Snowflake challenge 2023 - 2
Jan. 3rd, 2023 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowhiveChallenge #2
In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
I did do something like this with some of my streamers, first here and then a more general one here
However I’ve used this post as an excuse to finish something else off, a rec post for Doctor Who episodes that I started working on awhile back and figured it fit this. So under the post is a bunch of Who related thoughts.
(Also apparently there’s more Who animations coming for the anniversary, how exciting!)
So in the cultural exchange post I mentioned my love of Doctor Who so I figured I should do a post saying which eps are good jumping in points to see each doctor. (Of course good jumping in points are first eps of a season too!) I’ll also note some fav eps for Doctors too. This will scale, as some Doctors (I’m looking at you 4) have far more episodes than others.
Doctor Who is broadly divided into two eras. Classic Who (or Old Who) is First-Eighth, while New Who is Ninth onwards. Before I got into the recs there’s a few comments on each era.
Classic Who stories are longer than new Who ones. Classic Who stories were shown in 25 minutes parts and stories range from 2 through to 12 parts. Most are 4 or 6 parts. (The first season of the sixth had stories told as 45 minute parts instead.)
New Who episodes have a standard of 45 minutes and are usually in one part (with a few two or three episode stories). Longer episodes usually happen for special episodes (Christmas or anniversary episodes). Seasons in new Who tend to have an arc running through them, sometimes only with arc words, other times being more explicit.
(I’ll also preface, I’ve not watched some doctors in awhile so this is based on memory for some, as such focus on the classic who stuff tends to be stuff from the collection box sets which are fresher in my mind)
Choosing some of these were easier than others (for some it’s really hard cause there’s so many faves, for others… less so). Episodes marked with a * are ones I think are favs, but require at least some form of prior knowledge to properly enjoy
First
(I’m gonna come back to this and add some once I’ve watched season 2 since I’ve not watched the first Doctor in so long)
Second
Tomb Of The Cyberman - Tomb is probably one of my fav Cyberman eps and I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe it’s the concept, a group of explorers investigating a ‘tomb’ that turns out to be filled with cybermen in hibernation.
(The sad thing about the second doctor, and some of the first, is that some stories are lost. Some are completely missing, others have only a few parts)
Fury From The Deep - Fury is one eps that is missing in its entirety. So how is it on this list? Well it’s one of the episodes made in animation. As the audio still exists, they were able to make an animated version of the story which I think works really well.
Third
The Claws Of Axos - I really enjoyed this ep and i think it’s in large part due to the design of the Axons as well as their ship.
The Three Doctors - The Three Doctors is the first multi-Doctor episode, conceived as part of the 10th anniversary of the show which it opened. It’s such a great episode, if only for the banter between the doctors (sadly, William Hartnell, the first doctor was in poor health so couldn’t be in it as much as was planned)
The Green Death - This episode is companion Jo’s last ep and she gets quite an emotional departure here. The ep is a powerful tale about the dangerous of pollution and how we can be just as dangerous as any monster
Fourth
Ark In Space - Ark is an ep about, well, an ark, of humans put into hibernation to avoid disaster. Of course this being Doctor Who, things have gone wrong. There’s a kind of Alien vibe to this, which is especially striking when you think it came out five years earlier.
Robots Of Death - This is another of my fav eps. It’s essentially a murder mystery on a future mining craft (or maybe not future, just alien) and everything about it is just so awesome. The outfits (why are miners dressed so fancy?), the sets, the titular robots, everything is so well done.
City Of Death - City Of Death is just fun, it’s one of my very fav eps of classic Who. It’s also one of the first eps (if not the first) with filming outside of the uk, being filmed in Paris.
Fifth
The Five Doctors - The Five Doctors (although technically four) has to be included in this list, because it was the very first Classic Who episode I watched. It’s a special longer episode and it features the first Five Doctors, along with their companions and it does a good job of showing them off (well apart from Four). As such, this is a good ep to start with because you can watch and see if any of them make you want to see more.
Sixth
The Mark Of The Rani - Mark is easily my fav of the sixth Doctor episodes, in large part due to the Rani. She’s another renegade time Lord (like the master) only she is much more competent. The way she describes the doctor and master’s relationship (while lumbered with the latter) is such a highlight.
Terror Of The Vervoids* - Terror is part of the Trail Of A Timelord season, where the doctor is put on trial. During the trail three stories are used: one from the past, one from the present and this one, from the future. It’s easily my fav one and a bit of a shame it’s in this season as it would be great as a standalone (in fact the season boxset has an option to watch it as a standalone story, which I’ve not watched yet and must do soon). It’s basically a murder mystery on a spaceship, with the titular Vervoids featuring.
Seventh
Delta And The Bannermen - Seven was hard to pick a fav for, mostly because I think the best ones might be in season 25 which I’ve not watched in ages and waiting for the boxset release. However I think this one is a nice ep, mostly because of its setting in Wales. It just gets a bit needlessly sad.
Eighth
The Movie - The problem with the Eighth Doctor is obvious. Every other Doctor has at least a season to draw from but the Eighth Doctor? He just has one televised appearance (and one mini episode). Honestly it really is such a shame because it means that he isn’t given a time to shine (especially as this is a regeneration thing so it’s not ideal). There are Big Finish audios, but I haven’t listened to enough to fully recommend them (though the ones I’ve heard are really good). As to the Movie itself, it’s a regeneration story, with the master being evil (of course). I’ve not watched it in awhile though alas
Ninth
The End Of The World - The ninth Doctor was the first doctor I watched and it was this episode that absolutely hooked me. Set in the far far future it shows the end of the world. It has everything, a space station, aliens, robots, and an ‘iPod’ playing a ‘classic earth ballad’.
Dalek - So you might notice I’ve not put a Dalek ep until now, despite them being the Doctor’s most iconic enemy. That’s because I think they work best in small numbers. This episode features just one Dalek and it shows just how dangerous just one Dalek can be.
Tenth
School Reunion - During the early new series run there was speculation if it was a continuation of classic Who or a reboot. This was the episode that proved, definitively, that was a continuation with the return of Sarah Jane and K-9! This led to them returning later as well as Sarah Jane getting her own series (which is fantastic!)
Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday - This episode answers the age old question: who would win in a fight between cybermen and daleks? The first ep is build up and set up, with the following ep being the epic confrontation (including some epic snark)
Voyage Of The Damned - I wasn’t going to put one of the Christmas specials on this list but after watching this again recently I think it deserves a place here. It’s basically a disaster movie (in space!) and it’s so well done. Bonus, it has Kylie Minogue!
(I could easily post many more for the tenth Doctor but I think it best I leave it there lest I add 6 or more equally awesome eps)
Eleventh
Victory Of The Daleks - This ep gets a lot of flak, mostly due to the redesigned daleks at the end (I wish we’d seen more of them, sadly the flak meant they didn’t really get a chance to shine). But I like it. It shows the daleks at their most devious and deceptive
A Good Man Goes To War* - This ep is the culmination of the first half of series 6 and I think it’s the best one of the series. It answers a lot of questions, raises more and introduces Jenny, Vastra and Strax (oh how I wish there was more of them)
Cold War - An Ice Warrior is defrosted on a submarine, it’s such a great idea and so claustrophobic due to the setting.
(I’d probably have more/difference 11 recs but I’ve not watched his series in so long)
Twelfth
Mummy On The Orient Express - A cursed mummy! A train going through space! And plenty of mystery. This is an ep I really need to watch again.
Sleep No More - This is a unique ep, because it’s in the style of a found footage film (so as such doesn’t have the regular titles) as such such it’s spooky and creepy and deserves praise for being different.
Thin Ice - I really loved this team of Bill and the Doctor and, like Donna, I think it’s a shame we didn’t get more of them. This is an interesting ep, featuring a frost fair (that would’ve been something to see) and a creature
(Like with 11 I’ve not watched 12 in quite some time so this may well change)
Thirteenth
Resolution - For the thirteenth doctor, instead of Christmas eps there were new year ones instead. This was the first and I think it’s one of the best, because it’s quite scary. I’m not gonna say more but try and avoid spoilers (though I suspect covers or descriptions will)
Fugitive Of The Judoon - When I saw the title of this ep in the previews of the series I remember squeeing. I don’t know why but there is just something that I love about the Judoon. Go in this episode blind and be surprised where it takes you, because it doesn’t go how you would expect.
Village Of Angels* - Village is part of the Flux series, which is full series long story (much like Trial Of A Time Lord). Village is, easily, the best one and it’s the only episode of the series I watched twice. The reason for that, and why it’s even here? It’s because of the weeping angels, because they genuinely make the episode scary. There’s so many great ideas and things done with them that it’s definitely worth a watch.
In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
I did do something like this with some of my streamers, first here and then a more general one here
However I’ve used this post as an excuse to finish something else off, a rec post for Doctor Who episodes that I started working on awhile back and figured it fit this. So under the post is a bunch of Who related thoughts.
(Also apparently there’s more Who animations coming for the anniversary, how exciting!)
So in the cultural exchange post I mentioned my love of Doctor Who so I figured I should do a post saying which eps are good jumping in points to see each doctor. (Of course good jumping in points are first eps of a season too!) I’ll also note some fav eps for Doctors too. This will scale, as some Doctors (I’m looking at you 4) have far more episodes than others.
Doctor Who is broadly divided into two eras. Classic Who (or Old Who) is First-Eighth, while New Who is Ninth onwards. Before I got into the recs there’s a few comments on each era.
Classic Who stories are longer than new Who ones. Classic Who stories were shown in 25 minutes parts and stories range from 2 through to 12 parts. Most are 4 or 6 parts. (The first season of the sixth had stories told as 45 minute parts instead.)
New Who episodes have a standard of 45 minutes and are usually in one part (with a few two or three episode stories). Longer episodes usually happen for special episodes (Christmas or anniversary episodes). Seasons in new Who tend to have an arc running through them, sometimes only with arc words, other times being more explicit.
(I’ll also preface, I’ve not watched some doctors in awhile so this is based on memory for some, as such focus on the classic who stuff tends to be stuff from the collection box sets which are fresher in my mind)
Choosing some of these were easier than others (for some it’s really hard cause there’s so many faves, for others… less so). Episodes marked with a * are ones I think are favs, but require at least some form of prior knowledge to properly enjoy
First
(I’m gonna come back to this and add some once I’ve watched season 2 since I’ve not watched the first Doctor in so long)
Second
Tomb Of The Cyberman - Tomb is probably one of my fav Cyberman eps and I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe it’s the concept, a group of explorers investigating a ‘tomb’ that turns out to be filled with cybermen in hibernation.
(The sad thing about the second doctor, and some of the first, is that some stories are lost. Some are completely missing, others have only a few parts)
Fury From The Deep - Fury is one eps that is missing in its entirety. So how is it on this list? Well it’s one of the episodes made in animation. As the audio still exists, they were able to make an animated version of the story which I think works really well.
Third
The Claws Of Axos - I really enjoyed this ep and i think it’s in large part due to the design of the Axons as well as their ship.
The Three Doctors - The Three Doctors is the first multi-Doctor episode, conceived as part of the 10th anniversary of the show which it opened. It’s such a great episode, if only for the banter between the doctors (sadly, William Hartnell, the first doctor was in poor health so couldn’t be in it as much as was planned)
The Green Death - This episode is companion Jo’s last ep and she gets quite an emotional departure here. The ep is a powerful tale about the dangerous of pollution and how we can be just as dangerous as any monster
Fourth
Ark In Space - Ark is an ep about, well, an ark, of humans put into hibernation to avoid disaster. Of course this being Doctor Who, things have gone wrong. There’s a kind of Alien vibe to this, which is especially striking when you think it came out five years earlier.
Robots Of Death - This is another of my fav eps. It’s essentially a murder mystery on a future mining craft (or maybe not future, just alien) and everything about it is just so awesome. The outfits (why are miners dressed so fancy?), the sets, the titular robots, everything is so well done.
City Of Death - City Of Death is just fun, it’s one of my very fav eps of classic Who. It’s also one of the first eps (if not the first) with filming outside of the uk, being filmed in Paris.
Fifth
The Five Doctors - The Five Doctors (although technically four) has to be included in this list, because it was the very first Classic Who episode I watched. It’s a special longer episode and it features the first Five Doctors, along with their companions and it does a good job of showing them off (well apart from Four). As such, this is a good ep to start with because you can watch and see if any of them make you want to see more.
Sixth
The Mark Of The Rani - Mark is easily my fav of the sixth Doctor episodes, in large part due to the Rani. She’s another renegade time Lord (like the master) only she is much more competent. The way she describes the doctor and master’s relationship (while lumbered with the latter) is such a highlight.
Terror Of The Vervoids* - Terror is part of the Trail Of A Timelord season, where the doctor is put on trial. During the trail three stories are used: one from the past, one from the present and this one, from the future. It’s easily my fav one and a bit of a shame it’s in this season as it would be great as a standalone (in fact the season boxset has an option to watch it as a standalone story, which I’ve not watched yet and must do soon). It’s basically a murder mystery on a spaceship, with the titular Vervoids featuring.
Seventh
Delta And The Bannermen - Seven was hard to pick a fav for, mostly because I think the best ones might be in season 25 which I’ve not watched in ages and waiting for the boxset release. However I think this one is a nice ep, mostly because of its setting in Wales. It just gets a bit needlessly sad.
Eighth
The Movie - The problem with the Eighth Doctor is obvious. Every other Doctor has at least a season to draw from but the Eighth Doctor? He just has one televised appearance (and one mini episode). Honestly it really is such a shame because it means that he isn’t given a time to shine (especially as this is a regeneration thing so it’s not ideal). There are Big Finish audios, but I haven’t listened to enough to fully recommend them (though the ones I’ve heard are really good). As to the Movie itself, it’s a regeneration story, with the master being evil (of course). I’ve not watched it in awhile though alas
Ninth
The End Of The World - The ninth Doctor was the first doctor I watched and it was this episode that absolutely hooked me. Set in the far far future it shows the end of the world. It has everything, a space station, aliens, robots, and an ‘iPod’ playing a ‘classic earth ballad’.
Dalek - So you might notice I’ve not put a Dalek ep until now, despite them being the Doctor’s most iconic enemy. That’s because I think they work best in small numbers. This episode features just one Dalek and it shows just how dangerous just one Dalek can be.
Tenth
School Reunion - During the early new series run there was speculation if it was a continuation of classic Who or a reboot. This was the episode that proved, definitively, that was a continuation with the return of Sarah Jane and K-9! This led to them returning later as well as Sarah Jane getting her own series (which is fantastic!)
Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday - This episode answers the age old question: who would win in a fight between cybermen and daleks? The first ep is build up and set up, with the following ep being the epic confrontation (including some epic snark)
Voyage Of The Damned - I wasn’t going to put one of the Christmas specials on this list but after watching this again recently I think it deserves a place here. It’s basically a disaster movie (in space!) and it’s so well done. Bonus, it has Kylie Minogue!
(I could easily post many more for the tenth Doctor but I think it best I leave it there lest I add 6 or more equally awesome eps)
Eleventh
Victory Of The Daleks - This ep gets a lot of flak, mostly due to the redesigned daleks at the end (I wish we’d seen more of them, sadly the flak meant they didn’t really get a chance to shine). But I like it. It shows the daleks at their most devious and deceptive
A Good Man Goes To War* - This ep is the culmination of the first half of series 6 and I think it’s the best one of the series. It answers a lot of questions, raises more and introduces Jenny, Vastra and Strax (oh how I wish there was more of them)
Cold War - An Ice Warrior is defrosted on a submarine, it’s such a great idea and so claustrophobic due to the setting.
(I’d probably have more/difference 11 recs but I’ve not watched his series in so long)
Twelfth
Mummy On The Orient Express - A cursed mummy! A train going through space! And plenty of mystery. This is an ep I really need to watch again.
Sleep No More - This is a unique ep, because it’s in the style of a found footage film (so as such doesn’t have the regular titles) as such such it’s spooky and creepy and deserves praise for being different.
Thin Ice - I really loved this team of Bill and the Doctor and, like Donna, I think it’s a shame we didn’t get more of them. This is an interesting ep, featuring a frost fair (that would’ve been something to see) and a creature
(Like with 11 I’ve not watched 12 in quite some time so this may well change)
Thirteenth
Resolution - For the thirteenth doctor, instead of Christmas eps there were new year ones instead. This was the first and I think it’s one of the best, because it’s quite scary. I’m not gonna say more but try and avoid spoilers (though I suspect covers or descriptions will)
Fugitive Of The Judoon - When I saw the title of this ep in the previews of the series I remember squeeing. I don’t know why but there is just something that I love about the Judoon. Go in this episode blind and be surprised where it takes you, because it doesn’t go how you would expect.
Village Of Angels* - Village is part of the Flux series, which is full series long story (much like Trial Of A Time Lord). Village is, easily, the best one and it’s the only episode of the series I watched twice. The reason for that, and why it’s even here? It’s because of the weeping angels, because they genuinely make the episode scary. There’s so many great ideas and things done with them that it’s definitely worth a watch.
