David Tennant Week

Hello and welcome back to the dark recesses of my mind. Last week I went AWOL(Absent WithOut Leave) due to the fact of trying to find a decent at home job. However, the great state of Nebraska is so greedy and myopic with view they have annexed many an at home job offers away that it is very difficult to find something with decent hours and fair pay. Y'know, like any other job market out there but worry not because we shall carry on regardless.

OooOo sat on myself.  Stings a bit.

This week I have chosen an actor to follow and hopefully I can drill it in the heads of several Americans that the fellow in question has done more than one character on TV as well as a few movies. He is an acclaimed Shakespearean actor that has starred in several plays, one of which was Much To Do About Nothing with his co-star Catherine Tate. He has played legendary debaucherous and decadent Cassanova to a hardened Detective Inspector Carlisle. He has been in Doctor Who for more than 4 years including two animated movies and a video game.

Voice work also allowed him to children material such as The Pirates! Band of Misfits, How to Train Your Dragon and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I speak of none other than David Tennant. This week we shall see the famous 10^th Doctor in other roles of both past and present. Okay so it is a bit of a time lord feel but sue me, it is the easiest look for me to cosplay.

That being said, let's start the week right. Allons-y!!

Just establishing I have more female and male fans panting over me, Matt.

5 of the 10th Tales: New Earth

Greetings to Day 1 of 5 of the 10^th Tales. We view the Doctor fresh from his regeneration, disappointed that he is still not ginger, he manages to move on and explore the vast unknown universe with Rose Tyler (Billie Piper of Spirit Trap, Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The Shadow in the North and Penny Dreadful) on their way to New New York. This is New Earth.

It's only a model.

After thwarting the alien invasion of the Sycorax via the Christmas special, we see the Doctor prepping the TARDIS for yet another adventure with Rose at his side.

With the lost of the original Earth, humanity simply colonized another planet of similar conditions. Viewing this stupendous mega city (No Judge Dredds wanted!) the Doctor receives a message on his psychic paper to "Ward 26. Please Help." in this substantial hospital ran by cat humanoids known as the Sisters of Plentitude treating almost every known ailment found in the universe and even able to combat new potential illnesses with an amazing rate.

I'm warm.  You warm?  Bloody coat!

The Doctor and Rose get separated in the turbolifts and he does warn her of the decontamination process they will undergo. While the Doctor is roaming about Ward 26 seeing beings suffering from ailments that are ravaging their bodies, the care they are be furnished should not be helping these in most cases are terminal and yet they are recovering. The Doctor asks one of the cat nuns Sister Jatt (Adjoa Andoh of Casualty, Jet Ski Riders, Fable, The Bill, Doctor Who and Dante's Inferno) how is this possible and she lets him off with an idle platitude of working in mysterious ways.

Meanwhile Rose finds herself in a basement area with some pasty albino and Cassandra of from the year 5 billion as the Earth got roasted by the sun going supernova. But Cassandra passed on, so how can she be here? Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker of The Blackheath Poisonings, Love Hurts, Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and My Week with Marilyn) informs Rose that strange things are happening in this hospital and not all is what it seems... and then performs a body snatch, claiming Rose's body as her own and pushing Rose's persona back in the farther reaches of the brain.

With a mystery at his fingertips, his companion behaving strangely and the cat nuns seems to be secretive, The Doctor's itch needs to be scratched. Will the mystery be solved? Can the Doctor help Rose and all the patients of this hospital?

A few comments to be made on the episode. All of Billie Piper and David Tennant's dialogue had to be re-dubbed in the studio due to the windy conditions on the location shoot their microphones. Eight million viewer watched this episode on its original transmission.

Billie Piper's boyfriend at the time rammed his car into the prop known as the Face of Boe by accident on his way to visit her on the set. What a way to ingratiate yourself to the crew.

Cat breath is horrendous. Gave her a Greenie though. All better.

5 of 10th Tales

Hello boys and girls and welcome to the week! It took a bit of time to come up with the week in question but then after cosplaying the fellow in question more than a few times it just made sense. I speak of the 10^th Doctor played by David Tennant.

Wonder the radioactivity is a bit high? Ah, it looks cool.

You see, 9 a.k.a. Chris Eccelston restarted this franchise after 16 years not being on the air, was a bit grumpy and snarky and at the end was able to do the right thing as always. Being one of the few survivors of the Time War, the Doctor was broken and lost until interacting with Rose Tyler, a human girl that managed to get through his chitinous armor and make his hearts renew but a major plot device allowed for the Doctor to regenerate into a tall, lanky fellow that defeated an alien invasion in a dressing gown and jim jams. Donning a brown suit with white trainers or a blue suit and maroon trainers because... well he is different.

With each incarnation of the Doctor is a different personality, style and pizzaz. The ladies seem to adore him and the fellas want to be him. With a insane behavior similar to Tom Baker's 4^th Doctor then sudden dead serious when the situation calls for it, our Doctor leaps over the chasms, draws swords against great odds and wows the universe. Tennant did three seasons, two animated movies, 3 christmas specials and five TV movie sagas including the 50^th anniversary of Doctor Who, Tennant's 10 is beloved by many and deemed one of the most popular Doctors in the series. It is also one of the more easier Doctor garb to wear.

With this all in mind Rotten Reelz Reviews presents: 5 of the 10^th Tales. Enjoy!

Trust me when I say you do not want to be probed by this sonic.

Doctor's Regeneration Week: Spearhead in Space

Welcome to the later day of the Doctor’s Regeneration Week and this time around I thought we would take a look at that Jon Pertwee fellow for the time being. The Timelords are merciful as much as they can be cruel and now and then they must administer justice.  So grab your sonic screwdriver, prep flight and dimension coordinates for the journey.  This is Dr. Who: Spearhead in Space.

 

Yes it is an improvement.

Lethbridge-Stewart: In the last decade, we’ve been sending probes deeper and deeper into spoiler.  We’ve drawn attention to ourselves, Miss Shaw.

Towards the end of his trial with the Timelords, War Lord protested his guilt of his war games and noted that the Doctor interfered in the progression of their life, with a further accusation of the Doctor assisting me directly.   The Doctor (Patrick Troughton of Doctor Who, The Two of Us, Yesterday’s Dreams and Knights of God) denies everything and claims to never break the sacred oath of non-interference to other planets and different races.  Directly after the War Lord’s trial, the Doctor finds himself on the hot plate of justice and boy howdy it burns.  The Timelords choose to strip him of the knowledge of traveling through time and space and regenerate him into a form that is blissfully unaware of the full use of the TARDIS.  

Kryten??

The Doctor (Jon Pertwee of Will Any Gentleman…?, Jackanory, Doctor Who, The House That Dripped Blood and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen) falls in and out of consciousness in a local hospital in Oxley Woods at the same time UNIT is investigating a shower of bizarre meteorites.   They would not of even bother until a few people went missing in the area of Oxley Woods when the hospital reports a strange tall man that has no ID, has two hearts and does not seems to be human.

Brigadier Sewart (Nicholas Courtney of All Creatures Great and Small, To Catch a King, Doctor Who, Then Churchill Said to Me and The Sarah Jane Adventures) recruits Dr. Liz Shaw (Caroline John of Doctor Who, The Woman in Black, P.R.O.B.E.: The Devil of Winterborne, Love Actually and Doctors) to observe the meteorites and the Doctor is abducted by three plastic men with a shoot out with UNIT soldiers.  After that, the Doctor manages to acquire some clothes, some of his memories and gets hold of a buggy car to visit UNIT HQ to facilitate in the investigation knowing full well that UNIT is ill-prepared to the situation.

The Doctor explains to Dr. Shaw and the Brigadier that the meteorites are actually a living plastic known as the Nestine consciousness and how they plan to take out the planet for its toxics and chemicals.  The Brigadier is cautious to trust this man and realizes that he is indeed the Doctor regardless how much he has changed.  Organizing UNIT to do intelligence gathering on the local plastic companies to find out where the Nestine is held up at and stopping this impending invasion.

Blimey, England again??! *kicks TARDIS*

Doctor's Regeneration Week:The Power of the Daleks

Hey there kids and welcome back to Day 2 of Doctor’s Regeneration Week and as promised from last blog I am jumping back into the first regeneration ever and its reason why.  The very first Doctor William Hartnell of While Parents Sleep, Nothing Like Publicity, They Drive by Night, Too Dangerous to Live and They Came by Night was suffering from arteriosclerosis (a hardening of the arteries) making it difficult to say lines and often quite winded after the physicality required of running about.  So the producer Verity Lambert suggested the Doctor is an alien why not have him renew himself with a different body and thus the series was saved.   Hartnell even suggested Patrick Trouton (Hamlet, Doctor Who, Scars of Dracula, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger and The Omen) as a possible Doctor.  Without more fanfare this is Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks.

Dandruff shampoo!...not working!!!

Hensell: Now look here- I run this Colony. I’m entitled to know why you have come to Spoiler? What is your brief?

The Doctor: I am the Examiner.

Hensell: Why are you here?

The Doctor: To examine. And I intend to start my examination at once!

After defusing the Z-Bomb, being exposed to radiation and tiring his body completely out the Doctor strolls into the TARDIS telling both Ben and Polly this old body is a bit worn down then collapses on the floor.  In replace of the cantankerous grump with a heart of gold lays a younger man who bounds upward and babbles profusely about the Doctor, his collection and discoveries.  Ben and Polly both are startled that this man seems different than the Doctor they have come to know pulling them out of scrapes and danger but try their level best to inform him of who he is.  The Doctor starts reading vigorously through his own journal taking in all the accounts and tales of woe and triumph in the journal when the TARDIS comes out of flight has landed some time ago. 

Yes, a mercury filled swamp is ideal for a picnic.

The Doctor feels like a stroll and proceeds to head out with Ben and Polly in hot pursuit.

Finding themselves on Earth Colony Vulcan they move about looking at the technology and see a ship that is being unearthed (or unvulcaned) holding three complete Daleks.   The Doctor warns Hensell to leave them where they are but he will hear nothing of it as the Daleks promise to be subservient to Vulcan.   Quicker than you can scream, “This is a dreadful mistake and you are best to walk away, now.” The Daleks loose the benevolent ways and right back into the genocidal tendencies of extermination all things not Dalek.   Yes I am sure a few Whovians saw that maneuver coming more than a light year away.

 Polly, Ben and the Doctor must come up with a plan to defeat the Daleks and save Earth Colony Vulcan before the Daleks can send word back to their empire on Skaro.  Can they manage with all the madness or will they themselves become servants of the Daleks?   Oh go and watch it.   It is a great episode!

Either we exterminate these drapes or I am leaving...

Doctor Who Week: Tom Baker

Howdy Whovians and welcome to Day 4 of Doctor Who Week.  When we last left the Doctor he was in this third incarnation.  As the years passed and companions left his company, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee of the House That Dripped Blood, Adventures of a Private Eye, SuperTed, and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen) had remained with UNIT and had teamed up with a charming lady reporter by the name of Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen of Take My Wife, Dempsey and Makepeace, K-9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend and The Sarah Jane Adventures) and at the advice of a fellow Timelord K’anpo that the Doctor must face his fear and defeat this Planet of Spiders by returning a crystal to the Great One.  Through thick and thin the Doctor manages this very task but at the cost of his own life…of course that is not really the end is it?  So grab your 9 foot scarf, break out the sonic screwdriver and get your tin dog on the case.  This is Dr. Who:  Robot.

 

Stop looking up my nostrils. It is disconcerting.

You may be *a* Spoiler but I’m *the* Spoiler. The definite article, you might say.

The Doctor’s regeneration has left him yet again a bit barmy (another technical term, often medical) and seems a bit out of sync.  Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney of Then Churchill Said to Me, Downtime, TravelWise, Doctors and The Sarah Jane Adventures) finds his friend altering his appearance yet again and this time into a tall curly haired hawkish nosed man bounding around and complaining about his clothes.   Brigadier begins to calm Sarah down and explain that the Doctor has done this sort of thing before and best to take it in stride.  

Must saving the world interrupt my LARP time?

Meanwhile in the National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research or “Think Tank” as it is more colloquially known, the top secret plans for a disintegrator gun have gone missing.  The Doctor (Tom Baker of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Black-Adder II, The Silver Chair, Selling Hitler, Medics and Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior) and the Brigadier with a cadre of men from UNIT have gone to investigate when the Doctor notices large rectangular footprints and crushed flowers.

  Sarah Jane goes off to interview one of the former members of Think Tank a Professor Kettlewell and he proceeds to tell her of a immense robot called the K-1 he developed years ago but its learning processes were too advanced and he felt it was a power that could easily go out of control.  He further explains that no one at Think Tank have the responsibility or morals to use the K-1 properly.

 

Two for tea?

I have just a few thoughts or interjections at this time.  While the massive robot is clearly superimposed (placing an image or video on top of an already existing image or video), the bulky costume that it was clearly has hinge joints and seams where a man would enter it and it did seem a bit farfetched to have that effective an AI I felt this story gave a great example of brilliant minds feeling they could not only do better at managing the world without the aid or need of politicians or governments I can say I see their point of view.

Twiki's big brother, Crusher.

That being said this lot was completely crackers and was perverting the concept of science which is to better humanity and bring a sense of accomplishment to benefit all.  OH and a FYI, Tom Baker was the first Doctor to have his own action figure made by Mego along with Leela, a Dalek and the robot of this episode. That is all for this day and join me for the final day of Doctor Who Week tomorrow.  Don’t skip away too soon Tom Baker fans.

Doctor Who Week: Jon Pertwee

Welcome boys and girls to Day 3 of Doctor Who Week as we leave Patrick Troughton as the Doctor was last seen in War Games alongside his companions Zoe (Wendy Padbury of Charlie Bubbles, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, Freewheelers and Emmerdale) and Jamie (Frazer Hines of Peril for the Guy, Go Kart Go, Emmerdale and Out of Sight) as the Doctor and rogue Timelord know as Warlord were being held for trial by the Timelords, they felt Troughton had misbehaved, blatantly ignoring the rule of non-interference and stealing the TARDIS the Timelords forced a regeneration on the Doctor, wiping all memory of the TARDIS operation and sent him into exile to Earth.  Enough of that twaddle.  Let’s get to the heart of the matter and introduce you to the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee.   So grab your best running shoes, learn to hide behind a boulder and avoid extermination.  This is Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons

I'm hardly a dandy.

Spoiler is a complete jackanapes! All he ever does is cause trouble.

Starting with episode 1 of Season 8 and this particular show has a myriad of firsts. the Doctor (Jon Pertwee of Carry on Cowboy, Carry on Screaming!, The Avengers and Jackanory) is aware of who he is and what has occurred and promises to behave himself in exile.  Rejoining UNIT (UNinfied Intelligence Taskforce) and baffling the hell out of his superior Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney of Endless Night, Watch This Space, Sink or Swim and To Catch a King) he proceeds to conduct his various experiments as his former companion Liz Shaw has left the Brigadier has hired a new assistant for the Doctor, Jo Grant (Katy Manning of Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something!, Eskimo Nell, Whodunnit? And Target). Prior to this bit of chitter chat, a rogue Timelord called the Master (Roger Delgado of Pursuit of the Graf Spee, First Man Into Space, The Road to Hong Kong and Aquarius) visits Earth in a TARDIS of his own, hypnotizes one of the locals to do his bidding and proceeds to steal a vital component called the Nestene Energy.

You are getting very sleepy.

His plan is simple enough; to create living plastic entities that follow his bidding and start taking over the universe.  You have to give it to the man, he never thinks small.  So with this in mind the Doctor, Brigadier and Jo are off to the carnival where all this started.

And now I have a bit of background on the origin of the Master and some observations thereafter.

The creative team that conceived the Master felt the Doctor would benefit from a reoccurring villain.  He was deemed the Professor Moriarty to the Doctor’s Sherlock Holmes if you will. Like the Doctor, his title is purely an academic degree and the Timelords would refer him as Lord Master. 

LINE!

The irony is his disdain for Pertwee could not be further from the truth as they were dear friends prior to working on Doctor Who.   The creation of the Nestene appeared in 1970 Spearhead from Space a hive mind sentient living plastic was deemed a bit daffy and was not among the Doctor Who Rogues gallery until 2005 when it was reintroduced in the Ninth Doctor’s intro story titled “Rose”.    Tomorrow we regenerate to Tom Baker.  Stay tuned!

Doctor Who: Patrick Troughton

Hiya kids we are back with Day 2 of Doctor Who Week and in spite of some requests for me to skip on ahead to Tom Baker I am sticking with the chronological order.  To recap, the Doctor had a lengthy battle with the Cybermen and seemed run down.  His stalwart companions Ben and Polly are worried and follow him into the TARDIS where the Doctor appears to be rapidly aging only to transform into a shorter and younger man.  Have they flipped?  Were they on a planet that makes you drop acid?  Have the writers pulled the wool over your eyes?  Let’s find out kids.  This is Doctor Who: The Power of The Daleks.

TV Viewers? Bah!  Go read a book.

Spoilers advance and attack! Attack and destroy!

The Doctor has gotten up from the floor of the TARDIS where it would appear he had simply dropped dead but instead of that matriarch scholar stands a man shorter and younger than he. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton of Hamlet, Macbeth, Treasure Island, The Phantom of the Opera, Jason and the Argonauts and The Omen) seems a bit perplexed, baffled as starts referring to himself, his past self in the third person.  Suffice to say things can go a bit wonky (that’s a technical term) with the regenerations.  Ben (Michael Craze of The Exorcism of Hugh, Terror, Evil Heritage and The Healer) and Polly (Anneke Wills of Some People, The Avengers, The Pleasure Girls and Strange Report) are bit of amiss to what is happened to the Doctor but  clearly it is still him as they head out of the TARDIS from its landing.  Ben and Polly protest as that they are not even certain they have landed, wither or not there is radiation or oxygen rich atmosphere.  The Doctor cracks up the 500 year old diary and without even looking up from it announces the temperature, oxygen content, negative on radiation and a curiously high concentration of mercury then proceed to stroll on out.

Why yes the pants are a breathable cotton/wool blend.

The misbegotten three find themselves on Earth colony Vulcan where the local scientist has made a 200 year old discovery and in spite of the Doctor warning this government and scientists and being slightly odd they unearth a vessel containing three Daleks.   The Daleks immediately recognize the Doctor based on his intelligence and Timelord DNA. Ben and Polly are somewhat at ease then.   Now it is up to the Doctor to thwart his old enemies, save the day and keep his young companions from harm.

I have just a few comments about this particular episode.  All six episodes were wiped by the BBC and there is no visual record of it, however through still and production shows and a wire recording the production company managed to piece together an almost radio drama of those original episodes and this is literally the only way to view it.  

Mammy!!

This story points out political and social upheaval between the working class, activists and a police state.  The Daleks take advantage of this chaos by behaving almost benevolently then the double cross ensues, followed by the triple cross for pudding.  A powerful and well thought out piece of science fiction but alas we do not have it in the medium we are accustomed to.

Doctor Who Week: William Hartnell

Welcome and hello to Day 1 of Doctor Who Week and I thought I would start us off with the very first actor to portray this monumental character of science fiction and start ushering a golden age for the genre.  So batten down the hatches, flip that defensive screen and take off the hand brake.  This is Doctor Who: The Dead Planet.

 

Gee, I wonder what this episode is about?

The only interest we have in the spoilers is their total extermination!!

The Doctor (William Hartnell of Sabotage at Sea, The Peterville Diamond, The Dark Tower, The Ringer, Hell Drivers and The Army Game) has shanghaied his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford of Horrors of the Black Museum, The Ghost Train Murder, The Day of the Triffids and Mix Me a Person) and her teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell of The Great Escape, Breaking Point, This Man Craig, Harriet’s Back in Town and Superman) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill of Joyous Errand, Out of This World, No Hiding Place and Romeo & Juliet) off  to an alien world with the TARDIS (Time and relative dimension in space) and the teachers demand to leave but our fuss budget  Doctor purposely sabotages the TARDIS so they need to look for mercury to repair it.   

Donner! Party of four.

Wandering out into this alien world it is noted that there are high concentrations of radiation and the party makes their way to a huge metal city.  As our brave four explore the city, Barbara gets separated from the rest of the part and is threatened by a creature with a metal arm.  Before too long the entire crew is captured by the Daleks.  Ian and Barbara feel horrible from the radiation in the area and Susan is sent back to the TARDIS to retrieve some anti-radiation pills when she comes across a second alien species known as the Thals.  These people have been engaging in war with the Daleks for some time.  Susan attempt to broker a peace treaty between the two warring factions and for a time it appears to be working but the Daleks open fire upon the Thals during a friendly exchange of food and supplies.  Yeah didn't see that one coming.

And now I have just a few remarks and observations about this particular episode.  This episode is the first appearance of the Daleks as a long running animosity towards the Doctor and his fellow Timelords.  This episode was watched by a little over 6 million viewer when it was originally aired. Their re-occurrence has of course continued into the current series as the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th Doctor has had to face his most hated enemy time and time again.

Vacuum cleaner salesmen will be exterminated!

 

This story follows almost a hostage escape scenario and the genocidal Daleks are completely devoid of emotion and mercy and have been a staple of this particular series.   This was filmed in 35mm anamorphic lens which does take the focus off your main foreground but can capture the whole surroundings of the film project.  As William Hartnell developed arteriosclerosis and made it near impossible to say his lines let alone run about, it was the producer Mervyn Pinfield came up with the concept that the Doctor could regenerate himself by altering his physiology into a completely different man but in essence the same fellow.  All memory and personality is still his and changes into Patrick Trouton and we shall go over the second doctor tomorrow.

Doctor Who Week!

Go around me then!

Bilbo Baggins! I have need of thee!!

My God, what a horrendous haircut she chose.

Good day ladies and gents.  Thought we could use a break from film genre and go right into some good old fashioned Science Fiction.  Oh don't worry we will not be seeing the likes of Lloyd Bridges nor Burt I Gordon or heaven forfend Roger Corman.  No I thought we would look at the humble beginnings of the UK's greatest sci-fi triumph, The Doctor.  So this week I will be filling some of the younger readers in on this phenomenal character and his many lives and our mature readers can reminisce over days of yesteryear.  So grab some decent running shoes, beware of rock quarries and for God's sake get the time spacial coordinates set.  It is time for Doctor Who!

Oh dear, I seem to forgotten my next line.

Yes Brigadier that is very common for a man your age.