turlough47

...bet you thought that was all, huh? Well, guess what, motherfuckers?! This story has legs, though they're nothing compared to the iron legs of Mr. Fisher, who has just run himself through every station in the CTA in the new record time of 9 hours, 6 minutes, and 48 seconds. The goose has been caught, plucked and feasted upon this proud day!!! :-) :-) :-)

Greetings from The Great CTA Goose Chase, ladies and gentlemen! Our beloved jockey, Mr. Fisher, is in the midst of his journey to break the record as I write, and is facing generally good conditions as he dilligently weaves his way through the train cars and bus cabs of the Windy City. His Herculean effort to make the most recent bus-to-train connection, however, has hit a snag and the game has got infinitely more interesting...stay tuned...

I appreciate your points, and having listened to the rest of your McCoy era reviews now, I want to thank you for giving stories like The Happiness Patrol and Battlefield credit for trying something different and largely succeeding. And even though I can respectfully disagree with your poor take on stories like Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Survival, as well as your relative disregard for McCoy's acting ability, I do recognize why many people (both at the time and since then) found these to be prime examples of why the show was in decline at that point. I just happen to feel that the genuinely innovative things that the producers and writers were trying to do simply came at the wrong time, directed at the wrong audience, and with probably the lowest level of support both from the studio and the public at large that Doctor Who has ever had. I would venture to say that under similar circumstances, even such lauded teams as Hinchcliffe/Holmes/Baker would have struggled to produce a program of better quality and/or popularity. However, that aside, I must admit that my own affinity for the style and substance of the McCoy era (at least, the way it was intended if not always well realized) colored my reaction to your frequently negative views of it, leaving me with sour taste. If I came off rude as a result, please excuse me. The passion of a fan excuses much, but not all, as I'm sure you are keenly aware of. I do hope that you eventually improve your view of McCoy and some of his stories with further viewings at some point, but in the meantime, thank you for demonstrating as much open-mindedness as you have, something any good Who fan needs in abundance ;-) For now, I must be off; somewhere else, the tea's getting cold...

Well, even though it looks like I'm headed to McCormick Place alone, I'm gonna check out the final day of festivities tomorrow and see what's shakin'. I hope to meet some of you again this year, and make new acquiantances as well. If anyone's on the lookout, I'll be the ginger in an Eleventh Doctor outfit...

Yeah...just about my thoughts exactly, but in reference to BOTI when I heard this episode. Perhaps it's best that I don't go into any furious detail (as my original post was going to before a computer glitch erased it), but I strongly disagreed with most of the opinions expressed in this episode. Which is fine, I can live with that, but at times (and indeed, throughout the Seventh Doctor reviews) there also seemed to be some pretty repugnant personal bias against McCoy and his stories that went beyond objective criticism. Perhaps I'm misreading that, but at the very least, I'm finding some of the vitriol directed at these stories extremely hard to swallow given that they're among my favorites. I hope I can stand to continue listening to the show as it moves into a new phase, because I've always had tremendous appreciation for the effort and enthusiasm that evidently goes into these recordings. The way I see it right now, though, without a deeper and less jaundiced view of certain (admittedly contentious) aspects of Doctor Who, I'm not sure I'll feel motivated to stick with BOTI any longer. Sorry to sound so down on things, guys, but perhaps my discontent will pass with time and a new perspective. I hope so, at any rate, because it has been a great run for the show.

Damn, I'm glad I found this thread! I was planning on coming to the con myself, most likely on Saturday, but possibly Friday as well, if I can find anyone to meet there. Not having been to C2E2 before, I was a bit hesitant, but I do know downtown pretty well, and have attended Chicago TARDIS out in Lombard, so I figure I'll just go for it. Hope to meet some of you and put a face to the names I've enjoyed reading here on the boards and listening to on the `casts. And if Ian's doing a museum tour, well, so much the better...

While I've managed to amass quite a horde of old VHS copies of classic episodes, my DVD collection has had to be decidedly more selective (mostly due to the fact that my pocketbook, unlike the TARDIS, is sadly NOT bigger on the inside Still, I grab some of my favorites, as well stories which, while relatively new to me, have nonetheless proven to stand the test of time and repeated viewings. Without further ado, my modest but carefully considered collection: - The Dalek Invasion of Earth [my first Hartnell and B&W purchase on DVD (I had Unearthly Child before that on VHS) and the story which really helped me get past the dodgier aspects of `60s Who and appreciate the quality and impact of one of the better Dalek, as well as companion departure, stories] - The Seeds of Death [while not being a story I've watched much since I got it (I try to watch these DVDs with other potential fans, and figure that more recent color stories might have more potential for interest) this one is treasured due to my undeniable affinity for the Second Doctor and a fascination with the little-seen Ice Warriors] - Spearhead from Space [this was actually my first Who DVD purchase, back when the range first started, but I sold it off only to find a used copy years later; I wanted it again mainly for the historical interest (first 3rd Doctor story, first color story, shot on film, etc.) but also as a handy way of comparing it with the newer DVD releases to show just how far they've come] - Inferno [undoubtedly a classic, and probably the least egregious example of an extended length (read: padded) story from this era of the show, there's also a some nice extras (particularly the one about the UNIT family) to be found] - Destiny of the Daleks [something of a guilty pleasure for me, this one will always hold a place in my heart for the introduction of Romana II, some quirky Douglas Adams-esque humor, and the wonderfully dated Rastafari aliens which were probably meant to be taken only half-seriously; the DVD also has some great extras such as the adverts starring Tom Baker and Lalla Ward in character, and the tribute to Terry Nation] - Logopolis [this story was one of my earlier and more persistent Doctor Who memories, and as such, I knew I had to seek it out on disc after having lived with a poorly taped broadcast for years; while it's at times a bit too self-aware of the changing nature of the show during this period, there's still much to admire about a story that can make such an abstract concept as entropy so fascinating and also mesh so well with the general theme of decay and regeneration; there's plenty of nice archival footage in the extra features as well] - Earthshock [not only a classic for the show in general and the Fifth Doctor's era in particular, but also a good introductory story for new potential fans, this one won me over for daring to take a few chances, both in story and character terms, and if some elements fall flat (the typical running around in quarry and tunnel locations, the sometimes dodgy acting performances), there is nonetheless plenty more to enjoy here than to complain about; the extras are also quite good, especially a certain easter egg from the JBC - Time-Flight [much like Logopolis, the ideas and themes here are often better than the execution, and they are ultimately what keep me coming back to this one, and though it may just be my wishful thinking, I tend to find that the more ridiculously dodgy aspects of the production almost enhance the rather surreal nature of the story [plus, you just knew something as cutting edge as the Concord was at the time had to feature on Doctor Who in some way); the commentary on this disc, as with the similar one on the Earthshock disc, is wonderfully listenable with a clearly friendly cast poking good-humored fun at the strange on-screen happenings] - Timelash [now that I've finally had the chance to see for myself, I not entirely sure I understand the vitriol that is often targeted at this story; sure, there are plenty of flaws in the production design, and a fairly laughable performance by Paul Darrow, but both at least take a few chances in order to bring across an alien society, and again the concepts here are definitely worth exploring, with the idea of Wells himself being confronted by rather nightmarish realizations of some of his own literary creations being a highlight] - Delta and the Bannermen [another story held in contempt by many fans, this one is another recent discovery for me, and one which, while I can appreciate the antipathy towards the comical and decidedly carnival-like atmosphere to the action, still manages to evoke many of the best aspects of the under-appreciated McCoy era; there is with this story, for the first time, a sense that Doctor Who had finally grown up a bit, and while still saddled with the more dodgy production techniques of `80s Who, was really striving to bring a sense of dramatic irony and even a bit of the social commentary inherent in any good science fiction; underneath all the holiday `camp` (in both senses of the word) and the bad early CGI, the underlying theme of coming-of-age in a newly complex universe was one that the show itself had come to realize (too late, as it turned out); some nice archival footage is again included on the disc, a type of extra that I always look forward to on these releases] - Remembrance of the Daleks [arguably the last true classic story of the original run (though I would personally award that honor to a forthcoming selection), this one has so many wonderful moments, but this time they are finally in service of a story that definitely adds up to more than the sum of its parts; this was my first Seventh Doctor story, and it both bewildered and intrigued me with a depiction of a much more enigmatic Doctor than I had been used to (and before the critics point out both the overly obvious nature of McCoy's question-mark costume elements and his sometimes over-the-top performance, I would like to point out that both serve admirably to demonstrate that special aptitude of the Doctor for playing the fool, while plotting his plans behind the scenes all the while); the extras on both discs of the new Special Edition here are excellent, and do a nice job of filling out the background to a story which had so many intriguing on- and off-screen highlights] - Battlefield [while being another case of the ideas overreaching the execution, this one is definitely a guilty pleasure and an undeniably fun story, if you can take the campier aspects in good humor (which, I think, is how they're largely meant to be taken); one of the better ideas presented here is that a more modern UNIT story and a story set in the near future both have some interesting potential, something that would be expanded upon in the subsequent Seventh Doctor novels; the bonus `movie cut` of the story included on disc 2 presents the story in more more smoothly paced format (something that, unlike the `omnibus` movie format of earlier story releases on VHS, suits this era and its storytelling style well) with a better look to both the filmed footage and the tweaked effects] - Ghost Light [a diamond in the rough, this one presents a narrative puzzle to be solved and resolutely refuses to hold forth any easy resolutions; while I partly agree that another episode or two would've made plot points clearer, I still believe that the most of the mystery here is quite intentional and carried out in stylishly subtle way; the extras here are a real treat as well, giving us some truly worthwhile deleted scenes, a fun commentary, and some idiosyncratic insights from the author] - The Curse of Fenric [a revelation to me upon my original VHS viewing, this story truly takes hold of the more mature story and character philosophies advocated by the writing team at the time and runs with them; again, this DVD's `movie cut` improves the pacing and effects, and allows one to immerse oneself that much more easily in the narrative (although the cliffhangers of the episodes endings, as with Battlefield, are still presented on the disc and are well worth experiencing on a first viewing); this story would have my vote for the last true classic of the original run, and still manages to engross me both intellectually and emotionally more than even the most affecting stories in any era of the show, new and old] - The Complete Third Series [for me, the new show really took flight in its third series; while both of the previous two had more than enough memorable moments and interesting ideas, it wasn't until the third year that I found the cast gelled together really well and worked really effectively in their story roles; Martha was always a surprising and pleasant change of pace for me, showing the kind of character maturity that Rose and (later) Donna never did, while Tennant's performance as the Doctor had now settled into a more consistent, more believable portrayal than had been (and in some ways, would later be) the case; in addition, the stories were showing a maturity of their own, with many of them applying lessons learned from the both the successes and the failures of the previous series; standout stories include Smith and Jones (one of the better companion introductions, filled with nicely surreal and appropriately tongue-in-cheek moments), Gridlock (a less abstruse variation on cyberpunk themes, with several good character moments), Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks (an unfairly criticized story IMHO, one which presented some fascinating ideas about the Daleks and a serious character dilemma for the Doctor), 42 (an exhilarating, intense action yarn with a few cool science fiction ideas), Human Nature/Family of Blood (a lovely tribute to the New Adventure novels which worked surprisingly well with the new cast), Blink (a fascinating side-step set in the Who-niverse which shows the consequences of living in that universe much more effectively than Love and Monsters did), Utopia (the title notwithstanding, a tantalizing glimpse of a complex dystopian society, and about as good a way to re-introduce Captain Jack as any), and Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords (a rollicking and appropriately melodramatic battle of wits and wills between two opposing and yet equally stormy forces of nature); the extras are somewhat basic (and disappointingly skimpy in the case of the cut-down Confidentials), but I loved the studio tour with Freema Agyeman (can't get enough of that girl!) and the neat David Tennant Video Diaries (for some strange reason, these make me like David more than his Doctor!)] - The Infinite Quest [while this admittedly doesn't feature the best animation modern technology has to offer, it still surpasses the later Dreamland story in both that department and in its story quality; there's a nice sense of anything being possible here, with an appropriately anime-like feel to both action and the plot devices; it may be all be a bit childish and fairy-tale, but it manages it makes no bones about this and does it stylishly and with gusto; there are a surprising number of extras included, with David Tennant's recording outtakes being a memorably amusing example]

It's been an excellent set of reviews, guys, and I really want to thank both Ian and Adham for being rabid Bond fans while still being keen Bond critics. In the immortal words of one reviewer in particular: good on ya!! As for revised scores, I can't really disagree with many of the ratings too much; whilst one could wonder how both reviewers can disagree so much on certain scores, I think at least some of it lies in the fact that some films, while being bad in a critical sense, nonetheless have plenty of redeeming features due nostalgia or isolated memorable moments or whatever. Case in point: Man With the Golden Gun, while having numerous technical, story, and character flaws, still has a memorable villain and is associated with fond childhood anecdotes. Conversely, some of the films may well measure up critically, but for various reasons having to do with personal taste for various story elements, or characters, or any number of technical features, they simply don't have as much personal resonance. Tomorrow Never Dies, for example, seems to be the kind of film that is often held up as a quintessential showpiece for Brosnan's Bond, with many crowd-pleasing elements, but for many (including myself) so many of the cliches had by that point reached their nadir and combined to overshadow any superficial pleasure that might have been had from the film. The most accurate evaluation of such examples, however, probably lies more towards the middle of the range, with each controversial feature tending to cancel their opposites out at least somewhat. With this in mind, I think there a few examples of scores that might unduly reflect either some personal bias or lack of critical attention, and thus deserve further reflection, if only to clarify perspectives. I suspect, given the wildly divergent scores given by both reviewers for The Man with the Golden Gun, Goldeneye, and for both Craig films, that their polarizing nature might well lie in the fact that they each, to a considerable extent, experimented with or altered the typical Bond formula in a way that naturally sets them apart from the rest of the canon (whether for good or ill). Some of the other films, similarly, might have introduced isolated elements that either negatively or positively affected the overall view of the film in a decidedly disproportionate way; I'm thinking here of such instances as the underwater sequences in Thunderball, the extended boat chase in Live and Let Die, or the general lack of typical Bondian formula elements in the Craig films (with each of these instances being something that, while often regarded as negative, can just as easily be considered innovative due to their very nature as experiments with the formula). The battle between maintaining the elements of the Bondian formula which make for its enduring appeal, while at the same time keeping such a long-running franchise fresh and creative, will no doubt continue as long as these films (and their fans) do. The podcast has gone a long way towards redeeming this franchise for me, as well as keeping my opinions on it grounded in some semblance of reality (something nerds like us tend to occasionally loose sight of...occasionally ;-) Alright, now that all the serious critical crap is taken care of, can I please just point out that, IMNSHO, some of the scores for You Only Live Twice, Live and Let Die, Octopussy, and Tomorrow Never Dies are all ridiculously high, and some scores for For Your Eyes Only, The World is Not Enough, Casino Royale, and Quantum of Solace are absurdly low?! What in the name of Ernst Stavro Blofeld where you thinking? I mean, did Auric Goldfinger perform brain surgery on you with his laser?? Did Hugo Drax spin you around in his centrifuge one too many times??? Did Le Chiffre whack your balls off entirely???? ;-) All kidding aside, though, I do appreciate your stated reasons for rating each of these as you did, but the nerd in me (or perhaps the Fleming purist) was crying out to finally be heard. I trust you understand the sentiment, even if you don't necessarily agree with it. We're all on the same team here at Universal Exports, and fighting the same nasty supervillains...or something... Cheers, and here's to the future! (P.S. I've been wondering for some time whether we're ever going to see that supposed photo of Ian and Adham together in their tuxedos, doing that pose with the pistols like in the show's logo. Not to mention Adham in his beloved safari suit...)

In answer to Adham's challenge to point out where in the context of the show that he has ever used the phrase `shoot his load`, I should like to provide the following reference: see Episode 12 at 22:45 minutes into the recording, and you should hear Adham's description of the pre-credits sequence to For Your Eyes Only, during which he uses the phrase "Moore comes on and shoots his load" to refer to the gunbarrel scene. Yes, I took it somewhat out of context when using it in my e-mail, but please rest assured that I was merely referring to the gunbarrel scene and not anything more lurid (unlike a certain podcaster, whose dirty musings have become a reliable feature of this show ;-) Stay cool, guys...

Speaking as someone who saw the films first, which then lead me into eventually reading some of the novels, I have to say that the novels are definitely a departure from the world of the films, but in a really good, intriguing way. When I first starting reading the Fleming books, I was sort of in a period of adolescence where I was beginning to find greater interest in literature in general, and historical fiction in particular, which I've always viewed the Fleming novels as being given that they're all set during the peak of the Cold War (late 50s, early 60s). I believe the first Fleming novels I got hold of was actually a three-in-one volume which included the entire `SPECTRE trilogy` comprised of "Thunderball", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and "You Only Live Twice" (I found this on the clearance shelf, by the way; a great deal for an eager new Bond fan at the time). And though I've read some of the other novels since then (although I have yet to read a few like "Doctor No" and Live and Let Die"), I think my favorites are probably still these three stories, though really the first two are superior to the third. I've come to appreciate "Casino Royale" a great deal, likely because it had some of the best character development for Bond, and also because the storyline is just such classic Cold War spy thriller material. I enjoyed "Moonraker" quite a bit; the villain and his plot were a tad absurd (though certainly not anywhere remotely as absurd as the movie version), but the unique elements of it (a glimpse of Bond's domestic life, the entire story set within the U.K., the unusual platonic relationship with the `Bond girl`) were worth the price of admission for me. "Goldfinger" was one I read early on, and its stuck with me perhaps a bit more, basically because it's the sort of story you like to curl up in a comfy chair with and read on a lazy Sunday afternoon; it has a leisurely, easy-to-follow pace, some witty dialogue, and delightfully absurd climax (amazingly, even more so than the movie's climax was, in terms of absurdity). However, the "SPECTRE trilogy" has to remain at the pinnacle of Fleming's Bond for me: it's got a believable, truly sinister continuing villain in SPECTRE (handled with much more sense than the movies ever did), more globetrotting with widely varied locations and situations than many of the other books, and some rather high stakes both professionally and personally for Bond. The height of the ongoing plot and character threads comes at the end of OHMSS, and then is bookended in shockingly satisfying fashion at the end of YOLT (which otherwise had fewer high points than the other two books, with the exception of some interesting commentary on Japanese culture and the gap between East and West). The stories of these three novels have stuck with me the strongest of any of the Bond novels I've yet read, and that surely must say something about their quality. I heartily recommend them to any Bond, or even any literature, enthusiast.

Shoot! Your're exactly right; I had assumed it was the same character. Once again, I must defer to Boston Dan, truly the Keeper of the Matrix ;-)

For my part, I have to agree that one can easily enjoy the new series with or without knowledge of the classic show. Indeed one of the best aspects of listening to BOTI for me is that I can not only pick up on various references to the show's history that Dan brings up now and then, but I also get a sense of Mike's (and many other fans') perception of the classic show through fresh new eyes (in some cases, like most of these early stories, the details are almost as new to me as they are to new series fans).

This was a truly fun episode to listen to; I've been in the audience for all the previous shows, and once again, you've really whetted my appetite for these early stories that I've not had the chance to see yet. For instance, I'd completely forgotten that Vicki leaves in "Myth Makers", and I was sorry to hear that she left the series so soon! Granted, the only Vicki story I've really seen all the way through is "The Time Meddler", but even there she seemed to show genuine promise as a companion. Not to mention the great `big brother-little sister` dynamic that she shared with Steven! Ah well, at least she had a good run while she lasted...I'm looking forward to the forthcoming Big Finish audio series that showcases each of the companions, as Vicki's character arc definitely deserves further exploration. On another note, I also just remembered after listening to the show and looking up the episode in question that the protagonist in "Mission to the Unknown", Agent Bret Vyon, was played by Nicholas Courtney, who would latter go on to a much more substantial Doctor Who role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. I don't recall if it was mentioned in the show (or whether it was worth mentioning) but I myself had quite forgotten this delightful bit of trivia, and hope someone finds it as intriguing as I did.

Given the extreme depth that the submersible was at, the pilot would probably not survive once his power and air ran out and presuming he didn't have a diving suit of his own (like the ones Bond and Melina wore) or didn't get rescued in time by his cohorts on the surface (perhaps there were other divers on the team who could've helped him). Speculation aside, though, the guy was likely entombed down there, and as a certain podcaster might well say, `he had it coming`...

I want to extend my thanks to the hosts for venturing to read my apparently tongue-twisting e-mail (under the name Patrick) during Episode 12; I'll try to keep the vocal acrobatics to a minimum in future, though I trust Ian doesn't begrudge a fellow enthusiast when it comes to a well-read vocabulary ;-) I also have to admit that "For Your Eyes Only" represents probably the pinnacle of Moore's tenure as Bond, largely because it has the most believable plot of any of his Bond films, but also because his performance is unusually subdued, non-ironic, and realistic (as far as such is possible for this actor, at any rate). Not only that, but "Eyes" has to make my list of Top Five Bond films for those reasons, and also because the pure spy thriller aspect of it definitely fits a more Fleming-esque picture of the character and his brutally lurid fictional world. As far as a translation of the short stories it adapts (the title story, and "Risico"), it follows "From Russia, with Love", "Thunderball", and "Secret Service" in faithfully representing the essential plot and character components of the literary counterpart as well as anyone could expect from a screenplay (teenage crushes and parrot antics aside, that is). And for once, I have to agree (in a rare departure) with Adham's opinion of the music this time around, as it was about time that a Bond score rocked out for once (okay, so I just happen to like early eighties disco rock anyway; so sue me)...