Now we're getting into real childhood memory territory...
Remembrance of the Daleks - My first real Dalek experience as a kid. And, despite everything we ever knew, they can get upstairs. I could write about this story all day but I think the best compliment I can pay it is there is no part of it, not one bit, that would look out of place in nuWho. The script, the acting and even the effects, everything comes together in what is basically the perfect finished article - 10.
The Happiness Patrol - This is a fascinating one. It's very cleverly put together and while I generally loathe the overuse of phrases such as "Film noir" this fits the bill quite nicely. I once heard they considered filming this in black and white and there are many scenes that would have looked superb like that. But there is a beauty in the contrast between the darks of this story and the bright pinks of the patrols and the colours of the Kandyman. The politics are too heavy handed - yes, Helen A is Margaret Thatcher, very clever. But the story itself is smart - another dystopian future and I have a serious weakness for those - 8
Silver Nemesis - I always find this a difficult one to grade. It's a mish-mash of ideas and competing elements that just never quite manages to tidy itself up. I get the idea of disparate groups vying for control of the Nemesis but those groups all seem a bit random. Time travelling medievals, Neo Nazis and Cybermen. Odd mix. The story has potential and I love the idea of the 25 year disaster cycle but somehow this story never coalesces into what it could have been - 5
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy - Another difficult one to grade and another one with a lot of clever ideas thrown around the place, seemingly at random. It seems to come together better though and McCoy is on form. He gets to do some clowning around but actually does it in a non-annoying way. The last episode is quite powerful (and the memories of the Gods of Ragnarok remain with me from childhood) but there's a lot of meandering to get there - 7
Remembrance of the Daleks - My first real Dalek experience as a kid. And, despite everything we ever knew, they can get upstairs. I could write about this story all day but I think the best compliment I can pay it is there is no part of it, not one bit, that would look out of place in nuWho. The script, the acting and even the effects, everything comes together in what is basically the perfect finished article - 10.
The Happiness Patrol - This is a fascinating one. It's very cleverly put together and while I generally loathe the overuse of phrases such as "Film noir" this fits the bill quite nicely. I once heard they considered filming this in black and white and there are many scenes that would have looked superb like that. But there is a beauty in the contrast between the darks of this story and the bright pinks of the patrols and the colours of the Kandyman. The politics are too heavy handed - yes, Helen A is Margaret Thatcher, very clever. But the story itself is smart - another dystopian future and I have a serious weakness for those - 8
Silver Nemesis - I always find this a difficult one to grade. It's a mish-mash of ideas and competing elements that just never quite manages to tidy itself up. I get the idea of disparate groups vying for control of the Nemesis but those groups all seem a bit random. Time travelling medievals, Neo Nazis and Cybermen. Odd mix. The story has potential and I love the idea of the 25 year disaster cycle but somehow this story never coalesces into what it could have been - 5
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy - Another difficult one to grade and another one with a lot of clever ideas thrown around the place, seemingly at random. It seems to come together better though and McCoy is on form. He gets to do some clowning around but actually does it in a non-annoying way. The last episode is quite powerful (and the memories of the Gods of Ragnarok remain with me from childhood) but there's a lot of meandering to get there - 7