tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post6029663748522648290..comments2024-03-26T19:08:32.544-04:00Comments on That's alls I know: Classic Doctor Who countdown (#70 - #61)Tommy Kraskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-52571612231901808812018-01-19T11:08:26.496-05:002018-01-19T11:08:26.496-05:00Omigosh, I wish you had been on Twitter a week or ...Omigosh, I wish you had been on Twitter a week or so ago when Johnny Spandrell, Tim Pieraccini and I got into a discussion about "Inferno." Johnny had written one of his typically insightful reviews, and noted (and I'll quote him, and figure he'll be too much of a gentleman to sue me), "Take a closer look at Inferno, and it's mostly padding." And we got into a conversation because all three of us see the serial as fine but flawed (and I obviously lamented the padding myself, in my review above), but I noted that for some folks, it's their favorite Third Doctor serial, or one of their favorites of all time -- it's held in enormous regard by some, and I wondered why. What was it about this serial that particularly enthralled them? And I think, of course, you've captured it: it's that sense of dread. Because we are in a parallel universe, the answer to "how bad will things get?" doesn't stop just this side of "complete devastation." There's no safety net. The serial's willingness -- almost eagerness -- to take us to extremes that we're typically shielded from must feel harrowing to some. You hit the nail on the head, Walt, and I'm embarrassed I didn't see it myself!Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-28878223972839447102018-01-18T17:58:07.349-05:002018-01-18T17:58:07.349-05:00Inferno has an atmosphere of dread that I've n...Inferno has an atmosphere of dread that I've never found anywhere else in Doctor Who. "You're dead. There's nothing you can do about it". Remarkable, and it just doesn't stop. Seven remorseless episodes, and every minute piles it on. Bleak, terrifying and utterly fantastic. One rubbish monster makeup short of perfect, frankly.Walter Dunlophttps://ladydontfallbackwards.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-30816891380247151692018-01-18T11:49:00.495-05:002018-01-18T11:49:00.495-05:00I think way back in 2011, when you recommended a b...I think way back in 2011, when you recommended a bunch of Classic Who serials for me to watch (as my introduction to the series), "Curse" was among them. I suspect with most of my Who friends, if I asked for ten great classic serials, "Curse" would be among them. And I do like it -- I just don't seem to get as much out of it as others do. I don't particularly like this particular capsule review of mine -- occasionally, when I did these reviews, if a serial was wildly popular and I felt less enthusiastic about it, I fell into the trap of "justifying" my feelings rather than merely expressing them. And my "Curse" review is clearly an effort to explain something that bothers me, that doesn't seem to bother others. But it's funny that you mention the novel. I mentioned that the serial seems so choppy (and that so much material was cut) that you need to intuit a lot, which fans do from the lengthier VHS and DVD releases, and interviews with the author, and fan discussions. But I forgot about the novel -- and yes, I'm sure that explains a whole lot that's missing from the broadcast version. Unfortunately, having only viewed the broadcast version, as many times as I have, the jumps in setting and logic and continuity still bother me. I quite like the serial, but "what's missing" keeps me from listing it as one of my all-time favorites.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-19082932379337825692018-01-17T18:04:32.569-05:002018-01-17T18:04:32.569-05:00I like 'Curse of Fenric' a lot, although t...I like 'Curse of Fenric' a lot, although this might have more to do with external reasons, than with it being a truly great yarn. Whitby and Northumberland were oft visited spots in my youth, so anything which evokes that time and place was always going to resonate with me. I also read the novelization, and thought it expanded and filled in the blanks nicely. Which probably explains why I didn't have as many problems with the story as you did. Where you perceived it to be lacking, I suspect my 'bookground' knowledge filled in the blanks.Paul Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02927027468227544676noreply@blogger.com