there is a plot, yes!

Watching the first two episodes of Frontier in Space for the first time in like a decade. Usually I just skip to the good shit, but I feel like I should bask in the glow of all its restored glory or something. Anyway, mostly what I remembered was them being pretty dull. Not Monster of Peladon dull, more the non-Doctor/Master bits of EoT dull, and, damn, my opinion's changed. It's great! I mean, it's not brilliant or anything and it's basically an hour of sod all happening but it's fun sod all that is pretty much a fanfic titled Five Times the Doctor And Jo Were Locked Up (While Interstellar Plottings Were Going On In The Background). And they bother to make a token effort at Diversity In The Future with a black newsreader and an Indian political prisoner and fail at killing either of them off.

Really like the world-building here too since tis cunningly neither an idealised nor dystopic future but one where the President of the Empire is elected and accountable to the people and will do everything she can to prevent another war, whilst shunting off awkward political prisoners to rot on the Moon without prospect of trial or parole. Where Earth holds an imperialistic attitude towards its colonies but will respect their legal rights; where there are decent politicans, corrupt governors and people who start wars realise that they made a right fuck-up and are rather sorry about it in the end. It's really all rather nifty and epic and stuff, even if you *can* see the wires when the Doctor's 'floating' around in space. What a flippin' shame the next six episodes are bloody Planet of the Daleks.

Elsewise I'm all booked for Gallifrey, yay. Quite a few of you lovely people are going this year, I know, which is most excellent. My only wish is For The Love Of Everything Please No Food Poisoning. That was the third least fun I've ever had.