Doctor Who'ing

With my friends Beth and Wes, our marathon journey through Doctor Who has brought us to the beginning of the third season. Today we tackled four stories: The Time Meddler, Galaxy 4, Mission to the Unknown, and The Myth Makers.

The Time Meddler was a particular delight for Beth, who enjoyed the mystery of a time-traveling Monk up to no good in 1066. Unwilling to spoil my friends, I kept the Monk's identity of being another Time Lord a surprise. Beth agreed that she liked the Monk's mischievous machinations compared to those of the more evil Master. She even commented that it was probably more fun traveling with the Monk than the Doctor!

I was saddened that this was our last complete story to view for a little while. It's silly, I know, but I genuinely fretted over whether my friends could handle recon after recon.

We watched Galaxy 4 via the great recon that was intended as an extra on The Time Meddler DVD. This story fell into the "okay" category, which actually might be a first during our viewing so far. Beth's reaction to the Drahvin spaceship--"They live in a trailer?"--made me burst out laughing.

Maaga, leader of the Drahvins, missed her calling as a Dominatrix, we felt. Just look how much she loves punishing her drones, and those orgasmic monologues about bringing harm to others.

Steven's out-of-character behavior, with his background as an astronaut being forgotten when he finds himself trapped in an airlock, raised an eyebrow.

Mission to the Unknown was a surprising oddity for Beth and Wes. They were taken aback by the absence of the Doctor, Vicki and Steven, as well as the prospect of an ongoing Dalek series (which we all agreed would have failed). The Varga plants were noted as being especially unusual, and the make-up for the alien Malpha was praised.

On a personal note, I was horrified that the soundtrack of the Loose Cannon recon was so terrible. It's been a while since I last watched it and, if I'd've realized, I would have certainly dubbed the clean CD soundtrack over it.

Finally, there was The Myth Makers, which turned out to be the biggest hit of the day. It's a personal favorite of mine, and I was thrilled that Beth and Wes enjoyed it too. Wes liked that Donald Cotton's witty script was akin Monty Python, and I was pleased to find Beth smiling throughout.

Vicki's abrupt departure at the story's end came as a shock. After the adventure was over, I enlightened my friends to the circumstances regarding Maureen O'Brien's leaving the series, and how William Hartnell was absolutely furious with new producer John Wiles over it.

Although Vicki's goodbye is a nice one (especially compared to certain other companions) the decision to write her out was a rotten one. Today, even script editor Donald Tosh laments it. O'Brien and Hartnell had tremendous chemistry, and it would have been wonderful to see more of the First Doctor/Vicki/Steven TARDIS team.

So, my friends survived three recons in a row... Which, I'm relived about! Thankfully, there's at least three surviving episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan to enjoy next time.