Fresh Start - “Christmas Invasion” & “Spearhead from Space”
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Blithely ignoring the fact that we’ve actually completed a full season in this Podcast, we barrel into The Christmas Invasion excited to meet the 10th Doctor for the first time – 35 minutes later. Will Porter fall in love with the new Who? Will John fall in love with the UNIT call-back to the classic series? Will we lament a society where we throw the word “love” around so casually?
But take not the time for such reflection as we have to nip backwards to another debut episode, Spearhead from Space, the introduction of one Jon Pertwee as Doctor #3. But that’s not all – for the same low, low price you also get the introduction of Cambridge scientist, Liz Shaw, and the re-re-introduction of the legendary Brigadier. Will Porter notice the subtle, blink-and-you-miss-it similarities to Rose? Will John revel in the first glimpse of the legendary Season 7? Well, yes, probably, as it would be weird if the answer to these questions was, “No.”
Parallelo... Great? - “Rise of the Cybermen”/“Age of Steel” & “Inferno”
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Calling all Zeppelin fans! If you love Zeppelin, then this episode is for you – and it’s certainly not an attempt by us to take this Podcast to a new audience of rock fans. No, we’ve gone to a parallel universe this week – but not the one where everyone has goatees but the other one where everyone drives a blimp. And, hey, when we get there we meet none other than Rose’s Dad, Pete (last seen dead) and Mickey’s grandmother (never seen nor mentioned until now but, in our universe, also dead) as they tune in on their earbuds to get the latest on The Rise of the Cybermenand learn about the perks of being part of The Age of Steel. Porter bids a fond and absolutely final farewell to the great Mickey Smith while John just keeps his mouth shut on that one.
London Underground - “Runaway Bride” & “Doctor Who and the Silurians”
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Yes, we meet Donna Noble, and what a great companion she would have been, yes? But, here we are, fated to meet her but once. (*Snicker* Shhh. Shhhh. Don’t tell Porter! What a sap!) Anyway, she’s a bride and she’s run away (as in, been kidnapped by alien time particles), hence we meet The Runaway Bride! Will Porter thrill to one of the best realized Police Box car chases in television history? Will John discard his rose-colored nostalgia goggles and rank a new series episode as one of the best? Would we ask these questions if the answer was no?
Meanwhile, if you are keeping track, the center of the Earth is a nest of alien baby spiders, then there is a layer of superhot green slime that turns you into a werewolf, and then there are the Silurians (except they should be the Eocenes). Yes, we meet the Silurians for the first time for the second time and also the Doctor is in it and thus we have the aptly named Doctor Who and the Silurians. Will Porter’s crush on the great Liz Shaw be further inflamed? Will John really spend more time than is necessary flagging the odd inclusion of “Doctor Who” in the story title? And will they both take the listener on a magical journey through the technological witchcraft that is… EXCEL!
Life on Mars - "The Waters of Mars" & "The Ambassadors of Death"
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Yes, John and Porter are gallivanting off to Mars and crossing their fingers not to run unto Elon Musk – just because he seems like he’d be a bit awkward and there’s already enough trouble there without having to deal with uncomfortable social situations. But, our internationally diverse (don’t worry – all still attractive) crew of Bowie Base would probably wish the worst they had to endure was a few uncomfortable silences instead of one-by-one being picked off by malevolent alien water. Fortunately, the 10th Doctor is on hand to save them – only he can’t because he saw that episode where Barbara learned she can’t do that – only maybe he can because he’s the Time Lord Victorious – only no, never mind, because companion-of-the-month Adelaide is so hell-bent on winning an argument that she’ll kill herself to do it. It’s a lot to talk about, so if you are feeling parched then slake your thirst on The Waters of Mars!
Turns out that Mars – like Australia – is full of things that are trying to kill you, as the Third Doctor, Liz, and the Brigadier discover in the sprawling epic that completes NNTMP’s run of the Seventh Season of classic Who. In the classic British fashion of downplaying their own abilities, Doctor Who posits the existence of a British space program that appears to be a complete disaster in terms of driving astronauts insane and/or losing them in space. This leads to a fiendishly clever plot (revealed almost entirely in Episode 7) in which Liz Shaw keeps failing to escape from a cellar while the galaxy’s worst emissaries keep accidentally killing anyone they touch. Fortunately, there is a lot of fighting, shooting, and hijacking to keep us amused. Porter and John set the best china, bone up on their protocol, and put out the little flags as they prepare to receive… The Ambassadors of Death!
