Season 3 is the Season where the Hartnell era really gets experimental & goes rather off the wall. The Season sees the departure of not only Vicki, who had been with the series since The Rescue (the third story of Season 2) and Steven, who was introduced during the last story of Season 2.
In between both of their departures we have the introduction of three companions, two of which are killed off as soon as they arrive in the series, Katarina & Sara, both who die in The Daleks' Master Plan and Dodo who rather oddly just pops up at the end of The Massacre and then rather oddly just disappears half way through The War Machines.
The stories themselves are very diverse as well, some which are excellent (The Daleks' Master Plan & The War Machines) and some which are very unexpected (The Celestial Toymaker with it's rather other worldly atmosphere throughout & The Gunfighters with it's out breaks of music every other scene & cockney Cowboys in the Wild West).
However the series is all the better for it and the wide range of story styles throughout this season add something to it and for me & make it my favourite Hartnell season of the lot, it's just a shame that he's missing for large parts of it during the latter stories.
Once getting to the end of this series I start to feel a bit sad at the imminent departure of the Doctor in two stories time, my opinion of this Doctor has change quite a lot since I got into Classic Who, going from being one of my least favourites to one of my favourites & that's all thanks to how Hartnell well Hartnell played the character, something which I will write about after I have wrote my review for the Tenth Planet.
A great season which doesn't get this experimental again for a long while
Season 3 results:
Galaxy 4 = 2.25
Mission To The Unknown = 3.75
The Myth Makers = 4.25
The Daleks' Master Plan = 5
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve = 4
The Ark = 4.25
The Celestial Toymaker = 3.75
The Gunfighters = 4
The Savages = 4.25
The War Machines = 5
Total = 40.5/50
Onto Season 4 next, where everything begins to change....
Showing posts with label Season 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Season 3. Show all posts
Sunday, 5 July 2009
The War Machines
Story Title: The War Machines
Series: 3 Story No: 10 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Dodo, Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Wednesday 1st July 2009
One of my all time favourites & the story that really got me into the First Doctor’s stories (along with The Time Meddler). This story is just superb from start to finish and although it has one or two little issues in it I always look past them & enjoy this story for what it is, a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London. The Doctor & Dodo land in London in 1966, just after the completion of the GPO Tower (now known as the BT Tower) of which the Doctor senses there is something rather alien about it.
They end up in the tower where they meet Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly and of course Wotan who knows what TARDIS stands for (something which is never explained in the story). An unintentionally humorous scene follows in The Inferno which is “the hottest spot in town” according to Polly, which it probably was back in 1966 but in 2009 obviously has dated. It’s here we meet Ben, who is the first companion to have a rather rough accent (the others being rather posh, Dodo did have a Northern accent but that only really appears at the end of The Massacre).
However whilst this is all going on Professor Brett, Major Green & Professor Krimpton all get taken over by Wotan & are soon joined by Dodo who almost betrays the Doctor on several occasions. Polly also gets taken over later on in the story & Anneke Wills gives some rather haunting facial expressions when under the influence.
The War Machines get set in motion & the Doctor manages to capture a couple, before reprogramming one of them & sending it back to the GPO Tower to destroy Wotan, which finally rids Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly & the rest of Wotan’s influences. Unfortunately during Wotan’s destruction Professor Krimpton is accidently killed, when, under the influence of Wotan, he tries to defend the said computer & is killed by the reprogrammed War Machine.
The cast throughout are spot on with great performances from all, especially those under the influence of Wotan. Wotan’s voice itself if wonderfully alien & creepy with it’s slow hissing voice, it does however call the Doctor “Doctor Who” in error, something of which is repeated by several of the cast, who are under Wotan’s influence, several times throughout the story.
Ben & Polly are an instantly likeable pair of companions for me & both Craze & Wills have wonderful chemistry between each other with Ben often referring to Polly as Duchess in a friendly way. They also work very well with The First Doctor during this story as well & give clear indications that they could possibly be the next companions (of which they ultimately are by the end of this story.
However although Ben & Polly get a great introduction Dodo has a terrible departure, she ends up being hypnotised by Wotan and then gets sent to the country to stay with Sir Charles’ wife to recover, never to return to the series again. The Doctor rather oddly doesn’t pay tribute to Dodo at all, and seems more interested in rushing away than about Dodo’s departure. However thankfully Ben & Polly are on hand to fill the void although there is no reference to Dodo at all in the next story, which kind of suggests that the Doctor didn’t care that much for her at all!
The sets were again spot on and the sound effects are wonderfully futuristic, for the 1960’s. Wotan is rather dated, it a nice, nostalgic way and the War Machines look great, if yet again look dated. The support cast is spot on as well, with great performances as well. There’s also a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance by a very young Mike Reid (aka Frank Butcher) in the capture scene in Episode 4. I also rather liked the title cards for this story, which form up to a rather nice, dramatic little tune & make a nice change from the usual fade up of the titles over the opening moments of the story.
There are one or two plot holes & the handling of Dodo’s departure was badly handled, however I never get tired of this story & always enjoy watching it, plus we get the introduction of two rather under rated companions
Overall Rating: 5/5 – A few plot holes here & there but the story is so great that I really don’t notice them, one of my all time favourite Hartnell stories, which gives a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London.
Series: 3 Story No: 10 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Dodo, Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Wednesday 1st July 2009
One of my all time favourites & the story that really got me into the First Doctor’s stories (along with The Time Meddler). This story is just superb from start to finish and although it has one or two little issues in it I always look past them & enjoy this story for what it is, a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London. The Doctor & Dodo land in London in 1966, just after the completion of the GPO Tower (now known as the BT Tower) of which the Doctor senses there is something rather alien about it.
They end up in the tower where they meet Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly and of course Wotan who knows what TARDIS stands for (something which is never explained in the story). An unintentionally humorous scene follows in The Inferno which is “the hottest spot in town” according to Polly, which it probably was back in 1966 but in 2009 obviously has dated. It’s here we meet Ben, who is the first companion to have a rather rough accent (the others being rather posh, Dodo did have a Northern accent but that only really appears at the end of The Massacre).
However whilst this is all going on Professor Brett, Major Green & Professor Krimpton all get taken over by Wotan & are soon joined by Dodo who almost betrays the Doctor on several occasions. Polly also gets taken over later on in the story & Anneke Wills gives some rather haunting facial expressions when under the influence.
The War Machines get set in motion & the Doctor manages to capture a couple, before reprogramming one of them & sending it back to the GPO Tower to destroy Wotan, which finally rids Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly & the rest of Wotan’s influences. Unfortunately during Wotan’s destruction Professor Krimpton is accidently killed, when, under the influence of Wotan, he tries to defend the said computer & is killed by the reprogrammed War Machine.
The cast throughout are spot on with great performances from all, especially those under the influence of Wotan. Wotan’s voice itself if wonderfully alien & creepy with it’s slow hissing voice, it does however call the Doctor “Doctor Who” in error, something of which is repeated by several of the cast, who are under Wotan’s influence, several times throughout the story.
Ben & Polly are an instantly likeable pair of companions for me & both Craze & Wills have wonderful chemistry between each other with Ben often referring to Polly as Duchess in a friendly way. They also work very well with The First Doctor during this story as well & give clear indications that they could possibly be the next companions (of which they ultimately are by the end of this story.
However although Ben & Polly get a great introduction Dodo has a terrible departure, she ends up being hypnotised by Wotan and then gets sent to the country to stay with Sir Charles’ wife to recover, never to return to the series again. The Doctor rather oddly doesn’t pay tribute to Dodo at all, and seems more interested in rushing away than about Dodo’s departure. However thankfully Ben & Polly are on hand to fill the void although there is no reference to Dodo at all in the next story, which kind of suggests that the Doctor didn’t care that much for her at all!
The sets were again spot on and the sound effects are wonderfully futuristic, for the 1960’s. Wotan is rather dated, it a nice, nostalgic way and the War Machines look great, if yet again look dated. The support cast is spot on as well, with great performances as well. There’s also a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance by a very young Mike Reid (aka Frank Butcher) in the capture scene in Episode 4. I also rather liked the title cards for this story, which form up to a rather nice, dramatic little tune & make a nice change from the usual fade up of the titles over the opening moments of the story.
There are one or two plot holes & the handling of Dodo’s departure was badly handled, however I never get tired of this story & always enjoy watching it, plus we get the introduction of two rather under rated companions
Overall Rating: 5/5 – A few plot holes here & there but the story is so great that I really don’t notice them, one of my all time favourite Hartnell stories, which gives a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London.
The Savages
Story Title: The Savages
Series: 3 Story No: 9 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A rather good story this one although an odd one at that. The story sees two factions on a planet in the distant future with the Elders based in the city & the Savages based out in the wastelands. It’s revealed that the Doctor has visited once before & is called “The Traveller From Beyond Time” by Jano and several others. However the pleasant greetings soon change once the Doctor finds out the terrible experiments been carried on the Savages in the city.
The location work looks very good as do the City sets, although it doesn’t really look that much like a city to me. Hartnell, Purves & Lane are on form as usual & in this story Dodo’s nosiness actually fits in with this story. The performances by the support cast are on form as usual, especially Jaeger who does a rather great impression of the First Doctor.
This story sees the departure of Steven who has been a great companion throughout his reign & has had to content with quite a few different companions since he entered the Tardis (Vicki, Katarina, Sara & Dodo). However with all he’s been through during his nine story tenure he gets a rather fitting send off, becoming leader of the planet & trying to unite the Savages & the Elders, although it does feel slightly rushed. Steven’s ending is rather sad, mainly as he has been there for such a long time that he’s departure feels more poignant.
The First Doctor is yet again incapacitated in this story & perhaps takes his biggest hit since DMP, with his memories & strengths partially transferred over to Jano & is left in an very weak state during the end of Part 3 & the start of Part 4. However he seems to gain back his energy to help lead the rebellion against the technology being used on the planet. The First Doctor also gives another moving speech to another departing companion, something which Hartnell always delivered well.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – A very good story that goes along at a nice pace, the recent LC Recon is great and really helps the story along, it’s a shame that this one seems to get forgotten by fans however.
Series: 3 Story No: 9 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A rather good story this one although an odd one at that. The story sees two factions on a planet in the distant future with the Elders based in the city & the Savages based out in the wastelands. It’s revealed that the Doctor has visited once before & is called “The Traveller From Beyond Time” by Jano and several others. However the pleasant greetings soon change once the Doctor finds out the terrible experiments been carried on the Savages in the city.
The location work looks very good as do the City sets, although it doesn’t really look that much like a city to me. Hartnell, Purves & Lane are on form as usual & in this story Dodo’s nosiness actually fits in with this story. The performances by the support cast are on form as usual, especially Jaeger who does a rather great impression of the First Doctor.
This story sees the departure of Steven who has been a great companion throughout his reign & has had to content with quite a few different companions since he entered the Tardis (Vicki, Katarina, Sara & Dodo). However with all he’s been through during his nine story tenure he gets a rather fitting send off, becoming leader of the planet & trying to unite the Savages & the Elders, although it does feel slightly rushed. Steven’s ending is rather sad, mainly as he has been there for such a long time that he’s departure feels more poignant.
The First Doctor is yet again incapacitated in this story & perhaps takes his biggest hit since DMP, with his memories & strengths partially transferred over to Jano & is left in an very weak state during the end of Part 3 & the start of Part 4. However he seems to gain back his energy to help lead the rebellion against the technology being used on the planet. The First Doctor also gives another moving speech to another departing companion, something which Hartnell always delivered well.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – A very good story that goes along at a nice pace, the recent LC Recon is great and really helps the story along, it’s a shame that this one seems to get forgotten by fans however.
The Gunfighters
Story Title: The Gunfighters
Series: 3 Story No: 8 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A story that many a fan dislikes, mainly due to the “Last Chance Saloon” song that opens & closes nearly every scene in each episode, however I rather liked this story, mainly as it’s a lot of fun at least if anything else. The sets & costumes are very convincing indeed, for me at least, you get a feel that The Doctor, Steven & Dodo are actually in the Wild West. A lot of the American accents are rather passable as well, especially Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clanton brothers, Kate & Charlie. However a couple slip up several times (Virgil Earp) and Johnny Ringo sounds more like a Cockney that a Wild West cowboy, most of the time.
However I managed to look past the dodgy accents & song that even got to me a bit by episode 4 and just enjoyed the story. It’s rather fast paced & does have plenty going on it, Peter Purves & Jackie Lane seem to be enjoying themselves throughout the story & the support cast also give their all in their parts. Hartnell however is great in this, first off with the rather convincing acting with his tooth ache & then his reactions to everything going on around him, first off being wrongly identified as Doc Holliday, then being handed a gun every episode, much to his disgust & then finally being made Deputy Sheriff for a brief period.
Speaking of The Doctor’s tooth ache, it seems a very odd thing to include in the story, of which it originated from the closing moments of The Celestial Toymaker, but I put this down to the start of the First Doctor’s deterioration that was kicked off in The Daleks Master Plan, when the Time Destructor ultimately aged him before Steven reversed the process somewhat to stop the Doctor dying. The Toymakers interference, where by he made the Doctor invisible, probably also didn’t help & I imagine that this event also somewhat weakened the Doctor, which may explain why he hurt his tooth so easily.
From what I understand the recounting of the event is completely inaccurate in Who but I still find the story highly enjoyable and wouldn’t hesitate to watch it again.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – Yes the song is irritating & the accents are all over the place, however the story is a bit of fun & bumbles along at a nice entertaining pace & is certainly not as bad as some make out, now if only they could edit out that song when it finally makes it to DVD.
Series: 3 Story No: 8 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A story that many a fan dislikes, mainly due to the “Last Chance Saloon” song that opens & closes nearly every scene in each episode, however I rather liked this story, mainly as it’s a lot of fun at least if anything else. The sets & costumes are very convincing indeed, for me at least, you get a feel that The Doctor, Steven & Dodo are actually in the Wild West. A lot of the American accents are rather passable as well, especially Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clanton brothers, Kate & Charlie. However a couple slip up several times (Virgil Earp) and Johnny Ringo sounds more like a Cockney that a Wild West cowboy, most of the time.
However I managed to look past the dodgy accents & song that even got to me a bit by episode 4 and just enjoyed the story. It’s rather fast paced & does have plenty going on it, Peter Purves & Jackie Lane seem to be enjoying themselves throughout the story & the support cast also give their all in their parts. Hartnell however is great in this, first off with the rather convincing acting with his tooth ache & then his reactions to everything going on around him, first off being wrongly identified as Doc Holliday, then being handed a gun every episode, much to his disgust & then finally being made Deputy Sheriff for a brief period.
Speaking of The Doctor’s tooth ache, it seems a very odd thing to include in the story, of which it originated from the closing moments of The Celestial Toymaker, but I put this down to the start of the First Doctor’s deterioration that was kicked off in The Daleks Master Plan, when the Time Destructor ultimately aged him before Steven reversed the process somewhat to stop the Doctor dying. The Toymakers interference, where by he made the Doctor invisible, probably also didn’t help & I imagine that this event also somewhat weakened the Doctor, which may explain why he hurt his tooth so easily.
From what I understand the recounting of the event is completely inaccurate in Who but I still find the story highly enjoyable and wouldn’t hesitate to watch it again.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – Yes the song is irritating & the accents are all over the place, however the story is a bit of fun & bumbles along at a nice entertaining pace & is certainly not as bad as some make out, now if only they could edit out that song when it finally makes it to DVD.
The Celestial Toymaker
Story Title: The Celestial Toymaker
Series: 3 Story No: 7 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Monday 29th June 2009
A rather strange story this one of which the only other story you can really compare it with is The Mind Robber. The Celestial Toymaker is pleasant enough a story but doesn’t hit all the right notes. Loose Canon have yet again done a great recon, especially with the lack of telesnaps that were available, unfortunately the story itself would probably have got more marks from me had another episode had existed, in particular Episode 1.
Steven & Dodo carry the story well enough & the support cast are very good, with Michael Gough as the Toymaker and Peter Stephens as Cyril. Unfortunately the Doctor’s absence is all too apparent in Episodes 2 & 3 and I feel he really would have added something to the games that Steven & Dodo were playing.
The sets, costumes & musical pieces were rather fitting though & there’s some nice banter between The Doctor & The Toymaker. Dodo throughout the story proves to be a little to dim & too caring at times when she falls for all of the Toymakers toys tricks in every game & Steven has to keep reminding her that she has to ignore them & that they have to fight against them to survive.
It’s a rather interesting experiment but ultimately doesn’t fully work, the absence of The Doctor just sticks out too much & you just feel it would be a bit better if he had been there. Nether the less it’s still not too bad a story and still has enough going for it to make it interesting at least. Rather interestingly at one point this story was almost considered to be Hartnell’s swansong. Thankfully however, the producers decided against this in the end.
Interestingly enough though, to me, this story along with The Daleks Master Plan all contributed to the deteriorating health of the First Doctor, which continues into the next story when the Doctor suddenly hurts his tooth on a sweet. More on that in the next story.
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 – An interesting experiment with some great ideas in it & a great support cast, unfortunately it just doesn’t gel together fully enough and to me is only a rather good story than a great story.
Monday, 22 June 2009
The Ark
Story Title: The Ark
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 6
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Sunday 21st June 2009
The first fully moving story since The Time Meddler, on several previous viewings I gave up with The Ark during episode 2 & didn’t have high expectations for this story at all. That being said I rather enjoyed this one a lot.
Dodo’s accent seems to have mysteriously changed here, the “northern” accent still appears on the odd word but now she seems a lot more posher. The character herself doesn’t really irritate me but I can understand why some wouldn’t like her, she seems to be very pushy & nosey in this story but then again I suppose they wanted to avoid having another Vicki in the story. Speaking of which Vicki’s costume from The Crusades makes a second appearance here (if it’s not the same costume, it’s very similar). She does however turn out to be more permanent than the last two female companions & thankfully does stick round for a little while.
The Story itself works very well & it’s sort of split into two stories, the first two episodes centre round the humans leaving a worn out Earth (of which there is a nice model shot of it’s disintegration near the end of Episode 2) and that Dodo’s “common cold” causes the death of several of the guardians & the Monoids. What probably wasn’t expected was that they return back to The Ark at the end of Episode 2 & everything has changed, with The Monoids gaining a voice & having taken over The Ark from the humans.
Acting again is on form, although one or two of the Guardians seem a bit off. We see the first appearance of Michael Sheard (who would go on to pop up quite a few times between this story & Remembrance) although his part is rather small in this story. The Monoids themselves are a rather interesting creation, the eye itself is obviously there then chin is, but the animated eye gives it a nice little touch. The design is rather obviously from the 60’s, especially with their hair cuts. The race start of without any speech & seem like willing. The Refusians are a rather interesting touch, being beings that have evolved beyond a physical, visible form & add something to the story.
The sets are rather fitting as well, I particularly like the giant Monoid statue which actually looks like a statue. The sets on Refusis are rather nice, if a little limited to only a few bits, however the model work, including the disintegration of Earth & the Monoid Statue leaving The Ark, are great. It was also nice to hear the return of the wonderful, if short, moody piece of music from DMP Episode 12 as it really adds a sense of dread at the start of Episode 3
All in all a rather nice surprise for me, as I say on several occasions I’ve never made it past Episode 2 but I’m glad that this time round I did as it’s a great little story & it goes along at a great pace.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – Great little story which never drags, The Monoids are a wonderful 60’s creation & the acting from virtually all is spot on.
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 6
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Sunday 21st June 2009
The first fully moving story since The Time Meddler, on several previous viewings I gave up with The Ark during episode 2 & didn’t have high expectations for this story at all. That being said I rather enjoyed this one a lot.
Dodo’s accent seems to have mysteriously changed here, the “northern” accent still appears on the odd word but now she seems a lot more posher. The character herself doesn’t really irritate me but I can understand why some wouldn’t like her, she seems to be very pushy & nosey in this story but then again I suppose they wanted to avoid having another Vicki in the story. Speaking of which Vicki’s costume from The Crusades makes a second appearance here (if it’s not the same costume, it’s very similar). She does however turn out to be more permanent than the last two female companions & thankfully does stick round for a little while.
The Story itself works very well & it’s sort of split into two stories, the first two episodes centre round the humans leaving a worn out Earth (of which there is a nice model shot of it’s disintegration near the end of Episode 2) and that Dodo’s “common cold” causes the death of several of the guardians & the Monoids. What probably wasn’t expected was that they return back to The Ark at the end of Episode 2 & everything has changed, with The Monoids gaining a voice & having taken over The Ark from the humans.
Acting again is on form, although one or two of the Guardians seem a bit off. We see the first appearance of Michael Sheard (who would go on to pop up quite a few times between this story & Remembrance) although his part is rather small in this story. The Monoids themselves are a rather interesting creation, the eye itself is obviously there then chin is, but the animated eye gives it a nice little touch. The design is rather obviously from the 60’s, especially with their hair cuts. The race start of without any speech & seem like willing. The Refusians are a rather interesting touch, being beings that have evolved beyond a physical, visible form & add something to the story.
The sets are rather fitting as well, I particularly like the giant Monoid statue which actually looks like a statue. The sets on Refusis are rather nice, if a little limited to only a few bits, however the model work, including the disintegration of Earth & the Monoid Statue leaving The Ark, are great. It was also nice to hear the return of the wonderful, if short, moody piece of music from DMP Episode 12 as it really adds a sense of dread at the start of Episode 3
All in all a rather nice surprise for me, as I say on several occasions I’ve never made it past Episode 2 but I’m glad that this time round I did as it’s a great little story & it goes along at a great pace.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – Great little story which never drags, The Monoids are a wonderful 60’s creation & the acting from virtually all is spot on.
The Massacre Of St. Bartholomew’s Eve
Story Title: The Massacre Of St. Bartholomew’s Eve
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 5
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo (although she’s not officially a companion here)
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 16th June 2009 (Episode 1), Sunday 21st June 2009 (Episode 2-4)
A bit of a strange story seeing as not 1 second of footage remains (known) in the world & considering what LC had to work with, the recon is absolutely marvellous. As for the story itself, it’s ok but at times it just didn’t “feel” like Who to me (this is the first & probably only historical that I feel this way about).
That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with it, acting is yet again spot on (as it with 99% of Hartnell’s stories) sets, spot on, musical cues, spot on. It’s just that, for me, the story doesn’t hold my interest that much at all. Maybe the subject didn’t hold me too well, I don’t know, but what I do know is that the two episodes where Hartnell was The Doctor (Episodes 1 & 4) where more enjoyable than the episodes where he’s the Abbot. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with his performance as the Abbot (it’s rather good IMO) just that I suppose with a companion down in this story it feels a little “empty” at times.
However Steven does do well in those two episodes & manages to carry the story through those two episodes but, because of a lack of The Doctor, when Steven wasn’t on screen my interest started to wane.
The last episode though I really enjoyed as it all seemed to get into gear. First off The Doctor turns up, and then they make a dash for the Tardis as it all starts to kick off round them. Here we get some brilliant dialogue between First & Steven, with them arguing over the morality of “leaving people to their deaths” & that “history shouldn’t be interfered with”. Steven then storms off only for Dodo (with a rather t’broad North West English accent for the end of the episode) to run inside the Tardis & then for Steven to bluster back in & decide to stay put when he realises that Dodo could possibly be a descendant of Anne Chaplet.
The final episode & the excellent reconstruction by LC helped bump up the score a bit, I’ll be honest that at one point near the end of Episode 3 it was hovering around 3/5.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – Brilliant recon, well acted & Episode 4 helps lift the story a quite bit, which at times does feel a bit “empty” for me.
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 5
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo (although she’s not officially a companion here)
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 16th June 2009 (Episode 1), Sunday 21st June 2009 (Episode 2-4)
A bit of a strange story seeing as not 1 second of footage remains (known) in the world & considering what LC had to work with, the recon is absolutely marvellous. As for the story itself, it’s ok but at times it just didn’t “feel” like Who to me (this is the first & probably only historical that I feel this way about).
That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with it, acting is yet again spot on (as it with 99% of Hartnell’s stories) sets, spot on, musical cues, spot on. It’s just that, for me, the story doesn’t hold my interest that much at all. Maybe the subject didn’t hold me too well, I don’t know, but what I do know is that the two episodes where Hartnell was The Doctor (Episodes 1 & 4) where more enjoyable than the episodes where he’s the Abbot. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with his performance as the Abbot (it’s rather good IMO) just that I suppose with a companion down in this story it feels a little “empty” at times.
However Steven does do well in those two episodes & manages to carry the story through those two episodes but, because of a lack of The Doctor, when Steven wasn’t on screen my interest started to wane.
The last episode though I really enjoyed as it all seemed to get into gear. First off The Doctor turns up, and then they make a dash for the Tardis as it all starts to kick off round them. Here we get some brilliant dialogue between First & Steven, with them arguing over the morality of “leaving people to their deaths” & that “history shouldn’t be interfered with”. Steven then storms off only for Dodo (with a rather t’broad North West English accent for the end of the episode) to run inside the Tardis & then for Steven to bluster back in & decide to stay put when he realises that Dodo could possibly be a descendant of Anne Chaplet.
The final episode & the excellent reconstruction by LC helped bump up the score a bit, I’ll be honest that at one point near the end of Episode 3 it was hovering around 3/5.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – Brilliant recon, well acted & Episode 4 helps lift the story a quite bit, which at times does feel a bit “empty” for me.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
The Daleks' Master Plan
Be prepared, this review is bloody long, not for those who don't like reading long reviews 
Story Title: The Daleks’ Master Plan
Episode Count: 12 Series: 3 Story No: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven, Katarina & Sara
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 9th June 2009 (Episodes 1-4), Thursday 11th June 2009 (Episodes 5-10) & Sunday 14th June 2009 (Episodes 11 & 12)
Here it is, the big one, the longest Who story of all (Trial is four stories, deal with it) and I have to say that this has got to be one of the greatest stories of all time & even at 12 episodes it doesn’t flag one bit.
Throughout this story there are superb performances, in particular by Hartnell, Purves, Hill, Marsh, Courtney & especially Stoney as the wonderfully nasty & completely insane Mavic Chen. The aliens in this story are wonderful wacky in design & their “style” has never really been seen again in Who. The Daleks here are, in particular, very vicious & callous throughout, betraying not only Chen but the whole of the Galactic Council. Mavic Chen himself double crosses absolutely everyone be it fellow members of the council, Sara, Steven & The Doctor and even the Daleks themselves. To me Stoney steals the show with his wonderfully camp, insane portrayal of Chen who never slips up once & is convincing throughout the story.
Nicolas Courtney as Bret Vyron is excellent throughout his episodes as well, it’s just a shame he didn’t last in the story a bit longer as Courtney plays the role of Vyron brilliantly & convincingly. We also see some strains, throughout this story, with The Doctor & Steven’s relationship with them arguing quite a bit throughout the episodes as they clash on what’s best to do once they find out the Daleks are involved. It seems that Vicki kept the pair of them calm when together but now she’s gone they seem to be at each others throats at times. This however adds to the story as they are both in a very desperate situation & have a very short time to save the universe from the Daleks.
The sets themselves are brilliantly realised be it the jungle sets, the Egyptian pyramid sets or the, ahem, film sets in Episode 7. The music is spot on throughout and in Episode 12 is suitably dark & rather creepy. The direction is spot on, as is the music which fits in with each episode that is transmitted.
There’s several episodes I’d like to give particular mention to, those being Episode 7, which is perhaps the maddest episode of them all (even more so than The Chase, Episode 4), and although some hate it, I rather like it as although it slightly jars with the story it does give some light relief in an overall dark & moody story. Episode 8 also has some of these moments (with the Cricket game scene) but overall it’s more straight laced.
Episode 12 however is exceptionally brilliant (and if we’re ever only allowed to recover one more episode from this particular story I hope this is the one that turns up). The music is very moody & chilling indeed, the Doctor is greatly fearless when starting up the time destructor & holding the Daleks to ransom and the destruction of Kemble, Sara & The Daleks themselves is very chilling indeed and something which I think both the classic and modern series have never been able to manage to achieve since.
The most interesting thing out of all this is how the two female companions are introduced & wrote out rather quickly. Katarina was only introduced in Episode 4 of The Myth Makers & by Episode 4 of DMP she’s killed off. I feel this is a big shame and a sort of wasted opportunity as we have a companion from a time period who doesn’t “get” modern life. Throughout her short stay she seems to think she’s on a journey to heaven & that the Doctor is some sort of God. I feel that if she had been retained past this story she would have added an interesting angle to the stories, which sadly never happened. However I can see why the producer decided not to go with her as it would have been a bit difficult to keep writing dialogue for the character. Her death though is rather shocking & haunting in some ways especially as LC animated her floating body in space, which sends a slight chill down ones spine.
With Sara Kingdom, again she is another character who would have been great past this story & would have worked brilliantly as a strong female lead, in a similar vein to Ian & Steven as she doesn’t really screech at all & gets stuck into the action. Her demise is even more shocking & haunting that Katarina’s as she rapidly ages before our eyes to an unrecognisable old woman before turning into a skeleton & then her skeleton crumbling into dust (which was redone brilliantly by the LC team).
With this story as well, if this had been Hartnell’s final adventure instead of The Tenth Planet it would have been the greatest regeneration story of all of the Doctors & I feel this was the story that started the deterioration of the First Doctor’s health which then seem to continue in several of the episodes afterwards when his life was put in danger (the forced invisibility of The Doctor in The Celestial Toymaker I feel also causes the First Doctors health to deteriorate). This story also moves Hartnell up as my sixth favourite Doctor to my fifth favourite Doctor.
Overall Rating: 5/5 – Epic, superb & perhaps the greatest Hartnell story of them all, with superb performances, writing & directing throughout, just a shame that only three episodes survive although LC have done a superb job.
Hope that didn't bore you too much
Story Title: The Daleks’ Master Plan
Episode Count: 12 Series: 3 Story No: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven, Katarina & Sara
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 9th June 2009 (Episodes 1-4), Thursday 11th June 2009 (Episodes 5-10) & Sunday 14th June 2009 (Episodes 11 & 12)
Here it is, the big one, the longest Who story of all (Trial is four stories, deal with it
) and I have to say that this has got to be one of the greatest stories of all time & even at 12 episodes it doesn’t flag one bit.Throughout this story there are superb performances, in particular by Hartnell, Purves, Hill, Marsh, Courtney & especially Stoney as the wonderfully nasty & completely insane Mavic Chen. The aliens in this story are wonderful wacky in design & their “style” has never really been seen again in Who. The Daleks here are, in particular, very vicious & callous throughout, betraying not only Chen but the whole of the Galactic Council. Mavic Chen himself double crosses absolutely everyone be it fellow members of the council, Sara, Steven & The Doctor and even the Daleks themselves. To me Stoney steals the show with his wonderfully camp, insane portrayal of Chen who never slips up once & is convincing throughout the story.
Nicolas Courtney as Bret Vyron is excellent throughout his episodes as well, it’s just a shame he didn’t last in the story a bit longer as Courtney plays the role of Vyron brilliantly & convincingly. We also see some strains, throughout this story, with The Doctor & Steven’s relationship with them arguing quite a bit throughout the episodes as they clash on what’s best to do once they find out the Daleks are involved. It seems that Vicki kept the pair of them calm when together but now she’s gone they seem to be at each others throats at times. This however adds to the story as they are both in a very desperate situation & have a very short time to save the universe from the Daleks.
The sets themselves are brilliantly realised be it the jungle sets, the Egyptian pyramid sets or the, ahem, film sets in Episode 7. The music is spot on throughout and in Episode 12 is suitably dark & rather creepy. The direction is spot on, as is the music which fits in with each episode that is transmitted.
There’s several episodes I’d like to give particular mention to, those being Episode 7, which is perhaps the maddest episode of them all (even more so than The Chase, Episode 4), and although some hate it, I rather like it as although it slightly jars with the story it does give some light relief in an overall dark & moody story. Episode 8 also has some of these moments (with the Cricket game scene) but overall it’s more straight laced.
Episode 12 however is exceptionally brilliant (and if we’re ever only allowed to recover one more episode from this particular story I hope this is the one that turns up). The music is very moody & chilling indeed, the Doctor is greatly fearless when starting up the time destructor & holding the Daleks to ransom and the destruction of Kemble, Sara & The Daleks themselves is very chilling indeed and something which I think both the classic and modern series have never been able to manage to achieve since.
The most interesting thing out of all this is how the two female companions are introduced & wrote out rather quickly. Katarina was only introduced in Episode 4 of The Myth Makers & by Episode 4 of DMP she’s killed off. I feel this is a big shame and a sort of wasted opportunity as we have a companion from a time period who doesn’t “get” modern life. Throughout her short stay she seems to think she’s on a journey to heaven & that the Doctor is some sort of God. I feel that if she had been retained past this story she would have added an interesting angle to the stories, which sadly never happened. However I can see why the producer decided not to go with her as it would have been a bit difficult to keep writing dialogue for the character. Her death though is rather shocking & haunting in some ways especially as LC animated her floating body in space, which sends a slight chill down ones spine.
With Sara Kingdom, again she is another character who would have been great past this story & would have worked brilliantly as a strong female lead, in a similar vein to Ian & Steven as she doesn’t really screech at all & gets stuck into the action. Her demise is even more shocking & haunting that Katarina’s as she rapidly ages before our eyes to an unrecognisable old woman before turning into a skeleton & then her skeleton crumbling into dust (which was redone brilliantly by the LC team).
With this story as well, if this had been Hartnell’s final adventure instead of The Tenth Planet it would have been the greatest regeneration story of all of the Doctors & I feel this was the story that started the deterioration of the First Doctor’s health which then seem to continue in several of the episodes afterwards when his life was put in danger (the forced invisibility of The Doctor in The Celestial Toymaker I feel also causes the First Doctors health to deteriorate). This story also moves Hartnell up as my sixth favourite Doctor to my fifth favourite Doctor.
Overall Rating: 5/5 – Epic, superb & perhaps the greatest Hartnell story of them all, with superb performances, writing & directing throughout, just a shame that only three episodes survive although LC have done a superb job.
Hope that didn't bore you too much
Sunday, 7 June 2009
The Myth Makers
Story Title: The Myth Makers
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 3
Doctor: 1st Companions: Vicki, Steven & Katarina
Date(s) Watched: Saturday 6th June 2009 (Episodes 1 & 2) & Sunday 7th June 2009 (Episodes 3 & 4)
Another completely missing story but in this case it’s a great story that doesn’t get dull at all throughout. What’s also great with this story is that Loose Canon seem to have done so much work on it that you almost feel as if you’re watching the actual live action episodes themselves at times. It was also nice to see the odd surviving clip & re-usage of clips from other episodes in there as well to add to the recon.
There is not really a weak point in this story at all, acting all on form, music fitting (if sounding a little warped, quality wise, at times) & the sets seem as authentic as usual.
This story sees the departure of Vicki, who had been on the series since The Rescue, and unfortunately split up the nice (if short) relationship she had with Steven. It also split up the great relationship Vicki had with the Doctor, of which I always thought the pair of them worked better as Grandfather & Granddaughter than The Doctor & Susan. Katarina gets introduced in Episode 3 & is an interesting take on a companion, she’s from a time which doesn’t understand the “modern” world at all & so is confused by it all. Sadly they never kept her beyond the first few episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan (more on that when I get to it).
As for the others, I particularly like the comedic characters (Paris & Menelaus) intermingling with the more serious characters. Cassandra I thought was well played by Frances White, although I found her character rather nasty & at times annoying whilst watching (not the actress fault at all, but it was how the part was wrote).
The story finishes on a rather humble note, with Vicki’s fitting departure (with her being left behind with Troilus) and the Doctor, rather oddly having a brief doubt as to whether or not he should have left her there. Steven is also badly injured although is soon on the mend come the next episode.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – A great story & a great recon make this an excellent story, it’s just a shame that virtually none of it remains in existence.
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 3
Doctor: 1st Companions: Vicki, Steven & Katarina
Date(s) Watched: Saturday 6th June 2009 (Episodes 1 & 2) & Sunday 7th June 2009 (Episodes 3 & 4)
Another completely missing story but in this case it’s a great story that doesn’t get dull at all throughout. What’s also great with this story is that Loose Canon seem to have done so much work on it that you almost feel as if you’re watching the actual live action episodes themselves at times. It was also nice to see the odd surviving clip & re-usage of clips from other episodes in there as well to add to the recon.
There is not really a weak point in this story at all, acting all on form, music fitting (if sounding a little warped, quality wise, at times) & the sets seem as authentic as usual.
This story sees the departure of Vicki, who had been on the series since The Rescue, and unfortunately split up the nice (if short) relationship she had with Steven. It also split up the great relationship Vicki had with the Doctor, of which I always thought the pair of them worked better as Grandfather & Granddaughter than The Doctor & Susan. Katarina gets introduced in Episode 3 & is an interesting take on a companion, she’s from a time which doesn’t understand the “modern” world at all & so is confused by it all. Sadly they never kept her beyond the first few episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan (more on that when I get to it).
As for the others, I particularly like the comedic characters (Paris & Menelaus) intermingling with the more serious characters. Cassandra I thought was well played by Frances White, although I found her character rather nasty & at times annoying whilst watching (not the actress fault at all, but it was how the part was wrote).
The story finishes on a rather humble note, with Vicki’s fitting departure (with her being left behind with Troilus) and the Doctor, rather oddly having a brief doubt as to whether or not he should have left her there. Steven is also badly injured although is soon on the mend come the next episode.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – A great story & a great recon make this an excellent story, it’s just a shame that virtually none of it remains in existence.
Mission To The Unknown
Story Title: Mission To The Unknown
Episode Count: 1 Series: 3 Story No: 2
Doctor: N/A Companions: N/A
Date(s) Watched: Saturday 6th June 2009
Rather strange & unique story this one as none of the cast actually star in this one. In this case it’s several humans, a collection of rather odd looking aliens & The Daleks themselves. All in all this lends itself as a teaser as to what’s to come. There’s not much else to say plot wise although it does make you wonder whether or not the story will continue next week, obviously a bit of a shock for viewers back then when The Myth Makers aired the following week.
The recon is superb however and Loose Canon have made a superb job at capturing this story, with use of stock footage & plenty of composite pictures that make up for the lack of Telesnaps.
Otherwise this episode serves it’s purpose, as a teaser to an upcoming epic story.
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 – A nice little one off which serves as a preview for what’s to come but that’s all it’s purpose seems to serve.
Episode Count: 1 Series: 3 Story No: 2
Doctor: N/A Companions: N/A
Date(s) Watched: Saturday 6th June 2009
Rather strange & unique story this one as none of the cast actually star in this one. In this case it’s several humans, a collection of rather odd looking aliens & The Daleks themselves. All in all this lends itself as a teaser as to what’s to come. There’s not much else to say plot wise although it does make you wonder whether or not the story will continue next week, obviously a bit of a shock for viewers back then when The Myth Makers aired the following week.
The recon is superb however and Loose Canon have made a superb job at capturing this story, with use of stock footage & plenty of composite pictures that make up for the lack of Telesnaps.
Otherwise this episode serves it’s purpose, as a teaser to an upcoming epic story.
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 – A nice little one off which serves as a preview for what’s to come but that’s all it’s purpose seems to serve.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Galaxy 4
Story Title: Galaxy 4
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 1
Doctor: 1st Companions: Vicki & Steven
Date(s) Watched: Saturday 6th June 2009
A story often commented on as being dull, I went into this one with an open mind. To be fair I did find this one rather a struggle throughout. The story has some nice bits in it, including the rather cute Chumblies and the set for the Rills base looks good as well, but unfortunately this story just resolves around a lot of talking and no action, which can be fine for as story but sod all happens in it.
Although Loose Canon have done a superb job with the recon, especially considering there were next to no telesnaps existing for this story at all, the only problem with it I found was that the sound is awfully muffled in episodes 2 & 3. The story unfortunately just basically resolves round the rather nasty Drahvins, who have no intent on trying to come to a truce with the Rills. Rather oddly the Doctor allows for the Drahvins to be left on the planet & left, more-or-less, to their death.
The music is rather nice, even if the same piece of music used for each episode. The Rills also look quite gruesome as well, although they do turn out to be the good guys in the end.
However I don’t have much else to say about the story, I really did want to like it but found the majority of it instantly forgettable. The last episode is best part & the action does pick up in the end but for the majority of it nothing happens, plus the ending is a nice teaser for what’s to come.
Overall Rating: 2.25/5 – A few nice moments but otherwise a dull slog that doesn’t pick up until the final episode, a shame really as I think had the story had existed it would have been better.
Episode Count: 4 Series: 3 Story No: 1
Doctor: 1st Companions: Vicki & Steven
Date(s) Watched: Saturday 6th June 2009
A story often commented on as being dull, I went into this one with an open mind. To be fair I did find this one rather a struggle throughout. The story has some nice bits in it, including the rather cute Chumblies and the set for the Rills base looks good as well, but unfortunately this story just resolves around a lot of talking and no action, which can be fine for as story but sod all happens in it.
Although Loose Canon have done a superb job with the recon, especially considering there were next to no telesnaps existing for this story at all, the only problem with it I found was that the sound is awfully muffled in episodes 2 & 3. The story unfortunately just basically resolves round the rather nasty Drahvins, who have no intent on trying to come to a truce with the Rills. Rather oddly the Doctor allows for the Drahvins to be left on the planet & left, more-or-less, to their death.
The music is rather nice, even if the same piece of music used for each episode. The Rills also look quite gruesome as well, although they do turn out to be the good guys in the end.
However I don’t have much else to say about the story, I really did want to like it but found the majority of it instantly forgettable. The last episode is best part & the action does pick up in the end but for the majority of it nothing happens, plus the ending is a nice teaser for what’s to come.
Overall Rating: 2.25/5 – A few nice moments but otherwise a dull slog that doesn’t pick up until the final episode, a shame really as I think had the story had existed it would have been better.
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