beccaelizabeth's dreamwidth journal

Today I rewatched the first episode of Mawdryn Undead, the one where we first meet Turlough, and he steals the Brigadier's car
and I noticed something even funnier about Turlough wearing a school uniform while he travels

the students aren't even wearing the same stuff.
It's not a uniform.
They're wearing suits with all the same tie and hat, but the suits can be grey brown blue black.

He just wears black.



I went back to watching 11 when I realised between the Slow and the picture quality I just don't have the patience for the classic stuff when it is this hot.


I still think it's a great intro for a character. Start with someone who doesn't want to be on the planet to the point he reckons he wouldn't mind the car crash killing him. Make him make a deal with Evil to Murder the main character. Show he can't get rid of it now he's said it.
Tea time family viewing at its best.

This morning I watched Mark of the Rani while eating my soup. I watched it on the iplayer instead of getting my dvds down, on the vague theory that they might be counting how many people go 'hmmm, I wonder who that person in that episode was' and go to the iplayer for more, which might influence the general existence of future episodes. Don't know, but, figured it was the same thing so I might as well.

Only when it is on DVD I can play it faster. Playing it faster is preferred for older TV. For it is not fast.

I noticed especially with establishing shots. They spent like a minute looking at people covered in coal doing coal things. They weren't doing plot things or having lines yet, just walking around covered in coal. I think we'd get like six seconds of that in a newer show.

I've been listening to a lot of 6 in audios so I thiught I'd remember quite well what he's like, but I forgot quite how much he was like it back on the tele.

Also I found he moves around a lot more than my audio imaginary Doctor. I imagine them doing things that make the plot go, but actual live acting just has him moving around jumping down off things or looking at stuff in ways the audios wouldn't mention. My imagination has been leaving that out.

After watching the whole story I concluded that (a) that was a proper Doctor Who story (b) the one in my head was the Good Bits Version, even if the Good Bits were just it being faster, and somewhat augmented by owning the novelisation much longer than the recorded episode, and (c) I think some of the people complaining about Doctor Who in endless comment threads elseweb have only been watching the Good Bits Version in their heads for some time.

Not that Doctor Who is ever without flaw, but I think maybe some of them should try writing their good bits version and see what they come up with. Or try Yes And ing the show a bit.

... yes I know there is a place for critique but reading the comment threads all season I see people watching every episode to say the exact same thing and like, why? If they want to watch the old thing it is right there also.



ANYway



I also listened to three connected Big Finish Audios, The Helliax Rift, Hour of the Cybermen, and Warlock's Cross.
Three different Doctors meet the same man at three points in his life. It's also three UNIT adventures so you see assorted changes in UNIT across some years the TV didn't keep a close eye on them. Also going from a general UNIT attitude of 'oh it's him again, keep him out of the way' to 'who is the Doctor? find out later, too busy'. Interesting progression over not so many years.

Helliax Rift was a bit of a horror story but at rather more of a distance than a Torchwood story would have done. ( Read more... )

Hour of the Cybermen is the most adventure shaped, but the connection to recurring characters from the first one is mostly sad. ( Read more... )

Warlock's Cross seemed to me the strongest story of the three, because of how it used 7 and Klein and the idea of roads not taken and wanting so badly to change the past. There was a really good bit with 7 ( Read more... )

So the juxtapositions make you think instead of just keeping you jogging along the plot.


I thought the third story was strongest but by keeping some of the characters and setting but jumping the timeline forward you got interesting angles.


Not ones that made me like UNIT more.

But interesting.


Good stories, liked them as a set.

Plan to listen them again when I am better at concentrating and not actively doing other stuff at the time.

Wish World: quite the most unpleasant world yet. The scariest thing Doctor Who has shown us, ( Read more... ) That was not a subtle story but it landed some hits.
I think I'll withhold judgement until next week though. How the whole thing works depends on what he does with the ending. Nicely done so far but who knows.

I will say though it is the most RTD thing to make *that* earlier episode turn out to be important. So I rewatched ( Read more... )


Also listened to this week

Susan's War 3, Grandfather Time: more Time War stories, this time with the guy who doesn't want to be called The Doctor but thankfully for the writers will still answer to Grandfather.
I liked these two. Sending Susan on diplomatic rescue missions suits her. And this one of her grandfather has an extra edge to his actions, which compare contrasts interestingly to his earlier self who was still refusing the war after Susan had signed up.
( Read more... )

These Susan's War stories give her plenty to do and I like that.


After the Daleks, a Doctor Who Early Adventure, picks up Susan's adventures when she was still trying to get into the TARDIS that last time, then keeps going until she actually chooses for herself from a number of available options. It does a lot of good stuff with the setting, not just the immediate leftovers of the Dalek invasion but politics and bad guys stoking hate of aliens just to win an election. It would be really nice if that story was never timely.

Susan and Jack have a lot in common, and it would be interesting for them to have a conversation about it. Also, Jack would get to the relevant era on the slow path, which is actually pretty worrying when you think they'd still have to wait for the Doctor to fix things. Except Jack is from after the Time War and we're only sure Susan was there Before. What that whole era looks like After the Time War is still a question.

But Jack got left behind and according to Big Finish ended up in the historical record in such a way you have to wonder if a conscientious time traveller had to leave him there. And Susan does something here that would put her on the record right away. So, interesting.



I continue to like Doctor Who, so that's nice.

My first thought was
oh, Doctor Who has tieflings now
and then my second thought was
hmmm, people with horns can refer to antisemitic caricatures
so my third thought is
that is going to add a layer of complication to the interpretation then.

The Eurovision but in space setup did do the thing of showing a lot of silly and then landing on politics and protest. I liked that. Taking it seriously amid the camp and confetti canons.

And the Hellions were at least a bit complicated, not all same same like the goblins.

( Read more... )

I realise I am under a spoiler cut but I keep on being vague about the Big Reveals and then realising there is no degree of vague that is vague enough, so, Watch The Episode First, there is surprises.

( Read more... )

And now I'm distracted enough I'll stop writing this because I forgot if I was going anywhere in particular.

I liked the episode. I watch TV with the sound pretty much off and the subtitles on so there's a whole layer to this one I mostly wasn't getting, but Noise is Difficult, so.

I think it did good with setting and characters.

I have been finishing things and then going on to the next thing without writing them up, which today bothered me enough to go fetch the stack back here and write about them.

Doctor Who: Origin Stories
Difficult to give a rating. I think I decided on 3.5/5 stars in the end. The stories vary a lot.
The one about Vastra was very good indeed and I would give it a 5 as a short stand alone.
Same for the one about Kate and her mother and relationship with her father. Covered a lot of significant stuff for the page count.
The rest suffer rather from having to tidy up before they go. ( Read more... )

Glad I read it, not sure I'm happy how much shelf space it will take vs how many pages of it I actually liked.



Doctor Who: The Legends of River Song
I gave this one 5/5. It was going to be 4.5 but when I asked myself what more I would want from River Song published fiction I didn't think of much so I gave it a 5.
It's five shorter stories in one book, and among the Doctor Who running around saving things it manages to hit some strong emotional bits. River and children, or River and predestination paradox. A character that believes they've got a hard deadline. More than one character not recognised as a person by others, just shaped to someone else's design. And where the last story leaves her is also mean, but in a way that underlines canon and how rough it was on her.
I love stories with River, she's such an interesting character, and this set were great.


Big Finish Audio: The Diary of River Song: The Orphan Quartet
Another 5/5
Having said I love River, I am a bit behind on listening to her Big Finish stories. I think to start with I didn't want to run out, and this is the last under this series name. But there's more now with a different name so still some to listen.
These stories had a lot about love and loss and being left behind, not just by the Doctor, but by family, mothers and their children, trying to balance letting go and feeling lost.
I'd have more detail to say if I'd written this right after I listened.
I don't remember much about the Excise Men. I feel like it did a clever plot about forgetting so this might be thematic on my part. It hit me in the feels the least, but it was good plot.
Harvest of the Krotons really worked. I remember loving everything with Jackie and River together. A friendship I would not have thought of but they work, and River has a perspective that's helpful for empty nest Jackie Tyler.
oh hey, free excerpt on Big Finish is this ep https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-diary-of-river-song-harvest-of-the-krotons-excerpt-2925
It seemed to strike a balance between having fun with gossip magazine characters and valuing Jackie's perspective. She's so distinctive for DW she goes great with a lot of characters now I think about it.
Dead Man Talking was powerful stuff, made more so because I didn't guess when it was set until it told me, and then a lot of things clicked like cold water. Strong story.
The Wife of River Song is an excellent story. I particularly liked ( Read more... ) The story covered a lot of strong emotional ground, leaving and being left, not leaving and being called in like River calls the Doctor, lots of echoes and issues and feelings. I do recommend it. Trigger warning though, ( Read more... ).



UNIT Incursions
I listened to this one for the story The Power of River Song. There was not as much River Song in it as I was in the mood for, and I didn't feel like I knew the UNIT characters well enough to get any layers of meaning going.
Picking up the 8th box set in a series as your first listen will do that though.
I gave it 3.5 stars at the time, but it has some good ideas and I'd probably like it better if I was here for the main characters.


The last one I was going to review I can't right now remember if I reviewed it before, and the journal search isn't working for me at the minute. Also I don't think the bit where I fell asleep in the middle was the story's fault. So I'll leave it be. It's more fun telling about the good ones.

Many good ones exist and here are several.

That was a strong episode.
Sort of felt high contrast bold bright colors about it, not a subtle story, but covered some strong emotional and political territory.
( Read more... )

I am liking this season and look forwards to more.

That was quite good :-)
I recommend watching it without spoilers. I think it would have been better if I had not forgotten what time it was and looked on tumblr before viewing. I think the first watch version where it is all Surprise Twists would be even better than the version Oh It's That Bit Cool.
It seemed clever and fun and Doctor Who.

I do not have very detailed thoughts on it this week. I woke up in the middle of my sleep because the food delivery slots were odd this week. I am thinking mostly that more sleep might be quite nice.

I relistened House of Blue Fire, which introduced Sally Morgan. https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-house-of-blue-fire-320
It has its good points but I feel like it interrupted its own momentum to tell a different story, and ( Read more... )

Pretty okay adventure but it gave me the writer feel where you want to unplait it and use it for parts.

It's Christmas themed but blurs into New Year a bit so I timed listening to it just right.
Ace and Mr Colchester tell each other ghost stories by firelight.
By Joseph Lidster, and you can tell.
( Read more... )
I don't want to say much about the plot(s) because this is an excellent piece, tense and personal.
It fits well with what we know of them already but isn't predictable. It expands on Torchwood, the Institute, and what they have been like. And then it ends on an excellent note.

I give it 5/5 stars.

I watched the Christmas Doctor Who
many feels in one story, lots of whoosh and characters sketched in fast, connecting then going, the Doctor having some feelings too
then it made me cry

I think I hated the ending

then I thought about every other ending in the Whoniverse I hated so now I am having feelings of a non festive sort.

not sure that is a useful reaction or a useful review.

Today I listened to Big Finish's final part of their 60th anniversary audios
Doctor Who: Once and Future: Coda - The Final Act
(a title I went and cooied from their website because long yet similar to many things)

It features the Fugitive Doctor and the War Doctor, and I liked it plenty. ( Read more... )

After I finished the Constance monthly adventures I went back and listened to Flip, slightly out of order. I haven't listened (or relistened, not sure which) Vortex Ice Cortex Fire but I've listened the rest.
Some interesting and consistent creative choices were made.
But they're a bit... worrying? Like, at the same time, Flip should not be travelling without a bunch of therapy, and, the idea that the Doctor wouldn't want her travelling with him is part of why she maybe needs a bunch of therapy.
( Read more... )

I know where her story is going because I accidentally started my relisten there, but just at the minute I don't quite see how it meets up in the middle.



But since there's only one monthly adventure with her left, I guess I can find out today.