Sunday 17 January 2016

The Time Warrior


Love the new season 11 title sequence. So different.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedlyThey should've kept the opening seconds for the Tom Baker years. Coolest effect in the whole show.
Not sure a full length shot of Pertwee for the titles was the best choice. Head and shoulders like Tom would be better, I think. 
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCastThe silhouette section is spectacular :)
The diamond logo, hurrah! 


MAW Holmes ‏@MAW_H Introducing the potato to medieval England (ho, ho...) :-) Actually, I like to think Lynx had a craving for chips & "Osmic Projected" himself forward to steal some from Ireland, thus instigating one of the tragedies of history (the utter bastard).

Watching with the new CGI effects this time round.

Not so keen on the crashing ship here or the explosion at the end but all the other effects fit very nicely, I think.

England, in the 13th Century and robber barron Irongron is low on supplies.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedlyWe've all had neighbours like Irongron, right?

Considering Robert Holmes had the setting foisted on him, he really gets his teeth into the medieval stuff.

After the inventiveness of Terror Of The Autons & the satire of Carnival Of Monsters, The Time Warrior is Holmes on all cylinders...

Straight away we get the blood and thunder of Irongron's dialogue, but there's already more to this story than meets the eye.

His lieutenant, Bloodaxe, recommends they go a-foraging.

Irongron's complaining is interrupted by a falling star, which he immediately claims for himself.

He'll have to leave collection till the morning, though, on account of the lads are afraid of the dark.

So next morning he goes to size up his booty.

"Irongron's Star" is in fact the spaceship of an alien warrior.

The "Star Warrior" is a Sontaran - in their 1st appearance - whose space suit resembles a knight's armour...

I, for one, welcome our new alien overlords...
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly I like how they pick up the conversation back at the castle. Must have been an awkward silent trip back.

Linx offers weapons but needs technology that Irongron, and his age, doesn't have.

So flash forward to the Brigadier, amidst a sudden spate of scientist-kidnappings, putting all his eggheads, the Doctor included, in one basket.

"That's fine, so long as no one steals the basket!"
Davad ‏@davadsteel Jon sparkles in this story. Clearly enjoying himself.

Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly What's the Doctor even doing here? He's free. Is he just a pining ex, hanging out at his girlfriend's old place? Liz Shaw's in the last stall, avoiding her old boss in case he remembers she left with all his Cream albums.


Love the green jacket on Pertwee, by the way.
Davad ‏@davadsteel Proof that UNIT HQ has it's own hairdressing salon.
The uneasy medieval alliance is clearly strained but Linx has delivered on his promise, with a batch of rifles.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly It's easy for the Sontaran to get people on his side 'cos he smells great. That's the Linx effect.
"John Smith" meets loveable duffer Professor Rubeish.

"Haven't seen my wife and family for three days. Ah well, just shows there's always a silver lining."

There's a lot of Smiths about today, apparently...

Rubeish introduces eminent virologist Lavinia Smith...

...who apparently wrote a paper on the teleological response of the virus when aged 5.

Nah, not really, it's her neice, journalist Sarah Jane Smith! Hurrah!

The Doctor immediately sets about winding her up, telling her that she can make the coffee...
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Oh, Pertwee, you suave ol' sexist you.
...but has to step in sharpish to stop Rubeish using the TARDIS as a blackboard.

"What do you plan to do in there?" 
"Make myself a cup of coffee! Good day to you!"

Back in the 13th century...

Sir Edward has written to the neighbours to drum up support...

...but Lady Eleanor would prefer to send an archer to make sure Irongron gets the point.

Sure enough Irongron's captured Sir Edward's courier, although none of them can read.
Lisa P & Andrew T ‏@lisacartman "Please send: eggs, milk, ale and 200 men-at-arms. Laterz, The Tedster."
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly There's a sitcom to be made out of Irongron and his motley crew. Get on it, Big Finish.

I like to think Irongron's name is used like Meatloaf's and people call him "Iron" as if it's his first name.

Eddie calls Irongron a cock, so it looks like the archer plot's on.

Irongron becomes curious about Linx's helmet.

The Sontaran says he keeps it on to hide his ugly mug.

Ruebish is on to Sarah's invite-snaffling.

Sarah won't put up with being patronised by the Doctor; she's a far cry from the more tolerant Jo.

Lis Sladen connects with Pertwee perfectly.
"Are you going to sleep there?"
"If you'll allow me to do so!"
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly I've said that many a time, at closing times in pubs over the years.
He's obviously taken a shine to her as he's decided not to give her away.

Linx unlocks the prisoner's mind...

...then convinces him he's a chicken who can sing like Elvis.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly I can tell it's the past 'cos of all the fake beards. They were all the rage back then. Nice historical detail.

Job done, Linx doesn't have time for Irongron's guff.

The Doctor's Rhondium detector registers Ruebish's disappearance.

"He's as blind as a bat without his glasses!"

The Doctor's ghost detector is nifty, looks a bit like a UV light, and reveals the image of Linx.

The UNIT soldiers must think he's will, because they fire at him.
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast I bet whoever owned the house wasn't too chuffed. Needless bullet holes in the walls.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Linx was just standing there, waiting to goose anyone coming down the stairs when the Doc ruins it.

The Doctor tells Sarah that they were shooting at shadows...

...and prepares to follow the trail in the TARDIS.

While the Doctor bids farewell to the Brig...

...Sarah pops her head - then the rest of her - into the TARDIS.

"I forbid you to go off in that contraption!" The Doctor would do well to heed the Brig's warnings this season: "Remember what happened to you on Metebelis 3!"

However, "a straight line may be the shortest distance between 2 points, but it is by no means the most interesting!"

"Well done, old girl, absolutely on target... for once!"

As Irongron stalks his battlements with Bloodaxe...

...Sir Edward's archer, Hal, prepares to takes his shot.

Have to assume Hal is some long distant ancestor of Boba Fett (It's the same actor, Jeremy Bulloch). He's as good a shot, anyway.

He's distracted by a spectacularly badly timed interruption from Sarah.

When Irongron sends men to capture the archer, Sarah is rounded up too.

Sarah thinks Irongron's men are on the rag.

The Doctor gets a peep under Linx's helmet!
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Best make-up job for Sontaran ever.
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Scared the shit out of me as a wee boy.

Blimey, that's a cliffhanger!
Tim Gambrell ‏@Mr_Brell As monster-reveal cliff hangers go, it's one of the very best.

I'd go as far as to say - properly, not in a meaningless BBC PR sense - *iconic*!Simon Pittman ‏@LibraryPlayer Have to say I prefer classic Sontaran design to "New Who" one - look more battle scarred, and horrific. Rather than clean and smooth!

Isaac Dakin ‏@IWhittakerDakin why did he take his helmet off? Did he realise "oh 25 minutes are up we need a cliffhanger!"

KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Yup :-D Maybe he had an irresistible yearning to feel the fetid medieval air on his potato face?

Never Cruel... ‏@never_cruel The Sontarans are great, but not well served by later Who. The best development of that race I've seen comes from The Betrothal of Sontar comic strip. And as for new series 'comedy' Sontarans... I'm not a fan, I'm afraid. 
But, yeah, love The Time Warrior. A classic.

They've not really been used as a threat since The Sontaran Strategem/The Posion Sky, but they've been comedy characters ever since Officer Hol Mes' first report to Terran Cedicks, haven't they?



Interesting that from his expression, the Doctor obviously recognises the Sontarans...

Sarah thinks this is some kind of historical theme park.


It's worse than that, Sarah, it's a BBC production!

"You call Irongron a fool? I'll have the marrow from your bones, my little chicken."
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast I believe I'm right in thinking that avian bones are hollow. So no marrow.

Sarah's bones on the other hand...

Boba Fett is hauled in for interrogation and blames Sarah for his dodgy aim.

Then he grasses up Lady Dot Cotton, whom Irongron colourfully labels a "narrow-hipped vixen".
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Irongron fancies Lady Dot something rotten. Only reason he took the castle next door. It's a tragic tale of love really.

Sarah still doesn't quite get it, and wants to use the phone.

Linx takes an interest in Sarah. "You have two species on this planet?"

"Hell's teeth, have you no girls beyond the stars?" Irongron gives it his best Captain Kirk.
MAW Holmes ‏@MAW_H "Show me this thing you call love..."

Spotting that Sarah's clothes are synthetic...

...Linx gives Sarah a hypno-interrogation.

 ...in which she squeals on the Doctor!

Linx distracts Irongron by unveiling his new invention to Irongron - a remote control robot knight!
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Starting to get the impression Linx wasn't exactly first in the his class. 
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Crap robot ahoy!

Linx's robot knight is oddly lanky looking.

Sarah takes her chance and does a runner.

The Doctor's clocked Sarah but doesn't get the chance to intervene...

...and she legs it when they nearly bump into each other.

Irongron setting the robot on Hal is like playing the 1st ever computer game.

It's brown trousers time for Boba Fett when the robo-knight keeps on chopping despite a gizzard full of arrows.

The Doctor intervenes, using an unattended crossbow to shoot the robo-knight's control from Irongron's hand.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Not such a good shot, he was aiming for his crotch.

"This Ned Stark is like a tadpole, you cut off his head and still he wriggles!"

The Doctor spies into Linx's dungeon lab...

...as Irongron arrives to demand a refund on his tin man.
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast If only JNT had done the same with Kamelion...

Linx's make up is astonishing. Brilliant design, beautifully realised.

Not that Irongron appreciates it.

Linx decides the control itself is a flaw, and prmises an upgrade to voice control.

The Doctor makes it inside Linx's makeshift lab at last, where he finds the missing scientists, all hypnotised and enslaved.

All except Ruebish, that is. As he's lost his glasses, so wasn't susceptible to Linx's hypnotism.
MAW Holmes ‏@MAW_H Coming soon from Big Finish... "The Opticians... of DOOOOOM!!!"

Busted! Linx wants to know why the Doctor's stalked him back in time.

"Typical Sontaran attitude!" I'd say the Doctor was being racist, but I guess clones *are* all alike...?

Linx zaps the Doctor. Crikey, I knew he was due to regenerate this series, but not this soon...!

Meanwhile, Sarah's radicalizing the local gentry and planning an insertion.

Crikey, she doesn't waste much time.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly "I like the cut of your jib, Miss Smith. You will make an excellent scullery maid. Take her away!"

Sir Eddie thinks Irongron has devils and wizards working for him, but Sarah soon puts him right. 

"He's no magician. Just some eccentric scientist."

Ah, the Doctor's fine after all; Linx needs him alive to co-ordinate his pet scientists.

The Doctor's met the Sontarans before... as we'll see (much) later in The Two Doctors!

Ooh, "Gallifrey"! Named for the first time.
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Plus an explicit probic vent shot!

Oo-er!
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly If only he'd fluffed the line, he'd be a Time Lord from the planet Grallifley now.
MAW Holmes ‏@MAW_H And be off to Metta-Bellies Free...

Linx knows of the Time-Lords too: they're "lacking the morale to withstand a determined assault." The Time War in a nutshell?

A taste of things to come in The Invasion Of Time, at any rate!
Looks like the Doctor is stuck co-ordinating the scientists for the time being or else his bouffant is under serious threat.

Hal and Sarah are on the way, but Linx escalates his arming of Irongron and co.

Luckily for the Doctor, Ruebish is still pottering about.

Unluckily, Ruebish is still pretty much blind as a bat, and makes a pretty shocking choice of buttons to press.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly ...and that's why he regenerates!

Eventually, though, the Doctor is freed.

Though he runs straight into trouble, of course.
MAW Holmes ‏@MAW_H The Old "Nest of Vampire Monkeys" gambit...
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Escape to danger! (© every Target novelisation ever!)

"He who strikes Irongron dies!" Bet the Doctor doesn't!





Blimey, ma-hoo-sive recap for the start of part 3!

The Doctor's life is spared by Boba Fett's arrow.

The Doctor is too quick to thank Sarah - "This isn't a rescue, it's a capture!"

Left behind, Ruebish sets about opening Wessex's first specsavers.

Irongron isn't too sympathetic to Linx having lost one of his "whey-faced ninnies"...

...till they realize they're talking about the same man. "Is this Doctor a long shanked rascal with a mighty nose?" Bob Holmes having fun at Pertwee's expense there.

Back at Sir Eddie & Dot's, Sarah soon realizes the Doctor isn't quite the villain she'd assumed.

"I never lie! Well, hardly ever!"

The Doctor turns on his "courtly rogue" charm to get on Dot's good side...

...and promises an illusion to make the castle appear fully manned.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Think I've worked out who's the new companion. Lady Dot's gonna be brilliant!

Linx wants to come out to play, and asks what time the kick-off is.

Lovely little scene here as the Doctor mixes up his bags of tricks, and Sarah goes into journo mode.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly One of my favourites of the season.

"If you mean am I a native of the planet Terra, the answer is no, I'm not."

Apparently the Time-Lords are "galactic ticket inspectors... keen to stamp out unlicensed time travel."

"You're serious, aren't you?"
"About what I do, yes. Not necessarily the way I do it!"

Linx questions the bravery of Irongron and the lads. "The greater the odds, the greater the glory."

"I fear nothing, toadface!"

When Linx has them shoot at the "men" on the ramparts, the jig is up.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly You'd think Linx would have pointed out their ladders were ridiculously too short for the job anyway.

Time for the Doctor & Sarah to mount their low budget special FX stink-bomb defence.

Mind you, they have to scarper inside when the wind changes and they nearly get a whiff of their own medicine.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Don't think we get this kind of low key, old school adventure yarn in Who again. Bit childish, but enormously charming.
FinlayHS ‏@11thDoctorComic I'd say Girl Who Died's a bit like this in some parts.

"With poltroons like these, it were ill work to lay siege to a hen coop!" Holmes is loving this.

When Linx accuses Irongron of leading the retreat the robber barron attempts to slap him down...

...only to be thrown over the table. The look on Irongron's face is priceless.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Never pick a fight with the angry short bloke. Pub Law 101.

"More wine, Doctor?" When has the 3rd Doctor ever turned down more wine?
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast I bet this plonk is neither sardonic nor good humoured.

The Doctor asks Dot to score him some weed(s).
Irongron is starting to tire of his "filthy little toad".

"Yours is indeed a towering intelligence!"

The Doctor dressing up as a monk? That'll never catch on.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly He was the Meddling Monk, I don't care what anyone says. Season 2 ends with the first ever multi-Doctor story.
Davad ‏@davadsteel The two lads at the castle entrance are in dire need of acting lessons!
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Unintentionally hilarious! One of my favourite moments in this - for all the wrong reasons :-D

Inside Linx's makeshift laboratory dungeon, the Doctor & Sarah are reunited with Ruebish.

Seems Linx is almost ready to leave town, and when he does, he'll bring the house down.

Irongron simply doesn't believe that Linx's ship can leave the castle without his men hauling it out.

The Doctor's busy atempting to break Linx's hypnotic hold over the scientists.

Ruebish is delirious, imagining "steak and mushrooms, lobster, chocolate truffles." Where does he work again?

STOP. Polka time!


Linx arrives to bully his enslaved scientists once more...

...so the Doctor offers him a deal. Let them go and he'll help Linx leave.

"You wish for my answer, Doctor? Then here it is."

The cliffhanger sting comes in before Linx even raises his weapon. But we knew what his answer would be, anyway.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly I've never seen anyone so eager to shoot in Pertwee's face.



Sarah leaps to the Doctor's defence, and he's only stunned.

The so-called "Tory" Doctor continues to plead for better conditions for the workers.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Pertwee's Doc was always a benevolent toff. Linx is ya proper nasty Tory.
 James Cooray Smith ‏@thejimsmith Pertwee's Doctor is a kind of anarcho-snob. From a privileged background but an instinctive anti-authoritarian.

"Your Time Lord philosophy is egalitarian twaddle."

When Linx mentions "weakness", the Doctor takes the opportunity to highlight the Sontarans' probic vent to a stick-wielding Rubeish.

Linx is soon tied up...

...which means that when Bloodaxe is sent to summon the "scabby faced stoat"...

...the Doctor has to don the Sontaran's helmet and give his best impression.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Doc's face in Linx's helmet. I dunno what this show is coming to.

He needs something to distract Irongron until the sleeping draught kicks in...

...so the robo-knight, or at least his armour, is pressed into service once again.

Sarah wangles her way into the kitchen, but she'll have to work for her bread and cheese.

Worzel's got his fighting head on!
Jason McLaughlin ‏@jangomac72 "I'm gonna wave my sword around and nobody can stop me, Mr Crowman sir!"
"Now now Worzel!!"
It's all gone a bit timewaste-y now, with the Doctor imitating the robo-knight and Sarah toiling in the kitchen.

When Irongron and Bloodaxe try to double-team him, the Doctor drops the pretense.

"Isn't that a bit unsporting, old man? I mean, sitting ducks and all that."

Sarah is shouted down when she tries to introduce Meg to Women's Lib...
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly "You're still living in the Middle Ages..." great line.

...so pretends there's a giant spider (not yet!) so she can spike the stew.

Rubeish deprogrammes the scientists by flashing the polka...

...leaving him with a lot of explaining to do.

They scatter as Irongron arrives, and unties Linx.

Irongron's decided the Doctor has one last use - as target practice for his men.

Irongron's men would make good Stormtroopers.

Linx wants to show them how it's done, but Sarah arrives in the nick of time!

Pertwee loved swinging on that chandelier, you could tell.

Tom definitely would have whistled Colonel Bogey whilst strolling out there.

Although the Doctor & Sarah make it back to Eddie & Dot's they know they have to go back for Rubeish & co.

The Doctor brings his biggest fan.

Sure enough, Irongron's fleabitten pals soon hit the hay.
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast That pikeman can't even lie down naturalistically.

Linx is commencing countdown, engines on...

The Doctor's figured out how to return the scientists, and instructs Rubeish to beam them home.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly For a scientist kidnapped by an alien warlord, Rubeish has quite an easy time of it.

As Irongron makes plans to ditch Linx, the snoozy stew takes effect.

When the Doctor's fan deflects Linx's laser blasts...

...the two engage in hand to hand combat.

Sarah takes the chance to send Rubeish home.

Irongron shakes off the effects of the snoozy stew, and swats Boba Fett aside on his way to have it out with Linx.

Guess how that goes.
KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Shame. I would've loved to have seen him and Bloodaxe again somehow.
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly "Tell... Lady Dot... I... fancied her something rotten."

Boba Fett shows he's a merc with a conscience as he rouses Irongron's men to escape the castle before it explodes.
John Mark Frankland ‏@JMFrankland Not the servants though...


Then he saves the day by rushing to dungeon lab, and shooting an arrow right into Linx's probic vent. Ouch.

The Doctor, Sarah & Boba leg it and the ship blows up...



...taking the dying Linx & the ex-Irongron's castle with it.

And the day is saved! Time for the Doctor to get Sarah home in the TARDIS.

The Doctor says he's not a magician at all, but Sarah isn't so sure...
Simon Threadgold ‏@dimwittedly Linx managed to get the official admin sent, so Earth is still part of the Sontaran Empire. Flag's still there too.

Imagine if April Walker's casting hadn't been nixed by Pertwee! 

KrynoidPodCast ‏@KrynoidPodCast Could have been very different.


Reckon she was too strong for Pertwee, he'd've looked stone age with her. With Tom in Season 12, it'd've been a more Romana-like dynamic. Pertwee with Walker would've been like Hartnell with Wills/Craze - dead man walking, a ghost in his own series.

John Mark Frankland ‏@JMFrankland Favourite lines from The Time Warrior: "He is a toad. Who knows what a toad thinks?" and "Yours is indeed a towering intelligence!"


TTFN! K.

Coming Soon: The Hand of Fear

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