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My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.


The Friendly Dalek
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Doctor Who and the Silurians- I love an intellectual morality tale, and this is one of the finest examples of this type of story in a Doctor Who episode. I love how we see that both humans and Silurians have people are willing to make peace, and others who are completely against that idea. It helps make it more real and interesting.

The characters are all very well done, and the Silurians look great. The scene where the deadly virus is unleashed by the Silurians is pretty frightening. The body count in that scene, and the implied deaths as well, make that a rather horrific moment, especially for this show.

Having a story this long that doesn't drag at all is an achievement in itself. :D

Overall- 10/10.

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On 9/25/2018 at 6:24 PM, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Seeds of Death- This is one of my highly rated ones. I absolutely love this story. There is definitely some bias here, as this was the first 2nd Doctor story that I watched.

The Ice Warriors are brilliant here, and I liked that we got to see some development of their society, through the introduction of Ice Lords. 

All the characters are well written and well acted. The dialogue is good, and the story doesn't drag at all (unlike most from this season).

The regulars are all on fine form as well. Troughton gives a brilliant performance here, as do the other regulars. 

Overall- 9/10. 

I imagine I will be challenged for giving this such a high rating, but I am being honest on all of these reviews. If I love a story then I will say so. :lol:

Definitely not for me. Totally agree with your review. It is a great story, better than their original appearance. The novelisation is tremendous too.

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On 9/26/2018 at 10:20 PM, The Friendly Dalek said:

The War Games- This is my all-time favourite Doctor Who story. In my eyes it is faultless.

Incredibly, I don't think that this story drags at all, despite its massive running time.

The characters are all brilliant and memorable. I love the slow mystery of this story, as the main plot isn't really revealed until around part 3, and even then more mystery is spread throughout the entirety of the story. The performances are all great.

The regulars shine, and as it is Troughton's final regular story, he gives a fantastic performance here. 

The Timelords are great in this story. This is their first appearance, and still their best. They are powerful and imposing, yet mostly calm and quiet. That is what they should be like.

Overall 10/10.

Overall rating for season 6- 6/10.

There are some brilliant stories in this season, but there are also some terrible ones. At least the regulars all give fantastic performances throughout.

Agree again. It is simply the greatest Dr Who story ever made IMO. It’s incredible how it doesn’t drag, just astonishing because if you analyse it properly it SHOULD drag. All it really is is The Doctor and companions escaping and getting caught again (like many other multiple part stories) but Hulke and Dicks do it in such a way that you don’t notice. It’s brilliant. Some people try to retcon the War Chief as the Master but not for me. It would have been great to see the character again at some point but I guess there are far too many rogueTime Lords now. I remember my friend and I deciding to watch the first episode one night after coming in late from work. Next thing we knew we’d watched all 10 episodes and it was 3am! Shout out to Troighton junior in his first ever TV role and so many faces that have gone on to great acting careers. Philip Madoc back after only a few weeks after appearing in the Krotons too.

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To quickly do the next 2 stories, I agree with you about Spearhead. It has its own special atmosphere too with the entire story being shot on location on film. This meaning it can be the only “true” HD classic Dr Who, and the Blu-Ray looks SO good. Pertwee hits the ground running.

I’m not as keen on Silurians. It’s a great idea and it almost works, just doesn’t quite land with me. I disagree in that I find that after a good start it does drag a bit in the middle before getting going again when the virus is released. It is not as noticeable though if you watch it over a week at one episode a night. The pacing works much better like that. The great Fulton MacKay (Who would later be offered the part of the 4th Doctor only to turn it down as he didn’t want to commit to a long contract) is hugely underused. I’d be nearer 7/10.

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2 minutes ago, Ravogd said:

To quickly do the next 2 stories, I agree with you about Spearhead. It has its own special atmosphere too with the entire story being shot on location on film. This meaning it can be the only “true” HD classic Dr Who, and the Blu-Ray looks SO good. Pertwee hits the ground running.

I'm still yet to get the blu ray of that story, I'm waiting until i have the money to get the steelbook. :D

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The Ambassadors of Death- Hugely underrated. I think this is a brilliant story.

The plot is interesting, The characters are well written, the dialogue is good and the action sequences are brilliant.

The Ambassadors themselves look really good, and there are some effective scenes of tension brought about by them. The shots of them shrouded in sunlight are very effective, and the cliffhanger showing one of them leaning over the Doctor is very well done.

Despite a rather anti-climatic ending, I think this is a fantastic story, continuing an incredibly strong season.

Overall- 10/10.

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Inferno- One of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time. Easily.

There is nothing wrong with this story. No flaws at all which I can think of. The characters are brilliant, acting is fantastic and the story is engaging and interesting. This story is rather adult in tone and some of the content, so I liked how that was done.

Pertwee is incredible here, and it's nice to see all the regulars get to play their usual role and that of their alternative self. Nicholas Courtney, especially, excels as the alternate version of his character.

Overall- 10/10.

Overall rating for Season 7- 10/10.

In my eyes, this is the only perfect season of Doctor Who. Every story in this season is absolutely brilliant, and are some of the finest stories that the show has to offer.

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Terror Of The Autons- A pretty good start to this season. The regulars are brilliant as usual, and Katy Manning is instantly likeable as Joe, who is one of my favourite companions.

The Autons themselves somewhat take a back seat here, as this is the story which introduces The Master. Roger Delgado is perfect in the role, and I highly doubt any other incarnation of the Master will top this one in my mind. 

The plot isn't anything special though, and it is basically the same as Spearhead From Space. The directing isn't exciting either, bar a couple of action sequences. The various methods of killing employed by the Autons in this story are interesting (especially the troll doll).

Overall- 8/10.

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The Mind Of Evil- Hugely underrated. This story is grim and pretty relentless. I love it.

The characters are great, and the dialogue is fantastic. The story is very good as well.

Pertwee and Manning are exceptional, and Roger Delgado is sublime. Unfortunately it drags a little around the middle.

Overall- 9/10.

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The Claws Of Axos- I rather enjoyed this story this time around. In the past I haven't really liked this story, but I did enjoy it this time. The visuals are very psychedelic at times, an artistic style which I really like. The characters were ok, the regulars were fantastic and the Axons themselves looked pretty good.

Overall- 7/10.

Colony In Space- Yet another story that could be improved simply by shortening it and removing some of the padding. There are some fine moments here and there, but the journey to those moments is long and dull. There isn't anything particularly memorable either, bar the aforementioned moments. The interactions between the Doctor and the Master, for example, are what makes it worth battling though the padding to get to.

Overall- 4/10.

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The Daemons- A very good, horror ish story. It almost feels like an old Hammer film in terms of tone and certain ideas.

The regulars are brilliant, and the supporting characters here are memorable and well written. The visuals were very good, and the location looked great. 

The Master is utilised very well here, and the daemon Azal is a brilliant villain. 

Overall- 9/10.

Overall rating for Season 8- 7/10.

Pertwee's era continues strongly. Altough the stories aren't as good as those in Season 7, this season does still contain some very good Who stories. The relationship between the 3rd Doctor and Joe is one of my favourite Doctor and companion relationships.

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
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Day Of The Daleks- Another brilliant Dalek story.

The characters are great and well written. The time travel elements are explained and incorporated very well into the plot.

The Daleks themselves are pretty good here, but there are a few issues with them. This is one of the few stories for which I prefer the special edition cut to the original cut (although for the purposes of this marathon I am watching the original cuts of every story).

Pertwee is on fine form as usual. The documentary style taken to the action in episode 4 was an interesting choice which I think worked really well.

Overall- 8/10.

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Sorry I’ve not chipped in for a while I’ve been away on holiday. So far with the Pertwee’s Im agreeing with you however I cannot agree with Silurians getting a 10 and Demons only getting a 9. I’m not sure what caused it the dropped point because for me it has everything. It is the Pertwee “family” at their best and they were all clearly having a ball on location too. The atmosphere of this story is just superb for a dark, autumn Sunday afternoon and is almost always my go to story for days like that. It’s probably my second favourite Who story of all time. I remember on a work social event staying in Swindon and they bussed us to Newbury. Not having a clue where I was geographically, it was a great surprise when we went through a village and a familiar green and church came into view. Everyone on the bus was stunned when I suddenly kept up and screamed “It’s Aldbourne”. It’s well a visit if you can get there.

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Just now, Ravogd said:

Sorry I’ve not chipped in for a while I’ve been away on holiday. So far with the Pertwee’s Im agreeing with you however I cannot agree with Silurians getting a 10 and Demons only getting a 9. I’m not sure what caused it the dropped point because for me it has everything. It is the Pertwee “family” at their best and they were all clearly having a ball on location too. The atmosphere of this story is just superb for a dark, autumn Sunday afternoon and is almost always my go to story for days like that. It’s probably my second favourite Who story of all time. I remember on a work social event staying in Swindon and they bussed us to Newbury. Not having a clue where I was geographically, it was a great surprise when we went through a village and a familiar green and church came into view. Everyone on the bus was stunned when I suddenly kept up and screamed “It’s Aldbourne”. It’s well a visit if you can get there.

Don't worry about not regularly posting in here. :D

Honestly I'm not sure what it is about Daemons either lol. I just don't really ever have the urge to watch it. When I do I absolutely love it, but there are so many other stories I will go to before I chose that one.

If I ever get the chance I will make sure to visit Aldbourne at some point. :thumbup:

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I got to see one of my favourite Doctor Who stories on the same day as Series 11 begins. What good luck. :D

The Curse Of Peladon- As I said, this is one of my favourites. Everything is great about it. The characters are all interesting and well written. The production design is very good.

It is interesting to see the Ice Warriors that aren't portrayed as the villains of the story. They are one of my favourite Doctor Who villains, and the exploration of their culture throughout all their appearances is a reason why.

Pertwee is brilliant as always, but Manning really shines here. Her relationship with Peladon is very well done.

Overall- 10/10.

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The Sea Devils- This may be a controversial one. 

This story is iconic, and for good reason. The shot of the Sea Devils rising from the Sea is brilliant. However, I think that The Silurians is superior in every way. I disagree with people who think that this is one one of greatest Doctor Who stories. Just my opinion. :D

The characters are ok, and the dialogue is alright. The main reasons why I like this story are the Sea Devils themselves and The Master. The Sea Devils look great. The Master is brilliant as usual, and the chemistry between Delgado and Pertwee is joyous to watch. The sword fight is a brilliant scene. Katy Manning is also great here.

The strange direction is a choice I didn't really like, and I feel like the story is slow to actually get going.

Overall- 7/10.

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27 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Sea Devils- This may be a controversial one. 

This story is iconic, and for good reason. The shot of the Sea Devils rising from the Sea is brilliant. However, I think that The Silurians is superior in every way. I disagree with people who think that this is one one of greatest Doctor Who stories. Just my opinion. :D

The characters are ok, and the dialogue is alright. The main reasons why I like this story are the Sea Devils themselves and The Master. The Sea Devils look great. The Master is brilliant as usual, and the chemistry between Delgado and Pertwee is joyous to watch. The sword fight is a brilliant scene. Katy Manning is also great here.

The strange direction is a choice I didn't really like, and I feel like the story is slow to actually get going.

Overall- 7/10.

This story has to be watched for the scene with the Master and the Clangers alone! Perhaps it’s better if you’re an old duffer like me that actually watched the Clangers as a kid.

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The Mutants- An interesting story, ruined by bland direction and loads of padding. This could have been a brilliant 4 part story, but it is dragged out so much to make it 6 parts that is is incredibly boring.

The Mutants themselves look great, and the production as a while generally looks good. The acting is alright, but sadly can't save this story from being so dull.

Overall- 3/10.

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The Time Monster- A very weak and dull story. 

I don't think that there is anything of substance here. I really don't like this one.

The characters are poorly written and the dialogue is uninteresting. I can't tell if this was meant to be funny, but if that's what they were going for they failed miserably. 

The plot isn't anything interesting. The Master was pretty poorly used here as well. 

It gets a point because the scene in which the Doctor talks about his home planet is a good scene. 

Overall- 1/10.

Overall rating for Season 9- 6/10.

This series had a very strong first half, but sadly it fell to bits during the second.

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20 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Time Monster- A very weak and dull story. 

I don't think that there is anything of substance here. I really don't like this one.

The characters are poorly written and the dialogue is uninteresting. I can't tell if this was meant to be funny, but if that's what they were going for they failed miserably. 

The plot isn't anything interesting. The Master was pretty poorly used here as well. 

It gets a point because the scene in which the Doctor talks about his home planet is a good scene. 

Overall- 1/10.

Overall rating for Season 9- 6/10.

This series had a very strong first half, but sadly it fell to bits during the second.

I’d go 2/10 giving it an extra point for the gadget making out of old bits and bobs that has clearly inspired the 13th Doctor in the new episode.

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The Three Doctors- One of my favourite Pertwee stories. Seeing two of my top 3 Doctors interact is the highlight of this story, and Troughton feels as if he never stopped playing The Doctor. He slips back into the role so easily. Pertwee is also fantastic. Sadly Hartnell couldn't do much, but what he does do is good. The "A Dandy and A Clown" line is brilliant example of Hartnell being good in this story as well.

The rest of the UNIT family are great as always, and there's some great comedy from The Brigadier going in the TARDIS for the first time.

The gell guards are pretty rubbish. Omega, however, is a brilliant villain, and is played wonderfully by Stephen Thorne. Sadly the other supporting characters aren't interesting or memorable at all. The Time Lords are alright here, but feel no where near as powerful or imposing as they did in The War Games.

Overall- 9/10.

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The acting from Courtney is amazing in the Three Doctors. It doesn't appear to be scripted too much but his portrayal of a man who's World is regimented and ordered but is slowly being stripped away from him as he gets exposed to more and more unbelievable things is fantastic. Yes, he's known the Doctor for a while now and seen alien invasions etc but he's never been in the TARDIS before (his reaction is wonderful) and he's never been to another World. He is actually very slowly going mad and trying to be normal. It's subtle but is great to watch and a real credit to him.

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