Story #202 - The End of Time (2009-2010)

Harry -

We have finally reached The End of Time, and I'm feeling fine. Sarah let's break out the gin to toast the end of another era.

It's got to be over a decade since I watched this and the "victory lap" ending was as cringeworthy as remembered. However I was surprised to find the story leading up to it was better than I thought. Definitely better on a rewatch.

Sarah -

I was hoping to have the same reaction as you, but I think I liked it even less on this rewatch. At the very least, I know I won’t ever have to watch it again.

On the upside we have Wilf as the Doctor’s companion. Hooray! Unfortunately, it’s also Christmas time, so we know nothing good will happen. Cue the resurrection of the Master by some lame cultists devoted to him, which leads to the massacre of innocent people in a quarry. Remember how excited we were when John Simm was announced as the Master? How naive we were. I’d almost rather watch Eric Roberts’ performance. Almost.

Harry -

John Simm's Master was very jarring at first. Very hyper and over the top, a dark reflection of David Tennant's Doctor. As Doctor Who has rumbled on for over 50 years, each iteration of the Master has shed a layer of Roger Delgado's initial quiet coolness and become more bouncy-bouncy bonkers. We have watched this character grow increasingly insane over time. This Master continues the progression. I remember not liking him when this season first aired, but over time he's become a favourite, probably because of his performance in the Capaldi era which we will get to.

Sarah - 

I’m already counting the seasons to the return of the Master!

Harry - 

The resurrection scene was definitely bad. The cult, the massacre, the barely plausible Gallifreyan biology that makes Time Lords immortal, bleh. At least Lucy Saxon took a measure of revenge and threw a spanner into the works, screwing up the process and leaving the Master more a flickering flame than a fully-formed being again.

Speaking of comebacks, I wonder how tempted RTD was to write Donna back into one more story. If he really wanted, he could have found some way for the Doctor to restore and preserve her mind for at least one more adventure. New Who's showrunners seem to have carte blanche. However it's interesting that it didn't happen. Instead, we got Wilf as the companion and it was a smashing time. Wilf leading his own merrie branch of L.I.N.D.A., what a riot.

Sarah -

Donna’s return was one of my favorite parts of the story. I hope she’ll be very happy with her husband and that lottery money won’t hurt! Wilf’s band of Doctor-hunters were adorable, but I’m not sure about the lady who couldn’t keep her hands to herself. Still, he probably has it coming after the Queen Bess comment.

Harry -

And so the early part of the story bounces between three corners. The Master reborn and bonkers, the Doctor in pursuit, and Wilf & Co. in pursuit of the Doctor.

An air of mystery is added by a mysterious woman who delivers enigmatic messages to Wilf. Surprisingly, RTD let her remain an enigma.

After a couple of confrontations with the Doctor, the Master is kidnapped by some paramilitary thugs and the story kicks into another gear. The Master is briefly held captive by Joshua Naismith, a man of unlimited wealth and power. Briefly. Feigning that he will help Naismith harness a piece of alien technology that can supposedly make humans immortal, the Master rigs it up to instead transform all humans into Master-clones. A Master Race! Very clever. But like all of the Master's schemes in New Who, it's all high concept but filled with holes. We will see this pattern repeat itself: the Master/Missy creates a massive army, but fails to think through all the ramifications and the entire project collapses. As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Sarah -

I feel exhausted just thinking about this nonsense. The Master is the, well, master of bonkers schemes, but this one takes the cake. Just what we need, a whole planet of the “Master” race. And when did he start being able to shoot electricity and fly? I can’t even tell you how much I loathe this plot line.

Harry -

It's totally in keeping with the modern era's Master in that his/her plots are nonsense, as if the point to the entire thing is to get a reaction from the Doctor. Get a room already!

Sarah -

The whole Obama/recession storyline is silly. And the mispronouncing of his name got under my skin. While I’m on a tear here, what the what with the creepy Naismith? The way he looks at his daughter may be the grossest thing in Doctor Who’s history.

Harry -

Eww eww Naismith. Please do not get a room!

Sarah -

And then we have the Time Lords, making their first return since Trial of a Time Lord in 1986. They’re as irritating as ever and I’m more than ready for Gallifrey to be destroyed.

Harry -

I don't recall if the return of Rassilon was known before this story aired. 

Sarah - 

I definitely remember being surprised the first time around, so I’m guessing not. 

Harry - 

Timothy Dalton's performance was scene-chewingly amusing, but I'm not sure what we were meant to think at the end. Was Rassilon not all that great after all, his scheme broken up by the lightning-flinging Master? Or had the Master evolved into some entirely new kind of being, able to fling lightning at the mighty Rassilon? Best not to expend too many brain cells on it. After all, Wilf is knocking.

And so the Tenth Doctor meets his demise. Not by the Daleks or Cybermen, not by some stupendous new monster, but by poor old Wilfrid Mott trapping himself in a chamber that's about to go nuclear. Ever since "The Caves of Androzani", I've wanted to see another story where the Doctor sacrifices a life in order to save just one person, not in some grand space opera setting but in a quiet corner of the universe. We got that here and it should have been great but for RTD blowing the regeneration up into the most self-indulgent, eye-rolling ordeal of all time.

Sarah - 

Right? It would have been perfect if the Doctor just regenerated and moved on. To be fair, if there’s one person worth dying to save it’s Wilfrid Mott. 

Harry - 

There's no need to go over the victory lap. It sucks and I'm not a fan, but it was RTD's farewell and he deserved to have his way after resurrecting the greatest TV show of all time. I really can't say anything else nice, so let's wrap it up.

Sarah - 

The victory lap may be the most egregious thing ever in Doctor Who, let’s leave it be. 

Harry - 

Best Line:

Wilf enters the TARDIS for the first time: "I thought it would be cleaner."

Favourite Moment:

Tough to pick one. I liked some of John Simm's manic moments. Gross but riveting.

Lasting Image:

Wilf's final goodbye to the Doctor.

5/10

Sarah - 

Best Line: 

Doctor: "I'd be proud."

Wilf: "Of what?"

Doctor: "If you were my dad."

Favorite Moment:

The return of Donna Noble!

Lasting Image: 

Wilf hugging the Doctor

3/10

Story #129 - The Five Doctors (1983)

Harry -
It's the twentieth anniversary special -- we have watched 20 years' worth of Doctor Who. Time for a celebraish! Pop that champagne, Sarah!


Sarah -
Hang on, Chuck. The cork is sticking. *POP* Ah, there were go. Cheers, Old Boy!


Harry -
Cheers ducks.

Well, when it came to producing a fitting tribute to mark two decades of Doctor Who, JN-T followed the impulse that most of us would have, and he threw absolutely everything into it. He asked the legendary Terrance Dicks to pen the adventure and Peter Moffatt to direct it, and he managed to cram almost every Doctor and companion up to that point into the thing.


Sarah -
We Doctor Who fans do love to complain, but there's something here to make everyone (at least a little bit) happy.


Harry -
It continues the template from "The Three Doctors" and would be emulated in future anniversary specials. The story serves as a vehicle for a seemingly endless round of cameo appearances, each one delightful. So good to see characters like Jamie and Zoe, and Liz and Yates, even if just for a moment. Characters like Susan, the Brigadier and Sarah Jane get bigger billing in the story and Carole Ann Ford, Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen step right back into the Whoniverse with ease.


Sarah -
It's like a school reunion!


Harry -
Best of all...five Doctors! Squee!


Sarah -
Well, five(ish).


Harry -
Technically, it was three actual Doctors. The late William Hartnell appears in a brief prologue, reciting his famous "One day I shall come back" speech. For the main story, his Doctor was played by Richard Hurndall. Tom Baker -- recently departed from the show -- chose not to appear in the story, so the producers made use of the punting scene from "Shada", which had not yet been broadcast. Both moves worked out for the best. Hurndall captured Hartnell's cantankerous feistiness, and the Doctor-Romana punting scene is one of my favourites. It's so sublime. We need to go punting sometime.


Sarah -
I'm game. Have you punted before? Do I get to lounge and read while you do all the hard work, or will we have to fight it out?


Harry -
We'll figure it out as we go, Doctor & Romana style.


Sarah -
That's the spirit! I love, love, love that the story opens with the Hartnell clip. It's reassuring to have the First Doctor inviting us into the adventure, isn't it?


Harry -
One of the best moments in Doctor Who's history, despite its sad context.


Sarah -
Only if you consider being abandoned by your grandfather on a planet that had been invaded by Daleks, after having lost your shoes, to be sad. Richard Hurndall really did a wonderful job. It was so good that Mr. Smith -- who is admittedly a casual viewer but has also been watching the show with me for more than 25 years -- didn't initially realize that it wasn't William Hartnell.

It sounds like there were weeks of back and forth between Tom Baker and JN-T -- he was coming back, he wasn't coming back, he was coming back, no he really wasn't coming back. Using the "Shada" footage was a brilliant way to have the Fourth Doctor in the story without having Tom Baker in the story.


Harry -
Once we've made the rounds and watched the first four Doctors getting scooped out of their time streams with varying degrees of success, the fifth and present Doctor collapses in pain. "I am being diminished," he says. Tegan and Turlough drag him back into the TARDIS, where he lies prone and fades in and out as if he himself is dematerializing. The TARDIS lands in a foggy wasteland. Whomever has been kidnapping the various Doctors has been plunking them down in the Death Zone. It's Gallifrey! It's time for another Time Lord conspiracy!


Sarah -
Oh, those Time Lords and their conspiracies!


Harry -
The high council of Gallifrey has been observing these events. In a strange turn, the Master is brought before them. President Borusa asks the Master to go to the Death Zone and rescue the Doctor in exchange for a new cycle of regenerations.


Sarah -
I quite like Anthony Ainley in this scene. He’s so wonderfully smarmy – like the class smart-ass called to the principal’s office. “What makes you think I want your forgiveness?” His reaction when they ask him to save the Doctor is priceless: “A cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about.” This is probably Ainley’s best performance so far.


Harry -
Meanwhile, the various Doctors team up with their companions and head to a tall tower in the middle of the Death Zone -- the tomb of Rassilon.


Sarah -
The First Doctor and Susan get to dash down some quite stylish corridors, trying to evade a Dalek, before finding the Fifth Doctor’s TARDIS. I love when the companions all sit down to fancy drinks and snacks in the console room while the Doctors work out the problem.

Don’t you love the moment when the Third Doctor and Sarah meet the Master and the Doctor doesn’t recognize him? He’s so dismissive of the Master and even steals the seal from him. He gets the same reaction from the Fifth Doctor, who steals the recall device when they are attacked by Cybermen. The Master can’t catch a break when he’s trying to be good, which leads him to an faux alliance with the Cybermen.


Harry -
The First Doctor and Tegan take the high road, straight into the tower. The Second Doctor and the Brigadier take the low road, entering from beneath but not before a couple of scary encounters: first with a Yeti, then with Zoe in a bubble wrap costume.


Sarah -
Don’t forget our dear Jamie, who’s looking quite fetching in his kilt – sans bubblewrap – and Mike Yates and Liz Shaw!


Harry -
Great to see Liz Shaw get one more appearance after her abrupt departure from the show. After lifting Sarah Jane Smith from a perilous ditch of death, the Third Doctor takes her all the way to the top of the tower via zipline and they enter from above.


Sarah -
Speaking of Sarah Jane, what the hell is she wearing? That jacket makes her look hugely pregnant. It’s an absolute relief when she takes it off.


Harry -
The fashions of the 80s are something we shall never understand, even if we did live through them.


Sarah -
They weren’t all bad. I distinctly remember wanting Tegan’s dress when I watched this for the first time.


Harry -
In addition to the Master, there are brief encounters with some classic monsters (Daleks, Cybermen) and a new one: a Raston Warrior Robot, the most perfect killing machine in the universe. Is it terrible to admit that I get a kick out of imagining Terrance Dicks saying "Raston Warrior Robot" out loud?


Sarah -
It seems you haven’t watched the featurette, where you get to hear him say it! It’s brilliant!


Harry -
Hah!

I guess we could spare a moment to talk about the actual story here. "The Five Doctors" completes the informal Borusa cycle. We have seen Borusa four times over the years, each time played by a different actor. His rise began in "The Deadly Assassin", when he was a Cardinal. In "The Invasion of Time" he was Lord Chancellor and teamed (loosely) with the Doctor to combat the Vardans and Sontarans. In "Arc of Infinity" he was finally Lord President of Gallifrey, but something of a tired character while someone else's conspiracy played out around him. Finally, here in "The Five Doctors", Borusa's ambitions have been rekindled as he seeks the secret of true immortality and ultimate power from Rassilon himself. Thankfully, Philip Latham was not required to act with his hands for half the story.


Sarah -
Lantham is really brilliant as Borusa. The scene where he frames the Castellan, leading to his death, is chilling. What a bastard!


Harry -
Borusa was cool, calm and collected throughout the story. This is one of my favourite Borusas.


Sarah -
He's the most cunning Borusa, that's for sure.


Harry -
Eventually, everyone arrives at the tomb of Rassilon and the slow-moving story comes to a rapid conclusion. Borusa is unmasked as the conspirator du jour, having used virtually everyone else in the story as a dupe for his ambitions. He seeks the ring of Rassilon and the promise of immortality and never-ending power. Rassilon appears and offers it up without hesitation.

Naturally, Borusa is undone by his own wickedness and becomes imprisoned in the tomb for eternity. Having sorted that out, Rassilon gives a Brian Blessed-like laugh and fades away again.


Sarah -
Say what you will about the silly Great and Powerful Oz-like appearance by Rassilon, Borusa's entombment is horrifying. I feel absolutely claustrophobic just thinking about it.


Harry -
It's all in the eyes. Horrible fate. An eternity of living entombment is a chilling prospect.

Sadly for Borusa, no one felt too bad about what happened to him. That leaves our Doctors and their friends to make a big series of goodbyes as the story wraps up. I say "story" but "The Five Doctors" is more of a celebration, a greatest hits or whatever cliché you want to attach to it. This would be one of the first stories I would encourage new viewers to watch, just because it gives you a sampling of all the eras from the first 20 years of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
The story is a bit of an afterthought, which makes sense when you consider all the rewriting Terrance Dicks had to do as actors dropped in and out during the planning. Still, it's a delightful romp and a moment to pause and feel the love.


Harry -
Well, looks like the champagne didn't last very long. Shall we move on to Peter Davison's third and final season?


Sarah -
Final season? It feels like we just got started!


Harry -
I know, it's crazy!

Best Line:
SECOND DOCTOR: "And, er, and who is this?"
BRIGADIER: "That's Colonel Crichton, my replacement."
SECOND DOCTOR: "Ah. Yes, mine was pretty unpromising, too."

BAM! HAHA!

Favourite Moment: Really, every cameo was a favourite.

Lasting Image: The Doctors all congratulating themselves at the end.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line: There are so many, but I have to go with the closer,

Tegan: "You mean you're deliberately choosing to go on the run from your own people, in a rackety old TARDIS?"
The Doctor: "Why not? After all, that's how it all started."

Favorite Moment: The Second Doctor meeting up with the Brig.

Lasting Images: All the Doctors together!

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #130: Warriors of the Deep...

Story #123: Arc of Infinity (1983)

Harry -
Welcome to Season Twenty!


Sarah -
Huzzah!


Harry -
I had not watched this story for a long time. The memories I had of it were of the not-so-fond variety, but a rewatch improved my view. A little.


Sarah -
It's no "Time-Flight", which can only be a good thing!


Harry -
"Arc of Infinity" starts off in a different manner than what we became accustomed to in Peter Davison's first season. Here, we find the Doctor travelling with a single companion. The Doctor-Nyssa travelling partnership has been explored in other media, and it's too bad we didn't get more of it on the TV series. As two gentle, sciency types they get along famously as we catch up with them making long overdue repairs to the TARDIS.


Sarah -
I'm going to be a little controversial here, Harry, and admit that I'm not a big Nyssa fan. While I imagine she's someone I would like in person, and Sarah Sutton seems absolutely lovely, Nyssa is just, well, boring. If I'd had a vote on who was going to be written off the show in Season Ninteen, Nyssa would have been my choice. The problem is that she is too much like the Fifth Doctor and it's all just too nice. I've not listened to any of the Fifth Doctor-Nyssa Big Finish stories, but I hope they've found a way to inject something interesting into that relationship.


Harry -
I think Nyssa more than most suffers the problem of writers who didn't know what to do with her.


Sarah -
Always a valid point. In Nyssa's favor, she gets to say "reverse the polarity" while working on repairs.


Harry -
Since we've been watching the stories all in order, we've had a chance to watch the development of Nyssa's character. The conclusion is: there was barely any development to her character. Since re-joining the Doctor on Logopolis, Nyssa has been mostly a tagalong character who asks questions at timely moments, then gets banished or banishes herself to the TARDIS to ride out a big portion of every adventure, especially when it's time for action. A big problem seems to be that Nyssa is described as a child, but played by an adult, so her very persona gets confusing.


Sarah -
I'll have to track down some of the Big Finish audios and report back on her character development.


Harry -
Anyway, while the Doctor and Nyssa make repairs and conduct tests, two alternate timelines play out elsewhere. First, there's a return to Gallifrey, where an unidentified high-collared character is conspiring with a masked figure who targets the Doctor as a conduit for his plot.


Sarah -
Ah, Gallifrey! It wouldn't be the same without the political intrigue, would it?


Harry -
Seems to be all they do there.


Sarah -
The Time Lords having always been a bit disappointing, haven't they?


Harry -
Yeah.  You start to wonder why they kept going back to this.  

Second, there are scenes featuring two backpackers in contemporary Amsterdam, who find an unused crypt where they settle down to sleep the night. This being Doctor Who, these three lines are about to collide.


Sarah -
And things don't look good for the backpackers!


Harry -
Suddenly, an extradimensional entity invades the TARDIS!


Sarah -
Shocking!


Harry -
Suddenly, a freaky bird creature attacks one of the packbackers in the crypt!


Sarah -
Terrifying!


Harry -
Suddenly, the TARDIS's recall circuit is activated, calling the Doctor back to Gallifrey!


Sarah -
And, really, this is just too much!


Harry -
Upon arrival, the TARDIS is immediately impounded by the security commander, one of many familiar faces. There's Commander Maxil, played by the future Sixth Doctor! There's Councillor Hedin, played by the Celestial Toymaker! There's Chancellor Thalia, played by Blackadder's mum! What a cast of characters!


Sarah -
Whatever faults this story may have, the cast is bringing it. And, is it just me, or is Colin Baker bringing an extra helping of the sexy? When he's not carrying that stupid feathery helmet, that is.


Harry -
Sexy Maxil must have struck a note with JNT, considering all he does is march around in every scene.


Sarah -
Perhaps JNT was wondering what he would look like in a clown suit?


Harry -
I'm not sure of one thing: were we supposed to know that the shadowy Gallifreyan was conspiring with Omega? It seemed like a really late reveal. Up to that point, we get a seemingly endless series of clandestine meetings between these two. Yes, they advance the plot in very small stages, but they got very tedious, especially when you know whose voice is behind the Gallifreyan collar.


Sarah -
The plotting scenes are soooooo tedious! Hand acting isn't mysterious -- it's boring.


Harry -
More interesting were the location shots in Amsterdam. Something we haven't really seen since the Doctor and Romana visited Paris. I know JNT was big on these foreign forays. And look who just turned up at the aeroport: Tegan Jovanka!


Sarah -
Hooray! At last! This story can only get better with Tegan around.

I had to laugh when Robin met Tegan at the airport -- he's in an anorak and she's dressed for summer in Ibiza. Janet must have been freezing for that entire shoot, which I imagine she mentions repeatedly on the commentary track. Still, her hair looks fab. I've always loved this cut on her.


Harry -
Short haired Tegan definitely looks better, and Janet Fielding was rocking a similar cut when we met her at Chicago TARDIS a few years ago.


Sarah -
When you've found a good look, you've got to stick with it.


Harry -
Anyway, for all that fuss about getting back to Heathrow, Tegan ended up getting sacked by the airline. With newfound freedom, she's travelled to Amsterdam to meet up with her cousin Colin, one of the backpackers. Only Colin's encounter with the Ergon resulted in him being captured and zombified. He toils away in the crypt, carrying equipment around as part of Omega's plot to return to this universe.


Sarah -
The Zombie Colin scenes really are quite creepy.


Harry -
Colin does a good zombie face.

Meanwhile, the Gallifreyans are s-l-o-o-o-o-w-l-y cottoning on to the fact that a conspiracy is afoot. The mysterious entity is threatening to force its way from the universe of anti-matter, using the Doctor as a conduit. So, the only solution must be to execute the Doctor! Good grief.


Sarah -
Bring out the Bidmead "That's Not Science!" button on this one. So very lame.


Harry -
Nyssa takes matters into her own hands and uses a stun gun on some of Maxil's men. Maxil responds by marchng around some more.


Sarah -
Pistol Packin Nyssa! This may be the most interesting thing she's done this far. More Action-Nyssa, please!


Harry -
Nyssa livening shit up around here. I don't know. Gallifrey has gotten even more boring since the last time we were there.

The three threads of this story took too long to come together, I thought.


Sarah -
Can we go back to talking about Janet's hair?

You know what would have been a great plot twist? If the Doctor left Nyssa behind and dragged Leela and K-9 in to the TARDIS. Someone needs to write that story!


Harry -
A Leela/K-9 cameo would have been very fun.


Sarah -
From a looking-backwards perspective, I did like the scenes where the Doctor and Nyssa dash around Amsterdam looking for Tegan. I imagine they were inserted to justify the location shooting, but they illustrated a point we've made in the past about the current series. David Tennant or Matt Smith would have just waved the sonic screwdriver and found Tegan.


Harry -
...and Peter Capaldi would have done the same, only more angrily.


Sarah -
Which would have made it completely awesome! Still, 80s Doctor had to put in some actual legwork!


Harry -
Did you spot the Dutch kid in the amazing "stars and stripes" knit sweater? That was the best bit of costuming in the entire show!


Sarah -
Which really isn't saying all that much.


Harry -
Well, for all Omega's furious desire to escape the anti-matter universe, and all of Hedin's gullible assistance, neither of them survive the story intact. Hedin gets shot by the Castellan and doesn't get past episode three.


Sarah -
If we've learned one thing on this marathon, it's that the lackey never wins.


Harry -
...and barely ever survives. Omega takes the Doctor's form but only partially materializes on Earth. Almost immediately, he starts breaking down while leading the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa on a merry old jogging tour of old Amsterdam. When Omega is finally cornered, we see the Doctor do something he's seemingly doing more of in this regeneration: he zaps Omega into oblivion without flinching.


Sarah -
Another exciting chase scene, amortizing that location shooting. Back to the anti-matter universe for you, Omega! Threat averted.


Harry -
Kind of a messy, chaotic ending. The local citizens seemed to take it all in stride without a mass panic ensuing. Back on Gallifrey... well, we don't know what happens back on Gallifrey as the story ends before we can find out. And so after being separated at the end of Season Nineteen, the Doctor and Nyssa are reunited with Tegan to start Season Twenty.


Sarah -
Which brings us to my favorite part of the entire story. The Doctor thinks he's done with Tegan and she'll be heading back home:

Doctor: It's been marvelous to see you again.
Nyssa: Indeed. I've missed you. I wish you didn't have to go back to your job.
Tegan: What job? Didn't I tell you? I got the sack. So you're stuck with me, aren't you.
Doctor: So it seems.

Hooray! Tegan is back in the TARDIS!


Sarah -
Best Line:
Zorac: Each and every time the Doctor returns to Gallifrey there's violence.
Hedin: Perhaps it is we who should modify our approach.

Favorite Moment: Tegan tells the Doctor she's back on board for adventures in time and space!

Lasting Image: The Doctor's face when Tegan tells him she's staying.

5/10


Harry -
Best Line: The "so your stuck with me," "so it seems," exchange was the only time I laughed during the whole story, and it was the final line.

Favourite Moment: Seeing so many familiar faces on Gallifrey.

Lasting Image: I agree the Doctor's barely-disguised look of dismay was great, but I'll add the image of the Ergon. I like a good bird monster.

5/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #124: Snakedance...

New Year's Interlude: Shada (1980)

Sarah -
Cup of tea, Old Boy?


Harry -
A milk and six sugars if you're making one, ta lovey. And Happy New Year. The back of the sofa is littered with empties. We should do some tidying before getting back at it.


Sarah -
Happy New Year. I'll tidy up the bottles in a bit, but first let's have a biscuit and a chat about "Shada."


Harry -
Yes, this is the next item on our marathon. "Shada" is an odd thing -- only partially filmed, never broadcast, not an officially numbered Doctor Who story, but released in a variety of formats over the years. Off the top of my head:

- a VHS version featuring the original footage, with Tom Baker offering connecting dialogue whilst creeping around a Doctor Who exhibition

- a Big Finish audio version featuring Paul McGann's Doctor

- a novelization of Douglas Adams' original scripts by Gareth Roberts

- there is an animated version floating around online, and also a fan edit that ties the whole story together in less than an hour, using the original footage


Sarah -
I watched the first half of the Baker VHS version and the fan edit. Perhaps I'll get around to the novelization someday.

It was fun to finally see the filmed footage, besides the punting scene that was recycled for "The Five Doctors".


Harry -
I also watched the first episode of the VHS, and the fan edit. It was nice to see something other than the punting scene. All this time, the delightful Professor Chronotis was unknown to us. Denis Carey was lovely as the old Time Lord living out a kind of semi-retirement at Cambridge, surrounded by walls of books and barrels of tea. Very cosy.


Sarah -
How lovely was he?


Harry -
Very. 

Of course, it wouldn't be Doctor Who if a bunch of things didn't all happen at once. In this case, Chronotis receives a series of visits from student Chris Parsons, the Doctor and Romana, the villainous Skagra and Clare Keightley, another student. All the enters and exeunts revolve around a book that was in the professor's possession: The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey. It's rather important.


Sarah -
Terribly important. You'd think he might keep better track of it. Still, the centuries do slide by.

My favorite thing in the entire stash of footage is the ensemble Skagra dons to visit Professor Chronotis in Cambridge. I imagine his research on appropriate clothing for 1979 was focused on disco-fabulous drug lord cabaret dancers. Can go wrong with that look.


Harry -
Oh my word, it's Skagra Stardust and the Krargs from Mars!

Skagra's first ensemble was the highlight of the story. It's pure Bowie. The white spacesuit with silver cape, the high-heeled boots, the big floppy hat. Strolling around Cambridge like he doesn't care. It was hugely disappointing when he returned to his invisible ship to change into more mundane Earth attire.


Sarah -
That's about the point my interest started flagging.


Harry -
In his second, bland ensemble, Skagra confronts the Doctor, demanding the book and setting his scary sphere against our hero. The Doctor flees on bicycle. Was this the first and only bicycle chase in Doctor Who?


Sarah -
It's the first I recall. So high-speed and exciting! Well, exciting in a lost-footage, Cambridge-y sort of way.


Harry -
So many sharp corners!

The story gets a bit sliced and diced after that, as scenes start to go missing and the remaining footage gets stitched together by the fan editor(s). I'm not sure where Chris went, and suddenly Clare comes to Chronotis' assistance after he sort-of-died-but-returned-to-action. I'm not sure where Romana went, either.


Sarah -
Things happen, problem solved, la la la, let's have tea! It's all very Douglas Adamsish and lovely at the end.

I don't believe we can provide our usual wrap up to this story, but I'm fairly certain we can agree on our lasting image!


Harry -
Oh yes!

I don't know what those Krargs were, mind -- some kind of fire monsters at Skagra's command? Anyway, they seemed to bring some menace before our heroes prevailed and everyone headed back to Chronotis' place. I guess we have to leave it at that. Incomplete review for an incomplete story. Maybe we'll jointly read the novelization, or track down the McGann audio someday.

Best Line - Eh, I'm sure the Doctor and Romana exchanged witticisms at some point.

Favourite Moment - Skagra strolling around Cambridge in full space villain regalia.

Lasting Image - Oh yes!

Rating incomplete.


Sarah -
You know what this means -- we're about to move into Tom Baker's final season.


Harry -
They say things took a turn here...


Sarah -
Shall we meet up at The Leisure Hive?


Harry -
As soon as I've carried out these empties.

Our marathon resumes with Story #109 - The Leisure Hive...

Story #97 - The Invasion of Time (1978)

Harry -
After the awfulness of "Underworld", I was quite looking forward to "The Invasion of Time." There's so much on the surface to recommend it: it's a season-ending 6-parter, it's set on Gallifrey, it features a double alien threat, and there's also a double companion farewell. We also get to see much more of the inner TARDIS. So much win!

And yet when I watched it all in one go, it wasn't all that satisfying. Maybe I should have watched it in smaller portions?


Sarah -
I hear what you're saying, but I have a very different reaction to the story. Yes, it has its weaknesses. The story was written at the 11th hour and designed to be as inexpensive as possible, but I can't help loving the story. It's so much fun to watch -- as long as you don't think about the actual story too much.


Harry -
The most interesting thing here might be that we've finally found a story we don't completely agree on.


Sarah -
It had to happen eventually, I guess.


Harry -
I think this is one where the memories of it are better than the story itself. The opening scenes were intriguing, as we see the Doctor plotting an invasion of Gallifrey with some unseen cohorts. These are echoes of his erratic behavior in the opening of "The Deadly Assassin," but we know the Doctor too well to believe he'd get in league with anyone against his own people, doddering old fools they may be. And gosh there's a lot of doddering here.


Sarah -
We do agree on the doddering. The portrayal of the Time Lords in stories like "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Invasion of Time" is my preferred way to see them. In earlier stories, they're portrayed as god-like beings. Seeing the petty politicking of Gallifrey makes it easy to understand why the Doctor would choose to get the hell out of there.

Perhaps the story's greatest plot weakness is that we don't know why the Doctor is helping the Vardans in the first place. We don't know who they are, and neither does he. There's no indicating how or why they contacted him, we just sally forth into the story. I mostly chose to ignore the questions and enjoy the ride.

Fun fact: Mr. Smith has threatened for years to cover himself in plastic wrap and cosplay a Vardan at Chicago TARDIS. I should double-dog dare him to do it this year.


Harry -
That costume would be easy to make, and imagine how many people would ask him who he was!

When I started watching the story, it felt like we'd skipped an episode and walked into the middle of something already well underway. For a six-parter, the whole thing felt stitched together from odds and ends. There was the Doctor-betrays-Gallifrey angle, the Doctor-becomes-president angle, the Vardan invasion (which wasn't much of an invasion, as they got zapped away the moment they let their guard down) and finally the Sontaran runaround two-parter.


Sarah -
Yes, but: the TARDIS swimming pool, endless corridors, Storeroom 23A, Ancillary Power Station disguised as an art gallery!

Oh dear, I think I'm starting to talk myself down from my enthusiasm...


Harry -
Never curb your enthusiasm!

The TARDIS swimming pool was great, as was the art gallery. I wasn't as enthused by the corridors and staircases -- they seemed too grungy compared to the pristine white console room.


Sarah -
You're not the only one. There are plenty of disparaging comments about the Doctor's upkeep of the TARDIS from the visiting Time Lords.


Harry -
The show-runners also had to prepare a suitable exit angle for Leela. Now, I'm intrigued by a man in red tights as much as anyone, but was there enough in this story to make Leela's bonding with Andred believeable? I say nay!


Sarah -
It's one of the worst companion exits in the history of the series. Still, those were some tight tights.


Harry -
I wonder how much lead time "David Agnew" (hah!) got before he had to write Leela's departure. I know Louise had been clear about wanting to leave the show. Do you remember that video she played at our first Chicago TARDIS? It was a compilation of every time the Doctor had shushed Leela. And it went on and on! Who wouldn't have grown tired of that gig?


Sarah -
I do remember that. It was hysterical. Apparently, there was hope among the production team that Louise Jameson would stay on for another season, so they kept the ending open in case she changed her mind. She and Andred did manage to work in a few moments that at least hint at attraction, but they certainly don't lead the audience to expect her to stay with him.


Harry -
It would have been way more amazing had Leela chosen to stay and bond with Rodan. Their relationship was truly a case of opposites attract. I did like how Rodan evolved from being all haughty in her sheltered life inside the Citadel, to being shattered by the world outside, to donning animal skins and joining the Vikings as they stormed the Citadel.


Sarah -
I really like Rodan. She's more flexible in her thinking than the rest of the Time Lords. She should be the next president!


Harry -
Funny enough, we are about to meet another Gallifreyan character who does just that!


Sarah -
I did find myself wondering if Rodan was the inspiration for Romana. I believe she's the first Time Lady we've met, so why not introduce another?


Harry -
Back to the story, I can't think of those "outsiders" as anything but Vikings. There was a strong vibe of recycled costumes going on there.


Sarah -
I love that "dropping out" of Time Lord culture involves becoming shaggy warriors!

Can we at least agree that Milton Johns' performance as the obsequious Castellan Kelner is a delight? Such a toady collaborator -- Johns milks it for all it's worth!


Harry -
Oh, Milton Johns! That Castellan was so oily I wanted to wash my hands after each of his scenes. Epic toadying.


Sarah -
He had me giggling through the entire story.


Harry -
Equally reptilian was John Arnatt as Borusa. What a cold lizard he was, although his "running through corridors" moment with the Doctor was hilarious.


Sarah -
He was perfect. The caliber of the actors in this story often put me in the mind of Shakespearean drama -- minus the brilliant writing, of course.


Harry -
Something I have noticed cropping up -- especially in this story -- is Tom looking and acting directly into the camera. These moments create a kind of hammy self-reverence that I'm not wild about, because they make it seem like it's "The Tom Baker Show" and not Doctor Who.


Sarah -
Tom was very TOM in this story, wasn't he? The first one is amusing, but it gets tedious very quickly.


Harry -
Okay that's enough grumbling from me. Let's talk about the Sontarans!

...oh dear.


Sarah -
So disappointing. Could the costume department not manage to design a helmet that allowed the actor to look out both eye slots at the same time? At first it was awkward. Eventually, it became so distracting I couldn't look at anything else!


Harry -
The one eye through the helmet was creepy. I don't know what happened here. Was it really that hard to reuse or replicate the look of the original Sontarans? They are a race of clones after all. Stor, with his two black eyes, bad teeth and cockney lisp, was a pale imitation of Linx and Styre.

Let's not spend this entire review whingeing, Sarah. Surely there's some good in "The Invasion of Time." The title is cool. There's that. It's always fun to get a glimpse at Gallifrey, because it reinforces why the Doctor left it and never wanted to return. The show-runners obviously wanted to throw everything into this season finale. On paper it probably sounded great. For a six-parter it's one of the fastest-moving ones, even if the final product left me feeling a bit meh.


Sarah -
Considering some of the six-parters we've endured, there's a lot to be said for "The Invasion of Time". It really never drags.

Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to another companion. What do you make of the Leela Era?


Harry -
For the longest time I believed that Jo Grant spent her entire time with the Doctor as just a one-dimensional stock companion. As we saw earlier in our marathon, that was not the case. Instead, the one-dimensional stock companion mantle may fall upon Leela. She didn't really show much character development from her introduction in "The Face of Evil" to her departure here. It may have been a term of endearment, but the Doctor never rose above calling her "Savage" in most stories -- and that seemed to cement her status. She did a lot of heavy lifting and showed a lot of personal strength, but I wish we could have gone deeper into the character. In the end, she runs off unexpectedly with a man in red tights. Did I mention I was quite fond of those tights?


Sarah -
I can only agree that Andred knew how to rock those tights!

I disagree about Leela's character development, but only a bit. I would say that there was some growth in her character, but I suspect the bad feelings between Louise and Tom kept them from developing the rapport that he had with Elisabeth Sladen. I often found myself admiring Louise Jameson's performance when it was clear that she was doing all she could with subpar material. The writers often seemed unsure how to handle her character, but Jameson made the best of it and never allowed Leela to be anything other than a strong savage warrior.


Harry -
The fierce loyalty she had for the Doctor is what I will remember most about Leela.


Sarah -
She never lost faith in him -- even when he had her thrown out of the citadel!


Harry -
Best Line:
Vardan - "We have suspected the Doctor since we first made contact. We shall deal with him soon."
Doctor [elsewhere] - "Well at least they don't suspect me."

Favourite Moment: Castellan Kelner bowing and scraping before the Vardans.

Lasting Image: Stor's loony face.

6/10


Sarah -
Best Line:
Borusa : "You have access to the greatest source of knowledge in the universe."
The Doctor : "Well, I do talk to myself sometimes."

Favorite Moment: The Doctor's induction as President

Lasting Image: The Doctor, wearing the Sash of Rassilon, holding the Rod of Rassilon, and sitting on the Sofa of Rassilon! Wait, I think that last one was just my imagination...

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #98 - The Ribos Operation...