Reply #29: Okey dokey

[Deja Q]

Probably a few television stories first; then move to the CD audios.

I will say the stories made in the 1960s have some very clever ideas; often held back by having to be stretched out to 6 or more episodes because of budgetary concerns and made at a leisurely pace.

Every story from 1963-1969 was made in black and white. That alone will turn off some people, which is unfortunate.

Many people cite "The Five Doctors" (1983) as a good intro story for potential fans. The 20th anniversary special, it brings back numerous actors and monsters for an engaging romp. Just don't analyze the plot too much, just roll along for the ride. Try to find the original version and not the "special edition". The SE has scenes moved or added (and proving why they were deleted in the first place), and revamped special effects that have dated worse than the original ones (odd, but true.)


Great stories (out on DVD) include (in chronological order):
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"The Daleks" (1963, William Hartnell) - introduces the Daleks and has a solid plot that ultimate centers on pacifism; the 5th and 6th episodes are slow-going and some of the dialogue is repetitive, but it speaks its points very well indeed.
"The Mind Robber" (1968, Patrick Troughton) is absolutely clever, fantastic, and timeless.
"The Claws of Axos" (1971, Jon Pertwee) is psychedelic in its approach, but the concept of organic spaceships and the Axons' intent are highly original. Just beware of an awful American accent.
"Robot" (1974, Tom Baker) is a fun romp, if not a bit woolly at the end. It introduces Tom Baker, the most popular Doctor ever.
"Carnival of Monsters" (1973, Jon Pertwee) is an intellectual romp -- Robert Holmes, the most prolific and intelligent writer of the whole series, has a lot to say about pet owners in this one...
"The Ark in Space" (1974, Tom Baker) was a series high point and may have been an influence for the movie "Alien" despite being made on a low budget
"The Pirate Planet" (1979, Tom Baker) is a masterpiece of sci-fi concept (though part of a long quest to obtain a key...)
"The Stones of Blood" (1979, Tom Baker) continues where "The Pirate Planet" left off; it starts out as horror but moves toward sci-fi later on.
"City of Death" (1980, Tom Baker) is another high point. By the same writer who wrote "The Pirate Planet", this one is also a perfect blend of sci-fi, drama, and humor.
"Kinda" (1982, Peter Davison) - definitely more adult (meaning a more cerebral plot)
"Snakedance" (1983, Peter Davison) - almost a sequel to "Kinda" and feels more like a conventional WHO story
"The Caves of Androzani" (1984, Peter Davison) - definitely more adult (violent, themes no children would care for) but is generally worth its praise, but it suffers from a lower budget, even at its 4 episodes length. Robert Holmes also wrote this one...

The new series, which started in 2005 (Christopher Eccleston) after a 16 year hiatus, features more soap opera, more incidental music, and more fantasy plots with deus ex machina endings than anything requiring intellect. Series 1, which also is laden with crude jokes, is also a story arc, requiring one to watch every episode in order. A shame, as the only good ones are episodes 3 ("The Unquiet Dead"), 6 ("Dalek"), 11 ("Boom Town"), 12 ("Bad Wolf"), and 13 ("The Parting of the Ways").

The 2006 (David Tennant) year is a bit better, but there's nothing particularly special about it despite being an overall improvement, with fewer crass jokes and more storylines that try to incorporate more sci-fi as well as trying to be more coherent sci-fantasy. The arc linking this series feels far less natural too, and the season finale ends on a really pantomime note. The "Mickey Trilogy" ("School Reunion", "The Girl in the Fireplace", and "The Rise of the Cybermen") are the only ones I can really recommend. I did like "The Idiot's Lantern" as well... these stories don't rely on the season's story arc, fortunately. But the trilogy should be watched in order. "Army of Ghosts", if taken as a one-off and avoiding what it leads into at the end, is a very high point indeed.

The 2007 year (David Tennant) is by far the best and most consistent in terms of quality. Martha Jones is a superb companion, the crass jokes are by and large gone, racism in the episodes where the Doctor and Martha go back to Earth's past are very well handled... I'd readily recommend "The Shakespeare Code", "42", "The Lazarus Experiment" (this one sets up the arc), "Human Nature"/"The Family of Blood", "Utopia" (and the next two episodes as it's a 3-parter that also wraps up the season, even if the final two episodes aren't quite as good...) Watch all these in order, but series 3 really packs a punch I can't recommend enough.

I'd start with the original "The Five Doctors" is possible, then move to the Tom Baker stories and move on to David Tennant's 2007 season ("Series 3" - which is due out on DVD on November 6.) From there go for The Mind Robber and The Claws of Axos, then check out The Caves of Androzani.

Just my two cents.