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My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.


The Friendly Dalek
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The Happiness Patrol- This has a similarly run down feel to Paradise Towers, which adds some welcome atmosphere to this story. The concept of enforcing positivity upon people and killing those who are sad is a pretty disturbing one, and it seems almost like an Orwellian dystopia.

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are great, as is the majority of the acting from the supporting cast. The writing is pretty good as well. It is strong for the most part, but certain scenes feel rather pointless, and the acting occasionally slips into bad territory.

This story features some strong villians. The Kandyman is surprisingly creepy in my opinion. I don't know what it is, but the character just gives off such a creepy vibe I think. Sheila Hancock is very good as Helen A. 

The standout scene from this story has to be the scene in which The Doctor confronts the snipers. 

Overall- 8/10.

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10 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Happiness Patrol- This has a similarly run down feel to Paradise Towers, which adds some welcome atmosphere to this story. The concept of enforcing positivity upon people and killing those who are sad is a pretty disturbing one, and it seems almost like an Orwellian dystopia.

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are great, as is the majority of the acting from the supporting cast. The writing is pretty good as well. It is strong for the most part, but certain scenes feel rather pointless, and the acting occasionally slips into bad territory.

This story features some strong villians. The Kandyman is surprisingly creepy in my opinion. I don't know what it is, but the character just gives off such a creepy vibe I think. Sheila Hancock is very good as Helen A. 

The standout scene from this story has to be the scene in which The Doctor confronts the snipers. 

Overall- 8/10.

I enjoyed this one. Doctor Who showing a return to form. Similar premise to Smile.

Another fun fact for you. When this was first broadcast the main comments were that the Kandyman resembled Bertie Bassett (the mascot of a well known sweet company). 

You won't see the Kandyman again as the BBC can't use it without infringing copyright.

To Whovians of a certain age this character tends to be referred to as Bertie Bassett rather than the Kandyman. :lol:

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Silver Nemesis- Oh dear. The Daleks went out on a high in their final story in the classic era. Unfortunately, the Cybermen don't get the same treatment.

 I like The Cybermen themselves, and I think their design is good. They are not the problem with this story. Firstly, I didn't like a single supporting character, and the acting isn't great. The dialogue is dull as well. The pacing is all over the place. The action sequences are wonderful, but the other scenes drag. Regarding the plot itself, I didn't find interesting, and I just couldnt get invested in the story. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred carry this story through the more dull moments. The production design in general is pretty good, in terms of costume and set design.

Overall- 4/10.

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29 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Silver Nemesis- Oh dear. The Daleks went out on a high in their final story in the classic era. Unfortunately, the Cybermen don't get the same treatment.

 I like The Cybermen themselves, and I think their design is good. They are not the problem with this story. Firstly, I didn't like a single supporting character, and the acting isn't great. The dialogue is dull as well. The pacing is all over the place. The action sequences are wonderful, but the other scenes drag. Regarding the plot itself, I didn't find interesting, and I just couldnt get invested in the story. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred carry this story through the more dull moments. The production design in general is pretty good, in terms of costume and set design.

Overall- 4/10.

This story could have been great but it was very poorly executed.

The only redeeming qualities are The Doctor and Ace.

Supposed to be the 25th anniversary special.

But the worst story of the final two years of the classic era. :thumbdown:

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The Greatest Show In The Galaxy- What a story! This is a major leap ahead than Silver Nemesis in every aspect. The story itself is interesting and intriguing. The dialogue is excellent, and the entire cast is on top form. The supporting characters are well written, well acted and memorable. The Chief Clown is creepy, the Ringmaster is funny, Rags is great (am I'm interested to see what Big Finish will do with the character). There are no weak links in this cast. 

The sets and costumes look fantastic, and the story is never dull. The Gods Of Ragnarok look and sound great. Sylvester McCoy is equally funny as he is mysterious, the perfect blend of both extremes of his character. Sophie Aldred is great as well. I have no issues with this story at all.

Overall - 10/10.

Overall rating for Season 25- 8/10.

The McCoy era is excellent, and this Season is a perfect example of how the show was on an upwards trajectory towards the end of the original run. The stories are great and the writing is wonderful. The casting is great and the leads are consistently excellent. If it wasn't for Silver Nemesis this Season could have got a 9/10, but I had to knock the rating down for that one.

And we now enter the 26th and final Season of Classic Who. This feels like it has gone a lot faster than I thought it would. :lol:

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Battlefield- This one's pretty good. It's not one I'm in a hurry to watch again, but it's good.

The main highlight is the return of Nicholas Courtney as The Brigadier, in his final appearance in the show, and he is as brilliant as ever. The majority of the supporting cast are good, but the acting does get a bit over the top at times. 

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are good as usual. Jean Marsh is excellent as Morgaine. The story itself is interesting, but the dialogue isn't always great, and I find that the first half of the story drags a little.

The Destroyer looks astonishing. I think that the design of this character is amongst the best the show has produced. I think it looks great. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of what The Destroyer did, or rather the lack of doing anything. It looks and sounds brilliant but just stands around and does nothing, which was a huge waste in my opinion.

Overall- 7/10.

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Ghost Light- I've seen this one many times, mainly just to get my head around the story. :lol: It is rather complex and may require multiple viewings to fully understand and appreciate, and I love things like that because it makes me want to go and watch it again to allow me to understand it.

The dialogue is excellent, and the supporting cast are wonderful. I love what is done with the character of Ace in this story, and we get a greater glimpse of the darker side of McCoy's Doctor in this story as well which is brilliant. This story is worth watching for the performances from those two alone. The costume and set design is also excellent. I also really like the atmosphere and score.

The script is intellectual and never panders to the audience, and as such it feels like it has a more mature tone than previous stories from this era. Due to the short run time this story never drags at all. 

Overall- 9/10.

This story is a hugely under rated gem. I found that it really clicked more with me after watching it for the second time, and every time I watch it I love it even more. 

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The Curse Of Fenric- This story has everything I want. Rich themes, great atmosphere, excellent dialogue and brilliant acting.  What isn't to love about this?

I often say that Doctor Who is at its best when it is serious. This is a prime example. Episode 1 is massively atmospheric and creepy, and this vibe is also present throughout the remainder of the story. The visuals are striking, and the images of the vampire-like girls or the Haemovores themselves really stick with me. The music is also excellent and creepy. 

Nicholas Parsons is the stand out in the supporting cast, his performance is exceptional. The dialogue and writing is also great, and at no point does the story drag at all. It is perfectly paced.

This story also gives us Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred at their best. Episode 4 especially proves this. The main villain, Fenric, is also very good. I love how this story ties up some loose ends from the rest of the McCoy era, as it makes this one feel more important and the emotional payoff at the end is more satisfying if you have seen at least some of the stories leading up to it.

Overall- 10/10.

This is one of those rare stories thay does absolutely everything right. This is Doctor Who at its best. 

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Survival- A very good ending to Season 26. One thing that I love about this Season is the more mature tone which the stories have, and this one is no exception. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are excellent as usual, and this story serves as a fitting conclusion to Ace's character arc on television. 

There are some exceptional and emotional moments, such as McCoy's closing monologue. I feel like overall the characters are not as strong as those in the previous story. Some of them are great, others are not. Anthony Ainley plays the Master for the final time in this story, and this might be his strongest performance in the role. The costume and set design is very good. The dialogue is good for the most part but not perfect. 

Overall- 8/10

Overall rating for Season 26- 9/10.

This is one of my favourite Seasons of classic Who. It is a shame that the original run of the show ended here, when it is clearly getting better and better in terms of quality by this stage. 

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8 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Survival- A very good ending to Season 26. One thing that I love about this Season is the more mature tone which the stories have, and this one is no exception. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are excellent as usual, and this story serves as a fitting conclusion to Ace's character arc on television. 

There are some exceptional and emotional moments, such as McCoy's closing monologue. I feel like overall the characters are not as strong as those in the previous story. Some of them are great, others are not. Anthony Ainley plays the Master for the final time in this story, and this might be his strongest performance in the role. The costume and set design is very good. The dialogue is good for the most part but not perfect. 

Overall- 8/10

Overall rating for Season 26- 9/10.

This is one of my favourite Seasons of classic Who. It is a shame that the original run of the show ended here, when it is clearly getting better and better in terms of quality by this stage. 

I really love this story. It is one of my favourites of the McCoy era. 

The ending is understated. Believing it to be the final episode ever the writer and producer could have gone for a dramatic ending. I'm glad they didn't. McCoy's closing monologue is perfect.

For me the last 2 seasons of classic Who are the strongest since the early 80's. The actors and production team gave everything. Almost like they were fighting for Doctor Who's survival (pun intended).

Really enjoyed your reviews of the classic era. Makes me realise there are plenty of stories I must find the time to watch again.

 

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8 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

I really love this story. It is one of my favourites of the McCoy era. 

The ending is understated. Believing it to be the final episode ever the writer and producer could have gone for a dramatic ending. I'm glad they didn't. McCoy's closing monologue is perfect.

For me the last 2 seasons of classic Who are the strongest since the early 80's. The actors and production team gave everything. Almost like they were fighting for Doctor Who's survival (pun intended).

Really enjoyed your reviews of the classic era. Makes me realise there are plenty of stories I must find the time to watch again.

 

Glad to hear you've been enjoying them. :D

Just got to watch the Paul McGann film tomorrow and then it is on to New Who, which will hopefully lead to more discussion with other people on here joining in with talking about those episodes. 

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3 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Glad to hear you've been enjoying them. :D

Just got to watch the Paul McGann film tomorrow and then it is on to New Who, which will hopefully lead to more discussion with other people on here joining in with talking about those episodes. 

There should be more people familiar with New Who.

Pleased to hear you're not having a 16 year hiatus with just one review about halfway. One long hiatus is enough for any Whovian :lol:

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Doctor Who: The Movie- Over the years I've seen many people bash this one, but I really like it.

Sylvester McCoy is given one of the most visually interesting and unique regenerations in my opinion, and I also love what causes it. The 7th Doctor was the mastermind, who was always one step ahead of his enemies, which is why I love that he is killed in such a simple way as being gunned down by a street gang. It is such a small and unpredictable event, which is why I think it was the perfect way for this Doctor to go, as it was something that he could not foresee and act against. 

Paul McGann is incredible in this story. He is perfect as The Doctor and has arguably one of the strongest debuts in the role of any actor who has played the character to date, which is why it is such a shame that this is his only televised story. Big Finish have thankfully saved this Doctor and made him one of my favourites, and in this story McGann shows that he understands the character and knows how to play him. I wish McGann got more to do on television, but the one performance he gave us was an incredible one.

Daphne Ashbrook plays a wonderful companion as Grace, and her chemistry with McGann is excellent. I am also a fan of Eric Roberts as The Master. For most of the movie, he plays it straight and has some excellent lines, and is intimidating in some scenes, which I love. Unfortunately he becomes very over the top towards the end of the story, which doesn't work at all. When I think of The Master I think of someone smart and subdued, who can snap at any moment but is serious for the most part. This is why I prefer the performances of Roger Delgado, Geoffrey Beevers, Alex Macqueen etc to John Simm and Michelle Gomez. Don't get me wrong, I love every interpretation of the character, and all the actors are fantastic, but I personally think that Simm and Gomez are too over the top for my taste. 

The other supporting cast aren't that great or memorable to be honest. The story itself also isn't that exciting or interesting. The dialogue is good for the most part but there are issues. This story is the clear genesis of many things which have come to be recognised as traits of the modern era of Who, such as action sequences (the motorcycle chase is the one which sticks out the most), the huge TARDIS interior (the central control room is far larger than has been up to this point), The Doctor kissing his companion and so on. This story feels for the most part like the perfect mixture of Classic and New Who.

Overall- 7/10.

And here we are, the Classic era is finished, and next up is the very first episode of Doctor Who that I ever watched, Rose.

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Rose- This was the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw, so it does have that nostalgic element for me. 

Christopher Eccleston is an excellent Doctor, and form his very first line he slips into the character with ease. I also love his toned-down appearance, making him much more subtle than previous Doctors in that regard. Billie Piper is also wonderful. 

This story does a very good job at setting up the tone and feel of the Russell T. Davies era. Davies incorporates the modern world into Doctor Who, which is why so much time is taken to set up Rose and her life, her family, her boyfriend, her job and so on. Camille Coduri is very good as Jackie, and Noel Clarke is also very good as Mickey. The supporting cast are far less memorable though. The Autons are still creepy, but their return doesn't feel very important, and they feel just like any other monster. 

There are also some issues with tone in my opinion. Some of the comedy doesn't land, the most annoying being the plastic bin that eats Mickey. That whole scene feels out of place and it isn't funny.

The opening title sequence is awesome. The visuals are awesome and the theme music is epic.

Overall- 8/10.A strong start to Modern Who. The leads are wonderful, and Davies proves that he was a excellent choice for showrunner in just this episode alone. Although there are slight issues with the script and tone, it is a great episode.

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16 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Rose- This was the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw, so it does have that nostalgic element for me. 

Christopher Eccleston is an excellent Doctor, and form his very first line he slips into the character with ease. I also love his toned-down appearance, making him much more subtle than previous Doctors in that regard. Billie Piper is also wonderful. 

This story does a very good job at setting up the tone and feel of the Russell T. Davies era. Davies incorporates the modern world into Doctor Who, which is why so much time is taken to set up Rose and her life, her family, her boyfriend, her job and so on. Camille Coduri is very good as Jackie, and Noel Clarke is also very good as Mickey. The supporting cast are far less memorable though. The Autons are still creepy, but their return doesn't feel very important, and they feel just like any other monster. 

There are also some issues with tone in my opinion. Some of the comedy doesn't land, the most annoying being the plastic bin that eats Mickey. That whole scene feels out of place and it isn't funny.

The opening title sequence is awesome. The visuals are awesome and the theme music is epic.

Overall- 8/10.A strong start to Modern Who. The leads are wonderful, and Davies proves that he was a excellent choice for showrunner in just this episode alone. Although there are slight issues with the script and tone, it is a great episode.

Although not the best episode of Modern Who I really enjoyed this episode.

It is strong enough to achieve exactly what it needs to achieve.

It brings Doctor Who into the 21st century attracting a new generation of fans whilst still engaging the older Who fans.

I did watch this with some trepidation. I wasn't a great fan of the 1996 movie (though I love Paul McCann) and did think that maybe my Doctor Who days ended in the 80's. Fortunately through Rose I became a fan all over again. :D

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2 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Rose- This was the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw, so it does have that nostalgic element for me. 

Christopher Eccleston is an excellent Doctor, and form his very first line he slips into the character with ease. I also love his toned-down appearance, making him much more subtle than previous Doctors in that regard. Billie Piper is also wonderful. 

This story does a very good job at setting up the tone and feel of the Russell T. Davies era. Davies incorporates the modern world into Doctor Who, which is why so much time is taken to set up Rose and her life, her family, her boyfriend, her job and so on. Camille Coduri is very good as Jackie, and Noel Clarke is also very good as Mickey. The supporting cast are far less memorable though. The Autons are still creepy, but their return doesn't feel very important, and they feel just like any other monster. 

There are also some issues with tone in my opinion. Some of the comedy doesn't land, the most annoying being the plastic bin that eats Mickey. That whole scene feels out of place and it isn't funny.

The opening title sequence is awesome. The visuals are awesome and the theme music is epic.

Overall- 8/10.A strong start to Modern Who. The leads are wonderful, and Davies proves that he was a excellent choice for showrunner in just this episode alone. Although there are slight issues with the script and tone, it is a great episode.

Rose was my first glimpse of Doctor Who as well. Only caught a glimpse of it as I was going out to a youth club at the time (an auton's hand opening, that was all, a quick glimpse) but I've been rewatching it and it's a really good start to Eccleston's run as the Doctor. I liked how it opened from the companion's PoV, giving us a glimpse in The Doctor's recent appearances and not giving much away about what's happened with him, but I do agree with the comedy, the bin was a tad out of left field and didn't seem to fit.

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The End Of The World- I appreciate how Rose set up the characters and general feel of the show, and then this episode throws viewers straight into the science fictions stuff, but I'm not a fan of the episode itself.

I'm not a fan of the story or any of the characters. I think Cassandra is a very weak villain (and I still can't believe that she was brought back in Series 2). None of the other characters are interesting except for the Face Of Boe, but that's only because I know that this character gets expanded upon in later stories. The humour also feels forced to me, and I don't find it funny.

It's not all bad though. There are some nice visuals, and Eccleston and Piper are wonderful. There are also excellent moments (The Doctor's speech at the end is a good example) and the music is very good.

Overall- 4/10.

 

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Thought End of the World was a decent episode. I did like how it tapped into who The Doctor['s character] was and how we didn't know what's happened since we left off from the movie. Something's happened, we know a bit, but that's all. (Think I'm starting to blend episodes at the moment, can't remember off hand how much we knew at this point, and I only watched the episode the other day! lol) But it can fall to the wayside as a bit of a forgettable episode. Even managed to miss the series arc reference till I was looking at the IMDb trivia. lol

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On 1/21/2019 at 8:24 PM, The Friendly Dalek said:

Rose- This was the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw, so it does have that nostalgic element for me. 

Christopher Eccleston is an excellent Doctor, and form his very first line he slips into the character with ease. I also love his toned-down appearance, making him much more subtle than previous Doctors in that regard. Billie Piper is also wonderful. 

This story does a very good job at setting up the tone and feel of the Russell T. Davies era. Davies incorporates the modern world into Doctor Who, which is why so much time is taken to set up Rose and her life, her family, her boyfriend, her job and so on. Camille Coduri is very good as Jackie, and Noel Clarke is also very good as Mickey. The supporting cast are far less memorable though. The Autons are still creepy, but their return doesn't feel very important, and they feel just like any other monster. 

There are also some issues with tone in my opinion. Some of the comedy doesn't land, the most annoying being the plastic bin that eats Mickey. That whole scene feels out of place and it isn't funny.

The opening title sequence is awesome. The visuals are awesome and the theme music is epic.

Overall- 8/10.A strong start to Modern Who. The leads are wonderful, and Davies proves that he was a excellent choice for showrunner in just this episode alone. Although there are slight issues with the script and tone, it is a great episode.

I understand why the fandom is so against that plastic bin but I do think it is focused on a bit too much. The concept is daft and the CGI hasn’t stood the test of time but when me and my brother watched it at ages 7 and 9 we thought it was so hilarious!

 I’m glad you’ve now made it to the modern series. I can really interact with your marathon now.

11 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

The End Of The World- I appreciate how Rose set up the characters and general feel of the show, and then this episode throws viewers straight into the science fictions stuff, but I'm not a fan of the episode itself.

I'm not a fan of the story or any of the characters. I think Cassandra is a very weak villain (and I still can't believe that she was brought back in Series 2). None of the other characters are interesting except for the Face Of Boe, but that's only because I know that this character gets expanded upon in later stories. The humour also feels forced to me, and I don't find it funny.

It's not all bad though. There are some nice visuals, and Eccleston and Piper are wonderful. There are also excellent moments (The Doctor's speech at the end is a good example) and the music is very good.

Overall- 4/10.

I agree with you on The End of the World. I loved the contrast between the first and second episode. It wasn’t a very memorable storyline but with so many different aliens to see the episode always stands out in my memory. 

Poor Moxx of Balhoon!

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The Unquiet Dead- I think this is an excellent and very under rated story. Mark Gatiss managed to create a script filled with golden dialogue, and I think all of the humour works excellently. This story is an excellent follow up to TEOTW, because Rose was set in the present day, TEOTW was set in the future, and so it is only logical that this story takes place in the past. 

The Gelth are an interesting monster, and I love seeing the Time War affecting races other than the Daleks and Time Lords so drastically. The supporting characters are well written and the acting is generally very good. From a visual standpoint, this story also excels. The visual effects used for the Gelth still look very good, and the costume and set design is wonderful. Simon Callow is fantastic as Dickens, and Eccleston and Piper are great again.

Overall- 9/10.

A very entertaining and well made episode. It's not at all complex and that works in its favour. It is simple and effective.

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