Continuing my plan to post what I think to be the highlights of every season of Doctor Who, old and new.
For each series I choose 2 or 3 of what I consider to be the best stories, and a selection of also-rans. "Stories" may comprise any number of actual episodes (somewhere between 1-14, typically 4 or 6). Older Who is nearly always episodic, with NuWho most episodes are self-contained. Feel free to expand on my brief comments, agree, disagree etc. This is, after all, purely subjective.
First Doctor
Spoiler
Second Doctor
Third Doctor
Spoiler
Fourth Doctor
Spoiler
Fifth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
Seventh Doctor
And so to the last season of Classic Who, but despite the long gap between Classic and New, this really feels like a bridge into the Nu-Who era (moreso than the TV movie, but I'll come to that next time). Somewhere since last year the production team have learned how to film so that the final product doesn't just look like it was shot in a brightly-lit TV studio. There are definite signs of a season (even trans-season) character arc for the Doctor and Ace. More serious themes are interjected between the lighter moments. It's a shame that it got cancelled when it did, as it was just starting to get good again after several years of variable quality.
Season Twenty Six (1989)
Seventh Doctor/Ace
The Curse Of Fenric – For my money probably one of the best Who stories, this one feels very like the NuWho era. A great theme of the Allied forces setting up for the post-war era, the morality of wartime actions, a great evocation of period with simple touches, wonderful direction, massive great nods to classic horror films; even the sea-changed vampires look good (which you wouldn't think judging by the picture on the BBC "Classic Doctor Who" site). Loved this one.
Survival – Another one where some skilful filming, good writing and excellent acting turned what could have been yet another run around a quarry with silly costumes into an excellent exploration of the characters of Ace, The Doctor and The Master. A lovely little coda from the Doctor, too:
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
Honourable Mentions
The other two stories are both worthwhile too, just not quite as solid as the two above.
Battlefield is a fairly silly romp, but stylishly done on a larger than usual budget. Good to see Jean Marsh back since the First Doctor era, and a final appearance by The Brig too, on fine form. Once again, Earth mythology turns out to be based on aliens. An enjoyable relationship between Brigadier Bambera and Sir Ancelyn, particularly where they “air their differences” in the background.
Ghostlight is a return to the freaky Gothic mansion stories of Baker’s era, but with added psychology. Feels a little like too much is packed into three episodes and maybe needed four to unpick the tangles a bit. If you like stories about houses full of mad people, you’ll like this.
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2012-04-23, 02:41 AM (ISO 8601)Orc in the Playground
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Dr. Si's Old Who Recommendations
Last edited by Dr. Simon; 2012-04-23 at 02:43 AM.
The Lazy GM series. Lovingly crafted pre-gen monsters for Pathfinder and OGL d20 fantasy.
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