Brilliant debut for SJS. You seem to be cranking up the pace with these. My series is almost done, Series 11 this weekend and then done by September! The Classic Era has most of the best stories and this is one of my faves.
Yeah, Linx is great because he manages to both be a threatening villain and a joke - the relationship with Irongron where they bicker and fall out constantly is hysterical
something i heard a while back that would have been interesting to see happen was the production team considered making Hal the archer who only appeared in this story a second companion, that would have been interesting to see
It's easily one of my favorite Holmes script. I actually probably enjoy it more than even Talons personally. Pertwee is having a ball, Sarah is instantly beloved, and the villains all come off a goofy and fun in the best way.
This story manages to introduce a new companion and a new monster and does both beautifully. Also, the guest cast is brilliant. Irongrond and his men, the King and Queen. Everyone does perfect.
Thank you so much for referring to SJS as "Sarah", by which name she was referred to on more than 80 occasions in the Pertwee/Tom eras, but she was called "Sarah Jane" only _eight_ times... often when being formally introduced by her full name. She was only called "Sarah Jane" by default when (spoilers) she appeared in The Five Doctors, but that seems to have stuck. To me, however, she will always be "my Sarah".
As an American my main experience with vintage Doctor Who is Tom Baker. So really appreciate your deep dive into this era. Trying to get caught up on Tennant thru Whittaker episodes but am looking forward to these episodes. Keep up the good work.
My second favorite story of the Pertwee era, with only the Sea Devils ranking higher. Elisabeth Sladen was such an inspired casting choice… so different from Katy Manning, but still able to work brilliantly with Pertwee. And while they didn’t know it at the time, she was the perfect companion to transition to the Tom Baker era. (I can’t see Jo Grant working with the Fourth Doctor.) In some ways, I kind of wish the Sontarans were retired after Kevin Lindsey passed. He embodied them so perfectly. Also, I find it odd how the original Sontaran costume was better than every version that came later. The humor in the Sontarans was clearly Robert Holmes’ way of sending up an alien bred for warfare… thus also sending up military types in general. I also love the mix of sci-fi and historical in the same story. I wish they did it more in the classic series, as it produced some of my favorite stories… The Time Warrior, Talons of Weng-Chiang, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Visitation.
This is one of my favorite Pertwee-era stories. It’s interesting to see how strong Sarah Jane’s character was in the beginning and how she was “toned down” more by the end of her classic era run. I started watching “The Sarah Jane Adventures” this weekend. By contrast, the first episode of the series could have been better. Lis Sladen, as always, played her part well, despite the eccentricities added to the characterization (which didn’t seem true to the classic era SJ). But as in “The Time Warrior,” SJ takes an active role in saving the day.
Really love this story, it's one of my favourite third doctor stories and yes it hits the perfect balance of threatening and comedic satire with the sontarans, however after it was pointed out to me the wide camera shot of the 3 fighting in the castle just makes me laugh at how little happens in it, like its meant to be tense and serious but it's just funny now
Excellent story, and an excellent intro for Sarah Jan and the Sontarans! I also love that she mistakes the Doctor for the villain at the start, it's a great dynamic and framing device.
Lynx is funny because he's deadpan though, not stupid like Strax. HE identifies Sarah as being different, as he clearly hasn't come across dual sex species before (although he's aware they exist) because he lives to fight the Rutans and nothing else. Strax cannot tell the difference, and still fails to retain the information after he's been told. Mr. Bean and Tony Hancock could both be described as "funny" - but they're very, very different. Moffat seems to like taking a minor detail from the classic series and putting heavy focus on it, for example, this scene with Lynx and Sarah, and the First Doctor's comments to both Tegan in The Five Doctors and Susan in the Dalek Invasion of Earth (the mine scene from Genesis is another, non-character-based example). The problem with this though is that he takes passing comments as character-defining traits, which fly in the face of more relevant characteristics (The First Doctor was NOT sexist and the Sontarans are NOT dumb.) The comedy for me comes from the juxtaposition of the primitive humans who don't understand science and a member of super advanced race that's so blinkered by war, they lacks knowledge or interest in other species. They become unlikely allies despite neither really understanding the other except their shared love of war, however they're both so aggressive they can't even get on with each other.
There’s a big difference between Holmes’s comedy treatment of Sontarans and NuWho’s approach. Modern writers have really lost the satirical aspect and instead opt for potato head gags and generally make Sontarans look stupid. I think this is because modern writers don’t have the knowledge and experience of the military, whereas Classic Who was made by many people who served in the military, did National Service and lived through WW2. NuWho has always had a distinctly sneering attitude towards the military, bordering on disrespectful at times.
A funny villain doesn't have to mean comic relief. Freddy Krueger was funny but not even close to comic relief. The Sontarans were turned into short stacked comic relief
He's called Jingo Linx, because Jingoism and ultra patriotism are being parodied. But it's not a comedy character telling jokes. The next Sontaran story is about torture.
Brilliant debut for SJS. You seem to be cranking up the pace with these. My series is almost done, Series 11 this weekend and then done by September! The Classic Era has most of the best stories and this is one of my faves.
Yeah, Linx is great because he manages to both be a threatening villain and a joke - the relationship with Irongron where they bicker and fall out constantly is hysterical
something i heard a while back that would have been interesting to see happen was the production team considered making Hal the archer who only appeared in this story a second companion, that would have been interesting to see
Great review
It's easily one of my favorite Holmes script. I actually probably enjoy it more than even Talons personally. Pertwee is having a ball, Sarah is instantly beloved, and the villains all come off a goofy and fun in the best way.
This story manages to introduce a new companion and a new monster and does both beautifully. Also, the guest cast is brilliant. Irongrond and his men, the King and Queen. Everyone does perfect.
Thank you so much for referring to SJS as "Sarah", by which name she was referred to on more than 80 occasions in the Pertwee/Tom eras, but she was called "Sarah Jane" only _eight_ times... often when being formally introduced by her full name. She was only called "Sarah Jane" by default when (spoilers) she appeared in The Five Doctors, but that seems to have stuck. To me, however, she will always be "my Sarah".
absolutely right she was Sarah for years. This somehow triggered RTD
As an American my main experience with vintage Doctor Who is Tom Baker. So really appreciate your deep dive into this era. Trying to get caught up on Tennant thru Whittaker episodes but am looking forward to these episodes. Keep up the good work.
It was my introduction to Doctor Who. I was four years old....
My second favorite story of the Pertwee era, with only the Sea Devils ranking higher. Elisabeth Sladen was such an inspired casting choice… so different from Katy Manning, but still able to work brilliantly with Pertwee. And while they didn’t know it at the time, she was the perfect companion to transition to the Tom Baker era. (I can’t see Jo Grant working with the Fourth Doctor.)
In some ways, I kind of wish the Sontarans were retired after Kevin Lindsey passed. He embodied them so perfectly. Also, I find it odd how the original Sontaran costume was better than every version that came later. The humor in the Sontarans was clearly Robert Holmes’ way of sending up an alien bred for warfare… thus also sending up military types in general.
I also love the mix of sci-fi and historical in the same story. I wish they did it more in the classic series, as it produced some of my favorite stories… The Time Warrior, Talons of Weng-Chiang, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Visitation.
This is one of my favorite Pertwee-era stories.
It’s interesting to see how strong Sarah Jane’s character was in the beginning and how she was “toned down” more by the end of her classic era run.
I started watching “The Sarah Jane Adventures” this weekend. By contrast, the first episode of the series could have been better. Lis Sladen, as always, played her part well, despite the eccentricities added to the characterization (which didn’t seem true to the classic era SJ). But as in “The Time Warrior,” SJ takes an active role in saving the day.
Really love this story, it's one of my favourite third doctor stories and yes it hits the perfect balance of threatening and comedic satire with the sontarans, however after it was pointed out to me the wide camera shot of the 3 fighting in the castle just makes me laugh at how little happens in it, like its meant to be tense and serious but it's just funny now
Excellent story, and an excellent intro for Sarah Jan and the Sontarans! I also love that she mistakes the Doctor for the villain at the start, it's a great dynamic and framing device.
Lynx is funny because he's deadpan though, not stupid like Strax. HE identifies Sarah as being different, as he clearly hasn't come across dual sex species before (although he's aware they exist) because he lives to fight the Rutans and nothing else. Strax cannot tell the difference, and still fails to retain the information after he's been told. Mr. Bean and Tony Hancock could both be described as "funny" - but they're very, very different.
Moffat seems to like taking a minor detail from the classic series and putting heavy focus on it, for example, this scene with Lynx and Sarah, and the First Doctor's comments to both Tegan in The Five Doctors and Susan in the Dalek Invasion of Earth (the mine scene from Genesis is another, non-character-based example). The problem with this though is that he takes passing comments as character-defining traits, which fly in the face of more relevant characteristics (The First Doctor was NOT sexist and the Sontarans are NOT dumb.)
The comedy for me comes from the juxtaposition of the primitive humans who don't understand science and a member of super advanced race that's so blinkered by war, they lacks knowledge or interest in other species. They become unlikely allies despite neither really understanding the other except their shared love of war, however they're both so aggressive they can't even get on with each other.
10/10 - it's satire not slapstick
There’s a big difference between Holmes’s comedy treatment of Sontarans and NuWho’s approach. Modern writers have really lost the satirical aspect and instead opt for potato head gags and generally make Sontarans look stupid. I think this is because modern writers don’t have the knowledge and experience of the military, whereas Classic Who was made by many people who served in the military, did National Service and lived through WW2. NuWho has always had a distinctly sneering attitude towards the military, bordering on disrespectful at times.
Much as SJS will always be most associated with TB...I always wish she'd had more time with JP🎩
After JP should be "than she did"🎩
Yup the contestants are pants also rans.👍👍
Sontarans autocorrect backs me up
A funny villain doesn't have to mean comic relief. Freddy Krueger was funny but not even close to comic relief. The Sontarans were turned into short stacked comic relief
He's called Jingo Linx, because Jingoism and ultra patriotism are being parodied.
But it's not a comedy character telling jokes. The next Sontaran story is about torture.