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exciting read good story
| What: | Series 3 Volume 4: (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Tim Baker, Utopia |
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| Date: | Friday 24 August 2007 |
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| Rating: |   6 |
Really enjoyed these episodes on the telly, especially Utopia, but the dvd's a bit like flat champagne. The Doctor gets to The Valiant towards the end of Sound of Drums but from there it's all a bit anticlimax.
The numerous scenes between the Doctor and the Master don't really have any substance or much drama and the sudden deification of the Doctor is a really clumsy moment for Russell Davies. Clumsy and a bit revolting.
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 | Different - High Energy - Loved It |
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| What: | Horror of Glam Rock (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Monday 20 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Horror of Glam Rock is really not a very good story. There's just nothing spectacular about it. But I loved it, because the success here is all in the delivery.
This is a very different kind of Doctor Who production. Like its joking namesake, Horror of Fang Rock, Glam is a very claustrophobic story - it all takes place in a very small, tight space. But in this small, hollow-sounding space, the dialogue continuously flows between the actors in a fun kind of high energy that reminded me of Firesign Theatre, which I haven't actually heard a lot of, but which has a very particular sound and direction to it. Every member of the cast here is superb for this production. Particularly noteworthy in this respect is Bernard Cribbins as Arnold.
As for the plot, it's very simple. I won't say much about it other than that it takes place at an expressway service station on a snowy night and features savage alien beasts (and glam rockers, naturally). Also, the resolution at the end is a bit too much like a combination of elements from The Idiot's Lantern and The Shakespeare Code, so it makes one wonder... But that can be overlooked.
Overall, Horror of Glam Rock is fun and refreshingly different. It was just too much fun to give it any less than an 8, but I can easily understand how a lot of fans may strongly disagree with such a high rating.
The third season made a welcome return on a newly installed "Prime" television channel in my country, so was able to watch this Christmas Special for free (regardless of the in-between advertisements) on my own set.
I am very pleased to hear that the slightly simple-minded but nevertheless feisty Donna is making a return appearance in the eventual fourth season, Catherine Tate's character deserves to be examined in greater detail. And here is hoping that David Tennant reconsiders his apparent decision to depart at the end of the aforementioned series, as the gossip mills are speculating. He was on theatrical fire, that particular Sunday night!
| What: | The Sensorites (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 19 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
Wow. The Sensorites is really, really bad. Perhaps more than nearly any other story, The Sensorites demonstrates that Doctor Who was a children's series, but even a children's series has no excuse for being this bad. At times, it gets pretty difficult to keep watching.
The weird-looking Sensorites, with their floppy, circular gumdrop feet, are embarrassingly designed and characterized, and the human characters, with the exception of the regulars, give some really grotesque performances, due in no small part to the writing they were forced to work with. And everyone, including the regulars, flubbed their lines constantly. I just can't give this one more than a 2.
However, over the course of the six episodes, there are a few interesting bits (very few). In addition to Hartnell's eccentricity now and then, other points of interest include a clear indication that Susan is from the Doctor's home planet (still unnamed at this point, of course), as she demonstrates some advanced telepathic ability that she and the Doctor talk about at the end, as they discuss when they might return to their home. This same conversation also serves to make a little more sense of the Doctor's decision to leave Susan on Earth in The Dalek Invasion of Earth in the following season, as she states that she would like to belong somewhere again. And I must admit that the brief scene in which Susan describes her home planet, where the sky at night is burnt orange and the leaves on the trees are bright silver, is a classic that, if I'm not mistaken, is apparently the source of inspiration for one or two scenes much later in the show's history in which the Doctor gives a similar description.
If you feel an unquenchable desire to watch The Sensorites, make sure you're caffinated, and keep the fast-forward button handy.
| What: | The Ark (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | fluteflute, Southampton, UK |
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| Date: | Sunday 19 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
'The Ark' is almost two stories stuck together. Set in a large spaceship the human race are escaping from Earth to live on the planet Refusis. In the first two episodes the humans are in control with the monoids as their mute friends. Due to the Doctor and his companions actions, 700 years later the monoids have taken control and have killed several humans.
I found it a great story to listen to. It works well on Audio and there is an interesting interview with Peter Purves.
The chemistry between Lucie and the Eighth Doctor begins to stand out as being fresh and interesting here, but it's good to be done with Red Rocket Rising. Let's get out of here. Hopefully we won't be back.
Please see my review of Part 1 for more detail on the story and production.
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| Nothing Like Death Comes to Time |
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Some Minor Spoilers Ahead
The idea of a reboot of the McGann range of audios intrigued me. Being a fan of the earlier McGann Big Finish stories moreso than the later ones, I had hopes that a fresh start might reinvigorate the Eighth Doctor line. Thoughts of a comparison to Death Comes to Time creep in here, because that story gave unimaginable new freshness to Sylvester McCoy's Doctor.
But Blood of the Daleks is nothing like Death Comes to Time. With the exception of cheeky new companion Lucie Miller, this is pretty much just more of the same. We get the same opening credits music, incidental music and sound effects as have been used in the main Big Finish line, and a pretty dreary story set in the apocalyptic environment of a planet recently devastated by an asteroid strike. And, not content with creating one new race of Daleks in Dalek Empire II, the powers that be at Big Finish create another new race of Daleks for Blood of the Daleks, to start off this series of BBC7 radio shows.
Having said all of that, it's still great to hear McGann back, and with a new companion who is somewhat more interesting than, or at least a change of pace from, Charley and C'rizz. And we have an ongoing mystery introduced here. For some undisclosed reason, Lucie has been dumped onto the Doctor by the Time Lords for safekeeping, in some kind of witness protection program. I do look forward to the development of that subplot.
And this is a decently interesting and well-developed story. Staying tuned for more.
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| Impressive Production, Too Many Episodes |
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| What: | Marco Polo (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 18 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I've had the opportunity to view a version of Marco Polo that supplements the audio with an abundance of still color photos of the action. The photos are amazing, and I feel that this story could've been, at least by some measures, one of the most highly acclaimed stories of the entirety of the original series, particularly if it were colorized. But there lies the problem. The sets and costuming for this serial are really rather exquisite and beautifully realized, but I wonder if they would be nearly as impressive on monochrome video. As it is, in this reconstruction, the abundance of color production photos in existence yield an almost scene by scene record, making it easy to visualize the action, and making this an entertaining presentation.
However, this story would have been much better at only four or five episodes. Episode five is nearly a complete waste and repetition, and episode six has some important flaws as well, bringing in some misplaced attempts at humor.
In general, the actors in Marco Polo give very consistently good performances, and this enhances the enjoyment of the serial, in which the TARDIS crew get caught up in a great journey with Marco Polo, who is traveling a great distance to reach the court of Kublai Khan in Peking. This is a very character-driven "historical" story that moves at its own pace, not conforming to a more typical science-fiction structure, and not involving any "monsters" or over the top evil megalomaniacs. And as in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, there is an issue with asian characters being played by non-asian actors, but as with The Talons of Weng-Chiang, I don't see this as detracting from the quality of the finished product.
Set immediately after The Edge of Destruction, the TARDIS materializes on the snowy peaks of the Himalayas and promptly breaks down completely. All power is lost, and this means no heat or water. This forces the Doctor and companions to seek aid and shelter, and Marco Polo's caravan is where they happen to find it. When Polo learns that the TARDIS, which he refers to as the Doctor's caravan, can travel "through the air," he seizes it to present it to Kublai Khan, hopefully in return for freedom to return to Venice, believing that Buddhist monks will be able to learn how to operate it. This sends the Doctor into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, as he comes to realize the fullness of the predicament they are now in - a great scene! In the days and weeks that follow, the friendship that develops between Susan and a young woman in Polo's caravan named Ping-Cho is a delight, and the interplay between Marco Polo and the villainous Tegana is well-played, in spite of a lack of subtlety in Tegana's character.
In spite of some significant flaws, Marco Polo remains a very enjoyable early serial, and it is quite regrettable that the video is forever lost. With colorization, tighter script-editing and at a shorter length, this story could merit a rating of 10, or certainly a 9.
| What: | Series 3 Volume 4: (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | TOBIAS PETERS, UK |
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| Date: | Wednesday 15 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
THE PROGRAM IS BRILLIANT
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| The Legend is Better Than the Reality |
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Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Having just "watched" a reconstruction of The Evil of the Daleks made from the audio of the story, some still photos, running commentary by Frazer Hines, and the existing version of episode 2, my opinion on this story is that it is better to read a synopsis and imagine than it is to actually listen to/watch the story.
At seven episodes, this is another case of a classic story that is overlong and padded with a lot of very boring stuff. Furthermore, the heart of the story doesn't make a lot of sense. The idea is that the Daleks, who have somehow come through a "smoke and mirrors" time portal of some sort that was created in the 19th Century, succeed in separating the Doctor and Jamie from the TARDIS and abducting them from the 20th Century back to one hundred years into the past, where they have human agents they have coerced into working in a laboratory for them. The Doctor is made to believe that the Daleks wish to use Jamie to provide them with data on a "human factor" that they will incorporate into individual Daleks to enable the Daleks to finally conquer Earth. Interestingly, the Doctor does a bit of manipulation of Jamie to get him to unwittingly cooperate, somewhat similarly to what we see the Seventh Doctor do with Ace later on. But what ends up happening is that the "human factor" is used to enable the Daleks to identify a "Dalek factor," which they somehow do not already have. The plan is then to get the Doctor to infect the population of Earth with the "Dalek factor" throughout its history, thereby turning humans into altered creatures obedient to the Daleks.
When the "human factor" is introduced into a few Dalek test subjects, they become like children, "playing trains," which is one of the silliest, nonsensical, most ridiculous scenes I've ever seen in the show's history. In addition to this, somehow the Daleks don't yet get the idea that the Doctor is not human. After passing the Doctor through a process that infects humans with the "Dalek factor," they think he is under their control, but... surprise, he isn't, and he tricks them and throws the proverbial monkey wrench in the works, manipulating the Daleks into passing all of the lower-grade grey Daleks through the machine and causing them to come under the influence of the "human factor." This ends up resulting in a Dalek civil war that supposedly wipes out all of them. It's really a terrible story. Besides all of that, it's never quite apparent what the "Evil" of the Daleks is supposed to be, because The Daleks, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Chase, and The Daleks' Masterplan were all more "evil" stories than this one, especially considering that the plan for domination of the Earth never even came close to being realized.
Having said all of that, The Evil of the Daleks does have some rather interesting parts, including the badass Emperor Dalek (which I don't believe we see again until it is very nicely and fairly accurately recreated in season one of the new series), a few interesting performances by Patrick Troughton, and the final battle scene on Skaro, which I would love to actually be able to watch in full motion video, as it was originally broadcast.
But overall, I see this as a highly overrated story that is best when left in the mists of legend.
| What: | Combat Rock (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Martin Smith, England |
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| Date: | Thursday 9 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
I've seen quite a few reviews of Combat Rock that have praised it for being uncompromisingly raw and a vivid read. Which it is, just not in the positive way that's implied.
It would be a cop out to have a book about jungle warfare and cannibalism neutered of its violence and gore, but Combat Rock widely oversteps the line in regards to what's too much. I'm not adverse to graphic violence, I perhaps even like it, but some of the scenes regarding the cannibalism are stomach churning at best. It really doesn't suit the manner of the 2nd Doctor era, even allowing for more mature stories within it. It doesn't even fit the manner of the more graphic New Adventures.
The story is populated with deeply unpleasant characters, with even the more endearing ones difficult to like much at all. This destroys most of the dramatic tension as I honestly couldn't give a damn what happens to any of them. The Dogs and the Indonian captain are most notably two dimensional and hollow, with Pan being hugely aggravating, as it's clear he was created solely with the notion that he's "edgy" and "raw", whereas he's actually more like the product of an exceptionally immature 14 year old boy trying to be deep.
The places and structure is also clearly an allegory for Indonesia, which makes the bizarre decision that all the native characters will speak in broken, unintelligent, pidgin English even more insulting. Leaving aside the facts that a) they probably wouldn't speak in English and b) that the Tardis crew could understand whatever language they used, it smacks of the author having a laugh at foreigners.
The real scare isn't until the last pages of the book, where Mick Lewis reveals that the book is based in part on his own experiences in Indonesia. It's mind-boggling how someone could get so involved with a culture like this, to the point of marrying into it, only to write such a crap, insulting book about it.
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| 7 out of 10, surprisingly. |
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| What: | Time-Flight / Arc of Infinity (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Gene Crooner, Up yer sister's fundament |
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| Date: | Wednesday 8 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Arc of Infinity is irredemable but Time-flight, despite production standards at a Carnival of Monsters level, is a bit of a gem. For my money, it survives all the woeful production moments (and even a gruesome re-appearance by the lamentable Adrip). It has some nice gags in the first episode; it has another in Anthony Ainley's delightful series of 'alternate' performances - Tremas, the Portreeve and Khalid here, dainty-gestured, crooning and possibly sometimes channeling Brando's Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now, the right mix of disjunctive elements and some engaging ideas (albeit not always too-well worked). It's terrible, bonkers fun.
Arc of Infinity, alas, is a humourless embarassment with a succession of famous faces of the time declaiming cobblers ... with just a hint of shame.
| What: | Series 3 Volume 3: (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | The Visitor, Wolverhampton, England |
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| Date: | Wednesday 1 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The episodes contained on this DVD, in my view, are the three best episodes since the series was revived.
Human Nature/The Family of Blood:
Without doubt this is the best two parter of this series. Much better than the cringeworthy finale. The story displays the Doctor's intiative and justice by hiding from the Family by changing to human; merely out of mercy. The Doctor's human identity John Smith, falls in love with Joan Redfern and it is heart breaking when Smith discovers he is a Time Lord and must part with his lover to become the hero we all know and love to defeat the Family.
Blink:
If you thought anything could get better than the previous, you'd be wrong with this perfect piece of drama. Sally Sparrow, in 2007, has to seek help from the Doctor, who (excuse the pun) is trapped in 1969, to defeat the Weeping Angels. The way the Doctor finds the information is one of the cleverest conclusions from the entire series.
Overall, this DVD is the ultimate volume from Series Three (ironically the shortest), and runs rings around Volume Four (Utopia is the best episode from that DVD whereas, Last of the Time Lords leaves the casual Who Fan's head in his hands).
| What: | Robot (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 1 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
To think that this was Tom Baker's first outing as the Doctor. He is already "there". There are some dodgy efffects, but hey, its over thirty years old. A good documentary about how they chose Tom. He was'nt the 1st choice, Michael Bentin was ! Recommended
| What: | Galaxy Four (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 1 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
A straight forward telling of a story, mostly, lost for ever. At least we have this.
| What: | The Evil of the Daleks (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 1 August 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
A great telling of a story sadly lost (apart from one episode).
Well written & fun. Sadly lost for ever.
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| Engaging Story, Profound Philosophizing |
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| What: | The Algebra of Ice (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 31 July 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
"'Eventually it will happen anyway: heat death of the universe and so on.' He smiled again. 'Like the centre of Hell, the centre of life, is ice. I'm only speeding things up.'
"'Because you hate life?'
"'Because life is unforgiveable.' Brett crushed his cigarette in the pin dish. 'The complexities and, indeed, wonders of human existence are possible only because they are supported by gobbling selfishness. Mozart should not have written music; he should have been working to alleviate suffering. Da Vinci should never have painted, Shakespeare should never have written, Einstein should never have worked out his incomprehensible theories of reality. Everything we call culture is based on a dereliction of moral duty. No journalist should write, no architect should build, no teacher should instruct, no vintners should make wine. No miner should take home his pay and enjoy his family, no garbage collector should buy himself a beer, no nurse should take a hot bath at the end of her shift, no child should have a pet, no reader lose himself in a book. They all stand in blood. And there's no "salvation" from some postulated good society. Every civilization, from the villages of Africa to the hideously complicated structures of western Europe, rests on cruelty, and is corrupt.'"
Wow! What a book. I really didn't expect as much from The Algebra of Ice as it ended up delivering - what a great read!
It was like I was back in the height of the NAs, reading a new release from that range that would come to stand out in my memory as one of a number of classic stories.
I agree completely with Phil Ince's review below. The Algebra of Ice has numerous kisses to the past of the NAs and the classic t.v. series woven throughout the story, done in a non-gratuitous and immensely satisfying way, in my opinion. The overall experience is one of very comfortable familiarity, while at the same time offering new insight into the characters and a very interesting, and in some ways groundbreaking, new story.
At several points throughout The Algebra of Ice, we are presented with some very deep issues. At those moments, some very profound statements are made that have an impact normally found only in more serious literature.
Rather than say much more about the plot, I'll end this review with another favorite bit of dialogue from the book:
"Molecross cleared his throat. 'You don't understand. You're a miracle.'
"'Oh for heaven's sake.'
"'No, listen to me.' His seriousness made the Doctor look up. 'You don't understand. Time and space are yours. The mysterious is as ordinary for you as eggs for breakfast. But my life is small. I never... I'm not good with people. At school...' He swallowed hard. 'But I always knew, you know, that this wasn't it. I mean, why would we be made to feel wonder if there wasn't any to feel? It had to be somewhere.'
"'Somewhere else,' said the Doctor gently.
"'Not here, that's for bloody certain. But on the edges of everything there's... strangeness. Second sight. Hauntings. UFOs. Astrology. I mean, Newton studied alchemy.'
"'Newton is paranoid schizophrenic.'
"'You've met him, then?'
"'He's a difficult man.'
"'But he knew. There were truths out there, truths no one had ever seen, and he saw them. If he hadn't had the sort of mind that could accept something as weird as alchemy, would he have recognised anything as weird as the laws of motion? Where does the crank end and the genius begin? Where does the ridiculous end and the transcendent begin?' Molecross rubbed the side of his face, suddenly embarrassed. 'I always knew there was something more,' he finished. 'And it's you. Everything you are, everything you represent.'"
And one more quote:
"Ethan thought about his beautiful numbers. Clean as bone. No messy leaking, aging, hurting, dying flesh. Yes, he thought matter-of-factly, it's true. He'd sensed it all that time ago, when he heard Unwin rant against life, and now he saw it whole. He'd always been afraid. In his own way, he'd hated life. Just like the poor Molecross chasing after the wondrous. Just like Unwin with his numbers, and Brett with his annihilating savagery. And like the Doctor as well. None of them could face the world. The only one of them truly alive was Ace.
"'Yes,' said the Doctor. 'Without her, what would I be? What would I become?'"
| What: | Timelash (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Stephen Carlin, Huddersfield, UK |
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| Date: | Saturday 28 July 2007 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
No matter how often I watch this story it NEVER gets better. It has nothing to do with the effects (if that was the case I wouldn't be interested in the majority of DW stories), nor the acting (although quite a few lacklustre performances do leave a lot to be desired) - no, quite simply its not a very good story, it is not very well told and there is far too much padding to make it worth any viewing. The first few minutes are quite good but once it starts to go downhill that's it, it just slides further and further into an unbelievably deep it. This ranks as on the series' worst stories. I didn't like it in 1985 and have never found anything about it to make it worth reconsideration. It does not improve with viewing or over time.
