COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS: THE CAPTURE-AND-ESCAPE HALL OF FAME

POINTS OF DEBATE is not the only new entry that I have introduced over the last year. COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS was premiered on my latest Anniversary Special. After introducing fans to the concept of a frotnok. (don't try to look it up - it's my own special creation. Although, really, it should start turning up in fan reference material), I felt it was time to have some more fun with my favorite show. Rather than always just taking it way too seriously all the time!

I'm not presenting another outlandish theory, this time. Instead, I'm going to look at a somewhat over-abused writing device that was used in the Classic Series and assign fictitious awards to the grossest examples of it. We'll even have specific categories. 

CAPTURE-AND-ESCAPE: THE ULTIMATE PLOT FILLER

New Who tends to move very quickly, these days (some might even say too quickly). Many stories are resolved within the same episode they started in. We get the occasional two-parter, or even three-parter (or are they really three parters? - read about the debate here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/09/points-of-debate-what-constitutes-three.html), but even they tend to fly along at breakneck speed. Our "ADHD Culture" that loves YouTube clips that don't last longer than 5 minutes can't tolerate a story with any kind of real sag in it. Our interests must be constantly held or we turn our attention elsewhere. 

Keeping us focused in New Who has sometimes occurred at the expense of good writing. Points in a script that should have been better explored get brushed aside in the name of Maintaining Momentum. In some cases, actual plot holes have been glossed over because the author wanted to keep the story moving. Perhaps they could have fixed the issue with the story if they had been allowed to examine things a bit more closely. But, again, Momentum wouldn't let them. They had to maintain a flow. This seems to be the priority in modern-day television. 

Classic Who, of course, frequently did the exact opposite. Classic Who could contemplate its navel all day. Especially when you consider that it frequently indulged in longer stories that ran for six episodes. It also dipped its toe into seven parters - or even longer! 

Doing the reverse of New Who does not mean all problems were eliminated. Instead, we were introduced to all new set of writing obstacles. On certain occasions, a writer was assigned more episodes than they had story for. Rather than ask for less episodes (and, subsequently, less pay), they tried to come up  with "filler" or "padding". These were tricks an author might use to intentionally slow the plot down so that it would properly fill the assigned episodes. 

One of the most obvious devices used by the writers in Classic Who was the "capture-and-escape" technique. Your protagonists could easily get from Point A in a plot to Point B - but that would not eat up enough time to fill your episode count. So you have them get caught and imprisoned in some way by the antagonists of the story. The main characters now have to spend some time trying to figure a way out of their jail cell. Time gets wasted and episodes get filled. 

In a lot of cases, "capture-and-escape" should actually be called "capture-and-escape-and-re-captured" -  but that it is too much of a mouthful. It is what most frequently occurs with this device. After some great struggle is spent getting out of jail, the protagonists then get re-captured a short while later and are thrown back in their cell with increased security now being used against them. This is, of course, the ultimate filler. For several long minutes, absolutely nothing was really achieved in the story. But the writer goes to bed that night happy to have gotten a nice paycheque for their efforts.

TECHNICAL DEFINITION?

I was going to go for one of my big, wordy definitions where I make totally sure that we're all clear on what a capture-and-escape is. And then I was like: "Rob! Lighten up! This is supposed to be something funnier. Take a chill pill, dude!"

So, yeah. Pretty straightforward. If the Doctor or a companion (or the entire TARDIS crew) gets caught and then has to spend a bunch of time getting out of their trap rather than propelling the plot forward - that's a capture-and-escape. The escape can even include a rescue rather than them completely getting out of it on their own. Although, probably at least a few minutes get wasted with them trying to escape of their own volition. After all, the whole point of the process is to eat up time.

WARNING!! 

I will admit, outright, I consider this a really cheap device. The author should have created more subplots or character conflicts to mark the minutes. To just incarcerate the main characters and then have them struggle to find freedom is very lazy writing.

I will be discussing certain well-loved stories that exploit this technique quite a bit. Because of this, they're not so well-loved by me. So, brace yourselves, I may be taking the piss out of a few stories you really like.

Okay then, with all that out of the way. Let's get to the awards:



Most Blatant Use of the Device 

There are two stories that use this device so obviously that I have to say they tie. So I will list both:

The Three Doctors
During Part Two of the Tenth Anniversary Special, the Doctor, Jo and a Professor Dude Who Got Accidentally Embroiled Into the Story (who is played by an actor who will play yet another Professor Dude Who Got Accidentally Embroiled Into the Story during Hand of Fear - he must love Doctor Who's casting director!) are being marched through the strange, alien-looking palace of Omega. There seems to be a few minutes that need filling as the episode nears its end. Professor Dude suggests they try to make a break for it. The Doctor argues against the idea. The debate, itself, eats up a good minute or so. Finally, Professor Dude pretends to submit. Then, suddenly, makes a break for it! Another minute or so gets wasted as he charges around the palace and gets intercepted by the giant jelly monsters that are roaming about. Slowly but surely, they press him back towards the Doctor and Jo. "Well, that was a waste of time!" he woefully admits as he re-joins them.

Yes it was Professor Tyler. Which was the whole point of the exercise. Nice of you to be obvious about it!

Talons of Weng-Chiang
A very popular story among fans. This is one of those tales, however, that I've never really seen why it's got such mass appeal. Making up a white guy to look Asian certainly gets it to look very offensive by modern-day standards. Although, really, even in the era it was made - it seemed pretty offensive!

But, rather than ruffle too many feathers with my many objections to this story, let's get to the real topic. As we're nearing the end of this Six Parter (that really only needed to be four parts), Bob Holmes seems to be getting desperate to mark time. He has his latest double act incarcerated in a manor of some sort by the evil Magnus Greel. Jago and Lightfoot spend a good few minutes investigating a dumb waiter and debating whether or not they could employ it as a form of egress. At last, we watch them awkwardly climb in and descend together to another level of the building. Clumsily, they climb back out - consuming as much time as possible in the process. Just when freedom seems apparent, a whole gang of actual Asians (as opposed to white people pretending to be Asians) descend upon them and force them back into their prison.

A huge screeching halt that we could, easily, fast forward through without causing any real damage to the story. It's almost embarrassing, really.

Talons ranks so highly because it is such a well-regarded story so it almost makes the capture-and-escape more famous. Three Doctors ties with Talons because it, outright, announces that it was a waste of time!



Story That Abuses this Device the Most

Without a doubt, this particular category goes to the notorious Frontier In Space. There's a lot of things I like about the writing of Malcolm Hulke - Frontier In Space, however, is not one of them!

Yup, he's given us another alien species that is not completely good or evil. They're just like us. Yup, their masks look really good/ Even by modern-day standards, it's a fairly good costume. If they returned in the New Series, there would be little need to alter the original version. It's also a bit cool that the Master teams up with the Daleks. Although the team-up is woefully short.

Otherwise, that's really about it for the qualities of Frontier In Space. I would say there's enough plot for about two episodes. But Hulke needed to give us six. So it is capture-and-escape after capture-and-escape after capture-and-escape.

I bothered to re-watch the story and actually count all the times the device is used. I had actually expected one capture-and-escape per episode (which, when you think about it, is still pretty bad!). I was wrong. Part One has two capture-and-escapes. The Doctor and Jo get imprisoned by the pilot and co-pilot of the bulk freighter they land on (are they really shipping flour to a colony world?! There really is no way for the colony world to just make its own flour - it needs to be imported?!). They escape only to have Jo imprisoned again by the Ogrons. We'll be merciful and include the cliffhanger of Part One (the Doctor and Jo now being captured by Earth Authorities) as the capture-and-escape for Part Two. In Part Two, the Doctor escapes Earth Authorities only to be captured by the Draconians. Who he escapes a short while later (in one of the most ridiculous methods of egress I've ever seen. Did you really need to flip over backwards in an art-deco chair, Jon?!). The Doctor is then re-captured by Earth Authorities only to escape again into the hands of the Ogrons at the cliffhanger. So, yeah, that's right. Three capture-and-escapes in Part Two. So, in just two parts, that's five capture-and-escapes!

Things slow down in Parts Three and Four. Only one capture-and-escape per episode. The Doctor tries to escape from the Lunar Penal Colony (woah! That gets referenced in Bad Wolf! Except that Bad Wolf takes place a good 100 000 years or so after Frontier In Space. Was the Moon a prison that whole time?!) in Part Three. He is delivered to the Master and tries to escape from him during Part Four. Now, if you thought the chair flip was silly in Part Two, the escape attempt in Part Four is way more ridiculous! Why did he need to do a space walk?! Couldn't he have just gone down the hallway and snuck up on the Master that way? The door between the room with the cage and the bridge didn't seem to be locked.  And wouldn't some kind of instrumentation on the bridge register that airlocks are being opened and closed all over the place? Was the War of the Worlds book so engrossing that the Master just wasn't registering these notifications?!

Herein lies the problem of an endless array of captures-and-escapes. In order to keep things varied and interesting, the escapes need to become more and more outlandish. Frontier In Space definitely illustrates this problem quite clearly.

Part Five, amazingly enough, has no true captures-and-escapes. I say "true" because my definition stated it had to be a main character who tries to escape incarceration. There is a capture-and-escape of an Ogron - but I won't count it. Just as I didn't count the capture-and-escape from the Ogrons at the beginning of Part Three because it happens so quickly that it doesn't truly mark any time. It was there, moreso, to create a cliffhanger and give us a little bit of suspense. Even though it really just came across as Micheal Kilgarriff (or, quite possibly, Stephen Thorne - it's hard to tell!) running around in his Ogron costume as he smashes his way through bulsa wood doors that are meant to be metal.

Part Six, makes up for the absence of true capture-and-escapes in Episode Five by giving us two. Jo does one from her prison cell but is tricked by the Master and re-captured. The Doctor then gets captured and escapes a short while later by using the "mini-Keller Machine" that Jo stole (does no one check a prisoner's pockets before throwing them back in jail?!). There is, again, a super-short capture-and-escape right at the very end of the episode. But I'll let it slide. Again, it doesn't really mark time. If  I was giving out awards, however, for most poorly edited scenes in a Doctor Who story, the last couple minutes of Frontier In Space would get first prize. You almost can't tell what happened at the end of that adventure because the editing is just that bad!

So, if I'm being nice, Frontier In Space has a total of nine capture-and-escapes. If I want to include the super-short ones and the Ogron capture-and-escape - we're up to twelve! There is no story in the history of the show that abuses this device more. Which is why I rarely watch Frontier. In fact, this was the first time in years. I only put it on to do this count. And to laugh at the super-obvious strings that hold up Jon Pertwee during his space walks!!





Story That Abuses This Device But We Tend To Ignore It Because It's A "Classic"

Now, I gave a warning that my opinions in this essay might offend some of you. I'm sure a few of you are already upset about what I've said about Frontier In Space. It does seem to hold a special place in the hearts of certain sectors of Fandom. You might have even gotten a bit mad at me for the things I said about Talons of Weng Chiang. This is a greatly-adored racially-offensive tale and no one should ever say anything ill of it.

But now you're going to get really mad at me!

For many, Genesis of the Daleks is their all-time favorite story. I had heard legend of it before watching it. Perhaps my expectations were just a bit too high because of it. When I was finally able to view it, I was pretty disappointed. I didn't think it was absolutely horrible, of course. But I definitely don't consider it the best story ever.

There were a couple of things about it that I found downright silly. Can you really escape a landmine like that? Pretty sure once you step on it, you're done for. Sarah Jane falling off the scaffholding only to fall back on it, pretty much, constitutes the worst cliffhanger resolution ever. Yup, the end of Part One of Dragonfire is pretty bad, too - but this one might be worse. I also think the famous monologue about Davros contemplating releasing a virus is pretty silly. Would someone really get that over-excited about cracking open a vial?! It's just a little too OTT for my liking.  But it's funny how we never seem to talk about how bad certain elements of  Genesis of the Daleks are. Almost as if we're not allowed to because the story is so highly regarded. Genesis almost reminds me of a dysfunctional family where a parent is a severe alcoholic but we're not allowed to talk about it because they're also a prominent figure in the community!

But the thing that really made me lose respect for Genesis of the Daleks is its abuse of the capture-and-escape device. While not as bad as Frontier In Space, there is still not enough story here for a Six Parter. At best, Terry Nation could have comfortably filled four episodes.

We know we're in trouble when Harry and the Doctor do a full capture-and-escape-and-recaptured with the Kaleds in Part One. We're not even through the first episode and there's a need for padding. Things continue to go bad when Sarah Jane gets captured by Thals in later episodes. The failed attempt to climb to the top of the dome is as painful to sit through as the Third Doctor's space walk in Frontier. There's still a bit more capture-and-escaping in the last few episodes when the TARDIS crew return to the Kaled bunker. To his credit, though, Nation does find other ways to pad things out in the latter half of the story. Davros delivering an impassioned-yet-boring speech to a group of Kaled scientists and soldiers we don't give a rat's ass about that we know will become gunstick fodder in just a few short minutes was an interesting alternative to just one more capture-and-escape.

Again, the tallying of capture-and-escapes is a fairly subjective process. But it does look like there's about five of them in Genesis of the Daleks. As I've said, though, we never acknowledge this flaw in the story. Or any other problem, for that matter. Because we're not allowed to. It's Genesis of the Daleks, damn it. The best Doctor Who story ever. Supposedly.




Earliest Example of a Capture-and-Escape 

The capture-and-escape device seems to have a long history with the show. But just how far back does it truly go? 

Believe it or not, we can trace it all the way back to its most humble of beginnings. Even Unearthly Child (or 1 000 000 BC - or whatever you want to call it!) takes advantage of it a bit.

Some of you older fans are, no doubt, familiar with the works of Dicky Howett. A great little comic strip artist who was, obviously, a big fan of the show. Dicky drew some great strips involving Who that were clearly geared at people who knew the show inside and out. While other comic strip artists might make a bit of fun here and there by drawing pictures of Daleks that can't climb stairs or other easy jokes like that, Dicky went for the more obscure stuff. It's great to see that a T-shirt company has used some of his images and I catch the occasional New Who fan wearing them. Howett's legacy lives on.

At one point, Dicky released an extended strip that was his own version of Unearthly Child. It had some great jokes in it. One of the ones I liked the best was his own acknowledgement of the capture-and-escape device. The basic gist of the gag is that Howett suddenly inserts a panel near the end of the strip that proclaims something to the nature of: "Six Capture-and-Escapes Later...". In the next panel, the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are racing towards the TARDIS with cavemen chasing them.

It's an exaggeration, of course. But then, comedy will do that for effect. But Part Three of the story is one big capture-and-escape-and-recaptured. It's just difficult to notice because it's still, actually, a pretty well-written episode. The scene where Ian, Susan and Barbara teach compassion to Za and his girlfriend is quite compelling. That is the same scene, of course, where Ian stops the Doctor from attempting to kill Za. Which is a crazy moment to watch retrospectively. To see someone who is your hero be that heartless in his earliest days can really throw you off.

And that's the thing about capture-and-escape: if it's well done, we're not bothered by its attempt to mark time. There are some other problems with Unearthly Child. But I don't believe its use of capture-and-escape is one of them.

Which leads us to our next award:



A Story That Creates Such a Compelling Capture-and-Escape That We Don't Mind It

As I just tried to illustrate in the last award, there are times when a capture-and-escape doesn't actually drag the story down. If done cleverly, it can really lift the story and create some legitimate tension.

I picked pretty hard on Terry Nation for Genesis of the Daleks - so now I will sing his praise. While Planet of the Daleks is a bit of a Daleks (or The Dead Planet - or whatever you want to call it!) re-tread, it also does do a good job of doing a huge capture-and-escape that we don't mind at all because it is really well-conceived. The Doctor getting captured by the Daleks and being hauled off to their base on Spiridon starts feeling like that stereotypical: "Oh boy! It's a six parter and we only have story for four!" moment. But I find it really fleshes out nicely. So much so, that some of it even gets referenced in Remembrance of the Daleks.

Getting out of his cell and running into some other Thals that are stuck in an ice vent keeps the pace going nicely. The "ice slime", in fact, is a pretty nice effect. As they figure out a way to use the hot air rising through the refrigeration vent to their advantage, I really find myself impressed by the cleverness of the whole thing.

For years, the episode that featured all this capture-and-escaping was cut out from the story because it only existed in black-and-white. They finally colorized it and put into the DVD release. It is interesting to note that the story does do pretty well without the episode in it. Which shows off quite nicely that it was meant to just eat up some minutes. But, with the episode back in, I find myself enjoying the action that takes place within it. Yes, it's largely superfluous to the overall plot - but it's still a damned good episode!

The TARDIS being able to run out of oxygen, however, is still pretty weird. Not sure what that was all about!



Story That Could Have Abused Capture-and-Escape But Didn't

Obviously, a longer story is far more likely to take advantage of the capture-and-escape motif than, say, a two-parter. Totally awesome Classics like Inferno had seven parts to fill. So the Doctor does end up breaking in and out of captivity a few times when he's trapped in a fascist parallel universe.

With this in mind, a story like The War Games would be more-than-justified to be peppered with capture-and-escapes to fill up its ten episodes. Amazingly enough, it doesn't seem to resort to this tactic half as much as it could have. Parts One and Two do use this device a fair amount. But then it actually settles down and finds other ways to fill up the bountiful episode count. Some of these devices work better than others. The subplot of David Troughton having to guard a War Lord, for instance, is a fairly decent piece of drama. The Doctor and Jamie trying to blow open a safe while Carstairs deals with a surprise visit is another very enjoyable moment. These are storylines that do little to advance the main plot but still provide us with lovely distractions. Other moments, like trying to explain to a converted French soldier that he's being exploited by an evil alien race, don't necessarily work as well. But they are still far more effective than just chucking the Doctor and/or his companions in another jail cell and letting them try to find a way out. It's almost like Terrance Dicks and Malcolme Hulke sat down and said: "Let's try to find as many other ways to pad this out than just capture-and-escape."

War Games is still longer than it needs to be. And it does abuse capture-and-escape a bit. But I do recognize it as a story that could have used the device a whole lot more. Because of some of the creative choices that get made by the authors, the story ends up working quite well. It could have plodded along horribly and made Troughton's send-off absolutely tedious. But it gives us something quite masterful, instead. And I think some of that is due to the fact that Dicks and Hulke decide not to be lazy writers.

If only Hulke had maintained that same level integrity for Frontier In Space!



An Actual Example of Capture-and-Escape in the New Series

I did say in those introductory paragraphs that New Who tends to move really fast and doesn't use this device anymore. But we are a good eleven seasons into the show, now. That's a lot of stories. Couldn't just one of them have used that device somewhere?

Truthfully, it's probably happened a few times. But the one that seems to stand out the most would be the "three Doctors in one jail" scene from Day of the Doctor. It's almost as if Moffat is using the anniversary special to pay tribute to the great capture-and-escapes of yesteryear. While Clara's plotline does continue to move and develop, the Doctors' is brought to a grinding halt as they are thrown into a medieval cell by the Queen. There's much discussion and debate about where the Doctor has been going since the Time Wars and two different escape plans get hatched at once. And then we find out the door was unlocked the whole time!

To all intents and purposes, this does sound like a bit of a time-eater. Just like the old capture-and-escapes were. But, upon closer inspection, we see that Moff is setting up some crucial character development that will affect the Doctor as the story reaches its climax. Some of what gets covered in the prison cell will even bleed into Time of the Doctor a bit (the scene does start to foreshadow what's waiting for him on Trenzalore). It also sets up the basic premise of what will stop the Doctor from destroying Gallifrey in the Time Wars. So, on the surface, this may actually seem like yet another capture-and-escape. But there's quite a bit more going on there than you think. It is actually a very important scene on several levels.




Well, I have to admit, I enjoyed doing that. There's a few other conventions the show has used that I find quite silly that I might set up award ceremonies for, too. I definitely want to tackle the Cast Slaughterfests of Seasons 21 and 22. I could have some fun with that one!

I do hope some of my opinions on certain stories that I know are greatly loved didn't offend you too much. Some fans get very distressed by the fact that I don't think Genesis of the Daleks is that great! I also hope you noticed that I didn't just take the piss out of my favorite show for the entire entry. I intentionally pointed out some good stuff, too. Certain stories do resort to this tactic to mark time but end up doing it in a very effective way. I wanted to highlight that a bit too. 



Like COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS? Here's the first entry in the Series. Learn all about the frotnok:    
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/03/complete-and-utter-silliness-was.html

ANALYTICAL: GOING BEYOND: A GUIDED TOUR OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSE - PART 2

Analyzing the strange things that exist beyond our Universe continues. In this second part, we will examine a few of places out there that seem a bit more rare. We'll also keep looking through their various predominant traits to help us better understand their mechanics. 

I finished off Part One with a Special Note about Anti-Zones: a special extension of the Void that helps to protect our version of reality. Because they don't occur often, they should, perhaps, be listed here. But I decided that, since they also relate to the Void, I thought it might be better if I put them in the first part. However, there are a few more Special Notes that need to be listed about some other rare phenomenon that we see out there.  




*A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THE REALITY OF BATTLEFIELD 

To all intents and purposes, it would seem that the beings who cross over into our dimension in the story Battlefield are from a parallel universe. One where the Arthurian Legends turn out to be true. Certainly, we hear this other dimension described in similar fashion to the way other parallel realities are described. Of particular note is the way the Doctor talks about how the distress call came from "sideways in time". Sounds quite a bit like the way the Doctor Three talks about being "slipped sideways in time" during Inferno.

I would contest, however, that this is not a parallel universe. Based primarily on the idea that a parallel reality is created by a choice. I'm not sure what sort of choice suddenly causes magic to exist. To me, this other dimension is a place inhabited by a humanoid species that is capable of using magic. It is not a reality that is the same as our own that broke off into a schism caused by a decision someone made within it. Magic is a genuine and accessible energy in this other dimension. The beings from this other reality can even bring some of that magical energy into our own universe and use it. But, since magic doesn't already exist in our dimension, I'm not sure how this could be a parallel universe.


*A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT SINGULARITY POINTS

Similar to the Void and anti-zones, the Singularity Point in The Three Doctors seems to be a special place existing between two universes that acts as a sort of buffer. In this case, it is a crossing zone between our universe and the universe of anti-matter. It's not quite in either of these universes, however. So this gets us to believe that it is another crossover point between the two.

In many ways, a Singularity Point fits this particular category. However, because such a place seems to require a strong willed being to sustain it, we might wonder if a Singularity Point might also be a pocket universe of sorts (we'll be learning about them in just a few short paragraphs). I would be more inclined to believe that this is a sort of hybrid dimension. A place outside our own universe that possesses the characteristics of two different types of realities.


PART TWO: THE LESS COMMON STUFF

With those Special Notes covered, let's now move on to some things out there that don't seem to occur that naturally...


POCKET UNIVERSES

While pocket dimensions only seem to receive that label in stories like Hide and The Doctor's Wife, we can assume that, like the Void, there have been examples in the Classic Series that just weren't given that name. I would think that the Celestial Toymaker's dimension (sometimes known as the Celestial Toyroom) and the Land of Fiction were also pocket universes.

It seems that one of the most predominant traits of a pocket universe is that they require a being of enormous will power to sustain them for any real amount of time. The "plughole universe" - as the Doctor calls it - in The Doctor's Wife is given a very short life expectancy once House has left it. Which leads us to believe that he was holding it together. The Celestial Toyroom depends even more greatly on this principal. It collapses the moment its Master is defeated in the Trilogic game. The pocket dimension in Hide is in the process of collapsing when the Doctor enters it. More than likely because there is no central will sustaining it. A special machine seems to have been built for the Land of Fiction, that can allow a normal human to be hooked up to it and have their will amplified to the point of holding reality together. Once the machine overloads, of course, the universe collapses.

One could even say that the Solitract is a sort of sentient pocket universe. It sustains itself through its own will power. A bit of a different process from the other examples we've listed but still similar enough in principal to lump it into this category. 

Size: As the title implies, a pocket universe is much smaller in size than our own reality. Oftentimes, it appears as merely a tract of land made of very limited space. Probably the largest example we've seen was in The Doctor's Wife. House had grown into a small asteroid of junk that seemed to fit within the dimension. Everything else we've seen of these universes has been considerably smaller.

General Aesthetics: While existing on a smaller scale, pocket universes seem to resemble our own. The one in Hide, in fact, is sometimes referred to as an "echo dimension". Which implies, even more, a similar aesthetic to our own. To some extent, one must assume that the appearance of a pocket universe depends on what its Master chooses it to look like. Hence the Land of Fiction being a place that is inhabited by fictional characters and fairy-tale-like buildings and structures. Or the Celestial Toyroom being made up of characters and places that have an infantile aesthetic to them.

Entry Points: Pocket Universes seem to have, at least, one naturally-occurring rift that leads into them. The Land of Fiction and the Solitract do have buffer zones that help separate them from us. But, even within those zones, rifts seem to exist. Some of these rifts seem easier to pass through than others. But this does seem to be the only way into a pocket dimension.

Level of Incursion: With the exception of Hide, we spend a considerable amount of time in pocket universes whenever they are introduced into a story. Even in Hide, we get quite a few solid minutes within this special dimension. But most stories spend far more time within these realities than we see in Hide.


E-SPACE - THE GREATEST EXCEPTION TO ALL THE RULES

Finally, of course, there's E-Space. Easily, the most interesting of all places that exist beyond our Universe. Because we spend a total of twelve episodes in this other universe, a lot of details are given about it.

E-Space doesn't quite fit into any of the other categories we have discussed so far. And yet, it does seem to possess several of their traits. Most obvious is how it is mentioned several times that E-Space is considerably smaller than our reality. Which makes it seem like it might be a pocket dimension of sorts. We also get told that E-Space is negatively charged while we live in a positively charged universe. Which vaguely implies anti-matter. There's also quite a bit of jargon regarding "parallel coordinates" as they try to work out the problem with the image translator in Full Circle. The Doctor and Romana are meant to go to Gallifrrey. Instead, the end up on Alzarius. A planet in the exact same place where Gallifrey is meant to be. One almost wonders if there might be hints of a parallel universe going on here, too.

Regardless of all these similar characteristics, E-Space is still very much its own unique reality. We do wonder if there are other universes like it. We, apparently, inhabit N-Space. Could there be other dimensions of this nature with letters for names? We're never given any proper evidence, but it's an interesting theory to ponder....

Size: It is clearly stated in multiple instances that E-Space is much smaller than our universe. This, in fact, helps the Doctor to navigate through it more accurately and to accomplish "short hops" with better efficiency. As he does in State of Decay.

General Aesthetics: While life on its various planets seems quite different from ours, it still greatly resembles our universe. A human-like species does dwell on some of these worlds. We also see the TARDIS travelling through space in certain shots. While considerably smaller, E-Space is still large enough to have constellations. It is a very similar universe to our own.

Entry Points: To the best of our knowledge, the only way into E-Space is through artificially-created Charged Vacuum Embointments (CVEs, for short). The Doctor and Romana accidentally passed through one created by the Logopolitans. But my guess would be that other CVEs have been created over the years and that some exploration has been done in E-Space. Otherwise, how would the Doctor have as much knowledge as he does about this reality? It may not be him that's entered this universe before, but he has read up on the discoveries of other explorers who have.

Level Of Incursion; Full Circle spends almost all its time in E-Space. Its first few minutes are in N-Space and then they pass through the CVE and are stranded there for the rest of the story. State of Decay takes place entirely in E-Space. I'm led to believe, however, that Warrior's Gate takes place in the Void.



We have now itemized and analyzed every type of place that seems to exist outside of our Universe. Or, at least, I'm pretty sure we did. I try to be as thorough as possible but Doctor Who is a pretty long-running show. Lots of content to cover!

We're moving towards the end of the year, now. Which means another countdown from my BOOK OF LISTS will be on the way soon. I will, however, try to slip one more entry in that isn't so opinion-based before we get to the countdown. Not sure what I'll cover, yet. But I'll come up with something!   



Here's Part One if you missed it:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/10/analytical-going-beyond-guided-tour.html

ANALYTICAL: GOING BEYOND - A GUIDED TOUR OUTSIDE OUR UNIVERSE

After a deliberate attempt to boost my new POINTS OF DEBATE topic (which seemed to do quite well as it sparked quite a bit of discussion - which is the whole point of the topic!), I've decided to do a two-part ANALYTICAL essay for the month of October. This is a topic I've been meaning to tackle for a while, now. It's something we've seen in both the Classic and New Series so it will enable me to do a lot of cross-comparison and other tasks of that nature that geeks so love to do! 


OUTSIDE OF OUR UNIVERSE

The Universe is truly a mystery. It's meant to be infinite. We're told it's still expanding even as I write this. It seems to have a very definite beginning (Castrovalva) and a final end (Utopia). It's also come very close to being completely destroyed on several occasions (Logopolis, Terminus, Stolen Earth/Journey's End just to name a few). On those occasions, it's often been the Doctor that stopped the cataclysm from happening.

Part of what makes the Universe such a mystery (or more a conundrum) is the fact that such an infinite space also seems to have boundaries. It is possible to go beyond the Universe to places that exist past its confines. How it's able to be infinite but you're still able to go to places outside of it seems like a pretty big contradiction of terms. And yet, that seems to be the way the Universe works. At least, that's how it goes in Doctor Who reality.

According to various stories we have seen throughout the entire series, there are several different places lurking beyond the Universe's boundaries. Let's actually look at all of those different things that are out there and even quantify them a bit by cross-comparing them to each other.


PART ONE - SOME OF THE MORE NATURAL STUFF

Let's look at some things floating around just outside of our Universe that we've encountered in several stories over the years. The frequency of these encounters leads me to believe that they are a bit more "natural". They happen more often so they're less unusual.

In order to make categorization more easy, we'll analyze certain traits each of these places possess. We'll give a general description of these places and then analyze their more specific qualities.


THE ANTI-MATTER UNIVERSE

The Chancellor on Gallifrey probably described the Anti-Matter Universe best by stating it is "equal and opposite to our own". Which creates a very dangerous rule about the nature of anti-matter. Should it come into contact with anything in our universe, it results in a violent explosion. We see the best example of this with the second Doctor's recorder at the end of The Three Doctors. There seems to be a way of shielding anti-matter, though. Q-star alloy is one of the more popular materials that can do this - but it decays rapidly.

It also appears that the Anti-Matter Universe has a guardian of sorts that will protect its material should people from our universe try to steal energy from it. Having said this, though, we do seem to find a way to develop anti-matter generators. In stories like Earthshock and Tsuranga Conundrum, we see ships being powered by the substance.


Size: Since it is equal and opposite to our own universe, we can assume the Anti-Matter Universe is the same size as ours 

General Aesthetics: Things appear very different in the Anti-Matter Universe. And yet, the same. Everything looks like it's been shot through an old fashioned film camera and we're looking at the negatives. Where things would be white, we see black. Which makes this particular reality a pretty dark-looking place.

Entry Points: For a place that is lethal to our own universe, it is surprisingly easy to enter. In fact, entrances seem to appear almost naturally. Certain types of Black Holes or Super Novas can take you into the Anti-Matter Universe. We even saw a portal that seemed to form naturally on the planet Zeta Minor. Although the fact that Zeta Minor seems to be located in the far reaches of the cosmos might have something to do with it. Perhaps because the planet is on the edge of our own universe, this might create a sort of instability which causes these sort of breaches to occur. 

Level of Incursion: We've actually not seen much of the Anti-Matter Universe. More often than not, creatures from that reality come into out own. It's difficult to determine if we've actually seen anyone from our end fully enter anti-matter. The Singularity Point in The Three Doctors seems to be at the edge of the Anti-Matter Universe. I'm also lead to believe that when the Doctor falls into that pit and confronts the Guardian Creature during Planet of Evil , he's standing at the threshold of the universe rather than properly entering it. It's also interesting to note that we've yet to venture in or near the Anti-Matter Universe in the New Series. It's only been featured in Classic Who stories.


PARALLEL REALITIES

In some ways, it almost doesn't feel like we've left our universe when we step into a parallel reality. Everything looks so much the same as our own. But this is a completely separate universe. Somehow created by a choice someone in that reality made that was different from the option the same person in our universe took.. Which means there are an infinite number of parallel realities out there stacked up against our own version of things.

Like the Anti-Matter Universe, there is a certain level of danger involved with crossing over to parallel realities. During Inferno, the Doctor states it's catastrophic for the same person from two separate realities to encounter each other. We almost get the impression it's the same sort of scenario as a person from two different timelines meeting themselves (ie: the Brigadier from Mawdryn Undead). However, in Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, we do see Mickey cross paths with Rickey - the alternative reality version of himself. Nothing particularly nasty seems to happen when they do come together. Nor does the Doctor make a big fuss about the matter when he sees that the two of them have met

It should be noted that there is a difference between a parallel reality and an aborted timeline. Parallel realities are fully formed places that are distinct from our universe. When you venture into an aborted timeline, I think you are still here. When the timeline, at last, resets itself - things return to normal. A parallel reality can be destroyed, of course.But when it does, it doesn't change back to our reality. It is just gone from existence. The two should not be confused.

Size:  Since it is just a different version of our reality, a parallel universe is relatively the same size as our own.

General Aesthetics: As mentioned previously, a parallel universe looks very similar to our own. However, it is not a perfect copy. The schism created by the choice someone made in this different reality seems to have social implications that alter things. In Inferno, Britain appears to have become some sort fascist republic. In the reality the Doctor has nicknamed Pete's World, Britain has also appeared to have moved in more conservative directions. Technology seems different from ours, too. People use earbuds rather than cell phones to communicate. The Super Rich also appear to live in zeppelins. The wealth gap seems to be a bigger problem in Pete's World than in ours.

This seems the common trait in parallel realities. Society has evolved in a different way, but it is still very close to being identical to our own. Again, because this is a reality created out of choices, certain events can happen at a quicker or slower pace. In both Inverno and Pete's World, things seem to be moving a bit ahead of time to our own reality.

Entry Points: While these universes are near identical, passing from one to another does not seem that easy. Or, at the very least, it has consequences every time you do.  TARDIS technology can facilitate this process. In both Inferno and Rise of the Cybermen, it's a malfunction of some sort in the Doctor's ship that transports him to this other universe. It is interesting to note that the Doctor claims in Rise that when the Time Lords were still around, crossing to these universes was a simpler thing. We've never seen any kind of evidence of that nature during the Classic Series so it's difficult to understand what that statement means.

We do start seeing other types of technology that make travelling between the two universes possible, but they seem to actually do damage to the realities when you use them. Denizens of Pete's World use dimension jumpers and Rose mentions a dimension canon during the Series Four finale.  But crossing through parallel universes does not seem like an easy thing to accomplish. So far, it has only been done through technological means. There aren't natural portals like we see for anti-matter.

Of course, the Daleks' attempt to use their Reality Bomb caused the walls between all dimensions to dissolve for a bit and passing between parallel realities became much easier.

Level of Incursion: Unlike the anti-matter universe, quite a bit of any story involving parallel universes spends a considerable amount of time in them. There is usually some crossing back and forth between both realities, but we are exposed to the alternate one for an extended period of time. Particularly in Inferno and Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel. Other ventures into Pete's World in stories like Army of Ghosts/Doomsday and Stolen Earth/Journey's End are considerably shorter. But, again, this isn't like the Anti-Matter Universe, we still get considerable exposure to these other universes. 


THE VOID (OR BUFFERS OF THAT NATURE)

Little is known of the Void. We've been given a few vague-but-eerie descriptions of it in a select number of stories in the New Series. It seems to act as a sort of natural boundary between what's in our Universe and what's beyond it. A sort of border crossing, if you will. In  the process of passing through to what's out there, you have to also go through the Void. Which might be what makes leaving our reality so difficult. The Void seems to work as a bit of a shield - protecting us from what's out there. But that could go both ways. What's out there might be protected from us by the Void, as well.

If we go by dialogue alone, we've only heard of the Void in the New Series. It seems to only act as a shield between parallel realities. But, if we're willing to postulate a bit, we've seen the Void on several occasions during the Classic Series - it just wasn't given a name. It has also worked as a buffer for other things besides parallel dimensions.

Possible Void Examples In the Classic Series: 

The Mind Robber: The white space the TARDIS crew are trapped in during all of Part One is,very much, in keeping with the descriptions given of the Void in New Who. In this case it is a very powerful buffer between our Universe and the Land of Fiction - which is probably a Pocket Universe (more about them in Part Two of this essay). It is such a strong buffer in this instance that it causes the TARDIS to, temporarily, break apart before it can pass through to the Land of Fiction.

Inferno: That brief moment in Part One where the Doctor goes all stretchy in that weird shadowy set is, most obviously, the Void. New Who already indicates that the Void exists between parallel realities and the Doctor was very close to crossing over to one in that instance. He obviously got stuck in the Void, instead.

Planet of Evil: Near the beginning of Part Three, the Doctor briefly visits a very dark shadowy place to speak with the Anti-Matter Monster. I think this is also the Void. Especially since matter and anti-matter can't really enter each others' universe. They used the Void as neutral territory. 

Warrior's Gate: The entire story seems to take place in the Void. The Tharils have built portals from them to cross through to other universes.  But this is, essentially, Void Land. It helps that it resembles the set of Mind Robber so much. It creates a nice sense of consistency. In this case, the Void acts as a buffer between our reality and E-Space (more about that place in Part Two of this essay, too!). 

There might be one or two more examples of the Void in Classic Who - but these are the most prominent ones. 

Size: The dimensions of the Void are a bit tricky. Width-wise, I imagine it's quite narrow. You could probably walk from one side of the Void to the other in about twenty minutes or so if you're only crossing the width. It's a bit of a hike - but not much. However, it is also my belief that the Void acts as a sort of envelope around our entire Universe. So, if you try to walk the length of the Void, it would take you forever. The Universe, after all, is meant to be infinite. So walking along its skin would take an eternity.

General Aesthetics: If we go by it's Classic Who appearances, the Void seems to take on two different forms. It is either a very dark shadowy dimension or a white-washed place of nothingness. It could be that different parts of the Void look different. Perhaps, where the Void needs to be stronger, it takes on a lighter tone. Or there might even be some sort of night and day in the Void. 

Entry Points:  Portals into Void seem to occur both naturally and artificially. Although, in most cases, some sort of technology is needed to cross through . TARDISes can access it but it seems like a fairly bumpy ride for them. Void ships have also been created - they might be powered by something known as a dimension vault (since the Cybermen stole a dimension vault from the Daleks when they were all trapped in the Void after Doomsday, I assume that was the Void ship's engine). The Tharils seemed to use a technology that resembles magic to enter the Void. Their ability to ride the Time Winds must grant them all sorts of special powers which they used to access the Void. 

Level of Incursion: If we go by New Who alone, we never see inside the Void. It only gets talked about. But if we include the Classic Who references that never actually name the Void - we spend a whole lot more time there. In some stories, it's still quite brief. But then we also have Warrior's Gate - which, pretty much, spends its entire time there.




*A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT ANTI-ZONES

In some instances, the natural protection the Void provides is not enough against certain outside threats. On these occasions, the Universe will actually create something known as an anti-zone. The Solitract was, obviously one of those dangers that merited such action

An anti-zone seems to come with it's own terrain and eco-system. It is a very dark labyrinthine cave network that can even get a bity misty.. Living creatures also dwell there. We saw rats, birds and flesh-moths. And, of course, there was Ribbons of the Seven Stomachs. An actual sentient being that appears to have just been created when the anti-zone sprang into existence.

Regardless of the strength of the anti-zone, the Solitract was still able to create portals in it. The portals weren't actually big enough for the Solitract to pass through - but it still used them to lure other sentient beings into its reality and keep it company. 



And so concludes Part One of our study into Things We Find Outside Our Universe. I purposely stuck to the dimensions that seem to occur more frequently or "naturally". In Part Two, we'll look at slightly rarer places....

POINTS OF DEBATE: WHAT CONSTITUTES A THREE PARTER IN NEW WHO?

I wanted to make August the month for POINTS OF DEBATE, but I got really busy as September approached and couldn't finish this third essay I was working on. So I took a break from the blog to handle the paying writing gigs and now I'm back. My inner completist couldn't leave an essay half-done so I figured I'd finish it here before moving on to some other stuff. 

This one has been an interestingly subjective concept that showrunners seem quite happy to not give a straight answer on. RTD was especially tight-lipped on the matter during his period. But there's even some stuff with Moff that left us wondering a bit, sometimes. You might even say that Chibnall played a bit of  a Long Game with this format, too.     




One would think that a production team would keep things pretty simple when it comes to how many episodes constitute a full story. But, believe it or not, this has been a somewhat cloudy issue throughout the entire history of the show. Particularly in eras where episodes get specific names. It's hard to determine when the story begins or ends. But even during periods when episodes are numbered rather than titled, the confusion continues.

Before embarking on the main topic, let's start by looking at this issue during the Good 'Ole Days:


EPISODE SUBJECTIVITY IN CLASSIC WHO

Doctor Who has never shied away from telling a story with a complicated and variable episode structure. Most of the Classic Series used episodes with an approximate running time of about 23 minutes. While the bulk of the adventures that the Doctor went on took up four of these type of episodes to accomplish, we have seen shorter tales that lasted only two or three episodes and longer ones that took up six. Others still, would go on for seven, eight, ten or even twelve episodes. Depending on how you view an umbrella themed season, you can even say Trial of a Time Lord constitutes a record-breaking fourteen episodes. But if you take that stance, then you might as well say the Key to Time story was twenty-six!

But can you actually say that about Trial or Key? Most people wouldn't. Yes, they are telling a long-reaching plot, but said plot is broken down into subsections that would constitute separate stories in and of themselves. And yet, the opening credits of Trial of a Time Lord insinuate otherwise. Each episode simply says the name of the season and gives the latest episode of it. Instead of, say, Episode Two of Mindwarp or Episode One of Ultimate Foe (which, in some strange corners, is actually referred to as Time Inc.), we just get Episode Six and Thirteen of Trial of a Time Lord. This would indicate that Season 23 is the longest-running of all the stories in the history of Classic Who. And yet, many would argue otherwise.

One could cloud this issue even further, though. If Trial and Key are a grey area where some say they are one story and others say they aren't - then what about something like The Ark from the Hartnell era? The way the plot is laid out, it could just be a pair of two-parters rather than the usual four episodes we see it as. What about Frontier In Space and Planet of the Daleks? The two six parters flow into each other quite smoothly. Could this be Twelve episodes? Could all those trilogies in the 80s (E-Space, Regeneration, Guardian) constitute 12-parters, too?

These sort of issues can greatly trouble the pedantic nature of your average Doctor Who fan. We like stories to be arranged in a tidy manner. But production teams don't always give us what we want.


SIX EPISODES IN CLASSIC, THREE IN NEW

As we move into the New Series, things feel pretty clear for the first little while. Aside from the latest season, running times for episodes come in at about 46 minutes (with a few notable exceptions). Most stories are told in just one episode. Which, by Old Who standards, would constitute a two-parter.

A few times a season, we would get a New Who story that takes two 46-minute episodes to tell. We would know this was a two-parter because the first episode would end on a very definite cliffhanger. The cliffhanger would be resolved at the beginning of the next part and whatever plot conflict they had been dealing with in the previous part would, ultimately, be resolved by the end of the second episode. Once more, if we apply running times of episodes from the Classic Series to this format, this would be the equivalent of a four-parter.

And then, finally, we have the occasional three-parter. This is our real Point of Debate. New Who has any number of stories that could be three episodes telling a single story or it could be something else. Several of these prospective three parters (or, what would have been 6 episodes during the Classic Series) follow a very similar pattern to a two-part story but don't quite work the same way. Which leaves us wondering, sometimes, if this is truly a three part tale or if it's actually a different format. Potentially, it could be one episode followed by a two-parter. Or a two-parter followed by one episode. Or even just three individual episodes. It can be quite difficult to determine.

Fortunately, there is one tale from the Classic Series that could help us a bit in sorting this out.


THE TEMPLATE OF THE TWO DOCTORS

While some people still malign Season 22 from the Classic Series, many have had time to stew on the radical changes it was trying to introduce and see it in a much more positive light. But Season 22 is truly a blessing when it comes to this particular debate. It was in this season that they tried out 46-minute-long episodes. So we can use stories from this particular era as a sort of "measuring stick" for determining the numbering of episodes in the stories of New Who.

Most of Season 22 was comprised of two-parters (or, what would have been considered 4-parters in in previous seasons). But we do get an extra long story mid-season. The Two Doctors goes for three 46 minute episodes. This is, of course, the equivalent of a six parter during earlier years. 

The Two Doctors will represent our template for three parters in the New Series. So let's look at some of its specific traits: 

What's most curious about The Two Doctors is how it doesn't need to stay in one place. It begins on Space Station Camera and gradually takes all of its characters to Spain. It does a bit of moving around in Spain, too. We are in a remote hacienda for a bit and then we head into Seville, proper. Then head back out to the countryside again. If you want to really nitpick (and I frequently do!), the Sixth Doctor and Peri seem to be fishing on a strange alien world when we first meet them (it looks like Spain but, to the best of our knowledge, there are no Spanish bodies of water that contain gumblejacks). So consistency of location is not a necessary trait for a three part story. Characters can jump around from location to location but it's all part of the same story. 

Consistency of characters is a bit more important in The Two Doctors, though. Within the first few minutes of Part One, we meet Dastari, Chessene and good 'ole Shockeye of the Quawncing Grig (a greatly under-rated one-time villain who almost made my Top Five List a while back - he's so fun!). They are with us all the way to the end of the story. They get killed off in the last few minutes but they are part of the plot the whole time. This seems an important trait for a three-parter. We need a critical mass of cast members that persist through the entire plot.

Having said that, however, The Two Doctors does leave room for characters to join the tale later on. Commander Varl of the Ninth Sontaran Legion and his underling show up quite a few minutes into the story and then stay for most of it. Oscar and Anita do the same but fade in and out of plot threads. Giving them a fairly limited overall screentime.

So it would seem that a Proper Three-Parter needs a certain level of character consistency. But it can be flexible on the matter. There should be, at least, a few cast members outside of the TARDIS crew that have a solid foothold in the whole adventure. But other characters can come in later and, maybe, not have quite as much presence. That works okay too.

Probably the strongest consistent element that is required for a Three-Parter is the actual plot. There is a need for a certain core issue or theme to prevail through all three episodes. Or, more specifically, a main conflict or problem that needs to be solved. In The Two Doctors, it's the battle to stop Chessene of the Franzine Grig from learning the Full Secrets of Time Travel. Things can meander off a bit in different directions here and there. The Sixth Doctor and Peri, for instance, spend quite a bit of time dealing with the defense systems of Space Station Camera before getting into the central storyline in Spain. It's a nice little way to pad things out without just using a bunch of captures and escapes. But, this slight diversion doesn't get too far away from the main plot. It's an extension of it rather than a self-contained story that merely links into the central tale at its end.

Okay, that's a thorough look at our Two Doctors Yardstick. Let's now use these measurements and see how they apply to our Highly Subjective New Series Three-Parters. Just to be thorough, we will do it on a story-by-story basis. 


Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords

What many consider to be the first Three Part Story of New Who (or the equivalent of a  Classic Series Six-Parter). It's strongest point of support is the Consistency of Stoyline. The Master is reborn and has formulated his latest plan to take over the Universe. He must be stopped. This idea persists through all three episodes. This trait, alone, gets many fans to give it the Proper Three-Parter stamp.

We've said that locations can change in a Three-Parter. So the journey from Utopia in the first episode to modern-day Earth in the next two is acceptable. It happens very distinctly at the end of the first part but that doesn't, necessarily, have an impact on how we view the story's structure. But it does influence our opinion a bit. Putting that location change at the end of the episode does give one the impression that Utopia is its own separate story and that Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords tells a slightly different tale. Utopia can almost feel like a prequel to the other two episodes rather than an extension of them.

What really works against these three episodes forming one tale is character consistency. Aside from the Doctor, Martha and Jack, the only other person that makes it from Utopia to Earth is the Master. We get introduced to a whole new set of characters in the latter two episodes. That's not a very big core cast of supporting characters that are in all three parts. Again, things feel like Utopia is its own story because of this.

One could argue, of course, that we do see a whole host of characters from Utopia in the Toclofane. They are meant to be the ultimate form that humans choose as they await the end of the universe. The Toclofane are, essentially, the people we saw boarding the ship for Utopia after the engines started working. So we are seeing a greater level of character consistency, after all.

That sits pretty subjectively with me, though. In some ways, it's a valid point. In others, it seems a bit too abstract. 



Turn Left/Stolen Earth/Journey's End

Of all the Possible Three Parters in New Who, this one seems the least likely to qualify.

Turn Left just feels, very much, like its own story. It provides a tenuous link into the Series Finale as it concludes with a big cliffhanger. But, otherwise, it's about Donna finding her way out of an alternate reality. Once she has, we can get on with the main plot.

Having said this, however, the consistency of characters in all three episodes is half decent. Rose is, technically, no longer a member of the TARDIS crew and more of a supporting character, now. And we see her in all three parts. Wilfred Mott and Sylvia Noble also have a presence in all the episodes. This is actually a higher consistent character count than Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords. And those set of episodes are considered by many to be a Proper Three Parter. So, maybe, we shouldn't be so harsh, here.

While location isn't considered so important, Turn Left does, very much, stay in the same place as Stolen Earth and Journey's End. All three are, technically, in a contemporary Earth setting and take place, chiefly, in London. One episode is just in an aborted timeline.


Face the Raven/Heaven Sent/Hell Bent 

For quite some time, Three Parters seem to fall off the face of the Earth. Throughout all of the Eleventh Doctor's era and the first season of Twelve, we get nothing that resembles this format. Then, at last, there's the finale to Series Nine.

Story Consistency seems to be a pretty big sore point, here. We could give everything in these three episodes a very general theme of The Loss of Clara. That's what they are really about. But each episode tells it's own fairly distinct tale. Face the Raven could be labeled Clara Dies. Heaven Sent is The Doctor Grieving. And Hell Bent transforms into The Doctor Tries To Get Clara Back. All three episodes do link together and tell a bigger tale. But the plot of each episode does feel very self-contained in a lot of ways. Like three stories that come together to form one. Rather than three parts of a story.

Character consistency doesn't do so well, either. Me does have a strong foothold in two of the episodes. Otherwise, only the Doctor and Clara are seen in all three. And Clara is almost not present at all in Heaven Sent. When she does show up, she's meant to just be a figment of the Doctor's imagination.

While location doesn't have a strong role to play in determining a Three Parter, the fact that all three episodes occur in distinctly different places doesn't help with getting them to gel. Raven is in the streets of modern London. Heaven is in the Doctor's Confession Dial. Hell is on Gallifrey and mid-western United States. The harsh change of locale in each part gets them to seem like they are their own individual story.

As silly as it sounds, these three episodes just "feel" more like a Proper Three Parter than, say, Turn Left/Stolen Earth/Journey's End. It's probably a structural issue more than anything. Three episodes that seem very distinct from each other coming together to form a whole adventure has a better sense of completeness to it than one episode telling a story and then the other two going in a different direction.


Extremis/The Pyramid at the End of the World/The Lie of the Land

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time the production team truly labels a story to be a Three Parter. The Press does quote Moffat on several occasions as saying that these three episodes are meant to tell one story. Before this instance, when asked if a certain set of episodes were considered a Three Parter, we had RTD saying things like: "It's up to the fans to determine this." And Moff just not really saying anything at all on the matter! But Extremis/Pyramid/Lie is most definitely referred to as being one big adventure by the people who put it together.

And yet, the three parts only stand up so well to the Two Doctors Yardstick. Character consistency is pretty poor. Each episode introduces a whole new cast that is, pretty much, written out by the end. Some characters from Extremis do briefly show up in Pyramid but they don't remain for long. The Monks do persist for all three parts. That does score a point or two for character consistency. But it doesn't help that they are more just the monster-of-the-week than actual characters in a plot. Even Missy's presence in the episodes is somewhat fleeting. She's seen in flashbacks during the first part, pretty much disappears for the second, and comes back for a bit in the last.

Just like the previous Three Parter, each episode also introduces a pretty strong shift in location. Yes, everything is on modern-day Earth. But, for the most part, the story is told in different areas of the planet during each part. Once more, this causes each episode to feel separate and distinct from the other rather than getting them to unify better.

What is probably most damning is the fact that Extremis plays out quite similarly to Turn Left. Once more, the first episode of the tale is about a false reality that needs to be escaped. Then we go to "actual reality" to continue dealing with the conflict. If we had a hard time accepting the Series Four finale as being a Three Parter because of this, shouldn't we have the same problem here? And yet, we're still told that this is most definitely a Three Parter by the production team.




World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls/Twice Upon a Time

Most would say these three episodes don't constitute a Three Parter at all, but I would suggest that there's some pretty strong evidence to support that they do.

On several levels of consistency, the three parts don't line up well. Twice Upon A Time introduces a whole new set of characters that aren't seen at all in the previous parts. But other Three Parters do the same and still tend to get that title.

The same can be said for locations. The Doctor most definitely leaves the Mondasian colony ship at the end of Doctor Falls and the story moves on to somewhere new. But we've been saying right from the start that location is only so important in achieving the Three-Parter label. And, the fact of the matter is, we do see the Doctor at the South Pole in all three episodes. This gives these episodes better location consistency than some other stories that have made this list.

The strongest argument against this being a Three Parter would be the plot. World Enough and Time and Doctor Falls deal with fighting the Cybermen and dealing with two Masters at once (or, more specifically. one Master and one Missy). Twice Upon a Time is about the Doctor realizing that Testimony isn't really so bad, after all. These seem like pretty distinct storylines. But, again, we've seen other Three Parters take pretty sharp turns in their plots. So can this really be that big of a determining factor?

But we should also consider that the Doctor facing his latest regeneration is also a huge issue in all three parts. It becomes a bigger and bigger thread as the episodes progress. Reaching its ultimate culmination at the conclusion of Twice Upon A Time. So, in some ways, there is a story consistency going on. It's just that there are other aspects of the plot moving in different directions. But a core issue does get addressed throughout all three episodes. Which does give them a certain degree of unity and cohesiveness.

So maybe, just maybe, this is a Three Parter.

I will admit, however, that this does open a whole new can of worms that we might not want to deal with. Other Christmas Specials work as extensions of the Season Finale. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday/Runaway Bride would be the best example of this. All three episodes deal quite heavily with the loss of Rose. So does this mean it's a Three Parter, too? I would argue no as I feel the through theme isn't quite as strong as it is in World Enough and Time/Doctors Falls/Twice Upon a Time. But some might say otherwise. This is, at best, a very blurry issue.


SOME SUPER-SUBJECTIVE STUFF

Admittedly, claiming that Capaldi's final moments is a Three Parter is a pretty grey area. But I'd like to go even more grey for just a little bit.

I would like to suggest that Three Parters came way sooner than we think they did. I believe we actually got them right in the first series. They just strayed from the Two Doctors Standard in one major way: the three episodes don't follow each other in immediate succession.

For obvious reasons, I like to call them Long Game Three Parters. Part of the story gets told earlier in the season, then we go off in a new direction for a few episodes, then we finish the story. Ultimately, however, this process is accomplished in three parts.

We see two examples of this in Series One.  Aliens of London and World War Three begin the tale of the wretched Slytheen family from Raxacoricofallapatorius (yes, I had to look up the spelling!). Boom Town completes the adventure. Was it a sequel to those first two episodes or the third installment of a Three Parter that took a break for a while?

The same can be said of The Long Game and Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways. All three episodes are about a saga taking place on a space station in the far future. Yes, Boom Town and Long Game seem like very separate stories from the other two episodes they link to. But so does Utopia or Turn Left. So perhaps we can consider these to be a very unique type of Three Parter.

We can go even more subjective and claim that a Long Game Three Parter also takes place in Series 11. The Woman Who Fell to Earth and The Ghost Monument have a few strong links to each other. Both deal quite heavily with the Stenza. Woman actually introduces us to one while Monument speaks extensively of their effects on the Universe. Both episodes are also linked by a pretty serious cliffhanger. The Quest to Retrieve the TARDIS is also a pretty strong theme that runs through both episodes. We could say this is a legitimate Two-Parter.

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos sees the return of the dreaded Tzim-Sha for a final battle. Some fairly important character and plot arcs that were first introduced in the earlier two parts reach a final resolution, here. Most specifically, Graham faces up to his desire to seek revenge for the death of Grace and resists it.

One could say that there are enough common threads between all three episodes that this could constitute a Three Parter. Truth be told, those connections might just be a little too weak. But it's still an interesting point to ponder...


CONCLUSION

The bottom line here is that episode structure in the New Series is far more subjective than it was during Classic Who. And, as mentioned in the opening paragraphs, things were even pretty blurry back in the Original Series!

So, which of these stories are legitimate Three Parters? Or are any of them? Personally, some of the stories I've listed in here I feel don't qualify (Turn Left/Stolen Earth/Journey's End, for me, is a one-parter followed by a two parter). While there are others that I do firmly believe fit the mold even though most of fandom doesn't think so (World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls/Twice Upon a Time is a great example of this). I even believe in the idea of Long Game Three Parters.

Ultimately, however, I have to go with what RTD said when asked about this issue. It's really up to the opinion of the individual fan. You may even think there are a set of episodes that I didn't itemize in this entry that should be considered a Three Parter. I can't argue with you if you do. It truly is a personal preference issue.



Sadly, this will be the only entry I write this month. It was a bit longer than most. Hopefully, that makes up for the loss a bit. Things will slow down for me a bit in October and I will have a little bit more time for leisure writing. Which is precious to me. It's important for me to write for the sheer enjoyment of writing (which is why you're not getting ads on this - if this becomes a source of income for me then it loses its sense of catharsis).  

I do think this will be it for POINTS OF DEBATE for a bit, though. I have some other ideas that I would like to debate but I can always explore them later. Whereas I do have an ANALYTICAL essay that I'd like to take a shot at. 

We'll see what happens next time I jump into here with an afternoon to spare! 

POINTS OF DEBATE: WHAT GENDER DO WE ASSIGN THE DOCTOR?

POINTS OF DEBATE continues as August moves on. I mentioned in the last entry that the 96 Telemovie has created a fair amount of controversy that I'd like to address in this format. I already discussed some of its disruptive influence in the previous essay so let's draw away from that for a bit and tackle a different topic. 


We're probably going to get into, at least, a bit of a social justice discussion in this entry (which might upset some of you since you were certain all of Series 11 was riddled with pesky SJW messages). Most specifically, we'll be looking at some of the ideas presented by those who consider themselves transgendered. As usual, I'm going to try to skirt the issue as much as possible. Pretentious Doctor Who Essays will always try to stay away from political discussions and stick as much as possible to just nerdy Doctor Who stuff. However, how transgenders (or trans, for short) view themselves is a handy way to perceive Time Lords who have regenerated into both forms. So we're probably going to incorporate an ideology or two that they use.

A while back, when I tried to properly chronicle River Song's timeline, we got into a brief discussion of Right To Life vs Pro Choice. No feathers seemed to get ruffled on that occasion. I'm hoping the same happens here.


ACTUAL TIME LORDS WHO HAVE CROSSED GENDERS

While even Sydney Newman, himself, was open to the concept of Time Lords being able to alternate reproductive organs from incarnation to incarnation, we've not seen this actually happen until very recently. Here are the only Time Lords, thus far, who have demonstrated this ability:

The Corsair - We've never actually seen the Corsair. We've only heard talk of him. The Doctor mentioned in The Doctor's Wife that he seemed to be mainly male but occasionally switched to female during certain incarnations.

Missy - This was the first hard evidence that Time Lords could change genders (Eleven could talk a lot of nonsense, sometimes, so we weren't entirely sure if what he was saying about the Corsair was actually true). After being the Master for many incarnations, he has a regeneration where he becomes a woman and chooses to alter her title accordingly. It's my personal theory that there are multiple incarnations of the Master that we never saw onscreen. (I explain this theory better here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/10/chronologies-and-timelines-master-part-1.html). While we may not have witnessed every body the Master has worn, to the best of our knowledge, he was always male until Missy.

The General - The first gender change regeneration that we see happen before our very eyes. In this instance, the General has always been female with just one male body.

The Doctor - Finally, it happens to our protagonist. Once more, this is a Time Lord that has been pre-dominantly male. Even if we count those "secret incarnations" that we saw in Brain of Morbius as being valid (which I dismiss as balderdash, anyway. Those were Morbius' previous bodies), they were all men. Thirteen is the first Woman Doctor.



I think it's safe to say that there is a definite pattern, here. While Time Lords can change genders, they tend to stick to one of them most of the time. This will help validate, at least, one of the theories regarding what type of pronoun to assign them. We'll explore that idea soon enough....

It may be entirely possible that there are Time Lords who bounce back and forth frequently. They're male one incarnation - female the next. Then back to male. Then back to female. And so on... We have never seen a Time Lord like this, yet. So, until we do, I like to think that Time Lords choose a sort of "main gender" and only occasionally deviate from it.

With that mind then, let's look at our first method of gender assignation:



PREDOMINANT PRONOUN

It's a simple enough idea, of course. Whichever sex a Time Lord is most of the time receives the appropriate pronoun. The Corsair, Master and Doctor were all, mainly, men. So we use "he" or "him" when we talk about them. The General would be called "she" or "her" because she's a woman throughout most of her incarnations.

The problem with this method becomes apparent very quickly. When we are talking about something the Time Lord did while they were in their recessive gender - it starts to sound stupid.

For example: The General tried to stop the Doctor from stealing The Moment during the Time Wars. However, when she arrived at the appropriate storage chamber in the Omega Vault, the Moment was already gone. 

I intentionally used the General since she was in a male incarnation when we first met her. So assigning a pronoun that doesn't suit what she was doing during any of the events of Day of the Doctor feels extra odd.

But we can see how this doesn't really work with other Time Lords, too.

Example 2: At the climax of Death In Heaven, Missy reveals that he has been building a Cyber Army for  his arch nemesis the whole time. All those Cybermen are meant to be a gift for the Doctor. 

That one makes even less sense since we're even using a female name but assigning her a male pronoun. The Predominant Pronoun idea seems to be only so applicable. 



THE SLASHES - PART 1: HIM/HER

In many ways, this one probably works best. It is the most comprehensive, at least. Whenever you are talking about a Time Lord that has crossed into both genders, you don't use a gender specific pronoun, anymore. You assign them with him/her, instead. This allows you to explore any exploit they've done in whatever body and you never get the gender wrong.

Example: At first, we believe the Doctor is the only being in the Universe to own a TARDIS. But we discover quite quickly that he/she is not alone. By the end of Season Two, we encounter his/her first rival Time Lord: The Monk! 

Even though we're talking about adventures involving the First Doctor, we are never forgetting the fact that later incarnations will not always be men. It's a very safe blanket statement that makes us never forget that the Doctor is both sexes.

The biggest drawback to this is that he/she does start becoming tedious quite quickly. Yes, it is a very inclusive way to address him/her. But, honestly, we just want to start assigning a specific gender after a while rather than using "the slash" all the time. I know this is an issue of aesthetics more than anything. But whenever I start saying him/her or he/she a lot, I just feel like it's getting tired. It's really best to only use it in instances where you're addressing all the incarnations of a Time Lord.

Example 2: Throughout all of his/her incarnations, the Master/Missy has frequently shown selfish motives and a strong leaning towards destructiveness. Once in a while, he/she will actually form an alliance with the Doctor and do selfless and constructive things - but there's always an ulterior motive behind the gesture. 

I do find this method works well in a situation like this. We are talking about the entire personal history of the Doctor's greatest rival. So both pronouns should be assigned, here. Note that I even said Master/Missy since I am discussing all of his/her incarnations. A Time Lord that changes titles depending on the gender of the incarnation should have both names mentioned when speaking of them in such a context.


THE SLASHES - PART 2: THEY/THEM


Here is where we actually borrow a concept from the Transgender Community. A Time Lord that changes gender once in a while vaguely resembles what we might call someone who is "non-binary" or "gender fluid". Like these Time Lords, they mainly identify as one gender. They might be born female but identify as male most of the time. Frequently, you will see someone like this dressing to look like a man.  However, some trans people will actually feel like the gender they were born with once in a while. So, on certain days, someone female-born  who mainly identifies as male may actually choose to put on a dress, wear make-up and put their hair up in a feminine style (or wear a wig that is female-looking). Again, most of the time, they appear male. But they have these feminine days every now and again. When they do, they change their appearance accordingly. The same thing can happen, of course, with a male-born trans who is non-binary or gender fluid.

People of this persuasion prefer that we use the pronouns they/them when referring to them. Again, it's very inclusive and gets us to remember that, though they frequently identify as just one gender, this is not always the case. This concept can work with the Doctor, too. Particularly when referring to the exploits of all incarnations.

Example: Wherever they go in Time and Space, the Doctor always chooses to stand up for the oppressed and defeat the tyrant. The evil dictator may even appear to hold some victory over them during part of the battle. But, in the end, the Doctor usually wins. 

Another problem of aesthetics arises with this method. It's a pluralization. So it starts to sound like we are talking about several people (which is, sort of, the case with a Time Lord) when we are actually only meant to be discussing a single character. Yes, a Time Lord is represented by many different incarnations but they are meant to be one individual. Using this particular pronoun becomes legitimately confusing.

I do actually have a few non-binary or gender fluid friends. They even admit that, while this is the way they prefer to be addressed, they can see how it can get really complicated, sometimes. There are moments when it really does just sound like you're talking about an entire group rather than a single person!



ONE METHOD THAT DEFINITELY WORKS - BUT ONLY IN CERTAIN CONTEXTS

Since this is a POINTS OF DEBATE essay, I am choosing to show advantages and disadvantages to every theory I present rather than trying to take a specific side on the issue. However, I do feel that there is one method that definitely works - just not all of the time.

Quite simply, when we are talking about the specific exploits of a certain incarnation - we should employ the gender of that incarnation. If something happened exclusively to the Fourth Doctor, then we would refer to the Doctor as he/him. By the same token, if it's a Thirteenth Doctor adventure, then we switch to she/her.

Example 1: Sutehk made a conscious effort in the early 1900s to escape from the prison his people placed him in. Fortunately, the Doctor was able to thwart him. However, he came very close to losing...

Example 2: The Pting is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous creatures in the Universe. However, on the only occasion that we've seen the Doctor encounter one, she came up with a clever solution to rid herself of it. 

As we can see, these are references to very specific stories featuring a certain incarnation of the Doctor. In such an instance, we should use the gender of that incarnation. Something broader doesn't really work well. So why not just commit to the appropriate pronoun?


ULTIMATE CONCLUSION:

When dealing with something isolated, calling Doctors One to Twelve "boys" and Thirteen a "girl" is the best way to go. But what should we use when dealing with all the incarnations of a gender fluid Time Lord?

I was inspired to write up this debate because I find myself actually asking this quite frequently when I work on these essays. If I'm talking about the entire history of the Doctor or the Master/Missy (or the other two we mentioned) I am often puzzling over what pronoun to assign them.

Have I found a personal preference? No. This really is a huge grey area for me. If you should start looking through previous essays that I've composed since some of these characters have changed genders, you will find that I use all of these methods.

Sometimes, I employ a predominant pronoun. Other times, it's she/him. Other times, still, it's they/them. To be quite honest, a lot of it depends on my mood. I get tired of using one technique and think the entry might look nicer if I switch it up to another for a bit. There are even moments when I just don't feel inclined to use a certain form of address at all when I'm writing something that deals with this. It really can be as simple as that.

I truly am a fickle creature, sometimes! 





And that's another POINT OF DEBATE done. Hope you didn't find the gender politics annoying! But this issue really does prey upon me, sometimes, when I am trying to write in here....




Some of what I wrote in this particular entry relates quite a bit to an UNADULTERATED BOORISH OPINION essay that I wrote a while back. Check it out if you'd like: 

A FEMALE DOCTOR
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/07/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-female.html

POINTS OF DEBATE: WHAT IS UP WITH THE EYE OF HARMONY?

POINTS OF DEBATE is a newer topic that I introduced last year. It's fun to explore certain areas of the show that have been left ambiguous and postulate on what they might actually mean. So far, there's been only a few entries on the matter. It's time to change that. I'm going to try to make August the month where we debate a few more points.



THE EYE OF HARMONY: IN THE BEGINNING....

So we're sitting somewhere in the mid-to-late 70s and The Deadly Assassin, the all-time coolest Doctor Who story, ever, gets transmitted (it's true! This really is my favorite story. Read the review: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-1.html). One of the things that makes this such an enjoyable yarn is all the important continuity that it finally establishes. Continuity that is, often, maintained throughout the rest of the show's life. Time Lords, for instance, are still wearing those crazy collars and funny hats. The Matrix is still the repository of all Time Lord knowledge. And so on...

But there is one crucial fact about Time Lord culture that has become a bit fuzzy. As Deadly Assassin draws towards its conclusion, we learn that Gallifrey has a very unique power source. It seems that, way back in the Ancient Times, Rassilon took a Black Hole (possibly the one Omega created with his stellar manipulator) and rigged it up so that his people could draw energy from it. Apparently, the Black Hole now rests on Gallifrey, itself, and can be accessed through use of certain artifacts that the Lord President is in possession of. The Master, who was at the end of his first regeneration cycle, attempted to use this power source to save himself from death. Such a gesture would have destroyed the entire planet of the Time Lords. Fortunately, the Doctor was around to stop him.

This unique power source was given a very high-handed title: the Eye of Harmony. For the rest of the Classic Series, the facts established about its nature in Deadly Assassin are respected. It isn't talked about much (it only gets name-checked one more time in The Five Doctors) but we know it's always there, keeping the lights on for all of Gallifrey. It's a firm piece of established continuity. As solid as Time Lord apparel or the Wisdom of the Matrix.

Or is it?


THE EYE OF HARMONY - THE McGANN YEARS...

After Seven long years of depression and sadness, Doctor Who returns ever-so-briefly to our screens. The production team bringing the show back honor all sorts of things regarding the show's past. They even go to the trouble of bringing back Sylvester McCoy for a bit so that he can have a proper regeneration into Paul McGann.

There's jelly babies and 900-year old diaries (that, technically, had only been a 500 year old diary before - but, we get it: the Doctor needs a longer diary) and even the sonic screwdriver is back. It's even pretty awesome that the Doctor now keeps gold dust for any Cybermen trouble.

But there is one piece of continuity that starts to get a little convoluted. Like Deadly Assassin, the story's climax revolves, once more, around the Eye of Harmony. Which would lead one to believe that the Doctor and the Master must head back to Gallifrey. Cause that's where the Eye of Harmony is, right?

But it's not. It's now aboard the Doctor's TARDIS. The Master is still in a state of regeneration crisis and is tapping the Eye of Harmony again to fix the problem. This time, he's using the Eye's power to steal all of the Doctor's remaining lives. Fortunately the Doctor is able to stop him and re-seal the Eye. Just like he did in Assassin.

But what's happened, here? Why is the power source of the Time Lords now sitting in the cloister room of the TARDIS? How did this occur?

We're never given a proper answer. Which means, of course, that we can formulate a debate. 


THE ACTUAL DEBATE

There are several theories that can be used to solve this discrepancy. All of them receive some evidence in certain stories to back them up. But none of that evidence can be considered conclusive. Which is why this still remains a, sort of, unsolved grey area.

Let's look at the strongest theories:

1. Just A Link
This is the most popular theory that fans prefer to believe in.We did not actually see the Eye of Harmony in the TARDIS during the 96 Telemovie. But, rather, a physical link that the TARDIS has to the Eye. Apparently, all TARDISes draw from the power source on Gallifrey to function. Within every TARDIS interior is a portal of sorts that leads directly to the Eye. The portal is meant to stay closed. This seals the link between TARDIS and Eye of Harmony and gives the time craft a constant flow of energy to draw from. But the portal can be opened so that the energy from the Eye can be applied to other tasks. It is, however, a very dangerous thing to do and can cause damage to localized time and space near a TARDIS if you're not careful. Naturally enough, the Master did not care what harm he might cause. He just opened the portal and tried to steal the Doctor's regenerations.

The basic idea is that instead of saying: "This is a link to the Eye of Harmony on Gallifrey" the Doctor and the Master use a bit of shorthand to make things less contrived. They just call it the Eye of Harmony. Since that's what you, technically, find on the other end of the link.

2. Every TARDIS Has An Eye of Harmony
This one is slightly harder to swallow - but there are some corners of fandom that support this theory. The Doctor and the Master call the strange contraption in the center of the cloister room the Eye of Harmony because it is, essentially, the same thing that exists on Gallifrey. As every TARDIS is built, a Black Hole is, somehow, taken from the Universe and placed inside the time vessel to be used as a power source. It seems a bit like overkill, really. Does a TARDIS really need the same level of energy that is used to power an entire world? There also seems to be quite a few TARDISes in existence. Can the Time Lords really find that many Black Holes out there to use as generators for TARDISes? As absurd as this may seem, there is some interesting evidence to support this.

3. The Doctor Stole the Eye
This is more of a pet theory that I haven't heard a whole lot of other fans discuss. But I must admit, I like the idea of it. We saw the Doctor in possession of two powerful artifacts from Galifrey during Season 25. It seems he's really good at stealing important stuff from his home planet. Could he have also stolen its power source? Was there, perhaps, an unseen adventure that took place where the Doctor saw it as necessary to take the Eye of Harmony away from the Time Lords?

My guess is that a link still exists between the Eye and Gallifrey, but it works in the exact reverse of the link described in the first theory. The Doctor has rigged the Eye to power his TARDIS, but he is also sending energy from the Eye back to his homeworld at the same time. This is why the Time Lords aren't chasing him down to get the Eye back. The planet still has its power source, it's just no longer located on Gallifrey. The Doctor has it, now.

My guess is that some sort of evil renegade among the Time Lords was going to use it for a nefarious deed of some sort. Or perhaps an alien invader tried to steal it away. Whatever it was, the Doctor decided the Eye would be safer if he kept it in his own hands. So he took it away from Gallifrey but still sends them the energy they need to maintain their lifestyle.


THE EYE OF HARMONY IN THE NEW SERIES - BOOMTOWN

Technically, the Eye of Harmony received no mention until seven seasons after the series was revived in 2005. But, even in those first six seasons, certain allusions have been made to it. Several of which support different theories that we just discussed. The strongest example, in fact, takes place right in the very first season.

The way the Doctor re-fuels the TARDIS in Boomtown does, sort of, re-enforce the premise that TARDISes have a link to the Eye of Harmony that powers them. That pit-stop in Cardiff is the first time in the history of the show that we see the Doctor need to "gas up" his vehicle. Could this be because the TARDIS relied on a different source of energy up until recently?

At this point in his personal history, the Doctor believes that he has destroyed Gallifrey. He doesn't realize, yet, that it's just been sealed in a stasis cube. Either way, if the TARDIS had a link to the Eye of Harmony to power it, that connection would now be broken. He would need to find an alternative  fuel source. He discovers a way to harness time rifts to keep his ship going and makes the occasional visit to places like Cardiff to power it back up.

While the Doctor offers no explanation to the nature of: "I didn't have to do this all the time. I used to be able to just leech off the Eye of Harmony." as he re-fuels in Boomtown, we can still draw certain inferences from the gesture. This need to suddenly get petrol for the TARDIS does give some degree of evidence that the Eye of Harmony we saw in the Cloister Room was more of just a link than the actual artifact. Now that the link is broken, he has to find other ways to keep his vehicle going.


THE EYE OF HARMONY IN THE NEW SERIES - JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE TARDIS

Finally, we reach the mid-way point of Series Seven and the Eye of Harmony receives a name-check in the tale: Journey to the Center of the TARDIS. If you're watching close enough, you see it first on a read-out of one of the screens on the TARDIS console. A short while later, the Doctor very hastily explains what the Eye of Harmony is to Clara and two of the VanBaalen brothers as they run past it in the center of the TARDIS. Seeing the Eye again in the TARDIS strongly re-enforces ideas put forward in Theories 2 and 3.

The Eye of Harmony we see in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS might be a Black Hole that was taken from time and space to specifically power the TARDIS. It receives the same name as the power source on Gallifrey because it works on the same basic principles. But it is not the same Eye of Harmony that we saw in Deadly Assassin. It is a special Eye of Harmony made specifically for a TARDIS.

Alternatively, this could be the same Black Hole that was powering Gallifrey in Assassin. The Doctor stole it some time before the events of the 96 Telemovie and is now using it to power his TARDIS.

With that nice scary scene in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, we seem to be capable of eliminating Theory 1, altogether. Or is that truly the case? There are some discrepancies to address...


DISCREPANCIES IN JOURNEY


There are, at least, three things that make the Eye of Harmony in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS different from the other times we've seen it:

1. Aesthetics
At no point in its previous appearances has the Eye of Harmony looked like a big nasty sun raging away. Yes, it has taken a different shape each time we've seen it. But this form is extremely different from how it's looked before. Which would insinuate that this is a very different Eye of Harmony, altogether.

2. Effects
The Eye of Harmony can be a dangerous thing to be around. In Assassin, you needed a special Sash to protect yourself from its harmful effects. In 96 Telemovie, it did some pretty crazy stuff to time and space. But we've never seen it have this weird burning effect like it does in Journey.

3. Origins
The explanation the Doctor offers to Clara and the VanBaalen brothers of what the Eye of Harmony actually is seems somewhat different from the one we get as Spandrell and the Doctor are enjoying a drink in the Central Register. With Spandrell, it seems to be explained as a Black Hole held in stasis. With Clara and the bros, it's a star in the process of a becoming a Black Hole that's held in stasis.

These are all pretty big differences. Which may lead one to believe that this is an Eye of Harmony that the Doctor engineered himself sometime after the events of Boomtown. Tired of making pit-stops to refuel, the Doctor went out and found a star on the verge of death and sealed it within his TARDIS.

This means Theory 1 might still have some credence. The Eye of Harmony we see in 96 Telemovie is still just a link to the one on Gallifrey. After the Time Wars end, that link is broken. For a time, the Doctor depends upon Rift Energy to keep his TARDIS alive. Eventually, however, he creates his own version of the Eye and uses it as a power source.

Does this mean Theories 2 and 3 no longer hold any water? Of course not! We can still get them to make sense quite easily.


DISCREPANCIES TO THE DISCREPANCIES

While the Eye of Harmony in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS may seem different from when we've seen it previously, this doesn't mean it is not the same artifact. Such discrepancies can be easily explained away.

1. Aesthetics
Yes, it looks very different in Journey. But, as I've already mentioned, it's changed appearances every time we've seen it. This would suggest, to me, that its outside environment influences its aesthetics. The Eye of Harmony is such an advanced piece of technology that it might be sensitive to these sort of things and would take on new shapes in new situations.

If we are going with Theory 3 - then, when it was resting for all those years on Gallifrey, it took on the form of a sort of gem-shaped column. When the Doctor stole it and placed it in his TARDIS, it took on a half-spherical form. Eventually, the TARDIS receives some serious damage during the Time Wars which caused the Eye of Harmony to change in appearance, again.

If we are simply going with Theory 2 - then the shape the Eye has on Gallifrey has no bearing. It's not the same Eye of Harmony. However, it would still have similar qualities to the power source we see on the planet of the Time Lords. Which means that, again, damage from the Time Wars would cause it to change shape.

2 and 3. Origins and Effects
If we continue with this idea that the Eye is shaped by its environment, than the discrepancies in its origins and effects can line up quite easily, too.

In Theory 2, we see the Eye of Harmony in the Doctor's TARDIS before and after the Time Wars. My guess would be that the Eye took some serious damage during a battle and actually stopped working for a bit. For a while, the Doctor depends on Rift energy but eventually gets the Eye repaired. However, he has to "roll it back" a bit. Instead of it being a Black Hole, it is now a star on the verge of becoming a Black Hole. Such a change in its nature causes it to have very different effects on anyone who comes near it, too. Now, if you're too close to the Eye for too long, it burns you alive.

With Theory 3, those damages from the Time War would be even more extreme. After all, the Eye was still powering Gallifrey at the same time that it was charging the Doctor's TARDIS. With All Things Time Lord seemingly destroyed, there would be all kinds of excess energy with nowhere to go. Perhaps the Doctor had to, flat-out, shut the Eye of Harmony down for a bit until he could find a better way to control it. So, for a time, he's dependent on Rift energy. But, just like in Theory 2, he changes the nature of the Eye to get it working again. So, once more, it can easily be the same Eye we've seen in Assassin and Telemovie.


ULTIMATE CONCLUSION

The title I've just composed for this particular subsection is highly inaccurate. I say: "Ultimate Conclusion" but there is none. All three theories that I've been kicking around hold equal merit. All three of them could explain why the Eye of Harmony seems so different every time we've seen it in the show. There is still nothing that has been stated in dialogue that gets any theory to be more accurate.

Someday there may be another story that takes place deep in the bowels of the TARDIS where we come across the Eye again. When this happens, the Doctor might say something to the nature of: "Of course, this isn't the true Eye of Harmony - that's actually on Gallifrey. Every TARDIS had a link to it. But, because of the Time Wars, I had to come up with my own special version of it." Or he might just say: "This is an Eye of Harmony. There are, in fact, many. Every TARDIS has one and then there's one that powers Gallifrey, too." Or he might even say: "Just like the TARDIS, I also stole the Eye of Harmony from Gallifrey. For a while, I got into collecting powerful Gallifreyan artifacts. You should have seen what the Hand of Omega could do!" Any statements of this nature could really clear this issue up.

More than likely, though, we'll never get any kind of clarification. The many-changing appearances, origins and effects of the Eye of Harmony will forever remain a mystery....




There we go: First POINT OF DEBATE that we will tackle this month. That crazy 96 Telemovie will have bearing in another debate that is to follow....

As I have mentioned before, POINTS OF DEBATE and FIXING CONTINUITY GLITCHES are quite similar to each other. This particular essay shows that even better than the others. This is a legitimate continuity issue that does need solving. But, truth be told, there is still not enough conclusive evidence to come up with a solid explanation. Which is why I've chosen to put it under the category that I have. It's all just too ambiguous, still. Better to let it just rest in a haze of multiple theories than to commit myself to a single one. 

Do I have a theory that I prefer over the others? Yes. I do like the idea that, at some point after Survival, the Seventh Doctor had some wild adventure where he felt the need to take the Eye of Harmony from Gallifrey for safe possession. He has been holding it ever since. 

I just like the image that it conjures....




Other POINTS OF DEBATE: 

Something About Missy: 
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/08/points-of-debate-was-missy-truly.html


Something About Goronwy:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/01/point-of-debate-was-goronwy-from-delta.html

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 TWO-TIMERS - NUMBER THREE

The Two-Timer Countdown continues. Again, we're going to 60s Who...



Doctor Who in the 60s did an excellent job with the crafting of its two-timers. We don't actually see a whole lot of them. But when they do come along, they're an absolute delight! It's almost obvious by the end of their first appearance that we need to see them again.

This particular two-timer even concludes his first story on a very open-ended note. He shakes his fist towards the heavens and vows revenge on the Doctor. And, as we watch him do this, we can't wait to see that next clash.


A TRULY UNIQUE VILLAIN

It's strange that fans don't rant and rave more about The Time Meddler. The story makes a huge contribution to established continuity. It reveals, for the first time, that the Doctor is not the only owner of a TARDIS. That he seems to come from a whole race of beings that can time travel. That, alone, should have fans foaming at the mouth as they watch this four-parter. But no one actually seems all that thrilled about the tale. Most fans complain that things move too slowly. Yes, it can feel a bit cumbersome in places. But what Willian Hartnell story doesn't suffer from that problem?!

But the Monk, himself, also breaks new ground in the show. Which is part of what makes his character so interesting. Up until him, villains all tended to be dark and ruthless and almost mad with a lust for power. Someone like Yartek from Keys of Marinus was a great example of the sort of villainy we'd been seeing in the first two seasons of Who. Yes, we did have Nero in The Romans who was definitely playing things up for laughs. But Nero wasn't truly a villain in the story - more an antagonist.

Whereas the Monk is truly up to no good and must be stopped. He is definitely the villain of the story rather than someone who is just creating a bit of conflict. But he is crafted very differently from the Yarteks we've been seeing so far. He's not cold and calculating and viciously efficient. He's more a bumbler. Aside from his very first scene where he spots the TARDIS on the shore, something always seems to be going ever-so-slightly wrong for the Monk. The Doctor is dropping pebbles on his head or the wind is blowing his snuff away before he can snort it. Or various Saxons and/or Vikings are showing up at the monastery at inopportune moments. All of it creates some great comedy of errors that Peter Butterworth is a master at playing up. He really is great fun to watch as he dithers about trying to get his plans to work but running into an endless array of distressing obstacles. We really haven't seen a baddie like this, yet. Normally, it's a much more serious portrayal going on. The Monk comes in like a breath of fresh air and gives us something very different from what we've been getting so far. 

His uniqueness doesn't end there, however. When other baddies reveal their ultimate plan, it's usually some mad scheme of conquest that will result in the endless suffering of innocents. The Monk just wants to see King Harold enjoy a longer reign. We know he can't do this. That he will change history. But, beyond that, we really don't think his goals are all that horrible. His villainy, for the most part, really isn't all that loathsome. In fact, he's quite likeable. He even shows compassion at one point. While in the middle of a sneaky maneuver, Wulnoth begs him to tend to Edlred's wounds (I guess you might say Eldred must live!). The Monk wants to ignore the plea but caves in and helps the injured villager. Other nasties like Tegana from Marco Polo or Forester from Planet of Giants would have told the Saxon where to go. But the Monk stops and does the right thing. Even if it does throw a monkey wrench into his all-important plans. Up until this moment, a bad guy never showed such a softer side. It's a very nice change of tone. 

JUST PLAIN FUN

Naturally enough, a character as nuanced as this needs to be cast well. Peter Butterworth seems the perfect choice. He always knows where to land with the character. He makes him comedic but doesn't go too far with it. He gives him this very gentle overtone - but we still know he's dangerous when he needs to be.

And he's so damned clever. Purposely describing the Doctor when Vicki and Steven have not told him what he looks like is a very well-executed double-bluff. Sending the Vikings to a non-existent hiding place to buy him the extra time to flee the angry Saxons is another simple-yet-effective move. Yes, the Monk is goofy and clumsy - but he's not stupid.

The taunts he gives the Doctor as they discuss the quality of their TARDISes is another really fun moment in his first story. Other Renegade Time Lords in future stories will do the same thing. But, once more, we're seeing it for the first time, here. And it's great fun. Everything in The Time Meddler screams: "This is a very entertaining and unique villain. He must return!"

Thankfully, he does.


ONLY THREE EPISODES...

Desperate to pad out The Dalek Masterplan, Dennis Spooner decides to bring the Monk back. This creates a nice revenge subplot while the principal business of the Daleks reclaiming their taranium core continues to try to span 12 episodes.

The Monk's re-appearance is only three short parts. But they are three very entertaining, fun-filled episodes. One of the other things that made the Monk so enjoyable in his initial story was all the mischievous skulking about that he did as he tried to execute his plans. We love watching him almost prance about the monastery with glee as he tries to re-write history. Spooner capitalizes on this ten-fold when he brings him back. The Monk wanders all over the place in Masterplan, causing all sorts of problems.

He vaguely resembles the Master in Ultimate Foe. He is not  the central threat of the story - he's just causing all sorts of interesting side-action. He switches alliances and tells endless lies whenever it suits him. He's also sabotaging things and creating all sorts of traps. But, whereas the Master is much deadlier in Foe, the Monk is more about harmless pranks. He definitely wants to do something to the Doctor's TARDIS that will strand him. But, beyond that, he's not really up to much of anything. He just happens to accidentally get embroiled in the affairs of the Daleks and Mavic Chen. But he only wants to extricate himself from their business as quickly as possible. Any other evil Renegade Time Lord out there would have tried to steal away the Daleks' power and make it their own. But that's not what the Monk is about. He's a trouble-maker, no doubt. But, by no means, is he a sinister mustache twirler hell-bent on taking over the cosmos. That's just not his style.  Again, it's a very different nuance to anything we've seen before.

In this second appearance, Spooner also remembers to give us more of that banter between the Doctor and the Monk that we love so much. Again, they seem to be comparing TARDISes like they might be penis sizes.

Part of what puts Craig Owens on this list is the way Matt Smith and James Corden interact. Hartnell and Butterworth spark off of each other just as brilliantly. The chemistry these two create as they take the piss out of each other is another huge contribution to what makes the Monk the wondrous two-timer that he is.


SADLY, THAT"S IT

Once more, the Monk is left in the same plight as we saw him in Time Meddler. The Doctor has done considerable damage to his TARDIS. Rendering it near-useless.

One would think this means another battle against the Monk was soon to come. But it never happened. And this is truly sad. The Monk should have returned countless more times. Imagine him meeting Troughton's Doctor. The two would have spent the entire story bumbling around each other. It would have been a veritable Bumble Fest. Other incarnations of the Doctor would have been quite fun, too. Perhaps the Monk would've also eventually regenerated and we could have enjoyed new and different incarnations from him. This is a two-timer that should have kept plaguing the Doctor for decades.

Sure, we got the Master, instead. And he/she has been great fun in his/her own way. But there was a special quality to the way the Monk was written. Butterworth's portrayal enhanced things considerably. Thus making him an utter delight to watch that was worthy of many more appearances. In fact, how great would it have been to see a story like Mark of the Rani where the Doctor had to deal with the Monk and the Master at the same time (Mark of the Monk?)? Or, even better: the Master, the Monk and the Rani all at once!

A gigantic missed opportunity. But, at least, we got a fantastic two-timer out of the deal! 




See you again soon as we reveal Number Two.  

The other two installments:  

Fifth Place: 
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/06/book-of-lists-top-5-two-timers-number.html

Fourth Place:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/06/book-of-lists-top-5-two-timers-number_25.html