Spearhead From Space

Figured I check out the Third Doctor for a change. I've only seen him in the Five Doctors so far, so I'd like to really see him in action. Also I think this episode has the Brigadier in is, which is funny 'cause I just saw him old and now I'll see him young again. Let's see how this goes.

I just got the "Who's Elizabeth Shore" comment from the beginning of Battlefield when the Doctor gives Ace a fake ID. She's introduced in this episode. Also, every new Doctor is made to complain about what he looks like during their first episode. They look in the mirror and go "Oh, I'm hideous! Look at my horrible face! And this hair!" It's a bit cruel. But funny, of course. Oh, John Pertwee is being adorable. I didn't know he did that. Cuddling his shoes like that. I like recently-regenerated crazy Doctor. And oh my god. It's a wheelchair chase.

Alright, now the Doctor's been shot (I think), and he intentionally went into a kind of super-coma. I think this is probably what Romana did in Destiny of the Daleks when she had to pretend she was dead to get out of the mines. Only a real medical investigation could reveal he was alive, so Romana would probably get away with it. Somehow he thought his TARDIS key would be safe in his fist, though. Luckily it was picked up by UNIT people and not anyone more destructive.

Anyway, now it looks like aliens have invaded and taken over a doll factory. Alright. And Elizabeth Shore says the "meteorite" thing is artificial. Well, seeing as it had a plastic casing and was glowing all different colours and making computer noises, I think that's likely. And WOAH! There's a walking mannequin! Spooky.

WAAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!! WHY????? WHY????? Ok, not that horrible, I guess. But it IS John Pertwee taking a shower, not necessarily wearing any bottoms... though it's tough to tell. WOAH! Does he have a tattoo??? Crazy! That was an... interesting scene. Ah, and he just found his Third Doctor outfit in a hospital dressing room. Nothing's changed, I guess. Heh, he just stole a car. He's like Katherine Hepburn.

Ooohhh... it wasn't the TARDIS key. I wonder where it is?

Oh, man! Looking ahead, Third Doctor episodes are massive! Like seven parts each! I think I might either skip to some short ones or check out Patrick Troughton, or go back to some nice comfortable Tom Baker. Terror of the Zygons looks good.

Ah, no, it was the TARDIS key, it just doesn't work when anyone but the Doctor uses it.

Hey, wait a minute... that's not a dog... that's just a guy making dog noises! I'm sure of it! The BBC couldn't even afford a dog? Times must have been tough indeed.

Mmm, Autons. A plastic brain falls from the sky and takes over mannequins so it can walk around and kill things. Something like that. The motivation is a bit unclear. Oh, ha, the guy who's now an Auton but nobody knows it is made of plastic so he's all shiny but it just looks like he's really sweaty.

Aaahhh... and at the end, he calls himself John Smith, I think for the first time. I suppose I'll find out when I've watched all of One and Two. Ok, so that episode was perfectly fine. Not the most exciting or engaging, but fine. Hmm... what next? I'm not tiring of this at all, you know.

Battlefield

Could the young black female Brigadier seem any less interested in the events happening around her? Anyway. The Doctor is getting angry and a bit dark. This episode comes right after the Greatest Show in the Galaxy, so there's nothing I'm missing, I don't think. But the first time you see the Doctor and Ace in this episode he seems unbelievably irritated with her. Maybe he just doesn't like her that much, but I don't think that's it. I think maybe it's that the Doctor is beginning to realize and appreciate how old he is, and he doesn't feel like he needs such a youthful, enthusiastic companion. Of course, he does warm up a bit in. Maybe he was shaken by having to regurgitate eggs for his very life in the previous episode. And we see some definite responsible old man characteristics coming through when he sternly tells Ace not to order any booze. Anyway, he is getting a bit grim, I think. Though I don't think nine, ten, or eleven would ever say the words "One of these days we're going to have a nice long talk. About acceptable safety standards."

Now, onto the story. I think I may have misunderstood the Arthur legend in a couple of places. This is confusing. More importantly, the Doctor is Merlin at some point, possibly in an alternate universe. But it is suggested that it really is his own future, what with the letter he leaves for himself in Arthur's helmet. Although, it is also confusing because it's just confusing. There's some evil guy who thinks he's the shit, then there's his mom in a solid metal top, and Ace pulled the sword from the stone, there's some blond knight bothering the young brigadier, and there's some magic and evil and a flying green snake-dragon. And the young brigadier is kickass.

Holy god, the Doctor just did a Jedi mind trick... I mean he really really did. Watch it! It's exactly what he did!

You get a report from the hotel where Ace and the cool Asian chick are hanging out waiting to be attacked by an evil sorceress and the report says "Night has fallen" and you say you'll "deal with it later"? Are you kidding? That is so obviously significant.

Well, whatever. This episode is not one of my favourites. I mean it's ok, but it's really not very memorable. And the young brigadier's thing with the blonde guy is funny. And I do not appreciate the stripping blue lizard monster. I mean really, ripping off his shirt like a Chippendales dancer.

ACE JUST SAID GERONIMO!!! Neat. I mean, not that the Doctor heard it or anything, but I think it was funny.

Can I just write out the Doctor's speech about nuclear weapons, while keeping in mind what he did to end the Time War:

"Death, falling from the sky? Blind, random, anywhere, any time? No one is safe, no one is innocent. Machines of death, Morgaine, stringing from above, of light brighter than the sun. Not a war between armies, or a war between nations, but just death, death gone mad! A child looks up into the sky, his eyes turn to cinders. No more tears, only ashes. Is this honour? Is this war? Are these the weapons you would use?!"

And I swear the "you" at the end there sounded a lot like a "we".

Well, the Brigadier was alright in the end and he went back to Doris and lived happily ever after. Another happy ending...



Thoughts:
Look! An Asian!
The knight people look ridiculous. And they fight like the Black Knight. Except for the ray guns, of course.
By the way, what is that Russian guy doing in UNIT?
I feel like blind people probably aren't universally psychic in the real world.
Yay, it's the Brigadier!
The Brigadier says "I don't care if it's the king"... but they didn't have a king, did they? They hadn't had one since 1952, had they?
That blonde guy looks uncomfortably familiar...
And I fear for the Brigadier's life, now that he's promised his wife he'll come back safe.
Some people really need to work on their evil laughs. Mordred, for example.
The green flying snake thing looks quite a bit like Prisoner Zero.
Oh god, Mordred, really. Stop laughing. Really do.
Oh, god! Morgaine needs to stop laughing too!
Hey! Ghostbusters technology!


Favourite Quotes:
"How can he be the same man if his appearance and personality have changed?"
"He gets upset when I talk about explosives."
"Yes! Remember Bayden and my mighty arc!"
"Your wife? With your aspect, it is well that she is blind! Ha ha ha ha!"
"I cannot break the enchantment." "But I... am..." <- I swear, that's what I heard.
"Who said anything about chess? I'm playing poker!" *Ace comes through the portal and knocks down Morgaine* "And I've got an Ace up my sleeve!"

A wonderful clip