The Friendly Dalek Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 (edited) The Keys of Marinus- Oh dear. This is not a good story, at all. Acting is questionable for the most part, and the writing is also very poor. I dislike criticising the classic series on poor effects, but sometimes I have to, and the effects on display here are truly awful. I do like the idea of a sort of adventure type story where the characters have to search multiple areas to find the titular keys, but the execution just wasn't right. There are some effective moments throughout this episode, but not enough to make it worth watching again. Overall- 2/10. Edited August 13, 2018 by The Friendly Dalek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravogd Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 On 12/08/2018 at 9:17 PM, The Friendly Dalek said: Marco Polo- I had to listen to this in 2 episode segments throughout today. I don't know why, but I find this story to be rather boring. The acting is very good (at least on audio) and the characters are well-written, but I still find it dull. Story wise, this is one of the strongest in the show yet, and the fact that it takes place over several months adds realism and believability to the story. Overall- 7/10 This is why I would recommend good quality recons rather than just audio, especially for the longer stories (Dalek’s Master plan is another good example). These are made for TV and as such have lot of “nothing” happening sections, where the story gets padded out by visuals. Recons are not perfect but some of them are amazing and can add quite a dimension to a story. Marco Polo is quite dull on audio but the recon I have is brilliant considering how few pictures exist from this story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, Ravogd said: This is why I would recommend good quality recons rather than just audio, especially for the longer stories (Dalek’s Master plan is another good example). These are made for TV and as such have lot of “nothing” happening sections, where the story gets padded out by visuals. Recons are not perfect but some of them are amazing and can add quite a dimension to a story. Marco Polo is quite dull on audio but the recon I have is brilliant considering how few pictures exist from this story. Could I find recons online? If I know where to find them I may give them a shot for some stories (By the way, I actually love listening to the audio of the Dalek's Master Plan ). I've always preferred just listening to stories rather than watching stills, as I like to picture the settings myself, and I find doing that a more immersive and enjoyable experience (in some ways I try to experience the audio of missing episodes in a similar way to how I enjoy Big Finish stories). Edited August 14, 2018 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravogd Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 5 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: Could I find recons online? If I know where to find them I may give them a shot for some stories (By the way, I actually love listening to the audio of the Dalek's Master Plan ). I've always preferred just listening to stories rather than watching stills, as I like to picture the settings myself, and I find doing that a more immersive and enjoyable experience (in some ways I try to experience the audio of missing episodes in a similar way to how I enjoy Big Finish stories). That’s true. I enjoy the audios too but remember Big Finish are starting off writing for audio. These Who’s were never meant to be audio only. It makes a huge difference. I find even a few stills can help envision the settings and story the exact way the creators did which can help understand certain aspects of the plot or characters behaviour. I know there are some on YouTube including a particularly good fully animated version of Marco Polo. I assume you will be using the animations when you come to them? So Reign of Terror will be the first you come across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 15 minutes ago, Ravogd said: That’s true. I enjoy the audios too but remember Big Finish are starting off writing for audio. These Who’s were never meant to be audio only. It makes a huge difference. I find even a few stills can help envision the settings and story the exact way the creators did which can help understand certain aspects of the plot or characters behaviour. I know there are some on YouTube including a particularly good fully animated version of Marco Polo. I assume you will be using the animations when you come to them? So Reign of Terror will be the first you come across. I'll look around to see if I can find any good reigns for future episodes. And yes, I will be watching the official animations for episodes which have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 The Aztecs- Unpopular opinion here. I don't think this is one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever. Unlike many other people, I think this story is just very good, not perfect. Some of the acting isn't great, and the story just seems slow to me. However, the story deals well with the discussion of the morality of sacrifices, and introduces to the show's lore the idea that history cannot be changed, and neither the Doctor nor his companions can meddle with established history. I love that concept, and it is fascinating to see Barbara deal with wanting to change history for the better in her eyes, but knowing she can't, and yet tries anyway. The morality and concepts on display here are what elevates the episodes thematically, but I think that the surrounding story isn't that great. Overall- 8/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share Posted August 15, 2018 The Sensorites- Utter rubbish. Where to begin? The story is far too long and uninteresting, and the sets and costumes look pretty bland. The first episode has a good atmosphere, but the rest of the story abandons that for a more politically centred plot that is just boring. Overall- 2/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravogd Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 (edited) On 8/14/2018 at 10:18 PM, The Friendly Dalek said: The Aztecs- Unpopular opinion here. I don't think this is one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever. Unlike many other people, I think this story is just very good, not perfect. Some of the acting isn't great, and the story just seems slow to me. However, the story deals well with the discussion of the morality of sacrifices, and introduces to the show's lore the idea that history cannot be changed, and neither the Doctor nor his companions can meddle with established history. I love that concept, and it is fascinating to see Barbara deal with wanting to change history for the better in her eyes, but knowing she can't, and yet tries anyway. The morality and concepts on display here are what elevates the episodes thematically, but I think that the surrounding story isn't that great. Overall- 8/10. I never liked the idea that they can’t change history. Logically it makes no sense. History is a matter of perspective and as such you need to have an actual point from which you are calling another point in time history. Right now 2046 is the future but to the people of 2056 it is history. The Doctor and his companions go to a “future” society and set up a revolution against a corrupt power on many occasions. They have just radically altered the future for that civilisation good or bad, but they can’t change barbaric acts in our “past” because it will change the “future.” The past seems also to be set by when is contemporary in the show. The first doctor arrives in 1986 in the 10th planet and alters the future by stopping the Cybermen but the 7th Doctor onwards couldn’t have done anything as (according to his companions and the audience) that would be altering the past. It’s just always grated on me that history can’t be changed thing. Edit: looks like we’re going to disagree on a lot of the Hartnell’s as IMO this story is brilliant. It’s a common go-to for me on rainy, cold winter afternoons Edited August 16, 2018 by Ravogd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravogd Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 13 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: The Sensorites- Utter rubbish. Where to begin? The story is far too long and uninteresting, and the sets and costumes look pretty bland. The first episode has a good atmosphere, but the rest of the story abandons that for a more politically centred plot that is just boring. Overall- 2/10 Again looks like we are disagreeing but not to the same extent. It isn’t the best story but I wouldn’t say utter rubbish. Watchable but too long. An early experiment when the production team are still finding their feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 27 minutes ago, Ravogd said: Again looks like we are disagreeing but not to the same extent. It isn’t the best story but I wouldn’t say utter rubbish. Watchable but too long. An early experiment when the production team are still finding their feet. It is nice to find someone who disagrees as it leads to some interesting debate (and don't worry, I do believe that the Hartnell era improves greatly from season 2 onwards). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 (edited) The Reign Of Terror- This is more like it. I'm not sure if I could call this underrated, but I love it. The acting, sets, costumes and dialogue are all superb. Sadly the animation isn't that great (but still preferable to stills in my opinion). I don't really have any flaws with it, except that it is just a little over-long. Overall- 9/10. Overall rating for Season 1- 6/10. Where this season shines, it is very good. But unfortunately when it fails it does so hugely. I appreciate that this is when the show was first finding it's feet, and the next season is a definite sign of improvement. Edited August 16, 2018 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravogd Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 37 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: The Reign Of Terror- This is more like it. I'm not sure if I could call this underrated, but I love it. The acting, sets, costumes and dialogue are all superb. Sadly the animation isn't that great (but still preferable to stills in my opinion). I don't really have any flaws with it, except that it is just a little over-long. Overall- 9/10. Overall rating for Season 1- 6/10. Where this season shines, it is very good. But unfortunately when it fails it does so hugely. I appreciate that this is when the show was first finding it's feet, and the next season is a definite sign of improvement. Very fair description of the first season and even though we tend to disagree I like your arguments for why you have the opinions you do. Makes a lot of difference from some forums where people just bark about how wrong others are when they disagree with them about stories. I too love Reign and I agree 100% about the animation. IMO it's the worst style out of all the animation they did. I wish I had the time to do it but you're making me want to watch these along with you but I can't commit due to work. To get a jump on you I am a MASSIVE fan of DIOE. (apart from the Sky TV dishes on their backs). I am looking forward to your review of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Ravogd said: Very fair description of the first season and even though we tend to disagree I like your arguments for why you have the opinions you do. Makes a lot of difference from some forums where people just bark about how wrong others are when they disagree with them about stories. I too love Reign and I agree 100% about the animation. IMO it's the worst style out of all the animation they did. I wish I had the time to do it but you're making me want to watch these along with you but I can't commit due to work. To get a jump on you I am a MASSIVE fan of DIOE. (apart from the Sky TV dishes on their backs). I am looking forward to your review of it. Indeed, it is rather sad to see people complaining about other's having differing opinions to theirs, but they never try to give constructive criticism to explain why they have that view. I think that it is nice to discuss things with people who have a different opinion to you as it allows you to see the thing from another person's perspective, which can be very interesting to read. You'll have to wait a couple more days to see what I think of DIOE, hopefully the suspense is bearable , but I'm glad you are enjoying my little reviews and want to follow me on this long journey. Edited August 16, 2018 by The Friendly Dalek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 (edited) Planet Of Giants- A surprisingly strong start for Season 2. The sets and effects, especially the practical effects used for the animals, are very impressive for the time. I'm not a huge fan of the murder plot, which I don't really think worked. When the story focuses on the regulars exploring, that is when it is at its strongest. Overall- 7/10. Edited August 17, 2018 by The Friendly Dalek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 @Ravogd The Dalek Invasion Of Earth is tomorrow's story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R4wly97 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: @Ravogd The Dalek Invasion Of Earth is tomorrow's story. Enjoy! This a favourite of mine, Cushing’s Doctor reminds me of Twelve in a way Edited August 17, 2018 by R4wly97 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 4 minutes ago, R4wly97 said: Enjoy! This a favourite of mine, Cushing’s Doctor reminds me of Twelve in a way I will be watching the tv story, not the theatrically released Peter Cushing film. However I have seen both of the Cushing films and I do enjoy them, and I think Cushing is very good in the role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R4wly97 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Ah okay I think I’ve seen that one, it’s nice to see a young Bernard Cribbins in this one as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Just now, R4wly97 said: Ah okay I think I’ve seen that one, it’s nice to see a young Bernard Cribbins in this one as well Indeed, the first time I watched the Cushing film I had no idea Bernard was in it, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R4wly97 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 1 minute ago, The Friendly Dalek said: Indeed, the first time I watched the Cushing film I had no idea Bernard was in it, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him in it. I’ve always wanted to meet Bernard Cribbins as well I was going to meet him in May but he cancelled at a con the day before I was going due to a illness in the family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Just now, R4wly97 said: I’ve always wanted to meet Bernard Cribbins as well I was going to meet him in May but he cancelled at a con the day before I was going due to a illness in the family Oh, I had no idea about that. Hope everything's ok. I got so close to meeting him last year. He went to LFCC 2017, but was Saturday only, and I went on the Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R4wly97 Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 15 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: Oh, I had no idea about that. Hope everything's ok. I got so close to meeting him last year. He went to LFCC 2017, but was Saturday only, and I went on the Sunday. Oh no the illness wasn’t in my family it was in Bernard Cribbins family I have no idea what happened though we didn’t hear anything more about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 5 minutes ago, R4wly97 said: Oh no the illness wasn’t in my family it was in Bernard Cribbins family I have no idea what happened though we didn’t hear anything more about it Yeah, I meant that I hope everything was ok for his ill relative, but I always take no news as good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 The Dalek Invasion Of Earth- What a story! I love everything about this one. Acting, writing, direction, it's all brilliant. The only real problem is the atrocious modelwork, but for 1964 what else would you expect? I won't say the episode is bad due to the restricted effects of the time. The first episode is brilliantly eerie, and that cliffhanger is one of my favourites in the show's history. The final scene between the Doctor and Susan is truly emotional, and Hartnell gets to deliver one of the best speeches (possibly even the best) from his era. In fact, Hartnell is brilliant throughout this entire story. I actually really like the design of the Daleks here (the Daleks look great in all classic episodes in my opinion), and I don't mind them having dishes on their backs due to there being a reason in the narrative for the Daleks to have them. Overall- 10/10. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natedammit Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 1 hour ago, The Friendly Dalek said: I don't mind them having dishes on their backs due to there being a reason in the narrative for the Daleks to have them. Because they were waiters in a restaurant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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