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Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.
Rewatching... Doctor Who: The Evil Of The Daleks - Part 6
"ALL DALEKS RETURN TO SKARO!" Saturday 24 June 1967 Things are hotting up. The story began as a sort of urban thriller starting at Gatwick and taking in warehouses, alleyways, antique shops and trendy coffee bars. Then it moved both time and location to a Victorian manor house, with servants, a wealthy philanthropist, ticking clocks, creaking wood-panelled corridors. Now in the third and final act, we get yet another location: Skaro! This has turned out to be quite an epic.
Nick BrownPublished 7 years ago in FuturismReview of Twin Peaks: The Return 1.8
Anyone who doubted that Twin Peaks is one bizarre science fiction horror story of a story got their answer tonight in episode 1.8: it is, with a vengeance, spun of gut-wrenching, stomach-churning, searingly mind-blowing wordless narrative the likes of which you don't often see on any television, unless you're maybe watching Donnie Darko someplace the 20th time.
Paul LevinsonPublished 7 years ago in FuturismDoctor Who: World Enough And Time Review
Warning: Potential spoilers ahead for the episode. “All good things must end,” as the old expression says. That is true for seasons of our favorite TV series and the tenth season of the BBC's regenerated Doctor Who is no exception. In what seems like the blink of an eye, the final season for both Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor and Steven Moffat's tenure as showrunner has come to the first half of a two part finale. World Enough And Time sets the ball rolling and does so in style.
Matthew KresalPublished 7 years ago in FuturismRewatching... Doctor Who: The Evil Of The Daleks - Part 5
"I am a professor of a far wider academy..." Saturday 17 June 1967 I'm really enjoying this story. It's a very different Dalek tale to what we're used to. But then Power Of The Daleks was unusual too, and also brilliant. The Daleks haven't actually been in this one all that much so far, and I wonder how the children watching feel about that. When we do get to see them, gliding along the corridors of a Victorian manor house, its marvelous. As with having a new Doctor, this Dalek revival has felt like a new lease of life for the programme.
Nick BrownPublished 7 years ago in FuturismDoctor Who: The Eaters Of Light Review
Warning: Potential spoilers ahead for the episode. The current season of Doctor Who is coming to its inevitable end. Before the season arrives at its two-part finale story, viewers have been treated to a couple of single episode tales. Following on Mark Gatiss' Empress Of Mars, this past Saturday saw the TARDIS crew head to Roman Britain with an episode written by a writer whose presence marks something of a first for New Who. For the first time, the 21st century incarnation of the series was being written by someone who had written for its original run with the return of noted playwright Rona Munro (who penned the Sylvester McCoy era story Survival that closed out the original series back in 1989). So how was Munro's foray into New Who?
Matthew KresalPublished 7 years ago in FuturismReview of Twin Peaks: The Return 1.7
First, let me mention that Twin Peaks, especially The Return, has a resemblance to Lost. If you don't know what that means, I can't help you.
Paul LevinsonPublished 7 years ago in FuturismRewatching... Doctor Who: The Evil Of The Daleks - Part 4
Saturday 10 June 1967 So this episode is all about Jamie's 'test'. He's unaware he's being tested by the Daleks and last week's episode ended as he was confronted by a Turkish wrestler called Kemel. Now as you may know, I'm unable to see the video in many of these episodes, instead having to follow the soundtrack, with a glimpse of an occasional frame. Usually, this works ok and it's fairly easy to follow what's going on. This week it's a little more 'visual' than usual however and it starts with a rather protracted fight between Jamie and Kemel. And to make matters even more 'entertaining', Kemel is mute. I'm not a big fan of fight scenes at the best of times, finding them rather dull even when there are pictures, so as you can imagine I'm struggling a bit with this.
Nick BrownPublished 7 years ago in FuturismDoctor Who: Empress Of Mars Review
Having wrapped up the Monks trilogy that had come to define much of the middle of this season, Peter Capaldi's Doctor looked set to continue his last hurrah with the return of an old foe. The Ice Warriors, reptilian warriors from the planet Mars were one of the most iconic monsters to come out of the classic series of Doctor Who but had featured only once previously in its 21st century incarnation (ironically enough in Matt Smith's final season as the Doctor in 2013). Written by Mark Gatiss, Empress Of Mars would not only bring the Red Planet warriors back but fill in part of their story while also telling an immensely satisfying SF action/adventure story along the way.
Matthew KresalPublished 7 years ago in FuturismReview of Twin Peaks: The Return 1.6
Among the scenes I most enjoyed or found most worthy of remark in last night's episode 1.6 of Twin Peaks, still all-but-incomprehensible in the main, were --
Paul LevinsonPublished 7 years ago in FuturismRewatching... Doctor Who: The Evil Of The Daleks - Part 3
"You are more than human." Saturday 3 June 1967 All things considered it hasn't been a great day for Jamie. He opened a booby trapped box of gas which knocked him and the Doctor out. Then he woke up all groggy in 1866 with a thumping headache. In Canterbury. Now I'm sure most of us could tell a few stories about waking up in 1866 after springing a gas box (yes that's right: a euphemism), but even I have never woken up in Canterbury. And now he's been bashed on the head and abducted by a well loved 70s comedy actor (Windsor Davies), playing a thug called Toby, and has woken up all groggy with a thumping headache (probably - he doesn't actually say so), in a barn. Toby calls his weapon 'Mr Nod'. I like a villain who gives his weapon a pet name. Mr Nod is a sort of cudgel thing. I expect if he'd been armed with a pistol it would have been named Mr Death.
Nick BrownPublished 7 years ago in FuturismReview of Twin Peaks: The Return 1.5
Well, I have no idea what last night's insane episode 1.5 of Twin Peaks is called, or even if it has a name, but I might entitle it, "The Mod Squad Meets Big Love in the Diner".
Paul LevinsonPublished 7 years ago in FuturismDoctor Who: The Lie Of The Land Review
Warning: Potential spoilers ahead for the episode. The trilogy is a most dangerous form of storytelling. It assumes that you will be able to tell one large story across three separate parts (or acts if you prefer) with each standing up on its own. The opening can be good, the middle can be strong, but it is the ending that might ultimately determine how the story is remembered. What has been termed “the Monks trilogy” has seen the long running British science fiction series Doctor Who attempt a trilogy in the middle of its tenth season with the titular aliens coming and taking over the Earth. So could the dystopian The Lie Of The Land bring the trilogy to a satisfying close?
Matthew KresalPublished 7 years ago in Futurism