From: jogulin@pub_one.fia.dmg.ml.com (Joseph Ogulin)
Subject: ARCHIVE: Review of the JN-T Era of Doctor Who, Part 4
Organization: The Rift from Here to There
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 13:09:42 GMT

One more for the day...

*************************** CUT HERE ***********************
Uh oh...we're back...
 
 
We never got to finish our review due to the body's  natural
desire  to sleep...I'm sure the Rani could've done something
about that, but...
 
 
Anyway, we left off at the beginning of season 21...
 
 
Warriors of the Deep -
 
     The return of the Silurians and Sea  Devils  (known  to
some  of  us as leftovers, part 1 of 4).  Well, you know Who
lands the you know WHAT inside a subsea station.   Here,  we
find  lots  of  submarine subterfuge (uh oh...), and the S &
SD's trying to exploit the current world political situation
to effect the destruction of humanity (see what we mean...).
Well, you know Who reluctantly helps to  destory  them,  and
succeeds,  complaining  that "there should have been another
way."
 
     A blatant anti-nuke preach.  Episode 4 has  impact.   A
bit  slow  in developing, and some interesting ideas within,
but overall, a mish-mash of previous stuff.
 
 
The Awakening -
 
     Too short to warrant a summary, though saying  that  it
is The Daemons in two episodes is enough.
 
     It should have been called The  Dozing.   Need  we  say
more?
 
 
Frontios -
 
     Travelling well past where any good time lord has  gone
before,  you  know  Who  finds  himself with one of the last
human colonies in the universe.  For some  reason,  the  guy
who worked for the guy with the chicken on his head seems to
know that there were  Tractators  underfoot.   Somehow,  the
leader  of these was able to destroy the you know WHAT, take
over, and put it back together, no less, whereupon you  know
Who dumped it on another, barren planet which only Who would
know.
 
     Chris Bidmead seems to specialize in  confusing  people
with  very hasty explanations at the end (cf.  Logopolis and
Castrovalva).  Interesting, as are all Bidmead stories.
 
 
Resurrection of the Daleks -
 
     No summary needed.   See  Earthshock,  only  substitute
Daleks for Cybermen and add Davros and Lytton.
 
     This is the first story shown in  45  minute  episodes,
and  was  originally  supposed  to follow The King's Demons.
Lytton is about the only redeeming feature of this fiasco.
 
     Joe:  Another feature/detriment:  Tegan leaves.
 
 
Planet of Fire -
 
     You know who is back and is after you know Who,  again,
using  K-9  mk IV (on legs).  Other than that, this story is
all about the guy who worked for the guy with the chicken on
his head (we finally learn his origins...hooray...).
 
     Isn't the bit about religion a bit  much?   Well,  this
one  also  had  a  feature/detriment:  Peri enters. ;-)  Yet
another companion disrobes before an exit as it were.
 
 
The Caves of Androzani -
 
     Spectrox:  the fountain of youth.  Spectrox:  a  deadly
poison  when  raw.  Guess Who and who manage to find the bad
stuff.  Well, on their slow road to  death,  they  encounter
some  real shifty characters (and we don't mean gear shifts,
except at the episode 3 cliffhanger...).  The man who thinks
it  is always Halloween has a crush on the girl with the big
ones (legs ain't what we mean here... ;-) ), so  he  kidnaps
her,  and  you  know  Who  has  to  rescue her.  He does (of
course), but not before our shifty characters off each other
and  he  gets  enough  antidote for Spectrox Toxemia...bat's
milk.  Oops...   did  some  spill?   Only  enough  left  for
"Legs"?  Oh well, time to regenerate.
 
     Far and away, the BEST story of JN-T's era.  Good char-
acters, believable situation, excellent script, great music,
excellent direction, and a host of other good things, not to
mention big-name actors.  Pity this is never repeated again.
Best cliffhanger is episode 3's.
 
 
The Twin Dilemma -
 
     Dilemma's a perfect description of the story.
 
     (Someone want to cage us before we really go crazy with
this one?)  THE ABSOLUTE WORST!  A lesson in contrasts.  HOW
the f**k could JN-T allow this monstrosity to  be  made  and
broadcast??   I've  seen Sarah Jane in love stories that are
better  than  this.   (No,  Louis,  don't  do  that  to  the
keyboard...LOUIS!!!!!!!)
 
 
 
Season overall -
 
     (Down, boy, down!)   A  real  yo-yo.   Inconsistent  in
quality everywhere.  'nuff said.
 
 
 
Seasonal trivia:
 
-    What's the last line of Caves, part 3?
 
-    True or False:  Resurrection of the Daleks  was  origi-
     nally in standard length.
 
-    Why was Twin Dilemma in this  season  rather  than  the
     next (a break from tradition)?
 
-    Why does Ron Katz think that Twin Dilemma is  the  best
     regeneration story of them all?
 
 
                                            --The crazy ones
 


-- 
==> "You never f**king know the answer when it's important." --The Doctor <==
Joe Ogulin

jogulin@camelot.fia.dmg.ml.com		joe@monroe.pilot.dmg.ml.com
jogulin@apollo.stevens-tech.edu		gcs_jogulin@stevens.bitnet

Disclaimer:  The above article is solely my opinion and does not necessar-
ily reflect that of my employer.  The content is my responsibility alone.