.you must be mad, or else you wouldn't have come here

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Here are a few disjointed notes on The Stones of Blood:

I loved Professor Rumford. Beatrix Lehmann did a great job, and I laughed like crazy every time she and Tom Baker shared a scene; just look at his astonished face whenever she's talking, as it's a thing of beauty. It's no wonder she was Tom Baker's original suggestion to be the next Romana when Mary Tamm announced her departure, as he clearly adored her.

De Vries wife/girlfriend/whatever Martha freaks me out a little - not because there's anything wrong about the actress or the actual character but because she looks uncannily like one of my co-workers. The only difference is that said co-worker is blonde and sounds like a contralto version of Nicola Bryant's character in Blackadder's Christmas Carol.

I found the first episode's cliff-hanger rather confusing. I know now what is meant to happen and that we never see the Doctor's double because Tom Baker objected to it, but the fact that he's never visible makes the scene confusing and removes some of the threat we are meant to experience.

The scene with the two campers is terrifying and feels like something from the Hinchcliffe era. I know some people might see it as padding, but there's nothing wrong with padding when it helps build atmosphere or fits well with the story, and I feel this is a perfect example of this.

And that's it. I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this serial. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with the best of both worlds: a nice cup of chocolate tea.

All the best,
Patricia