Customer Reviews

Doctor Who - Timelash [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a Doctor Who fan, I am well aware of Timelash's "bottom of the septic tank" reputation in the show's history. However, I've seen it many times without getting queasy in the brainpan. And while it has its drawbacks, it isn't all that bad.

The story involves the Doctor and Peri's visit to Karfel, a planet first visited in an untelevised adventure by the Third Doctor, Jo, and Mike Yates. There, they face the Borad, a brutal dictator in command of the title machine, a time corridor apparatus that sends those enemies, mostly imagined, to Scotland in 1179.

The Borad, a half Karfelon/half Morlox mutant, is one of the most imaginative villains I've seen in Who, with a chilling voice to match. If anything, his explanation of his plight is one of the most interesting things in the whole story.

There are many events from the novelization that didn't make it to the televised story due to time and budget limits. One was where the Doctor tossed a stake dipped in M80, hurled it at a Morlox creature, where it mutated into an amalgam of animal and wood tissue. The other was a scene where Mykros and the Doctor discover that the Borad had made twenty-four clones of himself. A pity that one of those scenes couldn't have been used instead of the opening five minutes in Episode 1 of the Doctor and Peri arguing in the TARDIS.

Also missing is the Doctor's explanation of how the TARDIS survived the bendalypse warhead. It involves use of the timeslip used to produce an afterimage and how the missile hit the image after the TARDIS returned to Karfel. All we get here is, "I'll explain someday."

The one drawback is the sets, which seem too drab and claustrophobic. As this was the penultimate story of Season 22, with more of the budget allocated to Revelation Of The Daleks, I suppose that was excusable.

What also sinks Timelash are the supporting characters, most of whom are unappealing or uninteresting. JeanAnne Crowley as Vena and David Chandler as Herbert are exceptions.

Theres a scene where the Sixth Doctor smashes a portait of his third self to help Peri. I felt a bit chagrined at this callous bit of destruction, as Jon Pertwee is my favorite Doctor Who.

Apart from Blake Seven's Paul Darrow as the weaselly Maylin Tekker, there's Steven Mackintosh as the ill-fated Gazak, who has appeared in one of the Cadfael episodes, starred in Lady Audley's Secret, Our Mutual Friend, A Dark Adapted Eye, and best known to American audiences as Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels' Winston.

Not a classic, to be sure, but not an absolute stinker.

Let me start by saying that this story gets an undeserved bad rap from fans. These fans, however, tend to make very good arguments. They tend to say that Baker is bad, the plot is paper thin, the Borad comes back from the dead one too many times, Herbert is annoying, Peri has nothing to do, and on and on and......you get the idea.

All I have to say is...I liked it anyway. My opinion might be slightly biased because I can't see fit to dislike anything Paul Darrow is in(Avon in Blake's 7, note my e-mail address), even if he is playing Tekker a bit OTT. In continuing, I'm going to put a bit of a spoiler in here, so if you haven't seen this story, I would suggest you stop reading.

Anyway, my favourite part of this story has to be the whole idea of Herbert being H.G. Wells, and how in reflecting on the story, you can see the parallel's to Wells's 'The Time Machine'. There is the whole futuristic society controlled by outside forces that seems a bit similar, the Doctor Who character Vena and the Wells character Weena, the Time Machine and the TARDIS, and most obviously the Morlocks who are protrayed in both stories as evil underground dwellers.

As for the Doctor Who part of the plot, see the first paragraph. This story has obviously rubbed some people the wrong way, but I have always thought of it as one of the better efforts from the Colin Baker era.

...it really isn't very good. Believe it or not, I'm actually a huge fan of season 22. But "Timelash" sticks out like nothing else. It's mostly the plot which is at fault - to be blunt, it's very weak, filled with dull action being extended beyond any sense of proper pacing. There might just be enough story to fill one 45 minute episode, but with two it's simply a sleep-inducer. Things are not helped by the faceless characters and the bad acting on the part of everyone save Colin Baker and perhaps Nicola Bryant and Paul Darrow. And let's not forget the substandard (and for DW no less!) production values either - I suppose from some standpoints they are amusing enough to keep the viewer awake. On the plus side, it's not very hard to understand. But I would definitely recommend any of the other season 22 stories on tape or DVD first, especially "Vengenace on Varos" or "Revelation of the Daleks."

my big sister says that there are four kinds of movies in the world; ones that are fun, ones that are intellectual, ones that are both, and ones that are neither. Timelash belongs to the first category. It stars the worst doctor, the worst companion, and is full of plot holes. But I still think it's fun. I've always liked the rebels versus evil dictator arrangement, and there's some funny bits of dialog. Stupid special effects have never bothered me. I kind of like them, because it's like the directors and producers are saying "hey, I've got a cheap budget and a fun story, and I think you have enough imagination to enjoy the story no matter how cheap the sets are." Besides, it's sci-fi. Maybe time corridors really do need tinsel in order to work properly. You never know.

Eighties Dr Who, notably the Colin Baker era, must receive more criticism than any other era of the series. This is completely unjustified and unfair. Alright, so Baker's first story and some other 80s episodes are best forgotten, but there were just as many turkey stories in the 60s and 70s.

Timelash, for instance, is an undervalued tale which involves the TARDIS arriving on a planet ruled over by an unseen dictator. The Doctor and Peri are soon caught up in an attempted rebellion and the Doctor is forced to journey back to Earth's past to retrieve a lost piece of vital equipment. Only later are the sinister intentions of the ruthlss ruler, thought to be a kindly white-bearded man, revealed.

Okay, so there are a few lousy effects in this adventure, but overall it's good fun and refreshingly original. The blue-faced androids are wonderfully creepy and the Borad must stand out as one of the best original creations of the Colin Baker era.

Watch this and other 80s Dr Who episodes now and don't take any notice of people who continue to claim that good Dr Who stopped being made after Tom Baker departed.

The Doctor and Peri go the planet of Karfel in the future. There the Borad is ruling the planet.He is a powerful mad tyrant. The Doctor Saves the planet from neclear war and gets rids of the Borad. In this adventure the Doctor picks up a extra temp passenger Hebert. Herbert turns out to H.G. Wells. In the ends the Doctor ,Peri and Herbert leave the planet in peace. Even though the production values are chessy, it still a great story.For fans of Blakes 7 look for Paul Darrow as Tekker!!The special effects are chessy but it still good enough to let you use your mind!!This video is a must for Doctor Who fans not matter who is your favorite Doctor is!!Also why not give the new movies from Hollywood the same treatment as you do this great serial from Britian where at least they have a better sense of tast than us Americans!!!this is also one of my favorite Colin Baker episodes from his time as the Doctor!!!

I think it's about time that the so called fans left poor Colin Baker alone. People who have talked about this story have torn it apart mercilessly. I rather enjoyed and I would recommend it highly to all new Who fans out there. I think Colin Baker was an excellent Doctor and he could have been so much more if they just gave him half a chance. Great story, great Doctor, say no more.

I wish i could literally give this movie, or more direct the creators of this episode a legion of lashes. I shouldn't be all too harsh though. The episode does have its entertaining moments. If your thinking about purchasing this episode i won't give too much away. Colin Baker does a good job considering the circumstances and there is an interesting cameo of HG Wells. That was one of the few highlights of the flic. If your a die hard fan of The Doc, a pure bred Whovian, and or a true timelord, you'll find that this episode will entertain you. A non-enthusiast of DW probably wont appreciate it very much.

-Sir Josh

Dr.Who fans are FUNNY people. They remind me of a but from Douglas Adams where Man proves that Black is White and goes on to get killed on the next Zebra Crossing.

If a story is massively popular, beautifully made, exciting, polished and spectacular, (Earthshock and Resurrection of the Daleks spring to mind) they will spend 20 years picking them to pieces tp PROVE that they are not nearly as perfect as everyone says and will finally convicne themselves that they were really just "glossy, pointless, style over substance and full of holes". They will never realise these arguments are pretty shaky (Um...ALL DR.WHO plots are pretty pointless and full of holes, even the ones with NO style! Pyramids of Mars, Robots of Death...what was the POINT of four episodes of being being strangled by killer robots/robot Mummies? Where was the SUBSTANCE in a mad alien demigod/mad scientist making the robots/mummies kill everyone?).
And yet...and this is the really OUTRAGEOUS bit...when a story is totally inept, incompetent, embarrassingly acted, directed and made, just one of the absolute worst, like Invasion of the Dinosaurs or this story, Time Lash, you will find Dr.Who fans giving it four stars and raving about how it was refreshingly different, innovative, filled with entertainment and basically defending it to the hilt. So, is this Timelash Substance without any Style?

Erm....NO! The truth is, Invasion of the Dinosaurs was not a masterpiece let down by dodgy FX, it was a better than average story that was let down very badly by terrible FX. It's fun to watch but you have to suspend your incredulity a LOT! It will never equal the quality of an Earthshock or Robots of Death in a pink fit! And neither will this.
Time lash is a very poor example of the series from the era of Colin Baker who was a pretty poor Doctor in many ways. BUT...I agree it has its moments. H G Wells is an inspired idea and well played...there's some good dialog and characterisation in the TARDIS. The plot has a bit of an old fashioned, harmless sense of fun and adventure that was largely absent during season 22. Small mercies! And Colin does have a certain appeal, it just takes a while to realise that behind the superficial over-acting, and ill-mannered pain in the neck persona, the Sixth Doctor's a nice guy putting up a bit of a front. Nice one.
It's not even in the same city as the same ball park as the best of 80s Who, but for cheap fun, it's passable. There are bits which are truly painful though, and Paul Darrow's campy, why-did-I-even-bother performance is, sadly, one of them. Bottom line, for true Baker fans only, coz this is not classic, not even close.

This is an Ok epidsode with the 6th Doctor and Peri. Peri was good The Doctor had some good lines here and there. But the acting from some of the actors was well....bad. Only get this one if you are going to get the whole season.