This was my favourite 7th Doctor story. That's not saying much.....'cos I only had a favourite two others! (Delta, already discussed, and 'Fenric' to come)
I liked the references back to Totters Lane/yard....they spelt Foreman wrong though! I also didn't understand why the First Doctor bla bla bla about the daleks before he'd met them......but that's just Doctor Who isn't it! We accept it. Nice to see a bit of "UNIT" -style action (that's a praise coming from me, who got sick and tired of them in Pertwee's era!). I found that young girl quite creepy (and I was 27 when I first saw this story), I liked the romance blossoming between Ace and the young handsome soldier (short-lived though it was).
That guy from UFO was a good anti-villain too. And - at long last, Davros was saved till last, he didn't outshine the daleks for most of the story. He just popped up from his Rice-Pudding tin in the final scenes......and watched Skaro get blown up (???) and he shot off in his escape pod! You can see his 'pod' shooting off when the spaceship explodes if you watch carefully.
Good adventure......but as other people have said - was it only because of the poor stories before and after?
I was personally thinking at this time - "It ain't got much longer to go!"
It's a good point. No-one knows why the First Doctor took it from Gallifrey in the first place and why he left it there in 1963 to collect in his First Incarnation at a later date. I always assumed he put it there as some trap for the Daleks but maybe if it didn't and he had other plans it would explain the inconsistencies surrounding The Doctor's knowledge, or lack of, the Daleks at that time.
Okay, that explains my confusion. As I remember it, there's no indication in the script that the Doctor hid the Hand of Omega from the Daleks specifically, just from anyone who might want the power of the Time Lords for themselves.
This story is a real corker. One of the 1980s top ten, if not the top ten of all time.
Easily a story to show a non-fan.
The cafe scene, Mike being zapped through the banister rails, the funeral, the juke box, bazookas in the corridor, the Dalek on the stairs, the spaceship in the playground, Michael Sheard in the graveyard ... excellent stuff.
This is it! My very favourite Dr Who story. Just brilliant on every level from the Daleks actually being fearsome and frightening for once, to how attractive both guest female leads are. Brilliant cliffhangers. Great plot. Meaningful continuity. Really good effects. Special weapons Dalek!
The idea of connecting a human child to the battle computer to inject a sense of cruelty into its programming is simply chilling.
9.8/10
It loses 0.1 points for another suicidal Dalek at the end.
And another 0.1 for using a plasma ball as the time controller. *I* have a timer controller at home left over from my student days!
It loses 0.1 points for another suicidal Dalek at the end.
If I remember rightly, this was a change implemented at the last minute by Sylvester McCoy, who didn't like the idea of his Doctor blowing up a Dalek with a bazooka(or whatever it was originally in the script) as it didn't suit his Doctor to do that, hence he talked the Dalek into destruction instead.
I think he was right, it wasn't the Seventh Doctor's way to do that(though he had no such qualms blowing up Skaro and the Cybermen in this Series) and I think talking it into self destruction was far more effective than blasting it to death and it worked for me this way.
I think he was right, it wasn't the Seventh Doctor's way to do that(though he had no such qualms blowing up Skaro and the Cybermen in this Series) and I think talking it into self destruction was far more effective than blasting it to death and it worked for me this way.
In a way, it parallels the destruction of Skaro - he talks the Dalek into destroying itself just as he talks Davros into destroying his own planet. It sits well with the growing presentation of the Seventh Doctor as a manipulator.
In a way, it parallels the destruction of Skaro - he talks the Dalek into destroying itself just as he talks Davros into destroying his own planet. It sits well with the growing presentation of the Seventh Doctor as a manipulator.
Yes, at the cost of turning Davros into a total moron - I cannot imagine the character as played by Michael Wisher ever being that stupid. There's just something about the whole notion that I find deeply unsatisfying.
In a way, it parallels the destruction of Skaro - he talks the Dalek into destroying itself just as he talks Davros into destroying his own planet. It sits well with the growing presentation of the Seventh Doctor as a manipulator.
In a way, it parallels the destruction of Skaro - he talks the Dalek into destroying itself just as he talks Davros into destroying his own planet. It sits well with the growing presentation of the Seventh Doctor as a manipulator.
Comments
I liked the references back to Totters Lane/yard....they spelt Foreman wrong though! I also didn't understand why the First Doctor bla bla bla about the daleks before he'd met them......but that's just Doctor Who isn't it! We accept it. Nice to see a bit of "UNIT" -style action (that's a praise coming from me, who got sick and tired of them in Pertwee's era!). I found that young girl quite creepy (and I was 27 when I first saw this story), I liked the romance blossoming between Ace and the young handsome soldier (short-lived though it was).
That guy from UFO was a good anti-villain too. And - at long last, Davros was saved till last, he didn't outshine the daleks for most of the story. He just popped up from his Rice-Pudding tin in the final scenes......and watched Skaro get blown up (???) and he shot off in his escape pod! You can see his 'pod' shooting off when the spaceship explodes if you watch carefully.
Good adventure......but as other people have said - was it only because of the poor stories before and after?
I was personally thinking at this time - "It ain't got much longer to go!"
Okay, that explains my confusion. As I remember it, there's no indication in the script that the Doctor hid the Hand of Omega from the Daleks specifically, just from anyone who might want the power of the Time Lords for themselves.
Easily a story to show a non-fan.
The cafe scene, Mike being zapped through the banister rails, the funeral, the juke box, bazookas in the corridor, the Dalek on the stairs, the spaceship in the playground, Michael Sheard in the graveyard ... excellent stuff.
It was also the first Doctor Who story, and one of the first BBC programmes to be made in stereo sound, using the then-new NICAM sound system.
The parents of some of us had the first NICAM VCR - a JVC HRD-530/Ferguson FV14T - and watched it as it originally went out in October 1988.
When connected up to his HiFi speakers on either side of our TV, watching part one of this blew my dad away!
Did he remember to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow??
Think it was more of a shock from hearing mono TV sound from a small crappy speaker on old TVs for about 30 years.
The idea of connecting a human child to the battle computer to inject a sense of cruelty into its programming is simply chilling.
9.8/10
It loses 0.1 points for another suicidal Dalek at the end.
And another 0.1 for using a plasma ball as the time controller. *I* have a timer controller at home left over from my student days!
If I remember rightly, this was a change implemented at the last minute by Sylvester McCoy, who didn't like the idea of his Doctor blowing up a Dalek with a bazooka(or whatever it was originally in the script) as it didn't suit his Doctor to do that, hence he talked the Dalek into destruction instead.
I think he was right, it wasn't the Seventh Doctor's way to do that(though he had no such qualms blowing up Skaro and the Cybermen in this Series) and I think talking it into self destruction was far more effective than blasting it to death and it worked for me this way.
Yes, at the cost of turning Davros into a total moron - I cannot imagine the character as played by Michael Wisher ever being that stupid. There's just something about the whole notion that I find deeply unsatisfying.
It wasn't Skaro. Davros thought it was though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Daleks
I'd recommend the book, it really is a fantastic novel.
Unlimited rice pudding, etc. etc.
Classic!