If there is one thing that the Third Doctor is most associated with, it is the phrase "I reversed the polarity of the neutron flow." It is an unfair association, he only ever actually says that twice in five years (plus a handful of other, shorter, "I reversed the polarity" statements), but today's viewing had the first actual speaking of that phrase. I kid you not, I squealed like a little kid when I heard it. Such is the life of a Doctor Who geek, especially when on the edge of exhaustion on a hotel treadmill in Las Vegas.

Let's talk about that.

The Sea Devils - Episodes 5 & 6

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

On of Doctor Who's most favorite themes is "the folly of the military mind". The show returns that notion again and again, and the wrap of for The Sea Devils had that in spades. As the Doctor tries valiantly to argue for peaceful co-existence between mankind and the reptilians, the military leaders on both sides are fully committed to open conflict. The British politician calling the shots literally quotes Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, saying "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!" as he orders an all-out nuclear attack against the underwater base. Meanwhile below the surface the Master has convinced the Sea Devils that all-out warfare is the only option, and that mankind must be wiped from the face of the earth. These last two episodes of the story are filled with military action and true brinksmanship right up to the end, and they are spectacularly good. I can't help but think that this would have been a truly classic story if it had only been four parts instead of an overly-padded six.

That being said, I would much rather have a story that meanders a bit early on but comes together in the end, as opposed to a story that starts well and then squanders its potential in the end like The Day of the Daleks did. And even with the all the diversions early on, Roger Delgado is endlessly fascinating to watch as the Master. He has a magnetism and cunning that is just compulsively watchable, and I will be sad to see him go when his run comes to its tragic end. 

So that wraps up this story. Tomorrow I begin The Mutants, and also tomorrow things really start cranking up at my day job (which for the next eleven days will also be my evening job, my night job, and probably on at least one night my overnight job). Rest assured, my dear Imaginary Readers, I will still be on the treadmill every day. But my posts may become increasingly brief as the week wears on.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Third
Companion(s): Jo Grant
Episode(s): The Sea Devils - Episodes 5 & 6
Steps Walked: 7,048 today, 1,086,056 total
Distance Walked: 3.66 miles today, 533.30 miles total
Weight: 263.06 lbs (five day moving average), net change -44.24 lbs