Doctor Who Reactions: "Underworld" (SPOILERS)

[The Baron]

1)The Bristol Boys are back again, this time doing "The Argonauts in Outer Space". It's not  my favorite from this time period, but it's better than I remembered it being.  We get some more revelations about TIme Lord history, here - even when I first watched this years ago, I couldn't help noticing the similarities between the story of the relationship between the Minyans and the Time Lords and the origins of Marvel's Watchers.  "It was what happened on Minyos that led to our policy of nonintervention".

 

2)Interesting that we see Leela appearing to work the TARDIS controls - not bad for someone who just learned to read.  I liked her reaction to being "pacified" - she ended up even more violent! "I'll smahs your stupid grins off your stupid faces!"

 

3)I'm a little sketchy as to how the Minyans managed to lose the P7E so badly that it took them 100,000 years to find it.

 

4)Some fun quotes:

• "Ion drive, or I'm  a budgie's cousin!"
• "The quest is the quest."  I bet you'd get sick of hearing that after a hundred thousand years.
• "Physics isn't luck. Physics is fact."
• "They're going to smoke us out like badgers."
• "Surrender or die!" Gosh, it's been years since a woman said that to me... :(
• "Officer Klimt has retired. Suddenly."  I did like the guy who played Herrick in this.
• "Whatever blows can be sucked."  If you say so, Doctor.
• "Do not worry. He has saved many fathers."
• "The Quest is...over."
• "Perhaps those myths are not just old stories of the past, you see, but prophecies of the future, who knows?"

 

5)Cliffhangers:

• Part One: The ship is being buried in rocks!
• Part Two: The Doctor gets gas!
• Part Three: The Doctor and Leela get rolled to the crusher!
• Part Four: Leela kisses K-9!

 

Overall:

Still not one of my all-time favorites - but a better story than I remembered it being.

 

[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]

[Henry R. Kujawa]

I was saddened when I read what a tragic life the guy who played Herrick had.

Also, the guy who played the commander (Jason) turned up in a Cathy Gale episode of THE AVENGERS as a former agent who was suspected of being a traitor. I was delighted by the end of the suspenseful story to learn the truth...

Didn't the chief security officer remind you of Rod Steiger?

[The Baron]

I actually haven't seen Steiger in much - the only thing I can recall is Mars Attacks!  I'll have to break that one out again.

 

I hadn't realized what a rough life Alan Lake had - they spoke fondly of him on the commentary track, but - understandably - didn't bring up his personal life.

 

[Henry R. Kujawa]

I've only seen Rod Steiger in a few things...  AL CAPONE, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, MARS ATTACKS!... (It's fun to compare the White House staff in that film to the one in WRONG IS RIGHT.  In the earlier film, it's Robert Conrad who keeps saying, "Push the button, Mister President-- PUSH the BUTTON!")  Steiger also became my all-time favorite guest on Bill Mauer's POLITICALLY INCORRECT, mainly because he refused to put up with Mauer's B***S*** and incessant interruptions when HE was trying to say something!  (It was hilarious when Steiger began to press the idea that now, it was HIS show.)

Oh yeah... he's also in OKLAHOMA!

"Herrick" is a lot of fun in UNDERWORLD.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

I completely forgot... Rod Steiger was also in THE LOVED ONE.  After not being able to lay my hands on it for several years, it turned up this morning, so I watched it (only my 2nd time in 15-20 years).  What a completely twisted, insane movie this is.  Rod Steiger plays the part that inspired "Mr. Jobel" in REVELATION OF THE DALEKS, but in fact, his role, and the entire movie, is much sicker and perverse than anything in Eric Saward's story.

It was totally nuts that I was talking about Steiger just yesterday, and this tape turned up today.

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

THE LOVED ONE will be on Turner Classic Movies on 26 July.