Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeOvercastRSS

Category: Season 2

Categories
Season 2

Fresh Start – “Christmas Invasion” & “Spearhead from Space”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Fresh Start - “Christmas Invasion” & “Spearhead from Space”
/

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.”

Categories
Season 2

Masquerade – “New Earth” & “Meglos”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Masquerade - “New Earth” & “Meglos”
/

Wracked by the guilt of destroying Earth in Series 1, Russell T. Davies, like a parent replacing a deceased hamster, gives us a New Earth – nearly indistinguishable from the old except for the cat medical staff.  Will Porter revel in the smug self-satisfaction that comes with at last recognizing a returning villain to Doctor Who?  Will John revel in the fact that he knows the secret of the Face of Boe and Porter does not, thus firmly establishing John as the superior person at every level?

Our revels now are not nearly ended, however, as we grasp the tenuous thread of body swapping to journey back to the sands of Zolfa-Thura, home to Meglos, played in a commanding performance by a potted cactus.  Will Porter recognize Season 1 favorite Jacqueline Hill returning to the series in the guise of Lexa?  No.  Will John now escalate his reveling at yet further confirmation that his Who knowledge is so vast?  Yes.  Yes, it’s somewhat the premise of the whole Podcast.

Categories
Season 2

The Horror – “Tooth and Claw” & “Tomb of the Cybermen”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
The Horror - “Tooth and Claw” & “Tomb of the Cybermen”
/

So… Thrill to the escapades of a deeply flirtatious Doctor and Rose!  Shudder at the depiction of a not-too-monstrous Queen Victoria!  Gasp at Porter’s startling ranking!   Gently expel flatulence at John’s inability to fully  explain the fate of the monks!  These are the terrors that await as you experience Tooth and Claw!

Then, sufficiently horrified, wander into a spooooky Hong Kong television archive and discover a rack of dusty film canisters containing the lost-but-now-found 2nd Doctor classic, The Tomb of the Cybermen!  Will Porter fall in love with the mighty Patrick Troughton and his Cosmic Hobo?  Will John sigh with relief at shoehorning the Cybermen into the watch order just three episodes before their New Series debut?

Categories
Season 2

Goodbye Sarah Jane – “School Reunion” & “Hand of Fear”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Goodbye Sarah Jane - “School Reunion” & “Hand of Fear”
/

This week, we tear up precedent into little pieces, stomp on it, deride it as a little girly-man, chastise ourselves for using gender stereotypes as taunts, and send legions of Probers into fits of confusion as we begin with the classic story that bid farewell to the incomparable, Sarah Jane Smith.  Will the emotion of the saddest of companion swan songs crack Porter’s steely facade and leave him a blubbing wreck?  Will John too succumb to extreme emotion or will he tell it to talk to The Hand of Fear?

We then – and stay with us here – discuss the 10th Doctor story!  See, because, we talked about the classic story first this time, which means we did not discuss the “New Who” story yet, so we need to discuss that now.  Is everyone following here?  Well, it all makes sense, you see, because we join the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey for a thrilling School Reunion with none other than Sarah Jane Smith – who we have not seen since The Hand of Fear (if you ignore K-9 and Company, The Five Doctors, the Big Finish Audio series, and the 7th Doctor Missing Adventure Bullet Time).  Will Porter’s love of Sarah and Mickey overcome his disdain for K-9?  Will John suddenly realize that it makes no sense for Sarah to have been driving around for years with a broken robot in her car trunk (or as the British call it, “biscuit”)?

Categories
Season 2

Death by Robot – “The Girl in the Fireplace” & “The Robots of Death”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Death by Robot - “The Girl in the Fireplace” & “The Robots of Death”
/

If there’s one thing for which the French are most famous it’s malfunctioning, time travelin’ robots, and boy does The Girl in the Fireplace tick that box.  Listen as Porter toasts the first of his favorite character Mickey’s no doubt hundreds of journeys in the TARDIS as he finally comes on board as a full companion!  And listen to John do nothing to disabuse poor, sad Porter of this foolish notion.

Meanwhile, we have no time to contemplate the melancholy conclusion of our New Who episode for there’s been a MURDER!  Yes, climb aboard the Orient Sandminer Express for a classic Who-dunit (HA!) where the murderer is only partly given away by the title, The Robots of Death.  Will Hercule Porter-rot (HA AGAIN!) piece together the intricate clues and find the killer?  Will John come to appreciate the defensive value of light plastic vases?  There’s only one way to find out… ask someone who has listened to the Podcast.

Categories
Season 2

Parallelo… Great? – “Rise of the Cybermen”/“Age of Steel” & “Inferno”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Parallelo... Great? - “Rise of the Cybermen”/“Age of Steel” & “Inferno”
/

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 Cybermen and 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.

We then return to the classic era in search of the elusive goatee universe but have to settle for the eyepatch universe.  But not for long, because that universe is a hunk, a hunk o’ burnin’ planet (welcome Elvis fans!) thanks to the Inferno!  Yes, join the NNTMP team as we burrow to the center of the Earth for… reasons… accompanied by NNTMP-favorite Za!  Will Porter cower in fear before a terrifying wave of slow-moving oatmeal dyed red as a last sacrifice to help John restart his Chrysler LeBaron and escape the Podcast?

Categories
Season 2

Doctor Daddy-O – “Idiot’s Lantern” & “Delta & the Bannermen”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Doctor Daddy-O - “Idiot’s Lantern” & “Delta & the Bannermen”
/

Calling all hepcats and fans of Netflix’s The Crown!  We journey back to the 1950s and the Queen’s new job orientation to experience the heady thrills and heart-wrenching drama that swirls around the world of television installation and repair.  Yes, five decades before HBO’s The Wire captured our hearts, it was an alien capturing peoples’ faces by sucking them through the TV screen.  If you want to find out how your favorite Podcasters (to clarify, it’s us) reacted to the latest exploits of the Doctor and Rose, then let The Idiot’s Lantern light your way.

We then slick back our hair and doo-wop over to classic Who’s Seventh Doctor tour-de-force, Delta and the Bannermen (or just “Delta” to fans).  Yes, Porter is finally introduced to the Citizen Kane of the classic series.  A story that should – nay! – demands to be taken seriously as it holds up a mirror to our society and dares the viewer to grapple with existential nihilism as- OK, never mind, it’s a lot of aging Broadway and television stars riding around on motorcycles and wielding honey as a weapon.  And it’s great!  So ring in the New Year (a couple days later) and raise a toast with your favorite Podcast team (again, us) – here’s to the future!

Categories
Season 2

Devil With a Who Dress – “The Impossible Planet”/”The Satan Pit” & “The Dæmons”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Devil With a Who Dress - “The Impossible Planet”/”The Satan Pit” & “The Dæmons”
/

At long last, Doctor Who escapes the Earth and Earth-adjacent settings… and goes straight to Hell!  Probably?  Yes, Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil – Doctor Who shows no fear in confronting the fundamental religious questions of our time – or no doubt it would have but it just didn’t get around to it because they are too busy dramatically rerouting power!  Join Porter and John as they cling to The Impossible Planet desperate to avoid plummeting into The Satan Pit.

Then, there is more devilry afoot within driving distance of the BBC studios in the peaceful hamlet of Devil’s End as the Third Doctor and the plucky Jo Grant face a different manifestation of the Devil in the classic 1971 episode, The Daemons.  Will Porter thrill to violent threats against statuary?  Will John thrill to Porter thrilling?  Will they both listen to Thriller?  You’ll have to listen to the Podcast to find out if we shelled out for the rights to Thriller…

Categories
Season 2

Monster in the Mirror – “Love & Monsters” & “Creature from the Pit”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Monster in the Mirror - “Love & Monsters” & “Creature from the Pit”
/

Look, let’s get this out of the way: it’s a monster in a thong with faces on his butt.  Even David Tennant – who is contractually obligated to appear – keeps his distance on this one.  But this gives us all time to meet Elton and the gang at LINDA, basically Doctor Who fans who lack the awesome power of the megaphone that is podcasting.  Will Porter and John use the podcast to talk about the episode or will they get bored with it and start cooking potluck dinners and forming a band?  Find out as they muse on Love and Monsters.

They call it the Creature and it lives in the Pit.  As the Fourth Doctor remarks, they do have a way with words.  As do Porter and John, who must use words as they podcast because all the elaborate visuals they prepare really do not land in this medium.  But that’s fine here because the image of a giant green penis wandering around a cave is all anyone needs to get the gist of the notorious Season 17 story, The Creature from the Pit.

Categories
Season 2

Art Immolates Life – “Fear Her” & “Mind Robber”

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast
Art Immolates Life - “Fear Her” & “Mind Robber”
/

Should you fear Fear Her and it’s frightening fable of fraught families?  Well, sure, if you have nothing else to do, why not?  Which pretty much sums up this episode of NNTMP as Porter and John do what is necessary to get to the next episode of the podcast.

Cheers!  The West Wing!  Fawlty Towers!  These are just some of the many other shows referenced in this episode as Porter and John attempt to explore the Land of Fiction and find there are probably a lot of other more interesting fictions than we saw in the somewhat oddball Second Doctor tale of The Mind Robber.  Will Porter get chicken pox and be replaced by someone who looks sorta like Porter but isn’t actually him?  And will John even notice given that, as we have established, podcasts are an entirely audio medium?