The Space Museum
1) I watched this one twice, just for fun - once just as itself, and once with the commentary track on. Those commentating were William Russell, Maureen O'Brien, writer Glyn Jones and "moderator" Peter Purves. Dunno what Purves was doing there, he wasn't in this - perhaps he was in for the commentary for "The Chase", and sat in on this because he had nothing else to do. They all dumped on the director Mervyn Pinfield pretty brutally - O'Brien seemed to particularly have it in for him - as well as the guest cast. O'Brien also seemed to be very unhappy about the dress they had her wearing in this. Jones also blamed Dennis Spooner for fiddling with his script.
2)The first episode has the four regulars wandering trying to figure out what's going on - they seemed to do alot of that in this period of the show. I note that the Dalek seems to be the only exhibit in the museum with a label.
3)Some fun quotes:
- "Doctor, we've got our clothes on!" "Well, I should hope so, dear boy, I should hope so!"
- "You wouldn't say that, young lady, if ever we meet them again." FORESHADOWING!
- "Time, ike space, although a dimension in itself, also has dimensions of its own." They gave Vicki some of the scientific nonsense to say in this one.
- "I think the TARDIS jumped a time track." OK.
4)Cliffhanger: Time catches up with Team TARDIS!
The Dimensions of Time
1)We meet the Moroks (Jones says in the commentary that he didn't quite dare call them "Morons", but that's how he was thinking of them) - bored, ineffectual, craven, past-it villains, and the Xerons - ineffectual, pretentious, coffeehouse types with weird eyeborws. In one of the extras, new series writer Robert Shearman argues that this story was meant to be a parody of a typical Doctor Who story of the time - "The Daleks", for example - and that the problem was that Pinfield didn't realize that it was meant to be funny, and shot it seriously. Its' an interesting idea, anyhow.
2)It's an interesting notion, th eidea of our heroes having been given a glimpse of their future and having to work out how to avoid it. In practice, it leads to alot of scenes of them standing around arguing inconclusively about what to do next.
3)The Doctor gets a few interesting scenes, whethe rit's obsessing about Ian's lost button, or messing with Sheriff Lobos mind-reading machine. The bit where he gets snatched from the corridor is sor tof proto-Scooby-Doo.
4)Some fun quotes:
- "I bet he's been captured." Little pessimist.
- "I fooled them all! I am the master!" Even the Doctor likes to play Dalek!
- "The Minotaur!" Ian destroys a sweater!
- "Our civilization rests on its laurels." Hey, ours, too!
- "You are not an amphibian." This make sme laugh out loud, for some reason.
5)Cliffhanger: Lobos orders the Doctor taken to the preparation room!
The Search
1)Dunno how the Moroks built an empire if they can be beaten up by the first high school science teacher that comes along.
2)They also apparently never think to look behind anything.
3)Early Doctor Who takes alot of heat for wobbly sets - her ethey are pretty wobbly.
4)Vicki the radical revolutionary! Probably just tired of listening to the Xerons plan things. And she "does a Doctor": "Perhaps I'll explain later..."
5)Even the computer sounds bored.
6)"You will achieve nothing if you kill me." "Possibly, but it might be enjoyable."
7)Cliffhanger: Ian says "Doctor!"
The Final Phase
1)Barbara stands up to the gas pretty well.
2)"There are no tricks in science - only facts." OK
3)"Oh, support me, dear boy."
4)"A TIme and Space Visualizer" - In some ways, this whole story seems to exist to set up the new story.
5)In the end, they stand around arguing and are saved by other people - how "Ninth Doctor" of them.
6)Cliffhanger: The Daleks have a time machine and are watching our heroes!
Overall: An OK story, not all that great, but perhaps not as horrendous as its reputation would have it.
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
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