Robot
Previous: Season 11: Planet of the Spiders
Robot
OKAY. SO. TOM. GET OUT HERE.
Ah, good ol' Terrance Dicks...
And right off the bat we have a regeneration recap thrown at us. This would probably impact me more if I'd seen Planet of the Spiders first.
"Is this the patient, sir?"
"...AND STUPID!"
HARRY! Always a pleasure to see you! This is your first appearance, unless I'm mistaken?
*checks Wikipedia* I'm not mistaken!
"That, Mr. Benton, is the Doctor."
"You mean he's done it again? He's changed?"
"Apparently. Saw it happen this time."
I would just like to profess my undying love for all the major UNIT people right now. They are just......yes.
Oh wow, and already we get a first-person perspective of the titular robot. And we're not even 2 minutes in yet.
Fail guard dogs are fail.
"You realize, Miss Smith, that all this is top secret?"
"Then why are you telling me?"
"Because...because there's no one else I CAN tell."
Awww, lonely Brig is lonely. And maybe I should stop expecting Sarah Jane to wear less feminine clothing all the time.
Maybe it's because of all the masses of praise that surround her, but in actually watching her she keeps falling a little short for me.
Okay, enough of my blasphemies, back to the show.
Actually, I just realized something else: for once, her outfit actually makes her look VERY adult.
And now that you've taken center stage again, I can do this properly: HELLO FOUR! Boy oh boy do YOU have quite a legacy ahead of you...
"Look, Doctor, you're not fit..."
"Not fit? NOT FIT? Of COURSE I'm fit! All systems GO!" *chops brick in half*
I've seen this scene a million times already, so I already know just HOW DAMN QUOTABLE IT IS, so I'll have to restrain myself a bit.
"Well, nothing's perfect. Have to take the rough with the smooth. Mind you, I think the nose is a definite improvement!"
I just realized that I very rarely see a companion-to-be be so authoritative with the Doctor on first meeting him.
The only others that come to mind are Ian and Barbara in the very first episode, maybe Donna in The Runaway Bride...
I've just been reminded of Tom Baker's AMAZING ability to be quite enchanting and insanely terrifying at the same time.
Seriously, try watching that jump-rope scene without smiling and shivering.
Well, at least now he finally recognizes everybody. No, the Brig is not Alexander the Great or Hannibal (but with his awesome, he could be).
Wait. For a second I thought that guy with the newspaper had SIX fingers.
Huh. I didn't think telephones exploded when you ripped them off the wall.
"Something wrong?"
"...You've changed."
"Oh no, not again."
CLOTHING SELECTION SCENE!
Guys. The faces. In this scene. I can't even...YES.
The hat...the coat...THE SCARF!!! Ladies and gentlemen, we have scarf. #scarf
YIKES. Four, your magnifying glass. It looks like there's a piece of machinery sticking out of your eye.
Ouch. Sarah Jane shows up at Think Tank and the first thing said to her is an accusation of chauvinism. That's...ow.
And I can just see the director and her assistant thinking to themselves "SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH."
"Never cared much for the word 'impregnable.' Sounds a bit too much like 'unsinkable."
"What's wrong with 'unsinkable'?"
"Nothing, as the iceberg said to the Titanic."
And already Four ditches the hat in favor of running faster, and I can see that Tom is still getting used to handling that scarf.
Ah, and you must be Professor Kettlewell! Might I say, that's quite some hair you've got...
Sneaky Sarah Jane finds a loophole in the timeframe on her visitor's pass. I bet I can guess where this thread is going...
Lying to the guard and sneaking off with only 10 minutes left? Okay, I'll admit I didn't see THAT coming...
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Hello, K-1!
"Is it still in there."
"Oh yes. Would you like to see it again?"
Again, so much of this is in the delivery. And it is CREEPY.
Awww, Sarah Jane cares about the robot...
I wonder if there's a technical term for the psychological phenomenon of finding something inorganic more endearing for it humanoid traits.
(I speak as someone who used to have crushes on robot characters when I was a kid so...yeah...)
Sciencing people at work!
"This is your chance to be a real James Bond!" Oh man...Harry in a Bond suit and a sweet car...MAKE THIS HAPPEN, PEOPLE.
Sciencing people at talk!
"You are an enemy of humanity. I must destroy you." AHA. I THINK I JUST FIGURED OUT THE LOOPHOLE.
The mystery of Where the Doctor Sleeps is finally solved: on any given sciencing table.
Awwww, and K-1 goes back to his creator for help during angst-tiems. That's actually really adorable.
I am intrigued and very puzzled by the giant bandanna (I think) that Sarah Jane has around her head right now.
"I'm sure we'll find a place for you: somewhere between the flying saucer people and the flat-Earthers." Sarah is rockin' the pwnage today.
Did...did Four just sweep up a chunk of robot from the floor with his scarf? #scarfpower
"Director, this is Dr. Sullivan from the ministry." BOWLER HAT. HAAAAAAAT. THIS MUST BE A .GIF. BECAUSE HAT.
Likewise, Four must put on his hat to answer the phone. Why? Because Four.
Wow. Even with a hunt-and-peck method, Four is quite a speed-typist. He even makes the music (and REALITY) go faster.
BESSIE! I don't think I've ever seen Four drive her before.
Benton's been promoted! I really need to see more stuff with him. He's grown on me thanks to Ambassadors of Death and Inferno.
Tiny balls do not affect K-1! IS SCARF TIEMS NAO.
Actually, is hat tiems nao. And...wow, he really looks a lot different without his scarf on...
Good ol' Sarah Jane, showing up right in the nick of time to save the Doctor. Good girl, Miss Smith.
Aaaaand of course UNIT picks now to show up and start firing at K-1.
Maybe it's because I don't really associate the UNIT era with Four, but seeing Sarah Jane and Benton together feels very pleasantly weird.
It kind of amuses me that the abbreviation of Scientific Reform Society is SRS. All they're missing is the Y.
Also amused at how they can pull off Four and Brig talking about nuclear holocaust with Benton standing there basically being the tea boy.
Holy crap. I thought the Director was creepy before, but now she's one scary bitch.
That was basically awesome. Not just everything Four pulled out of his coat, but how he pulled off that scarf-pwnage.
Wait, how did K-1 even know Sarah Jane was there? OH HELLO FOUR JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME WHY DON'T YOU DO SOME FUNNY THINGS.
Okay maybe that didn't work HOLY CRAP YES BRIG AND BENTON TO THE RESCUE!
Army cell phones are basically the funniest things ever. Just sayin'.
And now they've got Harry too. Who knew scientists could be such devious bastar...oh wait...
"Well, this is the place. An atomic shelter designed and built by the Think Tank people back in the Cold War days." YAY SCI-FI TIMING.
Badass Boys vs. Girl Genius. Let's see how this goes down...
Harry, Sarah Jane is very disappoint in your lack of Bond. You get bondage instead.
And then there were quite a few s'plosions!
"Turns into a miniature sonic lance." Wait...the screwdriver is a LANCE now? Okay, not really, but STILL.
The way that tank's angled, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just a model.
300 seconds to nuclear war. My math skills fail me; would that mean 5 minutes? *checks* ...oh wow, I was right :D
Four doesn't usually wear a cravat, does he OH WAIT HARRY FINALLY GETS HIS JAMES BOND MOMENT.
Countdown stopped at 58 seconds. I love how unconventional these guys get with their countdown-stoppings.
"NO! I HAVE KILLED THE ONE WHO CREATED ME!" Did...did K-1 just *faint*? I don't think I've ever seen a robot do that before...
"Get away from that keyboard!"
"You won't shoot, Brigadier."
"Maybe he won't, but I WILL."
HOLY CRAP SARAH JANE WITH GUN WHAT
Wow. I'm so used to the Brig getting points across by srys-facing and talking firmly that hearing him really shouting almost sounds weird.
Four just prevented nuclear holocaust by being calm, good with computers, and awesome. In about 15 seconds. And that's why he's the Doctor.
"Why Sarah?"
"The robot killed Kettlewell, remember? The man who created it. It must be in a state of tremendous emotional shock. What more natural than it should turn to the one person who ever showed it kindness?"
But seriously, awwwwww!
"I can bring about the destruction of humanity. But, do not fear, Sarah. You alone will be saved." ...Not sure if that's touching or creepy.
(EVER MORE QUOTING) "You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that WASN'T immune to bullets."
Four, I'm not sure groping Benton's invisible boobs is going to expedite the revelation of this convenient plot twist.
Also, should I perform some sort of blood rite to prevent myself from ever using the term "Benton's invisible boobs" again?
Awwww, look, he's so proud of himself for revealing the thing that'll save the day.
"...Yes, yes of course! Suppressed Oedipus Complex! Leading to excessive guilt and overcompensation!" Wait WHAT. HOW DID FREUD GET IN HERE.
Ohshit, less than 20 seconds before the world goes s'plody. I think Sarah Jane is LITERALLY the only one who can save the world now.
Actually, never mind. YAY FOR FAILSAFE!
I just realized that Harry's outfit right now actually does look quite Bond-ish.
Brig with a disintegrator gun. Not going to comment on the position or the angle, but let's just say Freud hasn't left yet.
(But why would he even NEED overcompensation? HE'S THE BRIG.)
"And I think just for once, we're not gonna need the Doctor." Ohhhhhhhhh, I get it...
Giant robot is srysly giant now. It's so giant, part of its legs occasionally disappear!
Sarah Jane, JUST. STAND. UP. AND. RU...too late.
Obvious Sarah Jane doll is obvious.
Wait...WHY would they need to green-screen her onto a rooftop? I don't even...
You know it's a good time to retreat when your enemy starts literally picking your men up and throwing them.
Wow, the model houses even SOUND like models. I didn't think that was a thing that could happen until just now.
"Curiouser and curiouser."
"Said Alice."
"Exactly."
As much as I love him, I'm beginning to see why people call Harry a redundant companion.
That was a great example of how on-the-same-wavelength they can be sometimes, and you don't need someone telling you what you already know.
I just realized that this technically makes Romana kinda redundant too, although Harry doesn't have Married Couple Bickering with Four.
Somehow, I feel like there's some slightly flawed logic in there, but it's too early to be dwelling much on this stuff. Anyway...
"A giant robot that falls not by the power of a pistol but by the power of a...bucket of goo. A bucket of goo? Why the nerve of some robots! Have they no decency? They must not be English!" (shamelessly ripped from a Gallifrey One sketch)
HAH. I love how the Brig can't even look at Four as he hands him his hat back.
And how ALL the UNIT people standing behind him take the opportunity to collectively lean on Bessie.
"Sarah? Sarah? ...Would you like a Jelly Baby?" JELLY BABIES. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN.
"Doctor, you're being childish!"
"Well of course I am! There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
I've read that line about a gajillion times before, but hearing it properly in context makes it even more happy-face-inducing.
Harry Sullivan, did you REALLY just call the Doctor a "reasonable man"? I think you're going to be in for a bigger-on-the-inside surprise.
"...oh, I say!" Aaaaaand OFF TO THE ARK IN SPACE!
Next: The Ark in Space