The Other Martians

[carmen_lj]

Cannot sleep, so am watching The Ambassadors OF DEATH. It is smashing and rips off Quatermass like woah. I forget that season seven is pretty much the most consistently proper good one of them all.

Incidently, the OF DEATH must always be capslocked in the title of this story, due to the Exciting Gunshot Noise that is made when it appears onscreen. That is the rule.

• Liz has AMAZING BOOTS on.
  
  
• The Doctor is Such A Jerk. On a level with Ten Jerkiness when he is being Bearably Jerky rather than a Hubristic Jerk Who Needs A Regen ASAP. But that's still pretty jerky so the Brig takes him aside and says, "Wtf, dude? Cut it out!" and the Doctor's mouth twitches into something like a smile and he apologises to Lovely Skientist Ralph who he's been awful to. TEN SO NEEDED THE BRIG.
  
  
• I love how they've given Britain a Space Command and Spaceships and The Ability to Launch Stuff Without Blowing It Up.
  
  
• The Doctor is watching the Brig on the telly for he is on a telly programme about SPAAACE, and sometimes Micheal Wisher the presenter speaks directly to the viewers, omg, I bet that never takes off. (This happens a couple of times in the Pertwee era; The Daemons and Days of the Daleks (BBC Three!) too.) The point I'm making, barely, is RTD sort of pinched that and then overused it like woah. But if I remember Barry did it first then I hate it less, yay!
  
  
• This is making me hate a bit on what they do to Lethbridge-Stewart later on. I can cope with "I'm fairly sure that's Cromer," but certain bits of bloody Planet of the Spiders never happened. Anyway, here he is Smart and Competent and Talking Skience with a Skientist.
  
  
• UNIT are being all Gritty and Dark and having a big shoot out in a warehouse (this is actually Surpringly Violent). Don't shoot the Brig!
  
  
• So the Doctor can... make things appear and disappear with Magick Time Lord powers, wtf?
  
  
• "I'll be back in time for re-entry." *childishly amused*
  
  
• The space capsule is going land in the Home Counties, what a shocker!
  
  
• Ah, CSO without the overlay. I would say something about the budget but there's already been a massive shoot-out and now there's another, with helicopters and motorbikes and trucks, so I suspect they may actually have some monies.
  
  
• Someone has SHOT THE BRIG!
  
  
• The Doctor has stuck some space capsule stealing dudes to his car and stolen the space capsule RIGHT BACK. Cause he is great.
  
  
• Thought not as great as Liz, obv. Who is busy decoding A Message From Spaaaaaace.
  
  
• The incidental music in this one is rocking, not actually rocking, more, um, jazz? I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC. But I like it.
  
  
• So there is a conspiracy and EVERYONE IS IN ON IT. Except Ralph. I love Ralph. I wish we got to keep him.
  
  
• It's so very, very creepy when the astronauts just keep repeating the same thing to whatever questions they're asked and they're trapped in the capsule and WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. And, oh, closed box, WHAT IS INSIDE? Are they alive? Are there aliens? Has something TERRIBLE happened that will result in a Dramatic Showdown in Westminister Abbey? WHO KNOWS?
  
  
• Omg, the capsule is empty!
  
  
• Geiger counters! I love Geiger counters purely cause I learned about them from Doctor Who. The astronauts are VERY RADIOACTIVE. Too RADIOACTIVE to be ALIVE. They have also been ASTRO-NAPPED. The Doctor has worked out they are not the astronauts but ALIENS cause he is smart. Astronauts still in orbit, oh noes, astronauts dying!
  
  
• Omg, Ralph! "Fuck you, government!dude, I don't care about the money, I'm sending up a ship to get my dudes back."
  
  
• Liz is off driving Bessie in a CAR CHASE, for there are some dudes who want to kidnap her. Then she runs REMARKABLY FAST across a bridge in her AMAZING BOOTS. (This is the one time Liz gets captured or locked up or the like. When she is caught by trained military dudes who're specifically sent on a mission to kidnap her.) She threw a dude inna river! And then tried to jump herself to escape from the other, alas she's not quite quick enough. Oh, I love how angry she is at these dudes. Liz Shaw > EVERYTHING.
  
  
• "You were a respected scientist once." "Grossly underpaid." ::GLEE::
  
  
• Naturally, the first thing Liz does is attempt to escape. IT IS A GOOD ATTEMPT. She gets out of where she's locked in and makes a run for it, gets to the nearest road and sadly the car she flags down is driven by ANOTHER TRAITOR, oh noes. But at least she gets nifty incidental music, yay. It is a bit Catch Me if You Can.
  
  
• Liz has figured out how to communicate with the aliens using SKIENCE, because that is how great she is.
  
  
• Oh noes! Aliens being sent out to kill Loose Threads in Conspiracy with RADIATION. Meanwhile, the Doctor's off into SPAAAAAACE to be an astronaut rescuing sort. The Doctor gets tests to make sure he can go into space. Ralph looks Very Admiring of the Doctor's medical report. The Doctor is Well Embarrassed. I may be shipping them slightly. Ahem.
  
  
• Liz emotionally guilts Other Skientist into betraying his conspiracy dudes, because she great.
  
  
• Omg, Benton! I forgot he was in this for like five scenes. But now I've remembered that this is where his shit Guarding A Dude skills get someone killed, nice job Benton.
  
  
• The Brig meets the Doctor at the airlock thingie and wishes him luck and shakes his hand and OH THEY SMILE. They smile beautifully.
  
  
• "Don't try anything," says thug. "It's all right, I won't hurt you," says Liz. ::LOVE::
  
  
• Sabotage on the Doctor's spaceship! He survives cause he is 1337 and Time Lordy. He is driving a spaceship! Wheeeeee!
  
  
• Yay! Doctor has found astronauts alive! They are being magicked by Martians to think they are home. Alien is all, "Bitch, where are my fucking ambassadors?" Doctor is, "Oh, right, ambassadors... so not invading radioactive killers then? Whoops."
  
  
• Actual faces of Martian EVERY BIT AS SCARY AS I REMEMBERED. Which is why we only get to see them for about a second.
  
  
• Doctor in a stripy dressing gown!
  
  
• Doctor has disappeared. General Carrington wants to know who the fuck the Doctor is. Brig is V PROTECTIVE.
  
  
• "I think the General's a bit overwrought," says the Brig. "I think he's insane," says Ralph, because Ralph is win.
  
  
• OH. The Doctor is touching Liz sexually. He was knocked out and woke up and she was sitting next to him and then he touched her face and it was QUITE LOVELY.
  
  
• Omg, it was Earth General Carrington all along! HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THIS ONE. HE IS MAD. Mad because the Martians accidently killed his dudes on a previous Mars mission and thinks he's saving the world from them. "We must protect the world, it's our moral duty." I love that the aliens are dangerous but not villains and that Carrington's insanity is so pitiable. His arrest is a little bit heartbreaking because he just doesn't comprehend what he did wrong, and he's so very quietly, "omg, I was just trying to save us, why don't you see that, dudes?"
  
  
• And the very end, it is a good un. For the Doctor is all, "okay I am done here, no, you do not need my help, you have Liz, just as good, better even, byeeee!"
  

I hadn't seen Ambassadors for yonks; twas even better than I remembered. Thus am now doubly annoyed the DVD's been delayed.

Comments

[alawston.livejournal.com]

I think I have never seen it - possibly the only post mono Doctor Who that I have never seen. I think I've seen it because of the novelisation which was the 8th novelisation I bought and which I read at least 20 times at primary school...

It is proper awesome, in any format.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've read the Target - I bet the action scenes aren't as good. Which isn't something I can imagine saying for many stories.

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

mind of evil has really excellent action sequences. the fight the doctor and the master get into in the master's office is surprising realistic and well-choreographed.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I think some of the realism comes from the fact Delgado wans't meant to slip on the floor and the director was like "looks great! we'll keep that."

[ikindofrock]

This is an absolutely terrific episode, and always makes me sad that Liz wasn't there for longer. Her "don't worry, I won't hurt you" cracks me up every time. Now there's a sexy redhead with a short skirt who's also extremely clever!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I try to remember that most companions are only there for a year and that I really, really love season eight anyway but OH LIZ. She is One Of The Best, yes.

[michaeldthomas.livejournal.com]

I <3 Season Seven so hard. It makes watching the rest of the Pertwee era... troublesome.

Lynne loved Liz Shaw so much that she never learned to like Jo Grant.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

What happened for me is that I love Delgado!Master a ridiculous amount, therefore I've seen those stories, um, a lot, and ended up noticing enough nifty stuff about all the other dudes in them so I ain't too bitter.

(Which is why I always roll my eyes when anyone says how great Carnival is because it is absent UNIT, Liz and Delgado and therefore, whatevs, and I get surprised when watching Curse cause, as it turns out, I think that's one's awesome, especially for Jo.)

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

But Carnival has Harry Sullivan's ancestor in it!

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Season seven is fantastic. Season twelve is my personal favorite for being made of joyous romps and funtimes, but season seven really is probably the best. Especially Silurians and Ambassadors -- I love this one so much because I think it's the best Liz-wise and also yay more the real villains are humans! I feel maybe I am too misanthropic for this show at large, but anyway I like it when the humans aren't just victims.

The incidental music sounds like Procol Harum! It is the best incidental music ever!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I think I might like Invasion's incidental music best, but possibly it is made better due to it being in The Invasion.

I'm almost certain I really do think seven is the best of all seasons, but whatever I'm watching at the time (esp if it's in the sicties or seventies) I tend to think OMG BEST WHO EVER. For I am fickle.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Oh, that reminds me! The incidental music during the rockslide in Revenge of the Cybermen -- THAT'S my favorite. But otherwise, the Procol Harum-y stuff.

Season seven probably is legit the best, but there's just so much that is so great in a lot of ways that there's no real need to be conclusive.

[oltha_heri.livejournal.com]

Liz Shaw > EVERYTHING.
TRUEFAX!

I do rather love series 7.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

It is Astonishingly Good. And this is seven parts! Seven parts and no drag! HOW THEY DO THAT?

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

argh why am i reading this entry ambassadors of death is my only s7 i haven't watched yet and i am spoilering myself i don't want to know about anyone shooting the brig lalalalalalala

but yes ten totally needed the brig. damn you, peru!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

There are TOTALLY NO CONSEQUENCES to his shooting. So it is fine, probs.

Also, omg, watch it! IT IS GOOOOD.

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

There are TOTALLY NO CONSEQUENCES to his shooting. So it is fine, probs.

I DON'T WANT TO KNOW LALALALALALALA

Also, omg, watch it! IT IS GOOOOD.

i was saving it!! like i am saving my last delgado story!

also maybe cos i don't have a copy yet.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

OMG YOU HAVE UNSEEN SCENES OF DELGADO? V JEALOUS.

Which one is it?

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

actually i have two! colony in space and frontier in space. but i have read the target for one but not the other (i always get them mixed up, much like seeds of death and seeds of doom, woes).

[calapine.livejournal.com]

AARGH. SO MUCH GOODNESS. Those were the last two I saw too. Frontier in Space is full of teh awesome though bloody annoying that his last scene is so cack. BUT THE REST. SO MUCH SHINY.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

OMG FRONTIER IN SPAAAACE. Do yourself a favor and watch it after Colony in Space. You will thank me.

[elliptic-eye.livejournal.com]

I miss the Brig, now. ;_;

[calapine.livejournal.com]

AS IS PROPER.