The Zombies March 2nd-September 20th, 1965 Stray Tracks Review

The Zombies in 1965

It’s been difficult trying to articulate what’s so great about the Zombies, especially from track to track. So many of their recordings offer their own flavor of magic that leaves you baffled those ideas hadn’t already been done and exploited. It’s not uncommon for bands to have vocal harmonies, but that double punch of Colin Blunstone backed by Chris White has a certain force that feels apparent and attention grabbing, while also soft and humbling. Many of these songs are about love and the problems that come from it. Blunstone yelling about his feelings for a certain girl being so impactful is probably a mix of being born with the right pipes and having his fair share of R&B and jazz classics to start off with, providing a level of sophistication lacking in average rock songs.

The sound of drums thumping in the back and organ pounding in the front immediately challenges those that think the guitar rules all. Despite that and the uncommon minor keys, there are many similarities to other pop rock music. There’s common subject matter for songs and lineup of instruments. The guitar and bass are not to be forgotten about and both serve their role. However, it’s as if the Zombies wanted to play different genres of music, such as jazz, and figured out how to translate that on rock instruments. Paul Atkinson’s solos on guitar sometimes feel reminiscent of jazz saxophone. The bass is very expressive, like in jazz, but we still get pop hooks. Ignoring solos, below the surface of the singing are little creative licks and flavors to enhance the music, with everyone enhancing in a single wall of sound-like unit or diversifying to give everyone a time to shine.

By extension, the studio itself is clearly doing its part, mainly in the part of singling in on one element to creative tension or release. The pain the singer sometimes feels is amplified by the beating drums, like a heart, or his joy showcased with a gliding and understated guitar part. These elements are apparent on the fourteen tracks I’ll be discussing here, listed in the order I listened in: “I’ll Keep Trying”, “You Must Believe Me”, “Don’t Go Away”, “Whenever You’re Ready”, “Nothing’s Changed”, “Just Out Of Reach”, “Remember You”, “If It Don’t Work Out”, “I Love You”, “It’s Alright”, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, “I Know She Will”, “Don’t Cry For Me”, and “How We Were Before”.

It’s often said that the Zombies were better at originals than covers. Despite the handful of very good covers, the ones here are noticeably lesser than the originals. As an example, “You Must Believe Me” doesn’t have the typical fire on some of the band’s originals. It sounds like it bores the band a bit, gathered from the lack of forcefulness and quirks in the playing. On these oldies, the group can’t write in their multilayered pop rockers. Colin as an example is singing someone else’s melody, which wasn’t written to accommodate his style and thus he’s not taken advantage of to his greatest potential. This does show how we’re evolving beyond the past where the covers fit in better. While some of the group’s earlier works had more of an R&B influence, here that’s mostly gone and in its place is not just pop, but an ethereal pop. The bass doesn’t just back the beat, it bumps along, like gliding along the bottom end. The singing lacks the attitude of before, replacing it with what at points feels like a plea. Objectively, you can’t say one is better than the other, but this later period is better liked due to the increased blend of ideas and development into uncharted territory of pop music.

Especially considering these songs aren’t from one cohesive album and instead a series of releases, there are variants in styling. “I’ll Keep Trying”’s low-key piano solo is so beautiful, functioning as an undercurrent. Those solos have usually been more aggressive. When we do get one of those on “Whenever You’re Ready”, it’s off kilter and jabbing. “If It Don’t Work Out” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” have their share of vocal strain, utilizing two singers to cover more ground than one alone could, while on “You Must Believe Me” Colin’s voice is atypically smooth.

The band did three songs for a film and they’re probably the strongest of the lot, working in unison with each other. “Nothing’s Changed”’s aggressive and somber drums and guitar paired with Colin’s depressed vocals make for a deeply relatable love ballad. The restrained singing and various little touches, like the “I know” dissipating out into space and the elongated final line make for one of the group’s finest early works. “Just Out Of Reach” is a banger that bangs through a slightly faster tempo and varying little sections to distinct itself. “Remember You” ties these up with a reflective and honest work. Note how the changing emotions of the singer are matched by changes in the background, like with the line “And if I should change my mind.” The harmonized “sometimes” line is a pretty and fine example of the ethereal pop sound, enhanced by the studio. The soundtrack songs are especially romantic and down to Earth, giving each player a little role in the piece to enhance what’s being intended to be conveyed. Studio touches may be the only real difference between these and others, which makes me wonder how all these would sound if mixed the same way?

Admittedly, some of the originals don’t push the bar beyond where it’s already gone. “I Know She Will” has especially complex and ethereal singing at the beginning, though the rocking portions of the song are a bit less special, being a more typical rocking affair that lacks the forwardness of the backing vocals and drumming on other tracks. The lyrics and vocals of “Don’t Cry For Me” are particularly generic and feel like a bit of a reworking of other ideas. I do suspect that some of these tracks, like “How We Were Before”, would stand out more if we didn’t have the pop masterpieces to compare them to. That one turns in a particularly barebones backing and an unmissable guitar, making it a sharp oddity. While it lacks the best the group has to offer, it shows them trying new things. The same can be said for “Don’t Go Away”, which puts a rhythm guitar line in the front of the track, with the spot for the drums filled by a tambourine.

OVERVIEW

Despite the clear proof that the Zombies deserved respect and particularly albums, it does create the fear that the hypothetical albums would result in less time being devoted to songs and those extra tracks just being covers or filler. I long for more of their originals-based sound, which doesn’t sound quick or easy by any means. On their first album Begin Here, it’s known they rushed these along a little. Still, what can be said for sure is that we have another album’s worth of solid recordings that would’ve made a fine LP if released as such at the time. Thus, it’s a shame they aren’t better known, especially by those that like proper albums and don’t want to deal with searching through convoluted compilations for rarities.

youhitmetal17times_everyday Days 1-65 (2023-2024) Review

The first frame of most installments.

This piece of media can’t be truly appreciated with any kind of discussion beforehand. Just watch it first.

While my interests in media have been mostly relegated to material which exists in a long lasting and understood way, films that get preserved on reels and presented like they always have or books dedicated to text which contains all you need about the art and its message, there are fascinating and difficult to define alternative ways of telling and hosting stories that can be moving and complex in its own way, even offering an experience more or less unique to it. While it’s questionable if youhitmetal17times_everyday hopes to say anything, its nature of delivery as a series of videos you can choose to scroll through in a row, skip through, or read the comments of is unlike much before. I watched most of these multiple months in the project, with people hyping up the series and the experience of watching it in the comments. For just over a month, the same video was uploaded each day, which is a common thing to happen on Instagram, where the series is posted. Despite this repetition, the experience wasn’t nearly as boring due to how short the first video is and the comments. Instagram even sometimes makes a comment visible automatically. The comments that were at the top of the feed were the more amusing or insightful, reflecting the various thoughts a newbie will think. Is it just going to be one video forever? Is everyone else getting bored at the same point? I treat the comments as part of the experience due to their nature being predictable, probably with the creator of the series, Adrian Gray, aware ahead of time of what the comments would be like and how that would affect newcomers.

As you go through the same segment over and over, possibly without knowledge it will ever change, a numbing effect occurs, with it seeming increasingly ridiculous that one would keep watching these. You then overcome significant relief when the story finally changes. After the first change there’s typically a formula of the same video just a few times, then a new swap. While it makes sense to stay true to the concept of repetition, these lose the impact of the initial cycle due to not happening enough to be mind numbing or little enough to not just get annoying. A solution would be hard to find for this due to the nature of the story. To stay true to the origins of the series and themes of being trapped, It does make me hope that the tale ends with something open-ended enough to seem like there’s more coming, then it just repeats over and over again.

Everything we see is a bit off and surreal. As an example, we mostly just get protagonist Mikaeli’s perspective and are asked to relate to him by him having very relatable and typical goals, so any short without him is automatically especially off-putting. That off-putting world is seemingly the “real one”, with Mikaeli in a fake one. This reversal parallels modern life to some, those who relate more to the internet than the real world. Another element of strangeness is that the simplicity of the protagonist and his wants essentially tricks us into rooting for him despite him not having much character or personality. He’s often given little quips that make him memorable. This is not uncommon in media, with us relating to real game show contestants for similar reasons. The notable example is Mikaeli’s “Fair enough” comment. If one just sees the first video once, you might not think much of that, though that line becomes catchy and telling about the character simply by it being emphasized and repeated. Even on a base level, it’s funny that that line always seems to come up.

SPOILERS

Meta-textuallty, we are essentially being put in the time loop by watching all of these, feeling the struggle of Mikaeli to a degree. You can also laugh at the fact that unlike Mikaeli, we don’t have to. We probably do it out of some arbitrary sense of “completeness” or for the extremely minimal differences there sometimes are to two otherwise identical shorts. The sense of being part of an event and being supported by others creates enough fun and enjoyment to watch what is on paper boring and unmarketable. That in itself becomes part of the joy of it all, that it is so different and random. It would be difficult to replicate this experience on film.

Taking the narrative at face value, some of the segments are less interesting than others, basically being set up that has comparatively less humor. The main appeal story-wise is seeing what happens to Mikaeli. The Fair Enough song is the prime example of how potent the comedy can be, while also sticking to the themes. It seems that this series is about being trapped in a cheesy tv show, which would have things like musical numbers. Its music and comedy are both much more clever than you’d expect, with this sense that reality is bending to conform to weird television ideas. By comparison, it’s less realistic to have you from the future show up, though such a concept was still funny. Hopefully that’s resolved, as it hasn’t yet been addressed.

OVERVIEW

Due to the modern medium of a social media app, this may be a commentary on the cyclical nature of quick content, which often falls into numbing patterns. It is important to keep videos short for attention spans, and have a hook. The fact the footage is based on 1980s television draws comparison between both types of mass entertainment. Both game shows and social media videos are criticized as filler for the mind. This series at least seems to treat this particular show as especially formulaic and inane. Whether or not that is connected to Instagram or is given more of a point and payoff remains to be seen.

Watching these day after day might bring with it a vastly different experience to binging. The numbing effect is probably more apparent with the binging, being more invasive on the mind. Unlike with traditional movies, those viewing methods make for two separate feelings from youhitmetal17times_everyday. As such, it’s a wonderful gander into what it’s like to be the type of person that watches things like this with some possibly accidental meta-commentary to boot. It’s a decent watch, even if you end up skipping around, though trust that if you do you’re missing something.

The Beatles – 40 (1981) Album Edit

For those not in the know, fan albums/album edits are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.

The recent release of the “final” Beatles single got me wondering how long of a Beatles “reunion” album you could make and if that could become a fan album. Considering that the John Lennon demos come from the late 70s or early 80s, ideally the other tracks would come from that same time period. That didn’t get very far, so I decided to include cases after the band’s breakup where there’s just three members together and extend the timeframe out more. This created two issues. The album is still too short and there’s a severe lack of Paul. Paul and George almost never seemed to collaborate after the breakup. Thus, I turned to some sources that might be too strange.

The best is an edit of “Grow Old With Me” by “Rarebeatles” that surprisingly effectively mixes John’s vocal, George Martin’s orchestration, and the backing track of the Ringo cover that featured Paul on bass. An edit like this may have been an ideal “b-side” to “Now and Then”. Another source was the mid-90s jam between everyone but John, for obvious reasons. These may be too informal, but I like them. Note that tracks that don’t feature all three Beatles or were originally from released albums are excluded, to not have duplication. Finally there are two tracks from the “Everyday Chemistry” edit, which takes stems from different solo Beatles songs. They were mainly included to give more length and I simply like them.

This edit is not very fluid, due to the different sources, but I found it an interesting listen. Other similar concepts for this lower the number of Beatles needed to just two or stay in one time frame. Those are indeed more cohesive, so this should be looked at as an experiment to be more Beatley in numbers than style. This is pretty much the closest we’ll ever get to a “true” reunion we can actually make. I also worked on this project months ago and only now got around to finishing and releasing it. For those that want a little narrative for this album, here is what I thought of:

After John Lennon returned to music in 1980, he decided to get the other Beatles together to record an album. After some resistance, he barely managed this. The band began recording, often not together, before John tragically died. The others were not terribly keen on continuing the project, so took a break before realizing John would want them to finish it. Thus, they decided to play by their own rules and do some informal jams, as they were prioritizing having fun, before the daunting task of adding overdubs to some unused John recordings. Due to knowing that he wouldn’t be on every track, and being more interested in their solo projects, the remaining three figured why bother being on every track if it was already fine by their standards? A 1973 outtake called “I’m The Greatest” that happened to feature everyone but Paul was dug up and included as “the imagined single that carried us to this point”. Its mocking lyrics of Paul were favored by George and Ringo due to him not wanting to contribute his own songs to the LP. The album was then named 40 in reference to John. The cover was a then-recent picture of the band. The record received negative reviews, with critics noting the severe lack of cohesion. There was more praise for the tracks that used all the band members and didn’t draw from many or informal sources. Some considered just releasing the singles, “Free As A Bird/Grow Old With Me” and “Now And Then/Real Love”. The remaining members were not new to such criticism and didn’t much care, having solo careers waiting for them.

The Beatles – 40 (1981) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Now And Then”
2. “All Those Years Ago”
3. “Real Love”
4. “Raunchy/Blue Moon Of Kentucky/Baby, What You Want Me To Do?”
5. “Grow Old With Me”

SIDE B

1. “Anybody Else”
2. “I’m The Greatest”
3. “Thinking Of Linking/Mr. Gator’s Swamp Jamboree”
4. “Free As A Bird”

PERSONNEL

• John Lennon – lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 5-6, 9), backing vocals (tracks 1, 7), piano (tracks 5, 7, 9), guitar (tracks 6, 8b)
• Paul McCartney – bass (tracks 1, 3, 5-6, 8b, 9), lead vocals (tracks 1, 4, 6, 8a, 9), backing vocals (tracks 1-3, 5, 9), guitar (tracks 1, 3-4, a, b, 8b, 9), piano (tracks 1, 3, 9), electric harpsichord (tracks 1, 3), percussion (tracks 1, 3), harmonium (track 3), ukulele (track 4c), synthesizer (track 9)
• George Harrison – guitar (tracks 1-4a, b, 6-9), backing vocals (tracks 1-4, 9), synthesizer, lead vocals (track 2, 9), percussion (track 3), ukulele (tracks 4c, 9)
• Ringo Starr – drums (tracks 1-4a, b, 5-9), percussion (tracks 1, 3, 4c, 7), backing vocals (tracks 1, 3-4, 9), lead vocals (track 7)
• Neel Hammond, Adrianne Pope, Charlie Bisharat, Andrew Bulbrook, Songa Lee, Serena McKinney – violin (track 1)
• Ayvren Harrison, Caroline Buckman, Drew Forde, Linnea Powell – viola (track 1)
• Mia Barcia-Colombo, Giovanna Clayton, Hillary Smith – cello (track 1)
• Mike Valerio – double bass (track 1)
• Linda McCartney – backing vocals (track 2)
• Denny Laine – backing vocals (track 2)
• Al Kooper – electric piano (track 2)
• Herbie Flowers – bass (track 2)
• Ray Cooper – tambourine (track 2)
• Jeff Lynne – backing vocals, guitar, producer (tracks 3, 9)
• Joe Walsh – guitar (track 5)
• Jim Cox – piano (track 5)
• Allison Lovejoy – accordion (track 5)
• Rhea Fowler – violin (track 5)
• Bianca McClure – violin (track 5)
• Lauren Baba – violin (track 5)
• Isaiah Cage – cello (track 5)
• Billy Preston – organ, piano (track 7)
• Klaus Voormann – bass (track 7)
• Jérôme Leroy – conductor (track 1)
• Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Ben Foster – string arrangement (track 1)
• Jack Douglas – string arrangement (track 5)
• George Martin – orchestral arrangement (track 5)

This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!

The Zombies June 12, 1964-March 2, 1965 Stray Tracks Review

The Zombies in 1964

Autumn.

That’s how I would describe the Zombies in one word, complimenting the cool and atmospheric expression of the fall season. Any slow guitar or keyboard solo amplifies this. Such texture is very present on the recordings discussed below. After crunching the numbers, there’s forty-two non-album tracks by the Zombies if you include their BBC sessions output that a) doesn’t overlap with the studio songs and b) is high enough quality to pass as a studio track. Thus, it seemed fun to sort them into three groups of fourteen for my reviews, which is the same number of songs on the band’s first album, Begin Here. The tracks covered here are the first fourteen unique works not on the first album. Despite many of these being from the same sessions as Begin Here, they push the bar with more fusion and complex production, possibly because someone may have wanted some of the more unique tracks as singles or unreleased.

One point of comparison for the first album are the covers. Due to the fact the covers were probably essentially rehearsed through constant touring, they are effective due to how tight they are. The ones discussed below sound a little unique to the band’s other works due to less focus on rock. The group also mostly stopped doing covers. The originals show some mindfulness to the trends of the time, but are very wise to not be essentially copies. That mid-60s Beatles sound is classic and just begging to be tinkered with by different sounds, like with Hugh Grundy’s driving drums, as opposed to Ringo’s being more in the back. Rod Argent on keyboards give a dramatically different sound to other guitar-led groups, with Paul Atkinson on guitar innocently relegated to rhythm, only to burst out into a genius solo that’s often more jagged, moody, and understated than Rod’s solos, providing a new direction for the song. Chris White applies nice thick basslines to tracks, though his main role is clearly in writing quirky songs and using his backing vocals to amplify any feeling of anxiety or ecstasy sung by lead vocalist Colin Blunstone. Blunstone, and specifics about these songs will be covered below. The tracks are listed in the order I listened to them.

“Kind of Girl” has a great spiteful attitude. Colin’s singing has an amusing smirk to it. “For You My Love” is a really tight jazz number. The departure from rock shows just how good this group is at jazz. Everyone is perfectly in pocket, though we still get some attention grabbing and snappy moments like the drum solo. “Leave Me Be” is perfectly fine, though not exceptional. Colin’s voice is usually not this depressing, so that angle gives this track something distinct in the band’s catalog. “Rip It Up” is another excellent jazz track, ignoring the more rocking versions of it, like Buddy Holly’s. Colin’s singing is comparatively weaker, not seeming in time with the others. As is typical, it’s strong enough to not be bad or unpleasurable. “Soulville” is another excellent jazz track. Most of the band, other than Blunstone and White, would jam together for years before the others joined, so perhaps these songs reflect them doing these more “adult” works and showing such a strong understanding of the mood of these through slick playing.

“I Must Move” is another ballad. The ethereal production launches the track, with the singing soaring off the rest. This one sounds a bit inspired by the wall of sound, with the drumming especially having this wonderfully big and consuming feeling. “Sometimes” and “Tell Her No” are similarly razor sharp performances that sound so exciting. One highlight is the guitar, whose sharp licks poke out from the back of the song. That riff creates a relaxing vibe with Atkinson’s energy producing that sound. What sounds like a clap at the end is an especially nice touch. “I Want You Back Again” is similarly solid. “You Make Me Feel Good” benefits from the incredible simplicity of its content, making a statement with its sincerity and lyrics, without the sense of trying too hard, not that the other tracks are. “It’s Alright With Me” is like that, but as a rocker instead of a ballad. “I’m Going Home” has qualities of both. The reason these tracks work better than most other bands is the playing and songwriter, both inspired by arguably more “highbrow” sources then many others. The light touches of the guitar and bass on tracks, who do occasional more aggressive licks are one commonality for the Zombies.

“She’s Coming Home” intensifies the wall of sound approach, giving another layer to the love the singer feels. The drum intro sets that stage perfectly with how grand it is. “Walking In The Sun” is the best of this lot, with sharp piano interplaying gracefully with the drums, emphasizing the love the singer feels. Said singing is full and breathy, taking advantage of Colin Blunstone’s unique traits. The different sections of the song capture different feelings of love, providing a heartbeat and passion, while demonstrating the group’s ability to change time signatures and styles mid-song. The rich vocals is probably the primary reason this track is a fan favorite. As such, all of this comes together to make one of the Zombies’ best efforts.

OVERVIEW

This would’ve made a great follow-up to Begin Here, which beats it at its own game with more interesting and complex covers, which is funny as these were mainly recorded around the same time as the original LP and on the BBC, where it might have been expected they would never be heard again. Yet it’s remarkable those are among the weaker here, as the singles have lots of great touches of fusion and showcases for the players, especially drummer Hugh Grundy. Due to the blending of different genres, arguably the Zombies could have kept making quality music for a very long time. If one genre gets a little old, they’ll go to the next. It’s worth noting that R&B, which was prominent on the previous recordings, is mostly absent now, showcasing the group’s evolution and desire to not fall back on old ideas.

The Zombies – Begin Here (1965) Review

The album’s cover

The Zombies, known for making one of the most famous psychedelic albums of all time, had a surprisingly varied career. Despite only having released two original lineup albums, one in 1964 and another in 1968, there’s enough studio or studio-passing tracks that there could have been an album a year from ‘64 to ‘68, and we could get even more if you count the solo eras of the two main members. Despite the consistent quality of music, one issue that would be hard to avoid with those hypothetical albums also afflicts Begin Here. There is a lack of cohesion. Some of these songs prioritize romantic singing and an environment-filling organ. Other tracks are beefy rockers with strangely less focus on the famous Colin Blunstone’s vocals and Rod Argent’s keyboard. The consequence of this is not a bad album, but an unfocused one. As such, treating this as a compilation helps the experience.

The opening track is “Road Runner”, which has a beautifully fiery lead guitar. Blunstone, like other singers like Roger Daltrey, can’t quite capture the elegance of original performer Bo Diddley, but is still good. That guitar and interplay with the drums really makes the song. “Summertime” plays to the band’s natural strengths. It’s a warm ballad with breathy vocals and nice harmonies. The keyboard has clear jazz influences. The bass and drums add a perfect backing to amplify the intended tone. While the group isn’t known for their covers, they’ve managed some extremely cohesive ones that add in the jazz and R&B leanings of the five living dead, a sound all their own.

“I Can’t Make Up My Mind” has similar positives, with more intense playing and singing. The organ, especially its solo, provides some class and texture. Without it, you’d basically have a different band, as it contrasts the hard hitting guitar and drums. “The Way I Feel Inside” showcases how strong Colin’s voice and Rod’s playing are, though compositionally and lyrically the track is too simplistic, so the intended effect of “less is more” isn’t reached. The full band demo adds some much needed energy. “Work ‘n’ Play” follows and is pretty jarring. It’s a nice reminder of the R&B, but is similarly dull and notably lacking any vocal work. Rod Argent plays harmonica and not very well, though the whole track coasts on being upbeat and fun, though it would have more value on a rarities compilation where this would be more of a curio than album filler.

“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me/Bring It On Home to Me” is the third track to not have the magnetic and razor sharp playing of the band, but the vocal harmonies help make up for that. This shows how even though the band has a wonderful sound, they should have put more work into making their covers feel distinct. Colin’s vocals seem flat when compared to the originals, most notable in the section of the song that’s close to spoken word, where you’d expect Smokey Robinson to be aching his heart out. “She’s Not There” rightfully is one of the group’s most famous songs. It has all the previous positives. One favorite is the clean and prominent bassline thumping in the back. Every member gets at least a little section to show off, though the piece feels cohesive due to how tight they fit together and how infectious their spirit is.

“Sticks and Stones” is another rocker and cover. The electric drumming and amusing singing made this a personal favorite on the album, though it lacks the sophistication or exceptionally thoughtful playing of the best of the group. The rocking covers might work better in a live setting. The band is playing like they want to show off, but there’s obviously no audience to do that to. This is also a strange opener to a side. Why not pick something like the more exciting “She’s Not There”? “Can’t Nobody Love You” is another great one, due to Colin’s smooth voice gliding effortlessly off the organ and drums in this ballad. The name checking of other R&B singers is a favorite part, as if cementing this song into history.

Next are four originals in a row. “Woman” seems like a cover, but isn’t. Colin’s rocking voice feels more natural here, with his scream and the organ solo showcasing playfulness and more familiarity with the track, as if it was well rehearsed. There’s an added level of excitement, especially in the backing vocals. It’s like they really wanted to give their take on this type of song. “I Don’t Want to Know” and “I Remember When I Loved Her” are also derivative of the band’s influences, but the personal touches make it special. The vocal harmonies and on point playing are two of the biggest keys to success, which is something that propels any track they’re featured on. Loved Her has especially haunting keyboard, though also especially vapid lyrics. “What More Can I Do” is the best of these four. The singing and playing have a sense of tension, like the singer is pained by the conflict going on. There’s expectedly many little touches, like the drumming at the very end.

“I Got My Mojo Working” can be best defined as chaotic. The singing is dirty, notably less refined than what came before it. The instruments blast out, with the drums particularly blaring. A harmonica solo is the most telling example of this, seeming to defy a time signature. The track as a whole resembles an early punk band and as such is a little magical in its own right, but demonstrates the less mindful side of the Zombies and is frankly their weakest cut. It doesn’t at all fit with the other songs on this album, which seem to have a clear focus and intent. This one is by comparison an informal jam. It being the end of the album and having Argent singing lead makes it feel tacked on, as if to be a surprise. That might work in other circumstances, but here wastes the tension and pathos built up by the previous “romantic” tracks.

OVERVIEW

Begin Here isn’t just a strong debut, it’s many strong debuts. As was common at the time, the Zombies followed trends and here seemed to be trying to follow several trends. You could argue they were setting the groundwork. If the jazzy stuff was successful, they could build off that here. If the R&B material won, then they’d pursue that direction. To compare them to an influence of theirs, basically all Beach Boys songs have complex harmonies, which gives them a definable sound. The Zombies sometimes have complex harmonies, others more basic ones, and sometimes not any at all. The group may have been successful if they stuck in a lane, but it’s hard to deny the quality of what’s available. Even the weaker tracks have solid playing and Blunstone to love. Criticisms of either of those mainly come down to those elements just being serviceable, as opposed to exceptional.

The Share Out (1962) Review

William Russell and Moira Redmond in what looks like a lobby card for the film.

The Share Out gets to the point. The cast are at worst admirable and effective in their roles, the story is clever and intriguing, and due to the one hour runtime, the pacing succeeds due to having little time to waste. You could imagine a better group of filmmakers finding a way for more intense performances, a more sophisticated script, or a tighter product; as near the beginning this film could be punchier. Regardless, this little novelty provides for the fans of these quick and hot little tv mysteries while supplying a little more for those that want above average. A big theme of this movie is trust. Most of the trusting revolves around the wonderfully charming and sly protagonist Mike Stafford, played by William Russell. Despite the fact that many people rely on him and despite the audience following him, the script proves how smart it can be by telling us of his crooked ways in the beginning, only for the sheer good will and likability of Russell to get us on his side. He’s the only one that doesn’t act like he has something to hide. Based on how confident he often is, you can tell Mike has thought through everything quite a bit.

Mike is brought into “The Calderwood Property Group” to help around and due to his charisma is trusted. However, there’s not much logical reason for him to be, though most of the character’s personal plans involve trusting someone, and he presents himself as the perfect person to rely on. You can also suppose everyone would feel better working with a newbie than those they’ve come to know. Regardless, initially no one seems to be any more likely of being guilty of anything than anyone else, such as the murder that occurs early on. The leader of The Calderwood Property Group, Colonel Calderwood, played by Alexander Knox, has seemingly thought up a pretty solid way of keeping his business associates honest. Thus, the movie is initially about everybody checking the other person to see if they’re trustworthy, as opposed to anyone worrying about cheating in order to get ahead. The movie is briefly more about setup for the end that is baked into a look at human behavior. In theory, there’d be no real conflict, but when you have such slimy people, even the most secure plans never are as airtight as one might hope, so that’s where the drama intensifies.

The story asks you to second guess people a lot, which creates a tense atmosphere. The black and white and somewhat noirish look of the whole film adds to this seedy charm, as does the conversations that you almost know will contain some lying. It is strange that the characters don’t have more awareness that them trusting in others is foolish. Some incidents of someone relying on another, such as at the climax, don’t make much sense. Maybe this is supposed to be a look at some great fallibility of human beings, far too willing to do something that seems simple but is really stupid, or it’s a plot contrivance?

SPOILERS

As is a very common trope, the handsome man sticks by the law and ultimately seems rewarded for it. He is in good graces with the police and has a pretty girl for added measure. However, this handsome man has already betrayed everyone else as need be, so the ending does a twist on him lying to everyone else. The detective we’ve been following reveals he thinks Mike committed one of the murders, suggesting he was lying by saying Mike was good to go. Just like how the other characters essentially had to trust someone and that ultimately was their downfall, there’s no reason why Mike would get off any differently. The film has had a few clever tricks to get us to trust and like him, and if you know conventions of these movies, it’s not uncommon for these guys to genuinely reform at the end, but there’s no reason based on the information here for us to trust him.

When he was accused of the murder, I initially recalled how we saw what he was doing at the time and it couldn’t have been him, but then I realized that during that scene there was a time skip, then we saw Mike and another person discover the body. Who is to say Mike wasn’t the killer, but then he left, came back, and acted innocent, just like how he was putting on appearances for everyone else? Admittedly, Mike didn’t have a reason to kill the guy, unless someone paid him to offscreen. The point of this ending may have been to say that “crime doesn’t pay” to the audience, and as such it could have done a bit better at finding a more believable reason to get Mike in trouble, or even just letting him win. This is not a big issue, though.

OVERVIEW

The Share Out is a really effective drama that boasts enough solid actors and ideas to not waste the hour length. See for scenes of private investigations being executed by taking the subject to dinner, discussions of how sticky ends come to all except the cleverest, and faked phone calls.

The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) Review

The Who Who Sold The World He Fell To

So, I wonder… is The Man Who Fell To Earth the same as the Man Who Sold the World? A few things really stop this flick from shining. The main one is that David Bowie turns in a pretty piss poor performance. He does get some brownie points for really looking like an alien and contrasting how aggressively 70s everything looks. If he never played an alien in his career, you’d wonder why. It does seem like something that would be in his wheelhouse. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger after him, he might shine in a role where very little is asked of him, especially in terms of giving a layered and human performance. We are asked to care about the little white duke that is “Thomas Jerome Newton”, also known as Tommy, with him sometimes going into panic or madness. However, he comes off just like a person that doesn’t know how to deliver their lines, not an alien. “Get out of my mind, all of you!” is one particularly silly line. Whenever Tommy has to have complex emotions, Bowie comes off as wooden and having no idea what to do. Apparently he really didn’t, and thus he basically kills any chance for the film to work.

Early on, the film is defined by a shoddiness so brazen as to possibly be intentional. We see some shaky camerawork document Tommy going down a hill, then we see him wander around not doing anything of consequence. It feels very low budget and that isn’t the worst thing to strive for, but it sets a tone of being more about an experience than getting to an ending, but so much of the actual film is just mindless imagery that at best can have a meaning forced out of it. The score is also chaotic, sometimes loud and jarring or starting and stopping at random-feeling points. We get a lot of pointless shots of closeups on faces or someone walking around. Important information then is sometimes skipped over. There’s a little bit of narration when the movie otherwise doesn’t have any. It all comes off as thoughtless.

Candy Clark as Mary-Lou does lay on a lot of ham, but sometimes is moving, like when she cries about receiving money because she really wants Tommy. Her character often is chasing something, which makes her more relatable. Clark captures a decent naivety at such times that is one of the more interesting elements at play. Some of the more compelling moments are when Mary-Lou is a bit mad over her love of Tommy, who she is not ever particularly on the same page with. The other characters, and sometimes Mary-Lou, feel like stock filler that gets us to either some sci-fi visual mumbo jumbo or more likely, tits and ass. Depending on some interpretations of the story, like being about the business side of life, she doesn’t really matter much. As such, she is dressing beyond anything else.

The plot is basically incomprehensible, with the excessive visual mumbo jumbo and sudden shift in characterization of the cast making it hard to ever know what is going on. The script, especially with how Tommy is depicted at the end, wants to be clever so badly, but it forgot to really say anything or come to an actual point that means something. Sometimes we just see characters in a certain state without us knowing how they got there, like when Tommy suddenly has money or the really creepy bit where his nipple is cut open. We see Tommy just wandering around with no apparent aim, even a scene of him at a pawnshop seeming to be low on funds, only to somehow have a lot more money and resources in no time without us seeing how. Perhaps there is some way to connect all the disparate dots in this story and see it as brilliant, but such tales are always polarizing? No matter what, it is hard not to see the nudity and psychedelia as mere spectacle, or the slow dialogue-heavy scenes that take an eternity to get anywhere as just killing time.

One interpretation is that Tommy can be seen as a metaphor for David Bowie himself. He looked and felt very alien. Despite not coming from much, he managed to make others a lot of money, was able to have a lot of frivolous thrills, then ultimately got stuck in the system that made him successful. The gun-play sex party especially feels like it could be intended to reflect rock and roll excess in how gratuitous and violent it is. This doesn’t much benefit the film as seeing this as analogous to Bowie is very much just one interpretation and you have to reach outside the information in the movie to think this. Seeing this as about Bowie or more broadly about what fame does to even the most “outsider” of artists is debatably a bit clever. A lot of the movie, like the scenes of Tommy in space, are meaningless in this view.

SPOILERS

Tommy and Mary-Lou’s relationship is not well handled. They are essentially fine until one day they’re bickering and getting very heated, without a more natural transition. Their acting leaves much to be desired. In fact, Mary-Lou does a lot of jumping from loving Tommy to being over him, with her character not adding anything by the end. She could be seen as just “the girl” that might serve as a celebrity’s first marriage. Near the end Mary-Lou loves him so much that she doesn’t try to save herself when she thinks Tommy is going to murder her, and gets over how horrible it was for him to act like he was immediately. In almost no time, she is saying she doesn’t love him anymore.

The film often keeps its focus off Tommy and either on the plot or other characters. When he takes off his human suit to show Mary-Lou his true form, we don’t get much of how Tommy is thinking and feeling, but we very much do from Mary-Lou. As such, the few scenes that do focus on Tommy, notably the last shot of the film, are a bit weird. The emphasis on him acts like we’ve had some great look at him, so it should be tragic when he succumbs to his demons, but it instead emphasizes how much of a mess this all is. Similar can be said for how quickly Tommy and Mary-Lou’s relationship corrodes. We jump from them being stable to a very explosive fight. Their first argument is also the first big sign of Tommy going mad. He acts cartoonish and way more over the top than he usually has.

Tommy showing his true identity to Mary-Lou doesn’t carry the value you’d expect it to. One big reason for this is Tommy hasn’t shown much love for her or for anything, so why would he feel comfortable with this? Why not have a build up of them having a seemingly great relationship, with this being the tipping point of how much he feels for her? The sequence also gets lost in the montage of sci-fi imagery, how bad Bowie’s costume is, and how absurdly Mary-Lou acts. She’s screaming in terror, then soon enough disrobes. Also, did we have to see a closeup of her peeing? Is that one of the filmmakers’ kink? Buck Henry as Oliver V. Farnsworth’s death scene also is a real fever dream. The heavy breathing, light music, and the long time it takes to kill him makes for a really bizarre and comical scene that can’t hope to emotionally invest you in this person being killed. Him bouncing off the window he is thrown at is basically a joke, as is how obviously the falling body is a dummy.

OVERVIEW

The Man Who Fell To Earth is simply too busy. If it is about the celebrity lifestyle, then that is a bit light for a film so chaotic and more importantly so long. Such a long runtime and simple story asks to be more about the fine details, such as seeing specifics of Tommy and his life, yet so much is shown either out of context or is not given much gravitas. Many reviews essentially look outside the film, such as in viewing it as a social commentary, so it makes sense the text itself is so thin, but that also means it can’t survive on its own. Some might find this type of adventure fun, but it’s definitely a very acquired taste that to some is the definition of boring and mindless. Or maybe I just don’t get it?

Doctor Who: The Giggle // 14th Doctor Specials (2023) Review Part 3

One of the creepier images in the episode, though the VFX leaves much to be desired.

The finale of Doctor Who is a novel little concept that has in fairness been tried many times. The issue with ever doing it is who can handle not having this franchise? Even if the series managed such low ratings and disinterest that the BBC would in turn cancel it, maybe in ten or fifteen years it could be rebooted? The Giggle has never been sold as or committed to being a finale, but it does include many elements of it that do seek to offer a sense of closure. This is mainly done in the “explanation” of why the Doctor regenerated back into the Tenth Doctor and what happens after it, with it I guess seeming that the Doctor knows this is his most popular incarnation and the one who seems ideal for such a thing? We also get some returning albeit minor characters from the classic series. Will we ever get a Susan appearance? While the idea of giving the show a finale; a fake finale (which this definitely is); and regenerating into past Doctors, especially to make a point, is really fascinating and not as worthy of disdain as some would say, all these ideas are not handled nearly as well as they could have been.

The Giggle serves as the closest of the specials here to a sixtieth anniversary, though it is still light on much celebration of the past. A big thing we get is Tennant. Tennant returning is a good idea. It thematically shows how no matter how much this character changes, he remains the same and offers closure to this tenure in theory, though these specials are even light on references to the Russell T. Davies era. Considering how the Doctor witnessed a lot of strange things be done with regeneration by other time lords it works that part of the Doctor would want to be a bit strange and revisit a past experience. What other past elements we get comes in the form of a few verbal references; the welcomed but minor companion Mel, played by Bonnie Langford, predictably Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and the more fascinating return of the Toymaker. While the Toymaker’s one previous appearance was in one of the worst Who serials of the 60s, his ability to essentially shift reality and create impossible games for people to win is a phenomenal idea. Neil Patrick Harris brings a menace to him as someone who appears so bored with everything that he feels a need to be so destructive.

Thus, it’s a huge disappointment that much of this narrative is setup with little payoff. This is epitomized by a scene of Donna being approached by creepy dolls, which serve no purpose and prove no threat. The two meaningful-to-the-plot games he plays are seeing who can pick the higher card and later don’t drop a ball. Both are played as comedic, but due to their inclusion in this supposed serious finale that is trying to do so much, it muddles the tone. Beyond Harris’ performance, Tennant does sell the intensity of the Doctor’s emotions in his stress and anguish when it seems like something bad is about to happen, which comes out in a few all too brief scenes. The Doctor and Toymaker make the best of the story when talking about their experiences and specifically how they differ from humans. They’re to a degree being compared in how traumatizing it can be to go through as much as they have, which also explains why the villain acts how he does. Thus, it’s sad how little he appears.

A lot of time is spent setting up just how bad the situation is, hearing about all the things the Toymaker has done and admittedly getting some solid visuals, like the toy burning, only for a lot of this to eventually be brushed to the side. A very sudden twist is included and that just takes up the ending. Why not have the threat of the Toymaker be more connected to the twist? Maybe we could have had this be two specials, one dealing with the Toymaker with the twist part of the cliffhanger, then the last is only about the latter element. As is, this episode is so rushed. Random characters explain a lot of the plot, the cliffhanger of last episode and how it’s being resolved is similarly discussed before suddenly being pushed aside, “the Vlinx” was established as a character only to do nothing, as does Kate’s insults, Mel and more importantly Donna are barely in this, and some of the faster paced moments play as fairly comical. The scene of the Toymaker in a black tuxedo doesn’t have him even doing anything, which suggests something was cut. Same with the Doctor’s clothes regenerating with him when he first became #14. That suggested there was some weird space anomaly, but that’s not the case according to this episode.

SPOILERS

We get a really quick scene of two UNIT soldiers walking towards the Toymaker, the Doctor tells them to stop, they get killed, then he tells Kate they indeed died. It all is just very silly. Earlier, the Doctor said to Donna he wasn’t sure he could get her out alive, which is not something that weighs on the situation nearly as strongly as it should. This turmoil needs to mean something. That confession, as well as the Doctor seeming fed up with the cruelty of humanity, are good character moments in a vacuum, but come across as tossed in to make the story “deep”. The Doctor talking about order and chaos could have represented a theme that would play through to the end. Why not have it tie into how he defeats the Toymaker? The actual way he goes is absolutely absurd, losing a fairly easy game when apparently everyone else ever has lost to him. Him bragging about who has been defeated just feels like a waste of time, seeing as the Doctor doesn’t really have to do much to succeed. What if he either has to die or sacrifice Donna in order to win? What if he simply gets the Toymaker to go away, but the latter’s destruction is not even fixed?

Some of the better aspects of the story is the explanation of how the Doctor initially met the Toymaker and how the Toymaker got to Earth. The Doctor is later very clever in outsmarting the villain into letting them go. He probably understood how hopeless things were, so manipulated the Toymaker with what he knew he would want. At the same time, the Toymaker manipulates the Doctor by knowing how to cause him emotional turmoil. As such, the Doctor is often clearly fearful of him. He even offers him something… The Doctor and the Toymaker traveling together would have been a really fascinating idea. Makes you wonder if the Toymaker would steal the TARDIS. This is reminiscent of the time in the audio adventures a Nazi was a companion of the Doctor.

Ncuti Gatwa does a fair enough job, though his incarnation of the lead is devalued by this episode really just being about Tennant until the end. He doesn’t even get a chance to follow the tradition of acting really weird from the post-regeneration haze, being more about giving a bit of dialogue to the Tennant Doctor. What would have been better is if the regeneration occurs at the very end. Considering that the Tennant Doctor apparently has all the interesting baggage about the character, with Gatwa’s more of a clean slate, Gatwa’s era will probably feel like a spinoff or remake, as it might not be following many of the developments to the character that shaped the Doctor. The two Doctors saying goodbye feels like a symbolic passing of the torch, like the Doctor we’ve really known from William Hartnell to David Tennant is bowing out.

Something not covered much in the series is what causes the Doctor to regenerate into the face he does. Such a thing could tell us a lot about the character, at least making for a solid episode. The Fourteenth Doctor era hopes to offer such an explanation, with it seeming to be that it was subconscious, so he could find Donna and retire. This is concocted as something Donna just thought up, which is a lot less satisfying than if it was something the Doctor had to discover. This also spits in the face of a lot of past moments. The Doctor likes adventure, though admittedly has at times wanted to retire but felt he was unable. Wouldn’t he justify to himself now that he can do twice as much life saving? Coming up with a reason for him to call it quits isn’t impossible, but it should take a lot longer and be more about an internal struggle unlike what he’s seen before instead of being done in a few conversations in at best three episodes, but really just this one. The Doctor has already experienced the death of loved ones and failing to help people as much as he could. What’s different about now? The show must not even really believe in this, as the Fourteenth Doctor is left with his own TARDIS, which strongly suggests this isn’t the last of him. 

Hopefully it isn’t, as this “ending” is so quick and unearned. It doesn’t even distinguish itself from the many breaks of the Doctor. The emotional gravatas it is given feels like a trick just waiting to be retconned. 14 saying how happy he is retired feels way too easy, ignoring the aforementioned breaks he’s done, like between series nine and ten. The need to help that would push someone that’s gone so hard and so long fighting isn’t just going to go away. The best way to interpret this is as just a finale to the previous Davies era, as that was just a few years instead of sixty and almost every episode of it starred Tennant. A lot of the various eras of the show feel a bit distinct, but this episode still asks to be so much more and ultimately invites more questions. Even if the Tennant incarnation is just tired and wants to be both alive and retired, what about the others? Will 14 not one day die and perhaps be replaced by another risky adventurer?

While bigeneration isn’t a bad idea, it does only seem to be here for the sake of giving us more Tennant if it’s ever needed, instead of it really being dug into. A lot of exploration could occur for it and admittedly it might happen. A bit more would help the episode. There have also been a few times where we’re supposed to see Tennant off, so it’s increasingly ridiculous when he’s brought back. It does in a way make sense the Doctor could not let go of being Tennant, considering he felt he could do so much more in The End of Time. Those trying to calculate our hero’s age usually have the Tenth as around the youngest tenured, so perhaps to the Doctor, he is the one that got away? Still, it’s probably for the best that he avoids this incarnation considering that 10 cheated death once before in series four, with this episode featuring his third regeneration, all relatively soon after the last one.

OVERVIEW

Obviously it’s not objective what the best interpretation of what the Doctor is is, but Russell T. Davies’ approach of the character being essentially anything, such as that he can now do what’s shown in the episode or affirming the Timeless Child story, erases the Doctor really even being a character. He doesn’t have any wants or drive, as in an instant he could be something else. This admittedly is a problem that plagues any long running character, such as superheroes. It can get to the point where it might seem too boring to some to not go in a “this person is basically Jesus” way. It was so much more special when he was just a weird alien with a box that admittedly didn’t aspire as massive of change. As the Twelfth Doctor once powerfully said, he does what he does just because it’s kind, but that message is diluted when it’s suggested he does so because he’s really so great and special. Due to the frankly broken story of The Giggle, including the blatant attempts to force emotions out of a hat, all this comes off as laziness. What if Davies’ real reasoning is wanting an excuse to make simply a sci-fi show under the Doctor Who name instead of understanding the legacy he is a part of? He would not be the first to change things up, but he might be the first to really run with radically transforming what the Doctor is or acts like.

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder // 14th Doctor Specials (2023) Review Part 2

A frame from the episode

Wild Blue Yonder at its heart is a simple and effective mystery. Wisely, it uses the space-filling scenes of walking and talking to give some degree of development for our leads. As such, there is a lot to like here, though as a whole the product suffers serious issues. While much of the information we learn about the story of the episode is nice, it mostly comes down to “The Doctor can’t figure it out, so he wanders around until it clicks.” At one point the antagonist explains part of it for the Doctor, which is a trope that doesn’t allow for real intrigue. Why would a villain do that? However, just like last time, David Tennant and Catherine Tate clearly know the show well and handle the absurdities admirably. Their interaction with Isaac Newton, played by Nathaniel Curtis, is very funny for what it is. It would’ve been nice if this episode was more about them flying around to different time periods and having such novelty adventures. Seeing Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott again is heartwarming. It is wonderful we got to see him before he died, which he did before even filming all his scenes for these specials.

Both The Doctor and Donna have scenes where we get a good look at the sorts of stressors and trauma they’ve gone through. The scenes of The Doctor are especially good, due to it following the general theme of The Doctor trying to force down the pain of adventures gone wrong. Donna talking about her family moving on falls flat due to the stakes never being very high. However, it would work under a more intense situation. The episode sets up the threat as particularly villainous, but once again the Doctor can almost magically think a way through. Donna, who generally is not going to give up without a fight, seems too quick to here.

This episode’s antagonist and sets are not unlike how such are handled in the budget episodes the show does, where the Tardis team and usually other characters are on a ship and a baddie tries to get them. As such, it is a real shame this is supposed to be part of a very short anniversary series when we could be focusing on something that either tackles the main story of why the Doctor regenerated into Tennant or the history of the show. Even the structure of the story is similar to other cost-friendly outings. This episode would work a lot better with the next Doctor and companion. This could explore how those two think and will interact with each other. Maybe the next companion is the type to quickly become so stressed she is convinced she will die and thus she discusses her wish for her family to move on from her, as Donna does here?

The visual look of the story and the baddies are both effectively creepy and unsettling. With the latter, it can be looked at as a metaphor for confronting your own personal demons. The exploration of the lead’s inner emotions, especially in response to the villains, feels like a tease when the episode would feel more complete if it came to some resolution. This doesn’t mean to fix their problems entirely, just to make them seem like it led to a point. One episode that did this quite well is Vincent and the Doctor, which looked at how the depression of a person both informs themselves and those around them. Another issue is how convenient a lot of it is, such as the salt shaker.

SPOILERS

The pacing could be improved, like in the beginning when the leads cool off emotionally, so the Doctor and Donna are seemingly about to start the usual of exploring a new environment. Next, the Tardis goes away, they both get inflamed, and the Doctor uncharacteristically judgy, before going back to exploring. What would work a lot better and be more suspenseful is if the two wander around, problems start arising, so they decide to leave only to find the Tardis is long gone. That could continue the escalation of tension, instead of setting it up. Seeing as the Tardis has never “run away” before, it’s ultimately a disappointment when the issue was so low scale and easily beatable.

The Doctor comes off as idiotic for leaving Donna behind. This could’ve served the story or themes by tying into the Doctor feeling like he could’ve handled the situation with the Flux better. Alternatively, what if the Doctor deliberately did this so as to defeat the baddies? Maybe he needed to use the Tardis to analyze fake Donna in some way? Can we at least see some fury from Donna for how horrifying and traumatic that would be? How can she ever forgive the Doctor for that? Here, she seems cordial with him in the end.

OVERVIEW

Similarly to the last special, my takeaway is that while this is a decent piece of Doctor Who, it is lacking in much real adventure or meaning that could make the tale more engaging or meaningful to the overall narrative of this era. This episode has several different tones, from goofy absurdist sci-fi, to drama, to everyone severely lacking confidence, to having it in droves. Why not treat these three stories with Tennant as a coda to his era, which admittedly would be a bit difficult due to The End of Time essentially being that? New ground these 2023 episodes could cover is how the Doctor impacts the family of his companions well after they’ve met him. It could cover what would lead him to regenerate into a past life. While that will probably be detailed next special, it could’ve been more prevalent throughout. We could also see more past characters. Following all this, the first series with Ncuti Gatwa could have all the concepts of these Tennant episodes, but spread out. One episode is committed to being absurdist, another focuses on a historical figure, another is really depressing, etc. Regardless, Wild Blue Yonder is fair enough when taken on its own terms, though is too by the books.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast // 14th Doctor Specials (2023) Review Part 1

When did this show become normal to me?

The Star Beast is more style over substance. Those that are getting back into Doctor Who for Russell T. Davies will find a lot of his trademarks, which maybe were emphasized more heavily for this outing that is designed to appeal to people that had fallen off the show since Davies left in essentially 2009. In fact, a lot of it is laid on a little too thick. Essentially at random, David Tennant as The Doctor can burst into some witty or comedic tangent. The mock trial is the prime example. While that and many other scenes do a disservice to the tone, they are at least entertaining. Tennant himself is very breezy with the material, doing a better job than most would at balancing all these disparate tones.

The opening scene of Tennant and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble monologuing about their past encounters and where their minds are at proves succinctly that these actors have a solid grasp of their characters, even when their lines are extremely unnatural. To give the writing some credit, it seems this opener is not even supposed to be canon, just being here to establish the episode. Much of the information is said later on in the story, so why even have this? Tennant is also in front of a greenscreen of space, which implies he’s just out in the stars standing on literally nothing. One of the biggest issues with the 2000s-present era of Doctor Who is how it can be mostly serious, but include odd bits of absurdity that really pull you out of the moment. While it’s good and also common for this show to go for these stylings, some scenes really ask to be taken seriously and they just can’t be because of this sort of thing. They can be balanced a lot better.

The pacing also is often very fast, with little time to let us sit in a certain situation, which makes that situation feel pointless. A lot of information is shot out in long exposition from characters in ways that don’t feel realistically written or it doesn’t make sense why they even would be monologuing. The music choice can also be offbeat, like the light guitar music after the opening titles that sticks out against the intimidating setup. A very common problem in the show that is especially bad here is when the heat gets down on the Doctor, but then he pulls his sonic screwdriver out and saves the day with far too much ease. Later, there’s a wheelchair that also just seems to be able to do whatever is needed for the plot.

The best performance in the episode is the relatively lowkey Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble. Sylvia is rightfully terrified that her daughter might die, though then when required the character will stay off to the side, even when you’d think she would want to be more active and trying to keep Donna safe. Her pain is also played for laughs, when it could make for a really touching and dramatic plot point if taken seriously. You regardless can’t deny how heart wrenching it is when she’s yelling at Donna that the alien right in front of her isn’t real, because she’s so afraid of what will happen. Catherine Tate herself is very effective in her role of a selfless mother and person in general that always wants to do the right thing, while being easily agitated.

Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble gives a fine portrayal, as well. It would’ve been better if her story of feeling like an outcast connected more to the main plot. It arguably does a little, but the general disconnect makes her feelings come off as tacked on. That being said, it’s certainly not uncommon for shows like this to include relatively blatant commentary of whatever is going on culturally. Also, Rose being trans does play into the storyline and it couldn’t easily be replaced with something else. It does feel like we are being given a message, as opposed to a story, when this comes up. Rose is supposed to be fifteen, though Finney was eighteen and looks a little older.

Note that this episode is pretty much the closest thing to the 60th anniversary special. It aired on the 25th of November, two days off of the actual day of the 23rd. Thus, it’s disappointing how few references there are to the history of the series. Hopefully such a thing would be included in the later episodes with Tennant, possibly whenever it’s explained why the Doctor looks like a past incarnation. Considering the fact that it was established on the 50th anniversary that the Doctor may regenerate into his “favorite” incarnations essentially explains this.

SPOILERS

Rose trying to hide Beep the Meep from everyone else doesn’t serve much purpose. Donna immediately finds the Meep. There’s not even a scene where Rose’s sneaky leanings lead anywhere. Later, Rose talking about feeling like she has gotten over her issues and is finally herself is pretty silly. Her problem was with feeling like an outcast due to dealing with transphobes. Those people have not gone away, nor has her dysphoria. While of course it is possible to change your mindset with that stuff, she would not just get over her stress in a second. This is a very ham fisted way to tie up Rose and her story, which could have just left her an open book that could be explored later. It also would’ve been interesting if the episode covered the fact that if she had not trusted Beep the Meep, the Meep may not have been able to do as much damage as was done. The Doctor was similarly loosely responsible for some of the deaths the Meep caused, which is not taken very seriously or even looked at.

The Doctor seemingly made Donna remember him so she knew what buttons to press, but couldn’t he have just told her which to press? The scene of him realizing that Donna will have to die just flies in seemingly at random, like the script will contrive any reason to make it appear Donna will be killed. Tate and especially Tennant do a good job portraying this struggle, despite some theatrical dialogue and some yelling which furthermore is desperate to pull at the audience’s heart strings. What would’ve made this land better is if this was all covered over a few episodes. Maybe the Doctor feels Donna is destined to die, but he tries to keep her safe, then after a few hours of screen time he realizes he can’t? He even shows off things like the sonic screwdriver, which could remind her. That sort of moment would fit a lot better in a story just about Beep the Meep and new characters and not Donna.

One highlight is Donna acting brassy like she’s done in the past, being annoyed with herself for giving up her lottery winnings. With very little difficulty or fanfare, the day is saved essentially by the Doctor and Donna pressing a lot of buttons, as opposed to something more complex. Beep the Meep has a very over the top villain voice and overconfidence, yelling about how the Meep will win immediately before being defeated. Beep the Meep literally destroying the streets before that is undone is such an absurd way to “save the day”. Why even show such destruction if it means nothing? The workaround for how Donna can live after getting her memories back is quite clever, other than her and Rose to a degree just “letting it go”.

The sudden cliffhanger is, just like much of this episode, a little too convenient. Seeing as Donna is now learning about her past, why not just have her decide to go with the Doctor, instead of it happening by accident? I feel bad for Sylvia.

OVERVIEW

As a Doctor Who fan, I really enjoyed this. However, The Star Beast suffers in delivering a structured and competent narrative, feeling like a collection of tropes. As an example, there are points where the heroes would be worse off if something happened even a few seconds off from when it did. Embracing the silliness of this concept, as seems to be done by the way the creatures look and their names, works in isolation, but it should’ve been married to a story that will let that thrive. The lightness of the threats and how clean most of the issues are does not fit with the fifteen year long storyline of Donna and her threatened safety, which asks for something more serious.