Cleretic fucked around with this message at 09:59 on Aug 7, 2016

Wheat Loaf fucked around with this message at 12:00 on Aug 7, 2016

• Reduced class sizes
  
• Reduced NHS waiting lists
  
• Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime (humans)
  
• An end to rough sleepers in the UK's five largest cities within five years
  
• Immigration likely to fall to 0 almost immediately
  
• Scottish independence likely to happen almost immediately
  

• References as world-building. This is a highly referential episode, but it uses those references to actually build and explain the framework of the main plot. The Scorpion King's affinity for spiders and scorpions and his ability to communicate with them doesn't come from nowhere, it's based on his own peculiar evolutionary history as seen in Full Circle. It's aided by (fictional) mathematical processes and competencies seen in the likes of Logopolis and Castrovalva, with the former also introducing the concept of Block-Transfer Calculations in the first place. The Doctor's own sense of guilt coupled with his attempts to escape his stranding in the Victorian era and the intended similarities (not quite pulled off) between Adric and Thomas Brewster not only bridge the gap between the Scorpion King's attempts but also undercut his ego in demonstrating yet again (as often seen in the show) that Adric was never quite as smart as he thought he was. Basically, little pieces are taken from various stories both televised and audio and bit by bit they make up the fairly solid structure of the story rather than just pulling it all out of its rear end or just using them for their own sake.
  
  
• The alternate past. It's kinda neat to look at a story that posits what if the dinosaurs never had a chance to evolve into the giants that ruled the primitive earth for hundreds of millions of years because they all got eaten up by giant insects instead. A society of giant scorpions forced to evolve, rattling off pieces of mathematical calculations they don't understand, barely holding their instincts in check, just smart enough to be aware that something is wrong but also knowing that the alternative is to be mindless creatures... well there is a lot of potential there for interesting stories to tell, and it's a pretty cool setting.
  
  
• Peter Davison behind-the-scenes. As always the story features a behind the scenes section of interviews and discussions and Davison is once again a highlight. He takes particular glee in poking fun at the character of Adric and in particular Matthew Waterhouse, getting a lot of mileage out of the old stories about Waterhouse telling an accomplished old thespian how to act. There are some wonderful quips from him, such as,"I was a trifle apprehensive to hear Adric would be in this story, but then I saw they'd cast an actor!" and you get the sense he's having a hell of a lot of fun. As always in the story itself he plays the flustered older brother/inexperienced dad role well, which does undercut from the themes of guilt and repressed anger somewhat but also leads to some neat sections such as the Doctor struggling mightily to put up with the Scorpion King's attitude and actions before finally having enough and trying to give him a piece of his mind only for disaster to get in the way. The ending with the Doctor coming to a decision about a different young man with an uncanny ability to get into trouble plays nicely out of the resolution of Adric and the Doctor's emotional issues and Davison sells it well.
  

• Was this really necessary? I don't think there was anybody actually pining for a story about Adric surviving Earthshock, and often while listening all I could think was that the story may have had noble intentions but all it really managed to accomplish was dilute what little dramatic and emotional resonance that televised story got from it's shock ending in the first place. To be sure, they do try to fuzzy things up a little by suggesting a binary state of being where the ending to Earthshock as seen still happened but also this aberration, but that just smacks of lacking the resolve to commit to the retcon they want to make. The fact that Adric dies so senselessly and the Doctor is not only unable to help him but has to refuse to use his own time traveling ability to go back and save him despite his companions pleading WAS the point, this wasn't a story that needed fixing, it accomplished exactly what it set out to do. Also given that the 5th Doctor and Nyssa are still traveling about together between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity means that only one televised story has aired between Adric's death and this "resurrection" and it hardly feels like the Doctor's guilt over this death should be so deeply buried by this point as to manifest itself subconsciously the way it does in this story. I know plenty of audio time has passed, but I think a story like this might have worked better using a later Doctor. Sure that might have lost the impact of the 5th Doctor being the one to meet Adric.... but they changed Adric's actor anyway so why not?
  
  
• Adric. Unfortunately the character isn't any better when played by another actor. Andrew Sachs is a veteran with decades of experience (as he points out, his most famous role of Manuel from Fawlty Towers consisted of roughly 3 months of filming) but the material he's given isn't good and his portrayal just makes the character into a creepy, sulky lunatic. That IS what the script called for of course and there wasn't really much he could have done to change that, but his portrayal only heightens the irritation and distaste I got from the story. Never a huge fan of Adric to start with, removing all his good qualities in favor of a thoughtless despot obsessed with torturing the Doctor and forcing Nyssa to marry him didn't do much to endear me to him. They seemed to be relying on some form of nostalgia for the character to carry through, because his redemption when it comes neither feels earned nor particularly welcome. More than that, it serves as a device to return the TARDIS to the Doctor and Nyssa which very much feels like an artificial problem with an artificial solution, and adding in another companion expressly said to be designed as a new take on Adric's original proposed character isn't helped by reminding the viewer how annoying/aggravating Adric could be.
  
  
• The love affair. Two supporting characters come along for the ride, and in a story that wasn't so interested in exploring the Doctor, Adric's (and Nyssa's) relationship there would have been some potential merit in watching the opposites attract/out of their element pairing deal with the bizarre setting, reveal truths about themselves and develop a romantic attraction. As it is, the whole thing feels rushed and packed in wherever they can fit it around the main story. It suffers as a result and detracts from other subplots that don't get enough time in the sun. A major moment for one character that is supposed to be a defining moment that also gives the other the impetus to make massive changes to their life doesn't have any impact and doesn't feel at all important or relevant to the rest of the story. Too much is going on for a story that is supposed to be intensely personal, it needed to be stripped down.
  

Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Aug 8, 2016