Wittering on about forty year old telly

[carmen_lj]

So while the Beeb BURNT Troughton, sometimes I forget that they also did the same to a fair chunk of Hartnell, and his final full year as the Doctor really suffers for it (there're three complete stories surviving from a series of ten) and nobody really talks about series 3. NOT BECAUSE IT'S BORING. It's not. It's got Galaxy 4 (shutup, any story that uses the word 'chumblie' wins. I have no idea what a chumblie is but they keep saying it and IT AMUSES ME.), Myth Makers (this one is actually properly class), The Massacre (one of the last and most shocking historicals), the Savages (Morality tale! With Steven given a truly fabulous leaving scene, which, remarkably is about the only moving bit left of that story) and, oh my, the Daleks' Masterplan. Which is the most awful Doctor Who story ever. And I mean that in a good way. It reduced me to a wee quivering wreck.


The last real recovery of lost sixties Who was Day of Armageddon, the second episode of this story. And I sort of only half-watched it at the time, for it's part of a massive 12-parter, and it wasn't till this week I finally got around to watching and listening to the whole thing with the new episode stuck in.

It's just amazing really. It's so big, and epic, and I'm not even laughing at the whole 'ruler of the universe' spiel the Daleks and Mavic Chen keep indulging in. It's all over the place in that Objective Quality, and I'm sure that stuff between episodes 4 and 10 could be cut a bit, because all I can remember is the Monk, yay! And coming to the conclusion that the fans who moan about the Feast of Steven (comedy episode stuck in the middle of a fairly serious sci-fi tale) are FOOLS. Cause, really, thank goodness it's stuck in there to be a TINY SPOT OF HOPE in the whole oppressive darkess of the thing. (And it's really very noticeable how much DW seems to have 'grown-up' in three years, it's so much harsher here, no more pottering about for episode one giving science/history lessons.)

Sara Kingdom is as FAB (Space Security agent, dude). She is wonderful, and I love her. And it's awful listening to it and knowing what's going to happen to her at the end. Cause that image of her aging to death is one of my really early memories of Who and it scared me something awful. And it still does. But, really, she approaches Babs-like awsomeness, with her attitude. She shoots her brother cause she thinks he's a traitor, she fights better than Steven and is a lot more willing to question the Doctor (while Steven, thanks to his longer association, trusts him) and the best part of that is that they're both right, she's confident that she can beat the Daleks, efficient, straightforward, brilliant in a crisis. I LOVE HER.

And episode 11 is all about Steven and Sara (Hartnell's off on holiday, I assume) and they are wonderful together. It is a beautiful relationship and it makes me sad they are only together for eight episodes, woe. THEY SAVE THE UNIVERSE TOGETHER.

And episode 4 is pretty gut-wrenching. For Katarina kills herself to help the Doctor. And Bret gets shot by Sara. And they've both been acting as companions for 4 episodes and both deaths are pretty shocking, made more so by the reactions of others. Steven is, in fact, fabulous throughout the whole thing. He gets forgotten lots, and this makes me sad for he is rather smashing.

But episode 12, it made me cry. It was scary. And dark. And had the most downbeat ending I can remember, with Steven mourning the deaths of Katarina and Bret and Sara. And Hartnell is fabulous, the little laugh thing he does? It's here too, but in such a sombre tone. And there's a stark contrast in the attitudes of the two, with the Doctor so much more willing to forget and move on than Steven. And, oh my, oh Sara, dying because she went back to help the Doctor whilst Steven returned to the TARDIS. And they both get caught in the effects of the Time Destructor and the Doctor's saying, "Oh, the Time Destructor is working!" as Kembel, the planet, ages to dust around them and Sara's aging to death too but takes the time to snap back, "D'you really think I hadn't noticed?"

And she dies within sight of the TARDIS. It's kinda heart-breaking, yes.

So, um, yes, I finished watching the Daleks' Masterplan for the first time since forever, and it is a wonderful, wonderful story indeed.

---

In other news, tea! Aha! Vindication! Tea will make me healthier, hurrah! And I don't have to drink so much boring water. So, yes, that makes me feel an awful lot better about the number of teas I'll drink a day when left to me own devices. Now all I need is a survey saying that cake is full of vitamins, and my diet will be perfect, yes.

And since currently my life consists of Organising Stuff For New Flat, here are more interesting things:

Rose Tyler Gen Ficathon - sign-up and write fic! Because gen is the true actual oppressed bit of the fandom, OH YES.
Romanathon Ficathon Stories - Romana!fic, due in today. I'm all done and written and such (and, in fact, finished last week, so it's my most organised writing for a ficathon ever) but want to have another read through before I post. But, yes, Romana fic. That is A Good Thing.
Martha Jones ficathon - er, yeah, I have no idea why I signed up for this. But it is liable to produce cracktastic goodness! From me, anyway..though possibly not the goodness bit. And there is a teeny-tiny minimum word count, so you should sign-up too. Yes.

Misc Reccing

Babylon 5 - Let's Do It by alicamel - I love this vid, it is cheering like woah! You should watch, yes.
Babylon 5 - Ophelia by andrastewhite - And this one is simply beautiful and maybe breaks you a little bit inside.
Rose/Doctor Icons by yuxonomei - Rose and All The Other Doctors. These make me very happy, and wanting to write Rose/Eight.

Comments

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Oooh, more Romana fanfiction! I had heard of the ficathon and then prompty forgotten about it again, so I had no idea the deadline was today. Thanks for the head-up!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I've been reading them this afternoon and the standard is dead good, yes. *nods*

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Daleks' Masterplan is so dark it huuuuuuuuuuurts. I don't think I've ever managed it in one go, even if the amount of eps is a perfectly good reason to split it anyway. AND SARA IS THE BEST THING ABOUT IT.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Aye, I watched it over three days and just, dude, those last scenes hit you like a very big, heavy thing indeed.

[pontisbright.livejournal.com]

Tea is officially win. This has completely made my day. It's like stealth healthiness.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I know! Oh, it makes me so happy, and I always had guilt about tea dehydration and it was a not true thing! It is v cheering, yes.

[livii.livejournal.com]

I just, finally, managed to get all the parts of TDMP (including recons, of course) and am looking forward to watching it very much. I have started to run out of Hartnell serials that don't have recons in it; we have one episode to go in The Reign of Terror but went through 2 recons before that, and frankly, it sucks so bad I almost cried. Robespierre shows up! And he's a picture! It shouldn't be right to have grief, so late, over something so silly, but I really lament the loss of the episodes, so much.

(I am bookmarking this to read your reactions after I've seen the episodes...)

And thanks for the gen ficathon link, I appreciate people linking it! We have 18 people so far, I think, which is good but can get higher, yes! The fandom needs more gen.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Aye, I never really thought much about the Burnination, just cause I'd always known they were gone and it was normal. But it's only recently I've actually seen the recons of a lot of stories, and you get a hint of all the stuff you're missing thanks to the telesnaps, just those little things that actors do with their expression in a scene that makes it magic, and tis woe, yes.

[gwynnega]

Oh, I must listen to the missing Daleks' Masterplan eps or watch the recons. I've been very curious about them. Sara Kingdom!!!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

It are Fabness! And Sara is, like, MAGIC. They are really Making a Point of how tough she is though, and try to trick you into thinking she will be a man before she appears.

[padawanpooh.livejournal.com]

Yay for Hartnell! I've never see "Masterplan" but I watched "The Chase" and erm....*snore* it was *painful* and tested my fangirl anorak to its absolute limits. But I knew it was a classic and to honour the fandom I thought I should endure.

Watching these oldies reminds you how much telly pacing has changed over the years though, doesn't it!

Thanks for the vid recs - guess who got broadband today and who can now download BIG files *jumps up and down excitedly*. Am snagging them now to watch - haven't seen any B5 fanvids so I'm looking forward to these if you rec them...

[mahala.livejournal.com]

I loved "Let's Do It", too. :) Am dl Ophelia now.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! :D

(go tell the vid-makers, yes, *nods*)

[calapine.livejournal.com]

*loves The Chase*

But the pacing is something else, yes, I can't believe that people were prepared to wait three months to get a resolution to a single serial. Sixties patience is scary! They could take over galaxies with that patience!

[pextheunalive.livejournal.com]

*Boggles at wrongness of Martha!fic when there is not, as of yet, a Martha to write fic about...*

[calapine.livejournal.com]

But we can speculate! Besides, we knows she is a medical student and...um...yes...but speculating is fun!

(there was tons of Ten fic based on five words in PotW anyways, yes)

[pextheunalive.livejournal.com]

(there was tons of Ten fic based on five words in PotW anyways, yes)

I didn't approve of that either, but at least I understood it. There was something of the character and his mannerisms to go on. Such is not the case with Martha.

When did someone say she was a medical student? I haven't been paying attention to the news-type stuff.

Mind you, I do have an interesting idea for a Martha fic anyway. I'm too lazy to write it, but I do have one... ;)

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Twas in the last Beeb press release.

[pextheunalive.livejournal.com]

Ta.

Anyways, I tried my hand at a short Martha Jones fic. 'Tis on my journal if you wish to read. :)

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

any story that uses the word 'chumblie' wins

I second this, and whole-heartedly too :)

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! For it makes a dull plod whizz by, oh yes! :D