Seeds of Death, episodes 1-3, immediate thoughts

[auroracloud]

I just watched the second and third episodes of Seeds of Death, a Doctor Who story from 1969, late in the Patrick Troughton era, and the last full story from this era that I hadn't seen yet. And I just want to make some comments because it's too much fun not to share. (Also a bit on episode 1, which I watched last week.)



- Just generally, I really like this story! Even if there are times when things don't make any sense! Hey, it's Doctor Who, I wouldn't expect it to make sense all the time. I love that with Gia Kelly and Zoe, we've got two super-competent, intelligent, strong-willed women being awesome and extremely gifted with tech. (Even if the rest of the cast are men. Well, it is the 60s, guess you can't have everything.)

- And I just love Miss Kelly, full stop. She's so cool and competent and headstrong, unflappable under danger and not letting anyone boss her around. I want to learn to channel her whenever anyone's being unreasonable and unfair.

- A couple of notes about the first episode, because I didn't post about it earlier. Jamie calls the Doctor 'Doc'! And the Doctor doesn't even react on it. I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened before! Unless it did in a missing story I haven't yet watched. Did the TARDIS crew run into Thirteen and her team before this adventure and Jamie picked it up from Graham?

- Also about the first episode: I so love it when the Doctor and Eldred start geeking out about the space tech in the museum and completely forget everything that was going on before that.

- Back to episodes 2 & 3: I continue to be amused by how the Doctor always manages to convince people they should let him take the lead / fix their equipment / fly to the Moon on their only space rocket with his companions. The mind boggles that they'll just let this stranger and his two young friends travel to space and also are completely happy to just call him "The Doctor".

- I am, however, the most upset by the TARDIS crew's lack of spacesuits aboard the rocket. They should be wearing some kind of a protective suit in case anything goes wrong. (Sometimes it's not so good to be actually quite into space travel and space things when watching this show.) Jamie's even wearing his kilt! Ahem, was the production team aware that when you go off into space, there isn't any gravity? Do they know what happens to kilts in zero gravity? I mean, I haven't tested, but I have enough information to conjecture.

Considering how very pretty young Frazer Hines was, I'm sure that bit of authenticity would have boosted the viewing figures excellently. Although admittedly it would also have raised the age limit.

Well, at least Zoe's switched to a reasonably spacey and future-y looking jumpsuit.

- I love Zoe being basically in charge of the space flight.

- Once we get to the base... Awesomely ridiculous chase sequence!

- The Ice Warriors aren't very bright, are they? We've got so many instances where our heroes evade detection by basically pressing to a wall, standing still and pretending not to be there, while in full view of the Ice Warrior. Maybe they don't see much through their helmets and don't like turning their heads?

- I can't help that the Ice Warriors also look rather ridiculous waddling about in their bulky suits. However, they maybe sound less irritating now than in The Ice Warriors? Or maybe the audio is just better quality?

- I love the Doctor's way to save himself from imminent threat. "I'm a genius!" (And the Ice Warriors just being, 'Okay, this guy says he's a genius, we'll take his word for it and take him to our leader'. Well, obviously I'm glad they did.)

- I probably laughed a lot in parts that the creators didn't intend to be funny, but that's okay.

- I rather like Phipps, he's very clever, finding ways to electrocute the Ice Warriors and all. Even if he also has a way of pulling the plug at unfortunate moments.

- And just saying one more time: Miss Kelly is fabulous.

Can't wait to watch more of this - soon, I hope!

Comments

[nostalgia]

Is this the one where they go in a rocket and the Doctor doesn't want Jamie to go in the rocket because he's not a genius but then Jamie gets to go in the rocket anyway?

[auroracloud]

Yeah, that sounds right, though the actual "will Jamie go to the rocket or not" issue was solved rather more quickly and with less argument than I expected - I don't think the Doctor even got a full sentence out about why he hadn't initially thought Jamie would go.

Seeds of Death

[oldtoadwoman]

I now have a solid visual of kilts in space. Thank you.

:-)

I think I've seen this one. (The titles of Doctor Who stories are way too similar to keep straight.) I think this is the one where later on they use a foam machine for no other reason than the BBC had acquired an expensive foam machine and ordered all of their shows to find a way to use it to justify the purchase. I can't remember why they bought a foam machine in the first place though.

Re: Seeds of Death

[auroracloud]

You're welcome. ;-)

Yes, I've heard that this one is supposed to have foam. I haven't yet got as far as the foam, though.

the BBC had acquired an expensive foam machine and ordered all of their shows to find a way to use it to justify the purchase.

I just love all these odd little tidbits illustrating the way TV was made back then, mwahaha. :-D

Re: Seeds of Death

[oldtoadwoman]

It was a tidbit I got from the DVD. One of the special features was a trivia option that showed random facts about the episode on the screen while you watched. (It was a rental; I don't own it sadly.) The only other detail I remember was that Patrick Troughton was on vacation during one episode of this storyline so that's why one installment focuses on the companions running around.

Re: Seeds of Death

[auroracloud]

Yeah, at some point I'll get around to watching the extras and random fact tidbits and such on the DVDs! I figure now that I'm doing my first round of all this stuff, I'm just watching, and I'll get to the extras later. I've bought all the Classic Who DVDs I watch - I don't think it's even possible to get them in my country otherwise! (And I mostly order them from abroad, too, since stores don't really carry them here.) So I'll have plenty of time to get to them.

that Patrick Troughton was on vacation during one episode of this storyline so that's why one installment focuses on the companions running around.

I just watched that episode a couple of days ago. It's happened sometimes; Web of Fear also has one episode where the Doctor is out of the action for the whole episode. And sometimes you get an episode without one or two of the companions when the actors are on holiday; Jamie was mostly missing from the last episode of The Invasion, and the Enemy of the World has Jamie and Victoria absent from one episode so the actors could have a holiday. It can be fun to observe how they work around the absence of a lead character!

Re: Seeds of Death

[oldtoadwoman]

One thing I kind of miss from the old days of watching Doctor Who when no one I knew had even heard of the show—even though the fannish end of things was very lonely—was that I had no idea about anything in the production end of things so cast changes were always a complete surprise. (I didn't even know which episodes were at the beginning or end of new seasons.) It was always fun when a new companion showed up and nearly every new character who helped the Doctor was a potential new companion in my eyes so it was especially suspenseful to see who survived a storyline. I never even noticed when someone was away on vacation (or even considered that might be the reason someone was off-screen for a long time).

The show also aired here on a school night long after I should have been in bed, so there was the illicit thrill of staying up late when I shouldn't. (And I think the giggly sleep-deprivation viewings also helped with the enjoyment of the cheesy special effects.)

[thisbluespirit]

Ahem, was the production team aware that when you go off into space, there isn't any gravity? Do they know what happens to kilts in zero gravity? I mean, I haven't tested, but I have enough information to conjecture.

Given that Frazer Hines actually sewed weights into his kilt to avoid having it fly up during the rooftop climbing scenes of The Invasion, I suspect even if Jamie wasn't bothered, he might not have been into that particular bit of scientific accuracy! :-D

Once we get to the base... Awesomely ridiculous chase sequence!

Haha, yes it's great.

[auroracloud]

Hehe, I always did wonder how his kilt stayed down so nicely during those scenes, especially given the camera angle!

But while I understand him being less than eager to expose himself on TV, there would have been a way around that while striving for scientific accuracy: have Jamie wear something actually suited for space travel! I know, a frightening idea, but he does actually wear something that's not a kilt on a few occasions in the earlier seasons! (The wetsuit in Underwater Menace, the cold-weather gear in Ice Warriors, and the guard uniform in Enemy of the World, at least. Not that I keep track of what he wears or anything.)

[thisbluespirit]

Not that I keep track of what he wears or anything.

I totally believe you!