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Arc Of Infinity
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Arc Of Infinity
Excellent
6%
 6%  [ 1 ]
Very Good
6%
 6%  [ 1 ]
Good
66%
 66%  [ 10 ]
Fair
20%
 20%  [ 3 ]
Turkey
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Total Votes : 15

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ADAMK



Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 215
Location: Canberra
PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:32 am    Post subject: Arc Of Infinity Reply with quote
What do people make of this (Season 20) 1983 story written by Johnny Byrne?

This is the analysis from the official BBC website (WARNING! SPOILERS): http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/arcinfinity/analysis.shtml
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SharazJek



Joined: 12 Aug 2005
Posts: 889
Location: Hobart, Tasmania
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 1:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not a bad story.....if it only explained why Omega looked like that and how the hell he was able to reach out from the universe of anti-matter.

Shame they couldn't get back the Borousa from Invasion of Time. I've never known a time lord to have so many different regenerations in such a short period of time.

I thought the Deadly Assasin Borusa was pretty cool too. Couldn't stand the 5 Docs version.
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Ace



Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 114
Location: Sydney
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Don't you just love Colin's 'I'mn a possessed zombie' face???

Ace Smile
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Theta Sigma



Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 3896
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
We get the explanation why the Cybermen were able to fire their guns in Earthshock - the state of grace circuits was just not working. It's good to Michael Gough (who shares the same birthday as the Doctor, November 23) and this would be the only time that ABC viewers would see him on Doctor Who since The Celestial Toymaker only has episode 4 that still exists.
Colin Baker makes his first appearance in the series and later jokes that he did not shoot Peter Davison in order to get his job.
Colin Frazer's cousin leaves a call for him at the youth hostel, ooh I wonder who the cousin is. (I know of course but for those who don't just wait and see.)

Last edited by Theta Sigma on Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:30 am; edited 1 time in total
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Wester



Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 604
Location: Brisbane
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well call me dumb - it just dawned on me why Omega returned in the first story of the 20th season - because he appeared in the first story of the 10th. Embarassed
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rundoctoritsthegatherer
Serial Pest


Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 278
Location: Sydney
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Wester wrote:
Well call me dumb - it just dawned on me why Omega returned in the first story of the 20th season - because he appeared in the first story of the 10th. Embarassed


JN-T and his obsession with including something from the show's past strikes again.
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hallhotdogma



Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 54
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I must admit that I am a sucker for any Gallifrey story. Similar to Time Flight, this is just one that I have missed bits of I think. I don't know why...perhaps I had my memory wiped for the two years that were season 21/22?!!?

Anyway, I must say how well scripted (tho not terribly well acted) the build up to the cliffhanger in episode two was done. I thought Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) did a fine job! Tegan has finally hotted up too, which no-one should complain about! Very Happy
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hallhotdogma



Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 54
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ah! After reading the BBC's guide, no wonder Nyssa does well, Johnny Byrne (Keeper of Traken) wrote it!
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Theta Sigma



Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 3896
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
rundoctoritsthegatherer wrote:
Wester wrote:
Well call me dumb - it just dawned on me why Omega returned in the first story of the 20th season - because he appeared in the first story of the 10th. Embarassed


JN-T and his obsession with including something from the show's past strikes again.


The past was the entire basis for season 20.

For Arc of Infinity Part 2, well, well Colin's cousin happens to be Tegan.
The Doctor mentioned Leela and Andred's wedding. This wasn't really established back in Invasion of Time.
Superman faced a similar execution to the one experienced by the Doctor here, in the Lois and Clark episode Battleground Earth.

A bit delighted when the voiceover says when mentioning At the Movies for tonight that the "brains behind Buffy heads into outer space." (Serenity)

At the Gallifrey forum there is this section called Enlightenment which picks out a story from the classic series to discuss for a week. This week's story happens to be Arc of Infinity.
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Wester



Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 604
Location: Brisbane
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mind you - its good to see Omega back in the series. I thought he was a tragic figure unlike the Master who was just plain evil.
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rundoctoritsthegatherer
Serial Pest


Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 278
Location: Sydney
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Theta Sigma wrote:
The past was the entire basis for season 20.


You say this like it's a good thing.
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Dougy



Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 241
Location: Newcastle, NSW, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I was supprised to see Colin Baker in this story. I find it strange to have an actor play the Dcotor who was previously someone compltely diffirent in the series. Although I don't know the surrounding of the Davidson/Baker regeneration.
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Theta Sigma



Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 3896
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
rundoctoritsthegatherer wrote:
Theta Sigma wrote:
The past was the entire basis for season 20.


You say this like it's a good thing.


I was stating it as a fact and that the entire season was planned that way.
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rundoctoritsthegatherer
Serial Pest


Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 278
Location: Sydney
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 5:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Theta Sigma wrote:
rundoctoritsthegatherer wrote:
Theta Sigma wrote:
The past was the entire basis for season 20.

You say this like it's a good thing.

I was stating it as a fact and that the entire season was planned that way.


Oh it's a fact, I'm not disputing that, hence my original comment about JN-T's obsession with the show's past. IMHO, this obsession led to many sub-par stories. He started well with season 18, had a few glimpses back to the past in season 19, and then started season 20 and stopped trying to disguise it anymore. It didn't stop at season 20 did it though? There are plenty of stories after this which also had some link to the past.

Done a little less often, and/or done properly, this may have been good. However, I think that the saturation of these stories was more of a hinderance than a help.
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Dazza



Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Posts: 105
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I find this one a little too slow. The trip to Amsterdam seems like a junket, as it adds little to the story. Other stories in this series are better.
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Theta Sigma



Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 3896
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hedin is finally to be the traitor in Arc of Infinity Part 3 but the story does not succeed in disguising his voice before hand.
Just like Johnny Byrne's previous story The Keeper of Traken which ultimately revealed the Master, the identity of the villain here, in this case Omega, is revealed late in the story.
Colin Baker and Michael Gough makes their final appearances in this story here. Gough would have appeared with Colin again in Doctor Who when he was contracted to reprise The Celestial Toymaker in the ultimately abandoned story The Nightmare Fair starring Colin. Gough later played Alfred in the Batman movies. His most recent work was in Tim Burton's upcoming movie Corpse Bride.

Just hours after seeing Gough finishing work on Arc of Infinity on the ABC I finished listening to the CD of the missing story The Underwater Menace featuring and narrated by Gough's ex-wife Anneke Wills (Polly).
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meglos



Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 658
Location: Perth
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The only thing I don't like about this story is the whole Time Lord turned traitor thing. How many times has this been done? It wears a bit thin after a while.
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Wester



Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 604
Location: Brisbane
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
T.S - were they really planning a sequel to Celestial Toymaker? That would have been great to see. Wonder if they still could?
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Ace



Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 114
Location: Sydney
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
As far as I know Michael Gough is still alive, so they could do a Celestial Toymaker story I suppose. The character was a very good villain and he's been in a couple of novels since the tv story. I just read the Target novel for Celestial Toymaker and like most of the Target novels, the story is very good.

I remember reading an interview with Colin Baker once and he joked that he loved shhoting Peter Davison in that story because he wanted his job. I wonder whether it had already been mentioned to him by JNT that he wanted him for the next Doctor???

Ace Smile
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Beatly



Joined: 24 Jul 2005
Posts: 375
Location: London
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
meglos wrote:
The only thing I don't like about this story is the whole Time Lord turned traitor thing. How many times has this been done? It wears a bit thin after a while.


Of course, in a way, the whole series is based on this concept. Smile
Life on Gallifrey must be particularly dull.
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