I love seeing the Tardis materialisation effect via a reflection in a pool of water, and it's also nice to see they're still doing different titles for different stories.
The reveal of the futuristic communicators is a nice twist, and it's a nice cliffhanger to the end of episode one. From the get-go it's obvious that this serial is head and shoulders above the last few - I suspect because of new producer Derrick Sherwin.
The story is often considered to be over-long and repetitive (Yes, I give up, we're spies), but there are always moments of interest - like when we cut to the central zone in episode three. Who are these people? What (to coin a phrase) are they doing here? On my rewatch, though, I found the whole thing much better and less draggy than I'd recalled.
There are lots of lovely bits in the production design, on such little money, and it's shot beautifully too.
And the revelations. "The War Chief. He's the only one who understands space-time travel." "And his people." So the Doctor and the War Chief are from the same place! Then later: "Are you suggesting he's bringing in his own people... The Time Lords?"
The Doctor's confrontation with the War Chief is also lovely. "You may have changed your appearance... but I know who you are." And it's always nice to have a villain who believes they're in the right.
I also love the fact that the Doctor is so terrified of the Time Lords. Whoever or whatever they are, they're super-powerful and super-scary. He'd rather be shot in the back than be at their mercy. And then there's the War Lord's final line: "Don't worry. When the Time Lords get him he'll wish you had killed him." And then as a strange noise begins to rise on the soundtrack: "They're coming." Proper chills.
And then there's episode ten, which stands apart from the rest of the story.
The planet of the Time Lords is marvellously spooky. A lot, I think to do with that wonderfully eerie radiophonic ambience as well. A shame that (unlike, say, the Dalek Control Room soundscape) it never returned.
It's notable that the Tardis storage bay seems to contain exteriors which look like SIDRATs - suggesting that's what a non-camouflaged Tardis looks like.
And then (after a quick visit by the Gimp Squad), the Doctor is put on trial and sentence is passed. "You can't condemn me to exile on one primitive planet, in one century in time!"
This time he's not going to get away by his wits or skill, and the show is going to change once more.
No more reconstructions! Huzzah!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the Tardis materialisation effect via a reflection in a pool of water, and it's also nice to see they're still doing different titles for different stories.
The reveal of the futuristic communicators is a nice twist, and it's a nice cliffhanger to the end of episode one. From the get-go it's obvious that this serial is head and shoulders above the last few - I suspect because of new producer Derrick Sherwin.
The story is often considered to be over-long and repetitive (Yes, I give up, we're spies), but there are always moments of interest - like when we cut to the central zone in episode three. Who are these people? What (to coin a phrase) are they doing here? On my rewatch, though, I found the whole thing much better and less draggy than I'd recalled.
There are lots of lovely bits in the production design, on such little money, and it's shot beautifully too.
And the revelations. "The War Chief. He's the only one who understands space-time travel." "And his people." So the Doctor and the War Chief are from the same place! Then later: "Are you suggesting he's bringing in his own people... The Time Lords?"
The Doctor's confrontation with the War Chief is also lovely. "You may have changed your appearance... but I know who you are." And it's always nice to have a villain who believes they're in the right.
I also love the fact that the Doctor is so terrified of the Time Lords. Whoever or whatever they are, they're super-powerful and super-scary. He'd rather be shot in the back than be at their mercy. And then there's the War Lord's final line: "Don't worry. When the Time Lords get him he'll wish you had killed him." And then as a strange noise begins to rise on the soundtrack: "They're coming." Proper chills.
And then there's episode ten, which stands apart from the rest of the story.
The planet of the Time Lords is marvellously spooky. A lot, I think to do with that wonderfully eerie radiophonic ambience as well. A shame that (unlike, say, the Dalek Control Room soundscape) it never returned.
It's notable that the Tardis storage bay seems to contain exteriors which look like SIDRATs - suggesting that's what a non-camouflaged Tardis looks like.
And then (after a quick visit by the Gimp Squad), the Doctor is put on trial and sentence is passed. "You can't condemn me to exile on one primitive planet, in one century in time!"
This time he's not going to get away by his wits or skill, and the show is going to change once more.