The First 'New' Doctor Who.

[Perry Vale]

The Dominators

I really don't know what certain people's problem with this one is.

I agree!

but IMHO there's far worse dull Who stories out there than this one. (2 of which have just been released in a DVD box set)

Ahhh, you were doing so well.....

Whenever I come round to watch this one, it's never as bad as it's reputation, imo, as you say, the Dominators interplay is quite funny & Zoe is looking hot as ever.

[Logo Polish]

The Dominators

One of those stories which tries to examine the morality of pacifism and resistance to aggression, in a similar way to some of Terry Nation's. The species put under the spotlight for this theme, the Dulcians, were apparently inspired by Haisman and Lincoln's concerns about the then-hippy movement, which they perceived as a symptom of weakness and societal decay.

However, as depicted in this story, they bear very little resemblance to any 60s counterculture, and seem far closer to the archetypal science-fiction "refined and noble elders". Which is to say, they wear robes and togas, have statues in their quarters (there's probably a fountain lurking about somewhere too) and conduct worthy and learned debates. Apart from the fact that they have some limited technology, the idea is obviously to stress their unworldliness and isolation. This also comes over when Balan sems uninterested in querying why the radiation levels on the island have suddenly gone completely after 172 years of steady decline. If something unexpected or surprising has happened, then it is simply a fact, and there's no need to investigate it or look for a reason. This passivity, with its total lack of curiosity, comes from someone who is supposed to be a teacher and lecturer.

So the Dulcians are an insular people who have turned to look inward only and barely seem aware of anything outside of their society. This is also indicated by their belief that there is no life on other planets, although when presented with proof otherwise, they just shrug and accept it - there's no sign of any awareness that they might need to change anything important in the worldview. The most farcical proof of this is when Rago invades the Council Chamber with his demands to be met with a barrage of "If you would like to make an appointment..." suggestions from the councillors.

The unfortunate downside of this dramatically though, is that it doesn't necessarily make them a very interesting set of people to watch, and most of them end up such a dry bunch of stereotypes that they don't arouse all that much interest ultimately. Cully, despite the actor looking a bit too middle aged for the role, is the only one who really has much of a personality (still a cliche - the hotheaded rebellious son of the planet's leader - but at least Arthur Cox, playing him, manages to invest the character with a bit of passion and charisma). Otherwise, only Brian Cant really stands out, and even that's possibly mainly because the sound of his voice can't help but make you think he's about to start narrating a day in the life of Windy Miller.

It might also be said that the story doesn't really test them to their ultimate. In a sense, it lets them off the hook, when Rago tells Toba that their command have decided the Dulcians aren't suitable for use as slave labour, and it's subsequently left to the Doctor to save them. Probably the idea is to highlight the dilemma that the Elders are in during their last scene, where they are faced with an unenviable choice between slavery, attempting a resistance which is beyond them, or destruction, and to show that, morally, they've painted themselves into a corner (incidentally, the nature of their dilemma is a little like that posed to Earth by the Sycorax in The Christmas Invasion).

It tends to be the villains who are more interesting to watch. Toba has a childlike sort of malice and destructive thirst (he comes across as being like a small boy who enjoys killing insects), giving the impression it's mainly the zapping and the pushing people around he likes most about his job. Rago, although clearly just as callous, as seen in the council chamber scene where he kills Tensa to prove a point, is rather more pragmatic and more capable of seeing the bigger picture. This leads to several scenes featuring them bickering about the power levels and "unnecessary softness" and the like, even at one point a threat that Toba might get executed if he doesn't fall int line. Although the irony is that the outcome of the story arguably proves that Toba had the right idea from their point of view, and that Rago was underestimating how the strength of the resistance they were facing. Both Ronald Allen and Kenneth Ives do a reasonable job with the camp malice, and manage not to be too put off by the heavy-looking and impractical costumes (which I could imagine weren't the easiest to act in).

The best design work in the story is that which centres around the villains too. Both their costumes and the Quark design are effectively unusual and the interior of their ship has a decidedly 60s Top of the Pops flavour to it, with the psychedelic patterns whirling around across its high walls. The rest of the design work tends to be drab and functional, and I'm not sure those Dulcian skirts really work that well either.

The story does showcase the regulars quite well, especially the Doctor and Jamie, who do quite a good double act at times. The scenes where they're feigning stupidity in front of the Dominators are quite funny, with Troughton and Hines bumbling their way through the tests with a fair bit of pysical comedy. There's a nice little bit later on too, where the Doctor lights an explosive and carefully explains to Jamie about how quickly he needs to dispose of it while being oblivious to the fuse nearly burning out. I'm also a bit sorry that we don't actually get to see the scene where the Doctor catches the seed device - I have visions of him wedging himself between the mineshaft walls and holding out his hands for it like a goalie.

A bit tatty and over-worthy, rather slow at times as well, but enjoyable in places if not all that accomplished.

[Wayne]

@Perry

Do you mean me?

It's probably a lot better than I remember it being. If I'm honest the main reason I didn't watch it for years was because I didn't have a copy! Still, my not watching it has become something of a cult thing now, so it's goign to carry on for a while yet, but I suspect that by the end of the year the Dominators Embargo will have been lifted...

Si xx

Not specifically just you. There's a certain other Si......


Anyway, nice to get some perspective from folk on this one. And a particularly spot on review from Logo.

[Paul Clement]

Season 5 rankings

Tomb of the Cybermen
Web of Fear
Fury From the Deep
The Abominable Snowmen
Wheel in Space
Enemy of the World
The Ice Warriors

[Stuart Wallis]

The Dominators

The story's quite fun in a strange way. The Dulcians, apart from Cully are fairly dull for the most part, though you can see where the idea for their politicians came from; I think I've seen Brian Cant's character on Question Time election specials representing the Tories for instance. Brought a wry smile to my face. Spot the Head of Committee.

Despite myself, I rather liked the titular villains. Character-wise they're not great, but far more interesting than the Dulcian students and Cully's tourists. Kenneth Ives gives a fun bloody-minded performance, and it's amazing to see a fair villainous performance from David Hunter of all people (Pip, Ant W, ask your mums ). And it's good to see the make-up and costume departmens giving some thought to making them obviously humanoid but also slightly alien - there's bags under their eyes and a slight piece of ambiguity; do Dominators have hunched backs or shoulders, or are they, like Sontarans, concerned about their necks being a weak spot? And it's interesting that they don't always look at eachother.

The Doctor's very obviously more comical in this story, but not as silly as Tom could be at his worst. Pat's quite fun, and works well alongside Jamie. Zoe's improving, but not quite there yet. The actual plot is interesting, though it's a good thing looking back, that an episode was dropped; another may have dragged things out a bit too far. The argument for pacifism was done slightly better in The Daleks it has to be said.

The Quarks are fun, shuffling along, but they can't be understood half the time. I'm not sure they'd go down too well among youngsters brought up on RTD Who, their crime being too chunky. They do have a retro feel about their design though, waving their little boxy arms around. And talking of design, the Dominators' control room; they appear to have got a job lot of the same swirly design things that the Cybermen bought for their weapon testing room in Tomb.

[Wayne]

Nice review, Stuart.

The Dominators
and it's amazing to see a fair villainous performance from David Hunter of all people (Pip, Ant W, ask your mums

Or older PS members. Yes, considering how incredibly wooden he was playing that character, It's hard to believe it's the same actor.

[Wayne]

The Mind Robber

One of the better 2nd Doctor stories since early in the last season, IMO. I very much enjoy Episode 1 which is very surreal pretty much from the outset, especially with Jamie & Zoe tempted out from the Tardis by visions of 'home' on the Tardis scanner, into 'nowhere'. To the unimaginitive it might just look like an empty Blue Peter studio, But i think the white blankness of it all works very effectively, & then of course there's always Zoe in that outfit. Troughton's portrayal is very good here, particularly when the Tardis is being 'invaded' by the all the noise, & the cliffhanger with the Tardis 'exploding' & the console spinning in the empty blackness is brilliant. Not least because of the way Zoe looks as she's hanging off it.
Episode 2 is good, well paced ep. The set & props looks great, & i like the continued surrealism, including the clever way that the Frazer Hines' temporary illness was incorporated into the story with Hamish Wilson making a good job of his short appearance. I think even the White Robots, & Toy Soldiers are well realised, & the intrigue is kept up with tantalizing glimpses of 'The Master's' control room. It's all good stuff, so far!
The pacing continues well throughout Episode 3. Wendy Padbury's performance continues to improve throughout this story. She works very well with Troughton, particularly during the 'Minotaur' sequence. There are also some good scenes for Jamie, who gets to show us his resourcefulness, as he eventually manages to gain access to Master's citadel. Another good episode!
One of the highlights of Episode 5 is surely the hilarious 'Karkus' sequence! Zoe squaring up & fighting the character is a good fun bit, & Christopher Robbie (who's voice will be forever associated with the Cyberleader, for me) squealing: 'Help!' makes me laugh out loud everytime! Meanwhile, the Tardis team finally meet 'The Master', who turns out to be a writer who is apparently controlled by some sort of monstrous intelligent machine. Has anyone else noticed that Troughton appears to slip into his 'Salamander' acccent for a brief moment during his initial encounter with 'The Master'? Listen to the way he says 'responsible, eh?' Anyway, it's another good ep which is further enhanced by a spirited performance by Emrys Jones, who we finally get to meet face to face.
The concept behind this story comes to fruition in the last episode. The Master wants the Doctor to replace him, & there's a cleverly written final battle of wits between the two, including the 'Sausages!' outburst has always been a little favourite Troughton moment. Eventually, Jamie & Zoe save the day by overloading the master brain, & the like it's predecessor this episode comes to a rather abrupt end!
Anyhow, I think 'The Mind Robber' is great Who. It never flags throughout it's 5 episodes, & i've really enjoyed watching it again!
And this means i finally get to watch 'The Invasion' DVD over the weekend.

[MacNimon]

I'll have to dig this one out again, as well. I've got to say that it was never a favourite of mine, but admittedly I've only watched it the once, when it was shown as part of BSB's Doctor Who weekend in 1990. It's a story that has never stuck in my mind as being that great, maybe not particularly bad but still not good enough to warrant another viewing. But it could just be that some of the other stories shown that weekend made a much stronger impression...after all, I've now watched The Aztecs, Marinus, 3 Drs etc numerous times since, so I think it's only fair I give this one another shot. It's only taken me 17 years or so to consider it...

[Wayne]

It's only taken me 17 years or so to consider it...

I must admit i've always rather liked this one ever seen i first saw it when the BBC vid came out. And it's the first one probably since 'Tomb' that's not felt a bit too long.

[SiHart]

Mr MacNimon's Mind Robber is my Dominators!

Si xx

[Logo Polish]

The Mind Robber

An oddly structured story, if more by accident than design. The first episode is carried almost entirely by the regulars, bar a few white robots and an unknown voice, and has a distinct motif of blankness about it, like a sheet of paper you haven't started writing or drawing on yet. This quality is shown in the white void the TARDIS lands in and is also used in a vaguely threatening way, with images that seem to come directly from Jamie's and Zoe's memories appearing and disappearing into the emptiness as a means of gulling them, and more directly the way in which they both appear to be turned into emotionless unthinking zombies, both dressed in whitened versions of their own clothes. The whole episode has a lonely, haunted and dreamlike quality, and it almost functions as a one-off interruption between the previous story and the visit to the Land of Fiction.

The concept of the TARDIS exploding, with its outer panels and doors flying off into the darkness, and the occupants spinning away through a black void before disappearing beneath billowing smoke or clouds, is a very effective and jarring break with the usual security associated with the ship. Even allowing for it being common in the 60s for the TARDIS to develop some problem or other, or for the travellers to be forcibly separated from it, this is by far the most serious apparent disaster of that variety to have happened so far, with the crew effectively shipwrecked in a strange land.

The middle three episodes are conceptually similar to The Five Doctors, in a way, given that they revolve around the regulars being trapped in a closed environment and trying to reach its point of central control in an attempt to escape, while meeting a string of various people or creatures which might threaten to hinder their progress. In that sense, the middle episodes are almost plotless, and it's mainly the nature of what they encounter that drives them.

These turn out to be toys or characters from children's fiction, especially of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The children are apparently based on E. Nesbitt type characters, and there are also the galumphing and noisy toy soldiers in Quality Street style uniforms. Gulliver (not originally a children's book, but it became adopted as one not long after its first publication) is a neat way of contrasting one kind of traveller through bizarre places with another (and of course in the real world, both Lemuel Gulliver and Doctor Who have now become iconic characters from children's fiction, at least in Britain). The trick where Gulliver can only speak in words written for him by Jonathan Swift is quite clever too (presumably the same would apply to any other fictional character there and their respective creators?).

The episodes also offer something of a grab bag of concepts associated with childhood - jokes about a door not being a door when it's ajar coming to life, fairytale castles and labyrinths, puzzle pictograms of the kind beloved by annuals (to spell out "Jamie is safe and well"), and concepts from ancient myths like Unicorns, Rapunzel, Medusa, and Minotaurs. For those who recognise these, this material can have quite a primal resonance, a strong evocative pull. You could even say that the Forest of Words is akin to being on the surface of a giant page of writing (apparently that was the original inspiration for the idea). Less successful perhaps, are the more obviously invented elements like the Karkus, which feel a little at odds with the ancient nursery associations, even though Christopher Robbie does attack the part with a certain bullish charm (it also gives Wendy Padbury the chance to do some action scenes, which she hasn't really had the opportunity for so far).

Another interesting concept which, like the first episode, had to be added later out of contingency, is the process of Jamie being given a new face and then his old one back again, when the Doctor and Zoe finally manage to assign the right features to him. Covering Frazer Hines' absence owing to illness, it gives us the rare chance to see a different actor playing a companion, and having to react with bemused exasperation at his friends' distrust and uncertainty (similar to when the Doctor regenerates). Hamish Wilson gives a charming and good humoured performance in the role, speaking with a different accent (more Glaswegian) to the one Hines uses (although it's an unavoidable quirk of production that it's clearly already Wilson's voice calling out to the Doctor even before his face has changed).

There is a weakness in that after it becomes clear that the Doctor and company only to have insist that this or that threat isn't real ("It doesn't exist!") for it to disappear or freeze it's a bit unlikely that any of them would continue to have that problem for any future ones. The Doctor's explanation to Zoe that her fear and belief was "affecting me" is obviously an attempt to partially cover that.

The ultimate nature of their adversary turns out to be somewhat obscure - a parasitic computer (origins unknown) which needs to use an organic host to power this realm and supposedly has a (rather unnecessary, in narrative terms) plot to take over the world as well as wanting the Doctor to take over from the Frank Richards-type author of boys' magazines it's currently using. There's an enjoyably silly duel between them at the end with new characters being summoned up to replace old ones at every move (some of them being real historical people rather than fictitious, incidently), and the intriguing concept of people being turned into fiction by fulfilling what's been written for them (I predict I'll have my tea tonight: have I just turned myself into fiction there?). Overall though, the last episode and a bit feels rushed and underwritten, almost improvised at times, despite the imaginative nature of the ideas.

The last shot, which sees the TARDIS reform, suggests that the last four episodes might have been more of a dream than reality, perhaps a communal one between the three regulars, and some have even speculated about the toy soldiers and robots being possible subconscious representations of the Cybermen, for instance, or the Master of the Land getting his title from the Doctor's own awareness of his own enemy the Master (there's something to this effect in the Discontinuity Guide). While all this is retrospective to say the least, I do rather like that element of ambiguity the ending (arguably) lends it.

[MacNimon]

Mr MacNimon's Mind Robber is my Dominators!

Si xx

Sorry...I was actually talking about The Dominators, not The Mind Robber! I had actually typed out that post a while earlier, before Wayne had posted his Mind Robber one, but somehow managed not to post it! I must have selected Preview Post rather than Submit Reply by accident...

[Wayne]

The Invasion

Well, this is a treat for me because i've been saving this DVD for this thread since it came out, so bar the extras, i haven't seen the animation at all. Once i got going on the dvd this morning, i was immediately enjoying it so much that i didn't want to stop at my 2 episodes a day speed, so i decided i'd spend a pleasant day spreading out the 8 episodes over the day.
And what a nice surprise Episode 1 was! The animation looks splendid! In terms of the narrative/storyline, It's a good, intriguing opener, but the animation made it a really enjoyable episode, & certainly much easier to get involved in the story than just listening to the audio.
Things get even more interesting in Episode 2 when the Doctor & Jamie are taken to the newly formed UNIT HQ, & the Bridadier reveals their suspicions about International Electromatics. Naturally, the real highlight for me, (apart from Sally Faulkner's legs) is seeing Nick Courtney & John Levene in their classic roles, & also Kevin Stoney's charismatic performance as Tobias Vaughn is a pleasure to watch. I like the bit where Zoe overloads the computer, & Vaughan is nothing more than amused by it. Episode 2 is a great ep all round. It flew by!
Episode 3 is another good episode, largely thanks to some great performances. It has to be said that Tobias Vaughn/Kevin Stoney is the man of the match here. A brilliant display of charm, & manipulation in his dealings with Watkins, & outright fury when Jamie & The Doctor escape from Packer. He would've made an excellent Bond villian wouldn't he? Although, of course The Doctor is not fooled or won over for a second.
It's back to that rather wonderful animation for Episode 4, & it's quite an exciting episode too! The helicopter rescue of Zoe & Isobel came over really well, & again Kevin Stoney dominates the episode, reminding me of his earlier Mavic Chen incarnation, with Vaughn's plans in mind to use his 'allies', rather than the other way around. The cliffhanger where we see the animated Cybeman looks great! - And reminds me that despite the presence of the Cyber Controller from time to time, i've been enjoying the story so much that i'd almost forgotten that this is a Cybermen story. In fact, in a funny way, it kind of helps not to think of it as one; In the same way that 'Day of the Daleks' is a great story, in spite of the Daleks themselves not being represented particularly well in it.
The story continues apace in Episode 5. Again, somewhat remeniscent of Mavic Chen; Vaughn is growing in confidence. He is now issuing demands upon the Cybercontroller, & he deliberately revives a Cyberman in order to test Watkins' machine, which sends the Cyberman mad with fear! Meanwhile, Jamie, Zoe, & Isobel go off down the sewers, leading to a great cliffhanger when the policeman is killed, & the mad Cyberman is homing in on what the Brigadier described as 'those crazy kids'. The Cybermen voices are a bit puny in this story, though. Even the ones in 'Wheel in Space' are better, IMO. Anyway, - another cracking episode!
No sign at all of this story flagging with a great Episode 6; In fact the tension is rising still as Vaughn's plans through his alliance with the Cybermen are starting to come to fruition. Also, I love the scene where Vaughn goads Watkins into shooting him, which is fine scene for Edward Burnham, who plays it really well. Meanwhile, the iconic imagery of the Cybermen coming out of the sewers & invading London, is classic cliffhanger material!
Still no let up in the tension throughout Episode 7. Vaughn is gradually becoming more meglomaniacal as the Cybermen's invasion proceeds, & whilst the Doctor manages to make his way to Vaughn's HQ in order to try to deal with him, UNIT gear up to attack the Cybermen's spaceships, & Zoe helps out by calculating how the missiles can bring about the most destruction to the invasion fleet, which in turn proves to be catalyst for the Cybermen to end their alliance with Vaughn. *Pauses to draw breath. It's all exciting stuff!
It's an action packed final episode which never let's up! We've got UNIT soldiers in battles with the Cybermen, in the midst of a new crisis presented by the Cyber-megatron bomb. Meanwhile, Vaughn; his dreams shattered teams up with the Doctor to defy the Cybermen before he is killed, & finally there's big time suspense over whether the Russian missile can be successfully deployed in time to finally polish off the Cybermen; Which of course it does in the nick of time. My only minor gripe, & it's purely a personal perspective, is the Doctor's infamous Laurel & Hardy style running away from the explosions. It's just so naff.
But it's still a great finale to one of the best stories of Troughton's era. It may not be the best story purely from a cybermen action point of view, but it's got so much other stuff going for it, that it doesn't really detract from the story. It's been a long time since i've seen the video release, but of course it's been even more of a pleasure to watch the story, all cleaned up on shiny disc with animated missing episodes. I'm sure this will do well in my season rankings.

[Pip Madeley]

Correct Wayne.

[Wayne]

Correct Wayne.

What is?

[Pip Madeley]

Everything you said about how The Invasion is bloody wonderful.

(especially Kevin Stoney as the man of the match)

[Wayne]

Everything you said about how The Invasion is bloody wonderful.

(especially Kevin Stoney as the man of the match)

Ah, i see. I wondered if you were referring to something specific.
Thanks for that, anyway.

[Logo Polish]

The Invasion

There's quite a distinctive feel to this story, all stark and industrial, with its factories, offices, armies, security guards and military hardware. In contrast to the light whimsy of the previous story and the more science fiction-based settings of much of the rest of the era, this is closer to a (then) modern action thriller.

The plot is driven by Tobias Vaughan's ambitions and personality more than anything else, certainly much more than the Cybermen, who are mainly used as a means for his plans until the very end stages. Vaughan's authoritarian megalomania does indeed, as Wayne suggested, have hallmarks of some of the grandiose Bond villains. The compound housing his buildings is practically a private fiefdom for him with his own army. The company he runs, IE, replicates its own distinctive microchips in most forms of technology going in a way that mirrors his own stated belief in centralised uniformity, as also shown in the way he has had his office from the factory duplicated at the compound (although no doubt that was also a handy way of saving the budget).

All this helps to indicate that Vaughan's own beliefs are ultimately not all far removed from the Cybermen's imperative. Just as the latter have become a mass of identical drones which exist primarily to impose the same uniformity on everyone else, so Vaughan laments the way the world is, in his view "a mess of unco-ordinated and impossible ideals". He believes he is the man who can create perfection on Earth by having it remade according to the dictates of a "strong leader". It's partly this overwhelming ego of his that allows him to quarrel with the Cyberplanner and make demands of it, resisting any idea of his undergoing the full Cyberconversion process.

But it's also the same egotism and overconfidence in his abilities which prove he isn't fit to realise his ambitions, and which ultimately turn out to be his downfall. When the Cybermen smash up his carefully built support system, he is left a broken and disorientated man, stumbling confusedly after the Doctor and barely able to concentrate or focus on what he is doing, with only his self-confessed bitterness and hatred of the Cybermen propelling him onwards.

The mask he's been wearing throughout most of the story, of a self-confident master tactician in full control of the situation, has allowed him to adopt a shifty purring charm while dealing with other people, usually by patronising them. But Packer in particular has also witnessed his outbursts of thundering rage, brought on from time to time when thwarted by incompetence or defiance. These outbursts, apart from anticipating similar tantrums by Delgado's Master in later years, help to demonstrate the weakness and intolerance at his core. And in the end, the core is all that's left of his personality. It's a fine performance from Kevin Stoney, who judges the many mood changes very well all through.

It's as well that Packer is as incompetent as he is sadistic though, as otherwise the various captures and escapes that make up much of the first half of the story might have proved more of a headache for the regulars. As it is, the sequences leading on from Troughton's sabotage of the lift at the IE compound to the eventual helicopter rescue are one of my favourite bits of the era, perhaps because of the sheer cheek of the Doctor's method of getting out of danger.

Other sequences that keep the interest going include the scene where Professor Watkins is goaded to use the gun on Vaughan and eventually forces himself to, only to collapse in shock at the result, and the sequence of Isobel, Zoe and Jamie exploring the sewers. This last is a bit problematic I think though, in that this unauthorised expedition ultimately leads to the deaths of a policemen and and at least one soldier sent to rescue them - in other words these deaths are mainly due to their recklessness. While there is a rough attempt to address this later with Isobel apologising to Captain Turner about the soldier's death, it does leave me with a vague sense of wondering whether this is meant, in narrative terms, as a sort of punishment for Isobel and Zoe defying the Brigadier's warnings that this isn't work suitable for them.

It's a bit unfortunate that the scene showing Watkins being rescued by UNIT was never recorded, as the action does come over as somewhat disjointed and abrupt in consequence, although I can understand the argument that the intention of the unfilmed scene - in which Gregory would have shot at the UNIT soldiers to prevent the rescue - would have been uncharacteristically brave for the character. I'm amazed he'd even go back to IE and not just try to flee as far away as possible actually.

The scale of the invasion is much more akin to the sort of thing the 2005 revival of the series has done, with radio signals supposedly affecting everyone on the planet, bar a handful equipped with neuristors. Presumably this is also one reason why hardly anyone on Earth in this time (in the Pertwee era) will be aware of the rampaging Cybermen...The sequences of them marching through London and the tunnels also lend them considerable presence and it's easy to see how they became such iconic images.

There's a splash of glamour added to the story by Isobel and her interest in fashion and photography, and pairing Zoe with her brings out a more playful side in the latter than has been seen before, although the rapid-calculation brainbox aspect to her character is still in evidence at the end when she's helping to work out missile trajectories. Jamie and the Doctor's double act is in evidence for much of the time, especially the business at the compound mentioned earlier, or indeed the Doctor's frequent exasperation at the noisy radio Vaughan gives Jamie.

Overall it's quite a substantial story for its time and while the pace flags a little towards the end, there's plenty of action and interest along the way.

[Wayne]

Another top review, Logo. Your contributions to this thread have been excellent.
I'll be watching 'The Krotons' today, & 'Seeds of Death' over Sunday & Monday. It's so much easier now that i'm on complete stories!
Just the 'The Space Pirates' (mostly) audio hurdle to get over later in the week, & should complete 'The War Games' next weekend.

(Has Ralph finished 'Web of Fear' yet? - Has Jonno even started on 'Tomb'?)

[Logo Polish]

Thanks Wayne.

It's a shame they didn't keep the airborne UNIT H.Q. for longer. Pertwee would have loved that one...

[Ralph]

(Has Ralph finished 'Web of Fear' yet? - Has Jonno even started on 'Tomb'?)

You guys have put up some tremedous reviews....er no I haven't completed Web yet

But I hope it's OK to come in at the tail end with my comments

[Stuart Wallis]

The Mind Robber

This story is good, especially given the circumstances behind its writing. The main problem with the narrative is the couple of cliffhangers which are very similar. That aside, the opening episode sets things up very well. The white robots are very sinister, and the white void is atmospheric. Amazing what you can do with a limited amount of available sets at hand. Jamie's "regeneration" was another good example of the writers' inventiveness. The rest of the story is of a high quality as well. It was a very clever use of the lines from Gulliver's Travels to give to the version of Gulliver here. The toy soldiers are as good as the robots as monsters go, fitting in with the children's corner concepts appearing elsewhere. And it was a good idea to show Rapunzel as being somewhat picky about who climbs her hair. The Master and his controller were a good, ambiguous idea; where did the machine come from, and how did it get hold of the Master?

I'll have to go away for a bit and have a think about The Invasion, as it's come round slightly sooner than expected. Oh, and thanks for the compliment Wayne.

[Wayne]

I'll have to go away for a bit and have a think about The Invasion, as it's come round slightly sooner than expected. Oh, and thanks for the compliment Wayne.

You're welcome.
Yes, i'm speeding up a bit, for the next two stories anyway. Already done 2 eps of 'The Krotons', & so that will be finished tonight, & 'Seeds of Death' will done by Tuesday at the latest; If not before.

[Jonno]

Has Jonno even started on 'Tomb'?)

Yup, in the second week of the year. Alas, thing have stalled since then with the combination of doing some DVD commenatry catch ups plus doing loads of recording Confidentials onto disc.

I knew it would be tough keeping to my rigid planned daily schedule once I went back to work...

[Wayne]

The Krotons

Last time i watched this one it was in the company of Jonno & Ralph last year, & all i really remember is the 3 of us pissing ourselves at the Krotons & their voices.
Episode 1 is very slow indeed, It sets up the basic premise of the story, but it basically takes a whole episode to acheive what could really've done in 10 minutes. The only bits that really spring to mind from the first ep are Jamie's fight scene, & the student 'protest' in the learning hall.
Episode 2 manages to invoke a slightly more serious feel. There's something of an atmosphere of quite grave concern for Vana, & then the Doctor's outburst at Zoe when she's selected after doing the Kroton's intelligence tests is quite sharp. The rather laughable Krotons make their appearance proper in this ep, which raises a wry smile & a chuckle from me, But the episode still proceeds pretty slowly though. Mind you, Zoe looks hot. I'll definitely look forward to seeing this story on vidfired shiny disc.
In Episode 3, most of the scenes between the Gonds, particulary Eelek & Beta; both well played by Philip Madoc & James Cairncross, come across very well, But unfortunately, much of drama in any of the Kroton's scenes is undermined by the fact that they're just so comical. It does make for quite fun viewing though, even so. The overall pace of the story still feels like pretty slow going though, but it's a good cliffhanger as the Doctor gets covered in rubble from the cave in.
The final episode is still a bit slow, but i've seen worse. There's some tension around Eelek's confrontaion with the Kroton's, when they state that will leave the Gond's world if they give up the 'high brains', Zoe & the Doctor. But eventually, after what feels like a rather procrastinated resolution to the story, the Doctor manages to destroy the Krotons with sulphuric acid.
That pretty much sums it up for me, really. To my mind, this one is a bit like 'The Dominators' in that it has unintentionally humourous qualities to it, which can make the story more fun to watch if you're in the right mood. But there's no getting round the fact that it's slow going stuff. In fact, even though it's an episode shorter than 'The Dominators', it doesn't feel like it, & i reckon if push comes to shove, i probably prefer 'The Dominators'.
Although, Padders does look particularly good in this one.......

Speeding up i know, but i think i'll watch a couple or 3 eps of 'Seeds of Death' tonight.