The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Stones Of Blood
The Stones Of Blood: Part One (28/10/18)
Happy fucking Hallowe'en, bitches! Just like last year's Hammer Horror tribute 'Image Of The Fendahl' (Is it really only a year since???) we enter All Hallow's slap bang in British Horror territory! There are Stone Circles, crows, Druidic sacrifices, Archaeologists, old mansions, Celtic folklore, missing portraits! It's much better than the Fendahl story already and by far the best episode this series.
Arriving on Earth and following the tracer to the Nine Travellers, a stone circle in Cornwall which a local cult use to perform sacrifices, the Doctor and Romana (now dressed in a fetching, orange trouser suit and flat cap) met Professor Amelia Rumford and her assistant, Vivien Fey. Beatrix Lehmann is absolutely fantastic as the Professor, dotty and eccentric and full of dry facts about her subject which she reels off regardless of whether you want to know or not. She's basically every old Archaeologist I've ever met and wonderful for it!
On learning of the 'Druidic' sacrifices local landowner De Vries and his posse have been carrying out, the Doctor paid him a visit, leaving Romana behind because she chose to wear a pair of uncomfortable, strappy high heels which aren't really appropriate for wandering the Cornish countryside. De Vries knew he was coming, alerted by his (and his goddess, the Cailleach's) eyes and ears - local crows. After a brief polite chat about Druidism and the history of his manor, he twatted the Doctor with a club and told the Cailleach (who may also be his wife) that he 'knew what to do'!
Meanwhile, having completed their survey, Professor Rumford and Vivien went back to Miss Fey's cottage leaving Romana to encounter a vision of the Doctor (which we didn't see, but Romana clearly did) who led her to the local coastal cliff edge and pushed her off!
The last story was complicated, clever but a bit convoluted. The first story was just dull. This, after only one episode, is so much better. So much fun! I'm really looking forward to this story and seeing how it pans out. Utterly brilliant, and the first great story of the year. Hopefully!
The Stones Of Blood: Part Two (04/11/18)
Another really good, Hammer-esque episode. It started off with Romana clinging to the edge of a cliff and the Doctor being prepared for sacrifice at the Nine Travellers stone circle by De Vries. His wife wasn't keen on the idea as they'd never sacrificed a Human before (if only they knew!) and the Doctor was rescued by Amelia Rumford who turned up with snacks for Romana. The Doctor used K9 to track the latter and she revealed whoever pushed her off the cliff looked like the Doctor, and they concluded it was whoever has the next segment of the Key To Time as it can transform anyone to look like anything.
They met Amelia and Vivien back at the circle (I'm beginning to suspect they're a couple, of sorts) and Romana went back to Vivien's cottage to look at Amelia's notes and eat sausage sandwiches while the Doctor visited De Vries and Martha to ask why they tried to sacrifice him. Unfortunately, they'd had their skulls crushed. Then the Doctor was attacked by what K9 said was a silicone-based globulin-deficient alien, which turned out to be one of the stones from the Nine Travellers, and which totally trashed K9 in an off-screen fight!
Romana and Amelia turned up to try and look at some of De Vries' old books to find the Doctor trying to salvage K9. Romana came up with a way of hooking him into the TARDIS while the Doctor and Amelia searched the house for De Vries and Martha's missing bodies (which the Cailleach had taken to the Nine Travellers in order to feed them their blood). Instead, they found last week's missing paintings which showed the previous residents of the hall all looked like Vivien Fey! It turns out she's the Cailleach, and she's now zapped Romana in the stone circle!
A really good and very busy episode with some good effects, even if the stones aren't wholly convincing. Also refreshing to have the majority of the cast made up of women. Amelia, in particular, is adorable, funny and downright dotty! One of the absolute best characters the show has seen! This is turning out to be a pretty good story!
The Stones Of Blood: Part Three (11/11/18)
This is certainly an entertaining story with plenty going on, and I noticed this week that this is the second story in a row where the main villain is a woman. Vivien Fey, aka the Cailleach (a four thousand year old alien who arrived in a spaceship - a prison ship - currently parked above the Nine Travellers in Hyperspace) beamed Romana to the spaceship, then confronted the Doctor and Amelia, told them to leave her alone, and beamed there herself. The Doctor eventually worked out that she and Romana were in Hyperspace, and built a machine to access it with K9 and Amelia's help.
Amelia continues to be a fantastic character, intending to capture an Ogri (one of three of the stones which are alive and servants of Vivien, which are a vague low point solely down to their odd, gliding movement) with just her truncheon! Her banter with the Doctor and K9 is also brilliant, and she works very well with the latter.
Tom Baker's acting was very reminiscent of Jeff Goldblum this week, particularly in his scenes with Amelia. This might be because the writing was very, very good. Having the Doctor and Amelia exchange dialogue about Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the 'theoretical absurdity' of Hyperspace was both baffling and fun.
Romana wasn't in it much, only turning up when the Doctor eventually reached the ship in Hyperspace. We saw an imprisoned, dead Wyrrn, and the Doctor freed a couple of sparkly, floating Justice Machines called the Megara who seemed determined to try the Doctor for releasing them without authorisation and execute him.
There was quite a nasty scene where the Ogri slaughtered a couple out camping - the young woman touched one of them and you saw her hand fade to bone, and clearly she and her boyfriend died! And Vivien has destroyed the Doctor's machine, trapping him and Romana in Hyperspace.
This story is nicely realised, although some of the 'Day For Night' shots are at odds with the studio footage. And the Ogri are a great idea which need a better form of conveyance. All in all, though, this is shaping up to be the best of the season so far!
The Stones Of Blood: Part Four (18/11/18)
Not especially exciting this week, but engaging. The Megara put the Doctor on trial, and Romanadvoratnelundar went back to meet up with Amelia and K9 to work out who Vivien was and how to help the Doctor. That was all pointless, however, because by the time they'd done that and returned to the ship in Hyperspace the Doctor had called the Megara as witnesses and found out that they were there to try a Cessair of Diplos who had committed murder and stolen the Great Seal of Diplos.
The Doctor failed to defend himself and was sentenced to death, but he shorted the death ray by shaking hands with Vivien, aka Cessair. The Megara read her mind to establish that she was unharmed, learnt of her true identity, returned her to Earth and turned her to stone. That bit was a nice nod to folktales of standing stones being witches and the like turned to stone. Then the Doctor somehow zapped the Megara back to their ship which he'd programmed to return to Diplos.
This one reminded me a lot of 'Pyramids Of Mars', in that it was a rather nice looking and engaging first three quarters followed by a disappointing final episode. This was far better, though, and its last instalment was much less disappointing.
Professor Rumford continued to be a wonderful character this week, though entirely superfluous. It just proves that some characters don't necessarily need to have a purpose to be likeable and bring something to a story. It must have been quite cold filming her final scene saying goodbye to Romana and K9 by the TARDIS as her nipples were practically cutting holes through her blouse! Something it'll take me a while to unsee! Nevertheless, this was a great story, maybe not a classic but certainly the most enjoyable this series. I wonder what the next adventure will bring?
Happy fucking Hallowe'en, bitches! Just like last year's Hammer Horror tribute 'Image Of The Fendahl' (Is it really only a year since???) we enter All Hallow's slap bang in British Horror territory! There are Stone Circles, crows, Druidic sacrifices, Archaeologists, old mansions, Celtic folklore, missing portraits! It's much better than the Fendahl story already and by far the best episode this series.
Arriving on Earth and following the tracer to the Nine Travellers, a stone circle in Cornwall which a local cult use to perform sacrifices, the Doctor and Romana (now dressed in a fetching, orange trouser suit and flat cap) met Professor Amelia Rumford and her assistant, Vivien Fey. Beatrix Lehmann is absolutely fantastic as the Professor, dotty and eccentric and full of dry facts about her subject which she reels off regardless of whether you want to know or not. She's basically every old Archaeologist I've ever met and wonderful for it!
On learning of the 'Druidic' sacrifices local landowner De Vries and his posse have been carrying out, the Doctor paid him a visit, leaving Romana behind because she chose to wear a pair of uncomfortable, strappy high heels which aren't really appropriate for wandering the Cornish countryside. De Vries knew he was coming, alerted by his (and his goddess, the Cailleach's) eyes and ears - local crows. After a brief polite chat about Druidism and the history of his manor, he twatted the Doctor with a club and told the Cailleach (who may also be his wife) that he 'knew what to do'!
Meanwhile, having completed their survey, Professor Rumford and Vivien went back to Miss Fey's cottage leaving Romana to encounter a vision of the Doctor (which we didn't see, but Romana clearly did) who led her to the local coastal cliff edge and pushed her off!
The last story was complicated, clever but a bit convoluted. The first story was just dull. This, after only one episode, is so much better. So much fun! I'm really looking forward to this story and seeing how it pans out. Utterly brilliant, and the first great story of the year. Hopefully!
The Stones Of Blood: Part Two (04/11/18)
Another really good, Hammer-esque episode. It started off with Romana clinging to the edge of a cliff and the Doctor being prepared for sacrifice at the Nine Travellers stone circle by De Vries. His wife wasn't keen on the idea as they'd never sacrificed a Human before (if only they knew!) and the Doctor was rescued by Amelia Rumford who turned up with snacks for Romana. The Doctor used K9 to track the latter and she revealed whoever pushed her off the cliff looked like the Doctor, and they concluded it was whoever has the next segment of the Key To Time as it can transform anyone to look like anything.
They met Amelia and Vivien back at the circle (I'm beginning to suspect they're a couple, of sorts) and Romana went back to Vivien's cottage to look at Amelia's notes and eat sausage sandwiches while the Doctor visited De Vries and Martha to ask why they tried to sacrifice him. Unfortunately, they'd had their skulls crushed. Then the Doctor was attacked by what K9 said was a silicone-based globulin-deficient alien, which turned out to be one of the stones from the Nine Travellers, and which totally trashed K9 in an off-screen fight!
Romana and Amelia turned up to try and look at some of De Vries' old books to find the Doctor trying to salvage K9. Romana came up with a way of hooking him into the TARDIS while the Doctor and Amelia searched the house for De Vries and Martha's missing bodies (which the Cailleach had taken to the Nine Travellers in order to feed them their blood). Instead, they found last week's missing paintings which showed the previous residents of the hall all looked like Vivien Fey! It turns out she's the Cailleach, and she's now zapped Romana in the stone circle!
A really good and very busy episode with some good effects, even if the stones aren't wholly convincing. Also refreshing to have the majority of the cast made up of women. Amelia, in particular, is adorable, funny and downright dotty! One of the absolute best characters the show has seen! This is turning out to be a pretty good story!
The Stones Of Blood: Part Three (11/11/18)
This is certainly an entertaining story with plenty going on, and I noticed this week that this is the second story in a row where the main villain is a woman. Vivien Fey, aka the Cailleach (a four thousand year old alien who arrived in a spaceship - a prison ship - currently parked above the Nine Travellers in Hyperspace) beamed Romana to the spaceship, then confronted the Doctor and Amelia, told them to leave her alone, and beamed there herself. The Doctor eventually worked out that she and Romana were in Hyperspace, and built a machine to access it with K9 and Amelia's help.
Amelia continues to be a fantastic character, intending to capture an Ogri (one of three of the stones which are alive and servants of Vivien, which are a vague low point solely down to their odd, gliding movement) with just her truncheon! Her banter with the Doctor and K9 is also brilliant, and she works very well with the latter.
Tom Baker's acting was very reminiscent of Jeff Goldblum this week, particularly in his scenes with Amelia. This might be because the writing was very, very good. Having the Doctor and Amelia exchange dialogue about Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the 'theoretical absurdity' of Hyperspace was both baffling and fun.
Romana wasn't in it much, only turning up when the Doctor eventually reached the ship in Hyperspace. We saw an imprisoned, dead Wyrrn, and the Doctor freed a couple of sparkly, floating Justice Machines called the Megara who seemed determined to try the Doctor for releasing them without authorisation and execute him.
There was quite a nasty scene where the Ogri slaughtered a couple out camping - the young woman touched one of them and you saw her hand fade to bone, and clearly she and her boyfriend died! And Vivien has destroyed the Doctor's machine, trapping him and Romana in Hyperspace.
This story is nicely realised, although some of the 'Day For Night' shots are at odds with the studio footage. And the Ogri are a great idea which need a better form of conveyance. All in all, though, this is shaping up to be the best of the season so far!
The Stones Of Blood: Part Four (18/11/18)
Not especially exciting this week, but engaging. The Megara put the Doctor on trial, and Romanadvoratnelundar went back to meet up with Amelia and K9 to work out who Vivien was and how to help the Doctor. That was all pointless, however, because by the time they'd done that and returned to the ship in Hyperspace the Doctor had called the Megara as witnesses and found out that they were there to try a Cessair of Diplos who had committed murder and stolen the Great Seal of Diplos.
The Doctor failed to defend himself and was sentenced to death, but he shorted the death ray by shaking hands with Vivien, aka Cessair. The Megara read her mind to establish that she was unharmed, learnt of her true identity, returned her to Earth and turned her to stone. That bit was a nice nod to folktales of standing stones being witches and the like turned to stone. Then the Doctor somehow zapped the Megara back to their ship which he'd programmed to return to Diplos.
This one reminded me a lot of 'Pyramids Of Mars', in that it was a rather nice looking and engaging first three quarters followed by a disappointing final episode. This was far better, though, and its last instalment was much less disappointing.
Professor Rumford continued to be a wonderful character this week, though entirely superfluous. It just proves that some characters don't necessarily need to have a purpose to be likeable and bring something to a story. It must have been quite cold filming her final scene saying goodbye to Romana and K9 by the TARDIS as her nipples were practically cutting holes through her blouse! Something it'll take me a while to unsee! Nevertheless, this was a great story, maybe not a classic but certainly the most enjoyable this series. I wonder what the next adventure will bring?
Another in the 3-legs-good, 1-leg bad mould, though I'd say slightly less effective overall than Pyramids of Mars. The first three episodes are BBC bread and butter and a joy to behold, even if some of the effects let the side down a bit. The last episode are Doctor Who on a strained budget when the ideas have run out, but is still mildly entertaining. Both the Tom Baker and Peter Davison eras are good for older female characters, although the '70s ones are more archetypal and eccentric (and indeed older: Rumford, Ameila Ducat) compared to their '80s counterparts (the more middle-aged Todd and Jane Hampden). The scene with the campers is quite amazing for being so horrific in a story that has almost 100% been tell rather than show up to that point, and also for featuring bare flesh and intimating that the couple had just been at it in the tent.
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly not complaining about the bare flesh, but it certainly is tonally at odds with the rest of the serial, and the rest of the season! It's as if a little bit of Season 14 has slipped forward in time and manifested itself in the Williams era! The increase in female characters, and especially female villains, is quite apparent by this point in the Williams era and is quite refreshing after so many stories in the Hinchcliffe era where the only woman on screen was the Companion (and in 'The Deadly Assassin' not even that!).
DeleteI enjoyed this one more than 'Pyramids Of Mars', but that's largely because it taps into areas I enjoy. The Priory was very lavishly presented and the location work is perfectly situated, but De Vries' manor is just as beautifully realised and the stunning locations of Boscawen are far superior to the Stargroves estate IMO. Likewise, the ship in Hyperspace (and Hyperspace itself) is far better realised than the immensely cheap-looking Pyramid on Mars. But I guess it's all down to personal taste. As much as I love a bit of Poirot or Brideshead Revisited, I'd much rather watch The Wicker Man or Children Of The Stones!