This post is brought to you by Mesh

Back in the olden days, ie, the mid-to-late 1970s, various companies put out Doctor Who trading cards.  These cards were consistently uneven in quality and devoid of companions (except one, that had a photo of Sarah Jane).  But they were redeemed by the presence of Sea Devils, who make everything better.

The House o'Squid is very pro-Sea Devil, so this post is dedicated to suburbannoir.

In addition to this fishy interlude, here is an awesome squid story.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?” asked the Commander with, all things considered, a reasonable tone of voice.
“It’s a tentacle sir.”
“PIE DOESN’T HAVE TENTACLES!”
“Normally you’d be correct. But this is a squid pie sir.”

OldSchool Who: "Silver Nemesis", "Kinda", "Battlefield", "The Mysterious Planet"

Watching Classic Who on my iPod is great, because it's convenient (and flattering to not-so-special effects), but also annoying, because then I forget if I had anything to say about it.

So here's a catch up:

"Silver Nemesis" was nowhere near as terrible as I'd been led to believe.  Yes, it's basically the same plot as "Remembrance of the Daleks", but with extra lulz in the form of time travellers from the past, and also some very bland jazz.  It also confirmed my longstanding suspicions, that the Cybermen have been crap ever since the show went into colour.  I am lame enough in my love for Seven 'n' Ace that the bits I liked best were when they were sitting on the grass, hanging out.  I know, I'm so lame.

Also, just how many weapons of mass destruction did the Doctor take when he left Gallifrey?  I have this mental image of him going through the arsenals, "Hmm, yes, a Hand of Omega, yes, yes -- DON'T TOUCH THAT, SUSAN! -- a device to control the walls between dimensions?  Pah, what possible use could I have for it?"  And so on.

"Kinda" made me wish there was some kind of archive or index of meta, so I could just click on a couple of drop-down menus and have a list of "Kinda" essays before me.  It's like, yes, this is one of the high points of the Davison-era (if not '80s Who all together), and yet, wow, for an anti-colonialist story, we're really making free with the noble savage stereotypes, aren't we?  The problem with the Kinda is similar to the problem with the Hath in "The Doctor's Daughter": presenting a race that doesn't speak sends you right past othering and into infantilisation.  The Kinda were less offensive than the Hath, mostly because they were actually part of a good story.

In short: I wouldn't go so far as to join Stephen Moffat in saying this is one of the best Who stories ever, but it's up there.  Colonialist issues aside, the Kinda were more fleshed out and interesting than the average alien species.  And multiple strong female characters (of a wide range of ages) are always welcome.  The Doctor totally had a brief fling with Todd, and probably visits her once in a while, whenever he can actually operate the TARDIS.  (That actress also played Rhys's mother in Torchwood, but let's not go there.)

Oh yeah, and this really wasn't the time for Janet Fielding to fail at acting.  There were moments where Matthew Waterhouse was more convincing, and ... let's not even think about that.  We've always known that Fielding's a bit limited, but bits of this were just embarrassing.

I watched "Battlefield" (again) yesterday with suburbannoir and sajee, who was seeing it for the first time.  I think my overall impression is the same as sajee's: why hasn't New Who given us awesome female characters like Ace and Bambera?  We get glimpses, but they're rarely fleshed out, and they usually die or are evil (especially the older women).

Also, the best romantic pairing in Doctor Who, bar none, is Bambera/Ancelyn.  They come from two different worlds!  Literally!  But they just click so well.  And it's quite amazing how you feel like you know Bambera really well, within minutes of her first appearance.  I know everyone's hanging out for Lethbridge-Stewart to return to New Who, but I think I'd be satisfied with the other Brigadier.

And, finally, last night I watched the first episode of "The Mysterious Planet".  And, you know we're living in an age of horrors when you've seen teenage girls getting about in the same thing Peri was wearing.  (Yellow blazer -- very cute, yellow wrap top, shiny tapered pants...).  For a brief, shining moment, Nicola Bryant's American accent was perfect, but that quickly passed.  At least the Doctor has stopped calling her fat.  And Tom Chadbon's in it, which is a bit win.