God Hates the Web Planet Mar 24 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Vicki Look, I was already frustrated by this story ages before I got here. It is the one DVD that I failed to get before it went out of print. When it first came out in 2006 it was a stupid $15 story that looked awful, and I wasn't seriously collecting the videos yet. I didn't bother with it. By the time I started in earnest, it had gone out of print and now can only be gotten for upwards of $200. So I knew I was going to have to watch a streaming version, but it made me frustrated. Then today happened, and things got much worse. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Web Planet Kills My Treadmill Mar 24 2017 So I'm on the treadmill this morning, five mintues into The Web Planet, and my treadmill just said "NOPE!" and stopped. The motor control board burned out. The good news: the parts are still under warranty. The bad news: It's going to take a month to get the replacement parts. Read more ...
The Pellet with the Poison's in the Vessel with the Pestle Mar 23 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Vicki I finished The Romans this morning. Although the first half had some amount of humor, the second half fully devolves into a farce. There's still a tiny bit of drama, but mostly it is played for broad comedy with Nero the Buffoon and his wacky imperial court. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
All Roads Lead to a Roman Holiday Mar 22 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Vicki It may not feature Gregory Peck or Audrey Hepburn, but today's new story The Romans is the first time a major actor (Derek Francis) actually requested to be on Doctor Who. It is also the first story to have intentional comedic elements, although there is most certainly a dramatic plot as well. I know what you are thinking: British actors wearing togas and performing as ancient Roman characters? Will wonders never cease! Let's talk about that. Read more ...
So Much Entendre! Mar 21 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Vicki Here's a bit of trivia for you: The second part of today's story, Desperate Measures was the very first episode of Doctor Who to become one of the ten most-watched shows of the week when it originally aired. In fact, it is one of the highest-charting episodes of the entire 50+ year run of the show. After the last story's farewell to Susan, this story introduces a new traveling companion -- Vicki (no last name, and not short for Victoria, just Vicki). It's a tight little tale that does everything it needs to and nothing it doesn't. It also had two unintentional moments that spoke directly to my inner twelve-year-old. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Exterminate! Also: Mazel Tov to Susan and David! Mar 20 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Today marks the one-month anniversary of the start of this project. In that month I have lost more than 10 1/2 lbs, walked more than eighty miles, and watched ten complete stories spread across fifty one individual episodes. How's that for a successful venture? I am really quite pleased. Also, today marked the end of The Dalek invasion of Earth, as well as the first departure of a companion as well as perhaps the single most defining monolog of William Hartnel's time as the Doctor. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Time Spent in the Dalekanium Hurt Locker Mar 19 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Holy cow, what an excellent pair of episodes this morning. Big action scenes, flying saucer attacks, dramatic sacrifice... and, best of all, a record low weigh-in for me after the workout. Life is good (except for the human race in the rubble of the Dalek invasion.) Let's talk about that. Read more ...
What a Difference a Day Makes Mar 18 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman As awful as the last story was, the start of today's story makes it all worthwhile. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is an instant classic on every level and significant for multiple reasons. This morning's workout flew by seemingly in minutes because the episodes were just so dang good. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
50 Minutes of Drek, at a Fraction of the Size! Mar 17 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman I am on vacation this week. Most people spend their vacations doing pleasurable things. I spent at least part of today sweating away on a treadmill while watching a truly awful episode of Doctor Who. The things I do in the name of better health! Let's talk about that? Read more ...
A Colossal Waste of Time Mar 16 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Remember how much I complained about The Keys of Marinus? Oh, how I long for the kind of heady days when Marinus was as bad as it got. It would appear that the remit for the Doctor Who writers over the summer break was "Make the show as immeasurably awful as possible, in every possible way." I guess I have to talk about that. Read more ...