I am about to finish watching Jessica Jones tonight and I'll review that first Netflix season (plus Luke Cage) in a future post. Then I'll start watching Black Lightning on dvd.
Inhumans has started on Pick TV and Legends of Tomorrow season 2 has just finished. I've also got tpbs of DC's acclaimed Mr. Miracle and the Chinese New Super-Man to read so all of these might turn up here in March.
Of course, as usual, I walk to and from work and listen to Big Finish audios. The talking book of Terry Nation's Survivors is on the pile for the near future as is the Sixth Doctor's recent Scandi Noir outing. I started the third box set of adventures for David Bradley's incarnation of the First Doctor today but this time last week, I played the second volume of Second Doctor Companion Chronicles, from the BF sale. (I'll rate them in order of success or enjoyment first and then rate the box overall).
These stories often feature new DW writers and are generally one -or two-handers where the companions of Doctor Who tell untold stories of their adventures in time and space. They can vary dramatically in quality aqnd execution, even more so than the other BF ranges. The first story makes reference to hoary Who fandom terminology and its origins in an 1890s issue of Punch.
The Curator's Egg sounds like a Titan or IDW comic story, with its mind-transference gimmick, Evil Twin and a talking dinosaur villain, who reminds me of Marvel's Stegron. The ripe dialogue is laughable: " Run, my raptors, run!". I don't even think it's intended to be parody. Jurassic larks for Ben and Polly but very, very silly. (1/4)
Dumb Waiter features a team-up for Leela and Jamie, a fan-service idea trialled previously in 2015's bland and uneventful Return to Telos.The Tardis turns up at a garden party which is really a prison for a captive alien criminal. Louise Jameson's fruity turn as the lisping Mrs. De Winter ( no, not the one from Rebecca) is mildly amusing. (2/4)
The Iron Maid is a prelude to the story of Joan of Arc. Zoe encounters a visionary anchoress and time-displaced German troops from WWI. It's better than the author's previous adventure in Revolutionary France, 2017's The Fields of Terror. However, surely its timey-wimey soldiers would make more sense as a vignette from The War Games? (4/4)
The Tactics of Defeat looks like the last hurrah for UNIT's Ruth Matheson and Charlie Sato. Ruth has to rescue Zoe in a Mayan temple that reminded me of Dr. No's death-maze. The villain, an Australian mercenary, is nastily realistic. (3/4)
The anthology format is a platform for new writing; it's always nice to hear Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines and there's a touching tribute to the late Deborah Watling. But these stories are really quite unlike anything we saw on tv in Troughton's era- and often don't feel like Who at all- so what's the point? ( Talmar Total: 1/5)
It doesn't feel that long since The Diary of River Song recounted the battle between the Doctor's "bespoke psychopath" and the Discordia, er, Time Cannibals ( Wha?) In fact, it was only last December. https://somefantasticplace-dougie.blogspot.com/2018/12/frosty-winds-made-moan.html
This fifth box set features no Doctors at all this time- rather, four incarnations of the Master.
Say something nice! Ahead of her very own box set, the "bananas" Missy is revived for The Bekdel Test, a pun-tastic prison yarn. Its USP is the banter between River and Missy and there's an amusing reference to 1999's The Curse of Fatal Death. "Dalek Bumps" are canon! I'm looking forwards to more Missy ( and Tara King on audio- more next month!) 4/4
Animal Instinct finds River investigating a Mayan-style lost civilization on a twilit planet of jaguar-people. It's quite predictable but also quite satisfying. I felt some genuine concern for River's companions. Geoffrey Beevers' sepulchral, corpse-like Master makes his return here for the first time in a multi-actor play, I think, since 2016. 2/4
The Lifeboat and the Deathboat sees the return of Eric Roberts as the gruff, reptilian Master for the first time since 1996. I was intrigued by the mystery of his daughter Alison but the revelation of her identity was bizarre even by Who standards. It was also very like 2012's Fourth Doctor audio, Trail of the White Worm. There's an explanation of how the Master survived the TV Movie but I would have preferred to hear the camp, ruthless Alex McQueen Master, frankly. 1/4
"Hello, you!"
Concealed Weapon is a bit of an homage to of Alien as a Time War spaceship crew, smuggling a bioweapon, is picked off one by one by the War Master. Derek Jacobi's avuncular yet malevolent Time Lord is the Hannibal Lector of Masters; he's certainly the least manic and the least camp. I'm just not sure how River recognised him this time and the story ends with her memory of the War Master being wiped. As with Michelle Gomez, I want hear much more of Jacobi. 3/4
Tamar Total: four out of five.
One last Whovian observation for today: This set of shelves in Grampian Furnishers is priced at over £600. It's an unjustifiable purchase. But, oh, I really want to make it.
Later today, if it's not perishing, I hope to finish Swords in the Mist, the third collection of Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. I still intend to blog about Mike Grell's Starslayer eventually too.
Coming up: Four against Tyre
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