Review The Tom Baker Doctor

ant-mac

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
alpha128 said:
I think it's a perfectly logical explanation of why he never showered.

But that doesn't explain why Sarah Jane didn't complain about the smell, or why the Doctor failed to comment on how lucky he was to have a respiratory bypass. :emoji_wink:
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Possibly...

Personally, I think he did shower. However, he didn't use an old-fashioned water shower, but instead used a sonic shower.

Or some other equally advanced Kraal technological device for keeping clean.
 
chainsaw_metal1

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
My local PBS played this tonight. It had been years since I had last viewed it, and it's still a fun romp, if not exactly cohesive. It's sad knowing Mary Tamm won't be back, yet nice to see Lalla Ward brought in, if not actually Romana yet. Personally, my favorite stuff in this serial are the parts with The Doctor and Drax. I really wish they had done more with that character. I love him calling The Doctor Theet.

Honestly, it feels sort of anti-climactic to have them spend an entire series going after the Key to Time, just to have him destroy it at the end. I know why he did it, and it's heroic, but it just seems like it negates the whole point. And Astra gets a happy ending. What, did Moffat find a TARDIS, go back in time, find the writer and say "Hey, this whole killing people and having them stay dead, yeah, I have a great idea"?

But, in the end, I did enjoy it;. And as the cool kids say, #bringbackdrax.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
While Tom clearly stayed with the show too long, I thought that it was still interesting to see him chafing and sulking against the strictures of JNT and Bidmead, - yet ultimately producing that more sombre Doctor of Season 18.
 
Gavin

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
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alpha128 said:
I own fourteen Who stories on DVD and thirteen of them are Tom Baker stories.
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Now I'm curious to know what the other story is :emoji_relaxed:

Doctor Omega said:
more sombre Doctor of Season 18
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Which is largely the result of JNT and Bidmead putting pressure on him to reduce the level of silliness that had been creeping in over the previous couple of seasons. And also the cause of Tom Baker's growing dissatisfaction and part of the reason for his decision to quit.
 
Gavin

Gavin

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alpha128 said:
Doctor Who: The Time Warrior (Story 70, Four Parts)
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It's funny but when I first read the novelisation of this one (before I'd seen the episodes) I pictured Tom Baker in this. I hadn't realised that Sarah Jane had been a companion of both Doctors so I presumed it was a Fourth Doctor story. And either the cover didn't help me discover otherwise or I completely ignored it.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Wow! Tom Baker in The Time Warrior. Target Books did have a way of inadvertently messing with your mind sometimes! Not always helped by their inaccurate covers!


 
Gavin

Gavin

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One of the things I like to do sometimes is imagine how different Doctors would work in various stories. It's an interesting thought experiment. Sometimes its an easy fit, with just a change in voice. Other times it would make for quite a different story. For example, the end of Tom Baker's run is a relatively easy match for Peter Davison (probably because Christopher Bidmead was script editor for both). Alternatively its much harder to fit Colin Baker into a William Hartnell story.
 
alpha128

alpha128

Member: Rank 3
Gavin said:
It's funny but when I first read the novelisation of this one (before I'd seen the episodes) I pictured Tom Baker in this. I hadn't realised that Sarah Jane had been a companion of both Doctors so I presumed it was a Fourth Doctor story. And either the cover didn't help me discover otherwise or I completely ignored it.
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I bought "The Time Warrior" and "The Masque of Mandragora" DVDs at the same time. And there is some similarity between the two stories. In both an alien goes back in time, to the Middle Ages and the 15th century respectively, and tries to interfere with mankind's development. There is even similar dialogue:

DOCTOR: Yes, that's right. And my people are very keen to stamp out unlicensed time travel. You can look upon them as galactic ticket inspectors, if you like.

DOCTOR: Well, you see, that's a great pity because I can't allow you to interfere with Earth's progress. It's part of a Time Lord's job to insist on justice for all species.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
alpha128 said:
How did Terrence Dicks explain that Guy Crayford didn't realize he had two good eyes?
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Sadly, he didn't, but here is Terrance trying to wrap up all the plotholes that he did spot - at the end of the Target novelisation.....

"The Doctor smiled and helped (Sarah) to her feet. There was still much to be done.The immobilised androids would have to be collected and dismantled before the low level scanner beam could be switched off. But soon life in the Space Research centre - and in Devesham village - would return to normal. Marshal Chedaki would wait in vain for Styggron's signal to bring the invasion fleet of the Kraals to an unsuspecting Earth. With Styggron dead, his master-plan had come to nothing. The android invasion was over."

Good old Terrance. Papering over Terry Nation's can't be arsed, lazy plotting! :emoji_alien:
 
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