Season Four Saturdays: The Poison Sky

(As always, this is spoiler free. If you're looking for spoilers, you won't find them here. Now, go away, before we taunt you a second time)

And with this two-parter, Helen Raynor redeems herself slightly for last year's Daleks In Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks two-parter.

It was, in many ways, a good attempt to try to show another aspect of a classic Doctor Who monster - however, the episode's logical consistencies, the rather broad portrayals. ("I didn't know he liked musical theater" anyone?), and its reuse of themes from throughout the new series made it fall flatter than week-old soda.

Like I said last week, I cannot be objective about UNIT stories - even ones I don't like have something about them that I can appreciate. However, despite some rather clunky storytelling choices in the episode, it is quite a fulfilling end to a two-parter...maybe the best ending since first season's The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

Ok, that's pushing it, but there are several really cool things about this episode. I'm going to bullet point them here, because it would be close to impossible to discuss them without ruining the episode:

• Thankfully, an obligatory reference to Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, which serves to reinforce the point that...this ain't your father's UNIT. Quite frankly, I would love to see more General Mace/10th Doctor stories...but that's just me.
• A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment that is confirmed in the end credits.
  
• Some moments with both Donna and Martha that might seem like foreshadowing...but not in the way that you might expect. They were really good character moments.
  
• The big Sontaran/UNIT battle - hooo, boy, was I jonesing on this. I so wished that 1970s Who had these production values...and this level of scriptwriting.
  
• One of the key themes this season seems to be choices...and the Doctor seems to be gradually placed into making uncomfortable, uncharacteristic ones. Although there is a last-minute, almost obvious switch, it's...it would be good to see the Doctor come dangerously close to a bad decision.
• I hate evil boy geniuses. Can we not use that plot device ever again?
• The twist re: the Sontaran's "strategem" - it makes sense logically, but somehow, there's something in the way that it's revealed that seems hackneyed.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Dorian's take on this two-parter; like me, he's a Who fan who doesn't get obnoxious about it. (Or, in my case, "less obnoxious than most"). Fortunately, the series is going at a good clip - three excellent episodes and two fair-to-middling with no obvious clunkers (like, say, "The Long Game". Or "Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel". Or "Gridlock").

Next week, "The Doctor's Daughter". I hear it's going to crack the Internet in half.

Public Domain Drive In: Suddenly

A Presidential visit to a small town. A disgruntled veteran and his henchmen take over a family home. Hints of a conspiracy of powerful, shadowy figures to assassinate the President of the United States.

And all of this....in a seemingly real-time film from the early 1950s.

Suddenly is one of those films that is steeped in controversy - from its rumored pull from circulation due to uncomfortable similarities to the Kennedy assassination, to a colorized version that made "Ol' Blue Eyes" brown-eyed. However, in reality...it's a sharp (although somewhat clunky at points) thriller that seems extremely prescient.

So much so that I half expected Oliver Stone's name to appear in the credits.

The plot is relatively straightforward - a small-town sheriff, wooing a widowed mother of a lovable moppet, finds himself and his loved ones taken hostage by a disgrunted ex-con who was hired to assassinate the President of the United States. However, it also serves as a great meditation on violence, especially gun violence (one sequence in the movie...well, if you're comfortable with kids and guns, you'll love it). It would be easy to categorize this as noir, but the small-town setting and the rather bucolic (and some stiff) performances by the cast really dilute any real noir feeling.

And quite frankly, although Sinatra may get the accolades for his performance, Sterling Hayden owns this movie. Playing the sturdy hero could have been boring...but Hayden portrays him as a kind of Andy Taylor-meets-MacGuyver hybrid. For 1950s audiences, it must have seemed somewhat preposterous...but now, it seems rather cool.

Unfortunately, due to it being pulled from release, the movie fell into public domain...however, all that means is that, much like the Fleisher Superman Cartoons, you can get it inexpensively on DVD. However, since public domain means that anyone can distribute them...here are some resources for you to acquire your own digital copy:

Suddenly - Internet Archive

Suddenly - Torrent Downloads

Or, embedded for your viewing pleasure:

Four Years Burnin' Down the Road

Hard to believe, but I've been blogging for four years. I think we're supposed to get a medal for this, or something.

Anyway, for those of you who read, comment, or have even found yourselves here for "Doctor Who spoilers" (our new # 1 Google Search term, with "true lies strip scene" at # 2) - thanks for making it a great ride.

Oh, and be sure to head to Comic Related tomorrow for:

5 Reasons Why Doctor Who Series One is a Good Place to Start

Commenting on the review for The Sontaran Strategem, Stephen asked what stories I would recommend he rent via Netflix in order to get better acquainted with the series.

Yes, I could direct him to the DVD Guide...but I thought that this would be a great opportunity to provide five reasons why I think those new to the world of Who would enjoy Series One from 2005, featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor.

Ripping off another, better blog....here we go!

1. It's very new fan friendly, with minimal references to the past - Since the BBC had no idea how successful the relaunch would be, these 13 episodes would also work as a good, one-year season. There isn't the obnoxious referencing to the past that late DW tended to engage in, and these are episodes that tend to work well on their own. You get a thorough introduction to the Doctor Who "mythology" without worrying that you have to have seen every single
   
2. Christopher Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor - Unlike the past, Eccleston doesn't portray the Doctor as a lovable eccentric. This is a guy who is traumatized by past events - a little more harder-edged (at one point, he rants, "I watched it happen...I made it happen". It makes, I think, for a much better, more easily accessible character than in the past.
3. His Unique Relationship With Rose - Unlike companions of the past, Rose Tyler's with the Ninth Doctor is unique in that there is a slightly humanizing quality that Rose brings. Although it is suggested that - at least with the Tenth Doctor - there is a romantic quality between them, here, it's played absolutely as someone trying to reach through to someone severely traumatized.
4. The Stories, For the Most Part, Work - Unlike the previous cliffhanger-style stories, most of the stories are well-written. (Although if you skip Aliens of London/World War 3, and possibly The Longest Game, no one will hold it against you). But you have Rose, The Unquiet Dead, Dalek, Father's Day, and The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances - half the stories sparkle, three are OK, and the above three are naff.
5. This season is already on PBS - several PBS stations, including Chicago, already have the rights to broadcast this. You might want to check your local listings - that way, you don't even have to rent them via Netflix!
   

And so, if you have any Who related questions, please feel free to drop them here.