Cool News
The Friday Docback Does A 'Snakedance'!! DOCTOR WHO (Story #125), The Passing Of Caroline John, THREE Upcoming Classic DW Screenings (In Austin, NYC, And Indianapolis), And More!
Merrick here...
...with a look at Snakedance, a Davision era DOCTOR WHO adventure first transmitted January 1983. Snakedance is a sequel of sorts to a previous Davison era episode called Kinda, which we discussed last week. Kinda aired almost exactly one year earlier.
While only a few characters (the Doctor and his two companions, and the the evil Mara) are shared between the two stories, Kinda and Snakedance are connected by more or less the same backstory as well as a number of thematics - and are even packaged together in a DVD set overseas. As such, when exploring Snakedance, we'll also be holding it up against Kinda. Fair? Possibly not...but at the same time it's nearly impossible not to compare the two in matters like these.
But first...
MONSTERS ESCAPE THE DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE’S NEW CARDIFF HOME!!
Before I set about in my humble efforts to explore and write about DOCTOR WHO, a number of folks warned me that doing so would be an uphill push, and that there would be many perils and pitfalls ahead.
It THIS what folks were talking about? ‘Cuz...damn...I mean...’splosions and upgradings and Daleks and those creepy-ass Scarecrows running amok? How long before they come for me? Look at those poor bastard press folks just standing there blankly, awaiting their untimely ends...or worse. Which, admittedly, isn’t all that uncommon a demeanor for many press folk, but for purposes of discussion, let’s pretend it is.
THE DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE opens July 20./ Daleks and Cybermen patiently await the subjugation and exploitation of the inevitable throngs of hapless attendees (website HERE). I'm bolting my door now and hiding in the attic. They're coming. I know they're out there, and they're coming.
BBC Home Entertainment, Aint It Cool News, and the Alamo Drafthouse Invite You To Free Screenings Of Three DOCTOR WHO Classics!! + Indianapolis And New York City WHOvians Rejoice! Screenings Coming To Your Areas Immediately!!
Over the past few months, BBC Home Entertainment, Aint it Cool News, and the Alamo Drafthouse have been bringing you some very, very cool theatrical screenings of recently restored classic DOCTOR WHO episodes like The Three Doctors, The Daemons, and Dragonfire.
We're now tremendously excited to announce the next few screenings in our series, all featuring newly restored versions of classic episodes, all occurring on the last Saturday of each month, and all happening at the lovely new Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane in Southwest Austin.
SATURDAY JUNE 30 - Resurrection of the Daleks
The TARDIS is dragged down a time corridor, forcing the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Turlough (Mark Strickson) to materialize in a disused part of London in 1984. The corridor links Earth with a battle cruiser in the future that contains the Doctor’s oldest enemy – the Daleks. Having lost the war with the Movellans, only one person can now help the evil race. With shocking consequences for the Doctor, it is time for the Daleks to resurrect their creator Davros (Terry Malloy)
The screening itself is FREE and General Admission, which means first come, first seated. HOWEVER, RSVP Meal Vouchers are available which either 1) guarantee you admittance to the screening, or 2) guarantee you a reserved seat in the theater depending on which option you purchase. The price of these RSVP vouchers is applied towards the cost of whatever meal or concessions you enjoy at the screening.
Resurrection of the Daleks vouchers are now available HERE.
SATURDAY JULY 28 - Death to the Daleks
This Pertwee-era DOCTOR WHO adventure is described thusly by BBC Home Entertainment...
A power failure in the TARDIS draws it off course, and the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) end up stranded on the bleak planet of Exxilon. They soon meet members of an Earth expedition in a similar situation. The humans are searching for a rare mineral, but first they must find out what is draining their power and avoid what’s inside another grounded spaceship – one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies, the Daleks
Like our previous screenings, admittance to Death of the Daleks is FREE and General Admission, which means first come, first seated. HOWEVER, RSVP Meal Vouchers are available which either 1) guarantee you admittance to the screening, or 2) guarantee your a reserved seat in the theater depending on which option you purchase. The price of these RSVP vouchers is applied towards the cost of whatever meal or concessions you enjoy at the screening.
Death to the Daleks vouchers are now available HERE.
SATURDAY AUGUST 25 - Spearhead from Space
In Jon Pertwee's initial adventure as the third Doctor...
The Time Lords have banished the newly regenerated Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) to Earth. But he isn’t the only alien to have arrived, as a swarm of meteorites have crashed into the sleepy English countryside, bringing with them a terrible new threat to mankind: the Nestene consciousness, a disembodied alien intelligence with an affinity for plastic. The Doctor and his newly appointed scientific advisor, Liz Shaw (Caroline John), join UNIT in a race against time to stop humanity from being replaced by a terrifying plastic facsimile race.
Like our previous screenings, admittance to Spearhead From Space is FREE and General Admission, which means first come, first seated. HOWEVER, RSVP Meal Vouchers are available which either 1) guarantee you admittance to the screening, or 2) guarantee your a reserved seat in the theater depending on which option you purchase. The price of these RSVP vouchers is applied towards the cost of whatever meal or concessions you enjoy at the screening.
We'll re-announce this screening and provide appropriate linkage as soon as vouchers become available.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29 - information forthcoming
[[[ NOTE: as previous screenings have SOLD OUT, purchasing meal vouchers (thus guaranteeing your admittance to the screening) via the links above - and far in advance - is strongly recommended. ]]]
INDIANAPOLIS AND NEW YORK CITY - THE DOCTOR IS IN!!
I am thrilled beyond measure that classic DOCTOR WHO screenings will now be happening in other regions of the U.S. as well! These screenings are NOT directly connected to Aint It Cool News, per se, but our highly successful pilot efforts here in Austin have evidently paved the way and opened doors for others to partake of classic WHOvian greatness on the big screen in their fine cities - which truly makes me very happy.
The WHO North America group has partnered with BBC Home Entertainment to bring these same episodes to fans in Indianapolis. Per their message boards (located HERE)...
We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with BBC Home Entertainment and Tilt Studio to bring a classic Doctor Who monthly screening series and get together for all Doctor Who fans in Indianapolis and surrounding areas. Each month we will screen a digitally remastered classic Doctor Who story that is available on DVD from BBC Home Entertainment. The first meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 30 from 2 - 5 pm in Indianapolis at the Tilt Arcade & Theatre located on the 4th Floor of the Circle Centre Mall.
The awesome Paley Center for Media in New York City is also joining in the fun, their schedule can be found HERE.
Indianapolis, New York City, and Austin will all be screening the same episodes on the same day, at roughly the same time of day! A rather amazing development as far as I'm concerned, and a trend which I hope both continues and evolves for a very long time to come.
If you are a part of, or know of, a sizable contingent of DOCTOR WHO fans in your next of the woods...and think they might feasbily be interested in screenings of this nature...DROP ME A LINE and I'll be sure your message gets to the proper folks at BBC Home Entertainment.
More to come....
CAROLINE JOHN - COMPANION LIZ SHAW - ADIEU
BBC has confirmed that John passed away.
John premiered in her role opposite a newly regenerated Jon Pertwee in Spearhead from Space (Story #51). To be completely frank, I’ve yet to encounter John’s work or character on DOCTOR WHO, and as such I feel wholly inadequate to remember her properly at this time. However, I warmly and strongly encourage you to do so in the Docbacks below.
In THIS piece at BBC, current WHO overlord Steven Moffat speaks of John warmly.
Doctor Who chief writer Steven Moffat paid tribute to "a brilliant actress" and "tremendous co-star" for Pertwee.
He said Liz Shaw was "not just a sidekick but a scientist in her own right and a match for the universe's number one know-all".
"The Doctor's companions should never be his assistants - they're the people who keep him on his toes and that's what Caroline did."
John’s long and varied career also included LOVE ACTUALLY (one of my favorite films), EASTENDERS, and the 1989 WOMAN IN BLACK telefilm. She was 71.
Snakedance
“Dreams are important, Nyssa. Never underestimate them.” - the Doctor, Snakedance Part 1
The Doctor, Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) arrive on the planet Manussa, which long, long ago banished the Mara - previously encountered by the Doctor & Co. on a different world in Kinda (Davison, Story #118). But is that extremely ungood Mara still around, plotting a return?
Last week, in regards to 1982’s decidedly funky DW adventure Kinda, we pondered the merits of instilling a certain amount of mystery into storytelling. Not everything must be explained: a little bit of coyness...if handled properly...can nicely engage the audience - thoughts along those lines. Whereas Kinda is a poster child for how and why such approaches might and do work, Snakedance - its spiritual successor (literally and metaphorically) - makes such arguments a bit less convincingly. Considerably more obvious than its progenitor episode, Snakedance seems less self-assured than Kinda in several key regards. Its trappings, while appropriately sensational and metaphysical, are decidedly less aloof - which immediately renders its story more obviously interpretable in a number of ways. This characteristic also shifts Snakedance into territory which more closely adheres to ‘traditional’ DOCTOR WHO abstracts than the bold, ALTERED STATESy “what the fuck?” moments which made Kinda simultaneously confounding and intriguing. Snakedance often feels like it doesn’t trust itself enough, or give its audience as much credit as the makers of Kinda did. It's less dangerous, and in many regards, more “expected.”
Nice set...
A key problem here is an odd and unnecessary paradox - one which I’m surprised someone didn’t catch very early on in the story’s development. While Snakedance is a ‘sequel’ in DW’s narrative order, it also acts as something of a prequel to Kinda as well...revealing interesting back story about the serpentine Mara which appears in both tales (what it is, what happened to it, and what it may be up to next). Thus providing a degree of context to not only Snakedance, but Kinda before it. A rather brilliant maneuver, really.
Accordingly, the guest characters occupying Snakedance (the Manussans) have a long established cultural familiarity with the Mara...albeit in its somewhat legendary form. This is interesting enough, and it’s quite fun to learn more about elements of previous episodes in a story which is set subsequent to those events. The problem, however, is that BECAUSE the Manussans have some experience with/understanding of the Mara, this would imply that they’d be more aware of the multitudinous strange events which portend its return in Snakedance. In other words...for people whose civilization has already gone to the mat with the Mara, these people don’t seem terribly swift on the uptake - when a number of signs should’ve at least made them suspicious of their foe’s impending comeback.
Without going into spoilers...Janet Fielding's performance in Snakedance, well, lacked nuance. And ended-up here. Reminds me of a few past girlfriends.
Stories predicated on the dumbness of characters rarely pay off in any genre save comedy. It may be quite possible to argue here that the “denseness” of Snakedance’s characters actually plays to a broader undercurrent suggesting that our propensity to not pay attention to the world around us, or act on problems we pointedly perceive, is invariably a gateway to bigger, badder days ahead. In other words, ‘in enlightenment, there is power.’ If this is, indeed, returning scripter Christopher Bailey’s intent...then he’s on the money thematically, although perhaps his message wasn’t conveyed as potently as it might otherwise have been.
While Fiona Cumming’s direction is generally less elegant and self assured than Peter Grimwade’s work on Kinda, she does manage to squeeze a few lovely performances out of her guest cast - notably Brian Miller as showman Dugdale (sadly underutilized here) and Martin Clunes’ Lon...who shifts between utterly earnest and giddily over the top. There’s a sense that Clunes is relishing ever moment of his time on Snakedance, or has at least found some way to derive no small portion of “fun” from it. It’s enough to put a smile on a viewer’s face.
Interestingly, Snakedance resonates beyond its more awkward trappings not due to its freshly fringy exaltation or exploration of crystal power, its decidedly metaphysical subtexts, or its mighty big and roundly unpleasant Mara megasnake. Instead, a simple and poignant allusion to the essence of the Mara itself - via this brief exchange between the doctor and Nyssa - firmly locks a much-needed ‘gag’ into place, finally providing audiences notions to both contemplate and take with them.
THE DOCTOR: I suspect that when they built the Great Crystals, they overlooked one vital factor: The nature of the mental energy absorbed would determine the nature of the matter created. The Great Crystal absorbed what was in their minds. The restlessness, the hatred, the greed. Absorbed it, amplified it, reflected it.
NYSSA: And created the Mara.
This conceit...sticks. And matters. It’s evident in our modern Laws of Attraction. In genre terms, a society which inadvertently engineered its own downfall by accidentally amplifying their darker natures is a riff on 1956’s FORBIDDEN PLANET and is later recalled (sorta) in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION’s Skin of Evil. And, for all I know, this may also be a key tenant in the Buddhist philosophy on which both Kinda and Snakedance are firmly hinged.
That the energies and essences we project into the world take on lives and impacts of their own is one helluva lofty conceit on which to spin any story, and a truth...or metaphor?...to which we should all remain carefully attuned. Which is my long-winded and admittedly clunky attempt to encapsulate a far simpler altruism: who we choose to be, and how we master ourselves, and the ‘us’ we send into the world comes back at us, affecting what happens to us in the long run. A very, very WHOvian notion which Snakedance seems hellbent dancing around, without ever coming out and saying it. But one that’s there, and relevant, nonetheless. And, of course, the fact that I’m even bothering to write about it at all suggests that Bailey and company got their point across all the same, regardless of their curiously circuitous path.
Snakedance is available on DVD HERE in the U.S.and in THIS Snakedance/Kinda 2 pack in the U.K.
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PREVIOUS DOCBACKS
[SEASON / SERIES SIX DOCBACKS]
"The Impossible Astronaut"
"Day of the Moon"
"The Curse of the Black Spot"
"The Doctor's Wife"
"The Rebel Flesh"
"The Almost People"
"The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe" (2011 Christmas Special)
[RETRO-WHO DOCBACKS - MOST RECENT DOCBACK IS HIGHLIGHTED]
"An Unearthly Child" (Story #1)
"The Daleks" (Story #2)
"The Edge of Destruction" (Story #3)
"Marco Polo" (Story #4)
"The Keys of Marinus" (Story #5)
"The Aztecs" (Story #6)
"The Sensorites" (Story #7)
"The Sensorites" (Story #7 - full DVD release)
"The Reign of Terror" (Story #8)
"Planet of Giants" (Story #9)
"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (Story #10)
"The Rescue" (Story #11)
"The Romans" (Story #12)
"The Web Planet" (Story #13) / SHERLOCK - "A Scandal in Belgravia" (Story #4)
"The Crusade" (Story #14)
"The Space Museum" (Story #15)
"The Chase" (Story #16)
"The Time Meddler" (Story #17)
"Galaxy 4" (Story #18)
Mission to the Unkonwn (Story #19)
"The Myth Makers" (Story #20)
"The Gunfighters" (Story #25)
"The Tomb of the Cybermen" (Story #37)
"The Seeds of Death" (Story #48)
"The Colony in Space" (Story #58)
"The Daemons" (Story #59)
"Day of the Daleks" (Story #60) + Preview of the DotD Special Edition
"The Three Doctors" (Story #65)
"Carnival of Monsters" (Story #66)
"Invasion of the Dinosaurs" (Story #71) and SHERLOCK: "The Reichenbach Fall" (Story #6)
"The Android Invasion" (Story #83) and SHERLOCK: "The Hounds of Baskerville" (Story #5)
"The Face of Evil" (Story #89)
"The Robots of Death" (Story #90)
"The Talons of Weng-Chiang" (Story #91)
"The Sun Makers" (Story #95)
"Nightmare of Eden" (Story #107)
"Kinda" (Story #118)
"The Awakening" (Story #131)
"Frontios" (Story #132)
"Resurrection of the Daleks" (Story #134)
"The Caves of Androzani" (Story #136)
"Time and the Rani" (Story #144)
"Paradise Towers" (Story #145) + New WHOvian Documentary / Newsbits
"Dragonfire" (Story #147)
"The Happiness Patrol" (Story #149)
"Doctor Who: The Movie" (aka TVM) - McGann)
DOCTOR WHO: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SERIES
Merrick's Personal Journey With The Doctor (How Merrick Got Hooked On DOCTOR WHO)
DOCTOR WHO Title Sequences & DW At Comic-Con 2011
"The Crash of the Elysium" (Manchester version - interactive DOCTOR WHO adventure)
Why Eccleston Left, Here Comes Caroline Skinner, And Season/Series Six Part 1 on Blu-Ray And DVD
New Trailer For Season/Series Six Part 2
2) matters of SPOILAGE should be handled with thoughtful consideration and sensitivity. Posts containing SPOILERS should clearly state that a SPOILER exists in its topic/headline and should never state the spoiler itself . "** SPOILER ** Regarding Rory" is OK, for example. "** SPOILER ** Battle of Zarathustra" is fine as well. " **SPOILER** Why did everyone die?" Is NOT good.
3) converse, agree, disagree, and question as much as you want - but the freedom to do so is NOT a license to be rude, crass, disrespectful, or uncivilized in any way. Not remaining courteous and civil, as well as TROLLING or undertaking sensational efforts to ignite controversy, will result in banning. Lack of courtesy may receive one (1) warning before a ban is instigated. Obvious Trolling or Spamming will result in summary banning with no warning. One word posts intended to bump-up any Docback's figures on AICN's "Top Talkbacks" sidebar will be considered actionable Spam - they not only complicate efforts to access Docback from mobile devices, but impede readers' abilities to follow or engage in flowing conversation.
Readers Talkback
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June 22, 2012, 11:10 a.m. CST
Death to the Daleks description is the wrong one, Merrick
by SminkyPinky
You've got the Spearhead from Space in there with both stories. And RIP Caroline John. I caught a clip of Inferno the other day and was saddened to realise that all three players in the scene, Pertwee, Courtney and John, have now all gone. But Who goes onwards...
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Liz Shaw was one of the great, class companions, of a type I hope we get again: older, mature, self-assured, but not over-bearing. Caroline has done the Doctor Who community a great amount of good, as as her husband... so I hope he is able to find some peace in this time of trials...
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I love Kinda. I just "like" Snakedance. It's nowhere near as good as Kinda. It has some interesting elements -- what Tegan has to go through is, I think, a good thing to see from time to time on Doctor Who -- but it just falls a bit flat. As for the Mara, from what we can tell, it seems that we are far enough from the time of the empire that his existence is doubted, and what happened exaggerated. It just wasn't believed. It is a legend, a tall tale by the time of Snakedance. Knowing how easy it is for history to be lost and forgotten and rewrites made afterward, it is believable (but only just).
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Thanks for catching that. Very odd...not sure how that happened! Should be displaying properly now?
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I see it's been fixed. :)
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Yep. Looks right now.
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June 22, 2012, 11:37 a.m. CST
One of the highlights of my Friday!
by CHRISTIAN_BALE_TRASHED_MY_LIGHTS
Thanks again for your regular writings on Who, Merrick!
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All class. Good people. Just don't like Circle Center Mall...
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That was a weird blend of hide behind the couch and contemplate Buddhist constructs of good and evil. Snakedance felt unnecessary, even though bits of it were cool.
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A truly lovely lady and I hope some of you were lucky enough to spend some time with her. If so, do share your experience on the Docback as a remembrance of Caroline. Her character of Liz Shaw stood on almost equal ground with the Doctor, and I'd like to think we'll see another companion do just that in the not too distant future.
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Loved the totally different feel of Doctor Who that Robert Holmes went with here... If you Watch The War Games and then go to Spearhead it literally is another world.... And yes Liz Shaw, probably the only companion until Adric or Nyssa that had the smarts but actually had a bit of acting chops about them. Will watch The Silurians tonight as I haven't seen that whole series in ages...
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And now certain people seem to think that the character of Madame Vastra is returning to have a 'lesbian storyline' with Jenna-Louise's character. Seriously, where do these people get their 'stories' from? Didn't we go through all of this when Sophia Myles created her Twitter account and after a few tweets with Moffa? Everyone seemed to think that Reinette was coming back, and to the best of my knowledge, that isn't happening. Have Matthew Waterhouse or Kate O'Mara got Twitter accounts too? Let's hope they don't start interacting with Moffat via Twitter...
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http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/doctor-who-lesbian-alien-falls-for-assistant-7872993.html But here's the original offending article that all of the others seem to be referring to. Maybe one day a newspaper will actually give us a name instead of citing a mysterious 'source' close to the production, although we all know that the 'source' is actually just the person who made the story up in the first place and who happens to be short of 'news' for the day.
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June 22, 2012, 12:30 p.m. CST
MOV - "Madame Vastra is returning to have a 'lesbian storyline' with Jenna-Louise's character."
by Merrick
This is SUCH awesome news! And HOT, too. So, so hot. I love it when DOCTOR WHO is progressive.
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That's the sub-text I got from MOV ;)
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It was one of the first Pertwee Who episodes I saw - a bad, almost B&W copy at the 20th Anniversary convention I attended wayyyyy back in 1983... Watching it now on Netflix, it's funny that the advanced alien race attacking earth couldn't figure out a better way to get their power sources to the planet than through a meteor shower that landed in unpredictable and uncontrolled places... But anyway, it's still a fun story and I liked the way Eccelston's "Rose" circled back to it.
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It's one many people do before they get used to typing his name right.
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i saw it first as a Rumor Of The Day posting at Blastr, who were copying the information from The List (I don't know how popular a site that is in the UK). They say the same thing as the London Evening Standard article you gave the rul for I do like how they say that *a source* told the Daily Mail : Steven Moffat loves to shake up the show. What better way than a lesbian storyline? We know that Moffat himself has states that he likes to shake things up and keep them fresh. This sounds like that any source the Daily Mail had was a fanboy who was just making up something. It's just listed as a source, not even a source involved in production. That's just getting sloppy. Heck, we could claim that similar sources (and I use the term loosely) indicated that Madame Vastra is going to be revealed as the Rani, who regenerated into a Silurian in order to hide out from the Time War. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Madame Vastra in another episode. If the rumor turns out to be true, that's fine. Just look at it as a twist on the old villain-lusts-after-Peri storylines that we would get in Season 22.
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June 22, 2012, 12:51 p.m. CST
It would be fun to have a Matt Smith story with the Mara involved
by DoctorTom
It could be especially fun if the Mara invades the Doctor's mind only to find the Dream Lord waiting for it in there... *Hello, sunshine, poking your head into places you shouldn't be? You should really have stayed out there. With the regular Doctor, you might have had some mercy.*
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I heard a clip of Matt Smith at a convention a few days ago where someone asked him about the possibility of the Ice Warriors returning. His response was teasing to say the least...
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June 22, 2012, 12:53 p.m. CST
If you want progresive, the Doctor should be on twitter in an episode then tell himself off for being so vain.
by higgledyhiggles
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June 22, 2012, 12:54 p.m. CST
or maybe he could upgrade to an Apple iDriver ? iScrew (ooer)
by higgledyhiggles
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http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/matt-smith-talks-series-7.html Who knows? Maybe he's taking the piss? Maybe he isn't?
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It's not necessarily Adric coming back - it could be Matthew Waterhouse coming back but playing the Master while Kate O'Mara reprises the Rani. ;)
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June 22, 2012, 1:02 p.m. CST
Ah, sminkypinky - maybe the rumors are supposed to be combined
by DoctorTom
maybe it's Madame Vastra having an affair with Clara (or trying to) while fighting ice Warriors....all prompted by Adric (or the Master looking like Adric) and the Rani. ;)
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Heh, true. However, there does seem to be at least a little substance to this new, um...possibility (beyond someone starting a Twitter account). Smith does get very coy and pretty much refuses to answer...
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I'm not really familiar with all of her work, but I recall she was very good in the little exposure I had to her. May her friends and family get all the love and comfort they need. So sad and unexpected.
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Don't quit. We miss you.
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It's coming. After we finish the ___ which will then be sent to ___ and might lead to ___.
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I'll take a stab at filling them.... It's coming. After we finish the PROTOTYPE TIME MACHINE which will then be sent to ENGLAND IN THE 1960's and might lead to RECOVERY OF ALL THE MISSING EPISODES.
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*** It's coming. After we finish the PROTOTYPE TIME MACHINE which will then be sent to ENGLAND IN THE 1960's and might lead to RECOVERY OF ALL THE MISSING EPISODES. *** One of those guesses is at least partially correct!
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Merrick, what you criticise about Snakedance, I found to be it's greatest strength - that dance between history and mythology and how people can be surrounded by stories and traditions and risk completely missing the lessons that those rituals were meant to convey. I remember being reminded of this episode back during the horrific Japanese tsunami and the stories of the village that set up a shrine centuries ago to show a place on their island where a past wave had interacted with the geography and hark the hill where two peaks of the wave had collided. That ancient, almost mythological warning to stay away from the hill ended up saving many (but not all) lives. It made me think back to the man in wilderness in Snakedance, sitting with his crystals, patiently waiting for the day he would help save his people.
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Liz Shaw was before my time as a fan - I've only seen a few stories with her, but that's a very nice interview.
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Nice to see a bit of Pertwee coming up. I'm catching up on his serials after favouring Tom Baker for many years - I was a little too young for Pertwee's episodes, first time around but he may will now become my favourite Doctor, pushing Matt Smith into an honourable fourth place. I just watched "The Curse of Peladon". What a lot of fun! Recommended viewing for anyone who has missed that one...
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well, if one of those was partially correct, then does that mean that your time machine is out of the prototype stage and now ready for mass production? I strongly suspect that Missing Episodes are the part that might be correct, though (perhaps screenings or something for the 2 formerly-missing episodes?) Perhaps it's COMMENTARY, BBC WORLDWIDE, and WHOTININNIES COMMENTARY TRACK ON THE DVD RELEASE OF THE MISSING EPISODES.
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Glad to hear Moffat is bringing Adric back as a lesbian! Truly a grand 50th in store for us all!
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As my beloved and I have been working our way through the classic serials chronologically, we just recently finished season 7. She was a big fan of Liz, found her a great improvement over most of the other female companions, and was very sorry to see her go so soon. I have not yet informed her of Caroline John's passing. It will certainly not be happy news to her...
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Many copies of this are defective, the first disk (the one that's supposed to have the story on it) being an exact duplicate of the second (the extras). Judging from Amazon reviews, many buyers (myself included) have had this problem, though if you keep sending the bad copies back and reordering, eventually Amazon sends you a working one. But anyway you might want to check to make sure you've got a non-defective dvd before you commit to a definite date for reviewing it.
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June 22, 2012, 4:12 p.m. CST
I agree Dreamfasting, about Snakedance's greatest strength
by Rebel Scumb
When you said: that dance between history and mythology and how people can be surrounded by stories and traditions and risk completely missing the lessons that those rituals were meant to convey.
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June 22, 2012, 4:36 p.m. CST
To fully see the full spectrum of the Liz Shaw character, you must watch Doctor Who's humble slip into the Star Trek "Mirror, Mirror" universe - "INFERNO"! (LINK)
by obijuanmartinez
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xptm0v_inferno-part1_shortfilms?search_algo=1
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June 22, 2012, 4:39 p.m. CST
Liz also had a great cameo in "The Five Doctors" w/ Mike Yates...(LINK)
by obijuanmartinez
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gf6eBMmVws
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June 22, 2012, 4:41 p.m. CST
Liz Shaw = Agent Scully before her time! Her intro in "Spearhead from Space" is great stuff (LINK)
by obijuanmartinez
Go to the 2-min mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1P_7DKFdkY
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June 22, 2012, 4:43 p.m. CST
Oh...and F**K Adric. Pardon my French, but F**K Adric. Right in his ear.
by obijuanmartinez
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Spearhead borrowed from Quatermass, as did X-Files.
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Interesting character overall. First time I can recall a companion who was just about as smart as the Doctor. It also made me laugh during the commentary to SPEARHEAD that she didn't get any attention from producers until she sent them a photo of herself in a swimsuit. I agree with the Scully comparison, and I also agree that to see Johns' range, you need to watch INFERNO - which you should watch anyway if you are a fan of the old-school WHO.
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As for Adric/Waterhouse maybe coming back . . . I'm not enthused. Adric got one of the best and most poignant endings for any companion ever despite being perhaps the worst companion of all time. I think it would be best to leave the character alone. Waterhouse would have needed to make some extraordinary improvement as an actor to be able to hold up with modern audiences and to portray an adult. I'm all in favor of bringing back old companions, characters, and enemies where it fits naturally . . . but man, let's just leave Adric/Waterhouse in the past.
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Adric is the source of the Silence.. of course..
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miss me? Sorry, things here have been hectic, and have not been going to well. Been looking for a job that will actually pay me rather than work for commission and starve. we are down to our last few hundred bucks and prospects look grim, at least for the next two months...though I have people working to get me into something special, but not till Sept. Anyway, could use a little good luck for a change. Sorry to rant, and sorry for not being around guys...I have missed the weekly wackiness...
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I have recently discovered Blakes 7, not a bad show really, not sure why I resisted it for so long. Halfway through season 2 now.
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Yes, I wondered where you were at. I know how tough it is out there. Many of us are in tight spots. I hope you find success. And yes, B7 is very good -- for what it is. Really a classic..
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just got ejected from my 7+ year job myself. Hope we're both rising soon.
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June 22, 2012, 8:36 p.m. CST
@hornorsilk: Which Quatermass? 1953 Series or 1955 movie? Did you watch the 2005 series? I haven't seen that one...
by obijuanmartinez
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June 22, 2012, 9:16 p.m. CST
@darthd: Best wishes on job searching. Hopefully Blake's 7 helps provide some distraction. I liked "Shadow" in season 2 - Interesting slant on addiction; wait 'til you get to season 3!
by obijuanmartinez
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Very sad to hear about her death. Pertwee was my first Doctor and she was one of the first companions for me, so I have a fondness for her (underrated, I would say) character Liz Shaw. It's a shame that she was written out in such an off-handed way though. It's depressing to see so many obituaries for people from a show that was such a big part of my childhood. Getting old sucks. Tom Baker had better make it to 120!
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Pertwee's first season has always been a highlight of the series for me, and it is in no small part because of John's portrayal of Liz Shaw. Before the Doctor and the Brig were BFF, the driving force of the narrative in Season 7 was the conflict in philosophy and worldview of these two characters. Liz Shaw served to mediate between the two extremes, bringing the characters to the point where they *could* truly be friends. A brilliant run of episodes. While the introduction of the Master in the next season was truly iconic, it shifted the focus of the show away from the contrast between the Brig and the Doctor to the contrast between the Doc and the Master...thus in a real sense eliminating the function of Shaw's character. It is a true shame that she did not get a proper farewell on the show, as she was one of the great strong female protagonists that the show has offered.
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Good to see you. I hope things go well for you soon. Keep your head up and know you're missed here. My thoughts are with you.
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Hmm... must seek that out.
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On the City Of Death set, are the duplicate disks labeled correctly...? How should I ask this. When you have the defective copy, do both disks have labels that say they are disk 2? Or are they duplicates but have labels that say disk 1 and disk 2? Please don't answer.. *yes*. LOL
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Just wanted to throw my voice behind the chorus on this fantastic episode. While I liked Jo Grant, it was a shame to see Shaw gone after such a relatively short time. But at least she went out with a classic. And Inferno is the second longest Who seriak after The War Games, if I'm not mistaken (and not including Trial of a Time Lord). 7 Episodes long. And while it has padding like any other vintage DW story, it really does hold up as not only one of Pertwee's best, but of the entire show as a whole. The Ambassadors of Death (which preceded this one?) was pretty damned awesome too IMO.
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"I can use them." I said aloud. Then I typed something else that was a little meta.
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No response yet but I expect to be hired by Monday....why are you all shaking your heads? IT COULD HAPPEN!!!
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Daemons=Quatermass and the Pit. The 2005 Quatermass was a remake of the first, filmed live... when David learned he was going to be the Doctor...
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June 23, 2012, 4:04 a.m. CST
Pertwee's first season was also his best overall, and Caroline John was a big part of that...
by Stegman84
Spearhead from Space, (Doctor Who and) The Silurians, The Ambassadors of Death, and my personal favourite, Inferno, made for a Hell of an opening run for the new Pertwee era. Plus he was supported by a fantastic cast of recurring characters, most of whom, just like Pertwee himself, are sadly gone from us, with Nicholas Courtney, Roger DelGado, John Levene, and Caroline John all adding so much to that first year. It was sad to see Caroline John's Liz Shaw vanish from the show with little more than a passing remark as to why in the next season, but she had a pretty much untainted run on the show during her all too brief tenure at least. And just for the record, Silurians, Ambassadors of Death, and Inferno were all 7 part stories. Which is why there were only four stories made that season, rather than the typical five stories per season that each of the subsequent four Pertwee series would bring.
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Of course DelGado wasn't in the first year/season of Pertwee episodes, which it reads above like I'm saying he is, I meant he was part of Pertwee's best cast during his era, and just as with Courtney and now John, I still mourn his passing very much. Apparently brainy no worky today...
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The Dalek Masterplan was 12 or 13 episodes long. That's comparable to Trial of a Time Lord and War Games.
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June 23, 2012, 7:38 a.m. CST
Dalek Masterplan was 12 eps - 13 if you count "Mission to the Unknown"...
by obijuanmartinez
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June 23, 2012, 7:39 a.m. CST
...and there were 3 @ 7-parters in Pertwee's 1st season: Silurians, Ambassadors of Death + Inferno
by obijuanmartinez
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June 23, 2012, 7:41 a.m. CST
@gotlik: Here's a link to the 2005 Quatermass - Looks like Jason Flemyng's in too - Huzzah!
by obijuanmartinez
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xent1y_the-quatermass-experiment-2005-part_shortfilms?search_algo=1
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Because of its journey into the alternate reality..
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June 23, 2012, 7:41 a.m. CST
Speaking of Flemyng, anyone keeping up with "Primieval"?
by obijuanmartinez
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June 23, 2012, 7:43 a.m. CST
I do think it would be great for the Doctor to end up in the world of Inferno again
by HornOrSilk
Even if it was destroyed, he could go back in time.. make it subtle at first.. the Doctor senses something is wrong, and every so often we see something which just is wrong -- mildly wrong.. until the Doctor figures it out and stops himself from changing Inferno-world history.
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Great serial. One great point is often overlooked - it's shot on film and looks really good because of it. I wish more of Who has been on film.
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They repeated on BBC4X a few months ago.
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June 23, 2012, 8:56 a.m. CST
Since I live nowhere near one of those theatres, I would love to settle for...
by tangcameo
Doctor Who on iTunes. And I mean Doc 1 to Doc 7 on iTunes. Are they on iTunes in the US or the UK? 'Cause they're certainly not on it here.
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Think the Canadian version is in Post-Production, To be ready for the Sept. (?? not 100% sure but sure it's airing late 3rd quarter). Really hating ITV in the UK at the moment!! Got all worked up about the "NEW" series of Primeval only to find out it was the last season that was shown on another station! Got to wait for New World now...
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Nice to see you back, and sorry to hear about the job predicament. I just heard that Delta's going to buy up the refinery outside Philly that closed down (I think it might be the Marcus Hook refinery) so that they can make their own jet fuel - that should help the job situation look up there between jobs at the refinery and knock on jobs supporting it or supporting people working there. I know the area got depressed a bit when the refinery shut down, so hopefully the reverse happens when it starts again.
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June 23, 2012, 2:31 p.m. CST
@s0l: Dude...WILD! I had NO clue the Canadians had taken over the Primeval franchise - Beauty, eh? Now THAT is some cool news! Thanks, Bawana!
by obijuanmartinez
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June 23, 2012, 2:38 p.m. CST
Indianapolis? INDIANAPOLIS? How about a town where people actually LIVE? Philly, DC, Boston...?
by obijuanmartinez
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Let him turn the place upside down for a season or so then regenerate him.
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Seems you don't like a lot of classic Who...for that matter, I tend to see what you won't like about an episode every Friday, LOL. I kinda scratch my head with this. By no means am I picking a fight, but You didn't like Kinda, and I knew you wouldn't like Snakedance much either (seems a lotta people don't like it, so your in good company). I guess what I'm saying is that reading your reviews of past episodes, seems your more in favor of the Eccelson, Tennant, and Smith seasons (and I can't exactly blame you, as really, story telling is just so better). I'm too lazy to really re-read all of those reviews, so what episodes have you given the seal of approval so far?
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I'm not seeing him disliking Classic Who at all. At times he will put down criticism, pointing where he finds fault, but that doesn't mean someone doesn't like it. Kinda I could tell he likes, Snakedance he is right in saying it is inferior to Kinda but even then, he points out some positive aspects to it. The fact that someone is critical is not the same thing as saying one doesn't like it. There have been some he didn't seem to like, but on the whole, I've seem him like and appreciate old Who, and get it for what it is...
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June 23, 2012, 3:18 p.m. CST
obijuanmartinez - Indy is the home of WhoNa and GenCon and the 500
by HornOrSilk
WhoNa is the best Doctor Who based business in the US. They have every right to be in the mix.
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June 23, 2012, 3:47 p.m. CST
@hornorsolk: Indianapolis...where the men are MEN. (And the sheep are scared...) *cackle*
by obijuanmartinez
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June 23, 2012, 4:21 p.m. CST
er...that'd be hornorsilk...Darned itty-bitty Apple buttons!!!
by obijuanmartinez
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That refinery is literally around the block from my house :P Remember when part of it blew up a few years ago, shook the hell out of my house, was lucky no windows broke.
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June 23, 2012, 5:22 p.m. CST
Regarding Snakedance - (Not that anyone cares or anything... :) )
by V'Shael
Snakedance was the very first Target novelisation I ever read, having borrowed it from a public library. At that point in my childhood, my love affair with Who was spotty at best. What's strange is that I still remember things like in my memory, Lon had dark hair, and looked younger (more like Adric) and years later when I saw the episode again, the Martin Clunes look just never seemed legitimate to me. The Target novelisations often had a chance to really expand upon ideas that never really had a chance to flower during the broadcast episodes. I think both of the Mara episodes are examples of this.
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It seems like whenever there's some talk or news show involving Martin Clunes, they like to trot out a picture of Martin from Snakedance, in full makeup and funny clothing.
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WhoNA is one of best suppliers of Doctor Who merchandise. Back in the day, the one that I thought was good for competing was Ambrosia Books before they closed. I'm still doing business with Ken Barr, who came from Ambrosia. But WhoNA is sponsoring the showing in Indianapolis, so it makes sense for a screening to be there.
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glad that you didn't have any real problems when the explosion happened. I'm not sure I'd have wanted ringside seats for an explosion.
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June 23, 2012, 7:22 p.m. CST
@darth: Holy smokes! Didn't realize you were a Philly kid. Me too! WHO SCREENING IN PHILLY. ALLONS-Y, ALONZO!
by obijuanmartinez
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June 23, 2012, 7:26 p.m. CST
@doctom & horn: OK, OK, I'll back off on the Indie grief...only thing is...
by obijuanmartinez
...I have an uncle who lives out there who is a bible-thumpin' preacher of the freakish variety - as in, preaches stuff about Adam & Steve, etc. Utterly frightening, and has led me to (likely unfairly) classify the state as "Flat Earth" in its philosophical leanings...
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June 23, 2012, 7:27 p.m. CST
And I'll second Keef for Doctor #12! Hey, the Stones apparently aren't touring for their 50th anniversary, so why not? Maybe we'll get a Mick cameo as a bonus!
by obijuanmartinez
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Not originally from the area, live in Claymont DE now, about 15 minutes outside the city. You still live here? If so, we might need to hang and talk Who one day :)
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Thanks for the link. I'll be watching that for sure.
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And keep making videos. They're a lot of fun, I enjoy them every chance I get.
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There are quite a few Classic Who episodes on iTunes in the UK. I say 'episodes' rather than series because I've had one unfortunate incident - and there may be others that await me - where I've bought what I thought was a full set of episodes and found out that the final episode wasn't on iTunes. Caves of Androzani it was. Happy I was not. I know there are various places where you can watch old episodes of Doctor Who (YouTube being one of them, oddly) but I'd always rather pay for stuff I like. For me, the Beeb deserves my money. I wish wish wish wish there was a better/easier way to buy digital videos. I watch most of my TV/films on my phone (soon to be iPad) these days while I commute into work - and it's bloody difficult (and expensive) to get anything to watch on it, unless I rip the DVDs myself. Which is a hassle. Anyway. Sorry. Must stop ranting. Which I have now. Now I'm just waffling. Must stop waffling. That probably doesn't help you though, Tang. Sorry. Does anyone know anyone who knows what ends up on iTunes where, when, how and for how long? It's a mystery to me.
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June 24, 2012, 8:40 a.m. CST
I have been wondering if asking questions about DW at job interviews isn't a bad idea ...
by veteran_of_mu
I mean, really, why would you hire someone who isn't a DW fan? I think a couple of simple questions would be enough to separate a good candidate from a bad one: 1) Why are there no ducks on the duck pond? 2) What caused the Tardis to explode? 3) Why didn't Amy know who the Daleks are? 4) Define Petrochor. 5) Explain the Blinovitch Limitation Effect. 6) It's not sonic. And it's not a screwdriver. What is it? 7) What was written on the Doctor's crib and why did it make him act like that toward River? 8) What did River whisper to the Doctor? And what did the Doctor whisper to himself? 9) Red and Blue ties mean what? 10) Okay, really, Doc. Tor. Who? Answer those and I don't care if you know VB.Net or not, you're hired.
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June 24, 2012, 9:47 a.m. CST
@darthd: Yup - Still in Das Philthy, and that Retrocon link looks awesome! I am still trying to clear my calendar for...
by obijuanmartinez
the Comic & Toy con happening on Penn's campus (International House) next Sunday. All depends on the disposition of my increasingly grumpy +7-months pregnant wife (!) http://www.meetup.com/drwho-118/events/69509552/
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Just been digging out the old The Avengers DVD's that I haven't watched in ages... Had totally forgotten about Pertwee's short but stellar performance in To Venus With Love the first colour episode... Mrs Peel circa 1965... The perfect woman...
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June 24, 2012, 12:28 p.m. CST
@zinj & @tang: Like Kelso from the film "Heat" said: "lt´s just beamed out all over the place. You just have to grab it..." - But still,
by obijuanmartinez
...if you're on a mission to just *see* these episodes of classic Who (or the new iteration), and you have a decent 3G/4G service, then dailymotion / YouTube are great conduits; beyond that, there's (literally) everything Who to be seen on TPB...
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June 24, 2012, 1 p.m. CST
Liz Shaw & Grace Holloway are still the smartest human female companions of The Doctor
by lynxpro
Martha was also smart...I guess I overlooked her. Rose was a moron and River Song doesn't count since she's a pseudo Time Lord. I like smart [human] female companions; they make for positive role models. I guess I've become more sensitive to that now that I have a daughter myself... Then again...Peri was awesome in her own way.
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June 24, 2012, 1:03 p.m. CST
Adric should only return as a cheesed off villain, like Jason Todd or Kes from ST Voyager...
by lynxpro
...and portrayed by a different actor, I might add.
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I guess I'd be okay with Gillian Anderson in that role... Actually either of them portraying The Rani or Romana would be fine with me. But....Jemima Rooper was born to play Susan Forman... although the actress who portrayed Captain Jack's daughter in Torchwood could do it as well, albeit a wee bit older.
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He could be Ulysses... or maybe The Moff could shake things up by casting him as Omega... Ha!
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Both also smart.
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June 24, 2012, 5:06 p.m. CST
...or Susan & Romana (both Timelords), and Nyssa was pretty brainy too (specialized in bioelectronics)
by obijuanmartinez
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That's a winning combo in my book.
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I'd find that more credible than Keith Richards. And I swear to god, if I see one more mention of the Rani or Adric... Can't we just leave crap alone week after week? Do we have to swim in the sewage weekly, like some sort of German faeco-philes? @obijuanmartinez - While TPB has most of what's to be seen in terms of Who, it's been terrible at the audio adventures. Or Target novelisations and New Adventures etc...
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1. They ducked out 2. Vincent's painting... timey-wimey and all that 3. Because Prisoner Zero stole her memories 4. Scent of Rain 5. You can't touch yourself when you go back in time, no matter how much Amy wants to 6. TCE 7. It said "Amy's Baby" 8. River gave the answer to the question, and the Doctor said it too 9. Red and Blue ties indicate when and where the Mara is taking control of the Doctor 10. Doc tored River, of course.
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June 24, 2012, 7:25 p.m. CST
@mullah omar: Zoe's the only Who companion whose (incredible) posterior has its own Facebook page (link)
by obijuanmartinez
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoes-butt/147753228592554
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June 24, 2012, 7:39 p.m. CST
"Pants-Optional Theater" presents: 'Zoe's Bootylicious Adventure' (link)
by obijuanmartinez
The fun begins around 1:57 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ1C0srVcLA
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The local library has started stocking DW1-7 episodes. I used to watch on tv but I lost interest when Colin Baker showed up with his Technicolor Dreamcoat costume. At the library yesterday I picked up Colin's first post-regen story and it was as bad as I remember him being. But I also picked up McCoy in 'Remembrance of the Daleks' and I was pleasantly surprised! I also fell in love with Ace who looks like an old girlfriend of mine if my gf had dressed like David Lister. Were most of the McCoy episodes THAT good?
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June 24, 2012, 8:16 p.m. CST
@tang: On Colin Baker - Would recommend "Attack of the Cybermen" as his high-water mark (though 'Trial of a Timelord' had some moments too where he shone...)
by obijuanmartinez
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RetroCon is being run by my good friends Tony and Rose, I am probably gonna be working there the day of the con, since they only really want close friends helping them out, like by working the ticket table, help with set u, stuff like that. If I had money, I would try to hit some more local shows :( Add me on Facebook if you wish :) Kevin Scott Bolinger :)
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the first story Colin baker was saddled with, is generally regarded as one of the worst in the history of the show (if not the absolute worst). He really was saddled with some muck. Though as others have said Attack of the Cybermen is pretty good, and Trial of a Time Lord has some impressive moments. The McCoy era vascillated wildly between outrageous sillyness bogged down by parables, and some really epic stuff. Much of the Ace era is really good. Much of the Mel era is pants. Probably all of it, though I sadly am forced to admit that Bonnie Langford does a good job in the audios, when the script materials are generally better than the show.
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June 25, 2012, 9:43 a.m. CST
Institutionalise! Institutionalise! (Series 7 first episode spoiler?)
by Master of Zinj
Sure you've all seen it by now, but the name of our first Series 7 episode has been revealed: http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/21779/doctor-who-title-of-series-7-opener-revealed Not sure if it's really a spoiler, but I love the possibilities 'Asylum of the Daleks' throws up. A looney bin for the metallic pepper pots would be hilarious. Though I suspect it'll be more sinister than what's currently playing out in my brain. And it may even be dwelling on a slightly different meaning of 'asylum'. But hey - a Master of Zinj can dream...
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June 25, 2012, 9:46 a.m. CST
When I say 'spoiler' I just mean the name, obviously.
by Master of Zinj
Apologies for any confusion. Move along.
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The McCoy adventures are a mixed bag. He did have some good ones and some bad ones (Time and the Rani being a low point, Paradise Towers being something seen one way by the writer and script editor and a totally different way by the production crew). If you liked Remembrance of the Daleks, then try Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric. They've been the better of his adventures. Survival's another good one, it can be seen as the first few steps toward the 2005 series. Those were 3 of the 4 stories for Season 27, and it seemed like McCoy had hit his groove with that season. Despite Obijuanmartinez's recommendation, I wouldn't suggest Battlefield as the next one to watch. It was originally planned as a 3 part story, then was expanded to 4 parts and Aaronovitch admits he broke the story when trying to expand it. It has plenty of wonderful moments, and the Brigadier, but I'd suggest trying something like the Curse of Fenric before going back to Battlefield.
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I will grit my teeth and try to make it through more Colin Baker stories in the future. My one hangup is that costume. I prefer The Doctor just eccentricly dressed, not full on superhero with the "?" insignia. The library's selection is pretty random though. So far they picked a story from each Doctor at random. And may I say, omg Colin Baker looks majorly different now. He almost looks like Herc's grandfather (in a good way, Herc) now. 'Asylum of the Daleks'? Sounds like that standard episode of sci-fi shows where one of the heroes who saves the world each week finds themselves in a mental ward and their doctor telling them all that universe-saving is just a well constructed delusion.
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see if you can set things up to watch them in black and white. I haven't tried it yet, but the costume might be (slightly) more tolerable that way.
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Hmmm, interesting.
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It does conjure up certain images. I still think that given all the Dalek types we'll have, though, that I still would have preferred that they called it Density of the Daleks.
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How many versions have we had now? Original, black, white, and those multi-coloured out-of-the-Shreddies box ones off the top of my head. May need to see in black and white for those too. Maybe just slam my head until the rods and cones go wonky.
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since I have just gotten into Blakes 7, I was saddened to just find out that Paul Darrow's wife Janet passed away last month after a brief illness. Since Paul was also in two Doctor Who stories back in the day, I guess this is relevant. It was his performance in Timelash that got me curious about Blakes 7. He really was the best on that show, and Avon is my favorite for sure. Anyway, probably old news for some of you...
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It sounds like a wonderfully camp Rogers and Hammerstein musical. Except, of course, whenever the Daleks sang it'd just be one note that slowly moved up the scale. The Dalek chorus would be a thing to behold. Come to think of it, I'd pay good money to see a Dr Who / Dalek musical - somebody get on the phone to the Moff! And get Neil Hannon involved too! It has to happen!
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June 26, 2012, 5:32 a.m. CST
@darthd: Agree - I think Avon's the best thing happening at any given moment on "Blake's 7", although...
by obijuanmartinez
I also liked Vila's cowardice in small bites as well. BTW: I am not on Das Facebook, but will definitely be inking Retrocon on my social calendar!
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June 26, 2012, 5:35 a.m. CST
...oh, and Sally Knyvette's Jenna is one of the super-foxiest space-babes EVER!
by obijuanmartinez
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I always found his threats to be... well, just the sorts of things any bully would say. Blake on the other hand - while being a goodie two-shoes in many eyes (like Avon's) could slap a cold threat down on the table, and you just fucking knew he meant it. I'll never forget the way he convinced the Doctor to stop stalling and work on Gan. Not a threat like *Or I'll kill you* the way Avon might have done. He simply said I'll destroy your hands. Blake was great. Avon's the easy one to like.
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I'd pay good money to see a camp Dalek musical. We could see Daleks singing such songs as: Exterminate! Exterminate! Seek - Locate - Destroy Daleks Have No Word For Mercy And, of course, at one point we get Dalek Sec out in top hat and tails to do a song and dance number (for some reason I could see him doing Puttin' On The Ritz).
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June 26, 2012, 8:55 a.m. CST
What a surprise (heavy drop of sarcasm there) - MOV was right about the Silurian rumors
by DoctorTom
Neve McIntosh tweeted that she has no idea what the Daily Star was talking about when they said she'd be back in a lesbian storyline. No one's asked her to come back yet. The Star, standard bearer for incisive and accurate journalism, get a story wrong? (End sarcasm mode)
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June 26, 2012, 11:28 a.m. CST
@v'shael: Good point on Blake - point goes to you. Wish they hadn't hung the character out to dry between Star One and the VERY last episode!
by obijuanmartinez
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Big Finish has gotten into putting out Blake's 7 spinoff material now. They recently put out a 3 CD set called The Liberator Chronicles. One story's narrated by Paul Darrow, one by Michael Keating and one by Gareth Thomas. These look to be the equivalent of the Companion Chronicles that they do for Doctor Who, having one person involved telling the story. I still need to listen to them, but I've heard that they're supposed to be good. They've also put out a Blakes 7 novel. I'm surprised BBC hasn't tried a Blakes 7 revival/reboot yet, given the success of Doctor Who. I'd think the Terry Nation estate would like the money rolling in for it.
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I think anyone could have guessed that their story was a load of old tosh if they knew the paper's reputation for printing utter rubbish just to fill out a few pages every day. Keep your eyes on the official sources (BBC Doctor Who website and Twitter pages + Doctor Who Magazine) for the real news. Anything else is merely conjecture.
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We have people driving from Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois and of course Indiana for this event. So excited. Thank you so much for showcasing this. We would love to offer promotional assistance to those working to set this up in their own cities as well!
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