The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The War Games (Episodes 1-5)
The War Games - Episode One (19/04/09)
Another radical shift in quality! For the first time since The Abominable Snowmen we're back in Earth's past, this time on the front line during the First World War. Immediately, the quality was remarkably better than during the last story in the script, the direction, the design and the acting. The location footage is excellent, really evoking the grimness of the time.
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrived just in time to be barraged with shells then rescued by WVR Lady Jennifer Buckingham who was driving an ambulance through No Man's Land. Hijacked by Germans, they were rescued by Lt. Carstairs and taken to Major Barrington in the trenches. Suspicious of the three civilians in No Man's Land (obviously) he sent them to General Smythe at a nearby chateau - and this is where it stopped being a straight Historical.
I was quite excited that we might have a proper Historical story again, as the last one was way back when Jamie arrived. It wasn't to be as there's something funny about General Smythe; he has a weird, round telescreen hidden behind a painting in his quarters, disappears without trace, and can hypnotise people into doing as he wishes. This is how he rigged a court marshal for Jamie and Zoe to be sent to imprisonment camps and the Doctor sentenced to death for espionage.
Zoe attempted to rescue the Doctor by dawn, finding Smythe's telescreen in the process, but they were both caught and the cliffhanger was the Doctor apparently being shot. He can't have been, obviously, although I am aware that this is Pat's final story! By and large this was really rather good; better than anything since The Invasion. Hopefully, the quality will remain consistent on this one - the Director definitely seems to be on a winner as even the lighting was good for a change! Seems a funny story for Pat to finish on, although I haven't seen it all yet. Maybe the Yeti or the Daleks will turn up at some point? Time will tell.
The War Games - Episode Two (26/04/09)
The Doctor wasn't shot. The firing squad were fired upon by someone in a house and while they were returning fire Zoe freed the Doctor and they legged it. Jamie was locked up with a Redcoat (!) and the Doctor posed as a man from the military to free him. They all got caught again, though, but in the meantime General Smythe had buggered off in a big dematerialising box leaving Carstairs and Lady Jennifer to draw their own conclusions as to why they can't remember certain things. They've decided that the court marshal was a sham and the Doctor is able to help figure out whatever's fishy about the whole set up.
Look's like Smythe's an alien - they let the Doctor into his office and he showed them the telescreen Zoe found (which they couldn't see at first). However, it looks like Smythe and one of his alien-glasses-wearing chums saw them, so the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe, Carstairs and Jennifer legged it in the ambulance. Smythe returned and ordered a 'creeping barrage' on them, but they managed to escape by driving into a mist that brought them out somewhere else with some invisible sheep and charging Romans!
Very interesting and rather gripping this week, even though all that happened was a lot of running around getting nowhere. Carstairs and Lady Jennifer are developing nicely as characters, Jamie got to team up with a Redcoat (who got shot - but only in the leg), and Zoe got to smash a vase over someone's head. Enjoying this one. Starting to think monsters would spoil it!
The War Games - Episode Three (03/05/09)
Really very good this week. At first I thought that the ambulance had simply travelled back in time but events have proven otherwise. It seems General Smythe and his 'German' counterpart are running the War Games of the title like it's a game of Risk! The Doctor had everyone return to Smythe's headquarters and break into his office where they blew up a safe and found a map inside revealing the area is split into time zones (1917 War, Roman, Greek, Crimean War, etc.) cordoned off from each other by a mist. In the zones, the aliens supervise battle between opposing sides to test the Humans. And there's another, bearded guy at the alien HQ who seems interested in the Doctor.
Anyhow, they all escaped in the ambulance via the German front line and found themselves in the American Civil War Zone. They were attacked and Carstairs fought the Yanks off but got captured, then the ambulance ran out of petrol so the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Lady Jennifer took shelter in a barn where one of the aliens' travel machines materialised and deposited a load of American Civil War-ers. Zoe twigged that it was similar to the TARDIS and the Doctor went inside to have a look. Then fighting broke out outside the barn and Zoe went in to fetch the Doctor moments before the machine dematerialised, leaving Jamie and Jennifer behind.
Great episode, great cliffhanger and the group properly split up with Carstairs caught and back at the Alien base undergoing conditioning, the Doctor and Zoe on their way there too, and Jamie and Lady Jennifer in the middle of a gun fight. Lots of fun!
The War Games - Episode Four (10/05/09)
Quite an action packed episode this week! Jamie and Lady Jennifer were caught by Yankies (from the North) and held prisoner. Then they were rescued by soldiers from the South, but their leader was the German General being American and so Jamie and Jennifer were tied up again. Then they were helped to escape by a guy who turned out to be from the Resistance (people who have broken the alien conditioning like Jennifer and Carstairs), but he was caught. Jamie overpowered a cavalryman and took his horse to go and look for Lady Jennifer but when he found her they were surrounded, captured and taken back to the barn - where the Resistance stormed the place and rescued them and took the alien guy prisoner.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Zoe found themselves in a machine like the TARDIS transporting soldiers to different wars. After delivering everyone, it returned to base, which appears to be an alien university. Here, donning some very silly glasses so they blended in, the Doctor and Zoe attended a lecture where an alien scientist explained that the Humans were conditioned to fight in their war zones (so they aren't on Earth) as though they were still there and not cross the mist barriers. However, 5% are breaking the conditioning - something the War Chief isn't happy about - so the scientist has built a machine for reconditioning. Out comes the trussed up Carstairs who is reconditioned and points the Doctor and Zoe out as German spies. The aliens sedate him and the Doctor persuades the scientist that the conditioning 'failed' because Carstairs wasn't de-conditioned first. They alter the settings on the machine at which point the War Chief turns up and seems to recognise the Doctor ( who had his glasses off - idiot!). The Doctor and Zoe leg it but, separated, Zoe encounters Carstairs who's freed himself and is ready to shoot her as a spy!!!
Really cool episode. The Doctor even hinted that the TARDIS-like machines may be made by his own people - are the aliens his own race? Lots of action, lots of fun. Looking forward to next week!
The War Games - Episode Five (17/05/09)
This story's really good! The Scientist stopped Carstairs from killing Zoe and took her to be interrogated by the Security Chief. He used a machine to find out that she's from the 21st Century and arrived in a Space & Time Machine - which only the War Chief's people have (the War Chief isn't the same race as the others - he was brought in to help with their experiments).
Meanwhile, the Doctor stumbled across the Scientist deconditioning Carstairs and rescued him, leaving the Scientist in his own machine. In the American Civil War Zone, while two of the Resistance were squabbling the German Officer Alien alerted the alien HQ that there was trouble by using one of the vid-phone things, but Jamie stopped him actually sending a message and convinced the Resistance leader that there were aliens in control.
A group of fetish-gear-clad guards were sent to investigate and they killed the Resistance guy who first rescued Jamie and Lady Jennifer before being overpowered. The head of the Resistance sent Lady Jennifer off to look after the injured at his base before going off with Jamie and two of his men in the travel capsule to the Alien HQ. The German Officer was left under guard in the barn.
Meanwhile, the Security Chief, after an argument with the War Chief, has become suspicious of him. Finding the Scientist, he revealed he thinks the War Chief is in league with the Doctor. He lied to the War Chief about Zoe, saying she was a nurse from 1917, and thinks the War Chief is going to betray his people.
The episode ended with Jamie et al. being gunned down upon arrival at the Alien HQ. This story's getting more and more interesting as the weeks progress! Really loving all the intrigue, and the suggestion that the War Chief, like the Meddling Monk, is another one of the Doctor's people. Doubt that Jamie's been killed off, but it'd be cool if he has been. You never know - this is Patrick Troughton's final serial.
Another radical shift in quality! For the first time since The Abominable Snowmen we're back in Earth's past, this time on the front line during the First World War. Immediately, the quality was remarkably better than during the last story in the script, the direction, the design and the acting. The location footage is excellent, really evoking the grimness of the time.
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrived just in time to be barraged with shells then rescued by WVR Lady Jennifer Buckingham who was driving an ambulance through No Man's Land. Hijacked by Germans, they were rescued by Lt. Carstairs and taken to Major Barrington in the trenches. Suspicious of the three civilians in No Man's Land (obviously) he sent them to General Smythe at a nearby chateau - and this is where it stopped being a straight Historical.
I was quite excited that we might have a proper Historical story again, as the last one was way back when Jamie arrived. It wasn't to be as there's something funny about General Smythe; he has a weird, round telescreen hidden behind a painting in his quarters, disappears without trace, and can hypnotise people into doing as he wishes. This is how he rigged a court marshal for Jamie and Zoe to be sent to imprisonment camps and the Doctor sentenced to death for espionage.
Zoe attempted to rescue the Doctor by dawn, finding Smythe's telescreen in the process, but they were both caught and the cliffhanger was the Doctor apparently being shot. He can't have been, obviously, although I am aware that this is Pat's final story! By and large this was really rather good; better than anything since The Invasion. Hopefully, the quality will remain consistent on this one - the Director definitely seems to be on a winner as even the lighting was good for a change! Seems a funny story for Pat to finish on, although I haven't seen it all yet. Maybe the Yeti or the Daleks will turn up at some point? Time will tell.
The War Games - Episode Two (26/04/09)
The Doctor wasn't shot. The firing squad were fired upon by someone in a house and while they were returning fire Zoe freed the Doctor and they legged it. Jamie was locked up with a Redcoat (!) and the Doctor posed as a man from the military to free him. They all got caught again, though, but in the meantime General Smythe had buggered off in a big dematerialising box leaving Carstairs and Lady Jennifer to draw their own conclusions as to why they can't remember certain things. They've decided that the court marshal was a sham and the Doctor is able to help figure out whatever's fishy about the whole set up.
Look's like Smythe's an alien - they let the Doctor into his office and he showed them the telescreen Zoe found (which they couldn't see at first). However, it looks like Smythe and one of his alien-glasses-wearing chums saw them, so the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe, Carstairs and Jennifer legged it in the ambulance. Smythe returned and ordered a 'creeping barrage' on them, but they managed to escape by driving into a mist that brought them out somewhere else with some invisible sheep and charging Romans!
Very interesting and rather gripping this week, even though all that happened was a lot of running around getting nowhere. Carstairs and Lady Jennifer are developing nicely as characters, Jamie got to team up with a Redcoat (who got shot - but only in the leg), and Zoe got to smash a vase over someone's head. Enjoying this one. Starting to think monsters would spoil it!
The War Games - Episode Three (03/05/09)
Really very good this week. At first I thought that the ambulance had simply travelled back in time but events have proven otherwise. It seems General Smythe and his 'German' counterpart are running the War Games of the title like it's a game of Risk! The Doctor had everyone return to Smythe's headquarters and break into his office where they blew up a safe and found a map inside revealing the area is split into time zones (1917 War, Roman, Greek, Crimean War, etc.) cordoned off from each other by a mist. In the zones, the aliens supervise battle between opposing sides to test the Humans. And there's another, bearded guy at the alien HQ who seems interested in the Doctor.
Anyhow, they all escaped in the ambulance via the German front line and found themselves in the American Civil War Zone. They were attacked and Carstairs fought the Yanks off but got captured, then the ambulance ran out of petrol so the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Lady Jennifer took shelter in a barn where one of the aliens' travel machines materialised and deposited a load of American Civil War-ers. Zoe twigged that it was similar to the TARDIS and the Doctor went inside to have a look. Then fighting broke out outside the barn and Zoe went in to fetch the Doctor moments before the machine dematerialised, leaving Jamie and Jennifer behind.
Great episode, great cliffhanger and the group properly split up with Carstairs caught and back at the Alien base undergoing conditioning, the Doctor and Zoe on their way there too, and Jamie and Lady Jennifer in the middle of a gun fight. Lots of fun!
The War Games - Episode Four (10/05/09)
Quite an action packed episode this week! Jamie and Lady Jennifer were caught by Yankies (from the North) and held prisoner. Then they were rescued by soldiers from the South, but their leader was the German General being American and so Jamie and Jennifer were tied up again. Then they were helped to escape by a guy who turned out to be from the Resistance (people who have broken the alien conditioning like Jennifer and Carstairs), but he was caught. Jamie overpowered a cavalryman and took his horse to go and look for Lady Jennifer but when he found her they were surrounded, captured and taken back to the barn - where the Resistance stormed the place and rescued them and took the alien guy prisoner.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Zoe found themselves in a machine like the TARDIS transporting soldiers to different wars. After delivering everyone, it returned to base, which appears to be an alien university. Here, donning some very silly glasses so they blended in, the Doctor and Zoe attended a lecture where an alien scientist explained that the Humans were conditioned to fight in their war zones (so they aren't on Earth) as though they were still there and not cross the mist barriers. However, 5% are breaking the conditioning - something the War Chief isn't happy about - so the scientist has built a machine for reconditioning. Out comes the trussed up Carstairs who is reconditioned and points the Doctor and Zoe out as German spies. The aliens sedate him and the Doctor persuades the scientist that the conditioning 'failed' because Carstairs wasn't de-conditioned first. They alter the settings on the machine at which point the War Chief turns up and seems to recognise the Doctor ( who had his glasses off - idiot!). The Doctor and Zoe leg it but, separated, Zoe encounters Carstairs who's freed himself and is ready to shoot her as a spy!!!
Really cool episode. The Doctor even hinted that the TARDIS-like machines may be made by his own people - are the aliens his own race? Lots of action, lots of fun. Looking forward to next week!
The War Games - Episode Five (17/05/09)
This story's really good! The Scientist stopped Carstairs from killing Zoe and took her to be interrogated by the Security Chief. He used a machine to find out that she's from the 21st Century and arrived in a Space & Time Machine - which only the War Chief's people have (the War Chief isn't the same race as the others - he was brought in to help with their experiments).
Meanwhile, the Doctor stumbled across the Scientist deconditioning Carstairs and rescued him, leaving the Scientist in his own machine. In the American Civil War Zone, while two of the Resistance were squabbling the German Officer Alien alerted the alien HQ that there was trouble by using one of the vid-phone things, but Jamie stopped him actually sending a message and convinced the Resistance leader that there were aliens in control.
A group of fetish-gear-clad guards were sent to investigate and they killed the Resistance guy who first rescued Jamie and Lady Jennifer before being overpowered. The head of the Resistance sent Lady Jennifer off to look after the injured at his base before going off with Jamie and two of his men in the travel capsule to the Alien HQ. The German Officer was left under guard in the barn.
Meanwhile, the Security Chief, after an argument with the War Chief, has become suspicious of him. Finding the Scientist, he revealed he thinks the War Chief is in league with the Doctor. He lied to the War Chief about Zoe, saying she was a nurse from 1917, and thinks the War Chief is going to betray his people.
The episode ended with Jamie et al. being gunned down upon arrival at the Alien HQ. This story's getting more and more interesting as the weeks progress! Really loving all the intrigue, and the suggestion that the War Chief, like the Meddling Monk, is another one of the Doctor's people. Doubt that Jamie's been killed off, but it'd be cool if he has been. You never know - this is Patrick Troughton's final serial.
Up to the halfway mark the story remarkably maintains much of its drive and intrigue, although it starts treading water in the second half. That said, for something cobbled together in desperation at the eleventh hour, it's a little triumph so far.
ReplyDelete