The scales are finally being balanced. Normally, when I post an UNSUNG CLASSIC about a New Who story, I follow it up immediately with one from Classic Who. Quite some time ago, I had written a review on Gravity from Series 10 and ranted about how it was one of the highest points of the season. But I had never followed with something from the good 'ole days when we still used terms like "seasons" instead of "series".
The Time has come, at last, to put the Universe to right (no doubt, all of you have been feeling out of sorts all this time and couldn't figure out why!). Our Unsung Classic from the Classic Series goes all the way back to the early days of Doctor Three.
PERTWEE LOVE (OR LACK THEREOF)
If you've bothered to read my New Year's Countdown from two years ago, you saw that I was not the biggest of Jon Pertwee fans (if you haven't bothered to read it but would like to, here's a link: http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/11/book-of-lists-doctors-from-worst-to.html). As I emphasized in the countdown, there's no portrayal of the Doctor that I have genuinely disliked - but there are some that I like less than others. So please don't think I'm some gigantic Pertwee-Basher. I still love him. There's just other Doctors that I love more.
One of the main points I make as I discuss Pertwee in that post is that I do still think that Season 7 is an absolute work of art. Really, it's magnificent. Inferno is widely regarded as a Classic and all the other stories in the season are held in high regard. So, no Unsung Classics, here. Everything in Season 7 gets the credit it deserves. I do, however, go on to explain that I'm not happy with much else in the Pertwee Era after Seven reaches its conclusion. Most of the stories that we see after this are 6-Parters that can't really sustain themselves. It's a harsh thing to say, I know. Lots of people hold lots of nostalgia for Doctor Three - but I'm not one of them.
Before the Pertwee-Lovers get too angry with me, note that I said: "most of the stories were 6-Parters that couldn't sustain themselves'". Which implies that there are some Post-Season-7 6-Parters that do.
The Mind of Evil is one of them. In fact, it does more than just sustain itself. It's an excellent story that doesn't get half as much credit as it deserves.
THE PROBLEMS
Okay, let's get this out of the way first. Mind of Evil is not perfect. There are a few minor issues that need to be taken into account. Some legitimate problems, if you will.
But, you know what? Many of the stories Fandom labels as Classics have problems, too. Genesis of the Daleks, for instance, has one of the worst cliffhangers in the history of the show (Sarah Jane falling from the gantry). Or Talons of Weng Chiang uses the most blatant example of plot padding ever (Jago and Lightfoot trying to escape through the dumb waiter). No Classic is absolutely perfect. So let's accept that and move past it.
The most ludicrous stuff from Mind of Evil occurs in Episode One. There are victims of the Keller Machine who get scared to death by their chronic fears. That's not too far-fetched. Scare someone enough and it will cause heart failure. What is silly is how the victims show physical symptoms of their fear. Someone with a horrible fear of rats won't suddenly get scratch marks because they're hallucinating that rats are attacking them. Nor will someone who is afraid of water drown in an empty room with their lungs soaked. That's just silly.
Mentioning that Doctor Keller had a lovely Chinese woman as an assistant also seemed like some pretty forced exposition. Like we're trying just a little too hard with the writing to get the Doctor to connect certain dots in the plot points.
The only other instance that mars my enjoyment of this story is the notorious "Master slipping on water twice" sequence that enables the Doctor to make an escape. Water just isn't that slippery, folks. Couldn't the Doctor have just thrown the desk on his rival and pinned him underneath long enough to get out of the room? Seems like an easy fix, really.
PROBLEMS OUT OF THE WAY - ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!
With the elephant thoroughly acknowledged on it's appropriate table, we can get to the enormous amounts of praising that the story needs to have heaped on to it.
Mind of Evil is chocked full of what I like to call golden moments. Sequence after sequence that are all executed with an enormous sense of style. They're spread out all over the place. In the early episodes, we see great moments like the Doctor unable to contain his skepticism during the demonstration of the Keller Machine. Yates being reprimanded for grinning like a Chesire Cat. The Doctor getting on like a house on fire with the new Chinese delegate. Chin-Li evoking pathos as she tries to fight the Master's control as they sit in his limo.
In later episodes we get that wonderful moment where the Brigadier tries out his acting abilities as he poses as a delivery man. The actual storming of the prison by UNIT - a stunt sequence that still holds up quite well even to this day. And, of course, the classic line: "Thankyou Brigadier. But do you think, just once, you could show up before the nick of time?!"
The golden moment that truly wins me over, however, is the briefest of scenes where the Master rides to Stangmoor Prison smoking a cigar and listening to sinister music. For whatever reason, I adore that shot. This might just be Delgado's Master at his absolute best.
PLOTTING....
If Mind of Evil were nothing but a series of golden moments, I couldn't give it the Unsung Classic label. But it's so much more than that. For once, a writer decides to fill a 6-Parter with an adequate number of plot strands. There's barely any capture-and-escapes to mark time. Even the failed prison break serves an actual purpose. It gets the Master to recognize Mailer's ambitions and exploit him.
It's quite remarkable how well those various plot threads weave together to form a bigger picture and tell a somewhat complex story. Most impressive is the plotline concerning the actual Keller Machine. For most of the adventure, it seems to just be something that creates some extra danger. Only as we near the end do we see it has a better purpose than that. Once more, the Doctor uses a problem created by his enemy to hoist him by his own petards.
The other gorgeous thing that the Keller Machine Plotline creates is yet another golden moment. How can we not love it when the Doctor recognizes that Barnum is the key to immobilizing the Mind Parasite? It's almost impossible not to punch the air as he proclaims the title of the story.
KELLER MACHINE STUFF
What we remember most, of course, about Mind of Evil are the hallucinations the Doctor and the Master suffer when the Keller Machine attacks them. The Doctor, fresh from his adventures in Inferno, still harbors a great fear of fire. It's a nice piece of continuity that gets referenced because both stories come from the same author.
But we absolutely love the rogues' gallery of enemies that start swirling around the Doctor during later episodes when he's subjected to the Keller Machine. Who knew that Koquillion from The Rescue had filled him with so much terror?!!
Even better, though, is when the Master must face his greatest fear. The giant image of the Doctor looking down at him and laughing at him like he's the most inadequate of foes is sheer glory.
A LITTLE BIT SAD...
Before we can truly close the book on Mind of Evil, we must mention poor 'ole Barnum. A very lovely touch to the story. He's a more watered-down (and less-over-the-top) version of Tommy from Planet of Spiders. His sense of innocence is also put to great use at the most crucial of moments.
Unlike Tommy, Barnum meets a very sad end. Like the murder of Osgood in Death In Heaven, it gets us to hate the Master all the more. But it also creates the most tragic of conclusions for an Unsung Classic. It's almost implied that someone as innocent as Barnum had no chance of surviving in a world as harsh as our own.
Fortunately, we get a nice little coda where the Master taunts the Doctor, then the Doctor lashes out playfully at the Brigadier.
Regardless of the Tragedy of Barnum, Season 8 will continue to roll on. But it almost seems like Mind of Evil should have been been in Season 7.
It fits better there....
Other Unsung Classics:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2017/09/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-unsung.html
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2017/02/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-unsung.html
Sunday, 20 May 2018
Saturday, 28 April 2018
BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 ONE-TIME-ONLY VILLAINS - PART 5
And so, at last, we reach Number One. Unlike other countdowns, you haven't been able to use a process of elimination to figure out who First Place is. No doubt, the suspense has been killing you so I'll get right to it:
WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?!
There are any number of One Timers who have dazzled us over the years in both the Classic and New Series. I've mentioned a few of them, already, as I constructed this list. As much as I've admired their performances like so many other fans have, my choice for all-time fave is not one any of you probably suspected.
By no stretch of the imagination can we label the Season 18 story Meglos a Classic. I find it to be a half-decent story with a few fun little moments to sustain it for four episodes. Some disagree with even that and think the story is just plain awful. But, as mediocre (or even bad) as the story may be, it has a single brilliant jewel in its crown: the titular character is absolutely wonderful!
One of the things that embarrasses me the most about my Meglos Passion is that I can't, for the life of me, pinpoint why I love him so much. There are any number of really cool things about him but none of them are quite enough to truly make him the best one-time-only villain in History. I'm guessing that it is a combination of all these traits that, ultimately, puts him over the top.
Just to be concise and organized, let's take the trouble to list a few of the more prominent aspects of the character that make him better than any other one-time-only villain:
TRAIT #1 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE DOESN'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL
For most other villains and/or monsters in the series (recurring or single appearance), acquiring the ability to cross the fourth dimension is their ultimate dream. And it makes sense that they want it so badly. There's so much you can do if you can control the Laws of Time.
But Meglos is way more interested in what the Dodecahedron can do for him. Admittedly, I can see why. Such a power source, along with the screens of Zolfa Thura, will enable him to hold the Universe at ransom. It's a pretty amazing power to wield.
One would think that Meglos isn't gunning for time travel because it's just not attainable for him. But, here's what makes him so cool: Within moments of taking over that poor, hapless human that the Gaztaks kidnapped, he walks over to a nearby console and starts working equipment that enables him to trap the Doctor and Romana in a time loop. Basically, this guy has time travel abilities, already - but he doesn't really care much about it. The Dodecahedron is still his real focus. He seems to have figured out time travel stuff ages ago. He's mastered it so much that it's just a control panel or two in a disregarded corner of his workshop. To me, that gives him way more street cred than other villains/monsters that are out there.
TRAIT #2 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE'S LEGITIMATELY FALLIBLE
Like most great Sci-Fi Villains, Meglos is endlessly paranoid. He always needs to feel like he's one step ahead of everyone else. When he first meets the Gaztaks, he knows they will try to betray him. They're Gaztaks - it's what they do! So he shows that he is on to them by locking them into his lab with him for all eternity unless they obey his instructions. After revealing his suspicion of them, he thinks everything will be fine with his new-found allies.
I love the fact that he's wrong and ends up according more trust to General Grugger than he should have. At the most opportune moment, Meglos is betrayed. He was too confident in his display of power during Episode One and let his guard down further than he should have. I'm not sure why, but I really do enjoy the fact that he's capable of making such a fundamental mistake when it comes to dealing with people. He's not quite the paranoid maniac that he should be - and I think that gives him an interesting edge to his character. It makes him distinctive from so many other stereotypical villains who would've never trusted those Gaztaks further than they could throw them.
TRAIT # 3 THAT MAKE ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE TRANSCENDS THROUGH SO MANY DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIONS
This is probably the trait I like the most about him.
By the time we reach the end of the story, Meglos has been portrayed by two actors (Tom Baker and Christopher Owen), a voice artist (Crawford Logan), and two props (a cactus and a slimy thing that crawls across the floor). Because he's a disembodied intelligence, he's very abstract. Yet, somehow, the character persists through all of his various representations.
Ironically, he's on his shakiest ground when Tom Baker is portraying the character. It seems that, as usual, Tom wants to play the role for laughs. But, for the most part, he keeps Meglos pretty straight. Even when he's covered in cactus spikes, he resists the urge to consciously make the visual look silly. It's almost as if Tom knows this is an awesome villain and doesn't want to wreck it (mind you, it's entirely possible that he had all kinds of fights with the production team who were yelling at him to behave - that did happen a fair amount during Season 18!).
I adore the fact that Meglos gets channeled through so many people and objects but his spirit seems to remain consistent in all of them. He's a fanatical maniac who trusts the wrong people a little more than he should. Whether he's parading around as the Doctor or a cactus or the various stages in between - this is always conveyed effectively.
TRAIT #4 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE HAS THE COOLEST CATCHPHRASE!
Forget "Fantastic!" or "Geronimo!". "Reverse the polarity" or "When I say run, run!" might be a bit cool, but not cool enough. Even the Sixth Doctor's way of repeating a single word in an outraged manner doesn't quite measure up to Meglos' catchphrase:
"I am Meglos! Only survivor of my planet!"
I love how proud he sounds when he proclaims it. Like he worked his ass off to survive and you better respect him for it. Like no one else deserved to survive but him. So much undertone seems to go into its delivery.
I also love the variation he puts into it. Those aren't his exact words every time. He might say: "I am Meglos! Last Zolfa Thuran!"or other things like that. It's nice that he mixes it up for us.
Okay, maybe the Doctor's catchphrases are a bit better - but not much! It really is a fun catchphrase. For quite some time, whenever there was a lull in the conversation among my geek friends, one of us would suddenly blurt out: "I am Meglos! Only survivor of my planet!!". We all loved the catchphrase and it would always make us laugh. The breaking of the tension would get us to find a new topic to rant about and the conversation would continue. That's how much we appreciated Meglos' proclamation!
TRAIT #5 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE'S VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE
As we hurtle towards the somewhat rushed ending of Episode Four, the human Meglos has been inhabiting, at last, breaks free of his will. This should be it for our last Zolfa Thuran, right? He's got nowhere else to go.
Instead, he scampers away on the floor as a plastic blob with a post-production effect over him. The Doctor explains he's converted himself into a lower light wave or something to that effect. "That would mean he's nearly indestructible!" Romana gasps.
Fan fiction has not only picked up on that statement, but there's an issue of Doctor Who Magazine that claims that a rough draft of The Lodger contained the triumphant return of Meglos (this was removed in later drafts). Just like Tobias Vaughn in my last post, this is a villain we love too much to truly let die. I, for one, would love to see him make a return appearance on the show. As much as it would behoove me to remove him from here, I'm sure he would rank quite highly on my two-time-only villain list.
Sil would probably still beat him. But, let's be honest, Sil is pretty damned awesome!
That's it for fave one-time-villains. Sorry folks like Doctor Solon or Harrison Chase didn't show up, here. But then, if you've read even a few of these, you'd know they probably weren't going to!
Here are the rest on the List:
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_28.html
Third Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Second Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_23.html
Enjoy my lists? Here's my Top Five Guilty Pleasures:
Fifth:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures.html
Fourth:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures_11.html
Third:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-five-guilty-pleasures.html
Second:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures_21.html
First:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-guilty-pleasure-1.html
WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?!
There are any number of One Timers who have dazzled us over the years in both the Classic and New Series. I've mentioned a few of them, already, as I constructed this list. As much as I've admired their performances like so many other fans have, my choice for all-time fave is not one any of you probably suspected.
By no stretch of the imagination can we label the Season 18 story Meglos a Classic. I find it to be a half-decent story with a few fun little moments to sustain it for four episodes. Some disagree with even that and think the story is just plain awful. But, as mediocre (or even bad) as the story may be, it has a single brilliant jewel in its crown: the titular character is absolutely wonderful!
One of the things that embarrasses me the most about my Meglos Passion is that I can't, for the life of me, pinpoint why I love him so much. There are any number of really cool things about him but none of them are quite enough to truly make him the best one-time-only villain in History. I'm guessing that it is a combination of all these traits that, ultimately, puts him over the top.
Just to be concise and organized, let's take the trouble to list a few of the more prominent aspects of the character that make him better than any other one-time-only villain:
TRAIT #1 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE DOESN'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL
For most other villains and/or monsters in the series (recurring or single appearance), acquiring the ability to cross the fourth dimension is their ultimate dream. And it makes sense that they want it so badly. There's so much you can do if you can control the Laws of Time.
But Meglos is way more interested in what the Dodecahedron can do for him. Admittedly, I can see why. Such a power source, along with the screens of Zolfa Thura, will enable him to hold the Universe at ransom. It's a pretty amazing power to wield.
One would think that Meglos isn't gunning for time travel because it's just not attainable for him. But, here's what makes him so cool: Within moments of taking over that poor, hapless human that the Gaztaks kidnapped, he walks over to a nearby console and starts working equipment that enables him to trap the Doctor and Romana in a time loop. Basically, this guy has time travel abilities, already - but he doesn't really care much about it. The Dodecahedron is still his real focus. He seems to have figured out time travel stuff ages ago. He's mastered it so much that it's just a control panel or two in a disregarded corner of his workshop. To me, that gives him way more street cred than other villains/monsters that are out there.
TRAIT #2 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE'S LEGITIMATELY FALLIBLE
Like most great Sci-Fi Villains, Meglos is endlessly paranoid. He always needs to feel like he's one step ahead of everyone else. When he first meets the Gaztaks, he knows they will try to betray him. They're Gaztaks - it's what they do! So he shows that he is on to them by locking them into his lab with him for all eternity unless they obey his instructions. After revealing his suspicion of them, he thinks everything will be fine with his new-found allies.
I love the fact that he's wrong and ends up according more trust to General Grugger than he should have. At the most opportune moment, Meglos is betrayed. He was too confident in his display of power during Episode One and let his guard down further than he should have. I'm not sure why, but I really do enjoy the fact that he's capable of making such a fundamental mistake when it comes to dealing with people. He's not quite the paranoid maniac that he should be - and I think that gives him an interesting edge to his character. It makes him distinctive from so many other stereotypical villains who would've never trusted those Gaztaks further than they could throw them.
TRAIT # 3 THAT MAKE ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE TRANSCENDS THROUGH SO MANY DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIONS
This is probably the trait I like the most about him.
By the time we reach the end of the story, Meglos has been portrayed by two actors (Tom Baker and Christopher Owen), a voice artist (Crawford Logan), and two props (a cactus and a slimy thing that crawls across the floor). Because he's a disembodied intelligence, he's very abstract. Yet, somehow, the character persists through all of his various representations.
Ironically, he's on his shakiest ground when Tom Baker is portraying the character. It seems that, as usual, Tom wants to play the role for laughs. But, for the most part, he keeps Meglos pretty straight. Even when he's covered in cactus spikes, he resists the urge to consciously make the visual look silly. It's almost as if Tom knows this is an awesome villain and doesn't want to wreck it (mind you, it's entirely possible that he had all kinds of fights with the production team who were yelling at him to behave - that did happen a fair amount during Season 18!).
I adore the fact that Meglos gets channeled through so many people and objects but his spirit seems to remain consistent in all of them. He's a fanatical maniac who trusts the wrong people a little more than he should. Whether he's parading around as the Doctor or a cactus or the various stages in between - this is always conveyed effectively.
TRAIT #4 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE HAS THE COOLEST CATCHPHRASE!
Forget "Fantastic!" or "Geronimo!". "Reverse the polarity" or "When I say run, run!" might be a bit cool, but not cool enough. Even the Sixth Doctor's way of repeating a single word in an outraged manner doesn't quite measure up to Meglos' catchphrase:
"I am Meglos! Only survivor of my planet!"
I love how proud he sounds when he proclaims it. Like he worked his ass off to survive and you better respect him for it. Like no one else deserved to survive but him. So much undertone seems to go into its delivery.
I also love the variation he puts into it. Those aren't his exact words every time. He might say: "I am Meglos! Last Zolfa Thuran!"or other things like that. It's nice that he mixes it up for us.
Okay, maybe the Doctor's catchphrases are a bit better - but not much! It really is a fun catchphrase. For quite some time, whenever there was a lull in the conversation among my geek friends, one of us would suddenly blurt out: "I am Meglos! Only survivor of my planet!!". We all loved the catchphrase and it would always make us laugh. The breaking of the tension would get us to find a new topic to rant about and the conversation would continue. That's how much we appreciated Meglos' proclamation!
TRAIT #5 THAT MAKES ME LOVE MEGLOS SO MUCH:
HE'S VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE
As we hurtle towards the somewhat rushed ending of Episode Four, the human Meglos has been inhabiting, at last, breaks free of his will. This should be it for our last Zolfa Thuran, right? He's got nowhere else to go.
Instead, he scampers away on the floor as a plastic blob with a post-production effect over him. The Doctor explains he's converted himself into a lower light wave or something to that effect. "That would mean he's nearly indestructible!" Romana gasps.
Fan fiction has not only picked up on that statement, but there's an issue of Doctor Who Magazine that claims that a rough draft of The Lodger contained the triumphant return of Meglos (this was removed in later drafts). Just like Tobias Vaughn in my last post, this is a villain we love too much to truly let die. I, for one, would love to see him make a return appearance on the show. As much as it would behoove me to remove him from here, I'm sure he would rank quite highly on my two-time-only villain list.
Sil would probably still beat him. But, let's be honest, Sil is pretty damned awesome!
That's it for fave one-time-villains. Sorry folks like Doctor Solon or Harrison Chase didn't show up, here. But then, if you've read even a few of these, you'd know they probably weren't going to!
Here are the rest on the List:
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_28.html
Third Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Second Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_23.html
Enjoy my lists? Here's my Top Five Guilty Pleasures:
Fifth:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures.html
Fourth:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures_11.html
Third:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-five-guilty-pleasures.html
Second:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures_21.html
First:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-guilty-pleasure-1.html
Monday, 23 April 2018
BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 ONE-TIME-ONLY VILLAINS - PART 4
We're getting close to the winner, now. You can see that I have been making some unusual choices. This one, however, is a bit more conventional....
A SUPER OLD SCHOOL VILLAIN
Kevin Stoney's one-time-only villain contributions to Doctor Who in the 60s, to me, are near-legendary. He just had such great presence with both portrayals. He seems to stand out so much more than anyone else that got to play a bad guy during that era. Truthfully, if you're willing to watch his performance contextually, he beats most actors who have played an antagonist on the show.
Just like Morgaine and Helen A in my last entry, it was difficult to choose which of Stoney's two characters I prefer. Mavic Chen is a delightful little megalomaniac as he tries to beat the Daleks at their own game during The Dalek Masterplan. But, for some reason, I like Tobias Vaughn just that little bit better. I'm not entirely sure why. It could be the simple reason that there exists more footage of the story. Which, in turn, gives me a stronger impression of the portrayal. I hate that it might be as petty as something like that - but it's entirely possible!
I think it might also be that Tobias Vaughn feels that little bit more accessible. Dalek Masterplan is a bit of a space opera. Chen is from the far-flung future - which makes it a bit harder to connect with him. Whereas Vaughn was meant to be more contemporary. Both are complete madmen, of course. Which means, in their own way, both are pretty remote (if you do find them relatable, it may be time for some therapy!). But a power-crazed maniac running a multi-million dollar corporation in the late 60s (possibly early 70s) is someone I can identify with just that little bit better than a sinister politician from the 40th Century. Which might be one more reason for Vaughn to win out over Chen.
Whatever the case, it was a very close race. But, in the end, Vaughn wins.
I think one of the things I adore most about Stoney's performances are the unusual choices he makes. If I may dare dwell on Chen that little bit longer, I love the weird way Stoney holds writing utensils when he's playing him (apparently, in the 40th Century we still write things by hand - and we do it in a very unusual fashion!). He makes another strange choice with Vaughn. Throughout most of his performance, he closes one eye just a little bit more than the other. It gives him a sort of perpetual sneer that gets him to come across that little bit more arrogant and unlikeable. While on the topic of his eyes, I also love that Stoney remembers what the script said about him in Episode 1 and resists blinking as much as possible.
It's these little things that Stoney puts into his performance that really make him rise above the rest. He is obviously someone who puts a lot of thought into his craft and it pays off. Vaughn could have been a very run-of-the-mill Pawn of the Cybermen Greedy Bastard, but he gives so much consideration to the crafting of the character that we have a hard time not completely falling in love with his villainy.
Beyond Stoney's performance, compliments must also go to the writing. Some interesting twists are put on the character that were right in the script. Vaughn's sense of humor is one of the more interesting nuances. Like most sadists, he's in a state of glee as he inflicts pain on people - that's nothing new for a character of his nature. But I'm really intrigued by how he reacts to Zoe ruining his receptionist computer. Most megalomaniacs would be outraged by such a gesture but Tobias is amused. Having a villain who zigs during moments when we expected him to zag is a good move when you've got to stretch him over eight episodes. Things could have gotten boring very quickly with him if the writer hadn't put in these little tricks.
Some complain of Packer, of course. Why would anyone put a person so neurotic and even a bit incompetent in charge of their security? I say Packer makes perfect sense for a personality like Vaughn. He needed a whipping boy. Someone who could still, for the most part, do a decent job but would stumble up just enough for Vaughn to give him regular tongue-lashings. To me, Packer was exactly what Vaughn's distorted ego required.
There are a few specifics moments that come together beautifully in The Invasion for Vaughn. The first is when he taunts Professor Watkins to shoot him. After administering torture so sadistic that even one of the torturers becomes a victim, he grants the professor his greatest wish. Stoney plays this moment to perfection. His rage is thoroughly convincing as he yells at Watkins to shoot him. The smile on his face as we see that even bullets can't harm his enormous ego is truly chilling.
But my favorite Vaughn moment happens at the beginning of Episode Eight. Although it is probably done more for the sake of padding things out, Vaughn gets this great speech where the Doctor gradually wins him over. We get a gorgeous look inside his thought process and see the full extent of his selfish pride. While anyone else would strive to survive, Vaughn sees little point in saving a world that will convict him for endangering it. But then, slowly but surely, he decides to join the Doctor. Not to see justice done or to save humanity. But because the Cybermen wrecked his plans and he wants to punish them for it. He makes the vaguest attempt to gain pathos as he laments over his crushed dreams. Stoney is truly masterful as he brings Vaughn close to tears in the delivery of that speech. How can we resist him, really?
During those sad Wilderness Years, a New Adventures novel was written that shows that Vaughn managed to survive when the Cybermen shot him. I can't blame the fan who wrote it. Tobias Vaughn is a one-time-only villain that was so good, you don't want to think he'll die. Ever.
Stay tuned for our first-place winner. Who will it be?
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_28.html
Third Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
A SUPER OLD SCHOOL VILLAIN
Kevin Stoney's one-time-only villain contributions to Doctor Who in the 60s, to me, are near-legendary. He just had such great presence with both portrayals. He seems to stand out so much more than anyone else that got to play a bad guy during that era. Truthfully, if you're willing to watch his performance contextually, he beats most actors who have played an antagonist on the show.
Just like Morgaine and Helen A in my last entry, it was difficult to choose which of Stoney's two characters I prefer. Mavic Chen is a delightful little megalomaniac as he tries to beat the Daleks at their own game during The Dalek Masterplan. But, for some reason, I like Tobias Vaughn just that little bit better. I'm not entirely sure why. It could be the simple reason that there exists more footage of the story. Which, in turn, gives me a stronger impression of the portrayal. I hate that it might be as petty as something like that - but it's entirely possible!
I think it might also be that Tobias Vaughn feels that little bit more accessible. Dalek Masterplan is a bit of a space opera. Chen is from the far-flung future - which makes it a bit harder to connect with him. Whereas Vaughn was meant to be more contemporary. Both are complete madmen, of course. Which means, in their own way, both are pretty remote (if you do find them relatable, it may be time for some therapy!). But a power-crazed maniac running a multi-million dollar corporation in the late 60s (possibly early 70s) is someone I can identify with just that little bit better than a sinister politician from the 40th Century. Which might be one more reason for Vaughn to win out over Chen.
Whatever the case, it was a very close race. But, in the end, Vaughn wins.
I think one of the things I adore most about Stoney's performances are the unusual choices he makes. If I may dare dwell on Chen that little bit longer, I love the weird way Stoney holds writing utensils when he's playing him (apparently, in the 40th Century we still write things by hand - and we do it in a very unusual fashion!). He makes another strange choice with Vaughn. Throughout most of his performance, he closes one eye just a little bit more than the other. It gives him a sort of perpetual sneer that gets him to come across that little bit more arrogant and unlikeable. While on the topic of his eyes, I also love that Stoney remembers what the script said about him in Episode 1 and resists blinking as much as possible.
It's these little things that Stoney puts into his performance that really make him rise above the rest. He is obviously someone who puts a lot of thought into his craft and it pays off. Vaughn could have been a very run-of-the-mill Pawn of the Cybermen Greedy Bastard, but he gives so much consideration to the crafting of the character that we have a hard time not completely falling in love with his villainy.
Beyond Stoney's performance, compliments must also go to the writing. Some interesting twists are put on the character that were right in the script. Vaughn's sense of humor is one of the more interesting nuances. Like most sadists, he's in a state of glee as he inflicts pain on people - that's nothing new for a character of his nature. But I'm really intrigued by how he reacts to Zoe ruining his receptionist computer. Most megalomaniacs would be outraged by such a gesture but Tobias is amused. Having a villain who zigs during moments when we expected him to zag is a good move when you've got to stretch him over eight episodes. Things could have gotten boring very quickly with him if the writer hadn't put in these little tricks.
Some complain of Packer, of course. Why would anyone put a person so neurotic and even a bit incompetent in charge of their security? I say Packer makes perfect sense for a personality like Vaughn. He needed a whipping boy. Someone who could still, for the most part, do a decent job but would stumble up just enough for Vaughn to give him regular tongue-lashings. To me, Packer was exactly what Vaughn's distorted ego required.
There are a few specifics moments that come together beautifully in The Invasion for Vaughn. The first is when he taunts Professor Watkins to shoot him. After administering torture so sadistic that even one of the torturers becomes a victim, he grants the professor his greatest wish. Stoney plays this moment to perfection. His rage is thoroughly convincing as he yells at Watkins to shoot him. The smile on his face as we see that even bullets can't harm his enormous ego is truly chilling.
But my favorite Vaughn moment happens at the beginning of Episode Eight. Although it is probably done more for the sake of padding things out, Vaughn gets this great speech where the Doctor gradually wins him over. We get a gorgeous look inside his thought process and see the full extent of his selfish pride. While anyone else would strive to survive, Vaughn sees little point in saving a world that will convict him for endangering it. But then, slowly but surely, he decides to join the Doctor. Not to see justice done or to save humanity. But because the Cybermen wrecked his plans and he wants to punish them for it. He makes the vaguest attempt to gain pathos as he laments over his crushed dreams. Stoney is truly masterful as he brings Vaughn close to tears in the delivery of that speech. How can we resist him, really?
During those sad Wilderness Years, a New Adventures novel was written that shows that Vaughn managed to survive when the Cybermen shot him. I can't blame the fan who wrote it. Tobias Vaughn is a one-time-only villain that was so good, you don't want to think he'll die. Ever.
Stay tuned for our first-place winner. Who will it be?
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_28.html
Third Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Thursday, 12 April 2018
BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 ONE-TIME-ONLY VILLAINS - PART 3
The countdown continues.....
A FEMALE VILLAIN (OR, I GUESS, A VILLAINESS)
As we continue down the list, I find myself wanting to express my love for a villain of the female persuasion. Before some of you start trying to accuse me of just trying to be a Social Justice Warrior or something of that sort (that's been going around a lot, lately, in fandom!), I did not place her here strictly because she's a woman and we need to increase villainess awareness or something like that. I really do think that, out of all the one-time-only baddies to grace the series, she is truly the third best. Gender has nothing to do with it.
It seemed most logical to pick a villainess from the Seventh Doctor era. He had the most enjoyable female enemies (although Eleven had some good ones, too). Perhaps, because his first battle was against the Rani, the writers seemed to like how he stood up to evil women. Even in stories like Silver Nemesis, where the plot wasn't as good as some of the other tales from that season - characters like Lady Peinforte could still make things that much more fun. She's not the winner of this particular award, by the way. Neither is Morgaine from Battlefield. Although, she came quite close...
When it was first transmitted, Happiness Patrol was, very much, considered a vote-splitter among fandom. You either loved it for its bravery or hated it for its camp sensibilities. There seemed to be no in-between. Over the years, negative opinion regarding the story seems to have mellowed. There's still a segment of fandom that will eternally hate it, but most people now seem to see it for the work of brilliance that it truly is.
Helen A is, without a doubt, one of the key things that makes Happiness Patrol so awesome. She is a blatant parody of Margeret Thatcher, yes. But I love that they didn't just stop there. She would've been so two dimensional if they had. But, instead, they went so much further with the character.
Probably what I love most about Helen A is that she never does any of her own dirty work. She has a team of people who are eager to please her that will perform all those morbid forms of execution on her behalf. That, to me, is a villain with real power. She just sits in her office and puts on this pretense of domestic bliss while the real evil is executed through delegation. It's a great trait to give a baddie. Particularly when so many other villains in the series love to directly administer the pain to their victims. Helen A is far more inclined to just watch and enjoy while minions take care of the blood-spilling for her. Just like Sil, that sense of perversity at enjoying the pain of others from a safe distance makes her that much more unsettling.
Much praise must also go to Sheila Hancock. With her garish business suit, white clown-face makeup and silly wig, one would expect her to go ridiculously over-the-top with everything. Her character both looks and is quite ludicrous. And yet, somehow, she gets us to believe in her. She keeps her performance on the right side of sincerity so that we are able to feel for her as she reaches her undoing.
The fall of Helen A is what truly wins her this title. I'm always impressed when a writer comes up with a better solution to the story than to just kill off the baddie in the final episode. Helen A's defeat is, easily, the most creative of all resolutions. The confrontation between her and Seven as she tries to slip away in a shuttle is one of the best hero/villain face-offs in the history of the show (how cool is it when Sylvester produces a coin from nowhere and professes: "Two sides - one coin!") We really don't know where things are going to go with these two. To all intents and purposes, it really looks like Helen A is going to make it aboard that shuttle with just a stern lecture from the Doctor.
And then they drop Fifi on us. Fifi, who we thought was just a side-story to create more peril and make Helen A seem more twisted and bizarre, had a higher purpose, after all. As Helen A kneels before the dying Stigorax and bawls - we can't help but marvel at the brilliance of the moment. Helen A has truly lost. There could be no worse way to punish her.
What could have been just a cheap political satire becomes one of the best-layered one-time-only villains in all of Doctor Who. Helen A is not only a great villainess, but she beats most of the one-time-only boy baddies that have tried butt heads with our favorite Time Lord throughout the years.
I adore her.
We'll keep the countdown rollin'.....
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_28.html
A FEMALE VILLAIN (OR, I GUESS, A VILLAINESS)
As we continue down the list, I find myself wanting to express my love for a villain of the female persuasion. Before some of you start trying to accuse me of just trying to be a Social Justice Warrior or something of that sort (that's been going around a lot, lately, in fandom!), I did not place her here strictly because she's a woman and we need to increase villainess awareness or something like that. I really do think that, out of all the one-time-only baddies to grace the series, she is truly the third best. Gender has nothing to do with it.
It seemed most logical to pick a villainess from the Seventh Doctor era. He had the most enjoyable female enemies (although Eleven had some good ones, too). Perhaps, because his first battle was against the Rani, the writers seemed to like how he stood up to evil women. Even in stories like Silver Nemesis, where the plot wasn't as good as some of the other tales from that season - characters like Lady Peinforte could still make things that much more fun. She's not the winner of this particular award, by the way. Neither is Morgaine from Battlefield. Although, she came quite close...
When it was first transmitted, Happiness Patrol was, very much, considered a vote-splitter among fandom. You either loved it for its bravery or hated it for its camp sensibilities. There seemed to be no in-between. Over the years, negative opinion regarding the story seems to have mellowed. There's still a segment of fandom that will eternally hate it, but most people now seem to see it for the work of brilliance that it truly is.
Helen A is, without a doubt, one of the key things that makes Happiness Patrol so awesome. She is a blatant parody of Margeret Thatcher, yes. But I love that they didn't just stop there. She would've been so two dimensional if they had. But, instead, they went so much further with the character.
Probably what I love most about Helen A is that she never does any of her own dirty work. She has a team of people who are eager to please her that will perform all those morbid forms of execution on her behalf. That, to me, is a villain with real power. She just sits in her office and puts on this pretense of domestic bliss while the real evil is executed through delegation. It's a great trait to give a baddie. Particularly when so many other villains in the series love to directly administer the pain to their victims. Helen A is far more inclined to just watch and enjoy while minions take care of the blood-spilling for her. Just like Sil, that sense of perversity at enjoying the pain of others from a safe distance makes her that much more unsettling.
Much praise must also go to Sheila Hancock. With her garish business suit, white clown-face makeup and silly wig, one would expect her to go ridiculously over-the-top with everything. Her character both looks and is quite ludicrous. And yet, somehow, she gets us to believe in her. She keeps her performance on the right side of sincerity so that we are able to feel for her as she reaches her undoing.
The fall of Helen A is what truly wins her this title. I'm always impressed when a writer comes up with a better solution to the story than to just kill off the baddie in the final episode. Helen A's defeat is, easily, the most creative of all resolutions. The confrontation between her and Seven as she tries to slip away in a shuttle is one of the best hero/villain face-offs in the history of the show (how cool is it when Sylvester produces a coin from nowhere and professes: "Two sides - one coin!") We really don't know where things are going to go with these two. To all intents and purposes, it really looks like Helen A is going to make it aboard that shuttle with just a stern lecture from the Doctor.
And then they drop Fifi on us. Fifi, who we thought was just a side-story to create more peril and make Helen A seem more twisted and bizarre, had a higher purpose, after all. As Helen A kneels before the dying Stigorax and bawls - we can't help but marvel at the brilliance of the moment. Helen A has truly lost. There could be no worse way to punish her.
What could have been just a cheap political satire becomes one of the best-layered one-time-only villains in all of Doctor Who. Helen A is not only a great villainess, but she beats most of the one-time-only boy baddies that have tried butt heads with our favorite Time Lord throughout the years.
I adore her.
We'll keep the countdown rollin'.....
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_28.html
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 ONE-TIME-ONLY VILLAINS - PART 2
.... And we roll on with one-time-only villains ....
PART 2: A "CLUNKER" BADDIE
Doctor Who has been running for so long and has produced so many episodes that it's a simple law-of-averages that it's going to, occasionally, offer up something less-than-stellar. Given some of the comments I see in fan groups, I wonder, sometimes, if there are any stories certain fans are happy with! I find, at least, that even when the show misfires - it still gives us something that's a lot better than most of the stuff that's out there in Television Land.
Creature from the Pit might be the one exception to the rule. That really is just a horrible story that, maybe, we need to all forget. Particularly if you're Jewish!!
What saddens me most about stories that "get it wrong" is that they can have really good elements to them that we overlook. We're so disconcerted by the overall failure of it that we miss some of its successes. My fourth favorite one-time-only baddie is a great example of this.
I've said quite a bit about Timelash during the "Guilty Pleasure" countdown I did a while back (http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures_11.html). Labeling it a Guilty Pleasure, of course, is an acknowledgement that the story is seriously flawed. There are other stories from that era that get maligned like Twin Dilemma or Time and the Rani that I feel are not as bad as some people would have you believe. But Timelash is, most definitely a "clunker". Hidden within all that bad writing, abysmal effects and dodgy acting, however, is a gem of a one-time villain.
Don't worry. I'm not talking about Tekker!!
The Borad is a great villain because he has everything: cool weapons, a fun backstory and a sinister plan that wasn't quite what anyone expected. He's horribly disfigured but he'll tell you all about how that's actually made him better. Thanks to his mustakozene-80 accident, he is now a massive genius with a protracted lifespan. So what if it's given him an ugly face and a flipper?!
He wasn't lying about that genius thing either. I count, at least, three branches of science that he excels at (temporal physics, genetics and android technology). He kinda puts Davros to shame, really. He just built travel machines for mutants - the Borad can do way more than that!
While there are a lot of problems with the plotting of Timelash, the way the Borad is introduced into the story through various "teases" was one of its strong points. We know that the old guy that looks like Salyavin can't really be the same person as the sinister character everyone is meeting in the Borad's private chambers. There's a mystery to be solved and it's a nice build up to his ultimate revelation when the Doctor visits him.
The explanation of his origins is also very well-handled. The central thrust of the story is that it is a sequel to an unseen Third Doctor adventure. The Borad ties into that quite nicely. He has a particular hatred for the Doctor because of the fact that he reported him to the authorities. That's always a nice extra layer to a megalomaniac. Plots of conquest are only so interesting. If there's something personal there, too - that makes the conflict even more enjoyable.
The Borad's Ultimate Sinister Plan is another really cool nuance to him. Sure, down the road, he might sweep out into the Universe and start taking it over. But, right now, he just wants a girlfriend. He's going to destroy all sentient life on a planet to achieve that - but that's still all he really wants. By this point in the show, villains that wanted to conquer the galaxy had become a dime a dozen. So someone with a slightly different agenda was a breath of fresh air. Yes, we could argue that another evildoer lusting for Peri might be tiresome. But, really, which one of us wasn't lusting for her?! Can we really blame them?!
Some compliments must also be paid to Robert Ashby, himself. He does a very good job working through all that heavy make-up to bring the character to life. The fact that he also does some nice stuff with a ridiculous-looking rubber flipper makes him an even more impressive actor. His deep, silky voice is probably his strongest point. Particularly since we do spend a lot of time just hearing the Borad rather than seeing him. It was a very solid piece of casting, that's for sure.
What I like best about the Borad, however, is his Achilles Tendon. He may brag up a storm about how great it is to be half-morlox - but we all know he's just compensating. He is mortified by the way he looks (and, as cheap as the story looks, the make-up department stepped up to the plate nicely with how they did him up). Some pretty obvious clues are on display to give away that he has self-image problems, but it's still a fun way to take down a foe. The Borad's surprise re-appearance at the end of the story only works so well. But when the Doctor shouts: "You obviously haven't read the writing on the wall!" and then smashes away the painting of Jon Pertwee to reveal the mirror underneath - it's still pretty cool. The allusion that he will become the Loch Ness Monster sends fandom foaming at the mouth, of course ("That's the Skarasen!") but I still love how the Borad is defeated. He's not actually killed - he's just sent to a place where people will doubt that he even exists. That's a far worse fate than the death for a creature of his ego.
Hate Timelash all you want. You have the right to. It's got a lot of problems. But, if you claim that the Borad was part of that problem, we may have to step outside...
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
PART 2: A "CLUNKER" BADDIE
Doctor Who has been running for so long and has produced so many episodes that it's a simple law-of-averages that it's going to, occasionally, offer up something less-than-stellar. Given some of the comments I see in fan groups, I wonder, sometimes, if there are any stories certain fans are happy with! I find, at least, that even when the show misfires - it still gives us something that's a lot better than most of the stuff that's out there in Television Land.
Creature from the Pit might be the one exception to the rule. That really is just a horrible story that, maybe, we need to all forget. Particularly if you're Jewish!!
What saddens me most about stories that "get it wrong" is that they can have really good elements to them that we overlook. We're so disconcerted by the overall failure of it that we miss some of its successes. My fourth favorite one-time-only baddie is a great example of this.
I've said quite a bit about Timelash during the "Guilty Pleasure" countdown I did a while back (http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures_11.html). Labeling it a Guilty Pleasure, of course, is an acknowledgement that the story is seriously flawed. There are other stories from that era that get maligned like Twin Dilemma or Time and the Rani that I feel are not as bad as some people would have you believe. But Timelash is, most definitely a "clunker". Hidden within all that bad writing, abysmal effects and dodgy acting, however, is a gem of a one-time villain.
Don't worry. I'm not talking about Tekker!!
The Borad is a great villain because he has everything: cool weapons, a fun backstory and a sinister plan that wasn't quite what anyone expected. He's horribly disfigured but he'll tell you all about how that's actually made him better. Thanks to his mustakozene-80 accident, he is now a massive genius with a protracted lifespan. So what if it's given him an ugly face and a flipper?!
He wasn't lying about that genius thing either. I count, at least, three branches of science that he excels at (temporal physics, genetics and android technology). He kinda puts Davros to shame, really. He just built travel machines for mutants - the Borad can do way more than that!
While there are a lot of problems with the plotting of Timelash, the way the Borad is introduced into the story through various "teases" was one of its strong points. We know that the old guy that looks like Salyavin can't really be the same person as the sinister character everyone is meeting in the Borad's private chambers. There's a mystery to be solved and it's a nice build up to his ultimate revelation when the Doctor visits him.
The explanation of his origins is also very well-handled. The central thrust of the story is that it is a sequel to an unseen Third Doctor adventure. The Borad ties into that quite nicely. He has a particular hatred for the Doctor because of the fact that he reported him to the authorities. That's always a nice extra layer to a megalomaniac. Plots of conquest are only so interesting. If there's something personal there, too - that makes the conflict even more enjoyable.
The Borad's Ultimate Sinister Plan is another really cool nuance to him. Sure, down the road, he might sweep out into the Universe and start taking it over. But, right now, he just wants a girlfriend. He's going to destroy all sentient life on a planet to achieve that - but that's still all he really wants. By this point in the show, villains that wanted to conquer the galaxy had become a dime a dozen. So someone with a slightly different agenda was a breath of fresh air. Yes, we could argue that another evildoer lusting for Peri might be tiresome. But, really, which one of us wasn't lusting for her?! Can we really blame them?!
Some compliments must also be paid to Robert Ashby, himself. He does a very good job working through all that heavy make-up to bring the character to life. The fact that he also does some nice stuff with a ridiculous-looking rubber flipper makes him an even more impressive actor. His deep, silky voice is probably his strongest point. Particularly since we do spend a lot of time just hearing the Borad rather than seeing him. It was a very solid piece of casting, that's for sure.
What I like best about the Borad, however, is his Achilles Tendon. He may brag up a storm about how great it is to be half-morlox - but we all know he's just compensating. He is mortified by the way he looks (and, as cheap as the story looks, the make-up department stepped up to the plate nicely with how they did him up). Some pretty obvious clues are on display to give away that he has self-image problems, but it's still a fun way to take down a foe. The Borad's surprise re-appearance at the end of the story only works so well. But when the Doctor shouts: "You obviously haven't read the writing on the wall!" and then smashes away the painting of Jon Pertwee to reveal the mirror underneath - it's still pretty cool. The allusion that he will become the Loch Ness Monster sends fandom foaming at the mouth, of course ("That's the Skarasen!") but I still love how the Borad is defeated. He's not actually killed - he's just sent to a place where people will doubt that he even exists. That's a far worse fate than the death for a creature of his ego.
Hate Timelash all you want. You have the right to. It's got a lot of problems. But, if you claim that the Borad was part of that problem, we may have to step outside...
Fifth Place:
http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/03/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only.html
Thursday, 15 March 2018
BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 ONE-TIME-ONLY VILLAINS
Hey there, Mister Tymec! What's going on here?!
You're supposed to celebrating your blog's 3rd anniversary with another installment from that goofy Whocology 101 series of articles that you wrote for a fanzine all those years ago. You're meant to give us the third part. Where you freak over Adric dying. It's tradition that, every anniversary, you post a new episode from the series. So why are we seeing a BOOK OF LISTS headline, instead?
If anyone loves to buck tradition - it's me. Even if I created the tradition, myself. My end-of-year countdown that I do concerning an order of preference has become quite popular around here so I thought I'd do another one to celebrate the blog's anniversary. Besides, a BOOK OF LISTS entry shouldn't only be exclusive to New Year's. It's another tradition for me to break!
So, we'll start the countdown on the anniversary date and continue to do regular installments over the next little while. Until, at last, we find out who my all-time favorite one-time-appearance baddie is.
Good luck trying to guess who it might be.
The stipulations for this particular countdown are pretty simple. I'm looking at any bad guy (or girl) that has only been in the show once. Sure Doctor Who is populated with recurring enemies that have come back more times than we can count. There's even two-timers like Sil or Lady Cassandra who more-than-merited that second story. But, every once in a while, you get a baddie who was so well-written and portrayed that they earn a special place in a fan's heart. Many people, for instance, have a great love for Harrison Chase in the popular story Seeds of Doom. Admittedly, he was an interestingly-constructed character who was played with great relish by Tony Beckley. We adore it when he proclaims: "I could play all day in my Green Cathedral"!
Did Chase make it into my Top Five? You'll have to wait and see...
PART FIVE: A NEW WHO VILLAIN
Finding a one-time villain who stands out in the New Series can be a difficult task. The show moves very quickly, these days. And a good baddie needs the plot to slow down a bit for them to get some serious mustache-twirling accomplished. Most of the time, an actor just doesn't get the time to do that. The story is over before we really get a chance to appreciate their evil that much.
Some actors just happen to have so much presence that, even with the hasty plot, they can still get us to enjoy the character. Anthony Head in School Reunion is someone who quickly comes to mind. His portrayal of Mr. Finch is beautifully-measured and really stands out. His history as a character actor in another very popular Cult Show that had a strong influence on early New Who helps him. But even without his Buffy lineage, he does a very memorable turn as Mr. Finch. Particularly since this is only Series Two of New Who and the writing is still, kind of, all over the place. He's really able to grab the bull by the horns and make his character stand out among all the clutter.
Mr. Finch, however, doesn't quite win for best one-time villain from New Who. There is one actor who I find shows even greater gravitas and makes his portrayal that bit more distinctive.
Those five episodes that constitute the first half of Series 7 are definitely a mixed bag. I loved Asylum of the Daleks. I also felt The Angels Take Manhatten was quite strong. A Town Called Mercy and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship were middle-of-the-road for me. The Power of Three was, pretty much, 46 minutes of my life that I'll never get back!
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship might not have been as great if hadn't been elevated so much by the presence of David Bradley as Solomon. I'd seen Bradley in some other stuff, of course. For me, he was most memorable in his role as Walder Frey in Game of Thrones (I'm not a big Harry Potter fan so Argus Filch didn't do much for me). It helped that The Red Wedding sequence, itself, sticks out in your memory (and, quite possibly, resonates in your nightmares) but Bradley really does carry the character well. Even without that gory scene, he just seems to stand out in any role he takes.
For me, his street cred totally goes through the roof when he lands the role of William Hartnell in An Adventure in Time and Space. He becomes even cooler when he takes on the role of the First Doctor in Twice Upon a Time. But all that is still down the road for him when Dinosaurs on a Spaceship airs. Even though we don't know, yet, just how much cooler of a role he's going to get, Bradley still seems to really shine as Solomon. Just like Walder Frey before The Red Wedding - there's just something about the man's acting style that gets us to stand up and take notice of him.
The way in which Solomon is brought into the story is, perhaps, the best demonstration of Bradley's chops. We hear him first in voiceover as he is watching events from a monitor. This is a wonderfully sinister way to introduce a villain, yes. But if the person playing the baddie lacks strength of presence, it can all go quite bad. You haven't the bonus of facial reactions to help instill a tone - it all has to come through your voice. In Keeper of Traken, we are hearing Geoffrey Beevers carrying on quite a bit in this manner. But Beevers gets a lot of scenes like this to help create some good gravitas. In New Who, Bradley isn't given that sort of benefit. He has to accomplish the same task in scant amounts of time. And yet, he pulls it off.
When we actually see Solomon for the first time, Bradley is given an even greater challenge. His character has been severely wounded. Rule #1 of creating pathos for a character: Injure them. This is a great device for making someone likable in a story. But, let's remember: he's supposed to be the bad guy. We're supposed to be disliking him. This device is actually to his disadvantage. Good 'ole Bradley works through this handicap like a pro, though. Even in his pitiable state, we see clearly that he's bad news.
Fortunately, he does do something really unlikable fairly quickly by injuring Rory's Dad. Once he's accomplished this, there's no chance left for him to be anything but a rotten old bastard. As Solomon's health is restored, he becomes more and more fun to hate. His list of sins continue. We discover that he murdered all the Silurians on board the vessel. He, more or less, forces the Doctor at gunpoint to mend his wounds. Then he does something really unforgivable - he orders one of his bumbling robots to murder a sweet, innocent triceratops. Yes, he's committed genocide. But hurting animals - that will always get an audience to want to see you dead.
Just to put some icing on the cake, we find out Solomon is some kind of pervy sadist as he tries to escape the doomed ship with Queen Nefertiti. Those crutches that he's using that could have induced more pathos end up being weapons that he menaces her with. He's really ramping up the villainy, now.
It helps that Solomon is kept so simple, of course. In a nice streamlined plot that's meant to just be about thrills and spills - you don't want a complex antagonist. A ruthless merchant who will do anything for profit is exactly what the story needs. Because he's so basic, Bradley really can sink his teeth into the part and get us to properly despise him. It's especially impressive that we don't really meet him until we're nearly halfway into the story. In the twenty or so minutes of screentime that he actually gets, he cements the character beautifully.
Part of what makes Solomon so memorable is his method of dispatch. This is one of the few times in the show's history where the Doctor kills off his enemy in a very direct and merciless manner. But because we've come to hate him so much - we're pretty okay with it. Once more, a tribute to both the crafting of the character and Bradley's performance. Solomon really deserves what he gets. It's quite the classic moment as he calls out the Doctor's name angrily seconds before the missiles impact.
Even with the restrictions of a fast-paced plot, I find there's a vibe to Solomon that really puts him more into the category of a Classic Who villain. He just has a strong presence in the story and counterpoints the Doctor's heroism very effectively. He's rotten to the core and we love to watch him exhibit that. A lot of this is down to Bradley's talents, though. In a lesser pair of hands, Solomon wouldn't have succeeded half as well as he did. Instead, Bradley takes an almost too simple and gimmicky story and lifts it into something quite enjoyable.
That's Number Five down. See you again soon with a one-time baddie that is often obscured by the fact that his story is so heavily reviled. Hopefully, as you read what I have to say about him - you'll see him in a new light....
You're supposed to celebrating your blog's 3rd anniversary with another installment from that goofy Whocology 101 series of articles that you wrote for a fanzine all those years ago. You're meant to give us the third part. Where you freak over Adric dying. It's tradition that, every anniversary, you post a new episode from the series. So why are we seeing a BOOK OF LISTS headline, instead?
If anyone loves to buck tradition - it's me. Even if I created the tradition, myself. My end-of-year countdown that I do concerning an order of preference has become quite popular around here so I thought I'd do another one to celebrate the blog's anniversary. Besides, a BOOK OF LISTS entry shouldn't only be exclusive to New Year's. It's another tradition for me to break!
So, we'll start the countdown on the anniversary date and continue to do regular installments over the next little while. Until, at last, we find out who my all-time favorite one-time-appearance baddie is.
Good luck trying to guess who it might be.
The stipulations for this particular countdown are pretty simple. I'm looking at any bad guy (or girl) that has only been in the show once. Sure Doctor Who is populated with recurring enemies that have come back more times than we can count. There's even two-timers like Sil or Lady Cassandra who more-than-merited that second story. But, every once in a while, you get a baddie who was so well-written and portrayed that they earn a special place in a fan's heart. Many people, for instance, have a great love for Harrison Chase in the popular story Seeds of Doom. Admittedly, he was an interestingly-constructed character who was played with great relish by Tony Beckley. We adore it when he proclaims: "I could play all day in my Green Cathedral"!
Did Chase make it into my Top Five? You'll have to wait and see...
PART FIVE: A NEW WHO VILLAIN
Finding a one-time villain who stands out in the New Series can be a difficult task. The show moves very quickly, these days. And a good baddie needs the plot to slow down a bit for them to get some serious mustache-twirling accomplished. Most of the time, an actor just doesn't get the time to do that. The story is over before we really get a chance to appreciate their evil that much.
Some actors just happen to have so much presence that, even with the hasty plot, they can still get us to enjoy the character. Anthony Head in School Reunion is someone who quickly comes to mind. His portrayal of Mr. Finch is beautifully-measured and really stands out. His history as a character actor in another very popular Cult Show that had a strong influence on early New Who helps him. But even without his Buffy lineage, he does a very memorable turn as Mr. Finch. Particularly since this is only Series Two of New Who and the writing is still, kind of, all over the place. He's really able to grab the bull by the horns and make his character stand out among all the clutter.
Mr. Finch, however, doesn't quite win for best one-time villain from New Who. There is one actor who I find shows even greater gravitas and makes his portrayal that bit more distinctive.
Those five episodes that constitute the first half of Series 7 are definitely a mixed bag. I loved Asylum of the Daleks. I also felt The Angels Take Manhatten was quite strong. A Town Called Mercy and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship were middle-of-the-road for me. The Power of Three was, pretty much, 46 minutes of my life that I'll never get back!
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship might not have been as great if hadn't been elevated so much by the presence of David Bradley as Solomon. I'd seen Bradley in some other stuff, of course. For me, he was most memorable in his role as Walder Frey in Game of Thrones (I'm not a big Harry Potter fan so Argus Filch didn't do much for me). It helped that The Red Wedding sequence, itself, sticks out in your memory (and, quite possibly, resonates in your nightmares) but Bradley really does carry the character well. Even without that gory scene, he just seems to stand out in any role he takes.
For me, his street cred totally goes through the roof when he lands the role of William Hartnell in An Adventure in Time and Space. He becomes even cooler when he takes on the role of the First Doctor in Twice Upon a Time. But all that is still down the road for him when Dinosaurs on a Spaceship airs. Even though we don't know, yet, just how much cooler of a role he's going to get, Bradley still seems to really shine as Solomon. Just like Walder Frey before The Red Wedding - there's just something about the man's acting style that gets us to stand up and take notice of him.
The way in which Solomon is brought into the story is, perhaps, the best demonstration of Bradley's chops. We hear him first in voiceover as he is watching events from a monitor. This is a wonderfully sinister way to introduce a villain, yes. But if the person playing the baddie lacks strength of presence, it can all go quite bad. You haven't the bonus of facial reactions to help instill a tone - it all has to come through your voice. In Keeper of Traken, we are hearing Geoffrey Beevers carrying on quite a bit in this manner. But Beevers gets a lot of scenes like this to help create some good gravitas. In New Who, Bradley isn't given that sort of benefit. He has to accomplish the same task in scant amounts of time. And yet, he pulls it off.
When we actually see Solomon for the first time, Bradley is given an even greater challenge. His character has been severely wounded. Rule #1 of creating pathos for a character: Injure them. This is a great device for making someone likable in a story. But, let's remember: he's supposed to be the bad guy. We're supposed to be disliking him. This device is actually to his disadvantage. Good 'ole Bradley works through this handicap like a pro, though. Even in his pitiable state, we see clearly that he's bad news.
Fortunately, he does do something really unlikable fairly quickly by injuring Rory's Dad. Once he's accomplished this, there's no chance left for him to be anything but a rotten old bastard. As Solomon's health is restored, he becomes more and more fun to hate. His list of sins continue. We discover that he murdered all the Silurians on board the vessel. He, more or less, forces the Doctor at gunpoint to mend his wounds. Then he does something really unforgivable - he orders one of his bumbling robots to murder a sweet, innocent triceratops. Yes, he's committed genocide. But hurting animals - that will always get an audience to want to see you dead.
Just to put some icing on the cake, we find out Solomon is some kind of pervy sadist as he tries to escape the doomed ship with Queen Nefertiti. Those crutches that he's using that could have induced more pathos end up being weapons that he menaces her with. He's really ramping up the villainy, now.
It helps that Solomon is kept so simple, of course. In a nice streamlined plot that's meant to just be about thrills and spills - you don't want a complex antagonist. A ruthless merchant who will do anything for profit is exactly what the story needs. Because he's so basic, Bradley really can sink his teeth into the part and get us to properly despise him. It's especially impressive that we don't really meet him until we're nearly halfway into the story. In the twenty or so minutes of screentime that he actually gets, he cements the character beautifully.
Part of what makes Solomon so memorable is his method of dispatch. This is one of the few times in the show's history where the Doctor kills off his enemy in a very direct and merciless manner. But because we've come to hate him so much - we're pretty okay with it. Once more, a tribute to both the crafting of the character and Bradley's performance. Solomon really deserves what he gets. It's quite the classic moment as he calls out the Doctor's name angrily seconds before the missiles impact.
Even with the restrictions of a fast-paced plot, I find there's a vibe to Solomon that really puts him more into the category of a Classic Who villain. He just has a strong presence in the story and counterpoints the Doctor's heroism very effectively. He's rotten to the core and we love to watch him exhibit that. A lot of this is down to Bradley's talents, though. In a lesser pair of hands, Solomon wouldn't have succeeded half as well as he did. Instead, Bradley takes an almost too simple and gimmicky story and lifts it into something quite enjoyable.
That's Number Five down. See you again soon with a one-time baddie that is often obscured by the fact that his story is so heavily reviled. Hopefully, as you read what I have to say about him - you'll see him in a new light....
Saturday, 3 March 2018
SPECIAL GLOSSARY: THE MODELS OF CYBERMEN
Oh look! An actual entry with pictures!
As I was composing my History of the Cybermen series, I wanted to get into the various capabilities and special features of each model. I found my word-count was starting to get just a bit too high, though, so I decided to make it a special entry all on its own. Since it helps to see what the model looks like, I decided to go a bit crazy with attaching pictures to each category.
THE MANY MODELS AND BREEDS...
One of the things I love best about Cybermen is the fact that we get them in so many varied models. The regular change in aesthetics certainly keeps things interesting - but it's not just a questions of appearance.
Each model seems to come with different weapons and abilities. Some use cybermats. Some are governed by Cyber Planners or Cyber Leaders or even Cyber Controllers. There is a myriad of interesting details about each model. Here is my attempt at the definitive illustrated guide to the various Cybermen that inhabit our universe. Or, sometimes, breach our universe and try to invade it.
MARINUSIAN CYBERMEN (referenced in The Doctor Falls): Little is known about their capabilities. As mentioned in Part 1 of the Cyber History essay, we can't really go by anything we see in the actual comic strip. It is my belief that whatever happened on Marinus in the proper show, itself, might be similar to what we saw in the comics but is not exactly the same. So, unless, we see a proper story with Cybermen from Marinus (which I doubt we will - it would just be too convoluted to explain) we'll never know their exact specs.
MISSY'S CYBERMEN: (Dark Water, Death In Heaven) Like much of the Cybermen in New Who, this version possesses a charge of energy that it can release when it has physical contact with an opponent. The charge can kill or stun. It also has a projectile energy weapon built into the arm that can conceal itself when needed. Unlike most models, however, this race can fly. This branch of Cybermen can also "pollinate" by simply blowing itself up and having its base particles come into contact with dead organic flesh.
CYBUS CYBERMEN: (Rise of the Cybermen, Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, The Next Doctor, The Pandorica Opens) In Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, Lumic's creation only seems capable of carrying a charge that is released on physical contact. There seems no hint of a projectile weapon. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday show us Cybermen with arm-mounted projectile capability. In The Next Doctor, they've scaled back again to physical contact charges. During Pandorica Opens, we see them using an inbuilt charge, an arm gun and a lazer riffle.
This race also had a Cyber Controller for a brief period of time. Otherwise, they use Cyber Leaders. This is also the only time we've ever seen them use Cyber Shades. A sort of low-grade conversion that seems to have been performed on animals. Cyber Shades are very quick and agile. They can leap a considerable distance and can climb sheer walls. But their weapons capability is negligible. They seem to just pounce on their victims and hold them still until a proper Cyberman can show up and do real damage. Pandorica Cybermen also have a Cyber Leader who looks the same as the Doomsday Cyber Leader. But in The Next Doctor, the Cyber Leader has a funky-looking exposed brain helmet.
COLONY SHIP MONDASIAN CYBERMEN: (World Enough and Time, The Doctor Falls) The first completed models show similar capabilities as other New Who Cybermen: in-built charge released on contact (they seem to have to give their victims a full hug, though) and a projectile energy weapon. Like Revenge-style Cybermen, the projectile weapon fires through the head unit.
As they evolve, however, they also develop flight. Like Missy's Army, they use jets mounted in the soles of their boots. We also see them evolve into Cybus and Nightmare-Style models - which are also capable of flying. We see projectile weapon capability with these models but we can't be sure if they also had inbuilt charges. Most likely, they did.
INVASION CYBERMEN (SPACE-FARING - MAIN FLEET): (The Invasion - extremely brief cameos in The War Games and Carnival of Monsters) These space-faring Cybermen seemed to only rely on projectile weapons they fired from the top of their chest units. The weapon did not seem to be detachable, though. They also carried different styles of laser rifles.
This species are governed by Cyber-Planners.
PROPER MONDASIAN CYBERMEN: (The Tenth Planet, very briefly in Twice Upon A Time) While very similar to the Colony Ship Cybermen, there are enough differences in appearance to consider them their own proper model.
There is no post-production visual effect to help re-enforce it, but we do see this model using an inbuilt charge that is released on contact. They also use a somewhat bulky detachable projectile energy weapon that hangs from the bottom of their chest unit.
This is the only version of Cybermen that seemed to draw all their energy from their homeworld. Which meant that when Mondas died, they went with it. This is also the only version we've seen that was vulnerable to radiation.
SPACE-FARING CYBERMEN - VERSION 2: (The Moonbase, Tomb of the Cybermen) Though there are slight variations between Moonbase Cybermen and Tomb Cybermen, they are similar enough to call the same model. A good 500 years separates them so a few modifications can happen in that time.
This model shows a new weapon. They have an inbuilt charge that discharges from their hand but they don't need to actually touch the victim. The charge has a short range to it. They also use a pistol that is holstered at the bottom of their chest unit. We never see the Tomb Cybermen draw their weapons but it is there. They are operating at such low energy in that story that the guns probably aren't charged.
The Tomb Cybermen also seem capable of sending telepathic signals to subjects whose minds they are controlling. This might be a modification that was made to them during the 500 year gap that exists between these two versions of the same model since the Moonbase Cybermen don't display this ability.
The Tomb Cybermen use cybermats. They also have a Cyber Controller. From what we understand, he will convert into a Neomorph in a later story.
SPACE-FARING CYBERMEN - VERSION 3: (Wheel In Space) This particular branch has a lot of cool abilities. Some that we've never seen in other models. Like the Invasion Cybermen, they have projectile energy weapons mounted into the top part of their chest units. Like the Tomb Cybermen, they can send telepathic instructions to a subject that they're mentally controlling. But they can go one step further with this ability. They can even see images being projected in the imagination of the subject they're controlling.
They seem to have inbuilt charges with limited range that can operate on very delicate levels so that they can control electronic equipment without having to touch it (we can assume that same charge can be used as a weapon). But their coolest capability that no other model has ever displayed is the hypno-ray they can shoot from their head units. One blast from the ray instantly puts their target under their mental control. How friggin' cool is that?!
This breed follows the instructions of Cyber Planners. They also use cybermats. Even the cybermats have abilities that other cybermats don't. They can fire limited-range energy beams from their eyes.
Aesthetically, Neomorphs are my favorite. But this might be the most awesome model of them all. A pity they only got one story!
REVENGE CYBERMEN: (Revenge of the Cybermen) These Cybermen use a projectile energy weapon mounted in the head unit. They have a vulnerability to gold but it doesn't seem to be quite as pronounced as it is in the Neomorphs.
They made use of very bulky-looking Cybermats. A Cyber Leader seems to be their highest level of authority.
THE NEOMORPHS: (Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of the Cybermen, Silver Nemesis) Still the best looking model (in my opinion, at least). This model keeps things pretty simple. They just have really good laser rifles with convenient shoulder straps. Like the Revenge Cybermen, they're also allergic to gold.
They have quite the system of government, though. There is a Cyber Controller - who appears to get killed (again!). They also use Cyber Leaders, And, for the first time, Cyber Lieutenants.
They do appear to go through a slight upgrade in their later years.
CYBUS STYLE CYBERMEN: (Closing Time. Seen briefly in The Doctor Falls (early model). Cameos in A Good Man Goes to War and Nightmare In Silver) Much the same abilities as the Cybermen created by John Lumic - but no Cybus logo. We do see them using the in-built charge but we never witness the use of an arm-gun. Since the most screentime they have is in Closing Time, though, they might not be using that weapon because they are operating on low power. They are handling laser rifles during their cameo in A Good Man Goes to War. In that same scene, there is an Exposed Brain Cyber Leader.
These Cybermen also use cybermats.
NIGHTMARE STYLE CYBERMEN: (Nightmare In Silver, Time of the Doctor, Seen briefly in The Doctor Falls (early model). Nightmare Style Cybermen are also seen in Dark Water and Death In Heaven but are not the same breed) The capabilities this model shows in Nightmare In Silver may not extend much beyond this particular story since Hedgewick's World is destroyed and a lower grade Cyberman might get used in future stories featuring this model.
But in Nightmare In Silver, they are awesome. This is another model that shows abilities no other model has. They're almost as cool as the Wheel In Space Cybermen!
One of the first things we notice is how they are capable at exhibiting short bursts of incredible speed. It's almost like they can "warp" for brief moments. The other really impressive new skill is the way they automatically upgrade themselves' whenever a weakness presents itself so that the weakness can no longer be exploited. So what might kill one Cybermen won't kill the next. Or, in some cases, the Cybermen beats the weakness as it's being used against them.
Aside from that, we see the usual arm-mounted projectile weapon and the in-built charge that kills or stuns on contact. This model also seems to like to detach parts of itself to help in attacks. Again, this is something that may have only existed in Nightmare In Silver and has been phased out during later editions.
We must also, of course, mention the cybermites. The next stage in evolution for the cybermat. The cybermites don't attack in the way their predecessors did. Instead, they are used to facilitate the conversion process. Even if a human (or any form of organic matter) comes in contact with but a few cybermites, they will fall under cyber control and begin turning into a Cyberman.
This model also seems to be using a Cyber Planner again. We never, physically, see it. But it seems to transmit its thoughts through a neural net known as the Cyberiad.
There you go - I have thoroughly covered everything I could ever want to say about Cybermen. For the moment, at least...
All of Cyber-History:
Part 1:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of.html
Part 2:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_9.html
Part 3:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_13.html
Part 4:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_18.html
Part 5:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_27.html
As I was composing my History of the Cybermen series, I wanted to get into the various capabilities and special features of each model. I found my word-count was starting to get just a bit too high, though, so I decided to make it a special entry all on its own. Since it helps to see what the model looks like, I decided to go a bit crazy with attaching pictures to each category.
THE MANY MODELS AND BREEDS...
One of the things I love best about Cybermen is the fact that we get them in so many varied models. The regular change in aesthetics certainly keeps things interesting - but it's not just a questions of appearance.
Each model seems to come with different weapons and abilities. Some use cybermats. Some are governed by Cyber Planners or Cyber Leaders or even Cyber Controllers. There is a myriad of interesting details about each model. Here is my attempt at the definitive illustrated guide to the various Cybermen that inhabit our universe. Or, sometimes, breach our universe and try to invade it.
MARINUSIAN CYBERMEN (referenced in The Doctor Falls): Little is known about their capabilities. As mentioned in Part 1 of the Cyber History essay, we can't really go by anything we see in the actual comic strip. It is my belief that whatever happened on Marinus in the proper show, itself, might be similar to what we saw in the comics but is not exactly the same. So, unless, we see a proper story with Cybermen from Marinus (which I doubt we will - it would just be too convoluted to explain) we'll never know their exact specs.
(sorry, wanted to use a new pic - but this is still the clearest one I could find)
MISSY'S CYBERMEN: (Dark Water, Death In Heaven) Like much of the Cybermen in New Who, this version possesses a charge of energy that it can release when it has physical contact with an opponent. The charge can kill or stun. It also has a projectile energy weapon built into the arm that can conceal itself when needed. Unlike most models, however, this race can fly. This branch of Cybermen can also "pollinate" by simply blowing itself up and having its base particles come into contact with dead organic flesh.
CYBUS CYBERMEN: (Rise of the Cybermen, Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, The Next Doctor, The Pandorica Opens) In Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, Lumic's creation only seems capable of carrying a charge that is released on physical contact. There seems no hint of a projectile weapon. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday show us Cybermen with arm-mounted projectile capability. In The Next Doctor, they've scaled back again to physical contact charges. During Pandorica Opens, we see them using an inbuilt charge, an arm gun and a lazer riffle.
This race also had a Cyber Controller for a brief period of time. Otherwise, they use Cyber Leaders. This is also the only time we've ever seen them use Cyber Shades. A sort of low-grade conversion that seems to have been performed on animals. Cyber Shades are very quick and agile. They can leap a considerable distance and can climb sheer walls. But their weapons capability is negligible. They seem to just pounce on their victims and hold them still until a proper Cyberman can show up and do real damage. Pandorica Cybermen also have a Cyber Leader who looks the same as the Doomsday Cyber Leader. But in The Next Doctor, the Cyber Leader has a funky-looking exposed brain helmet.
Cybus Cyber Controller
Cybus Cyber Leader - Version 1
Cybus Cyber Leader - Version 2
Cyber Shades from The Next Doctor
COLONY SHIP MONDASIAN CYBERMEN: (World Enough and Time, The Doctor Falls) The first completed models show similar capabilities as other New Who Cybermen: in-built charge released on contact (they seem to have to give their victims a full hug, though) and a projectile energy weapon. Like Revenge-style Cybermen, the projectile weapon fires through the head unit.
As they evolve, however, they also develop flight. Like Missy's Army, they use jets mounted in the soles of their boots. We also see them evolve into Cybus and Nightmare-Style models - which are also capable of flying. We see projectile weapon capability with these models but we can't be sure if they also had inbuilt charges. Most likely, they did.
INVASION CYBERMEN (SPACE-FARING - MAIN FLEET): (The Invasion - extremely brief cameos in The War Games and Carnival of Monsters) These space-faring Cybermen seemed to only rely on projectile weapons they fired from the top of their chest units. The weapon did not seem to be detachable, though. They also carried different styles of laser rifles.
This species are governed by Cyber-Planners.
Cybermen from The Invasion - does this scene look familiar?
Cyber Planner from The Invasion
PROPER MONDASIAN CYBERMEN: (The Tenth Planet, very briefly in Twice Upon A Time) While very similar to the Colony Ship Cybermen, there are enough differences in appearance to consider them their own proper model.
There is no post-production visual effect to help re-enforce it, but we do see this model using an inbuilt charge that is released on contact. They also use a somewhat bulky detachable projectile energy weapon that hangs from the bottom of their chest unit.
This is the only version of Cybermen that seemed to draw all their energy from their homeworld. Which meant that when Mondas died, they went with it. This is also the only version we've seen that was vulnerable to radiation.
SPACE-FARING CYBERMEN - VERSION 2: (The Moonbase, Tomb of the Cybermen) Though there are slight variations between Moonbase Cybermen and Tomb Cybermen, they are similar enough to call the same model. A good 500 years separates them so a few modifications can happen in that time.
This model shows a new weapon. They have an inbuilt charge that discharges from their hand but they don't need to actually touch the victim. The charge has a short range to it. They also use a pistol that is holstered at the bottom of their chest unit. We never see the Tomb Cybermen draw their weapons but it is there. They are operating at such low energy in that story that the guns probably aren't charged.
The Tomb Cybermen also seem capable of sending telepathic signals to subjects whose minds they are controlling. This might be a modification that was made to them during the 500 year gap that exists between these two versions of the same model since the Moonbase Cybermen don't display this ability.
The Tomb Cybermen use cybermats. They also have a Cyber Controller. From what we understand, he will convert into a Neomorph in a later story.
Moonbase Cybermen
Tomb of the Cybermen. Slightly different wiring
The Cyber Controller
regular-sized cybermats
tiny cybermat - perhaps an early version of a cybermite?
SPACE-FARING CYBERMEN - VERSION 3: (Wheel In Space) This particular branch has a lot of cool abilities. Some that we've never seen in other models. Like the Invasion Cybermen, they have projectile energy weapons mounted into the top part of their chest units. Like the Tomb Cybermen, they can send telepathic instructions to a subject that they're mentally controlling. But they can go one step further with this ability. They can even see images being projected in the imagination of the subject they're controlling.
They seem to have inbuilt charges with limited range that can operate on very delicate levels so that they can control electronic equipment without having to touch it (we can assume that same charge can be used as a weapon). But their coolest capability that no other model has ever displayed is the hypno-ray they can shoot from their head units. One blast from the ray instantly puts their target under their mental control. How friggin' cool is that?!
This breed follows the instructions of Cyber Planners. They also use cybermats. Even the cybermats have abilities that other cybermats don't. They can fire limited-range energy beams from their eyes.
Aesthetically, Neomorphs are my favorite. But this might be the most awesome model of them all. A pity they only got one story!
Cyber Planner from Wheel In Space
A Cybermat from Wheel In Space - slightly different from Tomb. Check out those vicious dorsal fins!
REVENGE CYBERMEN: (Revenge of the Cybermen) These Cybermen use a projectile energy weapon mounted in the head unit. They have a vulnerability to gold but it doesn't seem to be quite as pronounced as it is in the Neomorphs.
They made use of very bulky-looking Cybermats. A Cyber Leader seems to be their highest level of authority.
Cybermen with their Cyber Leader in Revenge of the Cybermen
A cybermat from Revenge of the Cybermen
THE NEOMORPHS: (Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of the Cybermen, Silver Nemesis) Still the best looking model (in my opinion, at least). This model keeps things pretty simple. They just have really good laser rifles with convenient shoulder straps. Like the Revenge Cybermen, they're also allergic to gold.
They have quite the system of government, though. There is a Cyber Controller - who appears to get killed (again!). They also use Cyber Leaders, And, for the first time, Cyber Lieutenants.
They do appear to go through a slight upgrade in their later years.
Neomorph Cyber Controller
CYBUS STYLE CYBERMEN: (Closing Time. Seen briefly in The Doctor Falls (early model). Cameos in A Good Man Goes to War and Nightmare In Silver) Much the same abilities as the Cybermen created by John Lumic - but no Cybus logo. We do see them using the in-built charge but we never witness the use of an arm-gun. Since the most screentime they have is in Closing Time, though, they might not be using that weapon because they are operating on low power. They are handling laser rifles during their cameo in A Good Man Goes to War. In that same scene, there is an Exposed Brain Cyber Leader.
These Cybermen also use cybermats.
a cybermat from Closing Time
NIGHTMARE STYLE CYBERMEN: (Nightmare In Silver, Time of the Doctor, Seen briefly in The Doctor Falls (early model). Nightmare Style Cybermen are also seen in Dark Water and Death In Heaven but are not the same breed) The capabilities this model shows in Nightmare In Silver may not extend much beyond this particular story since Hedgewick's World is destroyed and a lower grade Cyberman might get used in future stories featuring this model.
But in Nightmare In Silver, they are awesome. This is another model that shows abilities no other model has. They're almost as cool as the Wheel In Space Cybermen!
One of the first things we notice is how they are capable at exhibiting short bursts of incredible speed. It's almost like they can "warp" for brief moments. The other really impressive new skill is the way they automatically upgrade themselves' whenever a weakness presents itself so that the weakness can no longer be exploited. So what might kill one Cybermen won't kill the next. Or, in some cases, the Cybermen beats the weakness as it's being used against them.
Aside from that, we see the usual arm-mounted projectile weapon and the in-built charge that kills or stuns on contact. This model also seems to like to detach parts of itself to help in attacks. Again, this is something that may have only existed in Nightmare In Silver and has been phased out during later editions.
We must also, of course, mention the cybermites. The next stage in evolution for the cybermat. The cybermites don't attack in the way their predecessors did. Instead, they are used to facilitate the conversion process. Even if a human (or any form of organic matter) comes in contact with but a few cybermites, they will fall under cyber control and begin turning into a Cyberman.
This model also seems to be using a Cyber Planner again. We never, physically, see it. But it seems to transmit its thoughts through a neural net known as the Cyberiad.
cybemites - the ultimate in cybermat evolution?
There you go - I have thoroughly covered everything I could ever want to say about Cybermen. For the moment, at least...
All of Cyber-History:
Part 1:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of.html
Part 2:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_9.html
Part 3:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_13.html
Part 4:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_18.html
Part 5:
https://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_27.html
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