Inauguration - Disney 100 Marathon

 

An anniversary with a big, fat zero at the end is the sort of occasion that just demands you do something special. My favored object of study, Doctor Who, is having one this year too, and I'll have plenty to say about it when it comes back this fall. In the meantime, I've partnered up with my partner, Quinn, and we're going to be trawling our way through the entire corpus of Disney theatrical animated films. There are about sixty of them, so this will probably take us well into 2024, but that's all by the by.

Disney's movies have always captivated me and formed a great part of my childhood landscape. But when reflecting on the company's legacy, and its modern trajectory in the animation business, I was embarrassed to recognize that there are many of its movies that I've never seen, and many more that I haven't watched since I was a kid more than twenty years ago.

Misery is better with company, so Quinn, themself a big Disney fan, consented to join in on this exercise, and I'll include a little of their input as I review each movie, starting with Snow White and ending with whatever the most recent one happens to be when we're done. I hope that those stumbling upon this blog will enjoy going through these movies with us. Expect to hear more soon!

Arc of Infinity [Doctor Who, Story 123]

Arc of Infinity by Johnny Byrne
3 - 12 January 1983​

We've arrived in Doctor Who's landmark 20th anniversary season. Last time we marked such an occasion, Season 10 delivered a series of stories that I considered some of the strongest the program had seen so far. The same might or might not prove to be the case for Season 20, but I'm determined to keep an open mind.

You can tell it's an anniversary because we have a deep cut throwback villain this week, who last appeared in The Three Doctors back in 1973. But oddly enough, I was more focused on future omens than past callbacks, as I was caught pointing and going "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" at my screen every time Colin Baker appeared as Maxil. It's always a bit funny seeing a Doctor before they're a Doctor. Hard to believe that I'm already just a short time away from his own tenure.

But as for the actual villain of the piece, I thought Omega was fine, albeit diminished from his original stature. In part because of the costume, which in my opinion doesn't have a patch on his last one. He still works as an ultimately tragic and self-destructive figure whose downfall is of his own devising, which always suits this show well. I enjoy it when the Doctor tries to help to save a villain, whether it works or not. His turn with Peter Davison's face was also quite interesting. The subtle emotion that Davison puts into those non-verbal moments of Omega exploring the city were quite affecting.

Following in the steps of The Deadly Assassin and The Invasion of Time, the Doctor's worst enemy is once again the blundering of his own people, who seem only too eager to set him up for the crime despite his past services. I confess that I find it a bit ungratifying that the Doctor does not tell them "I told you so" at the end of the story, but perhaps he just found it beneath him.

Also of note is Tegan's return, which comes fast enough to make us wonder why she was left behind in the first place. She does get to approach the TARDIS with a new attitude now, though, no longer the hijacked stewardess and now along for the trip more or less by choice. It is a refreshing change, but we shall see how it plays out.

It was also fun to be outside of Britain for once. I don't know that I'd ever have known what Amsterdam looked like in the Eighties otherwise. It certainly made for a nice break from the by now familiar brightly-lit space sets.

All in all, a decent but unremarkable story. Having liked Kinda so much, I'm eager to get on to Snakedance next. See you then.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 18 August 2023.)

Spare Parts [Doctor Who, Diversion 31]

Spare Parts by Marc Platt
31 July 2002

 ​

There's a certain group among the early Big Finish stories that everyone has mutually agreed are absolute masterpieces. There was a vital energy in these days which seems to have gone out of Big Finish now, but this hasn't changed the fact that some of these audios stand among the very best Doctor Who stories of any medium.

Spare Parts is a magnificent idea, and slots into a very vital spot in the Fifth Doctor's life, between Seasons 19 and 20. When listened to fresh off the heels of Earthshock, its aura of grief and misery is amplified greatly. That atmosphere of cold darkness and inevitability hangs over the whole story like a pall, leaving the informed listener with no doubt about where the story is ending.

Until it ends somewhere you don't quite expect, with the Mondasians seemingly set to undo the worst of the Cyberman work and infuse some humanity into the project... only for that rug pull to come in at the last moment, like a kick in the balls. It's expertly done.

The Doctor and Nyssa both get some pretty meaty stuff in this story, and understandably the topic of Adric features prominently. Their conversation about him in the TARDIS is poignant, and feels like an after the fact sort of apology for the show brushing past the event so quickly. The guilt weighing on both of the characters for that incident is palpable, and makes their efforts to stop the Cybermen carry more gravitas.

Without Adric or Tegan around, Nyssa gets a lot more opportunities to do the companion thing, and has a lot of great character moments as a result. This is slowly cementing my opinion that she is my favorite out of this companion crop, but I will have to see more of her in the show to solidify that opinion.

Peter Davison makes the most of this weighty material too, and his version of the Doctor shines through, especially in the moments where he is being forced to aid in the creation of the Cybermen - a dramatic irony that really adds onto the desperate air of the whole story.

I'm gratified to get a story that once again plays on the post-modern Prometheus origins of the Cybermen, as you're probably already aware from my moaning over the fact that they did them better in the Sixties the last couple times the silver giants popped up. There are some great moments to that effect in this story, including the girl coming home from Christmas and the mental image of the Cyberman patrolling atop his Cyberhorse.

Fantastic stuff, and rewarding on a repeat listen, as this one was for me. Back to television again, finally, with Arc of Infinity next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 18 August 2023.)

So, about the blog...

To the passing reader who's discovered this place from a link in my Gallifrey Base signature, or my Discord profile, or gods forbid Google, it might seem like this entire blog has nothing but Doctor Who reviews... and they'd be correct.

Since I inaugurated the blog in 2017, my only media review and discussion output here has been my (still somehow ongoing) Doctor Who marathon. Still, it can't have escaped one's notice that the linked post references more to come, an ambition which still hasn't quite gone away.

To this end, I'd like to announce that more is, indeed, on the way, including both a continuation of the Doctor Who marathon as well as new posts about TV shows, movies, and music. As well as an in-progress marathon of the Power Rangers series (and eventually Super Sentai), I've just started a project almost as forbidding: watching all the theatrical animated Disney movies with my partner on the occasion of the company's 100th anniversary.

These and other stray reviews will come as time permits. I'm looking forward to writing more on these subjects and expressing my many, many thoughts and opinions about my favorite media. See you then!

"Multitasking is a beautiful thing - and like most beautiful things, dangerous, too." - 2017 Val

Doctor Who, Season Nineteen

The shape of Eighties Who has quickly become apparent over the course of this series. Following the blueprint left by Season 18, Season 19 has tried a lot of new things, although its success has been mixed. The overall quality of the episodes is good enough, but the standoffishness of this TARDIS crew has kept me from warming to them as I would have liked. With Adric now out of the picture, I wonder how the remaining leads are going to develop.

With that short dissection out of the way, here's the score breakdown:

Castrovalva - 7.50
Part One - 7.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 8.00
Part Four - 8.00

Four to Doomsday - 7.25
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 7.00
Part Four - 7.00

Kinda - 10.00
Part One - 10.00
Part Two - 10.00
Part Three - 10.00
Part Four - 10.00

The Visitation - 8.50
Part One - 9.00
Part Two - 8.00
Part Three - 9.00
Part Four - 8.00

Black Orchid - 7.00
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 6.00

Earthshock - 9.50
Part One - 10.00
Part Two - 9.00
Part Three - 9.00
Part Four - 10.00

Time-Flight - 4.50
Part One - 6.00
Part Two - 4.00
Part Three - 4.00
Part Four - 4.00

Best episode: Kinda, Part Four - 10.00
Runner-up: Earthshock, Part One - 10.00
Worst episode: Time-Flight, Part Three - 4.00

Season Nineteen average: 7.81

Best guest appearance: Simon Rouse as Hindle (Kinda)
Best special effect: The Doctor's spacewalk (Four to Doomsday)
Best musical score: Castrovalva (Paddy Kingsland)

Season 20 soon, but first, Spare Parts is next. 

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 13 October 2022.)

Time-Flight [Doctor Who, Story 122]

Time-Flight by Peter Grimwade
22 - 30 March 1982​

Oh dear.

From a production standpoint, I am totally understanding of the fact that Earthshock could not have been the finale of Season 19. But even in light of that, the decision to follow it up with this is so profoundly misjudged that it loops back around to hilarity again.

The show is still a bit uneasy with this "pathos" thing, so the second scene of this serial, with the remaining heroes in the TARDIS, rings a bit hollow.

DOCTOR: Now listen to me, both of you. There are some rules that cannot be broken even with the Tardis. Don't ever ask me to do anything like that again. You must accept that Adric is dead. His life wasn't wasted. He died trying to save others, just like his brother, Varsh. You know, Adric had a choice. This is the way he wanted it.

For my own part, I sort of think he would have wanted not to be blown to smithereens, but what would I know? The TARDIS crew certainly doesn't dwell, as they greet this with a stiff upper lip and immediately begin to consider a get-away to cheer themselves up.

The Heathrow setting is fun, although I think it's a mistake to not portray the Doctor as being at sea in this mundane environment. He introduces himself as a UNIT advisor and gets all the cooperation he could possibly want, which robs the story of a lot of tension to start out with. You would think this would also introduce a nice bit of tension where one wonders about Tegan's reaction - will she leave or won't she? - but the story ends with the decision being taken from her in a way that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I shouldn't have allowed myself to get excited by the word "Jurassic", since there are no prehistoric beasts to be seen, only a curiously barren heath once the characters are sent back in time. The Doctor's remark about the Pleistocene being close at hand made me bare my teeth like a frightened chimp, wishing Peter Grimwade had opened an encyclopedia.

The central plot itself has a lot of untapped promise - especially the appearance of Adric's "ghost", which is far too brief and underplayed. This is to say nothing of the unfathomable choice to have the Master made up in yellowface (or brownface, or both, somehow) long before he'd even have any need to be disguised. I thought we were past this crap already.

There are fun parts, like seeing the airplane pilots trying to make sense of the TARDIS console, or Tegan (finally!) getting to act as an air-stewardess - in the Jurassic period! This story is inept in a way that's almost cute. Except for the racism, for which there's no real excuse.

What a trip to end the season on. The Season 19 roundup will be coming next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 11 October 2022.)

Earthshock [Doctor Who, Story 121]

Earthshock by Eric Saward
8 - 16 March 1982​

Now, this is much more like what I expected from Saward. Gritty military men, high stakes, and a whole lot of death. This serial manages to avoid feeling gauche, at least, as it's mostly reined in and used to ratchet up the dramatic tension very nicely.

Starting with a creepy and tense opening scene, we immediately get the sense of imminent upheaval as Adric threatens to leave the TARDIS, a sense of impending doom that never quite leaves until the story is over. The cliffhanger at the end of Part One revealing the presence of the Cybermen is quite masterfully done, although I remain skeptical of post-Sixties Cybermen stories in general since they rarely mine the body horror potential that they embody. There is a little bone thrown to this, however - the Doctor's wonderful "small, beautiful events" speech late in the story.

There is a clever subversion in Part Two - the Doctor and his friends get themselves locked up so often, and yet the Doctor's and Adric's captors can barely be bothered to notice and imprison them even when they're trying to get caught! Later on, we're given the surreal image of Tegan (whose lilac outfit is by this point seared into my mind) with a gun and battle fatigues instead, giving us the impression that things are all topsy-turvy.

And of course there is the matter of Adric's demise. It lands (hah!), although I can't shake the sense that it was kind of pointless, diegetically speaking. The dramatic tension of this moment is, despite that, quite stunning.

All in all, a fairly brilliant story. I only wish the next one lived up to its promise... Time-Flight is next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 11 October 2022.)

Black Orchid [Doctor Who, Story 120]

Black Orchid by Terence Dudley
1 - 2 March 1982​

Such an odd duck... Another historical, quick on the heels of the last, and this time without any alien threat at all. It's quick and breezy, and also without a great deal of tension. Still, there's nothing that put me off it, per se, and the fact that it was so different from anything in Tom's era was an interesting change. Sarah Sutton gets to play two different characters in this one, and I drank up the opportunity to see her show more of her acting chops, since the opportunities have been pretty bare so far. There is a curious decision made to let all and sundry into the TARDIS, which robs it of some of its mystique in my opinion, but it's over so fast that one is not permitted to think too much of it.

All in all, there is not a great deal more to say about this story - enjoyable, but not exceptional. Earthshock is next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 11 October 2022.)

The Visitation [Doctor Who, Story 119]

The Visitation by Eric Saward
15 - 23 February 1982

(A/N: Another short one - and then another after. Please do pardon me, it's been a weird old time.)

I'm interested to note, first of all, that this is incoming script editor Eric Saward's first contribution to the Doctor Who canon. The Visitation feels rather different from what I know of the rest of his output - largely in part, I think, because of its historical setting. I'm interested to see how his style develops, but as far as first outings go this one is quite strong.

The Restoration era is a fresh one for the show and rife with potential. Once again, like in The Romans, we see the Doctor becoming embroiled in the cause of a major historical disaster, though this time it is not quite played for laughs. While the attempts to offer us some drama from the interactions among the main cast are quite awkward, the new characters are fun, particularly Mace and his interplay with the Doctor.

I didn't make too much of the Terileptils as villains, but they're fine; the strongest impression they made on me was the horrifying image of them crackling and popping in the fire at the end. The central plot was nevertheless very enjoyable and I feel I'll be returning to this story often in the future.

Black Orchid is next.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 11 October 2022.)

Kinda [Doctor Who, Story 118]

Kinda by Christopher Bailey
1 - 9 February 1982

​

The struggle to complete write-ups after a too-long break, nevertheless, continued. Having been so busy in real life lately, it's been difficult for me to find time to catch up with this, which is a real pity. Once again I find myself unable to write quite as much about an episode as I'd like. Unlike Four to Doomsday, however, in this instance there's almost too much to talk about.

I thought Kinda was brilliant, which seems to be a pretty common opinion in these parts. What can I say? Its virtues are self-evident, in both the writing and the production design. The themes are pretty heavy; I don't know enough about Buddhism to remark on that aspect of the allegory, though there was plenty of pseudo-Christian imagery too. Deva Loka is a pretty straightforward Eden, for example.

I was interested to note that the first few steps of this serial called to mind certain stories of yesteryear. There's a shrinking group of human soldiers stationed out on the last frontier, living in fear of an evil from outside that will come in to destroy them all. This convention is quickly turned on its head, however. I wonder if this was a conscious deconstruction of the "base under siege" or just something incidental? The shoe certainly fits, and at this point in the history of Doctor Who, its awkward teen years, it seems fitting for it to start to question the things it took for granted in its childhood.

HINDLE: Don't you see? Well, then we'll be safe. For ever and ever. Outside'll never get in. Don't you see?

Tellingly, the most hysterical expression of this "keep them out" mentality in the story, quoted above, involves a quite literal urge for self-destruction. The equation of colonization with civilization is taken down quite scornfully, and as far as I'm concerned it's welcomed.

The Mara is the manifestation of all of this hate and selfishness. We're told by the Kinda that it "turns the wheel" of life and death, perpetuating itself on the suffering of others. This literal cycle of violence is paralleled in Hindle's blithe comment remarking on his abuse as a child, a suffering that he's now mindlessly perpetuating on others. The only way to escape it is to break the cycle; to find a "still point".

The story is philosophically rich, and I found a lot to enjoy in its performances too. Janet Fielding gets a nice opportunity to act her heart out; I was very impressed with the switch she flicks when the Mara is in control, the differences in her voice and mannerisms and all. Nyssa is sadly out of commission, taking what the wiki terms a "restorative TARDIS nap". Adric is about as tolerable as he ever is. "The Adric special" is performed again, and it's probably the best instance of it so far, though that hasn't been a very high bar.

The Doctor seems to be in his element. Davison's Doctor is a bit more at home in this type of story than he is in something like Earthshock, and the ease shows. I'm still warming to Five at this point, but maybe a few more Kindas will fix me.

That's all I had for this one. I will return soon for a writeup on The Visitation. See you then.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 9 September 2022.)

Four to Doomsday [Doctor Who, Story 117]

Four to Doomsday by Terence Dudley
18 - 26 January 1982

​It's difficult, really, to summon up enough strong feelings about Four to Doomsday a few months post-viewing to actually write up a particularly meaty review of it. It is noteworthy for being the first outing of this particular TARDIS team post-Castrovalva, and thus should stand as a nice, clear look at what this particular period in the show will look like. What we get is an episode with a slightly confused plot, some overcrowding, and clumsy stabs at interpersonal drama. So... a nice, clear look then?

I was, however, a bit surprised to not dislike this serial as much as I was expecting to going in. While the plot is nothing special, and some of the earthlings who are being held on the Urbankan ship seem a bit caricatured for lack of a better term, there was nothing I really found outright execrable and it was fun enough in the moment.

I don't think the Doctor got many chances to prove himself in this one, although, as usual, I am keeping a weather eye on the companions. I don't recall much of what Nyssa did, except randomly fainting at the end, but Tegan got to show off her many talents by revealing her impressive illustrating skills and somehow being fluent in an Australian Aboriginal language. Our boy genius got to practice what I'm now terming "the Adric special" by pretending(?) to side with the bad guys. This time it really seemed like he was serious, however. But perhaps something on the performance side just got lost in translation. (Wouldn't shock me...)

There are some interesting effects in this one, including the android reveal at the end of Part Three, and the Doctor's spacewalk later on. The Urbankans themselves don't look great; two of them have the fortune of wearing human faces for most of the story, but their leader isn't so lucky. Definitely not one of the memorable monster designs.

All in all, an okay story, though one I was happy to leave behind so that I could explore what else Season 19 had to offer. You know what they say: sometimes one must let Bigons be Bigons.

Kinda is next.

 (Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 22 June 2022.)

Castrovalva [Doctor Who, Story 116]

Castrovalva by Christopher H. Bidmead
4 - 12 January 1982

 

​

You must forgive the cobwebs. Despite appearances, I have been semi-regularly watching Season 19 for most of this year [2022], but for some reason I managed to convince myself to watch the whole season before composing my reviews.

This probably kept things moving slightly faster than they would have otherwise, but it also means that as I reach back into the Before Time and sweatily thumb through my threadbare notes for Castrovalva, I find myself a little mystified by the lack of detail. Nevertheless, I'll do my best to sound at least halfway coherent.

When last we left Doctor Who, the goliath seven-year tenure of Tom Baker had come to an end. Although I think most people will associate his reign with the Seventies era of the show, his one season in 1980-1981 with new producer John Nathan-Turner also sticks in the mind. While Season 18 was the coda of the Fourth Doctor era, it was also a prologue of sorts for the new decade to come.

In short, with Castrovalva we finally get to see this new era of the show come into its fluorescence, now free of all (or most) remnants of the past. So what exactly does the new regime have to offer?

For starters, I think it's interesting that Castrovalva starts with a recap of the last moments of Logopolis. It's understandable after an 11-month break (longer than any other season break to date, unless I'm missing something) that they might want to refresh viewers' memories. They had, however, just reran Logopolis just a month earlier as a part of the Five Faces of Doctor Who repeat run, which a lot of people evidently saw, so I don't think that's the whole story.

I detect just a hint of insecurity in this decision, though a more charitable diagnosis of "easing us in gently" is also possible. Some extra gentle touches like these might have been necessary when struggling to come out from under Tom's shadow in particular. Still, it's bewildering to imagine a new Doctor's story in the modern era starting with a recap of the last one's regeneration scene. Castrovalva's close New Series counterpart The Eleventh Hour, by contrast, seems a bit more self-assured in its new leading man.

Both of these stories do, interestingly, feature bits of their illustrious predecessors' costumes slowly being unraveled or stripped away, which is a fun parallel. This is a somewhat literal but still pleasing bit of Castrovalva's unmaking and remaking, death and rebirth themes. Tegan and Nyssa even act as the Doctor's pallbearers for a while in the early parts of this story when they carry his cabinet around.

Talking of Tegan and Nyssa, this is really their first chance to be the Doctor's companions after their chaotic debut in Logopolis. Like the last serial, Castrovalva also feels like it's got a lot going on, what with having to establish a new Doctor and all, but it is a little less hectic overall. This is helped a bit by putting Adric in the fridge early and only letting him out in the later parts of the story. The air stewardess and the Trakenite princess get a little more time to themselves as a result.

At this point, Tegan has yet to prove herself. Like many companions, she doesn't really want to be here to start with, but unlike most, she stays that way. This is... an interesting choice. Obviously this is where we started off back in 1963, but when the other two companions are quite happy to be the Doctor's assistants, it just ends up feeling silly on Tegan's part. She could grow on me from here, but hopefully this would be through getting some more chances to shine.

Nyssa seems to be adapting quickly by contrast. I liked the moment where she admits that her strict scientific principles aren't good for everything and talks about "turning that 'if' into a fact". It's a nice bit of characterization, though I can't help but wonder if it would have been better served by coming up when we had gotten to know her better than we do now.

As for the rest of the supporting cast, notably, the Master is also here. I admit, I groaned a bit and went "what, again?" For someone who had waited 11 months for this serial, the effect would probably be less pronounced, but after three stories in a row featuring him I was already a bit fatigued. I like Anthony Ainley, but in this story and the previous, he's just never as menacing as his predecessor, seeming to indulge in a greater degree of mustache-twirling that threatens to veer into flanderization should current trends continue.

The one-off characters for this story didn't make a lot of impact on me, but I liked the Castrovalva setting. The idea of a world that's a living M. C. Escher painting is a pretty interesting one, although I have to say I didn't care much to follow the thread Christopher H. Bidmead was trying to draw between the story and real-world mathematics, as I was more preoccupied with the metaphysical themes behind the Doctor's rebirth. Attempts to inject "hard science" into the show are laudable ones for sure, but I sense that this script editor's intentions are not going to pan out.

Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned the new guy a whole lot yet, have I? First impressions tell me that Peter Davison is an exceptional actor. I feel I'm still getting used to his interpretation of the Doctor at this point (as is he, unless I'm mistaken) which is a feeling that will persist for me throughout much of this first season. There is a lot to appreciate in this more understated version of the Doctor, though; it is a nice contrast to 4's bombast.

I've run out of things to say, so I'll leave this one off by saying that Castrovalva feels like it's pulling in a few different directions at once, but still generally succeeds as a solid intro story for the Fifth Doctor. We'll see how the changes it's signaling evolve over the rest of the season. Four to Doomsday is next.

 (Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 29 June 2022.)