Drome Support

I recently watched the BFI documentary on the BBC's Moviedrome series. For those unfamiliar with it, Moviedrome was a television programme running from 1988 to 2000 that presented an eclectic selection of cult films to a wider audience. While not every feature appealed to me, it did broaden my knowledge of film. This was largely due to Moviedrome’s original host Alex Cox’s candid and informal introductions offering unique perspectives on films I wouldn't have otherwise known about. Cox provided valuable insights which were equivalent to film school for someone like myself.

Two observations I made after viewing the documentary: Mark Cousins's try-hard persona will always make him a disappointing replacement for Alex Cox — I cannot fault him for presenting both versions of The Killers, alongside The Warriors and La Haine as a double bill, though; and, we really need Moviedrome returning to our screens instead of twenty-six years worth of unbearable BBC dramas and docs made for wine-sozzled Guardianistas.

Here are some films that haven’t been shown before; a mix of old and modern favourites, that really need to be given the Moviedrome treatment, if it ever did miraculously come back just for one season:

This Gun for Hire (Frank Tuttle, 1942)

Brute Force (Jules Dassin, 1947) 

Dementia (John Parker, 1955)

The Sadist (James Landis, 1963)

The Collector (William Wyler, 1965)

Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969) 

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (Freddie Francis, 1970)

Wake in Fright (Ted Kotcheff, 1971)

Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) 

The Beyond (Lucio Fulci, 1981) 

Miracle Mile (Steve De Jarnatt,1988)

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (Lam Nai Choi, 1991)

Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1997) 

The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005)

Love Exposure (Sion Sono, 2008) 

Triangle (Christopher Smith, 2009)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)

The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

Dinner in America (Adam Rehmeier, 2020)

The Substance (Coralie Fargeat, 2024)

The perfect cherry on top would be if another notable director with an appreciation for cult genre movies such as Edgar Wright were to present them.

Be Seeing You (Again)

Three types of people I do not trust: politicians, journalists and those who pretend to know all the answers to The Prisoner. The latter was a one-off series consisting of seventeen episodes that aired on ATV in the United Kingdom from 1967 to 1968. It followed the trend of spy shows at the time, particularly the popular series Danger Man (1960–1968). Both of which commissioned by the cigar-smoking TV impresario Lew Grade and featured actor Patrick McGoohan in the lead. McGoohan would also be the series's co-creator; as well as writer and director on several episodes. Where The Prisoner differed from its predecessor was in its deliberate subversion of the traditional formula. Instead, it embraced 1960s counterculture and postmodernist allegories.

The opening titles sequence sets up the series's premise perfectly. The titular character storming into his boss’s office and angrily handing over his letter of resignation (I love it when the tea cup leaps up from the saucer when McGoohan bangs his fist on the table with the sounds of a thunder clap), before being subsequently gassed and abducted from his home. Our hero awakens to find himself in a cell designed to resemble his actual apartment in an idyllic coastal village.

Despite his defiant protest of not being a number, McGoohan’s unnamed protagonist would be identified as Number Six by both his warders and fellow prisoners. Number Six would be subjected to dastardly scenarios designed to probe his mind and break his spirit in order to obtain vital information; namely the reason for his resignation. The ingenuity of these methods were worthy of being films themselves; ranging from the use of psychotropic drugs, elaborate role plays and mind-swapping; in fact the plot to A. B. and C. is strikingly similar to Christopher Nolan's 2010 espionage sci-fi thriller Inception; albeit, without the bloviated run time, gimmicky cityscape effects and Han Zimmer's BWAAH horns.

The prison without bars would also house a number of other individuals; presumably from a similar background to our hero. Number Six’s constant dilemma would be distinguishing between the inmates and the warders. What was abundantly clear was Rover, a white weather balloon that belted out a terrifying scream whenever appearing on screen, which served as the Village's guard dog. The bouncing spherical menace would retrieve escapees with their horrified faces imprinted on its latex surface; the stuff of nightmares for any child at the time. Who knew a balloon could be this scary?

Number Six's desperation to escape from the ever surveillant confines of the Village was halted by a constantly changing rota of actors (including Leo McKern Peter Wyngarde and Guy Dolman) playing Number Two; the main antagonist. The predominantly British cast in the series, indirectly suggested Number Six's captors were possibly his former employers. Considering The Prisoner was produced during the height of the Cold War, the series does however allude to both sides being indistinguishable. 

What is indisputable is how The Prisoner foresaw a dystopian world of mass surveillance and blatant abuse of our privacies. In the episode The Chimes of Big Ben, Number Two describes the Village as “an international community, a  perfect blueprint for world order. When the sides facing each other suddenly realise that they're looking into a mirror, they'll see that this is the pattern for the future.” Eerily prophetic. 

The rivalry between Number Six and the differing incarnations of Number Two was a key element of the series’s appeal. Each Number Two utilised a distinct method to extract information from his fellow "lifer", Number Six. In turn, Number Six would exploit any potential weaknesses he found in his enemies. In the episode Hammer Into Anvil, Patrick Cargill’s sadistic Number Two is driven to insanity by our hero after inciting a female prisoner to committing suicide.

Throughout the series, the recurring questions were: who was the eponymous prisoner before he became Number Six, and why did he resign? For the tuned-in audience, however, the identity of Number One was the biggest mystery of them all. By the time of Fallout, the final episode, the busy surrealism, head-scratching symbolism and absolute insanity would prove perplexing enough for it to be analysed and discussed for nigh on sixty years. Thus, apart from its overtly avant-garde 1960s visual aesthetics, much of The Prisoner’s enduring cult appeal stemmed from theorising interpretations of it. 

If Number Six represented the defiant individual, then the Village epitomised a collectivist world of conformity. Ironically, once Number Six’s right to be an individual is finally recognised by a kangaroo court in the climactic finale, a masked collective, representing various societal aspects, mockingly repeats his first word, "I!" And so, the mechanism of the collective hive mind continues on. Back in London, the sound of Number Six’s front door sounding like his cell in the Village invites the theory that both he and the viewer are both prisoners in the grand scheme of it all. Certainly food for thought, but frustrating for those expecting straightforward answers to recurring questions rather than symbolic allegories. 

When Fallout premiered, the viewers were so disappointed, they jammed up ATV's switchboards; eventually McGoohan was forced to go into hiding with his family. Time, however, has been much kinder to both the series and its star. The Prisoner has also been fortunate to be niche enough not to be dragged into a culture war battleground like other nerdcore properties; which is ironic, given many of the show's themes and subject matter are even more relevant today.

Considering McGoohan’s lifelong scrutinisation regarding The Prisoner, it is possible to categorise him as either a brilliant mind whose work was misunderstood by the "rotten cabbages", or as the perpetrator of one of our greatest media pranks, à la Orson Welles’ 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast and Panorama’s spaghetti tree hoax in 1957. Regardless, The Prisoner remains a compelling work that is worth revisiting for its sheer mind fuckery. It's also a lot of fun watching people getting accosted by a weather balloon, too.

Depending on where you are, you can watch The Prisoner for free on YouTube, along with Century 21 Films' superb feature length documentary about the series, The Making of the Prisoner: Don't Knock Yourself Out. 

Seven Nation Army

The BBC just released the Blu-Ray box set for the second season in Terry Nation's dystopian, space opera Blake 7. Naturally, I put my film watching on hold and binged through it like my life depended on it.

Many of the points I addressed in a blog post dedicated to the first season are just as valid here. Therefore, to avoid repeating it all again, here's an episode guide on the second season of the science fiction series.

Redemption 

Liberator, the mysterious alien spacecraft commandeered by Blake and his crew, is shown being destroyed in last season's cliffhanger finale. It's revealed as a prophetic vision by Orac, the supercomputer and one seventh of Blake's posse. Avon deduces that identifying the star constellation in the background of Orac's prophecy, the Liberator can avoid its destruction. Shortly afterwards, the ship is attacked and pursued by unknown spacecrafts. The Liberator attempts to flee, but is eventually controlled remotely by The System, a computer network created by an advanced alien civilisation, revealed to be the creators of the Liberator.

Terry Nation ends his streak as the sole writer of the series on a high. A rewarding season opener as the Liberator's origin sheds some of the mystique about the ship. Really enjoyed the scene where Blake has to wrestle with the Liberator's cables and circuitry; like they were snakes. I also found it funny seeing the Altas, a bunch of saggy-arsed, hive-minded and cold-blooded women being connected with the Liberator; a ship that looks like it was kit-bashed from a sex toy by the effects department. Rating: 9/10

Shadow

Blake goes to Space City seeking aid against the Terran Federation from the criminal underworld known as the Terra Nostra (see what they did?). Furthermore, Orac and Cally, the telepathic member of Blake's gang, are confronted by a psychic alien entity. Cally manages to combat the invisible enemey with the use of moon discs (they look like brown pebbles), the products used by the Terra Nostra to harvest the narcotic Shadow.

Dud episode! Terry Nation proves how big his shoes are to fill with script editor Chris Boucher taking control of the writing reins. The episode is a convoluted mess and hard to believe it's written by the same creative mind responsible for the seminal Doctor Who story The Robots of Death. Cally is a complete buzzkill once the episode focuses primarily on her. The episode really drags by all the hallucinatory imagery of Cally being trapped inside Orac or when a bunch of pebbles are laughably placed all over Cally. The Terra Nostra plot isn't enjoyable, either. The so-called gangsters are nothing but a bunch of stuck-up, English toffs in brown velour suits rather than resembling anything shady or scary. Also, it's no surprise when it's revealed the Terra Nostra is also controlled by the Federation. Worst of all, is seeing Karl Howman, from the awful sitcom Brush Strokes and the former British video nasty Exposé (1976), playing one-half of a pair of pixie-looking junkies being Shadow addicts. The siblings reminded me of Wilykit and Wilykat from Thundercats and were insufferable. Rating: 4/10

Weapon

Both the Liberator's crew and the Federation go searching for the fugitive scientist Coser, the developer of a powerful weapon known as I.M.I.P.A.K. (Induced Molecular Instability Projector And Key). A deadly device able to mark its target with dark matter and be detonated from an extremely long range (a million miles, or so). Servalan and Travis (in the latter's case; merely canonically) are back. The devious pair employ the genius psychostrategist (otherwise known as a "puppeteer") Carnell to pinpoint Coser's whereabouts, while also lure out the scientist with a clone of Blake.

A far better episode from Chris Boucher compared to his previous one. Great to see Servalan back in her sadistic glory again, although, I really can't say the same for Travis given how Brian Croucher's performance is so jarringly different when compared to what made Stephen Greif's version so memorable from the first season. Enjoyed seeing the I.M.I.P.A.K.weapon in action; at first against a clawed, alien beast, and once again on Blake and his comrades Avon and Gan. I also got a kick out of seeing British horror scream queen Candace Glendenning as Rashel, a freed slave on the run with Coser. Weapon has a worse IMDb rating than Shadow; which is bizarre, since it's a big improvement and far more enjoyable. Rating: 8/10

Horizon

Blake pursues a Federation ship to the mysterious planet Horizon. Blake and Jenna teleport down and are are captured by a native. The eventually become prisoners and forced into labour alongside the rest of the unfortunate populace in underground mines. They eventually learn that Horizon's ruler, Ro, is being used as a puppet by the Federation for their own means. 

A lame and largely forgettable episode by scriptwriter Allan Prior, the co-creator of the yachting drama Howard's Way. Avon left alone aboard the Liberator, debating whether he should abandon his crew mates still on Horizon, is probably the only positive aspect about this episode. Otherwise, there's lots of instances where Federation officials say "Kommissar!" and "Assistant Kommissar!" while Blake teaches the slaves how to share the cauldron of gruel they're given to eat. Definitely struggled to stay awake through this commie gobbledegook. Rating: 5/10

Pressure Point

Frustrated with all the foreplay, Blake decides to stick it where it hurts for the Federation; taking the battle to Earth. His plan is to destroy Central Control, the computer network and nerve centre of the Terran Federation, effectively toppling the authoritarian regime's iron grip over the galaxy. Thus, Blake teams up with resistance leader Kasabi, the former tutor of Servalan who harbours obvious beef with the ruthless Supreme Commander.

Terry Nation returns with one of the best episodes in the series thus far. Obviously, the mission fails; resulting in the death of the underdeveloped Olag Gan, a member of Blake's outlaw gang. Farewell, Gan! We hardly knew you. Nevertheless, Pressure Point is an action packed episode with an intriguing dose of betrayal. It's a lot of fun seeing Blake, Avon, Vila and the soon to snuff it Gan fighting their way to Central Control. This includes a genuinely tense scene where the lads traverse through a minefield. Also, despite my dislike for Croucher's portrayal of Travis, I did enjoy the scenes between him and Servalan during this episode. Rating: 10/10

Trial

In the aftermath of Gan's death, Blake decides to do some soul searching on an uninhabited planet while his crew ponder over whether to still follow him or not. Meanwhile, Travis does some of his own reflection as he awaits court-martial.

An introspective episode after the action-packed events of the previous one, but a good one, regardless. It's intriguing to discover that the unnamed planet (which looks like it might have been filmed in the Blue Peter garden) is in fact a living creature. It's also engrossing to find out that Blake and Zil, the ridiculous looking alien he befriends, have very limited time left before the living planet floods the surface with oceans of its own saliva to cleanse itself of all the parasites living on it. Overall, I found this part of the episode more interesting than Travis's trial. However, much like Pressure Point, I did find Brian Croucher's performance tolerable here. Kind of funny seeing John Savident, better known for playing Fred Elliott on Coronation Street along with Kevin Lloyd, who was D.C. Tosh Lines on The Bill, playing characters from the Terran Federation. Rating: 7/10

Killer

Avon and Vila teleport down to the Federation planet of Fosforon to get their hands on a translator crystal which would vitally aid them in decoding enemy transmissions. Tynus, the commander of the Q-Base installation, is an old "friend" of Avon; one who owes the renegade engineer a big favour. Blake also teleports down to the installation after a derelict, centuries-old spaceship drifts over the planet. Cally telepathically senses immense danger inside the ship.

Two great plot lines running concurrently by the legendary Doctor Who writer Robert Holmes. What starts off as a heist story eventually turns into a horrific contagion story; with a whiff of zombie goodness. Avon and Vila are a perfect double act, and it's great seeing them working together in this fantastic episode. Tynus, is played by Ronald Lacey, a natural at playing odious and slimy characters; best known for his characters Harris on the classic sitcom Porridge as well as Gestapo officer Arnold Ernst Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Hence, you're waiting for the all important betrayal while the killer plague ravages the installation. Killer episode. Rating: 10/10

Hostage

After a run-in with Federation pursuit ships, the Liberator receives a message from Travis, who has now gone rogue. The dastardly villain has Blake's ex, Inga, hostage on the planet Exbar. Blake's uncle, Ushton, lives on the planet, who might be able to help.

WTF? Blake and Inga are literally kissing cousins! That's about the only memorable detail from what's otherwise a completely forgettable episode; that, and the fact Jenna gets a little jealous when she sees them kiss. I was mostly bored by this episode, and not even Avon and Vila could rescue it once they entered the mix. Therefore, I kept myself occupied googling what else Judy Buxton, the actress who played Inga, had done as she looked familiar. Turns out she was in I Don't Want to Be Born (1975), starring Joan Collins and a bunch of other cult legends no doubt ashamed of that god awful movie. She later married the actor who played Spike from the sitcom Hi-de-Hi. Rating: 5/10

Countdown

The Liberator reaches the planet Albion, searching for a Federation major once linked to Control Centre and might know of its new location. However, Albion's rebels are close to victory, thus the Federation activate a Solium radiation device which will wipe out all life on the planet. It's a race against time for Blake to find Major Provine, while Avon and Grant, a rebel who blames him for his sister's death, are on a tense-filled mission to deactivate the lethal weapon with the little time they have.

Once again, another stellar episode penned by Terry Nation. A riveting watch, with both plot lines lending to some thoroughly tense and suspenseful scenes. Incredibly entertaining watching all the convoluted hoops Avon and Grant have to go through in order to deactivate the bomb; even having to teleport to the polar ice cap and thaw it out. Loved it. Possibly the best of the second season, in my opinion. Rating: 10/10

Voice from the Past

During one of Cally's Rainbow Rhythms exercise sessions, Blake experiences severe mental pain brought about from the conditioning done to him by the Federation. It's revealed to be a subliminal signal, ordering him to divert from his ship's current course to the asteroid P-K118 instead. He convinces Vila it's a conspiracy engineered by the rest of the crew, where they subsequently lock them up. When Blake arrives on the asteroid's base, he meets rebel leader Shivan and Ven Glyn, a key figure who falsified evidence against him, who has defected over.

A convoluted episode from Roger Parkes, a writer who also contributed to a number of screenplays for another of Terry Nation's TV creations; the series Survivors. Sadly, what might have potentially been an episode full of of intrigue fundamentally yo-yos from tediously dull conversations to shambolically comedic once you see and hear Shivan on screen. I'm surprised the cast and crew were able to keep a straight face. Shivan's real identity is of no real surprise; it's so bloody obvious. Rating: 4/10

Gambit

After the events of Countdown, Blake learns that Control Centre has been renamed Star One and the former Terran Federation cybersurgeon, Docholli, might be able to know of its location. The crew of the Liberator find the cybersurgeon in the seedy quarter of the metropolis known as Freedom City, along with Travis working as the cybersurgeon's bodyguard. Blake, Jenna and Cally go in search of their their quarry. Meanwhile, unwillingly to be left behind, Avon and Vila take a shrunken Orac with them and hit the casinos. Unbeknown to them all, Servalan is also in Freedom City and on the hunt for Docholli and Travis.

Hard to believe Travis was such a villainous threat at one time, and yet he's reduced to skulking about in a hat and cape looking like the Phantom of the Opera. Servalan shines in this episode like a dominatrix from Hell. Once again, Avon and Vila's side story is the most fun. Vila playing speed chess against the Klute, "a galactic grandmaster", where the loser gets fried, was my favourite scene. This was another episode by Robert Holmes. Rating: 7/10

The Keeper

After finding Docholli, Blake learns that the co-ordinates to Star One are imprinted onto a brain amulet, worn around the neck of the planet Goth's ruler. Goth is a primitive world, whose natives live similarly to Viking culture. On their heals is Travis, who also happens to be after the amulet.

Another filler episode from Allan Prior, although Jenna has more to do in this episode; albeit feigning interest in the amorous advances of Goth's ruler, Gola. The McGuffins necessary to get to Star One have really outstayed their welcome by the penultimate episode. I also found the whole story rather predictable and lacklustre; the obvious plot twist being a particular crude set-up. Rating: 5/10

Star One

Lurena, a young technician on Star One, discovers that her fellow colleagues have been replicated by alien saboteurs. Climactic weather effects have already been felt across Federation worlds because of the sabotage on Star One.The Liberator finally reaches the base, where Blake and crew discover a vast minefield in the vacuum of space designed to keep something out. When the crew learn of an Andromedan invasion, Blake abandons destroying Star One and bides time for the now alerted Federation to stop the invaders. Thus, the Liberator is all that stands to fend off the armada until his sworn enemies come to aid in the battle.

Star One is an absolute belter and by far the best episode in the series by Chris Boucher. I like the obvious inspiration taken from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, along with the Andromedan fleet being forced to funnel through a small gap in the minefield with the Liberator holding them off. Essentially the Battle of Thermopylae, but in space. Which makes for a great cliff hanger. Apparently, Terry Nation intended for the invaders to be the Daleks. Of course, it never happened, but it adds fuel to the fire that Doctor Who and Blake's 7 were set in the same universe. Also, Travis didn't pull off anything immersion breaking to spoil the whole episode. Rating: 9/10

TL; DR:

Overall, the decision to include other writers was both a gift and a curse. It obviously worked for Terry Nation, since the episodes he wrote for the second season were amongst the best in the series. Even on my least favourite episodes, the character writing was mostly faithful (with the exception of Travis). The dichotomy between Blake the idealist and Avon the realist makes for some enjoyable chemistry between the two, which really flourished in this second season.

Regarding Travis, he was the biggest disappointment. That's partly due to Stephen Greif not returning to play the character for the second season. There was a twisted and psychotic menace about Travis in the previous season, and that's sadly lost in Brian Croucher's performance. Also, Greif looked far cooler with the cardboard egg box on his face as a cybernetic implant, than the tiny eyepatch Croucher has on. Croucher's Cockney inflection didn't help the character, either.

Also, I'm not surprised Sally Knyvette exited the series given how little she had to do. However, I am bewildered Jan Chappell stayed on for another season given how much of a dead weight Cally was. Gareth Thomas, who played Roj Blake would no longer be a regular after this second season. Blake's 7 without Blake! Paul Darrow's Kerr Avon would naturally take over as the show's lead, which was always apparent from the very first season.

Looking forward to the third season box set getting released next year! Fingers crossed there's a BBC still around to release it by then.

Doctor Do Little

Given my recent review of the first Doctor Who film, it's only right I inflict some of my thoughts on this blog for the current season of the show, which ended over the weekend. With the exception of an upcoming spin-off, the chances of the series returning anytime soon doesn't look too promising. Therefore, I've indulged in a personal rundown on the recent season of the show and the short tenure of its Fifteenth Doctor, as played by Ncuti Gatwa:

The Robot Revolution

AKA, 'Planet of the Incels'. Kicking off the season premiere with a prologue which introduces the Doctor's new companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu). A certificate naming a distant planet after Belinda is given to her by her controlling boyfriend, Alan. Years later, she's  abducted by giant robots and taken to that very same planet, Missbelindachandra. When the villain is revealed to be Belinda's ex, 'The Robot Revolution' serves as a topical warning over A.I. and the abusers who wield it. Al is reduced to a microscopic embryo in the final act, and effectively killed by the comical cleaning roomba which sweeps him up. Bizarrely, the Doctor celebrates Al's demise with a joyful high kick. The season premiere also begins the mystery as to why the Doctor can't return Belinda back to Earth on 24th of May.

'The Robot Revolution' is a fairly so-so episode, but a notable improvement over the previous season's woeful opener, 'Space Babies'. Varada Sethu playing the reluctant companion is reminiscent of Tegan Jankova from the classic era of the series. Which makes her at the very least an interesting character, initially. The retro look of the robots and the rocket ship give off vintage sci-fi aesthetic, but the rest of the production resembles an MCU film. As a result, it all looks a and feels like a cartoon. Rating: 4/10 

Lux 

Speaking of cartoons, here's a literal one and another instance of Russell T Davies's driving obsession with god entities, AKA, the Pantheon of Discord, from the previous series. 'Lux' is the God of Light possessing Mr. Ring-a-ding, a Max Fleischer style cartoon character come to life in a Fifties cinema, somewhere in Miami. A device known as the vindicator is this series' macguffin in helping Belinda get back home. Obviously, it doesn't work too well as they come here instead.

As tedious as all this Pantheon of Discord is, this might be a rare instance where it isn't so irksome. The whole meta concept of the Doctor and Belinda being trapped in a celluloid film is at the least, a novel situation for the time lord. What's more, the episode's antagonist becomes more terrifying as he evolves into being three-dimensional, so there are elements of horror there, too. Sadly, RTD's writing lets this episode down as both the Doctor and Belinda aren't the ones who save the day. It's Linus Roache's cinema projectionist that does, robbing our main characters' sense of urgency; resulting in an underwhelming ending, where the villain expands into nothing in space.

There's some unintentional comedy once the Doctor and Belinda meet a sad looking bunch of Doctor Who fans. Is this how RTD envisions Doctor Who fans to look and behave? Nevertheless, it leads into some eye-rolling meta commentary regarding the actual show; including an obvious dig at the show's haters with its addressing of  #RIPDoctorWho. Rating: 5/10 

The Well

Set on a mysterious planet, half a million years in the future, 'The Well' is the most traditional sci-fi episode, harkening back to RTD's first tenure as show-runner on the series. More accurately, 'The Well' is a sequel to a beloved episode of his 'Midnight'.

Disabled cook, Aliss Fenly (Rose Aylling-Ellis), is the sole survivor of a mining colony slaughter. She is discovered by the Doctor, Belinda and a squad of Marines investigating the mining base. It's not long before the kills start happening again.

Easily, a return to vintage Nu-Who, and that's largely because it carries that dark, sci-fi horror atmosphere which was once synonymous back in the day. That's all thrown away once the Doctor boosts into bombastic action to resolve the situation and Murray Gold's upbeat score; completely changing the sci-fi horror element which initially made it so engrossing. Yet again, it's a secondary character who saves the day (or maybe not) with her sacrifice helping the Doctor and Belinda to escape from the mining world.

Nevertheless, the episode does manage to end on a positive note, thanks to its twist ending and the possible suggestion of another future story involving the Midnight entity. The highlight of the season, in my opinion. Rating: 6/10 

Lucky Day

We catch up with the Fifteenth Doctor's first companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson, no relation to Mel), AKA the show's very own Rey Skywalker as revealed by RTD. She's found true love with popular podcaster, Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King). 

Sadly, it turns out Conrad is a slime ball, and has been exploiting Ruby to fulfil his own personal agenda in exposing U.N.I.T (Unified Intelligence Taskforce - should be U.I.T., innit?).

'Lucky Day' serves as the show's critique on the rising influence of fake news and the increasing popularity of alternative media; as opposed to traditional fake news, I suppose. It's a Doctor Who-lite episode, yet the Doctor does manage to turn up near the end. His words, an obvious extension of RTD, via his disciple, this episode's scriptwriter Peter McTighe, and their critique on populism and the alternative media.

"You have to be invited into my TARDIS, Conrad. To be special. But you? You're special... for all the wrong reasons. You see, I am fighting a battle on behalf of everyday people... who just want to get through their day, and feel safe, and warm, and fed. And then along comes this... noise. All day long, this relentless noise. Cowards like you, weaponising lies, taking people's insecurity and fear and making it currency. You are exhausting. You stamp on the truth, choke our bandwidth and shred our patience. Because the only strategy you have is to wear us down. But the thing is, Conrad, I have energy to burn and all the time in the universe."—The Doctor

This is an episode where the plot holes become more apparent the more you think about it, e.g. Conrad knowing about the Doctor, yet still determined to expose UNIT as scaremongers and deceivers. Still, despite the flaws, 'Lucky Day' is one of the highlights of the series, thanks to Millie Gibson's performance  and being able to carry an episode on her own (like last season's '73 Yards'). There's also Conrad's smug retort to the Doctor, "I don't respect your reality, Doctor. I reject it. So put me back in my prison and get off my world." which I found surprisingly based for a villain who's been told by the Doctor he'd be kicking the bucket at the age of forty-nine in a prison cell. Rating: 5/10 

The Story and the Engine

While setting another course point for the vindicator in Lagos, Nigeria in the year 2019 (why that particular year, it's never explained), the Doctor decides to get a haircut. It's also where he feels ethnically comfortable in his current incarnation. Our protagonist finds himself trapped with the fellow patrons inside the barbershop. This particular barber shop happens to be riding on the back of a giant spider travelling through space and fuelled by the telling of folk tales and stories. 

It's Doctor Who meets Desmonds (1989-1994) in yet another episode which is more fantasy and magic  than science fiction. Which makes this one of the less appealing episodes of the series, personally. 

The potential of giving a folk horror story a sci-fi spin, a la the amazing Third Doctor serial, 'The Dæmons', is completely squandered here, making this an underwhelming and largely boring watch. What's more, the villain of the episode, who is determined to sacrifice the universe to kill the Pantheon of Discord, is treated with more sympathy than some of the other rotten eggs featured in this series. Which makes Gatwa's Doctor such an inconsistent character and difficult to get a grasp of.

Written by playwright Inua Ellams, responsible for creating a theatrical production called Barber Shop Chronicles, which also shares the theme of various barber shop patrons telling their stories, this is effectively an adaptation of it shoved into Doctor Who (no pun intended). It might have worked given a bit more development, but the sci-fi element is largely missing here, despite having a giant spider in space. As a result, I was bored and mentally checked out around twenty minute mark. Rating 3/10 

The Interstellar Song Contest

The Doctor is still struggling to return Belinda back home, but they've wondered hundreds of years in the future on a space station hosting the annual Interstellar Song Contest broadcast across the galaxies.

A play on the kitsch value of the current Eurovision Song Contest, that's nothing but a blatant vote rigging tournament where various countries vote for their bordering neighbours. Vapid brainlets are equally performative in their cultural politics as their rancid stage number.

Fortunately, beneath the camp and excess, there's a half decent plot here, where a terrorist threatens the lives of trillions as revenge for his home planet being pillaged and destroyed for its honey. Obviously, comparisons to current events in the world are intentional, but at the very least Kid (Freddie Fox), the horned antagonist of the episode, has a bit more depth to him in comparison to some of the other recurring characters on the show; including the Fifteenth Doctor. 

Plot conveniences, like a couple who happen to be the very people able to resuscitate the Doctor after he experiences flying in the freezing vacuum of space with a confetti cannon, and who are also able to pluck the thousands of audience attendees in zero gravity in next to no time while Bucks Fizz plays in the background, robs the episode of the horrendous atrocity committed by Kid. However, the Doctor torturing our villain is an unexpected turn; one that's genuinely interesting, as it conjures the possibility of the Valeyard, the dark future incarnation of the Doctor, potentially making an appearance (he doesn't). The Doctor is stopped from causing further pain to the terrorist after a vision of his grand daughter Susan Foreman (Carol Anne Ford) begs him to stop. Can't wait to see her again! The vindicator finally has the necessary information to get Belinda back home, but once they arrive in the TARDIS, the ship's doors are detroyed. Can't wait for a viable explanation!

The prolonged mystery box that is Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) is finally revealed as the Rani (like we predictably suspected); hilariously in a mid-credits scene. It's followed by the mythical bi-generation occurring for a second time in two years and introducing a more dominant Rani (Archie Panjabi). Can't wait to see her in action. Rating 5/10 

Wish World

This is it, the penultimate episode of the series. The pawns are all in place and the game is set. Not before we see the Rani galloping to some nineteenth century shack in Bavaria and abducting some newborn baby able to grant wishes from his family. More magic!

Thus, the newborn, Conrad and the Ranis are the Unholy Trinity. They've created an Orwellian world, where an obedient and traditionalist society dwells  beneath their floating bone palace.

The Doctor and Belinda are a married couple and they even have a young daughter called Poppy. Ruby is unaffected by this new reality and attempts to convince the Doctor all is not right in this world. She manages to sow the seeds of doubt which tend to result in cups falling through tables in this world. The fact that giant bone dinosaurs walk around London like AT-AT walkers ought to have been convincing on their own, don't you think?

This really ought to have been called 'Wishy Washy World' as it's a poorly written episode that really goes nowhere for much of its run time. The scenes where the Ranis are on screen are the rare positives about this penultimate episode. Having one of the Rani's providing a giant exposition dump and telling the viewer that it isn't exposition, isn't going to convince anyone.

To highlight how underwhelming this episode is, last season's penultimate episode, 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday' had at the very least revealed the return of the powerful villain Sutekh from 'Pyramids of Mars'; albeit as a giant CGI dog that looked like Roland Rat on crack, who'd been squatting on top of the TARDIS. Nevertheless, it was an incredible cliffhanger which left me genuinely excited for the finale. This time, the writing was horrid. So many elements and questions which needed answering, and yet nothing resolved for this episode; in fact more questions like the revelation of Poppy being the Doctor's daughter were introduced. Rating 2/10 

The Reality War 

It's the big one! Will RTD answer those all important questions and mystery boxes he introduced in the show since his return? Will he explain the bi-generations. Will the Doctor find Susan? How come Poppy is the Doctor's daughter? How will the Doctor defeat the two Ranis? Will Rogue be rescued from the Hell dimension? Will we get an explanation for all those immersion breaking fourth wall breaks? Will Russell answer all of these important questions in a little over sixty minutes? Short answer: He doesn't.

Made the rookie mistake of watching last season's finale, 'Empire of Death' completely sober. Thus, it wasn't even drunkenly hilarious seeing Sutekh being dragged on a leash in the vortex. On this occasion, I'd already downed a few glasses of Jamieson's before The Hit List had even ended. 

Overall, this was a dreadful finale. Perhaps the biggest gaffe, was how the antagonists were dispatched so swiftly during this complete dross. Archie Panjabi's Rani being eaten by Omega was a huge anticlimax; even worse, is Omega conveniently being sent back to his dimension after only two minutes of actual screen time. An even worse fate is Conrad Clark working as a kitchen cleaner in South London restaurant. Much of the episode being boringly spent on Poppy, who effectively proved to be an anticlimactic non-entity, (just like Ruby Sunday revealed as an ordinary human being in the prior season finale, despite possessing the power to make it snow) forced the episode to tick by at a crawling pace. Why invest so much time towards such a fundamentally disappointing subplot?

The one potentially redeeming moment in this diversionary subplot, is when Belinda and Poppy are isolated inside the hastily constructed Zero Room. Naively thought this was Russell ingeniously leading up to the discovery of the Timeless Child being found by Tectuen, from Chris Chibnall's controversial episode. Turned out it wasn't, along with Belinda being robbed of any further development and essentially being written out as another forgettable companion.

As well as the alcohol, the advanced knowledge regarding the outlandish, online rumours of the Thirteenth Doctor's brief cameo and the Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper, cushioned the crushing cringe for me. Although, I didn't instantly recognise Piper's face at first with all that filler and botox used on her face. Both of these scenes screamed of reshoots, and cemented the rumours of Ncuti Gatwa's abrupt departure from the series.

In conclusion: This was an abysmal mess and a terrible finale; one that any self respecting exec over at the BBC would want to call an emergency board meeting. Time to give it a rest while some new blood and fresh talent can be found. A better prospect than having to endure Russel T. Davies squatting over a cult series and defecating all over its legacy for another season. Rating 1/10 

Won't pretend I enjoyed Gatwa's portrayal of the Doctor. He was far closer to playing Mindbender Futurama than an ancient Time Lord from the distant world of Gallifrey. He hardly got to do anything during his short stint in the role; other than be vain, smug and cry on cue. More critically, he lacked the convictions in his performances as the Doctor. Hence, he came across as rather shallow. There were rare moments, where he showed some potential, but it was always offset with him being just loud, annoying and superficial. What we got was Ncuti Gatwa being Ncuti Gatwa. That's not to say he was completely to blame, however. If anything, much like Jodie Whittaker, he was horribly miscast for the lead. A stunt cast; like every other actor who has followed Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor.

The real blame is undoubtedly, Russel T. Davies. The same man who breathed new life into the property in 2005, has suffocated it with an unchecked ego, soap operatic writing and revisionist retcons. The focus on grand spectacle, mystery boxes, and nostalgia bait rather than cohesive plot lines, satisfying character arcs and a sense of responsibility towards this beloved property, have been catastrophic. This was a show that desperately needed rescuing after Chris Chibnall's incompetence as its previous show runner. If anything, RTD doubled and tripled down, which resulted in the show's even further decline in quality; reflected in a massive drop in viewers.

Hopefully, a lesson might have been learnt from all this. Who knows?

The Moment I Feared: Part 10

Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet | Manège

N° 4 | 1965

It was a rare treat in Gen X classrooms when the school TV on wheel coasters was rolled out by the school teacher, as it meant a break from having to do any work. More often it would be a terrifying safety video or a dated educational program. One such program contained a revolving ornate, antique box being accompanied by a haunting, eerie theme from some bygone era. This was the opening sequence to Picture Box (1965-1993), a ten minute educational series by Granada TV, which showcased short films from around the world.

Usually presented by actor Alan Rothwell — known for playing Ken Barlow's brother, David, on the sexagenarian British soap Coronation Street (1960 -) and heroin junkie Nicholas Black on Brookside (1982-2003) — none of the included short films were anywhere near as memorable as the utterly demented music in the intro. The theme was far more appropriate for some scary looking, abandoned sideshow carnival than a children's series.

The show's theme, known as Manège, was created with an instrument known as a baschet, a musical organ consisting of glass rods and played with wet hands, achieving its uniquely ethereal sounds. The instrument's creators, French experimental sound musicians the Baschet Brothers, would become part of the group Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet specialising in this type of music. Manège would be the most widely recognised them from the group, thanks to its association with Picture Box.

Decades later, Manège lives on as an unwanted and haunting earworm for folks like me. It's the last piece of music one would want to hear before retiring for the night. It's been expanded further into even more sinister territory, thanks to its psychological effect and cultural significance upon Gen X.

You're All Right, Lawrence

Cobra Kai (Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Shlossberg, 2018-2025)

Intentionally waited for the last part of the sixth and final season to be available before binging my way through all fifteen episodes. Whose idea was it to split the entire season into three parts and stagger it over nearly a year? Netflix pulled a similar stunt with the second season of Squid Game (2024) and it left many folk feeling short changed as it was nothing more than a glorified half season, than a proper one. But I digress, Cobra Kai Season Six is composed of fifteen episodes of teen drama and action that mostly delivers on its ridiculous premise, and most importantly, is a fitting send off to an Eighties intellectual property which succeeded in going forward where many of its peers failed.

It's not all perfect, however. There were a bunch of filler episodes in the final season; particularly most of Part One. Ideally, the whole season could have been streamlined into the previous one, but it's hard to hate on it when the other parts picked up the slack so well.

Season Six's most noteworthy moments (spoilers ahead):

• The Cobra Kai jungle cave reminding me of the Dagobah scene from The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
• William Zabka's performance during the Johnny and Kreese making up scene.
• Hawk's stars and stripes mohawk. 
• Kenny shitting himself in front of everyone.
• Surprised Hilary Swank's Julie Pierce from The Next Karate Kid (1994) didn't appear considering practically everyone else from the movies was in Cobra Kai at some point, including Darryl Vidal.
• Danny LaRusso being kidnapped and put in a dog cage in Barcelona. Genuinely thought this was going to wind up like the Hostel films. 
• The awful CGI Mr. Miyagi during Danny LaRusso's dream sequence with the skeletons. So unnecessary.
• John Kreese putting a final end to Terry Silver's villainous shenanigans and his final redemption on the yacht. Those final words "No!" and "Mercy!" So cartoonish, yet so satisfying.
• The other karate schools in the Sekai Taikai tournament. Namely, Iron Dragons, Furia de Pantera and Dublin Thunder.
• The epic brawl hilariously not being pulled from live television for nearly quarter of an hour, even after Kwan's death.
• Kim Da-eun murdering her evil Pai Mei looking grandfather.
• The cheap-as-chips Rocky training montage.
  
• Johnny Lawrence and Sensei Wolf's beef kicking off over steak at a food buffet.
• Dimitri and Hawk creating an ultra realistic, virtual fight simulation with some ancient Alienware PC for Robby's training.
• Iron Dragons' Axel Kovačević essentially being a Poundland Ivan Drago and Zara Malik being an obnoxious Instagram influencer.
• Tory, Miguel and Johnny bowling into the Sekai Taikai wearing Cobra Kai Gis again with AC/DC's Thunderstruck in the background.
• The expectation of Johnny Lawrence performing Danny LaRusso's trademark Crane Kick, but he sweeps the leg instead.

Truth be told, with so many characters in the show, it was always going to be hard to see each of them getting a truly satifying final moment from them. However, Cobra Kai did achieve some satisfying resolutions for its core characters. Obviously stoked with Johnny Lawrence finally getting an ending that he deserved, along with his first student Miguel getting to shine in those last remaining episodes. Even supporting characters like Dimitri and Hawk being like nerds again was satisfying. 

Make no mistake, Cobra Kai was never meant to be on the same level as top tier TV shows like The Sopranos (1999-2007). It totally embraced its cheesy Eighties factor unapologetically, entertaining me for the majority of its six season run. For that reason, Cobra Kai has been one of the most fun shows I've watched in recent years.

Squid Pro Quo

People risking their lives in a variety of demented playground style contests for money made for addictive viewing in Hwang Dong-hyuk's Netflix series Squid Game (2021). The  global phenomenon successfully managed to entertain and shock in equal measure. It also felt like a complete package in its nine episode run. Netflix commissioning a second and third season obviously makes business sense for the streaming giant, but just like film sequels, it runs the risk of being inferior and diluting the brand. For Dong-hyuk's creation, Squid Game season two is still a highly bingeworthy offering, but also a mixed bag compared to its sublime predecessor.

What's instantly noticeable about the second season is it being reduced to seven episodes. Hardly a red flag, but cause for concern considering it's significantly slower paced in getting to the actual games than before. Main protagonist, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), is a completely changed man after winning the previous tournament. Joined by cop Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), they now command a team of mercenaries searching for the location of the deadly games and the cryptic higher ups who run it.

Gi-hun becoming a contestant again leads to a few changes in both the variety of games and general theme of the show. His familiarity with the iconic first game Red Light, Green Light leads to more survivors, which consequentially means less prize money for everyone alive. This in turn leads to scenes where the survivors vote more often in proceeding with the next games. The winning majority dictating what happens next. This in turn has the voting losers forced to play on and risk their lives. Whereas the first season was a satire on capitalism, season two makes a prodding commentary on democracy, and how the exploitation of it. 

The new contestants are a varied bunch of desperate individuals: an elderly mother and her idiotic son are perhaps the most interesting of the new lot. The most odious of the bunch is Thanos, a Korean rapper, with eye rolling hood talk, who had me praying for his instant death. The actor who played him was terrible, too. The first season's players were far more memorable, however.

Season two's biggest offence is it feeling like it has been divided from the inevitable third season, thanks to its pacing and various sub plots being ridiculously drawn out. Thus, even with its violent finale and predictable cliffhanger, it doesn't come close to being as satisfying as its debut season. This reeks of Netflix's tampering, as other shows exclusive to the platform have intentionally been divided (Cobra Kai's sixth season).

Overall, Squid Game season two is a mixed bag. A series which continues to shine with its incredible premise and high risk stakes, make it easy to binge all the way through, effortlessly. However, the slower pace and drawn out story telling, replete with it all being told in less episodes, make it feel a little underwhelming compared to its monumental debut. Still, despite this criticism, Squid Game still left me feeling invested and wondering how it will conclude.

Blake's Lively

British science fiction series Blake's 7 (1978-1981) was already nearing the end of its lifespan when I was first aware of it. The vaguest of memories exist in my memory banks, thus it was only later on when I became aware of the show's cult following.

The brainchild of Terry Nation (the creator of Doctor Who's infamous Daleks), curiosity had me keen to in check out Blake's 7. Thankfully, the recent high definition release of the first season came out earlier this month.

A few notes on Blake's 7 season one:

Dark Star

Right off the bat, Blake's 7 is the complete antithesis of Gene Roddenberry's progressively optimism from Star Trek (1965-1969). It's dark, nihilistic, and perfectly captures the doom and gloom of notable seventies science fiction media. This downbeat tone is more than evident in the first episode when the show's amnesiac protagonist, Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), finds out his family were executed, witnesses a massacre and is also framed as a nonce.

 

Baker's Dozen

Terry Nation wrote all thirteen of Blake's 7 first season. Given that the show was about a band of fugitives fighting back against a vastly superior and ubiquitous enemy, most of the episodes were driven with small victories in mind to a greater outcome. Along the way, some details pertaining to a main cast member's backstory would be revealed. In the case of Cally (Jan Chappell) and Olag Gan (David Jackson), they're written quite poorly and feel like dead weight. This is despite each of them having a dedicated episode which focuses on them. Also, Blake and his flight navigator Jenna Stannis (Sally Knyvette) gradually morph into the show's very own Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo in later episodes. Definitely a mixed bag here.

 

Avon Calling

The computer wizard, Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) elevates himself from being just one of Blake's recruits to the show's biggest star. The acerbically tongued anti-hero whose witty put downs, usually aimed at his cowardly crew mate Vila Restal (Michael Keeting), is a major factor to the show's appeal. This is a character who possesses the vibe of a potential double crosser, which makes him a tough person to second guess. Evidently, the show's writers felt the same way about Avon as he would eventually lead the crew in the last two seasons. Sadly some of the other characters are far less interesting.

The Villains in Black & White

Like all good sci-fi adventures, there's always a big bad; Blake's 7 features the Terran Federation. Much like Terry Nation's pepperpot baddies, the Daleks, the Terran Federation is the equivalent of space Nazis. Really like the design aesthetics of the villains:

• Federation Troopers: The lowly grunts look particularly sinister dressed in black overalls and gas masks. They look similar to SAS soldiers, but with fluorescent green rings around their heads; making them effectively sinister looking.
• Mutoids: The design aesthetic forerunners to the Hellraiser cenobites and Star Trek: The Next Generation's The Borg. Mutoids were mainly women whose memories were wiped and made to serve the Terran Federation as augmented elite guards. Despite the ridiculous, black wisdom tooth looking helmet and their pale grey complexions, these killer bondage femmes were cool in action; particularly the season one episode Duel.
  
• Space Commander Travis: Another highlight is the one-eyed psychopath Travis (Peter Greif), the agent hell bent on finding Blake and the Liberator. Really dig how he interacts with the rest of his circle. It's too bad Greif left after the first season as he was one of the most intense characters on the show and looked like he could have been from a Mad Max film.
  
• Supreme Commander Servalan: In striking contrast to all the black attire, the show's major villain, the vampish Servalan (Jacquelin Pearce) is the iron lady in angelic white. As far as fascist villains go, Servalan is the Margaret Thatcher to Travis's Michael Heseltine.

Low Budget

Much of the charm of the show definitely stems from it being low budget. It does lend to the run down and oppressive tone for its depiction of a galaxy ruled by tyrannical fascists. It also means the show's creative writing needs to do much of the leg work; and for the most part, it largely succeeds. Although, there's definitely room for improvement

• The lack of a modest budget is very evident with its production sets. Creased metallic foil on the walls of some sets and the recurring use of the English countryside and a quarry for outdoor locations. The bridge of the Liberator has more in common with a DFS showroom, thanks to its leather sofas, than one would imagine within an extraterrestrial starship.
  
• Some of Blake's crew are dressed like they shop from Millets or have just walked off from a Robin Hood production. The Terran Federation scores much better, on the other hand. They could easily be mistaken for early New Romantics; especially Servalan. 
• Big fan of the tribe of creatures known as the Decima from the episode The Web. They're the type of creations which could have been from an episode of Doctor Who which appeals to me.
  

Updated VFX

The modern visual effects of various starships or monitor screens are tastefully done and feel complimentary to the show. The Liberator and the Terran Federation pursuit ships look great on screen. These effects are not overused and definitely help with the general galaxy building.

TL; DR

Did not expect Blake's 7 to be so dark from the jump. It's all the more surprising that this was meant for prime time TV. 

 

By far the best character on this show is Avon. It's just a shame that his comrades aren't written with the same depth or quality; even Blake feels like a supporting character at times.

 

There's definitely major room for improvement. Terry Nation no longer being burdened as the only writer, does spell a possible correction. However, the show's charm and surprising subversiveness has me eager to check out what the rest of the seasons have to offer.