Classic Rewatch: The Daemons

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The Daemons

The early seventies were a wild time. The Summer of Love was drawing to a slurred, hazy close. Darker tones and imagery were starting to replace the flowers and neon colors in modern art, and interest in the shadowy fringes of history, science, and culture were becoming not only interesting, but influential. Psychedelic rock was giving way to new sounds, like a group of ragtag blokes from Birmingham who called their group ‘Black Sabbath’. Being the consummate trendsetter and fashion nameplate that he is, the Master wasted no time in capitalizing on this shift in style. Now, if he could only find a minion with stony resolve…

This week, we’re joined by none other than Jeremy Radick (Gareth in the 1996 Doctor Who Movie) to enjoy a rewatch of the Third Doctor occult classic, “The Dæmons”. We enjoy the living hell (oh, the puns) out of this bizarre adventure, from autonomous Bessie, to to “Fight Club with Benton”, to the origins of Osgood and…the Weeping Angels? It may not be the BEST Pertwee era story, but we’ll be burned at the stake if it’s not one of the most entertaining. Eoh, eoh, Azal!

BONUS: We play a little “Ask Jeremy Anything”, spanning Whovian topics from the classic era to Jodie Whittaker’s casting.

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Gallifrey! The Musical!

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There’s only one place where you’ll see the most fantastic costumes, outlandish characters, unbelievable exploits, manic emotional upheaval, and tumultuous conflicts — Camden, New Jersey! No, wait. Broadway? Getting closer, in a non-geophysical location sense — GALLIFREY!

This week, joined by Andy Hicks of the Coal Hill A/V Club, we destroy some perfectly nice, quiet down time by wondering what Doctor Who would be like if characters suddenly broke into song. Much like episodes of “The Monkees”, “Galavant”, or the odd NBC live attempt, we grab memorable moments from some of our favorite episodes, and think of who would take that opportunity to step forward into the limelight and belt out a tune. Andy even rewards us with one of the A/V Club’s signature song parodies — and you may never listen to Jefferson Timeship…er…Starship the same way again.

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Classic Rewatch: Colony In Space

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Do you love adventure? Do you look dashing in black and red shoulder pads? Do you take certain pleasure in running mamby-pamby colonists off their government-appointed lands in the interest of thinly-veiled corporate greed? Do you have a hairstyle that would make both Sonny Bono and Liberace stare slack-jawed? Then you may have a future…in the Interplanetary Mining Corporation! Benefits include your own poorly-sighted rifle; keys to a sweet Daimler Haflinger buggy-type-thing; the most killer looking helmet this side of a Megaman game cartridge cover; and all the insufferable primitives you can keep in subjugation through violent means. The future — is now!

This week, we welcome friend Chris Kocher to join in our return to the GPR Classic Rewatch Series with “Colony In Space”. The Master is back at his Season 8 shenanigans, and the Third Doctor and Jo have their hands full dealing with him, along with starving colonists, lizard-impersonating robots, three flavors of oddly crafted indigenous species, and a bunch of jack-booted mining thugs bent on stripping the planet of valuable resources. Oh, and did we mention a Doomsday Weapon? Yeah, there’s one of those, too. Settle in to your launch seats, this one gets busy.

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The Companion Exit Strategy

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Traveling with the Doctor changes lives. History has shown us the many natures of such a change: lives that open to a new awareness and sense of purpose in a larger universe; lives that are reminded of the value and comforts of home; lives that end abruptly, or even tragically. As viewers, we may identify with certain companions over the seasons, and when the time comes that they leave the program, we might react positively or negatively to the way in which that departure is written.

This week, joined by Mike Solko of the TimeScoop podcast, we walk the list of modern Doctor Who companions, and discuss how fitting (or unfitting) their exit from the program suited the character. We agree on a few (Donna), disagree pretty emphatically on others (River), but as it happens so often on GPR, we gain a broader perspective of the impact these characters have on the audience, and how much the show has really come to mean to us all.

BONUS: We go around the room, and choose how we would want to leave the TARDIS, if we were companions ourselves. (Ah, fandom.)

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It’s About Time

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Jodie Whittaker, The Thirteenth Doctor

For over 53 years, the Doctor Who program has gone through a number of changes and evolutions: sometimes written into the construct of the show; other times in reaction to circumstances unforeseen. It is a complex and often messy collection of stories and characters. Doctor Who promotes the intellectual pursuits, the defense of those who call for help, the ethics of brains over brawn. It has attempted to be both a reflection of the issues familiar to the viewing audience, and an escape from those issues into the world of pure science fiction. There have been omissions in these efforts, however, and one that is clear to both those familiar and unfamiliar with the program is that, despite the conceit that the titular character can completely change their physiology at a point of mortal ailment, at no point among the dozen (plus) actors blessed to portray the Doctor, has a single one been a woman.

Until today.

With a single minute video announcement that rocked the foundations of one of the most globally recognized science fiction programs in history, the role of the Thirteenth Doctor has been handed to Jodie Whittaker — and we could not be more thrilled.

Joined by fellow podcasters Danica and Brandon of Doctor Whooch, we spend a full hour on the subject of the Thirteenth Doctor casting decision, looking at the impact of such a momentous step in the evolution of the show, making sense the reactions of the public, reviewing the career and talents of Ms. Whittaker, and considering the ways we might keep ourselves from going insane waiting until as late as 2019 for Series 11, and the beginning of this bold new era.

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