Doctor Who: Key to Time set any good? (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

I think the consensus is Ark In Space, guy. Go for it!

 

[PhilipG]

That's the appeal. The TV movie has it's faults, but to say it's not WHO or to instantly dismiss it as rubbish is silly (in my opinion).

Okay, listen closely: I dismiss it as rubbish because I consider it to be purely bad science-fiction. The script is atrocious. The acting terrible (aside from McGann, of course). You may have thought the direction was fantastic, but I will respectfully disagree and call it pedestrian. Fantastic direction, IMHO, would negate any problem with script and acting.
This is before I try to reconcile the TVM as part of Doctor Who. Of course it is wildly off-canon, and while I agree that Who has never been entirely consistent wrt continuity, it has never made so many blatant U-turns as in the TVM - an introduction to Who? I think not. I do not require future Who to tie in with lore mentioned in old episodes (look how bad the new adventure audio CDs are). I certainly don't mind about having an increased budget either - but it's no substitution for what was lost in the script!

Disclaimer: I've watched the TVM only once. It is the only sci-fi (alongside a few eps of Galactica 80) I've not been able to rewatch.

 

[James Reader]

That's not my argument. How can a TV movie be "the best introduction to the series" if it does not resemble the series at any stage in any form (aside from the blink-and-you-miss-it presence of Sly McCoy and the TARDIS exterior)?

I think it does resemble the series. The basics are all there - it explains about regeneration (important for a new viewer), I think it does have some good dialogue (more so than an average sci-fi movie would do) and most importantly it introduces the Doctor perfectly - he's shown to throw away a gun (and it's telling that when he does threaten somebody with a gun, he threatens himself!). Plus, despite others feelings about increased violence in the TVMovie, absolutely everything the Doctor does when fighting is reactive and in self-defence. It also shows the Doctor's talent for improvisation and his eccentricity.

Acting? The acting is fine to well above average from most of the cast. Eric Roberts nails his version of the Master from the start. I do think this Master is too much of a 'street thug' compared to how he was presented in the past but you can see his delight in once again having a body, even when he is fighting.

I'm not sure what you mean about being wildly off-canon? The kiss? Watch it again, it's more a wild act of happiness than anything romantic. Half-Human? Well I know people have strong feelings on this but does it really contradict anything from the show before? If anything it's just a bad cliche. The 'worm' Master? Well, knowing the Master and how he cheated death before (after his final regeneration) it's quite possible he had something up his sleeve for his next death.

I'm not saying the TV Movie was without it faults. Most things have faults. you know? For example I'll hold my hand up right now and say the ending was ill-concieved, illogical and a complete dramatic let down. But a lot of the TV series stories had faults. Let's not blind ourselves to that.

It would be impossible to make a Doctor Who that was the same as any era from the past in 1996. The show has had to evolve and reinvent itself when it was on the air, just as it did during to the time it was off the air. And yes - any new 'Who' produced now, even by the BBC would be wildly different from 'classic' Doctor Who. Time has moved on, and Who needs to keep up.

Oh, and while some of those New Adventures CD's and Book do in-fact 'suck eggs' some are perhaps better than any on screen 'Who' - check out the books 'Human Nature', 'Bad Therapy' and 'The Dying Days' are stories that moved me to tears (something the TV show has never done). And I've got every UK BBC home Video and DVD release as well as Virgin or BBC book ever released.

In fact - I understand you can download and read Human Nature off the BBC's Doctor Who website http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho : do so - it examines the character of the Doctor and what makes him special more-so than any other Doctor Who story (and if that half-human thing really annoyes you, this could perhaps be an alternative explaination, even though it was written before the TV Movie)

 

[PhilipG]

I'm not sure what you mean about being wildly off-canon? The kiss? Watch it again, it's more a wild act of happiness than anything romantic. Half-Human? Well I know people have strong feelings on this but does it really contradict anything from the show before? If anything it's just a bad cliche. The 'worm' Master? Well, knowing the Master and how he cheated death before (after his final regeneration) it's quite possible he had something up his sleeve for his next death.

The kiss? No problem with that at all. Romance for the Doctor is not off-canon anyway cf. The Aztecs.
Half-Human? Yes. "I'm not human, I'm not even half-human". Direct contradiction.
The 'worm' Master? Yes. In fact, that whole subplot bugs me. First, we have the ridiculous notion that the Daleks put him on trial (I'll try not to mention those awful Dalek voices - too late). Then the contrivance that they actually gave the ashes (ashes?!) to the Doctor to courier?! It's absurdity piled upon unbelievability.
Then we have all that Eye of Harmony re-invention.
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can remember.

WRT the New Adventures Books and CDs. Perhaps a few are good - I'll have to take your word on that. I'm not prepared to sift through all the crap to get to them. I'm not that big a fan. I'll make a note of the ones you mentioned though.

WRT the TVM we'll have to agree to disagree, but please accept that even if it didn't have the Doctor Who tag, I would still hate it.

But going back on topic, David's right: check out The Ark in Space. It's an average-good story, and if you like that, you'll like the majority of Who.

 

[Duncan Harvey]

I've always thought that Ark in Space was dull and boring, and watching the DVD confirmed this. Have never liked it.

Personally what about Carnival Of Monsters - a great entertaining story.

Thumbs up to the TVM though - infinitely better than seasons 24-26

 

[Elvie]

James Reader ...

Well Talons of Weng-Chiang is coming to the UK soon. Hopefully America will not be far behind.

That would be so cool for it to come out in region 1 That one is my absolute favourite of the Tom Baker episodes.

The Key to Time as a complete series is a hard place to start watching Dr Who. Actually starting just about anywhere could be confusing for some people who've never watched any of the series. I've been asked before about what the appeal actually is for Dr Who ... some of my friends think it is the worst program ever made ... but for me and other Dr Who fans I know, a lot of the appeal is the cheezyness (due to the lack of budget when they were made and the age of the episodes) and the nostalgia factor.

That being said ... the Ark in Space is a good one to sit through.

As for the Sylvester McCoy episodes, I kinda liked them *ducks from flying debris* ... then again, I watched the Dr as a kid and just kept on watching *shrug*.

I'll quit babbling now :b

 

[James Reader]

Outpost Gallifrey

Talons Delayed Video & DVD • March 20

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society is reporting that Technicolor, BBC Worldwide's official distributor in the UK, has confirmed that The Talons of Weng-Chiang has been pulled from its previously planned April 28 release date, with no new date given for its release. While Technicolor was a previous source of the announcement of this DVD release -- indeed, even the BBC's official site, BBCi, reported the release -- the BBC Press Office has never officially confirmed it; Outpost Gallifrey has learned that this was due to last-minute rights negotiations, although we're not sure about the final reason for the delay itself. We'll keep you posted. (Thanks to Chuck Foster and the DWAS)

Not sure, but there's been a big 'to-do' about the Talons DVD - BBC Worldwide has never confirmed it's release to the public (while their retailer catalogues have had it listed for some time) and 'offical' news sources (such as the UK Doctor Who magazine) have printed the news.

Going back to the thread about the new Alien thread and how speculation can damage DVD content, could the fact that it's release became public knowledge have resulted in the delay?

Perhaps it's not the best time for me to say that Choices Direct in the UK has added 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth' to their e-store!

 

[MishaLauenstein]

I was told the plan is for Talons of Weng-Chiang and Dalek Invasion of Earth to be the two Autumn North American releases.

 

[Randy_M]

I, on the other hand, love the Key to Time series. Except for maybe the Power of Kroll, which I find silly, I think the stories are wonderfully written.

In addition, the commentary tracks on these discs are SUPERB (not to say other commentary tracks are bad...), but Mary Tamm is quite engaging as a commenter, and the anecdotes are delightful.

Cheers