(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]

::wriggles a bit in his arms:: Then let's keep moving!
*they enter the TARDIS*

Betsy: ::immediately puts her glasses back on and becomes completely professional:: Well, as I said, it was merely an exercise. Perhaps sex therapy just isn't for you, Mr Kreiner. Now if you'd wish to leave, I won't insist you stay. ::is rather slowly and with an obvious bit of reluctance, beginning to write out the bill::
Fitz. No, wait. I didn't say I didn't want to try it. I'm just wondering if it will really do the trick.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

*they enter the TARDIS*

Mmm, home sweet home at last! Bathtub please? Oh, and Fitz . . . what does your Doctor look like, exactly? ::looks a bit nervous::

Fitz. No, wait. I didn't say I didn't want to try it. I'm just wondering if it will really do the trick.

Betsy: ::immediately stops writing and looks up slowly:: Well . . . it worked for a client of mine with a very similar case to yours, Mr Kreiner . . . it worked very well for him, and he too was a bit nervous about such an exercise. ::takes glasses off again and stands up:: Would you like to try it then?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Mmm, home sweet home at last! Bathtub please? Oh, and Fitz . . . what does your Doctor look like, exactly? ::looks a bit nervous::
Fitz: Whad do you mean? Dall chab, wid long hair and Edwardian glodes, ligue he always did.

Betsy: ::immediately stops writing and looks up slowly:: Well . . . it worked for a client of mine with a very similar case to yours, Mr Kreiner . . . it worked very well for him, and he too was a bit nervous about such an exercise. ::takes glasses off again and stands up:: Would you like to try it then?
Fitz: Hm... Yeah, I suppose I do.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: Whad do you mean? Dall chab, wid long hair and Edwardian glodes, ligue he always did.

Oh, good! I, I was just wondering. ::looks around:: Where is he? And, more importantly, where might a lady find this fabled tub you've spoken of? ::flirty smile::

Fitz: Hm... Yeah, I suppose I do.

Betsy: ::gives Fitz a rather encouraging smile and leads him over to the couch:: Well then, let's start, shall we? ::lies back on the couch and squeezes Fitz's hand::

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Oh, good! I, I was just wondering. ::looks around:: Where is he? And, more importantly, where might a lady find this fabled tub you've spoken of? ::flirty smile::
Fitz: He's dagen Anji do see someding. A gonference, doo brainy for be bud dey bod ligue dad sord of ding, so he lefd be wid the house gueys. As for the dub... *grabs her hand* Follow be. The medigal unid is on the way, so I gan dague you dere.

Betsy: ::gives Fitz a rather encouraging smile and leads him over to the couch:: Well then, let's start, shall we? ::lies back on the couch and squeezes Fitz's hand::
Fitz. Oh, all right. Now, I close my eyes, yeah?

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: He's dagen Anji do see someding. A gonference, doo brainy for be bud dey bod ligue dad sord of ding, so he lefd be wid the house gueys. As for the dub... *grabs her hand* Follow be. The medigal unid is on the way, so I gan dague you dere.

Mmm, good. A nice hot bath does wonders for people who've been in the most frightening situations like we've been. And we can see to your poor nose - I don't think it's broken, or maybe we should wait for the Doctor to return . . . ::caring snuggles::

Fitz. Oh, all right. Now, I close my eyes, yeah?

Betsy: ::looking quite peaceful and ever so slightly expectant:: If you'd like. Or if it helps turn me into your Doctor, Fitz. ::closes eyes:: Let's begin.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Mmm, good. A nice hot bath does wonders for people who've been in the most frightening situations like we've been. And we can see to your poor nose - I don't think it's broken, or maybe we should wait for the Doctor to return . . . ::caring snuggles::
Fitz: *after recovering from the snugglefest* I don'd ding id's broguen eider. Id's sdobbed bleeding anyway - dad's good, righd?

Betsy: ::looking quite peaceful and ever so slightly expectant:: If you'd like. Or if it helps turn me into your Doctor, Fitz. ::closes eyes:: Let's begin.
Fitz. *still a bit unsure of what's about to happen* Okay. *closes eyes* What must I do now?

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: *after recovering from the snugglefest* I don'd ding id's broguen eider. Id's sdobbed bleeding anyway - dad's good, righd?

Oh, yes, certainly! I think it's just a bit swollen up - come on, show me to all the bandages and ice and I'll see about patching you up. Then maybe you'll show me this lovely bathtub?

Fitz. *still a bit unsure of what's about to happen* Okay. *closes eyes* What must I do now?

Betsy: ::keeps her eyes closed:: Well, your eyes are closed now, so now you have your Doctor right in front of you - waiting and wanting to know just what's on your mind. Or, the other side - you have a very pretty girl in front of you who's going to help you get rid of all confusion you might have about Iris and the Doctor, if you'd like her to. Either option, Fitz. ::stretches her legs out and subtly brushes Fitz's hip in the process::

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, certainly! I think it's just a bit swollen up - come on, show me to all the bandages and ice and I'll see about patching you up. Then maybe you'll show me this lovely bathtub?
Fitz: Righd. Id's righd over here.

Betsy: ::keeps her eyes closed:: Well, your eyes are closed now, so now you have your Doctor right in front of you - waiting and wanting to know just what's on your mind. Or, the other side - you have a very pretty girl in front of you who's going to help you get rid of all confusion you might have about Iris and the Doctor, if you'd like her to. Either option, Fitz. ::stretches her legs out and subtly brushes Fitz's hip in the process::
Fitz: *cheeky smile* What about the pretty girl?

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: Righd. Id's righd over here.

::after applying several bandages and a liberal amount of ice:: Okay, I think your nose should be better - how does it feel? ::kisses on the cheek again::

Fitz: *cheeky smile* What about the pretty girl?

Betsy: Well . . . she's a very lovely girl you might have happened to meet one afternoon and because she was such a kind person, you might have just told her all about your . . . romantic entanglements. And she may even have some advice to give, if you're open to it. ::slides her legs into Fitz's lap with her eyes still closed::

[nentari.livejournal.com]

::after applying several bandages and a liberal amount of ice:: Okay, I think your nose should be better - how does it feel? ::kisses on the cheek again::
Fitz: Much bedder - esbecially afder dad guiss. *grins*

Betsy: Well . . . she's a very lovely girl you might have happened to meet one afternoon and because she was such a kind person, you might have just told her all about your . . . romantic entanglements. And she may even have some advice to give, if you're open to it. ::slides her legs into Fitz's lap with her eyes still closed::
Fitz: Hmm, I like the sound of her. What sort of advice would she give me?

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: Much bedder - esbecially afder dad guiss. *grins*

I'm glad to hear it. Now . . . I do believe a bit of steam will help your poor nose even more. Shall we make our way to that promised bathtub now, darling?

Fitz: Hmm, I like the sound of her. What sort of advice would she give me?

Betsy: Well, she might say something about how the very best way to deal with so much tension is to perhaps drown it out for an hour or two, then, when all is said and done, you'll feel much better and have a better idea of what to do about your problems. ::crosses her legs again and wriggles very slightly::

[nentari.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear it. Now . . . I do believe a bit of steam will help your poor nose even more. Shall we make our way to that promised bathtub now, darling?
Fitz: *smirks and guides Betsy towards the Doctor's quarters*

Betsy: Well, she might say something about how the very best way to deal with so much tension is to perhaps drown it out for an hour or two, then, when all is said and done, you'll feel much better and have a better idea of what to do about your problems. ::crosses her legs again and wriggles very slightly::
Fitz: Oh, I'm definitely game for that. *big smile*

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: *smirks and guides Betsy towards the Doctor's quarters*

Ooooh . . . what a lovely boudoir! Eeeek, a four-poster bed! ::plops self onto it:: So, shall I go draw the bath while you rest a bit?

Fitz: Oh, I'm definitely game for that. *big smile*

Betsy: ::smile:: Well, then, Fitz, I think you know how you'd like this exercise to work and where to go next. Last question: eyes open or closed?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Ooooh . . . what a lovely boudoir! Eeeek, a four-poster bed! ::plops self onto it:: So, shall I go draw the bath while you rest a bit?
Fitz: Ogay.

Betsy: ::smile:: Well, then, Fitz, I think you know how you'd like this exercise to work and where to go next. Last question: eyes open or closed?
Fitz: Hmm. *opens one eye* I'll try it with my eyes open and see how it goes.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: Ogay.

::skips off to the bathtub, lights a few pretty candles she found in the linen closet, then draws a very fancy bath::

Fitz . . . all ready now! ::is now sitting in the bathtub in a very Cleopatra-esque way::

Fitz: Hmm. *opens one eye* I'll try it with my eyes open and see how it goes.

Betsy: ::opens one long-lashed eye slowly:: You're nearly as progressive as I am, Fitz. This exercise could prove very interesting with you. Why don't you start first?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Fitz . . . all ready now! ::is now sitting in the bathtub in a very Cleopatra-esque way::
Fitz: *enters, and his face lights up at the sight*

Betsy: ::opens one long-lashed eye slowly:: You're nearly as progressive as I am, Fitz. This exercise could prove very interesting with you. Why don't you start first?
Fitz: Oh, I prefer to learn with the experts. Why don't you show me how it's done?

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: *enters, and his face lights up at the sight*

::kicks toes in all of the bubbles:: I do hope it'll be to your liking, Fitz. ::turns her back to Fitz in order to continue to seem like a sweet innocent girl keep her lovely eyes pure and pristine:: Are you coming in?

Fitz: Oh, I prefer to learn with the experts. Why don't you show me how it's done?

Betsy: ::smiles and rather quickly wriggles into Fitz's lap:: I could do that. ::kisses him squarely on the lips:: Shall we consider that a 'jumping off point' then, as it were?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

::kicks toes in all of the bubbles:: I do hope it'll be to your liking, Fitz. ::turns her back to Fitz in order to continue to seem like a sweet innocent girl keep her lovely eyes pure and pristine:: Are you coming in?
Fitz: Already dere, doll. *enters*

Betsy: ::smiles and rather quickly wriggles into Fitz's lap:: I could do that. ::kisses him squarely on the lips:: Shall we consider that a 'jumping off point' then, as it were?
Fitz: Sounds good to me.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: Already dere, doll. *enters*

::turns back around all languorously:: Delightful! Oh, how I did need a nice hot bath! How's the bath helping your nose, darling? ::flutters her eyelashes::

Fitz: Sounds good to me.

Betsy: ::all bedroom eyes and very red lipstick:: Good. Now why don't you try? We could even take turns.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

::turns back around all languorously:: Delightful! Oh, how I did need a nice hot bath! How's the bath helping your nose, darling? ::flutters her eyelashes::
Fitz: *plays with bubbles* I gan hardly feel id.

Betsy: ::all bedroom eyes and very red lipstick:: Good. Now why don't you try? We could even take turns.
Fitz: Anything you say, doll...

[should we fade to black now?]

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz: *plays with bubbles* I gan hardly feel id.

Perfect! ::toys with a few bubbles of her own:: Um, Fitz? What if the Doctor comes back before we're, um, done in here? ::splashes him::

Fitz: Anything you say, doll...

Betsy: Now, aren't you glad I suggested this exercise?

(& honestly? I . . . have no idea. O_o)

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Perfect! ::toys with a few bubbles of her own:: Um, Fitz? What if the Doctor comes back before we're, um, done in here? ::splashes him::
Fitz. Hum. I don'd ding he'd mind, really. Id's Anji we should be worried about, but she wouldn'd go in here anyway.

Betsy: Now, aren't you glad I suggested this exercise?
Fitz: Very glad. Do you want me to show you just how glad I am?

(& honestly? I . . . have no idea. O_o)
(maybe she should? *shrugs* I'm a bit lost at where to go from here)

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

Fitz. Hum. I don'd ding he'd mind, really. Id's Anji we should be worried about, but she wouldn'd go in here anyway.

Oh, well, at least the Doctor wouldn't mind. But why would Anji mind? ::twirls a bit of bathwater around::

Fitz: Very glad. Do you want me to show you just how glad I am?

Betsy: ::all breathy:: Yes, please.

(Hmm. Okay then! If we continue on, you'll just be treated to a rather unladylike degree of my smut soufflé, as it were. :P)

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, at least the Doctor wouldn't mind. But why would Anji mind? ::twirls a bit of bathwater around::
Fitz: *shrugs* Who knows? She's always saying we have "no dime for dad sord of dings". And she's always finding faulds in any woman we meed.

If we continue on, you'll just be treated to a rather unladylike degree of my smut soufflé, as it were. :P
(Yes, perhaps it's better, then. :P)