| The E-Space Trilogy is a well-regarded trio of stories from the tail end of Tom Baker’s tenure as the Doctor (and the show’s 18th season), and find him lost in a parallel universe full of alarming new foes; the trilogy also serves as a farewell to one of the Doctor’s best-loved companions, Romana (Lalla Ward) and an introduction to one of his most controversial, the teenaged Adric (Matthew Waterhouse). The TARDIS enters the alternate universe--known as Exo-Space or E-Space in 1980’s Full Circle, which finds the Doctor and Romana charting a course for their home planet of Gallifrey but instead finding themselves on the planet Alzarius, where a small band of humanoids find conflict within their number as well as from menacing, reptilian Marshmen. One of the humanoids, a teenager named Adric, stows away aboard the TARDIS and accompanies the Doctor to a new planet in State of Decay; there, they discover a medieval-like society in the grip of three lords who demand sacrifice from the population. The true identity of the lords lends an air of Hammer-style horror to the story, which is perhaps the most engaging of the set. Finally, an escape route from E-Space is revealed in Warriors’ Gate, but first, the Doctor and his companions must contend with a slave ship and its cargo of lion-like creatures called Tharils. Though the Doctor is eventually freed from E-Space, his departure does not come without its costs, as revealed by the final fate of Romana and fan favorite K-9 Mk II. Though by no means among the best of the Baker episodes, the E-Space Trilogy delivers plenty of thrills in its three stories. Fans may find areas to quibble over--especially in regard to Adric, whose presence pales in comparison to Baker’s previous companions--but they bear up well in regard to solid plotting and consistent entertainment, especially when compared to the lighter tone of the previous season, which was overseen by Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. Baker and Ward are once again the anchors of the show, and her departure is an unfortunate one (the Doctor would struggle to find an equally strong companion in the years that followed); Baker of course, remains a pleasure as the Time Lord, though one can occasionally perceive his growing dissatisfaction with the role (he would depart the series at the end of the season). And perhaps that’s the reason why he is absent from the set’s wealth of extras, leaving Waterhouse to contribute the majority of the commentaries, though Ward weighs in on Warriors’ Gate. Archival footage from UK TV chronicles Waterhouse’s debut on the series and preserves the original continuity announcements from the BBC broadcasts, while featurettes cover everything from Ward’s stylish wardrobe to the making of each episodes. One of the most interesting extras is “Leaves of Blood,” a 20-minute examination of vampires in literature and history, and featuring comments by such noted authors as Ramsay Campbell and Kim Newman. Deleted scenes and an isolated score option round out the supplemental features. -- Paul Gaita |
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 Night must fall, Romana, even in E-SPACE |
| Review Date: January 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kevin J. Loria, New Orleans, LA USA |
"One good solid hope's worth a cart-load of certainties..." well, any fan worth their salt will certainly want this set...
The on-again-off-again blocks of tight continuity and multi-episode story arcs of the new Doctor Who series has already primed fans for the return of this string of CLASSIC Doctor Who stories and some of the best of Tom Baker's final season as the 4th incarnation of the Timelord. This set comes not only at a peak of the show's popularity, but during the restyling of the shows look (and sound). Producer John-Nathan Turner, retooled, the theme and graphic for the 80's, even the Doctor's threads, JNT introduced his appropriately somber plum gear. This set contains the finest examples of all of those changes, end for the Timelady Romana and K9, also the beginning of the end for the 4th Doctor.
"Full Circle" is the first of this arc featuring not only an introduction E-Space, a smaller universe with a universe, but the Doctor's questionable next companion, Adric. Adric is a sortof smarter-version of the 2nd Doctor's Highlander companion Jamie, crossed with Dickens' "Artful Dodger." Will Sci-fi writers never learn, the arrogant oversmart teenager is never appealing on screen, just as poor ole' Weasley Crusher. "Full Circle" for it's faults contains some great moments for Baker to chew-up the scenery, and some superb costuming, the Marshmen ala' creatures of the Black Lagoon. "Full Circle" is a tale of a culture apparently stuck in endless preparations for a "return home" with several dark secrets which further delay their journey. Determined to get "back to the basics" and have the Doctor solving problems without any quick fixes, the producers planned to remove K9 from the series. Already, opening the season with him exploding in saltwater, the assault on K9 continues having him spend much of this 4 parter with his head off.
The next story "State of Decay" is the best of the three...finally VAMPIRES in the Doctor Who Universe (or in this case an E-Space universe)...The Doctor tells in hoarse whispers how "every known planet has legends of vampires" and reads ancient tales of the early Timelords and the war with the Great Vampire and his minions, he reveals how after the bodies were tallied, he remained unaccounted for. Before Steven Moffat's episodes aired, State of Decay was surely the creepiest of the long running series. An ancient rocket, it's fuel tanks filled, not with fuel, but BLOOD!! Hoo, hoo! Genius! An the superb attention to atmosphere in "the village," even Romana's wardrobe to the Hammeresques trio of kingly vampires...Genius, I say again.
Finally, the escape from E-Space in "Warrior's Gate." Featuring a strange and interesting use of a virtual environment, while fairly common now was less successful in past attempts when the series worked "set-less." Here I feel it works well achieving the "nowhere" effects (much like the 2nd Doctor's visit to the Land of Fiction), although much of this episode is overcomplicated and artsy. The cat-people make-up, of the Thrails and the neat Gundan robot warriors all add the high-concept effort of this unique story. In some early moments two of the crew of the Slaver ship indulge an homage to "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" even including the coin. The story follows a cat-like race that while once cruel masters themselves, are currently in need of liberating, the Doctor's prime hobby. As always more great dialog, gems like the Doctor's, "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it." and from Romana, "Astral Jung!" The final farewell to Romana and K9 is brief and less moving than many departures in the show's history, although the Doctor assures us that she will be more than just alright...she'll be SUPERB.
The E-Space Trilogy is a really good set of DVDs to own at a pretty good price.
E-SPACE DRINKING GAMES...Drink whenever:
...the TARDIS Monitor shows an exterior shot of someplace they're not.
...you see a technacothaka or any other quirky turn of phrase like the "Three Who Rule," "the Wasting" or even "Mistfall."
...K9 is broken, abused or otherwise written out of the story.
...the Doctor misquotes Shakesphere...like 'He who outlives this day and comes safe home shall stand a tiptoe when this day is named and rouse him at the name of E-Space!"
...the Doctor says, "SWARMED" ...what? "Swarmed."
...Adric seemingly or actually betrays Romana to gangs or vampires.
...a character melodramatically utters the title, example. "...we've come Full Circle!"
...we see an establishing shot that is a model or a matte...like the STARLINER, The Tower, the Warriors Gate or the long shots of the SlaveShip.
...the Doctor shows off his (architectural) expertise and misses the mark like in the Tower of the Lords in "State of Decay" he says the decor is rococo when actually it's late Saxon/early Romanesque...oh snap!
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The extras....in case you are wondering.......
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| Review Date: February 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. Hazard, Southwest Virginia |
These Classic Who stories from the Tom Baker years stand up well on their own,
(I'd give each story 3 1/2 - 4 stars - the main weakness for me being the character of Adric - although I'd take the character of Adric over the character of Peri, of the Peter Davidson and Colin Baker eras, any day),
but what makes this set really shine are the extras. Elsewhere on the web you can find folks enjoying or dissing various aspects of these extras, but I enjoyed them all (having watched the region 2 releases.)
My one main disappointment with this set is the absence of Tom Baker in the Commentaries or interviews.
Since Amazon US has not yet added a full description of the Extras included with this set, here they are (as posted on Amazon's UK site)......
Special Features:
Disc 1 - Full Circle
Commentary - with actor Matthew Waterhouse, writer Andrew Smith and script editor Christopher H. Bidmead.
All Aboard the Starliner - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
K-9 in E-Space - a look at the robot dog's role in the E-Space arc. With actors Lalla Ward, John Leeson, script editor Christopher H Bidmead, writers Andrew Smith and Terrance Dicks.
Swap Shop - Noel Edmonds chats to Matthew Waterhouse and takes calls from viewers of the Saturday morning entertainment show after Waterhouse's first appearance as Adric.
E-Space - Fact or Fiction? - Could E-Space really exist? A look at the science behind the concept of Exo-Space featuring script editor Christopher H Bidmead, visual effects designer (and Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society) Mat Irvine, authors Stephen Baxter and Paul Parsons, planetary scientist Dr Andrew Ball and astronomer and television presenter Sir Patrick Moore.
Continuity - BBC continuity announcements from the original transmission.
Photo Gallery
Isolated Score
Coming Soon
PDF Material
Programme Subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes
Disc 2 - State of Decay
Commentary with actor Matthew Waterhouse, director Peter Moffatt and writer Terrance Dicks.
The Vampire Lovers - cast and crew look back at the making of this story.
Film Trims - mute 35mm film trims from the model effects filming for the story, featuring alternative takes of the Tower and the scout ship staking the Great Vampire.
Leaves of Blood - a history of Vampires in literary fiction featuring authors Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Gallagher, Kim Newman, Pete Crowther, Simon Clark, Alison L R Davies, Chris Fowler and vampire specialist Dr Tina Rath.
The Blood Show - a fascinating insight into the use and meaning of blood in society and culture.
The Frayling Reading - cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling looks at State of Decay with reference to the vampire stories of film and literature.
Continuity - BBC continuity announcements from the original transmission.
Photo Gallery
Isolated Score
Coming Soon
PDF Material
Programme Subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes
Disc 3 - Warriors' Gate
Commentary with actors Lalla Ward and John Leeson, director Paul Joyce, script editor Christopher H Bidmead and visual effects designer Mat Irvine.
The Dreaming - cast and crew look back at the troubled making of this story.
The Boy with the Golden Star - actor Matthew Waterhouse looks back on his time on the show.
Lalla's Wardrobe - a trip through Romana's time on the show via the medium of the many costumes actress Lalla Ward wore along the way. It's a one-off Frockumentary like you've never seen before.
Extended and Deleted Scenes - missing scenes from an earlier edit of ep. two.
Continuity - BBC1 continuity announcements from the original transmission.
Photo Gallery
Isolated Score
Easter Egg - Mat Irvine talks about the Gundan axes and his own on-screen role in Warriors' Gate.
Coming Soon
PDF Material
Programme Subtitles
Production Notes
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Some of the best Who stories
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| Review Date: April 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: N. Brimelow, |
I got the R2 release of this set because I could not wait for the BBC's lethargic USA release schedule. Its ironic, Dr. Who has always been more popular around the world (and especially in the USA) because of the relative non-stop playing of the episodes. Those in the UK most likely never have seen these episodes because they only aired ONCE, and were previously on available on VHS, if you could find them.
Anyhoo, the primary reason why I purchased this set, was for the episode "Warrior's Gate," which has always been my favourite Dr. Who episode of all time. As other reviewers have stated, the extras in this release are some of the best extras I have ever seen in a dvd release. The extras are of a "documentary-level" quality, and are very thorough. What I did like especially was the interviews with the crew and directors of Warrior's Gate. Its amazing that after almost 30 years, the director is able to speak of the episode and its problems, like it was yesterday.
These three stories represent the Apex of Dr.Who, as far as I'm concerned. The episodes captured a point in time of Science-Fiction that is now long gone. |
It's about -TIME-, timelord.
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| Review Date: February 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kid Prometheus, The "I ain't welcome on this here private land" area. |
| The knew they would come round to releasing the e-space trilogy. It was a good quality set of stories and well produced(though JNT was inferior post Tom Baker's departer). My childhood memories are built on these three more than the others though most of the second half of TB and Romana, MT, LW were my Doctor Who EXP as a child of the 70s/80's in my pre and early teens. If you want good quality tales, celebrity quality acting, and a good main cast topped off with keen special effects(for the time) as well as and etheric and subtle muzak(Paddy Kingsland radiophonics) and atmospheric lighting/sets, then this is your verse, E-space. I do not yet know what features the DVD set have but I am reviewing the show because I watched it countless times(State of Decay) on my VHS recording I made in highschool and I am accurate in the point of the DVD, the story, because can be! |
I have to admit...
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| Review Date: May 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: B. Starbuck, Denver, CO United States |
...these three episodes are some of my favorites from the Tom Baker era. They were shown here in the US just as my personal enthusiasm for the show was reaching its peak and cemented my loyalty to the show for all time. They're very well written episodes and classics of the classic series.
Episode One, Full Circle, finds the Doctor, Romana and K9 in E-Space, or exo-space, outside of the normal space-time continuum of N-Space, or normal space. It introduces a new companion, Adric, who ultimately stows away aboard the TARDIS and joins the team. It's an episode that is somewhat circular in its presentation of the evolution of a species, and how the truth of origin can be lost over the course of generations. It also shows the Doctor in a sort of surrogate father role to a Marshmen youth, with some excellent one-liners from Tom Baker and poor K9's head used in a myriad of unsightly ways. The Marshmen costumes are ghastly, but the story is nicely done.
Episode Two, State of Decay, brings the element of horror to the show for the first time, introducing a vampire-like being, long thought defeated by the Time Lords, but who escaped into E-Space to avoid total annihilation, whose human servants lord over a sort of medieval, serf-like colony. There's an inkling as well, of a genuine affection between the Doctor and Romana that's really quite sweet. Then there's blood, bats, planet/life-sucking creatures of immense power, and a directive from Rassilon and the ancients of Gallifrey. What more could you ask for?
Episode Three, Warriors' Gate, is the final episode in this trilogy, and is a sort of avant-garde offering, with abstract, visceral imagery that is very dream-like and disturbing at times, as it shifts from past to present in the story of the Tharils, walkers between the universes, and heralds the departure of Romana.
Again, these three episodes are very well written stories with a depth that waned, unfortunately, as the era of John Nathan-Turner progressed, but which show Tom Baker at his best as the fourth incarnation of our favorite Time Lord. They are a must have for any Whovian's DVD library. |
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