We're nearly done. What an adventure this has been!
Or, at the very least, what a long series of entries.
"The Rules":
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions.html
A MULTIPLE-DOCTOR SITUATION
New Recurring Foes, at this point in the show's history, are becoming few and far between. Which, when you think about it, didn't need to be the case. New Who was only one season in. It could, easily, introduce a whole slew of never-seen-before returning baddies while still slowly-but-surely bringing back those old enemies from the Classic Days. That's exactly what had happened in Eccleston's season. There was no reason to not continue doing this as Tennant took over.
In some ways, we did get a bit of this. Certain alien species that we'd never seen up until the Revived Series were showing their faces at regular intervals. The Ood, for instance, started popping up all over the place. But there were other more incidental creatures making appearances, too. Baby Adiposes got a whole story to themselves in Partners in Crime. But then we also got a cute little cameo from them towards the end of Part Two of The End of Time (though an infant in a drinking establishment doesn't really make sense. Beyond the fact, of course, that it looked really cute seeing him stumble off the edge of the bar!).
While these new aliens are being seen everywhere, not many of them are all that particularly malevolent. The Doctor encounters them, but doesn't actually need to fight them. Even the afore-mentioned Ood are pretty nice in most of the stories they're featured in. And when they are legitimately dangerous in a plot, it's because they're being possessed by Satan. Which means they really can't be called villains in that particular tale.
Because there are so few genuine Recurring Foes making their first appearances over the next few seasons, we will be able to cover the eras of three different Doctors in this entry. But even with such a long timespan, I'm still going to stretch the rules just a little bit.
SMITH AND JONES
Recurring Foe: The Judoon
This is the one where I'm going to blur the lines. Technically, the Judoon are meant to be good guys. But they don't tend to do a very good job of it. They do behave themselves fairly well when the Shadow Proclamation is keeping a close eye on them. But when they're out on the field, they cause a lot of problems. In both stories where they've been heavily featured, the Doctor is fighting against them quite a bit. On top of that, of course, there's also the fact that they actually captured the Doctor at one point and imprisoned her for an extensive period of time. If that doesn't say: "Enemy", I don't know what does!
I think we can fairly view the Judoon as a Recurring Foe. They may be rent-a-cops, but they're awful enough at the job to cause the Doctor to oppose them on a regular basis.
Writing: ........................................ 8
The Judoon are certainly a worthy addition to the various races we would start seeing on a semi-regular basis in New Who. Although, it does a feel a bit weird that they pop up all over the place these days but neither hide nor hair was seen of them in Classic Who. The Fourth Doctor, for instance, should have run into an Ood or two. Or Sixie should have dealt with a platoon of Judoon now and again. We can claim there were unseen adventures, of course. But it still feels just a bit "off" that these currently commonly-witnessed aliens were totally unseen for the first twenty-six seasons.
The other somewhat minor problem I have with Judoon is that they ever-so-slightly resemble the Sontarans. Moreso in a physical sense. Their space armor looks a bit like the sort of suits the potato heads wear. Which, I suppose, has little to do with the writing. Except the particular writer of this script would also be approving their image.
Aside from this, there's actually quite a bit to like about these guys. Their whole social structure seems quite interesting and different from a lot of other aliens we've seen on the show (not entirely unique, though. Lytton, for instance, also seems to hail from a race of intergalactic mercenaries). Because I have only minor objections to them, they deserve the slightly-above-average rating that they receive.
Performance: ........................................ 8
Creature designers and movement artists are finally starting to make lemons out of lemonade. If the costume is big and clunky - then make the actual alien big and clunky! Everyone does a pretty good job of capturing the distilled essence of anthropomorphic rhinoceroses. The one Judoon that takes the helmet off does seem really limited in its expression. We especially notice this when Fugitive of the Judoon shows us a much more advanced prosthetic design several years later. But this is more the fault of technology than the performances of those inhabiting the costumes.
The Actual Story: ............................... 7
A decent little start to the season. Nothing intensely spectacular, but still solid. It was smart to begin the season with this particular adventure. It gave the quality of later stories somewhere to go. Things build to a much better to a climax if you have a strong foundation but you still bank your more high-quality scripts for later on.
How the Doctor Interacts with Them: ... 6
He doesn't really interact with them much, actually. He mainly just runs and hides from them. It might have been nice if he had been given a scene berating the Judoon for their ham-fisted tactics.
Long-Term Impact: ............................. 8
The Judoon are frequently taking a back seat in the stories that feature them. In Smith and Jones, they play Second Fiddle to the Plasmavore. Fugitive of the Judoon deals far more with introducing the mystery of Ruth than it is about the rhino aliens that are in the title. But they still have a good presence in both of these adventures. Even if they aren't the main focus. All the other little cameos they've had over the years are also always quite fun. I particularly love how they pop up at the end of Series Twelve and provide us with a great cliffhanger.
FINAL SCORE: 37
Again, claiming they're Recurring Foes is just a little bit of a stretch. But I do think they're worthy of the title. I hope they keep showing up in future episodes. Both in small appearances or with a stronger presence. In either situation, I enjoy watching them.
BLINK
Recurring Foe: The Weeping Angels
The only monster from the New Series that has rivaled the potency of such Great Classic Who Villains as the Daleks and the Cybermen. So much of their success hinges on the effectiveness of their very first appearance.
Writing: ................................................. 10
The Weeping Angels are brilliantly-written in Blink. Some huge info-dumps are given about them but they are interspersed with moments of sheer terror. It's a perfect balance, really. The Doctor. explains them for a bit, and then we get some super-creepy scene where angel statues suddenly appear when they weren't there a moment earlier. It's absolute nightmare-fare.
Performance: ................................................ 10
"And the award for Best Performance Given Under Completely Static Conditions goes to ..... (tears open envelope) ..... the actresses that played the Weeping Angels! (massive applause of agreement)" The women playing the Weeping Angels absolutely nail it. Never has anyone been so menacing whilst standing absolutely still and doing nothing! They totally capture the essence of how terrifying these beings are.
The Actual Story: ........................................... 11
Another cheat! While Blink doesn't make it into my Top Ten Favorite Doctor Who Stories Ever, it does make it into my Top Five Favorite Single Episodes (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/12/book-of-lists-top-six-doctor-who_14.html). Which, to me, earns it the bonus point. It is an absolutely excellent non-linear plot that terrifies you to the core.
How the Doctor Interacts With Them: ........ 8
Well, he doesn't, actually. But the video message he leaves for Sally Sparrow does almost, sort of, feel like he's telling the Angels off a bit from a screen. So I'll still give it a good score even though we don't truly get a proper confrontation scene.
Long-Term Impact: ...................................... 8
If I'm being completely honest, I did feel the Weeping Angels really only merited one appearance. They were terrifying, yes. But they worked as well as they did because the whole non-linear plot of Blink is quite brilliant. Take away those trappings, and you've just got scary angel statues that send people into the past. But to try to create something else super-timey-whimey like Blink would just feel like needless repetition.
Fortunately, the second story involving Weeping Angels is really good too. Particularly since their powers are expanded upon. Thus making them even more interesting. After that, however, we get Angels Take Manhattan. A story that tries to convince you that the Statue of Liberty can walk through New York and not get noticed! There are some enjoyable elements to the story, too. But Angels Take Manhattan does drag down this score a bit.
Finally, however, we get Village of the Angels. An episode I enjoyed as much as Blink. Possibly more! This adventure, along with a few nice cameos here and there in stuff like The God Complex or Time of the Doctor, brings the score back up. It's a bit of a roller coaster ride with these Weeping Angels. But, overall, they have been worthy of their return appearances.
FINAL SCORE: 47
Thanks again, Mister Moffat for bringing us a top-ranking monster like the Weeping Angels. So long as the stories remain clever and inventive (and don't involve the Statue of Liberty!), I'm happy to see more of them.
THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT/DAY OF THE MOON
Recurring Foe: The Silence (Kavorian Schism)
After years of being the enemy of entire races, they switch things up a bit for the Doctor. This time, he's going up against a religious group.
Writing: .......................................... 8
Okay. Let's just address the Elephant on the Table: The Confession Priests work in a very similar way to the Weeping Angels. It feels ever-so-slightly like a rip-off but not too much. So, for the most part, we're willing to let it go. However, this should just penalize them a bit. There are enough differences between the two species that it doesn't just feel like a re-tread. Some new and interesting things are done with them.
Performance: ........................................... 10
Another Perfect Ten to the movement artists that inhabit these costumes. They look particularly cool as they "load up" on the electricity around them and use it as a weapon. That scene with Amy in the bathroom is completely chilling.
The Actual Story: ...................................... 10
I will admit: Impossible Astronaut/Day of Moon almost makes it into my Top Ten Fave Who Stories Ever. It's a masterfully-crafted plot that gives us one of the best examples of the Doctor using his enemy's own energy against him. Getting Richard Nixon to show up all over the place to get the Doctor out of jams was utterly hilarious. And then, of course, there's those first few minutes where we watch the Doctor die in front of us. What a way to begin a season!
How the Doctor Interacts With Them: ..... 10
I was very tempted to cheat again and make this an Eleven. The Doctor telling off the Silence at the end of the story and then using their own post hypnotic suggestion powers against them was utterly brilliant. How Matt Smith plays that scene really shows off just how great his incarnation of the Doctor is. He just waltzes into the confrontation with a seemingly over-caffeinated disposition and takes down the Silence with complete style. It's an awesome thing to watch.
I also love it when Amy asks if his flirting with River Song is really all that important!
Long-Term Impact: ................................... 9
I do like how our knowledge of the Kovarian Schism of the Silence slowly-but-surely expands over the course of Series Six. At first, we do think they are just one species. Yes, we do see just the slightest hint of Madame Kovarian, herself, in this first appearance. But we have no idea what she's about!
As the season moves on, we learn that there are a lot of human soldiers also making up the organization. And, of course, there's the Headless Monks. Who I guess are, sort of, human. Getting us to know them better and better over the course of multiple episodes was a pretty good way to handle it. For the most part, it all works quite well.
FINAL SCORE: 47
While the Kovarian Schism of the Silence gets vaguely alluded to in Series Five, it's in the next season that we truly see them swinging into action. Throughout the course of the year, they really do make for an exciting Recurring Foe. I enjoyed them a lot and almost wish we'd seen more of them (Time of the Doctor doesn't count. That's just the regular Order of the Silence in that story).
THE HUSBANDS OF RIVER SONG
Recurring Foe: The Shoal of Winter Harmony (or just Harmony Shoal)
Another interesting twist on a Recurring Foe. This one just appears for the first time near the end of one Christmas Special and then gets properly expanded upon in the next. It's a pretty fun approach.
Writing: ........................................ 8
This is a very tricky first appearance. The Shoal of Winter Harmony seem fairly peripheral in their introductory story. At the same time, though, we find them intensely interesting. So when they do return in the next episode, we're very happy to see them back.
But we also can't ignore the fact that they really don't have much of a presence in their first adventure. So we have to penalize them a bit. But not too much. Because I still quite like the way they're introduced!
Performance: ....................................... 8
The actors playing all the members of the Shoal do a fairly solid job of creating an "uncanny valley effect" with their characters. We get that there's something "off" about them. That they are, essentially, bodies being driven around by someone else's brain. The one that River is dealing with gives the best performance, of course. But they're all pretty fun.
The Story, Itself: .................................... 6
I'm not particularly fond of Husbands of River Song. As is often the case with a Christmas Special, it's more about spectacle than story. Particularly Husbands. It really does feel like Moff crapped this one out. That he was far too busy with other projects and probably should have handed script-writing duties to someone else. Had it not resolved some major threads for the Doctor and River Song in a very touching manner, it would probably score even lower. Probably somewhere around a Four.
How the Doctor Interacts With Them: .... 7
There is a fairly fun scene with the Doctor meeting the buyer of the Halassi Androvar and then trying to auction off King Hydrofax's head to the entire room full of Winter Shoalians. By no means is it one of those great stand-offish confrontations that I usually enjoy when the Doctor deals with an enemy. But it's still quite passable.
Long-Term Impact: ................................... 8
There is a gorgeous tease at the end of Return of Doctor Mysterio that hints at the idea that we've not seen the last of these nasty body snatchers. But, alas, we've not heard from them since. Which is sad. I think a third appearance would have fared well. I don't think we could have kept them going beyond that. But they are an interesting enough alien species to merit a trilogy.
FINAL SCORE: 37
Hardly the Weeping Angels, of course. Not even the most wildly inventive of aliens. We've seen all sorts of body snatchers throughout the history of the show. And in science fiction, itself. But the Shoal of Winter Harmony are pretty damned fun. I'd like to see them back for, at least, one more outing.
And that covers a whole big chunk of New Who. Oddly enough, the Doctor that gave us a whole season of no Recurring Foes introduces a whole bucketful of returning baddies. She'll get her own special entry all to herself.
