![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Crossing more off my list.
The Three Doctors
The Keeper of Traken/Logopolis
Time and the Rani
Dragonfire
- Oh, the Doctor just does not get along with himself, does he? :D Two and Three constantly bickering – so, so funny.
- Haven't seen much of her yet, but I rather like Jo.
- The only other time I'd seen Two or Three yet was in The Five Doctors. And now seeing them more, I think I almost expected their personalities to be switched, just from their clothes. Which is a bit silly, yeah. But I was expecting Three to be more of the flamboyant/eccentric one and Two to be more proper. But it's actually the opposite.
- Destroying the enemy with the POWER OF THEIR MIND. MWAH!
- Now I see why some people thought that Omega might be back, back when people found out that there was going to be a black hole plot in "The Impossible Planet." But I'm glad that they just gave it a nod instead of revolved a plot around it with, "My people practically invented black holes. Well, in fact, they did." (I like that they do the nods in New Who without getting super heavy into backstory. Probably one of the many reasons they chose to wipe out the Time Lords with the Time War – they could pretty much reinvent themselves since they're not bound to a lot of Gallifrey/Time Lord stuff, but can still keep the ties by referencing things and picking and choosing what still applies.)
The Keeper of Traken/Logopolis
- Combined the two since they're supposed to happen right after each other, and really, the only thing important that happens in Keeper of the Traken is that you meet Nyssa and the Master steals her father's body.
- On to Logopolis. The Void! Cool! I like it when I find out that New Who stuff was taken from Classic episodes. So "our" universe *should* have died long ago, but the Logopolians had opened many rifts through the Void, in order to draw power? Was that what it was? It was a bit fuzzy. But it seemed like that's what they had done as a stop-gap until they could crack the computational code to restore the universe on their own power.
- But with this understanding of the plot, I didn't get the ending with the Master. Seemed rather "transmit the code and save the universe, or don't and the universe dies." Really no wiggle room to do something else there. I really don't get what he was doing at the end and I have the feeling it's more handwavy stuff at a plot hole. Well, not even a plot hole but a "wuh?"
- So did a big chunk of the universe go bye-bye? Did Nyssa's planet come back after the code restored the universe, or was it gone forever?
- Don't quite understand *how* the Watcher was actually the Doctor. Was he supposed to be a future self that survived the decay of the universe, and in a drastic measure, came back to warn himself? Rule #1...or 2 (one of those bloody rules) is you can never cross back on your own timeline. But since the universe was already destroyed, probably wasn't much difference either way. Of course, now that the decay was stopped, the future self no longer exists.
- Now having seen these two, I see more Nyssa the Kid. Before when I said she seemed around 25 (or early 20s),
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wiliqueen was very "bwuh??" Heh heh. She's clearly a child in these episodes, but in starting with Castrovala and then seeing Earthshock, Nyssa seemed more Tegan's counterpart, and so my mind made them roughly the same age.
Time and the Rani
- I just love Seven. I really do. And I've only seen a few episodes of him yet.
- The Rani pretending to be Mel cracked me up. Not because of the "she's fooling the Doctor! Tee hee!" factor either. That composite would have been *awesome* as an actual companion! Being helpful but bitching at him at the same time – BWAH!
- Love the Rani as a villain. Having her be obsessed with her own experiments instead of obsessed with destroying the Doctor helped. She had a *point* to her, unlike the Master most the time. Plus being wicked smart – a very formidable opponent to the Doctor. It seems the Doctor fanboys her a bit, just because he's fascinated by her intelligence. I *think* it was mentioned in "The Mark of the Rani" that she's smarter than him. Heh, if Ten were around, it'd be like, "can I lick your brain?" *snickers*
- *Speaking* of brains...GIANT BRAIN!! :D And now I think I know where Futurama got their giant brain idea from. Doesn't surprise me. Apparently Leela on Futurama was named after Leela on Doctor Who. (Futurama creators are all a bunch of giant nerds – probably the funniest DVD commentaries I've ever heard.)
- Hmm. Don't think they said how the Rani escaped the dinosaur from "The Mark of the Rani." Heh heh. Not that it really matters.
- Mel. The screaming. Dear Lord. And all the Doctor's companions have...interesting clothes. Seems a requirement. But maybe with the multitude of people over the years, there's this sense that people need to quickly establish an identity or get lost in the shuffle. And one way to do that is with distinctive clothing.
Dragonfire
- Mel kinda runs at the mouth, doesn't she? Yeah, just keep babbling about "secret documents." o_O
- Love it when the Doctor's all happy about an adventure. "You want to go there, Doctor? The Lake of Oblivion?" "Ooooh!" "Dragonfire?" "Yay!" And love that Ace is just as thrilled!
- A bit of that broody-pouting-the-world-owes-me in Ace, but that's very 16-year-old. I still like her.
- So...since no one was around to *push* him over the ledge, the Doctor took on the role himself by climbing over a railing to hang over a bottomless pit? Oh, Doctor. I know you've got that urge to fall, but... That was probably the weirdest thing I think I've seen the Doctor ever do.
- BWAH! A whole deeply philosophical discussion between the Doctor and this random guard! Of course, the random guard, having finally gotten to talk to someone beyond "have a good shift today?" looks ready to jump into the Doctor's lap. *cracks up*
- "I think she's going to kill us, Doctor." "Ah, an existentialist." :D
- Oooh. A ZPM.
- Poor Doctor with Mel leaving him (although I'm not sad to see her go.) He's talking about her living her life while he's back to the same old homeless wandering. Of course, I have NO idea why Mel decided to leave. None. She just sort of jumps ship.
- And the Doctor picks up another stray after Mel pokes him about Ace. Heh. "Perivale by way of the scenic route." :)
no subject
I really don't get what he was doing at the end and I have the feeling it's more handwavy stuff at a plot hole. Well, not even a plot hole but a "wuh?"
I've never quite gotten it either, but then I've also never gotten his adamant refusal to believe that the consequences of killing a few Logopolitans could really be as dire as all that. The handwave, I think, is that he's genuinely looney and arrogant enough to believe that there's always an angle he can play to make things come out his way. Exactly what angle he thought he was playing there...um...you got me. *shrug* See "Squirrel shit, nuttier than." You're going to have to resort to that in some...less-than-stellarly-written later appearances, unfortunately.
Don't quite understand *how* the Watcher was actually the Doctor.
Join the club. I'm surprised there's not more meta about it, but I think everyone's just kind of "Uhhhh...you got me. WTF??". My personal theory is that he's a manifestation of the energy that will be going into the regeneration, possibly formed by the TARDIS, to guide things into line for the timeline to come out correctly when everything is thrown out of whack by the entropy field. F'rinstance, fetching Nyssa from Traken before it's destroyed, because she's supposed to be with Five and can't be if she's ceased to exist. (And yes, that rather sizeable swath of the cosmos is gone forever. The Monitor had some line or other about how they can hold back the entropy field but can't reverse it.)
In any case, he's supposed to be some sort of "transitional" form.
The Rani pretending to be Mel cracked me up.
Oh, gods, that is the most simultaneously horrifying and hilarious thing EVER. It's like Lauren Bacall trying to be Shirley Temple.
But I do love the Rani, and wish they'd done more with her.
Mel. The screaming. Dear Lord.
*chuckle* Sophie Aldred's book tells about how, shooting their first scene together in "Dragonfire," Bonnie turned to her and said "Sorry, Soph," just before the director called action and she let fly with an ear-piercer.
But maybe with the multitude of people over the years, there's this sense that people need to quickly establish an identity or get lost in the shuffle. And one way to do that is with distinctive clothing.
This is a really good point, that I hadn't thought about quite that way before. Usually it doesn't get any further than "It was the 60s/70s/80s" and/or "They still thought it was a kids' show."
Oooh. A ZPM.
*blink* Clearly it's been way too long since I've seen this...
Of course, I have NO idea why Mel decided to leave. None. She just sort of jumps ship.
Appropriate, unfortunately, since we also have no idea how or why she arrived. :-( She just appeared in media res during "The Trial of a Time Lord." No idea who thought that was a good idea, but then that's true of at least 95% of "Trial"...
no subject
HEE!! I couldn't help making it when watching Logopolis. :D
You've probably run across the fact that the Master was conceived as Moriarty to the Doctor's Holmes. Which pretty much makes the fanboy thing inevitable. He's also that much more bonkers after running out of regenerations and commandeering a human(?) body. I love him to bits, even while recognizing that he is, as I read on a board somewhere once, "nuttier than squirrel shit." But he really, really is.
I hadn't seen the Moriarty thing, but it totally makes sense. And I've only ever seen him in this body, so to me he's just INSANE.
The handwave, I think, is that he's genuinely looney and arrogant enough to believe that there's always an angle he can play to make things come out his way. Exactly what angle he thought he was playing there...um...you got me. *shrug* See "Squirrel shit, nuttier than."
*SNORT*
Yeah, he was clearly trying to Take Over The Universe Part XVI, but exactly how...
Oh, gods, that is the most simultaneously horrifying and hilarious thing EVER. It's like Lauren Bacall trying to be Shirley Temple.
YES!!
But I do love the Rani, and wish they'd done more with her.
Totally. Don't think they've ever done any audios with her either, which would be killer.
*chuckle* Sophie Aldred's book tells about how, shooting their first scene together in "Dragonfire," Bonnie turned to her and said "Sorry, Soph," just before the director called action and she let fly with an ear-piercer.
Ha! I think I probably can even picture the scene - they were huddled together and she totally screamed her head off. :D Yeah, there were a few times when Ace had this WTF? look at the screaming.
This is a really good point, that I hadn't thought about quite that way before. Usually it doesn't get any further than "It was the 60s/70s/80s" and/or "They still thought it was a kids' show."
Mel was by far the most "clownish" that I've seen. Haven't watched her and Six together yet, but talk about Big Top!
Appropriate, unfortunately, since we also have no idea how or why she arrived. :-( She just appeared in media res during "The Trial of a Time Lord." No idea who thought that was a good idea, but then that's true of at least 95% of "Trial"...
I saw this on wiki, after looking her up. Apparently the only companion that you've never seen the first trip of? Maybe by that point it had been done just so many times and whoever was in charge just could NOT listen to "It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside!" one more time. ;)
no subject
I've only seen one or two of Roger Delgado's appearances, and a looooooong time ago. But he was definitely, er, subtler.
I think Ainley probably made the later Master more interesting than the writing deserved. There are also some stories of him being pushed by TPTB into the more over-the-top choices. :-/
I still want to see them bring him back as Jack Davenport. (And yes, that's the mental casting for my fic. *eg*) Mostly I'm all for keeping the classic-series connections minimal, but it's the Moriarty factor. The guy is a cockroach. If there's one other Time Lord still in existence (assuming you can still even call him one, really)? It's him.
Yeah, there were a few times when Ace had this WTF? look at the screaming.
*giggle* Which is just so very Ace, too.
Mel was by far the most "clownish" that I've seen. Haven't watched her and Six together yet, but talk about Big Top!
And I think that was a lot of it -- they established her style when she had to actually be noticed next to Six. Not thinking that, dude, she has big red hair and and you could run a city off of her, so kinda hard to miss regardless...
Maybe by that point it had been done just so many times and whoever was in charge just could NOT listen to "It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside!" one more time. ;)
*chuckle* It's so bizarre, because there was never really any mention of where she came from. Or even a solid idea of who the heck she was -- she was more all over the map than season 1 Sam Carter. And then they went and cast a former child star known for playing really annoying brats. They couldn't have designed her more perfectly to be despised. (Fortunately, Bonnie has since become a HUGE grownup West End star and can afford to laugh at it.)
I have an odd soft spot for Mel, and couldn't tell you why. She was poorly conceived, poorly served, and a poor fit for Seven (whom most people love). Although she was a good balance for Six (whom many people hate).
no subject
Oh, missed this in the last comment...
The dragonfire turned out to be this crystaline power source that looked very much like a ZPM. Heh heh.
no subject
I've got a couple of these in the queue to watch. I remember the Rani, vaguely, and am anxious to check them out again.
Sometimes I wish I could obsess as well as you do then maybe I'd get them watched sooner...
no subject
no subject
I will definitely be watching a lot more of my DVDs soon. And lots of that is old Who!