Which Who Stories Have you seen lately?

Ludders wrote:

iank wrote:weirdo

Rich.

iank wrote:Ribos is superior to almost anything in seasons 12 and 13 by light years.

You should be on the stage,

I think you were being generous Ludders, I dunno what everyone else has been smoking but I'd have given "Ribos Operation" a 1/10.

Robert Holmes was obviously have a day off when he wrote this turgid turd.

Rob Filth wrote:Problem with "Power Of Kroll" is there isn't the budget to realise the ambition and Neil McCarthy and Philip Madoc are in the wrong roles.

Good points, Rob.

Rob Filth wrote:

Ludders wrote:

iank wrote:weirdo

Rich.

iank wrote:Ribos is superior to almost anything in seasons 12 and 13 by light years.

You should be on the stage,

I think you were being generous Ludders, I dunno what everyone else has been smoking but I'd have given "Ribos Operation" a 1/10.

Robert Holmes was obviously have a day off when he wrote this turgid turd.

I dunno, I don't hate it (as someone implied earlier), but it's definitely below par. Some of the dialogue between the Doctor and Romana is quite entertaining, but overall the story is really nothing to write home about. Rather poor for Robert Holmes, I agree.

In the meantime, I finished the season off with yet more average fayre in The Armageddon Factor.
Shame, because it has the makings of a half-decent story, but at 6 episodes it's really struggling to maintain much tension.
It starts well, but gets more farcical as it goes along, and then you get a crap character like Drax, who main purpose seems to be just to ramp up the silliness in preparation for the next season....
Can't summon up much enthusiasm for this at all. I think this is going have to be a 4/10.
For me, Stones of Blood is the only highlight in a very, very average at best season. I actually don't remember being quite so dull, but a re-watch of this season has served only to make S15 seem really rather good by comparison.

Season 16 is probably my least favourite out of the Williams era, I know Season 17 is even more farcical but bar "Nimon" it's less dull and a chore to watch.

"Stones" and "Androids" are the best two of Season 16 and even those as Ludders says are average fare at best, neither what I would call "Classics". "Ribos" is dull, "Pirate" badly acted and incoherent, "Kroll" poorly realised and "Armageddon" amazingly even worse than "Invasion Of Time", badly acted cheapo tiresome shite with Tom Baker acting a cunt with annoying cunt characters like Shapp and Drax with a poor panto villain in The Shadow. The Marshall is the only one who seems to be actually acting in the entire thing.

Ludders wrote:In the meantime, I finished the season off with yet more average fayre in The Armageddon Factor.
Shame, because it has the makings of a half-decent story, but at 6 episodes it's really struggling to maintain much tension.
It starts well, but gets more farcical as it goes along, and then you get a crap character like Drax, who main purpose seems to be just to ramp up the silliness in preparation for the next season....
Can't summon up much enthusiasm for this at all. I think this is going have to be a 4/10.
For me, Stones of Blood is the only highlight in a very, very average at best season. I actually don't remember being quite so dull, but a re-watch of this season has served only to make S15 seem really rather good by comparison.

The Armageddon Factor seemed okay the first time I watched it, but in subsequent viewings I just find it deeply depressing. Far too long, far too bleak. I still kind of like Drax, but otherwise it all seems to drag by an eternity.
And the sad thing is, I can see ways it could've been trimmed down to a decent, neat 4-parter.

As for the season, I thought it was nicely adventurous (certainly moreso than Season 17), but kind of loses momentum by Power of Kroll. I'd probably rate Ribos Operation and Androids of Tara as the main highlights.

I thought Binro's death was unnecessary and meansprited of that human-hating Williams and Holmes.

Small wonder fans turned against the series and Grade cancelled it with those two cunts around.

The last stories I watched were actually A Christmas Carol and Kerblam.

I still wish they'd cut the flying shark nonsense out of A Christmas Carol, but otherwise I warmed to it a bit more than I did first time round. It certainly benefited from the presence of Michael Gambon.

Kerblam, for the first half hour was actually very good, with a neat little premise and a better use of the regulars than usual, and any identity politics reduced to a minimum. There was almost something cute about it.

Then in the final fifteen minutes, it just seemed to get very confused and morally skewed (as I alluded to in the 'Chibnall morality' thread) just for the sake of its gotcha! twist, and just ends with the sinister computer system which murdered an entirely innocent love interest to 'teach the villain a lesson' pretty much unresolved and forgotten about.

There were the frustrating germs of a really good story here, but it feels like it needed a few rewrites more to really work (or a few less). As with Orphan 55 it ended up being a haunting watch for all the wrong reasons.

State of Decay

A definite highlight of Season 18 with excellent world-building and a wonderfully eerie atmosphere that pays homage to classic vampire films while exploring a fascinating central concept of planned societal regression from a state of technologically advanced interstellar exploration to medieval peasantry for the benefit of a select few. A shining example of the difference between the TruWho and NuWho approaches to social commentary. Tom and Lalla are on top form, and the guest cast are excellent. 10/10

The King's Demons

Pretty good. A harmless bit of filler with an interesting premise that could have been expanded into something more substantial. It has a decent atmosphere to it and some good scenes between Davison and Ainley. 7/10

Live 34 (Big Finish)

A radio station reports on the efforts of the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex to restore democracy to a human colony that's gradually slid into a state of totalitarian dictatorship. While the plot is a fairly standard tale of political rebellion, it's highly effective in its sheer brutality, and the story's experimental radio broadcast format makes it a unique listen. McCoy and Aldred are as wonderful as ever, and Philip Oliver's Hex is a good addition to the crew. 9/10

ClockworkOcean wrote:State of Decay

The King's Demons

Pretty good. A harmless bit of filler with an interesting premise that could have been expanded into something more substantial. It has a decent atmosphere to it and some good scenes between Davison and Ainley. 7/10

Yeah, I like that one. Quite a cosy little tale.

ClockworkOcean wrote:

The King's Demons

Pretty good. A harmless bit of filler with an interesting premise that could have been expanded into something more substantial. It has a decent atmosphere to it and some good scenes between Davison and Ainley. 7/10

Always thought this one was a missed opportunity for JNT.
This was Season 20 when JNT promised something from the past in every story, surely it would have been a better idea to make the Monk the villain for this one. Preventing Magna Carta is much more the Monks MO than the Master's.

The return of a villain not seen since 1966 played by a new actor maybe even a comic actor would have ticked all the boxes, fan service, publicity, stunt casting...

I think Ronnie Barker could have been a magnificent Meddling MONK...

Auton 2: Sentinel (1998)

Not gonna lie, I didn't enjoy this as much as the first. It basically takes an ''Aliens'' approach, going from base under siege horror of the first and into a more action based sci fi tale but at the same time, the plot felt rather clunky in places and some of the acting was a bit weak in comparison to the first. Still pretty entertaining but not as good as the first. 3/5.

"Great Jumping Gobstoppers - What's that?"

'The Krotons' - oh dear.  It's been quite a few years since I last endured watched this serial and my opinion of it hasn't changed - it's pretty poor.  Despite being penned by the great Bob Holmes, it is perhaps my least favourite Troughton adventure - in fact, it feels more like a dull, middling, Hartnell filler than a 2nd Doctor tale. The Krotons themselves look and sound ridiculous, the Gonds are so gullible and pompous, it's no wonder they were subjugated for thousands of years by daft-looking robots and even the normally reliable Philip Madoc does very little to lift this four-parter up from the level of mediocrity. Saying that, there's the odd humorous moment that I enjoyed and the weird, electronic soundtrack is an absolute joy (I have the CD and play it while doing the ironing).  However, the real saving grace is Troughton, Hines, and Padbury, who, as usual, work very well together, and are simply great fun to watch, even in something as pedestrian as The Krotons. And for the very first time, I perhaps began to see the erotic appeal of Zoe Heriot (during that strange scene in Episode Two when Doctor/Zoe are paralyzed by the Dynatrope light, and while gripping a chain, both pull faces and groan a lot..).

Finally found a bit of time to catch up on some Who. Classic-wise I'm up to S17, but I'm still trying to make the occasional bit of headway with NuWho, from where I left off a while ago near the start of S6.

The Curse of the Black Spot

Nothing special, but even so, for me this is one of the less annoying NuWho episodes. I know I pretty much say this every time, but possibly the most frustrating things about NuWho is when you can see tantalising glimpses of its potential to be really good, and then they go ruin with shit dialogue and corny characters like Rory the wet week.
This could've been far more atmospheric and spooky, and resolution far less careless and rushed. The ending was just a massive cliche, and as usual, over emo'd to death by cuntposer Murray Gold.
Pretty standard fare for NuWho. Not the worst, but could never be anything more than average at best.

5/10 on a good day.

Finally embarked on my first rewatch of S17 for more than a decade. Skipping Destiny for a forthcoming Dalek marathon and straight onto City of Death.
Have to admit I found this rather more enjoyable than I have done previously. Yes, the pairing of the Doctor and Romana II comes across as insufferably smug, and half of episode is little more than a postcard from Paris, but when it gets going it's a decent enough Dr Who adventure. The tone isn't half bad as some of the stories around this time, and the performances of Glover and Schell certainly help to lift the game. Tom is undoubtedly on good form too, although I confess to missing Mary Tamm after watching S16 recently.
Dudley Simpson's music comes over really well here too. Definitely one of his better scores.
I've always found this one a bit overrated, and still do in the sense that I wouldn't put it up there with the great classics like Talons and Genesis, but I've definitely gained more of an appreciation of what I previously thought of as rather average.
I'd give it 7.5/10.

Next on my NuWho list is.... The Doctor's Wife

Can't say I was looking forward to this one....

I just found my original 'review' on the old Hive.

"Oh for God's sake.....  

What the fuck was that shit?  

Barrowman.  

*sigh*"

On rewatching, I find that I have nothing to add. Except perhaps to emphasise that it's fucking DIRE!

0/10

Back to the classic series now, and next on my list is The Creature From The Pit, which will probably seem awesome by comparison.

Ludders wrote:Next on my NuWho list is.... The Doctor's Wife

Can't say I was looking forward to this one....

I just found my original 'review' on the old Hive.

"Oh for God's sake.....  

What the fuck was that shit?  

Barrowman.  

*sigh*"

On rewatching, I find that I have nothing to add. Except perhaps to emphasise that it's fucking DIRE!

0/10

I recently rewatched The Doctor's Wife and tbh, didn't find it irredeemably bad - parts of it sort of reminded me of the weird old series 'Lexx' (which I love), though nowhere near as good.  Still, I expected better from Gaiman, and this dialogue:

IDRIS: I think you call me Sexy.
DOCTOR: Only when we're alone.
IDRIS: We are alone.
DOCTOR: Oh. Come on then, Sexy.

is truly, desperately awful.  The Doctor's Wife only seems slightly more acceptable/tolerable now, because we've just suffered two Chibnall series -  an era of Doctor Who which is the very bottom of the barrel and therefore any old shit would appear better in comparison.

Next, I'm going to attempt a rewatch of The Chase (Hartnell and Co, not the Bradley Walsh's quiz show).

Well I was in the mood for some True Who and decided to revisit an early example of the series - The Sensorites.
I reckon this must be the first (televised) adventure in which the TARDIS landed on a space ship and there was a certain atmospheric quality in this that I enjoyed.
Susan's telepathic abilities were interesting here too and quite consistent with later stories indicating Time Lords had certain mental powers. Susan mentioned in this story her home planet during a nice little talk with her grandfather about going back there and of course this raised the intriguing question about the Doctor's own family origins. Ignoring recent New Who perversions regarding this matter but, in respect of True Who, Susan did of course return herself in The Five Doctors yet her own back story would remain glaringly ignored. Although I still love The Five Doctors, I always felt they should have done at least something to explain Susan's status and circumstances. Was she abducted from 22nd Century Earth by Borusa and, if so, why did she never mention David? Was she a fully fledged Time Lady or just a native Gallifreyan? Was she really a blood relative of the Doctor? All such questions remained neglected.
William Hartnell's Doctor was in great form in The Sensorites, demonstrating once again more character and authority in his performance with just a few moments on screen than certain more modern pretenders to the role could ever hope to achieve in their entire careers.
Interesting too was the background plot involving an apparently lethal virus threat - one scene felt quite chilling given the current climate when Ian alarmingly developed a cough and temperature before succumbing to the poisonous effects. Anyway, it all went to show that there's always plenty still to relish in old True Who!  

^
Good choices.

The Doctor's Wife only seems slightly more acceptable/tolerable now, because we've just suffered two Chibnall series - an era of Doctor Who which is the very bottom of the barrel and therefore any old shit would appear better in comparison.

I know what you're saying, but is say The End of Time any less shit just because I think The Doctor's Wife is utter shite too?
No, to me shit is shit. There are just different types of shit. From big fat brown turds, to runny yellow diarrhea.

Ludders wrote:Back to the classic series now, and next on my list is The Creature From The Pit, which will probably seem awesome by comparison.

It worked to an extent.
The perfect way to get the most out of S17 is to watch some NuWho before it.
But seriously though, The Creature From the Pit isn't terrible. Yeah, it's a bit mundane and a bit camp and silly, but at least it's not total dogshit. There are a few good scenes in it, although by the end my attention was drifting a bit.
I previously rated this about 4/10, but I think I'll upgrade it to a 5/10. It's a bit dull, but it's inoffensive.

Next, it's a toss up between The Rebel Flesh/Almost People, and Nightmare of Eden. I'll probably go with NuWho first, on a get it out of the way basis.

Ludders wrote:Next, it's a toss up between The Rebel Flesh/Almost People, and Nightmare of Eden. I'll probably go with NuWho first, on a get it out of the way basis.

So The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People isn't the worst NuWho by a long way, but somehow I expected a bit more from Matthew Graham than casting someone from Life On Mars.
Despite a credible performance from Smith, this feels very much like a 'seen it all before' kind of story of recycled ideas. Although with the 'fresh' ideas that NuWho tends to come up with, that's probably a blessing. And also this story actually feels padded at 2 episodes where one episode would've been adequate.
All in all, it's one of those that falls into the could be worse but nothing special category. Which by NuWho standards means that falling asleep in front of the screen is better than wanting to kick it in.

5/10

Nightmare of Eden

Having got a bit more out of the previous S17 stories than I expected, I thought the trend might continue, but no, this one is just plain boring. I struggled to get through it to the end.
Of course, compared to anything that NuWho has to offer, it would get a full 10/10, but by proper Classic Who standards, I'll give it a generous 4/10.

A Good Man Goes to War

I couldn't really remember this one, but having watched it again I realise what a blessing that was.
What an utter bag of pure, unadulterated wank.
I'll never rewatch this again.
0/10

Let's Kill Hitler

Ludders wrote:What an utter bag of pure, unadulterated wank.
I'll never rewatch this again.
0/10

Ditto.
I'm starting to remember why I stopped watching this shit.

I think I'll go back to classic Who, where Horns of Nimon is next in line.
It can't possibly be as bad as the last two eps of NuWho I've rewatched.

Ludders wrote:Let's Kill Hitler

Ludders wrote:What an utter bag of pure, unadulterated wank.
I'll never rewatch this again.
0/10

Ditto.
I'm starting to remember why I stopped watching this shit.

I think I'll go back to classic Who, where Horns of Nimon is next in line.
It can't possibly be as bad as the last two eps of NuWho I've rewatched.

Lalla looks scrumptious in that one. I would watch it with you but you're probably smart enough not to let a pervert like me anywhere near your house.