Benny Russell standing behind Agent carter at a newstand

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Agent Carter at a news stand in NYC, buying a copy of country life while Benny Russell looks at Astounding

Sontarans

I recently watched, the Sontaran experiment and the Time Warrior

Some general thoughts and then I will talk about both specific episodes.

One, Elizabeth Sladen was a fine actress and a credit to the role.

Both episodes demonstrate how you can tell good stories on limited budgets.

The Sontaran ships. (Large golf balls) look pleasingly Alien.

The Time warrior

While a historian would weep. The story seems to have been inspired by Ivanhoe
There is talk of Saxons its a bit late surely.
There is a fine guest star performance by Dot from EastEnders, no stranger to genre TV (June Brown)
The Time warrior gives us  a wonderful debut by Elizabeth Sladen, as Sarah Jane Smith
Ms Smith  has blagged herself into a secret project, after borrowing her great Aunts  ID, after blundering into the TARDIS. UNIT have sequestered several scientists. As scientists keep vanishing. When Lynx the villain of the piece makes his appearance SJS follows the Dr into the TARDIS.
After floundering about for a few moments. We see Sarah gradually compose herself, try to make sense of what is going on. When faced with the gang of medieval mercenaries
She insists ragweek.Or reconstruction
After Sarah manages to escape, she convinces June Brown, and her husband to aid her quest to kidnap the Doctor. Sarah Jane has incorrectly identified the Doctor as the big bad of the piece. Note Sarah Janes plan works. She manages to get hold of the Dr.
By the way, I probably should have explained the plot earlier so here goes

Spoilers

( An Alien Sontaran Lynx has crashed on Earth, and has made a deal with a Medieval robber baron The Sontaran is stealing scientists from the XX century to help Lynx repair his ship)

There is some nice AH bait with Lynx producing muskets for the Robber Baron

The Sontaran Experiment

At only 50 minutes long, the  Sontaran Experiment is one of the more accessible episodes of Classic Doctor Who.

The Sontaran experiment is a sequel to  the Ark in Space. The Dr, Sarah J and Harry beam down to Earth, and encounter a Sontaran who has run into a planetary survey team. The Sontaran is performing experiments on his human captives as the Sontarans prepare to invade your Galaxy

Everything is filmed on a bleak English moor. Which the Dr claims is likely Piccadilly circus. Why moor instead if a swamp if what we are seeing is London?

The future humans all have Safarican accents. I was minded of the Draka

It's bleak. It's a character piece. It could have been set a thousand years earlier

But it's classic SF the people do not change.

They are cowardly, knavish, brave and forgiving. They are struggling against something which is inhuman. The English moor, is not a place of relaxation and retreat but a terrible wasteland. So far from help and home.

Happy thanksgiving

Best wishes to my friends in North Carolina, Missouri, Colorado, Michigan

Enjoy the day

Leonard Cohen

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1934-2016

Robert Vaughan

Man from Uncle,
The Magnificent 7
Superman 3

Fifth Doctor episodes

Terminus,

An interesting idea, King Kong on Molokai in Space. Space pirates wearing white cloaks and fab eighties big hair. Land on an inter galactic leper colony. The armour of the guards reminded me of Roman uniforms. We see Nyssa in her slip, and preparing an enzyme in her bedroom
The guard, at the beginning of the episode who wandered into the Forbidden Zone  looks like Martin from Green wing

The Black Orchid.

I did not dislike this one, as a period piece it works well enough. Remembering the distance in time between 1924-1984 is not an entire lifetime. Remember that there is nothing so remote as the recent past.

Tegan dances with the chief constable to save JNT from paying an extra. Tegan drinks a screwdriver (I was under the impression that screwdrivers were a product of the 1950s. American engineers in Turkey mixing orange juice and vodka Basil Faulty needs its explained in his show)

If anything I thought it would be interesting if, they had spun out events after the Dr is arrested. If the Police had not found the TARDIS. If we see the Dr being interrogated, roughed up and beaten
We see Nyssa and Adric being interrogated. Nyssa being committed and then Tegan finding the Tardis

Why go to the funeral, yes I know it's the decent thing.? Her ladyship was however willing to keep silent while the Dr, was accused of murder. I think you are excused Dr.

Mawdryn undead
Begins with some Dawson casting. Is that not a young George, from drop the dead donkey? The public school seems to be based on Harrow, the pupils are wearing straw boaters. The black guardian returns.
The Brigadier returns, playing himself in two time periods.  My dad must have really hated the silver jubilee. Speaking of times past. Tegan and Nyssa look contemporary in dress. As the eighties are being revised and revised. Compare with Sarah Jane in the Time Warrior, who is clearly a product of the 70s
Mawdryns space ship looks like a hotel lobby.  Or a hostel, in Peru.
There is a nice tough of continuity as Nyssa brings the 4th Doctors coat.
I thought Mawdryn and co, were on Rollerblades.The pastel and pink aliens seem to move quick enough for a group at deaths door

The Awakening
The fifth Dr, makes an off colour joke.