(if the sun don't come you get your tan standing in the English rain)
Ah! So, this week's serial lineup is a bit special - I've included two bonus stories, instead of putting the main serial with the other two of next week. The bonus stories this week are two of the Jon Pertwee era - his first serial as the Third Doctor, to bridge the gap between the Two & Three eras, & The Curse of Peladon, which isn't entirely a bonus story - it features David Troughton, son of the delightful Patrick Troughton, in the lead role as King Peladon, which is also a bit of a connector & lead-in to the last serial for the week, The Three Doctors.
So, let's get down to business & start up with the first serial of this week & the very first serial of the Pertwee era, Spearhead From Space!
Spearhead From Space
- Ah, brand new opening titles right from the get go! Hello Jon Pertwee! ::waves::
- I have to say, knowing that we have a new Doctor in this - even IF I 've seen him before - is still making me a bit nervous. Or perhaps a bit excited. Maybe both, I think.
- O, the TARDIS! With Three, in Two's clothes, falling out of it!
- & Liz Shaw! Sexy sexy Liz Shaw, with her donut hair! (I wish I could do my hair up like that.)
- Hello there Brigadier! ::waves:: & Liz is in her trademark short skirts, but that is totally justified - it's quite hot in this serial.
- Oooo, Liz has quite the list of credentials, doesn't she! & she works at Cambridge as well - quite amazing, wouldn't you say?
& she's got a sharp tongue on her as well - v. snarky & fab with someone like the Brigadier! (& I'm kind of already shipping them together right now)
- May I say that the Brig also looks quite . . . dashing in this serial so far? ::sighs:: He really rather does! (& Liz is just pure hotness all around.)
- The first mention of the Doctor having two hearts! & it's discovered . . . by an x-ray. Which the medical doctors think is a joke of some sort.
- Also, his blood is apparently, not a human blood type. This is sounding quite familiar all of a sudden . . .
- Ooo, UNIT in action! ::beams:: Go UNIT! ::waves pompoms::
- Okay, we've heard his voice, but we still haven't seen the new Doctor's face . . . this, I think, is a really good way to introduce a completely new Doctor. Rather atmospheric, a little on the nail-biting side & well - just a good way, I think!
- Ooo, snappy!Brig! ::beams::
- NOW we've seen his face, but just for a quick moment.
- La la la, medical talky-talk aside, where is Grace Holloway when you need her?!
- O, Three! You - you're awake, you sound a bit like your last self . . . all a bit confusing, but I suddenly feel myself getting attached already.
- ::giggles:: Three, you're athletic for having a regeneration forced on you! ::giggly::
- 'Shoes.'
'Pardon me?'
'Shoes.'
::gigglesnorts::
& also, I'm really enjoying watching how Jon Pertwee plays these scenes - he doesn't have a lot to do, being bedridden & having to be unconscious on occasions - many, actually - but he plays them in a very compelling way when he does have something to do. No matter what he's doing in one of his hospital scenes, I can't & don't want to look away at all.
- HEY WHAT THEY'RE KIDNAPPING THREE WHAT?!
- But he's escaping! IN HIS WHEELCHAIR. THREE WAS WIN RIGHT IN IN HIS FIRST SERIAL, BITCHES. GO THREE, GO!
- WHAT?! THEY SHOT HIM?! O, well, no wonder Three never got on with the military very well.
- Random fashion note: His hair isn't nearly as big as it WILL be in later years. I kind of miss his bouffant! He looked damn good with it, I have to say.
- A self-induced coma? I don't remember if the Doctor's done that before at all, but it sounds very much like something a Time Lord could do. But to me, a self-induced coma sounds like a last-ditch effort to stave off a regeneration.
A while back, nentari & I discussed the Doctor's second-to-third regeneration & the possibility that when the Time Lords forced his third regeneration, that they damaged something in the Doctor's physiology, which would account for his erratic turns of self when he regenerates. By comparison, we'd said, that when other Time Lords, like Romana & the Master regenerated, they didn't behave anywhere as erratically as the Doctor does when he regenerates. This would explain a lot in this serial, I think.
Though also, when One regenerated into Two, he had a far less harder time settling into his new body, if I remember correctly. He had some memory issues, if that's the right way to put it - or rather, more like settling-into-his-new-body issues, but he wasn't nearly as out of control or as wild as he is in his later regenerations.
- . . . doll factory. DOLL FACTORY. DON'T ASK, BUT THAT'S FUCKING CREEPY.
& I think I know what those meteorites were carrying - or rather who.
- Liz Shaw - she's the queen of cool & she's got brains to spare! I LOVE HER, OMG. & I LOVE how snarky & sassy she is with the Brigadier - it's adorable & really shippy! Also, I love how he says she can be quite irritating - o, Brigadier. Just wait til you get your new scientific advisor. Then you might change your opinion of the lovely miss Shaw.
- Liz's scepticism is very refreshing, I find, even though I generally get easily annoyed by sceptics & people who won't look beyond their own scope of accepted reality - really, I do; those people bug the hell out of me - but as a counterpoint to someone like the Brigadier & to UNIT as a whole, it's kind of an interesting change.
- 'You don't expect me to salute him, I hope.'
'You could bring yourself to be a little less astringent, Miss Shaw.'
'I didn't ask to come here, remember?'
LIZ, OMG.
- Ooo, Liz's face when she's called just 'a pretty face'! NOT IMPRESSED OR PLEASED.
- Three is now rummaging around IN LOCKERS FOR HIS CLOTHES. Okay, really, ringing any bells here?
- UNEXPECTED!NAKED!THREE! IN A SHOWER! SINGING! WITH A SHOWER CAP ON! ::twirls all around::
I crush on Three. AS IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW THIS. Dandies, especially space dandies, are LOVE! & sexy, of course. Ahem.
- TATTOO! ::flips out::
- Also, the Doctor is now wandering around a hospital, pretty much starkers, looking for clothes to wear. All we need is Delgado!Master to show up & we'd have the seventies version of Eight's TVM.
- DUDE. Jon Pertwee, with that hat on? Looks totally like Ian McKellen! I AM FLAILING HAPPILY HERE. ::swoony::
- So, in stolen clothes & in a stolen 1930s-esque car, I'd wager . . . Three is making his escape! He'll just have to meet his hot doctor lady later than he did in San Francisco.
- DUDE, IT'S A GUY MADE OUT OF PLASTIC! A pretty strong guy made out of plastic!
- I like Autons. They're funny.
- UNF, THREE. ::faints:: Authoritative, decked out in dandy threads, sassing off to the Brig all over the place, being charming, gentlemanly, well-mannered & generally bloody sexy overall . . . ::dies:: I. WANT. BADLY.
- ::giggles some more:: OMG, HIS FACE! It's like . . . rubber! LOOK AT HIM WIGGLE IT! ::keeps giggling::
& WTF, HOW DOES JON PERTWEE MAKE THAT LOOK SEXY, REALLY?
- 'Delighted, Miss Shaw, delighted.'
'What are you a doctor of, by the way?'
'Practically everything, my dear.'
- 'I've no recollection of last night, that's most unfair. How could I - what on Earth is this?'
YES. THIS IS OUR DOCTOR. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. & that is Three-speak for 'Blah, blah, blah - Ooo, shiny!'
- OMG, I lovelovelove how well he's getting on with Liz already! ::squeals:: & she's letting him call her Liz! AWW! LOVE ALL AROUND.
- I'm going to be totally off-topic in my own recaps & just say WHY THE HELL AREN'T THERE MORE MEN (Earth-type men, anyway) LIKE THREE AROUND NOWADAYS? ::pouts:: I want a dandy of my own!
- Dude, RTD TOTALLY ripped off the concept of the Autons for his first episode of the new series - TOTALLY DID. But just not as awesome as it was done originally.
- OMG! I hadn't even realised that Robert Holmes had written this serial! I LOVE his serials; they're some of the best in the Classic!Who canon, usually. No wonder this serial's been so great!
- DUDE, THEY EVEN HAVE SHOOTY THINGS IN THEIR HANDS!
- Hmm, Autons & Telosian!Cybermen would make really good ballerinas, I think. No, seriously! They're weirdly graceful!
- THREE & LIZ ARE BEING AWESOME, HELLO! ::hugs them both::
- Liz's scepticism, even with Three over what the TARDIS really is, is great. I think it's really cute, actually - she isn't being as snarky as she was with the Brigadier when he told her all about the Doctor. This time, she's more genuinely amused & finds the idea of him having a laboratory in a police box quite funny. It's pretty adorable.
- LIZ SHAW, THE INFILTRATION & ESPIONAGE EXPERT OF PERTWEE'S ANGELS. Far more than a short skirt & a big brain to this lassie!
- I love Liz's face & tone when she says 'Doctor, you tricked me.'
- Poor Three - he's now realising that he can't leave Earth - that he's been trapped by the Time Lords. O, Three. My poor Icarus.
- Random fashion note number two: I LOVE THREE'S BLUE VELVET JACKET. I FUCKING WANT ONE FOR MYSELF. (& actually, I know where I could find one, if I wanted.)
& in that same vein, I have a black velvet jacket a la Three, but not the best of ruffled shirts to go with it. It needs a bit of starch & new elastic in the wrists.
(yes, I may be more of a dolly bird overall, but I also can be very much a dandy when the fancy strikes me. But male dandies have the best clothes, so I prefer ruffled shirts, velvet jackets, trousers, sometimes a nice cravat, & capes instead. See? One of the rare occasions I will willingly wear trousers!)
- Random fashion note number three: Liz has quite the fine dress on! Or maybe it's just her. ::grins:: Either way, sexy dress!
- UNF UNF THREE OMG. Yes, that's all.
- Also, as I'm nearly done with this serial, may I just say I totally ship Three/Brig/Liz? Yeah, I kind of do. ::big smiles::
- Hmm . . . the Brigadier seems to enjoy being close to Liz's person, I think. Not like Two & Jamie, but you know . . . just close to her in physical proximity.
- I continue to maintain, Autons are awesome.
- & Three & Liz = TEHFAB.
- HEE! Liz is a bit creeped out by being in the wax museum, the poor girl. ::squeezes her hand::
- Ooo, close quarters with the lovely Liz, eh, Three? ::smiles::
- Eww, creepy thing moving in plastic wrap.
- O, DUDE, THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL RTD DIDN'T RIP THIS SERIAL OFF - AUTONS COMING OUT OF SHOP WINDOWS & WALKING IN THE STREETS? NO WAY IN HELL.
- OMG TENTACLE!PORN IN A DOCTOR WHO SERIAL. ::DIES::
- BUT GROPING TENTACLES DON'T STOP THREE FOR LONG, BITCHES! ::beams:: & ah, Three - still looking so sexy & badass, as ever.
- HEE! Three's 'negotiations' with the Brig = AWESOMESAUCE.
- 'By the way - I've just realised, I don't even know your name.'
'It's Smith. Doctor John Smith.'
♥♥♥
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I bloody loved this serial, I really did. It was a lovely treat after the pain of The War Games & it introduced Three being trapped on Earth magnificently well, I felt. & of course, Three's always been one of my favourite Doctors for many reasons - sartorially & characteristically, if you really wanted a few details. ::nose scrunch:: I also felt that this serial was a terrific way of introducing one of the Doctor's three main companions during his time with UNIT - Liz is a firecracker, in many ways, but I think she's more than a capable assistant & companion for Three & that she's a great character overall. & no, her looks have nothing to do with that - those are just a bonus!
& the very last scene of the last story - ah, I just love it. It's Three being cute - HANDSOME, rather, & funny at once. O, he's quite a dream - but I highly doubt he'd ever take a silly bird like me as a companion.
O, Three. You may not be Two, you may not be accompanied by a sexy Scottish companion, but you are still, our Doctor. ::smooches:: & you're still as awesome as you come!
Now, we move from Liz Shaw to her successor, the sweet yet tough Jo Grant, who I also love, in our second bonus story for the week, The Curse of Peladon!
The Curse of Peladon
- Of note - Brian Hayles wrote this story & I know he wrote something in the Troughton era, but I can't recall just what, alas.
Why was that important? Well, because . . .
- DAVID TROUGHTON! HELLO DAVID! The last time we saw Pat's son, he was but eighteen & playing a bit role in The War Games quite well for his age, but here, he's moved up to playing the lead role opposite his father's successor as the Doctor! & so far, he's doing it damn well I'd say.
- Oooo, what's that I hear . . . sounds like the TARDIS!
- Random fashion note: Three's sporting a rather Sherlock Holmes-esque cape & a reddish-hued velvet jacket underneath, while Jo's all prettied up for a date with Mike Yates in a cute party dress & pretty little ringlets!
- Wait, when did Three get the TARDIS working - WHAT THE FUCK THE TARDIS JUST FELL DOWN A MOUNTAINSIDE! I DO hope it's indestructible, Doctor!
- WHAT THREE, YOU'RE GOING MOUNTAINEERING IN THAT OUTFIT? ::looks shocked:: & Jo, you too? O, the both of you!
- nentari, I did promise to look out for David's lisp this time, didn't I? Well I'm pretty sure he's still got it here! & yes, it's still VERY adorable.
- O my giddy aunt! They're actually scaling a mountain in velvet jackets & party dresses! & heels, in Jo's case! I'm impressed, actually.
- Aww, Three's helping Jo up. Such a gentleman, isn't he? & so kind. ♥
- Is it just me, or does King Peladon's castle have a very Gothic & well . . . Byron-esque, Romantic-era look to it? Which is rather amusing, considering that I told nentari that King Peladon made me think of Bram Stoker's Dracula - & that Jo looked a bit like Mina Harker!
- Siiiiigh, David's so utterly handsome in colour - & he looked fab in black & white! & he plays a king so well - & I'm not just saying that!
- O GOODNESS, AN ICE WARRIOR! ::screams:: No wonder Three pulled Jo back behind the curtain!
& the Ice Warriors seem to have lost their OMG DAZZLE! look from The Seeds of Death - if it's an Ice Lord that's the delegate for Mars. I think it's one of each, actually . . .
- 'Doctor. I do not deal through intermediaries. Kindly present us to our royal host.'
Jo grabbed the idea & ran with it - fabulously! & THREE BOWS TO HER! ::SQUEALS::
- 'May I present Her Royal Highness, Princess Josephine of TARDIS.'
- I AM SO JEALOUS OF JO RIGHT NOW. SHUT UP.
- & my my my! Doesn't she play a princess well! ::bows to Jo as well::
- THREE FTW! Bringing calm & order to fighting delegates!
- ACK, FALLING STATUARY!
- Now that I think about it - I think that Brian Hayles wrote the first Ice Warriors story! Which would explain why there are Ice Warriors in this story . . .
- Random fashion note number two: King Peladon - that is a very short . . . thing you have on above your boots! ::colours a bit::
- Aaaah, Jo's off to investigate! ::grins:: & she seems to have found something!
- OMG, HE WANTS JO TO STAY BEHIND. ::girlie squee::
- HE CALLED HER BEAUTIFUL. SHE BLUSHED.
- HE'S HOLDING HER HAND. ASDFGHJKL;''';LKJHGFDSAA
(love Jo's rings!)
- & SHE REFUSED TO SPEAK FOR HIM! Jo, how could you! He's quite . . . fond of you!
- Hmm - Three's little eye-thing makes him look like an Arthur Rackham drawing! ::giggles::
- Awww. Three & Jo really are so cute together - but in this scene, it's kind of father-daughter-esque in a way. Which is an odd thing for me to see it as, since I ship them happily.
- O dear . . . could the Ice Warriors be behind this?
- & also, I hadn't realised they were green - heh, Ice Warriors, reinforcing the stereotype of Martians being green men.
- Jo Grant - the expert escape artist & lock picker of Pertwee's Angels! ::glomps Jo::
- WAIT, NOBODY'S LOST THEIR DAZZLE - IT'S JUST BECOME HIS CAPE, NOT SO MUCH HIS FACE.
- . . . the Ice Warriors are no longer warriors, per se? Hmm.
- You know, I think I really do enjoy watching David Troughton onscreen. Maybe not quite as much as I do his father, but that's most likely because I've only ever seen David in three things; I've seen more of his father, but nevertheless, I do enjoy watching him at work. He's very good, I think. & yes, he IS just as lovely to look upon as his father always was. ::sighs::
- Wow . . . an Ice Warrior sticking up for the Doctor - my my.
- Random fashion note number three: That IS a very short skirt, Your Majesty!
- HE JUST PROPOSED TO HER OMFG. ::DIES::
- & SHE RUNS AWAY! O, Jo . . . I don't even know! ::wails::
- HEE! Jo shoves aside TWO Ice Warriors! ::laughs:: In the old days, they would have killed her before she could even get halfway down the corridor!
- O my word . . . an Ice Warrior wanting to save the Doctor . . . that is the BIGGEST about-face I have ever seen, I think. Of all the people there, you would think the Ice Warriors would revel in seeing the Doctor dead. But one chooses to save him. Wow. I wonder what Jamie & Zoe would say - or even Victoria.
- Ah, being treated to Three singing TWICE in one night! ::swoons like a proper lady of refinement:: & Venusian lullaby!
- Aww. Even after she ruins his experiment, he's still so kind to her. ::kisses Three & Jo::
- I feel terribly conflicted about my feelings on King Peladon - I know he's doing what is the law of Peladon, but at the same time, I'm angry with him a bit for not wanting to listen to reason - or even take Jo's words when he seems to hold so much affection for her. I am, earnestly, very conflicted as to how I feel toward him.
- Three's reportedly a pacifist by nature, only resorting to extreme measures when he absolutely must, but in hand-to-hand, I don't think it would be very easy to best him.
- & even in a FIGHT TO THE DEATH, he won't kill! Three is a very honourable Doctor. Well - the Doctor, aside from maybe one incarnation tends to BE very honourable, but still - that was quite a show of his mercifulness & honour.
- HA! Jo called Peladon a 'wet fish'! ::gigglesnorts:: Yes, he is a bit wishy-washy, you could say.
- All this fighting - it feels so terribly Roman.
- & Three saves the day! With science! & awesomeness, as is his style. ::smiles::
- O, the TARDIS! She's alright! ::hugs her::
- Ah. Alas. The Time Lords again. Sending the Doctor off on their missions like a servant . . . but still.
- I'm quite fond of Peladon's bubble collar. & though she's no real princess, he wants Jo to say - SHE KISSED HIM! ON THE LIPS! JUST BEFORE THREE WALKS IN. Three = expert cockblocker.
- O, Jo. You could see that for a moment, she did want to stay with him. & for a moment, I wanted her to stay as well. But no. That isn't her life & it can't be. But he cared for her greatly. & if she had stayed, he would have wooed her forever. ♥
- Hee! Off to see Queen Victoria's coronation - again! ::giggly:: Off they go then!
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This was a fun little serial, I think. It was almost like a murder mystery, in some ways, even. Full of intrigue, romance, action & of course, Three being lovely & his usual wonderful self! & it was just a delight to see David Troughton in a bigger & far more expansive part, as well as in colour! He was quite brilliant as Peladon, I thought & I can't wait until his own Companion Chronicle comes out.
O, did I not mention that King Peladon is getting his own Companion Chronicle? He is & it's coming out next month, I believe, under the title The Prisoner of Peladon. I'm really looking forward to it!
& here, we move back to the connector thread of these past two serials - The Three Doctors! This was my first multi-Doctor serial & I've always loved it, so I'm looking forward to recapping it for you all.
The Three Doctors
- JO! IN ONE OF MY FAVOURITE OUTFITS OF HERS, EVER! (the blue minidress sweater, blue tights, black boots & plush blue coat. LOVE!)
- Hmm, UNIT's uniforms seemed to have changed a bit during the Pertwee era - the ones that were worn during the Tom Baker era are my favourites - they look better, I think.
- 'Yes, pass me a silicone rod.'
(the rod goes from hand to hand until it reaches Three who uses it to stir his tea up)
HAHA! I love that scene. It's great.
- Also, the TARDIS herself seems to have undergone a bit of a paint job between this & The Curse of Peladon.
- This serial & a Four serial was once part of an entire sartorial escapade of mine once that was actually quite a fun one - so I'm ridiculously inclined to notice the clothes in this - I did a lot of study of them!
- O, Jo, your knickers are showing a bit.
- 'When I tell you to run, you run.'
- HEY WHAT SOMETHING ATE BESSIE! ::sad face::
- Hello Sergeant Benton! ::waves::
- Random fashion note: Three's jacket in this serial is the same one he wears in The Curse of Peladon - I'd recognise it anywhere.
- Ah, sonic screwdriver in action . . .
- AH, HERE COME THE GEL GUARDS! Or actually, I think of them as the bubble guards - they look so much like bubbly things! Like they should be foaming & blowing bubbles! ::giggles::
(& as Katy Manning says in the commentary, they look like jellybabies!)
- Jo's a tough miss - she'll risk her life for her Doctor. ::nods::
- 'Well Sergeant? Aren't you going to say it's bigger on the inside than the outside? Everybody else does.'
'It's pretty obvious, isn't it?'
::giggles:: One of my favourite TARDIS reactions EVER.
- Bugger. Can't move the TARDIS, can't get away . . . someone's going to have to call in the Time Lords. ::sighs::
- HEY, WE'RE ON GALLIFREY NOW! Great. Ugh. Get me off of it.
- Wow, early Time Lord fashion was a bit like Blake's 7, I think. Or maybe I'm just getting random Avon flashbacks.
- 'Before he changed his form'? THAT'S RICH, COMING FROM YOU LOT. ::glares::
- TWO!
- Every time I saw that bit of Two on the monitor, I thought it was from The Invasion, but looking at it now, after quite a long time, it isn't. It's just Two being Two!
- HIS RECORDER! It's in the TARDIS! Randomly! & Three thinks it's Jo's. Ah, well, I'll forgive him that. ::laughs::
- TWO! ::SQUEALS & THROWS HER ARMS AROUND HIM::
- 'Oh. I can see you've been doing the TARDIS up a bit. I don't like it.'
TWO! & HE'S IN COLOUR! ::squeals some more:: O, how I've missed you so! & COLOUR! But with shorter hair, hmm . . .
- 'Now, Jo, it's all quite simple: I am he and he is me.'
'And we are all together, coo-coo-katchoo?'
- DUDE. WORDS & CAPSLOCKERY CAN BARELY SUM UP MY GLEE AT SEEING THREE & TWO TOGETHER & SQUABBLING LIKE THIS, OMG. ::jumps for joy::
- Ah, yes, I love how the Brigadier would prefer to shoot first, ask questions later. Hmm. Handsome, but o, I'd never agree with him I think.
- 'Are we going to take this attitude to my music all the time?'
- HELLO ONE. ::waves & offers her hand::
- 'Oh, you're my replacements. A dandy and a clown!'
::DIES:: ONE, YOU'RE STILL BADASS.
& I should note that this was the first time I actually met One in some way - & I loved him right from that line! I thought he was badass then & I KNOW he's badass now! ::hugs One with love::
- JO! CRAZY GIRL! O, o, dear! ::worries::
- I always giggle when Two says he thinks the thing was just having hiccups - it's so Two!
- Whoa, Jo's skirt stayed down for a change. ::laughs::
- ::snuggles with Two::
- 'Pledged to protect'? HA. HA. & I SAY: HA! You don't protect, you observe, you fools. The Doctor protects people, while you sit on your backsides & watch!
- I love how Three comforts Jo & tells her they're not dead. It's wonderfully kind of him.
- Hmm. Is it just me or does Pat's voice sound a bit different than it did before? Or am I imagining it?
- ::LOLZ AT THE BRIGADIER'S COMPUTER::
- Awww, Jo hugging Three's arm when they find Bessie! ::draws hearts:: Those two are such adorableness.
- & there's my Two, being wicked clever & whipping up a whole . . . thing to pacify the . . . thing!
- O! Two sounds PISSED AS HELL at being called Three's 'assistant'! ::giggles to herself::
- O, Benton . . . I don't think throwing gum wrappers at things like that is a very good idea!
- OMG, THE BRIG IS IN THE TARDIS! He's never been, has he? O my!
- Two's handing out jellybabies!
FACT: Four may have made jellybabies famous in Doctor Who canon, but it was Two who used to carry them first!
- Random factoid: Katy Manning said that filming in that quarry was utterly freezing. & that her only row with Jon Pertwee was under an umbrella & she was throwing all the stuff in her handbag at him, she was so pissed at him.
- 'Some damn fool flute'? Brigadier! ::shakes a finger at him:: Don't be rude, it's an important thing to Two! But I have to say, the Brigadier being all bitchy & snappy at Two is HYSTERICAL!OMG, I love it. ::giggles:: Quite a turnaround from The Web of Fear & The Invasion!
- Also, was this the serial with the commentary Terrance Dicks, Katy Manning & Nick Courtney spent bits of discussing how lopsided the Brigadier's moustache was, or am I getting it confused with another one? (I haven't heard it since I planned the rewatch-a-thon.)
- O! I love Three's trick with the flowers & pencil - I used to have flowers like that & I could also do the flower trick when I was a little girl. But not the pencil bit. & I remember Katy saying that Jon Pertwee was actually quite fond of doing tricks like that between scenes. I think she did, anyway, but I know I've heard that.
- Hmm, Lennie Mayne directed this serial - interesting because he also directed The Curse of Peladon!
- & in enters THE Time Lord for me, the one who's higher on the list of people from Gallifrey that I would tolerate - Omega!
(Omega, by the way, in Greek, means 'great'.)
- Omega IS revered for what he did - on Gallifrey, I believe there's a day called 'The Feast of Omega'. (it's noted in a Seven serial, I think.)
- Hee. Omega has a sense of humour, to some extent.
- Interesting that Omega wants to use the Doctor against the Time Lords - has Omega watched the Doctor? Does he know the Doctor's own history with his people? Or is it just a sort of sick pleasure of Omega's, to be using a Time Lord against other Time Lords? Hmm. How Master-esque of him, in a way.
- LOLZ, THE BRIG'S 'WHAT THE FUCK?' REACTION WHEN HE OPENS THE DOOR! ::DIES:: O, I just LOVE the Brig in this - he remains competent, but totally funny at once.
- 'I'm fairly sure it's Cromer.'
- Classic ad-lib by Nick Courtney!
- & Two sees a Gel Guard & yells 'Oh! my giddy aunt!' ::squees & claps:: LOVE! (though, as a Two fangirl, I have to point out, he only said that once - it was in The Krotons.)
- You know, in a strange, sad way, I sort of understand Omega's rage & fury - he feels wronged by his own people & wants revenge. I somehow understand that, in a way. Well, in any case, his motives, to me, make a fair bit of sense. It isn't just mindless killing or invading, just to show one's power, like a Dalek or, even the Master, & it isn't to bring all of Gallifrey into his anti-matter world like a Cyberman & it isn't just to make war like a Sontaran. He just wants revenge &, to a certain point, I feel, justice. He feels wronged. He wants justice & revenge, which, oddly, mix together for him, I think. If that makes any sense, of course.
Well, either way, by doing what he's doing, I feel that he wants to achieve both. & yes, because I really, really don't like Time Lords, but with a few exceptions, I can understand him more easily, I think.
'This horrible great jelly' - SO TWO. ::giggly:: I love it when he says that. It's so cute. ::kisses his cheek::
- Hee! Twittering on!
- Aww, they're making friends with each other now. Or making friends with himself . . . um, well, you know what I mean.
- Jo Grant - being brainy & fabulous in addition to being an expert escapologist!
- You see, when Two & Three tell the story of Omega, it also tells the story of why I like Omega far more than I'd ever like Rassilon - sure, Rassilon got all the cool stuff named after him, but Omega did all the hard work! Then he got totally shafted by his own people. Everyone who's anyone on Gallifrey knows all about Rassilon & Omega, but really, when you look at it, who did the most hard work & is the real hero of Gallifrey? I don't think it's the one who's bling the President of the High Council gets to wear!
Also, Omega's a scientist - intellectuals are sexy!
- O my giddy aunt - Three's found himself again in hand-to-hand combat! But it's possible he could be bested for once by Omega.
& also, the choreography of the fight is really pretty impressive - it doesn't feel like a fight so much as a ballet of sorts, with no words & so much movement - & oddly graceful movements, I should add! I think it's because it was all done in slow-motion - that really helped the soft, dreamlike - or nightmarish, depending on your perspective - balletic feel of it.
- Yay, Jo & the others have escaped!
- Damn, Three is quite unruffled, isn't he? So calm!
- 'Are you sure you and he are of the same intelligence?'
L-O-L-Z.
- 'Just ignore him, he's incorrigibly frivolous!'
- 'IT'S NOT A PIPE!'
::giggly:: Jamie will back that up, baby! He knows his pipes from his recorders!
- Omega's a madman. But he makes me giggle with his dramatics.
- Poor Omega. I really do feel bad for him - he doesn't exist any more, just his will. ::pets him::
- ''Knobble him?' You're talking about one of the most powerful blokes in the cosmos - knobble him?'
- O! Two found his recorder!
- 'Oh, no, not my recorder!'
'I'll get you another one, I'll get you a hundred, I'll get you a thousand of them!'
- I like how the Brigadier calls Jo by her first name, in order to get her to leave Three. & also, I love how she's so willing to stay with her Doctor, no matter what could happen. She's a very strong girl, I think. & that's why I love her!
- So. As the Time Lords put it . . . Omega helped the universe. Yet again. Aww.
- 'Wonderful chap. Both of him.'
- & Two in his element - awww. & with his lovely blue eyes . . . sigh!
- Ah, time for Two to go now. ::hugs him:: Bye, Two.
- & Jo thought he was sweet! ♥♥♥ & Three's answer - 'Yes, wasn't I?' TEEHEE!
- ::hugs Three:: O, Three. You were wonderful - & you did all you could.
- & the only real redeemable thing the Time Lords did, maybe ever - giving the Doctor back his wings. No longer Icarus at the end, is he - he's free to truly fly again.
-----------
This has always been a serial I've been fond of, for many reasons - the story itself is great, it has multiple Doctors, the Brigadier, UNIT, Time Lords . . . it's all splendid in the end! But I loved it because really, for me, it was the first time I ever saw One & Two - not officially meeting them, but seeing them. & of course, I loved both of them as soon as I met them. I thought One was totally badass & that Two was a riot, yet totally imaginable as the Doctor for me, since I'd never seen a Two serial prior to this. & of course, I loved how Two & Three bickered like children in this - it was so cute & quite funny! It was the serial that made me want to see One & Two on their own, as their own Doctors each. & look where I am now!
& of course, on a bit of a more sombre note, I think it's a lovely capturing of three of our very best Doctors, who, quite sadly, are no longer with us. I actually think it's even better than The Five Doctors, because it was William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton & Jon Pertwee together & being truly scintillating to watch.
(okay, we can debate a bit about the three of them being together, if you like, since William Hartnell recorded all of his scenes in the studio prior to Jon & Pat's stuff, but I don't care much - it still counts as them being all together & being their own awesome Doctors.)
& those are our serials for this week! Next week we have The Five Doctors, The Two Doctors & Jamie's first Companion Chronicle, Helicon Prime.
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
The Underwater Menace
The Moonbase
The Macra Terror
The Faceless Ones
The Evil of the Daleks
The Evil of the Daleks - audio version
The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Great Space Elevator (Victoria's Companion Chronicle)
The Abominable Snowmen - audio & serial
The Ice Warriors - audio
The Enemy of the World - audio & serial
The Web of Fear - audio & serial
Fury From the Deep - audio
The Wheel in Space - audio & serial
Fear of the Daleks (Zoe's Companion Chronicle)
The Dominators
The Mind Robber
The Invasion
The Krotons
The Seeds of Death
The Space Pirates - audio & serial
The War Games
So, let's get down to business & start up with the first serial of this week & the very first serial of the Pertwee era, Spearhead From Space!
Spearhead From Space
- Ah, brand new opening titles right from the get go! Hello Jon Pertwee! ::waves::
- I have to say, knowing that we have a new Doctor in this - even IF I 've seen him before - is still making me a bit nervous. Or perhaps a bit excited. Maybe both, I think.
- O, the TARDIS! With Three, in Two's clothes, falling out of it!
- & Liz Shaw! Sexy sexy Liz Shaw, with her donut hair! (I wish I could do my hair up like that.)
- Hello there Brigadier! ::waves:: & Liz is in her trademark short skirts, but that is totally justified - it's quite hot in this serial.
- Oooo, Liz has quite the list of credentials, doesn't she! & she works at Cambridge as well - quite amazing, wouldn't you say?
& she's got a sharp tongue on her as well - v. snarky & fab with someone like the Brigadier! (& I'm kind of already shipping them together right now)
- May I say that the Brig also looks quite . . . dashing in this serial so far? ::sighs:: He really rather does! (& Liz is just pure hotness all around.)
- The first mention of the Doctor having two hearts! & it's discovered . . . by an x-ray. Which the medical doctors think is a joke of some sort.
- Also, his blood is apparently, not a human blood type. This is sounding quite familiar all of a sudden . . .
- Ooo, UNIT in action! ::beams:: Go UNIT! ::waves pompoms::
- Okay, we've heard his voice, but we still haven't seen the new Doctor's face . . . this, I think, is a really good way to introduce a completely new Doctor. Rather atmospheric, a little on the nail-biting side & well - just a good way, I think!
- Ooo, snappy!Brig! ::beams::
- NOW we've seen his face, but just for a quick moment.
- La la la, medical talky-talk aside, where is Grace Holloway when you need her?!
- O, Three! You - you're awake, you sound a bit like your last self . . . all a bit confusing, but I suddenly feel myself getting attached already.
- ::giggles:: Three, you're athletic for having a regeneration forced on you! ::giggly::
- 'Shoes.'
'Pardon me?'
'Shoes.'
::gigglesnorts::
& also, I'm really enjoying watching how Jon Pertwee plays these scenes - he doesn't have a lot to do, being bedridden & having to be unconscious on occasions - many, actually - but he plays them in a very compelling way when he does have something to do. No matter what he's doing in one of his hospital scenes, I can't & don't want to look away at all.
- HEY WHAT THEY'RE KIDNAPPING THREE WHAT?!
- But he's escaping! IN HIS WHEELCHAIR. THREE WAS WIN RIGHT IN IN HIS FIRST SERIAL, BITCHES. GO THREE, GO!
- WHAT?! THEY SHOT HIM?! O, well, no wonder Three never got on with the military very well.
- Random fashion note: His hair isn't nearly as big as it WILL be in later years. I kind of miss his bouffant! He looked damn good with it, I have to say.
- A self-induced coma? I don't remember if the Doctor's done that before at all, but it sounds very much like something a Time Lord could do. But to me, a self-induced coma sounds like a last-ditch effort to stave off a regeneration.
A while back, nentari & I discussed the Doctor's second-to-third regeneration & the possibility that when the Time Lords forced his third regeneration, that they damaged something in the Doctor's physiology, which would account for his erratic turns of self when he regenerates. By comparison, we'd said, that when other Time Lords, like Romana & the Master regenerated, they didn't behave anywhere as erratically as the Doctor does when he regenerates. This would explain a lot in this serial, I think.
Though also, when One regenerated into Two, he had a far less harder time settling into his new body, if I remember correctly. He had some memory issues, if that's the right way to put it - or rather, more like settling-into-his-new-body issues, but he wasn't nearly as out of control or as wild as he is in his later regenerations.
- . . . doll factory. DOLL FACTORY. DON'T ASK, BUT THAT'S FUCKING CREEPY.
& I think I know what those meteorites were carrying - or rather who.
- Liz Shaw - she's the queen of cool & she's got brains to spare! I LOVE HER, OMG. & I LOVE how snarky & sassy she is with the Brigadier - it's adorable & really shippy! Also, I love how he says she can be quite irritating - o, Brigadier. Just wait til you get your new scientific advisor. Then you might change your opinion of the lovely miss Shaw.
- Liz's scepticism is very refreshing, I find, even though I generally get easily annoyed by sceptics & people who won't look beyond their own scope of accepted reality - really, I do; those people bug the hell out of me - but as a counterpoint to someone like the Brigadier & to UNIT as a whole, it's kind of an interesting change.
- 'You don't expect me to salute him, I hope.'
'You could bring yourself to be a little less astringent, Miss Shaw.'
'I didn't ask to come here, remember?'
LIZ, OMG.
- Ooo, Liz's face when she's called just 'a pretty face'! NOT IMPRESSED OR PLEASED.
- Three is now rummaging around IN LOCKERS FOR HIS CLOTHES. Okay, really, ringing any bells here?
- UNEXPECTED!NAKED!THREE! IN A SHOWER! SINGING! WITH A SHOWER CAP ON! ::twirls all around::
I crush on Three. AS IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW THIS. Dandies, especially space dandies, are LOVE! & sexy, of course. Ahem.
- TATTOO! ::flips out::
- Also, the Doctor is now wandering around a hospital, pretty much starkers, looking for clothes to wear. All we need is Delgado!Master to show up & we'd have the seventies version of Eight's TVM.
- DUDE. Jon Pertwee, with that hat on? Looks totally like Ian McKellen! I AM FLAILING HAPPILY HERE. ::swoony::
- So, in stolen clothes & in a stolen 1930s-esque car, I'd wager . . . Three is making his escape! He'll just have to meet his hot doctor lady later than he did in San Francisco.
- DUDE, IT'S A GUY MADE OUT OF PLASTIC! A pretty strong guy made out of plastic!
- I like Autons. They're funny.
- UNF, THREE. ::faints:: Authoritative, decked out in dandy threads, sassing off to the Brig all over the place, being charming, gentlemanly, well-mannered & generally bloody sexy overall . . . ::dies:: I. WANT. BADLY.
- ::giggles some more:: OMG, HIS FACE! It's like . . . rubber! LOOK AT HIM WIGGLE IT! ::keeps giggling::
& WTF, HOW DOES JON PERTWEE MAKE THAT LOOK SEXY, REALLY?
- 'Delighted, Miss Shaw, delighted.'
'What are you a doctor of, by the way?'
'Practically everything, my dear.'
- 'I've no recollection of last night, that's most unfair. How could I - what on Earth is this?'
YES. THIS IS OUR DOCTOR. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. & that is Three-speak for 'Blah, blah, blah - Ooo, shiny!'
- OMG, I lovelovelove how well he's getting on with Liz already! ::squeals:: & she's letting him call her Liz! AWW! LOVE ALL AROUND.
- I'm going to be totally off-topic in my own recaps & just say WHY THE HELL AREN'T THERE MORE MEN (Earth-type men, anyway) LIKE THREE AROUND NOWADAYS? ::pouts:: I want a dandy of my own!
- Dude, RTD TOTALLY ripped off the concept of the Autons for his first episode of the new series - TOTALLY DID. But just not as awesome as it was done originally.
- OMG! I hadn't even realised that Robert Holmes had written this serial! I LOVE his serials; they're some of the best in the Classic!Who canon, usually. No wonder this serial's been so great!
- DUDE, THEY EVEN HAVE SHOOTY THINGS IN THEIR HANDS!
- Hmm, Autons & Telosian!Cybermen would make really good ballerinas, I think. No, seriously! They're weirdly graceful!
- THREE & LIZ ARE BEING AWESOME, HELLO! ::hugs them both::
- Liz's scepticism, even with Three over what the TARDIS really is, is great. I think it's really cute, actually - she isn't being as snarky as she was with the Brigadier when he told her all about the Doctor. This time, she's more genuinely amused & finds the idea of him having a laboratory in a police box quite funny. It's pretty adorable.
- LIZ SHAW, THE INFILTRATION & ESPIONAGE EXPERT OF PERTWEE'S ANGELS. Far more than a short skirt & a big brain to this lassie!
- I love Liz's face & tone when she says 'Doctor, you tricked me.'
- Poor Three - he's now realising that he can't leave Earth - that he's been trapped by the Time Lords. O, Three. My poor Icarus.
- Random fashion note number two: I LOVE THREE'S BLUE VELVET JACKET. I FUCKING WANT ONE FOR MYSELF. (& actually, I know where I could find one, if I wanted.)
& in that same vein, I have a black velvet jacket a la Three, but not the best of ruffled shirts to go with it. It needs a bit of starch & new elastic in the wrists.
(yes, I may be more of a dolly bird overall, but I also can be very much a dandy when the fancy strikes me. But male dandies have the best clothes, so I prefer ruffled shirts, velvet jackets, trousers, sometimes a nice cravat, & capes instead. See? One of the rare occasions I will willingly wear trousers!)
- Random fashion note number three: Liz has quite the fine dress on! Or maybe it's just her. ::grins:: Either way, sexy dress!
- UNF UNF THREE OMG. Yes, that's all.
- Also, as I'm nearly done with this serial, may I just say I totally ship Three/Brig/Liz? Yeah, I kind of do. ::big smiles::
- Hmm . . . the Brigadier seems to enjoy being close to Liz's person, I think. Not like Two & Jamie, but you know . . . just close to her in physical proximity.
- I continue to maintain, Autons are awesome.
- & Three & Liz = TEHFAB.
- HEE! Liz is a bit creeped out by being in the wax museum, the poor girl. ::squeezes her hand::
- Ooo, close quarters with the lovely Liz, eh, Three? ::smiles::
- Eww, creepy thing moving in plastic wrap.
- O, DUDE, THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL RTD DIDN'T RIP THIS SERIAL OFF - AUTONS COMING OUT OF SHOP WINDOWS & WALKING IN THE STREETS? NO WAY IN HELL.
- OMG TENTACLE!PORN IN A DOCTOR WHO SERIAL. ::DIES::
- BUT GROPING TENTACLES DON'T STOP THREE FOR LONG, BITCHES! ::beams:: & ah, Three - still looking so sexy & badass, as ever.
- HEE! Three's 'negotiations' with the Brig = AWESOMESAUCE.
- 'By the way - I've just realised, I don't even know your name.'
'It's Smith. Doctor John Smith.'
♥♥♥
-----------
I bloody loved this serial, I really did. It was a lovely treat after the pain of The War Games & it introduced Three being trapped on Earth magnificently well, I felt. & of course, Three's always been one of my favourite Doctors for many reasons - sartorially & characteristically, if you really wanted a few details. ::nose scrunch:: I also felt that this serial was a terrific way of introducing one of the Doctor's three main companions during his time with UNIT - Liz is a firecracker, in many ways, but I think she's more than a capable assistant & companion for Three & that she's a great character overall. & no, her looks have nothing to do with that - those are just a bonus!
& the very last scene of the last story - ah, I just love it. It's Three being cute - HANDSOME, rather, & funny at once. O, he's quite a dream - but I highly doubt he'd ever take a silly bird like me as a companion.
O, Three. You may not be Two, you may not be accompanied by a sexy Scottish companion, but you are still, our Doctor. ::smooches:: & you're still as awesome as you come!
Now, we move from Liz Shaw to her successor, the sweet yet tough Jo Grant, who I also love, in our second bonus story for the week, The Curse of Peladon!
The Curse of Peladon
- Of note - Brian Hayles wrote this story & I know he wrote something in the Troughton era, but I can't recall just what, alas.
Why was that important? Well, because . . .
- DAVID TROUGHTON! HELLO DAVID! The last time we saw Pat's son, he was but eighteen & playing a bit role in The War Games quite well for his age, but here, he's moved up to playing the lead role opposite his father's successor as the Doctor! & so far, he's doing it damn well I'd say.
- Oooo, what's that I hear . . . sounds like the TARDIS!
- Random fashion note: Three's sporting a rather Sherlock Holmes-esque cape & a reddish-hued velvet jacket underneath, while Jo's all prettied up for a date with Mike Yates in a cute party dress & pretty little ringlets!
- Wait, when did Three get the TARDIS working - WHAT THE FUCK THE TARDIS JUST FELL DOWN A MOUNTAINSIDE! I DO hope it's indestructible, Doctor!
- WHAT THREE, YOU'RE GOING MOUNTAINEERING IN THAT OUTFIT? ::looks shocked:: & Jo, you too? O, the both of you!
- nentari, I did promise to look out for David's lisp this time, didn't I? Well I'm pretty sure he's still got it here! & yes, it's still VERY adorable.
- O my giddy aunt! They're actually scaling a mountain in velvet jackets & party dresses! & heels, in Jo's case! I'm impressed, actually.
- Aww, Three's helping Jo up. Such a gentleman, isn't he? & so kind. ♥
- Is it just me, or does King Peladon's castle have a very Gothic & well . . . Byron-esque, Romantic-era look to it? Which is rather amusing, considering that I told nentari that King Peladon made me think of Bram Stoker's Dracula - & that Jo looked a bit like Mina Harker!
- Siiiiigh, David's so utterly handsome in colour - & he looked fab in black & white! & he plays a king so well - & I'm not just saying that!
- O GOODNESS, AN ICE WARRIOR! ::screams:: No wonder Three pulled Jo back behind the curtain!
& the Ice Warriors seem to have lost their OMG DAZZLE! look from The Seeds of Death - if it's an Ice Lord that's the delegate for Mars. I think it's one of each, actually . . .
- 'Doctor. I do not deal through intermediaries. Kindly present us to our royal host.'
Jo grabbed the idea & ran with it - fabulously! & THREE BOWS TO HER! ::SQUEALS::
- 'May I present Her Royal Highness, Princess Josephine of TARDIS.'
- I AM SO JEALOUS OF JO RIGHT NOW. SHUT UP.
- & my my my! Doesn't she play a princess well! ::bows to Jo as well::
- THREE FTW! Bringing calm & order to fighting delegates!
- ACK, FALLING STATUARY!
- Now that I think about it - I think that Brian Hayles wrote the first Ice Warriors story! Which would explain why there are Ice Warriors in this story . . .
- Random fashion note number two: King Peladon - that is a very short . . . thing you have on above your boots! ::colours a bit::
- Aaaah, Jo's off to investigate! ::grins:: & she seems to have found something!
- OMG, HE WANTS JO TO STAY BEHIND. ::girlie squee::
- HE CALLED HER BEAUTIFUL. SHE BLUSHED.
- HE'S HOLDING HER HAND. ASDFGHJKL;''';LKJHGFDSAA
(love Jo's rings!)
- & SHE REFUSED TO SPEAK FOR HIM! Jo, how could you! He's quite . . . fond of you!
- Hmm - Three's little eye-thing makes him look like an Arthur Rackham drawing! ::giggles::
- Awww. Three & Jo really are so cute together - but in this scene, it's kind of father-daughter-esque in a way. Which is an odd thing for me to see it as, since I ship them happily.
- O dear . . . could the Ice Warriors be behind this?
- & also, I hadn't realised they were green - heh, Ice Warriors, reinforcing the stereotype of Martians being green men.
- Jo Grant - the expert escape artist & lock picker of Pertwee's Angels! ::glomps Jo::
- WAIT, NOBODY'S LOST THEIR DAZZLE - IT'S JUST BECOME HIS CAPE, NOT SO MUCH HIS FACE.
- . . . the Ice Warriors are no longer warriors, per se? Hmm.
- You know, I think I really do enjoy watching David Troughton onscreen. Maybe not quite as much as I do his father, but that's most likely because I've only ever seen David in three things; I've seen more of his father, but nevertheless, I do enjoy watching him at work. He's very good, I think. & yes, he IS just as lovely to look upon as his father always was. ::sighs::
- Wow . . . an Ice Warrior sticking up for the Doctor - my my.
- Random fashion note number three: That IS a very short skirt, Your Majesty!
- HE JUST PROPOSED TO HER OMFG. ::DIES::
- & SHE RUNS AWAY! O, Jo . . . I don't even know! ::wails::
- HEE! Jo shoves aside TWO Ice Warriors! ::laughs:: In the old days, they would have killed her before she could even get halfway down the corridor!
- O my word . . . an Ice Warrior wanting to save the Doctor . . . that is the BIGGEST about-face I have ever seen, I think. Of all the people there, you would think the Ice Warriors would revel in seeing the Doctor dead. But one chooses to save him. Wow. I wonder what Jamie & Zoe would say - or even Victoria.
- Ah, being treated to Three singing TWICE in one night! ::swoons like a proper lady of refinement:: & Venusian lullaby!
- Aww. Even after she ruins his experiment, he's still so kind to her. ::kisses Three & Jo::
- I feel terribly conflicted about my feelings on King Peladon - I know he's doing what is the law of Peladon, but at the same time, I'm angry with him a bit for not wanting to listen to reason - or even take Jo's words when he seems to hold so much affection for her. I am, earnestly, very conflicted as to how I feel toward him.
- Three's reportedly a pacifist by nature, only resorting to extreme measures when he absolutely must, but in hand-to-hand, I don't think it would be very easy to best him.
- & even in a FIGHT TO THE DEATH, he won't kill! Three is a very honourable Doctor. Well - the Doctor, aside from maybe one incarnation tends to BE very honourable, but still - that was quite a show of his mercifulness & honour.
- HA! Jo called Peladon a 'wet fish'! ::gigglesnorts:: Yes, he is a bit wishy-washy, you could say.
- All this fighting - it feels so terribly Roman.
- & Three saves the day! With science! & awesomeness, as is his style. ::smiles::
- O, the TARDIS! She's alright! ::hugs her::
- Ah. Alas. The Time Lords again. Sending the Doctor off on their missions like a servant . . . but still.
- I'm quite fond of Peladon's bubble collar. & though she's no real princess, he wants Jo to say - SHE KISSED HIM! ON THE LIPS! JUST BEFORE THREE WALKS IN. Three = expert cockblocker.
- O, Jo. You could see that for a moment, she did want to stay with him. & for a moment, I wanted her to stay as well. But no. That isn't her life & it can't be. But he cared for her greatly. & if she had stayed, he would have wooed her forever. ♥
- Hee! Off to see Queen Victoria's coronation - again! ::giggly:: Off they go then!
-----------
This was a fun little serial, I think. It was almost like a murder mystery, in some ways, even. Full of intrigue, romance, action & of course, Three being lovely & his usual wonderful self! & it was just a delight to see David Troughton in a bigger & far more expansive part, as well as in colour! He was quite brilliant as Peladon, I thought & I can't wait until his own Companion Chronicle comes out.
O, did I not mention that King Peladon is getting his own Companion Chronicle? He is & it's coming out next month, I believe, under the title The Prisoner of Peladon. I'm really looking forward to it!
& here, we move back to the connector thread of these past two serials - The Three Doctors! This was my first multi-Doctor serial & I've always loved it, so I'm looking forward to recapping it for you all.
The Three Doctors
- JO! IN ONE OF MY FAVOURITE OUTFITS OF HERS, EVER! (the blue minidress sweater, blue tights, black boots & plush blue coat. LOVE!)
- Hmm, UNIT's uniforms seemed to have changed a bit during the Pertwee era - the ones that were worn during the Tom Baker era are my favourites - they look better, I think.
- 'Yes, pass me a silicone rod.'
(the rod goes from hand to hand until it reaches Three who uses it to stir his tea up)
HAHA! I love that scene. It's great.
- Also, the TARDIS herself seems to have undergone a bit of a paint job between this & The Curse of Peladon.
- This serial & a Four serial was once part of an entire sartorial escapade of mine once that was actually quite a fun one - so I'm ridiculously inclined to notice the clothes in this - I did a lot of study of them!
- O, Jo, your knickers are showing a bit.
- 'When I tell you to run, you run.'
- HEY WHAT SOMETHING ATE BESSIE! ::sad face::
- Hello Sergeant Benton! ::waves::
- Random fashion note: Three's jacket in this serial is the same one he wears in The Curse of Peladon - I'd recognise it anywhere.
- Ah, sonic screwdriver in action . . .
- AH, HERE COME THE GEL GUARDS! Or actually, I think of them as the bubble guards - they look so much like bubbly things! Like they should be foaming & blowing bubbles! ::giggles::
(& as Katy Manning says in the commentary, they look like jellybabies!)
- Jo's a tough miss - she'll risk her life for her Doctor. ::nods::
- 'Well Sergeant? Aren't you going to say it's bigger on the inside than the outside? Everybody else does.'
'It's pretty obvious, isn't it?'
::giggles:: One of my favourite TARDIS reactions EVER.
- Bugger. Can't move the TARDIS, can't get away . . . someone's going to have to call in the Time Lords. ::sighs::
- HEY, WE'RE ON GALLIFREY NOW! Great. Ugh. Get me off of it.
- Wow, early Time Lord fashion was a bit like Blake's 7, I think. Or maybe I'm just getting random Avon flashbacks.
- 'Before he changed his form'? THAT'S RICH, COMING FROM YOU LOT. ::glares::
- TWO!
- Every time I saw that bit of Two on the monitor, I thought it was from The Invasion, but looking at it now, after quite a long time, it isn't. It's just Two being Two!
- HIS RECORDER! It's in the TARDIS! Randomly! & Three thinks it's Jo's. Ah, well, I'll forgive him that. ::laughs::
- TWO! ::SQUEALS & THROWS HER ARMS AROUND HIM::
- 'Oh. I can see you've been doing the TARDIS up a bit. I don't like it.'
TWO! & HE'S IN COLOUR! ::squeals some more:: O, how I've missed you so! & COLOUR! But with shorter hair, hmm . . .
- 'Now, Jo, it's all quite simple: I am he and he is me.'
'And we are all together, coo-coo-katchoo?'
- DUDE. WORDS & CAPSLOCKERY CAN BARELY SUM UP MY GLEE AT SEEING THREE & TWO TOGETHER & SQUABBLING LIKE THIS, OMG. ::jumps for joy::
- Ah, yes, I love how the Brigadier would prefer to shoot first, ask questions later. Hmm. Handsome, but o, I'd never agree with him I think.
- 'Are we going to take this attitude to my music all the time?'
- HELLO ONE. ::waves & offers her hand::
- 'Oh, you're my replacements. A dandy and a clown!'
::DIES:: ONE, YOU'RE STILL BADASS.
& I should note that this was the first time I actually met One in some way - & I loved him right from that line! I thought he was badass then & I KNOW he's badass now! ::hugs One with love::
- JO! CRAZY GIRL! O, o, dear! ::worries::
- I always giggle when Two says he thinks the thing was just having hiccups - it's so Two!
- Whoa, Jo's skirt stayed down for a change. ::laughs::
- ::snuggles with Two::
- 'Pledged to protect'? HA. HA. & I SAY: HA! You don't protect, you observe, you fools. The Doctor protects people, while you sit on your backsides & watch!
- I love how Three comforts Jo & tells her they're not dead. It's wonderfully kind of him.
- Hmm. Is it just me or does Pat's voice sound a bit different than it did before? Or am I imagining it?
- ::LOLZ AT THE BRIGADIER'S COMPUTER::
- Awww, Jo hugging Three's arm when they find Bessie! ::draws hearts:: Those two are such adorableness.
- & there's my Two, being wicked clever & whipping up a whole . . . thing to pacify the . . . thing!
- O! Two sounds PISSED AS HELL at being called Three's 'assistant'! ::giggles to herself::
- O, Benton . . . I don't think throwing gum wrappers at things like that is a very good idea!
- OMG, THE BRIG IS IN THE TARDIS! He's never been, has he? O my!
- Two's handing out jellybabies!
FACT: Four may have made jellybabies famous in Doctor Who canon, but it was Two who used to carry them first!
- Random factoid: Katy Manning said that filming in that quarry was utterly freezing. & that her only row with Jon Pertwee was under an umbrella & she was throwing all the stuff in her handbag at him, she was so pissed at him.
- 'Some damn fool flute'? Brigadier! ::shakes a finger at him:: Don't be rude, it's an important thing to Two! But I have to say, the Brigadier being all bitchy & snappy at Two is HYSTERICAL!OMG, I love it. ::giggles:: Quite a turnaround from The Web of Fear & The Invasion!
- Also, was this the serial with the commentary Terrance Dicks, Katy Manning & Nick Courtney spent bits of discussing how lopsided the Brigadier's moustache was, or am I getting it confused with another one? (I haven't heard it since I planned the rewatch-a-thon.)
- O! I love Three's trick with the flowers & pencil - I used to have flowers like that & I could also do the flower trick when I was a little girl. But not the pencil bit. & I remember Katy saying that Jon Pertwee was actually quite fond of doing tricks like that between scenes. I think she did, anyway, but I know I've heard that.
- Hmm, Lennie Mayne directed this serial - interesting because he also directed The Curse of Peladon!
- & in enters THE Time Lord for me, the one who's higher on the list of people from Gallifrey that I would tolerate - Omega!
(Omega, by the way, in Greek, means 'great'.)
- Omega IS revered for what he did - on Gallifrey, I believe there's a day called 'The Feast of Omega'. (it's noted in a Seven serial, I think.)
- Hee. Omega has a sense of humour, to some extent.
- Interesting that Omega wants to use the Doctor against the Time Lords - has Omega watched the Doctor? Does he know the Doctor's own history with his people? Or is it just a sort of sick pleasure of Omega's, to be using a Time Lord against other Time Lords? Hmm. How Master-esque of him, in a way.
- LOLZ, THE BRIG'S 'WHAT THE FUCK?' REACTION WHEN HE OPENS THE DOOR! ::DIES:: O, I just LOVE the Brig in this - he remains competent, but totally funny at once.
- 'I'm fairly sure it's Cromer.'
- Classic ad-lib by Nick Courtney!
- & Two sees a Gel Guard & yells 'Oh! my giddy aunt!' ::squees & claps:: LOVE! (though, as a Two fangirl, I have to point out, he only said that once - it was in The Krotons.)
- You know, in a strange, sad way, I sort of understand Omega's rage & fury - he feels wronged by his own people & wants revenge. I somehow understand that, in a way. Well, in any case, his motives, to me, make a fair bit of sense. It isn't just mindless killing or invading, just to show one's power, like a Dalek or, even the Master, & it isn't to bring all of Gallifrey into his anti-matter world like a Cyberman & it isn't just to make war like a Sontaran. He just wants revenge &, to a certain point, I feel, justice. He feels wronged. He wants justice & revenge, which, oddly, mix together for him, I think. If that makes any sense, of course.
Well, either way, by doing what he's doing, I feel that he wants to achieve both. & yes, because I really, really don't like Time Lords, but with a few exceptions, I can understand him more easily, I think.
'This horrible great jelly' - SO TWO. ::giggly:: I love it when he says that. It's so cute. ::kisses his cheek::
- Hee! Twittering on!
- Aww, they're making friends with each other now. Or making friends with himself . . . um, well, you know what I mean.
- Jo Grant - being brainy & fabulous in addition to being an expert escapologist!
- You see, when Two & Three tell the story of Omega, it also tells the story of why I like Omega far more than I'd ever like Rassilon - sure, Rassilon got all the cool stuff named after him, but Omega did all the hard work! Then he got totally shafted by his own people. Everyone who's anyone on Gallifrey knows all about Rassilon & Omega, but really, when you look at it, who did the most hard work & is the real hero of Gallifrey? I don't think it's the one who's bling the President of the High Council gets to wear!
Also, Omega's a scientist - intellectuals are sexy!
- O my giddy aunt - Three's found himself again in hand-to-hand combat! But it's possible he could be bested for once by Omega.
& also, the choreography of the fight is really pretty impressive - it doesn't feel like a fight so much as a ballet of sorts, with no words & so much movement - & oddly graceful movements, I should add! I think it's because it was all done in slow-motion - that really helped the soft, dreamlike - or nightmarish, depending on your perspective - balletic feel of it.
- Yay, Jo & the others have escaped!
- Damn, Three is quite unruffled, isn't he? So calm!
- 'Are you sure you and he are of the same intelligence?'
L-O-L-Z.
- 'Just ignore him, he's incorrigibly frivolous!'
- 'IT'S NOT A PIPE!'
::giggly:: Jamie will back that up, baby! He knows his pipes from his recorders!
- Omega's a madman. But he makes me giggle with his dramatics.
- Poor Omega. I really do feel bad for him - he doesn't exist any more, just his will. ::pets him::
- ''Knobble him?' You're talking about one of the most powerful blokes in the cosmos - knobble him?'
- O! Two found his recorder!
- 'Oh, no, not my recorder!'
'I'll get you another one, I'll get you a hundred, I'll get you a thousand of them!'
- I like how the Brigadier calls Jo by her first name, in order to get her to leave Three. & also, I love how she's so willing to stay with her Doctor, no matter what could happen. She's a very strong girl, I think. & that's why I love her!
- So. As the Time Lords put it . . . Omega helped the universe. Yet again. Aww.
- 'Wonderful chap. Both of him.'
- & Two in his element - awww. & with his lovely blue eyes . . . sigh!
- Ah, time for Two to go now. ::hugs him:: Bye, Two.
- & Jo thought he was sweet! ♥♥♥ & Three's answer - 'Yes, wasn't I?' TEEHEE!
- ::hugs Three:: O, Three. You were wonderful - & you did all you could.
- & the only real redeemable thing the Time Lords did, maybe ever - giving the Doctor back his wings. No longer Icarus at the end, is he - he's free to truly fly again.
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This has always been a serial I've been fond of, for many reasons - the story itself is great, it has multiple Doctors, the Brigadier, UNIT, Time Lords . . . it's all splendid in the end! But I loved it because really, for me, it was the first time I ever saw One & Two - not officially meeting them, but seeing them. & of course, I loved both of them as soon as I met them. I thought One was totally badass & that Two was a riot, yet totally imaginable as the Doctor for me, since I'd never seen a Two serial prior to this. & of course, I loved how Two & Three bickered like children in this - it was so cute & quite funny! It was the serial that made me want to see One & Two on their own, as their own Doctors each. & look where I am now!
& of course, on a bit of a more sombre note, I think it's a lovely capturing of three of our very best Doctors, who, quite sadly, are no longer with us. I actually think it's even better than The Five Doctors, because it was William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton & Jon Pertwee together & being truly scintillating to watch.
(okay, we can debate a bit about the three of them being together, if you like, since William Hartnell recorded all of his scenes in the studio prior to Jon & Pat's stuff, but I don't care much - it still counts as them being all together & being their own awesome Doctors.)
& those are our serials for this week! Next week we have The Five Doctors, The Two Doctors & Jamie's first Companion Chronicle, Helicon Prime.
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
The Underwater Menace
The Moonbase
The Macra Terror
The Faceless Ones
The Evil of the Daleks
The Evil of the Daleks - audio version
The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Great Space Elevator (Victoria's Companion Chronicle)
The Abominable Snowmen - audio & serial
The Ice Warriors - audio
The Enemy of the World - audio & serial
The Web of Fear - audio & serial
Fury From the Deep - audio
The Wheel in Space - audio & serial
Fear of the Daleks (Zoe's Companion Chronicle)
The Dominators
The Mind Robber
The Invasion
The Krotons
The Seeds of Death
The Space Pirates - audio & serial
The War Games