I think Polly needs a new tag after this series of recaps. & proper icons!
Alright everyone, this is (more or less) the official start of the great & mighty Troughton rewatch-athon! Our serials for this round will be The Highlanders, The Underwater Menace & The Moonbase.
The Highlanders
- So after The Power of the Daleks, Ben, Polly & Two have rematerialised somewhere that Ben hopes is home, only to have something shot at them. The Doctor's ready to pull them out of wherever they've landed, but Polly absolutely insists they go after Ben & refuses to let the Doctor do otherwise. (Good start for our miss Polly!)
- Here's a bit that makes me wish this serial had survived even just a bit - Jamie McCrimmon's first onscreen words! & his first action - giving the last of their water to his wounded laird. & um, because I am fond of Jamie (but I'll try to keep the gushing to a minimum!), I want to note his sort of optimism, if that's the correct word, in thinking that the English couldn't possibly hang all of them. I've not much else to say on it, but I like it. He's optimistic in the face of some pretty ugly odds.
- OMG I LOVE HIS HAT! Silly Two! ::giggles::
- Um. He's got two very angry Highlanders holding weapons on him now. Um.
- Whoa. QUITE a row in that cottage! & Ben threatening injured men with guns! & um, keep your swords off Polly please. & Jamie seems ready to kill all three of them as the rest of them, which is . . . well, I'm not going to fault him on this; his reasoning is sound. & Polly plays her awesome card again by getting Alexander & Jamie to hand over their swords!
- 'A Highlander's word is his bond.'
- BEN, YOU IDIOT! You DON'T THROW GUNS! & Two is right - you should have paid a bit more attention to your history lessons! & REALLY, didn't they teach you to handle firearms in the navy?
- O GOD THEY SHOT ALEXANDER! BASTARDS!
- Two with a German accent . . . teehee! (& the Redcoats are all 'Doctor who?' LULZ. incidentally, the German name he uses translates to, if I remember right, 'Doctor of Who.') & goodness me, those Redcoats are not a pleasant bunch, even toward Ben. ::bites nails::
- Polly's got the guts to cause a diversion! & she's keeping Kirsty's spirits up all the while - good Polly, go Polly! First half of the story & she's already kicking arse - Redcoat arse, even!
- Two's fast thinking is a blessing. ::happy sigh::
- Jamie would rather hang than be separated from his laird . . . he's got loyalty in spades.
(those ellipsises were rather necessary here - it saved you a bit of flail!)
- Meanwhile, Polly's still up to her fabulousness & helping Kirsty plot a way to save both their friends. & ouch! Polly has a tongue on her when she's provoked into using it! A very sharp tongue indeed.
- I really love Polly so far in this serial - she's really playing a very proactive role in this story. Not that she hasn't in the other serials I've seen, but here, she's really shining, I think. She's making plans, fighting back & keeping her companion's spirits up when she claims that everything is hopeless. Even though she's been pretty much on her own in this serial so far, she's showing herself to be a brave & tough companion & that she can handle herself without the Doctor or even Ben to watch her back. If I didn't love Polly before, this would be the serial where I'd totally fall in love with her.
- Meanwhile, Ben, Two, Jamie & Jamie's laird are locked up in a Redcoat slammer, with Two working to save the laird's life.
'A right rat hole this is, isn't it?'
'Trust me, King George has worse than this, never fear.'
Nothing much, but damn, I thought that was a cute exchange between Ben & Jamie. & HEE, TWO'S ACTUALLY ENJOYING IT! O, Two, you're wonderful.
(also, since it sort of just came to me - I did notice Jamie's ability to figure things out rather quickly, even if he doesn't quite understand them yet. nentari & I talked about that, when we were discussing historical companions, or more specifically, Katarina, who was a companion of One's, who was from ancient Greece & from the time when they still worshipped many different gods & goddesses - Katarina saw One as a god & the TARDIS as his temple - & was later killed in the serial The Daleks' Master Plan, I think it was - [I think I have a recon of it] & how in a way, she sort of helped shape future historical companions like Jamie & Victoria. It was mentioned in our talk that the writers had been asked to remove Katarina because of the nature of her character - she needed to have things explained to her & she didn't understand a lot of what she was faced with. [I THINK, I can't fully remember!] Jamie & Victoria, when they came in as companions, are/were able to understand things quicker & learn without a lot of unneeded or dull exposition. I've already noted that in Jamie's character, & when I meet Victoria, I'll wait & see how I find it.)
- Hmm . . . Two seems to be playing to Jamie's concerns about his not practising blood-letting on the laird in a similar way he used on Captain Pike in The Smugglers. But I think his intentions are different - he knows blood-letting is deadly, but Jamie of course, wouldn't. So one could say perhaps he's gently lying to Jamie to put his concerns to rest? But he says he believes it, as does Jamie, so I'm not sure . . . but I still feel that he's, as I said, sort of gently lying to Jamie to keep him calm. But I could be wrong.
- Yay, out comes the recorder! & Two's playing a Scottish song & getting everyone to join in! (okay, I've got to write that fic now)
- Okay . . . I'm a little uncomfy with Two's scheme, but I know not to doubt Two so much. Two knows what he's doing. I hope.
- HA! Polly blackmailing a Redcoat & deploying him in her's & Kirsty's plan! I HAVE NO WORDS. Can we give her a sonic screwdriver of her own, please?
- See? I KNEW not to doubt Two; he knows just what he's doing! & he's damn good too. ::grins:: & hee! the bit with him banging Perkins' head into the desk? It makes me think of a Marx Brothers short, or of a Charlie Chaplin film. & even in a comical moment, Two's still as sneaky as ever!
- O. My. Giddy. Aunt. Two . . . did you just dress up as a woman?!
- ::DIES:: HE DID! So, Three wasn't the first to dress up like a lady! ::gigglesnorts::
(& um, Patrick Troughton does an elderly, shaky female voice rather well, I must note. ::giggles:: Actually, he's been pretty good with the German accent as well! Ah, I wish I could hear him do a French one! ::swoons::)
- A big reason I'm enjoying this serial so much is because I'm learning so much more about Jamie - in a way, it's sort of like I'm just getting to meet him for the first time.
- O, Polly must look beautiful in her new frock! Another reason I wish this serial had survived!
- LULZ, TWO'S STILL DRESSED LIKE A WOMAN. (sorry, it just makes me giggle madly.)
- O, those girls are playing their cards well, I must say - in all the ways they need to. Brave ladies, the pair of them!
- They're playing whist! I know nothing of whist, save for what I've read of it in the Horatio Hornblower stories, but I couldn't resist mentioning it.
- 'You know those dresses really do suit you, Doctor!'
'Oh, you saucy girl!'
::giggles madly:: Two, stop flirting! Aww, cuteness.
- I'm just kind of quietly worrying over Ben, thankyouverymuch. ::panics:: I know, I know, I probably shouldn't, but I am! I don't want any harm to come to the poor thing!
- O, Ben's okay! Cold, hungry & soaked, but he manages to get himself free & to shore! ::clings to Ben::
& he looks mighty pretty soaking wet, dammit.
- O YAY TWO'S HERE! ::hugs him too:: & he & Ben are planning to start a revolt on the Annabelle!
- Ooo, Ben knows a bit of rope trickery!
- 'I liked you better in your dress, Doctor.
'Aye, you made a good granny.'
LOLZ.
- Polly & Kirsty are absolutely refusing to stay behind & they're not taking their eyes off Ben & Two. KICKASS. & I like how Kirsty's changed from her first appearance - she was so weepy & distrustful, but now, she knows Polly & her friends a bit better & she's definitely pleased to be working with them. I do quite like her now. & those lassies need to help the fight on the Annabelle - they will be ferocious!
- Soft hands, face & hair . . . he's talking about Jamie, isn't he? I'm going to refrain from noting the details of Jamie's appearance so soon & just say that Two better not get him hurt.
- FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! (& yes, I'm now worrying about Jamie - please don't let him be hurt!)
- OMG, JAMIE! He saved Ben's life! & he tussled with a man wielding a cutlass! JAMIE!!
- JAMIE! You followed them! I . . . o, JAMIE. How so brave & strong?
- Dude, I really love Patrick Troughton's German accent. ♥♥♥
- HA. Grey's been taken down & Ffinch has proved himself not as evil a creature as I thought. & Polly gives him a little kiss! Aww. & YES! Two pinched the contracts! ♥ all around.
- Jamie gets to go with them, provided he teaches Two to play the bagpipes? THIS? IS FIC. RIGHT HERE.
- & off they go, now with the lovely & stalwart Jamie McCrimmon at their side. Polly'll look after him if he gets nervous. O, I'd say things just got v. interesting for everyone all around.
The Underwater Menace
- Jamie is SO lost, the poor dear. But like I said, Ben & Polly are helping him get acclimated! & I'm really glad that we get to see his 'it's bigger on the inside' reaction to the TARDIS; I was slightly disappointed that we didn't see it at the end of The Highlanders. (I know he doesn't actually say it, but you know he was probably thinking that.)
- Shallow fanbunny note: Jamie is looking quite lovely in the clothes he's got on - it would be the McCrimmon tartan, I'd venture? Well, either way, he looks lovely in them. & Polly appears to still be wearing her Scottish dress! O, she looks like a dream in it & I do so love her hair!
- Ben's quoting the Doctor by saying 'it's in the lap of the gods' makes me think of Katarina, for some reason.
- ASDFGHJKL;';L.,KJHNBGFDSASXCDFVGHJKL.; JESUS CHRIST TWO JUST QUOTED ROBERT BURNS!! & to Jamie, it's still 1746 & Robert Burns wasn't born until 1759!
(um, allow me a quick explanation - I've been wanting to write fic where Two introduces Jamie to the works of Robert Burns for a while now, because not only was he one of Scotland's greatest poets, he was also a v. accomplished lyricist & wrote many songs which I believe were for bagpipes. Jamie, for obvious reasons, wouldn't know of them & Two would most likely want to show them to Jamie, not just as a piper, but as literature as well & knowing a bit of his own history. It's one of those fics where I KNOW it's something Two would do & that Jamie would be interested in - I, um, just haven't written it yet. Also, everyone should read the poetry of Robert Burns; it's so beautiful & it makes me want to race through wood & glen like a feral, dangerous little curiosity.)
- This recon? IS ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY CRACKING RECON! The Underwater Menace, for some, isn't a favourite serial, but no matter - this recon is really well done!
- O, miss Polly, how do you get to be so pretty?
- I keep imagining Two licking all the rock & pottery he finds. ::laughs::
- In this serial, I just realised how handy it may be to have a sailor around. ::laughs::
- Polly speaks three languages? Or at least knows how to ask if someone speaks English in three! Not bad, Duchess!
- Heehee, Two loves hats! But right now, it's food.
- I don't like the idea of Ben, Polly & Jamie hovering over a shark tank. Not in the slightest.
- Or Two, either. ::chews lip::
- Hmm, I see Two signs his note 'Dr W.' Interesting . . .
- Yay, they're free!
- NO FISH!POLLY PLEASE. ::glares::
- OMG! They're on Atlantis?! Um . . . wow!
- No, no! Don't make Polly a fish!
- Okay! Two's not letting Polly go all fishgirl today!
- Ara's quite lovely, I must say.
- With all the talk Zaroff does about blowing up the world, he reminds me vaguely of Salamander in The Enemy of the World. Hmm . . .
- To be honest, while Ara's nice, I don't like the idea of Polly being led around by someone else - I KNOW Polly; she's perfectly able of handling herself in a crisis & getting herself out of trouble. That bit just bugs me somewhat.
- & out comes the recorder!
- One of my earliest serials, after I'd begun the Troughton era serials, was this one, or at least the last two parts which survive & I remember that even then, I didn't particularly enjoy it, even if it had some of my favourite things within it. To be honest, the only thing I've enjoyed of this serial is Jamie's first look at the TARDIS. Beyond that, the great quality of the recon, & Patrick Troughton & Frazer Hines being deliciously sexy, I just don't enjoy this serial.
- Also, I'm kind of surprised that Polly hasn't been as amazingly proactive, or even half as great as she was in The Highlanders. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised; I was told that Polly's characterisation in this is less than stellar. She looks beautiful in her fishgirl outfit, but beyond that . . . she's not as awesome as I know her to be. & it's not making this serial any more enjoyable; if anything, it's just making me less interested in it. & because I love her, it's really annoying me.
- HEE! Two looks so silly in his disguise & I just LOVE it. & his sunglasses! O you silly, silly Doctor. ::hugs him:: & recorder love!
- JAMIE & BEN IN RUBBER WETSUITS. YES PLEASE! ::pinches Jamie's behind::
- Two is saucy, snappy & pleasantly cocksure . . . . it's really attractive on him.
- Okay, WHAT THE FUCK, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE BELIEVE JAMIE WHEN HE SAID ZAROFF'S COLLAPSE WAS A FEINT? I mean, WHAT THE FUCK?! Two, I'm surprised at you.
- Great. Now we're really seeing Polly being thrown into the stereotype of 'Classic!Who screamer', aren't we? I'd like to punch the writers now.
- Mmm, I like Ben with his wetsuit undone as it is . . . ::whistles::
- While the writing of Polly is pissing me off royally, I like that Jamie saved her. It was a good moment for him. But Polly could have got herself out of that just fine, dammit!
- Okay, Zaroff is nothing like Salamander & thank goodness for that. Only the fact that they wanted to blow the planet up linked them, & now, that's all the similarity between them. Good.
- This recon is so wonderfully done . . . I'm still fangirling!
- 'Do you know what you're doing?'
'Oh, what a question! Of course I don't!'
- For his first experience with the Doctor, Jamie seems to be doing quite well.
- Ha! Even in a serious moment, Two still can toss a wisecrack out, should he wish. ::grins::
- I'm sorry, but at this point, Polly screaming that she can't get out & that she'll never make it . . . WHY?! We're going into very big stereotype territory here & I hate it so much. Polly is so much better than that!
- For some reason, the talk of building a new Atlantis, without superstition or gods & temples, makes me think of SGA/Doctor Who crossovers, with Two, Ben, Polly & Jamie visiting Atlantis after the Stargate program has arrived there.
- Mmm, hello sailor & Scotsman! ::waves::
- Polly's got a GREAT hat on & Jamie's happiness & comfort inside the TARDIS . . . I love it. He's happy with Two, Ben & Polly. & he's not afraid of going places he doesn't understand anything about. O, Jamie. You're such a sweetheart. & you always did belong with Two in the TARDIS.
- & HA. THE DOCTOR FINALLY ADMITS HE KNOWS HOW TO CONTROL THE TARDIS! He just never wanted to do it proper! Silly little man!
& where the four of them are going, I do not know . . . but we'll find out soon!
The Moonbase
- I actually forgot that this was a Cybermen story until I saw Kit Pedler's name come up in the opening! Bad me!
- Okay, so after the TARDIS went crazy at the end of The Underwater Menace , she's seemed to land on somewhere that could be Mars or the moon. The moon, actually as a lovely friend of Two's will point out eventually . . .
- Ben's already making me laugh in this story, with his gentle teasing of Two for belong only 200,0000 miles off. ::tickles him::
- I love Jamie being all, 'But the moon's way up in the sky!' & then 'Maybe we'll meet the old man in the moon!' SO CUTE.
- Ben & Polly want to explore the moon right away & persuade Two to let them do so. & of course, Jamie comes along!
- AWW, MOONJUMPING CONTEST! ::giggles:: It must be fun to play on the moon, actually. I rather wish I could do so.
- Okay, so now the four of them are inside the moonbase - ugh, lecherous men touching Polly. ::cringes:: HANDS OFF.
- 2070?! Well, at least they've landed in the twenty-first century this time. & by then, they can control the weather from the moon - cool!
- O, dear, now Jamie's been taken ill? I think I missed something somewhere . . . o, it must have been because of his fall during the moonjumping . . . . well, he's sick now & o, the poor love. & I love Polly explaining Jamie's feverish babbles to Two & Ben - I'd be sensible like Polly but I'm just worried about Jamie! Our poor, sick Jamie.
- The sound quality of this recon - the volume is so low that I can just barely hear it, even with both VLC & River's volume all the way up. Here I could supplement with my Lost in Time DVDs, but I want to watch the recon of it.
- Polly looks quite lovely here, I want to note - & this was my first serial that I saw her in! I loved her sweater, eye makeup & hair. But now that I'm watching the recon & finally listening to the audio (which, I'm ashamed to say, I never did when I watched it the first time, I've only heard the third serial's audio I believe) I'm adoring her even more now. She's so sweet & kind & helpful to everyone, & she's definitely looking after Jamie very well. Polly would be a lovely mother, I think.
- Fuckery . . . the Cybermen have shown up in the base now . . . & Jamie thinks they're coming for him. ::holds him::
- Okay, Jamie has just seen a Cyberman. A Telosian Cybermen, if I remember my history right . . . & I have just been rendered a bit on the speechless side by seeing a fairly nice amount of Jamie's uncovered chest. Um, er . . . what was I going to say?
- & o, there it is again & how beautiful does he look even when sick & even when sick he's so brave & ready to fight even Death itself . . . ::babbles incoherently::
- Okay, we're referencing back to The Tenth Planet after Polly's sighting of the Cyberman. Poor girl, she's quite scared! I don't blame her at all; Cybermen in any form can be terrifying, really!
- & the second story has Two being made of funny, adorable, sneaky win. ::dances:: & a medical degree in Glasgow, in 1888? Interesting . . .
- I'm having a ridiculously hard time not doing a lot of fangirling whilst I watch this & it's HARD!
- O, Jamie, Jamie . . . . you poor darling . . . . & YOU KEEP YOUR HORRIBLE CYBER HANDS OFF OF HIM & AWAY FROM POLLY, YOU STUPID TIN BOX!
- I have to say, the way trhe Cybermen were able to get inside the moonbase & kidnap their prisoners was awesome. It's part of why I prefer old-school!Cybermen to the new-school!Cybermen - the original ones, both Mondasian & Telosian, had a lot of stealth & were virtually undetectable if you didn't know what they were or just didn't believe in them. The newer ones, while a bit more shinier & more fancified, they have no real stealth & rely more on their weapons & their 'delete or convert' commands to instil terror into the people around them. The original ones were far more subtle in their acquirement of new Cybermen & of taking out what they didn't want in the process.
- OMG PAT STOP BEING SO CUTE!! I CAN'T THINK PROPERLY! ::flails about::
- SUGAR! SUGAR IS EVIL, EVEN IN 2070! & Two knows it. & o, wow, the part where they find where the Cybermen have been hiding? CHILLS ME TO THE BONE & it always has, even when I first saw it. (& part of that totally goes to Patrick Troughton & his lovely voice for making it all the more chilling. The low, whispery way he says everything . . . it makes it just that bit more scary. & pretty damn sexy, I should add.) & when the Cyberman in there appears right at the end? Yes, I'd be running & hiding myself then!
- Okay, we're back in recon mode now, but this is the one I've heard the audio of & where Polly's going to shine like the Northern Star!
- Even the Telosian Cybermen know the Doctor. I, I don't know how, but they do, apparently.
- DON'T YOU LAY A HAND ON MY JAMIE YOU FANCY BITS OF SCRAP METAL!
- O dear, they're . . . they're converting the sick ones they kidnapped, more or less. Or at least putting them under Cyber control. I don't care, both frighten me a bit.
- O, Jamie, you're feeling better! ::hugs him::
- & now, the Duchess is gonna shine like the star she is! Along with Jamie & Ben, she's come up with a plan to try sprinkling the Cybermen's main chest units with nail varnish remover!
Ben fought the Mondasian breed off with radiation. Polly's going to attack them with nail varnish remover! & Ben's helping her improve on it by suggesting the two of them whip up a cocktail of everything they've got on hand & spraying the Cybermen with it.
Ben Jackson & Polly Wright - Cybermen slayers!
- YES! Two's noting the possibility of radioactive material on the base, I do believe.
- Polly cocktail! ::giggles:: ROCK ON, CYBERMEN SLAYERS. But Ben gets a slap on the wrist for not letting Polly go with them saying it's 'men's work.' But AH! Polly Wright's not put down so easily, is she? She's going with them, whether they like it or not.
- 'It takes more than a knock on the head to keep a McCrimmon down!' JAMIE♥♥♥
- & it works!! Cybermen are down for a bit & now the others can start work on repairing & fighting back! & Ben got another out of the way! ::grins::
(& for the last story, I'm supplementing it with my Lost in Time DVDs)
- Now everything's really picking up - the Cybermen have cut off the base from Earth & they're all around the base.
- I have to say, I'm with Ben - just a bit too neat & easy for one to really be comfortable with.
- Two was right - they know about the relief rocket & they're going to try & get back into the base.
- Just out of curiosity, why would they have left one of the Cybermen's mind control units near one of the sick men? Isn't that just a little careless?
- Random fashion note: Jamie has nice socks! They go well with his kilt.
- Also, Evans is wearing his, for lack of better description, waffle cone hat backwards! I've seen this so many times & it always bothers me - wouldn't someone noticed? ::sighs:: Then he changes it when he turns around! ARGH. Continuity errors always bug me.
- I can say this for the Cybermen - their tenacity is almost as fierce as the Doctor's!
- HA! Two knew they couldn't obliterate the base as long as the force field was up & he proved it! & I love the look on his face - such a defiant, saucy look for him to wear. ::giggle:: & I love how he looks like he's about to pass out right after the Cybermen take their second shot - he looks so dazed & goofy & he does collapse slightly! It's rather cute & a nice contrast to his ballsy stance earlier. I heart Two so.
- LOLZ FLOATING CYBERMEN! ::gigglesnorts:: LOVE IT!
- Now our kickass foursome are making their way back to the TARDIS, looking like funny space bug-people in their goggles. Dematerialising . . . looking at the time scanner . . . WHAT IS THAT?
'Oh, second sight. Very dangerous, Doctor!'
Jamie, you lovely thing. ♥ You'll get used to it all in time!
WHEW! Quite a batch of recapping, eh? Next up will be The Macra Terror, The Faceless Ones, which, sadly, will be Ben & Polly's final serial with Two & Jamie, then The Evil of the Daleks, where we shall meet the next person to join Jamie & Two on their travels - the lovely miss Victoria Waterfield!
Previous recaps
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Time Meddler
The War Machines
The Smugglers
The Tenth Planet
The Power of the Daleks
The Highlanders
- So after The Power of the Daleks, Ben, Polly & Two have rematerialised somewhere that Ben hopes is home, only to have something shot at them. The Doctor's ready to pull them out of wherever they've landed, but Polly absolutely insists they go after Ben & refuses to let the Doctor do otherwise. (Good start for our miss Polly!)
- Here's a bit that makes me wish this serial had survived even just a bit - Jamie McCrimmon's first onscreen words! & his first action - giving the last of their water to his wounded laird. & um, because I am fond of Jamie (but I'll try to keep the gushing to a minimum!), I want to note his sort of optimism, if that's the correct word, in thinking that the English couldn't possibly hang all of them. I've not much else to say on it, but I like it. He's optimistic in the face of some pretty ugly odds.
- OMG I LOVE HIS HAT! Silly Two! ::giggles::
- Um. He's got two very angry Highlanders holding weapons on him now. Um.
- Whoa. QUITE a row in that cottage! & Ben threatening injured men with guns! & um, keep your swords off Polly please. & Jamie seems ready to kill all three of them as the rest of them, which is . . . well, I'm not going to fault him on this; his reasoning is sound. & Polly plays her awesome card again by getting Alexander & Jamie to hand over their swords!
- 'A Highlander's word is his bond.'
- BEN, YOU IDIOT! You DON'T THROW GUNS! & Two is right - you should have paid a bit more attention to your history lessons! & REALLY, didn't they teach you to handle firearms in the navy?
- O GOD THEY SHOT ALEXANDER! BASTARDS!
- Two with a German accent . . . teehee! (& the Redcoats are all 'Doctor who?' LULZ. incidentally, the German name he uses translates to, if I remember right, 'Doctor of Who.') & goodness me, those Redcoats are not a pleasant bunch, even toward Ben. ::bites nails::
- Polly's got the guts to cause a diversion! & she's keeping Kirsty's spirits up all the while - good Polly, go Polly! First half of the story & she's already kicking arse - Redcoat arse, even!
- Two's fast thinking is a blessing. ::happy sigh::
- Jamie would rather hang than be separated from his laird . . . he's got loyalty in spades.
(those ellipsises were rather necessary here - it saved you a bit of flail!)
- Meanwhile, Polly's still up to her fabulousness & helping Kirsty plot a way to save both their friends. & ouch! Polly has a tongue on her when she's provoked into using it! A very sharp tongue indeed.
- I really love Polly so far in this serial - she's really playing a very proactive role in this story. Not that she hasn't in the other serials I've seen, but here, she's really shining, I think. She's making plans, fighting back & keeping her companion's spirits up when she claims that everything is hopeless. Even though she's been pretty much on her own in this serial so far, she's showing herself to be a brave & tough companion & that she can handle herself without the Doctor or even Ben to watch her back. If I didn't love Polly before, this would be the serial where I'd totally fall in love with her.
- Meanwhile, Ben, Two, Jamie & Jamie's laird are locked up in a Redcoat slammer, with Two working to save the laird's life.
'A right rat hole this is, isn't it?'
'Trust me, King George has worse than this, never fear.'
Nothing much, but damn, I thought that was a cute exchange between Ben & Jamie. & HEE, TWO'S ACTUALLY ENJOYING IT! O, Two, you're wonderful.
(also, since it sort of just came to me - I did notice Jamie's ability to figure things out rather quickly, even if he doesn't quite understand them yet. nentari & I talked about that, when we were discussing historical companions, or more specifically, Katarina, who was a companion of One's, who was from ancient Greece & from the time when they still worshipped many different gods & goddesses - Katarina saw One as a god & the TARDIS as his temple - & was later killed in the serial The Daleks' Master Plan, I think it was - [I think I have a recon of it] & how in a way, she sort of helped shape future historical companions like Jamie & Victoria. It was mentioned in our talk that the writers had been asked to remove Katarina because of the nature of her character - she needed to have things explained to her & she didn't understand a lot of what she was faced with. [I THINK, I can't fully remember!] Jamie & Victoria, when they came in as companions, are/were able to understand things quicker & learn without a lot of unneeded or dull exposition. I've already noted that in Jamie's character, & when I meet Victoria, I'll wait & see how I find it.)
- Hmm . . . Two seems to be playing to Jamie's concerns about his not practising blood-letting on the laird in a similar way he used on Captain Pike in The Smugglers. But I think his intentions are different - he knows blood-letting is deadly, but Jamie of course, wouldn't. So one could say perhaps he's gently lying to Jamie to put his concerns to rest? But he says he believes it, as does Jamie, so I'm not sure . . . but I still feel that he's, as I said, sort of gently lying to Jamie to keep him calm. But I could be wrong.
- Yay, out comes the recorder! & Two's playing a Scottish song & getting everyone to join in! (okay, I've got to write that fic now)
- Okay . . . I'm a little uncomfy with Two's scheme, but I know not to doubt Two so much. Two knows what he's doing. I hope.
- HA! Polly blackmailing a Redcoat & deploying him in her's & Kirsty's plan! I HAVE NO WORDS. Can we give her a sonic screwdriver of her own, please?
- See? I KNEW not to doubt Two; he knows just what he's doing! & he's damn good too. ::grins:: & hee! the bit with him banging Perkins' head into the desk? It makes me think of a Marx Brothers short, or of a Charlie Chaplin film. & even in a comical moment, Two's still as sneaky as ever!
- O. My. Giddy. Aunt. Two . . . did you just dress up as a woman?!
- ::DIES:: HE DID! So, Three wasn't the first to dress up like a lady! ::gigglesnorts::
(& um, Patrick Troughton does an elderly, shaky female voice rather well, I must note. ::giggles:: Actually, he's been pretty good with the German accent as well! Ah, I wish I could hear him do a French one! ::swoons::)
- A big reason I'm enjoying this serial so much is because I'm learning so much more about Jamie - in a way, it's sort of like I'm just getting to meet him for the first time.
- O, Polly must look beautiful in her new frock! Another reason I wish this serial had survived!
- LULZ, TWO'S STILL DRESSED LIKE A WOMAN. (sorry, it just makes me giggle madly.)
- O, those girls are playing their cards well, I must say - in all the ways they need to. Brave ladies, the pair of them!
- They're playing whist! I know nothing of whist, save for what I've read of it in the Horatio Hornblower stories, but I couldn't resist mentioning it.
- 'You know those dresses really do suit you, Doctor!'
'Oh, you saucy girl!'
::giggles madly:: Two, stop flirting! Aww, cuteness.
- I'm just kind of quietly worrying over Ben, thankyouverymuch. ::panics:: I know, I know, I probably shouldn't, but I am! I don't want any harm to come to the poor thing!
- O, Ben's okay! Cold, hungry & soaked, but he manages to get himself free & to shore! ::clings to Ben::
& he looks mighty pretty soaking wet, dammit.
- O YAY TWO'S HERE! ::hugs him too:: & he & Ben are planning to start a revolt on the Annabelle!
- Ooo, Ben knows a bit of rope trickery!
- 'I liked you better in your dress, Doctor.
'Aye, you made a good granny.'
LOLZ.
- Polly & Kirsty are absolutely refusing to stay behind & they're not taking their eyes off Ben & Two. KICKASS. & I like how Kirsty's changed from her first appearance - she was so weepy & distrustful, but now, she knows Polly & her friends a bit better & she's definitely pleased to be working with them. I do quite like her now. & those lassies need to help the fight on the Annabelle - they will be ferocious!
- Soft hands, face & hair . . . he's talking about Jamie, isn't he? I'm going to refrain from noting the details of Jamie's appearance so soon & just say that Two better not get him hurt.
- FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! (& yes, I'm now worrying about Jamie - please don't let him be hurt!)
- OMG, JAMIE! He saved Ben's life! & he tussled with a man wielding a cutlass! JAMIE!!
- JAMIE! You followed them! I . . . o, JAMIE. How so brave & strong?
- Dude, I really love Patrick Troughton's German accent. ♥♥♥
- HA. Grey's been taken down & Ffinch has proved himself not as evil a creature as I thought. & Polly gives him a little kiss! Aww. & YES! Two pinched the contracts! ♥ all around.
- Jamie gets to go with them, provided he teaches Two to play the bagpipes? THIS? IS FIC. RIGHT HERE.
- & off they go, now with the lovely & stalwart Jamie McCrimmon at their side. Polly'll look after him if he gets nervous. O, I'd say things just got v. interesting for everyone all around.
The Underwater Menace
- Jamie is SO lost, the poor dear. But like I said, Ben & Polly are helping him get acclimated! & I'm really glad that we get to see his 'it's bigger on the inside' reaction to the TARDIS; I was slightly disappointed that we didn't see it at the end of The Highlanders. (I know he doesn't actually say it, but you know he was probably thinking that.)
- Shallow fanbunny note: Jamie is looking quite lovely in the clothes he's got on - it would be the McCrimmon tartan, I'd venture? Well, either way, he looks lovely in them. & Polly appears to still be wearing her Scottish dress! O, she looks like a dream in it & I do so love her hair!
- Ben's quoting the Doctor by saying 'it's in the lap of the gods' makes me think of Katarina, for some reason.
- ASDFGHJKL;';L.,KJHNBGFDSASXCDFVGHJKL.; JESUS CHRIST TWO JUST QUOTED ROBERT BURNS!! & to Jamie, it's still 1746 & Robert Burns wasn't born until 1759!
(um, allow me a quick explanation - I've been wanting to write fic where Two introduces Jamie to the works of Robert Burns for a while now, because not only was he one of Scotland's greatest poets, he was also a v. accomplished lyricist & wrote many songs which I believe were for bagpipes. Jamie, for obvious reasons, wouldn't know of them & Two would most likely want to show them to Jamie, not just as a piper, but as literature as well & knowing a bit of his own history. It's one of those fics where I KNOW it's something Two would do & that Jamie would be interested in - I, um, just haven't written it yet. Also, everyone should read the poetry of Robert Burns; it's so beautiful & it makes me want to race through wood & glen like a feral, dangerous little curiosity.)
- This recon? IS ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY CRACKING RECON! The Underwater Menace, for some, isn't a favourite serial, but no matter - this recon is really well done!
- O, miss Polly, how do you get to be so pretty?
- I keep imagining Two licking all the rock & pottery he finds. ::laughs::
- In this serial, I just realised how handy it may be to have a sailor around. ::laughs::
- Polly speaks three languages? Or at least knows how to ask if someone speaks English in three! Not bad, Duchess!
- Heehee, Two loves hats! But right now, it's food.
- I don't like the idea of Ben, Polly & Jamie hovering over a shark tank. Not in the slightest.
- Or Two, either. ::chews lip::
- Hmm, I see Two signs his note 'Dr W.' Interesting . . .
- Yay, they're free!
- NO FISH!POLLY PLEASE. ::glares::
- OMG! They're on Atlantis?! Um . . . wow!
- No, no! Don't make Polly a fish!
- Okay! Two's not letting Polly go all fishgirl today!
- Ara's quite lovely, I must say.
- With all the talk Zaroff does about blowing up the world, he reminds me vaguely of Salamander in The Enemy of the World. Hmm . . .
- To be honest, while Ara's nice, I don't like the idea of Polly being led around by someone else - I KNOW Polly; she's perfectly able of handling herself in a crisis & getting herself out of trouble. That bit just bugs me somewhat.
- & out comes the recorder!
- One of my earliest serials, after I'd begun the Troughton era serials, was this one, or at least the last two parts which survive & I remember that even then, I didn't particularly enjoy it, even if it had some of my favourite things within it. To be honest, the only thing I've enjoyed of this serial is Jamie's first look at the TARDIS. Beyond that, the great quality of the recon, & Patrick Troughton & Frazer Hines being deliciously sexy, I just don't enjoy this serial.
- Also, I'm kind of surprised that Polly hasn't been as amazingly proactive, or even half as great as she was in The Highlanders. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised; I was told that Polly's characterisation in this is less than stellar. She looks beautiful in her fishgirl outfit, but beyond that . . . she's not as awesome as I know her to be. & it's not making this serial any more enjoyable; if anything, it's just making me less interested in it. & because I love her, it's really annoying me.
- HEE! Two looks so silly in his disguise & I just LOVE it. & his sunglasses! O you silly, silly Doctor. ::hugs him:: & recorder love!
- JAMIE & BEN IN RUBBER WETSUITS. YES PLEASE! ::pinches Jamie's behind::
- Two is saucy, snappy & pleasantly cocksure . . . . it's really attractive on him.
- Okay, WHAT THE FUCK, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE BELIEVE JAMIE WHEN HE SAID ZAROFF'S COLLAPSE WAS A FEINT? I mean, WHAT THE FUCK?! Two, I'm surprised at you.
- Great. Now we're really seeing Polly being thrown into the stereotype of 'Classic!Who screamer', aren't we? I'd like to punch the writers now.
- Mmm, I like Ben with his wetsuit undone as it is . . . ::whistles::
- While the writing of Polly is pissing me off royally, I like that Jamie saved her. It was a good moment for him. But Polly could have got herself out of that just fine, dammit!
- Okay, Zaroff is nothing like Salamander & thank goodness for that. Only the fact that they wanted to blow the planet up linked them, & now, that's all the similarity between them. Good.
- This recon is so wonderfully done . . . I'm still fangirling!
- 'Do you know what you're doing?'
'Oh, what a question! Of course I don't!'
- For his first experience with the Doctor, Jamie seems to be doing quite well.
- Ha! Even in a serious moment, Two still can toss a wisecrack out, should he wish. ::grins::
- I'm sorry, but at this point, Polly screaming that she can't get out & that she'll never make it . . . WHY?! We're going into very big stereotype territory here & I hate it so much. Polly is so much better than that!
- For some reason, the talk of building a new Atlantis, without superstition or gods & temples, makes me think of SGA/Doctor Who crossovers, with Two, Ben, Polly & Jamie visiting Atlantis after the Stargate program has arrived there.
- Mmm, hello sailor & Scotsman! ::waves::
- Polly's got a GREAT hat on & Jamie's happiness & comfort inside the TARDIS . . . I love it. He's happy with Two, Ben & Polly. & he's not afraid of going places he doesn't understand anything about. O, Jamie. You're such a sweetheart. & you always did belong with Two in the TARDIS.
- & HA. THE DOCTOR FINALLY ADMITS HE KNOWS HOW TO CONTROL THE TARDIS! He just never wanted to do it proper! Silly little man!
& where the four of them are going, I do not know . . . but we'll find out soon!
The Moonbase
- I actually forgot that this was a Cybermen story until I saw Kit Pedler's name come up in the opening! Bad me!
- Okay, so after the TARDIS went crazy at the end of The Underwater Menace , she's seemed to land on somewhere that could be Mars or the moon. The moon, actually as a lovely friend of Two's will point out eventually . . .
- Ben's already making me laugh in this story, with his gentle teasing of Two for belong only 200,0000 miles off. ::tickles him::
- I love Jamie being all, 'But the moon's way up in the sky!' & then 'Maybe we'll meet the old man in the moon!' SO CUTE.
- Ben & Polly want to explore the moon right away & persuade Two to let them do so. & of course, Jamie comes along!
- AWW, MOONJUMPING CONTEST! ::giggles:: It must be fun to play on the moon, actually. I rather wish I could do so.
- Okay, so now the four of them are inside the moonbase - ugh, lecherous men touching Polly. ::cringes:: HANDS OFF.
- 2070?! Well, at least they've landed in the twenty-first century this time. & by then, they can control the weather from the moon - cool!
- O, dear, now Jamie's been taken ill? I think I missed something somewhere . . . o, it must have been because of his fall during the moonjumping . . . . well, he's sick now & o, the poor love. & I love Polly explaining Jamie's feverish babbles to Two & Ben - I'd be sensible like Polly but I'm just worried about Jamie! Our poor, sick Jamie.
- The sound quality of this recon - the volume is so low that I can just barely hear it, even with both VLC & River's volume all the way up. Here I could supplement with my Lost in Time DVDs, but I want to watch the recon of it.
- Polly looks quite lovely here, I want to note - & this was my first serial that I saw her in! I loved her sweater, eye makeup & hair. But now that I'm watching the recon & finally listening to the audio (which, I'm ashamed to say, I never did when I watched it the first time, I've only heard the third serial's audio I believe) I'm adoring her even more now. She's so sweet & kind & helpful to everyone, & she's definitely looking after Jamie very well. Polly would be a lovely mother, I think.
- Fuckery . . . the Cybermen have shown up in the base now . . . & Jamie thinks they're coming for him. ::holds him::
- Okay, Jamie has just seen a Cyberman. A Telosian Cybermen, if I remember my history right . . . & I have just been rendered a bit on the speechless side by seeing a fairly nice amount of Jamie's uncovered chest. Um, er . . . what was I going to say?
- & o, there it is again & how beautiful does he look even when sick & even when sick he's so brave & ready to fight even Death itself . . . ::babbles incoherently::
- Okay, we're referencing back to The Tenth Planet after Polly's sighting of the Cyberman. Poor girl, she's quite scared! I don't blame her at all; Cybermen in any form can be terrifying, really!
- & the second story has Two being made of funny, adorable, sneaky win. ::dances:: & a medical degree in Glasgow, in 1888? Interesting . . .
- I'm having a ridiculously hard time not doing a lot of fangirling whilst I watch this & it's HARD!
- O, Jamie, Jamie . . . . you poor darling . . . . & YOU KEEP YOUR HORRIBLE CYBER HANDS OFF OF HIM & AWAY FROM POLLY, YOU STUPID TIN BOX!
- I have to say, the way trhe Cybermen were able to get inside the moonbase & kidnap their prisoners was awesome. It's part of why I prefer old-school!Cybermen to the new-school!Cybermen - the original ones, both Mondasian & Telosian, had a lot of stealth & were virtually undetectable if you didn't know what they were or just didn't believe in them. The newer ones, while a bit more shinier & more fancified, they have no real stealth & rely more on their weapons & their 'delete or convert' commands to instil terror into the people around them. The original ones were far more subtle in their acquirement of new Cybermen & of taking out what they didn't want in the process.
- OMG PAT STOP BEING SO CUTE!! I CAN'T THINK PROPERLY! ::flails about::
- SUGAR! SUGAR IS EVIL, EVEN IN 2070! & Two knows it. & o, wow, the part where they find where the Cybermen have been hiding? CHILLS ME TO THE BONE & it always has, even when I first saw it. (& part of that totally goes to Patrick Troughton & his lovely voice for making it all the more chilling. The low, whispery way he says everything . . . it makes it just that bit more scary. & pretty damn sexy, I should add.) & when the Cyberman in there appears right at the end? Yes, I'd be running & hiding myself then!
- Okay, we're back in recon mode now, but this is the one I've heard the audio of & where Polly's going to shine like the Northern Star!
- Even the Telosian Cybermen know the Doctor. I, I don't know how, but they do, apparently.
- DON'T YOU LAY A HAND ON MY JAMIE YOU FANCY BITS OF SCRAP METAL!
- O dear, they're . . . they're converting the sick ones they kidnapped, more or less. Or at least putting them under Cyber control. I don't care, both frighten me a bit.
- O, Jamie, you're feeling better! ::hugs him::
- & now, the Duchess is gonna shine like the star she is! Along with Jamie & Ben, she's come up with a plan to try sprinkling the Cybermen's main chest units with nail varnish remover!
Ben fought the Mondasian breed off with radiation. Polly's going to attack them with nail varnish remover! & Ben's helping her improve on it by suggesting the two of them whip up a cocktail of everything they've got on hand & spraying the Cybermen with it.
Ben Jackson & Polly Wright - Cybermen slayers!
- YES! Two's noting the possibility of radioactive material on the base, I do believe.
- Polly cocktail! ::giggles:: ROCK ON, CYBERMEN SLAYERS. But Ben gets a slap on the wrist for not letting Polly go with them saying it's 'men's work.' But AH! Polly Wright's not put down so easily, is she? She's going with them, whether they like it or not.
- 'It takes more than a knock on the head to keep a McCrimmon down!' JAMIE♥♥♥
- & it works!! Cybermen are down for a bit & now the others can start work on repairing & fighting back! & Ben got another out of the way! ::grins::
(& for the last story, I'm supplementing it with my Lost in Time DVDs)
- Now everything's really picking up - the Cybermen have cut off the base from Earth & they're all around the base.
- I have to say, I'm with Ben - just a bit too neat & easy for one to really be comfortable with.
- Two was right - they know about the relief rocket & they're going to try & get back into the base.
- Just out of curiosity, why would they have left one of the Cybermen's mind control units near one of the sick men? Isn't that just a little careless?
- Random fashion note: Jamie has nice socks! They go well with his kilt.
- Also, Evans is wearing his, for lack of better description, waffle cone hat backwards! I've seen this so many times & it always bothers me - wouldn't someone noticed? ::sighs:: Then he changes it when he turns around! ARGH. Continuity errors always bug me.
- I can say this for the Cybermen - their tenacity is almost as fierce as the Doctor's!
- HA! Two knew they couldn't obliterate the base as long as the force field was up & he proved it! & I love the look on his face - such a defiant, saucy look for him to wear. ::giggle:: & I love how he looks like he's about to pass out right after the Cybermen take their second shot - he looks so dazed & goofy & he does collapse slightly! It's rather cute & a nice contrast to his ballsy stance earlier. I heart Two so.
- LOLZ FLOATING CYBERMEN! ::gigglesnorts:: LOVE IT!
- Now our kickass foursome are making their way back to the TARDIS, looking like funny space bug-people in their goggles. Dematerialising . . . looking at the time scanner . . . WHAT IS THAT?
'Oh, second sight. Very dangerous, Doctor!'
Jamie, you lovely thing. ♥ You'll get used to it all in time!
WHEW! Quite a batch of recapping, eh? Next up will be The Macra Terror, The Faceless Ones, which, sadly, will be Ben & Polly's final serial with Two & Jamie, then The Evil of the Daleks, where we shall meet the next person to join Jamie & Two on their travels - the lovely miss Victoria Waterfield!
Previous recaps
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Time Meddler
The War Machines
The Smugglers
The Tenth Planet
The Power of the Daleks