No Not the Mind Probe

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast

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

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00:00 / 1:07:09

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="8WbEiYIAzE"><a href="https://mindprobe.show/death-by-robot-the-girl-in-the-fireplace-the-robots-of-death/">Death by Robot &#8211; “The Girl in the Fireplace” &#038; “The Robots of Death”</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://mindprobe.show/death-by-robot-the-girl-in-the-fireplace-the-robots-of-death/embed/#?secret=8WbEiYIAzE" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Death by Robot &#8211; “The Girl in the Fireplace” &#038; “The Robots of Death”&#8221; &#8212; No Not the Mind Probe" data-secret="8WbEiYIAzE" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://mindprobe.show/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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.

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast

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

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00:00 / 1:14:21

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="UF1jvPh2a9"><a href="https://mindprobe.show/goodbye-sarah-jane-school-reunion-hand-of-fear/">Goodbye Sarah Jane &#8211; “School Reunion” &#038; “Hand of Fear”</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://mindprobe.show/goodbye-sarah-jane-school-reunion-hand-of-fear/embed/#?secret=UF1jvPh2a9" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Goodbye Sarah Jane &#8211; “School Reunion” &#038; “Hand of Fear”&#8221; &#8212; No Not the Mind Probe" data-secret="UF1jvPh2a9" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://mindprobe.show/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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”)?

No Not the Mind Probe: A Doctor Who Podcast

Masquerade - “New Earth” & “Meglos”

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00:00 / 1:02:45

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="JWuCg1PzKb"><a href="https://mindprobe.show/masquerade-new-earth-meglos/">Masquerade &#8211; “New Earth” &#038; “Meglos”</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://mindprobe.show/masquerade-new-earth-meglos/embed/#?secret=JWuCg1PzKb" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Masquerade &#8211; “New Earth” &#038; “Meglos”&#8221; &#8212; No Not the Mind Probe" data-secret="JWuCg1PzKb" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://mindprobe.show/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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.