Menu Close

Misleading Title Goes Here

Review of The Sun Makers (#95)

DVD Release Date:  09 Aug 11
Original Air Date:  26 Nov – 17 Dec 1977
Doctor/Companion:  Four, Leela, K-9
Stars:  Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, John Leeson
Preceding Story:  Image of the Fendahl (Four, Leela)
Succeeding Story:  Underworld (Four, Leela, K-9)

Robert Holmes is widely regarded as one of the best writers in Who history, and he certainly contributed vastly to the franchise. In The Sun Makers, he takes a time of personal irritation and molds it into a weirdly engaging dystopian tale of excessive taxes and stagnating humanity. Having fled Old Earth, the human race now lives on distant Pluto, in constant daylight from its six artificial suns (the only mention of any “sun makers” we are ever to get).

It starts out wonderfully creepy with a Citizen apparently pleased to hear of his father’s death, and continues with lots of stereotypical tromping (not much running, really) through corridors from there. However, to my eye, it soon took a rather darker turn – something I feel was unintended, or at least reflects the change in times since its original broadcast. Things are quite violent on this future Pluto, as people threaten each other with all sorts of tortures (not just Leela, either, who seems actually to be on par with the locals for a change). Public torture and execution – viewable in person, for a small fee – also appear commonplace. Near the end of the story, there’s even a cheerful – not angry, mind you; cheerful – mob of revolutionaries who throw an official to his doom.

Read more →

American Torchwood Is Weird

It finally dawned on me, as I watched Episode 6 ("Middle Men" – which, by the way, had (in my opinion) the best cliffhanger of the series to date, even if it wasn't all that suspenseful), that one of the things that's throwing me off about Torchwood: Miracle Day is the fact that it's been produced in the US. It's not the actual presentation of the material, or different "production values" or anything like that, though. It's the actors.

One things that has always made it easy for me to immerse myself in Who is the fact that I am being introduced to characters with faces I've never seen before. I only know these actors in their Who personas (with the exception of a cameo in City of Death by John Cleese and, actually, Five – who I couldn't help thinking of as "Tristan" for the first two stories I watched). That was true with the first three (BBC-produced) series of Torchwood, too. Now in Miracle Day, I'm seeing faces all over the place that I know elsewhere.

I hadn't realized how much of a difference that would make to me. It's jarring, though. It takes me out of the moment, and I start pulling back and thinking in terms of a production instead of getting pulled into the story. "Where have I seen this actor before?" I ask myself. "Oh yeah – it was [as a regular in a sitcom / in that soap opera I used to watch / in one of my favorite films from the '90s / whatever it may be]." Some of the magic seeps out in those moments, especially if I can't figure it out at first – that drives me to distraction.

I have to wonder – is this part of Who for Brits? Is that one reason I'm usually so "easy" when it comes to my enjoyment of post-Hiatus Who compared to those who constantly recognize guest artists in Torchwood's parent show? I'm really curious now, but I don't have any good way to research the question (or even an idea of how to do so without bias), other than the utterly subjective one of asking any of you out there who have an opinion to weigh in. So let's hear your thoughts.

Read more →

Confession #16: I Hate the Non-Regeneration

4 Comments

Warning: profanity ahead
Now anyone who has an opinion about Doctor Who in its post-Hiatus incarnation is almost guaranteed to have a further opinion about one particular moment. Whatever your feelings about the “Bog-Standard-Regeneration-Effect #1” (and you can read mine in Confession #4), its use for the faux climax of Series 4 at the end of The Stolen Earth was a bait-and-switch of epic proportions.

Even putting aside Doctor 10.2 and how that whole storyline played out – which is the part about which most Whovians (whether the neo- or paleo- variety) would be most likely to offer their two cents – the actual Non-Regeneration Event itself was, in my opinion, a travesty against God and man (or against Doctor and Fan, if you will). Why does it put my knickers in such a twist? I’m glad you asked; I was going to tell you anyway.

Here’s the deal. Everybody knows (and by “everybody” I mean anyone who cares enough about Who to get their knickers in a twist about any aspect of the show) that Time Lords only get twelve (count ’em: 12) regenerations (thirteen incarnations). Evidence indicates that (a) regenerations could be stolen (as the Master tried to do at least once) and (b) Time Lords could grant further regenerations to another Time Lord (as offered to the Master in The Five Doctors). To me, that indicates not only that they are discrete units, but also that they are a commodity – not to be discarded haphazardly. Sure, Romana seems to have done just that in Destiny of the Daleks, but she was young, and it was (apparently) her first time; we can forgive her her debatable indiscretion. The Doctor, on the other hand, having already burned through the majority of his share (no, I don’t give any credence to that insult of a toss-off line in The Sarah Jane Adventures!), ought to know better by the time he’s Ten.

Read more →

Confession #15: I Wish Sgt. Benton Had Traveled with the Doctor

3 Comments

I don’t really know, but I’m guessing every fan has at least one character about which they think, “man! – s/he should have been a Companion!” Currently, I’m having such wishful thinking about Mdme. Vastra. (Wouldn’t that be a brilliant change-up for the TARDIS crew? How often has the Doctor had a non-human companion? Kamelion, Romana, K-9 (anyone I’m missing?) – a small fraction of the total, regardless.) When we get back to pre-Hiatus Who, though – something that’s sadly “mists of time” for me rather than “misty nostalgia” – I’ve found that there’s one recurring yet secondary character I’d really have loved to see travel with the Doctor on a regular basis:  Sgt. Benton.

Benton is a generally congenial soul, mellow and pleasant to be around. That all makes him great as a background character, but what makes me think he’d have done well long-term? There are a couple of major reasons, really, and they have to do with his basically unflappable personality.

First, he tends to take everything in stride. What better qualification than that can a Companion have? (Well… I’ll consider that later.) When faced with all sorts of weirdness, Benton pretty much never bats an eyelash – with the exception of reasonable self-preservation instinct. Most famously, he had the best-in-the-history-of-the-franchise reaction to his first view of the inside of the TARDIS. Here’s how it played out.

Read more →

Nu-View #4: My Job Here’s Not Done

6 Comments

Resurrection of the Daleks (Story #134, 1984)
Viewed 19 Jul 2011

Doctor/Companion:   Five, Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
Stars:  Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson
Preceding Story:  Frontios (Five, Tegan, Turlough)
Succeeding Story:  Planet of Fire (Five, Turlough, Peri)
Notable Aspects:

  • departure of Tegan

Having felt that I’d not yet given the Ladies a good feel for Five, I decided to trot out some Daleks (the vote was in favor of them over the Cybermen). I’m not sure I still managed to get across a good feel for his character, as evidenced by some of the general reactions (see below), but at the very least, a good time was had by all.

First impressions were that this one seemed more ’70s than ’80s (aside from costuming). It was also rather Star Trek, what with the crashing around and the doctor in battle, ready to “take the fight to them!” Someone also opined that Turlough looked like a Romulan with a red wig (also apropos because he claims to be on the side of the “good guys,” but we (the Ladies, anyway) never quite trust him…). However, it was really the Doctor and the Daleks that brought the most comments.

Read more →

Malus Aforethought

4 Comments

Review of The Awakening (#132)

DVD Release Date:  12 Jul 11
Original Air Date:  19 – 20 Jan 1984
Doctor/Companion:  Five, Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
Stars:  Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson
Preceding Story:  Warriors of the Deep (Five, Tegan, Turlough)
Succeeding Story:  Frontios (Five, Tegan, Turlough)

For various reasons explained in the extras, it was deemed that the story that eventually became The Awakening needed to be reduced to two episodes. I suppose that’s one reason that it didn’t grab me as a particularly inspiring installment. It starts out feeling very Doctor-y, with something going wrong with the TARDIS yet landing in the right time and place. Some villagers are “in on” the odd happenings and others aren’t, and we’re left wondering why.

However, after that, it gets a tad jumbled. It’s not that it’s a bad story, by any means. I never really understood the motivation of the Malus, though. It was all just a bit… foggy. What finally defeated it in the end was unclear, too, but aside from the Malus itself looking a bit rubbish once it began to animate (sorry – I know the production team did a fabulous job given the times and the budget, but…), I actually did enjoy several bits, even if they were oh-so-stereotypical.

For example, Tegan ends up as the target for some sort of nastiness (possessed, kidnapped, slated for ritual death… she seems to “get it” in nearly every story). Then there’s the part where the Doctor and his two Companions are all split up – big surprise. I also had to wonder, as the word extended seemingly forever, how many cliffhangers have ended on someone screaming, “Doctooooooooooooooor!” Even so, those just really give it the Who flavor, so I couldn’t complain.

Read more →

The 30 Day Doctor Who Challenge

Now that I’ve completed the challenge, I thought I’d post it in its entirety here on the front page for folks to view. Day 1 is presented before the break to whet your appetite; click on the page title or the “continued…” link to see my choices and comments for all 30 days.

I’ve decided to play along with The 30 Day Doctor Who Challenge, as set up by one of the Time Vault podcasters on his personal blog.  Starting 21 Jun 2011, I will answer one question a day in the right sidebar and update the information on this page, too.  Post your own answers, if you like!

Day 1: Favourite / Least Favourite Doctor

The favorite is a tough call, but I’m going to have to go with “my” Doctor: Ten

The least favorite is easier, though I dislike him less than I once did: Six

To elaborate, I think anyone who does this challenge is likely to pick “their” Doctor for the favorite slot. The Doctor who really reels you in, the one who was there at your beginning, the one who made you love this crazy show – that’s “your” Doctor, and he will forever be foremost in your heart. Others may tug your heart in their own way, but “your” Doctor will never be superceded.

Conversely, one’s least favorite might change as you see more of various Doctors. For me, I’ve never been over-the-moon about Six. However, as mentioned above (see the linked Confession #7 for more details), I no longer hate him. I’ve come to appreciate him for what he does bring to the table. So there’s no one I truly dislike as the Doctor; Six just happens to be at the bottom of my list.

Read more →

The Should’ve Been Better Corral

Review of The Gunfighters (#25)

DVD Release Date:  12 Jul 11
Original Air Date:  30 Apr – 21 May 1966
Doctor/Companion:  One, Steven Taylor, Dodo Chaplet
Stars:  William Hartnell, Peter Purves, Jackie Lane
Preceding Story:  The Celestial Toymaker (One, Steven, Dodo)
Succeeding Story:  The Savages (One, Steven, Dodo)

During Doctor Who‘s third series – the last for William Hartnell (One) – there came one of the last pseudo-historicals for a long while. Why was it among the last? Because audiences stayed away in droves. Although The Gunfighters is perhaps better than the viewing numbers at the time indicated, I can’t altogether blame the public for shying away, either. An otherwise decent storyline is utterly ruined by the ubiquitous presence of a horrific saloon-style song created just for this episode: “The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon.”

A line or two (or eight) of this horrific tinkly little tune is sung over every single scene change in the entire story. The first one or two, OK, I can tolerate that – setting the tone, giving some “local color” by having the bar floozy sing her song. But every time? By the end of the first episode, I had such an ear worm I was longing for the strains of “Copacabana,” “Hotel California,” or even “The Brady Bunch” to get the damn thing out of my head! I was somewhat gratified to learn, when watching the extras, that I was not alone. The production staff and cast were also put off by the song, and still embarrassed by it years later (as well they should be).

Read more →

A Brief Time Out for Torchwood

1 Comment

OK, I never planned to write reviews for Torchwood – especially not an American version – but I just have to pause briefly in my normal Who stream to comment on the second episode of Miracle Day, titled "Rendition."

This is the episode in which the "team" is forcibly flown back to the US, hijinks ensue, etc. Now I don't know how the British public will react, but I can't be the only American viewer who had a hard time taking Rex's boss (played by Wayne Knight) seriously as an antagonist! For any Brits who may not be familiar with this actor, he's well known for his comedic roles (if you've ever watched an episode of Seinfeld, you've seen the guy).

It's not that he did a poor job – he certainly played the role to perfection – it's just that my own prior experiences with the actor combined with my unfortunate mental conditioning from post-Hiatus Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures kept me half-expecting the poor sap to start unzipping his forehead! That's not the vibe Torchwood is trying to put out…

So seriously. Comment for me so I know I'm not alone. Anyone else have the niggling feeling the guy was just wearing a flesh suit?

Read more →

Confession #14: I Rather Like Torchwood

2 Comments

The recent relaunch of Doctor Who spinoff cum anagram Torchwood – this time in its American incarnation – has gotten me thinking again about the series as a whole. The fact that the 30 Day Doctor Who Challenge has a “favorite spinoff” entry coming up has exacerbated the situation, as Torchwood is one of the obvious possibilities. I hear a lot of bad-mouthing of Captain Jack’s little gang and their adventures (even do a little myself, on occasion), but how bad is it, really?

I will admit that I watched the first two series mostly for the completeness of it – there was Who crossover, and I wanted the whole story. There were an awful lot of those stories that I’d rather not see again. I count Cyberwoman, Countrycide (worst. episode. ever.), and From Out of the Rain among those.

On the other hand, there were a few that I found quite engaging:  series opener Everything Changes, They Keep Killing Suzie (loved the premise), Random Shoes (similarly enjoyed this premise), Captain Jack Harkness (it was nice to get a little more background on Our Hero), Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (OK, yeah, I just really like James Marsters), and the rather disturbing Meat (not least because heroine Gwen’s hubby Rhys finally gets let in on the big secret of Torchwood’s existence).

The rest up through the end of 2008 exhibited varying levels of mediocrity, and usually included at least one “yea! we’re post-watershed!” gratuitous sex scene (with about 90% of those being same sex liaisons, or at least that’s how it seemed). Not to say said scenes were absent from any of the aforementioned episodes.

Read more →