Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Seventh Doctor

All done Classic Doctor Who! This is a project I started over two years ago on grave shifts, back when Classic Doctor Who was on Hulu. So for two and a half years I’ve used a combination of Hulu, Netflix DVDs, and Britbox to watch all available Doctor Who. So minus the missing and incomplete stories from the First Doctor and Second Doctor eras, I’ve watched all the Doctor Who stories. So without further ado, here’s the Seventh Doctor.



The new Seventh Doctor with the diguised Rani
Season 24
Top Story: Time and the Rani
This story gave a soft reset to the Sixth Doctor era. It also gave the Rani a second run. Wonderful use of her character. I liked it a lot more than her previous story in the Sixth Doctor era. Better use of her character. Better use of the Doctor. Just a good starting point. On a side note, I would love to see the Rani back, with or without a regeneration sequence. Since Gallifrey is back, it’d be so easy to give an already-regenerated Rani.
Flop Story: Delta and the Bannerman
So overall, just…. What was going on? The action of the episode seemed to be an action movie/mystery feel, but then the music reminded me of a comedy. To top it off, I don’t even really remember what was going on. The Doctor and Mel found a vacation spot, which turned into a mystery (not surprising) but it was just weird. Just weird.
The "Dragonfire" TARDIS team
Honorable Mention: Dragonfire
The episode itself was a little odd, but there were several reasons I enjoyed it. Firstly, with Mel leaving, we had a smooth transition to Ace. I wish we had more of that in Doctor Who. I’d imagine more feeling of continuity in the show, if we didn’t just abruptly leave the Doctor without any companion all the time. So just for the double companion nature of the story, I liked it. In addition, we had the return of Glitz. Also take note that the “cliffhanger” of the Doctor hanging from his umbrella reappeared in “The Name of the Doctor” with the Clara Oswald splinter seeing the Doctor.

Do you think we also punish people for being sad?
Season 25
Top Story: The Happiness Patrol
A bit of a convoluted story, but I really liked it for the message. Similarly to “Smile” in the Twelfth Doctor era, this story had the premise of any emotion besides joy being bad. I liked the emphasis of happiness being just one part of the spectrum of human emotions. As demonstrated by even the big bad of the story, grief and sadness have their place in life. It’s normal and healthy to mourn and be sad at times.
Flop Story: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
I really liked the premise of the story, but the execution was off. That was kind of how I felt about several stories at this point in Doctor Who. If one of the four episodes had been chopped off and the pace of the episode increased, this story would have probably worked. But as it was, it had some slow, dull moments that turned me off.
Epic Ace. Who else could kill a Dalek with a bat?
Honorable Mention: Remembrance of the Daleks
Honorable mention because of how much it hearkened back to the first story of Doctor Who. I wanted to make note of the return to Coal Hill and the return of Susan’s book about the French Revolution. We even got some answer about why the Doctor was in 1963 when the series began. We also had the return of the Daleks and the return of Davros (last time until the Tenth Doctor era). We also had the Doctor pretending to apply to be the school’s caretaker (like he eventually does in the Twelfth Doctor era). Also, just how awesome is Ace, taking out a Dalek with an amped up baseball bat.

The Doctor and the Master face off.
Season 26
Top Story: Survival
So despite Season 26 being dull, I enjoyed Survival. It was the last appearance of the Master, as played by Ainley. It also gave some backstory to Ace. I know Season 26 tried to give some history to Ace, but I found it hard to follow. This story, however, was a perfect example of why the three-episode stories worked well. This story was well paced, but any longer would have been exhausting.
Flop Story: Ghost Light
And to contrast “Survival”, this story was another four-part story that was too long. It was slow and convoluted and I felt like there was too much going on. There was a ghost story, references to Darwinism as an underlying theme, aliens, and then a weird personification of light and control. Other than some backstory on Ace, I didn’t really see what the point of this story was.
For possibly the last time, the Doctor reunites with the Brig.
Honorable Mention: Battlefield
This story had all the stuff I like of Doctor Who: an alien mystery, a tie-in of literature, and a popular recurring character. We had the reference to Arthurian legend, as visitors from a parallel world, and then we had the return of the Brigadier. Oh and we also had a future incarnation of the Doctor revealed to be Merlin. It reminds me of River Song’s line: “I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him.” Now imagine if we saw a modern Doctor being Merlin in the story that would have chronologically happened before this for Camelot. (There’s another idea for a post: good wizards the Doctor could be and which Doctor would be which)

COMPANIONS:
Mel        (6th Doctor) - Dragonfire
Ace        Dragonfire - UNKNOWN

Ace: Obsessed with explosives
Favorite Companion: Ace was a wonderfully complex character. Her backstory and character arc were a bit too convoluted and not well developed. That being said, I didn’t need to see her backstory to enjoy her character. She was a confident, kick-butt companion, who didn’t need to hide behind the Doctor. It kind of reminds me of how Ian Chesterton and Harry Sullivan were used to be the action heroes for the First and Fourth Doctors, but in this case we didn’t need a male action hero because the female companion already kicked butt.

Holy 80s! Look at those shoulder pads!
Least Favorite Companion: So if you remember from my Sixth Doctor post, I like Mel. And I really liked her in “Time and the Rani” but she didn’t hold a candle to Ace. She also didn’t seem to mesh as well with the Seventh Doctor as she did with the Sixth Doctor (never thought I’d say that about anyone). So she wasn’t a bad companion, just the screamer companion I guess.


So what do you think of the Seventh Doctor? What other “good wizards” do you think the Doctor has been? You can expect one Doctor Who post each month now. Next month will be about the Christmas special with the First and Twelfth Doctors and then in the new year I’ll address the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors. 

Because the series was cancelled abruptly, we never see what happened to Ace. When meeting Sylvester McCoy at SLC Comic Con, he said he hoped Ace had gotten into politics. Alternatively, in the Sarah Jane Adventures, it's noted that a "Dorothy" (Ace's legal first name) who knew the Doctor, was raising millions for her charity organization.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

The Cost of Gaming

EA's latest scandal, in which EA made a video game with so many micro transactions some reports say that a person would need to spend around $2100 in order to play the whole game, has got me thinking: Do I need to keep buying video games? Any AAA game I buy anymore inundates me with invitations to spend money on in-game currency, DLC and general upgrades in order to get the "Full experience". Even Pokemon has its own version by releasing the next game before I finished the last one.

Even if I do choose to ignore it some of these games insidiously sneak in little incentives to get you to put more money in their creators pockets. Injustice 2, one of my favorite games this year, wants me to spend $30 to unlock the coloring slider for one character. A COLOR!

Frankly, i'm sick of it. I don't have the most extensive game library, in fact I usually only get 1 maybe 2 new major games a year, but I feel that's about the same as the average consumer. Buying a video game for me is the result of months of anticipation, watching trailers, saving money, then reading reviews from both consumers and video game critics before deciding if the game is worth my time and money, and after all that to then be asked to kick them another $20 for some extra piece is insulting.

This whole incident has lead me to the thought: If all AAA gaming can do is offer to sell me a bulk of a game and say that I can have the rest at a later date if I pay for it, and it looks like the trend is going to only get worse, do I need to keep buying video games?

My parents were taking turns beating Mario before I was born, so I have literally played video games my entire life. Video games are as much a part of my identity as my faith, or my dark hair, so to question weather they need to still be part of my life is not a question I take lightly. I certainly won't be wanting for hobbies, what with my drawing, cross stitch, writing, board/card games, Lego collection, action figure collection, reading and film, but it would leave a hole where my PS4 controller used to fill nonetheless.

Of course, my entire argument loses validity when just yesterday I spent $12 on the Witcher 3 DLC because it was on sale. Maybe if this is the trend of the future, I should just find games that I can deal with paying a little extra for DLC and accept it. Maybe eventually they'll find an easier way to pay for the microtransactions and DLC, like sending someone over to beat me up, take my lunch money and give me a wedgie.

-JOE


Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Power of Friendship

Have you ever had a cartoon or anime hit you right in the feels? That's one reason why I loved Digimon as a kid, and why I've started rewatching it almost 20 years later.


One episode that really connected with me and my own personal life experiences as I've rewatched the series is in Season 1, Part 2, Episode 30 -- the episode entitled "The Crest of Friendship"

One of my favorite characters from the show, Matt, is walking along in a dark cave accompanied by his trusty sidekick and Digimon partner Gabumon.

Matt began to feel depressed as he reflected on the relationship he had with his little brother. He began to feel useless, and had his self-declared life purpose of taking care of his little brother TK challenged by recent events. TK is growing up and Matt doesn't know how to handle it.

A darkness consumes him, but his friend Gabumon stays with him and reminds him who he is, and what he means to not only Gabumon, but the rest of the Digi-Destined.


With the help of his friend, the darkness leaves him and a dark cloud begins swirling above him. He didn't realize until after the fact just how much the darkness was consuming him.

Because of friendship, the power of darkness is shattered. 


Matt is a new man from this experience, and it is really cool to see how he uses the power of friendship in the fight against Piedmon.

Turning to the personal side of things, I see myself in Matt in this episode. I've often struggled with feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, and depression. In fact, I still fight the battle against mental illness. 

Various times throughout the past two to three years I've been consumed by darkness and have been in some pretty low places emotionally and mentally. But what has made the difference is the friends that have walked in that cave with me. They reassured me of my value and self-worth. They have demonstrated in word and deed what it means to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort."

I've had some really dark days, but because of friendship, the power of darkness in my life has been shattered. Many friends, scattered across the years, have acted as the hands of Christ to minister to me in my own Gethsemanes














And I am comforted to know through modern revelation the following eternal truth -- that friendship is not meant just for this earthly existence, but for eternity:


“That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory” 
(D&C 130:2)


Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Part 7

So it’s been a year since my last Marvel Cinematic Universe post, so here’s back to it, especially with all the MCU stuff we got this year. Guardians of the Galaxy 2, more Agents of SHIELD, the Defenders, the Inhumans, Thor Ragnarok, and still more to come. So here’s another installment of what Marvel’s done for us.

Agents of SHIELD: Season 2 (Episodes 12-16)
I enjoyed having Lady Sif return for another episode.
  • 12. Who You Really Are: A Kree comes to Earth to investigate the diviner. SHIELD teams up with amnesiac Lady Sif to find him. He explains the connection between the Kree and the Inhumans. Fitz lies to Simmons about Skye’s bloodwork. Skye accidentally reveals her powers to her team. After Sif and the Kree leave, in a moment of panic Mack abducts Hunter.
  • 13. One of Us: Mack keeps an eye on Hunter while Coulson puts Skye on the Index, with the help of Dr. Garner, May’s ex-husband. Meanwhile, Cal recruits a group of people from the Index to fight SHILED. Cal’s team faces off against Coulson and his team. Cal is taken by a teleporter named Gordon. Mack introduces Hunter to the “real SHIELD”.
  • 14. Love in the Time of HYDRA: At Garner’s recommendation, Skye is taken from active duty. Ward and Agent 33 look for the man who can fix her mask. He fixes it so she can mimic people again. They retrieve Bakshi. Hunter meets Gonzales, the SHIELD faction leader.
  • 15. One Door Closes: The day SHIELD fell, SHIELD agents including Gonzales, Bobbi, and Mack begin to form a separate faction of SHIELD from Coulsen. In the present, Coulsen and May confront Mack and Bobbi respectively. An EMP enables them to escape. Gordon visits Skye at the safehouse. He later saves her from Bobbi’s team. Coulsen and Hunter team up.
  • 16. Afterlife: The Inhumans of the settlement Afterlife treat Skye. Mike Peterson teams up with Coulsen and Hunter to fight Gonzales’s faction. Fitz and Simmons steal back Fury’s toolbox. Skye confronts Raina, but is stopped by Jiaying. Coulsen looks to Ward to help take back SHIELD.

Skye gets introduced to Afterlife in order to control her powers
Random Trivia/Connections:
  • In “Who You Really Are”, Lady Sif mentions that Odin sent her on a mission. As seen in “Thor: The Dark World”, it’s not really Odin, but Loki instead.
  • Coulson’s huge gun that he used on Loki in “The Avengers” reappears in “Who You Really Are”.
  • The flashbacks of “One Door Closes” take place concurrently with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and the SHIELD episode “Turn, Turn, Turn”.
  • It was noted that the safehouse that Skye stays in was previously utilized by Bruce Banner (The Hulk) and Steve Rogers (Captain America).

Thoughts:
To be fair: this part of SHIELD is still where I was watching it on grave shifts, so I through the fluff fast. In the middle of it, I enjoyed this small chunk of SHIELD. However, I also don’t care for it, looking back. Other than being the part where Skye began to learn to control her powers, it was inconsequential. A few episodes later, when season 3 begins, I hardly even remember there being two factions of SHIELD. I guess it had to happen though to lead the season to where it ended.

Daredevil: Season 1 (Episodes 1-13)
So it’s unclear where Daredevil and the other Netflix series fall in the MCU timeline, so I’m just going to place them where they aired. All we really know is that they happened after “The Avengers”, since they mention the Battle of New York at times. Also, since the Netflix shows are a bit edgier and since many of our readers may be conservative Christians, I’ll be giving some “parental guidance” notes for each episode. IMDB typically has a REALLY good parent guide, for details more specific than mine. It’s kind of sparse on these episodes, so add to it if you’ve watched the season.
The "Devil of Hell's Kitchen" started out basically in PJs.
  • 1.  Into the Ring: Nine-year-old Matt Murdock loses his vision in an accident but gets super senses. In the present day (some time the Battle of New York) a masked Matt fights crime. In the daylight, Matt and his partner/best friend Foggy take on the case of Karen Page. That night, the masked Matt saves Karen from a thug. Karen becomes Foggy and Matt’s secretary to pay them back. (Parental Guidance: References to sex trafficking; Side-breast/bare back woman; blood and profanity)
  • 2. Cut Man: In flashbacks, we see that Matt looked up to his boxer dad Jack. In the present day, Matt gets injured saving a boy and is helped by Claire Temple. Meanwhile, Foggy helps Karen adjust to New York City. Later, Matt hunts down Russian thugs to save a young boy. (Parental Guidance: blood and profanity; references to human traficking)
  • 3. Rabbit in a Snow Storm: A vicious fight happens at the bowling alley. Matt lies about his scars to Foggy and Karen. Matt takes the case of the man from the bowling alley (Healey). Union Allied bribes Karen. After getting him free in court, Matt takes on Healey to learn he’s working for Wilson Fisk. Fisk meets Vanessa. Karen goes to Urich for help against Union Allied. (Parental Guidance: lots of violence and blood in the bowling scene)
  • 4. In the Blood: Eight years ago, the Ranskahov brothers escape Russia and come to NYC. Claire helps Matt again. Urich reluctantly agrees to help Karen. Fisk goes on a date with Vanessa. The Ranskahov brothers take a job to find the masked Matt, using Claire as bait. Fisk kills one of the brothers for interrupting his date. (Parental Guidance: blood and gore when Fisk kills the Ranskahov brother)
  • 5. World on Fire: Fisk and Gao meet with their crime organization. Matt helps stitch up Claire. Matt and Foggy take on the case of Elena Cardenas. Masked Matt looks for intelligence on Fisk. Vanessa goes on another date with Fisk. After a couple explosions, the police find the Masked Matt.
  • 6. Condemned: Matt escapes from the police. One of the Russian brothers gets tortured. Matt tends to his wounds. Matt interrogates Ranskahov. Fisk contact Matt. SWAT officers get fought off by Matt as he and Ranskahov escape. (Parental Guidance: blood during torture)
  • 7. Stick: As a kid, after his father’s death, Matt gets trained by Stick. In the present, after an unfortunate encounter, Matt reunites with Stick. Karen touches base with Urich. Stick asks for Matt’s help to stop the Black Sky. Matt rescues a young child from the Japanese. Karen recruits Foggy to help Urich. (Parental Guidance: references to child trafficking with the Japanese)
  • 8. Shadows in the Glass: In the past, as Fisk’s father loses the local election, he beats his wife. Fisk ends up killing his father. Karen and Foggy let Matt know about their investigation. Gao confronts Fisk. Before Urich can out Fisk’s actions, Fisk appears on TV calling the masked man (Matt) a terrorist. (Parental Guidance: Violence and blood)
  • 9. Speak of the Devil: Karen, Foggy, and Urich meet about Fisk’s press conference. After Elena’s death, Matt decides to kill Fisk, but Fisk beats him. Matt escapes and is found out as the masked man by Foggy.
  • 10. Nelson v. Murdock: Years before the series, Foggy and Matt become friends at Columbia University. In the present, Foggy confronts Matt about being the masked man. Urich gets a promotion. Karen takes Urich to see Fisk’s mother. The guests at Fisk’s fundraiser get poisoned.
  • 11. The Path of the Righteous: Fisk gets help for Vanessa. Matt gets Potter to make a suit for him. Fisk finds out that Urich and Karen visited his mother. Karen gets kidnapped, but ends up escaping by killing her attacker. (Parental Guidance: violence)
  • 12. The Ones We Leave Behind: Karen suffers from nightmares after her kidnapping. Foggy gives Marci evidence against Fisk. Matt finds Gao’s warehouse. Matt comforts Karen. Ellison fires Urich. Fisk kills Urich for visiting his mother. (Parental Guidance: violence)
  • 13. Daredevil: Matt and Karen attend Urich’s funeral. Gao leaves town. Foggy and Matt get Fisk’s men arrested. He escapes. Matt gets his new suit and faces off against Fisk and he’s taken into custody. Matt, in his new armor, is dubbed Daredevil by the press.

It wasn't until after Fisk was beaten that Matt officially became "Daredevil".
Random Trivia/Connections:
  • Multiple times, beginning in the premiere, the Battle of New York gets mentioned, placing the events of Daredevil after “The Avengers”.
  • Carl Creel is mentioned in “Into the Ring”, “Cut Man”, and “Stick”. He first appeared in “Shadows” on Agents of SHIELD.
  • The truck whose chemicals blinded Matt was a “Rand Oil and Chemicals” vehicle. We’ll see more of Rand in “Iron Fist”.
  • The Steel Serpent logo first appeared in “Into the Ring” which later appears on “Iron Fist”.
  • The battle between Hulk and Abomination is referenced in an article in “Rabbit in a Snow Storm”, “Stick”, and “Nelson v. Murdock”.
  • “In the Blood” briefly mentions Thor’s hammer as “magic hammer” and Iron Man’s armor as an “iron suit”. Tony Stark is also alluded to in “World on Fire” as “one of those billionaire playboys”.
  • In “Nelson v. Murdock”, Matt’s Greek girlfriend is mentioned. She later appears in Season 2 as Elektra.
  • Cybertek, a company that features prominently in Agents of SHIELD Season 1, is shown in a clipping in “The Ones We Leave Behind”.

Thoughts:

As of the end of “The Defenders”, this season of Daredevil isn’t in my top three seasons of Marvel Netflix. As far as plot, it was well paced. I had a difficult time getting into it, but I enjoyed “Jessica Jones” and “Iron Fist” more (we’ll get to those later). I didn’t particularly care for the violence. I feel like I could have gotten just as much out of the show without seeing the gore. That being said, obviously something went well with this series, since we have so many more Marvel Netflix shows now.

That's all the MCU stuff for now. By next week I'll be done the Seventh Doctor, so be looking forward to the last of the Classic Doctors (unless you count the Eighth Doctor, but we'll get to that later). 

Monday, November 20, 2017

Why the Justice League Movie is awesome

It's no doubt that the Justice League movie has had a shaky production history. Two different directors, countless reshoots, a rumor that the first cut of the film was "Unwatchable" and of course the track record of the other DC films.

So imagine my surprise when I thought the Justice League movie was actually quite good.

No, it's not the perfect movie. DC movies still have the problem that they have plot holes you can comfortably walk through at the best of times, but a good movie isn't a perfect movie, as I explain at about 10 PM to my beligured friends after my 3rd or 4th can of Coke. Justice League skims closer to perfection than it's main predecessor Batman Vs. Superman in one significant way: It's fun.

The plot is your standard pull the gang together plot. While there's nothing much to it I won't give too many details just because I'm not the type of internet troll who would sneak spoilers online. There's a big evil threatening to destroy the earth, naturally, so Batman decides to look up the weirdos he's been gathering data on like a creepy Facebook stalker. Our bad guy is your standard super villain, "I will conquer you all" types, with an army of easily disposable monsters so the crew has something to practice on before hitting up the final boss, but it's not the plot that makes the film great.

Every character is full of those witty Joss Whedon one-liners, and every scene is full of the same vibrant colors that you'd find from opening a comic book. This is the kind of super hero movie I've been waiting for from the DC universe. One full of joy and fun, unlike the gloomfest that was Batman Vs. Superman, or the sadly odd yet oddly satisfying mess that was Suicide Squad. This is just pure unadulterated super hero fun for the whole family.

So then what's next for the DC cinematic universe? Well the other critics hate this film, but I suspect we're getting to the point where the super hero film market is more saturated than Superman's briefs on a vacation to Atlantis. That being said, after this film I want to see what else DC has to show us, so long as they keep the tone n the light side and the battle headed towards Darkseid.

-JOE

Friday, November 3, 2017

The Sixth Doctor

I finished the Sixth Doctor! That’s an accomplishment with how painful some of his stories were. Maybe my expectations were exceptionally low, but I liked him more than I thought I would. I actually have one or two stories to recommend here. So here we go.



Season 21-22
"Hunger Games" anyone?
Top Story: Vengeance on Varos
First time I watched this story in 2013, I really struggled with it. This time, however, I actually enjoyed it. It kind of had a “Hunger Games” feel, with the barbaric reality TV being the norm on Varos. The one thing I REALLLLLLY didn’t like was the odd spectator couple in the episode. I’m guessing they just wanted to show an outsider point of view to the events proceeding, but to me they added absolutely nothing to the overall story.
Flop Story: Revelation of the Daleks
Usually Dalek stories rank a bit higher for me, but this one was just so slow. The Doctor didn’t even see a Dalek until 50 minutes into the story. In addition to the lack of Daleks in a Dalek story, the Doctor and Peri seemed to just walk around outside forever before they actually joined the action.
Six and Jamie. Just saying.
Honorable Mention: Attack of the Cybermen
Very often in Cybermen stories they’re left ambiguous in origin. Telos? Mondas? It doesn’t always specify. This time we had specifically Telos Cybermen, like we did in the Second Doctor story “Tomb of the Cybermen”. This story also includes a “repaired” chameleon circuit. Thank goodness the TARDIS turned back into a police box again.
Special Story: The Two Doctors
It wasn’t an anniversary episode, like most multi-Doctor stories, but I really enjoyed it. The first bit was a bit bland, but I really enjoyed seeing the Sixth Doctor and Jamie interact. It made me wonder if the Sixth Doctor would have done better with a male companion, instead of Peri (I also just don’t like Peri).

Season 23
Technically season 23 was all one story “Trial of a Time Lord”, but it has four distinct parts. So I’ll be using the fan names of those four parts for my ranking.
As is typical, the Doctor is in control
Top Story: Terror of the Vervoids
This was Mel’s first story and it was episode 9-12 of “Trial of a Time Lord”. For fans of the modern series, imagine “The Unicorn and the Wasp” set in space with more aliens. We get a murder mystery story, with a sci fi feel. So throughout the whole story we get clues about the mystery and I actually found myself theorizing. Not so much action as it was intense and suspenseful.
Flop Story: Mindwarp
This was story was episode 5-8 of “Trial of a Time Lord” and it was Peri’s last regular appearance. I struggled with this story because it seemed the Doctor’s personality was altered, but I couldn’t follow what exactly was going on with it. Was he playing along? Was that really him? I could be that the Valeyard was messing with the images, but it was difficult to understand in the meantime.
The Doctor faces off against the Valeyard
Honorable Mention: The Ultimate Foe
This was episode 13-14 of “Trial of a Time Lord” and it was the part of the story in which the action was in the present, as opposed to past or future. I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of the paradox that would have ensued from Mel leaving the Doctor’s future to travel with the Doctor’s present self. It was difficult for me to handle. However, despite that, I enjoyed it. We had a return from the Master and we learned that the Valeyard is a future incarnation of the Doctor, just from his future. Somewhere after the Twelfth Doctor, it said. However, after everything that happened in this story, I’m thinking the Valeyard may have been prevented from existing. Maybe someday we’ll get a Valeyard season?

COMPANIONS:
Peri        (5th Doctor) - Mindwarp
Mel        Terror of the Vervoids* - (7th Doctor)
*This took place in a scene from the Doctor’s future. Future Mel was later taken from timeline and traveled with the present Sixth Doctor. Paradox much?

Favorite Companion: She only appeared in six episodes of the Sixth Doctor’s two seasons and change, but I enjoyed Mel MUCH more than Peri. Granted, some of this opinion is from watching her with the Seventh Doctor, but I stand by it. She felt a lot more balanced to me than Peri did with the Sixth Doctor. Seems like she had more depth and more personality, whereas Peri just screamed.

Least Favorite Companion: Like I just said, Peri annoyed me a lot. She screamed a lot. Her American accent was HORRENDOUS and she just didn’t seem like a good match for the Doctor. During her tenure, I enjoyed the Doctor interacting with Jamie MUCH more than with her. Can we just forget that she was around? Also, there was the whole thing about her fate being left a bit ambiguous. "The Ultimate Foe" changed her fate but did they have to mess with us in "Mindwarp"?



What thoughts do you have on the infamous Sixth Doctor? How would you choose to dispose of his awful rainbow jacket? Personally, I’d go with gasoline and fire.

Colin Baker later (around the time of the 50th Anniversary Special) returned for a featurette called "The Five(ish) Doctors", along with Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy. 

Followers