Madame Guillotine Takes a New Lover Mar 15 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman The last episodes of the last story of the first season! And, I forgot to mention, the first story I have watched that uses animation to replace missing episodes. In this case, episodes 4 and 5 of The Reign of Terror are still missing from the archives, although the complete audio recordings remain. On the whole I thought the animation was well done, although some of the rotoscoping seemed a bit off to me. Anyway, today was the big finish (in more ways than one). Let's talk about that. Read more ...
In and Out of Prison. Oh, and In Again. Mar 14 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman I really didn't want to get on the treadmill today. I had a very late night of work with a recalcitrant software release, and this morning I just didn't feel up to it. It is only out of my commitment to you, my imaginary readers, that got me up and walking. So, thank you. You may only be a polite fiction I have created in my mind, but you surely do keep me motivated. As for today's viewing, let's talk about that. Read more ...
Savor the Sting of Madame Guillotine Mar 13 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman I will readily admit that most of my knowledge about the French Revolution comes from The Scarlet Pimpernel. I would have said Les Miserables, but I am at least geeky enough to know that is set during the June Rebellion several decades after the Revolution. Given how much I have enjoyed the First Doctor's historical episodes so far, I was quite looking forward to beginning The Reign of Terror this morning. Happily, I was not disappointed. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Dear ZombieJohn Mar 12 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman So, right now I am doing this show at a local community theatre called Squabbles. I play a character named Sol Wasserman, and I have a tiny problem as an actor. I keep calling another character by the wrong name. His name is Abe Dreyfus, and I keep calling him either Drayfus, or (even worse), Wasserman. I tell you this in order to point out, I have a world of sympathy for William Hartnell every time he calls Ian Chesterton by the wrong name. But it's still dang funny. Anyway, today I watched the last two episodes of The Sensorites. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Coup Coup Katchoo Mar 11 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman As of today I have walked the equivalent of two marathons. How cool is that? I also continue to be pleasantly surprised by The Sensorites, which is also pretty cool. Today's episodes included plot twists and intrigue galore, and even some genuine teenage angst. Also: Ian does a particularly awesome pratfall. It really is a good day all around. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Dreams of Avarice, and the Proto-Ood Mar 10 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman I gotta tell ya, this has been a day. No treadmill this morning because of an early medical appointment, called early to get my autistic son from his adult day training workshop because of behavioral issues, and a work deadline that feels like I will never reach. By 5pm I had hit my breaking point, and decided to hit the treadmill to shake loose some brain cells. I wasn't optimistic about today's new story, The Sensorites, but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's not The Daleks, but it is light years ahead of The Keys of Marinus. On top of that, the monsters looked oddly familiar. Or, more specifically, OODLY familiar. Let's talk about that. Read more ...
The Doctor Gets a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Mar 09 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Woof, what a long day. I should be in bed right now. But before I do that, can I get a litlte WHAT WHAT for breaking 100k cumulative steps since I started this project? As for the back half of The Aztecs, it's every bit as good as the front half. Let's talk about that briefly... Read more ...
Barbara Celebrates International Women's Day Mar 08 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Yesterday I railed about the stupid science fiction trope of "alien courtroom drama". Today, by all rights, I should be complaining about the trope of "main character is mistaken as a God". The difference, though, is that The Aztecs uses said trope with deftness and restraint. Writer John Lucarotti, who also penned the amazing Marco Polo, spent a great deal of time researching Aztec culture and history, and it shows. Best of all, the entire plot centers around Barbara Wright. Have I mentioned lately that she is a goddess? Because in this story she takes on the literal role of the goddess Yetaxa. I love this story so much! Let's talk about that. Read more ...
Perry Mason: Space Edition Mar 07 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Ugh. You know what science fiction trope I really hate? It's the courtroom drama, but with wacky non-human rules that clearly exist for no other reason than to create plot drama. Three quarters of today's viewing was exactly that, with a final bit of lazy wrap-up at the end for the overall story arc. Thankfully, this is such a wretched plot device that I am sure the show will never use it again. Except, perhaps, as a framing construct for an entire freaking season with the sixth Doctor. Thankfully, that experience is a long way away so I can pretend it isn't going to happen. So how bad were today's episodes? Well, let's talk about that. Read more ...
The Quest for Vacation Days Mar 06 2017 1st Doctor Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton Susan Foreman Before I talk about today's terrible awful episodes, first I have to crow: This morning I weighed in beneath the 300 lb mark for the first time. Yay! It will take a few days for the moving average to catch up, but this is a huge milestone for me. I am very happy, and it was worth trudging through these craptastic Doctor-less stories to hit that milestone. As for the episodes themselves, as mentioned yesterday William Hartnell was given a few weeks off from filming. He clearly needed it. In his absence we get two more extremely trite and episodic entries in the quest for the Keys of Marinus. Let's talk about that. Read more ...