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"It feels different this time..." - The new Doctor Who Thread
Radio Times article about the situation. Oh man I'm getting fucking PUMPED you guys! I wonder what it is...!
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
I can't help feeling very mixed about collectors. Yes, they've saved these episodes from the chop, but now they're stopping other people from seeing them. From what's being said, these guys often don't actually watch what they've got, they just sit around in film cans mouldering. So it's effectively the same as them not having been saved, really.
Yes, but also, if these guys hadn't gone out and got these films, we'd have lost all of them. Remember, the BBC's policy up until the late 70s was that you destroy the films you bought from them when you were done airing them. I'd rather the episodes exist somewhere, with the chance of them being returned, then guaranteed to be gone.
I tend to agree with Kazin. It's easy to imagine selfishness motivating these collectors ("Marco Polo is all mine, and no one else can watch it!") but a YouTube video I watched about the situation recently suggested it's just as possible they don't even realize what they have. A lot of these collectors are primarily interested in film rather than TV, and may have incidentally acquired some Doctor Who episodes as part of a trade. If they're not DW fans they may not even be aware that there are missing episodes, and that some of those may be among what they have sitting around. Maybe that's being naive but I prefer to think there's an innocent explanation.
Toby Hadoke did a fun podcast on his Patreon recently that is a fun little exercise (I stress, just for fun - he makes sure to say he has no idea what is happening with Film is Fabulous or anything else, and chose this number at random) in which you get to pick 17 episodes to come back, but that means literally everything else will never be found. Which episodes do you choose? Do you complete partially missing stories, i.e. Tenth Planet 4? Do you cherry pick episodes from serials that are otherwise completely missing? Do you just go Marco/Massacre/Fury like Jeremy Bentham thought "everyone" would do? It's a great listen, though it is Patron-exclusive. It's mainly Doctor Who fans and behind the scenes type people, but David Tennant also starts the episode with his most desired stuff.
Anyway. I wanted to do it! 17 individual episodes while consigning everything else to permanent desctruction... As of today, I'll go with:
First six: Power of the Daleks 1-6. The serial is too good, the whole way through, to be missing any of it. An absolute pipe dream, yes, but by far my most desired return by far. I know parts of it are runarounds, but the audio is so intriguing, and seeing Troughton invent the part would be so fascinating. I want more than the tiny clips we have!
7 and 8: Massacre 3 and 4. I want to see Hartnell's Abbot of Amboise, and I want to see the weird woodcuts they apparently used for the titular massacre. Also, there are no telesnaps or clips of this story, so it's completely missing from the archive. Skipping the first two not because I don't want to see them, but because I only get 17 of these...
9, 10, and 11: Macra Terror 1, 2, and 4. I adore this story, but I'm skipping the third because it's mainly Jamie faffing about in caves and I'm making the most of my 17. I'd really like to see what they did with this - easily the best animation they've done, and yet I still want to see this!
12, 13, and 14: Myth Makers 1, 3, and 4. I want to see this as it's Dennis Spooner's best script, and he had some great ones. It sounds legitimately hilarious, which is wild to say about a Hartnell serial, but still. I want to see the comedy and the violent end. I randomly chose 2 to be junked, 3 could also go, I just want as much of this as possible along with what else I've picked.
Marco Polo 1, 2, and 7 to round things out. Hear me out: episode 4 is directed by John Crockett and I don't care about it. He directed The Aztecs and while that is great, the direction doesn't stand out to me, while Hussein makes even the dull caveman episodes of An Unearthly Child as visually interesting as he can, so I want to see Waris Hussein's directing. In any case, this story has really grown on me over the years - I remember telling Gaer years ago that I didn't like it much, and he said he really enjoyed it and you know what? Gaer was right. Marco Polo rocks.
If I could just have one or two more episodes to work with, I'd complete Macra and Myth Makers and I'd be very happy, even though I want to see all of Marco Polo and Massacre. This was super tough, but fun! Would love to read anyone elses dream returns in this format!
Anyway. I wanted to do it! 17 individual episodes while consigning everything else to permanent desctruction... As of today, I'll go with:
First six: Power of the Daleks 1-6. The serial is too good, the whole way through, to be missing any of it. An absolute pipe dream, yes, but by far my most desired return by far. I know parts of it are runarounds, but the audio is so intriguing, and seeing Troughton invent the part would be so fascinating. I want more than the tiny clips we have!
7 and 8: Massacre 3 and 4. I want to see Hartnell's Abbot of Amboise, and I want to see the weird woodcuts they apparently used for the titular massacre. Also, there are no telesnaps or clips of this story, so it's completely missing from the archive. Skipping the first two not because I don't want to see them, but because I only get 17 of these...
9, 10, and 11: Macra Terror 1, 2, and 4. I adore this story, but I'm skipping the third because it's mainly Jamie faffing about in caves and I'm making the most of my 17. I'd really like to see what they did with this - easily the best animation they've done, and yet I still want to see this!
12, 13, and 14: Myth Makers 1, 3, and 4. I want to see this as it's Dennis Spooner's best script, and he had some great ones. It sounds legitimately hilarious, which is wild to say about a Hartnell serial, but still. I want to see the comedy and the violent end. I randomly chose 2 to be junked, 3 could also go, I just want as much of this as possible along with what else I've picked.
Marco Polo 1, 2, and 7 to round things out. Hear me out: episode 4 is directed by John Crockett and I don't care about it. He directed The Aztecs and while that is great, the direction doesn't stand out to me, while Hussein makes even the dull caveman episodes of An Unearthly Child as visually interesting as he can, so I want to see Waris Hussein's directing. In any case, this story has really grown on me over the years - I remember telling Gaer years ago that I didn't like it much, and he said he really enjoyed it and you know what? Gaer was right. Marco Polo rocks.
If I could just have one or two more episodes to work with, I'd complete Macra and Myth Makers and I'd be very happy, even though I want to see all of Marco Polo and Massacre. This was super tough, but fun! Would love to read anyone elses dream returns in this format!
Looks like Disney is officially done with Doctor Who, which is not surprising but I wish they didn't drag their feet so much to make the call.
On the bright side we know there will be a Christmas special in 2026, at least. It's a bit of a wait for more Doctor Who, but we've had longer.
On the bright side we know there will be a Christmas special in 2026, at least. It's a bit of a wait for more Doctor Who, but we've had longer.
I'm watching the entire Troughton era again while I shiny hunt Pokemon, mainly to rewatch bits I hadn't in a while and determine if there's any Troughton I'd be disappointed with returns for. Turns out, no! I want all of it, every frame of Troughton back would be welcome, even the missing bits of The Invasion or The Moonbase. I'll take anything. The Highlanders would be great! Even The Ice Warriors, one of Troughton's dullest serials! I'll take it!
While you're at it, feel free to destroy all prints of The Dominators. Utterly rubbish crap from start to finish. It's been a long time since I last watched it (I wisely skipped it in my last Troughton watchthrough), and it's worse than I remembered. Dull at best, offensive at worst. The pacifists are men in dresses, eh Haisman and Lincoln? They'll meekly let The Dominators kill them rather than fight back in any way? All during the Vietnam protests? Assholes.
While you're at it, feel free to destroy all prints of The Dominators. Utterly rubbish crap from start to finish. It's been a long time since I last watched it (I wisely skipped it in my last Troughton watchthrough), and it's worse than I remembered. Dull at best, offensive at worst. The pacifists are men in dresses, eh Haisman and Lincoln? They'll meekly let The Dominators kill them rather than fight back in any way? All during the Vietnam protests? Assholes.
Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are doing a Doctor Who rewatch podcast, apparently, aptly named the "Pondcast": https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-f...-arthur-darvill-reunion-exclusive-newsupdate/
For those who can't bypass the stupid paywall:
So that's all pretty interesting. I'm a huge dork so I'll probably listen to that podcast, whenever it comes out.
For those who can't bypass the stupid paywall:
So that's all pretty interesting. I'm a huge dork so I'll probably listen to that podcast, whenever it comes out.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Masque of Mandragora
"You humans have got such limited, little minds. I don't know why I like you so much."
"Because you have such good taste."
"That's true! That's very true!"
In this serial, the Tardis is drawn into the Mandragora Helix, a mysterious form of living energy. They escape, but a piece of the Helix goes with them without their knowledge. They then travel to 15th Century Italy in the duchy of San Marino, in the middle of a power struggle between the Guliani, the son of a recently perished duke, and the duke's brother Count Fredrico. The Count had his brother murdered with the help of a mystic named Hieronymus, who "predicted" the Duke's death before poisoning him. Meanwhile, a cult of Demnos has been embedded in San Marino, plotting an uprising in the catacombs beneath the city. When the Doctor realizes he's been tricked into unleashing the energy of the Mandragora on Earth, he rushes to solve it only to be embroiled in palace intrigue.
The Doctor eventually learns that the leader of the cult is Hieronymus and he and Guliano side with each other against him while also avoiding the assassination attempts by Fredrico. Eventually, the Doctor learns the cult is going to attack during an eclipse and control humanity, halting all human progress (around the same time Fredrico is killed by Hieronymus, now powered by the Mandragora Helix. The Helix is working through Hieronymus due to his fear humanity might rival his power. The Doctor comes up with a plan utilizing his knowledge of energy to come up with a circuit to disperse the Helix's power and tricks the rest of the cult into self-destructing. The Doctor leaves Guliano preparing to ascend to Duke.
The Masque of Mandragora isn't among the best stories but it is a very solid little tale. This is in no small part to Baker being on his A-game and the wit of the script catching up with him. It again shows why the series works well in 4 parters; the story never lags and despite a deep maze of catacombs, it never feels like it's trying to kill time or pad out. The characters are solid and despite the fact that there are two concurrent plots with vastly different stakes (a small scale power struggle and a cosmic attack on humanity). I think there are a two reasons why I am equally invested.
1) the actors are doing great, not being campy but keeping it fun. Fredrico is a nice hissable villain with some fun smarm to him but it's never TOO hammy. Even Guliano's friend has a small moment or two for a relatively thankless role of "guy someone Guliano can talk to. 2) The two stories actually tie-in thematically. In both cases, the villains are enemies of progress for the sake of holding a "weaker" people down from rising higher. Villains who fear the "rabble" because the rabble can turn against them. The evil in both cases are threatening to hold the future down and I think that makes both threads work together without being too ham-fisted about it.
If there's one problem, is that the show comes up with a somewhat interesting solution involving wires, which, again, makes sense thematically of using basic science to outwit the anti-science foe. The problem is... I actually don't understand how this works? It feels to me like a more complicated version of "reversing the polarity". The Doctor makes a statement about reverting the energy to square one and... I think I either missed what happened or the show is trying to hand-wave it. Still, overall, this is a fun romp with good threats and most importantly, allowing Tom Baker to do his thing to the best of his ability.
Best cliffhanger: I guess I like the third episode, because I do love those cliffhangers that are more puzzling than "oh no".
Next time:
"You humans have got such limited, little minds. I don't know why I like you so much."
"Because you have such good taste."
"That's true! That's very true!"
In this serial, the Tardis is drawn into the Mandragora Helix, a mysterious form of living energy. They escape, but a piece of the Helix goes with them without their knowledge. They then travel to 15th Century Italy in the duchy of San Marino, in the middle of a power struggle between the Guliani, the son of a recently perished duke, and the duke's brother Count Fredrico. The Count had his brother murdered with the help of a mystic named Hieronymus, who "predicted" the Duke's death before poisoning him. Meanwhile, a cult of Demnos has been embedded in San Marino, plotting an uprising in the catacombs beneath the city. When the Doctor realizes he's been tricked into unleashing the energy of the Mandragora on Earth, he rushes to solve it only to be embroiled in palace intrigue.
The Doctor eventually learns that the leader of the cult is Hieronymus and he and Guliano side with each other against him while also avoiding the assassination attempts by Fredrico. Eventually, the Doctor learns the cult is going to attack during an eclipse and control humanity, halting all human progress (around the same time Fredrico is killed by Hieronymus, now powered by the Mandragora Helix. The Helix is working through Hieronymus due to his fear humanity might rival his power. The Doctor comes up with a plan utilizing his knowledge of energy to come up with a circuit to disperse the Helix's power and tricks the rest of the cult into self-destructing. The Doctor leaves Guliano preparing to ascend to Duke.
The Masque of Mandragora isn't among the best stories but it is a very solid little tale. This is in no small part to Baker being on his A-game and the wit of the script catching up with him. It again shows why the series works well in 4 parters; the story never lags and despite a deep maze of catacombs, it never feels like it's trying to kill time or pad out. The characters are solid and despite the fact that there are two concurrent plots with vastly different stakes (a small scale power struggle and a cosmic attack on humanity). I think there are a two reasons why I am equally invested.
1) the actors are doing great, not being campy but keeping it fun. Fredrico is a nice hissable villain with some fun smarm to him but it's never TOO hammy. Even Guliano's friend has a small moment or two for a relatively thankless role of "guy someone Guliano can talk to. 2) The two stories actually tie-in thematically. In both cases, the villains are enemies of progress for the sake of holding a "weaker" people down from rising higher. Villains who fear the "rabble" because the rabble can turn against them. The evil in both cases are threatening to hold the future down and I think that makes both threads work together without being too ham-fisted about it.
If there's one problem, is that the show comes up with a somewhat interesting solution involving wires, which, again, makes sense thematically of using basic science to outwit the anti-science foe. The problem is... I actually don't understand how this works? It feels to me like a more complicated version of "reversing the polarity". The Doctor makes a statement about reverting the energy to square one and... I think I either missed what happened or the show is trying to hand-wave it. Still, overall, this is a fun romp with good threats and most importantly, allowing Tom Baker to do his thing to the best of his ability.
Best cliffhanger: I guess I like the third episode, because I do love those cliffhangers that are more puzzling than "oh no".
Next time:
Finished my umpteenth watchthrough of the Troughton era last night, every episode this time. The Dominators still sucks but man. Troughton rules. I think I'll round it out by watching Three Doctors, Five Doctors, and Two Doctors.
EDIT: Skipped the Three Doctors because I just watched it, so I'm watching the four part version of The Five Doctors that I've never seen on Youtube and OH MY GOD they used Sarah Jane falling down the slight incline of death as the episode 1 cliffhanger. Jesus christ lmao
EDIT: Skipped the Three Doctors because I just watched it, so I'm watching the four part version of The Five Doctors that I've never seen on Youtube and OH MY GOD they used Sarah Jane falling down the slight incline of death as the episode 1 cliffhanger. Jesus christ lmao
Last edited:
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Hand of Fear
"This isn't Hillview Road. This probably isn't even South Croyton. He blew it."
In this serial, the Doctor and Sarah happen into a quarry in England that is getting detonated. The two luckily survive the explosion but while buried alive, Sarah Jane grabs hold of a fossilized hand. Upon waking up in the hospital, Sarah Jane wakes up stating "Eldrad must live". Sarah then steals the hand and sneaks into a nearby nuclear power plant. The Doctor follows and meanwhile the staff at the plant is understandably disturbed that someone has sneaked into the plant. The hand begins taking control of people as pawns to get it into the reactor. After a game of cat and mouse the hand succeeds in absorbing the radiation from the plant... and grows into the alien Eldrad. Eldrad reveals that she helped build the infrastructure on the planet Kastria and wants the Doctor's help to achieve the goal of revenge on aliens who destroyed her world. The Doctor suspects something is up but takes her home to get them away from harming humans.
The Doctor warns Eldrad that the people she wanted revenge on have probably been gone for millions of years, as that's how long Eldrad's hand was buried. Sure enough the planet is empty and desolate. While there, Eldrad is nearly killed by a booby trap but manages to get herself to a regeneration chamber with the Doctor's help to regenerate. It turns out Eldrad (now in a masculine form) was actually betrayed by his own people because he wanted to wage war on the universe and they did not want to play along. Eldrad learns that his people, fearing he might return, took away any chance to resurrect their people to rule them, at the cost of their own lives. The king of an empty kingdom, Eldrad vows to conquer Earth and make that the seat of his new empire, only to be tripped by the Doctor into a bottomless pit. The Doctor and Sarah return to the Tardis and the Doctor learns he must return to Gallifrey, and not knowing what that will mean, decides to return Sarah home, with an emotional goodbye.
This serial feels kind of like two serials taped together. Neither is terribly interesting, sadly. They aren't bad, mind, but it all feels like untapped potential. The first one is a cosmic horror story where a seemingly unstoppable disembodied hand runs amok. Not the most original idea but it's interesting starting point. The characters go a long way into making it work. Not, grandly, but a competent little adventure. The second half feels more like, despite being generic alien-planet stuff, feels like it has a bit more meat on it's bones. The tension that knowing this alien wants revenge but will return to a world where that means little is interesting. Which is a shame because it just ends with Eldrad being all "grr, I'm that bad guy" when his fate of being the king of an empty kingdom feels like it is filled with potentially Shakespearian pathos, a good way to explore the idea that all emperors and empires turn to dust in the passage of time.
Interestingly, the show Angel did this better, where a main character dies, is possessed by an ancient god and it seems like it's building to an epic battle against an unstoppable foe until the reveal that the villains army has long died out and, immediately halting their conquest plan and forcing them into an existential crisis where they join the heroes out of having nowhere else to go. And this has a similar arc... but it's kind of boring in this version. The problem mostly solves itself and while that is a satisfying fate for a dumb villain like Eldrad, I kind of wish the story was about what happens if the classic Doctor Who alien warlord character has lost before the hero lifts a finger and explore what happens to them next. The material is in there but it ends with a more conventional "bad guy loses" ending.
I will say I like Stephen Thorne, now playing his fourth villain in the series. He has a Brian Blessed energy and it's a shame that they didn't give him better villains. He got big ones, for sure (in one case literally), but I feel like he needs either a better character and script for his delightfully hammy performances. He probably would have been good as a Strax-like figure, a kind of barbarian monster who is an ally. Judith Paris is also striking in her facial expressions. I like the way her character smiles; you know she's bad but this isn't just an evil smile, she seems jazzed to show the Doctor her fallen empire. I also like the costume and make up design for her and to a lesser extent Thorne. It's one of the cooler looking designs of the era, I think.
Overall, the episode will mostly be membered for a decent send off to Sarah Jane. It's pretty good and it's sad to see her go. Frustratingly, as the character herself points out, a lot of the latter stories has her mind controlled and stuff more and doesn't get enough play but Sladen and Baker had real chemistry that worked. I think the goodbye, which isn't short, doesn't go TOO long but long enough to feel more than a shove out the door for the new status quo. It will be interesting to get to the next one and an episode that takes a break from a conventional companion! Which I believe is what Baker wanted full time. Sounds arrogant... but I don't know if he's wrong. Still, we do have some good sidekicks coming up.
Best cliffhanger: None really stuck with me. I guess the hand movin' around.
Next time:
"This isn't Hillview Road. This probably isn't even South Croyton. He blew it."
In this serial, the Doctor and Sarah happen into a quarry in England that is getting detonated. The two luckily survive the explosion but while buried alive, Sarah Jane grabs hold of a fossilized hand. Upon waking up in the hospital, Sarah Jane wakes up stating "Eldrad must live". Sarah then steals the hand and sneaks into a nearby nuclear power plant. The Doctor follows and meanwhile the staff at the plant is understandably disturbed that someone has sneaked into the plant. The hand begins taking control of people as pawns to get it into the reactor. After a game of cat and mouse the hand succeeds in absorbing the radiation from the plant... and grows into the alien Eldrad. Eldrad reveals that she helped build the infrastructure on the planet Kastria and wants the Doctor's help to achieve the goal of revenge on aliens who destroyed her world. The Doctor suspects something is up but takes her home to get them away from harming humans.
The Doctor warns Eldrad that the people she wanted revenge on have probably been gone for millions of years, as that's how long Eldrad's hand was buried. Sure enough the planet is empty and desolate. While there, Eldrad is nearly killed by a booby trap but manages to get herself to a regeneration chamber with the Doctor's help to regenerate. It turns out Eldrad (now in a masculine form) was actually betrayed by his own people because he wanted to wage war on the universe and they did not want to play along. Eldrad learns that his people, fearing he might return, took away any chance to resurrect their people to rule them, at the cost of their own lives. The king of an empty kingdom, Eldrad vows to conquer Earth and make that the seat of his new empire, only to be tripped by the Doctor into a bottomless pit. The Doctor and Sarah return to the Tardis and the Doctor learns he must return to Gallifrey, and not knowing what that will mean, decides to return Sarah home, with an emotional goodbye.
This serial feels kind of like two serials taped together. Neither is terribly interesting, sadly. They aren't bad, mind, but it all feels like untapped potential. The first one is a cosmic horror story where a seemingly unstoppable disembodied hand runs amok. Not the most original idea but it's interesting starting point. The characters go a long way into making it work. Not, grandly, but a competent little adventure. The second half feels more like, despite being generic alien-planet stuff, feels like it has a bit more meat on it's bones. The tension that knowing this alien wants revenge but will return to a world where that means little is interesting. Which is a shame because it just ends with Eldrad being all "grr, I'm that bad guy" when his fate of being the king of an empty kingdom feels like it is filled with potentially Shakespearian pathos, a good way to explore the idea that all emperors and empires turn to dust in the passage of time.
Interestingly, the show Angel did this better, where a main character dies, is possessed by an ancient god and it seems like it's building to an epic battle against an unstoppable foe until the reveal that the villains army has long died out and, immediately halting their conquest plan and forcing them into an existential crisis where they join the heroes out of having nowhere else to go. And this has a similar arc... but it's kind of boring in this version. The problem mostly solves itself and while that is a satisfying fate for a dumb villain like Eldrad, I kind of wish the story was about what happens if the classic Doctor Who alien warlord character has lost before the hero lifts a finger and explore what happens to them next. The material is in there but it ends with a more conventional "bad guy loses" ending.
I will say I like Stephen Thorne, now playing his fourth villain in the series. He has a Brian Blessed energy and it's a shame that they didn't give him better villains. He got big ones, for sure (in one case literally), but I feel like he needs either a better character and script for his delightfully hammy performances. He probably would have been good as a Strax-like figure, a kind of barbarian monster who is an ally. Judith Paris is also striking in her facial expressions. I like the way her character smiles; you know she's bad but this isn't just an evil smile, she seems jazzed to show the Doctor her fallen empire. I also like the costume and make up design for her and to a lesser extent Thorne. It's one of the cooler looking designs of the era, I think.
Overall, the episode will mostly be membered for a decent send off to Sarah Jane. It's pretty good and it's sad to see her go. Frustratingly, as the character herself points out, a lot of the latter stories has her mind controlled and stuff more and doesn't get enough play but Sladen and Baker had real chemistry that worked. I think the goodbye, which isn't short, doesn't go TOO long but long enough to feel more than a shove out the door for the new status quo. It will be interesting to get to the next one and an episode that takes a break from a conventional companion! Which I believe is what Baker wanted full time. Sounds arrogant... but I don't know if he's wrong. Still, we do have some good sidekicks coming up.
Best cliffhanger: None really stuck with me. I guess the hand movin' around.
Next time:
The Sarah Jane send off is really the only thing worth watching The Hand of Fear for, to be honest (and it was co-written by Robert Holmes, Tom Baker, and Elizabeth Sladen!). I find most of the serial pretty dull, and exceptionally quarry-y.
The next serial, though - heck, pretty much until the end of the season - is fantastic. Each serial has issues for sure, but they're all very entertaining.
The next serial, though - heck, pretty much until the end of the season - is fantastic. Each serial has issues for sure, but they're all very entertaining.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Deadly Assassin
"Through the millennia, the Time Lords of Gallifrey led a life of ordered calm, protected against all threats from lesser civilisations by their great power. But this was to change. Suddenly, and terribly, the Time Lords faced the most dangerous crisis in their long history..."
In this serial, the Doctor arrives on Gallifrey and sets off trying to warn the president, who is about to step down, of an assassination. The Doctor find himself pursued by the competent and thoughtful officer Castellan Spandrell. The president is assassinated and it seems the Doctor is to blame, with Senator Goth, one of those favoured to win the presidency, trying to lead a speedy trial and execution. However, through a legal technicality, the Doctor allows himself to live, at least until the end of the election. The Doctor sets about investigating the murder and learns that the culprit is the Master, with the help of an unknown co-conspirator. What's more, the Doctor's vision was actually sent by the Master using a machine of the Time Lords. With Spandrell's help, who begins to see the possibility of the Doctor's innocence., the Doctor transports his mind into the Matrix where the information lies.
Inside the Matrix, the Doctor finds an assassin trying to kill him in a simulated world in a game of cat and mouse. Eventually, the Doctor learns the Masters co-conspirator and the assassin (also the president's assassin) was Senator Goth. Eventually, the Master kills Goth for his failure and learns the Master's plan is to acquire the Sash of Rassilon (one of the great scientists of Gallifrey in founding the Time Lord society) and the Great Key. Though they seem merely symbolic items of the presidency, they are in fact a way to control a miniature black hole. With this supply of inexhaustible energy, the Master, now in a state of near death, can acquire a new cycle of regenerations. However, if he fails it will be an apocalypse across many planets. The Doctor fights to stop him and eventually the Master falls into a chasm (a lot of that lately, huh). The Doctor leaves on good terms with Spandrell but is happy to leave while the Time Lord society buries the truth of the case to save face and keep the citizens trusting in society. Meanwhile, it is revealed the Master has survived and has escaped.
The Deadly Assassin is a story that is greatly lauded and deservedly so. It's a tense but digestible political thriller (despite the techno jargon), bringing back a classic villain. The ominous opening narration, very atypical of the series (though in the 2005 reboot, it would happen A LOT), makes me think they had a lot of faith for this to be something special. And we get a MUCH deeper look than ever before of Time Lord society. Even all these years of lore-piles later it does seem like the show is cagey, at least compared to say Star Trek, which has deep and relatively consistent lore. This series is very lore heavy, though, but never feels like an expositional dump. Mostly, we are just seeing things in the Halls of Power in a black box theatre setting.
That's because I think the show, while showing us much of Gallifrey and how things operate, never feels overwhelmed, even when revealing the Doctor's noble relations and a house system of classes and such. The character of the Doctor is relentlessly on task and the show manages to be tense and intriguing for the first two episodes. But near the end of the second, I'm surprised that the Master was revealed as the villain. I knew this going in but I assumed this was going to be a cliffhanger reveal or closer to the end of the story. Then the third episode is... it would be unfair to call it padding but outside of one reveal or two, not much happens for the plot. But it makes up for it because it's a solid cat and mouse game. It's not perfect (its not clear what the limits are in the unreality. I mean, Goth summons a train and stuff but then he can't find him. What are the rules) and the last one feels again like it's own thing with Borusa, a figure from the Doctor's past, taking center stage to wrap things up. I think I was surprised that such a well-regarded story also feels... a bit wonky in the for the latter half.
Note, I'm not saying it's bad or weak. I think the last episode does have to say a lot to wrap things up, so it isn't boring but it is a little busier than the first episodes and having to drop a LOT of info for the reveals to work. If you wanted this to be a detective story, I apologize. But still, the cast is dead on and I think this really shows that a Doctor story without companions can work. Though it's key for many of these kinds of stories that he has a temporary one, like Spandrell (who really is a delight in the story). I think Spandrell and the peak inside the officious nature of Time Lord society risks being disappointing but I like it. The Doctor calls them stuffy and stagnant but more than that, more than their amazing achievements and being essentially a powerful society in terms of technological advancements... they mostly suck. Not even in a "these are morally questionable dudes" way but they came so far only to have the same petty flaws we all have. It really isn't much different from the humans but I think it actually the difference for the Doctor, he sees the humans as, for their flaws, aspiring and the Time Lords, don't. They think they've done everything but their humanity didn't evolve with their tech. They aren't all bad but overall, they are sort of darkly and comically pathetic.
Overall, I don't think I like The Deadly Assassin as much as I assumed. But I did like it. It's engaging and fascinating and mature. I think my problem is after the simulation segment, it becomes a pretty standard but well written Doctor Who story and is a little less intriguing than how it begins. But even then, it's all good, just at different levels to me. I also think this is the era where the show started getting darker and I can see why it would later be singled out by moral crusaders. The Master's design for this one is pretty good. It's also an episode that drops a lot of gifts that, for better or worse, later writers won't stop unpacking.
Best cliffhanger: We know the Doctor didn't do it but that editing sure makes it look like he did. Solid cliffhanger.
Next time:
"Through the millennia, the Time Lords of Gallifrey led a life of ordered calm, protected against all threats from lesser civilisations by their great power. But this was to change. Suddenly, and terribly, the Time Lords faced the most dangerous crisis in their long history..."
In this serial, the Doctor arrives on Gallifrey and sets off trying to warn the president, who is about to step down, of an assassination. The Doctor find himself pursued by the competent and thoughtful officer Castellan Spandrell. The president is assassinated and it seems the Doctor is to blame, with Senator Goth, one of those favoured to win the presidency, trying to lead a speedy trial and execution. However, through a legal technicality, the Doctor allows himself to live, at least until the end of the election. The Doctor sets about investigating the murder and learns that the culprit is the Master, with the help of an unknown co-conspirator. What's more, the Doctor's vision was actually sent by the Master using a machine of the Time Lords. With Spandrell's help, who begins to see the possibility of the Doctor's innocence., the Doctor transports his mind into the Matrix where the information lies.
Inside the Matrix, the Doctor finds an assassin trying to kill him in a simulated world in a game of cat and mouse. Eventually, the Doctor learns the Masters co-conspirator and the assassin (also the president's assassin) was Senator Goth. Eventually, the Master kills Goth for his failure and learns the Master's plan is to acquire the Sash of Rassilon (one of the great scientists of Gallifrey in founding the Time Lord society) and the Great Key. Though they seem merely symbolic items of the presidency, they are in fact a way to control a miniature black hole. With this supply of inexhaustible energy, the Master, now in a state of near death, can acquire a new cycle of regenerations. However, if he fails it will be an apocalypse across many planets. The Doctor fights to stop him and eventually the Master falls into a chasm (a lot of that lately, huh). The Doctor leaves on good terms with Spandrell but is happy to leave while the Time Lord society buries the truth of the case to save face and keep the citizens trusting in society. Meanwhile, it is revealed the Master has survived and has escaped.
The Deadly Assassin is a story that is greatly lauded and deservedly so. It's a tense but digestible political thriller (despite the techno jargon), bringing back a classic villain. The ominous opening narration, very atypical of the series (though in the 2005 reboot, it would happen A LOT), makes me think they had a lot of faith for this to be something special. And we get a MUCH deeper look than ever before of Time Lord society. Even all these years of lore-piles later it does seem like the show is cagey, at least compared to say Star Trek, which has deep and relatively consistent lore. This series is very lore heavy, though, but never feels like an expositional dump. Mostly, we are just seeing things in the Halls of Power in a black box theatre setting.
That's because I think the show, while showing us much of Gallifrey and how things operate, never feels overwhelmed, even when revealing the Doctor's noble relations and a house system of classes and such. The character of the Doctor is relentlessly on task and the show manages to be tense and intriguing for the first two episodes. But near the end of the second, I'm surprised that the Master was revealed as the villain. I knew this going in but I assumed this was going to be a cliffhanger reveal or closer to the end of the story. Then the third episode is... it would be unfair to call it padding but outside of one reveal or two, not much happens for the plot. But it makes up for it because it's a solid cat and mouse game. It's not perfect (its not clear what the limits are in the unreality. I mean, Goth summons a train and stuff but then he can't find him. What are the rules) and the last one feels again like it's own thing with Borusa, a figure from the Doctor's past, taking center stage to wrap things up. I think I was surprised that such a well-regarded story also feels... a bit wonky in the for the latter half.
Note, I'm not saying it's bad or weak. I think the last episode does have to say a lot to wrap things up, so it isn't boring but it is a little busier than the first episodes and having to drop a LOT of info for the reveals to work. If you wanted this to be a detective story, I apologize. But still, the cast is dead on and I think this really shows that a Doctor story without companions can work. Though it's key for many of these kinds of stories that he has a temporary one, like Spandrell (who really is a delight in the story). I think Spandrell and the peak inside the officious nature of Time Lord society risks being disappointing but I like it. The Doctor calls them stuffy and stagnant but more than that, more than their amazing achievements and being essentially a powerful society in terms of technological advancements... they mostly suck. Not even in a "these are morally questionable dudes" way but they came so far only to have the same petty flaws we all have. It really isn't much different from the humans but I think it actually the difference for the Doctor, he sees the humans as, for their flaws, aspiring and the Time Lords, don't. They think they've done everything but their humanity didn't evolve with their tech. They aren't all bad but overall, they are sort of darkly and comically pathetic.
Overall, I don't think I like The Deadly Assassin as much as I assumed. But I did like it. It's engaging and fascinating and mature. I think my problem is after the simulation segment, it becomes a pretty standard but well written Doctor Who story and is a little less intriguing than how it begins. But even then, it's all good, just at different levels to me. I also think this is the era where the show started getting darker and I can see why it would later be singled out by moral crusaders. The Master's design for this one is pretty good. It's also an episode that drops a lot of gifts that, for better or worse, later writers won't stop unpacking.
Best cliffhanger: We know the Doctor didn't do it but that editing sure makes it look like he did. Solid cliffhanger.
Next time:
Contemporary fandom's response to The Deadly Assassin is fascinating. People were pissed that it "changed" the Time Lords from the all powerful beings seen in The War Games to petty political squabblers. I think both of those interpretations can work with each other, but fans at the time were not happy. Here is Jan Vincent-Rudski's (who was the president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society) review from 1976:
The more things change, the more things stay the same. I actually kind of find Vincent-Rudski's review charming, even though I disagree with huge swathes of it.
The more things change, the more things stay the same. I actually kind of find Vincent-Rudski's review charming, even though I disagree with huge swathes of it.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Face of Evil
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering."
In this serial, the Doctor lands on a planet inhabited by a primitive group of hunter warriors. There he meets Leela who claims that the Doctor is The Evil One. Leela was exiled for profaning their Xoanon and the Doctor learns that the warrior people, the Seevateem, taking advice from the shaman Neeva, is planning to attack their enemy, the Tesh. They believe Xoanon has been held prisoner by the Evil One and the time has come to do something. The Doctor gets an extra shock when in trying to investigate the legend, he sees a mountain where the Evil One lies... is shaped like his face. Neeva is unknowningly leading the Seevateem into a trap, as he has been in contact Xoanon who is not on their side. The Doctor pieces together things from the relics of their people and using the method Neeva did to talk to his god.
The Doctor and Leela return to the lair of Xoanon/The Evil One. The Doctor reveals that the society is a group of colonists he once helped by repairing their computer. He believes the computer went mad due to adding his personality to help it, inadvertently creating a split personality supercomputer. The Doctor confronts Xoanon and in contradicting it's delusions of it's godhood, it seeks to destroy him. After several failed attempts to kill the Doctor, he attempts to destroy the world with an atomic explosion and stop the Doctor from fixing him with mind controlled subjects. The Doctor is saved when Neeva dies fighting Xoanon, his faith shattered by being betrayed by his god. Two days later the Doctor wakes up to find Xoanon repaired, willing to help society repair itself with Xoanon as a servant rather than a God. As the people bicker over who should be leader, Leela runs off after the Doctor, who attempts to make a quiet exit. She forces her way into the TARDIS as his next companion.
I think The Deadly Assassin was good but slightly oversold to me. The Face of Evil is technically weaker but as good as I expected. In a good way. So I feel like I'm a little more receptive to it this time (that said, I have seen the next serial, which is among my faves). It's funny because I think it hits on some old sci-fi standards, even for Doctor Who stories. A jungle planet of savages and invisible monsters (it's wild how little the monsters factor into the main story, though I love the imagery of the Doctor's face materializing) and a society that has gone backwards thanks to an evil computer. But it's elevated by, of course, Tom Baker and great dialogue written for him and adding something that we really haven't seen much of to this point, except in The Colony; the consequences of the Doctor's actions. He's a real "love 'em and leave 'em" type, fixing immediate problem and skipping out for a long rebuilding process to what evil systems he's thrown a monkey wrench into. This time, he tried to fix something and it results in something terrifying.
I think using the fact that we love Baker and the Doctor and using his face as that of something sinister is great. As I said, I love the image of the big video toaster face screeching at space cavemen and the computer images of his face freaking out. It's striking and interesting imagery, repurposing the comforting side of the show as something creepy. I think that not all of the characters come off as interesting as they could but I also think that Neeva proves to have a more interesting arc than I expected by the end. Sure, dying like that is a bit more predictable but the moment he acknowledges he is talking to the Doctor and maybe isn't a mindless follower gives him a bit more nuance. Leela also makes for a more interesting companion type, someone who is used to violence while the Doctor solves things with wit, compassion and, well, let's admit it, a bit more violence than the show wants to admit.
Overall, it's a story that takes classic sci-fi tropes but tells them in a way where things still feel fresh and fun. I think knowing that the Doctor had a hand in something also makes the character and the show bigger in a way that really does inform the 2005 series, where his permanent vacation in time casts a big shadow. Sometimes, it gets so big that the show forgets to get away from lore and let the character just be tooling around for fun (again, I think we should bring back the historicals, maybe once per season, picking obscure and unexpected historical topics) but it must have felt fresh in this one. I think again, it also helps this one has some REALLY memorable quotes.
Best Cliffhanger: WHO AM I?!
Next Time:
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering."
In this serial, the Doctor lands on a planet inhabited by a primitive group of hunter warriors. There he meets Leela who claims that the Doctor is The Evil One. Leela was exiled for profaning their Xoanon and the Doctor learns that the warrior people, the Seevateem, taking advice from the shaman Neeva, is planning to attack their enemy, the Tesh. They believe Xoanon has been held prisoner by the Evil One and the time has come to do something. The Doctor gets an extra shock when in trying to investigate the legend, he sees a mountain where the Evil One lies... is shaped like his face. Neeva is unknowningly leading the Seevateem into a trap, as he has been in contact Xoanon who is not on their side. The Doctor pieces together things from the relics of their people and using the method Neeva did to talk to his god.
The Doctor and Leela return to the lair of Xoanon/The Evil One. The Doctor reveals that the society is a group of colonists he once helped by repairing their computer. He believes the computer went mad due to adding his personality to help it, inadvertently creating a split personality supercomputer. The Doctor confronts Xoanon and in contradicting it's delusions of it's godhood, it seeks to destroy him. After several failed attempts to kill the Doctor, he attempts to destroy the world with an atomic explosion and stop the Doctor from fixing him with mind controlled subjects. The Doctor is saved when Neeva dies fighting Xoanon, his faith shattered by being betrayed by his god. Two days later the Doctor wakes up to find Xoanon repaired, willing to help society repair itself with Xoanon as a servant rather than a God. As the people bicker over who should be leader, Leela runs off after the Doctor, who attempts to make a quiet exit. She forces her way into the TARDIS as his next companion.
I think The Deadly Assassin was good but slightly oversold to me. The Face of Evil is technically weaker but as good as I expected. In a good way. So I feel like I'm a little more receptive to it this time (that said, I have seen the next serial, which is among my faves). It's funny because I think it hits on some old sci-fi standards, even for Doctor Who stories. A jungle planet of savages and invisible monsters (it's wild how little the monsters factor into the main story, though I love the imagery of the Doctor's face materializing) and a society that has gone backwards thanks to an evil computer. But it's elevated by, of course, Tom Baker and great dialogue written for him and adding something that we really haven't seen much of to this point, except in The Colony; the consequences of the Doctor's actions. He's a real "love 'em and leave 'em" type, fixing immediate problem and skipping out for a long rebuilding process to what evil systems he's thrown a monkey wrench into. This time, he tried to fix something and it results in something terrifying.
I think using the fact that we love Baker and the Doctor and using his face as that of something sinister is great. As I said, I love the image of the big video toaster face screeching at space cavemen and the computer images of his face freaking out. It's striking and interesting imagery, repurposing the comforting side of the show as something creepy. I think that not all of the characters come off as interesting as they could but I also think that Neeva proves to have a more interesting arc than I expected by the end. Sure, dying like that is a bit more predictable but the moment he acknowledges he is talking to the Doctor and maybe isn't a mindless follower gives him a bit more nuance. Leela also makes for a more interesting companion type, someone who is used to violence while the Doctor solves things with wit, compassion and, well, let's admit it, a bit more violence than the show wants to admit.
Overall, it's a story that takes classic sci-fi tropes but tells them in a way where things still feel fresh and fun. I think knowing that the Doctor had a hand in something also makes the character and the show bigger in a way that really does inform the 2005 series, where his permanent vacation in time casts a big shadow. Sometimes, it gets so big that the show forgets to get away from lore and let the character just be tooling around for fun (again, I think we should bring back the historicals, maybe once per season, picking obscure and unexpected historical topics) but it must have felt fresh in this one. I think again, it also helps this one has some REALLY memorable quotes.
Best Cliffhanger: WHO AM I?!
Next Time:
Ah, so you have seen The Robots of Death, nice. It's my favorite Tom Baker serial by kind of a lot, and I really like several of his episodes.
I've not seen whether or not anyone has written a prequel to The Face of Death, but I assume someone out there has. Probably a Tom Baker Big Finish, I assume.
I've not seen whether or not anyone has written a prequel to The Face of Death, but I assume someone out there has. Probably a Tom Baker Big Finish, I assume.
All-timer quote right there.
Mini episodes to announce bluray sets are back! Season 21 bluray trailer:
Ooh this apparently has the Five(ish) Doctors Reboot on it, with a new commentary!
Ooh this apparently has the Five(ish) Doctors Reboot on it, with a new commentary!
Last edited:
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Robots of Death
"I never carry weapons. If people see you mean them no harm, they never hurt you. Nine times out of ten..."
in this serial, the Doctor finds himself on a distant mining vessel on a desert planet, scrounging the sand for resources. On it are a crew who lead a life of leisure at the hands of robots when they aren't working. There is tension on the ship, particularly toward the Commander Uvanov who is seeming to seek profit above all else. Soon, a murder happens aboard the vessel and the just-materialized Doctor and Leela, being unknown quantities in a place where no other people should be, are the prime suspects. On their side is Poul, who Leela thinks seems to move more like a hunter than a worker and soon enough the crew become suspicious of each other. However, the Doctor believes the culprit wasn't a human but a reprogrammed robot, breaking the rules of robotics.
The Doctor begins to investigate and more clues pop up... as well as more bodies. In addition, the Doctor and Leela learn that one of the robots, D84, is an undercover agent for the company, investigating threats against it, from the now vanished roboticist Taran Capel. Capel was raised by robots, which fractured his view towards them and the Doctor surmises he is planning a robot uprising with the ship being ground zero. Eventually, the surviving humans must team up and the Doctor learns Poul is a special agent working with D84 (but however has been overcome with robophobia to the point of madness) and that a shipmate named Dask was Capel, having stolen a worker's identity. The Doctor defeats Capel by having Leela fill the room with a helium mixture, so when he tries to order a robot, it won't respond to his voice. This ends up being a death sentence when a robot looking to kill "all" humans refuses to stop. D84 sacrifices himself to stop the rest of the robots and the Doctor and Leela are on their way.
If there are two problems with this otherwise stellar arc is that in each viewing I find the reveal of the killer leaves me a bit cold (though the actor does a great job both hamming it up and being an icy SOB when he has the Doctor under his thumb) and in this viewing I feel like we really didn't get to soak in the tragedy of D84's death, especially since he's kind of the MVP for best one-off character. And I think that's not speaking poorly of the rest. Robots of Death is a mix of Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov. There are far fewer "droid"-like robots in the Doctor Who universe at this point. There's the Robot in Robot but a lot of them are classic "idiot machines". Whether D84 is more than that actually seems more implied than straight out said in this one. He gets a lot of agency yet I am surprised the show doesn't come out and make him overtly different. You watch fiction, so you know and if you are like me, you like D84 but while it sacrifices itself, and the Doctor commends D84 a time or two to getting closer to sentience, the show never says it, which is interesting.
I find it interesting because robot stories are so prevalent, a level of sentience, at least just to give it personality, is common. But this is a story about a villain who is projecting humanity onto machines that don't feel and trying to free something that don't care. There's a lot to dig into that the show doesn't have time to and it's interesting that the counterpoint is a robot who may be sentient who is both a hero and stopping freedom from happening. It brings up a lot more than it concludes with but that's OK, sometimes just the questions are better. Overall, I think the mystery isn't the best but it does handle the mystery in the right way; a lot of suspects with backstories and hidden layers. Uvanov kinda sucks but we learn he isn't unfeeling and is downright excited to play the hero when the time is right. Poul is heroic but is rendered useless in the face of his fears.
It's an episode that wants to explore the classic robot. It's no surprise that the word is derived from slave because the dream of the robot is like the dream of "what if I could ethically own a slave". We want convenient but when is the turning point when it starts to look unseemly, when we create a new underclass and it's OK because they don't have souls. But still, it's really important they look like us. But not quite. Actually, this is one of the first sci-fi stories I'm aware of that tackles the uncanny valley. It's why stories with killer clowns and dolls are popular; they are supposed to reflect something (smiling people, children) but something is terribly wrong.
Overall, it's not blazing new ground mostly but it's an intelligent and fun reworking of classic sci-fi and murder mystery. The acting is strong, the Doctor has the right balance of playful and serious and while the stakes are implied to be high down the line, this is a smaller "end of the world" tale. It never really tackles the great weakness in the society, that it is so dependent on machines that society will collapse if the robots are removed but I think it is good about addressing and exploring quite a number of ideas from robot fiction while not feeling scholarly and is just a fun ride.
Best cliffhanger: Wow, it took three episodes for the cliffhanger to be "robot tries to kill the Doctor?"
Next Time:
"I never carry weapons. If people see you mean them no harm, they never hurt you. Nine times out of ten..."
in this serial, the Doctor finds himself on a distant mining vessel on a desert planet, scrounging the sand for resources. On it are a crew who lead a life of leisure at the hands of robots when they aren't working. There is tension on the ship, particularly toward the Commander Uvanov who is seeming to seek profit above all else. Soon, a murder happens aboard the vessel and the just-materialized Doctor and Leela, being unknown quantities in a place where no other people should be, are the prime suspects. On their side is Poul, who Leela thinks seems to move more like a hunter than a worker and soon enough the crew become suspicious of each other. However, the Doctor believes the culprit wasn't a human but a reprogrammed robot, breaking the rules of robotics.
The Doctor begins to investigate and more clues pop up... as well as more bodies. In addition, the Doctor and Leela learn that one of the robots, D84, is an undercover agent for the company, investigating threats against it, from the now vanished roboticist Taran Capel. Capel was raised by robots, which fractured his view towards them and the Doctor surmises he is planning a robot uprising with the ship being ground zero. Eventually, the surviving humans must team up and the Doctor learns Poul is a special agent working with D84 (but however has been overcome with robophobia to the point of madness) and that a shipmate named Dask was Capel, having stolen a worker's identity. The Doctor defeats Capel by having Leela fill the room with a helium mixture, so when he tries to order a robot, it won't respond to his voice. This ends up being a death sentence when a robot looking to kill "all" humans refuses to stop. D84 sacrifices himself to stop the rest of the robots and the Doctor and Leela are on their way.
If there are two problems with this otherwise stellar arc is that in each viewing I find the reveal of the killer leaves me a bit cold (though the actor does a great job both hamming it up and being an icy SOB when he has the Doctor under his thumb) and in this viewing I feel like we really didn't get to soak in the tragedy of D84's death, especially since he's kind of the MVP for best one-off character. And I think that's not speaking poorly of the rest. Robots of Death is a mix of Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov. There are far fewer "droid"-like robots in the Doctor Who universe at this point. There's the Robot in Robot but a lot of them are classic "idiot machines". Whether D84 is more than that actually seems more implied than straight out said in this one. He gets a lot of agency yet I am surprised the show doesn't come out and make him overtly different. You watch fiction, so you know and if you are like me, you like D84 but while it sacrifices itself, and the Doctor commends D84 a time or two to getting closer to sentience, the show never says it, which is interesting.
I find it interesting because robot stories are so prevalent, a level of sentience, at least just to give it personality, is common. But this is a story about a villain who is projecting humanity onto machines that don't feel and trying to free something that don't care. There's a lot to dig into that the show doesn't have time to and it's interesting that the counterpoint is a robot who may be sentient who is both a hero and stopping freedom from happening. It brings up a lot more than it concludes with but that's OK, sometimes just the questions are better. Overall, I think the mystery isn't the best but it does handle the mystery in the right way; a lot of suspects with backstories and hidden layers. Uvanov kinda sucks but we learn he isn't unfeeling and is downright excited to play the hero when the time is right. Poul is heroic but is rendered useless in the face of his fears.
It's an episode that wants to explore the classic robot. It's no surprise that the word is derived from slave because the dream of the robot is like the dream of "what if I could ethically own a slave". We want convenient but when is the turning point when it starts to look unseemly, when we create a new underclass and it's OK because they don't have souls. But still, it's really important they look like us. But not quite. Actually, this is one of the first sci-fi stories I'm aware of that tackles the uncanny valley. It's why stories with killer clowns and dolls are popular; they are supposed to reflect something (smiling people, children) but something is terribly wrong.
Overall, it's not blazing new ground mostly but it's an intelligent and fun reworking of classic sci-fi and murder mystery. The acting is strong, the Doctor has the right balance of playful and serious and while the stakes are implied to be high down the line, this is a smaller "end of the world" tale. It never really tackles the great weakness in the society, that it is so dependent on machines that society will collapse if the robots are removed but I think it is good about addressing and exploring quite a number of ideas from robot fiction while not feeling scholarly and is just a fun ride.
Best cliffhanger: Wow, it took three episodes for the cliffhanger to be "robot tries to kill the Doctor?"
Next Time:
It's also funny. The guest cast are magnificiently catty towards each other in the first episode in particular, and even when the Doctor arrives they are still hilarious, and Baker matches them pound for pound. It's a delight.
I agree with D84 and the other robots being uncanny, too. From their visual design to their voice acting, they're just on the cusp of humanity...
I need to rewatch this one yet again. And then finally read Corpse Marker, Boucher's sequel to this story. But yeah, as good as the next serial is, even if I were to ignore the racism (and I do not, it's worse than a lot of Doctor Who fans are willing to admit), nothing beats Robots of Death for me. Among the highest highs of the entire show.
I agree with D84 and the other robots being uncanny, too. From their visual design to their voice acting, they're just on the cusp of humanity...
I need to rewatch this one yet again. And then finally read Corpse Marker, Boucher's sequel to this story. But yeah, as good as the next serial is, even if I were to ignore the racism (and I do not, it's worse than a lot of Doctor Who fans are willing to admit), nothing beats Robots of Death for me. Among the highest highs of the entire show.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
Has anyone been watching Rachel Talalay's YouTube channel? She's possibly Doctor Who's best ever director and she's talking about how they shot episodes you may have heard of, like Heaven Sent
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
The Talons of Weng-Chiang
"Listen! It's the muffin man! Come on. I'll buy you all muffins."
In this serial, the Doctor and Leela visit Victorian London and stumble upon a group of Chinese assassins attacking a cab driver. When the Doctor is pulled into the police with one of the assassins as a suspect, they bring a local Chinese magician, Li Hsien Chang, to act as translator. But Chang is actually the leader of the group, the Tong of the Black Scorpion, who worship the god Weng-Chieng. The Doctor befriends pathologist Prof. Litefoot while searching for answers and they start working together. Meanwhile Chang is working for Weng-Chiang, a madman skulking in the sewers of London, feeding on the life force of young women. The Doctor follows a lead into the sewers and finds that his domain is guarded by giant rats. The Doctor pieces together the facts that Chang and the Tong are being tricked and Weng-Chiang is an imposter. He is, in fact, after a "time cabinet", which is owned by Litefoot, who lived most of his youth in China.
The Doctor eventually learns that Weng-Chiang is Magnus Greel, a dictator from the 51st century who tried to use time travel to escape those who turned against him. The effects of the time travel were poor and are killing him, which he tries to slow by stealing life force. Eventually Greel gets the time cabinet but the Doctor has it's key. He uses it to maneuver a deal as Litefoot and Jago, an owner master of ceremonies at a local theatre, have been kidnapped. Eventually, it leads to a showdown where Magnus and his maniacal henchman, Mr. Sin, try to kill the Doctor to get the key, which Greel is convinced will make him whole. In fact, it will destroy everything. Luckily in his killing frenzy, Mr. Sin kills Greel and is finished off by the Doctor.
The Talons of Weng-Chiang is both a beloved episode and an extremely problematic one and in both cases I can see why. It's a story that really tries to pack craziness in as possible; a killer doll, giant rats, an army of assassins, a vampiric madman, hypnotism and stage magic. It also clearly is taking it's ideas from a number of late 19th/early 20th century pop culture like Sherlock Holmes, the Phantom of the Opera and.... *sigh* Fu Manchu. And the problems with this are inescapable. There are definitely ways you can take something with problematic bones and subvert it. That is not what is happening here. Sci-fi stuff aside, it is a throwback adventure story and it's portrayals of the Chinese are just as problematic as they were. They do try to put a bit of a spin on it; Chang on stage plays up his pidgin English but he's still an extremely exaggerated and offensive caricature, even as the extremely not Chinese John Bennett tries to give him pathos.
It's a shame because in terms of acting, plotting and filming, it's a fun story that really breezes along even as you think "wait, what did that dumbwaiter scene accomplish". I think it's easy to forgive some of the story's Who-isms, like constantly going back and forth to Litefoot's house (I feel like early Doctor Who was a lot of going back and forth between places, in part because they only want to pay for so many sets). These flaws are downright charming. Chang and the creepy puppet Mr. Sin and the way the sympathetic characters speak of the Chinese is not. At times, it seems like the joke is going to be on Litefoot, a mostly nice guy with some shite olde-world takes but there's certainly no real pushback from the writers, who are just trying to represent the things they love from adventure stories.
And it's unfortunate. The Doctor is a character who, whatever time he is in, isn't interested in letting people go off on racist tirades without challenging them. Seeing him stand back and kinda nod "yeah, whatever" when this happens really adds an unfortunate bitterness to the proceedings. It's a shame because it taints a story that is otherwise a solid little adventure yarn. It's not fun to see the show play this game and while it certainly isn't the first time this has happened (the Marco Polo arc), I feel like a decade later, the show was ready to learn a few things. I guess if I want to say the things I like, it was the supporting cast of Jago and Litefoot and, I'm not going to lie, the terrible rat effects are kinda charmingly adorable. Probably not what they were going for though.
Best cliffhanger: Probably the first time a rat shows up. Maybe not for the reasons the show intended.
Next time:
"Listen! It's the muffin man! Come on. I'll buy you all muffins."
In this serial, the Doctor and Leela visit Victorian London and stumble upon a group of Chinese assassins attacking a cab driver. When the Doctor is pulled into the police with one of the assassins as a suspect, they bring a local Chinese magician, Li Hsien Chang, to act as translator. But Chang is actually the leader of the group, the Tong of the Black Scorpion, who worship the god Weng-Chieng. The Doctor befriends pathologist Prof. Litefoot while searching for answers and they start working together. Meanwhile Chang is working for Weng-Chiang, a madman skulking in the sewers of London, feeding on the life force of young women. The Doctor follows a lead into the sewers and finds that his domain is guarded by giant rats. The Doctor pieces together the facts that Chang and the Tong are being tricked and Weng-Chiang is an imposter. He is, in fact, after a "time cabinet", which is owned by Litefoot, who lived most of his youth in China.
The Doctor eventually learns that Weng-Chiang is Magnus Greel, a dictator from the 51st century who tried to use time travel to escape those who turned against him. The effects of the time travel were poor and are killing him, which he tries to slow by stealing life force. Eventually Greel gets the time cabinet but the Doctor has it's key. He uses it to maneuver a deal as Litefoot and Jago, an owner master of ceremonies at a local theatre, have been kidnapped. Eventually, it leads to a showdown where Magnus and his maniacal henchman, Mr. Sin, try to kill the Doctor to get the key, which Greel is convinced will make him whole. In fact, it will destroy everything. Luckily in his killing frenzy, Mr. Sin kills Greel and is finished off by the Doctor.
The Talons of Weng-Chiang is both a beloved episode and an extremely problematic one and in both cases I can see why. It's a story that really tries to pack craziness in as possible; a killer doll, giant rats, an army of assassins, a vampiric madman, hypnotism and stage magic. It also clearly is taking it's ideas from a number of late 19th/early 20th century pop culture like Sherlock Holmes, the Phantom of the Opera and.... *sigh* Fu Manchu. And the problems with this are inescapable. There are definitely ways you can take something with problematic bones and subvert it. That is not what is happening here. Sci-fi stuff aside, it is a throwback adventure story and it's portrayals of the Chinese are just as problematic as they were. They do try to put a bit of a spin on it; Chang on stage plays up his pidgin English but he's still an extremely exaggerated and offensive caricature, even as the extremely not Chinese John Bennett tries to give him pathos.
It's a shame because in terms of acting, plotting and filming, it's a fun story that really breezes along even as you think "wait, what did that dumbwaiter scene accomplish". I think it's easy to forgive some of the story's Who-isms, like constantly going back and forth to Litefoot's house (I feel like early Doctor Who was a lot of going back and forth between places, in part because they only want to pay for so many sets). These flaws are downright charming. Chang and the creepy puppet Mr. Sin and the way the sympathetic characters speak of the Chinese is not. At times, it seems like the joke is going to be on Litefoot, a mostly nice guy with some shite olde-world takes but there's certainly no real pushback from the writers, who are just trying to represent the things they love from adventure stories.
And it's unfortunate. The Doctor is a character who, whatever time he is in, isn't interested in letting people go off on racist tirades without challenging them. Seeing him stand back and kinda nod "yeah, whatever" when this happens really adds an unfortunate bitterness to the proceedings. It's a shame because it taints a story that is otherwise a solid little adventure yarn. It's not fun to see the show play this game and while it certainly isn't the first time this has happened (the Marco Polo arc), I feel like a decade later, the show was ready to learn a few things. I guess if I want to say the things I like, it was the supporting cast of Jago and Litefoot and, I'm not going to lie, the terrible rat effects are kinda charmingly adorable. Probably not what they were going for though.
Best cliffhanger: Probably the first time a rat shows up. Maybe not for the reasons the show intended.
Next time: