Rehabilitating Six and Seven had pushed Three to the very bottom of my Doctor Top Ten, and much as I loved the Quorn/wasps/Wales fun of The Green Death, he remained a patronising arsewit with a silly car and a tendency to tut. Which I could probably have overcome if he had some fabulous sidekick to make him less annoying, but instead he had Jo, who was a bit shite, and otherwise he has Liz, who I have to try really hard to like, or Sarah, who I haven't actually seen with him (erm...) but who had rubbish hair until the Tom-era (aha! Super-convincing argument, you must agree). Not even UNIT could redeem him, since their persistent air of win kept making Three look even more like a pompous git in need of a technobabble bypass. 'Smug twat' may be as much a character staple as 'eccentric' and 'prone to picking up young women', but somehow Three was failing to add any of the daft charm to it.
But now I am filled with glee and love for him, hurrah! Despite him being exactly the same irritating snot as before.
In part this is because Carnival of Monsters contains multiple Things About Who That I Love, including:
- a tiny little shrunken TARDIS you can put in your pocket
- a tiny little shrunken Doctor, also with pocket potential
- rubbish plastic monsters chasing them through a bit of Wales
- a comedy double act who have dressed as if planning to introduce The Sweet on Top of the Pops that evening
- a civilisation whose structure is indicated by colour (they're all grey! it means they're boring! Do you see?)
- multiple opportunities to play the 'didn't he go on to be...?' game, especially with tiny wee Ian Marter
- a time loop
- a stupid running gag about Metebilis 3
- the 1920s
- gay wrestling
- loads of bits which are like other stories (it's basically Vengeance on Varos without the embarrassment and the big evil fly, innit?)
- a Doctor who worries terribly about his endangered companion, while also worrying about the other people who are endangered at the same time *cough ahem not talking about The Idiot's Lantern at all*
But really I think it was Jo that swung it. She is smart and perky and asks sensible questions, and even though he still treats her like a slightly backward nine-year-old, she pwns through the power of being able to identify a chicken better than a 700-year-old Time Lord. She proves him wrong and he gets sulky, and then she gets stuck in a bog and he rescues her, and they are having adventurous fun and it's all a bit of a giggle. She is indeed, as has often been noted, S1 Rose. And just as I don't think I would like Nine very much without Rose there to press his buttons and kick him when appropriate, I think Three is in his element when accompanied by a daffy young thing with a Mick Ronson cut and gogo boots, stumbling half-blind through time holding his hand and making him enjoy the universe all over again without bitterness.
And did I mention the gay wrestling?
I need to watch some more Three. And construct that 'Five Things of Who' doodah. And write some Twofic. And tag
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I knew you'd love "Carnival of Monsters", but did not know it would make you love Three and Jo as well. Win! (Oh, now I want to watch it again, for wee baby sailor!Harry who mouths dirty things to girls in the 1920s and fights the Doctor. And Three'n'Jo having escapades. Bless).
I know it doesn't fit perfectly, because of course Liz comes first and all, but I do think of the Three era as a restart in a way, rather like Nine: colour, and a different set up with UNIT and the no-time-travel, and some low-level emo about Gallifrey and so on. And Jo just seems to fit him somehow, in a way that makes no sense but just works.
Baby Harry was wondrous. He looks so wee! And yet is still in uniform and being posh! I loved their fight: so much meta it hurts. Such glee :)
(Oh, and yay: will go and poke Kingmaker soonest, thank you!)
Yes, this is one of my favorites from three's era. It's just terribly fun.
I am such a sucker for a big plastic monster.
I wonder which ones you would like. The Time Monster is embarrassingly long and completely changes to fucking win in its last two episodes (the first four are UNIT bumbling about) and The Master gets a shag and it's just lovely. I'm trying very hard to think of Three stories where he isn't being a pompous git all the time, but I can't get my brain in gear because I'm thinking of The Master and how he makes everything perfect by being there and having a beard of evil. Except Colony In Space because that's boring shite. Hm... Frontier In Space is win? And if a Robert Holmes one worked for you, how about Terror of the Autons?
Ooh, recommendations, yes please! I have seen Green Death and Spearhead from Space, and I saw the Daemons and The Mind of Evil about ten years ago (and for the latter while very drunk, so it really doesn't count as viewing). I definitely need some Delgado master, though.
I do tend to like Robert Holmes: I know sometimes he's a bit long-winded, but I do rather like overblown dialogue. I shall contemplate all your fine advice and go poking about the internets for goodies. :D
I must try Carnival of Monsters again. I only ever saw it on UK Gold at Too Early In The Morning when I was too sleepy to find the comedy aspects anything other than annoying.
Carnival of Monsters is probably not actually up there in terms of Finest Examples of Quality Programming, but I loved it.
So, yeah. Delgado>Daleks.
Oh, and Time Monster ends by the whole UNIT team laughing at a naked Benton. Poor guy.
Yay for Three. He's a wanker, but then so's Ten, and I still tune in every week.
Oh yes, Carnival of Monsters is totally made of Winnage. :D And I love Jo - she took a little getting used to, but once I did? Love. And her running off to get married to that lovely Welsh bloke was far more believable than some (*squints at Peri and Leela of all people*).
And wee!Harry is simply adorable, isn't he? :D
:)
Jaydeyn
Jo gets a lovely send-off, yes. Especially with the whole 'he reminds me of you' business, and the closing shot of him driving off. *sniffles*
Ooh you changed your layout! :D Pretty... though where's the ginger minx? *is sad*
*giggles hopelessly* I have no idea how they managed to think of him... ooh there's a thought - I'm so totally in love with Harry and I'm sure he did other work *shakes fist at sky* prior to him passing away... the bastard.
Oh man, you just feel his I'm-so-lonely-angst as he drives off... *sigh* poor Doctor. And then Sarah comes along and kicks that right in the ass! Whoo SARAH!
:)
Jaydeyn
Silly work. Of course LJ time is valuable use of their resources, the ninnies.