Doctor Who Marathon - The Aztecs

The Aztecs - This story takes our team back to Earth and is a historical adventure. Following the previous historical, Marco Polo, I approached this one with a little trepidation. Seeing it is four episodes alleviated these fears as hopefully the story is not dragged out.

Story - This adventure has two main threads, one which reflects the historical nature of the piece and one which reflects the time travel nature of the show. Thread one sees Barbara mistaken as a God and is worshipped so, this leads to thread two, the decision by Barbara to try and change history by stopping human sacrifices.

Thread one - This part of the story takes inspiration from the true story of Hernan Cortes who, upon encountering the Aztec people, was worshipped as a God as he matched the description from Aztec prophecy. The documentary extra on the DVD was very informative on this point.

Thread two - The discussion of altering history arises and is quickly shot down by the Doctor. As it is established history things cannot be changed. Fixed points in time come up quite often in 'New Who' and seeing the idea come up in the sixth story, to me, shows that the key themes of the show continue to be utilised.

Side notes - Honourable mentions from this story go to the fight scenes, which are well choreographed, but due to limitations in the budget, the actors cannot go full throttle for fear of breaking the props. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLPR_uB4-5s) Another sub-plot concerns the Doctor and his accidental engagement to an Aztec lady. His reaction when he realises what has happened is priceless and reminded me of the 11th Doctors reaction to Amy at the end of Flesh and Stone.

Other bits - It has been announced this week that the second half of the latest series of Doctor Who is to begin on 30/03/13, as such I've upped the total episode count to 798.

Anywho, next time is The Sensorites...

 

30 of 798 episodes watched

Doctor Who Marathon - Catch up, Caves & Keys

It has been a week or so since my last update, and in that time I have watched the five remaining episodes of Marco Polo and the six episodes of The Keys of Marinus.

Marco Polo - The story seemed to be dragging on by the end and I felt that the realisation that Tegana was the villain, by Marco Polo was drawn out seemingly endlessly. Tegana finally got his comeuppance and the Doctor and his team get their TARDIS back. The story could have been cut down by a few episodes and still worked as well. Being a historical piece I found the information about the origin of the word assassin interesting, but much preferred the earlier Dalek story to compare the longest stories I've currently watched.

The Keys of Marinus - This story is my favourite of the ones I have watched so far, at least the first four episodes are. The pace at which the story moves forward and the initial construction, of having to find four keys spread across a planet, means that each of the opening episodes could almost be taken as a separate adventure. The court proceedings that take up a majority of the final two episodes turn into a bit of a 'who'dunnit (pardon the pun) and is resolved due to a mis-speak by the guilty party. Having the murderer revealed due to her making mention of the conversation set up by Susan's kidnapper was a clever touch. This story doesn't hang around with getting started and the multiple locations, made it feel closer to the 'new who' stories that I am used to watching.

Caves - Of the five stories I've watched, four of them have included a cave of some sort. An Unearthly Child had the cave of skulls, The Daleks had the cave travelled through by Ian and Barbara on the way to the city, Marco Polo had the cave of five hundred eyes and The Keys of Marinus had the ice cave. I appreciate it may have been down to financial constraints and the reusing of sets would be cost effective, I just found it interesting that four very different stories, two historical Earth pieces, and two futuristic planets would all have need for a cave. Maybe caves were all the rage in the sixties?

Birthday - It was my birthday last Friday (18/01), and I received some Doctor Who DVD's to aid this marathon. I got The Keys of Marinus, The Aztecs, The Sensorites, Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth. This should keep me going for the next couple of weeks, although I may have to invest in The Reign of Terror that has recently been released with two episodes recreated through animation.

Anywho, until the next time...

        

26 of 790 episodes watched

Doctor Who Marathon - The Roof of the World/The Singing Sands

In my attempts to track down an audio of this story, I found a reconstruction on YouTube. This has the audio over colour pictures from the episode. My initial fears over this episode have subsided; having images of the characters has allowed me to get into the story much more easily. I find this quite telling of the society we live in, in that I feel more comfortable with pictures in front of me rather than just the sound. I briefly considered seeking out the Target novelisation of this story, but the time constraints I've put on this challenge means it is not viable. 

Back to the episodes, the TARDIS has landed on a snowy mountain and the team discover a passing caravan which is revealed to belong to Marco Polo. We find out that Marco is working for Khan, and is hoping that the completion of this journey will allow him to return home. The villain of this episode is Tegana, one of Marco's highest ranking chiefs. The asides we are shown with Tegana reveal his plan to kill Marco and his Caravan, through abandoning them in the desert with no water. He is hoping that this will curry favour with Khan and will get rid of his rival Marco. Tegana is portrayed almost as a panto villain with the reveal of this plan, I could almost imagine him twirling his moustache. He may have been, without the the video we will never know. Also, it is almost as if Tegana is so proud of his plan that he can't wait to tell everyone. He keeps making mention of killing the king while Marco and Ian are playing chess. I mean there's foreshadowing and then there's shouting that you plan to kill the leader. I have written a short script excerpt from the chess game below: 

Marco Polo: Hey Ian, wanna play chess?
Ian: Sure Marco.
Marco Polo: Remember the aim of the game is to capture the King.
Tegana: Or kill the King
Marco Polo: Yes Tegana, or kill the King.
Tegana: Kill the King, kill the King!
Marco Polo: Are you all right Tegana?
Tegana: Yes, yes. *whispers* kill the King.

There is also a moment where Tegana draws his sword as though to attack Marco. When Marco spots him, Tegana claims he is testing him to ensure he is ready should any attacks come. Let's just say Tegana is not being very subtle with regards his plan. Even with the above moments the characters do not suspect Tegana, to the extent that following his sabotage of the water supplies, they agree to let him continue towards to the oasis to bring water back. This is the cliffhanger to the episode and I can't believe it will be much further into the story that Tegana gets his comeuppance. 

Tegana being devious (any picture of him could have the same description)

Something I have been keeping my eye on in each episode is which character will say the name of the episode in their dialogue. Just something that makes me chuckle, but as it has happened in the last four episodes I thought it was worth mentioning. Anywho, until the next time... 

15 of 790 episodes watched

Doctor Who Marathon - The Edge of Destruction

The Edge of Destruction/The Brink of Disaster - A two parter set entirely inside the TARDIS and without a visible enemy is an early indicator of how varied this show can be. The first two stories we've had have taken the viewer to Earth's past and an alien planet, while this two parter subverts the grand show pieces and provides a story confined to two rooms.

Something is wrong with the TARDIS! The doors will not open and the control panel cannot be touched without a great electric shock. The Doctor, Susan and Ian all fall foul of the control panel, causing them to attack one another. Ian attempts to strangle the Doctor and Susan attacks Barbara with scissors. This leads to a confrontation between the Doctor and Ian & Barbara, with accusations from both sides of deception. The revelation that they have only 15 mins to live, compounds the fear and adds to the desperation of the situation.

The big reveal at the end of the episode is that a faulty switch is the cause of what has been going on. It feels a bit of a cop out for me, but giving the viewer a lot of character moments. The conversation between the Doctor and Barbara shows that he cares for the people he has taken under his wing.

The next episodes I have to watch are the first of the missing episodes. Onward to Marco Polo. Until the next time...

13 of 790 episodes watched

Doctor Who Marathon - The plan, the cave and ride on Daleks

The post in which we cover the end of the Dalek serial in episodes - The Expedition, The Ordeal and The Rescue. I have split the post into three parts to give my thoughts on the key parts in this triple bill.

The Expedition (aka The Plan) - Following the Doctor and his teams' escape and return to the Thals, the Daleks hatch a plan to reclaim Skaro for themselves and eradicate any other life on the Planet. The use of a nuclear bomb to do this has echoes of WWII, although this version has the perceived bad guys with the weapon. Yes, what I'm getting at is are the Daleks really the bad guys? The Daleks have adapted to life on their planet, encasing themselves in machines to protect themselves from the radiation that has ravaged the planet. Also, the technology to cultivate food with artificial sunlight has allowed them to survive in the harshest environment. Applying Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' to this situation, you could argue that the Thals have no right in attacking the Daleks, granted they lured the Thals into a trap and killed their leader, but was this an act of self defence? Am I on the side of the Daleks? At this point I think I am. 

Hug a Dalek - A peace keeping initiative?

The Ordeal (aka The Cave) - The Thals plan of attacking on two fronts makes sense from an element of surprise aspect but trekking through a deadly swamp, and entering a cave with no idea if there is an exit reeks of stupidity. I'd be the first to volunteer to escort the Doctor and Susan on the path they've already travelled and know is safe. The journey through the swamp passes without major incident, in the grand scheme of this attack, as the Thals only lose one member to a mysterious swamp creature. I should mention that the Thals were initially against re-entering the city, but are easily persuaded by Ian with a flimsy argument of its you or them. It's almost as it they want a fight. Entering the cave, one of the Thals suddenly decides that he is not up for a fight and wishes to go back, fortunately for the progression of the story a cave collapse puts paid to that. A convenient chasm opens up before our travellers, allowing for, quite literally a cliffhanger. The Thal who wanted to go back ends up falling short of the ledge leap and is left hanging. There is a fine show of struggling to hold on acting going on from Ian to end the episode.

The Rescue (aka Ride a Dalek) - The Thal who wanted to go back, gets his wish in a way, as he cuts rope, saving Ian from a fall and allowing the others to continue. The cave eventually leads to the basement of the main Dalek building which is handy. The Doctor and Susan have been taken prisoner, and as Ian, Barbara and their crew make tracks through the building, they meet with the other Thals who have become concerned that the Doctor had not returned. Upon reaching the Dalek control room, on level 10 as the Dalek intercom helpfully pointed out, what follows is a game of hide and seek almost as Ian sneaks around the room. It is reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, in that the Daleks have a limited tunnel vision directly ahead.

For red dots imagine Daleks

 As Ian releases the Doctor and Susan, Thals suddenly appear from every direction, including one rappelling down from the roof. The Daleks are seemingly defeated by being ridden by various Thals. This looks like fun, and is a precursor to the inflatable ride in Daleks released last year. 

Re: My Birthday - This please, but bigger so I will fit!

The kicking of the Daleks and seeing them glide around, is similar to how we find the Daleks being controlled by Donna Noble in Journeys End. Fortunately, the Daleks are defeated and have left the fluid link that the team need to restore the TARDIS on one of their control machines. After a tender moment back at the Thals camp with Barbara, the team enter the TARDIS and onto adventures new. A sudden jolt in the TARDIS, throws the team to the floor for this episodes cliffhanger.

I enjoyed the cave episode and the final episode of this serial, although with the riding of the Daleks towards the end, I couldn't take it too seriously. A lot of the plot points seemed quite contrived, the cave collapse and the Thal suddenly deciding he wanted to go back progressed the story, but some character moments arrived from nowhere. I am enjoying the journey so far, and my eyes have just about adapted to the black and white and I think that watching most of the episodes on my phone certainly helps. I've two more episodes until I hit the first missing story, and I am looking forward to experiencing a story in audio form. Having read a lot about 'classic' who stories and the characters, finally seeing them live on screen compounds my reading, and will help with visualising the Marco Polo story that is coming up.

Anywho, until next time...

11 of 790 episodes watched

Doctor Who Marathon - The Escape & The Ambush

The Escape / The Ambush - The Escape begins with a throw back to the previous episode, and the revelation that the owner of the hand that tapped Susan on the shoulder (which I neglected to mention last time) belongs to a Thal. The Thals are the other incumbent species on the planet Skaro and look like they would be just as at home in a Flash Gordon story.

Pictured above - Not a Thal

The Daleks and Thals are enemies, but due to the nuclear war that has ravaged the planet the Thals are looking to unite under the common goal of survival. The return of Susan to the city with an offer of peace from the Thals, shows the Daleks cunning as they set up a trap under the guise of a food pack. It is interesting to see these traits in the Daleks even in their first appearance.

I particularly enjoyed the set up and execution of the Dalek 'kidnap' and the voice modulation of Ian's BBC accent was very amusing. The lift escape sequence, was topped off by the Daleks art installation being dropped down the shaft. It is clearly there to advance the plot, by slowing the Daleks down, but it is nice to see that ruthless alien armies have an appreciation for the arts. 

Just as the story looks to be coming to a conclusion, the bombshell is dropped that a key component, the mercury vial the Doctor used earlier, has been taken by the Daleks and that they need to return to the city. I think having come into Doctor Who in 2005, I'm struggling with the slower pace and toing and frowing that the one and a bit stories I've watched so far. Anywho, onwards...  

8 Episodes of 790 watched

Doctor Who Marathon - And They're Off

The Survivors - After a reprise of the ominous plunger from the episode, our team enter the city in search of Barbara, who has been captured by the as yet unnamed enemy. The entrance of the Doctor, Susan & Ian through the door and the pull back of camera to reveal the Daleks in wonderful and it was fun to see them gliding around the room. The smooth movements of the modern Daleks from "New" Who are on show here, although sometimes the rhythm of someone moving inside them was quite evident. All of the trademarks of the Daleks are on show, although I think their guns were set to stun when Ian was shot and his legs paralysed. Certainly not as potent a shot as in "The Stolen Earth" cliffhanger!

The realisation of the radiation poisoning allowed some exposition with regards the Thals, and showed the Daleks ruthless side, forcing one of the team to retrieve anti-radiation drugs from the TARDIS. With the majority of the team down from the poisoning/leg paralysis, it is down to Susan to perform some wonderful running on the spot acting, dodging branches that are waved at her. It brought to mind "The Mighty Boosh" and raised a smile at a particularly down part of the story. This episodes cliffhanger is a storm-a-coming, as Susan prepares to leave the TARDIS and return with the anti-radiation drugs. With the Doctor in the state that he is with the radiation, it brings to mind the beginning of the end of the 10th Doctor, rather than the foot shaking radiation antics in "Smith & Jones". This episode had a rather subdued second half as our TARDIS team succumbed to the radiation illness and I hope it picks up next time.

Next Blog - The Escape

6 Episodes of 790 watched

    

Doctor Who Marathon - The Starting Line

As you may have noticed, or been repeatedly reminded of if you have been in my vicinity recently, it is the 50th anniversary of the world's longest running science fiction television programme, Doctor Who. On a foggy November evening in 1963, (who am I kidding I've no idea what the weather was like) the world was reeling from JFK's assassination the day before. The BBC premiered their new show, Doctor Who. Prior to last Saturday (05/01/13) I had not seen more than one and a half episodes of "classic" Who (Genesis of the Daleks and The Invasion, with a honourable mention of the TV Movie) and entering a new year I fancied a challenge.

The plan is to watch all 790 episodes of Doctor Who (up to The Snowmen) by 26/11/13, this works out at more than 2 episodes a day! I've notched off 5 so far, so am already behind, but where would we be without a bit of pressure?

I'll be updating my thoughts on each episode as I go through and I am looking forward to seeing how the series unfolds (or should that be unfolded?) My thoughts on the first 5 episodes are below:

An Unearthly Child - A good series opener, cranking up the intrigue with a conversation between Ian & Barbara, making light of their pupil Susan and her mysterious Grandfather. I particularly liked the use of flashbacks to Susan in class and the tease at the end of episode with the shadow of the tribesman is a great hook to entice the viewer to tune in next week.

The Cave of Skulls/The Forest of Fear/The Firemaker - After a superb opening episode, I felt that following 3 episodes slowed the pace and I felt it a struggle to get through The Forest of Fear. The initial "newness" of travelling in time for Ian and Barbara held my attention  in The Cave of Skulls and their disbelief at what was plain to see (the tribesmen) was interesting. The Forest of Fear/The Firemaker was entertaining enough, but I felt that the story was done after the TARDIS team (The Doctor, Susan, Barbara & Ian) had escaped the cave and attempted to save the injured tribesman, all they needed was to present the fire that was promised and be on their merry way. Instead, the team were trapped back in the cave and re-escaped, it felt like this story was an episode too long.

The Dead Planet - I really enjoyed this episode. The mischievousness of the Doctor shining through with his deception of needing mercury before the TARDIS could be flown again, there was almost a moment of breaking the fourth wall as the Doctor revelled in the rest of the team surmising that the only option was to go to the city. He is manipulating them even at this early stage, and, as we are only just meeting this character it is good to see lots of elements to the character. The food machine was a nice touch, almost acknowledging to the viewer that we have seen a continuous story and people need to eat. It makes it that much more real, and is added without really holding the story up. The cliffhanger of the, now famous, plunger is our first sight of what would become THE bad guy, although the full reveal is held back, which makes it all the more sinister. And that scream at the end, certainly got me some strange looks on the train!

5 episodes watched in 3 days shows I am on the right track, although not having started on 01/01/13 has put me back a bit. I am looking forward to discovering more of the classic stories and seeing how parts of Who lore that we take for granted now are revealed over many episodes and years.

Next Blog - I tackle the Daleks in "The Survivors"

5 Episodes of 790 watched