Month: March 2014

Timestamp #3: The Edge of Destruction

Michael Falkner5 Comments

Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
(2 episodes, s01e12-e13, 1964)

Timestamp 003 The Edge of Destruction

Aside from developing the mythology behind the TARDIS being a living machine and some nice moments at the end between the Doctor and Barbara, I really didn’t like this serial much. It did emphasize some of the inherent friction amongst the companions and the Doctor, and seems to have healed those rifts to make a more coherent team. The plot, and especially the ending, seemed rushed and almost pulled from thin air.

Rating: 2/5 – “Mm? What’s that, my boy?”

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Marco Polo

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

Timestamp #2: The Daleks

Michael Falkner23 Comments

Doctor Who: The Daleks
(7 episodes, s01e05-e11, 1963-1964)

Timestamp 002 The Daleks

The Daleks is vastly better than the first serial. I simply loved how duplicitous the Doctor was with the fluid link, the tiny little piece of the TARDIS that drives the entire serial. This story can be broken down into two distinct parts, the first of which is the introduction of the Daleks and the escape of the TARDIS crew from their imprisonment. The second is the quest to save the Thals from being destroyed by the Daleks. The first is more engaging than the second and lays the groundwork for the Dalek mythology. What’s inside those metal machines? I’m glad they saved part of that mystery and didn’t try to show it with the show’s minimal budget. The second is still a good story with good characterizations, and while it is important to the overall serial, it does drag a little.

 

Rating: 4/5 – “Would you care for a jelly baby?”

 

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction 

 

 

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

Timestamp #1: An Unearthly Child

Michael Falkner33 Comments

Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
(4 episodes, s01e01-e04, 1963)

Timestamp 001 An Unearthly Child

In short: I’m glad the show got better. The best part for me was the first episode, An Unearthly Child. The rest of the serial with the cavemen just didn’t grab me. There were some nice little character moments between the Doctor and Ian over leadership of the group, but the cavemen seemed very one-dimensional and dragged down the pacing. In particular, I enjoyed watching Ian deciding who should do what, but assuring the Doctor that he was still the leader.

My dislike of this serial is tempered by the leniency I offer to both pilot episodes and Doctor Who regeneration episodes. Pilots are always pretty tough, and regenerations episodes are even more tough because it’s the same show with a different face.

 

Rating: 3/5 – “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.”

 

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The Daleks

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

Resurrections and Introductions

Michael Falkner21 Comments

Creative Criticality’s blog is back!

I’m resurrecting the WordPress site because I wanted a place for long form blogging, and also because I’ve decided to embark on an exciting journey. More to follow on the adventure in time and space in a minute, but first, the blog.

 

Creative Criticality has been around for a while, but in multiple formats. It was on LiveJournal for a while – that’s where a lot of the prior posts you’ll see in the Archives section come from – and has been on Tumblr and Facebook as well. The latter two still remain open, but LiveJournal will not. Between you, me, and the rest of the internet, I will not miss the DDOS attacks from Russia or the spam comments trying to sell me sex and drugs through shady websites.

As far as WordPress goes, I’m still learning. I appreciate any comments, tips, and tricks to make this thing sing a little better. Feel free to tell me to kill it with fire, but I can’t guarantee that I will.

Anything older than one year, including the old LiveJournal stuff, has had the comments locked. Anything older than 2013 is in the Archives.

Big thanks to Kevin Bachelder for gently nudging me in this direction. You’re right, it is better living in the future.

Next order of business: That adventure thing.

 

I’ve decided to finally watch Doctor Who from the beginning and document the journey. I’ve mentioned in certain circles that I came to the series in the later years starting with Christopher Eccleston’s run. I have watched certain episodes from the past, but the vast majority of the franchise is fresh territory for me. I find the concept quite exciting.

My reviews will be short, probably ranging from 50-200 words unless I really get on a roll. The episodes have been reviewed in-depth across various platforms by numerous people – including by Nathan Laws, one of the people who really inspired me to take a deeper look at the mythology of the Doctor – so I don’t plan on offering deep thematic musings and analysis. It might happen down the road at some point, but not right now.

I also credit John Drew and Gary Mitchel for the little nudges here and there. You’re good folk, and I appreciate it.

I plan to offer a link to each serial’s article on the TARDIS Data Core wiki, and I’ll also offer a “from the gut” rating of each serial.

1/5: “EXTERMINATE!”
2/5: “Mm? What’s that, my boy?”
3/5: “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.”
4/5: “Would you care for a jelly baby?”
5/5: “Fantastic!”

The one thing to note about the ratings is that a regeneration episode will have a star added to it. Regeneration episodes have the impossible task of trying to make you like a new main character right away while still trying to carry the story, and I felt it was necessary to compensate for that handicap.

I’ve decided to call it the Timestamps Project. Thanks to Gary for that name.

 

That’s it for now. Please feel free to leave any feedback in the comments. I’ll have the Timestamp for the first Doctor Who serial, An Unearthly Child, on the feed soon.