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Post by timegirl on Jul 6, 2020 21:38:27 GMT
I was a bit inspired by “The Tooth and Claw vs Crimson Horror” post, The Unicorn and the Wasp and Mummy on the Orient Express are both new Who episodes that are very inspired by Agatha Christie mysteries. Which on do you prefer and why? Or if you like or dislike both of them?
My Personal Take: I genuinely like both of these episodes, with Mummy on the Orient Express taking the lead. Both have wonderful Art Deco Roaring Twenies aesthetics, with “Wasp” taking a more straight forward approach and “Mummy” adding a space twist to it. Both of these episodes both have very strong TARDIS teams (10 and Donna) and (12 and Clara) “ Wasp” plays its mystery a bit like a campy farce which it does sell well with some clever twists on the real life Agatha Christie disappearance. The woman who plays Christie gives a heartbreaking performance. There are some brilliant comedy moments in “Wasp”! “Mummy” which also has strong Christie influences, has a more intense puzzle of a mystery. The whole episode also has strong Forth Doctor influences, I find it particularly reminiscent of “Robots of Death”. I also really enjoy the romantic tension between 12 and Clara in this one. For instance the nightcap they have on the train is filled with UST and her “I love you” that she says to Danny but directs towards 12 and the little smile he gives. Then again I am sucker for Doctor Companion romances especially 12 and Clara’s, but that’s just me. The villain in “Mummy” is also genuinely mysterious and chilling in comparison to the ridiculous villain in “Wasp”. “Mummy” is my favorite of the two but I like both a lot!
What do you guys think of these two Agatha Christie inspired New Who episodes?😊
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 7, 2020 6:42:13 GMT
Mummy on the Orient Express is one of the few 12th Doctor episodes I remember enjoying but haven't seen it again so it's The Unicorn and the Wasp for me.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jul 7, 2020 9:47:53 GMT
Ahahaha, the pupil becomes the master.
Well, Mummy for me. Unicorn is great fun (author notwithstanding), but Mummy is so engaging, so compelling, so filled with great bits that it's no wonder moffat took a shine to Matheison.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2020 11:34:33 GMT
There was once an episode of 'Tales of the Unexpected' (Roald Dahl's series from forty years ago) called Royal Jelly. Timothy West played a character who was turning into a bee! Ridiculous and macabre in equal measure, I found elements of that in 'The Unicorn and the Wasp'. If that earlier story was an inspiration, then it was a good one! That and the 'salt' scene, with David Tennant treating us to a truly manic five minutes, is what sticks in my mind from this story. 'Mummy on the Orient Express', despite an ending I found confusing, is the winner here for me. Terrific atmosphere, some great performances, Peter and Jenna on fine form, and a truly frightening monster. And it's set on a train - a great place for mystery!
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Post by tuigirl on Jul 7, 2020 18:25:10 GMT
I definitely love Mummy a lot more. And I would not mind a re-match with the unknown villain. I especially love the scene at the end on the beach, of the Doctor teaching Clara. That was very emotional and powerful for me. Unicorn and Wasp is missing that.
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Post by timegirl on Jul 7, 2020 19:40:18 GMT
I definitely love Mummy a lot more. And I would not mind a re-match with the unknown villain. I especially love the scene at the end on the beach, of the Doctor teaching Clara. That was very emotional and powerful for me. Unicorn and Wasp is missing that. That beach scene is brilliant isn’t it?!😊 So many good little quiet moments in the Capaldi era!
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Post by polly on Jul 7, 2020 20:10:03 GMT
Mummy, no contest.
Unicorn and the Wasp is a good, yet typical, piece of RTD Doctor Who.
Mummy is a masterpiece, with a much more effective monster and much higher tension from the ticking clock.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 7, 2020 20:18:57 GMT
Oh & Unicorn gets bonus points for the cast, Felicity Kendal & Christopher Benjamin.
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Post by timegirl on Jul 7, 2020 20:24:55 GMT
Oh & Unicorn gets bonus points for the cast, Felicity Kendal & Christopher Benjamin. Haven’t heard of them🤔 who are they?
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 7, 2020 20:31:48 GMT
Oh & Unicorn gets bonus points for the cast, Felicity Kendal & Christopher Benjamin. Haven’t heard of them🤔 who are they? OMG! lol. Felicity Kendal is pretty much a household name for UK tv fans of a certain age, she was in the sitcom The Good Life, perfectly suited to Who I thought. Christopher Benjamin was Henry Gordon Jago in The Talons of Weng-Chiang & of course the BF series. & I just remembered, it was directed by Graeme Harper who directed some classic Who.
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Post by mark687 on Jul 7, 2020 20:32:33 GMT
Oh & Unicorn gets bonus points for the cast, Felicity Kendal & Christopher Benjamin. Haven’t heard of them🤔 who are they? Christopher Benjamin= Jago as in Jago and Lightfoot Felicity Kendal star of Uk Sitcom from the 70s The Good Life Regards mark687
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Post by timegirl on Jul 7, 2020 20:36:31 GMT
Haven’t heard of them🤔 who are they? OMG! lol. Felicity Kendal is pretty much a household name for UK tv fans of a certain age, she was in the sitcom The Good Life, perfectly suited to Who I thought. Christopher Benjamin was Henry Gordon Jago in The Talons of Weng-Chiang & of course the BF series. & I just remembered, it was directed by Graeme Harper who directed some classic Who. Hold on! I do know Felicity Kendal I forgot I watched her in Rosemary and Thyme! I’m American but usually I am pretty good with recognizing British actors, guess I just blanked out on them🤔😄
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Post by agentten on Jul 8, 2020 0:16:18 GMT
I really like both stories, so this is a hard choice, but Mummy comes out the winner. It's just such a clever idea and executed so well. I remember being dizzy with excitement the first time I saw it as it's just so thrilling. The way Twelve manages the situation and the people around him is just so very Twelve. Snarky, abrupt, passionate, irritated, empathetic . . . Capaldi pulls it all off so well. I wonder if this episode might get sequels down the line from Big Finish. I'd certainly be interested in what they might come up with.
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Post by Hieronymus on Jul 8, 2020 0:29:47 GMT
I think Mummy is the better story, but I like Unicorn and the Wasp better, in spite of its flaws. Unicorn and the Wasp works because it's Tennant and Tate; it wouldn't work with any other pair. But Mummy is a great story that would be just as great with other Doctor-Companion pairings.
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
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Post by shutupbanks on Jul 8, 2020 0:40:05 GMT
I love MOTOE as it is wonderfully atmospheric and entertaining but TUATW has the immortal line “Harvey Wallbanger?, How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?!” That whole scene is just magical as are all the references to Agatha Christie’s other works and the sheer audacity of there being a professor murdered in the library with a lead pipe. I know that Gareth Roberts isn’t flavour of the month but this remains one of the works by him that I really enjoy.
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