War Games and Autons
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 22:37![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
usuallyhats
More Classic Who! I spent Monday and Tuesday evenings watching The War Games, which I absolutely loved (I've already ordered the DVD...).
- I didn't think it dragged at all, which over ten episodes is rather amazing. It captured and held my attention all the way through, and, even knowing roughly what was coming next, it was amazing watching the plot gradually unfold and get stranger and stranger. The feeling of events closing in on the Doctor was done very well.
- It wasn't perfect, of course: there was some brazen (well, not quite - today I learnt that brazen is an old Latin term meaning five at the same time) recycling of footage and the idea that the SIDRATs were controlled by moving fridge magnets around was rather silly, despite the actors' best efforts. On a more serious note, of the two non-white characters, one was killed off and the other was both massively stereotyped and the cause of lots of hitches in our heroes' plans, sigh.
- Why yes, I did cry my eyes out at the leaving scenes, especially at how understated and dignified they were. And for some reason the fact that when they arrive on Gallifrey the Doctor leaves the TARDIS door standing open also got to me - it was a real sign that he'd given up. I am choosing to believe in the season 6b theory (and that sometime after The Two Doctors they go back for Zoe too) because a) Terrance Dicks himself put it into the PDAs, and I've accepted things as canon on flimsier evidence; and b) the alternative is too awful to contemplate.
- So many lovely companion moments, which made the ending even harder to bear: Zoe sneaking around and stealing the keys to the Doctor's cell, Jamie's pride at being put in charge and his ability to put aside his enmity towards the Redcoat at the beginning, the way they teamed up to convince Villar to join them, and lots more.
- It was really funny in places, too, though the only moment I can remember off hand is the bit where the German soldiers open up the back of the van to find Zoe and Lady Jennifer ostentatiously pretending to nurse Carstairs. I really liked both those characters, too, and was a bit disappointed that Lady Jennifer disappeared halfway through.
- I loved the moment in episode one where the Doctor says goodbye to Zoe and kisses her on the forehead. Very sweet and sad.
And this evening I've been watching Spearhead from Space, which has gone up in my estimation since I last saw it.
- I've never been the biggest fan of Three but he did rather win me over here, zooming off in his wheelchair and shooting round the corner with a debonair spin of the wheel. And the gratuitous shower scene! Hee.
- The TARDIS prop looks a little tatty in colour, I must say. The tortured, broken version of the dematerialisation noise made me a little sad. Poor grounded ship.
- The Brigadier is very sexy. I just felt I needed to mention that.
- Liz Shaw is ALSO very sexy, and coolly competent, hilariously sarcastic, confident and strong-willed - I love her.
- It is rather violent, I was surprised by that. Blood on the window and everything. (Really obviously fake blood, but still.) I liked that Mrs Seely went for the shotgun and knew how to use it.
- I really took against Dr Hibbert for his treatment of Talfryn Thomas's character. Many years of working in public services = an intense dislike of people clicking their fingers to get attention.
- Three starts off as rather Troughton-esque, doesn't he? I liked seeing him establish himself throughout the story.
- Given it's only four episodes, it does seem to go on rather, though not as badly as I remember, and I did really enjoy it overall.
- I didn't think it dragged at all, which over ten episodes is rather amazing. It captured and held my attention all the way through, and, even knowing roughly what was coming next, it was amazing watching the plot gradually unfold and get stranger and stranger. The feeling of events closing in on the Doctor was done very well.
- It wasn't perfect, of course: there was some brazen (well, not quite - today I learnt that brazen is an old Latin term meaning five at the same time) recycling of footage and the idea that the SIDRATs were controlled by moving fridge magnets around was rather silly, despite the actors' best efforts. On a more serious note, of the two non-white characters, one was killed off and the other was both massively stereotyped and the cause of lots of hitches in our heroes' plans, sigh.
- Why yes, I did cry my eyes out at the leaving scenes, especially at how understated and dignified they were. And for some reason the fact that when they arrive on Gallifrey the Doctor leaves the TARDIS door standing open also got to me - it was a real sign that he'd given up. I am choosing to believe in the season 6b theory (and that sometime after The Two Doctors they go back for Zoe too) because a) Terrance Dicks himself put it into the PDAs, and I've accepted things as canon on flimsier evidence; and b) the alternative is too awful to contemplate.
- So many lovely companion moments, which made the ending even harder to bear: Zoe sneaking around and stealing the keys to the Doctor's cell, Jamie's pride at being put in charge and his ability to put aside his enmity towards the Redcoat at the beginning, the way they teamed up to convince Villar to join them, and lots more.
- It was really funny in places, too, though the only moment I can remember off hand is the bit where the German soldiers open up the back of the van to find Zoe and Lady Jennifer ostentatiously pretending to nurse Carstairs. I really liked both those characters, too, and was a bit disappointed that Lady Jennifer disappeared halfway through.
- I loved the moment in episode one where the Doctor says goodbye to Zoe and kisses her on the forehead. Very sweet and sad.
And this evening I've been watching Spearhead from Space, which has gone up in my estimation since I last saw it.
- I've never been the biggest fan of Three but he did rather win me over here, zooming off in his wheelchair and shooting round the corner with a debonair spin of the wheel. And the gratuitous shower scene! Hee.
- The TARDIS prop looks a little tatty in colour, I must say. The tortured, broken version of the dematerialisation noise made me a little sad. Poor grounded ship.
- The Brigadier is very sexy. I just felt I needed to mention that.
- Liz Shaw is ALSO very sexy, and coolly competent, hilariously sarcastic, confident and strong-willed - I love her.
- It is rather violent, I was surprised by that. Blood on the window and everything. (Really obviously fake blood, but still.) I liked that Mrs Seely went for the shotgun and knew how to use it.
- I really took against Dr Hibbert for his treatment of Talfryn Thomas's character. Many years of working in public services = an intense dislike of people clicking their fingers to get attention.
- Three starts off as rather Troughton-esque, doesn't he? I liked seeing him establish himself throughout the story.
- Given it's only four episodes, it does seem to go on rather, though not as badly as I remember, and I did really enjoy it overall.