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Post by Cyggy on Mar 3, 2022 16:18:26 GMT
Please rate and discuss this story here.....
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 7, 2022 17:23:13 GMT
I think this one's okay. Just find that the airport setting becomes a bit wearisome after a while - and certainly over 6 episodes.
Not saying it's a bad story imo, just a bit too long maybe?
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Post by Black Orchid on Mar 15, 2022 18:12:36 GMT
"This is my favourite, though, from just around the time Hulke and Ellis were writing The Big Store. The dissolving features of Jimmy Tarbuck would have made a great cliffhanger."
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Post by Black Orchid on Mar 22, 2022 17:31:29 GMT
"The Faceless Ones" Documentary - Doctor Who
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Post by Black Orchid on Apr 28, 2022 19:18:32 GMT
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Post by Cyggy on Jul 8, 2022 11:48:13 GMT
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 23, 2023 9:21:21 GMT
From a 2021 rewatch of the Missing Episodes only.... Episode 2: (Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)Nice eerie beginning. The sidelining of Ben and Polly is painfully obvious as Jamie comes to the fore and Pauline Collins makes an appearance as Samantha Briggs. Plot wise the airport seems to be fulfilling the role of the London Underground in the later WEB OF FEAR; a labyrinth like place where you can lose yourself and hide while also chasing mysteries, which seems to strain credibility at times. All you have to do to become invisible is to read an upside down newspaper or duck into a photo booth. Yes, it's plausible at the moment, but prolonging the plot strand of hiding from the Airport Commandant is going to get a bit silly storywise if they keep it going too long. Even as I typed that there has been a completely pointless scene of the Doctor striding into the Commandant's office, pleading for him to listen, getting nowhere - and then slipping away again with a fake grenade ruse when he was about to be arrested. Sigh. I do get the feeling, already, that this tale is too long at six episodes and should really have been trimmed down to four, just to avoid all that padding of sneaking around the airport in implausible ways. I do like the eerie sound effects and it does prove that you don't need Murray Gold type music plastered over everything in order to generate an atmosphere. I don't think this episode is essential by any means, sandwiched as it is between two existing ones. Better instalments await, I hope.: (2023 Note: Following in response to fellow reviewer Yartek's review of the time.)NB: Have now read your review of this episode, Yartek - and I see that you had already picked up on all the points above - and more besides. I agree about finding the episode for the sake of the photo booth moment.
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 23, 2023 9:27:01 GMT
Episode 4:(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)Once again, the week has flown by and I am hurriedly having to cramp in a viewing of this - last - week's missing episode, in order to post the next episode in time. Where do the days go? With the opening moments of this episode being spliced in from the cliffhanger of the last - existing - one, it does make me wonder if anyone has made a complete and accurate list of all the missing episodes that have gained clips from previous and following episodes? I bet we have gained a fair few missing episode moments that way, although we probably tend to overlook how blessed we are to have them? It's all gone a bit James Bond/Goldfinger now and - despite my fan knowledge - my ear mistook Samantha Briggs voice for that of Deborah Watling as Victoria; I just thought they sounded so alike that I had a brain burp and assumed it was Debbie. Then remembered that it was in fact Pauline Collins. The Chameleons in their original form really are grotesque looking things and are the stuff of nightmares really imo. A shame they weren't pure evil a la the Daleks, with more than one (lost) adventure to their name as they could have nudged their way up the Monster chart to a higher position than they are remembered in now? I would once have said "Bring the Chameleons back!" to the modern show - but have long since learned that the creatives of New Who will find a way to **** them up somehow - as they did the Zygons, who are the Chameleons in another, more ruthless form I guess. All these years later and I am still not sure if Samantha would have been a better companion than Victoria. I just had a horrible Big Finish vision of BRIGGS & JOVANKA. Two former companions setting up a private detective agency, They would certainly get things done. In 26 box sets. The prospect of another two full episodes of this is starting to feel a bit "stretchy". Surely 5 episodes and no more should have been the maximum for this tale? Nice ending with the spaceship rendezvous. A good episode that moved the narrative along. But overall this tale is feeling a bit sluggish in it's pacing. I really do think that they could have lost at least one episode, with loads of scenes - particularly the airport ramblings - trimmed out.
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 23, 2023 9:28:50 GMT
Episode 5:
(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)
I am not sure if the Chameleons' plot makes sense, in the same kind of daft plotting as the Cybermen in WHEEL. But it's giving us a fun story, so have decided to just go with it.
I like the idea of the plane docking with the spaceship - and I still think the Chameleons are a creepy looking foe, as they engage with the mundane task of taking people's luggage and suitcases off the racks on the plane. I can imagine Cybermen clumsily doing the same thing, but you wouldn't catch the Daleks moving people's luggage, although I guess they could have sent Robomen in to do it.
Miniaturised humans in a drawer is a lovely concept, although I do wonder if the idea has been nicked from THE ARK.
Thinking about it, the Doctor is actually threatening the Meadows Chameleon with violence and death, when he says "I promise no harm will come to you"? if he answers the questions and then threatens to turn the dial at one point when Meadows is showing signs of holding information back. There is a darker side to this Cosmic Hobo.
So Sam is continuing to fil the Companion role and is in need of rescuing. Hearing the Doctor cry "Sam! Sam!" as he rescues her instead of shouting "Polly!", "Victoria!" or "Zoe!" jars somewhat, being almost being a glimpse into an alternative universe where he went on to say it many times.
So the Doctor wants to get on a flight to find out and deal with what's been going on. It's all going a bit TIME-FLIGHT.
Crafty plan of the Doctor's to pose as Meadows posing as The Doctor. I don't think Blade is convinced though and suspect that he is on to the Doctor.
Maybe Nurse Pinto should have become the new companion instead of Sam or Victoria. She works quite well as Troughton's sidekick. Brave woman too. Stuck in a cupboard for ages, then no sooner has she revived than she is volunteering to fly up to a spaceship, where certain death almost certainly awaits.
Indeed a nice touch to have the Jamie duplicate lose the Scottish accent. Wonder if that was in the script or a directorial/actor decision.
Ah, so Blade was onto the pair of them and we get another sound cliffhanger.
Am enjoying this story a bit more now that we are moving up into space. Let's hope episode 6 can give us a satisfactory resolution.
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 23, 2023 9:30:23 GMT
Episode 6;
(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)
It makes sense for Episode 6 to be the one to find I guess, simply owing to it wrapping up the story and the departure of Ben and Polly.
Opening shot of a chair, nicely telesnapped.
So well played by all at the commencement of this episode, eerie sound effects and even Blade telling the Doctor that he wants his brain is done with such actorly conviction that it's a reminder that if the people making the show take it seriously then the audience will too.
Blimey; the Doctor has only been chatting to the Chameleon's for a few minutes and he is already trying to foment rebellion between the classes with all that "your originals are less safe than your superiors' originals" sales pitch, along with his "we've found the originals" bluff, along with his sabotaging of machinery. This is an aspect of the Doctor's - or at least the Classic Doctor's character that is wonderful, using his wits, intelligence and cunning to stay one step ahead in even the direst of circumstances.
Credit to the actor playing the Commandant too, realising and playing along with the Doctor's bluff.
The poor reconstructors hit the brick wall of the car park fight. Try as they might, all they have managed to do is add a rather bizarre montage of photos and a plane over a basic musical interlude. But they did their best.
It might have been nice to hear a bit of fear and cowardice in Captain Blade's voice when the Commandant threatens to disintegrate him if he doesn't hear the Doctor's voice, but the actor continues to play him emotionlessly. Not a criticism, but just thought it might have been fun to see him panicking a bit.
The bit where the Doctor tells the Chameleons that their scientists will have to continue searching for a way out of their dilemma reminded me of the Fifth Doctor telling Mawdryn and co. something similar.
Sad to see Polly and Ben diminished in their last story and then shunted off. Anneke Wills has said in interviews, of course that Michael Craze was "hurt" at being let go, as he thought he was doing a good job and that she was offered the chance to continue with the Doctor and Jamie, but decided to leave the show with Michael. Fraser has said, for his part, that Anneke never warmed to him at the time - although has made up for it with lots of hugs since - and it does seem that the arrival of Jamie was seen as a bit of a threat by the fist two Troughton regulars.
Still, unhappy backstage politics aside, it is sad to see them go.
So two Doctors, the Daleks, the Chameleons and Wotan and his War Machines were all swirling around London on the same day in 1966. Surely we should get a July the 20th, 1966 blu-ray trilogy box set once EVIL is animated. :lol:
A good story, although as much of a B-movie plot as UNDERWATER MENACE imo, but nicely done and played with conviction. Maybe a bit overlong at six episodes, but I think that's a forgivable fault, given the nature of television production at the time.
But yeah, if they couldn't find episode 6, I would definitely settle for Episode 5 in it's place.
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Post by Black Orchid on Mar 23, 2023 21:07:09 GMT
last two posts in the wrong thread!
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 23, 2023 21:09:56 GMT
last two posts in the wrong thread! Yep, am on it. What a fiasco.
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Post by Future-Diver on Apr 20, 2023 9:09:44 GMT
I tried to watch the colour animated version of The Faceless Ones last night but I simply couldn't get into it and gave up after the first episode. I dont know what it is, but nowadays I find animated Who rather off-putting and difficult to engage with. Maybe I'll try TFO again later today with a combination of live action and Recon episodes. I've always been quite fond of this serial - I enjoy the pairing of the Second Doctor and Jamie, the addition of Scouse girl Samantha Briggs and the jet-set airport setting.
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Post by rapscallion on Apr 20, 2023 10:41:44 GMT
I tried to watch the colour animated version of The Faceless Ones last night but I simply couldn't get into it and gave up after the first episode. I dont know what it is, but nowadays I find animated Who rather off-putting and difficult to engage with. Totally with you on that. I loved several of the earlier animations, and at one point the possibility of a whole story such as Power or Fury being given the animated treatment would've got me excited with the anticipation. Now I'm really 'meh' about anything to do with the animations. Give me telesnaps any day.
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Post by Black Orchid on Apr 26, 2023 7:05:12 GMT
designed by Christopher Loftus
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