Delta and the Bannermen
Previous: Paradise Towers
Delta and the Bannermen
Wow. Jumping right into the action, are we? Soldiers with samurai flags vs. Green Army Men.
Awww, Seven, Mel and hand-holding. And, forgive me for saying this, but Mel actually looks cute in that outfit.
Hello, Sparkly Willy Wonka Man! Come to give our heroes a trip to 1950s Disneyland?
And now the TARDIS is suddenly roadside in America and that guy must be a Yankees fan.
Oh. Yes he's American, but he's in Wales. That explains the TARDIS which, considering the time, might actually be a real police phone box.
A group of space tourists going aboard a time-traveling space bus. Not sure if this is more like Magic School Bus or Iris Wildthyme.
"Alright, 1959, here we COME!" While somehow not noticing the giant incoming spacecraft that nearly ran into the toll station.
Ah, Rock Around the Clock, satellites, American spies, good ol' Cold War Era Earth.
Ouch. I hope their insurance covers fender-benders with satellites.
Bus crashing to Earth, SEVEN AND THE TARDIS TO THE RESCUE!
Wow. Only on this show do you get the image of a small satellite sticking out of the front of a bus.
Also, Seven has so few scenes inside the TARDIS that seeing him at the console is almost weird.
Pretty odd sort of "camp." It does kinda look like a summer camp for adults, not a vacation spot. But HULA HOOPS!
Huh. I kinda like Ray already. Seems like a nice girl, but leather jacket + motor scooter + full bag of tools = 50s badass.
Wow. Considering how much of a screamer Mel is, she sure took having a gun waved in her face pretty well.
Of course: drill the comedy guy for information, let him go, then shoot him. Dicks.
Oh my god. I can just feel the 50s radiating off the screen.
Aw, Seven's dancing with a girl to make a guy notice her. I'd wondered where this scene came from.
And now they have awkward huggy hurt/comfort time. Seven, you're so lost, aren't you?
Hey, it's the Sketchy Sideburns Man from the bus! And apparently those dudes with the samurai flags from earlier were the titular Bannermen.
Okay, so you're fine having a gun waved in your face, but an egg hatches and THEN you scream? Mel...priorities, woman. Priorities.
"I don't just kill for money. It's also something I enjoy." ...ah. That could be a bit of a problem.
Mechanic boy walks into his new lady-friend's room to find her holding a green alien baby. Not something that happens every day.
So these two American agents seem to be almost completely separate from the main plot. Are they going to be relevant anytime soon?
I mean, they're not bothering me or anything, but we're almost halfway through the serial and all they've done is search for the satellite.
"I shall ask my bees. They know everything that happens!" Because if Ten is to be believed, most of them are aliens already.
("This is the plot by the way...in case you hadn't guessed.") Oh, so this is really a nature video? 'Kay.
Delta's baby actually looks like a real baby now. This must've literally happened overnight. Honestly, I thought it was cuter as an alien.
(Unfortunately, your proprietress is not particularly fond of human babies in general.)
Seven and Ray are finally up, next to the exploded (and conveniently minimal) remains of their pursuer. One less thing to worry about.
And suddenly, plotholes. When were Seven and Mel properly introduced to Delta? How would Mel be expected to know who the Bannermen were?
And again, how did Delta and Billy get so close over just one dinner? At least they've explained the baby's rapid growth.
This isn't something I usually say of companions but...I really do like Mel's outfits in this serial.
Well now Seven and the American agents have finally met, but they have one little exchange and then they're off again. Okaaayyy...
"The end of the road," Ray? Really? Even though there's clearly more road beyond that gate?
Uh oh. I think I just figured out what the American-agent subplot was leading up to...
Yup, I knew it: they accidentally summoned the Bannermen.
Oh wow. They might actually be letting the agents live this time.
EXCEPT THEY KILL AN ENTIRE BUSFULL OF INNOCENT PEOPLE. NOT OKAY WITH THIS.
Ah, but clever Mel for misleading them into thinking that Delta was onboard.
And the rest of the party comes in, shooting, and SAVED! Burton, you awesome awesome dude.
"It's his bees who are telling us to come!" THE BEES KNOW EVERYTHING.
I'm usually pretty lenient with makeup in Classic Who, but it's becoming REALLY apparent that that child is just wearing green facepaint.
...I REALLY hope that's not meant to be a chunk of human flesh that Gavrok's gnawing on right now.
"Actually, I think I may have gone a little too far." Well, turning your back on a full armed squadron while retrieving your hostages...
Also, I have to say, Gavrok is probably one of the downright creepiest villains I've ever seen in Doctor Who.
He leads soldiers in a massacre with no apparent motive, he kills when he wants to, he just doesn't give a shit, and he's so QUIET about it.
I can tell that Sylv hasn't quite worked out his Chessmaster persona yet. There's still a bit of a goofy edge whenever he tries to be Srys.
Okay, so there was a bit of that in Ghost Light too, but you know what I mean. #ithink
And...and they just let Seven and co. leave without shooting them. ...What? Oh, I see, they still have the agents as hostages.
Also JESUS THIS MUSIC JUST DOESN'T WORK FOR THESE SCENES IT'S WAY TOO HAPPY.
Oh. Maybe they don't. Ray just unlocks their yoke and then they're off. ...I really don't even know anymore.
HERE we go, AMBUSH TIME.
Woah. Okay, now Billy's stealing the baby's food. Is he secretly a Bannermen agent? But that can't be because he's Ray's childhood friend...
Come on guys, you've only got...most of this last episode to explain everything.
Like, when did the transmitter get on Billy's motorbike?
Apparently Gavrok knows what the TARDIS is, because he just put an explosive barrier around it.
Everybody wave hi to the cows!
And for once, high frequency screaming saves the day!
"What is this?" That, my genocidally maniacal friend, is a goat. Say hi to the goat! Everyone else said hi to the cows.
And naturally Seven saw the booby trap on the TARDIS when nobody else did. As it to be expected. Now, how will they get it down...
In a weird old-school nerdy way, I'm exceptionally pleased with myself for recognizing nearly every third song that cameos in this story.
HONEY ATTAAAAAAAACK! Oh. Wait. Seven, I think I see what you did there and I like where this thread is going.
This can only be properly represented by .gif.
Okay, Delta, I still don't completely understand what you see in this Billy guy.
Oh wow. According to the InfoText, this was the first story with Seven's trademark umbrella. And it was Sylv's idea.
"Let's rrrrrrroll. All haste and no speed makes Jill a dull girl."
So is the singing going to liquify their brains or make their heads explode or something?
Or it could make Gavrok stumble into his own trap, that too.
(Did anyone else ever hear someone shouting his name and momentarily think they were saying "Davros?")
("So where did Billy get a Chimeron jumpsuit from?") So where DID Billy get a Chimeron jumpsuit from?
Ohhhhh I see. Billy's needed as a male for Delta or her daughter to mate with to regrow their species. That...makes sense...I guess...ew.
And then the goodbye scene was overlayed with a good ol' fashioned cheesy do-wop song. Wow...I mean WOW...
And the agents finally found their satellite! Except for the folks on the tour bus, GOOD END!
I don't completely understand why this is a regularly-panned story. I actually enjoyed that one.
Next: Dragonfire