DOCTOR WHO DECEMBER | CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO | Four To Doomsday - Part 4 | REACTION | Day 2

[@jimcat6795]

I’m so glad in the end, they let Bigon be Bigon.

[@whobp8]

Fortunately, Four to Doomsday is a curiosity, rather than representative of this era as a whole. Can you imagine if the rest of this season all included highly choreographed dance numbers? The Master reappears tap dancing down a flight of stairs? Or doing a Bob Fosse influenced routine?

[@davidbull7210]

I suspect Davison found it very hard to keep a straight face when he said "I wouldn't dream of interfering with your monopticons". The next story is in the top 3 Davison stories!

[@ShamrockParticle]

Well, I'll play with them! 😁

[@tombaxter6228]

Oof. That dragged like an arthritic snake. 7/10 is pretty generous, to be fair. Fortunately, the season gets much better. Starting immediately..

[@chrisboot2468]

The next story is one of THE best Davison stories. This story also makes me think so much of an early Tom Baker story (like "Robot" is obviously a Pertwee tale)

[@alexfletcher5192]

Given that the cast includes Stratford Johns and Phillip Locke and the legendary Burt Kwouk (unpredictable manservant and martial arts partner of Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies), maybe some are expecting more of this serial. It more or less resolves the same way as 'The Sunmakers' and is no less silly, but maybe the sound-track and the initial air of doom wrong-foot people into thinking it will go another way.

[@awall1701]

Nyssa collapsed because of Adric's cooking!

[@blakesliberator3197]

6:40 Right! So the Doctor can leap into open space without a suit, wearing just a helmet!

[@baybarsedturner2]

The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe opening scene!

[@ENLIGHTENMENT789]

Back in the November between Tom finishing and Peter starting, the first full series of repeats of all the Doctors took place. THE FIVE FACES OF DOCTOR WHO- An Unearthly Child, The Krotons, Carnival of Monsters, The Three Doctors ,Logopolis, perhaps follow suit as the fans had it back then ? OR follow the first BBC repeats 1963= An Unearthly Child (single Pilot episode ), 1968= Evil of the Daleks, 1971= Spearhead in Space, OR the Christmas Repeats----- 28th Dec 1971 = The Daemons, 27th Dec 1972 = The Sea Devils, 27th Dec.1973 The Green Death, 27th Dec.1974= Planet of the Spiders 1975= 27th Dec. Genesis of the Daleks, 1976= T 04th Dec The Brain of Morbius, 1977= 31st Dec. The Robots of Death.

[@frankshailes3205]

The plot and setting (and pace) are very similar to the Hartnell story "The Ark". It's sort of the same but the other way round - they come to us instead of us going to them. Even some of the technology is the same (shrinking people for storage). Monopticons, monoids - Paul Erickson should've sued!

[@baybarsedturner2]

It's not the first time Doctor Who recycled plots!

[@alexfletcher5192]

The Doctor's adoption of vaguely Newtonian physics (I'm not in a position to say whether or not it works) was one of those moments traditionally clipped-out to rub salt in the wound of the show's eventual cancellation; as if to say 'Wasn't it all rather silly'? Now, of course, it feels like a production team once again trying to put something across in the cash-strapped way it had always had to - and rather confirms some of the prejudices of the time. Does it matter that Peter Davison is forced to 'spacewalk' on an office chair, rather than suspended from wires like Jon Pertwee?

[@seedhillbruisermusic7939]

yeah I'm a bit pissed off with Britbox as well. You barely get the chance to watch the end of an episode of whatever show and it goes into the next episode. I wish they'd let you have the end credits, you could have a wee box at the side saying "Skip end credits" and that would be fine, but they decide for you. Really annoying.

[@joshbostock_2040]

I've always struggled with Four to Doomsday as I think it's extremely average and has an odd pacing . That being said it does have a brilliant set and some entertaining villains. Looking forward to the next few stories

[@johng5859]

I loved your bemused reactions during those never-ending recreational scenes! This one gets a 6 from me, it just feels deeply average.I agree that it does have some interesting ideas, and the Doctor’s space walk is fun; I also enjoy Stratford Johns’ performance as Monarch, which is about as urbane as you could reasonably manage in uncomfortable frog make-up. On the other hand, the pace is glacial at times, while neither Tegan nor Adric emerge with much credit. Let’s see if they can redeem themselves in the next story…

[@Finbarzapek]

The Doctor in space with just a helmet on always felt a bit too silly to me. I know he can survive in ultra low temperatures but it’s like -240 or something in space and it stretches credibility just a tad. Bear in mind that the third Doctor had to wear a spacesuit when he did it back in ‘Frontier in Space’. Other than that, I enjoy this story. 7/10 from me.

[@frankshailes3205]

Probably then again it's the vacuum that's the main factor, since heat can only radiate, not convect or conduct, it acts like a vacuum flask so he should retain warmth for a bit from his own body heat, I'd expect the skin on his hands to be a bit redder though (once in chemistry class a kid got a vacuum-pump stuck to his face and he got a nasty purple blotch after a few seconds). Presumably Time Lords are resistant to stellar and cosmic radiation....

[@ENLIGHTENMENT789]

Can we have the Peter Cushing Dalek films viewed for Christmas ??

[@alfmalf3310]

I never realised the Dr could bowl left arm wrist spin or otherwise known as the China man

[@julieeverett7442]

I could never remember if Peter Davison is left or right handed!

[@frankshailes3205]

A left-handed googly?

[@julieeverett7442]

@@frankshailes3205 why not?

[@frankshailes3205]

@@julieeverett7442 Just trying to remember... it's been a long time!

[@ShamrockParticle]

Yeah, the recreationals do drag on a bit... that's the only real downer, as if they had no other routines they could do. Loved the Aboriginal music, though! I could watch that on its own for 25 minutes. The Doctor virtually slapping Adric is a hoot. Part four introduces too many plot holes, or bypassing what the same story set up earlier, which is a little aggravating at times. The failsafe with all the androids dancing is AMAZINGLY good. So many different movements with nobody getting distracted. Impressive. And yet the TARDIS door doesn't shut!if Monarch's biological bits shrinks what about the mechanical and electrical non-organic parts? The space walk is novel and fresh, very gripping, but takes a bit of tinkering. The novelization explains it and how the TARDIS stayed alongside the ship as they move toward Earth nice enough. 8/10 for me, despite its issues.

[@ShamrockParticle]

Great points about Tegan at the end, too!

[@CRINOTH]

It's just 6/10 from me this time. There are some nice moments but, overall, it drags a bit for the first 3 episodes and then gets wrapped up too easily. It is interesting how Tegan hasn't taken to life on the TARDIS. She's been through trauma with the death of her aunt so that explains it a bit. Nyssa has been through the ultimate tragedy of seeing her whole world destroyed - which should be more traumatic but as she has nowhere to return too it's easier for her to accept the present situation. :)

[@robalexander8065]

7/10 is very generous. For me this isn't a great serial, though it has its moments. Davison is very much finding his character. I would give it a 5.

[@mark-s]

My second bottom story of the season id give this 6.5 but apart from another future story rest of this season is fantastic

[@shadowwhosm]

I personally really liked this story. But In my opinion I always had mixed feelings about Adric, I mean he's alright but he's very annoying to me. Can't wait until next reaction!

[@billthewhovian]

For me Adric is better with the 4th Doctor especially in The Keeper Of Traken but he just gets annoying to me as we especially as his time on the show goes on won't say more as for spoilers.

[@ftumschk]

I suppose it makes a change to have choreographed padding, but those bloody dance numbers are incredibly tedious. Not exactly a good story but not awful either, so I'll go down the middle... plus an extra half for Davison's commendable performance on his debut: 5.5/10

[@eclecticdog2k901]

I’ve always liked this story, but I’m definitely seeing now that the greatest weakness of it is the poor characterization of the companions. It’s really a step backwards from Castrovalva in that regard.

[@joecrammond6221]

i find Four to Doomsday my least favourite story of the season

[@Joey15811]

Same for me

[@geoffmason7215]

Adric lost a lot of fans here

[@frankshailes3205]

If it's any consolation, the writer is cited by Terry Nation as the person who made Survivors series 3 rather poor compared to the first two.

[@GreatHealer.]

Four To Doomsday, Not a classic.

[@Joey15811]

Such a flat story imo. Not a fan of the music in this one either.

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

nor did it ever explain its title

[@1nelsondj]

I want to apologize for having fallen behind in your Dr. Who reactions, near the end of the Tom Baker era my enthusiasm wanes. Too many changes in companions and Peter Davison doesn't have half the personality as Baker, he's okay but not dynamic. Colin Baker is like Pertwee without the charisma. McCoy I do like and think they should have continued on with him.