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Dangermouse
Registered: 12/01/05
Posts: 229
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 Friday, January 06 2006 @ 04:03 AM EST |
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I just started watching this - it's been a good few years since I last watched it (probably with my brother cowering behind a cushion asking for Coronation Street to be put on instead!).
There is a fantastic in-joke that I was too young to notice/appreciate when I first watched it:
Ace is in a B&B or something and swtiches on the telly. After it has warmed up there is a BBC logo and the announcer says something (along the lines of) "And now for another episode of the long running BBC Sci-Fi series Doc-" and the scene cuts away - BRILLIANT!!! 
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He's the strongest, he's the quickest, he's the best.....
"Yorkshire is a state of mind"
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Friday, January 06 2006 @ 08:17 AM EST |
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That episode is so packed with references that I lost track.
That's a good one, of course.
But my favorite part of this episode was that in the middle of this fun show was a great scene obviously designed to ensure that nostalgists don't go around thinking "Ah, it was all so much better back then."
Ace is in the B&B and turns over a sign saying "No Coloreds".
Wow. They just didn't have to put that in, but they did.
That was incredible.
Add that to the appearance of Geoffrey (from "Fresh Prince of Bellair") to counterpoint the issue of racism in the UK (and the world) in the 1960s.
That's one of the reasons I consider this one of the best Who episodes, and certainly McCoy's best.
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Friday, January 06 2006 @ 12:19 PM EST |
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[Quote by: Dangermouse] After it has warmed up there is a BBC logo and the announcer says something (along the lines of) "And now for another episode of the long running BBC Sci-Fi series Doc-" and the scene cuts away - BRILLIANT!!!
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They did not use "long running" for this was a homage to the first transmission of Doctor Who in November 1963, as this story was the "25th anniversary special". I'm not sure if they used the original continuity announcement, or a recreation. I wonder if the Beginning box set will have this?
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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That Neil Guy
Registered: 01/02/06
Posts: 256
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| Friday, January 06 2006 @ 01:21 PM EST |
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I received this episode for Christmas. It'll be the first Sylvester McCoy episode I've ever seen. So far, I've watched the first couple of minutes and was instantly embarrassed by Ace's huge ghetto blaster. Yikes, I knew this was an 80's era episode, but I didn't expect it to be that firmly rooted in the 80's...
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http://thatneilguy.blogspot.com
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Friday, January 06 2006 @ 02:05 PM EST |
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| [Quote by: That Neil Guy] I ... was instantly embarrassed by Ace's huge ghetto blaster. |
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And you can contrast that to the small transistor radio used by Susan in An Unearthly Child. Companions..., harumph! 
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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Dangermouse
Registered: 12/01/05
Posts: 229
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| Saturday, January 07 2006 @ 02:25 AM EST |
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That Neil Guy - you won't be disappointed! It's a great set of episodes. McCoy is very funny and although it's dated a bit, it isn't too bad. Infact, most of the special effects don't look bad at all.
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He's the strongest, he's the quickest, he's the best.....
"Yorkshire is a state of mind"
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WarrenPeace
Registered: 12/17/05
Posts: 109
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| Saturday, January 07 2006 @ 03:27 AM EST |
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| I find McCoy, in general, is really underated as a Doctor... he has quite a few good eps. |
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That Is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie,
And With Strange Aeons Even Death May Die.
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hdutch007
Registered: 12/27/05
Posts: 340
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| Saturday, January 07 2006 @ 08:54 AM EST |
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| warrenpeace, I also thought that McCoy was underrated. He had lots of good stories, (well, he didn't have lots of stories at all, but what he did have were pretty good). I liked the warmth he brought to the role. After Colin Baker's doctor's apparant disdain for all things below his elevated logic, including his companions, McCoy had a real onscreen fondness for Ace most of the time. I was watching Curse of Fenric recently, and he and Ace are listening in on a room and McCoy turns to Ace and makes a funny face then smiles warmly at her. You can feel his affection. Something tells me that this was not scripted, that it was just McCoy being McCoy. It was refreshing after years of "know it all" doctors. |
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Heath Holland
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Saturday, January 07 2006 @ 09:14 AM EST |
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Oh, it's obvious McCoy had affection for Aldred. In a kind of older uncle kind of way perhaps...
But perhaps not. Watch the extras in "Ghost Light" and you can see they're quite friendly between takes.
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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Dangermouse
Registered: 12/01/05
Posts: 229
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| Sunday, January 08 2006 @ 02:18 AM EST |
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| In Rememberence of the Daleks when Ace is upset that she has to stay in and miss the action, the Doctor puts his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. I loved the dynamic between them. |
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He's the strongest, he's the quickest, he's the best.....
"Yorkshire is a state of mind"
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Sunday, January 08 2006 @ 11:54 AM EST |
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Rememberence of the Daleks, in my opinion was a turning point for the McCoy era. I thought that the first season's stories were weak. It was either the script, or the tone of the interpretations by the production, but I did not feel that Season 24 boded well for Doctor Who. McCoy's second season was a step in the right direction, but the Candyman...  was an embarassment. Though some of the stories of Season 26 were a bit dense, they were much better than Season 24, and the season was most consistant of the era. I liked the way Sylvestor McCoy settled into his role. Alas, this wasn't enough to keep the general public watching, or grow the audience. Actually, the last season lost about a million viewer from the previous year, which was the nail in the coffin for the program.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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That Neil Guy
Registered: 01/02/06
Posts: 256
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| Sunday, January 08 2006 @ 12:48 PM EST |
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I'm really looking forward to finally viewing it (despite the ghetto blaster). I've read so many interesting comments about McCoy's Doctor that I'm eager to see him for myself. So far I have heard one Big Finish with McCoy, so I've been able to get a small sense of him there, and also read one novel (Algebra of Ice) with his Doctor and, again, it only served to intrigue me more. I think I'll enjoy McCoy when I finally start seeing his episodes -- especially if I just stick with dvd releases and completely avoid his first season...
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Sunday, January 08 2006 @ 02:18 PM EST |
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I enjoyed watching Time and the Rani even though the story had quite a few holes. Some of the effects were good for its time. I hated Paradise Towers on first viewing, and haven't gone back to it. This may actually be better than my memory allows me to believe. It is just that the realization of the actual menace was poor, and not very believable. I may give this one another go to see if I can overlook that element and enjoy the story. Delta and the Bannermen was a runaround that I didn't get the point of on first viewing and Dragonfire had some interesting elements that didn't seem to gel. Maybe too much was left on the cutting room floor. I was always confused by that famous literal cliff hanger, as there seemed to be no point for it, other than having a cliffhanger. For some, the reason for not watching this season is blamed on the Doctor's companion. Mel is probably one of fandom's least favorite companions. For others it is the nonsensical plot elements that seem to pervade this season. But I would not dismiss this season totally. Most fans opinions, especially my own, were colored by our expectations for the series after its resurrection from "hiatus". This was a very difficult time, as Trial of a Time Lord was not the success most had hoped for. The most telling barometer was the drop of, on average, two and a quarter million viewers from the prior season. McCoy's first season actually showed a marginal uptick in the viewership figures over Colin Baker's last season.
That first season may not be a good introduction to the seventh Doctor, but I would not dismiss it off-hand. At least it didn't have the Candyman.
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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Cynful456
Registered: 11/08/05
Posts: 20
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| Sunday, January 15 2006 @ 10:57 PM EST |
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[Quote by: tarashnat]
I enjoyed watching Time and the Rani even though the story had quite a few holes. Some of the effects were good for its time. I hated Paradise Towers on first viewing, and haven't gone back to it. This may actually be better than my memory allows me to believe. It is just that the realization of the actual menace was poor, and not very believable. I may give this one another go to see if I can overlook that element and enjoy the story. Delta and the Bannermen was a runaround that I didn't get the point of on first viewing and Dragonfire had some interesting elements that didn't seem to gel. Maybe too much was left on the cutting room floor. I was always confused by that famous literal cliff hanger, as there seemed to be no point for it, other than having a cliffhanger. For some, the reason for not watching this season is blamed on the Doctor's companion. Mel is probably one of fandom's least favorite companions. For others it is the nonsensical plot elements that seem to pervade this season. But I would not dismiss this season totally. Most fans opinions, especially my own, were colored by our expectations for the series after its resurrection from "hiatus". This was a very difficult time, as Trial of a Time Lord was not the success most had hoped for. The most telling barometer was the drop of, on average, two and a quarter million viewers from the prior season. McCoy's first season actually showed a marginal uptick in the viewership figures over Colin Baker's last season.
That first season may not be a good introduction to the seventh Doctor, but I would not dismiss it off-hand. At least it didn't have the Candyman.
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I agree Tara. McCoy's first season was a mixed bag, but is is fun to watch as its one of the campiest seasons of Doctor Who. I really enjoyed McCoy's Doctor, and even though he had episodes such as "Paradise Towers", if anything you can just sit back and chuckle. It's the perfect episode to MST3K while you watch.
As for the comment about Mel, you are spot on. She was truly grating.
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TelegramSam
Registered: 01/16/06
Posts: 19
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| Tuesday, January 17 2006 @ 07:16 PM EST |
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I'm quite fond of this episode, especially that scene in the tea shop where the Doctor is mulling over consequences of seemingly inconsequencial actions.
There are a lot of good moments in this story.
I agree Sylv's totally underrated. I dunno why McCoy gets so much flack (especially over on Outpost Gallifrey where you can't even breath the guy's name without having the resident anti-McCoy Greek Chorus show up to screech about how much they hate him), other than the fact that his first season was a bit shakey and the sets were sometimes bad.
He had a lot of really good stories, though: Rememberence of the Daleks, Ghost Light, Curse of Fenric, Battlefield, Greatest Show in the Galaxy (a personal favorite of mine), and even The Happiness Patrol was written quite well, even if the costumes were yuck.
Guess there's just no pleasing some people though. I've noticed that generally the people who hate him the most are the ones with the least imagination. The ones who've totally forgotten everything about what being a child is like, if you catch my drift. Poor sad things.
"File under 'Imagination comma Lack Of:'" |
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