Welcome to Sci-Fi Reflections! We will continue where we left off last time with passing out our awards. Today, we will be recognizing winners in the most important categories including Best& Worst Episode and Best & Worst Companion, plus a couple extra, slightly less grandiose, but nonetheless significant awards. Here we go….
The “He’s so cool; I just wish he was one of the good guys!” Award: Where would Doctor Who be without its villains? Do you think that the show would have gotten to its tenth anniversary much less its 50th without the Daleks; an enemy that was introduced in the show’s second serial? How different would the Pertwee years be without the Autons, the Silurians, or the Master? They may be evil to the core, but these strange and interesting alien races and peoples are the unsung heroes of Doctor Who. That’s right; this award is for the coolest, confident, and most awesome Doctor Who villain.
My first thought for this award was Davros, but after some consideration I really have to go with the Master. First, this guy is really evil. He kills people, backstabs people, manipulates people, and he toys with people without batting an eye. He is completely immune to the concept of right or wrong; he always acts completely in his best interest and believes other people to act in the same manner.
Secondly, he oozes self-confidence. He knows exactly what to do and how to do it. He’s suave, intelligent, and several steps ahead of everyone. At times one gets the sense that he enjoys the thrill of his battles with the Doctor so much that he allows him to win just so that there will be another fascinating encounter. For these reasons he is awarded the coolest Doctor Who villain.
Honorable Mention: Davros, The Shadow (from The Armageddon Factor)
Secondly, he oozes self-confidence. He knows exactly what to do and how to do it. He’s suave, intelligent, and several steps ahead of everyone. At times one gets the sense that he enjoys the thrill of his battles with the Doctor so much that he allows him to win just so that there will be another fascinating encounter. For these reasons he is awarded the coolest Doctor Who villain.
Honorable Mention: Davros, The Shadow (from The Armageddon Factor)
The “Did she stumble on the set by accident?” Award: This goes to the worst companion we have seen so far. Now, to be honest, there have definitely been more good companions than bad; Zoe, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane Smith, Romana, etc can attest to this fact. However, there have been several that have been boring, and a few outright horrendous ones.
All I can say is that Dodo Chaplet must win out. Her name describes her personality accurately and efficiently. She’s an idiot! She is unsophisticated and a complete nuisance;
something the first Doctor is aggressive about pointing out (one of the few moments I agree with the first Doctor’s reasoning). She does nothing of note and has no skills or “glorious moments” like many of the other companions. She is almost completely useless, and I am surprised she lasted as long as six episodes.
Honorable Mention: Steven Taylor, Katarina
All I can say is that Dodo Chaplet must win out. Her name describes her personality accurately and efficiently. She’s an idiot! She is unsophisticated and a complete nuisance;
something the first Doctor is aggressive about pointing out (one of the few moments I agree with the first Doctor’s reasoning). She does nothing of note and has no skills or “glorious moments” like many of the other companions. She is almost completely useless, and I am surprised she lasted as long as six episodes.
Honorable Mention: Steven Taylor, Katarina
The “That don’t impress me much” Award: If you watch classic Doctor Who consistently, or even occasionally, you have to get used to poor special effects. Pretty much in every story, some explosion or some alien costume goes horribly wrong, and it’s a wee bit hard to take things seriously afterwards. I try to look past these silly errors as best I can; after all it does seem a bit shallow to give a story a thumbs up or down simply by how sophisticated the antagonist’s wardrobe looks. However, there are definitely times when Doctor Who crosses even these lines and makes a story unforgettable.
I am proud to present the worst special effects award to the dinosaurs in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. I can understand a bad effect here and there. But why, on the other hand, have a whole story about a monster you KNOW you can’t design well?? It is dreadfully obvious that the dinosaurs are just toy plastic models that couldn’t look more fake if you put a rubber ducky alongside them. Pretty poor planning guys. Enjoy the video down below, and try not to get scared by the T-Rex!
I am proud to present the worst special effects award to the dinosaurs in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. I can understand a bad effect here and there. But why, on the other hand, have a whole story about a monster you KNOW you can’t design well?? It is dreadfully obvious that the dinosaurs are just toy plastic models that couldn’t look more fake if you put a rubber ducky alongside them. Pretty poor planning guys. Enjoy the video down below, and try not to get scared by the T-Rex!
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The “I could watch this one over and over again”Award: This one is for the best episode seen so far in the series. Although there are quite a few options (we have seen 103 episodes, so far), one sticks out clearly in my mind: Genesis of the Daleks. First of all, it seems fitting that the best story is a Daleks story, particularly an origins story; come on, those guys MADE Doctor Who in its first few seasons. Secondly, Davros is an awesome villain; the actor playing him puts in an unbelievable performance. Thirdly, it’s just a great story with scenes like the Doctor’s debate with Davros about the morality of the Daleks, and the Doctor’s discussion with Sarah Jane as to whether he has the right to bring about the Dalek’s destruction.
The opening scenes on Skaro are terrific, and the production team does a good job of convincing the audience of the massiveness of the war between the two nations. The bloopers are few and far between, and the story ends on a positive note, but does not rule out the possibility of more Daleks stories in the future. It is a
true classic.
Honorable mention: The Daleks, The War Games, Inferno, The Ark in Space
true classic.
Honorable mention: The Daleks, The War Games, Inferno, The Ark in Space
The “Am I the only one who likes that character?” Award: This goes to the most underrated character. Since Tom Baker’s reign was so popular, as was John Pertwee’s, I decided to go to the black-and-white days for this one.
This award goes to Ian Chesterton of the first Doctor’s era. Ian is such an overlooked character. Many of the companions, particularly the women, are pretty much cookie-cutouts. Ask questions, get captured, scream, blah blah blah. Not so with Ian. Ian is awesome.
This award goes to Ian Chesterton of the first Doctor’s era. Ian is such an overlooked character. Many of the companions, particularly the women, are pretty much cookie-cutouts. Ask questions, get captured, scream, blah blah blah. Not so with Ian. Ian is awesome.
As a character, he is asked to do much more and placed into tighter spots than other companions, and comes out of it with flying colors. He has to deal with an unethical and childish Doctor, and be the protector to both Barbara and Susan (and eventually Vicki). He deals with friction between the characters inside the
TARIDS and physical dangers outside. He battles Daleks, Aztec warriors, Mongols, giant ants, and usually winds up on top. He appears in sixteen stories and seventy-seven episodes. And how many people who watch Doctor Who know his name? Enjoy your trophy Ian; you deserve it.
Honorable mention: Barbara Wright, Vicki
TARIDS and physical dangers outside. He battles Daleks, Aztec warriors, Mongols, giant ants, and usually winds up on top. He appears in sixteen stories and seventy-seven episodes. And how many people who watch Doctor Who know his name? Enjoy your trophy Ian; you deserve it.
Honorable mention: Barbara Wright, Vicki
The “Oh I see, they use this film as a first aid device to induce vomiting!” Award: You can probably guess from the name that this is the worst story award. And as soon as you realized this, probably a couple sprung to your mind. This doesn’t surprise me one bit; as much as I like
Doctor Who, I am fully aware that there are quite a few awful stories than make less sense than a drunken monkey trying to recite Taming of the Shrew. Some of you are maybe thinking of The Claws of Axos, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, The Invisible Enemy…. and those are all pretty bad; but I have something much, much worse. Feast your eyes on The Web Planet.
Doctor Who, I am fully aware that there are quite a few awful stories than make less sense than a drunken monkey trying to recite Taming of the Shrew. Some of you are maybe thinking of The Claws of Axos, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, The Invisible Enemy…. and those are all pretty bad; but I have something much, much worse. Feast your eyes on The Web Planet.
I know I just finished praising Ian, but not even he can salvage this disaster. The costumes
are bloody ridiculous, the story is about two-and-a-half hours long, and the plot is absolute nonsense. There are numerous blunders and bloopers, including the painful scene where the story comes to a screeching halt because Hartnell can’t remember his lines. And, let’s not forget the scene where the guy dressed in an ant outfit head buts the camera, causing it to jolt and rock back and forth. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single good thing to say about
this story.
Honorable mention: The Mind Robber, The Claws of Axos, Underworld
are bloody ridiculous, the story is about two-and-a-half hours long, and the plot is absolute nonsense. There are numerous blunders and bloopers, including the painful scene where the story comes to a screeching halt because Hartnell can’t remember his lines. And, let’s not forget the scene where the guy dressed in an ant outfit head buts the camera, causing it to jolt and rock back and forth. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single good thing to say about
this story.
Honorable mention: The Mind Robber, The Claws of Axos, Underworld
The “Don’t forget me “Award: The finale!!! Yes, after so long, you have reached the end of these prestigious and spectacular awards. For our final award, we will present the best companion award, entitled the “Don’t forget me” award. The name comes from the serial The Hand of Fear, and it is last thing Sarah Jane Smith tells the Doctor before leaving the TARDIS forever. It seems fitting, seeing as how the best companion is someone who should never be forgotten.
And this very desirous award goes to……Leela!! Although, Leela only lasts for nine stories in all, this doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Leela is one of the few characters, and even fewer among female companions, who is able to take care of herself, one of the main reasons she deserves this award. She is always prepared for trouble, something one should expect, but few are prepared for when traveling through time and space. Her huntress and warrior skills are something the Doctor desperately lacks, and she rescues the Doctor from trouble quite a few times. She is intelligent and can adapt to new surroundings and cultures relatively easily. No companion is perfect, but Leela is as close as you can get.
Honorable mention: Jamie, The Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith
Congratulations, you have made it to the end! Thank you for having the patience to get these
grueling awards; as a treat for reaching the end, I have posted down below a video I found on Youtube; it is a collection of first Doctor and co. bloopers that actually appeared on live
television. I have already watched in numerous times and still can’t help laughing. Leave a comment down below, enjoy the video, and we will see you next time!
grueling awards; as a treat for reaching the end, I have posted down below a video I found on Youtube; it is a collection of first Doctor and co. bloopers that actually appeared on live
television. I have already watched in numerous times and still can’t help laughing. Leave a comment down below, enjoy the video, and we will see you next time!