(I look at the world & I notice its turning)

[riverdresses]

Okay, before we delve into this week's recaps, I thought I'd show the interested portion of my flist this fabulous shirt that the awesome wordsindreams showed me.

THERE ARE PRACTICALLY NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW DAMN BAD I THINK I WANT THAT SHIRT. I mean, even Sara Kingdom gets a mention! ::bounces:: IT'S AWESOME!

So this week's serial set . . . it's kind of series of endings & beginnings. We have Victoria's final serial (which I cried a bit during), Zoe's first adventure with Two & Jamie, & her post-War Games Companion Chronicle. This week was a bit depressing like that, but next week, it'll be much better, promise!

So, without further ado, let's begin with Fury From the Deep - the last serial for the lady Victoria Waterfield.

Fury From the Deep - audio

- Aww, Two, Jamie & Victoria in a boat! ::laughs:: Isn't that cute!

- LOLZ NOW THEY'RE PLAYING WITH FOAM! ::gigglesnorts:: How adorable! I can just see the three of them having a grand foam fight on the ocean!

- The image of Two, Jamie & Victoria on a beach is actually very cute. It would make a lovely picture, I think.

- HOLY SHIT THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE SONIC SCREWDRIVER!! Two made the sonic screwdriver what it is, bitches! DON'T YOU EVER FORGET!

- O GOD THEY JUST SHOT TWO! ::screams:: & JAMIE & VICTORIA! WHAT THE FUCK?!

- ::pets Two:: He doesn't sound very well, the poor love.

(& I'm giggling a bit at how cute Pat sounds just now. Hee!)

- Jamie's remark about always getting locked up makes me think of C'rizz saying 'What is it with the TARDIS and prisons lately?' in the audio Memory Lane.

- Harris seems a very gentle person, I think - almost apologetic for his superior's actions. He's quite kind, I would say.

- LOLZ, Victoria picks a lock with a hairpin & Jamie just falls out into a corridor! Victoria = T E H AWESOME.

- ::sighs heavily at Two for being so overprotective of Victoria::

- HA! But Victoria's not staying behind just because she's a 'mere girl' - she'll do her own exploring, thankyouverymuch!

- ACK, GAS-MASK WEARING CREATURES! ::dives under bed::

Are you my mummy?

- Miss Waterfield, who did teach you to pick locks like that? ::grins:: Or is that just been a secret you've been hiding from everyone until now?

- EEK, LIVING FOAM!

- O, the idea of Victoria's screaming just multiplying itself all over the refinery - that's a rather scary thought to me. I would be so afraid of never being found, if my screaming kept echoing like that.

- ::hugs Victoria tightly::

- Living, breathing, possibly killer foam . . . this is getting rather creepy now.

- Okay, getting slight shivers down my spine at the idea of people who are part people, part seaweed.

- I have to say, even though this was meant to be a serial, it works really well with just the audio, at least from my point of view. I don't know how terrifying it would be if I were watching it, or a recon of it, but as an audio, it's pretty spooky in places. Actual chills up & down my spine & all over my arms.

& I know that this recap must seem very quiet & subdued for a serial-audio I've described as 'spooky', but I'm listening to it with a great deal of trepidation & discomfort, because I know part of how this will end. & I don't like it at all.

- & the seaweed-people can turn others into seaweed-people? Hmmm.

- O, Victoria's showing her science skills! ::squeals:: & for that matter, so is Jamie! I ♥ it.

- For some reason, I'm highly amused as Two being described as an 'old man' & Jamie & Victoria as 'teenagers'. I actually never think of Two as old at all - I actually really don't.

- O goodness! IT'S VERY MUCH ALIVE! ::hides::

- Some of the music in this serial sounds a lot like the Jaws theme - just more electronic & technologically-minded. Which makes this serial-audio even more freaky - that music is pretty chilling on its own.

- JESUS WHAT IS WITH ALL THE BLOODY FOAM?! I'll never be able to take a bubble bath comfortably again.

- Poor Jamie. He nearly died from that gas, the poor love.

- O. O my. The ending is already starting. & I've already got a terrible knot in my stomach from it.

- Hmm. Jamie & Victoria are sharing a room. No, just saying 'hmm.'

(& guh, Jamie also has THE VOICE. brb, having the heart flutters.)

- I know, I should be saying something about Victoria. I know. But I can't. This - hearing how unhappy she is, is just breaking my heart. Her unhappiness makes me feel sick inside - she's so scared & she just wants to not be in danger constantly, or to be afraid all the time. I . . . I can sympathise with her, to a very tiny extent. & maybe that's part of why I can't say anything about her misery.

This serial, for a six-parter, feels like its going by so fast. It barely feels like a six-parter. & every moment, that knot gets bigger & bigger. I don't want this to end. It's become such that I barely notice what's happening in everything else; all I can notice & feel is how truly upset Victoria is.

- 'Victoria! Victoria . . . say something. No . . . no, you can't be dead. Victoria . . . if anything happened to you I'd never forgive myself.'

That? That was the sound of my heart literally snapping in two. Snapping in two, three, four, five - Jamie, stop it! ::bursts into tears:: You love her, & she can't take any of this life anymore & you still love her & it's BREAKING MY HEART.

I can't take very much more of this, I think. Victoria's breaking my heart, Jamie being so in love with her is killing me - fucksocks, the only person IN this damn story who hasn't broken me down yet is Two!

- Jamie & Victoria are splitting my heart right down the middle. I want this to end & I don't want it to end.

- JAMIE! That - JAMIE, GET AWAY FROM HIM! ::breathes:: O, you're alright, m'dear, you're alright.

- For someone who doesn't seem to do very well on flying machines, save for the TARDIS, Jamie certainly flies in a fair few of them!

- Okay, shallow moment: Jamie getting out of a helicopter = ALL THE MORE REASON WHY THIS SERIAL SHOULD HAVE SURVIVED, SRSLY, MAN.

- The one time it's good to know how to scream - when you're dealing with seaweed monsters! Victoria's screaming weakened Robson! ::waves her pompoms happily::

- HOLY CHRIST TWO 'S FLYING A HELICOPTER NOW?! I'm not sure if I should laugh or be in an extreme state of panic for Jamie & Victoria!

- O, Two. Helicopters aren't that easy you know! They aren't like a TARDIS!

- CHRIST! Two, freakin' FLY THE DAMN THING! Yes, now panicking for Jamie & Victoria. & o, poor Jamie - he's got to be freaking the fuck out now. He doesn't do well on these things as it is & now he's in one being piloted by a complete madman who has no idea how to fly or land! ::flails in a panicked way::

- WHOA. Well, he managed to land the helicopter, at least! & hopefully everyone's in one piece!

- Hee - now everyone wants Victoria to scream & she thinks it's silly! Victoria, it's NOT silly to scream at this moment, I promise!

- & miss Waterfield - & her screams - saved the day, didn't they? THAT could give a whole new meaning to being called a 'screamer', couldn't it?

- The way Two is so truly accepting of Victoria's wish to leave . . . it's very beautiful, but yes, deeply heartbreaking. Not his response to it - but her choice to leave. & Jamie not wanting to accept it - disintegrates just what's left of my heart.

- GODDAMMIT, JUST SAY IT, JAMIE. JUST TELL HER YOU LOVE HER, PLEASE! JUST SAY IT! Please, don't just dance around it - you love her. Say it.

- 'Jamie.'

'Yes?'

'You wouldn't go . . . without saying goodbye, would you?'

'Of course not. But that won't be til the morning anyway. Goodnight, Victoria.'

'Goodnight, Jamie.'

. . . . I know what I want to do with that. I finally do, despite the sadness & complete death of my heart during that final moment between the two of them.

- & even Victoria cries when she says goodbye to her friends for the final time.

& Jamie. He is just so heartbroken. He loved her, & if he could, he might have pleaded with her to stay. But he let her go, which . . . o, I can't even say it. It's too painful.

---------

Before I go into my heartbroken babble, I will say that this was a pretty good final story for Victoria. She was still as brave & amazing as always, despite her clear wishes to be done with the life she led with the Doctor & Jamie. & like I said before, this actually did make for a good audio, even though it's meant to be a serial. It still had power, despite it's total burnination! FTW.

& o, Victoria. She came home to her land of hope & gloria, a century & two years after she was forcibly taken from it. She saved the universe hundreds of times over, learnt her own limits & her own strength & bravery. I don't doubt that Victoria would have been happy in her new life, but I know it was a hard choice for her to make. But she made it, & never once hid her tears or her emotions about it.

land of hope and gloria, land of my Victoria . . .

Now, as we're about to enter into Zoe's era of Two's travels, I think it's as good a time to mention that when I get to The War Games, it will have its own separate post - it's ten serials long & I will not jam it all into a post with two other serials. It's a significant enough story to merit its own post & that's what I'll do with it.

Afterwards, I'll be recapping the two 'bonus' stories for the rewatch-athon - Spearhead in Space, which will bridge the gap between the end of Two's era & the beginning of Three's, & The Curse of Peladon, which had Patrick's son David as one of the main characters. Then we'll be back to the main stories for the rest of the rewatch-athon with The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors, The Two Doctors, Jamie's own Companion Chronicle Helicon Prime & the new series episode Midnight, which featured David Troughton as one of the leads!

(note: if I've worked out the serial order correctly, we'll have all three Pertwee-era stories done in a week.)

The Wheel in Space - audio & serial

Audio - episodes one through two

- Squeal! This one's being narrated by Wendy Padbury! ::bounces::

- Okay, the opening isn't making me feel any better about missing our Victoria.

- Um, uh-oh - FUCKERY! You manage to blow the fluid links TWICE, Two! But Two & Jamie run away together ARM & ARM!

- . . . Two pulled a One & made the TARDIS its actual size on the inside?

- Aww, he gave Jamie a lemon sherbet so he wouldn't be thirsty. ♥

- So . . . where are we? Rocket? Space station? Hmm.

- ::giggles at Jamie's incomprehensibility of Two & his technobabble::

- Okay, the Doctor seems to blow the TARDIS's fluid links a lot - or rather, he fucks them up a few times - he loses them in The Daleks, blows them here & also has difficulty with them in The Mind Robber - this can be useful, possibly.

- Jamie likes roast beef with all the trimmings - just like my girl Charley Pollard does!! ::high-fives Jamie:: & he likes fruit salad! Aww, Jamie. The boy certainly knows how to eat!

- Now they're discussing Victoria . . . he really misses her.

- Also, I think this is the first time that Two & Jamie have been on their own since the beginning of The Evil of the Daleks, which I find a bit sad, in a way. Not that they're alone together, but that it's only with Victoria's departure & entrance into the TARDIS can they ever be alone. I don't know - it's jut something that pulls at my mind a bit.

- Hmm - he opens a door without the sonic screwdriver this time. I suppose that at the time, the sonic screwdriver wasn't meant to be as . . . well, as all-powerful as it's become over the years. But that shows my own reliance & expectations of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver - I did somewhat expect him to use it to open the door.

- O, Jamie. ::draws a little heart:: He's keeping a close eye on Two - just like Two would have done for him.

- WAIT, WAIT! DON'T BLOW UP THE ROCKET! Doesn't anybody send search parties out to those things anymore?!

- AGH! ::sighs loudly & tosses her hair back in annoyance:: Could we NOT be blowing up things without inspecting them first, PLEASE?

- Aww. Jamie's trying to signal for help, but . . . well, no soap. I don't think it's meant to work like that, love . . .

- ::pushes a bit of hair away from Two's forehead:: O, poor Two. I'm a fair bit worried for him as well!

- WAIT A MINUTE, HOLD THE PHONE AND REWIND - JAMIE'S GOT HIS SHIRT OFF. Or at least unbuttoned . . . o, yesplz. & THEY BURNT THIS?! ::cries hard::

- Two's got a concussion - okay. Luckily, not a serious one. ::snuggles her favourite space beatnik::

- 'What about the medical? Do I pass?'

'You'll do. If it's any comfort to you, you're in fine physical shape.'

SAYS THE WOMAN WHO GOT HIS SHIRT OFF. I'm a child & just giggled a bit at that. He is in fine physical shape, I would say.

- Parapsychology! ::thumbs up::

- Hee - Zoe as a librarian - not what I'd describe her as, myself!

- LOLZ, I love Jamie's way of finding the parapsychology library. ::pets him::

- OMG SHE'S LAUGHING AT JAMIE'S KILT! & CALLING IT A SKIRT! & he threatens to give her a good smacking for it get in line, Jamie, love, I've got first claim there! - not sure who's the lucky one in that particular situation, Zoe or Jamie. ::giggles::

- Zoe's brain just boggles me. Even though in linguistic & in most literary matters, I can sound almost exactly like her. I do try not to, however. ::shy smile::

- & I do believe a certain metallic sort of race has just made its first appearance for this serial . . .

The Wheel in Space - episode three

- Moving into the first of the only two surviving parts of the story & I can't even begin to say how much I've missed being able to watch an episode properly.

- Hello there Jamie! Pretty outfit you have on - & you just got caught spraying quick-set plastic on some important equipment!

- FUCKERY, IT IS INDEED THE CYBERMEN. ::loves on them:: Oooo - their voices are a bit different from when I last heard them back in Tomb of the Cybermen.

- CYBERMATS! No, no, I wouldn't advise touching them, really, I wouldn't . . . ::sigh::

- ::giggle:: Aww, little marital bickerbickerbicker moment. (I think you could do a drinking game with how many bickerbickerbicker moments Two & Jamie have, really, you could) & yay, Two's up & about again! Well, okay, maybe not up & about, but at least he's conscious!

Umf, Pat, how on EARTH can you be so sexy when you're not even really DOING anything? I WANT TO KNOW.

- I haven't mentioned it yet, but Tanya's very pretty. She looks a little like Isobel from The Invasion, I think.

- I love how Zoe just shrugs off more or less being insulted & being called heartless. I wish I could do that. But I guess I'm not enough of a proper little brainchild.

- Hey, seriously, get away from the Cybermat. That's not a suggestion, that's an ORDER.

- O MY WORD, WE HAVE A SECOND DOCTOR WITH AN UNDONE SHIRT IN THE MEDICAL ROOM. DAMN YOU MONOCHROME SHOWS, I WANT THIS IN COLOUR! Hmm. Well, if they had to burn Jamie's physical, at least they saved Two's, more or less. THEY SHOULD HAVE SAVED BOTH GODDAMMIT! & Pat? STOP BEING SO SEXY WHEN YOU'RE DOING TOTALLY NOTHING BUT SITTING THERE! You're making this girl a bit crazy!

Ooo, now he's buttoning back up - still sexy, people!

(& yes I may have rewound that whole part just to watch it a second time. ::fans self::)

- HEE! Jamie & Zoe's big brother-little sister relationship is already starting up!

- 'Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority.'

Two > Zoe. & I love that gal!

- Something else about the Cybermen in this serial - they look considerably different than they did the last time I saw them in The Tomb of the Cybermen - it's the eyes, I think. Smaller. The face overall is much smaller & more different - & it's a bit more discomforting to see, honestly.

- AAAAAAND the Cybermats begin to attack. BUT WAIT! The quick-set plastic Jamie used is still handy! But no, that doesn't save anyone from a Cybermat attack.

- Two: is continuing to pwn Zoe. & I DO love this girl, I love her madly, but Two >>>>>> Zoe for now. ::grins::

- 'Simple common sense works wonders, sometimes, Zoe.'

::Zoe looks at Jamie::

'Well at least you didn't think of x-rays. That'd have been awful.'

LOLZ! Aww, my lovely Zoe-girl.

- Am I the only one who thinks that Tanya looks a little like Catherine Deneuve? Polly also looked a bit like her too, at least from Catherine's film Repulsion. (great film, by the way, everyone who likes suspense & slightly scary films should see it.) But she sort of does - a space-age Catherine Deneuve, perhaps. ::grins::

Audio - episodes four through five

- Moving back into audio for the middle half . . . the Cybermen have found a way into the wheel. By way of controlling the crew members sent to investigate the rocket.

- & now, Two's being awesome & giving us a history of the Cybermen. Thankyou, Doctor! ::beams:: Needed that lesson, actually.

- Space sickness . . . o, a form of space dementia! [/Zoe voice] As a sidebar, there are many forms of space dementia, you know; it isn't always a case of madness due to prolonged living in outer space. It takes at least four different forms, both benevolent & malevolent.

- Hmm . . . is it not possible that part of . . . whatever that component for the laser that Two speaks of contains some form of radiation? That's the only idea I have - Cybermen are adverse to radiation, so if they plan on taking over the wheel, & if there's any onboard, that would have to be the first thing to go before they arrived.

- Aww, Jamie's learning about the technology of analogue recording - or rather, the concept of tape recorders! ::laughs:: His confusion is so cute.

- It may be a useless & pointless observation to make, but Cybermen have clearly no sense of honour - killing a man by shooting him in the back. How cowardly. Useless an observation as it is, it's still true & it still disgusts me. ::glares::

- O, Zoe. Her sadness - & that's what it is - about not being able to feel, & her worry that she'll never be able to feel anything says a lot about her, I think. When I listened to that (I'm replaying that bit now), I immediately likened her to a Cyberman, because people think of her as having no emotion, or being able to feel, even though, from what she says to Gemma, she can. In a way, Zoe is a bit like a Cyberman when we first meet her - not physically, or in her ideology, but in her almost emotionally dead state. But at the same time, she seems to, to take my Zoe-being-a-bit-like-a-Cyberman analogy a little further, if I may, be rebelling against her training.

She reminds me a bit of Kroton, actually. To quickly & I do mean quickly, explain who Kroton is, he's a Cyberman who became a companion to the Eighth Doctor & his companion Izzy Sinclair in Eight's comic stories. He retained his emotions & ability to feel after being converted & wound up saving both Eight & Izzy from space pirates, even after Eight almost killed him. He was basically a good, kind, friend of a Cyberman. & Zoe, in her desire to feel & to have emotions, reminds me a bit of Kroton.

& considering how Zoe was raised, & what she was raised to be, it seems very fitting that her introduction story should involve Cybermen.

(now I'm even realising how Victoria's first official serial as a companion involved Cybermen & Zoe's debut serial involves them as well. Probably just a coincidence, but it's another thing to tug at my mind for a while.)

- ::shudders:: The Cybermen have managed to disable the wheel's communication systems & have already killed twice. This is really, really not a good thing.

- 'I was trained to believe logic and calculation would provide me with all the answers. Well, I'm just beginning to realise there are questions which I can't answer.'

'You're just not trained for an emergency like this.'

'Well, that's the whole point - what good am I? I've been created for some false kind of existence, where only known kinds of emergencies are catered for. Well, what good is that to me now?'

'Hey. We're not done yet, you know.'

'And if we survive? What then, Jamie? Suppose we do get ourselves out of this mess. What have I got left? A blind reliance on facts and logic.'

I love her. ::hugs Zoe::

(I think Zoe is a lot like River Tam in this way - an absolute genius, or rather, what River could have been, if it were not for her madness & her brain having been picked apart by hands that should not have played with human physiology like that. But Zoe, I think, is just as much the prodigy that River is, but with all of her brain & more. What was taken from River, Zoe has, & what River is left with, Zoe had removed. But, like River learnt to pull herself together when she needed to, when people truly needed her, Zoe's learning that she can feel & that she can be a real girl with a real heart. Or at least, something to that effect - this is still a concept & an idea that I need to work out more fully in my head)

- So the Cybermen caused the explosion of the star as part of the way to get into the wheel? They can do that? Blow stars up?

- ::clings to poor, scared Jamie:: Even in the middle of a Cyberman invasion, they STILL have adorable moments of bickerbickerbicker! But still, I'm going to worry for him likewhoa.

- GEMMA! NO! They just shot her down - in cold blood! (if the Cybermen HAD blood, mind you - it would be cold as ice.)

The Wheel in Space - episode six

- For the final instalment, we'll be going back to the only other surviving part of this serial & several VERY ugly meteorites are headed right for Jamie & Zoe! However, the wheel's been able to blast them away from Jamie & Zoe.

- 'But anyway, we're all going to be killed shortly unless you switch over to sexual air supply!'

Yeah. I'm twelve. So what? I didn't even BOTHER to cross that out because THAT IS JUST WHAT HE SAYS. & no, I never fail to crack up at that bit. SO? It's a CLASSIC bit of the Troughton era & I refuse to recap this episode without mentioning it.

Switching over to sexual air supply could be fun anyway. I'd not mind sharing it with Two. ::wiggles toes::

- O FUCK MAN, WATCHING A CYBERMAN THROW A HUMAN AROUND LIKE THAT IS FUCKING SCARY.

- Aww, Jamie & Zoe's first adventure together. & they're so very brother & sister already. I love it.

- You know, I think the relationship between Tanya & Leo is really cute. It's so obvious how much they care for each other, but it never gets in the way of the main story. It's lovely.

- Now I'm going to be really, really shallow for a moment (o, what, like I wasn't earlier?) & just say that Zoe? Has a very nice backside, even without the glitter to adorn it! Seriously. Couldn't help but sneak a glance or two when she was out of her spacesuit.

- UMF TWO. ::tackles him to the floor:: Two's so cute when he looks a bit scared - almost like a little rabbit. & I ♥ how he plays for time when the Cybermen are right in front of him. TWO >>>>>>>>>>>>>> EVERYTHING. (except Jamie. But Jamie's totally in a class by himself, so there. ::grins::)

- The shot of all those ghostly looking Cybermen is pretty chilly. ::shivers:: & the way they can just walk out in space totally unfettered is even more scary. I'd like to see a Cybus!Cyberman try & top that!

- Jamie in his space suit is both cute & giggle-worthy. It looks like he's preparing to do some serious extreme sporting in it.

- 'Well, look, Zoe - we won't forget you.'

::sniffles & slaps Jamie for that::

- ::grins:: Miss Zoe Heriot - you just sneaked onboard the TARDIS! For that, I salute you. ♥

- Two, why are you wearing Sailor Mars' tiara? Take that off, you silly silly man! ::giggles::

- & he shows Zoe a Dalek. A Dalek doing what it does best - killing someone. (in Victoria's first serial, no less.) But I have a feeling she'll still want to stay on. 'cause she's awesome like that.

---------

I may be a bit biased, because Zoe was the first Two-era companion I ever met, but I have to say, her introduction serial is a really good one. Of course, with Cybermen, Two & Jamie being awesome on their own & Zoe being pretty damn fab herself all makes for a great serial! & of course, this serial has lots of little bits in it that I positively & randomly adore & one of the best little LOLZ-worthy dialogue bits of the Troughton era which I have never recovered from since I first heard it, thankyouverymuch. Basically, it's just a great serial! What more's a girl gotta say?

& I have to say, I really love Wendy Padbury's narration of the story - I wish I could have heard her do more narration of her lost stories!

(O, one more thing . . . after viewing this serial, or rather, listening to it & watching it in its entirety, I . . . could actually ship Zoe with Two. No, really, I could. In fact, I think he's the only person I could ship her with & not have the O____o kind of face. If it's Jamie/Zoe, I'm like HELL NO, CAN'T READ IT, PLZ GET IT AWAY FROM MY PERSON THANKS, but Two/Zoe . . . I could give it a try. If it's good, of course! But I don't know . . . he's the only one I could see her actually having a romantic sort of relationship with, really. Jamie's too much like her big brother for me to be able to ship them, you see.)

& our final story for the week, Zoe Heriot's own Companion Chronicle, Fear of the Daleks.

Fear of the Daleks

- CHRIST, DALEKS! Okay, THAT was a good way to freak me the fuck out as soon as I started this audio!

- I think the beginning of Zoe's story is just beautiful. It's sad, yes, but also very beautifully said at the same time.

- Already, this audio makes me terribly sad. It makes me sad because it makes me feel like I'm looking long into the future after The War Games & how clearly the Time Lords fucked up her memory erasing. & I know I'm not ready to see that yet.

- A domed, habituated asteroid? I immediately thought of The Jetsons when Zoe said that. Actually, that's sort of what I keep seeing when she describes the city.

- Cinnamon fish! ::laughs::

- The Doctor had not heard of either race and that surprised me. 'I thought you knew everything.'

He was practical in his humility. 'If I knew everything, Zoe, what would be left to discover?'

- Two's calm = amazingly awesome. ♥♥

- 'Why thank you - probably!'

::gigglesnorts::

- Um, Two's panic over the possibility of the Daleks still being - or being - around gives me total chills.

- Why - why does anyone want to try to form an alliance with Daleks? Daleks . . . they're no better than ninety-nine point nine percent of Cybermen - they want to kill & destroy. They don't make deals!

- BACK THIS THE FUCK UP - they want to make Zoe an assassin?

THEY WANT TO MAKE ZOE AN ASSASSIN?

. . . . that is exactly, for those of you who don't know (though I think most of you will), what was attempted to be done on River Tam - but the process of stripping her brain down in places left her a raving lunatic - with psychic abilities & an assassin's training. Zoe's not psychic, but her brain, or at least, what's been done to it, seems to be a less damaging form of what was done to River's. (but I don't think Zoe's brain was operated on.)

- A codeword to activate Zoe as an assassin?

That's what they did to River - how they drew her out in Serenity - but with subliminal messages, as opposed to a codeword. When she saw them, she went on a killing spree, more or less.

- I'm not surprised that the scientific aspects of this fascinate Zoe - it fascinates me as well, though I'm not nearly as well-versed in scientific matters as she is.

- 'Speaking of sartorial lapses - be quiet, skirt boy!'

'I'll give you skirt boy!'

O no. You don't go about calling Jamie's kilt a skirt & expect to live! That's like throwing rocks at Leela & expecting not to get shanked.

- The way they've taken over Zoe's mind - it's making me think so much of River & what they did to her brain. It's frightening & rather upsetting at once.

- O, Zoe.

- O goddammit . . . Daleks. O my word . . . they're coming for the Doctor!

- 'Stowaway', I sighed. Not again.

- This story . . . it makes me terribly sad, but keeps me fascinated at the same time. It just makes me . . . well, very sad, because I keep thinking of River Tam & that this is what she could have become, if Simon had not intervened & saved her life. But Zoe . . . she's being controlled, & the Doctor & Jamie can't help her.

- O MY WORD! The Daleks . . . they've arrived in the laboratory.

- NO, NO, YOU CAN'T EXTERMINATE HIM!

- O, Two. ::breathes heavily:: You're insanely fast-thinking! & HA! I don't blame him for being pissed off by having his brain called 'acceptable' - YOU SILLY METAL PEPPERPOTS, THE DOCTOR'S BRAIN IS BETTER THAN YOURS ON HIS WORST DAY!

- 'INSOLENCE INVITES EXTERMINATION.'

Okay, not even going to lie - I actually made some kind of verbal wibble-noise when I heard that. That truly scared me, okay? It sounded frighteningly like something from The Natural History of Fear audio & that audio scares the living hell out of me.

- ::clings to Two:: Why are you so brave, Doctor? ::sniffle:: (& how can I be so brave?!)

- ::headdesks:: Seriously - anyone dumb enough to try & make deals, bargains or alliances with Daleks or Cybermen? Just get yourself exterminated or killed - FAST! You're polluting your species' gene pool, you know.

- ::clings to Two even harder:: ItotallykindoflovehimbutI'mtotallyfreakingoutforhim.

- BLOW THAT - THE DOCTOR'S MIND IS BETTER & STRONGER THAN ANY OF YOURS!

- O . . . Zoe, Zoe, Zoe. ::cries::

- O, TWO! ::collapses:: He's got her, & he can protect her now.

- NO! YOU LAY ANY OF YOUR HANDS ON JAMIE & TWO WILL LET THE DALEKS KILL YOU.

- Daleks can't be bargained with, you fools. Not now, not then, not ever. IT WOULD DO THE UNIVERSE WELL TO LEARN SUCH A LESSON.

- O god . . . being inside the mind of a Dalek . . . I can't imagine anything more horrifying to experience, psychically. Reavers & Daleks . . . their minds are the most frightening places a psychic could be. If you could even look inside one without going completely insane on the spot.

- A Dalek asking for the Doctor to exterminate them . . . & his refusal. His refusal to exterminate the Daleks. It's almost like Four in Genesis of the Daleks - how he refuses to destroy the Dalek embryos because it would make him no better than the Daleks, & Sarah Jane insisting that he do it . . . just what Zoe does, but Sarah Jane wasn't holding the wires.

- ::breathes slowly:: Jamie saved their lives. Jamie, Jamie, Jamie . . . ♥♥♥ Which makes this audio even more heart-wrenching to hear.

- & Zoe after telling her story . . . she can remember. Just a little, can't she? It's so small - but it can give one hope that maybe the Time Lords weren't as thorough at memory wiping as one might think.

(& nentari, I tried not to, but I wound up thinking something a little similar like what you mentioned in the end. Different form, though.)

---------

That was definitely a great entry in the Companion Chronicles, I think. It was sad & beautiful & a little hopeful in the end - & of course, quite a thrilling adventure in itself! & there were even moments where I had to try really hard not to cry. It also had shades of Firefly & Serenity to it, I think, which is even more wonderful, though it was those that made me sad.

& the ending . . . it gave me hope for Zoe, that maybe she can remember. Just like the ending of Serenity always gives me hope that River can take care of herself, & begin to mend over time. The only differences between the two are that Zoe's ending is still very heartbreaking, while River's isn't, so much.

Also, I loved hearing Wendy Padbury's narration again! I hope Zoe gets a second story - I know Jamie's second one is coming out in August (!!!), so maybe there's hope for a second story for Zoe?

::fireworks pop off:: Those are our serial recaps for the week! Next week I'll be covering The Dominators, The Mind Robber (which was my first Two-era serial ever, so that'll be a fun exercise in nostalgia for me!) & my second favourite serial of the Troughton era, The Invasion. Plus, I'll be getting back to watching things, as opposed to listening to them again! Which is, of course, the most fun in doing a rewatch-athon. ::beams::

Previous recaps
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Time Meddler
The War Machines
The Smugglers
The Tenth Planet
The Power of the Daleks
The Highlanders
The Underwater Menace
The Moonbase
The Macra Terror
The Faceless Ones
The Evil of the Daleks
The Evil of the Daleks - audio version
Tomb of the Cybermen
The Great Space Elevator (Victoria's Companion Chronicle)
The Abominable Snowmen - audio & serial
The Ice Warriors - audio
The Enemy of the World - audio & serial
The Web of Fear - audio & serial

Comments

[nentari.livejournal.com]

I mean, even Sara Kingdom gets a mention!
I can't help but notice that neither Jack nor K9 are mentioned. *ponders* Hmmm...

LOLZ NOW THEY'RE PLAYING WITH FOAM! ::gigglesnorts:: How adorable! I can just see the three of them having a grand foam fight on the ocean!
Frazer Hines mentioned in the Highlander feature from the Mind Robber extras that this scene was all improvisation from their part. Here's a transcript of what he had to say about it:

I remember walking along the Margate Sands with Deborah in all this foam which took about half an hour to set up. On the take, Patrick and I looked at each other and said, "Yes!" and we've just rolled Debbie in all that... "You swine, you swine!" She never stopped acting, God bless her. "You swine, you swine!" And they said they loved it. "We'll have to print it, though, we can't waste time setting up this foam again."

Miss Waterfield, who did teach you to pick locks like that? ::grins::
Yes, I would like to know that, too. It's not exactly part of a Victorian lady's education; Jamie knew nothing about it, obviously, and I cannot see Two teaching her such tricks.

I have to say, even though this was meant to be a serial, it works really well with just the audio, at least from my point of view. I don't know how terrifying it would be if I were watching it, or a recon of it, but as an audio, it's pretty spooky in places. Actual chills up & down my spine & all over my arms.
The bits I've seen in the Lost in Time set are quite chilling, particularly Oak and Quill attacking Maggie Harris - I remember reading that that particular scene was highly criticized at the time because it was too creepy for the viewers, and I feel the intended creepiness survives to this day. But you're right, it is a serial that translates well to audio.

For some reason, I'm highly amused as Two being described as an 'old man' & Jamie & Victoria as 'teenagers'. I actually never think of Two as old at all - I actually really don't.
At the time this was made, Pat was only 17 years older than I am now. I don't call that old at all, especially when it comes to someone as boyish as he was.

JESUS WHAT IS WITH ALL THE BLOODY FOAM?! I'll never be able to take a bubble bath comfortably again.
Special effects gang + foam machine = OTP
(And you haven't seen anything yet! Wait until you get to a certain Zoe serial...)

(& guh, Jamie also has THE VOICE. brb, having the heart flutters.)
The voice is what really pulled my heartstrings in this serial. You can tell just by hearing him how much he cares for Victoria, and how much pain he goes through whenever Victoria thinks about leaving them.

For someone who doesn't seem to do very well on flying machines, save for the TARDIS, Jamie certainly flies in a fair few of them!
*uses appropriate icon* This is yet another proof of the sacrifices he's willing to do to help rescue Victoria.

O, Two. Helicopters aren't that easy you know! They aren't like a TARDIS!
And it's not like he's the best TARDIS flyer in the world, either. *ducks*

WHOA. Well, he managed to land the helicopter, at least! & hopefully everyone's in one piece!
All thanks to the pilot helping him via radio, of course. *applauds him* I'm sure Two (or at least Jamie) went to thank him after all was over - he saved their lives.

She came home to her land of hope & gloria, a century & two years after she was forcibly taken from it.
Or a century and four years, if you're following the Fourteenverse timeline, in which Fury from the Deep takes place in 1970, shortly before Spearhead from Space. I like to think that, a couple of months after this, the Harrises were visired by a grey-haired man in a velvet jacket, driving a yellow roadster and possibly accompanied by a red-haired woman, who will become a regular visit for the next few years.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

I can't help but notice that neither Jack nor K9 are mentioned. *ponders* Hmmm...

I hadn't even noticed that! & Adam Mitchell gets a mention & he only had one episode! ::hmmms with you::

Frazer Hines mentioned in the Highlander feature from the Mind Robber extras that this scene was all improvisation from their part. Here's a transcript of what he had to say about it

O my! ::giggles:: I DO wish I could have been able to see that scene - it DID sound so cute, really.

Yes, I would like to know that, too. It's not exactly part of a Victorian lady's education; Jamie knew nothing about it, obviously, and I cannot see Two teaching her such tricks.

It's puzzling, isn't it? Maybe she found a book on lock-picking in the TARDIS library one afternoon? I surmise that she taught herself somehow, since I too don't see Two teaching her something like that.

The bits I've seen in the Lost in Time set are quite chilling, particularly Oak and Quill attacking Maggie Harris - I remember reading that that particular scene was highly criticized at the time because it was too creepy for the viewers, and I feel the intended creepiness survives to this day. But you're right, it is a serial that translates well to audio.

O yes, I remember seeing those bits as well - yes, it WAS a very frightening thing to just HEAR; I can't even imagine what SEEING it would have been like. Meep!

At the time this was made, Pat was only 17 years older than I am now. I don't call that old at all, especially when it comes to someone as boyish as he was.

The first time I read that, I thought you said Pat was seventeen at the time that was made & I was like, WHAT?! But um, I DID reread it of course. & I agree with you - I really never thought of him as old at all when he was the Doctor - it literally never crosses my mind when I'm watching one of his serials. (& in The Omen he STILL does not look old & I think that was in 1976, or thereabouts. Sigh. He aged so very nicely, y/n?)

Special effects gang + foam machine = OTP
(And you haven't seen anything yet! Wait until you get to a certain Zoe serial...)

HEE! Foam seems to be a bit of a cornerstone of Pat's era, from what I've heard - & seen! :P
(& hmm, that serial wouldn't happen to be The Seeds of Death, now, would it? ::grins::)

The voice is what really pulled my heartstrings in this serial. You can tell just by hearing him how much he cares for Victoria, and how much pain he goes through whenever Victoria thinks about leaving them.

Yes. Especially when he finds her unconscious & thinks her dead for a moment - I got quite teary-eyed when I heard his voice then. I still maintain that the only one who didn't cause me some sort of grief or sadness in this story was Two. Jamie & Victoria . . . ::cries::

*uses appropriate icon* This is yet another proof of the sacrifices he's willing to do to help rescue Victoria.

He really did love her that much. & I still haven't decided if she ever saw that when she was with him. :(

And it's not like he's the best TARDIS flyer in the world, either. *ducks*

::tries not to giggle:: Um . . . yes. This is fact.

All thanks to the pilot helping him via radio, of course. *applauds him* I'm sure Two (or at least Jamie) went to thank him after all was over - he saved their lives.

Of course! I couldn't see Two doing anything else! ♥

Or a century and four years, if you're following the Fourteenverse timeline, in which Fury from the Deep takes place in 1970, shortly before Spearhead from Space. I like to think that, a couple of months after this, the Harrises were visired by a grey-haired man in a velvet jacket, driving a yellow roadster and possibly accompanied by a red-haired woman, who will become a regular visit for the next few years.

::wibbles:: & yes. yes yes.

(& I realised today that I can work on my Eight & Victoria gen now! In my fic, Eight's visiting her a year after she left Two & Jamie, so about . . . 1969, I believe.)

[nentari.livejournal.com]

I hadn't even noticed that! & Adam Mitchell gets a mention & he only had one episode! ::hmmms with you::
Maybe Jack and K9 were hiding in a closet somewhere... *uses appropriate icon*

I surmise that she taught herself somehow, since I too don't see Two teaching her something like that.
Maybe she found a diary belonging to a former companion where such a technique was explained? I can easily see Vicki or Polly doing that sort of trickery.

The first time I read that, I thought you said Pat was seventeen at the time that was made & I was like, WHAT?!
He's not David's father at all, but his twin brother. :P

HEE! Foam seems to be a bit of a cornerstone of Pat's era, from what I've heard - & seen! :P
They even had to recreate it for The Great Space Elevator. This shows just how iconic the foam became.

(& hmm, that serial wouldn't happen to be The Seeds of Death, now, would it? ::grins::)
My lips are sealed. I'll just say that it's the foamiest of them all.

I still maintain that the only one who didn't cause me some sort of grief or sadness in this story was Two. Jamie & Victoria . . . ::cries::
He was forced to cut off an inevitable argument with Jamie over Victoria's decision to stay, though. Jamie was starting to project his sadness and frustration on the Doctor, and he was having none of that, thank you very much. *sighs* I hate it when they fight.

::tries not to giggle:: Um . . . yes. This is fact.
Of course, part of it comes from the Doctor not having had time to fix some broken components in the TARDIS, rather than his inability to steer it. You'll notice that he starts having less trouble travelling to specific locations after his exile is lifted - this is because Three spent his earthbound time doing works and repairs in the TARDIS and was able to fix some things. He forgot the chameleon circuit, but the navigational system seems to be working much better by the time he resumes his travels.
(and, as Jamie will soon discover, his Doctor might have had trouble taking the TARDIS where he wanted, but at least his take-offs were much smoother than those of his later incarnations... "Now MY Doctor would never have done that!" "YOUR Doctor is an antedeluvian fogey!")

(& I realised today that I can work on my Eight & Victoria gen now! In my fic, Eight's visiting her a year after she left Two & Jamie, so about . . . 1969, I believe.)
Yes, in terms of broadcasting that is correct.

[hoshinekoyasha.livejournal.com]

I wish that shirt can in a girl's shape! The I would buy it and add
Charley & Lucie & Erimem & Hex & Fitz & Izzy & Anji & Benny & Evelyn & C'rizz & Sam & Trix

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Me tooooo! ::pouts:: & I'D TOTALLY BE ADDING CHARLEY. That shirt is NOT complete without miss Charley's name on there!

(p.s. IZZY SINCLAIR FTW. :D)

[hoshinekoyasha.livejournal.com]

I am so excited to hear Izzy's audio form! HOW MUCH LONGER IS BIG FINISH GOING TO MAKE US WAIT!?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Comment break!

. . . Two pulled a One & made the TARDIS its actual size on the inside?
Eight also did something similar in the EDAs, I think (well, it was more like the TARDIS did it to herself in that case) - it helps with the "healing" process, and stops the damage from increasing.

WAIT A MINUTE, HOLD THE PHONE AND REWIND - JAMIE'S GOT HIS SHIRT OFF. Or at least unbuttoned . . . o, yesplz. & THEY BURNT THIS?! ::cries hard::
My thought exactly. Destroying evidence of shirtless!Jamie is CRIMINAL. CRIMINAL, I TELL YA!

OMG SHE'S LAUGHING AT JAMIE'S KILT! & CALLING IT A SKIRT! & he threatens to give her a good smacking for it get in line, Jamie, love, I've got first claim there!
And to think you were all for defending Zoe when I first told you about the larruping threats... :D

Oooo - their voices are a bit different from when I last heard them back in Tomb of the Cybermen.
Yes, the voices sound a bit off in this serial - the only one who uses the voice modulator is the Cyber Leader. Luckily, they returned to the more menacing voices in The Invasion.

Something else about the Cybermen in this serial - they look considerably different than they did the last time I saw them in The Tomb of the Cybermen - it's the eyes, I think. Smaller. The face overall is much smaller & more different - & it's a bit more discomforting to see, honestly.
Mostly it's the fact that they don't have the black paint around the eyes and mouth any longer. And the design of the face is close to that of the Cybermen from The Invasion - the only thing that's missing is the Princess Leia-like headgear.

Two: is continuing to pwn Zoe. & I DO love this girl, I love her madly, but Two >>>>>> Zoe for now. ::grins::
She still has a lot of growing-up to do at this point, I think. It will do her good to be pwned by another genius.

Am I the only one who thinks that Tanya looks a little like Catherine Deneuve?
I think you're right there. I never noticed it, because I've been too busy trying to compare Leo Ryan with Errol Flynn - mostly because Leo is played by Errol's son Eric Flynn.

In a way, Zoe is a bit like a Cyberman when we first meet her - not physically, or in her ideology, but in her almost emotionally dead state. But at the same time, she seems to, to take my Zoe-being-a-bit-like-a-Cyberman analogy a little further, if I may, be rebelling against her training.
You're exactly right. The writers of the Television Companion make that very same analogy when they write about this serial:

The story also makes a promising debut for new companion Zoe Heriot, brought to life with infectious enthusiasm by Wendy Padbury. Her initial lack of emotion and reliance on logic show how people can easily fall into the trap of acting like Cybermen without the need for physical conversion - the difference in Zoe's case being that, as a result of her contact with the Doctor and Jamie, she comes to question and change her outlook on life.

now I'm even realising how Victoria's first official serial as a companion involved Cybermen & her predecessor's debut serial involves them as well.
You mean Polly? Because she met the Cybermen in her third serial, not her first.

I've made that comparison between Zoe and River in the past, so I couldn't agree with you more.

Switching over to sexual air supply could be fun anyway. I'd not mind sharing it with Two. ::wiggles toes::
*dies laughing*

You know, I think the relationship between Tanya & Leo is really cute. It's so obvious how much they care for each other, but it never gets in the way of the main story. It's lovely.
And if we consider how world politics were like at the time this was filmed, it's interesting to have a love story between a Russian and an American.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Eight also did something similar in the EDAs, I think (well, it was more like the TARDIS did it to herself in that case) - it helps with the "healing" process, and stops the damage from increasing.

Hmm! Interesting, that is.

My thought exactly. Destroying evidence of shirtless!Jamie is CRIMINAL. CRIMINAL, I TELL YA!

IT IS, IT IS! ::pouts furiously:: WE NEEDED THAT EVIDENCE IN THE FUTURE & THEY DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THE JAMIE FANGIRLS TO COME! We got ripped off!

And to think you were all for defending Zoe when I first told you about the larruping threats... :D

Well, I HAD to be the nice one! :P But Jamie needn't worry - I'll take care of Zoe for him. ::cheeky:: STILL haven't decided who's the lucky one - Jamie or Zoe!

Yes, the voices sound a bit off in this serial - the only one who uses the voice modulator is the Cyber Leader. Luckily, they returned to the more menacing voices in The Invasion.

O, I see! I agree - I liked their voices much better in Tomb of the Cybermen & The Invasion. FAR more menacing & shiver-inducing.

Mostly it's the fact that they don't have the black paint around the eyes and mouth any longer. And the design of the face is close to that of the Cybermen from The Invasion - the only thing that's missing is the Princess Leia-like headgear.

I'll have to keep an eye out for this when I watch The Invasion next week - I KNEW something was very different about their faces, but I don't think I'd figured out exactly what it was. & YES, I MISSED THEIR HUGE DOOR-HANDLE HEADGEAR. It's my favourite thing about them!

She still has a lot of growing-up to do at this point, I think. It will do her good to be pwned by another genius.

I think I'd agree with you. It will do her some good. ::hugs Zoe, then Two for being so much pwnage::

I think you're right there. I never noticed it, because I've been too busy trying to compare Leo Ryan with Errol Flynn - mostly because Leo is played by Errol's son Eric Flynn.

Wait, HE WAS?! I TOTALLY did not know that! AWESOME. :D But yes, she DID look a lot like Catherine in Belle De Jour I thought. & Catherine DEFINITELY looked like Polly in Repulsion. Actually, Anneke & Catherine also look a bit alike - they're both blonde & have lovely eyes, I think.

You're exactly right. The writers of the Television Companion make that very same analogy when they write about this serial

O, wow. After watching it a second time, I can't believe I didn't even get that when I first saw it - but to be fair, I was still learning about Zoe at the time. But yes, when Two & Jamie meet her, she IS very Cyberman-like. But I remember you said that the influence they had on her showed very early in her run when I said how they were a good influence on her & helped her learn to feel & well, be a real girl, & now, I can completely see why you said that & I also agree.

(Zoe & Kroton would get on well, I think. :D)

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Well, I HAD to be the nice one! :P But Jamie needn't worry - I'll take care of Zoe for him. ::cheeky::
*smirks*

I'll have to keep an eye out for this when I watch The Invasion next week - I KNEW something was very different about their faces, but I don't think I'd figured out exactly what it was.
I'll see if I can make caps from all three serials and make a side-by-side comparison. I think that might be helpful.

Wait, HE WAS?! I TOTALLY did not know that! AWESOME. :D
I've known about it years before I ever got to see any footage from the serial, as it's mentioned in the trivia section for this story in the Television Companion.

Actually, Anneke & Catherine also look a bit alike - they're both blonde & have lovely eyes, I think.
I think Anneke looks a bit different in profile, because of her distinctive (and very pretty) nose. They're very similar to each other in any other aspect, though.

But I remember you said that the influence they had on her showed very early in her run when I said how they were a good influence on her & helped her learn to feel & well, be a real girl, & now, I can completely see why you said that & I also agree.
Of course, this makes her return to the Wheel at the end of The War Games even more tragic. The last time I rewatched the DVD, when I reached Zoe's closing scene, that line where she said "And if we survive? What then, Jamie? Suppose we do get ourselves out of this mess. What have I got left? A blind reliance on facts and logic." came to mind and made me wibble.

Zoe & Kroton would get on well, I think. :D
I'm sure they would.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

& because I broke the comment box . . .

You mean Polly? Because she met the Cybermen in her third serial, not her first.

O, BUGGER! I actually meant VICTORIA, I must have been going too fast to get the right word out! But still, it's somewhat true, isn't it? With Victoria, I mean.

I've made that comparison between Zoe and River in the past, so I couldn't agree with you more.

O, splendid! I thought that it might confuse you a bit, as I know you haven't seen much of Firefly, but I'm so glad you weren't! River & Zoe ARE very much alike, I think, especially after hearing Zoe's audio - their training & what their purpose was meant to be is just very different. & Zoe was allowed to keep all of her brain.

& COME ON, HOW MUCH FUN WOULD SWITCHING OVER TO SEXUAL AIR SUPPLY BE WHEN YOU HAVE TWO AROUND? :P ::gropes Two quietly::

And if we consider how world politics were like at the time this was filmed, it's interesting to have a love story between a Russian and an American.

& once again, you pointed out another interesting facet that I failed to note! :D It is, actually - in the States at that time, I don't think that would have been able to have been done, or at least, not like Tanya & Leo's relationship was. But I really did like their romance - it added a layer of sweetness to a very tense serial.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

O, splendid! I thought that it might confuse you a bit, as I know you haven't seen much of Firefly, but I'm so glad you weren't!
I did some research before watching the few episodes I did, because a friend of mine at the time was a big fan, so I have some basic knowledge of River - enough to understand the parallels you drew, anyway.

It is, actually - in the States at that time, I don't think that would have been able to have been done, or at least, not like Tanya & Leo's relationship was.
Having Chekov as a crew member in the Enterprise was shocking enough at the time, I think, let alone building a relationship like they did here.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

And part 3!
(yes, this time I decided to trop a comment for each serial/audio - luckily each one fit into one single comment.)

CHRIST, DALEKS! Okay, THAT was a good way to freak me the fuck out as soon as I started this audio!
It's a sort of reprise of that scene from Evil she's watching when we last saw her, enhanced to sound even scarier. Well done, sound effect people.

'If I knew everything, Zoe, what would be left to discover?'
That's such a lovely answer.

but I don't think Zoe's brain was operated on.
Definitely not. She was trained by parapsychologists through mental exercises and lessons, but her brain was not physically touched.

O god . . . being inside the mind of a Dalek . . . I can't imagine anything more horrifying to experience, psychically.
I think this gave Atrekar some sort of redemption. He was able to resist being inside the mind of a Dalek and make all the horror hit them back - and was able to destroy them and stop Zoe from becoming a killer out of desperation. I really really hated Atrekar and I usually find redeption plotlines forced and/or cheap resolutions (Poison Sky, anyone?), but I quite liked how it was handled here.

I hope Zoe gets a second story - I know Jamie's second one is coming out in August (!!!), so maybe there's hope for a second story for Zoe?
I haven't heard anything about new Zoe audios (possibly the fact that Wendy now lived in France makes it harder for her to do more stuff) but a friend of mine met Frazer recently and he told her that a third Jamie audio is in the works.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

It's a sort of reprise of that scene from Evil she's watching when we last saw her, enhanced to sound even scarier. Well done, sound effect people.

Here here! ::toasts from under her bed::

That's such a lovely answer.

It is. & it's perfectly Two. ♥

Definitely not. She was trained by parapsychologists through mental exercises and lessons, but her brain was not physically touched.

O, that's good to know - very good, actually. & at that, the only two things that really separate Zoe & River are the fact that River's brain was taken apart in places & the fact that Zoe's not psychic.

I think this gave Atrekar some sort of redemption. He was able to resist being inside the mind of a Dalek and make all the horror hit them back - and was able to destroy them and stop Zoe from becoming a killer out of desperation.

I really liked that way of decommissioning the Daleks - I'm almost SURE it's a way the Doctor's never done & I've never seen it done any other time, even in other audios, so I have to say that it was a pretty good way of taking out three Daleks.

I really really hated Atrekar and I usually find redeption plotlines forced and/or cheap resolutions (Poison Sky, anyone?), but I quite liked how it was handled here.

UGH, I HATED THAT EPISODE, FOR MANY REASONS & that was one of them. Just . . . fail!episode all around. But I agree - it was well-handled here.

I haven't heard anything about new Zoe audios (possibly the fact that Wendy now lived in France makes it harder for her to do more stuff) but a friend of mine met Frazer recently and he told her that a third Jamie audio is in the works.

O, pout. :( But it'll always be a little hope of mine!
& a friend of mine also just Frazer recently & she said he DID mention a third Jamie audio. My face was alight with happy when I heard that. ^___^

[nentari.livejournal.com]

O, that's good to know - very good, actually.
Of course, we don't have actual evidence of what the parapsychologist did to Zoe and the other pupils, but the fact that she was able to learn and grow like she did shows that the enhancing and formatting her brain went through was all external.

& at that, the only two things that really separate Zoe & River are the fact that River's brain was taken apart in places & the fact that Zoe's not psychic.
They even have mad fighting skills!

UGH, I HATED THAT EPISODE, FOR MANY REASONS & that was one of them. Just . . . fail!episode all around. But I agree - it was well-handled here.
I remember when I first watched The Sontaran Experiment/The Poison Sky that I drew some parallels between Luke and Tobias Vaughn - they're both geniuses who made deals with creatures who betrayed them in the end, and died after turning against their old allies. The differences, of course, are that Luke was a pathetic brat, and Vaughn never experienced any sort of redemption - he didn't decide to destroy the Cybermen because he saw the error of his ways (he was still very much determined in ruling the world) but because he wanted revenge. Redeemed!Vaughn would never have worked.

& a friend of mine also just Frazer recently & she said he DID mention a third Jamie audio. My face was alight with happy when I heard that. ^___^
I think that might be the same friend, actually. :D

[urchinmoppet.livejournal.com]

Aww that shirt is neat! But no Charley?!?!?! Bah!

Not reading your reviews yet because I'm saving them for when I can watch & then know what you're talking about. But I can't wait! ♥

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? :D But AH! That's where a bit of masking tape & a black Sharpie comes in handy! :D

& I hope you get to see everything I recapped soon - I'd love to hear your thoughts on them! ::glompglomp::

[lilyofshalott]

I second this comment—all of it! ^_^

(I sort of skim the reviews, but I don't want to spoil myself *too* much.)

[elliptic-eye.livejournal.com]

I love how Zoe just shrugs off more or less being insulted & being called heartless. I wish I could do that.

I'm not sure it's so much that she shrugs it off as that it doesn't properly penetrate. I always thought that this was one of the things she was thinking of when she talks about how her parapsychology training has left her with such limited affect later.

'Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority.'

SHE TOTALLY HAD A POINT, THOUGH. Ahem. Just sayin'. :D And she knew it! (I love Zoe's *DETERMINED* faces.)

Your comparison with Kroton—whom I've only ever seen limited caps of—is seriously making me want to see that Team TARDIS with Zoe added.

It's a CLASSIC bit of the Troughton era & I refuse to recap this episode without mentioning it.

It totally, totally is. It never fails to warm the very cockles of my heart that he filmed that in 1968 and they didn't even go for a take. Oh, TROUT. ♥

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it's so much that she shrugs it off as that it doesn't properly penetrate. I always thought that this was one of the things she was thinking of when she talks about how her parapsychology training has left her with such limited affect later.

Hmm - I like that idea, actually. & yes, I do think she had that on her mind when she & Jamie were talking later on.

& YES, SHE DID HAVE A POINT. But I love Two's response nevertheless. :P (& Determined!Zoe is teh cute, seriously.)

Your comparison with Kroton—whom I've only ever seen limited caps of—is seriously making me want to see that Team TARDIS with Zoe added.

HELL YES! ::squeals:: I'd LOVE to see that too - how AWESOME would the four of them be? I DO want to write season 6B fic where Two & Jamie meet Kroton, but if I could figure out a way to do it with Zoe, I'd definitely think about doing that as well. (& Kroton? Is totally awesome. & rather funny, too! :D)

It totally, totally is. It never fails to warm the very cockles of my heart that he filmed that in 1968 and they didn't even go for a take. Oh, TROUT. ♥

EVERYTHING YOU SAID & MORE. My love for that scene. It is GREAT. (& I do think that's the only time I'll ever get to hear him say the word 'sexual' out loud. LOVE IS DOUBLED. :D)

[vrrrrt.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the Fury From the Deep audio – like you, I almost wonder if seeing the visuals would make it less creepy and atmospheric. The bit where Mrs Harris walks into the sea gave me chills.

The bit where Two comments on Jamie looking peaceful when he’s sleeping is very cute, as is Victoria not wanting to scream because she feels silly! I can relate to her wanting to leave – sure, it’d be great hanging out with Two and Jamie, but all that running and screaming is somewhat less appealing.

Curse of Peladon is a great story. Plus, David Troughton looks quite Pat, only, blonder, younger, and wearing short shorts and tall boots!

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the Fury From the Deep audio – like you, I almost wonder if seeing the visuals would make it less creepy and atmospheric. The bit where Mrs Harris walks into the sea gave me chills.

Me too - I thought for SURE she was going to die. :O & I think this is a serial that I'm GLAD I don't have a recon for - it wouldn't have been as much fun to watch as a recon. Much better to just listen to it!

& I totally understood how poor Victoria felt - travelling with the Doctor isn't all fun & games, no matter what body he's in. There WILL be danger, & there WILL be death sometimes. & some people realise that they just aren't made for that & Victoria was one of them. But I'm glad that she did enjoy some of her time with Two & Jamie. ♥

I can't WAIT to see The Curse of Peladon - I've heard great things about it & plus, MORE DAVID TROUGHTON! :D That alone is a great thing.

[infinitejoys.livejournal.com]

omg, that last scene between Jamie and Victoria in "Fury From the Deep" BREAKS MY HEART IN TWO AND THEN STOMPS ON IT. I've not listened to the audio, though -- I watched the recons (actually, I think the only audio of a burninated serial I've listened to is "The Macra Terror"...and even then, I played it simultaneously with a recon I'd gotten that had poor audio.). This is one serial I really wish had survived (well, I wish they'd all survived, but you know what I mean, yeah?), because from what's left of it, it seems like it was incredibly creepy.

The first time I watched "The Wheel in Space" I got so nerdy excited when Gemma called Zoe their librarian. LIBRARIAN COMPANION IS TV CANON! WOO.

Thank you for specifying what exactly you meant by Kroton -- at first I thought you meant the aliens from the episode "The Krotons" and I was like "...wait, what?"

btw, I keep forgetting to tell you this, but I have Polly's Companion Chronicle, 'Resistance,' if you're still looking for it.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

omg, that last scene between Jamie and Victoria in "Fury From the Deep" BREAKS MY HEART IN TWO AND THEN STOMPS ON IT. I've not listened to the audio, though -- I watched the recons (actually, I think the only audio of a burninated serial I've listened to is "The Macra Terror"...and even then, I played it simultaneously with a recon I'd gotten that had poor audio.). This is one serial I really wish had survived (well, I wish they'd all survived, but you know what I mean, yeah?), because from what's left of it, it seems like it was incredibly creepy.

::hugs you:: I REALLY don't think anyone could really get through this story without having a MASSIVE breaking of the heart - you'd have to have NO emotions for that to be.

(& yes, I TOTALLY know what you mean - I would have LOVED to see Two, Jamie & Victoria playing in the foam! :D)

LIBRARIAN!COMPANION IN THE TARDIS! ::SQUEES:: IT'S OFFICIAL! & for it to have been Zoe, TOTALLY AWESOME. :D

You're totally welcome by the way, for the quick rundown on Kroton - I figured a lot of my flist wouldn't know who he was - I didn't even know him until nentari told me about him. Here's his Wiki page if you want to learn more about him. I love him so much - I hope Big Finish will think about featuring him in an audio! (in the EDAs, Iris Wildthyme said he travelled with her! So maybe he could pop up in an audio of hers?)

btw, I keep forgetting to tell you this, but I have Polly's Companion Chronicle, 'Resistance,' if you're still looking for it.

ASDFGHJKL;LKJHGFDSA YES I AM STILL LOOKING FOR IT & I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT IF YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME! :D If you'd like, I can upload a couple of Kroton's stories for you, if you like. You'll need a .cbr reader for them, if you haven't got one, though. But they're worth it, trust me. :D

[john_amend_all]

Post necromancy here, I'm afraid.
(but I don't think Zoe's brain was operated on.)

Ah, but it was. As was everyone's on the Wheel:

GEMMA: We're not exactly children, Doctor. All spacemen are protected against brain control by drugs.
DOCTOR: Yes but... but a neurotropic drug is only effective against a known enemy. Have you induced repulsion in all parts of the brain yet?
GEMMA: No, but there's the implanted Silenski capsule. It gives off a signal when there is an adverse influence against the wearer.

... what kind of world does Zoë come from, where having your mind taken over is something that you have to be protected against as a matter of routine?

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

O, don't worry! I love new comments to old posts! ^-^ & it's nice to know others are looking at my recaps. ♥

I remember the first part of what Gemma says, but I have NO idea how I could have missed the second part - if I had heard it, I would have noted it immediately, as more proof of the similarities between her & River Tam. It sounds, to me, that perhaps Zoe & others like her, who'd undergone the same procedure, could have possibly been covertly created to be perhaps an army to fight against psychological attacks, if need be - why else would such operations be needed? Hmm. Thankyou for pointing that out to me!