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whoreviewswho · 5 months ago

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Your Evil is My Good - Pyramids of Mars, 1975

There are some things, though not many, that the Doctor Who fandom seems to universally agree on. Everybody seems to agree that the Weeping Angels are a great, iconic monster. Everybody seems onboard with the notion that The Caves of Androzani is one of the best stories of all time. Everybody seems to agree that the Hinchcliffe era is one of the most consistently good runs in the whole show. You can probably see where I am going with this. Pyramids of Mars has been forever lauded as one of the all-time great Doctor Who stories, a shining example of a show that appealed to all ages at the peak of its powers.

Like all consensus opinions, there is obviously a clear logic to this. Pyramids of Mars is incredibly memorable and influential. It was, after all, the third serial to be released on the VHS line and it topped the DWM poll for most anticipated DVD release in 2003. Even if it were not so formative and prominent in fan's minds (the amount of times it has been selected for re-release and repeat is remarkable) it would still be one of the most influential and groundbreaking stories of its time. It is hard to challenge the claim that Pyramids of Mars is the single most important story of the Hinchcliffe era. Not the best (there are at least four prior to this that could more readily stake that claim) but, in an aesthetic sense, the pilot episode for the Hinchcliffe era or, at least, the one where everything finally falls into place.

Prior to Pyramids of Mars, Doctor Who had functioned primarily based on the approach pioneered by Verity Lambert and David Whittaker back in the early 1960s. Their vision of Doctor Who was as a programme defined by juxtaposing aesthetics and the storytelling had developed to facilitate that by colliding genres and styles of storytelling. What debuts in Pyramids of Mars is, in hindsight, the inevitable next step which is positioning the established aesthetics and logic of Doctor Who alongside specific pulp genre stories. The difference is the distinction between the Doctor walking amongst a space opera or a western and disrupting their logics and aesthetics and the Doctor walking around within 1971’s Blood of the Mummy’s Tomb and being beholden to its logic and aesthetic.

In the 1990s, Steven Moffat infamously derided the Hinchcliffe era for comprising too largely of derivative pastiches and, while I ultimately agree with him, he is made to look a bit of a fool because of how much the approach does actually work. I like Pyramids of Mars. Of course I do. I'm a Doctor Who fan. This story is a blast to watch and it is the first in a really strong run of pulpy, gothic horror-pastiches that define the Hinchcliffe era in everybody's minds (I stress this is not the beginning of a run in terms of quality, just the start of an aesthetic period that also happens to be very good). This is a messy story but it is a very promising first showing. Pyramids of Mars proves that this model of Doctor Who can work and it lays the groundwork for better stories later down the track. after it to take this aesthetic and run into incredibly interesting places. So, as you have obviously concluded by now, this is not even close to my favourite of the Hinchcliffe era, let alone of all time.

Yes, the production of Pyramids of Mars is spectacular. Probably the single strongest aspect of the Hinchcliffe era is just how good the show was at working within its limitations. None of the stories under his watch look especially naff and Pyramids of Mars is especially luscious. The serial is dripping in tone and atmosphere and I could not begrudge anybody frequenting it for just the mood it puts you in. The sets for the house are great and effortlessly evoke that classic, hammer horror tone of an old, creepy house with creepy old dudes doing creepy *cult* (we can replace that word with *casually stereotypically racist*) stuff. The visual effects are also excellent with particular kudos to that chilling bit where Marcus gets shot. I could watch that one sequence forever.

This is not a script with a wealth of great material for the actors but there is no question that they are all exceptional. Paddy Russell even claimed as much herself, insisting upon finding strong actors to bolster material that she thought was lacking. Michael Sheard brings a lot to Laurence Scarman, the best part in the whole story from an acting perspective, but it is hard to look past Garbriel Woolf as Sutekh for the best guest performance in the serial. What a captivating voice and commanding presence. Tom Baker's performance is often praised for the seriousness and dread he brings to proceedings. He even has some particularly dark and alien moments such as his total detachment from the various deaths around him. In my opinion, however, I find his performance to be distant and disinterested, likely thanks to his frosty relationship with Russell. Luckily, it does serve this material well and offer an alienness to the role but he seems incredibly bored and pissed off every time he is onscreen.

As with this whole season though, Elisabeth Sladen is at the height of her powers and effortlessly wrings buckets of charm out of scripts that, again, serve her terribly. Following season eleven, it feels like nobody working on the show has any interest or even a take on the Sarah Jane that we were introduced to. Everybody who has ever seen this serial praises the scene where the Doctor leaves the events of the story for 1980 at Sarah's request and rightly so because it is a phenomenal sequence and possibly the most effective way to demonstrate how awesomely powerful the villain is in the whole show’s history. It's so good, of course, that Russell T. Davies had the good sense to nick it wholesale for The Devil's Chord. Everything aesthetically about Pyramids of Mars works. This is a great story to just watch and let wash over you.

However, I think that this script is deeply flawed and definitely needed another pass before it could attain true GOAT status in my books. Perhaps that will seem unfair to those who will cry out in defence with the reminder that this story was another late rewrite from Robert Holmes when the original scripts, from one time writer Lewis Griefer, were deemed unworkable. It is somewhat miraculous that this story even got made at all. It’s difficult to say now how much of the finished serial can truly be credited to whom. Greifer, was approached by Holmes, a former colleague, while headhunting new talent. Knowing he had a keen interest in Egyptian mythology, Holmes allegedly pitched the combination of science-fiction and a mummy horror film to him. Greifer’s scripts would have been radically different including the proposed final appearance of UNIT and the Brigadier, a scheme to solve world hunger with plantations on the moon year culminated in the Doctor uniting with Horus and Iris to take on the crocodile looking Seth and stop his plan to replace the grain and destroy the moon. It is from here that the development of the serial becomes very collaborative. Holmes met with Greifer and suggested a number of scaled-back alterations that were more in-line with what Doctor Who was suited to in 1976 as well as taking on suggestions from outgoing producer Barry Letts.

Greifer revised his scripts further to what would be the basic plot of the television version, moving the detecting to Earth with an imprisoned Seth and his rocket-based plans, with the added addition of a fortune hunter seeking the world-saving rice in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Holmes remained unhappy with the scripts and, to make matters worse, Greifer fell ill after delivering a full script for the first episode only. Following his recovery, Greifer then promptly left the UK to take on a job her previously committed to leaving Holmes to do a page one rewrite with the consultation of director Paddy Russell based on what had already been put in motion. With all of this fraught pre-production in mind, I still think this story is an undercooked mess. The first episode is fantastic and I really love the third but there is so much padding in episodes two and four that really drag the whole thing down for me. The entire second episode is just spent cutting between Sutekh killing people and the Doctor setting up a plan to stop him that fails immediately: The foundations of this serial are really strong and it has some great dialogue, characters and moments but the whole thing fails to hold together for me especially in regards to pacing and the real lack of any interesting subtext to sink your teeth into. There is not much to love here that is not aesthetic.

But let's try and dig a little deeper anyway. Broadly speaking, mortality seems to be the theme that connects the various elements of the story. We are first introduced to the Doctor in what is probably my single favourite shot of him in the whole seven years he was in the show. We meet him alone, in silence and brooding in the TARDIS control room. Sarah enters in what will be a coincidentally appropriate Edwardian dress, our first indicator that this story is really all about aesthetics and flavour more than anything else, and we discover that the Doctor is in somewhat of a mid-life crisis, grappling with the uncomfortable realisation that his life is marching on and that he has no real purpose. This is a really well written and performed scene, one of the best the Doctor and Sarah ever had, and probably my favourite of the serial. While the original show on the whole is not know for deftness of characterisation and development, Pyramids of Mars proposes a potentially interesting starting place for the Doctor’s character which is simply to put him in a somewhat depressed mood and unhappy with the prospect of spending his remaining days at U.N.I.T.‘s beck and call. This a Doctor who has lost his sense of purpose and ambition. It is a great idea that could reveal a lot about the Doctor and challenge his character, as we later saw under Moffat's creative direction, but it never goes anywhere here. Pyramids of Mars is a serial about a villain who does have a defined purpose and ambition – to bring death to all of reality. Yet the person best poised to stop him is in a crisis himself about the prospect of that very thing arriving for him. The character-driven story of a wandering hero in a mid-life crisis versus the Lord of Death should simply write itself.

But it doesn't. The Doctor does not walk away from the end of this adventure with a renewed sense of self or really any semblance of change in the morose feelings he expresses in episode one. It would have been perfectly forgivable if his mid-life crisis was something that the production team set-up here and went on to develop over the season but that never happens either. The Doctor is more than happy to assist U.N.I.T. in the very next serial and yet once more before the season wraps up. The elements are all here to ie the themes and character beats together but it never really happens. For example, I would love to confidently read something deeper into the final visual of the house burning down. It is, after all, the Doctor’s defeat of Sutekh that starts the fire and we know from episode one that, later down the track, the manor is going to be rebuilt and repurposed as the U.N.I.T. headquarters.

The thematic implications of this are really nice. Sutekh wants to end everything, leaving "nothing but dust and darkness", but we all know that the manor's destruction is an ultimately necessary consequence to allow for something good to rise up from its ashes. Life always prevails and begins anew. This is a simple enough thematic beat that could have been teased out and made a lot stronger and it could even have been a clear indicator of some character resolution. With the Doctor inadvertently facilitating the conception of U.N.I.T., this whole image could represent his coming to terms with his place in the universe after combatting Sutekh and passionately redefining himself and coming to terms with a now mythic role as a defender of all life in the universe, a champion of change and renewal. It is something almost there in the script but not quite.

The use of Egyptian iconography in this story is very clever. We know that death was an incredibly important aspect of their culture. People's corpses were mummified to preserve them for the afterlife since death was very much believed not to be the end. There is some cool world-building in this story and I really like the idea that Egyptian culture is all founded upon the wars of the Osirans (Osiris being the Egyptian god of the dead and of fertility). Sutekh is directly mentioned as being the inspiration for Set, realised as well as one could expect in his final beastly form, and the whole premise of the story is hinging upon his previous eternal imprisonment at the hands of brother Horus. I love that the bringer of death is punished by having an eternally unlived life. I think that this context is intended to be paralleled with Marcus and Lawrence. The pair are brothers and, for most of the story, the former literally is Sutekh.

Or, in another sense, it might be helpful to take the Doctor’s advice and consider Marcus as already dead. That plays nicely into the broader subtext we are reaching for here of exploring different relationships with death. Lawrence is in denial of his brother’s death since he sees him walking, talking and breathing. The Doctor thinks otherwise, confidently claiming Marcus to be dead already and no longer Lawrence’s brother now that his mind has been overtaken. We should note the Doctor and Sarah’s later scene too where she expresses a lot of sorrow over Lawrence’s death while the Doctor more or less just shrugs, if anything he comes off mildly annoyed, and refuses to deviate from the bigger priority of stopping Sutekh. It is a very memorable and somewhat disturbing scene, the likes of which the modern characterisation of the character never lends itself to. Even the Twelfth Doctor at his most callous was condemned by everybody around him and served his greater character growth. In the case of this moment, it is Sarah who is framed to be in the wrong for imparting human values upon the Doctor which is a potentially interesting notion but not a thread Holmes ever seems interested on pulling on again.

But I’ve digressed. There is potentially something very cool in the parallel between the four brothers but, again, the story is in dire need of another draft to really pull it to the fore. Lawrence is ultimately killed by his brother in quite a genuinely tragic moment since he is such a well performed and written character but the actual implications and significance of the scene beyond just the sheer shock value are ultimately lost on me. Marcus ends up never even knowing he did this, presumably, since he is killed the second he is freed from Sutekh. If Lawrence could be read as a parallel with Horus, or perhaps more closely of Osiris if we are considered the actual Osiris myth, what is this actually supposed to communicate? To depict for us that Sutekh would kill his own brother given the chance, as we know he did? That there is no humanity to appeal to with this villain? I am not sure of the intention but the scene, like this whole story, is almost fantastic.

And then there is the final episode. Every critic of this story before me has already torn this episode to pieces but I will just take it on briefly and note that the whole story just kind of falls apart at this point. The opening scenes with the Doctor and Sutekh are awesome but as soon as we actually get to the titular location, Holmes starts playing for time really hard. The first three episodes are already padded out to the max with extended woodland chases, an awkwardly large number of scenes where the Doctor and Sarah are simply walking to the poacher's shed and the entire character of the poacher himself in episode two who interacts with none of the main cast (save Marcus) and is just killed anyway. None of this blatant stretching of the script bends to breaking point thanks to how strong the production is at capturing the horror tone and aesthetic but the fourth episode is not so lucky. What we have here, for most of the episode, is an extended sequence of the Doctor and Sarah attempting an Egyptian themed escape room. This could have been compelling and some of the puzzles are kind of cool but the presentation is actually quite awful and the whole logic of this situation kind of escapes me. I suppose that Horus set these up to stop Sutekh’s followers from getting into the pyramid but does he just have the same voice as Sutekh? Is that what is going on?

It also does not help the story that this section is all shot on CSO and, aside from some great model work, looks incredibly cheap and bad. The serial takes a really shoddy nosedive but the biggest insult of this whole affair is simply that the whole episode is a colossal waste of time. The Doctor and Sarah accomplish nothing in going to the pyramid and just turn around to go back to the house to save the day with a totally different plan by the end anyway. Neither the characters nor the audience gain anything at all from the whole sequence.

Thus, this is the great conflict I have with Pyramids of Mars because I love watching it. I love the flavour of the story and the clear effort that everybody put in to make it the memorable, entertaining experience. For the most part, I am really sucked in by it. But it is not a masterpiece. In the end, there really isn't very much to say about it at all. This is a serial that feels like watching the tracks being laid when the train's already moving. It makes for a fun journey but the final destination is really shaky. Pyramids of Mars is exceptional in theory just leaves that little bit to be desired.

It is still a cracking story though. After all, this is mid-70s Who we’re talking about.

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an-american-whovian · 5 months ago

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• An American Whovian Reviews: 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday' — by Russell T Davies.

Nobody, and I mean absolutely NOBODY, writes a season finale quite like RTS. Sure, this is only part one — but what a fucking set up to the culmination of this story arc.

Totally called it that it would be Sutekh, by the way. However, who is Mrs. Flood!?

This season came and went — but what a blast has it been. Fingers crossed that it sticks the landing . . .

⭐⭐⭐⭐ outta four.

Ps. My prediction fer next week: Ruby's actual mom is Susan Foreman — thus making her the Doctor's great granddaughter.

#doctor who #an american whovian #whovian #dw #nuwho #the fifteenth doctor #review #an american whovian reviews #the legend of ruby sunday #ruby sunday #ncuti gatwa #millie gibson #season one #series 14 #sutekh #classic doctor who #classic who #pyramids of mars

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marvelmaniac715 · 3 months ago

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I made my mother watch tv shows I like, here were her thoughts:

Doctor Who - we watched all of Modern Who, a season and a half of the First Doctor, the Second Doctor’s final serial and have moved on to the Third Doctor (I just couldn’t sit through anymore black and white tv 😅) safe to say she enjoyed it

Good Omens - this one was dicey since she’s Christian and I wasn’t sure what she’d think of the themes, but she liked it for the most part, vastly preferring Season One to Season Two (it was actually the first time I watched Good Omens but I knew about the twist at the end of Season Two… it was very hard to fake shock but my mum and sister weren’t at all interested in the heartbreak)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - we watched the entirety of the show in a very short amount of time and are now two hours into the Lightning Thief audiobook, she loves it

Wandavision - this, along with Hawkeye, was the only Marvel show that I could convince my mum and sister to watch, and although she’s sat through a few Marvel movies with me I can sense that it is very much not her thing

The Goes Wrong Show - my entire family enjoys Mischief Theatre so she did enjoy it but won’t do repeated viewings because she thinks it’s less funny if you know what’ll happen (I very much disagree and have watched every episode many times)

Bluey - this show is what inspired me to make this post, she caught me playing a Bluey game on my phone (don’t judge me it’s a comforting show) and I convinced her to watch some episodes with me, we watched the first four episodes (up to Shadowlands) and she laughed approximately five times in total, it reminds her too much of Peppa Pig (my favourite show when I was little) and she winced whenever Bluey or Bingo laughed (she’s got a thing about kids making noise when playing outside) but I think she’ll watch more episodes with me

EDIT: For some reason I put the word ‘three’ in the title, no clue why, ignore me, I’m super tired 😭

#doctor who #classic doctor who #good omens #percy jackon and the olympians #wandavision #mischief theatre #cornley polytechnic drama society #the goes wrong show #marvel #mcu #bluey cartoon #my mother #tv shows #tv review #reviews

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garlicbread-cowboy · 1 year ago

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I'm doing a slow watch trough of classic who and so far I've watched i think half of the third doctor's seasons

absolutely obsessed with the unit crew, like i love them all, although Liz, Jo and Benton are probably my favourites and the Brigadier being constantly so Done™ with the Doctor's antics is very funny

some of the side characters in like three episodes are also genuinely delightful

i definitely see why people love classic who so much I am quickly becoming one of those people, highly recommend

#doctor who #classic who #third doctor #here's a very late sleepy review of what I've watched so far #i am having a great time watching #jo grant #liz shaw #brigadier lethbridge stewart

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the-all-seeing-salmon · 3 months ago

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After finally watching all of Classic Who, I can say that imo it peaked early. I know a lot of folks really like the Fourth Doctor, but honestly the Second Doctor is by far my favourite classic era. I really enjoy the Seventh Doctor's era as well, it really picked up again after five seasons of steady decline.

Best classic companion awards go to Jamie, Sarah Jane, Tegan, and Ace. With special mention to Kemel and D84 as characters that would have made great companions.

#doctor who #classic who #second doctor #2nd doctor #seventh doctor #7th doctor #jamie mccrimmon #sarah jane smith #tegan jovanka #ace #doctor who misc #doctor who review

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paperbaacks · 2 months ago

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review:

“I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering, and that I was human after all.”

i think this is one of those books that only specific people would like—an acquired taste. even then i didn't hate it, it was just... so bleak.

i understand the necessity of the bleakness and the disquieting emptiness, but sometimes a story needs to be a short story and not a full length novel/novella. i who have never known men felt like one of those books.

even then i fully understand why so many people love it and gave it five stars—the story is so unique, the narrator is a mystery in and of itself. she is as much a character as she is a literary device. there are moments in the book that are harrowing, and hopeless, and sad. the story itself and engaging too.

ultimately, i think it frustrated me so much to not solve the mystery. we know just as much as the narrator, until the very end. it's completely a personal preference, but for the most part, this one didn't work that well for me :/

#✦: book reviews #bookblr #books and reading #books #booklr #reading #book aesthetic #scifi #science fiction #dystopia #dystopian fiction #i who have never known men #jacqueline harpman #classics

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glorbysblog · 4 months ago

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My Top Five Third Doctor Stories

1. The Dæmons - I think this serial is the most definitive Third Doctor story. It has Jo, The Brig, Benton, Yates, and The Master, and this story feels like the last time that they’ll all properly be together. Outside of that aspect, this story is also just a whole lot of fun for its very 70’s view of the occult (The Master throws up devil horns and I thought it was a joke at first) and it’s unique location of a small village they have to protect.

2. The Time Warrior - As far as entertaining the entire whole way through, I think this story wins out amongst all the episodes that have come before for being consistently funny and important. The Sontarans from the beginning have a strong comedic charm which is matched by Sarah Jane’s comedic strengths.

3. The Green Death - Really beautiful and bittersweet farewell to Jo Grant, this is at the time the most thought-out and well planned companion exit of the show’s entire tenure so far.

4. The Three Doctors - The very first multi-doctor story. For 3, a lot of the story is business as usual though they do get some interesting scenes with Omega, but a lot of the story shines through 2’s interactions with the UNIT family new and old.

5. Invasion of The Dinosaurs - This one is definitely a personal pick as a huge fan of the 60s-70s Godzilla flicks and this is the closest analogue I’ve found to them, but even outside of that, I think this is the strongest down-to-earth UNIT story of the whole era, and the betrayal at UNIT allows some good moments from Benton and The Brig.

So that’s the Third Doctor era, thank you all for the support once again and I hope you’ll follow me into this next era. This era of the show was a whole lot of fun and I was lucky to share some of my first thoughts on it with you through this blog.

#classic who #doctor who #classic who marathon #classic who review #doctor who review #third doctor #jo grant #brigadier lethbridge stewart #the master

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 months ago

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What I Thought About The Second Doctor's Run

Salutations, random people on the internet already scrolling past this! I’m an Ordinary Schmuck! I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

After finally seeing how The Doctor started their journey into becoming the greatest hero to the universe, it’s time to see how that journey continued with The Second Doctor. And while the concept of regeneration is something familiar to fans now, imagine how it must have felt in 1966. This character that you’ve been following for four seasons now just got a new face, with a new personality to match. Depending on how it was done, it is an idea that could make or break the show for some people, and considering that the show is now onto its FIFTEENTH regeneration, I’d say it definitely worked out fine. More than fine, actually. Because the concept of regeneration is a BRILLIANT one when it comes to Doctor Who. It’s simple, yet it’s the very thing that allows the show to go on for decades and inevitably proves that anyone with enough talent can play The Doctor. Most are improvements, some are not, and it all boils down to the actor and how well they handle the role. The question is, did Patrick Troughton do well enough? We shall see together as we go through the adventures of The Second Doctor.

However, before we begin, you remember how I said that episodes and entire serials were lost to time due to the BBC? Well, Number Two here got the worst of it. Out of twenty-one serials (we’re going to be here for a while…), only SEVEN of them are left completed. Two thirds of his run are gone forever, and only a few of them are brought back through animation that’s available on Tubi and other streaming sites. Meaning there’s going to be QUITE a few transcripts for yours truly. I am very much NOT looking forward to this entire review, but I’m going to do it. Oh, boy, I’m going to do it…

(For The Doctor. Just keep telling yourself that, it’s for The Doctor…)

Decades old spoilers below…

THE SERIALS

Like last time, we’re going through each serial in order. We take this journey together, starting with The Second Doctor’s first adventure…

The Power of The Daleks: Starting off strong by facing The Daleks! I respect that. Proves that this new guy has spunk to him. Unfortunate that it’s been deleted, though. But at least we got animation.

And I love that, right away, the writers made it clear that things are going to be different with this new Doctor. While One was more strict and less willing to assist people unless provoked, all while with a hint of giddiness to him, Two is much more goofy and childlike but still serious in a pinch and much more goal driven. He doesn’t waste a second getting to the bottom of things either, for all it took was a man dying right in front of him for Two to realize that something’s fishy is going on and he NEEDS to figure out what. As far as he knows, he and the others aren’t in any official danger and can easily leave if asked to, but The Doctor sticks around to investigate a conspiracy with a colony. Even before The Daleks showed up, The Doctor was dead set on figuring out what was going on, with his worst enemies cementing the idea that something bad is going to happen and it’s up to The Doctor to stop all of it. And BOY did they need him, as these idiot scientists, governors, and rebels would lead to their own unfortunate destruction with The Daleks due to thinking they can be controlled. The crazy thing is that you can believe WHY they would think that due to how unknown The Daleks are at this point of time and how convincingly The Daleks made themselves seem willing to cooperate. This serial manages to show, as the title suggests, the true power of The Daleks. They’re near-unstoppable killing machines, yes, but they’re also highly INTELLIGENT killing machines that know they’re better than these stupid humans and their silly devices. Even when the humans have the temporary upper hand by controlling The Daleks’ powersource, they know to bide their time before finding a permanent solution. You can even tell in their voices how much they disdain the very idea of working for humans, which is funny enough, but it helps prove the willingness of Daleks to overpower their enemies no matter how long it takes. In short, this whole serial makes The Doctor more like the hero I know them as and The Daleks as the great threat that I fear them to be. It’s a lot more of what I’m used to and incredibly enjoyable to watch, ugly and stilted animation aside. So far, I’d say it’s a great start to this Doctor’s run as it’s already making me excited to see more.

The Highlanders: Completely deleted, but not reanimated. Or if it is, it’s not on Tubi. Which is insane considering that this serial introduces Jamie, the Second Doctor’s most famous and prominent companion. Fans can’t really see how he OFFICIALLY got introduced to the series, a fact that’s unfortunate and honestly a little annoy. But there’s not much I can do about it, so–*Sigh*–onto the transcripts…

And this was one I put off doing for a while. I read the opening and thought, “Oh this is going to be another boring historical serial like ‘The Crusade’ again, isn’t it?” Turns out…it’s an ENTERTAINING historical serial. We watch as the characters assist rebellious Highlanders from taking on the British and a sleazy solicitor selling Scottish rebels into slavery. It has some really good stuff like Perkins being the Smee to Grey’s Captain Hook, or Polly screwing with this lieutenant who couldn’t stand being outsmarted by a woman. But the best stuff comes with The Doctor going full Bugs Bunny as he outwits people through conversation, screws with them with slapstick, and dons disguises to get his way. I WISH that I could have seen some of these bits because it is an absolute CRIME that they were lost to time. All-in-all, I definitely liked this one. I definitely prefer the whacky sci-fi nonsense that this show often relies on, but I didn’t mind this serial. At least it has characters being ACTIVE in the story instead of letting historical nonsense happen around them. I’ll take a fun adventure with characters I enjoy over boring political history with characters I couldn’t give two shits about ANY DAY. Don’t you forget it.

The Underwater Menace: Two episodes were saved, but the beginning and ending were left discarded. Here’s hoping the middle wasn’t too bad, hehe…But seriously? The whole thing is decent.

It’s The Doctor and company stopping a madman from destroying the planet, mixed in with a conspiracy amongst a secret society. In other words, it’s your basic Doctor Who adventure, met with The Doctor being a goof, saving his companions from peril, those same companions saving themselves, and wanting to defeat and even SAVE the planet destroying madman. A lot of it is what I recognized as a Doctor Who story, with a lot of great scenes and one-off characters that make it entertaining. The two real gripes I have revolve around Zaroff and Alantis. Zaroff’s motivation…is laughable. I don’t think EVERY villain should have a complex motivation, as a simple one can be carried with an actor’s/character’s energy, but…what scientist wants to blow up the world just to see if he could? What’s the real reward there? As for Atlantis, it feels like it breezes past the details with how the society works. I get that there’s a religion, a science department, slavery, and a monarchy…but how does that all connect together. Any explanation that must have been given never fully registered to me. I AM willing to put the blame on maybe I read things too fast, but it feels a little off with how it seems like you’re supposed to just…accept all these concepts. The plot is strong but the villain and setting, to me, feels like it needed some tidying up.

The Moonbase: Two episodes are deleted, and neither of them are reanimated on Tubi. Thanks, BBC.

Especially since this is another good one. It’s a classic adventure where The Doctor and company protect a space base full of people from an evil threat. And the threat this time is Cybermen, who make a far quicker return than I could have ever predicted. It’s actually really cool to see The Doctor face them again, so soon after his last regeneration. It makes The Second Doctor just as capable as the first to face off and outsmart the same dangerous foe as before. Yet the Cybermen prove to be more resilient this time, sneakily infiltrating their way into the station and taking control of both it and the humans inside. It’s completely nonsensical that they managed to bust a hole inside a space station without the whole thing collapsing due to the pressure loss, but it’s cool nonetheless to see the Cybermen again, with every single character joining in to stop them. And while the final solution felt a little fast, it doesn’t stop the whole story being so fun and engaging. I usually dread reading these episodes, but the second the Cybermen showed up and started taking over, I didn’t want to stop. I was excited to see what would happen next, and I wouldn’t say “The Moonbase” disappoints. It’s yet another serial with an adventure that I’ve come to expect with Doctor Who, and I’m all for it…But, seriously, can we go back to WATCHING these adventures?

The Macra Terror: Deleted, BUT reanimated to further sell the horror B-movie vibe that the serial is going for. Thank you, Tubi! I love you!

Though, I’m starting to pick up a pattern with this Second Doctor’s adventures. This is now the fourth serial where The Doctor discovers a conspiracy within a society and must stop this great evil. It happens every once in a while in Doctor Who, but to do it this frequently could make it feel a little boring without enough variety. As for this serial, its flavor of the day appears to be giant crabs and hypnotism. How did these giant monstrosities manage to control this society in the shadows and hypnotize them to do their bidding? I have no idea and neither does The Doctor. When asked what they are, even he explicitly admits to having no clue. We’re just supposed to accept that giant crabs took over and enjoy the ride. A messy concept for sure, but one that leads The Doctor taking an active role (Still loves that this guy does that) and some enjoyment of Ben betraying the group due to the Macra’s mind control. It IS weird that Ben’s the only one to be conditioned to follow the crabs’ orders, but it leads to some decent conflict of him fighting it to be himself again. So the serial’s still fun, I just wish we could get more variety of stories outside of sci-fi conspiracies in a society. Please?

The Faceless Ones: Only two episodes were saved, yet, weirdly enough, the whole SERIAL is reanimated. Which I honestly prefer. The inconsistency of switching from an animated episode to a live action one would have broken my mind a bit.

And…it’s another conspiracy. This time in an airport instead of a society or a colony. Though, in fairness, this one at least feels a little different as it’s treated more as a mystery to solve rather than JUST making it The Doctor trying to outwit some powerful force. He still does the ladder, but trying to figure the who, what, where, and WHY with these Chameleons adds a sense of intrigue to this serial, with every answer bringing ten more questions and leaving me engaged enough to see what comes of it. I especially love how the Chameleons have a decent motivation for why they’re kidnapping people, being simple enough to grasp and understand. It’s done really well, having some enjoyable elements that makes it stand taller than previous conspiracy serials. Especially with how The Doctor hyper-focuses on the problem when it’s his companions who are in danger of these new threats. Always love how The Doctor will go on the warpath to those who mess with his friends.

Speaking of those companions, this is the send off of Ben and Polly. And it…has a similar problem to Dodo’s send off. They’re there for a chunk of the story, disappear for most of it, and head off once the problem is solved. It’s done slightly better here because we at least get to see them say goodbye, and it is performed nicely. You get the sense that these two don’t really want to say goodbye and break The Doctor’s heart, but he doesn’t want to keep them from their lives either. He’s more than willing to let them go, even if it’s hard for HIM to say goodbye too. I love all of it, but with how Ben and Polly are absent for most of the serial it kind of takes the punch out of this being their big farewell. They don’t do much aside from getting kidnapped, which feels cheap considering all they’ve been through with The Doctor. Still, it doesn't take me out of the serial too much as there’s still a lot more to enjoy in seeing The Doctor stop the misguided plans of a lost alien race. I just wish that his companions had more of a chance to help if this was their final adventure.

Also–And this has nothing to do with the serial itself, but the fact that it miraculously happens around the same time of “The War Machines” kind of adds to what I love most about The Doctor. Due to their regenerations and capability of being ANYWHERE at ANYTIME, it means that The Doctor is able to be at every corner of the universe that needs their assistance. No matter the year nor the galaxy, The Doctor will always be there. And that’s incredible to me.

Alright, back to the serials.

The Evil of The Daleks: Same deletion deal as the last one, but only one episode remained. Again, I’m fine with it.

What I’m not fine with is this being probably the weakest adventure of The Daleks. At least, of the ones I’ve covered so far. Because what makes this one the weakest is the fact that it is so all over the place. It starts off interesting enough, with an evil force trapping The Doctor through a mystery that his intelligent mind can’t help but solve. It uses The Doctor’s inquisitive nature against him, and I love it when the franchise finds interesting ways to make that his weakness. But then the serial soon becomes The Doctor forcing Jamie through a series of life-threatening tests to train The Daleks into understanding the human factor. I’m not a fan of The Doctor putting a companion in peril, even if they’re forced to do it. I’m all for the bond between Doctor and companion getting tested, as it can prove that while any version of The Doctor is nothing without their close friends and allies, even The Doctor sometimes lacks the human factor that they always admire. The problem is that The Doctor would sooner eat their fist before INTENTIONALLY putting a companion in peril unless backed into a corner with no other choice. That’s kind of the case here, but I feel like there are ways that The Doctor could have better prepared Jamie for the oncoming danger. And the serial somehow gets messier from there as it all comes to an end with The Doctor and company coming to Skaro to destroy The Daleks “once and for all.” It’s kind of cool to see this Emperor Dalek, but the techno babble and conveniences of how The Doctor was able to give more Daleks the human factor left me a little confused on how it was all done. And I’m left more confused as to why making The Daleks more human leaves them inclined to listen to The Doctor giving orders but not other Daleks.

I don’t know. I just feel like “The Evil of The Daleks” combines three potentially good storylines into one whole arc, making the whole thing worse the more it goes on. There’s cool and fun moments, but all in a messy and convoluted serial that’s not as epic of a “final showdown” with The Daleks as it could have been. And yes, I do think this was meant to be a final showdown with how grand the destruction is and how relieved The Doctor sounds when saying “It’s over.” To be fair, every confrontation with The Daleks is treated as the final one, but if this WAS the last, it would have been a disappointing one.

The Tomb of The Cybermen: OH, MY GOSH, A FULLY SAVED SERIAL IN LIVE ACTION! Make a wish, this is RARE!

And I really am grateful for it. I am most definitely an enjoyer of animation and will forever argue about how it’s an underappreciated medium for storytelling, but there’s still something admirable about seeing a Doctor Who adventure in live action. It allows you to see the limitations that directors, costume designers, and even the actors have to work around with bringing a story to life, with special effects being far more clever than just inserting CGI like modern Doctor Who episodes. There’s a charm to live action that makes it just as valid of a medium as animation, it just gets annoying when it tries to adapt something MEANT to be animated or uses too much CGI to the point where it might as well have been animated from the start. So I’m glad to see this serial as it was intended, cheesy effects and all, as the characters go on an archeological adventure with cosmic consequences. There’s some familiar Doctor Who elements like two greedy idiots thinking they can control The Cybermen for ultimate power who inevitably meet karmic justice in the end. And yes, they very much are idiots, but they serve their purpose as functional antagonists for The Doctor and his companions to go up against. Their devious actions and consequences lead to The Doctor out-thinking his foes to save as many as he can, Jamie proving his loyalty to The Doctor in always having his back, and newcomer Victoria…not really doing much, but I’m hopeful that she has room to grow (Spoiler, she never really does). To be fair, she lost her father yesterday, and I’m okay that most of the serial has The Doctor and Jamie trying to comfort and reassure her as best as they can. My favorite scene in the entire serial is the talk between The Doctor and Victoria about remembering those we love and how the memories will always stick with us. I love it so much as it showcases the compassion that The Doctor has in wanting to EMOTIONALLY heal someone and show a hint of his own heartache of leaving behind his family, all perfectly captured by the subtleties of Patrick Troughton’s performance (Something that even animation can’t properly convey as well as live action). It adds a great bit of heart between the moments of thrill as these characters face Cybermen. If there’s anything to really complain about, it’d be the fact that there’s this Black “servant” who isn’t all that intelligent and is brutishly strong. I don’t know, I feel like all of that is a bit too…tight around the collar, as it seems like an INTENSELY outdated idea for a character of his color. It just doesn’t sit right with me. Aside from that questionable decision, I’d definitely say that “The Tomb of The Cybermen” is another entertaining serial for this Doctor’s run. Might even be one of my favorites so far.

The Abominable Snowmen: Not completely deleted, but still animated. The live action was nice while it lasted…

And lo and behold, it’s another conspiracy within a society, this time featuring the DOOFIEST clumps of fur I’ve ever seen acting as the antagonists. By the way, that wasn’t a misspell. Doofy is the best way to describe these stupid things. Even when looking up images that survived the deletion, there is NO WAY that someone from the mid-to-late sixties were actually intimidated by these creatures, and the reanimation doesn’t really do them any favors either. It’s actually kind of funny how non-threatening these are, and it really takes me out of the serial. Same goes for these Munks, who range from emotionless and irrational, aside from the one guy who was kind and friendly. They’re pretty boring side-characters, and I couldn’t even feel bothered to remember their names or even status. I couldn’t even tell you what the friendly guy did for the Monastery. Honestly, the only time things got interesting was during the last two parts where The Doctor confronts this highly intelligent alien using an old friend of his as a meat puppet. It does well to showcase The Doctor’s distaste towards beings who abuse intelligent life, and while the animation doesn’t do the Abominable Snowmen any favors, it did wonders in making The Great Intelligence look like a menacing threat with an epic final battle. I wish I could have seen what it USED to look like, but it’s some good fun…in the last third of a six part serial. Yeah, while the ending was nice, everything else was just too dull or too…DOOFY to get into. I guess the ending makes it worth it, but I’m not willing to revisit this one.

The Ice Warriors: Only two episodes were deleted, but I guess that’s enough for people to decide the serial is left incomplete. It’s reanimated, but not onto Tubi and I don’t feel comfortable using “special means” yet. Onto the transcripts, then…

Honestly, at this point, I’m feeling a little bored with READING about these adventures again. Especially the ones where The Doctor helps a scientific community from this alien threat. The transcripts I have don’t really offer that much description, and I often imagine the same kind of locations with the same type of generic sci-fi clothing. And judging from the set pictures I looked up, I doubt that my imagination wasn’t too far off. Plus, it’s with “The Ice Warriors” that I really took notice of the formula that comes when The Doctor visits a place like this. There’s always a chain of command where some disposable meatbags get treated as canon fodder as they face off evil monsters that either love killing and/or eating humans, ending on a theme about how humanity led to this outcome or whatever. It’s something you see a lot, but don’t entirely get tired of. It just depends on how fun the characters are, the fear you feel with the monsters, and how strong the theme is. As for how it works in “The Ice Warriors,” for the most part, I’d say it’s…fine? I don’t hate the motley crew that The Doctor has to save and the Ice Warriors aren’t bad threats, but they’re not really…gripping me. This is the first time in a while where I feel like the serial didn’t NEED to be this long because not much held my attention long enough and I just wanted it to be over already. That is, except for ONE aspect involving the computer and the reliance others have with it. It’s the part of this serial that I feel like still applies to this day. We all have this overreliance with technology and our computers, to the point where some of us can’t state a certain claim without doing a quick Google search to prove that we’re right first (myself included). What’s even more interesting is that I feel as though you can also paint how the computer is represented as a symbolism for religion. Tons of people always refer to their books, tomes, and what-have-you before making a decision themselves or thinking of some alternative solution. Either way you look at it still works perfectly, and what I love most about it is that it doesn’t treat the computer or even technology as the problem. It certainly doesn’t HELP, but The Doctor admits that it’s fine to use it when necessary but NOT for every little thing. Again, that is a perfect lesson that still feels applicable to this day and age, with every generation feeling as though it needs to hear it. The main theme of the serial makes it worth the watch (or READ in my case…), but not enough to make it really that big of a highlight. I don’t need six episodes to tell me that overreliance on technology is bad when I get that in far better (and SHORTER) episodes in other franchises. The rest of it’s fine, but not enough to make it stand taller in comparison to other Doctor Who stories that use a similar formula.

The Enemy of the World: Le gasp! Another intact one! What a sight it is to behold–Ooh, that’s Patrick Troughtan playing a Spanish man…And…Okay, it’s hard to tell through the black and white, but is that blackface? Er, or brownface? I don’t know. And it’s probably NOT either of those things…At least, I HOPE it’s not either of those things, but it almost looks like it is, which is unfortunate…

As for the serial itself, it’s…less than stellar. The Doctor realizes that he shares the face of a dictator in the far distant future of 2018 (I always love it when time travel stories become outdated), and has to bring him to justice. He’s reluctant, however, because The Doctor does NOT know all the details. What makes this man so evil? Why must they take his life? What evidence is there to support that Salamander–THEY NAMED THE SPANISH DICTATOR “SALAMANDER?!” GAH! This one hurts…Anyways, The Doctor isn’t sure what makes this dictator evil and why he shouldn’t be trusted. It’s a part of a theme that still applies to today’s political environment, where we must look at all the angels for a government figure before deciding what to do to them. Whether it’s a person we follow or disagree with, a lot of the time we need all the information of what they do and what they’re capable of before making any permanent solutions. It might seem black and white sometimes, but try explaining that to people who know next to nothing about politics. And given the big twist in this serial that the man you thought you could trust is just as corrupt as the labeled dictator, I’d say the story definitely has something to say about the messiness of politics. Though, even then, it’s not really THAT political, as it’s another conspiracy, with The Doctor and his companions trying to stop it. Except that they don’t really do much as the whole thing crumbles by Salamander’s carelessness and Astrid coming across the secret society he kept hidden. All The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria did was try to make the truth come out in some capacity, but it seems like it was inevitable anyway. And it should be fun watching The Doctor pretend to be a dictator, but the…outdated acting tactics and very racist name make it questionable. And I don’t just mean the probable brownface when talking about the performance (Still not sure if that’s what they did). I mean him playing a Spanish man, fake accent and all, and it…doesn’t feel right. I don’t even want to commend Patrick Troughton’s job at playing two different people, because that performance feels tainted by what he does to do it. Even looking past that performance, the character (Why the fuck did they choose that name?) doesn’t really do much for me. Why is he going through this much trouble to keep a group of people hidden? What’s the point other than “More power?” It just doesn’t grab me and I’m left scratching my head over the question of WHY he would do all this. All in all, despite a decent attempt at a message, and a great message at that, this is another messy serial that felt like a drag to go through.

The Web of Fear: …One. In a six part long serial, only ONE episode is missing. ONE…You know what? Screw this. I’m not reading six parts just because someone thought it was a good idea to get rid of ONE sixth of a serial. We’re using special means for this one! I’ll just read about the missing episode…

And this one…was slow. I’m going to be honest, a lot of these serials for Series 5 feel like they could have been trimmed down. This one in particular is all about setting up the main threat. Or, rather, reintegrating the main threat, bringing back The High Intelligence and his doofy abominable snowmen who are…significantly less doofy this time around. I’m still not threatened by them, but their new look is definitely an improvement that makes it easier to see how SOMEONE could find them a threat. But six MORE episodes about The Doctor and co. fending off these doofy contraptions? With them having…web powers for some reason? Seriously, why give web guns to abominable snowmen when spiders are RIGHT THERE and are ten times more terrifying than these doofy things ever could ever be?

Yeah, the large part of this serial wasn’t doing much for me…That is until the last two parts when the High Intelligence SORT OF introduces itself and that it wants The Doctor’s intellect. It soon becomes a race for The Doctor to save his mind, new friends, and companions, all while stopping the High Intelligence once and for all. And what I love most is that while the High Intelligence is defeated, it’s not in the way that The Doctor intended. In trying for a permanent solution, Jamie ruins it because his loyalty to The Doctor and NOT wanting to see him hurt caused the whole plan to crumble, with The Doctor being furious and disappointed that it caused the death of a good man that the Intelligence took control of. It’s another great aspect of The Doctor, where their need to save the universe and the innocents in it can sometimes fail because their companions unintentionally foil any plan due to wanting to protect THE DOCTOR too. It’s similar to the idea that “The Daleks Master Plan” presented where The Doctor does sometimes lacks the human element in NOT seeing all the variables and is sometimes driven more by intellect instead of emotion. Except that this time The Doctor’s more at risk instead of Jamie, which I very much appreciate. It gives a fantastic end to a slow build of a serial that, again, did not need to be this long. Hopefully the next time we meet the High Intelligence, it’ll be for a shorter story. And with more threatening looking minions. I don’t care how good the endings are, six parts with doofy costumes is NOT doing it for me.

Fury From the Deep: Deleted, but thankfully they remembered that animation is your friend.

And right away, this one has a similar problem as the last serial, where there’s so much time dedicated to building up this big finale that you end up losing attention DURING the build-up. I mean, it’s the characters fighting off foam and seaweed. Foam and seaweed that’s meant to be so terrifying that it makes Victoria scream so loud they run away. I’m sorry, but I just don’t find foam and seaweed all that scary, nor do I find it entertaining as everyone screams like maniacs over frickin’ FOAM! And SEAWEED! Yeah, I might be freaked out if I saw a bit of seaweed move in real life, but it’s still frickin’ SEAWEED. You gotta dress it up a little better if you want me to believe that characters can scream their heads off over it. Victoria has seen Cybermen, abominable snowmen, Ice Warriors, and The Doctor in possible brownface. She’s faced scarier things, yet it’s the SEAWEED that really broke her? And that screaming, by the way, gets really old really quick. It’s not just Victoria’s cries that grate the ears, but how much everyone is just YELLING at each other, more so than usual. It’s hard to care about anybody and their problems when all I want from them is to just SHUT THE HELL UP!

Ugh, sorry. It’s just that this episode definitely gave me some sensory overload. In fairness, it does get good near the end there. Halfway through, it actually makes the seaweed more of a threat by showing how it infected the humans. By seeing what the seaweed’s capable of, it makes us worried for the characters and hopeful that they don’t meet the same fate. And in the final part, when we see how far the infection goes, it leads to some scary imagery seeing these once human beings become humanoid seaweed. It doesn’t sound frightening, but the animation and some set pictures show just how creepy the concept COULD have been, and I’d say it’s effective ENOUGH. It didn’t give me the chills like other Doctor Who villains, but it worked ENOUGH where I can say it was almost worth going through all the screaming to get to.

Another excellent aspect of the serial is how this is meant to be the departure of Victoria. Not only does she get to stay and help The Doctor and Jamie through most of the serial, but the majority of her time does make it clear that this is her last adventure. She voices how she’s at her wits end with all these adventures and constantly going to some place with danger instead of somewhere…relaxing. To go on vacation instead of having to save the world from a threat that The Doctor has to defeat. You’re quick to understand her plight, and I love that it’s clear she doesn’t want to leave Jamie or The Doctor. She loves them both, just as much as they love her. The problem just lies with the fact that Victoria can’t handle the insanity any longer, with the toxic seaweed being her limit…Still a weird limit to cross, but I digress. The serial handles Victoria’s departure very well, with The Doctor being understanding, albeit still sad, and Jamie feeling heartbroken to say goodbye to someone he cared deeply for. It marks another fantastic ending to a slow building serial.

The Wheel in Space: Half of it’s missing, so all of it’s going to be read. I take back what I said earlier. I’d absolutely take a serial going back and forth between animation and live action to avoid this…

And it’s the Cybermen. Again. For the fourth time since being introduced through the First Doctor. Not gonna lie, it’s starting to feel a LITTLE stale. They’re still valid threats that prove they’re nothing to be messed with as they flawlessly execute a plan to hijack a space station for its powerful weapon systems to invade Earth. It makes them fun, but for the fourth time with no real variation it also makes for something that’s not that much engaging. “Tomb of the Cybermen” at least changed things up by making it an archeological adventure, where this feels more like “The Moonbase” but with a new cast of characters. Though, I will admit, the cast this time is a lot more entertaining and stops “The Wheel in Space” from being TOTALLY dull. There’s some fun personalities on display, making me care about this crew of canon fodder, effectively making me feel all the right things when one of them dies. It was actually upsetting seeing characters like Bill and Gemma getting killed for different tragic reasons, Bill being a victim and Gemma being an unlucky hero. I even felt bad for the brash and paranoid Jarvis Bennet, who died with heartbreak and wanted to go down swinging after the Cybermen killed Gemma. It’s decent stuff, with Zoe being the obvious stand out. On paper, she seems fun as this logic-focussed woman of intelligence who prefers facts over human emotion. I was intrigued by the possibility of how well she’ll work with The Doctor and Jamie in the future just through this serial alone, and I hoped she’d be better in action than in paper. And you’ll see soon enough how well I thought she did. For now, I’ll say that Zoe and the rest of her crew did good enough in making me care a lot more for this standard Cybermen adventure. It goes to show that no matter how typical a story can be, it can always be carried far enough by great characters.

The Dominators: Fully intact like it t’was intended! Thank goodness! I can appreciate the subtleties of an actor's performance and the classic special effects. Speaking of the latter, there are some pretty decent special effects in this, with the way the Quarks move, how buildings fall apart or blow up, or seeing all these mini-explosions being surprisingly close to the actors as they run away. Lot of great stuff to make this serial set the stage for how dangerous the stakes are in this serial…Even if the story never really sucked me in.

Visually, “The Dominators” are pulling out all the stops. Narratively…I don’t know. I like the idea of The Doctor and his companions helping a pacifist society against trigger happy invaders. It SOUNDS interesting, and in some aspects it is. Whenever The Doctor and Co. have to convince the society to fight back and plan an attack against the titular Dominators, it feels intriguing and makes you think the serial is going to be about something like how pacifism is noble but there are times when you NEED to fight…But then it all goes NOWHERE. The constant debates and arguments with the council? Nowhere. The Director ridiculing his son? Basically nowhere. The Dominators making themselves known to the council and accepting their surrender? Very much nowhere. If this was just The Doctor and his companions helping a small group of pacifists, the serial would go up a considerable grade. But with all these scenes of political nonsense at the capital, it makes the serial drag a bit and tunes me out far longer than it should. As for the Dominators, they’re not great either as these two frowning dickheads yelling at each other while using their tinkertoy robots to kill people. If it was JUST the robots to worry about, again, I’d like the serial a lot more. In fact, I WANT to like this serial. Again, visually, it’s a treat to watch. And I love how The Doctor outsmarts these stupid, frowning babies by playing dumb and making them think that The Doctor is too stupid to use for their evil plans. It’s a clever tactic, even if it’s clear that luck and the Dominator’s stupidity is what really made it work. Unfortunately, despite everyone TRYING to make the story great, it’s still a little flawed to keep me interested.

The Mind Robber: Two intact ones in a row?! Oh, well, that’s just special.

The same goes for the serial, because this is an all-timer. The Doctor and his companions are trapped inside a dimension of nothing but fiction, words, storybook characters, and mythological beasts. It’s enough to drive anyone mad, with even The Doctor going crazy as he faces off against that world’s master and all his puzzles, riddles, and trials in the effort to treat The Doctor as a work of fiction himself. This leads to The Doctor to use his own wits and rewrite the story so amie, Zoe, and him don’t become trapped in a world of insanity and used as playthings by an insane mind obsessed with fiction. And it’s all in five parts of decent special effects, impressive sets, and cute costumes as we see The Doctor face each riddle and monster for the sake of saving himself and the others. All while giving some good wacky stuff like Jamie losing his face for an episode or The Doctor and Zoe getting help from a superhero. It’s pretty fun to watch, having my favorite aspect of The Doctor on display as he uses his mind to outthink his enemies instead of overpowering them, while mixed with some fun, sci-fi nonsense that only this franchise can pull off. It leads to a great adventure, leaving me with something new that I haven’t seen from this version of The Doctor yet. There’s really not much I can say about it other than it’s some good, goofy fun met well with some great presentation. Is there anything else you could want from a cheesy, classic Doctor Who adventure?

The Invasion: Darn it, we were doing so well–THIS ONE ONLY HAS TWO EPISODES MISSING IN AN EIGHT PARTER?! Screw it, we’re using special means again. If only a fourth of this is missing, then it was hopefully a boring fourth. And truth be told…it probably was?

Yeah, remember how I said in “The Wheel of Space” that seeing the Cybermen was starting to get a little dull? Well, “The Invasion” proves that it really is true. There’s some intrigue with the mystery behind Vaughn and who he’s helping, it’s cool to see the introduction of UNIT, and there IS some intrigue to be had with Vaughn trying to control the Cybermen. Other than that, though…there’s only so many times I can say, “Oh, it’s so cool to see humanity band together to fight the Cybermen!” At least with the Daleks you have some serials trying to mix things up with them chasing The Doctor and company through space and time or destroying the Dalek empire or having them trick humans into thinking Daleks can be controlled. Here, it’s the FIFTH TIME I’ve seen/read about Cybermen trying to invade Earth and/or destroy humanity with The Doctor and a small group of cannon fodder trying to stop them. At first, it WAS cool to see how the Cybermen started and how The Doctor struggled against them, but after five times with the same kind of adventure it finally got dull. CYBERMEN are now dull. I’m sure they’ll show up again in the future, but after this serial, I was left hoping it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

The Krotons: SAVED from the BBC gods!

And it’s…another case where The Doctor and others discover a conspiracy within a society and must try to stop it so that the same society shall flourish. It’s a story structure that the writers thankfully eased up on for a bit, making it a lot less dull than seeing the Cybermen for the tenth time (I was genuinely worried it would be the Cybermen again when someone mentioned silver men). Plus, to be fair with this one, they mix things up a bit where people catch onto the conspiracy sooner, with The Doctor actively trying to STOP them from revolting due to not knowing enough about the threat yet. There’s even something interesting with how The Doctor and Zoe are prime targets by the Krotons due to their intelligence, but sees Jamie as a waste of space because of his…primitive mindset. It almost has something to say about how a brilliant mind is important but one should also rely on instinct to survive. While it ALMOST gets there…it doesn’t really go all the way, sticking to a theme that one should think for themselves in searching for knowledge rather than letting a higher form of intelligence give them easier answers. Mind you, that’s still a good lesson, as well as a unique one, but unfortunately leaves Jamie on the sidelines with the admittedly boring Gongs who don’t really capture my attention throughout the adventure. I’m more invested with the struggles of The Doctor, Zoe, and Jamie that this tiny rebellion just never captured any investment from me. Given how it’s essential to care about the Gongs so you can hope for The Doctor to save them, I’d say “The Krotons” didn’t do its job too well. There are some good bits that made it worth a watch, but not enough to make me value the whole adventure.

The Seeds of Death: ALSO saved from the BBC gods!

And this one features the return of the Ice Warriors. A tad bit out of the blue, but more welcome than Cybermen for the sixth frickin’ time. As a bonus, I get to actually SEE the Ice Warriors in action this time around instead of just reading about what they do, which steadily improves how I look at these things now as compared to their introduction. It’s weirdly unsettling hearing how they talk as though in constant pain yet still move around with commanding stride. It effectively makes them decent threats, especially with how the guns they use cause this distorted effect that is unlike anything I’ve seen kill a character in Doctor Who before, but works in a way I wouldn’t have been able to expect, at least for something in the late sixties. As for their diabolical plan…it’s covering the world in white foam. I know they said it’s algae or something, but it’s foam. Though, the crazy thing is that I feel the threat because of how well everyone treats it as one. It’s weird, I feel NOTHING towards frickin’ seaweed and white foam, but white foam on its own seems to do SOMETHING for reasons I cannot fully explain. I just look at how it surrounds the Earth, remember how toxic it is for the characters, and actually get worried when I see some of them get covered in it because it’s likely going to do some harm. It’s weird, but it works. The only thing I really CAN complain about is how slow the serial moves. It’s another case where it feels like the serial pads itself out to an unnecessary degree, to the point where the titular seeds of death don’t even come into play until halfway through the serial. At first, I didn’t mind the setup, as I felt showing us that this threat is occurring on this moonbase before The Doctor even shows up is a great way to set the stakes. But given how it took TWO EPISODES just to get up on the damn thing all so we can have this argument about the necessity of rocket travel that went NOWHERE, it makes me wish that The Doctor just happened upon the moonbase or any of the bases with T-Mats just so we can stop wasting time. Because once The Doctor and co. DO end up going against the Ice Warriors, the serial finds its momentum as you watch everyone try desperately to fight these near unstoppable monsters with even The Doctor taking direct action to stop them. It’s just that if this serial was an episode or two shorter, it would have been stronger because of it.

The Space Pirates: AND we were doing so well. DAMN IT! To the transcripts…

At first, I wasn’t really into this. It was all just catching me up to this new time period, spoon feeding me all this lore with these new characters that I could hardly give a single shit about. Meanwhile, The Doctor and his companions, the characters that I enjoy and look forward to seeing in every adventure, were in the middle of an infinitely more engaging narrative of being trapped in a portion of a blown up space probe and trying to get back to the TARDIS as it’s stuck in another part of the probe. I wanted to see how they get out of this mess, yet the story kept cutting back to other characters that The Doctor and his companions haven’t even met yet. It made the serial feel dull and slow, with our main cast feeling like they’re reacting to a plot that happens around them instead of doing something about the titular space pirates. That is, until they meet Milo, because that’s when the story starts picking up. Now with The Doctor and others thrown into the conflict, they’re forced to stop the pirates and save lives so they don’t suffer as well. Even all that time showing us these other characters and their complicated histories was actually beneficial as it all leads to a thrilling conclusion of all these characters separated into different parties and working together for the same goal. I went from not caring about Madeleine or Milo or their whole misconstrued betrayal of one another, but when we get to the big twist of what happened to Madeleine's father (which I will leave spoiler free for this), I felt surprisingly invested and hoped things could work out for those two. It’s amazing how successful a story can turn out if you have faith in the audience feeling invested enough to keep with it and it all pays off in the end. Now, it doesn’t ALWAYS work out, as Doctor Who is sometimes evident of that as well, but this is another case of a serial getting better the more you stick with it. The start was slow and dull but it really is worth it for that quick and tense ending that left me satisfied with its conclusion.

The War Games: Well, at least they remembered to keep The Second Doctor’s last adventure intact. More than I can say about the last one…

This is also his longest adventure too, which is fitting enough. This is the last time we’re going to see this version of The Doctor and the companions he made along the way. So it makes sense to have their last adventure together be their longest one yet, giving fans one last LONG goodbye before seeing them off. And WHAT a final send off, having The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe go through a large plain of existence where soldiers of every major war on Earth (Up to 1969) are all jumbled together for the sick experiment of an unnamed alien race. Sure, the length makes things drag a bit, but the serial keeps you entertained ENOUGH to see what happens next. Like when Jamie gets kidnapped during HIS attempt at a rescue mission or how The Doctor had to betray his companions so he could save them later. There’s so many twists and turns that the serial takes, keeping me guessing in certain areas and engaging enough to enjoy most of it. Even stuff like the leaders of each war coming together to stop this threat has something beautiful to say. The only way to save ourselves isn’t fighting each other, but fighting against an even bigger problem that could result in our extinction. Whether or not that’s what the serial is trying to say is really up in the air, but it’s still a beautiful sentiment that I personally took away from, and hopefully others got that too.

But the final episode is where things get REALLY good as The Doctor stands trial for, well, being The Doctor. This is the serial that revealed he ran away from his home planet, too bored by just observing time and space and wanting to see it, to be a part of the universe’s insane narrative. It shows leagues of layers to The Doctor and why they’re always moving, always traveling to see something new, in the same episode that reveals more Time Lords. The ones we’ve seen before were Susan and The Monk, with both of them being…not that impressive as The Doctor. Here, though? We get to see just how powerful a Time Lord is and exactly why The Doctor knows there’s no escape from their punishments, regardless of your pleas. It makes the rest of the episode a tragic one as everybody is fighting all they can to stop the inevitable, and everybody fails in the process. It hurts the most when The Doctor is forced to say goodbye to both Zoe and Jamie with NONE of them wanting to. I actually felt my heart cracking up a bit when The Doctor said his goodbye Jamie in particular, the two of them going through the most together throughout this run. And to add an extra layer of pain, neither of them remember The Doctor when getting sent back to their respective times. Previous companions got to at least have their memories, so the fact that Zoe and Jamie don’t just…hurts. It hurts me as it hurts The Doctor, the poor guy losing everything because of HIS decision. He contacted the Time Lords to save the many lives that the aliens stole, only to lose everything in the process. From his TARDIS, to his companions, to even his face, this is The Doctor’s greatest failure that came from what’s basically his greatest victory. “The War Games” might feel a little long at times, but that ending makes it one of the best Doctor Who stories in the series. Couldn’t have asked for a better final serial for this Doctor.

But before we talk about the new guy himself, let’s get into the people that tagged along in this journey.

THE COMPANIONS

New regeneration, new companions. Just like last time, we’re going in order of appearance, starting with two in particular carrying over from the last Doctor…

Ben: Ben…feels like a productive Steven. He’s able to save lives and actually assist the others, but he’s just so whiney and dopey a lot of the time. Ian had his moments where he complained or bantered with The Doctor but had this sort of…charm that Ben lacks. You could say that it’s a maturity thing and Ben’s youthful twenties made him act a little immaturely. But even then, while you CAN say that’s an excuse, it doesn’t stop him from being a little annoying. I at least like him more than Steven, but not by much.

Polly: Polly frustrates me in a way because it feels like she’s two different characters sometimes. At her best, she’s a lot like Barbara: Capable of getting herself out of scraps, intelligent enough to follow along with The Doctor better than anyone in the group, and kind in ways where she emphasizes with someone going through something stressful. But at her worst, Barbara’s a lot like Susan: A damsel in distress SCREAMING for someone to help her. It’s like the writers wanted to be progressive in making Polly be a capable companion but didn’t want her to be TOO impressive compared to some of the men. The end result causes her to be a character whose personality isn’t even dependent on the story being told. It’s dependent on what the scene is, holding her character back from being someone amazing when she’s just…a slightly better Susan.

Jamie: I didn’t even need to check in with the fandom to know that Jamie’s a fan-favorite. His middle name might as well be loyalty, because there is no one that stuck closer to The Doctor like he did. Jamie would throw himself into danger without a second thought because The Doctor is in trouble and he would fight heaven and Earth just to save him. And he had the skill to back it up too. Where the boy lacked brains, he more than made up with brawn and battle experience, thinking on his feet while knocking out blokes that threatened his life and The Doctor’s. Though, let it be known that Jamie isn’t BLINDLY loyal. He still questions most of The Doctor’s tactics and will relentlessly be annoyed with his antics and incapability to use the TARDIS. Just because Jamie would die for The Doctor, he’d still knock some sense into the old man for acting like a fool. The result is a fun and admirable character that I was genuinely sad to see go. Maybe because, out of every companion The Second Doctor had, Jamie stuck around the longest. Everyone else left after a season, but not Jamie. He stuck around, knowing that The Doctor will always need a guy like him, with it hurting the most that they had to say goodbye and Jamie lost his memories. The Doctor will never forget him, but Jamie will, making a sad end to what might be one of my favorite Doctor Who companions.

Victoria: I have…mixed feelings towards Victoria. I was not a fan of her constantly being a damsel in distress, hardly contributing as The Doctor and Jaime went off to do the real dangerous stuff. I, for one, still prefer companions that are more active than reactive, thank you. Plus, the screaming wasn’t really pleasant a few times…Yet, at the same time, I’ve come to realize that there’s this…sympathy to be had with Victoria. She lost her father, whose last request was for The Doctor to protect his daughter at all costs. And The Doctor, in typical fashion, figured that protecting meant taking her along for every dangerous adventure he could possibly come across. It makes sense why she was often the damsel who would inevitably leave behind all the wackiness. She wasn’t MADE for adventure and wanted out of it. It makes for an interesting character on paper, even if the execution could be…grating. I like the attempt and I still love how her departure went. I just wasn’t a fan of the overall character.

Zoe: Wasn’t there for too long, but she was a fine enough character. I loved that she was as smart as The Doctor and even smarter at times. She had good rapport with him as the first person to ever match wits with The Doctor on a regular basis…Other than that, she was still just like the other young female companions: A damsel when the story demanded it. Worse yet, it gave her a sort of strained relationship with Jamie, with there ALMOST being something there with Jamie demanding that she’d protect herself and Zoe going, “How very sexist of you.” Only for her to be in immediate danger and screaming for The Doctor and Jamie to come save her. It would have actually been cool if she could save herself or even save Jamie and The Doctor instead of screaming for help as though she were a Susan or a Victoria. But, nope, can’t have a woman be too badass in the late sixties. Here’s hoping the seventies will be better with a new Doctor…

Speaking of Doctors, let’s talk about the new, old man himself…

THE DOCTOR

Right away, I want to make it clear that this is MUCH more of what I’m expecting from The Doctor. Gone is the old cynic and in comes what’s basically a British Bugs Bunny. The Doctor takes control of every situation he’s in through confidence and keeping everyone guessing what he’ll do next with toys, gimmicks, and even disguises to befuddle his enemies. The man was a ton of fun, aided by Patrick Troughton’s charming performance, looking like (and often sounding like) he was having a great time with this character. But it should be known that most of One’s seriousness wasn’t completely lost. Two still kept that in stride, yelling and being furious with others when they didn’t listen to his “good” and “completely reasonable” ideas (the air quotes are intentional). It’s almost as if he was a younger version of The First Doctor, which…might have been the intention? As of this point, the show didn’t explain what regeneration was, only vaguely doing it by the time Number Two’s was up. When The First Doctor regenerated in the TARDIS, with only a few nobs moving on their own while he laid almost dead on the floor, it was as though the writers were trying to visually explain that the TARDIS aged him backwards into Patrick Troughton. Of course, this is only theories and speculation, but something I couldn’t help but pick up as a possibility and I wonder if that could have been the real explanation that the writers wanted to stick with Troughton didn’t want out after three seasons. We know NOW that isn’t the case, but it’s still a fun “what if” that makes this already entertaining version of the character more intriguing.

However, as fun as The Second Doctor is, he’s not without problems. Or PROBLEM as there was only really ONE thing that bothered me with The Second Doctor, and that’s how much of a sniveling coward he could be sometimes. I heard people complain about Fifteen shedding a few tears over a stressful or heartbreaking situation, but it’s nothing compared to how often The Second Doctor would scream, panic, and sound like he was on the verge of bawling like a baby over a stressful situation. It would only get worse with each serial too, with him coming across as more of a coward when he really should have become braver. That’s kind of how character development is SUPPOSED to work. You get BETTER with each adventure, not worse, and it really hurts with how strong this Doctor started off. He came out swinging as a goofy and serious reincarnation, but slowly lost my interest as his run went on. I at least like Two more than One, but I don’t think he’d be able to top some of my favorite modern Doctors. The fact that most of his serials were deleted doesn’t help much either.

Although, I will say, I MUCH prefer this run over the last one. It’s a bit repetitive at times but MUCH more engaging with thrilling sci-fi stories that are much more in-line with what I expect from Doctor Who, aided with a fun-loving Doctor and his most loyal companion…Plus some season long guests. And with his story over, I’m looking forward to what Number Three has to offer. Mainly because I know NOTHING about him, so that’s going to be fun to experience. Until then, I’ll be counting down the next one by the SECONDS.

#doctor who #classic who #classic doctor who #the second doctor #jamie mccrimmon #doctor who reviews #what i thought about

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classic-who-review · 8 months ago

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The Two Doctors 1985

8/10

This one is so fun! I always love seeing the old Doctors return. Especially Patrick Troughton! And Frazer Hines as Jamie of course. It's such a blast of an episode!

#colin baker #sixth doctor #6th doctor #second doctor #patrick troughton #2nd doctor #peri brown #nicola bryant #jamie mccrimmon #frazer hines #the two doctors #classic doctor who #classic who #doctor who #show review

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now-that-i-saw-you · 11 months ago

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Short reviews of everything I read this year:

Trials of Apollo ☆☆☆☆

Fantastic!!! Revived my PJO obsession. I enjoyed Apollo's narration. The 3rd-4th book were a little tedious though.

The Picture of Dorian Gray ☆☆☆☆☆

Flawless. So, so gay, weird and dramatic. I wish I could read it for the first time again.

Seasparrow ☆☆☆

I was disappointed. I didn't like the first POV, it made the book feel juvenile. It was too long and nothing happened. An unnecessary addition to the Graceling Realm universe because all the themes in this book were already presented in Bitterblue and Winterkeep. I might have liked this a lot more if it was not part of the Graceling Realm series.

All For The Game ☆☆☆☆☆

I'M OBSESSED. Nothing else to say.

One Last Stop ☆☆☆☆

It was cute and fun. I like it when you can feel that a book/show was planned. Every detail is carefully crafted to fit the narrative. I like how the author uses historical events to enrich the plot. Middle part of the book was a little flat.

The Cruel Prince ☆☆☆

It's...cute. I liked Jude a lot, didn't care for Cardan. Good enough to make me read the entire thing, bad enough that I might never read another book by that author.

Conversations With Friends ☆☆☆☆☆

Do you ever come across a book that's exactly what you needed? This was it for me. One of the only books I got from BookTok and actually loved. It was like being hugged and punched in the gut at the same time.

This Is How You Lose The Time War ☆☆☆☆☆

This book is poetry. It's a fairytale. It's the saddest, most romantic story I've ever read. It's so weird and confusing, I understood everything. It's a tragedy. It's so full of hope. It's perfect.

The Hellheim Propechy ☆☆☆ 1/2☆

It's a lovely series and I can't wait for the 3rd book. It has one of the healthiest relationship I've ever seen in books (and it's wlw!!!!). The villians are a little flat imo.

She Who Became The Sun ☆☆☆☆☆

I don't understand how people find the courage to write anymore books after Shelley Parker-Chan dropped this marvel. I want to eat this book.

The Catcher In The Rye (reread) ☆☆☆☆☆

I love this book idc. I love the metaphors, I love Holden, I love the way the plot develops.

Jane, Unlimited ☆☆☆☆☆

SO GOOD!! Such a unique and engaging book it had me pulling out a notebook and a pen and try to decipher all the clues like a goddamn detective.

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious ☆☆☆

It's was nice! Idk what else to say.

Pride & Prejudice ☆☆☆

Reading this felt like sitting at a 19th century tea party and gossiping.

More Than This ☆☆☆☆☆

I've wanted to reas this for a while and it exceeded my expectation. This book is so captivating, unique, heartbreaking and hopeful.

The Trial ☆☆☆

This book was a fever dream.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here ☆☆☆☆

I think Patrick Ness is my favorite author. He did a great job with the premise of the book cause it's a lovely coming of age story and the fantastic elements are woven so well into the story.

Evvie Drake Starts Over ☆☆☆

It's cute and I love the fact that the main conflict is between the FMC and her Male Best Friend and the way this book talks about DV but it also felt a little dull sometimes.

The Lottery ☆☆☆☆

This was a mindfuck.

The Rocking Horse Winner ☆☆☆

....what?

The Scorpio Races ☆☆☆☆

HOW DOES MAGGIE STIEFVATER KEEP COMING UP WITH THOSE WEIRD FUCKING PLOTS??

A Man Called Ove ☆☆☆☆

Really sweet. This book healed something in me.

The Broken Earth (1+2) ☆☆

Yeah....I was not in the right headspace when I read this. I just didn't understand anything. I wanna give this another chance next year if I can.

Lord of The Flies ☆☆☆☆

I want to reread it cause I definitely didn't fully appreciate it but I think it's a great allegory and it's so dark. I get the hype.

The Sun and The Star ☆☆☆☆

I don't think you understand how long I've waited for this book, how long I've waited for Solangelo content. This was so cute. So lovely. I love Nico, I love Will. I wish there was a 3rd character in this (like, idk, Reyna?)

#booklr #2023 recap #book review #trials of apollo #the sun and the star #the picture of dorian gray #aftg #one last stop #the scorpio races #conversations with friends #the hellheim propechy #jane unlimited #she who became the sun #this is how you lose the time war #the catcher in the rye #lord of the flies #classic lit #more than this #the rest of us just live here

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whoreviewswho · 7 months ago

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You're Serious? - The Time Warrior, 1973

A fact that is becoming somewhat lost to time is that Jon Pertwee's time on Doctor Who was very popular. This is not to say that the Pertwee era is largely disregarded in 2024 but it does seem readily apparent, as time marches on, that the prevalence of Pertwee as a definitive, monolithic icon for the general public has naturally dwindled. Or, perhaps, dwindled is the wrong word – Pertwee's Doctor has truly been eclipsed by even mightier, entirely totemic icons that came in his wake. David Tennant is THE Doctor and the only other challenger remains the indomitable Tom Baker.

But back when I was a kid, circa 2004/2005, Jon Pertwee's era was definitive. My mum, who grew up in regional Australia, recalled fond memories of watching Pertwee and Katy Manning pal around with the Brigadier. A formative step in my journey as a fan was a visit to Hobbyco in Sydney and begging my mum for the Corgi Doctor Who 40th Anniversary Gift Set of die cast models. Like any number of similar curios that shape fan memories, this particular set cemented what were, to my mind, the most iconic building blocks of the series – the Doctor (a S18 Tom Baker, presumably for painting reasons), the TARDIS (not to scale with the rest of the models), K-9 (with lettering in both sides), the Daleks (a Chase model), Davros (no notes), the Cybermen (Earthshock model that I apparently either never got or immediately lost since I have not memories of owning one) and Bessie (also not to scale), driven by Tom Baker. I vividly recall purchasing the set and the guy at the counter being excited to strike up a conversation. He was obviously a fan and talked fondly about the highlights of the series. What I realised in the years that have flowed on since is that, despite speaking highly of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane, the most vivid of those rosy fan memories, the ones he and many other adults always relayed to me pre-revival, were of UNIT and the Master and the Sea Devils and Bessie* and the Axons and the Sontarans.

Put into perspective, this makes a great deal of sense. Leaving aside my home country's personal context (mid-'70s DW was infamously repeated on the ABC, a fact that was immortalised in DWM #104 when Tasmanian Jamie Hillard complained of the tedium of seasons eleven to fourteen being repeated twice a year, every year for the past five years. He was suitably rinsed by the UK fandom), Jon Pertwee's era was the most popular Doctor Who had ever been. While the show chugged along just fine during Troughton's tenure, it was in dire straits when producer Barry Letts inherited it partway through production of season seven, Pertwee's first, in 1970. It was only off the strength of what made it to screen that the programme was renewed at all. Throughout the four years that followed, Letts and script-editor Terrance Dicks retooled Doctor Who from Derrick Sherwin's vision of a hard-edged, political sci-fi thriller into the more accessible glam-infused comic-book show that raked in as many as ten million viewers a week for the first time since 1965.

But a good thing only lasts so long and, by the time of late 1973, just as Doctor Who was kicking off its eleventh season, it felt like a natural end was coming to what had been an incredibly successful five years. Pertwee’s Doctor Who had became an institution in its own right. Not to get too ahead of myself but there is a strong case to be made that Tom Baker and the Philip Hinchcliffe's era ascent to being the most popular the show ever was in its original run owes as much, if not more, of its success to the goodwill and steadily rising audience of the Pertwee years than it does to its actual quality (and it is of a very high quality). This is entirely hyperbolic but I strongly believe that had anybody else been cast as Pertwee's successor, anything less than the perfect storm we got, the Letts/Dicks/Pertwee run of the show would send out as the cultural peak even today. Bessie and the Brig would be wheeled out by the norms instead of the long scarf and K-9, that you can believe,

As everybody reading this article would know, the earthbound stories of Pertwee's time were notable for a distinct 'family feel', so to speak. Unlike previous eras, and any until 2005, the Third Doctor had an ongoing, regular supporting cast of UNIT personnel and assistants as well as the recurring threat of Roger Delgado's Master. There is a familiarity and comfort to the Third Doctor's run. Over the course of the previous year’s season ten, however, Letts and Dicks decided that the format had well and truly run its course and the Doctor was propelled into space and time full-time once again, leaving behind the UNIT regulars as merely recurring characters. It was during this production cycle that Katy Manning had decided that it was time for her to move on from the show, departing at the end of The Green Death, the last story broadcast that season. The final serial of season ten's production block, however, was actually the first story of season eleven – The Time Warrior.

Throughout the 1973-74 season, a slow (and conscious) dismantling of the Pertwee era begun taking place as well as a distinct sense of a lap of honour for the previous four seasons. In real life, this begins with Manning's departure in 1973 which, while her own instigated decision, was encouraged by Letts for fear his two stars would jump ship at the same time. Letts and Dicks had themselves decided to move on by the time season eleven proper began production which ultimately left Pertwee, self-conscious of his self-proclaimed team breaking up, finally deciding to give up the reigns after the tragic death of Roger Delgado. Onscreen, of course, this plays out somewhat quietly masterful. Malcolm Hulke's Invasion of the Dinosaurs is a conspiracy laden, political thriller such as those of season seven (detractors would call it parody) and saw the departure of now disgraced UNIT captain Mike Yates. Death to the Daleks (the hardest to square this circle, tbf)called back to the season ten’s epic return of the ‘60s Dalek adventure and offered the last gasp of the traditional, Hartnell style adventure serial that still permeated across Pertwee's time. The Monster of Peladon offered a direct sequel to the fan-favourite from season nine with some nice, deliberate telegraphing of the Doctor's oncoming death. And then there's the grand finale, Planet of the Spiders, where the Third Doctor departs the show with his remaining UNIT family under a series of self-referential and, frankly, indulgent circumstances set off by his own cavalier behaviour. Season eleven is a twenty-six episode finale for the Pertwee era that retreads all of the highs and exposes its limitations quite deliberately. With all of this in mind, The Time Warrior, the series opener, is entirely lacking in this sort of farewell mentality stands out as something of a different beast for the year.

For each of their seasons on the job, Letts and Dicks made a conscious effort to open each year with a big event and season eleven was no exception. After an absence of eight years (no, The Time Monster doesn't count), the duo thought that it was time for the return of the historical story. Somebody who disagreed, however, was Robert Holmes. Holmes had been a frequent contributor over Dicks' tenure as script-editor and was less than enthused that his proposal, The Automata, was rejected for him to be reassigned an historical. Dicks suggested an adventure be set in and around a medieval castle (it was filmed between Peckforton Castle and Wessex Castle to stunning results) and Holmes agreed only on the proviso that no famous historical figures were to be featured and that strong science-fiction elements were to still be included. The story that made it to screen has become one of the most renowned and celebrated in the history of the show. Frequently, I see it touted up alongside the all-time greats in the franchise as one of the very best and a real highlight of Jon Pertwee’s time in the show. While I think that The Time Warrior is very good, and there is a lot that I really like about it, this level of high praise has never sat entirely well with me. I don't even really have a lot to say on it. I like it a lot, it is the highlight of season eleven and one of many high points of Pertwee's run, but I have never found it to be an unshakable classic.

Let's not get too in the weeds too soon, though because Robert Holmes was a magnificent writer. Despite his personal disinterest, the man took his brief seriously clearly put in a lot of thought into getting the most out of this particular assignment. There is almost an overabundance of wit and charm and character to The Time Warrior's ensemble. As with most sharply intelligent people, Holmes was also obviously quite cynical and Instead of leaning into something fantastically Arthurian or romantically noble, he opted for a medieval world of pure grime and nastiness. This could be taken as Holmes leaning fully into the historical story's roots as an educational programme, insisting upon the most realistic depiction of the middle ages he could on a BBC budget for a family audience. I find this hard to believe. No, what Holmes was far more likely to do, and did, was recognise that this approach would have worked perfectly well and then take the next step which is basically to take the piss out of it. The Time Warrior is not just a witty script, it is hilariously absurd and over-the-top in every aspect of its conception. Irongron and Bloodaxe are laughably incompetent and self-absorbed but the pair it is in how gleefully squalid and brutal they are that Holmes relishes in. Yes, there is a realism to The Time Warrior in that it is not the Shakespearean or mythic depiction one might have expected from the Hartnell days how but the over-exaggeration of the repulsiveness and savagery of medieval life is what I truly adore. Mind you, this is largely just what's on the surface. Holmes is obviously doing here is writing an exaggerated depiction of middle-aged England that is functionally indistinguishable from England as it was in 1973. Holmes basically invented Blackadder. As great as this is, though, it doesn't always work in its favour. We'll get to Sarah Jane shortly.

A different aspect of this serial that has made it so iconic is its main villain. Determining that a small-scale threat would be easier both for him and for the production team, Holmes’ plot revolves around a single alien menace attempting to find his way home. Allegedly inspired by his recent reading of the On War treatise, Holmes was compelled to create an entirely militaristic villain and what he created was the character of Commander Linx, as performed by Kevin Lindsay. However well Linx is realised in the story, as much praise as anyone needs to be directed to make-up designer Sandra Exelby and costume designer James Acheson for their realisation of him. Linx, and by extension the Sontarans themselves, is a grotesque creature with a troll-like quality. It has not escaped notice for many that the species design is built around an extended gag – that part one cliffhanger. Still, fans continuously fail to appreciate just how goddamn funny Linx is. The characterisation is brilliant and nobody behind the scenes, until Steven Moffat, seems to realise that this is why he works.

Holmes, in no genuinely dramatic way, utilises Linx as a threat. What he is instead, besides a visual joke, is a scathing satire of militaristic ideals. That avenue also lends itself perfectly to the exaggerated depiction of the middle-ages. In his first scene, Linx emerges before the primitive natives, in strange armour with advanced weaponry, and claims that this new land now belongs to the Sontaran Empire as he plants a flag and assumes dominance over the people. It doesn't require much analysis to decipher what's happening here. Throughout the story, Linx, whose lines almost entirely consist of spouting rhetoric, offers to make weapons for the humans he's met, all the while condescending them and caring little for their lives and livelihoods. It's a simple but fantastically clever move; Holmes has taken the opportunity to depict the English, typically at one of their most mythic and noble periods, as a cowardly and cruel race to be easily oppressed and mocked.

The Time Warrior also sees the debut of another mainstay in Doctor Who lore in Sarah Jane Smith. Created by Barry Letts in direct contrast to her predecessor, Sarah Jane was pitched to directly address accusations of sexism that the series had garnered by being an obviously capable, career-driven, feisty and adventure-seeking investigative journalist. Incredibly, the role was cast before Elisabeth Sladen had even auditioned and, if to weren't for an uproar made by Pertwee due to his not being consulted, the part would have gone to April Walker show was paid out of the part when Letts cast Sladen (after he'd arranged for her to meet Pertwee, of course). For perhaps the wrong reasons, Pertwee was entirely correct though. From her first appearance, it is impossible not to be enamoured by Elisabeth Sladen. She just has a natural charm in this role and a captivating quality that makes her so very easy to watch.

As introduced in The Time Warrior, Sladen is certainly strong. She is well-defined, well-performed and plays a major role in the events of the plot. She is also at the core of the serial's biggest stumbling block which can come down to Holmes' poorly pitched snark. It is certainly one of Holmes’ regular tricks to lean heavily into sardony and lampshading things that, he at least considers to be, regressive and absurd ways of thinking. Sometimes this can really serve the story the is telling and the characterisation, it does so elsewhere in this one. Here, however, I think he misses the mark drastically and it comes off very poorly. In making the world of The Time Warrior such an exaggerated and vitriolic comment on contemporary Britain, Sarah has little place to assume control in the narrative and is rather brutally victimised by it.

Sure, Sarah Jane is firmly established as a feminist icon and it is a fine idea to drop her into the wretched sexism and reality of how horrible women were treated in the Middle Ages but emphasis is all wrong and it comes off so mean-spirited to me. In a similar vein, so much of the Doctor’s dialogue is designed to tease her about her strong values. The effect of all of this is likely intended to be endearing, and it is certainly to be funny but it comes off so smug and unnecessary. Sarah's beliefs, and the entire concept of feminism by extension, are singled-out as a futile gesture. Women are put down, they have also been put down and they always will be. This is perfectly in line with Holmes' approach to storytelling and his flavour of social commentary. It is also does not work at all.

Even though the Doctor frequently becomes Holmes' mouthpiece, I must stress that Jon Pertwee is not the problem at all. At this point in his run, the actor is so comfortable and confident in his performance that it would be impossible for him to disappear in it. To be honest, this is really the last time he properly turns up during his run since the season eleven filming Despite his oddly sexist jabs, the Third Doctor is wonderfully charismatic and relaxed in this story. There is a lovely development of his character from the rather pig-headed, irrational and moody character from season seven to the more mischievous tutor role he starts to settle into here. It is a similar progression to the First and Twelfth Doctors though rarely garners the same recognition.

The Time Warrior also has a few structural problems in my opinion, especially in episode three. The penultimate quarter of a Doctor Who serial always seems to be the hardest to write without playing for time, the three act structure is so familiar for a reason, and this one is no exception feeling like it does waste quite a lot of time with the Doctor arsing. Getting out of the castle and going back in and all for no really good reason other than to stretch out the runtime. Obviously, all of the antics are fun. This is a good production and Alan Bromley's only true directorial credit but it still has a bit of a sag, in my opinion. Is The Time Warrior a bad story? Far from it. Nothing as fun and as well made as this could possibly be considered wholly bad in my books. It is flawed, certainly but there is so much here to love. In a season of greatest hits, The Time Warrior stands out like a toad-faced git, chuckling with glee at how clever it is.

Later in the year, and despite the reservations of the BBC Head of serials, Holmes would be offered the position of script-editor for season twelve. He took the offer up and, in hindsight, it makes The Time Warrior somewhat of an intriguing curio. On the one hand, this is the last product of the creative fury that was season ten. On the other, it is a tantalising glimpse into what lies ahead around the corner. The Hinchcliffe era doesn't obviously have much in common with The Time Warrior, it is a lot funnier than a lot of those stories would be, but there is a more subtle stylistic shift to be seen here. This is not a comic-book adventure serial. The action is not explosive and the dialogue is not pulpy and punchy in the same way. The Time Warrior is more literary. Not inherently a better or even more intelligent choice but the distinction is palpable. Underneath the sheen of a gritty historical is a silly story about squalid and mean characters whose lives are miserable and ambitions are low. Even with the Doctor, still under UNIT's employ, there is a clear sense of his ready to move on from this status quo. The wheels of the next era are slowly in motion. Even the title sequence has changed, slowly morphing into its next identity but it's not quite there yet. Instead of looking back on the era that is closing up, The Time Warrior sets its sights firmly on the future.

It's not even close to the best Pertwee story though.

*He did, however, question why the Bessie model featured a S18 Tom in the driver's seat saying that it was "mostly Pertwee" who drove the car. Throughout my childhood, I found it easy to reconcile this though thanks to Tom's appearance in the The Five Doctors photoshoot. It's obvious, really.

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