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Killer Plants and Brain Fluid
I’ve been watching old Doctor Who serials again. Even worse, I’m bored and have time to screencap.
Seeds of Doom
Since I love the word so much, it should be true that all things with “Doom” in the title are brilliant. Unfortunately this is not always the case, but I’m thinking about the movie “Doom” and not this particular episode of Doctor Who.
I’ve actually been trying to get my hands on a copy of this serial since I learnt of its existence. Being an Antarctic geek and Day of the Triffids being one of my favourite books and as a result man-eating plants being for me on par with zombies on the scale of my favourite monsters, I just had to see it.
Basic plot is that mysterious pods are discovered in Antarctica, Four and Sarah (sporting gloves on a string) head down to solve the problem.
Unfortunately thing go to hell when one of the pods opens and takes over a scientist.
Of course then a freaky millionaire with a plant fetish named Chase gets a hold of the other (I wonder which comes first, the money or the insanity?) and things get even worse in a British country manor.
Anyway, I enjoyed it. The idea of being attacked by a shoot and then losing oneself while metamorphosed slowly into a gigantic carnivorous plant monster is a very creepy one.
So much so that Chase’s idea to use Sarah as an experimental subject is one of the best episode endings I’ve seen (plus you’ve got to love the resolution of the Doctor jumping through the glass roof).
What is different about the serial is how brutal it is. First of all you have the Doctor being much more physically violent than he normally is, such as placing a man who tries to kill them in hospital, and even at one point he carries around a gun, which is a weird sight indeed.
And secondly, the manner by which characters are killed off or injured is pretty nasty even for the particular era. A couple of characters get mulched by a great big grinding machine. And not the Doctor and Sarah Jane get of lightly, the Doctor gets beaten up and in the sixth episode the ever creepy Chase confronts Sarah and just as he attacks the scene cuts to an outside shot, which leaves it up to your imagination at to how vicious the attack is.
I do wonder sometimes if the writers could get away with treating Rose and Martha as badly as Sarah Jane - or for that matter Leela - got treated back in the 1970s.
Anyway, it’s a very good serial, the special effects hold up well and it’s nice to see UNIT, who show up very much like they do in the new series as just a bunch of solders that blow stuff up. Though it does get slightly frustrating in that like Inferno, the calamity could be pretty much avoided if scientist wore gloves. And where is the Tradis? A time machine could be really helpful when being laid siege too by plants. And why does everyone have to die all the time? I know it runs against horror movie morality, but sometimes it’s just more interesting if bad people do bad things and then get to live because that’s kind of how it works in the real world. Or if good people do bad things and get live. Or hell, if good people do good things and get to live.
The Mark of the Rani
In which the Sixth Doctor and Peri end up investigating Luddite violence in the North of England during the industrial revolution, the result of the Rani stealing brain chemicals from miners, making them violent. The Master also shows up and attempts to kill the Doctor and take over the universe and all that. George Stevenson’s there, but unlike the new series celebrity historicals, he doesn’t get to save the day. Oh, and people turn into trees. That seems to be something of an unintended theme to the serials I’ve been watching lately.
Anyway, Mark was my first exposure to the Sixth Doctor, Peri, the Rani and the Old School Master. And while I don’t think the Sixth Doctor is brilliant, I certainly don’t mind him, not in this one anyway. If anything, I though him as a bit clownish.
Peri’s a bit meh. She’s complains just a bit too much for me to like her. Then again the Doctor does seem to be complaining about her just as much. I do rate her higher than Tegan or Adric.
The Master I wasn’t really bothered with, though the arguing between him and the really Rani made the serial. There’s nothing quite like to villains with different goals being forced to work together despite the fact they clearly despise each other (well she clearly despises him).
The Rani I though was a really good villain. Finally someone who doesn’t want to rule the universe. I liked the fact that she’s an amoral scientist staying below radar to get what she wants, and clearly capable of it since it’s not until the Master shows up that she gets busted. The Rani, or a similar amoral scientist type of villain would be good to have on the new series.
Plus I really like her TARDIS.
No interior décor is complete without T-Rex embryos.
Another notable thing about the serial is that there is an actual good looking guest star, in the form of the guy who plays Luke. Let’s face it, the news series guest stars are without a doubt tend to far prettier than the guest stars of yore. Of course like all characters I seem to like, he gets a pretty raw deal.
I though it was pretty good, pretty much entirely down to the scenes with the Master and the Rani.
Seeds of Doom
Since I love the word so much, it should be true that all things with “Doom” in the title are brilliant. Unfortunately this is not always the case, but I’m thinking about the movie “Doom” and not this particular episode of Doctor Who.
I’ve actually been trying to get my hands on a copy of this serial since I learnt of its existence. Being an Antarctic geek and Day of the Triffids being one of my favourite books and as a result man-eating plants being for me on par with zombies on the scale of my favourite monsters, I just had to see it.
Basic plot is that mysterious pods are discovered in Antarctica, Four and Sarah (sporting gloves on a string) head down to solve the problem.
Unfortunately thing go to hell when one of the pods opens and takes over a scientist.
Of course then a freaky millionaire with a plant fetish named Chase gets a hold of the other (I wonder which comes first, the money or the insanity?) and things get even worse in a British country manor.
Anyway, I enjoyed it. The idea of being attacked by a shoot and then losing oneself while metamorphosed slowly into a gigantic carnivorous plant monster is a very creepy one.
So much so that Chase’s idea to use Sarah as an experimental subject is one of the best episode endings I’ve seen (plus you’ve got to love the resolution of the Doctor jumping through the glass roof).
What is different about the serial is how brutal it is. First of all you have the Doctor being much more physically violent than he normally is, such as placing a man who tries to kill them in hospital, and even at one point he carries around a gun, which is a weird sight indeed.
And secondly, the manner by which characters are killed off or injured is pretty nasty even for the particular era. A couple of characters get mulched by a great big grinding machine. And not the Doctor and Sarah Jane get of lightly, the Doctor gets beaten up and in the sixth episode the ever creepy Chase confronts Sarah and just as he attacks the scene cuts to an outside shot, which leaves it up to your imagination at to how vicious the attack is.
I do wonder sometimes if the writers could get away with treating Rose and Martha as badly as Sarah Jane - or for that matter Leela - got treated back in the 1970s.
Anyway, it’s a very good serial, the special effects hold up well and it’s nice to see UNIT, who show up very much like they do in the new series as just a bunch of solders that blow stuff up. Though it does get slightly frustrating in that like Inferno, the calamity could be pretty much avoided if scientist wore gloves. And where is the Tradis? A time machine could be really helpful when being laid siege too by plants. And why does everyone have to die all the time? I know it runs against horror movie morality, but sometimes it’s just more interesting if bad people do bad things and then get to live because that’s kind of how it works in the real world. Or if good people do bad things and get live. Or hell, if good people do good things and get to live.
The Mark of the Rani
In which the Sixth Doctor and Peri end up investigating Luddite violence in the North of England during the industrial revolution, the result of the Rani stealing brain chemicals from miners, making them violent. The Master also shows up and attempts to kill the Doctor and take over the universe and all that. George Stevenson’s there, but unlike the new series celebrity historicals, he doesn’t get to save the day. Oh, and people turn into trees. That seems to be something of an unintended theme to the serials I’ve been watching lately.
Anyway, Mark was my first exposure to the Sixth Doctor, Peri, the Rani and the Old School Master. And while I don’t think the Sixth Doctor is brilliant, I certainly don’t mind him, not in this one anyway. If anything, I though him as a bit clownish.
Peri’s a bit meh. She’s complains just a bit too much for me to like her. Then again the Doctor does seem to be complaining about her just as much. I do rate her higher than Tegan or Adric.
The Master I wasn’t really bothered with, though the arguing between him and the really Rani made the serial. There’s nothing quite like to villains with different goals being forced to work together despite the fact they clearly despise each other (well she clearly despises him).
The Rani I though was a really good villain. Finally someone who doesn’t want to rule the universe. I liked the fact that she’s an amoral scientist staying below radar to get what she wants, and clearly capable of it since it’s not until the Master shows up that she gets busted. The Rani, or a similar amoral scientist type of villain would be good to have on the new series.
Plus I really like her TARDIS.
No interior décor is complete without T-Rex embryos.
Another notable thing about the serial is that there is an actual good looking guest star, in the form of the guy who plays Luke. Let’s face it, the news series guest stars are without a doubt tend to far prettier than the guest stars of yore. Of course like all characters I seem to like, he gets a pretty raw deal.
I though it was pretty good, pretty much entirely down to the scenes with the Master and the Rani.