I thought it might be nice tackle another POINT OF DEBATE essay. I've really enjoyed doing these since I came up with them around this time last year. Which is odd, really. Because, I don't state much of any kind of an opinion in them. I, pretty much, started this blog so that I could tell everyone what I thought about everything!
ORPHAN 55 - A TOUCHY SUBJECT!
Admittedly, I'm taking a bit of a risk by having any kind of an entry that discusses this episode. Seconds after it transmitted, most of fandom decided to hate it. It seems there are two principal reasons for why it has garnered such disdain:
Problem 1) Hyph3n looks too much like Barf from Space Balls
Problem 2) The ending of the episode is just a bit on the preachy side
While this entry isn't really meant to defend the episode, I'm going to take this first section to bother, anyway!
Defense 1) I have seen far sillier-looking aliens on Doctor Who over the years. Not just in the Classic Series, either. Right in the very second episode of Series 1, there's quite a bit of alien silly-lookingness (totally a word) going on.
Defense 2) If you thought the closing speech was preachy, go watch some Pertwee stuff. You'll stop complaining pretty fast. He delivered monologues like Jodie's all over the place. And they were far more sanctimonious. Jodie, at least, talks about humanity's potential to be better. Jon's just told us what to do. Sit through the painful Invasion of the Dinosaurs and watch what he spews out in its last few minutes. Jodie's got nothin' on that speech!
I can still agree that those two problems make it a bit more difficult to take certain aspects of the episode seriously. By no means, however, do I think they spoil the story. Aside from those two elements, I actually find the whole story quite enjoyable. So, in my mind, it is hardly the travesty Fandom makes it out to be.
There. That's off my chest. Let's get to the real debate!
IS ORPHAN 55 OUR FUTURE?
It's entirely possible that, because this episode doesn't send me into mouth-foaming rage, it has enabled me to contemplate some of its deeper implications. In a sequence that ever-so-slightly resembles the "Marble Arch Revelation" from Mysterious Planet, the Doctor, Yaz and Graham realize they're on Earth in the future. They discover that the planet seems to be destined to become a pollution-addled wasteland. Of course, a short while later, Ryan learns the same hideous truth when he sees a Made in China plaque on the side of a vending machine (admittedly, this might also be a slightly silly moment that can hamper one's enjoyment of an episode).
The Doctor briefly mind melds with a sleeping Dreg and there's a very quick montage of scenes that indicates that the devastation of Earth is soon to come. Perhaps only in a matter of decades. A dream that Ryan has in Can You Hear Me? seems to re-enforce this. His friend is now an old man as Dregs prowl around him. Which also implies that the environmental apocalypse is soon to come. It happens within that friend's lifetime.
The Doctor, however, tries to offer hope at the end of the story with her preachiness. The three faithful companions have just dipped into their own future. But the Time Lord alludes to the idea that this might only be a possible future. That, if humanity gets its ass in gear, they can prevent the Earth from becoming the 55th Orphan Planet.
That whole speech, to me, opens up quite the can of worms. Let's take a look at the various concepts that it explores.
GENERAL IMPLICATIONS
What the Doctor says at the end of Orphan 55 is not, necessarily, a new idea the show has never explored before. She is, basically, saying that time is in a state of flux. Aside from the occasional Fixed Point, nothing is written in stone. We can change things.
Oddly enough, this sort of concept is usually only brought up in reference to adventures in the past. During such New Who stories as Unquiet Dead or The Shakespeare Code, the Doctor explains to Rose and Martha, respectively, that the future they come from can be undone. He does an even more detailed explanation of this to Sarah Jane Smith during Pyramids of Mars by actually showing her what Earth will look like if they don't stop Sutehk in 1911.
The concept is, generally, explored in such a fashion to create genuine stakes for the peril the TARDIS crew is facing in Earth's history. Companions caught up in these sort of stories will so, rightfully, point out: "What difference does it make? I'm from the future so we know the Earth will be okay!" The Doctor then responds with his Time is in a State of Flux explanation and the companion (and also audience) must take the danger seriously again.If they don't, the future they come from can be destroyed.
In this sense, the concept presented in Orphan 55 is significantly different from how we usually see it. This time, the Doctor is claiming that the companions can choose a different future from the one they just saw. One might almost say that it resembles more of the Time can be Re-Written notion that Moff so often brought up during the Eleventh Doctor Era. But, even then, the message of Orphan 55 differs quite a bit from this. Stories Stephen Moffat did that dealt with this idea frequently involved characters seeing a certain outcome and then using time travel to change those results. A Christmas Carol is a good example of this. The Doctor needs Kazran to be a different man from the one he's currently dealing with in order to save a nearby passenger ship that is in danger of crashing. He does this by travelling back in time with the TARDIS and giving the old miser a happier childhood. He consciously uses crossing through the fourth dimension to accomplish the task.
The central conceit in the Orphan 55 speech is considerably more abstract than the stuff Moff did. The Doctor is trying to tell Yaz, Ryan and Graham that the future they just saw is just one possible version. When they return to their own time and leave the TARDIS, they must try to invoke an attitude in their own people that will change this outcome. There's no time travel trickery going on, here. They must just be better people and encourage others to do the same. Hopefully, the change in attitude creates a brighter future than the one they just saw.
THE BIG PROBLEM
The message the Doctor delivers during her preachiness has some fairly complicated implications. Some might even say that this particular interpretation of Time is in a State of Flux can have some legitimately negative consequences.
The biggest issue is something that is probably quite fannish. Basically, such an idea really messes with continuity. It implies that any excursion the TARDIS takes into the future can be erased. Which a silly little completist like me can take great offense to. I don't want to believe that certain adventures that we've seen various Doctors have over the years that take place any time after a Contemporary Earth Setting can wink out of existence. Yes, stories have already been done that whole-heartedly claim that this has actually happened (and we'll get into them in a bit) but I'm reluctant to believe that this occurred even more often than I'd care to know. I want to think that a story like The Sensorites - which is, pretty much, the first time we see the TARDIS crew explore the future of humanity - always has and always will happen. But what the Doctor is saying in her speech at the end of Orphan 55 would lead us to believe that The Sensorites - or any other story that is meant to take place in Earth's future, for that matter - may never happen. If certain attitudes are adopted by certain people at just the right time, stories of this nature become glimpses into aborted timelines. The nitpicky fan that rages within my soul does not like the idea of this.
To further aggravate things, we do have any number of stories taking place in the later 21st Century that Orphan 55 would greatly refute. Tales like The Moonbase, Seeds of Death, Warriors of the Deep and Kill the Moon. All of these seem to show a version of Earth that seems to be in half-decent shape. It certainly isn't a barren wasteland devastated by pollution. So how does Orphan 55 fit into this? Could it be that the glimpse Yaz, Ryan and Graham get of their future has already influenced them and caused the necessary changes that were required to save the Earth? That the events of Orphan 55 are, already, an aborted timeline? But that this particular TARDIS crew needed to see it happen to ensure that it wouldn't? This theory further re-enforces the idea that any visit into the future is merely a potential future. That, yes, The Sensorites and other stories like it may never have happened.
Admittedly, the issue is already starting to get cloudy and confusing. So let's try to break things down a bit.
THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION
Before we get into something too convoluted, there is a simple way to solve this. We could just say that Orphan 55 really does happen. This would certainly make it canon and allow us not to get too over-concerned about how excursions into the future work. Unless it's specifically stated that characters in a story have experienced an aborted timeline, the future is set in stone. Any trip the TARDIS makes beyond this current time period is a solid experience that, as a rule, can't be altered.
"But Rob!" some of you might be saying (I can't believe how often some of you say this!), "What about those Late 21st Century stories you just sited in the last section? How do they still happen if Orphan 55 is proper continuity? How Rob?!"
The answer to this problem is also quite simple. Orphan 55 happens, but it doesn't take long. The Earth very quickly goes into a vicious cycle of decline that, maybe, takes about a year. The Rich flee the world and leave it to whoever are stuck there. The strongest survivors quickly evolve into Dregs within another year or two. The heavy radiation causes them to mutate quickly. A resort then sets itself up there to finance mass terraforming. The events of Orphan 55 happen shortly thereafter.
After that particular disaster, however, other affluent eyes take an interest in the planet. It's entirely possible that Earth is in a very prime location in the galaxy and it could be quite profitable to revitalize it. A silent benefactor steps in and gets the planet back on its feet. The Dregs are wiped out, the planet receives a new environment and a whole new civilisation of humans is established. All of this could also be accomplished in a few short years. The entire process of decline to restoration could, if pressed, take less than a decade. It would not be hard to say that all those other stories I mentioned take place either before or after this series of events.
Perhaps the mysterious conglomerate behind the re-establishing of Earth does not even allow its new denizens to remember the Orphan 55 period. Everyone is led to believe that the hiccup in human history never even happened. A return on this investment into humanity will be exacted at some point further down the road. Or something to that effect. It could even be possible that the beings who fix Earth back up are very benevolent and just want to see the planet doing better. Or perhaps they're a highly advanced species similar to Time Lords who understand humanity has a significant role to play in the affairs of the Universe and must be restored.
It could be any number of factors that motivate someone to get Earth back to normal. But it's entirely possible that the Orphan 55 period does happen and is then nullified a short while later. The whole thing is a mere handful of years and we can get back to the sort of civilisation we see in those other Late 21st Century stories with relative ease. This way, the visit the TARDIS makes to this era does actually happen.
There is one fundamental problem with this idea. If a point in the future is always going to happen, why does the Doctor make the speech that she does at the end of the episode? Why does she offer hope to her companions that they can change things? Well, what would you do if you were her? Just say: "Sorry guys, your future is going to suck for, at least, a bit."? Or, tell them a lie?
Just getting Orphan 55 to reconcile with other elements of continuity is the simplest solution to this problem. But, as you know, this is a POINT OF DEBATE essay. So we need to explore other theories.
EVERY FUTURE STORY IS JUST A POSSIBILITY
The Earth Was Just in a Bad Place for a Bit storyline is nothing new to the show. We have seen other tales that have talked about the planet being devastated for a period of time. Adventures like Ark in Space, The Sontaran Experiment and The Beast Below all deal with an Earth that has been devastated by solar flares. In the far-flung future, our planet will be scorched for quite some time by the Andromedans in an effort to conceal themselves after they have stolen secrets from the Matrix on Gallifrey. This is the backstory that fuels Trial of a Time Lord. There even seems to be a period where Earth is ruined by the exploits of the Usurians and they move humanity over to Mars and then Pluto. Which eventually gives us The Sunmakers. There are other more obscure references too. The story Smile implies that the colonists that were having trouble with their emoji-bots were leaving a ruined Earth. We even get told that the Ancient One from Curse of Fenric comes from a future where Earth has been spoiled by chemical pollution. In many of these disasters, Earth does eventually seem to get restored. So the scenario I described in my first theory is more-than-feasible. It's just another rough period for Earth.
But now, we will go to the other extreme. Let's say that every time the TARDIS arrives in the future, it is only a possible future. That, just as the Doctor implies, Yaz, Ryan and Graham have the potential to return to their era and ensure that this cruel destiny doesn't happen. Let's say this actually occurs and Earth is spared from its horrid fate. Is there evidence in the show that such a thing could actually transpire? Can a future that has been experienced by the TARDIS crew then be altered?
I have written two other posts that imply this sort of thing must happen from time-to-time. One is Clara meeting her own descendant in Listen (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/05/fixing-continuity-glitches-quick-fixes.html - it's the first Quick Fix) even though both her and Danny are doomed to die before they can procreate. The other is about how our world in 2017/18 did not resemble the world depicted in Enemy of the World (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/10/fixing-continuity-glitches-quick-fixes-5.html - it's also the first Quick Fix). So this does seem possible. But is that concrete enough evidence? These are just the postulations of a somewhat sad fan. Are there stronger examples within the show, itself?
Stories like The Space Museum certainly help to support this. Through a technical quirk of the TARDIS, its crew sees that they will end up as exhibits in a futuristic museum. With that foreknowledge, they manage to prevent that future from happening. In New Who, we see the Doctor visit his own grave on Trenzalore during Name of the Doctor. But the Time Lords giving him a new regeneration cycle in Time of the Doctor prevents this future. So this does seem like a workable premise.
One might point out, however, that both these instances are about time travellers altering a very specific point in their own future. The prevention of a single event that affects them specifically. The premise in Orphan 55 is a much broader notion. Here, the fate of an entire civilisation must be changed. Are there examples of that?
Last of the Time Lords illustrates this idea quite nicely. An entire year of hard times for the planet Earth suddenly gets erased when the Paradox Machine that the Master fashioned out of the Doctor's TARDIS is destroyed. In this instance, a society becomes radically altered. That's more in line with what is implied in Orphan 55 but it's still not quite the same thing. In the case of Last of Time Lords, it's a specific use of time travel mechanics that fixes things. Not an overall change in the attitudes of humans.
The story that comes closest to displaying the ideas of Orphan 55 would probably be Day of the Daleks. We see a future where Earth is destroyed in a nuclear war and the Daleks have enslaved the survivors. The exact event that causes this terrible future is pinpointed and the outcome is altered. Ironically, of course, we discover that the attempts made by time travellers to change the event for the better causes the nasty result in the first place. That the people trying to create a new version of reality should have just let things be and allowed history to take its natural course.
This is the closest approximation to the process described during the Doctor's moment of preachiness. An entire society does get changed for the better. And it is done, moreso, through a change in peoples' thinking than a conscious attempt to alter time.
Again, there might be some arguing of this notion. Some might be quick to point out that Day of the Daleks involves a lot of specific time travel mechanics like Last of the Time Lords. But the fact that all those excursions back into the past prove to be useless nullifies this idea. It is the Third Doctor having a similar moment of high-handedness with Reginald Styles that really prevents the horrid future we see from ever happening. It is more about improving a society's attitude than messing with time that creates this new outcome. And, if you want to get technical, Orphan 55 also uses some time travel to initiate a change. Yaz, Ryan and Graham need to be transported into the future to see what needs to be prevented. In the same way that Doctor Three needs to see what the Daleks are up to in the aborted timeline before he can go back and preach to Reginald Styles.
So the notion that a nasty future can be prevented just by trying hard to save the world from itself is something we have seen done in the show, before. It hasn't happened often. Usually it's more a case of time travel trickery that accomplishes this. But it's not entirely unheard-of. The notion presented at the end of Orphan 55 is not completely foreign to the history of the show.
TWO SIDES - ONE COIN
As is the case with these sort of posts, I am trying to present all sides of the argument rather than form a pet theory. With this particular case, however, there are really only two ideas that seem all that workable. Either Orphan 55 happens or it doesn't. I do feel that there is enough evidence to support either argument.
Even if this horrible future is, somehow, prevented - the story is still canon. From a certain point of view. We have seen any number of other stories where certain key characters still remember the events of an aborted timeline. Even in really small-scale incidents like the soldiers in Flesh and Stone that get deleted out of existence when they investigate the Crack in Time. Amy and the Doctor still remember them after they're gone because of the unique relationship they have with time now that they travel in the TARDIS. The Eleventh Doctor Era has several other examples of this. Amy forgets Rory only a few episodes later when he suffers a similar fate to those soldiers. But the Doctor still remembers. Clara forgets her adventure in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS when the Doctor presses the Big Red Button. But, again, the Time Lord retains his memories of it. So, in essence, if we are seeing a potential aborted timeline whenever the TARDIS dips into the future, it is still a real experience to some. So that precious continuity is still preserved.
It is usually at this point that I bother to offer, at the very least, a hint of which theory I subscribe to. But, this time, I truly am neutral on the matter. I really can't form a solid opinion on which way things go for the future this story reveals. I really don't know how things will turn out.
The one thing I do know, however, is that this is a far better story than most fans would have you think.
Well, it's done. Let's see if anyone will actually bother to read it. After all, it's a post about Orphan 55!
If, like me, you are tired of all the Chib-bashing, here's a few other entries that I've written that tend to praise the era rather than put it down:
An overall review of Series 11:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/12/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-female.html
Was Tsuranga Conundrum so bad?:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/05/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-was-it-so.html
A look at all the mysteries Series 12 has built:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/03/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-series.html
How some of the negative reactions to the Timeless Child don't really make sense:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/05/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-silliness.html
Monday, 24 August 2020
Monday, 3 August 2020
BOOK OF LISTS - 5 THINGS FROM THE CLASSIC SERIES THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN NEW WHO
After a nice solid month of deep analysis, I thought it might be nice to go back to an opinion piece. I've noticed you all seem to be enjoying my lists, of late. Any time I post one, it seems to get a high number of hits. I always like to give my audience what they enjoy, so here's a new one:
It's a popular topic in discussion forums with fans who are familiar with New and Old Who: "What's something from the Classic Series that you'd like to see come back in the modern version of the show?" We've gotten a lot of the great stuff back, already, of course. Baddies like: Daleks, Cybermen and the Master. Or old friends like Sarah Jane Smith and K9. Hell, we've even gotten the Macra! Whoever expected them?! But with a range of twenty six seasons, there's still plenty more stuff to draw from if the New Series wanted to.
I don't usually participate in these discussions. I can never settle on just one thing. There's always, at least, four or five elements from Old Who that I'd like to see come back. And I don't want to just itemise briefly what it is I want to see. I want to take some time to explain why I want to see it. But most people on these Fan Pages get turned off by long answers (myself, included). So I don't usually jump into the comments section with my feedback on such a topic.
The nice thing about a blog, of course, is that people that go to them are expecting a bit of wordiness. You're meant to be digging a bit deeper and going into heavier detail. So, rather than blather on in a Fan Group, I'll discuss my feelings on the matter, here:
5: Chancellery Guards In Their Old Uniforms
I totally get why New Who changed the uniforms of the Gallifreyan military. They needed to look bad-ass for the Time Wars. Those bright red uniforms with flowing white capes and ornate helmets just weren't going to cut it.
But the Time Wars are over, now. I would have loved if episodes like Hell Bent had gone back to the old look that we saw all the way through the Classic Series. A bit of an update might have been nice, of course. Nor do they have to go with the ridiculous hat that they made Colin Baker lug around in Arc of Infinity. But it would have been really cool to see that particular style of uniform make a return now that Gallifrey is back in a time of relative peace.
Of course, Gallifrey currently lies in ruins. So we're probably never going to see that. But, as some fans have pointed out, Rassilon and various members of the High Council were banished when the Doctor escaped the torment he went through in his Confession Dial. They could be out in the Universe, somewhere, and could make a return appearance, someday. Might they have taken a few guards with them? And might those guards be decked out in traditional garb?
It would be nice to see...
4. Neomorph Cybermen
Just in case you're not sure what that is, it's a term that was created in a special book that was written about Cybermen way back in the day. It refers to the model we saw in Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of the Cybermen and a slightly "more silvery" version in Silver Nemesis. Essentially, it's my favorite costume they've used for them.
We've seen stories like Asylum of the Daleks and Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar use models of Daleks from the Classic Series. We've even seen Mondasian Cybermen in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. So it's not unheard-of to bring back these older versions with a slightly updated look so they don't appear too laughable by modern-day standards. Although, I do think those 80s Cybermen looked pretty damned good and would still stand up well. So let's bring those babies back for a story.
A return appearance of Neomorphic Cybermen could be easily justified. They do seem to be the version of the species that are most adept at time travel. They stole a time machine in Attack of the Cybermen and tried to use it to prevent the destruction of Mondas. While it's not explicitly stated in Earthshock and Silver Nemesis, it's my theory that these were also Cybermen from the future who travelled back into the past to tamper some more with history (I explain this in greater detail in one of my "History of the Cybermen" entries. https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_27.html).
So it would be quite easy for the Doctor to detect some sort of temporal disturbance and go investigate it. And up pop those nasty Neomoprhs - out to make more trouble. Maybe she even finds a glitter gun for Yaz and she kicks some Cyber-ass the same way Ace did with her slingshot and gold coins!
3. Ogrons
While we only ever saw them in the Pertwee Era, by no means were the Ogrons an obscure one-time-only monster. They appeared in three different stories (only very briefly in Carnival of Monsters - but it still counts!). Whenever they were included in a story, they were always very interesting. I particularly like that they looked ape-like but the creative team didn't go for something really obvious by getting the artistes to imitate primates in their movements. They were squat and brutish - more like thugs than gorillas. Even when one is given a banana in Frontier In Space he doesn't know what to do with it!
They are another great example of a costume that has stood the test of time. Little would need to be done to upgrade their look. In fact, it would be a shame to change them much. They really are a very convincing-looking alien.
Since they function as "guard dogs" for Daleks, it would not be hard to bring them back. Just re-introduce them in a Dalek story. Having to deal with Daleks and Ogrons in the same story would certainly increase the sense of peril in an adventure. Although, really, the Ogrons are meant to be grunts-for-hire. So they could show up alongside any militant race. Or they could have even evolved to a point where they can fight for themselves and be featured independently. The possibilities are endless.
The Ogrons are more than just scary alien monsters. We do learn a bit about their social order when their homeworld is visited in Frontier In Space. We even see that they seem to have a sort of religion. So there is a three-dimensional quality to them. I think it's especially interesting that they are meant to be very slow-witted but can still accomplish highly technological tasks like flying a spaceship. It's an interesting social dynamic that we need to explore more deeply.
2. Question Marks?
Admittedly, we have gotten this a bit in the New Series. Osgood has been wonderful enough to put question marks on her collar and wear the notorious McCoy Sweater (and/or Jumper) on certain occasions. When she engaged in a discussion with Doctor Twelve about this particular fashion accessory, he claimed that he does still wear them on his underwear. Somehow, I doubt we will ever get this properly validated!
Tom Baker first started wearing question marks on his funky lapel-like shirt collar during Season 18. Davison wore a more traditional dress shirt that also featured them on the collar. As did Colin Baker. Sylvester McCoy, of course, went even crazier with the look. Not only was his torso, more or less, covered with the punctuation mark, but the handle of his umbrella was made to look like one too. The joke was sometimes made that if the progression had been allowed to continue, Doctor Eight would have dressed like the Riddler!
At the time that all of this was going on, many fans complained about this particular fashion choice. They felt that it made things too obvious that the Doctor was meant to be a mysterious character. Or some sort of nonsense like that. I'm not sure. I actually just thought it was cool that he wore question marks. Even in his seventh incarnation when the motif was, pretty much, taken to its ultimate extreme - I still really liked the look. As did other friends who were into the show with me. But this is one of those instances during the ultra-criticism of the 80s where a lot of us just elected to keep our mouths shut about it rather than state an opinion that contradicted the highly-vocal negative fans that were out there. Even now, with quite a bit of water under the bridge, you still tend to get fans calling you stupid for liking the question marks.
But it would seem that quite a few of us did enjoy them. I, for one, would love to see them make a comeback of some sort. Perhaps it could be really understated. Maybe just one question mark pinned to a lapel. It could be quite small and dark in color so that you don't even notice it all that well in most shots. That would be a nice compromise for all those question mark haters. They would only have to acknowledge it if they looked really hard.
1. Ace!!
Admittedly, the return of any Classic Who companion is more-than-welcome. Even Jackie Lane reprising Dodo would be a delight! And we have gotten a few, now, when you think about it. Not just Sarah Jane Smith and K9 (if you consider robots to be an actual companion - that's a debate in itself! https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/05/point-of-debate-should-we-consider.html). We got a really cool flashback sequence in Twice Upon a Time that brought back Ben and Polly, too. It's even heavily implied that Ian Chesterton was still around Coal Hill School during Day of the Doctor. And, of course, the Brigadier does come back - but only as a Cyberman!
For various reasons, I'd love to see Ace come back more than any other companion. Probably the biggest would be that she's an excellent character. She did really cool stuff like blow things up with Nitro-9 and kick the asses of some of the most fearsome aliens in the Universe. On top of that, though, she was magnificently-written. They gave her all kinds of interesting layers and even moved her through a growth process of sorts. Sophie Aldred also did a great job of portraying the character. Making her a tough street kid who still possessed a certain degree of naivete and earnestness. In many ways, she was a perfect storm. They just "got everything right" about her.
But there are other companions who I am deeply fond of for similar reasons. Jamie, Leela and both versions of Romana also received similar treatment by the production teams that created them. I even have some eccentric tastes that go against Popular Fan Opinion (Surprise! Surprise!). I absolutely adore Turlough, for instance. I do actually think he's put through a very good redemption arc throughout the course of his era. Not just in the Guardian Trilogy, but I also like how he finally faces up to his past in Planet of Fire. And, although he's - pretty much - just a generic 60s male companion, I really like Steven, too. Not even entirely sure why. I just think Peter Purves does a really good job with what he's given.
So, there are a lot of other companions that I'm in love with - why does Ace triumph over all of them? Why do I want her to return more than these other ones? Well, that's where my second major reason comes into play. All the other companions I've mentioned were all given decent farewell scenes (well, maybe not the First Romana - but that's the way regeneration goes, sometimes!), but Ace just disappeared into the woodwork during the Wilderness Years. Even Sylvester McCoy got to return briefly in the 96 Telemovie to get a proper send-off. But we never got to know what happened to Ace.
A return appearance for Ace would just be wonderful cause she's an awesome character and it would be great to see her again. But we would also assume that Ace coming back would involve an explanation of what happened to her between Survival and Doctor Who - The Movie. And that inner completist that is always screaming from the back of my head wants to know so badly why she left the TARDIS.
So, between Ace's incredibleness (totally a word) and my insistent need to know her fate, she is the one thing from the Classic Series that I want to see the most in New Who. Which is why she's placed at Number One. Nothing would warm my Hardcore Fan Heart(s) more than for the Doctor to somehow stumble into her and pick things up where they left off for an episode or two. Maybe Ace was returned to Earth where she went on to live a very happy life. Or maybe she's out among the stars, exploring the Universe and righting wrongs when she finds them. Or maybe it's something between these two extremes. Either way, I'd like to know...
Are you reading this, Chibbers? If so, make a fanboy's pipe dream come true.
Bring back Ace.
Another quick easy list complete. Do you like shorter ones like these? Here's a few others:
Five Unpopular Opinions I have about Doctor Who:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/03/book-of-lists-five-unpopular-opinions-i.html
Traits you need to become a Recurring Villainess in Doctor Who
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-of-lists-traits-you-need-to-become.html
Five "Not as Bad as They Say They Are" stories
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-of-lists-5-not-as-bad-as-everyone.html
It's a popular topic in discussion forums with fans who are familiar with New and Old Who: "What's something from the Classic Series that you'd like to see come back in the modern version of the show?" We've gotten a lot of the great stuff back, already, of course. Baddies like: Daleks, Cybermen and the Master. Or old friends like Sarah Jane Smith and K9. Hell, we've even gotten the Macra! Whoever expected them?! But with a range of twenty six seasons, there's still plenty more stuff to draw from if the New Series wanted to.
I don't usually participate in these discussions. I can never settle on just one thing. There's always, at least, four or five elements from Old Who that I'd like to see come back. And I don't want to just itemise briefly what it is I want to see. I want to take some time to explain why I want to see it. But most people on these Fan Pages get turned off by long answers (myself, included). So I don't usually jump into the comments section with my feedback on such a topic.
The nice thing about a blog, of course, is that people that go to them are expecting a bit of wordiness. You're meant to be digging a bit deeper and going into heavier detail. So, rather than blather on in a Fan Group, I'll discuss my feelings on the matter, here:
5: Chancellery Guards In Their Old Uniforms
I totally get why New Who changed the uniforms of the Gallifreyan military. They needed to look bad-ass for the Time Wars. Those bright red uniforms with flowing white capes and ornate helmets just weren't going to cut it.
But the Time Wars are over, now. I would have loved if episodes like Hell Bent had gone back to the old look that we saw all the way through the Classic Series. A bit of an update might have been nice, of course. Nor do they have to go with the ridiculous hat that they made Colin Baker lug around in Arc of Infinity. But it would have been really cool to see that particular style of uniform make a return now that Gallifrey is back in a time of relative peace.
Of course, Gallifrey currently lies in ruins. So we're probably never going to see that. But, as some fans have pointed out, Rassilon and various members of the High Council were banished when the Doctor escaped the torment he went through in his Confession Dial. They could be out in the Universe, somewhere, and could make a return appearance, someday. Might they have taken a few guards with them? And might those guards be decked out in traditional garb?
It would be nice to see...
4. Neomorph Cybermen
Just in case you're not sure what that is, it's a term that was created in a special book that was written about Cybermen way back in the day. It refers to the model we saw in Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of the Cybermen and a slightly "more silvery" version in Silver Nemesis. Essentially, it's my favorite costume they've used for them.
We've seen stories like Asylum of the Daleks and Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar use models of Daleks from the Classic Series. We've even seen Mondasian Cybermen in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. So it's not unheard-of to bring back these older versions with a slightly updated look so they don't appear too laughable by modern-day standards. Although, I do think those 80s Cybermen looked pretty damned good and would still stand up well. So let's bring those babies back for a story.
A return appearance of Neomorphic Cybermen could be easily justified. They do seem to be the version of the species that are most adept at time travel. They stole a time machine in Attack of the Cybermen and tried to use it to prevent the destruction of Mondas. While it's not explicitly stated in Earthshock and Silver Nemesis, it's my theory that these were also Cybermen from the future who travelled back into the past to tamper some more with history (I explain this in greater detail in one of my "History of the Cybermen" entries. https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_27.html).
So it would be quite easy for the Doctor to detect some sort of temporal disturbance and go investigate it. And up pop those nasty Neomoprhs - out to make more trouble. Maybe she even finds a glitter gun for Yaz and she kicks some Cyber-ass the same way Ace did with her slingshot and gold coins!
3. Ogrons
While we only ever saw them in the Pertwee Era, by no means were the Ogrons an obscure one-time-only monster. They appeared in three different stories (only very briefly in Carnival of Monsters - but it still counts!). Whenever they were included in a story, they were always very interesting. I particularly like that they looked ape-like but the creative team didn't go for something really obvious by getting the artistes to imitate primates in their movements. They were squat and brutish - more like thugs than gorillas. Even when one is given a banana in Frontier In Space he doesn't know what to do with it!
They are another great example of a costume that has stood the test of time. Little would need to be done to upgrade their look. In fact, it would be a shame to change them much. They really are a very convincing-looking alien.
Since they function as "guard dogs" for Daleks, it would not be hard to bring them back. Just re-introduce them in a Dalek story. Having to deal with Daleks and Ogrons in the same story would certainly increase the sense of peril in an adventure. Although, really, the Ogrons are meant to be grunts-for-hire. So they could show up alongside any militant race. Or they could have even evolved to a point where they can fight for themselves and be featured independently. The possibilities are endless.
The Ogrons are more than just scary alien monsters. We do learn a bit about their social order when their homeworld is visited in Frontier In Space. We even see that they seem to have a sort of religion. So there is a three-dimensional quality to them. I think it's especially interesting that they are meant to be very slow-witted but can still accomplish highly technological tasks like flying a spaceship. It's an interesting social dynamic that we need to explore more deeply.
2. Question Marks?
Admittedly, we have gotten this a bit in the New Series. Osgood has been wonderful enough to put question marks on her collar and wear the notorious McCoy Sweater (and/or Jumper) on certain occasions. When she engaged in a discussion with Doctor Twelve about this particular fashion accessory, he claimed that he does still wear them on his underwear. Somehow, I doubt we will ever get this properly validated!
Tom Baker first started wearing question marks on his funky lapel-like shirt collar during Season 18. Davison wore a more traditional dress shirt that also featured them on the collar. As did Colin Baker. Sylvester McCoy, of course, went even crazier with the look. Not only was his torso, more or less, covered with the punctuation mark, but the handle of his umbrella was made to look like one too. The joke was sometimes made that if the progression had been allowed to continue, Doctor Eight would have dressed like the Riddler!
At the time that all of this was going on, many fans complained about this particular fashion choice. They felt that it made things too obvious that the Doctor was meant to be a mysterious character. Or some sort of nonsense like that. I'm not sure. I actually just thought it was cool that he wore question marks. Even in his seventh incarnation when the motif was, pretty much, taken to its ultimate extreme - I still really liked the look. As did other friends who were into the show with me. But this is one of those instances during the ultra-criticism of the 80s where a lot of us just elected to keep our mouths shut about it rather than state an opinion that contradicted the highly-vocal negative fans that were out there. Even now, with quite a bit of water under the bridge, you still tend to get fans calling you stupid for liking the question marks.
But it would seem that quite a few of us did enjoy them. I, for one, would love to see them make a comeback of some sort. Perhaps it could be really understated. Maybe just one question mark pinned to a lapel. It could be quite small and dark in color so that you don't even notice it all that well in most shots. That would be a nice compromise for all those question mark haters. They would only have to acknowledge it if they looked really hard.
1. Ace!!
Admittedly, the return of any Classic Who companion is more-than-welcome. Even Jackie Lane reprising Dodo would be a delight! And we have gotten a few, now, when you think about it. Not just Sarah Jane Smith and K9 (if you consider robots to be an actual companion - that's a debate in itself! https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/05/point-of-debate-should-we-consider.html). We got a really cool flashback sequence in Twice Upon a Time that brought back Ben and Polly, too. It's even heavily implied that Ian Chesterton was still around Coal Hill School during Day of the Doctor. And, of course, the Brigadier does come back - but only as a Cyberman!
For various reasons, I'd love to see Ace come back more than any other companion. Probably the biggest would be that she's an excellent character. She did really cool stuff like blow things up with Nitro-9 and kick the asses of some of the most fearsome aliens in the Universe. On top of that, though, she was magnificently-written. They gave her all kinds of interesting layers and even moved her through a growth process of sorts. Sophie Aldred also did a great job of portraying the character. Making her a tough street kid who still possessed a certain degree of naivete and earnestness. In many ways, she was a perfect storm. They just "got everything right" about her.
But there are other companions who I am deeply fond of for similar reasons. Jamie, Leela and both versions of Romana also received similar treatment by the production teams that created them. I even have some eccentric tastes that go against Popular Fan Opinion (Surprise! Surprise!). I absolutely adore Turlough, for instance. I do actually think he's put through a very good redemption arc throughout the course of his era. Not just in the Guardian Trilogy, but I also like how he finally faces up to his past in Planet of Fire. And, although he's - pretty much - just a generic 60s male companion, I really like Steven, too. Not even entirely sure why. I just think Peter Purves does a really good job with what he's given.
So, there are a lot of other companions that I'm in love with - why does Ace triumph over all of them? Why do I want her to return more than these other ones? Well, that's where my second major reason comes into play. All the other companions I've mentioned were all given decent farewell scenes (well, maybe not the First Romana - but that's the way regeneration goes, sometimes!), but Ace just disappeared into the woodwork during the Wilderness Years. Even Sylvester McCoy got to return briefly in the 96 Telemovie to get a proper send-off. But we never got to know what happened to Ace.
A return appearance for Ace would just be wonderful cause she's an awesome character and it would be great to see her again. But we would also assume that Ace coming back would involve an explanation of what happened to her between Survival and Doctor Who - The Movie. And that inner completist that is always screaming from the back of my head wants to know so badly why she left the TARDIS.
So, between Ace's incredibleness (totally a word) and my insistent need to know her fate, she is the one thing from the Classic Series that I want to see the most in New Who. Which is why she's placed at Number One. Nothing would warm my Hardcore Fan Heart(s) more than for the Doctor to somehow stumble into her and pick things up where they left off for an episode or two. Maybe Ace was returned to Earth where she went on to live a very happy life. Or maybe she's out among the stars, exploring the Universe and righting wrongs when she finds them. Or maybe it's something between these two extremes. Either way, I'd like to know...
Are you reading this, Chibbers? If so, make a fanboy's pipe dream come true.
Bring back Ace.
Another quick easy list complete. Do you like shorter ones like these? Here's a few others:
Five Unpopular Opinions I have about Doctor Who:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/03/book-of-lists-five-unpopular-opinions-i.html
Traits you need to become a Recurring Villainess in Doctor Who
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-of-lists-traits-you-need-to-become.html
Five "Not as Bad as They Say They Are" stories
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-of-lists-5-not-as-bad-as-everyone.html
Friday, 24 July 2020
ANALYTICAL: DOCTOR WHO - THE DELICATE YEARS: EPISODE THREE - REBORN
And so we reach Part Three of my analysis of "The Delicate Years" of Doctor Who. The show makes a proper return in 2005 that continues to this day. It's off to a great start. But then it stumbles for just a little bit....
"NO SECOND CHANCES" ONLY RINGS TRUE FOR SYCORAX
As we enter the 21st Century, fans are resigned to the fact that there will never be new episodes of Doctor Who. But, quite honestly, we're happy with what we are getting. Even Doctor Who Magazine is still going strong. For a show that has been, pretty much, off the air for over fifteen years (with only the briefest return in 1996). that's pretty damned amazing.
And then, in 2004, the announcement is almost casually released. Russell T. Davis, creator of the popular Queer as Folk series will be the Head Writer for a revival of Doctor Who. No "backdoor pilot", this time, either. A full season of thirteen 46-minute episodes and a one-hour Christmas Special. Fans can barely believe what they're hearing. Is Doctor Who really coming back?!
The Big News is ever-so-slightly bittersweet, however. There is no mention of Paul McGann being involved with this new series. He won't be allowed the same privilege McCoy received to give his Doctor a proper send-off. Things will just begin with the Ninth Doctor already in action (although the slightest hint is given that he has freshly regenerated).
While many bizarre choices were made in the creation of The 96 Telemovie, it's clear that RTD has put a lot of thought into how he will present a version of Doctor Who that suits 2005. The very first episode shows all sorts of new and modern conventions for the show. But it also includes the Autons. A beautiful nod to the past. As a total nitpick: I love that they even went to the trouble of finding the same sound effect that was used in the Classic Series when the Auton hand drops away to reveal its gun.This is the sort of dedication you get when fans are making the show! Immediately, we are re-assured that this is not a re-boot - but a continuation. The first twenty-six seasons of the series are not about to be ignored.
By the end of Rose, many fans are already thinking this new version of Doctor Who looks very promising.
SERIES ONE - PRETTY MUCH, A MASTERPIECE
As the season continues, we see a few major differences between this new series and the one that came before. Most stories will be resolved within one episode with only the occasional two-parter. Cliffhangers and multi-part adventures will no longer be commonplace. There will also be a season-long arc that will involve the words "Bad Wolf" appearing over and over. By no means is this going to be as tight of an ongoing story as Trial of a Time Lord, but it will be a thematic link throughout the season.
And, of course, the biggest development since Classic Who: the Time Lords have been wiped out and the Doctor is the last of his race. This bit of news has all kinds of consequences. It puts a very different spin on how the protagonist is presented. It also gives the show a sort of new starting point that is less cluttered by the continuity of the original series. We don't have to spend too much time explaining Time Lord culture,now, because they don't actually exist anymore.
There are a few other minor alterations to the formula of the show but those are the big ones. The core spirit of Classic Who is still there - but this is a very different beast, now. RTD has definitely modernised things and made the central premise something workable for 21st Century television.
I think it's safe to say that Series 1 is still one of the best seasons of New Who. Even the weaker stuff involving the Slitheen has its merit. As much as some were annoyed by the fart humor, it established quite clearly that Doctor Who was not a show that took itself too seriously and was going to have a bit of fun now and again. In general, the emotional resonance of the program had become quite astounding, too. Who can forget Pete Tyler's final decision to willfully let a car run him over in order to save the Web of Time? Or the beautiful holographic message the Doctor leaves for Rose after he's tricked her into returning home in Parting of the Ways? Or Rose reducing her mother to tears when she reveals to her that she was the mysterious woman who kept her husband company as he died? No one expected Doctor Who to ever "hit us in the feels" like that.
Overall, these were some very solidly put-together episodes. In the end, however, Series 1 gave all of us way more than we expected. The show was an absolute hit. And it deserved to be.
Even the fact that Christopher Eccleston decided to leave after only one season worked to everyone's advantage. It introduced, very quickly, the concept of regeneration to a new audience so that everyone would understand this was a vital ingredient to the formula of the program. Thematically, it also moved the Ninth Doctor through a beautiful character arc that had him healing from his survivor's guilt before going on to his next incarnation.
There really is almost nothing wrong with New Who's first season. It is truly a triumphant return.
SERIES TWO - ONE LAST LITTLE BIT OF DELICACY
There is a metaphor that is, sometimes, attached to Series 1 of New Who. Some fans compare it to the first album a popular band releases that gives them their big break. In many ways, the band has put years of experience and effort into that album. Their entire career has been building up to this moment and this creates a magnificently-crafted piece of music. Which is why the album ends up having such a huge impact on the public and earns fantastic sales.
Because of the success of that initial album, a band is then pushed very hard by their record executives to make them more money. Quite often, they are rushed into making a second album that isn't as strong as the first. The musicians weren't given enough time to "incubate" some more and create equally-strong material. Essentially, they recorded that second album before they were truly ready to.
Much the same can be said for Series 2. Russell T Davis even admits that he wasn't ever expecting there to be a second season. That he would just get those first set of episodes and then Doctor Who would be over with again. So he hadn't made the most concrete of plans for the show's future beyond that first commission.
This creates a very uneven second season. Really, the only thing outstanding in Series 2 is Girl in the Fireplace. A lot of the other stories are pretty sub-par (in my opinion, at least). And some are even genuinely bad. Most would site Love and Monsters and Fear Her as being the big culprits in this department (and I wouldn't argue much with that opinion), but I actually think Idiot's Lantern is the biggest stinker of the bunch. After giving us a brilliant episode like Unquiet Dead, Mark Gatiss delivers the exact opposite, this time.
Probably the biggest sin of Series 2, however, is its attempt at another season-long arc. Whereas the insertion of the term "Bad Wolf" seems quite fluid in Series 1, "Torchwood" comes across as painfully shoe-horned. It feels most ludicrous because the Doctor should have had a moment like he did in Boomtown, where he remarks on the fact that the word seems to be following him all over the place. But it never happens. Which comes across as somewhat odd.
Of all the seasons of New Who, I definitely consider Series 2 to be the worst. If we lined it up against Old Who too, I'd even say this is another time where I would prefer Season 24. I feel most sorry for more recent fans that are trying to binge watch the new series from its very beginning. Many complain about how hard it is to get through Series 2. I just tell them to hang in there. It gets better.
Unlike Season 24, this dip in quality doesn't seem to put the program's future in jeopardy. A third season is commissioned with barely a flinch from the BBC. But it does give us a show that appears very unsteady on its feet. At this point, the overall direction of the program seems very unclear. We're really not sure of the formula, anymore as the styles of the stories seem to be going all over the place There also seems to be a poor use of budget. Fear Her is required to take place, principally, on a street because they've run out of money. Even the character of the Doctor is a bit inconsistent. It seemed right for Eccleston's Doctor to have all that angst since he was recovering from what he did in the Time Wars. His journey through Series 1 causes him to heal those emotional scars by the time he regenerates. Tennant, however, is all about angst again. It makes all of Nine's character growth seem irrelevant.
These numerous problems are the reason why I consider this season to still be part of "The Delicate Years" of the show. RTD really needed to sit down and get a clearer idea of what he wished to do with his creation. It does not appear that he did that between his first and second seasons. The result is a show that still seems very uncertain of itself.
FULL RECOVERY
As the somewhat-painful Runaway Bride Christmas Special wraps up, RTD seems to get the downtime he needs to re-evaluate his vision for the program. Series 3 reaches our screens with a quiet confidence of a show with a firm direction. From this point, onward, Doctor Who really seems to have a clear idea of what it's about, again.
Is Series 3 perfect? Of course not. The Dalek story it offers is quite shaky. And some are a bit disappointed by the "Tinkerbell Ending" that the season has when the positive mindset of the entire population of Earth suddenly gives the Doctor super powers. Series 4 has a few problems, too. It has my least favorite season finale, ever. I'm not particularly fond of "The Specials" that we get over the next year, either. Waters of Mars is brilliant. The rest of them are mediocre, at best. Some of them are genuinely bad (Next Doctor is my least favorite New Who episode ever).
Overall, however, the show is performing consistently again. Moff takes the reigns from RTD and keeps the calibre of story-telling high. The show goes back to being the massive success it once was. Everything is right with the world, again.
But Series 3 really does mark the beginning of the full turnaround. It is at this point that the show is finally running smoothly again. There might still be the occasional "hiccup" here and there. But, overall, Doctor Who is back in all its glory.
And so, the Delicate Years have reached their end. The fans have got their show back. Joy has returned to our lives!
It should be noted, however, just how long those Delicate Years lasted: Six entire seasons and a feature-length Special. This speaks volumes of the uniqueness of Doctor Who. No other show would be allowed that long of a period of time to sort itself out. Anything else would have been abandoned ages ago. But there is such a unique magic to this program that its audience is willing to let it go through whatever transformations it needs to make.
Doctor Who really is the most incredible of TV shows. Chronicling its Delicate Years was a great way to highlight that.
AFTERTHOUGHT: ARE WE AT ANOTHER FRAGILE PERIOD?
At the time of writing this, we are twelve seasons into the new series. In fact, it was just pointed out the other day that Doctor Who has now been back on the air for as long as it was off. These are things we should be grateful for. The show has returned to being an institution.
And yet, I'm starting to see negative indications, again. Perhaps, even, Signs of Doom!
Probably the biggest red flag I've seen, of late, is the strong desire in fandom to demonise the current Head Writer. Some folks do take the same stance I do with Chris Chibnall. We actually like a lot of what he's doing and think the show is very good. It's most distressing, however, how fans who dislike him will actually berate us for our tastes. This doesn't happen every time I express a pro-Chibnall opinion - but it happens frequently enough. I have even gotten flack for some of the entries I have written of late concerning my stance on his work.
Now, I have read some very well-formulated opinions by fans who do not appreciate his vision for the show. Those sort of dissertations are out there. And the ones who make effective cases are often happy to just "agree to disagree" with me rather than turn things into attacks. But a whole lot more of what I'm seeing comes across as fairly mindless vitriol. In some cases, it's legitimate blind hate.
This sort of attitude strongly resembles the sort of contemptible behavior we saw directed towards John Nathan Turner back in the late 80s. When fans started becoming impossible-to-please and the show started getting shorter seasons and negative attention from BBC Executives. All of which, eventually, led to its demise.
Could we be seeing the first signs of a return to another fragile period? If some of these other factors start coming into play. If a few key figures in the upper echelons of the BBC decide the show needs another rest, then this could spell out some serious trouble for the show.
Does this mean we should just like the show, regardless? Because, if we don't, it could get cancelled! Of course not. But, maybe, we could reserve our opinions until we've given them some serious consideration. So many fans need to verbalise how they feel so quickly. Particularly now that we have the internet. And they also understand that if they're inflammatory in their remarks, they will probably get more attention.
Perhaps we should care more about the show than we do about being noticed. Have a negative opinion if you really do feel that way. But creative teams will probably pay better attention to what you're expressing if the criticism is constructive rather than rude. I know if I were a showrunner and all I was seeing was: "Rob Tymec sucks at making Doctor Who!" I would pay little heed to what you have to say. Because, in the end, that sort of language is just abuse. And who would actively seek that sort of treatment?
BBC executives, however, might start getting just a little too distressed about such strong opinions and wonder if harsher changes need to be made. And we've seen what becomes of the show when something like this happens.
I hope I'm not coming across as too preachy, here. But I also just felt this might be a good place to state my feelings on the matter. Quite honestly, I'm only saying this because I really don't want to have write another essay, someday, on a second wave of Delicate Years....
And so, the three-parter ends. Again, I hope I didn't get up on too much of a high-horse in my closing paragraphs. I also hope you enjoyed my own insights into what the show went through during its most difficult transition. Perhaps I will look into behind-the-scenes subjects more often.
Missed Part One? Here you go:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years.html
Part Two:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years_20.html
"NO SECOND CHANCES" ONLY RINGS TRUE FOR SYCORAX
As we enter the 21st Century, fans are resigned to the fact that there will never be new episodes of Doctor Who. But, quite honestly, we're happy with what we are getting. Even Doctor Who Magazine is still going strong. For a show that has been, pretty much, off the air for over fifteen years (with only the briefest return in 1996). that's pretty damned amazing.
And then, in 2004, the announcement is almost casually released. Russell T. Davis, creator of the popular Queer as Folk series will be the Head Writer for a revival of Doctor Who. No "backdoor pilot", this time, either. A full season of thirteen 46-minute episodes and a one-hour Christmas Special. Fans can barely believe what they're hearing. Is Doctor Who really coming back?!
The Big News is ever-so-slightly bittersweet, however. There is no mention of Paul McGann being involved with this new series. He won't be allowed the same privilege McCoy received to give his Doctor a proper send-off. Things will just begin with the Ninth Doctor already in action (although the slightest hint is given that he has freshly regenerated).
While many bizarre choices were made in the creation of The 96 Telemovie, it's clear that RTD has put a lot of thought into how he will present a version of Doctor Who that suits 2005. The very first episode shows all sorts of new and modern conventions for the show. But it also includes the Autons. A beautiful nod to the past. As a total nitpick: I love that they even went to the trouble of finding the same sound effect that was used in the Classic Series when the Auton hand drops away to reveal its gun.This is the sort of dedication you get when fans are making the show! Immediately, we are re-assured that this is not a re-boot - but a continuation. The first twenty-six seasons of the series are not about to be ignored.
By the end of Rose, many fans are already thinking this new version of Doctor Who looks very promising.
SERIES ONE - PRETTY MUCH, A MASTERPIECE
As the season continues, we see a few major differences between this new series and the one that came before. Most stories will be resolved within one episode with only the occasional two-parter. Cliffhangers and multi-part adventures will no longer be commonplace. There will also be a season-long arc that will involve the words "Bad Wolf" appearing over and over. By no means is this going to be as tight of an ongoing story as Trial of a Time Lord, but it will be a thematic link throughout the season.
And, of course, the biggest development since Classic Who: the Time Lords have been wiped out and the Doctor is the last of his race. This bit of news has all kinds of consequences. It puts a very different spin on how the protagonist is presented. It also gives the show a sort of new starting point that is less cluttered by the continuity of the original series. We don't have to spend too much time explaining Time Lord culture,now, because they don't actually exist anymore.
There are a few other minor alterations to the formula of the show but those are the big ones. The core spirit of Classic Who is still there - but this is a very different beast, now. RTD has definitely modernised things and made the central premise something workable for 21st Century television.
I think it's safe to say that Series 1 is still one of the best seasons of New Who. Even the weaker stuff involving the Slitheen has its merit. As much as some were annoyed by the fart humor, it established quite clearly that Doctor Who was not a show that took itself too seriously and was going to have a bit of fun now and again. In general, the emotional resonance of the program had become quite astounding, too. Who can forget Pete Tyler's final decision to willfully let a car run him over in order to save the Web of Time? Or the beautiful holographic message the Doctor leaves for Rose after he's tricked her into returning home in Parting of the Ways? Or Rose reducing her mother to tears when she reveals to her that she was the mysterious woman who kept her husband company as he died? No one expected Doctor Who to ever "hit us in the feels" like that.
Overall, these were some very solidly put-together episodes. In the end, however, Series 1 gave all of us way more than we expected. The show was an absolute hit. And it deserved to be.
Even the fact that Christopher Eccleston decided to leave after only one season worked to everyone's advantage. It introduced, very quickly, the concept of regeneration to a new audience so that everyone would understand this was a vital ingredient to the formula of the program. Thematically, it also moved the Ninth Doctor through a beautiful character arc that had him healing from his survivor's guilt before going on to his next incarnation.
There really is almost nothing wrong with New Who's first season. It is truly a triumphant return.
SERIES TWO - ONE LAST LITTLE BIT OF DELICACY
There is a metaphor that is, sometimes, attached to Series 1 of New Who. Some fans compare it to the first album a popular band releases that gives them their big break. In many ways, the band has put years of experience and effort into that album. Their entire career has been building up to this moment and this creates a magnificently-crafted piece of music. Which is why the album ends up having such a huge impact on the public and earns fantastic sales.
Because of the success of that initial album, a band is then pushed very hard by their record executives to make them more money. Quite often, they are rushed into making a second album that isn't as strong as the first. The musicians weren't given enough time to "incubate" some more and create equally-strong material. Essentially, they recorded that second album before they were truly ready to.
Much the same can be said for Series 2. Russell T Davis even admits that he wasn't ever expecting there to be a second season. That he would just get those first set of episodes and then Doctor Who would be over with again. So he hadn't made the most concrete of plans for the show's future beyond that first commission.
This creates a very uneven second season. Really, the only thing outstanding in Series 2 is Girl in the Fireplace. A lot of the other stories are pretty sub-par (in my opinion, at least). And some are even genuinely bad. Most would site Love and Monsters and Fear Her as being the big culprits in this department (and I wouldn't argue much with that opinion), but I actually think Idiot's Lantern is the biggest stinker of the bunch. After giving us a brilliant episode like Unquiet Dead, Mark Gatiss delivers the exact opposite, this time.
Probably the biggest sin of Series 2, however, is its attempt at another season-long arc. Whereas the insertion of the term "Bad Wolf" seems quite fluid in Series 1, "Torchwood" comes across as painfully shoe-horned. It feels most ludicrous because the Doctor should have had a moment like he did in Boomtown, where he remarks on the fact that the word seems to be following him all over the place. But it never happens. Which comes across as somewhat odd.
Of all the seasons of New Who, I definitely consider Series 2 to be the worst. If we lined it up against Old Who too, I'd even say this is another time where I would prefer Season 24. I feel most sorry for more recent fans that are trying to binge watch the new series from its very beginning. Many complain about how hard it is to get through Series 2. I just tell them to hang in there. It gets better.
Unlike Season 24, this dip in quality doesn't seem to put the program's future in jeopardy. A third season is commissioned with barely a flinch from the BBC. But it does give us a show that appears very unsteady on its feet. At this point, the overall direction of the program seems very unclear. We're really not sure of the formula, anymore as the styles of the stories seem to be going all over the place There also seems to be a poor use of budget. Fear Her is required to take place, principally, on a street because they've run out of money. Even the character of the Doctor is a bit inconsistent. It seemed right for Eccleston's Doctor to have all that angst since he was recovering from what he did in the Time Wars. His journey through Series 1 causes him to heal those emotional scars by the time he regenerates. Tennant, however, is all about angst again. It makes all of Nine's character growth seem irrelevant.
These numerous problems are the reason why I consider this season to still be part of "The Delicate Years" of the show. RTD really needed to sit down and get a clearer idea of what he wished to do with his creation. It does not appear that he did that between his first and second seasons. The result is a show that still seems very uncertain of itself.
FULL RECOVERY
As the somewhat-painful Runaway Bride Christmas Special wraps up, RTD seems to get the downtime he needs to re-evaluate his vision for the program. Series 3 reaches our screens with a quiet confidence of a show with a firm direction. From this point, onward, Doctor Who really seems to have a clear idea of what it's about, again.
Is Series 3 perfect? Of course not. The Dalek story it offers is quite shaky. And some are a bit disappointed by the "Tinkerbell Ending" that the season has when the positive mindset of the entire population of Earth suddenly gives the Doctor super powers. Series 4 has a few problems, too. It has my least favorite season finale, ever. I'm not particularly fond of "The Specials" that we get over the next year, either. Waters of Mars is brilliant. The rest of them are mediocre, at best. Some of them are genuinely bad (Next Doctor is my least favorite New Who episode ever).
Overall, however, the show is performing consistently again. Moff takes the reigns from RTD and keeps the calibre of story-telling high. The show goes back to being the massive success it once was. Everything is right with the world, again.
But Series 3 really does mark the beginning of the full turnaround. It is at this point that the show is finally running smoothly again. There might still be the occasional "hiccup" here and there. But, overall, Doctor Who is back in all its glory.
And so, the Delicate Years have reached their end. The fans have got their show back. Joy has returned to our lives!
It should be noted, however, just how long those Delicate Years lasted: Six entire seasons and a feature-length Special. This speaks volumes of the uniqueness of Doctor Who. No other show would be allowed that long of a period of time to sort itself out. Anything else would have been abandoned ages ago. But there is such a unique magic to this program that its audience is willing to let it go through whatever transformations it needs to make.
Doctor Who really is the most incredible of TV shows. Chronicling its Delicate Years was a great way to highlight that.
AFTERTHOUGHT: ARE WE AT ANOTHER FRAGILE PERIOD?
At the time of writing this, we are twelve seasons into the new series. In fact, it was just pointed out the other day that Doctor Who has now been back on the air for as long as it was off. These are things we should be grateful for. The show has returned to being an institution.
And yet, I'm starting to see negative indications, again. Perhaps, even, Signs of Doom!
Probably the biggest red flag I've seen, of late, is the strong desire in fandom to demonise the current Head Writer. Some folks do take the same stance I do with Chris Chibnall. We actually like a lot of what he's doing and think the show is very good. It's most distressing, however, how fans who dislike him will actually berate us for our tastes. This doesn't happen every time I express a pro-Chibnall opinion - but it happens frequently enough. I have even gotten flack for some of the entries I have written of late concerning my stance on his work.
Now, I have read some very well-formulated opinions by fans who do not appreciate his vision for the show. Those sort of dissertations are out there. And the ones who make effective cases are often happy to just "agree to disagree" with me rather than turn things into attacks. But a whole lot more of what I'm seeing comes across as fairly mindless vitriol. In some cases, it's legitimate blind hate.
This sort of attitude strongly resembles the sort of contemptible behavior we saw directed towards John Nathan Turner back in the late 80s. When fans started becoming impossible-to-please and the show started getting shorter seasons and negative attention from BBC Executives. All of which, eventually, led to its demise.
Could we be seeing the first signs of a return to another fragile period? If some of these other factors start coming into play. If a few key figures in the upper echelons of the BBC decide the show needs another rest, then this could spell out some serious trouble for the show.
Does this mean we should just like the show, regardless? Because, if we don't, it could get cancelled! Of course not. But, maybe, we could reserve our opinions until we've given them some serious consideration. So many fans need to verbalise how they feel so quickly. Particularly now that we have the internet. And they also understand that if they're inflammatory in their remarks, they will probably get more attention.
Perhaps we should care more about the show than we do about being noticed. Have a negative opinion if you really do feel that way. But creative teams will probably pay better attention to what you're expressing if the criticism is constructive rather than rude. I know if I were a showrunner and all I was seeing was: "Rob Tymec sucks at making Doctor Who!" I would pay little heed to what you have to say. Because, in the end, that sort of language is just abuse. And who would actively seek that sort of treatment?
BBC executives, however, might start getting just a little too distressed about such strong opinions and wonder if harsher changes need to be made. And we've seen what becomes of the show when something like this happens.
I hope I'm not coming across as too preachy, here. But I also just felt this might be a good place to state my feelings on the matter. Quite honestly, I'm only saying this because I really don't want to have write another essay, someday, on a second wave of Delicate Years....
And so, the three-parter ends. Again, I hope I didn't get up on too much of a high-horse in my closing paragraphs. I also hope you enjoyed my own insights into what the show went through during its most difficult transition. Perhaps I will look into behind-the-scenes subjects more often.
Missed Part One? Here you go:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years.html
Part Two:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years_20.html
Monday, 20 July 2020
ANALYTICAL: DOCTOR WHO: "THE DELICATE YEARS" - EPISODE TWO: IN THE WILDERNESS
Got some interesting feedback from the first part of this essay. Thanks to all of you who chimed in with responses. This was something very different for me to write about and I needed to know how you felt.
As I mentioned in Part One, I prefer to discuss the mythos of the show rather than behind-the-scenes matters. But a lot of you expressed to me that you found it an enjoyable read so I'll continue on....
THE WILDERNESS YEARS - THE FIRST HALF
The 90s is a sad time in the lives of any fan who started watching Doctor Who before it went off the air. Many of us went on a wonderful journey of discovering this wildly imaginative low-budget science fiction series that just seemed to have way more charm than any other franchise out there. I remember fondly discovering some latter-day Tom Baker episodes on a local PBS station here in Canada and falling instantly in love with it. A good chunk of my boyhood was then spent finding other TV channels that featured the program. I soon watched every episode in existence. All while picking up novelisations and other literature concerning the show.
But nothing was more exciting than when a new season came out. It often took some time before the episodes would reach me in Canada. So the anticipation could be quite gruelling. There was no real internet to speak of at the time. But there were fanzines that could give me teasers about what was to come in the latest adventures of my favorite Time Lord. This just whetted my appetite all-the-more as I waited for new material to reach my side of the ocean.
While I was still blessed with an extremely healthy social life (not something an awkward, geeky teenager always gets), some of my fondest memories actually involved me turning down invitations to parties and other such events because there was a new episode of Doctor Who on that night and I couldn't miss it. On a few occasions, I even broke off dates with girls who had asked me out!
But, as the 80s ended, all that happiness seemed to ebb away. News came out that it looked like the show had been truly laid to rest. Quite sadly, I accepted that life would have to just go on without Doctor Who.
What really happened, however, was that life went on without Doctor Who on television. Other forms of media started picking up the torch and continuing the story.
Probably the biggest development was a series of "New Adventures" novels that were released by Virgin Publishing. They followed Ace and the Doctor after the events of Survival. They even novelised several scripts that were meant to be in future seasons of the show. Eventually, Ace was written out and new companions like Bernice "Benny" Summerfield and futuristic police officers Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester were introduced. Which really gave the novels their own sense of identity rather than being just a continuation of a TV series. While it still wasn't quite the same level of satisfaction that new episodes would give me, I really enjoyed this book range. The Seventh Doctor became even darker than he already was on the program and his character went to some very interesting places. All in all, this was probably my favorite form of alternative media that came out during the Wilderness Years.
But I should also mention the contribution Doctor Who Magazine made during this dark time. Not only did they continue to publish interesting articles about a show that was now extinct, but they also did an ongoing comic strip that prolonged the adventures of the Doctor and Ace. The comics became especially interesting as they started tying in with things that were going on in the New Adventures novelisations. It all became one big fun shared reality for tv-starved fans to enjoy.
1996 - THE YEAR OF HOPE
For a good five years, books and comics were the mainstay for people that still wanted some kind of fix from the Doctor Who Universe. Virgin released a second range of novels called "The Missing Adventures" that involved earlier incarnations of the Doctor (I only collected these books a bit as I didn't really like them as much as the New Adventures). An occasional video was released that would involve companions or monsters from the show but could not feature the Doctor, himself. There was even a range of audio adventures starting to develop.
And then this rumor started circulating that Doctor Who was being revived. There had been any number of rumors of this nature over the years, of course, but this particular grapevine seemed more firmly rooted. Steven Spielberg even seemed to have his name attached to the project. This definitely offered a ray of hope for the fans. If anyone could bring back Doctor Who, it would be Spielberg.
As 1996 approached, more and more concrete news came out. Although Spielberg left the production, a return to television still seemed imminent. This was to be a British/American co-produce. Which made some fans a bit nervous. Would all the eccentricity of the series be removed to make it more palatable for a U.S. audience? In some ways, though, we were only so concerned. We were dying to see Doctor Who on our screens again. We could live if some of its integrity was compromised.
When it did finally arrive, some interesting choices had been made. There would be a new Doctor played by Paul McGann. Who was, quite honestly, brilliant in the role. Oddly, though, Sylvester McCoy was still brought back for the first ten minutes or so of the story to get a regeneration scene. It was great to see the effort being made to join this feature-length story to the original series. But this would also alienate anyone trying out the show for the first time. To change your lead ten minutes into your story was definitely a bold decision.
There was one distinct Americanisation made to the tale. We would also be getting a new incarnation of the Master. He would not be British, though. He was played by famous U.S. actor Eric Roberts. Roberts is great at playing villains. But it was still very strange to hear the Master speaking his lines in such a different accent.
There were several other weird choices of this nature. This happened mainly because there were so many executive producers with different agendas that needed to be met. Philip Segal, the man who was putting the whole adventure together, was blown about by the various whims of his pay-masters. Ultimately, Doctor Who - The Movie (or The 96 Telemovie) only worked so well for its potential audiences. It had been hoped that this would be a sort of "backdoor pilot" that would lead to a series. Sadly, because the story never quite found its niche, this didn't happen.
DOCTOR WHO - THE MOVIE: THE AFTERMATH
As quickly as our hopes had been raised, they were dashed against the rocks. Doctor Who was over again. Poor 'ole Paul McGann would only ever get one full story. And, with this failure, it seemed definite that another effort would never be made to revive the show.
Doctor Who had gotten its one chance and had missed the mark.
There was, however, one interesting nuance to this production. Up until now, the show had always been made by "career TV producers". People that worked in the industry who just happened to get assigned Doctor Who by the BBC. This was the first time a Super Fan had made a story. Someone who, like me, had just grown up loving the series and wanted to see it continue. It gave an interesting spin on how the whole adventure was depicted. It also set a precedent. If Doctor Who was to make another return sometime in the future - it would need another Super Fan to do it. No sane television producer would be willing to work against the adversity that would be levelled against them as they tried to bring the show back. Only someone with the deepest love for Who would endure such a thing. From this point on, the main creative force fueling the series would always come from a fan.
If you read the first part of this essay (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years.html), you'll recall that I decided to watch my DVD collection from the beginning of Trial of a Time Lord until the end of the Classic Series. I, then, continued with The 96 Telemovie and went on to observe a few early seasons of New Who. This constitutes what I consider "The Delicate Years" of the show.
Just for fun, after I finished Paul McGann's introductory story, I also bothered to put on Night of the Doctor to watch Eight regenerate into the War Doctor. I then continued with Day of the Doctor so I could observe the War Doctor turn into Nine. While neither of these stories were produced during the Wilderness Years, it's still fun to insert them into the viewing order. They give us a bit better of an idea of what happened during those years between Season 26 and Series 1. Just like The 96 Telemovie, the material is somewhat scant. It seems that, at best, we will only ever get glimpses into this specific period. Which, admittedly, gives the whole thing a rather fun air of mystery.
THE WILDERNESS YEARS: PART TWO
While McGann's Doctor appeared to be only getting one full television story, his adventures were far from over.
Once more, novels had a strong role to play in continuing the saga. Virgin Publishing's rights to Doctor Who had lapsed and BBC Books took up the reigns. The Eighth Doctor's first story in prose picks up only moments after the Telemovie finishes. The somewhat-legendary Terrance Dicks is hired to write the novel. It's quite the fan-pleaser as Eight ends up travelling down his own timestream to have encounters with all his predecessors.
This range quickly receives the title of EDAs (Eighth Doctor Adventures) and lasts for several years. It took a while for this series to really grow on me. Overall, I still prefer the New Adventures. But some interesting things do happen with the EDAs. Most notably, the Doctor learns that the Time Lords are going to wage a very serious war with another species. This is not quite the same Time War that we hear about when the show does return. But it's still interesting that the idea was first born in these books.
The other form of entertainment that really finds its mark during this time are the audio dramas produced by Big Finish. They, too, pick up the torch and keep the Eighth Doctor running. Amazingly enough, the series is still going to this day. In the instance of both the novels and the audio dramas, stories were also created for other incarnations beyond the Eighth Doctor. Just as Virgin did "Missing Adventures" for previous incarnations. As the new series rolled in, Big Finish even started producing stories involving Doctors that were on the show. The EDAs, however, were concluded.
As great as all this is, the canon that gets established during both parts of the Wilderness Years through alternative media will, eventually, get thrown out. Or, at least, that's how I see it. Other fans may feel differently on the matter.
Both a Big Finish story using the Sixth Doctor and a New Adventures novel featuring the Seventh Doctor get "re-jigged" in the first few seasons for the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, respectively. In my view, the Doctor can't have the same adventure twice. It just doesn't really make sense. So, we have to accept that all Wilderness Years stuff doesn't really count.
Some like to point out, of course, that the Eighth Doctor does name a bunch of companions from Big Finish during Night of the Doctor. Which must mean Big Finish is canon. I'm inclined to believe that those companions did travel with Eight - but the adventures they had in the audio dramas didn't, necessarily, occur during their travels. If we ever get a few seasons of a show featuring Paul McGann (which is highly unlikely to happen, at this point) then what we see in these episodes will be what I consider to be canon. Hopefully, some of the companions from Big Finish would be included in the run. But, to be honest, this is all a pretty big pipe dream! Poor 'ole Paul was lucky to even get that webisode! That was purely a 50th anniversary gift given to us by Moffat. Luckily enough, he's as big of a pedant as we are and needed to see Eight regenerate!
In the end, "alternative media Doctor Who" was a wonderful diversion to keep us entertained until the show properly came back. Nothing more. It was a great ride, though. Some awesome stories were told and several people who were involved with their telling became part of the televised series as it did return.
Even Russell T. Davis, himself, wrote a New Adventures novel!
In the Grand Tradition of such great stories as Delta and the Bannermen and Planet of Giants, we're going to make this topic a three-parter. Hope you enjoyed the middle chapter. We'll be looking at the triumphant return and its shaky second season as we embark upon Episode Three.
Here's Part One, again, if you missed it:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years.html
What really happened, however, was that life went on without Doctor Who on television. Other forms of media started picking up the torch and continuing the story.
Probably the biggest development was a series of "New Adventures" novels that were released by Virgin Publishing. They followed Ace and the Doctor after the events of Survival. They even novelised several scripts that were meant to be in future seasons of the show. Eventually, Ace was written out and new companions like Bernice "Benny" Summerfield and futuristic police officers Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester were introduced. Which really gave the novels their own sense of identity rather than being just a continuation of a TV series. While it still wasn't quite the same level of satisfaction that new episodes would give me, I really enjoyed this book range. The Seventh Doctor became even darker than he already was on the program and his character went to some very interesting places. All in all, this was probably my favorite form of alternative media that came out during the Wilderness Years.
But I should also mention the contribution Doctor Who Magazine made during this dark time. Not only did they continue to publish interesting articles about a show that was now extinct, but they also did an ongoing comic strip that prolonged the adventures of the Doctor and Ace. The comics became especially interesting as they started tying in with things that were going on in the New Adventures novelisations. It all became one big fun shared reality for tv-starved fans to enjoy.
1996 - THE YEAR OF HOPE
For a good five years, books and comics were the mainstay for people that still wanted some kind of fix from the Doctor Who Universe. Virgin released a second range of novels called "The Missing Adventures" that involved earlier incarnations of the Doctor (I only collected these books a bit as I didn't really like them as much as the New Adventures). An occasional video was released that would involve companions or monsters from the show but could not feature the Doctor, himself. There was even a range of audio adventures starting to develop.
And then this rumor started circulating that Doctor Who was being revived. There had been any number of rumors of this nature over the years, of course, but this particular grapevine seemed more firmly rooted. Steven Spielberg even seemed to have his name attached to the project. This definitely offered a ray of hope for the fans. If anyone could bring back Doctor Who, it would be Spielberg.
As 1996 approached, more and more concrete news came out. Although Spielberg left the production, a return to television still seemed imminent. This was to be a British/American co-produce. Which made some fans a bit nervous. Would all the eccentricity of the series be removed to make it more palatable for a U.S. audience? In some ways, though, we were only so concerned. We were dying to see Doctor Who on our screens again. We could live if some of its integrity was compromised.
When it did finally arrive, some interesting choices had been made. There would be a new Doctor played by Paul McGann. Who was, quite honestly, brilliant in the role. Oddly, though, Sylvester McCoy was still brought back for the first ten minutes or so of the story to get a regeneration scene. It was great to see the effort being made to join this feature-length story to the original series. But this would also alienate anyone trying out the show for the first time. To change your lead ten minutes into your story was definitely a bold decision.
There was one distinct Americanisation made to the tale. We would also be getting a new incarnation of the Master. He would not be British, though. He was played by famous U.S. actor Eric Roberts. Roberts is great at playing villains. But it was still very strange to hear the Master speaking his lines in such a different accent.
There were several other weird choices of this nature. This happened mainly because there were so many executive producers with different agendas that needed to be met. Philip Segal, the man who was putting the whole adventure together, was blown about by the various whims of his pay-masters. Ultimately, Doctor Who - The Movie (or The 96 Telemovie) only worked so well for its potential audiences. It had been hoped that this would be a sort of "backdoor pilot" that would lead to a series. Sadly, because the story never quite found its niche, this didn't happen.
DOCTOR WHO - THE MOVIE: THE AFTERMATH
As quickly as our hopes had been raised, they were dashed against the rocks. Doctor Who was over again. Poor 'ole Paul McGann would only ever get one full story. And, with this failure, it seemed definite that another effort would never be made to revive the show.
Doctor Who had gotten its one chance and had missed the mark.
There was, however, one interesting nuance to this production. Up until now, the show had always been made by "career TV producers". People that worked in the industry who just happened to get assigned Doctor Who by the BBC. This was the first time a Super Fan had made a story. Someone who, like me, had just grown up loving the series and wanted to see it continue. It gave an interesting spin on how the whole adventure was depicted. It also set a precedent. If Doctor Who was to make another return sometime in the future - it would need another Super Fan to do it. No sane television producer would be willing to work against the adversity that would be levelled against them as they tried to bring the show back. Only someone with the deepest love for Who would endure such a thing. From this point on, the main creative force fueling the series would always come from a fan.
If you read the first part of this essay (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years.html), you'll recall that I decided to watch my DVD collection from the beginning of Trial of a Time Lord until the end of the Classic Series. I, then, continued with The 96 Telemovie and went on to observe a few early seasons of New Who. This constitutes what I consider "The Delicate Years" of the show.
Just for fun, after I finished Paul McGann's introductory story, I also bothered to put on Night of the Doctor to watch Eight regenerate into the War Doctor. I then continued with Day of the Doctor so I could observe the War Doctor turn into Nine. While neither of these stories were produced during the Wilderness Years, it's still fun to insert them into the viewing order. They give us a bit better of an idea of what happened during those years between Season 26 and Series 1. Just like The 96 Telemovie, the material is somewhat scant. It seems that, at best, we will only ever get glimpses into this specific period. Which, admittedly, gives the whole thing a rather fun air of mystery.
THE WILDERNESS YEARS: PART TWO
While McGann's Doctor appeared to be only getting one full television story, his adventures were far from over.
Once more, novels had a strong role to play in continuing the saga. Virgin Publishing's rights to Doctor Who had lapsed and BBC Books took up the reigns. The Eighth Doctor's first story in prose picks up only moments after the Telemovie finishes. The somewhat-legendary Terrance Dicks is hired to write the novel. It's quite the fan-pleaser as Eight ends up travelling down his own timestream to have encounters with all his predecessors.
This range quickly receives the title of EDAs (Eighth Doctor Adventures) and lasts for several years. It took a while for this series to really grow on me. Overall, I still prefer the New Adventures. But some interesting things do happen with the EDAs. Most notably, the Doctor learns that the Time Lords are going to wage a very serious war with another species. This is not quite the same Time War that we hear about when the show does return. But it's still interesting that the idea was first born in these books.
The other form of entertainment that really finds its mark during this time are the audio dramas produced by Big Finish. They, too, pick up the torch and keep the Eighth Doctor running. Amazingly enough, the series is still going to this day. In the instance of both the novels and the audio dramas, stories were also created for other incarnations beyond the Eighth Doctor. Just as Virgin did "Missing Adventures" for previous incarnations. As the new series rolled in, Big Finish even started producing stories involving Doctors that were on the show. The EDAs, however, were concluded.
As great as all this is, the canon that gets established during both parts of the Wilderness Years through alternative media will, eventually, get thrown out. Or, at least, that's how I see it. Other fans may feel differently on the matter.
Both a Big Finish story using the Sixth Doctor and a New Adventures novel featuring the Seventh Doctor get "re-jigged" in the first few seasons for the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, respectively. In my view, the Doctor can't have the same adventure twice. It just doesn't really make sense. So, we have to accept that all Wilderness Years stuff doesn't really count.
Some like to point out, of course, that the Eighth Doctor does name a bunch of companions from Big Finish during Night of the Doctor. Which must mean Big Finish is canon. I'm inclined to believe that those companions did travel with Eight - but the adventures they had in the audio dramas didn't, necessarily, occur during their travels. If we ever get a few seasons of a show featuring Paul McGann (which is highly unlikely to happen, at this point) then what we see in these episodes will be what I consider to be canon. Hopefully, some of the companions from Big Finish would be included in the run. But, to be honest, this is all a pretty big pipe dream! Poor 'ole Paul was lucky to even get that webisode! That was purely a 50th anniversary gift given to us by Moffat. Luckily enough, he's as big of a pedant as we are and needed to see Eight regenerate!
In the end, "alternative media Doctor Who" was a wonderful diversion to keep us entertained until the show properly came back. Nothing more. It was a great ride, though. Some awesome stories were told and several people who were involved with their telling became part of the televised series as it did return.
Even Russell T. Davis, himself, wrote a New Adventures novel!
In the Grand Tradition of such great stories as Delta and the Bannermen and Planet of Giants, we're going to make this topic a three-parter. Hope you enjoyed the middle chapter. We'll be looking at the triumphant return and its shaky second season as we embark upon Episode Three.
Here's Part One, again, if you missed it:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/07/analytical-doctor-who-delicate-years.html
Tuesday, 14 July 2020
ANALYTICAL - DOCTOR WHO: "THE DELICATE YEARS" - EPISODE ONE: THE DYING DAYS
So this would be another idea for an entry that just, sort of, came to me from out of nowhere. I'm not entirely sure how interesting other fans might find this analysis. We'll see....
A LITTLE BACKGROUND....
When I re-watch the show from my DVD collection (still haven't made the switch to Blu-Ray - gonna fight it for as long as I can), I tend to just watch individual stories in little or no particular order. I might watch The Time Warrior one day and The God Complex, the next. And then Arc of Infinity after that. I love to just jump all over the spectrum of the program.
Every once in a while, however, I'll go back to watching the show chronologically. I'll just pick a specific spot in the series and watch episodes continuously for a while...
Recently, I started watching the show in this fashion at Episode One of Trial of a Time Lord (aka The Mysterious Planet) and just kept viewing from that point, onward. Sadly, Six complained about carrot juice three times over and then transformed, quite unconvincingly into Seven. I then continued with Sylvester McCoy until he strolled off into the distance with Sophie Aldred while performing his final voiced-over soliloquy. But I didn't stop there. I enjoyed the stories that take place or are meant to take place in the Wilderness Years and even watched a season or two of New Who.
Then, suddenly, I felt I'd watched enough. I was ready to go back to just random viewings. I wondered why I chose to stop when I did. And then I realized it. I was watching the episodes that were made when Doctor Who was at its most delicate time. I started exactly when the show moved into an era where it faced the risk of being cancelled. I then observed its struggles to come back to life. Finally, I watched it truly get back on its feet and start firing on all cylinders, again.
I'd now like to go over those specific periods in greater detail and explain what they represented in terms of the show's demise and recovery. Normally, when I write in this blog, I prefer to stick to explorations of the mythos of Doctor Who. On this occasion, however, it's gong to be an examination of behind-the-scenes dynamics.
SEASON 22: NOT QUITE IN THE DELICATE YEARS - BUT CERTAINLY THE CATHARSIS
As we look at this period of fragility in the show's history, some would like to believe that it began in Colin Baker's first full season. But I would be inclined to refute that. The fact of the matter is, Season 22 possesses many attributes of a television program that is doing quite well for itself. Its most obvious trait would be the fact that it contains all the episodes that a season of Doctor Who normally has. To me, the greatest sign that the show was in trouble was the sudden and harsh reduction of episodes that we only see after this season concludes.
It should also be noted that the season brought us quite a few of its greatest returning villains and/or monsters. Which gave it some pretty respectable ratings. But it didn't just rest on its laurels. It also introduced two new characters (Sil and the Rani) that were so well-appreciated that they would be seen again in future stories. While I could list several more positive traits, it would just be easier to say that, overall, the season went over fairly well.
However, several key executives in the BBC were tired of the show. They felt funds at the Beeb should be directed towards newer and fresher projects rather than be used on older programs. Despite the fact that these older programs were institutions that were generating tonnes of income for the television station through merchandising and oversea sales. These execs had an axe to grind with Doctor Who and they needed some kind of catalyst to begin its demise.
They managed to find one flaw about the series that they could blow out of proportion. Season 22 is grittier and more violent than usual. Some believe that certain action elements went too far in terms of gratuitousness. But, in all reality, that's highly subjective.There's far more objectionable stuff, for instance, during much of Tom Baker's earlier days. Condo getting his stomach blown open by Solon's gun in Brain of Morbius, for instance, was an unnecessarily graphic sequence that is far more disturbing than anything Season 22 had to offer. But there were still some objections about the violence in the Sixth Doctor's debut season. This was all that BBC executives like Michael Grade and Jonathon Powell needed to begin their campaign to kill off the show.
SEASON 23 - WHERE TROUBLE TRULY BEGINS
Overemphasising the disdain experienced by some of the darker tones of Season 22, the Powers-That-Be at the BBC declare a hiatus on the show so that it can go through extensive re-tooling. In reality, little or no attention is given to the program while it is off the air. This was done more as an attempt to get the show out of the public's attention for a bit so that it would, hopefully, suffer lower ratings when it did come back.
In order to make the blow as crippling as possible, Doctor Who is also allocated half the episodes it regularly receives when it does return to air. Not only did fans not get their favorite program for over a year, but, as it does return - it's not around for very long before it's gone again for a while.
This is, truly, the beginning of the end. Amazingly enough, the show does keep going for another four installments. But the Fourteen Episode Season is the final nail in the coffin. The body inside the casket kicks and screams for quite some time. But, eventually, it does get lowered into the earth and buried.
The one positive that comes from this decision is that the program is still receiving, more or less, the same budget it had when it was required to make twenty-six episodes. With less content to make but still plenty of money to throw at it, the production value definitely improved. The cheap effects that the show was, generally, mocked for became less frequent. Doctor Who really starts looking good. We see the best evidence of this in the beginning few seconds of the first fourteen-part season.
TRIAL OF A TIME LORD - DOOMED FROM THE START
While the opening sequence of Trial of a Time Lord is visually stunning, it's not the only shock that Season 23 creates. The biggest surprise about the whole story is its actual premise. One would expect the production team to repeat what they did in their last outing and bring us lots of recurring villains/monsters to attract viewers. But, instead, they take a very different route.
They make several bold choices. The biggest and most obvious being the decision to create an "art imitates life" piece. The show, itself, is being put on trial by the BBC executives to see if its worth keeping alive. The Doctor goes through a similar experience as he is subjected to the judgement of his peers. The opening lines of dialogue between prosecutor and defendant ("At last, Doctor." "Am I late for something?") are even meant to mirror fan reaction to the whole hiatus we had just suffered through.
But that's not the only brave decision made by the creative team. While The Key to Time was the first attempt at an umbrella themed season, it was nowhere near as tight in continuity as Trial of Time Lord was. It really was necessary to watch, pretty much, every single episode of the season to truly understand what was going on. Even modern-day Who uses enough stand-alone and/or "filler" episodes to make it a bit more accessible for the casual viewer. Trial of a Time Lord made no allowances for this. In many ways, one should admire the integrity of those that created this season.
Unfortunately, a lot of people didn't. Fandom, at the time, was going through a bit of a vicious cycle. One that happens in any franchise, really. For a time, fans will become impossible to please. Everything about what they love is picked apart and placed under the harshest of microscopes. Every fan seems to now fancy themselves as being producers, writers, directors and actors and has to tell everyone how "they would have made it better" rather than enjoy the content given to them (ironically, some people with this type of personality end up dabbling in fan fiction and we often see how much worse they would have made things!).
This was the state of fandom when Trial of a Time Lord came out. While the season is not perfect (not any season is), the problems it did have were grossly exaggerated by many of those who watched it upon its initial release. In many ways, it didn't matter what the production team made that year - it was going to get bashed pretty hard. It is,in fact, quite satisfying to hear the term "some serious re-evaluation required" being frequently used by reviewers of this season over subsequent years.
However, at the time, Trial of a Time Lord was not well-received by many. Which added, quite strongly, to its imminent demise.
THINGS COULD NOT GET WORSE - UNTIL SEASON 24!
As if dealing with BBC politics and difficult fans wasn't enough, John Nathan-Turner also had to face a slew of problems within his own team structure as Season 23 concludes.
For several years, tension between the producer and script editor, Eric Saward, had been growing. Both creatively and professionally, they seemed to be having problems seeing things eye-to-eye. It is difficult to tell whether there truly was a "good guy and bad guy" in this debacle. Personally, I'm more inclined to think JNT was the nicer fellow - but that's just me! Either of these men could have done a lot of wrong in this fight. Both, in terms of how they were treating each other and handling the show.
Things finally come to a boil between them while Trial of a Time Lord is still under production. After the death of Robert Holmes, Saward is forced to pen the final episode of the saga, himself. In a fit of pique, however, he withdraws the script and quits the show. Hastily, the producer must commission Pip and Jane Baker to come up with a finale of their own. They, literally, have a writer's briefing with a lawyer present to ensure that none of Saward's ideas are stolen. There could not be a tenser way to end a season-long opus. Interestingly enough, the final episode still holds up quite well. And, if you happen to read up on what Saward had planned, the ending devised by the Bakers is considerably more upbeat. Had they gone with Saward's bleaker version, this might have been the opportunity the BBC executives were looking for to not renew the show.
The position of script editor during the Classic Series is a crucial one. They are, pretty much, what the Head Writer is, these days. Saward quitting so abruptly was going to make finding someone to fill his shoes all the more difficult. They would be coming in to the creative team without any guidance from their predecessor.
This, however, is nothing compared to the other major internal problem.
In their continuing quest to gaslight the program in any way they can, Execs from the Beeb also decide that Colin Baker is just not suitable for the part. They refuse to renew his contract but still want him to come in and film one more story so that they can regenerate him in the final episode. Quite reasonably, Baker tells them to shove their offer where the sun don't shine. While Colin admits many years later that he did wish he had filmed a proper swansong for his character, no one can really fault him for the choice he made. He was being treated deplorably by the BBC and had every right to do what he did.
But, ultimately, Season 24 must now be created without the presence of two key positions in its staff. This has a huge detrimental influence on the quality of the series.
THE PAINFUL BIRTH OF A NEW ERA
While Season 23 seems to survive internal politics and still produce something quite decent, the same cannot be said for the next outing.
Almost frantic, JNT gets very lucky with all of his new hires. Andrew Cartmel is a young but very inventive script editor who will go on to bring the show to one of its most creative highs. Sylvester McCoy will also create a brilliant interpretation of the lead role.
But, before either of them can do that, there are some serious teething problems.
Many of them are clearly evident in the very first story of the season. While I think it's actually okay, Time and the Rani is not liked by most people who have seen it. Admittedly, there are some aspects to the plot that are difficult to swallow. The Rani disguising herself as Mel is, probably, one of the more bitter of pills. But there are other problems, too. Sylvester McCoy's entrance into the character is the most embarrassing of visuals that also doesn't make much sense (death by exercise bike?!). He also plays the part a bit too comedically in his first adventure. Although, admittedly, his antics are quite fun to watch. Even his twisted proverbs create some genuine amusement.
Part of the real problem with this particular tale is the fact that Pip and Jane were commissioned to write the story and then thrust upon the new script editor. One can understand why the husband-and-wife writing team got the job. They had pulled Trial of a Time Lord out of the flames and JNT was hoping they could get lightning to strike twice. But Cartmel just didn't feel the script supported the direction he wanted to move things in and there was, apparently, a lot of bickering between the editor and the scribes. Pip and Jane Baker would never return to the show. Unfortunately, because of creative differences, they left behind a fairly clunky script.
As Cartmel continued on, he attempted to bring in a number of writers that he felt would revive the show and make it fresh, again. And he was right in his choice. However, he was a script editor trying to find his own feet while, at the same time, grooming a group of fairly green writers. Which meant a heavy number of misfires before things really started to go right.
PRETTY MUCH, UNIVERSALLY REVILED
Many consider Season 24 to be one of, if not, the worst seasons of Doctor Who. Fan reaction was so negative, in fact, that quite a few people stopped watching the show at this point.
I would contest that quite a bit of this backlash happened because Fandom was still in its darker phase of being overcritical of everything. Time and the Rani is passable. I actually think Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen are quite strong. To me, the only real "stinker" in this line-up is Dragonfire. And, even then, it shows some promise. Particularly in the introduction of Ace - one of my all-time favorite companions.
When I compare this to another season that rates lowly - say, Season 17- then I have to wonder what all the fuss was about. Destiny of the Daleks and Nightmare of Eden are passable. I actually think City of Death is a bit over-rated. Horns of Nimon is only redeemed by the fact that it is a bit of a guilty pleasure (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures.html) - but that does mean it's still quite bad. And then Creature from the Pit is, perhaps, the greatest embarrassment the show has ever produced. This is a hideously bad story that even makes something like Dragonfire gleam like a gem.
Season 17's greatest sin, however, spans all of its stories. It is pushing the laughs way too hard. This no longer seems like Doctor Who. But, rather, a cruel parody of the show where nothing is ever being taken seriously anymore. Even when things are meant to be terrifying, they come across more as camp.
If I could delve even more into my own personal opinion, I consider most of what happened in the Pertwee era after Season 7 to be quite sub-standard. There are tales like Mind of Evil that manage to rise above much of the formula-driven, preachy, over-padded nonsense that drives most of this period. But, overall, I would take Season 24 over much of what is offered during Seasons 8 to 11.
So, to me, the rumors of Season 24's death have been greatly exaggerated. It's still troubled, in places. No doubt of that. But I'd hardly call it the worst. Not if I can find, just off the top of my head, five other seasons that I enjoy less.
This is, of course, my own opinion. Many still hold Season 24 in very low regard. This lack of love for the season does incalculable amounts of damage to the show's future. Things do get better in the last two seasons of the Classic Series. But, for many: it's too little, too late.
THE LAST TWO SEASONS: WHO CARES ANYMORE ABOUT GRABBING RATINGS?!
While the show continues to gasp its final breaths, little complaint can be laid at its doorstep about the quality of its content. As Season 25 opens, both Sylvester McCoy and Andrew Cartmel have settled nicely into their positions. The Seventh Doctor's character is now very thoroughly fleshed out and this is reflected in both the writing and the performance of the part. The scripts, in general, have improved dramatically (even though some of them were still doing quite well in Season 24). Stories like Remembrance of the Daleks, Ghostlight and Curse of Fenric are not just great Who tales, they are some of the most impressive feats of television, ever.
There is some divisiveness over certain stories like Happiness Patrol or Greatest Show in the Galaxy because they are going for a slightly more camp sensibility. But it's still evident that they tackle some pretty clever themes and ideas. Even weaker stories like Silver Nemesis and Battlefield have enough redeemable qualities to them that nothing can truly get snubbed by the fans.There are some great action sequences in Nemesis and the Brigadier is, pretty much, at his absolute coolest during Battlefield. This new stable of writers that Cartmel assembled are truly flourishing and the show almost seems to be heralding a new Golden Age.
It is almost as if everyone has stopped caring about trying to get a mass appeal and just wants to produce some really sophisticated television. The creative team seems to be hoping that people will be impressed enough by the intelligence of the content and not worry so much, anymore, about fan-pleasing gestures. Such a tactic is a pretty big gamble, of course. But it's difficult not to respect the High Road that gets taken, here.
Sadly, the risk doesn't pay off. Doctor Who has evolved so well during this period that a lot of what it's accomplishing is going over the heads of its audience. Quite a few of these stories will take a few years before they truly get the appreciation they deserve. Particularly a script like Ghostlight. Where the style of plot was just too far ahead of its time to be properly understood when it was initially transmitted.
And so, as the magnificently-layered Survival is aired, a decision is made to finish the season on a very poetic but conclusive note. In the adventure's final scene, Ace and the Doctor are shown strolling off into the sunset as Sylvester McCoy delivers a beautiful monologue in voice-over. The impression is given that their adventures will continue - we just won't be watching them anymore.
To all intents and purposes, Doctor Who is done.
As usual, my word-count is getting the best of me. I just had too much to say about this turbulent time. This seems to be a good place to leave things off. We'll re-join the tale as a new version of the show tries to rise from its own ashes.
Again, delving so deeply into the behind-the-scenes drama is not something I usually do, here. Hope you're enjoying this.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND....
When I re-watch the show from my DVD collection (still haven't made the switch to Blu-Ray - gonna fight it for as long as I can), I tend to just watch individual stories in little or no particular order. I might watch The Time Warrior one day and The God Complex, the next. And then Arc of Infinity after that. I love to just jump all over the spectrum of the program.
Every once in a while, however, I'll go back to watching the show chronologically. I'll just pick a specific spot in the series and watch episodes continuously for a while...
Recently, I started watching the show in this fashion at Episode One of Trial of a Time Lord (aka The Mysterious Planet) and just kept viewing from that point, onward. Sadly, Six complained about carrot juice three times over and then transformed, quite unconvincingly into Seven. I then continued with Sylvester McCoy until he strolled off into the distance with Sophie Aldred while performing his final voiced-over soliloquy. But I didn't stop there. I enjoyed the stories that take place or are meant to take place in the Wilderness Years and even watched a season or two of New Who.
Then, suddenly, I felt I'd watched enough. I was ready to go back to just random viewings. I wondered why I chose to stop when I did. And then I realized it. I was watching the episodes that were made when Doctor Who was at its most delicate time. I started exactly when the show moved into an era where it faced the risk of being cancelled. I then observed its struggles to come back to life. Finally, I watched it truly get back on its feet and start firing on all cylinders, again.
I'd now like to go over those specific periods in greater detail and explain what they represented in terms of the show's demise and recovery. Normally, when I write in this blog, I prefer to stick to explorations of the mythos of Doctor Who. On this occasion, however, it's gong to be an examination of behind-the-scenes dynamics.
SEASON 22: NOT QUITE IN THE DELICATE YEARS - BUT CERTAINLY THE CATHARSIS
As we look at this period of fragility in the show's history, some would like to believe that it began in Colin Baker's first full season. But I would be inclined to refute that. The fact of the matter is, Season 22 possesses many attributes of a television program that is doing quite well for itself. Its most obvious trait would be the fact that it contains all the episodes that a season of Doctor Who normally has. To me, the greatest sign that the show was in trouble was the sudden and harsh reduction of episodes that we only see after this season concludes.
It should also be noted that the season brought us quite a few of its greatest returning villains and/or monsters. Which gave it some pretty respectable ratings. But it didn't just rest on its laurels. It also introduced two new characters (Sil and the Rani) that were so well-appreciated that they would be seen again in future stories. While I could list several more positive traits, it would just be easier to say that, overall, the season went over fairly well.
However, several key executives in the BBC were tired of the show. They felt funds at the Beeb should be directed towards newer and fresher projects rather than be used on older programs. Despite the fact that these older programs were institutions that were generating tonnes of income for the television station through merchandising and oversea sales. These execs had an axe to grind with Doctor Who and they needed some kind of catalyst to begin its demise.
They managed to find one flaw about the series that they could blow out of proportion. Season 22 is grittier and more violent than usual. Some believe that certain action elements went too far in terms of gratuitousness. But, in all reality, that's highly subjective.There's far more objectionable stuff, for instance, during much of Tom Baker's earlier days. Condo getting his stomach blown open by Solon's gun in Brain of Morbius, for instance, was an unnecessarily graphic sequence that is far more disturbing than anything Season 22 had to offer. But there were still some objections about the violence in the Sixth Doctor's debut season. This was all that BBC executives like Michael Grade and Jonathon Powell needed to begin their campaign to kill off the show.
SEASON 23 - WHERE TROUBLE TRULY BEGINS
Overemphasising the disdain experienced by some of the darker tones of Season 22, the Powers-That-Be at the BBC declare a hiatus on the show so that it can go through extensive re-tooling. In reality, little or no attention is given to the program while it is off the air. This was done more as an attempt to get the show out of the public's attention for a bit so that it would, hopefully, suffer lower ratings when it did come back.
In order to make the blow as crippling as possible, Doctor Who is also allocated half the episodes it regularly receives when it does return to air. Not only did fans not get their favorite program for over a year, but, as it does return - it's not around for very long before it's gone again for a while.
This is, truly, the beginning of the end. Amazingly enough, the show does keep going for another four installments. But the Fourteen Episode Season is the final nail in the coffin. The body inside the casket kicks and screams for quite some time. But, eventually, it does get lowered into the earth and buried.
The one positive that comes from this decision is that the program is still receiving, more or less, the same budget it had when it was required to make twenty-six episodes. With less content to make but still plenty of money to throw at it, the production value definitely improved. The cheap effects that the show was, generally, mocked for became less frequent. Doctor Who really starts looking good. We see the best evidence of this in the beginning few seconds of the first fourteen-part season.
TRIAL OF A TIME LORD - DOOMED FROM THE START
While the opening sequence of Trial of a Time Lord is visually stunning, it's not the only shock that Season 23 creates. The biggest surprise about the whole story is its actual premise. One would expect the production team to repeat what they did in their last outing and bring us lots of recurring villains/monsters to attract viewers. But, instead, they take a very different route.
They make several bold choices. The biggest and most obvious being the decision to create an "art imitates life" piece. The show, itself, is being put on trial by the BBC executives to see if its worth keeping alive. The Doctor goes through a similar experience as he is subjected to the judgement of his peers. The opening lines of dialogue between prosecutor and defendant ("At last, Doctor." "Am I late for something?") are even meant to mirror fan reaction to the whole hiatus we had just suffered through.
But that's not the only brave decision made by the creative team. While The Key to Time was the first attempt at an umbrella themed season, it was nowhere near as tight in continuity as Trial of Time Lord was. It really was necessary to watch, pretty much, every single episode of the season to truly understand what was going on. Even modern-day Who uses enough stand-alone and/or "filler" episodes to make it a bit more accessible for the casual viewer. Trial of a Time Lord made no allowances for this. In many ways, one should admire the integrity of those that created this season.
Unfortunately, a lot of people didn't. Fandom, at the time, was going through a bit of a vicious cycle. One that happens in any franchise, really. For a time, fans will become impossible to please. Everything about what they love is picked apart and placed under the harshest of microscopes. Every fan seems to now fancy themselves as being producers, writers, directors and actors and has to tell everyone how "they would have made it better" rather than enjoy the content given to them (ironically, some people with this type of personality end up dabbling in fan fiction and we often see how much worse they would have made things!).
This was the state of fandom when Trial of a Time Lord came out. While the season is not perfect (not any season is), the problems it did have were grossly exaggerated by many of those who watched it upon its initial release. In many ways, it didn't matter what the production team made that year - it was going to get bashed pretty hard. It is,in fact, quite satisfying to hear the term "some serious re-evaluation required" being frequently used by reviewers of this season over subsequent years.
However, at the time, Trial of a Time Lord was not well-received by many. Which added, quite strongly, to its imminent demise.
THINGS COULD NOT GET WORSE - UNTIL SEASON 24!
As if dealing with BBC politics and difficult fans wasn't enough, John Nathan-Turner also had to face a slew of problems within his own team structure as Season 23 concludes.
For several years, tension between the producer and script editor, Eric Saward, had been growing. Both creatively and professionally, they seemed to be having problems seeing things eye-to-eye. It is difficult to tell whether there truly was a "good guy and bad guy" in this debacle. Personally, I'm more inclined to think JNT was the nicer fellow - but that's just me! Either of these men could have done a lot of wrong in this fight. Both, in terms of how they were treating each other and handling the show.
Things finally come to a boil between them while Trial of a Time Lord is still under production. After the death of Robert Holmes, Saward is forced to pen the final episode of the saga, himself. In a fit of pique, however, he withdraws the script and quits the show. Hastily, the producer must commission Pip and Jane Baker to come up with a finale of their own. They, literally, have a writer's briefing with a lawyer present to ensure that none of Saward's ideas are stolen. There could not be a tenser way to end a season-long opus. Interestingly enough, the final episode still holds up quite well. And, if you happen to read up on what Saward had planned, the ending devised by the Bakers is considerably more upbeat. Had they gone with Saward's bleaker version, this might have been the opportunity the BBC executives were looking for to not renew the show.
The position of script editor during the Classic Series is a crucial one. They are, pretty much, what the Head Writer is, these days. Saward quitting so abruptly was going to make finding someone to fill his shoes all the more difficult. They would be coming in to the creative team without any guidance from their predecessor.
This, however, is nothing compared to the other major internal problem.
In their continuing quest to gaslight the program in any way they can, Execs from the Beeb also decide that Colin Baker is just not suitable for the part. They refuse to renew his contract but still want him to come in and film one more story so that they can regenerate him in the final episode. Quite reasonably, Baker tells them to shove their offer where the sun don't shine. While Colin admits many years later that he did wish he had filmed a proper swansong for his character, no one can really fault him for the choice he made. He was being treated deplorably by the BBC and had every right to do what he did.
But, ultimately, Season 24 must now be created without the presence of two key positions in its staff. This has a huge detrimental influence on the quality of the series.
THE PAINFUL BIRTH OF A NEW ERA
While Season 23 seems to survive internal politics and still produce something quite decent, the same cannot be said for the next outing.
Almost frantic, JNT gets very lucky with all of his new hires. Andrew Cartmel is a young but very inventive script editor who will go on to bring the show to one of its most creative highs. Sylvester McCoy will also create a brilliant interpretation of the lead role.
But, before either of them can do that, there are some serious teething problems.
Many of them are clearly evident in the very first story of the season. While I think it's actually okay, Time and the Rani is not liked by most people who have seen it. Admittedly, there are some aspects to the plot that are difficult to swallow. The Rani disguising herself as Mel is, probably, one of the more bitter of pills. But there are other problems, too. Sylvester McCoy's entrance into the character is the most embarrassing of visuals that also doesn't make much sense (death by exercise bike?!). He also plays the part a bit too comedically in his first adventure. Although, admittedly, his antics are quite fun to watch. Even his twisted proverbs create some genuine amusement.
Part of the real problem with this particular tale is the fact that Pip and Jane were commissioned to write the story and then thrust upon the new script editor. One can understand why the husband-and-wife writing team got the job. They had pulled Trial of a Time Lord out of the flames and JNT was hoping they could get lightning to strike twice. But Cartmel just didn't feel the script supported the direction he wanted to move things in and there was, apparently, a lot of bickering between the editor and the scribes. Pip and Jane Baker would never return to the show. Unfortunately, because of creative differences, they left behind a fairly clunky script.
As Cartmel continued on, he attempted to bring in a number of writers that he felt would revive the show and make it fresh, again. And he was right in his choice. However, he was a script editor trying to find his own feet while, at the same time, grooming a group of fairly green writers. Which meant a heavy number of misfires before things really started to go right.
PRETTY MUCH, UNIVERSALLY REVILED
Many consider Season 24 to be one of, if not, the worst seasons of Doctor Who. Fan reaction was so negative, in fact, that quite a few people stopped watching the show at this point.
I would contest that quite a bit of this backlash happened because Fandom was still in its darker phase of being overcritical of everything. Time and the Rani is passable. I actually think Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen are quite strong. To me, the only real "stinker" in this line-up is Dragonfire. And, even then, it shows some promise. Particularly in the introduction of Ace - one of my all-time favorite companions.
When I compare this to another season that rates lowly - say, Season 17- then I have to wonder what all the fuss was about. Destiny of the Daleks and Nightmare of Eden are passable. I actually think City of Death is a bit over-rated. Horns of Nimon is only redeemed by the fact that it is a bit of a guilty pleasure (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures.html) - but that does mean it's still quite bad. And then Creature from the Pit is, perhaps, the greatest embarrassment the show has ever produced. This is a hideously bad story that even makes something like Dragonfire gleam like a gem.
Season 17's greatest sin, however, spans all of its stories. It is pushing the laughs way too hard. This no longer seems like Doctor Who. But, rather, a cruel parody of the show where nothing is ever being taken seriously anymore. Even when things are meant to be terrifying, they come across more as camp.
If I could delve even more into my own personal opinion, I consider most of what happened in the Pertwee era after Season 7 to be quite sub-standard. There are tales like Mind of Evil that manage to rise above much of the formula-driven, preachy, over-padded nonsense that drives most of this period. But, overall, I would take Season 24 over much of what is offered during Seasons 8 to 11.
So, to me, the rumors of Season 24's death have been greatly exaggerated. It's still troubled, in places. No doubt of that. But I'd hardly call it the worst. Not if I can find, just off the top of my head, five other seasons that I enjoy less.
This is, of course, my own opinion. Many still hold Season 24 in very low regard. This lack of love for the season does incalculable amounts of damage to the show's future. Things do get better in the last two seasons of the Classic Series. But, for many: it's too little, too late.
THE LAST TWO SEASONS: WHO CARES ANYMORE ABOUT GRABBING RATINGS?!
While the show continues to gasp its final breaths, little complaint can be laid at its doorstep about the quality of its content. As Season 25 opens, both Sylvester McCoy and Andrew Cartmel have settled nicely into their positions. The Seventh Doctor's character is now very thoroughly fleshed out and this is reflected in both the writing and the performance of the part. The scripts, in general, have improved dramatically (even though some of them were still doing quite well in Season 24). Stories like Remembrance of the Daleks, Ghostlight and Curse of Fenric are not just great Who tales, they are some of the most impressive feats of television, ever.
There is some divisiveness over certain stories like Happiness Patrol or Greatest Show in the Galaxy because they are going for a slightly more camp sensibility. But it's still evident that they tackle some pretty clever themes and ideas. Even weaker stories like Silver Nemesis and Battlefield have enough redeemable qualities to them that nothing can truly get snubbed by the fans.There are some great action sequences in Nemesis and the Brigadier is, pretty much, at his absolute coolest during Battlefield. This new stable of writers that Cartmel assembled are truly flourishing and the show almost seems to be heralding a new Golden Age.
It is almost as if everyone has stopped caring about trying to get a mass appeal and just wants to produce some really sophisticated television. The creative team seems to be hoping that people will be impressed enough by the intelligence of the content and not worry so much, anymore, about fan-pleasing gestures. Such a tactic is a pretty big gamble, of course. But it's difficult not to respect the High Road that gets taken, here.
Sadly, the risk doesn't pay off. Doctor Who has evolved so well during this period that a lot of what it's accomplishing is going over the heads of its audience. Quite a few of these stories will take a few years before they truly get the appreciation they deserve. Particularly a script like Ghostlight. Where the style of plot was just too far ahead of its time to be properly understood when it was initially transmitted.
And so, as the magnificently-layered Survival is aired, a decision is made to finish the season on a very poetic but conclusive note. In the adventure's final scene, Ace and the Doctor are shown strolling off into the sunset as Sylvester McCoy delivers a beautiful monologue in voice-over. The impression is given that their adventures will continue - we just won't be watching them anymore.
To all intents and purposes, Doctor Who is done.
As usual, my word-count is getting the best of me. I just had too much to say about this turbulent time. This seems to be a good place to leave things off. We'll re-join the tale as a new version of the show tries to rise from its own ashes.
Again, delving so deeply into the behind-the-scenes drama is not something I usually do, here. Hope you're enjoying this.
Sunday, 28 June 2020
COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS: A FEW OF MY FAVORITE PLOTHOLES - PART ONE
Once more, I'm trying to keep things a bit light. Another COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS entry should accomplish that nicely...
THOSE DARNED PLOT HOLES JUST CAN'T BE HELPED
It's inevitable that any TV show will have plot holes in certain episodes or stories. The very nature of how television is written lends itself to it. A certain amount of content has to be created in a certain amount of time. This can easily lead to mistakes that just don't get caught. Or, in some cases, the creative team does recognize the problem, but just don't have the time to properly fix it.
Naturally enough, in a long-running show like Doctor Who - there's going to be some issues of this nature. Quite a few, in fact. Let's has some fun and examine some:
PLOT HOLE TRENDS
There are certain story problems that have now occurred multiple times in several different episodes. It's almost like it's a plot hole that the creators like to go back to every once in a while and use for Old Time's Sake.
Recurring Plot Hole #1: Travel Time Problems
No, not time travel problems (although those happen, too), but rather the amount of time it takes for a character to get from Point A to Point B can sometimes get a bit muddled. We see this mostly when another character or characters is also trying to make a similar journey. For the sake of expediency, one set of characters gets there far faster than they should.
The best example of this happens in Idiot's Lantern. Magpie is trying to reach the top of a transmitter tower to spread the malevolent influence of The Wire. He hops in his truck and drives off. He arrives at the nearest tower a short while later to begin his perilous climb. During this time, the Doctor and Tommy rummage through Magpie's shop and construct a device to defeat the Wire then head on foot to that same tower. Somehow, they get there only as Magpie is reaching the summit.
I'm not sure how this gets accomplished in that sort of time scale. Particularly since Magpie used a vehicle to reach his destination and his opponents had to walk things out. A fifteen minute ride can easily constitute an hour's worth of walking. And building the contraption that captures the Wire must have taken, at least, a good twenty minutes on top of that. The Wire's plans should have been long-complete before the Doctor and Tommy were even halfway through their walk. Was Magpie afraid of heights so he climbed extra slow?! Or, was this just a bit of hastily-written plot expediency that everyone was hoping the audience wouldn't notice?
This actually seems to be a bit more of a trend in New Who than the Classic Series. This is probably because the story needs to move much faster in the New Series and, sometimes, you just have to throw travel logic out the door to get things done. A less obvious example of this happens in The Woman Who Fell to Earth. Again, climbing seems to be involved. Tim Shaw must scale the side of a crane to reach Karl in the cab. The Doctor and her gang arrive after he's already done a good amount of ascension. And yet, they still manage to reach the top of another nearby crane and swing over to Karl before the Stenza can reach him. We could slightly explain this away. Tim Shaw is a cumbersome fellow so the climb might take him a while. Also, the neighboring crane is a bit lower down so there's less of a climb for the Doctor and friends. But still, it's a bit of a stretch. While not as glaring as Idiot's Lantern, it's still some slightly sketchy scene arrangement.
Sometimes, this problem even works a bit in reverse. Instead of someone arriving at a destination too quickly, they seem to take an inordinately long time to get there. One of my favorite cases of this happens in Part Three of Warriors of the Deep. Take a look at when Commander Vorshak leaves the bulkhead that's under attack to return to the bridge. Other characters in the story have made similar trips in considerably less time. But Vorshak just takes forever. We're amazed when he stops along the way to check on the Doctor's progress with the weapon he's creating against the Myrka.
"He still hasn't reached the bridge yet?!" I cried out the first time I saw that scene. My only guess is that Nature Called in a serious way for Vorshak as he was taking that stroll to the bridge and he had to stop to "use the facilities" for several long minutes before getting back on his trek.
Recurring Plot Hole #2: Not Bothering to Check Things
While Travel Time Problems is more of a New Series issue, this one definitely occurs more often in the Classic Series.
It's the basic idea that, for the sake of a good story twist, certain characters don't check on certain things the way a normal person would. One of the better examples of this happens in Silver Nemesis. The Doctor steals the bow of Validium from where it was left lying in its case during the big battle at the beginning of Episode Two. With a clever flick of his brolly, he slams the case shut and runs off to the TARDIS with the bow in hand. The Nazis eventually recover the case but never bother to check inside until a most embarrassing moment in Part Three where they are attempting to gain supremacy over the Cybermen. One would think that if you had a precious artifact in your care you would check on it at some point between those two moments and realize, of course, that your case has been empty. But, apparently, De Flores and his crew are not the brightest of fellows.
Now, you could almost excuse our hapless Nazis for their error. There was a lot going on. It could have slipped their mind to check. But the notorious Eye Patch Reveal in The Android Invasion has no sane explanation.
In this instance, a human astronaut named Guy Crawford has been working with a war-like alien race known as the Kraals to invade the Earth. Crawford was brutally injured on a space mission and presumed dead. But the Kraals recovered him and were able to re-build him. Except for one of his eyes. So Crawford wears an eye patch to conceal his supposedly empty eye socket.
Three years later, the Doctor comes along and points out that the Kraals have been lying to Crawford. He's had an eye beneath that patch the whole time. Horrified, the astronaut finds a mirror and lifts the patch up. The Doctor is right!
Now, before we even get into the silliness of these logistics, I have to ask: Why would the Kraals even do this?! Why not just let Crawford know he has both his eyes?!
But let's say there was a slightly rational reason behind the gesture. Perhaps it was a means of making Crawford feel submissive in some way. We still have to ask: Why does someone wear an eye patch for three years and never bother to look beneath it?! In that entire time, Crawford never thinks: "Damn it's getting itchy under this thing, let's lift it up for a second and give myself a good scratch!" Surely, at some point during those three years, the string on the patch probably even broke. Most likely, a few times. As that's a long time for a string to maintain that constant level of tension. Or wouldn't Crawford get curious, at least, once during all that time and look underneath?
None of these things seem to happen. Crawford faithfully wears that patch the whole time til that big moment with the Doctor (who's able to guess after a matter of hours while Crawford doesn't put two-and--two together for a span of years). I consider this the greatest and most ludicrous of all plot holes ever. Not just for Doctor Who. But, perhaps, in the entire History of Television!
Recurring Plot Hole #3: Providing a Means of Escape
Again, one we tend to see more frequently in the Classic Series.
Every once in a while, we see a character placed in some sort of form of imprisonment but, for some reason, they are also given a means of getting out of it. The escape method is almost, but not quite beyond their grasp. Why would anyone do this, though? This is the equivalent of catching a horrible serial killer and incarcerating them in a maximum security prison but then letting them know that, hidden somewhere in their cell, are the keys to get out and a gun to use should he run into any guards!
The best example of this occurs in Pyramids of Mars. A really great story, in many ways - don't get me wrong. This is one of those tales that gets a lot of praise and I actually agree with what most fans say about it. However, why does Sutehk have all this Osirian technology that enables him to break free of the prison he's been placed in? The guy has a missile and robot servants and everything. Why would you let one of the greatest threats to the Universe keep that sort of stuff around?!
A similar thing can be said of the Doctor's exile during his third incarnation. Why is he sent to Earth in the TARDIS and allowed to keep it? Sure, it's been disabled and the Doctor's memory to operate it has been tampered with. But wouldn't it have just been safer to time scoop him there and leave him with nothing?
This can be explained away a bit by pointing out that the Time Lords do, occasionally send the Doctor on secret missions. But it would have been smarter to just send the TARDIS to him when they needed him to do something rather than leave it in the Doctor's care the whole time. He might still find some way to fix it and escape his exile. So why let him have it?
My only guess can be that some people who imprison others are giant sadists and like to taunt their captives a bit. Or, perhaps, some writers don't quite think things through all that clearly.
Recurring Plot Hole #4: Cryptic Messages
One that we tend to see in both New and Old Who.
There's a great example of this issue in The Mutants. The Doctor is suddenly sent a special pod-like thingy from the Time Lords that will only open in the presence of who it's meant for. When it does finally open for that person, it's just a series of pictograms that the Doctor then has to try to decipher. When he works out their meaning, he realizes it has something to do with how the Solonians mutate. That mutation will create the solution to the story's main conflict.
Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't it have been easier for the Time Lords to just say: "Hey Doctor. We're sending you to Solos. You'll meet a guy there whose name looks like a brand of sex lubricant. Subject him to a bunch of radiation. That will cause him to mutate and he'll be able fix a problem we need solved."
The reason they don't do that, of course, is because The Mutants needs to last six episodes!
A similar thing can be said about the famous Bad Wolf arc of Series One. Rose stares into the heart of the TARDIS and briefly become a god-like being who can save the Doctor from his peril at the end of Parting of the Ways. She leaves clues for herself to work out this strategy by scattering the message "Bad Wolf" across Time and Space.
Wouldn't it have been easier for her to just leave the message: "Hey Rose. It's me from the future. When you and the Doctor are fighting the Daleks on that space station, you need to stare into the heart of the TARDIS and create a Deus Ex Machina solution to the whole problem."
Of course, leaving the message "Bad Wolf" all over the place is far more cool and mysterious. But, when you think about it, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.
THE ONES NO ONE EVER SEEMS TO TALK ABOUT
Now, there are quite a few plot holes in the show that everyone loves to go on about. All those pics Clive has of the Doctor by himself in Rose don't make sense. The Doctor appears to have just regenerated so he couldn't have had any of those adventures prior to Rose. But Rose leaves with the Doctor at the end of the episode - so she should be in those pics, too. We all caught that one and have had endless debates about it. But there's a slew of other slips that writers have made that no one seems to talk about much.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #1: Terror of the Autons
Like Pyramids of Mars, Terror of the Autons does seem to be another fan-favorite. Everyone loves the Autons and it was great to see them back. And this is the first story with the Master in it. Lots of exciting stuff going on, here.
I'm not as fond of this one, though. Mainly for its ending. Having reached the control room of a transmitting tower (back in one of those, again!), the Master is creating a bridgehead for the Nestene Consciousness. The Doctor makes it up there too and confronts his nemesis. Within seconds, he persuades the Master to stop what he's doing and send the Nestene Consciousness back to where it came.
This seems pretty ridiculous on several levels. The Doctor's main argument to get his rival onto his side is that the Nestene Consciousness will immediately betray the Master as soon as it gets what it wants from the Time Lord. It's my guess that the Master has been working with the Autons for quite a bit, now. A few months, maybe? During all that time, he never clues into this? He never thinks: "Wow! My allies seem pretty ruthless. I think they might not fulfill their end of the bargain!" He needs the Doctor to point this out to him?!
When he's allied himself with other creatures of this nature, he tends to build in a double-cross somewhere. Why does he never do this with the Autons? Instead, he just realizes at the last possible moment that he's made a mistake and changes his mind.
This course of action seems highly unlikely. Particularly since the truth is being delivered to him by his greatest foe. A man he truly deplores and has tried several times within the four episodes to kill. One would almost think that, out of sheer pride, he would not listen to the Doctor's eight second speech and would just keep going on with his plans. It all seems just a bit too convenient for my liking. Thus ruining the end of the whole story.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #2: The Mind of Evil
This one seems glaringly obvious but I've only ever seen it noted in The Discontinuity Guide (still one of my favorite books about Doctor Who that has ever been published).
During Part One, the Keller Machine keeps attacking various people and killing them by showing them their greatest fear. This makes sense. The victims are so horrified by what they believe to be real that the shock becomes too much and they die of heart failure.
What doesn't make sense are the physical symptoms that accompany the attacks. One victim is horribly phobic of rats, so his body is found covered in small scratches. As if he'd been swarmed by rodents. Another victim is found with his lungs full of water. He, of course, was terrified of drowning.
These physical manifestations are there to signpost their phobias and get the Doctor to see what the method of attack is. I get that. But they still don't make any actual sense. Just because you feel like you're drowning doesn't mean your lungs will, somehow, fill with water when you're in a dry room. Nor will tiny rodent-sized scratch marks magically appear on your body because you believe you're being attacked by rats.
I absolutely love Mind of Evil. I think it's viciously under-rated. But this little bit of the story - and the incredible slipperiness of a glass of water - are a bit too silly.
Otherwise, this story rocks.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #3: The Sea Devils
This would be another one that I only ever see mentioned in The Discontinuity Guide.
Fans love to go on about the sword fight between the Master and the Doctor in this tale. To the point where they will deride a similar sequence in The King's Demons. Claiming it is almost a mockery of the brilliance of the Great Sea Devils Duel.
I will admit, it's a pretty fun moment in the story. The fight choreography between Delgado and Pertwee is quite decent. It definitely appears like they've both had some training in the Art of the Blade at some point in their acting careers (many actors of their era, do). The way the Doctor takes the piss out of things a few times adds a nice laugh too.
But I would be bold enough to say that I actually enjoy Five and the Ainley Master's fight just that little bit better. For the plain and simple reason that it's actually somewhat feasible. Whereas the one in Sea Devils makes no actual sense.
Why, in a maximum security prison, would you leave edged weapons right beside the entrance of a master-criminal's cell?! Might as well leave him some explosives, too, so he can blow a hole in the wall and escape after he's finished killing the guard at the door. Maybe even a nearby boat tied off with a week's worth of food and water. I mean, really, if you're going do stupid things with designing a jail - you might as well do it right!
The swords are there merely to provide a fun duel at the end of an episode. Which means, of course, that they shouldn't be there at all. It's just a bad bit of writing.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #4: The Time Warrior
I will admit, this barely qualifies as a plot hole. It's more just an issue of lack of realism. But it is something I never seem to hear fans discuss. So I decided to include it.
Like many fans, I am quite fond of The Time Warrior. There isn't quite enough plot to sustain the four episodes but it does such a great job of introducing us to the Sontarans that we're all willing to forgive the padding. We can't wait to see more of this warrior race because Robert Holmes made them just so gosh-darned fascinating in their first appearance.
But there are a few "hoaky" sequences that do make it just that little bit harder to enjoy. The first one happens near the end of Episode Two. In an attempt to evade his pursuers, the Doctor launches a conveniently-placed torch into some conveniently scattered straw on the floor. Within nano-seconds of contact with the straw, the torch creates a huge blaze that Irongron and his merry men are incapable of passing through.
Now, I actually grew up in the country. I've burnt straw. But I think, even if you don't have my range of experience with this substance, you can guess that straw does not combust anywhere near as quickly as it does in that scene. The whole moment seems just a bit silly because of this.
I wouldn't list this here if it wasn't for the fact that there was a second ludicrous sequence that compounds things and makes this all worthy of mentioning. Later on in the story, Irongron challenges his gang to shoot the Doctor. I will admit, these are pretty primitive and probably inaccurate rifles being handled by people who are unskilled at using them. Even though they're firing at point blank range, I could believe that the Doctor might still be able to dodge a handful of shots before aim improved enough.
But this scene goes on for an uproarious period of time. We actually cut to another scene with Sarah Jane in the kitchen while an endless haze of shots are heard in the background. When we cut back to the Doctor, he should have been lying on the floor with, at least, a dozen bullets in his hide. No matter how crude the weapons and poorly-trained the handlers, no one could survive as long as he did in that sort of situation.
As I said, I never hear anyone talking about these sequences. And I could let it go if there was just one moment of this nature in this story. But the fact that there are two of them and no one ever seems to point them out makes me feel as though I needed to bring this up somewhere. This seemed the best place for it.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #5: Time and the Rani
Just for fun, I recently re-watched all of Sylvester McCoy's era (even his oh-so-sad death in Doctor Who - The Movie). I caught a few things in Season 24 that do help re-enforce the fact that it is one of the weaker seasons in the history of the show (although, I still think Season 17 is waaayyy worse).
The first big plot hole is in Time and the Rani. The Doctor questions Beyus about why he is collaborating with the Rani. The Lakyertian Leader just tells the Doctor to go to the Center of Leisure. He will find his answer there.
Conveniently enough, the Rani just happens to decide to punish the Lakyertians while the Doctor is at the Center. She triggers a few panels in this large globe suspended from the ceiling to open and release killer insects that instantly murder several people in the room. Point is made. We now see why Beyus is so compliant. He's trying to protect his people.
But the thing that truly baffles me that no one ever seems to bring up is: why do the Lakyertians spend any more time in the Center of Leisure once the killer insects were released?! If you know a place is a death trap, wouldn't you just steer clear of it? But when the Tetraps visit the Center in Part Four, the place is packed with Lakyertians again. I know the Rani claimed that they are a very lethargic race - but is anyone that lazy?!
"Every minute I spend in here could be my last." the Average Lakyertian realizes, "But, screw it! I really like it in here and can't be bothered to leave!"
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #6: Dragonfire
No, I'm not going to talk about the cliffhanger to Part One. Everyone loves to go on about that one. This is supposed to be one that's seldom-mentioned.
This is another story whose ending gets ruined by a significant plot hole. I don't mind when something like this pops up somewhere in the middle of the story. But if it happens too near to the conclusion, it can truly kill my overall enjoyment of the adventure. Good endings are so important.
This one concerns the fact that, at the climax of the story, the Doctor reveals to the cold villain Kane that his sinister plans to return to his home planet of Proamnon have come to ruin. The planet was destroyed a few thousand years previously in a supernovae. So disheartened is Kane by this news that he commits suicide right on the spot.
It seems fairly ludicrous that this is the first time Kane is hearing of the destruction of his homeworld. Does the guy have no internet?! You would think that, if your whole life is being dedicated to wreaking vengeance on a certain planet, that you might google the place every once in a while to see how it's doing. And yet, over the course of several millennia, he never bothers.
Yes, Kane does have a bio-mechanoid guarding over him who may have been using some method of blocking Kane's newsfeed from getting any information about Proamnon. But the prison had become a busy spaceport. Wouldn't Kane, at least, ask the occasional intergalactic traveler about news concerning Proamnon? There's no way retrieving information in such a manner could be blocked.
But he never does any of this. He just lives underneath a rock for a few thousand years without ever bothering to check in on how the world he wants to attack is actually coming along.
Seems a bit too preposterous to me. Does no one else think so?
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #7: The Empty Child
Moffat's first work is, without a doubt, outstanding. A shining jewel of Series One (and Series One has quite a few of them). But I will say it's off to a bit of a shaky start. That air raid balloon sequence only sits so well with me.
Rose climbs onto the roof of a building to help a little boy that she has seen up on it. The boy has made it up onto a higher section of the roof. A convenient rope dangles down for her to use that isn't quite as opportune as she thought it was. Turns out the rope was attached to an air raid balloon that has come loose. Slowly, it drifts off with Rose hanging on for dear life.
A highly unusual string of circumstances to begin with. And Rose being able to hang on to the rope for so long also seems a little unlikely (even if she got the Bronze in gymnastics). I'm also not sure how the balloon or even Rose doesn't get shot to shreds during that air raid before Jack saves her.
But what really seems silly about the whole moment is the fact that the balloon must have still been sailing over the rooftop for, at least, a matter of seconds before moving out onto the cityscape. Surely, in that time, Rose could have made the deduction: "Why don't I climb back down this rope or even just let go of it while there's a roof beneath me that's only a few feet down?" Instead, she just holds on tight and ends up several hundred feet in the air a moment or two later. Essentially, this whole sequence should have never happened. Rose could have easily bailed herself out.
There is even a quick shot of her sailing over the edge of the rooftop. They try to make it look like there just wasn't enough time for her to realize her options. But, really, that balloon is moving way too slow in other shots for her to not have that opportunity to figure things out.
I know that the whole thing was a very colorful way for Rose and Captain Jack to meet each other. But I almost gave up on the story because it all seems a bit too preposterous (I'll even be bold enough to say it's nearly as silly as the Part One Cliffhanger for Dragonfire!). Fortunately, the rest of the story is amazing enough for me to forgive it.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #8: Boom Town
While I did just mention Series One was brilliant, some of the writers are still trying to find themselves and hammer out the show's new formula. This does make for a few shaky moments in the plots.
I'm amazed no one ever seems to note the inconsistencies in Boomtown. There's a few of them that seem pretty clunky to me.
Scenes between the TARDIS crew's antics and Blon's press conference seem to be running, more or less, concurrently. At the very best, an hour or two may have passed since the press conference finished and the Doctor sees the article about it in the paper (the sun doesn't seem to have gone down much between Mickey getting a "whatever" sign from Jack and them sitting in a restaurant telling stories). Could the picture taken of Blon during the conference really make it into the papers that quickly?
Most newspapers come out every morning and show the news from yesterday. Our four intrepid adventurers have not been in Cardiff for a whole day. I suppose the paper might do a special second edition that just happened to have had the time to include the Mayor's announcement. But it seems like a bit of a stretch. That article really shouldn't have appeared til next morning.
What seems like even bigger plot holes, however, happen in the chase scene an instant later.
First off, her office seems to stay open pretty late. I suppose it's possible for the TARDIS to arrive in Cardiff first thing in the morning. A special late edition of a newspaper comes out early afternoon and they get to City Hall before it closes. But that feels like a bit of a stretch too. Perhaps RTD shouldn't have been trying so hard to squeeze everything into one day. It probably would have been better if the TARDIS had taken longer to re-fuel.
But the silliest thing that happens is the actual chase, itself. Blon has a teleport device. Why does she bother to climb out a window and run down into the streets when she could have just teleported straight from her office? Perhaps she didn't want to "fly blind" again and the teleporter needed a moment to establish proper coordinates. But, maybe, that should have been specified in some dialogue, somewhere. Otherwise, the whole sequence looks like it's there just to create a wacky, fun moment in the story rather than make any real sense. As much as I did enjoy the visual of Mickey running around with his foot stuck in a bucket of toilet paper, I do prefer things have a bit of logic to them!
Wow! I'm really having fun pointing out plot holes! I have more, but I think this particular entry has gone on long enough. Let's do another one of these soon....
I do hope, by the way, that this doesn't come across as me just complaining about the show and trying to point out how awful it is. As mentioned in the intro: plot holes in TV shows are inevitable. I'm just trying discuss them a bit and have a laugh over them. Hope you're amused by all this, too.
THOSE DARNED PLOT HOLES JUST CAN'T BE HELPED
It's inevitable that any TV show will have plot holes in certain episodes or stories. The very nature of how television is written lends itself to it. A certain amount of content has to be created in a certain amount of time. This can easily lead to mistakes that just don't get caught. Or, in some cases, the creative team does recognize the problem, but just don't have the time to properly fix it.
Naturally enough, in a long-running show like Doctor Who - there's going to be some issues of this nature. Quite a few, in fact. Let's has some fun and examine some:
PLOT HOLE TRENDS
There are certain story problems that have now occurred multiple times in several different episodes. It's almost like it's a plot hole that the creators like to go back to every once in a while and use for Old Time's Sake.
Recurring Plot Hole #1: Travel Time Problems
No, not time travel problems (although those happen, too), but rather the amount of time it takes for a character to get from Point A to Point B can sometimes get a bit muddled. We see this mostly when another character or characters is also trying to make a similar journey. For the sake of expediency, one set of characters gets there far faster than they should.
The best example of this happens in Idiot's Lantern. Magpie is trying to reach the top of a transmitter tower to spread the malevolent influence of The Wire. He hops in his truck and drives off. He arrives at the nearest tower a short while later to begin his perilous climb. During this time, the Doctor and Tommy rummage through Magpie's shop and construct a device to defeat the Wire then head on foot to that same tower. Somehow, they get there only as Magpie is reaching the summit.
I'm not sure how this gets accomplished in that sort of time scale. Particularly since Magpie used a vehicle to reach his destination and his opponents had to walk things out. A fifteen minute ride can easily constitute an hour's worth of walking. And building the contraption that captures the Wire must have taken, at least, a good twenty minutes on top of that. The Wire's plans should have been long-complete before the Doctor and Tommy were even halfway through their walk. Was Magpie afraid of heights so he climbed extra slow?! Or, was this just a bit of hastily-written plot expediency that everyone was hoping the audience wouldn't notice?
This actually seems to be a bit more of a trend in New Who than the Classic Series. This is probably because the story needs to move much faster in the New Series and, sometimes, you just have to throw travel logic out the door to get things done. A less obvious example of this happens in The Woman Who Fell to Earth. Again, climbing seems to be involved. Tim Shaw must scale the side of a crane to reach Karl in the cab. The Doctor and her gang arrive after he's already done a good amount of ascension. And yet, they still manage to reach the top of another nearby crane and swing over to Karl before the Stenza can reach him. We could slightly explain this away. Tim Shaw is a cumbersome fellow so the climb might take him a while. Also, the neighboring crane is a bit lower down so there's less of a climb for the Doctor and friends. But still, it's a bit of a stretch. While not as glaring as Idiot's Lantern, it's still some slightly sketchy scene arrangement.
Sometimes, this problem even works a bit in reverse. Instead of someone arriving at a destination too quickly, they seem to take an inordinately long time to get there. One of my favorite cases of this happens in Part Three of Warriors of the Deep. Take a look at when Commander Vorshak leaves the bulkhead that's under attack to return to the bridge. Other characters in the story have made similar trips in considerably less time. But Vorshak just takes forever. We're amazed when he stops along the way to check on the Doctor's progress with the weapon he's creating against the Myrka.
"He still hasn't reached the bridge yet?!" I cried out the first time I saw that scene. My only guess is that Nature Called in a serious way for Vorshak as he was taking that stroll to the bridge and he had to stop to "use the facilities" for several long minutes before getting back on his trek.
Recurring Plot Hole #2: Not Bothering to Check Things
While Travel Time Problems is more of a New Series issue, this one definitely occurs more often in the Classic Series.
It's the basic idea that, for the sake of a good story twist, certain characters don't check on certain things the way a normal person would. One of the better examples of this happens in Silver Nemesis. The Doctor steals the bow of Validium from where it was left lying in its case during the big battle at the beginning of Episode Two. With a clever flick of his brolly, he slams the case shut and runs off to the TARDIS with the bow in hand. The Nazis eventually recover the case but never bother to check inside until a most embarrassing moment in Part Three where they are attempting to gain supremacy over the Cybermen. One would think that if you had a precious artifact in your care you would check on it at some point between those two moments and realize, of course, that your case has been empty. But, apparently, De Flores and his crew are not the brightest of fellows.
Now, you could almost excuse our hapless Nazis for their error. There was a lot going on. It could have slipped their mind to check. But the notorious Eye Patch Reveal in The Android Invasion has no sane explanation.
In this instance, a human astronaut named Guy Crawford has been working with a war-like alien race known as the Kraals to invade the Earth. Crawford was brutally injured on a space mission and presumed dead. But the Kraals recovered him and were able to re-build him. Except for one of his eyes. So Crawford wears an eye patch to conceal his supposedly empty eye socket.
Three years later, the Doctor comes along and points out that the Kraals have been lying to Crawford. He's had an eye beneath that patch the whole time. Horrified, the astronaut finds a mirror and lifts the patch up. The Doctor is right!
Now, before we even get into the silliness of these logistics, I have to ask: Why would the Kraals even do this?! Why not just let Crawford know he has both his eyes?!
But let's say there was a slightly rational reason behind the gesture. Perhaps it was a means of making Crawford feel submissive in some way. We still have to ask: Why does someone wear an eye patch for three years and never bother to look beneath it?! In that entire time, Crawford never thinks: "Damn it's getting itchy under this thing, let's lift it up for a second and give myself a good scratch!" Surely, at some point during those three years, the string on the patch probably even broke. Most likely, a few times. As that's a long time for a string to maintain that constant level of tension. Or wouldn't Crawford get curious, at least, once during all that time and look underneath?
None of these things seem to happen. Crawford faithfully wears that patch the whole time til that big moment with the Doctor (who's able to guess after a matter of hours while Crawford doesn't put two-and--two together for a span of years). I consider this the greatest and most ludicrous of all plot holes ever. Not just for Doctor Who. But, perhaps, in the entire History of Television!
Recurring Plot Hole #3: Providing a Means of Escape
Again, one we tend to see more frequently in the Classic Series.
Every once in a while, we see a character placed in some sort of form of imprisonment but, for some reason, they are also given a means of getting out of it. The escape method is almost, but not quite beyond their grasp. Why would anyone do this, though? This is the equivalent of catching a horrible serial killer and incarcerating them in a maximum security prison but then letting them know that, hidden somewhere in their cell, are the keys to get out and a gun to use should he run into any guards!
The best example of this occurs in Pyramids of Mars. A really great story, in many ways - don't get me wrong. This is one of those tales that gets a lot of praise and I actually agree with what most fans say about it. However, why does Sutehk have all this Osirian technology that enables him to break free of the prison he's been placed in? The guy has a missile and robot servants and everything. Why would you let one of the greatest threats to the Universe keep that sort of stuff around?!
A similar thing can be said of the Doctor's exile during his third incarnation. Why is he sent to Earth in the TARDIS and allowed to keep it? Sure, it's been disabled and the Doctor's memory to operate it has been tampered with. But wouldn't it have just been safer to time scoop him there and leave him with nothing?
This can be explained away a bit by pointing out that the Time Lords do, occasionally send the Doctor on secret missions. But it would have been smarter to just send the TARDIS to him when they needed him to do something rather than leave it in the Doctor's care the whole time. He might still find some way to fix it and escape his exile. So why let him have it?
My only guess can be that some people who imprison others are giant sadists and like to taunt their captives a bit. Or, perhaps, some writers don't quite think things through all that clearly.
Recurring Plot Hole #4: Cryptic Messages
One that we tend to see in both New and Old Who.
There's a great example of this issue in The Mutants. The Doctor is suddenly sent a special pod-like thingy from the Time Lords that will only open in the presence of who it's meant for. When it does finally open for that person, it's just a series of pictograms that the Doctor then has to try to decipher. When he works out their meaning, he realizes it has something to do with how the Solonians mutate. That mutation will create the solution to the story's main conflict.
Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't it have been easier for the Time Lords to just say: "Hey Doctor. We're sending you to Solos. You'll meet a guy there whose name looks like a brand of sex lubricant. Subject him to a bunch of radiation. That will cause him to mutate and he'll be able fix a problem we need solved."
The reason they don't do that, of course, is because The Mutants needs to last six episodes!
A similar thing can be said about the famous Bad Wolf arc of Series One. Rose stares into the heart of the TARDIS and briefly become a god-like being who can save the Doctor from his peril at the end of Parting of the Ways. She leaves clues for herself to work out this strategy by scattering the message "Bad Wolf" across Time and Space.
Wouldn't it have been easier for her to just leave the message: "Hey Rose. It's me from the future. When you and the Doctor are fighting the Daleks on that space station, you need to stare into the heart of the TARDIS and create a Deus Ex Machina solution to the whole problem."
Of course, leaving the message "Bad Wolf" all over the place is far more cool and mysterious. But, when you think about it, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.
THE ONES NO ONE EVER SEEMS TO TALK ABOUT
Now, there are quite a few plot holes in the show that everyone loves to go on about. All those pics Clive has of the Doctor by himself in Rose don't make sense. The Doctor appears to have just regenerated so he couldn't have had any of those adventures prior to Rose. But Rose leaves with the Doctor at the end of the episode - so she should be in those pics, too. We all caught that one and have had endless debates about it. But there's a slew of other slips that writers have made that no one seems to talk about much.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #1: Terror of the Autons
Like Pyramids of Mars, Terror of the Autons does seem to be another fan-favorite. Everyone loves the Autons and it was great to see them back. And this is the first story with the Master in it. Lots of exciting stuff going on, here.
I'm not as fond of this one, though. Mainly for its ending. Having reached the control room of a transmitting tower (back in one of those, again!), the Master is creating a bridgehead for the Nestene Consciousness. The Doctor makes it up there too and confronts his nemesis. Within seconds, he persuades the Master to stop what he's doing and send the Nestene Consciousness back to where it came.
This seems pretty ridiculous on several levels. The Doctor's main argument to get his rival onto his side is that the Nestene Consciousness will immediately betray the Master as soon as it gets what it wants from the Time Lord. It's my guess that the Master has been working with the Autons for quite a bit, now. A few months, maybe? During all that time, he never clues into this? He never thinks: "Wow! My allies seem pretty ruthless. I think they might not fulfill their end of the bargain!" He needs the Doctor to point this out to him?!
When he's allied himself with other creatures of this nature, he tends to build in a double-cross somewhere. Why does he never do this with the Autons? Instead, he just realizes at the last possible moment that he's made a mistake and changes his mind.
This course of action seems highly unlikely. Particularly since the truth is being delivered to him by his greatest foe. A man he truly deplores and has tried several times within the four episodes to kill. One would almost think that, out of sheer pride, he would not listen to the Doctor's eight second speech and would just keep going on with his plans. It all seems just a bit too convenient for my liking. Thus ruining the end of the whole story.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #2: The Mind of Evil
This one seems glaringly obvious but I've only ever seen it noted in The Discontinuity Guide (still one of my favorite books about Doctor Who that has ever been published).
During Part One, the Keller Machine keeps attacking various people and killing them by showing them their greatest fear. This makes sense. The victims are so horrified by what they believe to be real that the shock becomes too much and they die of heart failure.
What doesn't make sense are the physical symptoms that accompany the attacks. One victim is horribly phobic of rats, so his body is found covered in small scratches. As if he'd been swarmed by rodents. Another victim is found with his lungs full of water. He, of course, was terrified of drowning.
These physical manifestations are there to signpost their phobias and get the Doctor to see what the method of attack is. I get that. But they still don't make any actual sense. Just because you feel like you're drowning doesn't mean your lungs will, somehow, fill with water when you're in a dry room. Nor will tiny rodent-sized scratch marks magically appear on your body because you believe you're being attacked by rats.
I absolutely love Mind of Evil. I think it's viciously under-rated. But this little bit of the story - and the incredible slipperiness of a glass of water - are a bit too silly.
Otherwise, this story rocks.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #3: The Sea Devils
This would be another one that I only ever see mentioned in The Discontinuity Guide.
Fans love to go on about the sword fight between the Master and the Doctor in this tale. To the point where they will deride a similar sequence in The King's Demons. Claiming it is almost a mockery of the brilliance of the Great Sea Devils Duel.
I will admit, it's a pretty fun moment in the story. The fight choreography between Delgado and Pertwee is quite decent. It definitely appears like they've both had some training in the Art of the Blade at some point in their acting careers (many actors of their era, do). The way the Doctor takes the piss out of things a few times adds a nice laugh too.
But I would be bold enough to say that I actually enjoy Five and the Ainley Master's fight just that little bit better. For the plain and simple reason that it's actually somewhat feasible. Whereas the one in Sea Devils makes no actual sense.
Why, in a maximum security prison, would you leave edged weapons right beside the entrance of a master-criminal's cell?! Might as well leave him some explosives, too, so he can blow a hole in the wall and escape after he's finished killing the guard at the door. Maybe even a nearby boat tied off with a week's worth of food and water. I mean, really, if you're going do stupid things with designing a jail - you might as well do it right!
The swords are there merely to provide a fun duel at the end of an episode. Which means, of course, that they shouldn't be there at all. It's just a bad bit of writing.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #4: The Time Warrior
I will admit, this barely qualifies as a plot hole. It's more just an issue of lack of realism. But it is something I never seem to hear fans discuss. So I decided to include it.
Like many fans, I am quite fond of The Time Warrior. There isn't quite enough plot to sustain the four episodes but it does such a great job of introducing us to the Sontarans that we're all willing to forgive the padding. We can't wait to see more of this warrior race because Robert Holmes made them just so gosh-darned fascinating in their first appearance.
But there are a few "hoaky" sequences that do make it just that little bit harder to enjoy. The first one happens near the end of Episode Two. In an attempt to evade his pursuers, the Doctor launches a conveniently-placed torch into some conveniently scattered straw on the floor. Within nano-seconds of contact with the straw, the torch creates a huge blaze that Irongron and his merry men are incapable of passing through.
Now, I actually grew up in the country. I've burnt straw. But I think, even if you don't have my range of experience with this substance, you can guess that straw does not combust anywhere near as quickly as it does in that scene. The whole moment seems just a bit silly because of this.
I wouldn't list this here if it wasn't for the fact that there was a second ludicrous sequence that compounds things and makes this all worthy of mentioning. Later on in the story, Irongron challenges his gang to shoot the Doctor. I will admit, these are pretty primitive and probably inaccurate rifles being handled by people who are unskilled at using them. Even though they're firing at point blank range, I could believe that the Doctor might still be able to dodge a handful of shots before aim improved enough.
But this scene goes on for an uproarious period of time. We actually cut to another scene with Sarah Jane in the kitchen while an endless haze of shots are heard in the background. When we cut back to the Doctor, he should have been lying on the floor with, at least, a dozen bullets in his hide. No matter how crude the weapons and poorly-trained the handlers, no one could survive as long as he did in that sort of situation.
As I said, I never hear anyone talking about these sequences. And I could let it go if there was just one moment of this nature in this story. But the fact that there are two of them and no one ever seems to point them out makes me feel as though I needed to bring this up somewhere. This seemed the best place for it.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #5: Time and the Rani
Just for fun, I recently re-watched all of Sylvester McCoy's era (even his oh-so-sad death in Doctor Who - The Movie). I caught a few things in Season 24 that do help re-enforce the fact that it is one of the weaker seasons in the history of the show (although, I still think Season 17 is waaayyy worse).
The first big plot hole is in Time and the Rani. The Doctor questions Beyus about why he is collaborating with the Rani. The Lakyertian Leader just tells the Doctor to go to the Center of Leisure. He will find his answer there.
Conveniently enough, the Rani just happens to decide to punish the Lakyertians while the Doctor is at the Center. She triggers a few panels in this large globe suspended from the ceiling to open and release killer insects that instantly murder several people in the room. Point is made. We now see why Beyus is so compliant. He's trying to protect his people.
But the thing that truly baffles me that no one ever seems to bring up is: why do the Lakyertians spend any more time in the Center of Leisure once the killer insects were released?! If you know a place is a death trap, wouldn't you just steer clear of it? But when the Tetraps visit the Center in Part Four, the place is packed with Lakyertians again. I know the Rani claimed that they are a very lethargic race - but is anyone that lazy?!
"Every minute I spend in here could be my last." the Average Lakyertian realizes, "But, screw it! I really like it in here and can't be bothered to leave!"
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #6: Dragonfire
No, I'm not going to talk about the cliffhanger to Part One. Everyone loves to go on about that one. This is supposed to be one that's seldom-mentioned.
This is another story whose ending gets ruined by a significant plot hole. I don't mind when something like this pops up somewhere in the middle of the story. But if it happens too near to the conclusion, it can truly kill my overall enjoyment of the adventure. Good endings are so important.
This one concerns the fact that, at the climax of the story, the Doctor reveals to the cold villain Kane that his sinister plans to return to his home planet of Proamnon have come to ruin. The planet was destroyed a few thousand years previously in a supernovae. So disheartened is Kane by this news that he commits suicide right on the spot.
It seems fairly ludicrous that this is the first time Kane is hearing of the destruction of his homeworld. Does the guy have no internet?! You would think that, if your whole life is being dedicated to wreaking vengeance on a certain planet, that you might google the place every once in a while to see how it's doing. And yet, over the course of several millennia, he never bothers.
Yes, Kane does have a bio-mechanoid guarding over him who may have been using some method of blocking Kane's newsfeed from getting any information about Proamnon. But the prison had become a busy spaceport. Wouldn't Kane, at least, ask the occasional intergalactic traveler about news concerning Proamnon? There's no way retrieving information in such a manner could be blocked.
But he never does any of this. He just lives underneath a rock for a few thousand years without ever bothering to check in on how the world he wants to attack is actually coming along.
Seems a bit too preposterous to me. Does no one else think so?
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #7: The Empty Child
Moffat's first work is, without a doubt, outstanding. A shining jewel of Series One (and Series One has quite a few of them). But I will say it's off to a bit of a shaky start. That air raid balloon sequence only sits so well with me.
Rose climbs onto the roof of a building to help a little boy that she has seen up on it. The boy has made it up onto a higher section of the roof. A convenient rope dangles down for her to use that isn't quite as opportune as she thought it was. Turns out the rope was attached to an air raid balloon that has come loose. Slowly, it drifts off with Rose hanging on for dear life.
A highly unusual string of circumstances to begin with. And Rose being able to hang on to the rope for so long also seems a little unlikely (even if she got the Bronze in gymnastics). I'm also not sure how the balloon or even Rose doesn't get shot to shreds during that air raid before Jack saves her.
But what really seems silly about the whole moment is the fact that the balloon must have still been sailing over the rooftop for, at least, a matter of seconds before moving out onto the cityscape. Surely, in that time, Rose could have made the deduction: "Why don't I climb back down this rope or even just let go of it while there's a roof beneath me that's only a few feet down?" Instead, she just holds on tight and ends up several hundred feet in the air a moment or two later. Essentially, this whole sequence should have never happened. Rose could have easily bailed herself out.
There is even a quick shot of her sailing over the edge of the rooftop. They try to make it look like there just wasn't enough time for her to realize her options. But, really, that balloon is moving way too slow in other shots for her to not have that opportunity to figure things out.
I know that the whole thing was a very colorful way for Rose and Captain Jack to meet each other. But I almost gave up on the story because it all seems a bit too preposterous (I'll even be bold enough to say it's nearly as silly as the Part One Cliffhanger for Dragonfire!). Fortunately, the rest of the story is amazing enough for me to forgive it.
Seldom-Mentioned Plot Hole #8: Boom Town
While I did just mention Series One was brilliant, some of the writers are still trying to find themselves and hammer out the show's new formula. This does make for a few shaky moments in the plots.
I'm amazed no one ever seems to note the inconsistencies in Boomtown. There's a few of them that seem pretty clunky to me.
Scenes between the TARDIS crew's antics and Blon's press conference seem to be running, more or less, concurrently. At the very best, an hour or two may have passed since the press conference finished and the Doctor sees the article about it in the paper (the sun doesn't seem to have gone down much between Mickey getting a "whatever" sign from Jack and them sitting in a restaurant telling stories). Could the picture taken of Blon during the conference really make it into the papers that quickly?
Most newspapers come out every morning and show the news from yesterday. Our four intrepid adventurers have not been in Cardiff for a whole day. I suppose the paper might do a special second edition that just happened to have had the time to include the Mayor's announcement. But it seems like a bit of a stretch. That article really shouldn't have appeared til next morning.
What seems like even bigger plot holes, however, happen in the chase scene an instant later.
First off, her office seems to stay open pretty late. I suppose it's possible for the TARDIS to arrive in Cardiff first thing in the morning. A special late edition of a newspaper comes out early afternoon and they get to City Hall before it closes. But that feels like a bit of a stretch too. Perhaps RTD shouldn't have been trying so hard to squeeze everything into one day. It probably would have been better if the TARDIS had taken longer to re-fuel.
But the silliest thing that happens is the actual chase, itself. Blon has a teleport device. Why does she bother to climb out a window and run down into the streets when she could have just teleported straight from her office? Perhaps she didn't want to "fly blind" again and the teleporter needed a moment to establish proper coordinates. But, maybe, that should have been specified in some dialogue, somewhere. Otherwise, the whole sequence looks like it's there just to create a wacky, fun moment in the story rather than make any real sense. As much as I did enjoy the visual of Mickey running around with his foot stuck in a bucket of toilet paper, I do prefer things have a bit of logic to them!
Wow! I'm really having fun pointing out plot holes! I have more, but I think this particular entry has gone on long enough. Let's do another one of these soon....
I do hope, by the way, that this doesn't come across as me just complaining about the show and trying to point out how awful it is. As mentioned in the intro: plot holes in TV shows are inevitable. I'm just trying discuss them a bit and have a laugh over them. Hope you're amused by all this, too.
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