Shun the Unfinished Watcher! Shuuuun!

[x_losfic]

*blatantly stolen from elyssadc*

So I've realized that it's been just a few months shy of a year since I first watched a Who ep. Naturally I've seen New Who, but I've been slacking a bit on getting my classic on--or I'll start an arc and wander off, or rely on wiki to tell me what happens so I can move on to the more fun bits rather than finishing it off. What better than public shaming to make me get cracking on my old Who?

ONLY ARCS I'VE FINISHED IN FULL GET BOLDED. This will hopefully discourage my 'oooh, a shinny object! *flee*' ways.

Recs as to what in particular to watch are welcomed, naturally.



Classic Doctor Who Episodes

ONE

An Unearthly Child
The Daleks
The Edge of Destruction
Marco Polo
The Keys of Marinus
The Aztecs
The Sensorites
The Reign of Terror

Planet of Giants
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Rescue
The Romans
The Web Planet
The Crusade
The Space Museum
The Chase
The Time Meddler

Galaxy 4
Mission to the Unknown
The Myth Makers
The Dalek’s Master Plan
The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve
The Ark
The Celestial Toymaker
The Gunfighters
The Savages
The War Machines

The Smugglers
The Tenth Planet

TWO

The Power of the Daleks
The Highlanders
The Underwater Menace
The Moonbase
The Macra Terror
The Faceless Ones
The Evil of the Daleks

The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Abominable Snowmen
The Ice Warriors
The Enemy of the World
The Web of Fear
Fury from the Deep
The Wheel in Space

The Dominators
The Mind Robber
The Invasion
The Krotons
The Seeds of Death
The Space Pirates
The War Games

THREE

Spearhead from Space
The Silurians
The Ambassadors of Death
Inferno

Terror of the Autons
The Mind of Evil
The Claws of Axos
Colony in Space
The Daemons

Day of the Daleks
The Curse of Peladon
The Sea Devils
The Mutants
The Time Monster

The Three Doctors
Carnival of Monsters
Frontier in Space
Planet of the Daleks
The Green Death

The Time Warrior
Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Death to the Daleks
The Monster of Peladon
Planet of the Spiders (Sad confession: I've avoided the whole last season of Three b/c I'll be too sad to watch my favorite die. I just read what happened instead. I know I suck, but you should have seen me wibble my way through Five's death, and this will suck harder.)  Good but depressing. Fucking Eastern philosophy.

FOUR

Robot
The Ark in Space
The Sontaran Experiment
Genesis of the Daleks
Revenge of the Cybermen

Terror of the Zygons
Planet of Evil
Pyramids of Mars
The Android Invasion
The Brain of Morbius
The Seeds of Doom

The Masque of Mandragora
The Hand of Fear
The Deadly Assassin
The Face of Evil
The Robots of Death
The Talons of Weng-Chiang

Horror of Fang Rock
The Invisible Enemy
Image of the Fendahl
The Sun Makers
Underworld
The Invasion of Time

The Ribos Operation
The Pirate Planet
The Stones of Blood
The Androids of Tara
The Power of Kroll
The Armageddon Factor

Destiny of the Daleks
City of Death
The Creature from the Pit
Nightmare of Eden
The Horns of Nimon
Shada

The Leisure Hive
Meglos
Full Circle
State of Decay
Warriors’ Gate
The Keeper of Traken
Logopolis

FIVE




(special thanks to Molly J for watching through Five with me!)

Castrovalva
Four to Doomsday
Kinda
The Visitation
Black Orchid
Earthshock
Time-Flight

Arc of Infinity
Snakedance
Mawdryn Undead
Terminus
Enlightenment
The King’s Demons
The Five Doctors

Warriors of the Deep
The Awakening
Frontios
Resurrection of the Daleks
Planet of Fire
The Caves of Androzani

SIX





The Twin Dilemma
Attack of the Cybermen
Vengeance on Varos
The Mark of the Rani
The Two Doctors
Timelash
Revelation of the Daleks

The Mysterious Planet
Mindwarp
Terror of the Vervoids
The Ultimate Foe

SEVEN





Time and the Rani
Paradise Towers
Delta and the Bannermen
Dragonfire

Remembrance of the Daleks
The Happiness Patrol
Silver Nemesis
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Battlefield
Ghost Light
The Curse of Fenric
Survival

EIGHT





Doctor Who: The Movie 








Badges: lindest

Comments

[annwnrho.livejournal.com]

I think one of the most daunting thing about deciding to watch old school is just the sheer number of them. I'd hardly seen any recently and then in the last three weeks I've been having a massive marathon. I've watched all of three, and I've watched all of four up to the image of Fendal (sometimes cut up with the X Files and Cadfeal).
Curse of Peladon - Jo looks stunning, Three sings and fights to the death in a cage.
The Mutants - The story is good
The Invasion of the Dinasours Supreme Brig and Benton love.
Planet of the Spiders is good and the death isn't to bad.
Terror of the Zygons - Good story, great alien Brig in a kilt.
Brian of Morbius - Frankenstien meets Who, with priestess like in Pompeii
Seed of Doom - One of my favourite the bad guy is in it for the plants and says 'Why am I surrounded by idiots!' at least twice.
Hand of Fear - Sarah's last episode and the monster special effects are really good in this one.
Face of Evil - Evil Tom
Talons of Weng Chian - this is a fantastic story victorian london, hints of ripper death, Doctor dressed up like Sherlock and two great characters - Lightfood and Casey.There is some dodgy anti chinese stuff going on but the story is good.
Two Doctors has Jamie in it and Two has orange eyebrows.
The Happiness Patrol - The Kandyman. A planet where happiness is inforced by women with florecent pink hair.
Sorry I know this list is insanly long. Damn them for writing so many good eps!

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

Haha AWESOME. Thanks so much! Now I have, like, some direction and shit!

[blinkidybah.livejournal.com]

THAT'S TOO MANY GOD

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE TOO WEAK FOR CLASSIC WHO, KEL.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

YAY!!! This is such a fun thing to do and I'm so glad you are into it! There are 2 problems I see here, though. First?

NEEDZ MOAR TROUGHTON!!!!

How can you have not watched the Second Doctor?!?!? Sure, I'm biased being that he is my MOST FAVORITE DOCTOR IN THE HISTORY OF WHO, but come on. Two/Jamie is as canonical (if not even moreso) than D!M/Three! You need to watch the Second Doctor, for serious.

Also? The Seventh Doctor is very sad you haven't seen his eps. For he is quite, quite awesome as well and his serials have some of the greatest dystopian 80s feel to them.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

I start Seven eps but I never get to the end of them (which the exception of Survival, though I'm sure part of my fascination was trainwreck based--omgwtfmotorcycles?!)--I dunno what it is, but I swear, proper effort this time!

And I'm watching Mind Robber this week, so there we are. :p I did like Two a lot in War Games?

[marah-sarie.livejournal.com]

SECONDING elyssadc LIEK WHOA - TWO IS MADE OF AWESOMESAUCE.

Two and Jamie SO IN LOVE it is unbelievable, and Zoe EXPLODES COMPUTERS WITH HER BRAIN. Oh, Two, why did you get burninated?! It is so unfair.

For Four: "The Pirate Planet" and "City of Death" are Douglas Adams's creations, and definitely worth watching for that. For One: I love "The Aztecs", because One/Cameca is the original canon ship, yo, and because Barbara is a GODDESS. For real. "The Romans" is also fun, and "The Edge of Destruction" was doing the bottle episode thing four decades before "Midnight".

*gets out pom-poms and cheers you on* C'mon! There's only 700-odd episodes! :D

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

OMG from the first two One serials I am already so deeply in love with the adventures of Awsomeface Barbara and her manstick Ian the Majestic it is not even funny.

C'mon! There's only 700-odd episodes! :D

*CRIEEEEES*

See, I actually did see City of Death a while ago and forgot to highlight it. Never take Four to the Louvre, for serious--he will only embarrass you.

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

Remembrance of the Daleks

Watch it to the end. Seriously. Even if you know what happens it's still shocking and brilliant. And it's probably the one episode you need to watch to see why it had to be Seven in the audio 'Master'.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

Huh. I'm intrigued! And I will!

[aralias.livejournal.com]

watched destiny of the daleks last night and completely fell in love with four whom i have always been vaguely stand-offish about, but i love him mocking davros, it's wonderful. thus - that is my suggestion. i think its worth watching it for the mocking. and the really, really gay marvellens.

mind you, i also think you should be vaguely ashamed about only watching only one seven story i.e. 'the one with the master in it'. even i have watched more than that. not many more, but some.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

Really? Hm. Well, I've always felt similarly stand-offish about Four, so I will try it and see how it goes.

'the one with the master in it'.

*cough* You, er, seem to have discerned the logic behind a solid chunk of this watching... And I have seen more Seven! I just, er, didn't finish them. ...but I did make it through parts?

*hangs head*

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Oh, so much Who! IT IS GLORIOUS. BOW TO IT.

"The Three Doctors" is a great time. Watching Two and Three snark at one another is fab, and Omega is kind of cool.

"Brain of Morbius" has creepy Time Lord Cranial Appreciation of Wrong (why does everyone always do that to Four?). Also much LOLS! for the awful job they did on Morbius' Frankensteinian body. Oh, and the Sisterhood of Karn, who're all garbed in red and ancient high technology degraded into superstition and stuff.

"Pyramids of Mars" is honestly one of the best Who serials ever. Aside from a truly solid story and a successfully intimidating Bad Guy and great acting from everybody, I can never watch it without a wistful pang that the Master were present to Summon Shit. Because oh, the Shit that is Summoned! He weeps for his lost chance.

"Talons of Weng-chiang" is all Victorian and Jack the Ripperish and awful unintentional parodies of Chinese people. But also there is time travel and the first-ever reference to Time Agents. And awful Giant Rat sfx (could it be the giant rat of Sumatra? The world will never know, except for fanficcers) that were hailed as cutting edge in their day apparently by people taking hallucinogens.

"The Invasion of Time" is awesome! We get to see a lot of the Doctor wandering about Gallifrey (and this is when he first becomes President, the details of which are worth knowing for ficcage), and also there is a great deal of Running Around The Interior of the TARDIS! And barbarian Time Lords. Special. Also the Doctor hypnotises people and displays one of his best-ever Sneaky Schemes of Manipulative Doomage.

"Shada" is kind of awesomeness, but is best watched in its retooled Flash webcast version on the Beeb site with the Eighth Doctor. Which makes it more awesomeness.

"Battlefield" is the Last Brigadier Story, and also the Doctor As Merlin Except Not Yet. There's a lot of UNIT being stupid till the Brig finally shows up (presaging modern UNIT stupidity, it seems) and is generally a good time and better written than "Survival," certainly, though of course no Master.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Oh, and also "The King's Demons." Where there is Time Lord It's-Not-Sex-Srsly-Why-Do You-Think-That?-Shifty-Eyes.

I KNOW YOU HAVE WATCHED IT WATCH IT AGAIN. THE MASTER COMMANDS YOU.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

omg you are so detailed and helpful! LOVE!

Yeah, so I totally followed your sage advice and watched Three Doctors today? GRATE LULZ. V. v fun ep, liked it tons!

So your Zagats Guide of Classic Who totally gets my vote!

[arysteia.livejournal.com]

Definitely watch Battlefield and Curse of Fenric. Best of the best of Seven.

I know you're not keen on the Doctor as Mystical Force, and frankly neither am I, but both these stories rock, despite Merlin and Battling the First Evil.

Arthurian knights? The Brig grown old and finally married and still kicking ass? Vampires? Russians who believe in the revolution? Chess? What's not to like?

I rewatched all of Seven last weekend, and I have to say, having remembered it fairly fondly from my teen years I was horrified by how bad most of it was. *sigh* The effects are worse than Three's, despite being decades later. Cheap bastards.

In terms of masochistic dedicated rewatching though, I've made it through all of Three, Five, Six and Seven in a month. My eyes will never be the same, and I really, really need a break before embarking on Four who I haven't seen since I was five and terrified. I refuse to be defeated though. It's like fighting a Time War of my own.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

I know you're not keen on the Doctor as Mystical Force, and frankly neither am I, but both these stories rock, despite Merlin and Battling the First Evil.

Ha. Wait. Did I tell you that or do I just exude my opinion v.v. hard so everyone picks up on it?

I DO LOVE RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONARIES AND CHESS. You, madam, have just sold me on that serial.

I honnestly can't believe you got through that. I mean. Six and Seven at least have shorter runs, but three and five--woooow. Way to be?

THERE IS TOO MUCH DAMN FOUR. I don't dislike Four at all, but god/damn/, I can only watch so much Tom Baker! Seriously!

[ushas42.livejournal.com]

These are my recommendations by Doctor:

One. Well, actually, you’ve seen more One then I have. Hee hee. Movin’ on...

Two. The Invasion dammit! I know others have recommended it already, and I’m biased because it’s the only Two I’ve seen, but still. The Clinging! The level of physical contact between Two and Jamie in that story has to be seen to be believed. Oh, and Zoe saves everyone’s asses in under 30 seconds with her brain.

Three. Seen more than I have. Next.

Four. I’d recommend finishing the Key to Time arc. The Stones of Blood has bitchy, intransigent, bureaucratic balls of light and lots of lesbian subtext. The Pirate Planet has Douglas Adams and the line “By the left frontal lobe of the sky demon!” And the Ribos Operation is... just brilliant. It’s the story that made me fall in love with classic Who.
I also see you haven’t seen any with Leela. I’d suggest the Horror of Fang Rock. It was the first time I squeaked in fear when I saw one of the villains. Also, Leela slaps the screaming, hysterical woman. I clapped.

Five. Wow. *impressed noise*.. Next.

Six. Vengeance on Varos is pretty good, despite the violence. The monster was memorably repulsive and the two comic relief “viewers” were cool.

Seven. Despite not having seen all of him, Seven is my favorite. (Hence the overly cute Icon I've been meaning to use.) Ghost Light is a winner. A complex story you need to pay attention to, Ace in a victorian tuxedo, someone being turned into a monkey. Remembrance of The Daleks is good too, but someone else already mentioned it.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

That icon IS severely cute.

I will get on my Leela-lovin'! I think I'll introduce myself to her first with Face of Evil and then move on to Fang Rock. :)

Wow, at long last someone recs a Six arc! I think you're the first! Well done!

*sigh* Here's hoping I'll come to love Seven properly in time--I don't dislike him, I just don't feel that initial 'womg, ILU, character!' click?

People seem to REALLY like that whole last season of Seven, though (with the notable exception of the uneven crackvan that is Survival)!

Thanks so much for the recs!

[chaviola.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen a great number of the classic arcs since I was tiny, but Time and the Rani is really good. I didn't feel like The Mark of the Rani showed her awesomeness well enough. Most of the other episodes I'd suggest have already been recommended by other commenters. Good luck!

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll check that out! Thanks! I finished like, half of it once? And then yeah, wandered off, as per usual--nothing against the serial, I just /do/ that. And thanks!

[neuralclone.livejournal.com]

Just popped in via selenak's journal (though I've read and enjoyed a lot of your fic!) Anyway, you don't know me from Adam, but can I recommend some Hartnell era episodes:

Planet of Giants In which insects and ordinary household objects threaten the Doctor, Barbara, Ian and Susan - and it has a nice environmental message tucked in there too. The special effects are very good for the era (better than some CGI I've seen!)

The Dalek Invasion of Earth A chilling look at an enslaved and looted Earth, with not-to-be-missed shots of the Daleks roaming the empty streets of London. Barbara is magnificant in this episode!

The Romans And on a lighter note - guess who causes Rome to burn? That's right.

Hmmm.... mind if I friend you?

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Oh hey, thanks! I'll try those! Funnily enough, I was just looking at my thinning list with light, Once More With Feeling-esque 'where do we go from here?' thoughts.

Also, I DO know you from Adam, b/c I think I've seen you around rionaleonhart's neck of the woods? :)

And yeah, here, the real-person lj, any combination thereof, take your pick!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Probably too late, but here are my recs anyway.

One: The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Really lives up to its reputation. Terry Nation at his best, Barbara rocks, and the One and Susan stuff kills me. Not just the famous goodbye speech but their scenes throughout.

Two: The Invasion. Not just because the animated episodes are awesomely done. This was the introduction of UNIT (though the second appearance of the Brig), after all. Zoe aquires a girlfriend who is a fun London photographer of the swinging sixties (and the scene where Two, mid-Cyberman invasion, can't help but pose for her a little is priceless), Jamie and Two are at their clingiest, and the Brig is cool as ever.

Seven:

The Greatest Show of the Galaxy: because it's DW meta on itself, and I dig that. Also exploits Sylvester McCoy's comedian background AND the darker side his Doctor displays in the later serials at the same time.

Battlefield: not the best serial, but it's the last time (so far) we get the Brig on screen, and his scenes rock. One of them is my all time favourite Brigadier scene on DW. Also, Seven being all over Bessie in delight (the Brig has brought her along, how sweet is that?) is adorable, the Ace/Brig rivalry early on belies claims by Old Who fans that School Reunion was demeaning by making two companions competitive at first (Ace reacts in exactly the same way as Rose does, and it ends in the same way, too - they bond over kidding the Doctor), and the Brig-Seven scenes are just awwwwwwwwww. The Doctor loves the Brigadier, he truly does. In a platonic fraternal fashion.

Ghost Light: one of the love it or hate it episodes. I fall in the first category, but then I would, loving Seven and Ace. Has some of the most quotable DW lines, and does the creepy Victorians thing very well indeed.

Curse of Fenric: *dances the dance of fannish devotion* I love it to bits. My favourite Doctor Who story set during WWII, and it is so utterly cliché-defying. No Blitz, no brave little island speeches. Instead, countryside, vicar struggling with faith because of the bombing the Allies do, heroic Communist Russians, Ace and her mommy issues, Doctor being incredibly manipulative, and at the same time we get one of those character-defining scenes when the MotW can only be driven back by absolute faith (doesn't have to be religious, can be in the communist Manifesto, but has to be in something), and what does the Doctor have absolute faith in? His companions. Seven's recital of the names of every DW companion up to that point is just - well, that's the Doctor for you. It's not just that he loves these people in varying degrees. But he has faith in them.

[rayden54.livejournal.com]

I've always been reluctant to watch Classic Who. I've seen a few episodes here and there, but really, I'm one of those people who prefer to watch everything in order, and...well.... Doctor Who's missing a lot of episodes.

[x-losfic.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but there are recons? b_e may be doing a big all-in-order rewatch, if you want to join along and not go it alone.