I didn't think The Space Museum was too bad, although I understand it's not a Dr. Who favorite. Regardless of the show, I've always been intrigued by time-twist stories such as this one. The Doctor and his three companions materialize in a museum, only to find themselves on display. They wander around, apparently out of time, and observe the Moroks, who run the museum, and the Xerons, who are subjected to slavery. After a while, the Doctor and his companions slip back into real time and are no longer on display. But the question remains--is that their future or can they change it? The four end up going their own ways and Vicki hooks up with the Xerons and encourages them to rebel against the Moroks. I thought this story was a good showcase for Vicki and she really came into her own. Well, the Xerons rebel, which apparently allows the Doctor and his companions to escape their fate. But why? What did they do differently that their other selves didn't? The whole story revolved around fate and predestination and Vicki apparently thinks they changed their future, but Barbara wonders. I do think the story was rather unclear about what was done differently. Still, I thought it was a good and creative story that dealt with some important issues, such as the subjugation of a people.
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| The Doctor Clowning Around at the Space Museum |
I was looking forward to The Chase, Ian and Barbara's last story and a romp through space and time, and I was seriously disappointed. I thought it was boring, too long drawn out, and...well...cheesy at times. There was so much potential in this story and it fell flat. Way flat. It's almost as if the writers wanted to bring the Daleks back, and wanted to through in a bunch of other ideas (the Marie Celeste and Count Drakula for example). I also got the idea that they were somewhat lost with what to do with the series now that Ian and Barbara were leaving. Another issue I had with this story is that it didn't really take itself seriously. There was too much slapstick (the sailors jumping off the Marie Celeste and the Alabamian on top of the Empire State Building) for my taste. The Daleks themselves were almost too comical--like the droids from Star Wars: Clone Wars. There were a few intentionally funny scenes (like the Dalek falling over the gangplank), but overall I thought this was a weak story and a disappointing end to Ian and Barbara.
I also picked up a few continuity errors--the Daleks calling the TARDIS the "earth time machine" and the Doctor saying something about him building the TARDIS himself. The latter I can excuse because at that time they really hadn't defined the Doctor yet, but I thought it was well known from the outset that the Doctor was an alien.
As for the farewell scene, I thought it was well done. Doctor One was really in character and it was a very happy ending. "I shall miss them" were the final words of the episode. I also thought Steven Taylor's introduction went well, but I am starting to think Vicki is turning into another screaming and helpless Susan. It'll be interesting to see what they do with her the third season.
The last serial of season two was The Time Meddler. I watched this years ago and really liked it. I liked how the idea of Time Lords was developing and the Monk was a nice contrast to the Doctor. On one hand you had the Monk, who was meddling in history for his own good, and on the other hand you had the Doctor, who meddled in history only for the good of others. I thought the new companion, Steven, was rather weak, but I'm sure it will take time to flesh that character out. I also liked the references to past companions--gone but not forgotten, as is the case even through today's reimaging.
That's it for season two. I am wayyyyy behind schedule, but hope to start up season three soon, much of which I've not seen.
