That was no conjuring trick, Doctor

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Finished watching The Chase with Anjilah yesterday. (Today, she declared that she missed Ian and Barbara, despite not having started The Time Meddler yet.) This is where the watching Who in order should get very interesting. I absolutely love the first two seasons, of course, but I'd seen all the stories, I was familiar with the characters, I knew their arcs. Now, unknown territory! Yay!

Also, I would like to note that I kinda loved The Web Planet. We started at quarter to eleven and finished at two in the morning and I was not bored or tired at all.

The utter alienness of Vortis and its species! The difference between the Menoptra and the Optra and the way they spoke and phrased things; I was particularly fond of 'A silent wall. We must make mouths in it with our weapons. Then it speak more light.' And of how they pronounced the humans' names almost unrecognisably, as if they really couldn't pronounce such alien sounds: 'Ian' and 'Barbara' became 'Air-ron' and 'Ha-ba-lah'.

Also everyone was awesome! The Doctor was so heartbroken when he saw the TARDIS was gone and so imperious with 'This hairdryer or whatever it is' and so One that I was brought to proclaim 'I love One' at several points. Vicki was lovely and sweet with 'Zombo' and still so fun and witty and sparky; I'm really hoping the reports of the decline in her character that I've heard about are greatly exaggerated. Ian and Barbara were wonderful, as always, and I really appreciated their interactions with the Menoptra and Optra. Barbara convinces the Menoptra to fight and draws up battle plans and destroys the Animus because yes, yes, she's strong enough (the shipper in me notes she succeeds after Ian appears) and Ian uses his tie as a belt and goes off to rescue Barbara and persuades the Optra not to kill him and Vrestin.

Of course, there are those things that would be CGIed if New Who ever dared to make such an alien story as this (I doubt it), like the whole set and all the characters except the humanoids, but I think they're utterly fantastic for the era and budget. The thing that most didn't work for me was the hanging strings around the Optras' faces, but then I never choose to watch with replaced CGI. It would be like watching colourised Laurel and Hardy or Miracle on 34th Street. And the whole bit with Barbara waking Vicki up to give her a sedative which turns out to be aspirin, but I'll forgive and handwave that in the love of the conversation that follows. Oh, Vicki thinks the 20th century people are so old and primitive, although she's terribly interested in whether Ian got Barbara a bracelet. And Barbara tells her that they went to Rome too, and met Nero, and I'm sure that story will be told later.


So, in conclusion, there has been a re-evaluation, an about-face; I now really like The Web Planet and that is great. I am glad to own the DVD, even if I did idiotically buy it just a day or so before VAT decreased from 17.5% to 15%.

I have 13 emails marked as unread in my inbox to remind me to reply to comments. I have nothing tomorrow, whoops, today so should do that later.

Comments

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Eee, yay for The Web Planet and I'd so totally watch the CGI version, but only after I watched it without first. It's silly, but the CGI version of Earthshock works so much better for me. The original ending/freighter explosion is just so poorly done. ♥

I love Ian using his tie as a belt. It's just SO silly. And I love how SERIOUSLY all the actors in bug suits take their roles. They'd all be ugly CGI or "humans with bumpy foreheads" now and that'd be very sad.

I loved Vicki in pretty much everything she did, so don't listen to the rumors, bah. She's not a top ten favorite, but I certainly think she's better than her reputation gives her.

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*makes note* I have the Earthshock DVD as part of the Amazon Cyberman boxset, but haven't watched it yet.

I vaguely recall the phrase 'putting his heart and soul into being an overgrown ant'. It does make me smile.

Yay for Vicki being better than the rumours!

[avarill.livejournal.com]

Did you watch The Web Planet all in one sitting? I found that I enjoyed it a lot more when I drew it out over three days.

But yes -- it's really an incredible story and so very ambitious. I doubt New Who would try anything so alien, more's the pity.

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I'm far too impatient, as is my friend. If a story is capable of holding our interest (as they have all been so far), we're unlikely to turn it off. I do like the idea of watching the serials more slowly, but it's something to do 'one day'.

*agrees*

[nentari.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the actual serial, but I've recently read the novelization (Doctor Who and the Zarbi) which was clearly written before it was decided that Vicki was to be the companion instead of the character the powers that be had originally planned to replace Susan aboard the TARDIS in The Daleks' Invasion of Earth, a 12-year-old girl called Saida. Vicki is described in the novel as if she was much younger than she was, and the illustrations depict her as a brunette with the face of the actress that had been cast as Saida.

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I read that novelisation a while ago. I don't remember much about it, other than I was annoyed by the Doctor always being 'Dr. Who'. Your observations are interesting; I shall re-read it when I have access to my copy again.

As young as twelve? I thought the character of Saida just became Jenny, but if they'd gone so far as to cast...

How old is Vicki anyway? I think the beginning of Byzantium has her retorting to 'Act your age' with 'How am I supposed to act fourteen?', which I thought too young. I think of her as around sixteen at the time of The Rescue.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

As young as twelve? I thought the character of Saida just became Jenny, but if they'd gone so far as to cast...
Yes, Saida had already been cast when they decided to change things - a 14-year-old actress called Pamela Franklin (http://www.geocities.com/~childactors/images/actress2/pamelafranklin1a.jpg) had been chosen for the role. When they ultimately replaced her with Jenny, the character became older, and her relationship with Dortmun (who was meant to be Saida's father) was changed.

I think of her as around sixteen at the time of The Rescue.
In The Myth Makers, Vicki tells Troilus he's too young to be a soldier. He replies "I'm seventeen next birthday!" to which she retorts "Well, that's hardly any older than me!" which I think confirms she's sixteen.

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I'm glad they changed their minds; I don't think a companion that young would work as well.

*nods* I haven't heard The Myth Makers yet; thanks for that.

Also, icon love.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

I've received the recons for The Myth Makers and The Celestial Toymaker this Christmas, so that story is fresh in my mind. It was a lovely departure for Vicki, though I'm sad she never got to say goodbye to Steven.

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:) That's nice to hear. Well, not that she never gets to say goodbye to Steven. But otherwise.