Dragonfire v Happiness Patrol
rip & strip
Posts: 433 Forum Member
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Against my better judgement, as I'm not THAT keen on either, I bought the Ace Adventures box yesterday (Asda were selling it at £13.97, way below RRP so it seemed a mega-bargain),
But which is the better tale folks?
I shall ask for a poll with these two options only and will return with my verdict.
But which is the better tale folks?
I shall ask for a poll with these two options only and will return with my verdict.
Which is better? 25 votes
Dragonfire
52%
13 votes
Happiness Patrol
48%
12 votes
0
Comments
Dragonfire is usually acknowledged as the best story in the overall most awful Dr Who season. lol
That's my take - "Dragonfire" is also one of the most inept stories, in most departments.
It introduces Ace and has one of Mel's least ridiculous outfits, plus the design is good and there's a decent idea in there but that's about it. The "Iceland" supermarket stuff is really tacky.
It's mainly because I feel less cringey watching Dragonfire than I do The Happiness Patrol. If I had to choose one of the two to introduce to a new viewer I wouldn't make them watch a story with a silly Kandyman and garish costumes and make up. :rolleyes:
But they are silly on purpose.
You know, it's not an awful story by any means, has lots of good ideas but it's execution, if you'll forgive the pun, on screen was truly awful. Could and should have been a lot better.
which was why I didn't include that option.
It has Ace's introduction.Glitz, her temptation of Kane's coin. the melting face. I quite like the story actually even with the silly umbrella cliff-hanger.
The Happiness Patrol is quite stylised. I only watch it Occasionally. The Kandyman is quite fun. It seems an odd story to represent Ace- think Ghostlight would have been much better ?
(Oddly enough, I came across the actress who played the little girl in Dragonfire on a Grange Hill forum recently. Her main memory seemed to be not liking her outfit much)
I don't think I actually watched THP properly the first time I saw it in order to miss all of Sylv's little jokes. I love Georgina Hale and Sheila Hancock as well, in fact the whole cast are pretty much spot on.
Dragonfire is just awful. I really want to enjoy it, and there are some redeeming features but I think it's dire
Yeah, she PM'd me as well a few weeks ago inviting to me ask questions about Dragonfire. I remember her talking about not liking that outfit as well. She also said how well she got on with the three regulars in this story and that a lot of her stuff was cut but will be an extra on the DVD.
The Happiness Patrol is trying so hard to be satirical and witty; TOO hard. But it doesn't really have anything useful to say. What point is it really making? Thatcher is evil? Not a very relevant point 25 years on. Dictatorships are bad? Pretty bog-standard for Doctor Who and other stories tend to be a bit more subtle with the message. Everyone has the right to be unhappy? Well, okay, but surely crappy Doctor Who is taking that choice out of our hands and forcing us to be unhappy?
It is far, far too much style over substance - something made even worse by the fact that it just isn't very stylish. Some elements, like the bluesman, just make me crige whenever they're on screen. That character was an achingly self-concious attempt at cultural content and he's nothing more than a hollow cliche.
What were all of the gay references about? It seemed like a motif with no apparent purpose. I'm not really offended by things like the Kandyman, although I can't say I cared for him, but the whole thing just leaves me cold. Perhaps the worst thing is that, at only 3 episodes long, I found it boring; It seemed to drag on interminably. That is pretty damning when you consider it's one of the most unique stories in the Doctor Who canon and even then, I couldn't find any of it interesting. I struggle to even give this one points for trying because it's trying in all the wrong ways.
Dragonfire is just not very good on any level really. Never spectacularly bad (discounting that notorious cliffhanger) but very little to keep your interest. I found it a struggle to come back to and keep watching each time I got up to make tea. And i have to say that without Robert Holmes writing him Sabalom glitz is really not a great character. All his charm is lost and he just seems more like a berk. Also, McCoy still isn't really that good in this one. I do like McCoy but I agree with the general consensus that he really needed the first season as a steep learning curve and that he didn't really nail it until his second.
I would say these were two of the weakest McCoy stories, maybe even the weakest. (well, there's still 'Survival', which I hate