Watching Classic Who: City of Death
I've watched City of Death three times this year, and still hadn't written a review - so here is one, finally!
There is much that is squee-inducing in Four and Romana II's second adventure, City of Death. Such as this conversation at the top of the Eiffel Tower:
Romana: Shall we take the lift or fly?
Doctor: Let's not be ostentatious.
Romana: All right, let's fly then.
Doctor: That would look silly - we'll take the lift.
Or the Doctor nudging Romana's shoulder with his (something he still does as Ten - I've noticed him doing it to Martha and Donna on occasion).
And Romana's enthusiastic response to being sketched in the cafe.
Or Romana telling the Doctor not to be portentous when he's going on about them being in a special relationship to Time and perpetual outsiders.
And the Doctor's "You're a beautiful woman, probably" comment to Countess Scarlioni.
Or Duggan's question: "Can anyone join in this conversation, or do you need a certificate?" (Poor Duggan who seems only to live to hit things, and spent most of the story in a state of complete bewilderment!)
And this three-way conversation:
Duggan: What's Scarlioni's angle?
Doctor: Scarlioni's Angle? Never heard of it. [To Romana] You ever heard of Scarlioni's Angle?
Romana: No, I was never any good at geometry.
I have to say that every time I watch this story, I wonder why they don't jump in a taxi instead of running around the city all the time - even though I know the meta reason is that it's to prove they really ARE in Paris...
Still, it's a fun story that includes the Doctor going off in the TARDIS to chat to "Leo" (ie Leondardo da Vinci), and commenting, on seeing an original edition of "Hamlet", that he recognises the handwriting as his own since Will (Shakespeare) had hurt his wrist writing sonnets (and then complaining about Will's mixed metaphor too!), oh and a cameo appearance from John Cleese as an art critic, which made me giggle.
The actual business with Scaroth/Count Scarlioni is okay - the fact that Scaroth's ship exploding causes life to begin on Earth is no worse an idea than anything RTD has come up with (and considerably better than many things RTD has come up with!)
I think the word that best sums up City of Death is "romp" - and what a lovely romp it is!
There is much that is squee-inducing in Four and Romana II's second adventure, City of Death. Such as this conversation at the top of the Eiffel Tower:
Romana: Shall we take the lift or fly?
Doctor: Let's not be ostentatious.
Romana: All right, let's fly then.
Doctor: That would look silly - we'll take the lift.
Or the Doctor nudging Romana's shoulder with his (something he still does as Ten - I've noticed him doing it to Martha and Donna on occasion).
And Romana's enthusiastic response to being sketched in the cafe.
Or Romana telling the Doctor not to be portentous when he's going on about them being in a special relationship to Time and perpetual outsiders.
And the Doctor's "You're a beautiful woman, probably" comment to Countess Scarlioni.
Or Duggan's question: "Can anyone join in this conversation, or do you need a certificate?" (Poor Duggan who seems only to live to hit things, and spent most of the story in a state of complete bewilderment!)
And this three-way conversation:
Duggan: What's Scarlioni's angle?
Doctor: Scarlioni's Angle? Never heard of it. [To Romana] You ever heard of Scarlioni's Angle?
Romana: No, I was never any good at geometry.
I have to say that every time I watch this story, I wonder why they don't jump in a taxi instead of running around the city all the time - even though I know the meta reason is that it's to prove they really ARE in Paris...
Still, it's a fun story that includes the Doctor going off in the TARDIS to chat to "Leo" (ie Leondardo da Vinci), and commenting, on seeing an original edition of "Hamlet", that he recognises the handwriting as his own since Will (Shakespeare) had hurt his wrist writing sonnets (and then complaining about Will's mixed metaphor too!), oh and a cameo appearance from John Cleese as an art critic, which made me giggle.
The actual business with Scaroth/Count Scarlioni is okay - the fact that Scaroth's ship exploding causes life to begin on Earth is no worse an idea than anything RTD has come up with (and considerably better than many things RTD has come up with!)
I think the word that best sums up City of Death is "romp" - and what a lovely romp it is!