altariel | Doctor Who: season 21

Warriors of the Deep

altariel: Right. It is probably not very good, is it. But. I kind of enjoyed it.

mraltariel: Me too. The performances have a conviction the designers couldn't muster.

altariel: Yes, that's exactly it.

mraltariel: There. Well done us.

The Awakening

altariel: Obviously, this is brilliant.

mraltariel: We love the Civil War in this house!

altariel: This is what The Stone Tape should be.

mraltariel: Exactly. Everyone is magnificent. "They burned Queen of the May!"

Frontios

altariel: Go for it. You've waited for months.

mraltariel: This is the most stupid story ever. The script is absolutely full of total inconsistent rubbish. The monsters are rubbish. It looks like it was made at the back of an old Hartnell set in Lime Grove that has been left unloved for twenty years. I hate it.

altariel: Look! Giant grubs!

mraltariel: *froths with fear* Actually, I lied. They're rubbish too.

altariel: Well, I hadn't seen it since it was on. So, it was quite interesting to see it. But my major source of entertainment came from your face for the duration of the story. That was a picture.

mraltariel: Could you tell I wasn't enjoying it, then? I really tried.

altariel: I can't see why it is worse than many other stories we have seen.

mraltariel: I don't know? It just really makes my blood boil.

altariel: Your face really was funny.

Resurrection of the Daleks

altariel: I hate this. Video nasty. I'd've left too, if I was Tegan.

mraltariel: I agree. It is not totally without good bits - Lytton is a great villain, and the Daleks are a bona fide threat. But it is unnecessarily graphic. The face-melty-gas in particular puts you off your porridge.

altariel: I hate it when gratuitous becomes a synonym for grown-up. That's adolescent.

mraltariel: Nasty taste in the mouth.

Planet of Fire

mraltariel: Speaking of gratuitous. Peri's bikini.

altariel: Turlough's trunks.

mraltariel: Wyngarde's. Just Wyngarde. He's smashing.

altariel: It's fine. It's not brilliant, but it is fine.

mraltariel: Yeah. It sort of never gets going, and then it ends. And Turlough's off.

The Caves of Androzani

altariel: Well, this is what you watch Doctor Who for, isn't it?

mraltariel: It certainly is. Three of the best cliffhangers in the show's history.

altariel: Violent, but not gratuitous.

mraltariel: Bits to camera...

altariel: So relentless. The pace doesn't stop. It is like you start watching it, and you're holding your breath for the next ninety minutes.

mraltariel: Or in our case, four days. I thought you'd gone a bit blue.

The Twin Dilemma

altariel: Yerrrs.

mraltariel: Colin! What are you wearing?

altariel: It's not "Androzani", is it?

mraltariel: No. But it is not that bad, either. The twins are actually quite good.

altariel: Hugo's great.

mraltariel: And I like a bit of Maurice Denham. Plus, the writer must have been *really* pissed off about his garden.

altariel: It's not "Androzani", is it?

Ranking
The Caves of Androzani
The Awakening
Planet of Fire
Warriors of the Deep
The Twin Dilemma
Resurrection of the Daleks / Frontios

altariel: Well, I'm not sure Colin is served by his introduction. I always feel he's fighting against his stories. It is a shame.

mraltariel: And it is not exactly a classic season on which Davison bows out.

altariel: Again, a couple of strong stories, and a lot of meh.

mraltariel: The strong stories are amongst the best of "Doctor Who", though. And then, there's a couple of really, really sucky ones.

altariel: Tegan is one of my favourite companions in the show; a proto-Donna.

mraltariel: Let's take a moment to say cheerio to Tegan.

altariel and

mraltariel (wearing cricket hats): Cheerio! Cheerio! Cheerio!

mraltariel: I don't think that came out the way we intended.