"build high for happiness"

[usuallyhats]

I really want to get back into the swing of a) watching and b) posting about Classic Who. To that end, here are some words about "Paradise Towers"!

I had pretty high expectations for this one, having read the novelisation (I am never sure how I should be spelling that and am sadly too lazy to consult Google) when I was about ten and finding it really creepy and cool. The actual TV version didn't quite live up to it, but I still liked it a lot. OK, I did spend a lot of time wondering how long, exactly, they had all been on Paradise Towers - Pex didn't seem old enough for it to have been THAT long, but, on the other hand: breakdown of society, cheery cannibalism... hmmm.

One thing that didn't disappoint me was how chilling the death of and memorial for the last yellow Kang were, brrr. Made up for the Cleaners not being quite as scary as they were in my head. :D

Some nicely dynamic direction in places, I enjoyed that! The moving camera work was a bit wobbly in places, but I liked it otherwise, and the set with the balcony-thing (gantry? What are words?) was cool.

Aw, Mel, she just wanted to go swimming! I feel like the characterisations of her and the Doctor are settling down pretty well here: it's a shame they didn't get to spend much time together, but their little exchange right at the end was adorable. ♥

I liked all the slang, too (except ice-hot, which grated on me for some reason); the Kangs were just great in general, yay!

I never know how to round off these posts. Those are all the words I have at the moment. Here endeth this post.

Comments

[cosmic-llin.livejournal.com]

Ah, Paradise Towers! I do like it, but I feel like it's a shame that it looks so cheap. I think it would be a wonderful one to do with better sets and direction. In fact I think it should be a whole miniseries so there could be backstory.

[usuallyhats]

I would love that! I spent far too much time going "but HOW? and WHEN? and WHY?"

I didn't mind the sets, but then I was watching a VHS rip so probably automatically ascribed any rubbishness to that!

[everlasting-day.livejournal.com]

Paradise Towers would be amazing if it was made in season 25 (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy by the same writer is absolutely brilliant), but I don't think they quite had their shit together enough in season 24, so parts of it are pretty lacking. But the script/story is great and that counts for quite a bit - you can fill in the stuff that doesn't work in your head. I like it, there's some really good things in it. Hell, I like season 24 in general apart from Time and the Rani, and even that's watchable in a so bad it's good way. All of the stories in it are flawed, but they're fun and engaging and overall something of a breath of fresh air after the previous two seasons. I don't quite get why fandom seems to hate it so much.

[usuallyhats]

I agree: it's potentially a really great story, but doesn't quite manage to pull it off.

and overall something of a breath of fresh air after the previous two seasons
Yes, that's exactly what it felt like! ♥ Time and the Rani was almost a pleasant surprise, actually: I was expecting it to be completely dire based on its reputation, but it was rather watchable, yes.

[everlasting-day.livejournal.com]

I've always felt that the worst Classic Who stories are the ones that are just really boring - Time and the Rani is many things, but it's certainly not boring. I'd take it over stuff like Underworld or some of the more dreary, stodgy Pertwee six-parters (The Mutants, Colony in Space, The Monster of Peladon etc).

Looking forward to your thoughts on the super-fun Delta and the Bannermen!