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Post by omega on Apr 22, 2018 3:29:59 GMT
DOCTOR WHO - MAIN RANGE » 57. ARRANGEMENTS FOR WARReleased May 2004SynopsisOnboard the TARDIS, nerves are strained. After escaping the Forge and the murderous clutches of Nimrod, the Doctor and Evelyn have things to talk about. The Doctor's attitude towards death is a subject that these days is too close to Evelyn's heart, and eventually she demands to be set down somewhere where she can be free of him for a while. And so they come to Világ, where the Doctor's meddling lands him in the middle of a truly dangerous liaison and Evelyn meets a man who wants to change the course of her life forever. Love is everywhere. But then war is too. Is it time for Evelyn to leave the Doctor? Or is the choice about to be taken out of her hands? And who is to say what is the beginning and what is the end of love? Written By: Paul Sutton Directed By: Gary Russell CASTColin Baker (The Doctor); Maggie Stables (Evelyn Smythe); Gabriel Woolf (Governor Rossiter); Philip Bretherton (Plenipotentiary Suskind); Geofrey Leesley (Paramount Minister Mortund); Katarina Olsson (Princess Krisztina); Lewis Rae (Corporal Reid); Kraig Thornber (Commander Pokol)
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Post by omega on Apr 22, 2018 3:33:42 GMT
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Post by Timelord007 on Apr 22, 2018 7:56:59 GMT
Brilliantly piece of character drama by Paul Sutton, the Sixth Doctor at his most vulnerable thanks to a powerhouse performance from Colin Baker who shows that ole sixey is possibly the most caring & compassionate incarnation the Doctor's had, Evelyn falling in love & that Romeo & Juilet love story which ends tragically & yet beautifully.
8/10.
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Apr 23, 2018 11:47:02 GMT
This one was just Heartbreaking. Beautifully performed by everyone involved
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Post by omega on Apr 23, 2018 12:05:32 GMT
My two favorite scenes both involve Evelyn. The first is when she's in bed and admits that she's dying, and that Rossiter is the first one she's confided to about this. The second is the final scene where Evelyn talks the Doctor down from altering the past, and they have a truly wonderful heart to hearts that resolves the tension of the past few stories.
Maggie Stables and Gabriel Woolf are simply amazing together, they have a chemistry and you really believe that this the man for Evelyn.
The cliffhangers are brilliant. Instead of a moment of peril you know will be resolved quickly, you don't know how the next episode will proceed, and the story turns on these points. The Doctor realising he's gotten involved, Rossiter professing his love for Evelyn and the start of the Killoran invasion. These have consequences in this story and for Part 2, beyond.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,813
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Post by lidar2 on Apr 23, 2018 12:55:24 GMT
It's just a pity Paul Cornell had already used the title Love and War.
Wouldn't want a lot of Who stories like this, but one every now and then is fine when it's as fantastic as this.
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Post by number13 on May 5, 2018 0:30:40 GMT
That was excellent and quite a surprise to find a "Mills and Boon" style romance (as the CD notes say) in the MR. (I'm hearing most of the Evelyn stories for the first time and what a treat it's proving to be.)
An emotional, beautifully written and performed tragedy of war and peace, love and duty, friendship and understanding, politics, history - and Time. With an excellent cast (what a wonderful surprise it was to encounter Gabriel Woolf, playing a good man this time!) and orchestral music and sound design perfect for the theme and setting.
It's the story of two romances and a friendship all living on borrowed time, on a peaceful world where war is coming. It could almost be an Earth historical set just before WWI or WWII except for the twist - only the Doctor and Evelyn know that war is coming and they can't tell anyone for fear of changing history. But history is what they have already changed by being involved.
I very much liked the way the story was spread over time, using the news broadcasts at the start of the the later episodes to compress the action, giving time to concentrate on the romances between Krisztina and Marcus, and Evelyn and Rossiter. And also the political scheming and the sense of the clock ticking inexorably towards the Killoran invasion. Spreading the story over weeks like this made both the developing love-stories and political plots seem believable.
And it gave time for the story of the Doctor and Evelyn's friendship and how it was saved. After losing Jem and Cassie in quick succession, Evelyn doesn't understand the Doctor's apparent lack of emotion and it takes time apart and yet another tragedy - and the Doctor's reaction to it - to help her understand that his grief for all those lives he couldn't save is so much bigger on the inside. And knowing this and understanding him at last, Evelyn saves him from that most serious Time Lord sin - changing events in his own timeline. A bittersweet ending and so well played by Colin Baker and Maggie Stables.
I was left wondering one thing. We know the Doctor's casual words to young Reid doomed him and Krisztina by encouraging them to declare their love for each other, and the conclusion of their story is: better to die together in love than live apart without it. But... the Killoran invasion is defeated with terrible loss of life and destruction, yet early in the story the Doctor seems to say that it was (in the original history) defeated easily by the Kingdom Alliance, which (in the timeline we see) wasn't formed due to his interference.
So, don't the Doctor's presence and actions cost the lives not only of the Time-crossed lovers, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of "additional" people who died in the Killoran invasion that was more disastrous than it should have been? Far more people than would have died if the invasion had been defeated easily, if the Kingdom Alliance had been ready-formed to repel it? History changed very much for the worse. Or did I misunderstand something??
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Post by whiskeybrewer on May 5, 2018 11:40:09 GMT
I was left wondering one thing. We know the Doctor's casual words to young Reid doomed him and Krisztina by encouraging them to declare their love for each other, and the conclusion of their story is: better to die together in love than live apart without it. But... the Killoran invasion is defeated with terrible loss of life and destruction, yet early in the story the Doctor seems to say that it was (in the original history) defeated easily by the Kingdom Alliance, which (in the timeline we see) wasn't formed due to his interference. So, don't the Doctor's presence and actions cost the lives not only of the Time-crossed lovers, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of "additional" people who died in the Killoran invasion that was more disastrous than it should have been? Far more people than would have died if the invasion had been defeated easily, if the Kingdom Alliance had been ready-formed to repel it? History changed very much for the worse. Or did I misunderstand something?? No that is very true and that's where some of the Doctors vast pain that Evelyn see's comes from. He wants to change history again to not only save the lives of these two young lovers he's come to know and care for, but also to save the lives of all the people killed in the altered war. But if he changed history again for his own needs he would become like his own people he feels
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Post by number13 on May 6, 2018 9:18:49 GMT
I was left wondering one thing. We know the Doctor's casual words to young Reid doomed him and Krisztina by encouraging them to declare their love for each other, and the conclusion of their story is: better to die together in love than live apart without it. But... the Killoran invasion is defeated with terrible loss of life and destruction, yet early in the story the Doctor seems to say that it was (in the original history) defeated easily by the Kingdom Alliance, which (in the timeline we see) wasn't formed due to his interference. So, don't the Doctor's presence and actions cost the lives not only of the Time-crossed lovers, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of "additional" people who died in the Killoran invasion that was more disastrous than it should have been? Far more people than would have died if the invasion had been defeated easily, if the Kingdom Alliance had been ready-formed to repel it? History changed very much for the worse. Or did I misunderstand something?? No that is very true and that's where some of the Doctors vast pain that Evelyn see's comes from. He wants to change history again to not only save the lives of these two young lovers he's come to know and care for, but also to save the lives of all the people killed in the altered war. But if he changed history again for his own needs he would become like his own people he feels Cheers, it seemed so far from the 'history protects itself' idea that I wondered if the original history the Doctor told Evelyn had been fully accurate. I think there was a line somewhere in these stories about history not being as neat and tidy as it's written and I thought this could have been one example - an alliance eventually formed and the enemy defeated, but not as neatly (or with as little loss) as the official history recorded. So it was one of the Doctor's worst catastrophes then. I must admit that when he described the world they were going to visit and the pivotal moment they were going to visit it at (war just ending, alliance just forming, alien invasion imminent) it did seem highly reckless, considering the potential for mistakes - and the way trouble follows the Doctor around. If only they'd gone to the Eye of Orion as he first suggested!
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Post by slithe on May 6, 2018 9:31:54 GMT
I liked this one. It played on a variety of themes and was very strong on characterisation. This story allowed us to explore the relationship between the Doctor and Evelyn, as well as the relationship that they have with other characters. It is also good to see the wider effect that Evelyn has had on 'mellowing' the Sixth Doctor as a result of their travels. Certainly, the 'brash' Sixth Doctor comes across far better in developing his relationship with Reid and Krisztina as a result of her influence, than we got to see on television (I imagine that they are of a similar age to Peri). Baker gets to play the Doctor in the way that he wanted and, sadly, we never got to see. It is frustrating that with a decent run of stories and proper scripting, he may well have managed to continue in the role for a far longer period.
The dangers of interfering/meddling with history are clearly shown here. Whilst the Doctor doesn't want to get involved, he cannot help himself and his actions lead to the graver consequences. As mentioned above, the invasion is not easily defeated and becomes more deadlier with serious consequences. There are elements here of the 'darker' Seventh Doctor - 'how far' should the Doctor be prepared to interfere with history and 'put things right'. It also ties nicely into the extent to which the Doctor is 'God' and needs others to keep him grounded (hinted at in the new series more than in the classic one).
Ironically, this adventure fits the new series format and possibly may have influenced the direction in the series (I am assuming that as this adventure dates to 2004 it was written and recorded before the development of the new series). This is clearly shown by the fact that iIt takes place over several weeks/months, allowing the story to develop and has a more 'family' feel between the cast. You get to see the development of relationships and the Doctor is put in a more 'familial' environment. Evelyn's mentions of her family/mother show this as well.
A great release, which definitely shows the emotional power of the series.
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Post by mark687 on May 30, 2018 13:42:27 GMT
Don't think I can add much more its a simple story based on relationships and brilliantly performed.
Regards
mark687
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