The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The War Machines
The War Machines - Part One (25/06/06)
Wow! The TARDIS has landed on present day (well, 1966) Earth! And a computer called WOTAN (Will Operating Thought Analogue, apparently - whatever that means) who lives at the top of the Post Office Tower is bent on killing all the Humans - cuz we've failed or something.
It's really cool! The Doctor's travelled in a Taxi, gone to the Institute of Science and a groovy Swinging 60s nightclub run by Beatnik Chick Kitty. Dodo's teamed up with Professor Brett's secretary Polly (who's well fit) and a sailor called Ben Jackson (who's also well fit) but has had her mind taken over by WOTAN! Polly's a lot more believable as a person, as is Ben, than Dodo which makes Dodo seem a bit stilted, and Ben had a cool fight with some sleazy chav (who was hitting on Polly) that was the kind of thing you usually see when you're out on the piss. Come to think of it, Polly and Kitty, and to some extent Ben, make Dodo look like one of those saddo losers who hang about with the really fit people in school or clubs. She's the plain, boring mate!
Anyway, Polly and Ben were in the nightclub with the Doctor at the end. Oh, and WOTAN spoke and said "Doctor Who is required". Wonder if it knows that's not his real name? Having said that, WOTAN did make a funny noise first - maybe it was trying to say "It is the..."? Who knows? Oh, and Kitty thinks the Doctor looks like Jimmy Savile in his 'fab gear'!
The War Machines - Part Two (02/07/06)
So anyway, Polly and Ben left the nightclub with the Doctor and Dodo, who had been sent to capture the Doctor for WOTAN cuz she was brainwashed. Then the Doctor and Dodo caught a cab to Sir Charles Summers' house while some tramp got beaten to death by the hypnotised people constructing WOTAN's war machines. Polly turned up at Sir Charles' house looking well fit, and Dodo got the Doctor to ring WOTAN so he could be brainwashed, but it didn't work and the Doctor broke WOTAN's control over Dodo. Then Polly (still looking well fit) went to Professor Brent's office.
Meanwhile, Ben turned up at Sir Charles' house looking well fit and chatted to the Doctor about the dead tramp. He's gone off to investigate the warehouse but has been cornered by a war machine!
This is a really good story, continuing the trend set by The Savages and written by the same bloke. It's got really good since he started. So what if WOTAN calls the Doctor 'Doctor Who', and Professor Brett, too. It's quite gritty. Plus I'm really liking Polly and Ben who make the story seem so down to Earth. 'Course, it being set in the present is a first which helps, too. Really good!
The War Machines - Part Three (09/07/06)
Not quite as exciting this week, but I think that's cuz less happened. Ben tried to escape but was caught by Polly, who's been brainwashed, and he was set to work on building the machines by Major Green. This necessitated him taking off his coat to reveal the tight T-shirt he had on underneath, which was nice. Polly also looked very nice all roughed up after her fight with Ben, and then with her hair all over the place while she was labouring with Ben in his T-shirt (which was nice) on behalf of WOTAN. Then she let Ben escape (she does a very good 'I'm possessed' stare!) which meant he put his coat back on and legged it to Sir Charles' house where he arrived all sweaty and panicky. He and the Doctor persuaded Sir Charles to call the army and attack the warehouse.
Meanwhile, Major Green found out Polly had let Ben go which indicates she's got a stronger will than all WOTAN's other pawns, but she was still in there when the army attacked. Oh, and Dodo wasn't in this episode - probably her week off. Nice cliffhanger, too, but don't have room to explain as I seem to have filled the page going on about Polly and Ben!
The War Machines - Part Four (16/07/06)
[From the 9th: Oh, and Professor Brett via WOTAN has invented the internet three decades early! Been meaning to say that since Part One but, well, Polly and Ben, you know...]
That was a really cool story. A brilliant way to end the season with lots of trippy scenes of War Machines stalking the streets of London and a guest appearance by Kenneth Kendall reading the news and warning Londoners to stay indoors!
Polly wasn't in it much, and Dodo has stayed behind - she didn't even get to return to say goodbye! Polly and Ben turned up to relay her message and return her TARDIS key! Oh, and they followed the Doctor into the TARDIS and left with him (Yay! - No, BIG YAY!) and they both looked really fit, Polly in a cool hat and Ben in his Navy uniform!
It made a real change to see contemporary London under threat - comparable only to the Dalek invasion, but that was an almost empty London in the future. This had nightclubs, the army, pubs and tramps! A really interesting story. They should do this kind of thing more often!
Wow! The TARDIS has landed on present day (well, 1966) Earth! And a computer called WOTAN (Will Operating Thought Analogue, apparently - whatever that means) who lives at the top of the Post Office Tower is bent on killing all the Humans - cuz we've failed or something.
It's really cool! The Doctor's travelled in a Taxi, gone to the Institute of Science and a groovy Swinging 60s nightclub run by Beatnik Chick Kitty. Dodo's teamed up with Professor Brett's secretary Polly (who's well fit) and a sailor called Ben Jackson (who's also well fit) but has had her mind taken over by WOTAN! Polly's a lot more believable as a person, as is Ben, than Dodo which makes Dodo seem a bit stilted, and Ben had a cool fight with some sleazy chav (who was hitting on Polly) that was the kind of thing you usually see when you're out on the piss. Come to think of it, Polly and Kitty, and to some extent Ben, make Dodo look like one of those saddo losers who hang about with the really fit people in school or clubs. She's the plain, boring mate!
Anyway, Polly and Ben were in the nightclub with the Doctor at the end. Oh, and WOTAN spoke and said "Doctor Who is required". Wonder if it knows that's not his real name? Having said that, WOTAN did make a funny noise first - maybe it was trying to say "It is the..."? Who knows? Oh, and Kitty thinks the Doctor looks like Jimmy Savile in his 'fab gear'!
The War Machines - Part Two (02/07/06)
So anyway, Polly and Ben left the nightclub with the Doctor and Dodo, who had been sent to capture the Doctor for WOTAN cuz she was brainwashed. Then the Doctor and Dodo caught a cab to Sir Charles Summers' house while some tramp got beaten to death by the hypnotised people constructing WOTAN's war machines. Polly turned up at Sir Charles' house looking well fit, and Dodo got the Doctor to ring WOTAN so he could be brainwashed, but it didn't work and the Doctor broke WOTAN's control over Dodo. Then Polly (still looking well fit) went to Professor Brent's office.
Meanwhile, Ben turned up at Sir Charles' house looking well fit and chatted to the Doctor about the dead tramp. He's gone off to investigate the warehouse but has been cornered by a war machine!
This is a really good story, continuing the trend set by The Savages and written by the same bloke. It's got really good since he started. So what if WOTAN calls the Doctor 'Doctor Who', and Professor Brett, too. It's quite gritty. Plus I'm really liking Polly and Ben who make the story seem so down to Earth. 'Course, it being set in the present is a first which helps, too. Really good!
The War Machines - Part Three (09/07/06)
Not quite as exciting this week, but I think that's cuz less happened. Ben tried to escape but was caught by Polly, who's been brainwashed, and he was set to work on building the machines by Major Green. This necessitated him taking off his coat to reveal the tight T-shirt he had on underneath, which was nice. Polly also looked very nice all roughed up after her fight with Ben, and then with her hair all over the place while she was labouring with Ben in his T-shirt (which was nice) on behalf of WOTAN. Then she let Ben escape (she does a very good 'I'm possessed' stare!) which meant he put his coat back on and legged it to Sir Charles' house where he arrived all sweaty and panicky. He and the Doctor persuaded Sir Charles to call the army and attack the warehouse.
Meanwhile, Major Green found out Polly had let Ben go which indicates she's got a stronger will than all WOTAN's other pawns, but she was still in there when the army attacked. Oh, and Dodo wasn't in this episode - probably her week off. Nice cliffhanger, too, but don't have room to explain as I seem to have filled the page going on about Polly and Ben!
The War Machines - Part Four (16/07/06)
[From the 9th: Oh, and Professor Brett via WOTAN has invented the internet three decades early! Been meaning to say that since Part One but, well, Polly and Ben, you know...]
That was a really cool story. A brilliant way to end the season with lots of trippy scenes of War Machines stalking the streets of London and a guest appearance by Kenneth Kendall reading the news and warning Londoners to stay indoors!
Polly wasn't in it much, and Dodo has stayed behind - she didn't even get to return to say goodbye! Polly and Ben turned up to relay her message and return her TARDIS key! Oh, and they followed the Doctor into the TARDIS and left with him (Yay! - No, BIG YAY!) and they both looked really fit, Polly in a cool hat and Ben in his Navy uniform!
It made a real change to see contemporary London under threat - comparable only to the Dalek invasion, but that was an almost empty London in the future. This had nightclubs, the army, pubs and tramps! A really interesting story. They should do this kind of thing more often!
This story never really gets credited for it, but it's basically the template from which UNIT would spring and the precursor to early- to mid-'70s Who. It's also a pretty decent story that plays on emerging fears/lack of awareness and a major new landmark, which is quite a new-series thing to do. Dodo being dumped the way she is - well, we've had the badly-handled-companion-exits conversation already! At least Ben and Polly show a lot more promise and seem more fleshed out as characters from the off. The actual threat of the eponymous War Machines is undermined by their realisation, which is clumsy verging on the ridiculous - they can't even knock over a pile of empty cardboard boxes convincingly - but plonking them in modern London ups the stakes and gives the story quite a unique feel for this era, as you say. Fun way to end the series (as transmitted, anyway).
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