Which Who Stories Have you seen lately?

Commander Maxil wrote:I'm really struggling to enjoy most things these days due to my depression. It really does drain the colour from everything. I still watch the show but I'm having a really hard time focusing on the stories themselves. I rarely watch them in one sitting anymore.

Sorry to hear this. I hope you're getting some help with your mental health.

I had troubles years ago. I was lucky enough to have a good doctor, who put me forward for therapy. (back when the NHS still had the budget for such things)

From a self-help point of view, I found this book really useful too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Want-Talk-about-Overcoming/dp/0684835398/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Best of luck with things.

stengos wrote:The portrayal of the Doctor as a patronising old sexist was annoying. I don't remember the first Doctor like that at all and I think I have seen all the episodes available on DVD.

I think the closest there was to that in the old series was the moment in The Five Doctors where the First Doctor orders Tegan to do refreshments for them all.

But I thought that was out of character even there. Moffat seems to have made it the rule.

Capaldi's monologues. At least one at the end but I think there was an earlier one aswell. They just go on too long. Don't say anything meaningful. I usually quickly lose interest in them anyway.

His goodbye speech to his 'incoming successor' definitely strained my patience and was full of bullshit platitudes about how love and puppies is never wrong and humanity can't be trusted to get anything right without him (a far cry from his belief in Genesis of the Daleks that humanity and the other races can be trusted to forge their alliances against evil by themselves).

I just was left thinking "Hurry up and go!"

Also, I must say Enlightenment is my favourite Davison story.

Tanmann wrote:Also, I must say Enlightenment is my favourite Davison story.

I can understand why. Certainly a lot better than i remembered and a welcome relief after "Twice".

Ronnie wrote:

Commander Maxil wrote:I'm really struggling to enjoy most things these days due to my depression. It really does drain the colour from everything. I still watch the show but I'm having a really hard time focusing on the stories themselves. I rarely watch them in one sitting anymore.

Sorry to hear this. I hope you're getting some help with your mental health.

I had troubles years ago. I was lucky enough to have a good doctor, who put me forward for therapy. (back when the NHS still had the budget for such things)

From a self-help point of view, I found this book really useful too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Want-Talk-about-Overcoming/dp/0684835398/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Best of luck with things.

Thanks, Ronnie.

After all the talk about watching Twice Upon a Time, I decided to watch Terror of the Autons instead.
Despite some of the terrible effects like the troll doll, this is great Who. Back in the days when it was serious....

Ronnie wrote:After all the talk about watching Twice Upon a Time, I decided to watch Terror of the Autons instead.
Despite some of the terrible effects like the troll doll, this is great Who. Back in the days when it was serious....

Agreed completely.
The CSO is truly crap in quite a few places, but the script is typically Holmes with some hilarious dialogue, it’s superbly paced, and that iconic cliffhanger to episode 2 is brilliant, as is the quarry scene that follows it.

Bernard Marx wrote:

Ronnie wrote:After all the talk about watching Twice Upon a Time, I decided to watch Terror of the Autons instead.
Despite some of the terrible effects like the troll doll, this is great Who. Back in the days when it was serious....

Agreed completely.
The CSO is truly crap in quite a few places, but the script is typically Holmes with some hilarious dialogue, it’s superbly paced, and that iconic cliffhanger to episode 2 is brilliant, as is the quarry scene that follows it.

Exactly.
I think the bowler-hatted Time Lord scene is a bit twee as well, but these are minor niggles in a great story.
I'm hoping to squeeze Mind of Evil in tomorrow.

The Mind of Evil.
Another great story, which is probably my second favourite of the season, even above The Daemons fan favourite. Even though a pattern of hasty Doctor/Master collaboration to save the day is developing already after only two stories, it's very forgivable because of the obvious chemistry between Jon and Roger. They are great together even if overused in this season.
I enjoy Nick Courtney's outing as the man with a van as well.

Arc Of Infinity (1983)

I don't think this story is as bad as everyone makes it out to be and is quite enjoyable, the only downsides for me are the acting of Colin and his mate, Roger Limb's score, the plastic look and feel of Gallifrey and the bloody Ergon.

The story isn't great and it is a rather unnecessary sequel, but its a decent time killer and its quite fun seeing Colin Baker pop up early as Maxil. 3/5

Plus the scene with the Ergon strangling Davison is unintentional comic gold.

I feel compelled to watch a Who story, but am unable to decide which one I actually feel obliged to put on. Any suggestions from you guys?

Planet of the Daleks maybe?

It seems the safest choice all round.

Continuing my S8 run with Claws of Axos.
Not an outstanding story, but solid enough. The Axons in both their guises look reasonably good considering the budget, and the Axon ship is remeniscent of the Zygon idea 5 years later, although it doesn't look as good.
There's a slightly more cosy feel coming into the Pertwee era at this point. The gritty feel of S7 seems to carry over into Terror of the Autons and Mind of Evil, but definitely dissipates somewhat in Claws of Axos.
Largely good performances go some way to giving this a 7/10.

I’ll go for Planet Of The Daleks then. A fitting choice, given I haven’t seen it in a while.

Agreed about Axos losing the gritty feel of season 7 and coming across as more cosy, although I think the psychedelic feel and direction make it just about unique enough to not feel too safe or staid. I’ve always really enjoyed it myself and consider it to be largely underrated, though it is certainly flawed.

I'm planning on going up to the end of S9 but then having a break from the Pertwee era until after the S10 blu ray is released here in Australia.
Otherwise I'd be tempted with Planet of the Daleks too.

I have just spend two and a half rather enjoyable hours watching Planet Of The Daleks. I always used to see it as a generic re-telling of the original Hartnell Dalek story, though found it very entertaining this time around. I’m not really sure why, considering how flawed it is. The direction is variable, the production quite staid, and the Daleks aren’t at their best here, but I found myself really enjoying it. Like all Nation scripts, it’s paced very well, and seems to relish unapologetically in its own sense of adventure. Pertwee’s final word of advice concerning war to the Thals near the end of the final episode is very pertinent, as is the scene where he plays back the recording of Jo tending to the Doctor, whilst locked in a cell and assuming she’s been killed. Subtle moments of emotional maturity that New Who could learn from.

I’ll probably watch it in order from this stage akin to Ronnie, though I may splice it up with some 60s and 80s stories (likewise in order) in order to aim for variety and avoid monotony, which has proven an issue upon re-watching specifically selected stories.

I think as Barry Letts says, Planet of the Daleks is just a good page-turner. It keeps you ever eager for what's going to happen next.

Colony In Space.
Needless to say, a bit of a plodder and undoubtedly the weakest story of the season, which would've been much tighter as a 4-parter.
Much as I love Delgado, the over-use of the Master in this season needed that break for a few episodes at least, but in some respects Jon and Katy were left to carry a rather average script which actually benefited from the Master's return in the latter half of the story, so it's kind of ironic that when the character needed a break, he also gives the story a much needed boost.
Most of the guest cast give good, earnest portrayals although I found Morris Perry's turn as Captain Dent somewhat wooden and one-dimensional.
All in all, not as bad as the fan wisdom reputation suggests, but nothing special it has to be said. 6/10.

Ronnie wrote:Colony In Space.
Needless to say, a bit of a plodder and undoubtedly the weakest story of the season, which would've been much tighter as a 4-parter.
Much as I love Delgado, the over-use of the Master in this season needed that break for a few episodes at least, but in some respects Jon and Katy were left to carry a rather average script which actually benefited from the Master's return in the latter half of the story, so it's kind of ironic that when the character needed a break, he also gives the story a much needed boost.
Most of the guest cast give good, earnest portrayals although I found Morris Perry's turn as Captain Dent somewhat wooden and one-dimensional.
All in all, not as bad as the fan wisdom reputation suggests, but nothing special it has to be said. 6/10.

We seem to agree on this as well. It’s probably the most plodding 70s and Pertwee story to this point, though I still quite like it. It’s aeons better than The Mutants and The Time Monster, regardless.

Bernard Marx wrote:We seem to agree on this as well. It’s probably the most plodding 70s and Pertwee story to this point, though I still quite like it. It’s aeons better than The Mutants and The Time Monster, regardless.

Can't argue with that. You've just pinned down the two worst Pertwee stories.

Ronnie wrote:

Bernard Marx wrote:We seem to agree on this as well. It’s probably the most plodding 70s and Pertwee story to this point, though I still quite like it. It’s aeons better than The Mutants and The Time Monster, regardless.

Can't argue with that. You've just pinned down the two worst Pertwee stories.

Season 9 was certainly the low point of Pertwee’s era- much more so than season 11, contrary to the opinions of quite a few here.

I'm going to be going through S9 over the next week.
I will eventually get to S10 and 11 once the S10 Bluray has been released in Aus.
Not sure how I will fill the waiting period yet, but I'm considering either going back to NuWho S5, or watching a few that I've never seen from S7 onwards.
I haven't decided yet.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on many of the stories from series 7 onwards myself, although I think I already have an idea of what they’ll be like.

Bernard Marx wrote:I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on many of the stories from series 7 onwards myself, although I think I already have an idea of what they’ll be like.

I'm not sure I can be bothered yet. I get these ideas in my head, but then after I'm reminded how crap it is, I bail.

However, I did quite like some (though far from all) of the early Smith stuff at the time. And unlike the RTD era, I've never really given them a second go.
I'll see how the mood takes me after I've done S9 of the Pertwee era.
After finishing of S8 with The Daemons of course.