Hanorah Words

R.I.P. Uncle Steve So, this past week, my uncle died.  My awesome family is in town and we're all mourning and having a pretty tough time. We'll come out the other side, but right now things are pretty tough. Due to this, I won't be making any new blogposts for a while. I'm thinking it will probably be a week or two, but it may be longer or shorter. On the bright side, This blog has existed for a whole year! So... I'll do something special for that.  However, my wonderful readers (all five or so of you) will have to wait for a little bit.  Thank you very much for your time and patience. Have a good day, week, month, whatever. --Hanorah

I am annoyed because you are looking at me! So, William Hartnell played the First Doctor who was originally intended to be the only  Doctor. He was a grandfather, a lover of history and science, and generally convinced that he knew better than everyone else. In short, he was the quintessential Wise Old Man Mentor Type. This Doctor is unique compared to the Doctors I've met (much later Doctors) in that he generally travels with a female and  a male. The male companion usually acts like the action hero while the Doctor acts like the smart guy. The girl is usually a damsel in distress with either a bit of brains to her (Susan Foreman, Barbara Wright, Vicki, and Polly) or an action-girl type (Sara Kingdom). However, the Doctor and the Male companion spend their time as Dumbasses in Distress too. In fact, when I first met this Doctor I was surprised by the number of times he was knocked unconscious, kidnapped, negatively affected by the environment, or var...

Introducing the Cybermen! The Tenth Planet is the second serial of Season Four of Doctor Who . It marks the last serial to feature William Hartnell as the First Doctor and the first serial to feature the Cybermen as reoccurring villains. Oh, it's also the first serial with Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. The serial is four episodes long with the last episode missing. Isn't that a surprise? Oh, and the episodes aired between October 8 and 29, 1966. Alright, so we have a pre-Halloween episode, featuring Cybermen on the Tenth Planet of our Solar System that we are as-of-yet unaware of. Have I missed anything? Oh yeah, just before Halloween the Doctor changes his face. Huh... Two Hours Later ... So, in 1986, human beings had a space station at the South Pole where we did regular atmospheric readings on our planet and others. One day, three strangers showed up at this base and a new planet appeared in the sky which was nearly identical to Earth. In fact, it was our...

This serial is the first one of Season Four of Doctor Who . It is also missing, so I'll be watching another reconstruction. This serial is the second-to-last serial with William Hartnell as the Doctor. I shall cry many tears when that happens... if it is well-done. This serial was initially broadcast in four weekly parts between September 10 and October 1, 1966. This serial is also a purely historical serial with new companions Ben and Polly who we met at the end of last season. According to Wikipedia, producers felt that viewers were getting bored with the historical episodes so they began to gradually phase them out starting with this season. That sucks. Two Hours Later ... Well, this episode picks up right where the last episode left off. The Doctor enters his TARDIS after getting a message from Polly and Ben that Dodo won't be joining him in his travels. Polly and Ben follow the Doctor into the TARDIS. The Doctor sets the TARDIS for take-off, turns around and ...

All is not as it seems... This season of Doctor Who  once again lacks and over-arching plot, but looking over the episodes, I can see a theme in the works that may or may not have been developed of "all is not at it appears" or "look beyond what is on the surface". Now hear me out. In the first episode, we have beautiful buxom blonde women who turn out to be deathly villains responsible for the whole mess while the monstrous thing turns out the be the more civilized creature. The next episode contains the discovery of a hidden plot engineered by the Daleks to take over the universe and destroy Earth and trying (but failing) to get the message out. The Myth Makers  has the Doctor pretending to be a god and then Vicki changing her name  and joining the Trojans. The Daleks' Master Plan  involves turn-coats and convincing a woman to ask questions  about things from authority figures rather than trusting them blindly... especially with said authority figures...

I think I just found the design for the last sonic screw driver... The War Machines  is the tenth and final serial of Season Three of Doctor Who . It is also the first episode since the Doctor volunteered Steven off of the TARDIS crew and expressed complete faith that he would see Steven Taylor again and the poor guy would do a fine job as a peace keeper... all because the Doctor was too lazy to stick around a little while longer  and help some people out. Not that I'm complaining or anything. This serial aired in four weekly parts between June 25 and July 16, 1966. This episode also includes Dodo Chaplet leaving the TARDIS crew so that Ben Jackson and Polly can be the new companions. Because three is too many companions for the Doctor... Oh wait... Well, I don't really know the circumstances behind why Dodo leaves and Ben Jackson and Polly NoLastName start travelling with the Doctor. I won't know until I watch the episode. Maybe I'm just being too hard on poor...

Also called The Last of Steven ! Well, folks, this is it. This is the last serial where Steven is a companion. I didn't like him for a long time and I only recently started to like him so I can't say I'm happy for him to go, but I'm not sad either. I'm really rather... meh. I'll pretty much feel the same way when Dodo Chaplet goes. She reminds me more of Susan than any of the other characters and she feels rather flat after three full serials. I just don't know how to feel about her even though she was amusing pointing a gun at Doc Holliday. Anyhow, The Savages  is the ninth serial of Season Three of Doctor Who  which aired in four weekly episodes between May 28 and June 18, 1966. Like most of the serials in Season Three, only audio and production stills are available for this serial so I'll be watching a reconstruction by Loose Cannon Inc. once again. I'm really getting used to watching stills of William Hartnell as the Doctor talks. Is that ...

The Doctor meets the Doc! The Gunfighters  originally aired between April 30 and May 21, 1966 on BBC1. These four episodes made up the eighth serial of the third season of the series and apparently will begin with the Doctor having bad teeth... which was very common in England back then if Austen Powers  is to be believed. The episode is another historical one set in 19th Century America and the days leading up to the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. So... The Doctor, Steven and Dodo are going to meet Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday! YES!!! Even better... none of these episodes are missing! I may show this serial to my step-daddy after I'm done watching it if it's any good. If it sucks, I'll just forget it exists. Two Hours Later ... Well, in this episode, the Doctor got his tooth removed by Doc Holliday. Then he was confused for  Doc Holliday. Then he was arrested as Doc Holliday. Then that whole mess got cleared up. Then the Clanton Brothers did a bunch o...

The Celestial Toymaker  is the twenty-fourth serial of Doctor Who  or the seventh serial of Season Three of the series. It originally aired in fourth weekly parts between April 2 and 23, 1966. Like most of the serials of Season Three, this serial is missing episodes. In this case, it is the first three episodes of the serial with the final episode still in the BBC archives. So, once again, I'll be mostly watching a Loose Cannon Inc. reconstruction. I would say that I'm getting to enjoy these reconstructions, but I would be lying through my teeth. I don't know much about the Toymaker himself other than the fact that the Doctor was invisible at the end of the last serial with the Refusians getting the blame for some reason while the Doctor denied the possibility of that. We'll get to see in this serial what's really going on... I hope! Two Hours Later... Well... That was interesting. Once again, I find myself wishing these serials weren't missing. ...

We're going to the future! The Ark  is the twenty-third serial of Doctor Who  or the sixth serial of Season Three of Doctor Who , a series about a time travelling alien and this companions. Our current companion line-up is Steven Taylor who I'm only just beginning to like and Dodo Chaplet who I know nothing about other than she's an orphan and she has a strong "common" accent... I'm not sure what that means, but I wanted to know what her accent was and that's what's on her character page though they say that her accent will  change. Great! Anyhow, this serial takes place in the 57th Segment of Time (whatever that means) or the year AD 10,000,000 (ten million for those of you who don't like too many zeroes). Yeay! This serial originally aired in four weekly parts from March 5 to 26, 1966. Two Hours Later... In this very interesting episode, we land ten million years in our future upon a spaceship the new companion, Dodo Chaplet, call...

Or, Steve Argues A Lot This is the fifth serial of Season Three of Doctor Who . It was first broadcast in four parts between February 5 to 26, 1966. This episode is the introduction of Dodo Chaplet as a new companion for the Doctor and, like most of Season Three, is completely missing. This episode is also supposed to feature some more characterization for Steve Taylor which may be fun. If not, well... that'll be interesting too. I don't really like Steve very much. He should've been the one to die! Not Sara Kingdom. She was tough and awesome! Two Hours Later... Wow! This serial! I really wish footage from it survived because this was an amazing episode to listen to and view clips of. I was kind of on the edge of my seat the whole time curious about what was going on and everything. I even want to read more about the War of Religions in France during the 16th century now.  I really, really liked this. First of all, the serial focuses on Steve the most. The...

Also called 3/4 Reconstruction... This partially missing epic  (being 12 episodes long) originally aired between November 13, 1965 and January 29, 1966. Most of the Doctor Who  serials have only been half as long, if that and now we have a serial that is twelve episodes long and with the pacing of some previous stories, I'm concerned that this might be boring. Of course, we leave off with Steve injured and a new companion by the name of Katarina tagging along. Of course, this is the only serial she features in. Apparently something bad happens to her... and the other person who's supposed to be the Doctor's companion, Sara Kingdom (she spells her first name wrong so she better die before Grandma sees). Like most of the Season Three serials, this serial contains three full  episodes and nine missing  episodes that I'll be viewing as reconstructions, again courtesy of Loose Cannon Productions. Six Hours Later ... Well... wow... this was a pretty dark seri...

The Greek episode! This completely missing serial first aired between October 16 and November 6, 1965. It is the last appearance of Vicki as the Doctor's companion and the first appearance of Katarina also as the Doctor's companion. The story itself is set in Homeric Troy and is based off The Iliad . Once again, I'll be watching a Loose Cannon Productions reconstruction of the episode using audio and production stills as well as any remaining footage that exists. Let's hope this serial is worth it and worth the wade-through when The Dalek's Master Plan  is on the other side! Two Hours Later... Okay, I really  enjoy these historical episodes. One could say I enjoy them a little too  much. I just like the way they play with history and try to stick to the bare bones of fact available, giving kids entertainment while educating them in the best way possible. I also love  Greek history and the legends that surround the Trojan War. I always loved the Greeks ...

Also known as Missing and Unknown . Also called The Dalek Cutaway , Mission to the Unknown  is the second serial of Season Three of Doctor Who . This episode-long serial is unique in that it stands alone between Galaxy 4  and The Myth Makers , sets up for the episode called The Dalek's Master Plan , is the last episode with Verity Lambert as the producer, and does not include any  of the current regular cast of Doctor Who . In fact, the story completely focuses on a human by the name of Mark Cory and his attempts to warn the humans of Earth of the Dalek's latest plan. As with the previous serial and most episodes of Season Three of Doctor Who , this is a missing episode. I'm watching the   Loose Cannon Productions reconstruction of this episode. It originally aired October 9, 1965. Half and Hour Later... Well, that was short, depressing and anti-climactic. The story basically centers around two characters: Mark Cory and Gordon Lowry as they try to warn Ea...

Also called 3/4 MISSING! This serial is the first serial of Season Three and three out of the four episodes are missing so I'll be watching reconstructions again. YAY! This Season Three serial premiered from September 11 to October 2, 1965 and apparently features an attractive woman with eyebrow bling. Other than that, I know nothing about this episode other than the Doctor is in it with some... objects that look like a mixture between piles of fecal matter and breasts... with shiny stuff around the bottom/base. Is it bad that my brain immediately went to that verbal description when looking at those things in the picture above? Probably. On with the show! Two Hours Later ... Ugh... This was another serial that could've been really  interesting if not for two facts. The first of which is the fact that almost the entire serial is lost with a few scant bits of footage that are also shoddy at best. The second big issue I had with this serial is the pacing . It'...

The Most Bad-Ass People I Know (Less a Few Who Couldn't Make It) Previously I did a post on "Write What You Know". Well, there's one thing I know pretty well, in my humble opinion and that's my family. They are crazy and they sometimes do things that downright piss me off, but I know that when my back is against the wall and I'm at my wits' end, they'll be the ones backing me up and telling me how stupid I am for letting the small stuff bog me down. Well, unless it comes to my writing. Then they just say, "That's nice that you like to write Hanorah, but you never finish anything. If you do, I'm sure it'll be wonderful, but until then..." Regardless of their habit of telling me the cold, hard truth about myself, I still love them to death and I know I wouldn't be the awesome person I am today without all thirty-five and counting of them. So, I want to express this in the books I write. I really do. I want to write a...

Season Two saw several changes to Doctor Who . Susan Foreman went away. The Daleks became reoccurring villains. Vicki joined the TARDIS crew. Ian and Barbara finally made it back to their own time. We got Steve. The TARDIS malfunctioned more than ever. Oh, and we met another person from the Doctor's race in a historical episode. As far as arcs go, we once again have a case of the over-arcing story being "Mad Man continues to keep two school teachers from going home, abandons his granddaughter in the past (for her own good) and picks up an orphan to replace her". However, in the second-to-last serial, the mad man does allow Ian and Barbara to finally  return to their own time (two years later). I'm not sure what kind of arc we'll have with Steve, but we have seen in the last episode that time can  be changed by someone clever enough to do it. So maybe there will be more of a conflict there. Of course, the advantage to every serial being two to six episodes ...