambassadors is my favourite of Season 7 because they've been going for the Bond vibe all season and its the closest they get to it.
Regards
mark687
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2018 23:16:13 GMT
IKEAAAA!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2018 1:00:06 GMT
HALAT! Ambassadors is a great little story. A PTSD-suffering career soldier/astronaut, an opportunistic crook with some intelligence behind him, a government conspiracy (woo!) directed against the Space Programme, profoundly unearthly aliens... Season 7 more than any other seems to have an overarching theme in its stories. Mainly, how first contact scenarios can and often do go horribly wrong. Ambassadors shows us a story that could very easily have been the aftermath of Silurians, a rogue officer (potentially one of the faceless many) affected quite significantly by an event he only half-understands. Ironically, it's one of the... what's a good word for it? Warmest(?) stories of the season. By which I mean, closest to the graphic novel fantasy tone that would pop up later in the Letts era. They're clearly having fun with the concept. Helicopter attacks, motorcyclists downed with stun guns, explosive briefcases... I have a very sneaking suspicion that the Bond-ish tone that was carried all the way through had to do with David Whitaker's initial scripts. The misunderstanding that forms by the end feels like what would end up as classic Malcolm Hulke. It's probably the baseline story of the season just by default, but man, what a baseline to draw from.
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Post by pazzer on Jun 12, 2018 14:46:32 GMT
Inferno Felt like I was watching a disaster movie. So would have been perfectly happy without any monsters. Though when they did appear thought they were fine. Just would have liked a bit more explanation for them been there and why the creatures looked like werewolves. Found the parallel universe bits excellent, wonder if they got the idea from Star Trek.
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Post by glutamodo on Jun 12, 2018 15:28:10 GMT
Inferno is the oldest DW episode I bought on DVD over the years, my memories of seeing it back in the mid 80s on PBS were strong enough that I had to get that one. Still if I wasn't working right now I'd probably have rewatched it on Twitch.
As for "did they get the idea from Trek", maybe, I don't know if it matters. The genre/trope/whatever of Parallel Universes was around before Star Trek, also... Mirror Mirror didn't even air in the U.K. until nearly 5 months AFTER Inferno did.
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Post by number13 on Jun 12, 2018 18:32:01 GMT
Just wait til you see the quality of his woodwork footwork!
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