Business Unusual
The Doctor arrives in Brighton in 1989 and discovers that Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart has disappeared - perhaps been abducted - while investigating the insanely low-priced video game console manufactured by a company called SeneNet. Knowing that the Brigadier would not go comparison shopping without very good reason, the Doctor begins a search and rescue mission for his friend, braving the dangers of SeneNet's security, and coming face to face with the person he has been desperately attempting to avoid for years now: a computer programmer called Melanie Bush.
The plot's pretty thin on the ground here, and SeneNet turns out to be the Nestenes again making another bid to conquer Earth for their own purposes. The hallmark of a Nestene invasion plot has never been complexity; find plastic, inhabit it, invade, kill. Oh yeah, defeated by the Doctor, forgot that part.
So here she is now. Mel. Last seen at the end of The Trial of a Time Lord, the Doctor returned her to the future point in time where she was pulled from and then went out of his way to stay away from her and delay the inevitible as long as possible. In this case the inevitible is progressing down the road to his possible future of becoming the Valeyard. Another inevitiblity might be going deaf from the screaming. The Doctor has hidden behind Grant, Frobisher and Evelyn to avoid this point in time, and his attempts to keep Mel from getting involved with him only serve to egg her on to do just the opposite.
Melanie Bush is, of course, one of the least favourite companions of all time; I'm sure a lot of fans rolled their eyes at the intro story before realizing that in print, no one can hear you scream. This is the sort of thing author Gary Russell likes to do when he writes a novel; take the unfinished plot threads and try to tie them back together, eben going as far as to make sure the sixth Doctor gets some time with the Brigadier, although the latter has now already done so in The Specrte of Lanyon Moor. The Brig's continuity with Brendan school is observed as well, although if memory serves (I haven't read this book since it was published in 1997) he has not gotten married to Doris yet, which would actually put Business Unusual before Spectre. Ah continuity. I would have to read it again to be totally sure. And draw myself a continuity map...
Mawdryn Undead
The Five Doctors
The King of Terror
Downtime
Business Unusual
The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
Battlefield
Yes I'm dipping into the future there.
Ah well. So the Doctor has met Melanie Bush at last and we start moving ahead back towards the televised series. It's been forever since Jay and I sat down and watched an episode together. Soon we shall... soon...
NEXT EPISODE : MILLENIAL RITES
The plot's pretty thin on the ground here, and SeneNet turns out to be the Nestenes again making another bid to conquer Earth for their own purposes. The hallmark of a Nestene invasion plot has never been complexity; find plastic, inhabit it, invade, kill. Oh yeah, defeated by the Doctor, forgot that part.
So here she is now. Mel. Last seen at the end of The Trial of a Time Lord, the Doctor returned her to the future point in time where she was pulled from and then went out of his way to stay away from her and delay the inevitible as long as possible. In this case the inevitible is progressing down the road to his possible future of becoming the Valeyard. Another inevitiblity might be going deaf from the screaming. The Doctor has hidden behind Grant, Frobisher and Evelyn to avoid this point in time, and his attempts to keep Mel from getting involved with him only serve to egg her on to do just the opposite.
Melanie Bush is, of course, one of the least favourite companions of all time; I'm sure a lot of fans rolled their eyes at the intro story before realizing that in print, no one can hear you scream. This is the sort of thing author Gary Russell likes to do when he writes a novel; take the unfinished plot threads and try to tie them back together, eben going as far as to make sure the sixth Doctor gets some time with the Brigadier, although the latter has now already done so in The Specrte of Lanyon Moor. The Brig's continuity with Brendan school is observed as well, although if memory serves (I haven't read this book since it was published in 1997) he has not gotten married to Doris yet, which would actually put Business Unusual before Spectre. Ah continuity. I would have to read it again to be totally sure. And draw myself a continuity map...
Mawdryn Undead
The Five Doctors
The King of Terror
Downtime
Business Unusual
The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
Battlefield
Yes I'm dipping into the future there.
Ah well. So the Doctor has met Melanie Bush at last and we start moving ahead back towards the televised series. It's been forever since Jay and I sat down and watched an episode together. Soon we shall... soon...
NEXT EPISODE : MILLENIAL RITES
Labels: Autons, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, Melanie Bush, Nestenes, The 6th Doctor
posted by Sean Hoover @ 11:34 PM
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