Classic Who "Dragonfire" Part 3 Full Reaction!
Added 2025-08-01 12:45:02 +0000 UTC
Comments
Delightful to see this Classic Who reaction before the break. Love that you enjoyed this. Lots of not abiding by the buddy system. Naturally, it irks you. Breaks the heart a little bit seeing your reaction to the adorable dragon getting shot. Then there’s what they do to the dragon afterward which you hated that. Though when the karma came, your reaction there was nice. LOVED Sylvester selling the big moment of the Doctor informing Kane that his dreams of revenge are now hollow and naught but ash. Without wishing to detract from your adorable reaction to Kane discovering that he’s unable to have his revenge, may I say that that part hurts. Waiting all that time to achieve revenge, and then you learn it’s no longer possible, that breaks a man. In this instance, it’s nearly enough to make you feel sorry for Kane. Nearly. Followed by Kane having the memorable death scene where he practically outright says when dying, “I AM MELTING! MELTING! WAUGH-WAUGH-WAAAAH! Oh no! What a world, what a world!” Or would we say that he went the way of Toht? Either way, loved your reaction to that. Bringing us to the big ending. Got me seeing you blindsided by Mel’s departure. That scene between Sylvester and Bonnie is very good. See the fellas have talked about the response to Mel’s departure, how abrupt it was, and that there are some elements of it that aren’t great. Rather like how you’d have enjoyed the spinoff. Mel is indeed great, excessive screaming and all. Then you highlight the comments of Classic Who stories in New Who, that you say that you always get the precisely worded comments about that. Interesting word choice of “giggle” in this particular scenario. Then it warms the heart to see the beginning of the beautiful Doctor and companion pairing that is Seven and Ace, with Sylvester and Sophie being so goddamn amazing. The team-up does not include that girl. That kid surely avoided being a stowaway. And thus concludes the season. And returning to the question you asked of Classic Who stories on your birthday. None on the day, as was stated. These episodes, however, aired in the end of 1987. The next season would not premiere until the fifth of October 1988, incidentally, my dad’s thirtieth birthday. Meaning that this story was the last story of Doctor Who to air on television before you were born. Though obviously, you were on the way by then. The story was November and December of ‘87, so simple math says that you were on the way, what with your birthday on the third of May. So, next up we will have the first Doctor Who material on television in your lifetime, after your break, of course, that I truly hope you have the lovely break. Thank you for the great Classic Who reaction, Jess.
Thomas Corp
2025-08-02 02:35:29 +0000 UTC"Lay one finger on the dragon, bilge-bag, and I'll rivet your kneecaps together.", Ace, "Dragonfire" I've loved Ace's character from the start. I didn't know she might end up as a companion at this point, of course. "Bring me the Dragonfire and you can have the girl. Special closing down sale, you might call it. But hurry - while stocks last.", Kane, "Dragonfire" In the original script Kane was called "Hess". But the Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess was in the news, so they decided to rename him. However, because all the scripts had been typed out, Ian Briggs needed a new name that was exactly 4 characters long so the existing script pages could be updated more easily. (Actually, that reminds me a little of when Tolkien was making changes for later editions of "The Lord of the Rings", he had to ensure that change would fit within the existing typeset pages of the books.) "I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with 'I'.", "Ice.", "Your go.", Ace and Mel, "Dragonfire" Who hasn't done that? - pick an obvious item to get your turn over. "Hang about. ... Here, how'd you do that, then?", "Well, it's bigger on the inside than the outside.", Ace and Mel, "Dragonfire" We all love the "bigger on the inside" moments for new companions! "It's transcendentally dimensional.", Mel, "Dragonfire" Er no, Mel. That's not the way we normally say it. "This is a spacecraft. The whole colony's a spacecraft!", Sabalom Glitz, "Dragonfire" Oh, "State of Decay"-vibes - the castle turned out to be the Hydrax spacecraft too. "Vengeance on whom, Kane? You're too late.", The Doctor, "Dragonfire" Oh, "The Hand of Fear"-vibes - Eldrad was cheated of his vengeance too. "What's he doing? It's scorching.", Sabalom Glitz, "Dragonfire" Alien hunt with trackers - movie reference. Kane melting - another movie reference! "Think about me when you're living your life one day after another, all in a neat pattern. Think about the homeless traveller and his old police box, with his days like crazy paving.", The Doctor, "Dragonfire" These lines were taken from one of Sylvester's audition scripts (written by Andrew Cartmel) for a departing companion - that he had originally performed against Janet Fielding who, of course, had played Tegan. Sylvester lobbied for those script lines to be used for Mel's departure. "I'll send you a postcard.", "But I don't have an address.", "Oh, I'll put it in a bottle and throw it into space. It'll reach you, in time.", Mel and the Doctor, "Dragonfire" Oh, a similar idea with what River did with the home box in "The Time of Angels". "I travelled the stars. And good old Sabalom Glitz, he lived to be a hundred and one! Died falling over a whisky bottle, perfect way to go.", Mel, "The Giggle" You were right! Mel *did* mention in it "The Giggle". Nice of RTD to finish the story of Mel's travels in the 2023 specials. Of course, within the TV stories we still don't know how Mel became a companion in the first place. "We're on, if you're on.", JNT as related by Sophie Aldred, first filming day on "Dragonfire" As has probably been mentioned in earlier episodes this season, they needed a new companion to replace Mel. So JNT organized two scripts with two possible companion replacements: - Ray (with the motorcycle) from "Delta and the Bannermen", and - Ace (with the nitro-nine) from "Dragonfire". Actually, Sophie had auditioned for the part of Ray as well, but she got the part of Ace. So JNT's comment, above, was him saying that he had decided that Ace would be the Doctor's companion. "But there are three rules. One, I'm in charge.", "Whatever you say, Professor.", "Two, I'm not the Professor, I'm the Doctor.", "Whatever you want.", "And the third. Well, I'll think up the third by the time we get back to Perivale.", The Doctor and Ace, "Dragonfire"
Andrew Vignaux
2025-08-01 12:47:01 +0000 UTC
