Ace of Hearts

"The photo was gone. In its place was a playing card - the Ace of Hearts."

Writers: Robert Perry & Mike Tucker

Format: Novel

Released: March 1998

Printed in: Short Trips Vol 

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis 

The Seventh Doctor takes a visit to Perivale during a tense Five Nations tournament. His intentions soon become clear as in the middle of the night he has an apology to make - to baby Dorothy. 

Verdict 

Ace of Hearts, a title I absolutely love, was an interesting and nice read but even for the Short Trips range it was far too short! It barely lasted four pages which just takes the small format to the absolute extreme. But what we got was actually really nice and full of intrigue. The Doctor was travelling as any normal person would which I was surprised at and would've liked reasoning for. He faced those awful delays on the train that we wrongly blast the train company (often Arriva Trains Wales from my personal experience being a regular train user) for. Signalling problems are a cursed thing that sadly we have to face more often than we'd like but now the Doctor too had to face the troubles of the railway. Why he couldn't just travel to outside of Ace's house in the TARDIS I'm not so sure. The use of the different times to advance the story on was interesting and I thought it was a kind of snapshot preview into the revived series as we were introduced to some of Ace's family for the first time, from my perspective at least. I wasn't around in the '90s to collect all the new novels where so much was revealed about the Doctor and Ace and I'm trying desperately to catch up on some classic novels with my recent purchases of Transit and The Gallifrey Chronicles. It just doesn't fit Ace's character with her real name being Dorothy. It doesn't capture her personality at all! The Doctor arriving at Ace's household around 16 years in her past as we see her on television was interesting and gave us a scary insight into what the Seventh Doctor's true colours really are. I found it quite horrifying that the Doctor knew Ace had absolute trust in him yet he blatantly abused that on more than one occassion and then admitted it'd probably happen again. The Curse of Fenric, as was referenced, is a fine example of this abuse of trust. I think it might go a way to explaining why Sylvester McCoy is my least favourite Doctor. This incarnation seems sneaky and not entirely thrilled with his companions, whether that be Mel, Ace or Bernice. It seemed so un-Doctor like that he couldn't face telling his own companion who trusts him absolutely to her face that he's sorry for misusing and betraying her trust in him. Instead he got his feelings off his chest to baby Ace. And that's basically the story. I did love though the message the Doctor left in Ace's bedroom. He replaced a picture of her as a baby with the playing card of the ace of the hearts. He showed his true feelings towards Ace which was very nice. He'd gotten his thoughts off his chest and I think he's scared to tell her as we know her because he doesn't want to lose her which is nice and like the Doctor I know. Overall, far too short but a nice adventure full of intrigue!

Rating: 7/10

The Friendly Place

"There was a shift in government. And the new rulers of the system decided that maintaining Rokhandi was an... unnecessary expense."

Writer: Al Ewing

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2014

Series: DW11 #2

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice

Synopsis 

Alice lost her mother, her job and her apartment, and was at her lowest ebb. That's when the Doctor crashed into her life, chasing an alien rainbow dog - known as a Kharitite - through the streets of London! The Doctor and Alice proved a pretty good team, reuniting the Kharitite and its owner without totally decimating the House of Parliaments. Now they're off an a new adventure...!

Verdict 

The Friendly Place was a good continuation of the new range of Eleventh Doctor comics from Titan. I must start at my absolute pleasure at seeing the Time Lord mystery figure from After Life as part of the things you should know before reading. The description of the figure was intriguing and it seems inevitable that the figure will be appearing and be a major part of a future story, one I'm looking extremely forward to! Anyway, back to the story at hand and the Eleventh Doctor was depicted absolutely perfectly! As I was reading I could easily imagine Matt Smith saying the words within the speech. The quirkiness and just brilliance that Smith brought to his role was evident here and that's always a bonus. The Doctor's displeasure at what had occurred to Rokhandi was fantastic and so typical of this incarnation. The description of what the Doctor was hoping to show Alice for her first adventure was stunning. I like how he wants the first journey in the TARDIS to be special, a big occassion, and that made me think bag to Amy and Clara's first stories. He definitely wanted their first trip to be spectacular and that was evident in The Beast Below and The Rings of Akhaten and was really nice to see here. I love how these comics are set between Series 5 and 6! The Doctor doesn't seem to be missing the Ponds at all which is intriguing. The use of 'floss' in this story was interesting and it actually seemed like the victims were getting high! It seemed a little too close to drug use, I had no problem with it, but I think some might. The Doctor being unhappy at how nobody was unhappy was great and the relationship between him and Alice was of interest. She doesn't seem ebullient enough for this Doctor but of course it's very early days and I'm more than willing to give her a chance. I just hope she doesn't turn out like the Fourth Doctor's comic strip companion Sharon. The humour between the Doctor and Alice though was fantastic with the Doctor constantly referring to his new companion as a librarian whilst she repeatedly states she's a library assistant. The constant referencing by Alice regarding her late mother is already becoming a tad tiresome sadly. The plot of the story was very decent and somewhat reminded me of The Nightmare Fair with the whole evil theme park feel. The song was done very cleverly and was super catchy! It was done to a similar level of standard as that in Supernature. The way the Doctor defeated the entity as it was referred was great with the sheer scale of what he desired causing its destruction! I liked how Alice was pleased with what had been achieved as they departed for the TARDIS. A good story with a clever end and lots of humour! The epilogue was of severe interest too with an apparent range (or hopefully not story) arc. Just what is the larger entity? And who's behind it? I look forward to finding out! 

Rating: 8/10

Revolutions of Terror Part 2

"You talk a lot, but I think you deliberately leave out important stuff..."

Writer: Nick Abadzis

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2014

Series: DW10 #2

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

Gabriella Gonzalez was working late her father's laundromat - when a vortex exploded out of every machine! Now terror has gripped her corner of Sunset Park: Gabby's future brother-in-law, Hector, claims he saw the Devil; her grandmother saw a demonic vision of her dead husband. Evil sights abound, strange things are everywhere - and Gabby is right smack in the middle of them! Never more so than right now: trapped in a subway car by a monster wearing her face. Her only help - some skinny guy in a suit who won't stop waving a little blue flashlight around!

Verdict

Revolutions of Terror has continued with high standard in this issue and has actually improved with the advancement. Where part one was all about the introduction of Gabby and her backdrop, and rightly so, we need to know about our companion who we'll come to love over the coming issues, but now she officially met and coerced with the Tenth Doctor. The relationship was the focal point of this part which I liked as through the Doctor telling Gabby what the hell was going on we as the reader also learned. And to me it sounds like we've got an exciting story! Beings from another plane it seemed - the psychosphere! It sounds all very enchanting and it really was fascinating reading the Doctor's explanation. The tone of David Tennant's tenth incarnation really was captured with ease in this issue which sometimes seems to be a problem with DWM published comic strips. I'm liking Titan's stuff a lot based on early impressions. Using Gabby's Mexican family and background mixed with the upcomings of Halloween and the Day of the Dead, the reference to Aztec legend was superb! I'm a big lover of History (I'm applying for a degree shortly!) and references of this kind are most welcomed. But the beautifully inserted reference to The Aztecs and Cameca was just perfect. Absolutely wonderful! An all time favourite past story reference I think! And one that raises a question or two as the Doctor implied he'd gone back to visit her on at least two occasions after inadvertently getting engaged to her! Excellent stuff. The introduction of the Pranavores and Cerebravores was done magnificently and I loved how through emotions, whether it's empathy or fear respectively, they feed from humans without us even knowing. I found the claim intriguing that the Doctor only recently discovered the Pranavore's existence and that they were as native to Earth as any of us! The way the Cerebravores had come to the planet was far from natural though. The use of the washing machines in the laundromat being actually significant and pretty pivotal to the next part was so good I was in disbelief. How did they manage to justify washing machines? It was the bridge in which the evil psychosphere beings had passed through. So what does the Doctor do? He goes to the other side of course to stop whatever it is they're planning. After an eventful subway ride in which a monster was ingeniously defeated by a mirror, the Doctor left Gabby with his trust and a job. Despite being humorously clacked over the head by his would-be companion, it was clear he liked him and she was interested about him. She knew he was no ordinary man. And I liked that. The double cliffhanger of sorts was a fantastic way to go and has set up the next part in wonderful style. A really enjoyable read! As with part one, the rating of the full story will appear on the future blog entry of the final part of the story.

The Chimes of Midnight

"I died for you Charley, because you were the only one worth dying for."

Writer: Robert Shearman

Format: Audio

Released: February 2002

Series: Main Range 29

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis 

"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring..."

But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.

Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out. 

And Time itself might well be the killer...

Verdict 

The Chimes of Midnight was simply stunning. 116 minutes of beauty. Well into the Eighth Doctor's run with new companion Charley, the two have undoubtedly settled in as the 'new' pair with the TARDIS keys. Even in Storm Warning the two just had instant chemistry and that's continued to blossom over the next five stories. I loved the start of this story and its similarities with The Space Museum with the TARDIS crew not quite fully arriving in a place. I loved the enigmatic atmosphere especially when things seemed to he correcting themselves. Glass jars and Christmas crackers were repairing themselves subtly. The Doctor and Charley couldn't quite have an effect on the Edwardian surroundings but those surroundings could have an effect on them. A scary and brilliant prospect. The use of the hour mark being a signal of high ability and power was great. The use of chimes as a sign of these signals was fantastic and obviously linked in with the story's title majestically. The murder mystery theme is one I adore and it just felt absolutely right with the Eighth Doctor and Charley! Now, in The Unicorn and the Wasp the Tenth Doctor gave a great performance in the murder mystery theme story but he approached it with mostly humour alongside Donna. But there was none of that here and that's why I preferred it. Paul McGann was just outstanding and approaching the ever changing scenario in proper Doctor style with seriousness. He'd assessed what was going on and had a plan to put it right. The guest cast were excellent here with Edith Thompson the obvious standout. The story behind her was wonderful from start to finish! She'd drowned herself, suffocated on a kitchen plunge and been battered to death all in 2 hours. Good effort! Her emotion was real and the relationship and surprising history with Charley was just superb! I liked how this seemed to be a loose sequel to Storm Warning in which the paradox was created and Charley survived death when she should not have. The addition of a time loop in with a murder mystery was a phenomenal idea! You then have two things to solve; who's the murderer and how can we get out of the time loop. Fantastic. The use of different scenarios and the Edward Grove residents gaining more knowledge about the situation and loop was terrific. The witness of events and the beings changing the scenario being the entity of the hours itself, Edward Grove, wasn't expected but it was very logical! It made perfect sense and answered some unresolved questions. The climax was outstanding with the conversation between Charley and Edith and them both choosing life over death. The emotion shown was sensational and I also liked how this in turn was helping the Doctor in his efforts against Grove. The breaking of the time loop was wonderful and Edward Grove was defeated from his sick wish to live eternally in a loop. Overall, the best Eighth Doctor audio yet. Paul McGann's strongest performance, India Fisher was just lovely once again and the cliffhangers were very good! A superb plot full of mystery and enigmas. 

Rating: 10/10

Exploration Earth

"Insolent ignoramus!"

Writer: Bernard Venables 

Format: Audio

Broadcast: 4th October 1976

Series: BBC Schools Radio #3

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah

Synopsis 

The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Sarah back in time to witness stages of Earth's development. However, as the planet evolves from a mass of heat and gas, Megron, the High Lord of Chaos, has his own designs on our homeworld. If his threats to endanger the stability of Earth have any substance, the existence of mankind itself is in question!

Verdict 

Exploration Earth, or The Time Machine as some people seem to prefer, was a pretty decent listen. Now, it's more in the education genre rather than sci-fi entertainment and why wouldn't it be going by the fact it was produced as part of BBC Schools? I knew prior to listening that it was for educational purposes and actually I was intrigued by that quite a lot. Doctor Who enables the study of the past in a great way and if young fans of the show can learn and have fun listening then something's going right. I love the pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah so it was nice to hear a new adventure for them with both actors reprising their roles. The relationship was as it always was on TV - just magnificent. I liked the visits throughout different, important factors in the creation and maintenance of Earth. I'd have loved a visual of the TARDIS pairing in that capsule that was used for exploration because it sounded quite humorous going by Sarah's reaction. I liked how this story, despite being chronologically and broadcast first, didn't interfere with the events of The Runaway Bride in which it was depicted that the Racnoss did in fact become the centre of the Earth. I'm not sure the revived series would pay homage to a classic series audio such as this but it was nice to know there was no conflict between the two stories. And the Tenth Doctor's claim of going further back than ever before stands still and true. In every good Doctor Who story there has to be a villain or enemy and here we got the Megron who was and sounded rather dominating. I loved the sound of shock in the Doctor's voice when someone spoke at what was one of Earth's earliest point. It was the High Lord of Chaos, a title I just adore! To me he sounded better than the Trickster but didn't seem quite as successful. At just 19 minutes, this story wasn't the longest so there isn't too much to write about sadly. The educational value was very good and gave me a nice throwback to my childhood days which are now behind me as I get ready for a History degree at university. It just seemed I wasn't able to fully enjoy the story because I was the wrong audience. This one's certainly for the children as I don't think they'd mind or even fully understand the poor climax in which the word 'order' seems to be the reason the Megron is defeated. Overall, great TARDIS relationship, some good humour and dialogue but a poor climax for me as the wrong target audience. This could though be developed into something longer!

Rating: 7/10

After Life

"Or what? Don't do cryptic! I do cryptic. I already bagsied cryptic! You can't have cryptic!"

Writers: Al Ewing & Rob Williams

Format: Comic Strip

Released: August 2014

Series: DW11 #1

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice

Synopsis

After rebooting the universe with a second Big Bang, the Doctor has seen his new friends Amy and Rory married, and given them a honeymoon to remember. Leaving the Ponds to settle into their newlywed life, the Doctor is travelling the cosmos alone, checking for anomalies in Reality 2.0 - a mission that is about to change his life forever! 

Verdict 

After Life was an absolutely brilliant start to the new American range of Eleventh Doctor comics. A really emotional and great story! The introduction of new companion Alice was done so wonderfully and immediately we felt her pain. We were made to feel sorry for her, to feel pity and sorrow for having lost her mother and with her life seemingly falling apart. It really was quite sad! But then a rainbow dog that's not actually a dog and the Doctor appear in quick succession and suddenly we have an intriguing story on our hands! The chase through London after the dog by the Doctor and Alice was very comical and the semantics regarding the tail were hilarious! The comic really captured Matt Smith's take on the Doctor brilliantly which I think Jonathan Morris failed to do during The Child of Time graphic novel. Giving the Doctor a new companion in comic strip is a breath of fresh air as I think things become a whole lot more interesting when a common character is being explored as well as telling a story. The appearance of the Time Lord in the shadows was one I was incredibly shocked and excited about. The Doctor was distracted and ran into a lamppost but I'm hoping that this appearance is part of some sort of arc that's been planned. You can't just not explain the appearance of a Time Lord, I'm not having that! The more comic-like feel the American range has as compared with DWM is super in my opinion. It really does feel like a different range which is good. The Doctor showing up in Alice's house was really nice as he could see that she was sad and didn't like that. He wanted to make her happy, give her some fun. So, in typical style of the Doctor, the pair went on a casual chase for a rainbow dog in the House of Commons. I thought the American take on British politics was extremely humorous, and I loved how weak and puny they made the Prime Minister look! Tremendous. The concept of the alien rainbow dog (that's not the official species name) was an interesting one, feeding off negative emotions. Well, Earth has to be the right place for that! His attraction if you like to Alice added to the pity the reader is supposed to feel for her which was excellent. It was clear she was distraught at losing her mother. The Doctor showing her the TARDIS was pleasant and the fact that it was upside down at first was superb. A nice chance for some more humour that has to come with this Doctor. Seeing the swimming pool again was great! I thought the ending was a tad cheesy and similar to Hide with the dog being reunited with his lover. A squid. But overall, a tremendous start to the range! I like how these stories will be set between A Christmas Carol and The Impossible Astronaut as there's a nice gap there with Amy and Rory settling as newlyweds for the Doctor to hop off galavanting. A great start and now he's going to show Alice some happy things! 

Rating: 9/10

Robot of Sherwood

"When did you start believing in impossible heroes?"

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 6th September 2014

Series: 8.03

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

When robots threaten Sherwood Forest, the Doctor must join forces with Robin Hood to stop the evil reign of the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Verdict 

Robot of Sherwood was a truly wonderful episode. It was really beautiful and the plot and characters were great from start to finish. It was intriguing seeing Doctor Who's take on a fictional character and the result was absolutely magnificent! The episode began very well I thought with the Doctor and Clara in the TARDIS, clearly getting along. No faffing about picking her up and dropping off, it was just as it should be. And this time the destination was Clara's choice which I thought was rather nice. The Doctor's wish to return to Mars to catch up with the Ice Warriors will have to wait because Clara wanted to meet Robin Hood! I loved how of all the things she could hope to see the thing she chose was to see the star of her favourite story. The outlaw who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. The concept is a historically great one and once the TARDIS landed in Sherwood Forest in 1190 the Doctor's assumptions were proved wrong. I like how serious and somewhat stubborn the Twelfth Doctor was and seems like he's going to be. Although the quirkiness and humour of the Eleventh Doctor was absolutely sensational, I think he'd have reacted a whole lot differently to the true existence of Robin Hood in a more accepting and hand-shaking way. And there's no doubt that would have been brilliant but I'm glad that with Capaldi, the Doctor just ridiculed it. There's no such thing as Robin Hood, we all know that. Except for Clara which was beautiful. And beautiful is exactly what she was in this episode! Jenna Coleman is just unbelievably stunning and in that red dress she looked absolutely incredible. Clara was sensational in this episode with her relationships with Robin and the Sheriff. Flirtatious, seductive yet oh so innocent which is a tremendous quality she possess. Her glee at seeing that the Doctor had successfully brought her to Robin Hood was fantastic and in contrast the way she acquired the plan and hopes of the Sheriff of Nottingham was absolutely brilliant. The realisation on the Sheriff's face was just outstanding. Ben Miller was sensational in the villainous role and I think after this performance a return has to occur in some other form. He's got a masterful look, has he not? I loved the sword fight between the Doctor and Robin Hood and it was a lovely throwback to the Third Doctor era! The reference to The Crusade was also nicely thrown in. Speaking of the Pertwee era, the suspicion from the Doctor that Robin Hood's existence was similar to the situation in Carnival of Monsters was great. The referencing to banter throughout was superb and I adored the humour between the Doctor and Robin. Inside the cell, with and without Clara, was just terrific. The Doctor acknowledging the flight path being similar to the Half-Face Man in Deep Breath was intriguing and it continued the series arc along nicely, even if I'm against them. Just what is the promised land? I was surprised we didn't see Missy appear though. The plot itself was fantastic and I loved how the Doctor thought seeing a spaceship in Sherwood Forest in the 12th century made more sense than Robin Hood. Tremendous irony! The scene where the Doctor showed Robin the fictional works in the future was outstanding with a lovely homage to Patrick Troughton. I thought the robots were a bit naff to be honest and weren't exactly necessary but they didn't discredit the story at all! In fact, it was utterly brilliant full of emotion, irony and humour. Clara was amazing, Capaldi has started off in style with that voice and presence and Robin was reunited with his love and proved real. Stunning. 

Rating: 9/10

Revolutions of Terror Part 1

"Take my hand... Hold on tight."

Writer: Nick Abadzis

Format: Comic Strip

Released: August 2014

Printed in: DW10 #1

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

Gabriella Gonzalez is stuck in a dead-end job in her family's New York laundrette, dreaming of college and bigger, better and brighter things. 

So when a strange man with an even stranger blue box barges into her life on the eve of the Day of the Dead celebrations, talking about an infestation of psychic aliens, she seizes her chance for adventure with both hands. After Donna's tragic exit, the Doctor thought he was done with companions. 

But Gabby Gonzalez is going to prove him wrong - if she survives the night! 

Verdict 

Revolutions of Terror was an exciting start to the new range of Titan's Tenth Doctor comics. A whole new companion is clearly being introduced here and her backdrop seems mightily intriguing! Gabby's introduction was done very well with her right in the middle of family conflict inside the family business. That never happens does it? I liked the contrast of your usual and sometimes stereotypical companion in the revived series. But here, for what's supposed to be an American audience (oops!), a Mexican girl living in NYC doing an evening Accountancy class around 2 jobs is a unique perception on an ordinary girl. Based on first impressions, Gabby is far from ordinary! She seems feisty, courageous and intelligent which can only be a good sign as those are wonderful ingredients for what will become companion. The Mexican rituals were interesting and a Halloween setting is something that's been needed for ages in Doctor Who. Throw in a Mexican family and the upcoming Day of the Dead and the Doctor could be thrown into something quite dangerous. I thought the format of the story was much better than that of what we get in DWM. I like a comic specific magazine and it definitely felt more comic-like, rather than Who or story-telling like which I think is needed from this format. Doctor Who is invading the comic strip style so it should take that on and see what can be produced. The use of what was essentially pre-titles in a comic was baffling yet brilliant because I just wasn't expecting anything of the kind! The start of this story, which will stretch over a few issues as far as I'm aware, was very good. New York is being hunted by the "devil" and washing machines are attacking. Superb sentence I must say. The attack of the washing machines was intriguing to say the least and I look forward to the explanation in future issues. The so far unnamed monster looked very terrifying and demon like which was fantastic and certainly seemed to tie in with the Mexican ritual theme that's started here. The lead in at the end into the next issue where the story's elements will continue was superb. It's basically where Gabby becomes companion which is lovely. However, she's trapped on a subway with the demented beast! I look forward to seeing how the Doctor can prevent things from going horribly wrong in the next issue. Overall, a fantastic start but it brings me a first. A post without a rating, and that's because once I blog the issue that concludes the overlapping story, I'll rate the story as a whole. It's just like TV. I won't rate the first part of a two parter, I'll judge it as a whole. And that's no different with the comics here. But I was impressed with the start! 

Sock Pig

"Quit being nice will you?"

Writers: Iain Keiller & Sharon Cobb

Format: Audio

Released: February 2011

Series: Short Trips 2.05

Featuring: Fifth Doctor

Synopsis

The Fifth Doctor investigates why toy animals are mysteriously coming to life in a very quiet household.

Verdict 

Sock Pig was a really nice and pleasant listen! After a busy day I was looking for my Who fix and something I could do quickly so naturally that brought me to the Short Trip audio range and the story's name really caught my attention. I was intrigued before it even started and once it did so I was pretty much hooked from start to end, even if nothing extraordinary occurred. Peter Davison read the story superbly and really recaptured his role as the Fifth Doctor magnificently. He read it with passion, emotion and authority and even managed to sound completely different when moving from narrator to playing the part of his own fifth incarnation. Just when this Doctor was travelling alone I'm not sure, but then again he could just have momentarily lost or left his companion (or companions) in the TARDIS. Ralph was a wonderful character and his love for his cuddly teddy of which he never failed to take to sleep with him. Every child had their favourite teddy that they tucked into bed with themselves and now here, Ralph's was twitching and moving! The concept of the Anima is absolutely brilliant. It's almost like a better version of the Nestene Conscious! Although in saying that, I'm not sure a toaster is as frightening as an Auton! But I could certainly see the two forces forming an alliance together creating a spectacular tale! I absolutely loved the concept of it being able to animate any object. The possibilities are frighteningly endless. The Doctor's arrival to Ralph's house was quite comical with him not liking how nice the intruder was. The way the Doctor tackled the not too deadly threat was calm and collected and typical of the Fifth Doctor which I liked very much. Ralph clearly loved his teddy but the rip had to be shut. Overall, a fantastic story but just too short! I'm hoping soon that I'll stop getting audios in this range in need of extension and full cast! Very good. 

Rating: 8/10

The Child of Time

"The lights are going out all across the galaxy."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September - December 2011

Printed in: DWM 438-441

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis 

The clock is ticking as the Doctor and Amy find themselves trying to avert Chiyoko's creation and prevent a galactic war in Earth's future. The whole universe is hanging in the balance and the time vortex is close to collapse. Travelling between worlds that should not exist and meeting long dead souls, the Doctor and Amy's toughest adventure could prove to be their last. The end of everything is approaching at the hands of a little girl who wants to live forever...

Verdict 

Hurrah! So this poor and endless comic strip story arc with no direction has finally come to an end for me. Compared with the recent Eleventh Doctor and Clara strips and arcs, and other stories I've ventured into with the Third, Fourth and Ninth Doctors, the whole The Child of Time graphic novel has been a bit of a disappointment as a whole. Maybe I should have picked up Nemesis of the Daleks or The Chains of Olympus... Anyway. To the story at hand. Following on pretty much straight away from Apotheosis, the start of this seemed like there was going to be a saving grace to the arc. Awaiting for a really stand out story all the way from Supernature to the end and I just didn't get it. A couple of 9/10s is good but in the biggest graphic novel I've seen I would have expected at least one full mark story. The start of this comic strip was actually outstanding with it showing Chiyoko creating everything that was needed to bring about her own existence. I mean, it showed the freeing of the Axons from the time loop! But, Morris gave everything way too early for an arc conclusion story. I felt this story was just an extension from Apotheosis, which I've already mentioned, and it was just too similar, seemingly only on a bigger scale with a bit more 'timey-wimey' stuff included. Amy was actually wonderful in this which was nice to see. Just as he's on his way out it seemed the relationship between the Doctor and Amy from TV was eventually captured in visual print. The reference to her being his girlfriend was met with some marvellous humour. The similarity to Father's Day with the whole past selves thing was actually done brilliantly! I felt Chiyoko was given too much unexplained power. If she didn't officially exist yet then how could she manipulate things that did exist by a simple thought or expression? I'm not sure why a young small Japanese girl was given the role of arc enemy, I'm sure there'd be better options in mind. The continuation of the war between humans and Galateans in the far future was presented nicely and the artwork was outstanding as is usually the case with DWM stories. But as I've mentioned, it was déjà vu. No pun intended. The use of that term was done cleverly but then I felt things were repeated too much, even if the Doctor and Amy were going back to change a future that never should have occurred. The use of the Bronte sisters was just silly but I actually quite enjoyed having Alan Turing join the TARDIS pair along the adventure, not that he did much though. He did pop in with some good comments and scenes in Wilmslow were quite unexpected! The cliffhangers were good but I didn't like the lack of resolution. You can't just ignore a daunting cliffhanger thinking people will forget over four weeks. Well, I've got news, I always wait for the entire story to be completed before reading so work needs to improve. And with Scott Gray at the helm it has done so massively. The visuals of this strip were fantastic and the plot wasn't bad, but there were a lot of flaws. An emotional climax was tarnished by the way Chiyoko went from a God to a young child because of speech. Nah, I'm not buying that sorry. Overall, a decent story but lack of explanations and poor linking (apart from one scene) with the whole arc made this slightly disappointing despite the great aspects. 

Rating: 7/10

Gridlock

"But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 14th April 2007

Series: 3.03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

The Doctor takes Martha to New New York, in the year 5,000,000,053 only to find the entire city has become a trap and Macra are stalking the depths of the motorways. Martha becomes captured and the Doctor learns of the terrible fate the city endured, can he save the motorway and Martha before the Macra feast?

Verdict 

Gridlock is a fantastic episode and has continued the very high and consistent standard already set in this third series of revived Doctor Who. After her brilliance in Smith and Jones and The Shakespeare Code, it's clear the Doctor is taking a liking to Martha, but only as a friend. After the trauma the Doctor went through with Rose in Doomsday, it seems she's the only possible companion he ever thought of persuing a relationship with. However, she was ripped away from him but now he'd found this superb girl, a "rebound" as it was mentioned, but he couldn't see her as anything more than a friend while it was crystal clear in this episode that Martha would like something more, or at least an acknowledgement of it being possible. It's been a good start to life as a companion for Martha and I like her feistiness which upon original broadcast I'm not entirely sure I noticed. She dislikes that Rose came before her and she wasn't impressed with the Doctor bringing her to the same place he'd brought Rose. The obvious references to New Earth were all very good and I liked the returns of the Face of Boe and Novice Hame. The ageing of Hame was shown very well and the moment where she caught up with the Doctor was hilarious with the Doctor temporarily forgetting her evilness of the past. The return to the sillily named New New York was done very well I thought. A super virus had wiped out the world in 7 minutes flat but there was the under city, trapped in safety at the time of the outbreak. I liked how the disease had destroyed of natural causes but its effects clearly lasted with no power left to open up the motorway and free those poor passengers travelling endlessly. Brannigan was a good little character although I thought the kittens were questionably comical! I won't even talk about the possible way they were born. Now there's a thought isn't it? The capture of Martha for fast lane access was a good focal point for the story and it gave the Doctor more than enough motivation to free the city whilst saving her. Now, there's a reason why I've held off for a while to do this story. And that's because of the return of the Macra. I love how the Classic Series isn't forgotten about and it's not just the historical favourites returning for series finales, we've now got the Macra returning after a substantial forty years! And their return was so much better than their debut in my opinion! In The Macra Terror the Macra didn't come out as the mighty beasts they were intended to be. But using the foundations of that story, here they really were ferocious! Stalking the depths of a motorway and feeding off an endless supply of gas is right up their alleyway! Their appearance was what I think the team of Terror would intended or wish for but just couldn't pull it off with the resources in the late '60s. Now computerised, the lighting of the eyes and the deathly claws were shown magnificently. The plot was basically your search and find which was effective and the way the Doctor, aided by the Face of the Boe, freed the passengers of the motorway was beautiful. Boe gave his last to free the people he saved but now he truly was dying. After billions of years. Martha was safe and returned and then Boe gave a crunching quote. "You are not alone". The look on the Doctor's face after the legend came true was sensational by Tennant. It seems the Tenth Doctor isn't the only Time Lord left after all. When all was set, I really liked that Martha did something many companions before her wished they'd done! When the Doctor was ignoring or changing the subject, or just not answering questions he'd find a way to move the conversation on. But not with Martha. She stopped and refused to move until the Doctor spoke properly, and I admired that. The descriptions of Gallifrey and the Time War were very emotional and intriguing! Overall, a fantastic plot with just one flaw. The Macra were just left roaming, I'd have at least liked the Doctor to have said that they'd die out without the gas supply. Of course, that's the presumption I've taken but I would've liked confirmation. 

Rating: 9/10

The Macra Terror

"Confusion is best left to the experts."

Writer: Ian Stuart Black

Format: TV

Broadcast:

Season: 4.07

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis

When the Doctor, Polly, Ben and Jamie visit a human colony that appears to be one big holiday camp, they think they have come across a truly happy place. Yet a shadowy presence soon makes them realise that the surface contentment is being roamed by giant crab-like creatures known as the Macra...

Verdict 

The Macra Terror was a serial I had highly anticipated watching and sadly it didn't quite live up to whatever my relatively high expectations were based upon. I've only briefly read about the completely missing serial in the past so other than their return in Gridlock, I knew relatively little about the historic enemies of the story. Sadly, the Macra were a big let down. Now, I liked the concept. Giant crab creatures stalking and controlling a futuristic human colony has the basis of a good plot but what we got wasn't breathtaking. Before I start sounding ultra-critical, I liked the story and thought it was a good watch but it didn't live up to the standard already set in this fourth season. It certainly can't stand alongside the likes of The Tenth Planet, The Power of the Daleks or The Moonbase. The design of the Macra, for the late '60s, was actually pretty good I thought. They were made as fierce looking as they could be which was a bonus and I did like that the story and the characters exaggerated the threat they possessed. I did though feel there was a bit too much hyperbole regarding their size. The use of claws was frightening carrying on from the lead in from the previous serial. I didn't like the fancy songs the workers of the colony sung. It kind of horribly reminded me of The Gunfighters, thankfully the cheerleading songs weren't overused. I was glad Ben got his shining moments as companion in this serial and he took some of the limelight from Polly here. She has been superb in pretty much every serial since her debut in The War Machines but here, with a new look I wasn't fond of, she wasn't outstanding sadly. She just screamed most of the time or was subjected to capture sadly. Ben being taken over by Control and 'betraying' his fellow TARDIS crew members was fantastic. He and the Doctor were the highlights, with Patrick Troughton being fan-bloody-tastic in this story. He was just mischievous and fiddling around and his reactions were priceless! I'm really fond of the first revamp of the opening titles with the face of Troughton appearing. It's something fresh and unique and looks pretty darn cool! I was a bit disappointed by the cliffhangers in this story for the reason that basically, each one was the same. The threat of an approaching or incoming Macra is good for the first cliffhanger but not for all three! Despite Polly's most disappointing display to date, I liked how close she was with the Second Doctor. Their relationship has developed nicely and that's pleasant to see. The climax was exciting which was great with Jamie clambering amongst the Macra and a crevice. The credibility of the Macra was hurt towards the end though which was unfortunate with the truth about Control revealed. However, they just screeched to my annoyance. The gradual return of Ben to normality was good and done just in time, as I'd have expected. The use of gas as a means of food for the Macra was intriguing so the obvious route of destruction was done well. The gas supply was cut and the TARDIS crew literally danced their way back to the TARDIS. Overall, decent but it could have been so much more. 

Rating: 7/10

Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus

"One of the outer casings was pushed open and a shiny black hand emerged, its webbed fingers clawing the air for support. The Voord invasion of Marinus had begun."

Author: Philip Hinchcliffe

Format: Novel

Released: 21st August 1980

Series: Target 38

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara

Synopsis 

MARINUS

a remote force-shielded island set in a sea of acid, governed by 

THE CONSCIENCE 

the ultimate computer which rules and balances the gentle life of Marinus, guarded by 

ARBITAN THE KEEPER

ruthless protector of a peace-loving race threatened by 

YARTEK

Warlord of the brutal sub-human Voords, sworn enemy of Arbitan and of Marinus, who was within his grasp 

THE KEYS OF MARINUS

the Conscience's vital micro-circuits, the doors of good and evil. 

Can the Doctor find the hidden circuits in time? Arbitan's command was 'Find them, OR DIE!'

Verdict 

Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus was an absolute pleasure to read today. Based on one of my all time favourite Classic serials, I knew this was going to be good and I wasn't left disappointed at all. It was a nice relaxed read that I did with a smile on my face at what was coming next or what had just occurred. Now, for what I think is a first in my 220+ entries, but I need to talk about the synopsis. I love the use of the capitals in explaining what the main grasps of the story was about but I have a big problem with the final quote where it claims Arbitan threatened the TARDIS crew with death. That just isn't the case! I adore this story so I think that final part of the synopsis tarnishes the original Target copy I gleefully picked up last year. The story itself didn't differ much at all from the TV serial and if anything I think the pace was actually improved. The format of two chapters per broadcast episode was brilliant and really helped advance the story along. I love the plot with Arbitan requiring the four remaining 'Keys of Marinus' to reboot the Conscience and eliminate the threat of evil, including that of the invading Voord. I found the description of "sub-human" quite intriguing and something new to the story in this format. I liked how with the novelised take on this story we got to know a bit more detail and get closer to the guest characters, particularly Sabetha and Altos who were outstanding makeshift companions if you like. Having the Doctor missing for two episodes, or in this case four chapters, was felt more effective here in the novel but due to the quality of the guest cast and the chance given to the other companions to shine doesn't hurt it at all. The constant change in setting was an interesting take on a Doctor Who story as every two chapters the scene was changed. Now, that doesn't mean every other novel I've read is just set in one small place but it's usually within the same city (or it's equivalent). However, we had scenes in a paradise, booby-trapped forest, snowy mountain and a court! And yet everything fell into place beautifully. I think the scenes following Ian being knocked out were my favourite. The accusation against him of murder was a big shock, even more so when it was announced he was already guilty of the crime! I loved the take on another planet's system of law and Millennium's was extremely interesting. They had the death penalty for those convicted of murder and it was up to the defence to prove that the accused wasn't guilty and the charge should be dropped. The references to An Unearthly Child and Marco Polo were nicely thrown in and the fact that reading this story out of order as you will was unique to me. When I've watched this story it's always been when watching in order from the very start but seeing the quality still undoubtedly shine through as a stand alone was very nice. The take on episode 4 was fantastic with the cave setting and Vasor's ruthlessness and selfishness. His description was intriguing and I liked how the crew stood up to him. The return of the Doctor towards the end was done excellently after an over 40 page absence and he was ready to defend Ian. He did so valiantly and the confusion regarding the true murder victim was done clearly which could've been problematic. The return to the Conscience with the keys after acquiring the final one was fab. Ian giving the fake key to Yartek, who was a wonderful villain despite appearing only at the start and end, to foil his mission was superb. The explosive climax was great and the goodbyes were done rather nicely. Altos and Sabetha had fallen in love and would now live on and work in the memory of Arbitan and his hopes for Marinus. Overall, a classic story, one of my favourite ever and it was just as good in novelised format. 

Rating: 10/10

Into the Dalek

"Daleks are born hating. This is what stokes the fire. Extinguishes even the tiniest glimmer of compassion or kindness. Imagine the worst possible thing in the universe and then don't bother - because you're looking at it right now. Evil refined as engineering." 

Writers: Phil Ford & Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 30th August 2014

Series: 8.02

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

A Dalek fleet surrounds a lone rebel ship, and only the Doctor can help them. As he faces his greatest enemy, he needs Clara by his side as the pair plunge into darkness. The Doctor goes to a place he'd never imagine visiting - inside a Dalek. 

Verdict 

Into the Dalek was a brilliant episode for Peter Capaldi's first 'proper' adventure. I'm not sure I like that phrase but I do agree with it. Deep Breath was the debut of a brand new Doctor who for the majority wasn't how he'd be in future stories thanks to the effects of regeneration. But here, we got the first real taste of how our new Doctor would be, and he was quite incredible. Everything about Peter Capaldi just screams the Doctor. His look, his voice and his presence. I think it's pretty frightening how after just two episodes he's not just clearly the Doctor, but he's an absolutely brilliant one. His relationship with Clara was intriguing here, it was evident the pair had contrasting views on a number of things, most notably that of soldiers. This episode saw the much publicly talked about debut of the character Danny Pink. Yawn. Thus far I'm not interested in the character at all and I'm praying Clara doesn't fall to the same direction Amy did. When Amy was travelling alone, I absolutely loved her just like I do, currently, with Clara. But after The Vampires of Venice saw Rory join, and then his place was cemented after The Big Bang, my opinion on Amy dropped because of her relationship with Rory. I like companions to stand alone and I'm afraid that Clara might not become that. You now have no choice but to associate Amy with Rory, and I desperately don't want to have to do that with Clara for Danny. She was spectacular as the 'Impossible Girl', can't she just stay that and leave the crappy relationship stuff for when she leaves the TARDIS? Also, I'm not sure why Moffat insists on this whole thing of the companions coming home and being picked up by the Doctor at the end and start of episodes. The TARDIS isn't a taxi for goodness sake! Can't we just go back to the Classic series' take on companions? You know, when they just constantly travelled in the TARDIS. Anyway, that's mostly a dig at Moffat's running of the series as a whole but despite this I know we're in safe hands and the episode quality he oversees is superb. And that was no different here with this episode that he co-wrote with Phil Ford. I love the idea of the Doctor going one step further than simply facing the Daleks, he was going to inside one! The fact he genuinely believed that there was a good Dalek in the universe baffled me. Is that possible under the most of extreme circumstances? I have doubts myself. I liked the throwback to Planet of Giants with the TARDIS pairing being miniaturised, of course on this occasion they had planned on it though! The interior of the Dalek looked very good and I loved how the Doctor was genuinely frightened but seemingly excited at the same time. He was standing inside his greatest enemy. The hatred he had for the Daleks was crystal clear. The Doctor was just disgusted at their existence! And he should be after all the encounters he's had with them and what they've attempted to do. I loved the scene where the Doctor came eye to eye with the Dalek mutant. What a conversation! The reference to The Daleks was absolutely beautiful with the Doctor describing how when he left Gallifrey he was only known as the Doctor. But after visiting Skaro and the hell the Daleks put him, Susan, Ian and Barbara through the Doctor realised who he was and what being the Doctor meant. Outstanding. The guest cast were very good with Journey and Gretchen standing out for what I would say are obvious reasons. Journey arriving in the TARDIS at the start of the episode was quite humorous thanks to Capaldi. His staring as if to say she was stupid was magic. And I love the subtle humour he brings to the role of the Doctor. It's not quite quirkiness like his two predecessor's, it's more like what Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy brilliantly brought to the role. Humorously heroic. The pun use in his dialogue is also wonderful. I was slightly surprised though at how much death the Doctor seemed to condone, even if it was at the expense of defeating the Daleks. What happened to his views in Victory of the Daleks? Gretchen's sacrifice was a heroic moment, she gave her life to ensure the Doctor could stop the Daleks from being evil. Could he possibly? I like the sound of the challenge though! I liked how the series arc scene involving Missy didn't close the story this week! Clara accessing the suppressed memories of 'Rusty' was terrific and the imagery of the star being born bringing the Dalek around to the good side was lovely. At that moment, the Doctor intended on using his mind to show the Dalek how beautiful the universe is. Instead, the Dalek looked into his mind and saw absolute hatred for the Daleks. Hate built upon hate. He utterly despised them. And Rusty would live by that, and destroyed the other Daleks terrorising the human rebel ship. The comment at the end was absolutely incredible. It seems the Doctor is the epitome of a 'good Dalek'. A quite frightening concept for a man we know only know as good, but now his own companion isn't even sure if he's a good man. 

Rating: 9/10

Apotheosis

"You listen, beardy. We're a team. Who's gonna save your neck when your brilliant plan goes pear-shaped?"

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Comic Strip

Released: June - August 2011

Printed in: DWM 435-437

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Amy arrive on a space station where time is running faster. They team up with a party of nuns to escape but the problem may lead to the TARDIS itself...

Verdict 

Apotheosis was a fantastic comic strip leading into the final adventure of this lengthy story's arc. For the first time since The Golden Ones, barring a cameo or two in a couple of stories, the arc resumed as the central part of the story and the revelations of everything were brilliant! I like how everything started with the very first comic strip to feature the Eleventh Doctor and Amy, Supernature. Now, it's been quite a while since I read that story but I can vaguely recall mentioning in my blog how it was just your basic introductory story for the new characters. But now we know it's actually got relevance to the arc that's very good! The jungle reappeared of all things! That crazy, barmy jungle was back and on a spaceship! Amy seemed much more like her TV self in this story as compared to previous adventures with her dialogue. I loved the reference to the 2030 World Cup Final ending Scotland 3-0 England at Wembley Stadium. Hmm, now I don't like the English and am partly Scottish but predominately I'm Welsh and proud and just couldn't envisage that final. I mean, England are never going to reach it! The Plague Robots were pretty good enemies here. I liked their appearance and the war between them and the organic Space Nuns sounded excellent. I adore the idea of a man vs robot war, especially considering it'd lasted for a millennium! The Plague Robots' admiration for the returning Chiyoko was great seeing as she was half organic and half machine. More specifically, she was part TARDIS. The creation of this Japanese girl who we've previously seen with the Axons was mightily intriguing! She had an incredible amount of power which was interesting, she just wiped out the Plague Robots as if they were playthings. The amalgamation of previous people the Doctor and Amy encountered being obsorbed into the TARDIS was a scary thought and it was a nice throwback to the previous stories in the range, with all but the Christmas special of The Professor, the Queen and the Bookshop being referenced. The amalgamation creature looked very good and frightening which I like in a monster, especially one of that stature! The different time zones going at different speeds is a concept I adore after the Rise and Fall Short Trip and it was played out here very well with very good explanation. The ageing of Amy was a shock and I thought the scenes where it seemed that she was all but dead were fantastic, except the fact it's completely unbelievable that a TV introduced companion will die in comic strip format. A shame. The stubble on the Doctor was a comical moment, especially with Amy's reaction. I liked the action packed scenes in the ship setting and the way Amy was restored to her youth in the nick of time. Quite literally restored. The arrival of Chiyoko and her power was fantastic and the story itself was a very good lead in to what should be a promising finale in The Child of Time. 

Rating: 8/10

Glorious Goodwood

"Daleks will be obeyed. Daleks will be obeyed!"

Writer: Unknown

Format: Audio

Released: 5th September 2005

Series: Doctor Who at the BBC vol.3

Featuring: Third Doctor, Sarah

Synopsis 

Upon the Brigadier's orders, the Doctor is having an aspect of his metabolism checked, leaving Sarah alone to ride the Whomobile in Goodwood, but soon faces a unique alliance of the Daleks and Aggedor...

Verdict

Glorious Goodwood was something different. An intriguing audio I must admit, not a great story by any stretch of the imagination, but I was interested from start to finish. At just ten minutes long, there's only so much you can do and it's rare you'll get a great story. The phone call between the Doctor and Sarah to kick off the audio was nice and I liked how good of a relationship this TARDIS pairing shared. They were definitely close to each other which was pleasant to know. The fact that Sarah was giving the critical Whomobile a ride around Goodwood was a bit weird to base a story around but I guess the audio was intended for some fun back in the 1970s, even if it wasn't broadcast. To be honest, I don't know the reason why this audio didn't go out on BBC Radio in 1974 but if the decision was based on quality then I can understand the reasoning. It wasn't great. The recordings sounded like they were done over the phone, the Daleks didn't sound as ruthless as their recent appearances on television encountering the Third Doctor and there was absolutely no reasoning given as to how the Daleks and Aggedor had formed the most unique of alliances. Just how did those two vicious enemies join forces for an Earth invasion? The references to Death to the Daleks and The Monster of Peladon were easily but nicely put in which I very much liked. The Daleks hunting for the Doctor and Sarah was fantastic but the way they just left and temporarily abandoned their plans for taking over Earth was poor. Borderline ridiculous really. Sarah saw the newly formed alliance and fancied taking them on by herself! I admired the courage and her wish to show the Doctor what she was capable of was nice to see. But the way she 'succeeded' wasn't very good at all. How weak did it make the Daleks! Overall though, very short, poor story but quite a bit of fun. 

Rating: 6/10

The Infinite Quest

"I like to stir things up."

Writer: Alan Barnes

Format: TV Animation

Broadcast: 2nd April - 29th June 2007

Series: 3 

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Martha must find the legendary lost starship known as the Infinitec before the evil Baltazar, scourge of the Galaxy, gets it.

Verdict 

The Infinite Quest was a great little omnibus of minisodes! Combined as one, they gave us a bonus Tenth Doctor and Martha story to go along with Series Three which was fantastic. Despite the animation, it really did feel like a brand new visual Tenth Doctor story because, well, it was. I liked the concept very much and now new-Who has taken on the 'search and find' concept previously seen in The Keys of Marinus and The Key to Time season. The start was very intriguing with the Doctor and Martha arriving on Baltazar's ship for the sole purpose of causing its destruction really. Of course, it was to save the Earth but the way the Doctor went about it was different and unique. The changing of scenes to find the different data chips leading to the Infinite was brilliant. I really liked the scenes on the pirate ship of sort at the futuristic oil rig. I'm not surprised that when the oil ran out on this planet, humans spread far and wide to dig some more out of another helpless planet. The robotic mills were fantastic! Once the chip was obtained in mysterious circumstances, the bug planet was very good. The war of sorts between the colonists and bugs was superb and I liked how the Doctor acted as a peacemaker, even if it meant becoming a criminal on a technicality. The history behind the Infinite was a brilliant concept. A relic from the Dark Times that gives you your heart's desire. Unimaginable abilities! Whatever you desire, you can have. Marvellous. The reference to the Nestenes, Racnoss and State of Decay's Great Vampires was a cleverly fantastic thrown in reference. Volag-Noc was another good setting within the story and I liked how the jail was kind of harsh. Just what had the Doctor done to deserve a sentence of 2,000,000,000 years? But of course in typical Doctor fashion, he got out in 5 minutes with the real Governor. Baltazar's use of Caw to track where the TARDIS was using the broach was very simple yet effective. The explanation of the murders of those with the data chips being Baltazar was excellent. Martha feeling sorry for Caw when he died was a lovely scene and captured her compassion as a companion. The Doctor being left behind from the TARDIS was good and the way he found his way to the Infinite was superb. The climax was very good but I was surprised the "no second chances" Doctor gave Baltazar a way out. Overall though, very good!

Rating: 8/10

The Moonbase

"There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must be fought."

Writer: Kit Pedler

Format: TV

Broadcast: 11th February - 4th March 1967

Season: 4.06

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis 

The TARDIS arrives in 2070 on the Moon, where a weather control station under the command of a man named Hobson is in the grip of a plague epidemic - in reality the result of an alien poison planted by the Cybermen. Jamie is knocked unconscious and lapses into delirium, leaving the Doctor, Polly and Ben to fend off the Cyber attack...

Verdict 

The Moonbase is an absolutely fantastic Cyber tale! After their outstanding debut in the swan-song of the First Doctor in The Tenth Planet, it was inevitable that the emotionless villains would be making a return and I'm glad it's been done very early. Just three stories are in between the first two Cyberman adventures and I think that's important when introducing a recurring villain, the memory of the previous tale will still be fresh in the viewer's mind, and now hopefully the redesign will improve the fear factor, which I think it definitely did. Now, the design of the Cybermen in The Tenth Planet is probably my all time favourite because it's so retro and classic but the, excuse the pun, upgraded appearance here was spectacular. A fully fledged helmet now and non-human hands really showed how advanced the Cybermen had become now. I was very intrigued by the setting of 2070, some 84 years after the events of the already mentioned Cyber story. I loved how at this point in Earth history the Cybermen were known to humans as being extinct. The result of Doomsday perhaps? Unusually, I think episode one was my favourite part of the story! I loved how the full appearance of the Cyberman was kept until the cliffhanger, a great one of that revealing the new design. The use of shadows was superb I must also add. I am extremely thankful to the people who made animating the missing episodes possible. They really did a stellar job and in doing so have given us a brand new, complete story. The only 'complete' story that exists to have the brilliant TARDIS crew of the Second Doctor, Polly, Ben and Jamie. The TARDIS scenes before the four were humorous after the bumpy landing seen in the lead in from The Underwater Menace. It's really nice seeing a close TARDIS team! Polly and Ben go together so they're always going to have a good relationship but now throw in a comfortable Doctor and clueless Jamie and the blend is really nice. It's a much better foursome than the one during the Fifth Doctor's tenure! These four actually get along all the time. Polly was yet again a shining light in this story and again showed why she's up there as a favourite companion of mine. Her kindness and caring for others was lovely to see. I also like how she does what the Doctor asks of her without question, every time. What's he complaining about consistently in the future about companions not listening? He can't forget Polly now can he. The plan of the Cybermen in this story was excellent - they wanted to control Earth's weather and turn it against the planet to cause its' inhabitants death. They way they were trying to achieve this was superb, trying to be sneaky! And they succeeded for the most part. The episode 2 cliffhanger was fantastic. Jamie in the sick bed was magnificent, especially when he believed the Cyberman to be the Phantom Piper from his Scottish culture. The virus being brought aboard the base via the sugar was a brilliant way of hiding its origin! Patrick Troughton really shone as the Doctor here for the first time I would argue. Not that he hasn't been good in his first three stories (he's been sublime!). The humour he brings to the role really is fresh, even though I adore the grumpiness of his predecessor. His method of gathering specimens was very funny I must say. I loved the Cyberman march at the end of episode three. The imagery was legendary in my opinion and easily topped the much talked about, and what I consider overrated, cliffhanger in The Sea Devils. The climax was great with the Doctor and Hobson uniting against the Cybermen after an edgy but not too serious dicker.  The fact the Gravitron, the very weapon the Cybermen wanted to manipulate, was used to bring about their downfall (or upfall rather) was excellent. I wasn't convinced of its ease of positioning but the scenes of the Cybermen ascending into space and to their demise was marvellous! More superb imagery. Overall, a wonderful story. Newly sounding and designed Cybermen that really worked in a brilliant plot. 

Rating: 9/10

The Underwater Menace

"The achievement, my dear Doctor. The destruction of the world. The scientist's dream of supreme power!"

Writer: Geoffrey Orme

Format: TV

Broadcast: 14th January - 4th February 1967

Season: 4.05

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis 

The TARDIS arrives on an extinct volcanic island. Before long, the travellers are captured and taken into the depths of the Earth, where they find a hidden civilisation - the lost City of Atlantis.

Verdict 

The Underwater Menace was a fantastic serial to continue the high standard of adventures thus far since Patrick Troughton took over the helm as the Doctor. I love the difference seen in the Doctor over the last three stories! In each serial the Doctor has been extremely different to anything imaginable from his predecessor which is great to see. Change is a constant in this glorious programme and the first major change has been extremely successful so far. Back to this serial, and I'm extremely thankful that episode two was recently found allowing me to view half of this serial in its entirety. My thanks must also go out, yet again, to Loose Canon productions who are just phenomenal. Thanks to their superb recons I was able to view episodes one and four successfully and in turn allowed a comfortable viewing format for the entire story. I liked how Jamie was getting used to his new surroundings after arriving in The Highlanders and his reaction to the TARDIS and its travelling was excellent. I noticed during this serial that having four members in a main cast is a really good idea. I mean really good. It worked so effectively and allowed us to have the foursome split into varying pairs which will always allow for some fantastic dialogue. I'm really loving Polly as companion and as I've previously mentioned in previous blogged stories, I think she's continuing to climb the ranks of best companion. Here she was wonderful! I loved how she sported the fish-like attire and she pulled it off rather elegantly. I love how the three companions, at some point in the serial, questioned the clothes of the Doctor, particularly those trousers. Comedy is always a bonus. And whilst I'm talking about clothing, I think I should mention how good the disguises of the Doctor were for a second straight story. Another new ability for the renewed Doctor. I thought the cliffhangers were all great and I found that I was eager to watch the next episode which I always look for. The guest cast were all strong with Ramo, Thous and Damon all impressing. But the standout guest cast member was undoubtedly Professor Zaroff. I really loved the character and thought he was played extremely villainously which was fantastic. I always like a good villain rather than enemy in stories now and then. To me, there definitely is a difference. The setting of Atlantis was a wonderful surprise! Such audacity to place an entire story there in what was pretty much modern day. The reference to the 1968 Mexico Olympics, with the serial broadcast in early 1967, was terrific. The plan of Zaroff was just crazy, which made it brilliant. A mad scientist villain always makes for a good antagonist! He wanted to destroy Atlantis, and in doing so cause the destruction of the entire planet! The way the Doctor showed this was tremendous. I loved the reference to The Smugglers, a story which seems to have cropped up subtly in a lot of stories lately. Not that I'm complaining at all! I love references to past stories. The relationship between the Doctor and Ben, something we haven't seen a great deal of, was good to see. I liked how well as a team they worked and thier plan in trapping Zaroff just before he could destroy the planet was cleverly done. I wasn't overly keen on the costume design of the fully fledged Fish People but then I remember this was 1967 so I can let it slide. However, things I can't let slide irrespective of the year are blatant production errors and sadly there was more than one here. My final issue with the serial was how a trio of men failed to jab Polly with a syringe in about five minutes. That just wasn't believable. On the other hand, the story as a whole was really good with the destructive and demolishing plot. I loved how we got Doctor Who's take on the mythical sinking of Atlantis. An extraordinary account really! Overall, lots and lots of good, a few errors but the quality of the story as a whole and the fantastic emotionally reuniting of the TARDIS crew allowed this to be a joy to watch. 

Rating: 8/10