Doctor Who's Forgotten Supervillain Story
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
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Today I review 'The Lazarus Experiment', where Mark Gatiss turns into a giant, creepy scorpion monster. Oh, and the episode is okay too.
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#DoctorWho #Series3 #Review
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It's sure handy for whovians outside the UK 😉
I don't care about your stupid product
"The machine opens up and reveals that Lazarus has been transformed into a horrifying monster... Mark Gatiss"
Bloody hell, I thought this was a family friendly show??
I know. Horrible.
What?
This actually made me yell wow
That line actually made me spit my drink out :D
So mean. 🤣
Next week, The Doctor and Martha face their most dangerous and deadly foe yet: Chris Chibnall and his recurring time based plots.
“I’m sorry did he say you could change what it means to be human?” Love this line
It's a story like the previous Dalek stories - a very good story marred by some bad CGI / makeup. But worth watching. Overall, the Martha season is my favorite after the Donna season. I'll forgive it some bad CGI and a couple of so-so stories.
Agreed. The Martha season was strong as an overarching plot/whole and I really loved it (up until the wishy thinking bringing the Doctor back)
The line "some people live more in 20 years than other do in 80. It's not the time that matters it's the person" really hit me harder a few years ago when I had a dear friend pass away. He was only 23 when he died but had lived a good and full life to that point and was at a good place in his life when he passed. His death was sudden and tragic and unexpected and really hit me hard but that line really helped me in the process of finding peace with his passing.
There’s actually a deleted scene from Daleks in Manhattan explaining that the New York trip is a detour, I wish they had kept it in the episode since it would have completely fix the weird narrative from that two parter. They do kind of mention it on the actual episode but it’s easy to miss
I think Lazarus Experiment is not particularly great as a Doctor vs Monster episode, but is a fantastic character exploration epsiode. Not just the Jones family, but also of the Doctor himself. Its one of the earliest deep looks into how the Doctor feels about his long life span and old age.
I rewatched it just the other day in fact, and I loved it a lot more than I thought I would. I think it's one of the stronger episodes from this season, even if it is also a complete out of genre experience for Doctor Who (no aliens save the Doc himself)
Exactly. 10's monologue about it get tiring is so well made.
The direction and cinematography is some of the best I've seen in Who.
What else has this guy done? Gridlock, The Doctor's Wife, and Night Terrors? Yup, that explains it. One of the show's best. Like his other three entries, everything's so sleek and dynamic - there's not a single stale angle.
it Makes you wonder why he didn’t become showrunner after RTD...
@@mgthestrange9098 Eh, after Moffat.
Moffat is a good writer but he did make some questionable choices as showrunner. Although, still better than Chibnall, at least Moffat didn’t spaff 56 years Of the show up the wall.
@@mgthestrange9098 That's pretty much how I feel, too. Moffat was far from perfect but, Chibnall is more or less impossible to beat in terms of monumental failures.
@@darrensmith8730 yeah but everyone wanted her out like God damn the hypocrisy of people
Blink and you'll miss it I love that in the main show room there's Galifreyan patterns everywhere on the walls (same pattern on the masters ring) foreshadowing The Master as the man who funded and helped Lazarus on the project which he states in the season finale
I just realized by him helping Lazarus he probably found out how to make the laser screwdrivers ability to age the doctor
THANK YOU! I’ve been saying this for years, and when I point it out to folks they’ve never noticed it before. Granted I didn’t notice myself till after a rewatch or 2, but still think the background foreshadowing is nicely done.
I noticed it right away. Then I thought I was being paranoid, they were just circles... But no, it was indeed connected to the Master 😁
Francine is a pretty good character all round. The actress (whose name I can never remember) is great.
I thought so too! the way she doesn't like/trust the Doctor could've made her overly annoying or whiny but often I find myself sympathising or even agreeing with her.
@@frances7575 - She did a great turn in a show called Wire In The Blood around the same time. Very different role but her performance is harrowing.
@@FTZPLTC I'll take a look! cheers
(Adjoa Andoh is her name)
@@dexterhill5843 - Cheers!
I love the shot of the Lazarus labs sign with everyone running past it.
This episode has great cinematography
I just wished somebody else played the role instead of Mark Gatiss. Don't get me wrong I like Mark Gatiss, but he ends up playing a very similar kinda role everywhere and its kinda hard to take him seriously when he self-inserts himself in everything.
Dont know if you listen to Big Finish audios, but Mark Gatiss played an alternative version of the Master, it was GREAT, could easily be my favorite, if it had other appearances.
@@humbertoquadros9384 I have heard good reviews about it, but haven't had the oppurtunity to actually hear it out. I don't mind Gatiss, he is a good actor, i just don't like the over-saturation of him.
Yeah he does tend to play some posh guy. In Doctor Who and Sherlock too
@@blobfish5730 yeah. He always plays the snotty rich guy, who sprouts annoying one liners.
You should watch League of Gentlemen. You'll not only be disturbed but see his weird range as an actor. For example his character as the nudist wife of a toad loving weirdo obsessed with masturbation......
Or Mickey, the spotty moron at the job centre.
Or Iris, the thick cleaner with an amazing sex life who works for a posh woman who looks down on her and judges her but is ultimately in a sterile loveless marriage unlike Iris.
Believe me, its a fucking incredible series and makes it hard to look at Mark Gatiss as a normal person and not dressed up in some gross costume or as an ugly woman.
Im pretty sure Harold Saxon is actually in this episode. During the scene where Lazarus de-ages himself, a man covers his face who, shot from behind, looks a lot like John Simm
9:08 a line later recited for the passing of the young actor who played a child Master in The Sound of Drums.
I. I have been watching this show for fifteen years and have only now realised that it is Mark Gatiss and not Matt Damon.
I thought it was Matt Damon doing a good accent.
For thirteen years.
Lili Anderson Have you.....ever looked at Matt Damon?
@@obiwankenobi687 Yes??? I have no fucking idea what my brain was doint
this comment has no right to be this funny. thirteen years how??
Stephen Greenhorn is a very respected writer; one of the few Russell refuses to edit for, holding total faith in him.
Whilst the first and last scene are phenomenal (my favourite variation of Martha's theme as she's left behind), everything else is a little...clunky? Act 2 is a bit of a drag, descending into a monster-of-the-week run around. And the stuff in the church...Christ! Just screams "Still had twenty minutes to kill." But if it wasn't for this episode, I wouldn't be a Jones Family apologist. The fact that Greenhorn understood those characters without Russell's assistance is testament to his writing ability.
_I'll never understand why it's so hated._ Not good, by any means, but I enjoy it.
The Jones family are a favourite of mine too. I think this is one of the early examples of a series arc weakening an individual story. It sets up plenty of stuff I like in the finale, the Dr aging, Saxon messing with the Jones family, Tish working for him, the mum trying to get Martha away from the Dr. But the story itself is just about functional and that's all you can say about it.
@@Ben-vf5gk - very true, it feels like a more subtle Fugitive, but still Fugitive. Speaking of which, have you seen those bizarre clips just uploaded to the Doctor Who RUclips? The show's never needed to recap a whole series before, just goes to show how messy it really was.
@@nightowl8477 The only thing that made me really go "are you kidding me?" from the Dr Who RUclips was a specific trailer for the finale. It showed the Dhawan Master and said "we've *Mastered* the art of surprise". Oh for God's sake, and I even liked Spyfall.
Not even Moffat would be that pleased with himself.
@@Ben-vf5gk - it is the strangest marketing I've seen on the show. No trailer for months and months and months, no news what so ever and then - _bam!_ *Here's the guest cast list, here's a recap, here's every Major plot point,* _JACK'S BACK!!!_ Very, very strange. All we need is two trailers, just try to normal, Doctor Who.
I actually really liked this episode, CG doesn't bother me much
Series 3 is underrated, this episode is great
no
@@exterminateexterminate9751 Just my opinion
@@standardgrapes Only joking! Love season 3 too, just don;t think its underrated. Everyone loves it!!!!
@@exterminateexterminate9751 Ok
*cough cough* badly dated CGI *cough cough cough*
This is a good video, kinda makes me want to watch the episode again. On the other hand, that NordVPN Doctor photoshop is CURSED
I was going to say the premise "what if humans could essentially regenerate?" is too big for an episode of the TV. But the thing is this episode doesn't even try and do anything with that premise. Even episodes that play with subject matter that could have made for a whole series like Sound of Drums do still show an interest in that idea. Whereas here, the idea of "what would a society of humans that could keep de-aging themselves look like?" isn't explored at all. Instead it's a bad CGI monster run around that despite lacking any nuance still has flowery dialogue.
I feel it would have been more interesting if Lazarus was researching proto-Tocolfane on behalf of Mr. Saxon. Strange, clunky, organic droids, like an earlier model of the Toclofane. He doesn't turn into a monster at all, he's just a lower threat Master-type villain.
@@nightowl8477 I actually think the Toclofane didn't need setting up (aside from Utopia though we didn't know that was set up at the time). Hell we don't even need a large scale de aging story. Just a character piece about Lazarus, how de-aging affects him psychologically, sort of like what S9 did with Ashildr. Maybe we skip years in the future and find he still does it. Anything except ignore the premise and have him turn into new who's murka.
is it sad that these videos are the highlight of my thursdays?
Not at all! I'm glad you enjoy them :) Thanks for the support!
honestly when i was a kid, the monster in this terrified me. like to the point i couldn't bring myself to rewatch it. No idea why looking back now...
"It probably looked great in 2007"
...I remember 2007, it didn't ;D
This was so scary back in the day but now... it just doesn’t pack the same punch in terms of visual spectacle
8:50 shout out to the Doctor for holding the sonic screwdriver like a SWAT team holds a gun
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Can we talk about Harbo Wholmes makes the smoothest transitions into Sponsorships?
Chris Chibnall at the end was scarier than Lazarus.
the nordvpn ad starts at 6:30, but you can skip ahead to 8:05 :)
A horrifying monster - MARK GATISS I laughed so hard!
The lab scene may be a call back to the third Doctor but the bigger Easter Egg is when he reverses the polarity later on, and mentions he is a little out of practice, because the third Doctor was always reversing the polarity on things. It was the only bit of techno babble that Jon Pertwee liked when he first came across it, he famously struggled with the techno babble so they often had to simplify things, so when they came across a bit of techno babble he actually liked they proceeded to use it everywhere.
Posting this on a bunch of your videos to help metrics:
Thank you so much for making this series. Doctor Who was my favourite tv show as a kid, and was literally the only interest that every member of my family had in common, so it was very special to us growing up. Watching all your deep dives into each of the NuWho episodes has been a very nostalgic experience for me, so thank you thank you xx
I only recently discovered this channel but there was something really compelling about your narration that I decided to subscribe and binge all your content 🙈
Me: So what episode next? Human Nature?! Yes! Oh wait, that episode 8, then what am I forgetting...
Cue 14:44
Me: Oh dear...it's the creator of Cube Man! XD
This channel makes me feel a lot less childish and a lot more intellectual for still loving doctor who
Moving up in the world, getting sponsored by Nord. Keep up the good work.
Perhaps they could start an offshoot for Doctor Who fans... "Nerd VPN" :)
Doctor who having a Necromorph like monster with a horrifyingly odd face is enough to terrify a kid, and even now it's oddness makes it still have a presence.
Honestly, other the face, I think that the CGI Monster isn't the worst thing I've seen in NuWho and is still fairly creepy even to this day. Like the fact the only human thing left is the face compared to the horrific body is still fairly unsettling and sends chills down my spine now even if it looks a little awkward.
It’s a fun episode, well written, the doctor beats the bad guy in a cool way and saves Martha, what’s not to like? People need to stop watching doctor who like it’s some serious period drama like the crown, it’s a fun show about an immortal time travelling alien, just enjoy it, watch it with this with this mindset and you won’t find an episode you don’t like 👍
It’s taken me a while to find someone who also agrees that people need to not take everything so seriously and enjoy the silly stuff.
The CGI was actually quite good in this episode, it was just the texturing that made it look poor. The face was the main issue with it.
I wouldn’t say it’s forgotten. I mean anyone seeing that monster will never forget it!
I think this was actually the first episode I saw, it aired when I was like 4 and I saw bits of it.
The lazuras scorpion creature scared the shit out of me lmao
Martha really is the most underrated companion ever. I like her so much more than Rose or Donna tbh.
Me too. She's really great in Torchwood too
@@blobfish5730 Indeed =)
This might be the first episode of Doctor Who I have seen that or The Runaway Bride.
This episode absolutely terrified me when I was younger. Couldn’t sleep for weeks!
Glad to see you loved the creature design! I think in some aspects barring the face, it holds up well.
As a kid in 2007 who watched this episode, I can confirm the CGI was good enough to terrify me for a good few years
This is the first episode I’ve ever seen.
Same
Oh no
I am surprised you are still watching then.
I'm not going to be surprised if Blink is going to be on Halloween.
Well, not quite Halloween, but the 29th!
But it's a close enough date.
The CGI villain reminds me of what happens in Doom 3, to Betruger.
Sir, your segues are a dank art.
I’ve been watching your videos these past few days. Martha Jones is one of my favorite companions.
I kind of stopped watching the show around the time Clara became the companion and have missed most of 12th’s and all of 13th’s stories.
Thank you for reminding me why I loved this show. Time to rewatch the early seasons of modern Doctor Who.
Should I give the more recent seasons a chance?
Yes! The Capaldi era (Series 8-10) is amazing. Capaldi is my favourite Doctor and Clara my favourite companion. Series 11 and 12 haven't been good in my opinion, but a lot of people enjoy them so you should definitely check them out to see what you think
Harbo Wholmes Thanks, I’ll check them out.
6:34 a good reason why: aggressive marketing.
While I do love certain parts of this episode (the interaction between the Doctor and Lazarous in the church being a highlight) and the change in dynamic for Martha and the Doctor this episode is kinda meh on my list. It's not completely terrible but does feel a little like it goes on too long and keeps extending it needlessly. More of a c-d class episode for me
Of course the Mysterious Man is played by Mrs. Trunchbull himself, Bertie Carvel
Tbh I only remembered the CGI monster
Am I the only one who got terrified by this as a kid? Honestly at the time the CGI was pretty good, enough that this was probably the second scariest Tennant episode for me as a kid (after blink)
Yes, CGI utter pap even back then but this episode is STILL fantastic, genuinly creeped me out and a great hubris / science gone mad story (and though cheesy, the whole sanctuary at the catherdral bit was a great little finish).
You forgot that the the second victim said the only hazard was choking on an olive
"the machines opens uo and revels lazurs has become a terrifying monster... Mark gatiss"
If this had good CGI it would have been remembered as a decent mid-tier story, rather than a weak point of series 3
Recently rewatched this episode and I gotta say I loved the hamminess of it all. It's good comfort Doctor Who, not so good you want to drink up every second but also good enough to keep me watching
From what I remember of how I reacted when this first aired, the CG didn't hold up the best even in 2007. The issue is the face - crucially the eyes. The transformation and the rest of the body work exactly as intended and were terrifying, but the face just looked wrong, and not in the way I think they were intending.
Martha was my favorite season.
i love this episode so much, but then again dr who s1-4 is perfect, also in this episode and others Martha uses her Doctor skills unlike the plank yaz
The Scorpion King was nearly 10 years before this episode. No one was impressed by the CGI in 2007. We had PS2
The rumour I heard, Lazarus was meant to be a returning villian, but the backlash to the CGI resulted in the idea being blackballed. Gatiss, signed a performance contract for 2 episodes, aside from writing commissions. Thus, Gatiss appeared as The Brig's great great uncle in Moffat's last stand
I love series 3 because at least every episode build up to the finale.
the doctor being disgusted by someone becoming young again is the peak of hypocrisy
But I don’t think he can choose which face he has
I can’t explain why I like this episode a lot but. I dunno. I sit down, I watch this episode, I have a great time. Fun little romp for me I suppose.
Literally just finished re-watching this episode.
Love the inside no 9 cameo. Would you ever do a inside no 9 video Harbo? And what is your favourite episode?
Kinda like this one ngl.
Imo the CGI looked pretty janky in 2007 aswell. Especially when you compare it to the Jadoon and face of Boe just a few episodes before. I feel like it might have been a conscious decision tho, as they could have easily made the Lazarus monster a practical effect, I think something like that would have been too scary for the shows intended audience designed the way it was. The practical monsters always behave very over the top (jadoon/the racnoss/etc) whilst any horrific ones like this tend to be CGI. Having his face on it as a practical affect would have made it look like something out of The Thing (especially with the body horror aspect of it) so I kind of understand why they would go for CGI in this instance
Episodes like these are usually titled "CG MONSTER EPISODE" or "HISTORICAL FIGURE EPISODE" before a story is attached to them, so I don't think it was a decision they made for this story specifically, they were kinda stuck with it.
14:45 is what Chibnall said when he started writing for doctor who
I was absolutely fucking terrified of this episode
15 minutes exploring this episode and no mention of those sweet black Chucks he wears whenever he wears the tuxedo?
got some major Resident Evil vibes from this episode, especially RE2 and RE4. Lazarus even looks like the final boss of RE4.
Unfortunately, the part about the mother's distrust or Martha runs to save The Doctor despite the protest from her loved ones - rather than a "recall" or "homage" to Rose's era, I'd would call that a rehashing of old material instead. It's not subtle enough, and it doesn't add anything to be called an homage.
The episode is a mess, the drama is over the top (I cringed at that slap, and _not_ because of the second hand pain) and Mark Gatiss' dramatic speech still couldn't save it.
idk about anyone else but this is one episode i never forget, especially when he turns on the gas
I actually really liked this episode??? I don't know what everyone's talking about the CGI being so horrific, it really isn't that bad??? Like, seriously it's not bad and I still think it holds up
I enjoyed the episode, it's just a shame that the cgi is absolute dross
Excuse me? Early coldplay was fantastic and definitely worth seeking out.
I completely forgot about this episode, but I do remember thinking that the CGI monster looked bad.
Honestly I really like this episode, and if you’re someone who knows the entire backstory of the Time Lords it is really quite interesting looking back.
The Doctor says himself he has experience with regeneration. In many ways what Lazarus does to himself is no different from what Time Lords did to themselves to allow regeneration. The only real difference is how progressed Time Lord science was in comparison to Lazarus’ science in modern day Earth.
I think what specifically separates Time Lords and Humans is simply genetics, not necessarily regeneration. The Doctor reveals that what Lazarus has done is no different than what early Time Lords did before regeneration. The only difference is genetics. The Doctor says himself that Lazarus unlocked something hidden within human DNA. When he unlocked the act of regeneration, rather than all the cells in his body dying and bursting beams of light his body remains the same, except to keep his body young he transforms into a monster and sucks the youth out of other people.
I suppose the moral of the story is that any species is potentially capable of regeneration, however the genetic code of a species plays a big factor and tampering with that code can unlock anything hidden deep down within the depths of a species DNA and evolution.
Having watched this in 08, the monster never looked good. But the story is good.
where did the tier list go? it doesn't take away from the video. but as a series... as a whole i enjoyed waiting until the end. anyway, another notch video essay. I love this episode when it came out.
Also, Lady Thora was played by Mavis from Coronation street...if you’re old enough to remember that.
Yassss getting that sponsor! Well done mate well deserved
Normally the sponsored videos annoys me but seeing sponsor got your channel always makes me happy for you. Keep up the good work I really love to see that you are getting places, I kinda feel like watched you grow up ahhahahah. I will try and support you on patreon if i ever be able to afford. Thank you so much for your content
Keep forgetting this guy actually liked Moffat as a showrunner
I always assumed Gatiss wrote this episode
Im going to be very sad when you get to the post-RTD seasons 😭😭
Personally I really enjoy this episode, it's always sorta confused me when people rag on the CGI Lazarus monster in it, I think it looks pretty good and the animations are great, the only thing I don't jive with is how he just has a normal face on the monstrous body, I think it would've been cooler to have it still look vaguely human but be more contorted and disturbing
Im dreading and looking forward to next weeks episode at the same time. Great Job as always man
I think we can all agree that doctor who is an amazing show
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT'S EVEN MORE AMAZING
N O R D V P N
This is my 3rd favourite Tennant story
I don't really need that program because I do have my own portable chargers called my phone that is my portable TARDIS or Relative Dimension in Space
My version of the Fifteenth Doctor (and one of his companions) got slapped by a third mother-of-a-companion
lazarus be looking like hbomberguy