One fat geek's SUCCESSFUL attempt to regenerate into a not-so-fat geek by watching the entirety of Doctor Who while walking on a treadmill

All Posts Term: Victoria Waterfield
42 post(s) found

Farewell, Victoria! Also: Weed Kills! Also: The Horror of Halitosis!

Farewell, Victoria! Also: Weed Kills!  Also: The Horror of Halitosis!

Oh, so many things happened in today's episodes of Fury from the Deep! I very nearly had another unexpected day without Doctor Who, but fortunately a window of opportunity opened up this afternoon and I was able to fit it in amidst visits to the vet, mowing the lawn during the first break in the Florida rain for nearly a week, and other family emergencies. But hey, at least my home wasn't overrun by sentient seaweed and foam, so it's all good.

Let's talk about that.

The One Without the "The"

The One Without the

Today's new story, Fury from the Deep, is famous for three things: 1) It's the last story with Victoria, although I won't get to the goodbye for another two days, 2) It's the very first story in which the sonic screwdriver appears, which is (oddly enough) used to simply unscrew something using sonic waves, and 3) It is the only story in the entire Second Doctor era with a title that does not begin with the word "The".

Oh, and it also has this scene:

Let's talk about that.

How To Train Your Yeti

How To Train Your Yeti

The five day moving average is a double-edged sword. Today is the third consecutive day in which I have weighed in lower than the previous day, and also the third consecutive day in which the moving average of my weight has gone up slightly. Thanks, math! I think tomorrow is the day it turns around again, so that will be nice. Speaking of turning things around, in this morning's viewing of The Web of Fear the Doctor definitely turned things around against the Great Intelligence.

Let's talk about that.

Lethbridge-Stewart At Last!

Lethbridge-Stewart At Last!

Of the 97 seven currently missing episodes of Doctor Who, some are more disappointing than others. I mean, I don't find it particularly galling that three out of the four episodes of The Celestial Toymaker are missing, but it is particularly sad that we have lost William Hartnel's final episode, and all of Marco Polo and The Highlanders. Today's viewing provided another sharp disappointment: The very first appearance of Then-Colonel-and-Eventually-Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart happens in episode 3 of The Web of Fear, and is the only episode missing from that story. Lethbridge-Stewart is a towering figure in Doctor Who history, with appearances spanning from The Web of Fear in 1968 all the way up through to an episode of The Sarah Jane Chronicles in 2008, always played brilliantly by Nicholas Courtney. His calm unflappability in the face of any danger, no matter how bizarre, marks him as a staunch ally and personal friend of the Doctor, and one of the very few who spanned multiple regenerations. I was so excited to finally meet him on the show today, and so sad that his initial appearance was just a series of still photos set against a cleaned-up audio track. There is no question that as soon as he steps into the story, the quality goes up immediately.

Let's talk about that.

Mind the Gap

Mind the Gap

Don't get me wrong, Doctor Who certainly has its fair share of gender equality issues, but it also frequently goes well out of its way to portray strong women in leadership roles. In this morning's episodes of The Web of Fear there is a classic example of this. The London Underground is evacuated and under siege, with the military in place to repel the impending disaster and also with two scientific advisors -- an aging Professor Travers (last seen forty years younger in The Abominable Snowmen) and his daughter Anne Travers. At one point, a soldier asks Anne, "What's a girl like you doing in a job like this?" to which she replies, "Well, when I was a little girl I thought I'd like to be a scientist, so... I became a scientist."


Dude, you should try asking her about her feminist agenda...

So yeah, let's talk about that...

Wow, Good Thing They Were In a Bomb Shelter...

Wow, Good Thing They Were In a Bomb Shelter...

Here's a bit of meaningless trivia for you: The two episodes I watched this morning of The Enemy of the World also happen to be the very first episodes of Doctor Who to have been broadcast during my lifetime. I was born on January 15, 1968 and then five days later Episode 5 of this story originally aired. I missed it the first time around, but I am thrilled to have finally caught up to it today. It only took my 49 years to get around to it. As for the story itself, the wrap-up was every bit as good as the setup.

Let's talk about that.

Holy Cow, What a Swerve!

Holy Cow, What a Swerve!

There have been very few times in the past three months and 188 episodes where I have not been acutely aware that I am definitely walking on a treadmill while watching Doctor Who. I intentionally keep myself pushed as close as possible to my limit, so especially by the end of my second episode for the day I am generally fighting a battle of willpower to keep moving while desperately trying to distract myself with the current story. Today, however, I became so wrapped up in The Enemy of the World that I was completely transported and then stunned by a truly unexpected plot twist. Seriously, if you have never watched this story but intend to do so in the future, please do not read below the fold here. Because, wow...

Let's talk about that.

And Then.... A Political Thriller?

And Then.... A Political Thriller?

Well this is novel territory. Today I started in on The Enemy of the World, and it is truly unique. First of all, up until four years ago it was almost completely lost until episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 were found in Nigeria. More than that, though,  it is also a very case of being a straight-up political thriller instead of a science fiction or horror story. Patrick Troughton not only plays the Doctor, but also the part of Ramón Salamander -- a charismatic but ruthless politician who is on the verge of total world domination. Where every other story this season is a standard "base under siege" situation, The Enemy of the World is an entirely different animal.

Let's talk about that.

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Latest Posts

Sweaty Thoughts about Evil of the Daleks - Episodes 1 & 2
3/24/2020 4:30 PM
Farewell, Victoria! Also: Weed Kills! Also: The Horror of Halitosis!
6/8/2017 8:18 PM
Sentient Seaweed Seeks Saxon Slaves
6/7/2017 9:00 PM
The One Without the "The"
6/6/2017 1:35 PM
How To Train Your Yeti
6/4/2017 4:28 PM
Lethbridge-Stewart At Last!
6/3/2017 5:36 PM
Mind the Gap
6/2/2017 5:39 PM
Wow, Good Thing They Were In a Bomb Shelter...
6/1/2017 2:25 PM
Holy Cow, What a Swerve!
5/31/2017 3:07 PM
And Then.... A Political Thriller?
5/30/2017 4:48 PM