Doctor Who Club of Australia

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 219 Location: Canberra

What do people make of this story?

the wheel · Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 164

i really like this story. it was the first ever target novel i read

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 670 Location: Perth

I Quite liked the whole Davison era and this story is a good example of it. The reason I like Peter Davison's Doctor is because of the whole Cricket thing. I am a huge Cricket fan and have been for 25 years which is when the Davison era started. So the two tie in nicely for me Very Happy

P.S. Adric is very stupid in this Crying or Very sad

Amano07 · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 84

he said to Adric "listen here you gullible little idiot" or something of the like..how good was that Smile

Greg · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject:

Four to Doomsday is the first, but not the last, disappointment in the Davison era. It's not that bad a story for the most part, but is full of rather questionable lapses. I think this is my least favourite episode in this particula series - only Time Flight offers any competition in the least favourite stakes.

However, I still laugh at Tegan's ability to speak a particular Aboriginal language (out of the 200-odd that we know about) and in a form that is thousands of year old. Let's face it, how many of us know many words in an Aboriginal language - and then, how many aren't used as place names?

dave · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:53 pm Post subject:

I not only strongly agree with your comment about the aboriginal language here Greg, but am even more surprised at the fact the Doctor DOESN'T understand it, considering his supposed telepathic ability to understand so many alien tongues. Maybe all alien races everywhere actually speak english!

The premise is quite good, I thought, but the execution is a little dodgy. Those scenes in episode 4 with the Doctor in space are really entertaining, but perhaps not in the way they were intended. Throwing the ball in the first place should have propelled him towards the TARDIS...but the very fact he's out there without a sealed suit is laughable.

I also found Teagan's quite remarkable artistic abilities something of a surprise.

Greg · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject:

Yeah, she's full of surpring hidden skills, our Tegan...

the wheel · Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 164

i really like this story - i thought the idea of all of the cultures taken from earth at different times was good.

very good

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4428

Looks like my poll rating classification has been retained. Well thanks for that ADAMK.

Four To Doomsday was the last Davison story to be released on video and therefore the last that I saw of that era without prior viewing of it. A far cry from Caves of Androzani.

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 610 Location: Brisbane

Thanks ADAMK for the poll.

I also agree with comments about Tegan being able to speak the language. I noticed too that the Aboriginal was more Melanesian to look at.

Another thing that annoys me is how the Doctor could just open the Tardis door without affecting the oxygen in the console room.

dave · Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2005 1:56 pm Post subject:

Actually, on the doors, if you watch "Claws of Axos" closely, you can see a continuation of the rondels outside the large white doors of the TARDIS control room...I always like to think there is a short corridor between the external 'police box' doors and these big white ones...so maybe they have a kind-of airlock function as well.

Stretching, I know, but there it is. It also explains the difference in external and internal doors quiite nicely.

Linx · Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 59 Location: Perth

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 610 Location: Brisbane

Adding to that Linx was that it didnt even sound like an Aboriginal dialect - not that the average UK viewer would have known.

rundoctoritsthegatherer · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:45 am Post subject:

Tom N. · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 144 Location: Sydney, NSW

I haven't seen much of the Davison era, so when Four to Doomsday came on I didn't quite know what to expect. But now I think it can be summed up thusly: good ideas, shame about everything else. It's good to see some multiculturalism in Who, so I don't really care if it's not perfect (must admit I laughed my head off at the Doctor's "bowling a chinaman" line Laughing

)

Tegan's ability to speak the old Aborigine language doesn't worry me, since it all comes down to the TARDIS' telepathic circuits (it seems to me they granted Tegan her linguistic prowess). But I have to say the Doctor's spacewalk was an abomination against science!! It made no scientific sense and, as a Physics student, stuff like this really peeves me.

Four to Doomsday gets a 'Good' from me, but mostly because I'm generous and liked the first two episodes.

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 902 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

I like this one. The re-creational scenes are embedded into my childhood memories and always seem eerie to me.

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 219 Location: Canberra

Some dodgy aspects to this story redeemed "somewhat" by good acting by Davison, Stratford Johns and Philip Locke. Alas I can't say the same for the Doctor's companions!

However I must admit I was over the "recreationals" by the end of Part 4. Imagine having to watch those same ethnic dances for thousands of years!?! Talk about having a multicultural festival "Groundhog Day"!