Please do not throw hands at Sue.
Part One
Sue: Oh no. Not Chris Boucher again.
Me: It’s pronounced Boucher, actually.
Sue: Whatever.
On a desolate and dusty planet, a sandminer is churning up the landscape.
Sue: This looks good. They’re selling it well. The camera movement certainly helps.
The sandminer appears to be run by robots.
Sue: The robots look like walking BAFTAs. Were the BBC trying to be subliminal in the hope that they’d win something?
The human crew members are relaxing elsewhere in a very comfortable room.
Sue: So this must be a luxury cruise ship.
Me: Not quite.
Sue: Well what is it then?
Me: It’s a sandminer. They mine sand.
Sue: They’re miners?
Me: Yes.
Sue: They don’t look like miners to me. They’re too middle-class to be miners. Have they never seen Alien?
Me: Unlikely. It hasn’t been made yet.
Sue: Imagine Alien with the crew dressed like that. Go on, try it. I dare you.
Meanwhile, in the space-time vortex, the Doctor is trying to explain transdimensional engineering to Leela…
Sue: That was nice. I really appreciated that. And I’m glad Leela is questioning everything. Because you would, wouldn’t you?
Me: I’m just relieved that Nicol wasn’t around to witness that scene.
The TARDIS materialises in the sandminer and the Doctor can’t wait to explore his new surroundings.
Me: I thought you’d have something to say about Leela not changing into something a little less comfortable.
Sue: I’m not surprised. The Doctor is a bloke. He’s not going to tell her that the TARDIS has a massive wardrobe so she can cover herself up, now is he? He isn’t that stupid.
As the Doctor and Leela explore the sandminer’s interior, its crew prepares for an oncoming storm…
Sue: Oh. My. God. They’ve dressed up to go to work. Look at their hats! They can’t be miners. This is more Abigail’s Party than the Labour Party. Come on, what are they doing, really?
Me: They really are miners. Honest.
Sue: Well, it’s not very practical. I bet that woman’s hat keeps banging into her computer screen when she leans in to read her email. It must drive her mad.
In an isolated storage room, a robot strangles a crew member to death.
Sue: That was scary. The POV shots are great – just like The Terminator. There’s something really creepy about the robots’ faces, too.
When Commander Uvanov and Chief Mover Poul investigate the scene of the crime, they find a red disc on the back of the victim’s hand…
Uvanov: What’s this?
Sue: It’s a bicycle reflector, stupid.
Uvanov assembles his crew and he gives them the bad news: one of them is a murderer.
Sue: So this is Agatha Christie in Space. I’m surprised that Doctor Who doesn’t do this sort of thing more often.
Uvanov takes out the red disc.
Uvanov: Now, does anybody know what this is?
Sue: It’s a bicycle reflector! We’ve already been through this.
As the crew bicker among themselves, Sue’s EastEnders Detector goes into overdrive.
Sue: I know him. He lived in Albert Square for years.
Me: Ted Hills.
Sue: Yes, but which character did he play?
Me: Ted Hills! The actor’s name is Brian Croucher.
Sue: Isn’t it pronounced Croucher?
Me: Very funny. What about the woman playing Toos? She was in EastEnders as well.
Sue: Maybe if she took her hat off.
Me: She had Dirty Den killed. You know, the first time he was killed.
The Doctor and Leela are apprehended by some robots.
Sue: The robots are very creepy. It’s the fat lips that do it.
Me: Do you like the design?
Sue: Yes, it’s very Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The Doctor and Leela are taken to a cabin and told to wait.
Sue: This is very plush. They really should covert this mining business into luxury timeshare cruises. It’s lovely.
Uvanov orders his crew back to work.
Sue: You know, if they spent less time applying their make-up and choosing the right hat to match their outfits, they’d get a lot more done. God knows what they wear when they go out for dinner.
Sue is much happier with the design of the sandminer itself.
Sue: A lot of thought has gone into this. There’s a sense of scale to this that you don’t usually get with the studio-based stories. I can’t fault the design at all.
But something does unnerve her.
Sue: Do you want to know what scares me the most about this period of Doctor Who?
Me: Go on.
Sue: You’ll laugh.
Me: Probably, but tell me anyway.
Sue: I’m worried that Tom Baker will trip over his scarf and he’ll do himself a serious injury.
She’s deadly serious.
Sue: Whenever he’s in a long-shot, I can’t stop looking at his feet. I can’t relax whenever he’s near a balcony or some stairs.
The Doctor and Leela are separated and the Doctor finds himself in one of the sandminer’s hoppers.
Sue: I had a torch like the Doctor’s. I loved that torch. It was an Eveready, I think.
Me: You can’t say that without being certain. What if it was a Panasonic or a Uniross? They’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks.
The Doctor is locked in the hopper and sand starts pouring in on top of him.
Sue: Leela will save him. It’s what the companions do.
As the credits roll, I ask Sue to sum up.
Sue: It’s a good start. The costumes take a bit of getting used to, but they’re still miles better than the Tesh.
Part Two
Sue continues to wrestle with the story’s costume design…
Sue: The sets are great but they could have even better if only they’d dressed the crew in plain overalls. Just think of the money they could have saved.
Sue is already suspicious of Dask.
Sue: Why doesn’t he wear a silly hat? What makes him so special?
Leela encounters a robot called D84. The robot shows Leela the corpse of a crew member – a red disc has been placed on the back of its hand.
D84: Do you know what that is?
Sue: I’m not going to say it.
Uvanov interrupts D84′s interrogation and the robot pretends to restrain Leela. Uvanov slaps her in the face.
Sue: Hey!
Leela retaliates with a swift kick to Uvanov’s balls.
Sue: You go, girl. I’m really starting to warm to Leela.
Uvanov believes that Leela killed Cass.
Sue: Cass was played by a really bad actor. He won’t be missed. I hope they kill the characters off in order of acting ability. If I’m right, Zelda (sic) is next in line for the bicycle reflector of doom. Did you run around your school putting bicycle reflectors on your friends’ hands?
Me: Don’t be silly. A bicycle reflector won’t stick to flesh without using superglue. By the way, if Gregory from Form 6B is reading this, I’m still really sorry, mate. Can you still see the scar after all these years?
A robot rescues the Doctor from the hopper before presenting him to the increasingly suspicious sandminer crew. When Commander Uvanov and the Doctor lock horns, Sue laps it up.
Sue: Tom is on form today. The other guy playing the commander is very good, too. They are definitely egging each other on.
Before you ask, she’s never seen Callan and she’s never read Dune.
When the Doctor accuses Ted Hills of being the classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain, I have to join in.
Me: I used that line in a real life, once.
Sue: Seriously?
Me: We’d just met. I didn’t tell you at the time. I didn’t think you’d understand. Anyway, I’d just started teaching and I had to deal with an obnoxious loudmouth student. He probably sensed that I was new to the job and he tried to exploit my inexperience. He really wound me up. So I used the inverse ratio line on him. I thought it sounded like the sort of thing a teacher might say.
Sue: What was his reaction?
Me: He shut his mouth and he was as good as gold from that point on. He even gave me an apple the following week. (pause) What do you think he did? He called me a ******* ****.
As fate would have it, I gave my very last class today. After 18 years of lecturing, I have decided to throw in the towel. I don’t have the energy to hurl quotes from Doctor Who at my students anymore. As I said to them today, if you stop enjoying it, give it up. Anyway, come July, this blog will be my full-time (unpaid) job.
Imagine that.
The Doctor and Leela are taken to a storage area where they restrained with metal straps.
Sue: Just whip your sonic out.
The thought doesn’t even cross the Doctor’s mind.
Me: I’m sure he had the sonic with him earlier. What’s that all about?
Poul decides to question them further. The Doctor suggests that a robot may have been responsible for the deaths. Poul finds this too impossible to contemplate, but the Doctor retorts that it’s aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly, but they do it anyway.
Me: That’s a myth.
Sue: Did the Doctor just get a fact wrong? We should write a letter of complaint. Or maybe we could start an online campaign to have it removed from any future DVD releases. I know, let’s burn him!
Zilda retires to her cabin for a quick nap (her incessant whining having worn her out), and she is confronted by a revelation so shocking, it reduces her to tears.
Sue tutted so loudly, you probably heard her.
Sue: Thank God she’s dead. She’s a strong candidate for the worst actor in Doctor Who so far. Rule number one: never give your weakest actor the hardest scene.
Leela senses danger and seconds later the sandminer is tilting dangerously over a cliff.
Sue: Is Leela psychic? Did that computer mess with her head in the last story? I bet that skill will come in handy later.
The command deck in plunged into chaos as the sandminer threatens to blow itself apart. The Doctor implores Toos to cut to the power but it’s too(s) little, too(s) late – she’s gonna blow!
Sue: Not bad.
Part Three
Dask cuts the power and the sandminer begins to sink.
Sue: He has the look of Gary Glitter.
Me: And Wolverine’s hair.
It’s at this point that Sue decides to pick a fight with David Collings.
Sue: I don’t like him very much. He’s too theatrical. And that’s really saying something in this story. His ridiculous costume doesn’t help, but he really should be on the stage instead of the telly.
Me: You’re wrong, but I forgive you.
Poul finds a robot with blood on its hands and he freaks out.
Sue: See! Tell me that wasn’t hammy. Anyone would think he hadn’t seen a person’s brains smeared all over a robot before.
A Super Voc robot designated SV7 is reprogrammed by a sinister person who broadcasts their commands on a scrambled frequency (either that or he has a really bad cold).
Sue: Are we supposed to know who that is?
Me: No.
Sue: Good.
How can she not tell? Anyway…
Sue: Is that a Marigold icon I see on the robot’s hand? Oh my, they are wearing Marigold gloves! I thought they were, but I didn’t want to say anything.
The Doctor and D84 discuss the possible whereabouts of Taren Capel, a mad scientist who has a bit of a thing for robots.
Sue: D84 is very sweet. The kids probably loved this story. I can see why people might like this. I wish I did.
Me: That makes two of us. I wish you liked it, too.
Sadly, D84 didn’t entertain the possibility that an evil mastermind could impersonate one of the crew.
D84: I have failed.
Sue: Awwwww, bless. Can we have a D84, please? He’s so cute.
Toos is sleeping in her cabin when a robot wakes her. She demands that Leela be brought to her immediately.
Sue: OK, so she wants Leela brought to her bed chambers so she can tend to her sore wrist. Riiiight.
Me: I’m not complaining.
A corrupted SV7 transforms a group of robots into killers with impeccable manners.
Sue: They are so polite. That’s the scariest thing about this.
Leela is attacked by a robot but she manages to run away.
Sue: The robots need a weapon of some sort. Brute strength only works if you can run after your intended victims.
The Doctor and D84 find a Laserson probe.
Sue: The machine has ‘Laserson’ emblazoned all over it. That’s futuristic product placement. I like it – it helps to flesh out the world. Maybe the marigold thing wasn’t a mistake after all. Perhaps the company branched out into fetish wear for robots?
The Doctor contacts Toos and he tells her to make her way to the command deck. Toos tries to leave her cabin but a robot blocks her exit.
Sue: They should have cut to a close up of the robot’s face when that door opened. The director missed an obvious trick there.
Toos barricades herself in her room and she calls the Doctor for help. D84 volunteers to assist her.
D84: Please let me go. I am faster.
Sue: I sincerely doubt that. You are wearing carpet slippers.
The Doctor tells Toos that help is on its way.
Sue: Is he going to tell her that he’s sent a robot to help her? It’s going to be very awkward if he doesn’t.
Leela finds Poul cowering under a table.
Sue: He is working with the robots?
Me: No.
Sue: So why is he acting like this?
Me: He’s having a nervous breakdown.
Sue: Did Chris Boucher want to be a psychiatrist when he grew up?
The episode concludes with the Doctor fighting off a robot who wants to massage him to death.
Sue: Not bad. At least the cliffhangers are good.
Part Four
Sue doesn’t say anything for a very long time. I’m enjoying the episode too much to care and I convince myself that her protracted silence is the result of her being gripped the story. Oh boy, was I wrong…
Sue: How long until this ends? I can’t keep up with this nonsense. Why is the robot with the blue eyes bad? I though it was just the robots with the red eyes who were bad? There’s no consistency to this. And where’s the bloke in the Ku Klux Klan gear? What is he waiting for? Whoever the hell he is.
The only thing that piques her interest is Toos’ intense interest in Leela.
Sue: There’s a strong lesbian subtext in her performance. Look at the way she’s touching Leela’s knee. Oh, and now she’s managed to sneak in a cuddle. Leela has definitely scored.
It turns out that Dask was the mad scientist, Taren Capel, all along…
Sue: It’s Gary Glitter meets the Hulk. Actually, that look probably passes for normal in this society.
The Doctor suspects that Poul could be suffering from a bad case of robophobia.
Sue: I don’t buy that. Maybe if the actor playing him wasn’t hamming it up so much, I could believe it, but he might as well be scared of a fridge. And who’s bright idea was it to pair a robot with a man who’s terrified of robots? It’s a bit contrived. And what’s the point?
Capel plans to take over the world with his beloved robots. He is very sure of himself.
Dask: We will be irresistible.
Sue: Have you looked in a mirror recently?
In the battle that follows, D84 is stabbed in the head with a Laserson probe. But instead of turning bad, D84 disables several evil robots, bravely sacrificing himself in the process.
Sue: That’s a shame. I liked D84. He would have been an interesting companion.
SV7 turns on Taren Capel because his voice is all funny.
Sue: I can’t tell if that solution was silly or inspired. I’m not thrilled to see Leela sitting it out in a cupboard, though.
The Doctor and Leela leg it back to the TARDIS.
Sue: I hate it when no one comes to see them off. How ungrateful can you get?
The Final Score
Sue: That was average.
Me: Average? Are you mad?
Sue: It didn’t make any sense. The villain’s plan was very vague. Why was he pretending to be a miner? What was that all about? If you were going to take over the world, would you really start there? Yes, the robots look very nice, and there are some interesting ideas fighting to get out, but it was too hysterical for my taste. I don’t see what the big deal is.
5/10
The experiment continues…
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Doctor Who Revisitations 3 (The Tomb of the Cybermen/The Three Doctors/The Robots of Death) [DVD]
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5/10? Good. I agree with Sue.
Now, off to read the rest before I have to hide behind Sue to avoid the torches.
Sue and Michael E Briant – soul mates? He doesn’t think much of the script either…
Well, I don’t agree with Sue. This is an easy 9 for me, maybe a 10. Very exciting, creepy, great design, mostly excellent acting. Maybe it’s the sort of thing that grows on you?
I respect Sue’s right to rate any story as she sees fit, and I would never berate her if her opinions diverged from my own, but a 5/10 for this one seems cruel…maybe I’m just biased, as it’s one of my favourite stories.
She’s right about Cass and Zilda, terrible acting from both. I love the story though and it’s shame that it could only muster a 5 from Sue.
I’m just glad she didn’t give that mark to Assassin (do it to Julia! Do it to Julia!). Sue’s getting more demanding – even the carpentry didn’t save this one.
The Boucher and Croucher made me laugh. I know how to pronounce Boucher these days, but I still say Boucher – it just suits him, doesn’t it (Merry Christmas, ten-year-old me)?
Best lines this time:
“The robots look like walking BAFTAs.”
“Why doesn’t he wear a silly hat? What makes him so special?”
“I hope they kill the characters off in order of acting ability. If I’m right, Zelda (sic) is next in line for the bicycle reflector of doom.”
I wonder if any of us commenting here haven’t used that line in real life? Or if it worked for even one of us?
On Sue’s “Agatha Christie in Space” moment, I always think the writing there’s very clever: when Uvanov calls in the crew to accuse one of them of murder, it’s really a stylistic inversion of Christie; everyone’s gathered at the beginning instead of the end; he’s not the detective but a suspect; he knows no more than the rest; and instead of resolving the situation he makes everyone more fractious.
Well……
I DO like the story but Sue has picked up on the very things that annoyed me.
The ridiculous hats, the apalling acting (Hello Zilda Im talking to you)
It should be “gold” but it isnt quite.
Is there someting I should know about Croucher/Boucher. I thought both were pronounced the same. They rhyme with the first part of “Ouch” surely?
“So this is Agatha Christie in Space. I’m surprised that Doctor Who doesn’t do this sort of thing more often.”
She’ll find out why in another nine seasons.
Please do not throw up your hands in despair at Sue.
It never floated my boat, either. Average is about right
I’ve always thought the Doctor (or Chris Boucher if you want to get technical) already knew the “bumblebee” story was a myth when he told it to Poul. In fact I think that’s why he used it: on that planet the belief that robots are incapable of killing humans is also a myth.
I’m sticking my fingers in my ears, “La la la la la”. It means I can ignore the onslaught that is to come. A 9 or 10 for me, this one, but Sue is entitled to her opinion…even though it is wrong! ;o)
And Neil, good luck after deciding to quit the teaching profession. I’m sure you have a bright future ahead of you. I’m looking forward to the book!
This has always been one of my favorite stories. But I can understand why Sue thought it was average. Chris Boucher’s writing is an acquired taste. That’s why Star Cops did so poorly. His dialog style and some of the plot elements he used were way ahead of their time but still written in a contemporary framework so they don’t come across as effectively as they did when they were used by later writers.
I have to say, I wasn’t really excited about it the first time or two, either. It wasn’t till about the third time through (when I was reviewing the Special Edition DVD) that I took to it. I think jsd‘s surmise about it being the kind of thing that grows on you is probably right.
To be fair, though, Sue makes plenty of valid points. Some of the acting is horrendous, and much of it doesn’t make sense the first time through. The robots themselves are clearly the best part. That, and listening to Louise Jameson’s helium-ized voice.
p.s. Neil, I’m sorry the teaching gig has soured for you. I totally understand where you’re coming from, though. Sometimes my students make me want to play in traffic…
Yup. Trying to out-smartarse a teenager is never going to work in a classroom.
Anyway, teaching is the ultimate in delayed gratification isn’t it? Often so delayed, you never even get to experience any payback at all. But that’s the territory. And it’s interesting, given time, how well the cocky SOBs come through, compared to the suck-ups…
Obviously the robots are fabulous, with unexpectedly calm voices for such brutal stranglers. Two or three members of the cast are excellent and, for most of the time, the direction is assured. In terms of style versus content, I think it’s best to strike an even balance and on this occasion, the design tour de force never quite compensates for the story. I don’t think it’s interesting enough, certainly not after repeated viewings. Even so, for what it’s worth, this story and the next one are literally my earliest memories of watching on TV as a child, so I’ll always have a very soft spot for “Robots” even though I have issues with it. I agree with Sue and some of the previous posters that Cass is utterly terrible and that Zilda is also utterly terrible. However as anyone who has seen the original Play for Today of Gangsters will testify she has eye-catching breasts .. Perhaps that’s what made Michael E. Briant cast her in the first place?!
Without the internet I would never have been able to view Gangsters, all in the name of research of course, in order to be able to comment on your supposition about how Zilda may have been cast.
Depressingly I think you could be right
When I first saw this, I thought the writer’s name was pronounced Boucher (Boo-SHAY), but later evidence and the wicketkeeper of the South Africa cricker team informed me it was Boucher (BOW-cher).
I disagree with Sue about the rating, but it’s a free world. I hope you have some of that whisky soon. The Invisible Enemy isn’t far away.
She doesn’t like acting that’s too theatrical. I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again – she’s going to hate Colin Baker, isn’t she?
Sue’s ability to casually dismiss sacred cows with a shrug never ceases to be refreshing. Talons and Fang Rock will be very interesting…
Hehe…
Haven’t seen this one in years, but it’s never done much for me; I do remember having the same objection to the costumes. It’s interesting that someone above says it grows on you, since I didn’t take to either Genesis or Deadly Assassin at first, both of which I enjoy more these days. I think it might be to do with Holmes as script editor focussing on set pieces at the expense (some of the time anyway) of consistency or sense. I’d make the same criticism of RtD’s Who, actually, so I might come to love that in years to come.
I enjoyed Sue’s inference of lesbianism. I hadn’t read quite so much into Toos and her touchy-feely tenderness towards Leela, I’ll look out for it next time.
Agreed. I’m looking for the disc now…
“Attack of the BAFTAs” – now that has a ring to it. T-shirt? Well, maybe not.
And as for Tom Baker’s scarf: yeah… this is the one where it appears and disappears a lot, isn’t it?
As a stage actor and drama teacher, I totally see Sue’s point – one must adapt to the medium. However, I still have a lot of time for David Collings and always will. Sorry, Sue – it’s a mixed reaction here.
Oh, and I totally understand about your career decision; so many people seem to see it as the end of the world when a teacher leaves the profession – teachers are human to (believe it or not) and one is perfectly entitled to consider other ways of spending one’s life…
* too
Yes, I made a boo-boo. Sue me.
*Ahem*
Yes, that *was* an unfortunate choice of word, wasn’t it?
Of course I consider this an easy 10, but that’s probably just because it’s f***ing incredible.
I made a list of my 20 favorite classic Who episodes the other day. The first 19 were really easy, but there’s a 20th I’m really not sure about. At first I filled that slot with a Colin Baker, feeling slightly guilty about the fact that there are 5 Pertwees, 9 Tom Bakers, and 5 Davisons, but now I’m thinking I was insane; if all my favorites belong to three Doctors, that’s just how it is.
Icon notwithstanding, this is not my absolute favorite — that story is yet to come and I don’t expect Sue to like it any more than she liked this one. In fact, I’m not even sure this is in my top 5, but it’s got some really fierce competition. I do think the Robot design is one of my favorite things to look at in all of Doctor Who, not counting a few of the companions (and if I started listing those I’d come to the one where you’d REALLY think I was insane), hence the icon.
I’m frankly disappointed, but that’s what this blog is all about. The costumes make perfect sense if you read this as a society where the robots do all the work and the humans are the upper-class twits who laze about and assume they can rely on their slaves, sticking around mainly to give orders and do the less dirty jobs. I don’t recall having a bigger problem with the acting than I’d have with just about any other episode of the show. Oh well.
All I can say is, if this is really only half as good as Seeds of Doom (and I LIKE Seeds of Doom), we may need some negative numbers in a couple of seasons.
I don’t know what all of Sue’s reasons were, but for me personally, it wasn’t just the acting that made me file this under “average” the first time I saw it. Because yeah – there’s almost always at least one character who’s poorly acted. There’s no real “hook” unless you already know how it turns out (at least, that’s my recollection of what I first thought, after having now seen it several times…). The robots are flippin’ gorgeois (stole that word), but the rest… falls a bit flat on first un-invested viewing. At least, it did for me.
To summarize: I doubt it’s just the acting that reduced the score. I’d have scored it low my first time, too, but now like it much more.
Of course I don’t begrudge Sue her opinion, let’s get that out of the way. She can dislike it for any reason she likes, even if she’s wrong.
I can understand how someone might not love this. I’m not even sure I can articulate why I love it myself, unless it’s that I love mysteries, and Art Deco, and Leela being badass, and the adorable D84, and political allegories, and the suggestion of a culture outside of what we’re shown, and the slightly dubious but clever resolution involving helium.
But I think I must have a bit of a blind spot regarding reasons someone might dislike it. “Falls flat,” if you don’t share my love for those things, would I guess make sense.
Why is it clever, encyclops? Well, it’s a little more interesting than just “blow it up,” that’s what I mean.
No need to go all Butters on us – some others really like it too…
In this story’s defence, we get proper robots for the first time in ages. That’s enough for me.
5/10!!! I’m with Jazza on this one, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if they are wrong. Yes there’s some bad acting but is it that bad that it drops 5 marks off the score? I suppose if we use bad acting as a means of dropping points then Revelation of the Daleks is heading for a minus score!
No disrespect meant though
It was the acting *and* the plot she didn’t take to.
And none taken.
I would never disrespect Sue or why she votes for stories the way she does!
She’s utterly right in that some of the acting is bad… Cass in particular stands out as being the worst.
The story could be too claustrophobic. It gets too wound up on itself to really be bothered with details on galactic conquest from Dask and his happy band of robots. In terms of telling the audience how much of a threat they could be… it’s iffy, but watching them kill so nimbly still gives a good scare.
Leela is a fantastic companion, so there will be more moments from Leela that Sue will definitely enjoy, even if she’s not fond of the overall stories…
And, yup, Chris Boucher is an author whose works develop with time. He’s one of my favorites, but “Blake’s 7″ is one he fully understood as a series and for the characters within. His WHO scripts are good (IMHO) but B7 is where he kept hitting home run after home run with.
Dask’s pyjamas were a massive blunder of a reveal in ep 2 as well…
Re: bumblebees — obviously, it’s a myth that Terran bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly, but Tom Baker clearly says Tehran insects. And it’s completely true that insects in the capital of Iran shouldn’t be able to fly. It’s a no-fly zone.
If it’s a no fly zone then should there be insects there at all?
No flies on you!
Boom boom!
I love the idea that the Doctor deliberately hid the wardrobe from Leela. “Just run around in your bra for a while love… thanks for that. I’m off to the Zero Room for a bit now. Don’t interrupt me.”
“Sue: Oh no. Not Chris Boucher again.
Me: It’s pronounced Boucher, actually.”
That might just be the best thing on the Internet.
joe
To (mis)quote the Gershwins:
“You say Boucher and I say Boucher,
You say Croucher and I say Croucher,
Boucher, Boucher
Croucher, Croucher
Let’s call the whole thing off (seque into tap dance)
With some Doctor Who stories, it’s just not worth the time or the effort to spot the flaws. Robots of Death is one of those.
This was the first Doctor Who video I ever bought, so I’ve always had a soft spot for it, and watching it again a few days ago it’s still one of my favourites. If Sue thinks this is only worth 5 out of 10 there’s going to be a lot of very low scores over the next couple of seasons…
I wouldn’t bank on that. She gave The Time Monster 8/10, remember?
ah, yes …! always good to keep in mind that reverse “redemption” will (almost) always work miracles for any relationship’s *public face*, especially a marriage … (I’ve been there …)
cheerio …!
“…inverse ration… ” ?
Can you two leave your petty breakfast squabbles aside and concentrate on Robots of Death, please.
I heard a sob. That was Neil.
Yes, it was me.
I have failed.
Oh come on, don’t be upset. Yes you’ve failed, but congratulations, failure is one of the basic fandoms.
Interesting review there Sue, and (as everone seems to be saying it) everyone has their own opinion.
I always loved this, from the incredible design of the costumes/robots to the (for the time) tight, exciting and different story. Here we are on an alien planet, with robots, but it is essentially a locked-room murder mystery. I always took this to be a reflection of the Southern States of America during the slavery era: plantation owners wearing their exotic outfits, white overseers (V robots) and the black workers (D’s).
Or I may have a Gone With The Wind obsession.
Must agree with the bicycle reflectors: all that money spent on great design and they spoil it with these cheap things. Still looking at the politics usually involved, it’s fortunate they weren’t yellow stars or pink triangles.
Wasn’t Pamela Salem (Toos) originally in the running to be cast as Leela? That would have been an interesting alternate timeline.
Enjoyed the splicing of murder mystery, technophobia and slave revolution themes and, looking past the spray-painted marigolds and brothel creepers, visually very stylish for me. Perhaps a 7 or an 8.
The Abigail’s Party comment is on the mark – many of the sandminer crew are obsessed with social climbing, so dressing like Swedish Christmas decorations to go to work is very Beverley…
“I liked D84. He would have been an interesting companion.”
It’ll be interesting to see what Sue makes of Kamelion when you get there… Glad to see that (so far at least) the trolls have not descended to castigate Sue for slaughtering another sacred cow. I like Robots better than Sue does, but it’s not a story that excites me that much. The robots, the regulars and the design are all great, but the crew don’t do much for me and the story is serviceable but not outstanding. I would agree though with the observations above that the crew are clearly presented as being a bunch of pampered parasites who let the robots do all the hard work, which makes their elaborate dress understandable.
I await with some trepidation Sue’s verdict on the next two stories, particularly Talons. I’m hoping that the evocative period setting will help to make her well-disposed towards it, even if certain elements of the script knock off a mark or two. Hopefully by fearing the worst I might be pleasantly surprised…
Never understood the Kamelion thing. They had a companion that could look like anyone they wanted, and they pretended he didn’t exist because… the animatronic didn’t work?????
I totally agree. It always struck me as very strange indeed.
I think it was probably more a case of JNT throwing a temper-tantrum than anything reasoned.
Look up the ‘Curse of Kamelion’…
That cartoon swoosh-doink noise over Leela’s knife in part three wasn’t the foreign dub edit, it was Neil’s self-esteem audibly plummeting to the floor.
Having seen some of Sue’s arrow work I’m surprised there was no comment about the twanging knife throw. I have to say this is a great story. The fact that everyone is dressed in a ridiculous fashion only serves to emphasise what the Doctor and Leila are all about. Who survives? I think it says something about commercialism as well how being ‘human’ and ‘survivors’ can also make you vulnerable because of the foibles of the successful. Plenty of good tropes in this one. The downsides are plain to see but are due to the usual issues of time and budget. It has atmos. it has pathos, ethos, logos and other oses. The doctor in the silo with the reed is daft (would be crushed by the weight of material reed or no, and acts like he’s been buried in the sand at the seaside) but I think this is the best of British in examining the class divide between the servile working classes and the elitists. It’s like every dinner party I’ve ever been to. If it’s not clearly a nine or ten then I think a 6 or 7. 5 is not a consistent mark. There have been some serious duffers with better marks than this. I think the irony is the whole ‘Boucher’ pronunciation issue may have coloured Sue’s outlook. I mean – come on…”Please do not throw hands at me.” This and others, shear brilliance.
The idea of robophobia is a very powerful one too – getting gradually freaked out by being surrounded by apparent humans but ones with no body language. Robots being equated to walking, talking dead people. Very few other Who stories went for that kind of psychological complexity. No one was ever freaked out by the cybermen, just scared of them because they were dangerous. This feels like a real society, it’s so much richer and deeper than most stories.
Brilliant. I’ts been a long time since I read something and didn’t stop till the end.
They should have you do an alternative commentary on all the DVD’s from now on.
Now do the ‘Twin Dilemma’ and ease the pain….. ease the pain….the PAIN!
I never understand when this story gets a kicking for the costumes. Anyone here work for McDonalds? or seen someoen who has. I doubt they choose the uniforms to wear at work any more thn this team did. I would have thought these are desiginations as much as anything.
I love the Robots to death (see what I did there
) I actualy think the script is very clever in the way it twists Agatha Christie but the Direction and Design are simply superb. And Tom and Lousie are so so good in every scene they are in.
9/10
and then here comes trouble with a whole raftt of points knocked off…
“I love the idea that the Doctor deliberately hid the wardrobe from Leela.”
“You turn up in the middle of the night, get me out of my bed in my nightie… which you then don’t let me change out of for ages… and then you take me for a spin in your time machine…”
Whilst Robots is an undoubted classic in fan circles, the “not-we” have different rules, which Sue is clearly sticking to. Actually, she’s absolutely spot on about David Collings’s extraordinary performance, although I wouldn’t say it was theatrical as such, just weird. Cass and Zilda are token ethnic characters for their own sake, and Taren Capel does look ridiculous. Saying that, the Robots look great, the rest of the cast are on form, and the plot rattles along at a fair old pace. Personally, I would give it a solid 7, but that’s because I could connect with the story straight away. If Sue can’t do that, then an average score is very generous indeed. How will she deal with Victoriana, racism, and the irrepresible Jago and Litefoot. In fact, on the racism bit, given the casting decisions made in this story, perhaps it was just as well they got an English actor to play Chan; the alternative could have been disasterous!
Today, 11 days short of 6 years after I started it, I have finally completed my own project to watch (or listen to) all of the “Doctor Who” stories in order, with the rule being that I could only watch a maximum of one episode a day, but not necessarily an episode every day. Anyway, I just wanted to tell some!
Congratulations.
Your prize – a field full of dewinneted ewes.
Excellent!
I loved this story, but I think it may have taken me a few viewings to get to the point of 9/10. I think that the story is a grower.
I think it takes a 2nd viewing to get past the design and “get” the story.
I rather like The Robots of Death, partially because (like so many others…) it was one of the small clutch of VHS tapes I had as a kid. But I think those who complain about the costumes are missing a point; the outfits are meant to be silly and impractical because it’s quite clear that the crew don’t actually do any of the real work (the robots, on the other hand, have real-life washing up gloves on. I always thought that was a nice touch rather than simply cheapness, cf. Cybermen cricket gloves). They’re miners, but not really miners. Minor miners, I suppose.
First off – best wishes with the lecturing retirement, Neil!
A firm favourite, Robots. If not the tippy-top drawer then very much just one tier down. I love Uvanov, both as a character and as played – he’s a bit of a bastard but develops into an understandable bastard, and I’m cheered he survives it all in the end.
Lovely Season 14 is getting a rougher ride than I expected…Talons will be interesting!
This is my favourite of all Doctor Whos, so nyeh.
PS – If you haven’t seen this already, watch out for Hairbot.
Best of luck for the post-lecturing life; now is certainly not the time to be a public servant, they’ve never been more calculatedly set up to be reviled.
PS when’s your last day? Mine’s June 28th…
On topic, despite the goofs like Dask’s trousers reveal (oo-er), Tehran insect, marigold’s, etc, I still have to give this story at least 9/10 for the zest with which the glorious dialogue is delivered by all the main cast. Who is fun again!
My last day is the 29th.
Clearly Sue is not have a good day 5/10 I ask you!
Can I just point out that I am disgusted that you chaps are watching DrWho trash during the weekend of the Diamond jubliee. You should be seeing sunlight for once! and enjoying one of the many poundland street parties and soaking up the atmosphere of seeing 80′s leg-ends Maddness, Grace Jones and other p-poor Z-listers of the Barlow concert. THIS IS NOT A TIME TO BE SITTING WATCHING WHO! Celebrate the Queen.
You are Charlie Brooker and I claim my five pounds.
Ah well, I love Robots but to each their own.
Though I was thinking: if Chris “it’s pronounced Boucher” Boucher’s name is going to be as maligned as Terry f*cking Nation, maybe it would be worth distracting Sue with the old “make us a cuppa” ploy at the start of ***** of the *******. It’s flawed but still effective and the last gasp of gothic Who until G**** L**** (bar the first half of The S***** of B****), and it’d be a shame if his name earned it a rougher ride than it deserved…
Spitting Image Of Nigel Kneale, if you want my opinion.
I could never work out why the crew wore such silly hats indoors (I was a very critical teenager at he time). Interesting to note they shed them when the action starts.
But (Michael Caine voice) Didjewknaaaa that Toos’ hat turned up 2 years later in an early episode of Grange Hill? Surely you knew that Neil!
I always thought Robots of Death was a good story, for the reasons other people have listed above.
I admit a few of the actors are not so good, and even as a child I thought Zilda was a bad actor.
Also– Will someone take pity on me and say how Boucher’s name is pronounced? Boo-shay? Bootcher? Boo-ker?
Yes! Please! I’ve read through all the comments now and I have less idea of how to pronounce Boucher than when I started. It’s gotten to the point where I didn’t even know how Charlie Brooker was pronounced, when somebody brought it up.
I have a soft spot for Robots and would certainly have rated it well over 5/10. What’s silly old Genesis got that this claustrophobic little gem hasn’t?
“No tea, Harry.”
“Bow” to rhyme with “wow”, “cher” as in “butcher”.
I like Robots but will never complain about Sue’s ratings. I’ve got plenty of places I can go online if I want to read reviews tainted by received wisdom and the weight of expectation. When I first saw Genesis of the Daleks, I felt that I was *meant* to like it, that not doing so just wasn’t an option. Thankfully, I thought it was great BUT I still dont’ quite get the fuss about Inferno, and I quite like Black Orchid so there you go.
I enjoyed Black Orchid too.I grew up somewhat isolated by fandom and only got the internet after mine had already been established. When I finally did I was a bit shocked to find out that fans of Dr Who existed who were as irritating as some of the worst the Trekkies that I’d been exposed to (not the kind of thing that would shock me now, but I was younger) and that coupled with the creepy fanfic I found on my first search for my favorite show put me off looking much for Doctor Who related stuff online. I only started reading this blog because of a recommendation from an online friend and then another one that was linked in the comments here recently. I am finding myself almost put in Sues position, while I have been a fan all of my life, I am sometimes surprised (but mostly amused) to see that episodes I watched repeatedly are almost universally hated and sometimes that the ones I really didn’t care for are considered to be the cream of the crop.
This episode was okay, I don’t remember really having much of an opinion one way or the other aside from the fact that the robots looked nice. I didn’t dislike it and probably would have marked it a bit higher, but really of all the universally loved episodes she could mark low this probably bothers me the least.
actually that’s not true, I will be even less bothered if she doesn’t like Talons, that was one of the only episodes I actively didn’t like as a kid, and it wasn’t even for the normal reasons, I just, for whatever reason, found it to be boring and stupid and when I grew up and realized that there were other reasons to find it less than awesome I didn’t feel there was much reason to revise my opinion.