1)Gotta love Romana's hunting outfit.
2)Graham Crowden is indescribable (in both negative and positive ways) as Soldeed. He makes Bruce Purchase's pirate captain look subtle and nuanced. I did like his trick of repeating the last two words people said to him. A good way to throw people off balance. To think he was an early choice for the Fourth Doctor!
3)I liked the bit where the Doctor tried to steal Romana's sonic screwdriver. I love little bits like that.
4)I gather that by this point Adams was concerned that other writers were trying to imitate his writing style and failing. As Steven Moffatt says somewhere, the problem with trying to learn from Adams is that Adams was a genius, and most people aren't. My take on Adams is that he may've been the best writer to ever work on the show (although I'm open to argument on that), but Robert Holmes was the best "Doctor Who writer" ever.
5)It doesn't help the "taking it seriously" issue when they have the TARDIS making comedy noises when it breaks down.
6)There seems to have been a definite move to give Romana more to do in this one - the Doctor's stuck off in the TARDIS for most of Part Two.
7)This episode saw the last use of the "time tunnel" credits and the original arrangement of the theme tune. Also the last time they had Dudley Simpson do the music.
8)Some fun quotes:
- "Weakling scum!" After watching this, I feel a huge urge to shout this at random strangers. Unfortunately, I possess just enough self-control not to actually do that.
- "What could possibly go wrong? You know I've simply got to stop saying that."
- "I wish I'd thought of that." "Oh, you will, Doctor, you will." Oscar, Oscar, Oscar...
- "Why don't you give me the gun, and then I can keep an eye on myself so I don't get up to any funny business."
- "We're up a gum tree without a paddle."
- "Despicable worm!" Sorry, dear, it's just not as much fun as "Weakling scum!"
- "The Nimon waits for no man!"
- "You've been a good dog to me, K-9. The best I ever had." Awww...
- "Digging a black hole on my doorstep?"
- "I stand before you desperate to find the exit."
- "You meddling fool!" Soldeed as Scooby-Doo villain.
- "Oh, my gravitic anomalizer!
- "You meddlesome hussy!" It's OK, but it's no "Weakling scum!"
- "Well, come on, old girl. There's quite a few millennia left in you yet." "Thank you, Doctor." Not you, the TARDIS." Mmm...Lalla Ward make pouty face...
9)Cliffhangers:
- Part One: A planet is about to hit the TARDIS!
- Part Two: The Nimon is all cranky and stuff!
- Part Three: Soldeed threatens to kill the Doctor!
- Part Four: The Doctor sets out to finish fixing up the TARDIS!
Overall:
A mildly amusing take on the Minotaur legend - if only someone had dumped a bucket of water over Graham Crowden or something. I liked it much better when they re-made it as "The God Complex" for the Eleventh Doctor..
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
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