The Seeds of Death - Episode 2

At the beginning of the episode, they are still trying to convince Eldred to use his rocket. After a while I felt like this was just getting tiresome. There’s something good about someone standing up for their principles but there comes a time when you have to put it to one side and just help others. It took an awfully long time for this to happen. Once Eldred agrees to this it isn’t very long before the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie are on the rocket about to go to the moon.

The sight of Eldrad, Miss Kelly and Radnor sitting at a desk does look like some talent show judging panel. It’s rather amusing. They are the three best supporting characters in this piece with Louise Pajo in the lead in terms of performances though Ronald Leigh-Hunt is also very good as Commander Radnor.

As far as the regulars they all do well thought the spend half the episode stuck in the rocket set. It’s fun seeing Jamie reacting to travelling by rocket. Despite travelling in the TARDIS, he hasn’t experienced anything like rocket. Jamie does seem like a bit of spare part as his knowledge about what it takes to get a rocket set up isn’t quite up to par with that of Zoe or the Doctor. Even when Jamie offers to come with them to the moon, the Doctor isn’t quite sure he wants him coming. Considering how I thought the relationship was during this period, it’s a surprise to me at this moment just how out of favours Frazer Hines’ character seems.

There is some more interesting directing from Michael Ferguson such as the bit where there is the round screen and Eldrad’s face appears. This is followed by the countdown appearing on Miss Kelly’s face. The model effects of the rocket are all very impressive and show how far the standard has risen since the show started and its helps create the impression that the story is set on the earth and on the moon.

The Ice Warriors aren’t going about all guns blazing but are being quite manipulative. They are achieving this by getting the T-Mat working only way this getting more people of the Moon but they are stuck there. There aren’t many of them (more for budgetary reasons than anything else) but what they lack in numbers, they more than make up in their coldness (no pun intended).

I don’t think that this episode has quite the fizz that the first one had. I think that the supporting characters has fallen a bit and we are now left with the three main supporting players and some minor ones who I couldn’t be fussed about. I still like the story and feel that the point of the Ice Warriors will become evident soon. My issues of six parters are starting to show up again (sorry for repeating myself again) as there seemed like a fair amount of padding but I’m willing to forgive it knowing that the good stuff is about to come.

The Seeds of Death - Episode 1

So as we approach the latter stages of the Troughton era we are back with a familiar monster. I remember the first time that I saw this story and was instantly amazed by it, its was the first time that I saw the Ice Warriors. The story is set at the end of the twenty-first century where there is a process called T-Mat which is the way that things are transported and travel by rocket has become obsolete. This story as written by Brian Hayles who created the Ice Warriors.The Ice Warriors were last seen in their debut story two years before. 

 

The way that the screen episode credits are shown is another thing that’s well done. This story has a relatively local setting as we go back to the moon for the first time since 'The Moonbase'. Its not just used as a base under siege but more like part of the list of sets that the story will use. 

The effect that the people being transported via T-Mat is well done even though it is rather primitive by todays standard. 

 

We know the Ice Warriors are back pretty quickly just by the way that one of the team members were killed and also by the way that the Ice Warrior talks to Osgood. They don’t do very much in this episode apart from scare the s**t out of the people working on the moon. I do like the gradual unveiling of them as it wasn’t left until the last moment. The shot of one of them at the end was creepy and  show that despite doing very little they are back. 

 

It's 8 minutes before the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie have returned and its unusual that it takes this long but due to the fact that so much was going on with the supporting characters, I didn’t mind that we were well into the episode before they appeared. In the previous episode, Zoe seemed to be the Doctor's number one companion as opposed to Jamie but this time they were on equal footing. Equal footing to the point where the Doctor had gone geeky about the rocket ship, Jamie and Zoe seemed to be equally baffled by this.  

The supporting characters are all really good much like in the Krotons (but better). I instantly liked Miss Kelly as she was a no-nonsense individual who was very work obsessed and didn’t suffer fools gladly. It's clear that she is there 'for the dads' but that’s perhaps being unfair on Louise Pojo who does quite well with the role. There is a great shot where Commandor Radnor is standing at one side of the room about to shout at Miss Kelly and its just a lovely and simple shot. 

 

It's a good establishing opening episode. It sets up nicely where people are in the grand scheme of things but I do think straight away that six episodes is too long. The Ice Warriors were used well and the supporting characters were given time to develop and make us care about them and they were dressed much better than some supporting characters that I could think of.  

The Krotons - Episode 4

 The first episode of 2014 and the final episode of 'The Krotons'. I love how its four minutes before the Doctor thinks about Jamie. It's a good thing Jamie couldn’t see this otherwise he wouldn't have stuck around for as long as he did. The thing that has stood out about the latter half of this story has been how well the Doctor and Zoe have worked together. It's been fun to see Zoe given some good on screen time instead of just popping up at the end and do something useful.  

 

The Krotons main plan is now to take the Doctor and Zoe off the planet and with them. It seems to have come out of nowhere because I must have missed any indication that this was what the Krotons were planning.  It's good how we finally get a proper explanation about what the Krotons have been doing and why they arrived in the first place. Not sure why we've had to wait until this point for this explanation but better late than never I suppose. 

 

Philip Madoc is very good and really becomes the best Gondon. His power struggle with Selris was a good moment but it was a shame when Selris was killed. Selris did a great job through these four episodes and it would have been nice had he survived to the end of the story. The Gonds have been very consistent in this story. Apart from the occasional weak character, I think that the Gonds have been well written and due to the performances they are miles better than the Dull-Dulcians from 'The Dominators'.  

 

As an episode it does what a final episode should do and manages to tie up the loose ends perfectly well and doesn’t commit the ultimate crime of padding and its good that they went with four episodes instead of five, six or eight like most stories have been recently. Sadly this is the only four part story of this series. The Krotons isnt a well liked story and I can sort of see why. The monsters arent particularly practical or fun to watch. They don’t have much to them apart from what they we saw in this story so it's not surprising to see that they didn’t come back. The search for the new Daleks continue. I must admit that I think that this story has improved watching it a day at a time as opposed to in just one sitting. It's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. In the grand rankings of story ratings, The Krotons are in 15th place. It's hard to believe that I am just three stories away from the end of the Troughton era. Just one more incomplete story before its DVDs all the way and three stories before I am back into colour television. 

 

The Krotons - Episode 3

So it’s the final day of 2013 and whilst I could think of other stories I would rather be watching on this day I could think of worse. My opinion of this whole story has improved since I started to watch this story and hopefully this will continue with the final two episodes. As far as the plot goes there isnt very much really going on but its hidden by the good performances from the regulars and from the supporting cast. 

 

One of the most fun moments came when the TARDIS was shot at by the Krotons and at first we are meant to believe that the TARDIS has been destroyed before turning up nearby much to the relief of Zoe. We learn a bit more about the TARDIS and that it has something called HAD (Hostile Action Displacement system). This is one of those things that never gets mentioned again and just seems to serve a purpose here. 

 

The Gonds make more of an impression in this episode and there is a bit of a power struggle which is lead by Philip Madoc's character. Eelek is a character which could have only been played by Madoc and he chews up the scenery every time he is on the screen. That said I do find the rest of the Gonds to be quite interesting and only Vana seems less well written for compared to the other Gonds but at least she's not as bad as the Dulcian women. 

 

Jamie gets a good amount of stuff to do as whilst under the observation of the Krotons and gets the Krotons to reveal a great deal of information and he is a being used better than he was in the previous episode and gets to kill a Kroton (the effect itself was quite good). Zoe and the Doctor get to do their brainy stuff together and spend a bit of time in the TARDIS before almost being captured by a Kroton.I liked how after the Doctor and Zoe reunite with the Gonds, it takes sometime before they realise that Jamie isn't around. Shows how much they have missed him since the first episode. 

 

As far as the design of the Krotons go, it wasn’t until this episode that we get to see the full design and it came via a screen of one of them going outside and it looks fine until you get to the bottom third and it looks like a sheet that goes around the edge of it. Practically this was fine because it would be good for the actor but visually it ruins it and explains why we have never had a full look at them. Though the spinning heads did look quite good. 

 

It's a  good story so far and even though it doesn’t have the greatest plot I cant find anything to really fault it on. There is a strange sense of goodwill that I have for this story and the Krotons isnt as bad a story as I thought it was. There's something that I never thought that I would say when I started on marathon. 

The Krotons - Episode 2

The second episode of this story was the first of 1969 and it’s the final year for Troughton as the Doctor. That's not got much to do with the story or even this episode but I like these little fact and its fun.   

Despite the rather limp cliffhanger, the episode started quite well and it feels that this is the Doctor and Zoe's episode as they seemingly take up most of the episode. It's weird really because whenever I think of the Troughton era my immediate thought is of Jamie but this is one of those rare moments where this isnt the case because the whole thing about what they go through wouldn’t have worked if Jamie were involved. Zoe has a moment of stupidity when she has a go on the computer and draws the greatness of her intelligence to the Krotons. There is an unusual sense that the Doctor is annoyed with Zoe and its not amusing annoyance but genuine annoyance. I think that there is a glimmer of self sacrifice as the Doctor has a go at the test and ends up joining Zoe. It might have been part of his plan or just a spur of the moment thing but it shows a nice sense of loyalty.  

 

The scene where Zoe and the Doctor are being 'worked on' in the Krotons spaceship is quite a typical 1960's Doctor Who scene. It's bonkers and its fun to look at. It was difficult to actually understand what was going on but it was still fun to watch.  

 

We get to see the Krotons for the first time and again they are an idea that look good on paper but sadly don’t work so well. They are about as silly looking as the Quarks from 'The Dominators'. The fact that they seem to have a hold over the Godons is a bit of a mystery but Siras is still the best of the Godons. The Godons don’t stand out as much as they did in the first episode but that minor quibble aside, I think that the whole setting works. The cliffhanger is slightly better as Jamie is the one put in danger, there is no clear way of him being saved and he looks in genuine pain 

 

The episode moved quite quickly and my dislike for it is starting to fate. It's not the best story of the season by a long shot but its working quite well. I think the fact that this story has a significantly shorter running time than other stories is why it seems to be romping along at a good pace. Also that along with the fact the story is quite interesting and the characters arent as wet as they could have been.  

The Krotons - Episode 1

The Krotons is a story that I've not been looking forward to. Any story that followed 'The Invasion' was always going to have a problem but this is a story that I have never particularly liked and I've never been able to put my finger on it and so I hope that over the next four episodes I will find out the reason or even like it. This is the first story to be written by the legendary Robert Holmes. Holmes is one of best (if not the best) writer ever in Doctor Who. It's a shame that his first offering is the worst. This episode aired 45 years and one day ago (28 December 1968).  This is also the shortest story since the Season 5 opening story 'The Tomb of the Cybermen'. The legend that is Philip Madoc makes his first TV Doctor Who appearance after featuring in the second Dalek movie.  

 

Jamie actually gets to do a bit of fighting which is something that would have happened regularly when William Russell was in the show. The regulars are perfectly fine in this but its Patrick Troughton who stands out (as he should) and they are given enough to do to pasts the time. This is another story where humans are being controlled by an alien force. This is similar to 'The Dominators' but this is slightly better because the humans here are so wet and feeble. Their costumes are slightly better. The Krotons are a mysterious yet powerful influence who pick the smartest people for something. The voice of the Kroton is voiced by Roy Skelton who voiced Zippy and the Daleks. It's a rather well done voice and makes the Kroton sound quite menacing. The humans are also quite good and its what I wanted the Dulcians to be. The Godons are a race that I find quite likeable and actually care about (which wasn’t the case with the Dulcians). Selris is instantly the best thing in the episode. I wish there was more Philip Madoc but James Copeland is just as fun to watch as Madoc.  

 

I think that despite the episode being filmed mostly in a quarry, the direction of the episode is quite good and its mostly because of the regulars who are working well together. In fact its their dynamic that keeps me interested in the early stages of this story because there is very little going on. It's quite fun that within a short time the Doctor has managed to earn the trust of the Gondos. Normally the Doctor and co would spend the first episode in a cell or being interrogated but this doesn’t happen here and thank goodness for that.  

The cliffhanger was a bit rubbish. It was a shame because I thought that after doing a better than expected job during the first episode, the action seemed to disappear at the moment when it needs to shine and give people a reason to return for the next episode. On the basis of what we got here if this were Christmas 1968 I'm not sure the festiveness would have helped me want to come back.  

The Invasion - Episode 8

After seven episodes we get to see the action and the thing that UNIT were introduced for. The story has to achieve the tricky thing of making sure this story ends properly and it ends at just the right time.  

At the end of the previous episode, Vaughn finally twigged that he wasn’t going to get things his own way. Vaughn decides that he's going to destroy the Cybermen which is probably the first sensible thing that he has done in the entire story. He starts off with the Cyber Controller and the explosion was a nice pre-filmed effect. That's about as good as it gets for Vaughn because things go downhill pretty quickly. 

 

The shot of the Cyberman appearing on the video screen was a great moment. I remember the first time I saw that and it was a moment that made me jump. There arent many instances in Doctor Who that did this to me. Packer's death was as surprising as it was quick. I've grown to like the character and even though he was a badie it doesn’t meen that he wasn’t likeable. Vaughn's death was disappointing as I think that he deserved much better than what he got. It seemed like he was shot and then that was it. He was the best thing in the entire story and he was treated a bit rubbishly. The Doctor and Vaughn working together is a nice thing to see and it forms part of a nice group of scenes. They went from being at odds to working together for the same cause and the scenes at the IE building were the highlight of the episode. The 'battle' scenes with the UNIT soldiers shooting the Cybermen was perhaps a sign of things to come as it hasn’t been seen on Doctor Who before this.  

 

The plot point about destroying the Cyber ship that’s in space seemed to be dragging the story on for a few minutes. Thankfully its only a few minutes but it did feel like it could have been dealt with earlier in the story and not right at the end.  

 

The performances from Patrick Troughton, Wendy Padbury and un-official companion Nicholas Courtney were all really good and its clear why Courtney would become part of the show in a way that no other non-companion would be able to do. Troughton's performances have been consistantly good throughout this story and seems to step up a gear when he's against Kevin Stoney. Speaking of Stoney, I loved his performance as Mavic Chen and he managed to beat that with Tobias Vaughn. One of the best villains in Doctor Who. 

 

The final scene sees Jamie return and leads to a nice bit of comedy at the end of a comedy-free episode. I must say that I had forgotten the TARDIS was invisible and so was amazed again with the effect. Overall I thought that the episode was what I thought that a final episode should be. It had plenty of action and all the plot points were tied up nicely. I think that this was a much better Cyberman story than 'The Wheel in Space'. Not sure eight episodes was the right length but it was an enjoyable story but the good times are about to end because next up 'THE KROTONS'.