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My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.


The Friendly Dalek
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I watched 2 stories today. :thumbup:

The Rescue- A nice, inoffensive 2 parter which fulfills its sole purpose of introducing the new companion. Maureen O'Brien is instantly charming as Vicki. The other regulars are all also on fine form. The villain isn't interesting at all though, and the story is basic at best.

Overall- 8/10.

The Romans- Definitely an underrated story. This is one of my favourite pure historical stories. The comedic tone works very well here, and the acting and dialogue are very good. Hartnell especially is clearly enjoying himself in this one. I can't really think of any problems with this one.

Overall- 10/10.

 

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Technically this is yesterday's story, but who cares? :D

The Web Planet- Some good imagery and imaginative costumes and sets. Sadly, dialogue and acting is pretty poor here. Some of the visuals and effects look terrible in certain scenes. It is also very dull, as it is far too long, with not enough of an interesting plot to warrant the run time that it has.

Overall- 3/10.

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The Crusade- Yet another underrated historical. I think this is one of the most serious and intellectual stories from the Hartnell era. Acting and dialogue are outstanding here, and the supporting characters are all interesting. I think Doctor Who works best when it is serious (however there are of course exceptions to that), and the tone this story has certainly helps it.

Overall- 10/10.

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The Space Museum- The first episode is brilliant. Flawless. Sadly the rest if the story really loses that brilliance, and it becomes a generic resistance type story. None of the supporting characters are interesting. Honestly this is the same problem I have with An Unearthly Child. The first part is great, the rest of the story is no where near as good.

Overall- 5/10.

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Yeah sorry I’ve not been in here as much. Reading back through them you’re pretty much summing up what I think for most of the stories apart from I’d have given the Space Museum about a 1 or a 2 it’s just appalling. Even a very young Jeremy Bulloch doesn’t even raise an eyebrow, pun intended. What was that all about? I also thought you were a bit too heavy on the praise for the Crusades. 10 is a bit much. The supporting cast is superb. I had a very long chat with Julien Glover over dinner one night (get me, name dropping) and he loved doing that story more than he did City of Death. That being said the “foreigners” are far too cliche and unrealistic. It is a good story but no more than an 8 IMO.

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59 minutes ago, Ravogd said:

Yeah sorry I’ve not been in here as much. Reading back through them you’re pretty much summing up what I think for most of the stories apart from I’d have given the Space Museum about a 1 or a 2 it’s just appalling. Even a very young Jeremy Bulloch doesn’t even raise an eyebrow, pun intended. What was that all about? I also thought you were a bit too heavy on the praise for the Crusades. 10 is a bit much. The supporting cast is superb. I had a very long chat with Julien Glover over dinner one night (get me, name dropping) and he loved doing that story more than he did City of Death. That being said the “foreigners” are far too cliche and unrealistic. It is a good story but no more than an 8 IMO.

Fair enough, I'm often called out for how much I like the Crusades. :D

But hey, differing opinions are what makes discussions like these interesting to do.

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The Chase- The last two Dalek stories have been absolutely brilliant. Sadly this one is no where near the level of quality of those before it (and many that come after). This is a very dull and uninteresting story. The shifting locations add something different to each section of the story, but none of them are interesting enough to stand out. The best is the segment with the Mechanoids in the last two parts, but it still isn't great. None of the supporting characters are very good either.

This is the first instance of the Daleks being used for comedic effect (something which New Who does far too often), which negates the fear and tension brought by their presence. The Daleks should never be treated as a joke. 

However, there is one redeeming element of this story. Ian and Barbera's departure. It is very emotional, and clearly affects the Doctor. It is the perfect ending for their characters, as they finally fulfill their wish of returning to their time, something they have been trying to do since the first story. Peter Purves is instantly likeable as Steven, and his chemistry with Hartnell and O'Brien is clearly present (but more on this in tomorrow's review :D). 

Overall- 2/10.

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The Time Meddler- A good story. Performances are very good from the regulars, and Peter Butterworth is great as the Monk. The rest of the supporting cast isn't entirely brilliant though. The Monk's plan is an interesting change in the mythos of the programme, stating that time can actually be altered. The story does slow down in the middle two parts unfortunately.

Overall- 7/10.

Overall rating for Season 2- 8/10.

The show has found it's feet by this stage, and is of a more consistently good quality than season 1. This season sees a change in the personality of the Doctor, as he has mellowed and isn't as grumpy as in Season 1. I prefer the First Doctor like this, so personally this improves my enjoyment of this Season.

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Season 2 is definitely better than season 1 that’s for sure. There are a couple of stinkers but I agree that as a whole the season is a lot more balanced. I think it helps that both the cast and the production team were well and truly settled in and not battling against the BBC machine now that they were a hit show. All change next season though with the departure of Verity. 

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Galaxy 4- Every now and then, Doctor Who gives us stories that are just ok. This is one of those. There is nothing that jumps out as awful, but nothing stands out as great either. It is just fine. Passable. It makes for a decent, average listen (and partial watch, as two of the four episodes do exist).  The Chumblies are rather cute in design actually. The supporting characters are ok, but not particularly memorable. This whole story fits that description. It is a decent, enjoyable enough watch, but it is rather forgetful as nothing is really memorable about it.

Overall- 6/10.

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I too like Galaxy 4. It’s just a shame that Steven ends up looking like a total mysogenist scoffing at the idea of a society where the female is the dominant gender but it was the way of the a World back then. I have a soft spot for this one as I was at the first public screening of the “lost” 17 minutes from episode 1 that was screened in 1998 after the fan who owned the film agreed to let the BBC have a copy. Great experience to sit in a lecture theatre with other Who fans and Who guests watching this extended clip’s first airing for over 30 years. Could have heard a pin drop and the applause at the end was tremendous.

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4 hours ago, Ravogd said:

I have a soft spot for this one as I was at the first public screening of the “lost” 17 minutes from episode 1 that was screened in 1998 after the fan who owned the film agreed to let the BBC have a copy. Great experience to sit in a lecture theatre with other Who fans and Who guests watching this extended clip’s first airing for over 30 years. Could have heard a pin drop and the applause at the end was tremendous.

Great story, it sounds like it must have been an awesome experience. :D

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The Myth Makers- Bland, forgettable, boring. Nothing makes this episode stand out, and besides the regulars the characters aren't at all interesting either. I watched this one with reconstructions to see if it would increase my enjoyment, but unfortunately it didn't.

Overall- 2/10.

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The Dalek's Master Plan- Now this is an epic Doctor Who story. It fits such a large amount of story into it's gigantic run time, allowing for fleshed out characters and environments to be on display throughout the entirety of the story. The regulars are perfect here, and the supporting cast are also wonderful. Kevin Stoney is brilliant as Mavic Chen, and the Daleks are at their best here (although other stories do equal this in terms of portrayal of the Daleks). It is also nice to see Nicholas Courtney in a supporting role in this story. 

 

This story has guts, and the body count is high, and it goes to some dark places. The return of the Monk from "The Time Meddler' helps bring some comic relief to this story, and episode 7 is surprisingly charming. For the most part though, this is a serious and gritty story, and it is absolute perfection.

Overall- 10/10.

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15 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Dalek's Master Plan- Now this is an epic Doctor Who story. It fits such a large amount of story into it's gigantic run time, allowing for fleshed out characters and environments to be on display throughout the entirety of the story. The regulars are perfect here, and the supporting cast are also wonderful. Kevin Stoney is brilliant as Mavic Chen, and the Daleks are at their best here (although other stories do equal this in terms of portrayal of the Daleks). It is also nice to see Nicholas Courtney in a supporting role in this story. 

 

This story has guts, and the body count is high, and it goes to some dark places. The return of the Monk from "The Time Meddler' helps bring some comic relief to this story, and episode 7 is surprisingly charming. For the most part though, this is a serious and gritty story, and it is absolute perfection.

Overall- 10/10.

One of the best Hartnell’s. Such a shame it has been lost. I remember the excitement of episode 2 coming back. I have a superb semi-animated recon which adds so much to the story. The visuals were obviously superb. Special mention to the great Jean Marsh making her second appearance in Dr Who in a very short time. The debate as to whether or not she can be called a companion is always going to be had but if you call Caterina a companion then IMO she’s one too. Great performance. 

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The Massacre- Another hugely under-rated historical story. The characters are great, and Steven really gets to shine here. Hartnell is great in both of his roles, and the titular massacre is a brilliant scene. I imagine if this wasn't a missing story it would be spoke about much more frequently, and I feel like it is forgotten as people never talk about it.

Overall- 9/10.

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15 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Massacre- Another hugely under-rated historical story. The characters are great, and Steven really gets to shine here. Hartnell is great in both of his roles, and the titular massacre is a brilliant scene. I imagine if this wasn't a missing story it would be spoke about much more frequently, and I feel like it is forgotten as people never talk about it.

Overall- 9/10.

People look strangely at me (Ok stranger than they usually do) when I give this as the answer to which missing story would I like to see returned. It is just brilliant. Such a shame that even so few pictures from it exist but those that do show just how amazing it must have looked even for the 1960’s. Peter Purves really gets to shine in this one.

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4 minutes ago, Ravogd said:

People look strangely at me (Ok stranger than they usually do) when I give this as the answer to which missing story would I like to see returned. It is just brilliant. Such a shame that even so few pictures from it exist but those that do show just how amazing it must have looked even for the 1960’s. Peter Purves really gets to shine in this one.

I completely agree. :D

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The Ark- The idea of splitting the narrative in two halves (doing something in the first half and then exploring the future ramifications of those actions in the second half) is a very clever idea with a lot of potential for telling an interesting an story. Sadly the execution wasn't great. It's not awful, but nothing really stand out as memorable. The Monoids look very sully.in my opinion.

A new companion is always something to look forward to. The character of Dodo was introduced at the end of the last story. Sadly (and this is not fault of the actress who played her) her character never reaches her full potential, and instead seeks wasted in every story featuring her, which really is a shame.

Overall- 6/10.

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The Celestial Toymaker- I've always been fascinated by this story. I remember watching the episode included in the "Lost in time" set, and was hooked. The recon for this story shows that it was a wildy imaginative and strange story, which helps it stand out against more traditional stories from this era. 

The plot is one of the weirdest of any Doctor Who story, but it is so intriguing to see how this world functions and what happens in it. The characters and dialogue are brilliant as well.

Overall- 9/10.

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The Gunfighters- Another underrated historical. The cast are clearly having a blast with this one. There are also some surprisingly brutal moments for a Doctor Who story. The use of the ballad is also an interesting feature which makes.this story different. The dialogue is wonderful. There is nothing bad about this.

Overall- 10/10.

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17 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Gunfighters- Another underrated historical. The cast are clearly having a blast with this one. There are also some surprisingly brutal moments for a Doctor Who story. The use of the ballad is also an interesting feature which makes.this story different. The dialogue is wonderful. There is nothing bad about this.

Overall- 10/10.

Nope. I too am rare in that I like the gun fighters but I have a version I made that removes the ballad from it. It is TERRIBLE and constantly distracts from the story and it’s hugely overused. It brings nothing to the story. Peter Purves’ awful singing is irritating too.

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44 minutes ago, Ravogd said:

Nope. I too am rare in that I like the gun fighters but I have a version I made that removes the ballad from it. It is TERRIBLE and constantly distracts from the story and it’s hugely overused. It brings nothing to the story. Peter Purves’ awful singing is irritating too.

Fair enough. Each to their own. :D

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