Originally posted by Ushgarak
Good Lord. The Chase is famously one of the most dreadful stories ever.
Man, I know this isn't the first time you're wrong, but wow... No, no it's not.
According to the BBC's Audience Research Report, contemporary reception of this serial was mostly positive. Though a significant minority found the "haunted house" action of the episode "Journey into Terror" ludicrous, most reported finding the episode very entertaining. The battle between the Daleks and Mechonoids in the final episode of the serial, "The Planet of Decision", was particularly well-received, with viewers describing it as "dramatic" and "full of adventure".
Not to mention that I know a few die hard Whovians that were the ones that told me about it, and they said that it's a classic . No one but you (who I doubt has seen it) thought it was one of the worst.
Contemporary views are meaningless- the system at the time was poor and all stories are judged by their long term appeal, not short.
I know my facts about Doctor WHo and as ever you are entirely in the wrong. The Chase was once in DWM's worst 10 Doctor Who stories of all time and in the recent reader poll of all stories came in the bottom 50. The Mechanoids are some of the most mocked and derided creations Who ever produced- a recurring joke amongst fandom. You are ignorant of all of this.
It's a godawful, cheap story with ridiculous comedy sequences and useless daleks. Awful, awful stuff- and famously so.
Try to learn something about the subject you are commenting on. Trying to say it is only me when a. no, it is the vast majority and b. this information is easily and readily available is pathetic. You look absolutely feeble once more.
I absolutely and 100% guarantee that no other poster in this thread would like that story.
Originally posted by Tptmanno1Spoiler:
Also, can they stop applying the crack thing with a sledgehammer? A subtler treatment would be nice... I hate to be pining for Bad Wolf, but come on.
Yeah, I agree with that. From the first episode I was like "yep, that's this season big plot reveal thingy". The previous seasons were all far more subtle about that, this is sort of like "let's just shove it in your face and make sure you notice it".
Originally posted by Ushgarak
Contemporary views are meaningless- the system at the time was poor and all stories are judged by their long term appeal, not short.I know my facts about Doctor WHo and as ever you are entirely in the wrong. The Chase was once in DWM's worst 10 Doctor Who stories of all time and in the recent reader poll of all stories came in the bottom 50. The Mechanoids are some of the most mocked and derided creations Who ever produced- a recurring joke amongst fandom. You are ignorant of all of this.
It's a godawful, cheap story with ridiculous comedy sequences and useless daleks. Awful, awful stuff- and famously so.
Try to learn something about the subject you are commenting on. Trying to say it is only me when a. no, it is the vast majority and b. this information is easily and readily available is pathetic. You look absolutely feeble once more.
I absolutely and 100% guarantee that no other poster in this thread would like that story.
Wow. "Contemporary" my ass. A good story is good, period. And to be honest, I don't really give a rat's ass about what others think. What, because you imaginary no-proof sites said it means I can't enjoy it. If my friends and I like it, we can like it.
And feeble? You have no proof. It's like your head is so far up your ass you think you can breathe.
Here's something for you to do: Explain to me, in detail, why it is bad. What specific character, plot, or dialogue points are so dreadful.
Originally posted by Peach
Yeah, I agree with that. From the first episode I was like "yep, that's this season big plot reveal thingy". The previous seasons were all far more subtle about that, this is sort of like "let's just shove it in your face and make sure you notice it".
See, those scenes are so short to me that I don't mind.
Originally posted by Mr. Rhythmic
Wow. "Contemporary" my ass. A good story is good, period. And to be honest, I don't really give a rat's ass about what others think. What, because you imaginary no-proof sites said it means I can't enjoy it. If my friends and I like it, we can like it.
And feeble? You have no proof. It's like your head is so far up your ass you think you can breathe.Here's something for you to do: Explain to me, in detail, why it is bad. What specific character, plot, or dialogue points are so dreadful.
Watch your language and drop the attitude right this instant. You've been told to not behave in that manner in the past, so you can have a warning.
Also, I don't think the official Doctor Who Magazine (that's what DWM stands for) is some "imaginary no-proof site". You saying a few people you know like it does not trump the opinions of thousands of fans, many of which have likely watched the series longer than you've been alive.
No, stories are judged by how people view them over time. Classic stories like Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars and Caves of Androzani have stayed classic.
And don't troll me by saying that the sites are imaginary. If you had done the barest minimum of work you would know this. OIf, for example, you had looked at the reviewes link at the bottom of the wikipedia page you lazily pasted from, you would see this vast mass of negative reviews. If you just checked the story rating poll from DWM, you would see it coming in the bottom 50. If you checked easy references like The Discontinuity Guide, one of the bibles of classc series reference, you would see comments like:
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"'You all's in a chase?' One of the most bizarre Doctor Who stories, six episodes of unconnected set pieces with only the barest remnant of a plot."
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But more to the point- if you were in ANY way the fan you claimk to be, you would simply know how derided and hysterical th fan community thinks The Chase to be. It is just one of those things you should know. To quote again from the DW Television Companion:
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"'Without a doubt, The Chase is one of the most appallingly scripted, the most shoddily produced and the most apathetically performed pieces of TV trash that has ever... given me such immense pleasure. And I guess that's something I love about Doctor Who: that indefinable magic that can make such a load of rubbish so thoroughly enjoyable to watch.'"
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That's right- it is one of those 'so bad people find it funny' stories.
When John Peel wrote the novel, he jettisoned about 50% of it and re-wrote, it was so bad. And he loved dalek stories.
So for someone to come along and say they genuinely thought it wa sa good story is... astonishing. It calls into question any of your critical faculties.
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It is rubbish because it has no coherent plot- just a weird jumble of single set pieces that are played entirely for laughs and, in Morton Dill, perhaps the worst acting Doctor Who ever saw. It's not tense, it's not funny, it's not gripping, and it's not any darn good.
Originally posted by Peach
Watch your language and drop the attitude right this instant. You've been told to not behave in that manner in the past, so you can have a warning.
You know what? No. The fact that you're protecting the guy who STARTED this and ALWAYS starts it makes me not respect your authority in any way, shape, or form. I always try to be fair with the other person, but I refuse to be nice to someone who's a dick to me.
You saying a few people you know like it does not trump the opinions of thousands of fans, many of which have likely watched the series longer than you've been alive.
No, it means that I can like whatever the hell I want. And just because they've watched it for longer doesn't mean that they've seen more of the show.
Originally posted by Ushgarak
No, stories are judged by how people view them over time. Classic stories like Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars and Caves of Androzani have stayed classic.
So?
And don't troll me
Dude, you're the one that trolled me. You're the one writing essays and essays all in the hopes of insulting me.
If you had done the barest minimum of work you would know this.
But why do I care?
OIf, for example, you had looked at the reviewes link at the bottom of the wikipedia page you lazily pasted from, you would see this vast mass of negative reviews. If you just checked the story rating poll from DWM, you would see it coming in the bottom 50. If you checked easy references like The Discontinuity Guide, one of the bibles of classc series reference, you would see comments like:-
"'You all's in a chase?' One of the most bizarre Doctor Who stories, six episodes of unconnected set pieces with only the barest remnant of a plot."
-
But more to the point- if you were in ANY way the fan you claimk to be, you would simply know how derided and hysterical th fan community thinks The Chase to be. It is just one of those things you should know. To quote again from the DW Television Companion:
---
"'Without a doubt, The Chase is one of the most appallingly scripted, the most shoddily produced and the most apathetically performed pieces of TV trash that has ever... given me such immense pleasure. And I guess that's something I love about Doctor Who: that indefinable magic that can make such a load of rubbish so thoroughly enjoyable to watch.'"
---
That's right- it is one of those '[b]so bad
people find it funny' stories.[/b]
Amazing. And yet I like it. Well, I guess that means that I have an opinion.
It is rubbish because it has no coherent plot- just a weird jumble of single set pieces that are played entirely for laughs and, in Morton Dill, perhaps the worst acting Doctor Who ever saw. It's not tense, it's not funny, it's not gripping, and it's not any darn good.
Personally, I find the small quips enjoyable, the pacing well sped, the characters fun and light, the Daleks menacing, and all of the species introduced so far interesting and fun.
Originally posted by Mr. Rhythmic
You know what? No. The fact that you're protecting the guy who STARTED this and ALWAYS starts it makes me not respect your authority in any way, shape, or form. I always try to be fair with the other person, but I refuse to be nice to someone who's a dick to me.No, it means that I can like whatever the hell I want. And just because they've watched it for longer doesn't mean that they've seen more of the show.
You know what? I think you need to brush up on the KMC rules a bit. They're located here, just a bit of reading material you should familiarize yourself with.
Namely, these two sections.
Courtesy
Don't attack others. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully ... without insult and personal attack.
Moderators
Moderators are a group of volunteers who help maintain order on the forums. They help enforce the rules and make sure the forums are a fun place to be. Please remember that moderators are humans and not robots and if they make a decision that you disagree with you cannot argue with them in public. Instead contact them privately to resolve the matter, or contact the Administrator.
You don't have to be nice. What you cannot do is blatantly insult and call names. And refusing when told to stop by a mod? That is a bannable offense.
You may have a week off, I'd advise using that time to study up on the rules here. Also learn what trolling is.
Just for the record/amusement of others, here are some classic moments from The Chase:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlLQEcxVEr0&feature=related
Ian dances in an... 'original' way to The Beatles.
Trivia point- this clip of The Beatles playing on BBC classic music show Top of the Pops is in fact the only remaining footage of them playing on that show, due to the BBC's appalling policy at the time of destroying archive footage, something that wiped out a whole load of Doctor Who as well)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_vH255ohCY&feature=related
(you have to go 4 minutes 30 in)
Feeliing the pressure to fill up time for an episode, Terry Nation cooks up this... ahhh... 'interesting' diversion in New York. Hear the authentic accents!
Trivia: The infamous Morton Dil is the man in the hat, playing this truly hideous performance that has become one of the main comedy highlights of classic Who. Oddly, he is played by Peter Purves, stalwart of children's show Blue Peter and, for that matter, the actor who played Stephen, the companion who joins the TARDIS at the end of this very story. He did a much better job with Stephen, so we'll have to blame the writing for this bit.
In case you are wondering why the Daleks don't just shoot him- it;s because the Daleks are weirdly incapable of doing bad things in this story. They also cough, forget their lines, bump into things and prove unable to add up basic numbers.
This scene adds so much to the story! Such sweeping plot advances!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nWn64pFVHs&feature=related
"Terry, you know this story runs to six episodes, yeah?"
"SIX? My story clearly only has plot enough for half that."
"Hmm... think you can fill it in?"
"Oh sure! I'll put in a random episode set in a fairground haunted house that both the Doctor and the Daleks are too stupid to realise what it is, and we can see the Daleks fleeing in terror from animatronic Dracula and Frankenstein! That'll be cool!"
Possibly the worst Who episode of all time, though it has competition. Watch it if you want to see why fans find The Chase so amusing in its badness.
Trivia: The process I describe above isn't too far from the truth- stories at the time were often recorded once without rehearshal only weeks or days before transmission, and the writers often didn;t know how long the stories had to be. Although their concepts would be submitted in advance, very often indeed they simply had to improvise another half hour of plot virtually on the spot. Terry Nation was often caught up in that. Of course, he went onto write Genesis of the Daleks in the 70s,, when things had settled down a bit...
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKPLqv0PaaQ
And right at the end, a genuinely moving sequence as original companions Ian and Barbara leave tge show.
Trivia: Barbara's actress came back in the 70s in one story playing another part' she has since died.
Ian was meant to come back in 80s story Mawdryn Undead, but declined. The story used The Brigadier instead, though they used the same storyline, which weoirdly had The Brig retiured from the army and teaching maths... several years before the UNIT stories he starred in, creating the worst continuity breach of all Doctor Who.
(except, possibly, for the Second Doctor remembering in The Five Doctors that Jamie and Zoe had their memories erased, despite that logically not having happened to him yet).
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And that's The Chase! Still, what do I know? I am just making it all up and have probably not even seen it, eh?
In contrast, I want to present this- extending from my 'spontaneous writing needed' description above.
At the end of Patrick Troughton's last season, due to a funding crisis two stories got cancelled. Unfortunately, Who was already scheduled to transmit on the relevant nights, which meant they had about ten weeks of story to write spontaneously but no scripts, no story ideas and almost no budget. Their only option was to extend the stories already penned in, which is why his very final story, The War Games- actually one of my favourite stories of the b&w era- overruns appallingly at ten episodes.
However, out of improvisation sometimes comes greatness (tyhe TARDIS design itself being such an example, as they couldn't afford a spaceship model so they used a police box instead)
With literally no budget at all, they created this first episode of the story The Mind Robber. Other than the shots in the TARDIS, the story consists of nothing at all- no extras and literally no sets. Just a pure white background. Ok, and a crappy robot design.
Yet they created one of the most intriguing and interesting episodes of Who in the era (and NOT just because of Zoe's spandex-clad ass at the end...). Take a look- the story immediately follows on from the previous one, as the TARDIS is adjacent to a huge volcanic eruption.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4gXWnc0f4c
A heck of a cliffhanger!