Reevaluated stories that have aged better with time

Mr SetaMr Seta Posts: 380
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Okay, this is really aimed at the classic series where you can look back since maybe your childhood when you first saw them & can answer: "which stories do I think have aged well or may have actually improved over time?"

For me, recently going over many of the stories, it is the reverse (possibly due to technological advances), but here are some I think have improved, & maybe should be considered classics of the classic series when once before they may not have been considered as such:

-The Day of the Daleks (the new effects makes this great story a true classic now I think);

-The Sea Devils (probably a better appreciation of the light hearted humour and the visuals used);

-The Time Warrior;

-The Face of Evil (I think my opinion of it has improved as now that I'm an adult, I understand the concepts & what it was about better);

-Kinda

-The Visitation (although I must admit liked this too when I was younger :p)

Comments

  • adammarc_98adammarc_98 Posts: 164
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    Vengeance on Varos, now we look back, we can see how good it really was without having the negative publicity of the time by Whitehouse and critics etc.
  • doctor blue boxdoctor blue box Posts: 7,243
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    have only seen a handful of classic stories but vengance on varos was one I saw recently, and I thought it was very good so have to agree on that one.

    for my own judgement I think love and monster's fall's into this category. at the time it was our first doctor lite story so a blow to expect to see the doctor doing his thing and then end up with an episode mostly filled with people in a room talking, but on reflection and repeated viewing, whilst still not a classic, I appreciate it is a quaint little tale of the ordinary people whose lives are briefly touched by the doctor, and the effect's it can have on them. as I said still not one of the best, but it's now one I can watch and enjoy to a certain extent, when at the time I thought it was the worst episode imaginable
  • The GathererThe Gatherer Posts: 2,723
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    Agree with Day of the Daleks, that is a lot better than I remember from first viewing. (Also agree that the re-mix version improves on it.) Also, I've always liked Kinda and originally thought Snakedance was a second rate sequel but I now regard it as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time.
  • The GathererThe Gatherer Posts: 2,723
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    have only seen a handful of classic stories but vengance on varos was one I saw recently, and I thought it was very good so have to agree on that one.

    for my own judgement I think love and monster's fall's into this category. at the time it was our first doctor lite story so a blow to expect to see the doctor doing his thing and then end up with an episode mostly filled with people in a room talking, but on reflection and repeated viewing, whilst still not a classic, I appreciate it is a quaint little tale of the ordinary people whose lives are briefly touched by the doctor, and the effect's it can have on them. as I said still not one of the best, but it's now one I can watch and enjoy to a certain extent, when at the time I thought it was the worst episode imaginable

    Also agree on Vengeance. As for L&M I'm one of the few who loved it from first seeing it. What I especially like about it is that we see events that have already happened from another person's perspective.
  • CoalHillJanitorCoalHillJanitor Posts: 15,634
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    Also agree on Vengeance. As for L&M I'm one of the few who loved it from first seeing it. What I especially like about it is that we see events that have already happened from another person's perspective.

    Love & Monsters was an experiment in narrative form, like The Gunfighters which used the ballad singer. I appreciate seeing an episode pushing the limits of genre or form, even when the results aren't the best.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 509
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    Personally I thought most of series 7B improved significantly on a rewatch. Apart from that... Revelation of the Daleks was better than I remembered.
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    Love and Monsters is pure genius. It gets a few things badly wrong but the good bits are so good it elevates the episode as a whole. The bit I love most is it shows in more detail the true impact and devastating effect being caught up in the Doctors world can bring. We usually never see that. The whole thing with Eltons mum is very brief on screen but so evocative and powerful because for once not only can the doctor not save someone but we also see the full effect of what happens when he goes whizzing off in that blue box and people are left behind. Its like a punch in the gut everytime I watch it.
  • TheSilentFezTheSilentFez Posts: 11,103
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    Time of the Doctor (even though it only aired a few weeks ago).
    Seriously though, if you disliked it the first time and haven't yet rewatched it, I suggest you do so. Obviously there are no guarantees, but you may just find yourself enjoying it a bit more.
  • The GathererThe Gatherer Posts: 2,723
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    Love and Monsters is pure genius. It gets a few things badly wrong but the good bits are so good it elevates the episode as a whole. The bit I love most is it shows in more detail the true impact and devastating effect being caught up in the Doctors world can bring. We usually never see that. The whole thing with Eltons mum is very brief on screen but so evocative and powerful because for once not only can the doctor not save someone but we also see the full effect of what happens when he goes whizzing off in that blue box and people are left behind. Its like a punch in the gut everytime I watch it.

    FFS saladfingers agreeing with me! >:( What's the point of DS forums now? :D
  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    Close this place down. The worlds gone mad. We are truly in the end of days.
  • JethrykJethryk Posts: 1,355
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    I watched The Androids of Tara today. Never really rated it before but I quite enjoyed it
  • PalmerwhoPalmerwho Posts: 1,158
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    Love and Monsters is pure genius. It gets a few things badly wrong but the good bits are so good it elevates the episode as a whole. The bit I love most is it shows in more detail the true impact and devastating effect being caught up in the Doctors world can bring. We usually never see that. The whole thing with Eltons mum is very brief on screen but so evocative and powerful because for once not only can the doctor not save someone but we also see the full effect of what happens when he goes whizzing off in that blue box and people are left behind. Its like a punch in the gut everytime I watch it.

    To be fair the main bit that actually ruins L&M for me is when the Absorb is in full monster mode at the end and Kay goes way OTT. As Mr Kennedy, picking them off one at a time he was much better.
  • jellyfish7jellyfish7 Posts: 156
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    Rings of Akhatan.. Especially as the music ties into matts last scene now.. Even without that it improves with every watch.
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,351
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    I'm gonna put a slightly different spin on this subject and say that having just watched through the Hartnell Era, a lot of Season 3 I actually watched using telesnaps for the first time rather than audio and I have to say that The Myth Makers in particular I saw in a new light and though it's not that great a story still, it was an enormous improvement watching it this way and I almost enjoyed it!

    The Massacre was another story I hadn't enjoyed so much via audio and that was better too. The Dalek Masterplan I already love as a story and that just took the whole story to a new level using telesnaps.

    I know I and others have discussed this recently but The Horns Of Nimon was a story on first viewing wasn't so good but I really enjoy it now for what it is. Same with Time-Flight, when I first ever watched this on video the dodgy effects really ruined it but I see past that now and I actually quite like it!

    As for New Who, the only episodes that really stand out for improvement on a large scale is the Series 5 Finale. I think on original viewing I disliked it so much because it lacked the punch of the RTD Series and to some extent it still does. However, The Big Bang in particular I found more to like after a few viewings. The Doctor's speech to Amy and the whole Wedding scene and Matt Smith's dodgy dancing are all good!

    However, as for Love And Monsters, no matter how many times I watch it, it is still is and will always be for me one of biggest pile of s*** in New Who and until Rings Of Athaken came along, it had very little competition for that title. (Though The Beast Below came ruddy close.....)

    :)
  • AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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    It's funny because I happen to love, or at least really like, a lot of the episodes that people seem to have a massive problem with.

    The Rings of Akhaten was one of my absolute favourites from Series 7, whilst The Beast Below is one of my favourites from Series 5. I would definitely place both in my Top 5 of each series...Akhaten probably in my top three because Series 7 didn't offer me anything much I liked any more.

    Love & Monsters will never be without its problems and serious lack of well judged ideas. Peter Kay in the rubber green, in a thong, with Moaning Myrtle plastered across his chest... well, I needn't say more. But Elton was a generally likeable character, the episode pushed the boundaries and tried something a bit new, it had ELO music in it and above all else it had, in my opinion Camille Coduri's best ever scene as Jackie. The 'those who get left behind' bit to Elton was extremely powerful stuff and showed how well RTD had crafted his characters since he'd started. There was genuine love for these characters, and I really hope that the little emotive moments like these even in episodes like L&M will help some stories to age better with time to help illustrate some of the ongoing strengths within particular eras of Doctor Who :)
  • Michael_EveMichael_Eve Posts: 14,424
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    Jethryk wrote: »
    I watched The Androids of Tara today. Never really rated it before but I quite enjoyed it

    It's actually one of my favourite Tom Baker stories. An absolute delight, sunny and funny with a barnstorming performance by Peter Jeffries and Tom Baker clearly having a ball. Lovely stuff.

    Also think the Mara stories are pretty much Doctor Who at it's best. Great concepts and (generally!) great execution. In fact, as it came bottom of the Doctor Who Monthly (as was) Season Survey poll in 1982, I think 'Kinda' is a good contender for being the most dramatically reevaluated stories of all 'Who'.

    'Enlightenment's stock seems to have raised in recent years too I suspect as it seemed to be rather dismissed by fandom at the time as part of a 'disappointing' Season. Hope that's true, because for me it's one of the best stories in the programme's history. :)
  • Mr SetaMr Seta Posts: 380
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    Jethryk wrote: »
    I watched The Androids of Tara today. Never really rated it before but I quite enjoyed it

    I've been watching Who since the mid 70's but somehow managed to miss all of the Keys to Time season and a lot of the following season (including Horns of Nimon which daveyboy recommends).

    As of last week I finally got round to purchasing the Keys to Time boxset (wahoo), so really looking forward to watching this. I've noticed others say some fairly good things about the Androids of Tara too :D. If there's are other good stories in the Keys to Time that anybody can think of let me know. I hear the Power of Kroll & 1 or 2 others might be pretty ordinary.
  • MaurimanMauriman Posts: 1,027
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    Shoot me for saying this but Delta and the Bannerman.
    First time i saw it i thought it was camp silly rubbish.
    Now watching i think its a fun feelgood runaround that has alot of undercurrent themes.
    And Sylv and Bonnie really having a ball here.
  • JethrykJethryk Posts: 1,355
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    It's actually one of my favourite Tom Baker stories. An absolute delight, sunny and funny with a barnstorming performance by Peter Jeffries and Tom Baker clearly having a ball. Lovely stuff.

    Also think the Mara stories are pretty much Doctor Who at it's best. Great concepts and (generally!) great execution. In fact, as it came bottom of the Doctor Who Monthly (as was) Season Survey poll in 1982, I think 'Kinda' is a good contender for being the most dramatically reevaluated stories of all 'Who'.

    'Enlightenment's stock seems to have raised in recent years too I suspect as it seemed to be rather dismissed by fandom at the time as part of a 'disappointing' Season. Hope that's true, because for me it's one of the best stories in the programme's history. :)

    The Mara stories are funny ones, if I remember whilst Kinda came bottom of the DWM season survey poll that year, Snakedance came top the following year. (it's possible my memory is playing tricks there) I think in the years since, the opinion has been reversed.
  • The GathererThe Gatherer Posts: 2,723
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    Jethryk wrote: »
    The Mara stories are funny ones, if I remember whilst Kinda came bottom of the DWM season survey poll that year, Snakedance came top the following year. (it's possible my memory is playing tricks there) I think in the years since, the opinion has been reversed.

    No they haven't been reversed. Yes Kinda has gained in popularity, but Snakedance is still considered a classic by many.
  • The GathererThe Gatherer Posts: 2,723
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    Mr Seta wrote: »
    I've been watching Who since the mid 70's but somehow managed to miss all of the Keys to Time season and a lot of the following season (including Horns of Nimon which daveyboy recommends).

    As of last week I finally got round to purchasing the Keys to Time boxset (wahoo), so really looking forward to watching this. I've noticed others say some fairly good things about the Androids of Tara too :D. If there's are other good stories in the Keys to Time that anybody can think of let me know. I hear the Power of Kroll & 1 or 2 others might be pretty ordinary.

    This is not an opinion shared by all, but for me, the first story, "The Ribos Operation", is head and shoulders above anything else in that season.
  • The GathererThe Gatherer Posts: 2,723
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    Mauriman wrote: »
    Shoot me for saying this but Delta and the Bannerman.
    First time i saw it i thought it was camp silly rubbish.
    Now watching i think its a fun feelgood runaround that has alot of undercurrent themes.
    And Sylv and Bonnie really having a ball here.

    Yes, this is a good story. At the time I think it was bracketed in with all the rubbish around it. Part 1 is particularly good, especially the extended (but without effects) version on the DVD, which makes more sense. (When I say extended, I mean the original version which had cuts made to get it to the running time, unfortunately those cuts did effect the narrative of the story.)
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