One of only two stories from Doctor Who’s eighth season – a.k.a. the Year of the Master – to survive in color instead of B&W, The Claws Of Axos has always been a personal favorite of mine, perhaps as much due to repeat exposure as quality. The story is an interesting one, it’s not one where you can spot the Master’s involvement or predict his next move from a mile away (and by the Master, I mean the Master, as in the late, great Roger Delgado), and it’s shot in a fast-cutting, colorful-almost-to-the-point-of-being-psychedelic style by director Michael Ferguson. It’s engaging and eye-catching all at the same time – truly a great relief that it still exists in color. The only other existing color prints from that season are from the six-part story Colony In Space, which I’ve always frankly considered to be…well…a bit dull. But it’s high time we got to see Roger Delgado in action on DVD; if anyone at the BBC or the Doctor Who Restoration Team is taking requests, I vote for The Sea Devils next. (more…)

featuring the episodes Whom Gods Destroy and The Mark Of Gideon

Not two of my favorite episodes, these two hours have their boosters, and I’ve never really figured out why. Garth of Izar, the chief baddie of Whom Gods Destroy, never really fascinated me that much…and yet these days he’s got his own novels. Trek had already done the “inmates running the asylum” gag with Dagger Of The Mind, and this outing even used some of that previous episode’s props and setpieces (the conditioning chair’s emitter lights are, in fact, Dagger’s Van Gelder machine!). (more…)

featuring the episodes That Which Survives and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

So, you’re exploring this planet and a gorgeous woman appears out of nowhere and says she is for you. And the last thing you think before you die from her merest touch is “Damn, but I love this planet!” But in That Which Survives, Kirk and his crew aren’t falling for it. It’s a pretty simple story, not overly cerebral, and not even unpredictable. But the solution to the universal problem of being stalked by a deadly apparition of Lee Merriwether is elegant, and the story’s exciting enough to keep you gripped for 50 minutes. (more…)

Another of the somewhat stripped-down Key To Time DVD releases rushed into production for the U.S. market, The Androids Of Tara really has only one special feature: the audio commentary. Fortunately, it’s a good one, with Tom Baker and Mary Tamm cutting up while director Michael Hayes tries to stay reasonably serious and informative. (more…)

featuring the episodes Plato’s Stepchildren and Wink Of An Eye

Coincidentally enough, here we have two tales of the Enterprise crew leveling the playing field by gaining the monstrous powers of a highly advanced race. In some ways, there is some comedic value to pairing these two episodes together.

Plato’s Stepchildren is, of course, the Trek episode that made history by featuring the first-ever interracial kiss on American television (between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols). (more…)