torchwood Exit Wounds and Old!Who Ark in Space

[aimeekitty]

So, I've finished up Torchwood Season 2, am of course through with Doctor Who Season 4, and have just started watching a bit of Old!DoctorWho.

I decided to start with the Tom Baker (YEAY SCARF) and the episode "The Ark in Space"
thoughts on each under the cut!
(don't get all stroppy, please, just my 2 cents!)


TORCHWOOD Season 2 Finale: EXIT WOUNDS

man by the time Tosh is all "you're breaking my heart" I was BAWLING! I'm such a sap.

Now that I've seen all the Torchwood that there is, and all the Doctor Who (new!Who anyway) that there is...

(a) still love John Barrowman

(b) love a lot about the acting and characters of Torchwood. I love the whole team. Owen really grew on me in the last season. The Day in Death episode was really well done. I loved what Owen was able to do with very little over-acting or movement. He just stared and held still and you felt his despair completely. That episode REALLY worked for me.

(c) but love Doctor Who way mo betta.

basically, I think about the huge whole that was in my heart after Doomsday or Season 4, and it just isn't there after Exit Wounds (Torchwood finale). I like it, but the stories just don't grab me as deep as the GOOD ones in Doctor Who. Sure, there's some stinkers and plot holes in Doctor Who, but the overall character development and heart-jerkers,... I LOVE THEM.

Also, I love Captain Jack, but does everything have to be about him? I just didn't quite feel the "tortured brother wants to destroy all this stuff just because Jack let go of his hand" thing. It just seemed a little too much like bad fanfic to me. Too much of the I'm tortured "I forgive you" stuff for me. It could have worked, but it didn't. Just came off as forced wangst.
I got the same feeling from Tinkerbell!Doctor in Season 3 Master arc of Doctor Who. (But the Master was SO AWESOME that I didn't care... plus the Master's motivation was so much more believable than Jack's brother.)

Ah well, I'll keep watching Torchwood.


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DOCTOR WHO (4th Doctor, Tom Baker)
The Ark in Space
(which has been apparently much lauded...)


Wow.
I was expecting the effects to be bad, but WOW.
the ark itself floating in space looks like a very bad 3 inch toy hanging from a thread. haha XD sonic and laser effects are pretty horrible, too. The alien suits are pretty laughable.

However.

Tom Baker as the Doctor? Wonderful! He's got just the right spark of seriousness combined with quirkiness. Love his facial expressions. Love that his scarf is way too long and drags on the floor behind him.
Loved his sort-of temporary brain damage after trying to read the bug-alien's mind. Adorable! He has a great walk, too. Purposeful but slightly weird and bumbling. GREAT! A lot of the reasons I love Tennant's Doctor are present in the Tom Baker Doctor, so hurray!

It was interesting hearing the "Doctor loves those fabulous indomitable humans" speeches in this episode. It rings true and is charming... but what it also does is show you where the NEW!Who episodes get it from. When the Tenth Doctor talks about those "stupid brilliant humans" who have so much potential... or his reaction in the episode "Midnight"... it's all still in character from the 1970's! How charming!

Also the whole idea of the Ark as well as the aliens are just as good of ideas as you'd get now-a-days. They just didn't have the budget or effects to make it look "awesome".

All in all, I enjoyed it.
Sarah Jane is rather shrill though. The only time she's really interesting at all is when the Doctor baits her.
But Elizabeth Sladen, (Sarah Jane) she's very pretty isn't she? She's 60-something now, and she's still very lovely.

I'm so going to smuggle some Bassett’s Jelly Babies (with their illegal in the USA food coloring) back with me when we go to London. lol.

Comments

[merrycalliope.livejournal.com]

I like the 4th/Sarah team but my favorite companion is probably still Leela, the 'wild girl'. I can't remember the name of the episode but there's one where they are in Victorianesque London and she has to wear a dress instead of her leather bikini. It's priceless. If I remember correctly it's a psuedo-Sherlock Holmes plot, spun Who-ishly. In addition to being strong, wild and independent, Leela ends up being a fairly tragic character...always a win in my book. ^o^

I'll admit, I much MUCH prefer the Doctor as a sort of 'eccentric uncle" type than a love interest.

[rashomonchb.livejournal.com]

The two Doctor Who DVDs that released last week were heavy with Leela. My brother picks them all up as they come out so I am just waiting for him to finish them so I can have a go at it.

[jigglykat.livejournal.com]

If you're up for some more old skool!Who, might I recommend "City of Death"? It's a Four/Romana II adventure that cracks me up.

[rashomonchb.livejournal.com]

Tom Baker is the Doctor I grew up on. I still remember Doctor Who playing back to back with Are You Being Served and Python. Even when the effects were really bad, they still managed to get creative and Tom Baker could always turn up the charm to make up for things.

I don't know if you are watching your episodes online or are buying the dvds? Best Buy carries quite a few titles in the sci-fi section. A lot of the stories being released have been the Tom Baker years. You might still find "Robot" which was the first Tom Baker story. You get to see him decide on his outfit. Then in Destiny of the Daleks you get to see Romana regenerate and irritate the Doctor with her choices for a look. Not to mention some of the most laughable costumes for an alien race, the Movelians.

[dusk-in-dendera.livejournal.com]

Actually, you can buy Jelly Babies here ;) We found them at CostPlus World Market! <3

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

apparently Bassett’s are illegal here but there's another brand that's legal here. I want to try the original Bassett’s ones. :)

[flatlinejack.livejournal.com]

okay okay, NOW we're talkin'! I grew up watching Tom Baker as the Doctor every Sunday, and I swear those episodes hold up. And wait until Romana joins up. Easily the best Doctor's assistant EVAR!

I swear I made a K-9 out of cardboard boxes when I was like 10. Dangit, now you're making me reorganize my Netflix queue so I can bump Who to the top.

[mamamantras.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the whole Grey/Jack thing either. I had odd issues - like Jack coming out of the hole with clothing on. Second, why didn't he eventually claw his way out?

I've had to skip the stuff about Tom Baker. We've started back at the beginning with William Hartnel. We've really enjoyed them so far.

[fanbot.livejournal.com]

Yeah! Jack should have been NAKED!

[fanbot.livejournal.com]

Tom Baker rules. He was my first doctor. ;)

... Is that why we can't get Jelly Babies here? I had wondered.

[malicious-alice.livejournal.com]

I started with John Pertwee, who is also great. Kind of skipped a few episodes cause i've been watching them on the net so now I am up to Tom baker.
Yeah the special effects are bad in today's standards but stuff like 'tin-foil' monsters would of scared the pants off people back then.
I think a perk is that we can use our imaginations to picture how things would be in the new series.
As you said, it is very charming that he is still the same doctor even in his 10th regeneration. Makes me glee with excitement when I recognize something that he might say or do as the 10th doctor.

[praedestinatio.livejournal.com]

Whoa wait, the food coloring is illegal in the US? @.@ Whyyy *has some Jelly Babies and is now suspicious of them*

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I have no idea!

[slai.livejournal.com]

Hi Aimee,

Classic Doctor Who special effects are on the same level as the original Star Trek series except cruder XD! Just ignore the man behind the curtain, and you'll be okay ;)!

The 4th and 5th were my first Doctors, so I definitely love them both! The 4th was probably the funniest of the bunch, and most people grew up with him since he was the longest running incarnation. Also, it's easy to cosplay him as long as you have a nice long multi-colored scarf!

[jinyo.livejournal.com]

I agree about the stuff with Jack's brother on Torchwood. (And a lot of your other comments.) I mean, maybe he went thru some horrible stuff and it twisted him, and messed with his perspective on life such that he ultimately blamed Jack for all his problems... but it came off as unbelievable and poorly written.

Tom Baker was the definitive Doctor for many people (including myself), due partly to his long stint on the show. I like your comparisons between him and Tennant. I also saw something Tom-Baker-esque in Eccleston's semi-manic, excited-about-the-universe portrayal.