Hanging from A Cliff....

[Andrew Curnow]

I started the same thread in the S18 forum, and I see no reason not to flog a dead horse by bringing it up here. So - Season 24's cliffhangers. Which ones were good, which ones were bad, why in the name of heaven did nobody stop the end of Dragonfire part one from ever reaching our screens, and which were your favourites?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Which ones were bad? Pretty much anyone that relied on Bonnie Langford screaming.

Seriously I remember the one where Bonnie is caught in an exploding forcefield in Time and the Rani we actually cheered. Imagine our expressions next episode when she was rescued. How utterly horrid.

[Rob McCow]

Well that's one way to look at it - the anti-cliffhanger! Each episode ends on a high as it looks like Mel might cop it!

The whole of Season 24 is dominated by the part one cliffhanger to Dragonfire. There's a really good element of Ace and Mel being threatened by the superb dragon creature, juxtaposed with the seventh Doctor checking his watch, seeing that 23 minutes of his life have gone by and deciding that he really ought to be getting in trouble around now!

The cliffhanger to Part 3 of Time and The Rani is one of my earliest Doctor Who memories. It was about two months before I started watching the show regularly and I only caught it by accident because I was lining up for 'Hi-De-Hi'. The Doctor's having his brain drained - Mel can't help him because a giant bat is licking out her ear - and an evil woman is laughing! Great stuff.

I also really like the end of Part 4 of Time and The Rani. 'Don't worry Mel,' says the Doctor. 'I'll grow on you.' And he did!

[Dino]

I remember reading in DWM a letter from someone saying "Less of these 'Get up against the wall please, I'm going to shoot you" cliffhangers.
I had no idea what the hell he was on about but thinking back...

I suppose the first cliffhanger in TATR was pretty much the best of that story?
I didn't like McCoy's gurning at the end of part 3 of Paradise Towers, and the cliffhanger to the first part of Delta And The Bannermen was a bit weak.
It's like every week there was a "What minor inconvenience will the Doctor face at the end of the episode?"
And although the Dragonfire part 1 looked amazing, there was no real point as to why he got there? And considering the other cliffhanger was Kane looking into camera (DUDE!! YOU'RE BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL, MANNNN!!!) the McCoy stunt overshadowed it?
Although Paradise Towers part 2 was quite suprising.

So I'm voting for Dragonfire part 1.

"Dit dit dit dit... tinkle tinkle... Dit dit dit dit... (I step away from the mic and lower the pitch) Dit dit dit dit...(another low) Dit dit dit dit (And to finish on another low) Dit dit diiit diiiitttt"

[SiHart]

In contrast to Season 18 there are very few outstanding cliffhangers this year. Doctor Who was suffering a bit from the Doctor in Danger cliffhangers of Trial still, and so there's still too many where there's a zoom on the Doctor's face after being sentenced to death or something.

That said TATR pt 1 is pretty damn good, even with the outrageous screaming from Mel- because the bubble traps look pretty cool and the whole thing is pulled off rather well.
Paradise Towers pt 2 is really rather unsettling and nasty (and only has a little shriek from Mel) and goes against expectation.
Delta pt 2 is also rather good, just for the look into the camera given by McCoy, Langford and Davies. Nice confrontation between McCoy and Henderson before it too...
And Dragonfire pt 2 is rather menacing.

Si xx

[Larry]

I
So I'm voting for Dragonfire part 1.

"

I think the cliff hanger to ep1 of Drgaonfire is more baffling rather than bad and it's no worse than chequred patern on a floor...