The Doc
Administrator
Guardian Of Gallifrey
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: Donna Noble
Posts: 7316
@TardisSpoilers
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« on: September 18, 2011, 12:59:57 pm » |
|
Another week, another story. This week we return to the Fourth Doctor nearing the end of his tenure in the story Meglos. On Tigella, two opposing faction are irrevocably divided over one fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious object which provides the entire planet's energy.
With the Savants and the Deons locked in a crippling stalemate, and their civilisation on the brink of collapse, the Tigellan leader, Zastor, seeks the Doctor's help. But the Doctor and Romana have been trapped aboard the TARDIS in a time loop by Meglos, the last of the Zolfa-Thurans, who will stop at nothing to steal back the awesome power of the Dodecahedron.
Meglos was the second serial of season eighteen of Doctor Who and so was the second serial in the Nathan-Turner era. It featured Jacqueline Hill's return to the program for the first time since The Chase in 1965.
The serial also afforded Tom Baker a chance to take on the both villainous and heroic roles in the same story, as had both Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell before him, and Peter Davison afterwards. (DW: The Enemy of the World, The Massacre, Arc of Infinity)
Meglos came into being after Bidmead purposely sought out Flanagan and McCulloch as new talent. Nathan-Turner was unimpressed with the ideas put forward and the serial had to be shuffled to various placements in the season, largely because it didn't feature Adric.
Behind the scenes, Meglos was highly innovative for being the British Broadcasting Corporation's first use of Scene Sync, a motion control technology that improved the believability of composited shots that used CSO. In the end, it would turn out to be the only Doctor Who serial to avail itself of that technology.Enjoy the story. The next one will be posted Sunday 25th September.
|
Now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair and The Doctor comes to call, everybody lives.
|
|
|
Exterminate
|
|
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2011, 12:52:59 pm » |
|
I shall watch today. I watched when it was released on DVD but not rewatched so it will be good to see again. I wasn't massively keen before but perhaps a rewatch will change that.
|
|
|
|
Aneurin
Guardian Of Gallifrey
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: River
Posts: 5764
Formally River Song
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2011, 04:35:32 pm » |
|
I'm quite on the fence with it so I went with a 3. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. The script was pretty dodgy at times and Tom Baker seemed like he really couldn't be bothered. On the plus side though it was great to see Jaqueline Hill back in the show.
|
|
|
|
Peri-Peri
Global Moderator
Destroyer Of Worlds
Favourite Doctor: Five
Favourite Companion: Peri
Posts: 8805
Circular logic will only make you dizzy, Doctor
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2011, 12:33:44 pm » |
|
I went with a three. The story is fun at times and kind of romp-ish with some good performances, but it is let down by a script that often doesn't make sense and some very bad effects. Oh and the Jungle set was really awful. Not a great story, but not the worst either
|
It eats you, starting with your bottom
|
|
|
Tardis-Console
Timelord
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: Amy
Posts: 4660
Say it. Everybody does!
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2011, 07:18:04 pm » |
|
Don't think I will be able to watch until Thursday this week but I will definately try and fit it in as soon as.
We need more people watching again. When we started there were loads but its dwindled in the last few weeks.
|
My Series 6 Ratings (so far): TIA 10/10 | DOTM 10/10 | COTBS 8/10 | TDW 10/10 | TRF 9/10 | TAP 10/10 | AGMGTW 10/10 | LKH 8/10 | NT 4/10 | TGWW 10/10
|
|
|
Oh-Wise-One
|
|
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2011, 04:23:02 pm » |
|
I went with one. I really ain't keen on this story at all. It has it's moments, but there are about three in the whole story. It was great to see Jaqueline Hill back on the show but other than that I don't really have any positives.
|
|
|
|
Twisted-Sister
|
|
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2011, 12:47:14 pm » |
|
I'm not keen on this story either. I have gone with a three because I thought some of the performances were great, but it felt a bit of a step back compared to the rest of the season and overall wasn't that great.
|
|
|
|
Saber
|
|
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2011, 08:59:48 pm » |
|
This has never been a particular favourite of mine but at the same I have never really felt that it is as bad as some people would have you think. I definately agree with TS that it does feel a little bit of a step back because I think this story would have worked better in the one or two series that came before it and didn't really fit with the rest of the season. It wasn't particularly well made either, but it did have it's good points and of course brought Jackie Hill back to the show which could never be sniffed at.
|
|
|
|
Saber
|
|
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2011, 09:00:04 pm » |
|
I went with a 3 btw
|
|
|
|
Vampyros Adric
Global Moderator
Timelord
Favourite Doctor: 4/6/7
Favourite Companion: Jo Grant
Posts: 3174
He is also vain, ego-centric and quite mad
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #9 on: September 23, 2011, 04:47:50 pm » |
|
Sadly, this was typical of the later day "Who by Numbers" that Tom Baker churned out towards the end of his tenure. I gave it a three because it had some reasonable moments and I there were times when, watching it all the way through, I found myself quite liking it. It was, however, a story about a menacing Cactus and this means its appeal was always going to be limited. IMHO it was criminal to bring back Jacqueline Hill as anything other than Barbara and the whole things just looks a bit shonky. Not the best, not the worst, just middle of the road (and that is a terrible thing to write about any creative endeavour).
|
|
|
|
Exterminate
|
|
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2011, 11:56:41 pm » |
|
Just a two from me this time around. I wasn't really a fan before and it didn't get any better on rewatch. Jacqueline Hill was brilliant, but I agree with others that she shouldn't have returned to the show as any character other than Barbara.
|
|
|
|
Exterminate
|
|
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2011, 11:56:54 pm » |
|
Just a two from me this time around. I wasn't really a fan before and it didn't get any better on rewatch. Jacqueline Hill was brilliant, but I agree with others that she shouldn't have returned to the show as any character other than Barbara.
|
|
|
|
Tardis-Console
Timelord
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: Amy
Posts: 4660
Say it. Everybody does!
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2011, 12:14:11 pm » |
|
I really wasn't keen on this story. I have liked all the Tom Baker stories so far, but this one just wasn't very good. I found it quite jarring having Barbara in there not being Barbara and the story, particularly the angry cactus, just wasn't very good.
|
My Series 6 Ratings (so far): TIA 10/10 | DOTM 10/10 | COTBS 8/10 | TDW 10/10 | TRF 9/10 | TAP 10/10 | AGMGTW 10/10 | LKH 8/10 | NT 4/10 | TGWW 10/10
|
|
|
Tardis-Console
Timelord
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: Amy
Posts: 4660
Say it. Everybody does!
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2011, 12:14:26 pm » |
|
I voted a two
|
My Series 6 Ratings (so far): TIA 10/10 | DOTM 10/10 | COTBS 8/10 | TDW 10/10 | TRF 9/10 | TAP 10/10 | AGMGTW 10/10 | LKH 8/10 | NT 4/10 | TGWW 10/10
|
|
|
Roranicus
Global Moderator
Timelord
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: Rory
Posts: 4677
Rory FTW
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2011, 04:44:58 pm » |
|
Well that was different. Dodgy sets, dodgy effects, dodgy story and some shocking acting. I can't say I was overly impressed with it. It had a couple of highlights but not really enough to make me say I 'like' it. I went with a 2 because I don't think it quite deserved a one, but it was a very low two.
|
Oh my god Karen, you can't just ask someone why they're white!
|
|
|
Nyki
|
|
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2011, 05:35:33 pm » |
|
I decided to be generous and give it a 3, mainly because Jacqueline Hill was as brilliant as she always was. The crew of baddies were ridiculous, the society portrayed was unconvincing, and Meglos was... well, a cactus. And the Earthling - what was that about?
|
|
|
|
Dame Roger
TARDIS Traveller
Favourite Doctor: Second
Favourite Companion: Ace
Posts: 719
Badges: (View All)
|
|
« Reply #16 on: September 25, 2011, 01:45:52 am » |
|
Two from me. Not one of the very worst, but pretty feeble. There were a few interesting ideas in there, and Jacqueline Hill was brilliant (although, like everyone else, I'd have much preferred to have seen her as Barbara), but the whole thing just feels half-hearted, and Tom Baker gives possibly his worst ever performance.
|
"I'm reversing the jelly baby of the neutron flow."
|
|
|
Nyki
|
|
« Reply #17 on: September 26, 2011, 01:20:19 am » |
|
and Tom Baker gives possibly his worst ever performance.
Twice
|
|
|
|
|