Meglos- by @zeiton_7

"I think what we've got here is a good old fashioned doppleganger"



 

If you feel the desire to stroll around your garden today you are unlikely to encounter anything more sinister than a few wasps, bees and the like. Not so in the world of Doctor Who! It seems you can't walk more than a few steps before being attacked by carnivorous plants that are intent on eating you or transforming you into hideous planty hybrids (Krynoids in Seeds of Doom and Vervoids in The Trial of a Timelord leap to mind)

"I expect you're wondering why I've called this meeting"

Now, you aren't even safe in the desert it seems. Step forward Meglos you evil, green, horny nasty you! (I do mean horny, well thorny, he's a cactus you see) Meglos is the last surviving Zolfa-Thuran and he is out for revenge! His diabolical plan involves stealing a Dodecahedron and pretending to be The Doctor. This cactus dude has more than "supper time" on his mind (I couldn't work out how to put "feed me Seymour" into the blog)

Seriously, what do you talk about with a large green cactus?

Zolfa-Thura and Tigella are the only habitable planets within The Prion System and Zolfa-Thura is a desert planet. The only point of interest on its barren sandy wasteland is a circle of five huge screens (presumabley left after a galactic rock concert) but it is here that Meglos conceives his plan to destroy the universe and wreak his revenge upon,well, pretty much everyone. This plan involves The Doctor at the very heart of it and manipulation is the name of the game.

Zolfa-Thura prepares to host a Disaster Area concert

Meanwhile, on Tigella, the white haired Tigellans spend their time debating the origins of the power giving Dodecahedron. There are two factions, one that believes its a gift from their god Ti (green curry anyone?) and the other believing a more scientific explanation. Their constant bickering is a source of annoyance to Zastor, the planets leader, and he calls in The Doctor (who he has met before) to mediate.

I sollemly swear that I am up to no good

This is where our green spiky villain's plot picks up. You see, Meglos isn't an ordinary cactus, he is Doctor Who cactus and he's a doppleganger. As such he can take the shape of any being he chooses and he chooses The Doctor. Using some pretty unpleasant galactic mercenaries (Gaztaks) he hitches a lift to Tigella and attempts to steal the Dodecahedron. I bet you'll never view a cactus in the same light again!

A Skin Condition That Baby Powder Can't Cure

Viewers of The Almost People would not be wrong in picking up echoes of Meglos within its story. Mofatt clearly knows his Who as the doppleganger thread is central to events here. It is also understandable that some Who fans view Meglos as a weak story. After all it does feature a giant cactus as its main villain and the true origin of the Dodecahedron is never really explained. However, I feel this is a little unfair. After all much of what we love about Doctor Who doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. There are gaps, contradictions but this adds to the wonder and enjoyment of a Science FICTION show. Come on guys lighten up its entertainment!

So, will the Doctor escape the Time Bubble that he, Romana and K-9 have been placed....

Wrong end Romana 

The story is worth watching for Tom Bakers performance as both hero and villain. His, slightly colder, performance as Meglos Doctor is chilling and totally at odds with his normal "teeth and curls" manic Doctor. This is truly a story that is worth a look.

Join us tomorrow for Meglos. We open the bar at 7:00pm and press play at 7:30pm BST #DWBAR

State of Decay by @The_Knights87

Edward and Bella, Sookie and Bill and other sappy vampire couples are second rate compared to Zargo and Camilla.  Zargo and Camilla along with Aukon is Doctor Who’s one true vampire couple. Long before the Matt Smith story The Vampires of Venice this classic story by long time Who scribe and fan favorite Terrance Dicks actually boasts human vampires and a really cool castle.

The State of Decay is the second part of The E- Space Trilogy and heralded by some to be the best story of the three.  I tend to agree.  Some may say that State of Decay is downright scary and has a paranoid feel to it.  The atmosphere of this episode really makes it one of those stories that you tend to remember long after watching it.

 

It is also a very interesting story in the fact that Terrance Dicks delves into more Timelord history and their involvement in a war with the Great Vampire.  Yes it seems the Timelords were a warmonger race well before they fought in the Time War.   But it is also great to see the Doctor and Romana scared as they are reading the history of the Timelords involvement with the vampires that you tend to get scared yourself. 

Imagine how the Doctor must feel like knowing it is his solemn duty as a Timelord to eradicate the universe of vampires and he happens upon the king of all vampires who happens to be feeding off an IV of blood that Arkon has gathered from sacrificing the villagers.

My fond recollection of watching this story is mainly that the Doctor is fighting vampires. A group of three vampires that is in a sense very odd and very scary.  One hell bent on terrorizing the villagers and the other two who seem to be living an extremely bizarre love life.  Plus it also has a great story of the villagers rising up against their oppressors and winning their freedom.  A staple of most Doctor Who stories but mainly a from the Jon Pertwee era where Terrance Dicks did most of his writing for the show but it was good to see that in a Tom Baker story. 

So if you are a fan of vampires or a fan of really good storytelling in a sci – fi setting then join us in watching State of Decay. 

The E-Space Trilogy By @The_Knights87

Oh what can happen when you fly through a charged CVE.  Well you end up in E-Space that’s what.  What’s E- Space you say? Well E- Space is not a parallel universe but a universe existing alongside ours.  Well it just so happened that The Doctor, Romana and K-9 were aboard the TARDIS heading to Gallifrey when they flew through a charged CVE and ended up in E – Space. 

What is commonly called the E – Space Trilogy by fans of Classic Who consists of three very different stories that helped comprised season 18’s entropy themed season.  Full Circle, State of Decay and Warriors Gate are very cleverly written and also have some historical significance to the history of Doctor Who. 

Full Circle has the dubious distinction of being the story that introduces Adric.  That’s right.  That whiny companion who many people do not like at all myself included.  It takes place on the planet Alzarius.  There the Doctor and Romana arrive right when mistfall occurs and the rise of the Marshman from the planets marshes appear.

State of Decay is a true vampire story written by old Doctor Who stalwart Terrance Dicks.  It is an awesome story that pits the Doctor against the ultimate evil Vampires.  Or more accurately The Doctor must stop the Great Vampire.  The Great Vampire is an old enemy of the Timelords from the old days.  It is the sworn duty of any Timelord who happens upon The Great Vampire to kill it and prevent it from conquering the universe. 

Warriors Gate is the story that sees the departure of Romana and K- 9 from the TARDIS.  It is a pretty basic story that takes place entirely in the studio.  But what they do with it is quite amazing.  From the ship to the Gate itself this story boasts some impressive sets and what they did with the green screen shots for 1980 was pretty impressive. Most impressive is the world behind the mirror which has some pretty cool imagery which still stands up today.  It also boasts an anti-slavery message as Romana leaves in order to help release the Thralls from slavery. 

The E – Space Trilogy was something different and regarded by some as some pretty fine stories from season 18.  I enjoyed each of the stories that comprise the trilogy as each story brings something different and has its own little niche. The thing about the stories is that they could stand on their own without the linking aspect of E – Space. 

The E – Space trilogy has some wonderful moments and some good performances by the regular cast.  In fact you could say that Tom baker really shined in these stories and you can truly see how magical he was in the role of The Doctor. So I hope you join us for the next three Wednesdays as we revisit season 18’s E – Space Trilogy.

Full Circle

Romana: "The Time Lords want me back."

The Doctor: "Yes, well, you only came to help with the Key to Time."

Romana: "Doctor, I don't want to spend the rest of my life on Gallifrey - after all this!"

Trying to get Romana back to Gallifrey, after being summoned home by the Time Lords the TARDIS appears to have landed on Gallifrey, but the Doctor and Romana have actually landed on a planet with misty marshes and a crashed spaceship… But they are not in the normal universe. They have somehow fallen into Exo-Space.

This was the first time the series featured a story written by a fan. The young Andrew Smith.  The production team were very impressed by him. Andrew’s knowledge of the show certainly shows, practically in the first episode, with many continuity references, to the Invasion of Time and the Key to Time.  But Full Circle is more than just a fan story.

In an effort to connect with younger viewers the story features a new companion Adric, played by Matthew Waterhouse, originally conceived to be a kind of artful dodger, often getting in trouble he becomes a student of the Fourth Doctor and quarrels with the Fifth.

So if you have the DVD stacked on your shelf, the classic VHS tucked away in a box then be prepared for 7.30pm GMT. Have a drink and some food and get ready to join in with the @DoctorWhoBar from 
7pm GMT on Tuesday 21st June.

Though we fully support the DVD releases, you can also watch it online on You Tube, as it has been uploaded by the BBC to their official site.

Remember to press Play on your DVD, VCR, or online at
7.30pm GMT so we can all stay in sync and discuss via Twitter.