Tread Perilously — Doctor Who: Logopolis

Tread Perilously’s annual Doctor Who month concludes with Tom Baker’s final story as The Doctor: “Logopolis.”

When The Doctor determines he must measure a real police box as part of a chameleon circuit fix, The Master springs a space-time trap on him. Meanwhile, newly hired air hostess Tegan Jovanka makes her way to Heathrow with her aunt Vanessa. Also, a mysterious Watcher observes as all paths lead to a motorway bypass some miles from the airport. Will Tegan find her way into the TARDIS? Will The Master get his revenge on The Doctor? And just who is the Watcher? All will be revealed. The moment has been prepared for, after all.

Justin is affected by the funereal tone of the whole story. Nevertheless, he is pleased to see Mrs. J in her first adventure. Tom’s somber performance is critiqued. His treatment of Matthew Waterhouse on set also gets a discussion. Erik reveals his dislike of Baker’s final Doctor costume. Block Transfer Computation gets a lot of mileage despite not making a lot of sense. Writer Christopher H. Bidmead’s obsession with entropy becomes a recurring theme. Guest star John Fraser proves to be an MVP and a wild Star Wars topic pops out of the weeds.

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Tread Perilously — Doctor Who: The Invisible Enemy

Tread Perilously continues to celebrate 90 years of Tom Baker with the Doctor Who story called “The Invisible Enemy.”

When the Virus of the Nucleus of the Swarm makes contact with human astronauts on a relief mission to Titan in the year 5000, The Doctor and Leela are also caught up in events. Soon, The Doctor is infected with the Nucleus itself while Leela is strangely immune. The pair arrive on a medical asteroid. The Doctor asks renowned scientist Dr. Marius to clone him and miniaturize the clone so The Doctor can take a fantastic voyage inside his own body. Will it stop the Swarm or will Leela prove to have the best solution?

Erik and Justin are surprised to see actor Michael Sheard twice in two weeks and go on about his time as both Admiral Ozzel in The Empire Strikes Back and Hitler in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Louise Jameson and Leela prove to be standouts even as the script constantly mentions how dumb the character is meant to be. Erik discusses the work of producer Graham Williams while Justin determines Baker’s mental health during the recording of the story. The dodgy (and occasionally great) special effects examined, K-9 makes his debut in Doctor Who continuity, and Marius proves to have too much character.

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Tread Perilously — Doctor Who: Pyramids Of Mars

Tread Perilously’s celebration of Tom Baker’s 90th year continues with the Doctor Who story called “Pyramids of Mars.”

A quirk in time and space forces the TARDIS to land at UNIT HQ some 60 years before it is built. Instead, they find a priory owned by archeologist Marcus Scarman. For his part, the explorer has been possessed by Sutek, an alien imprisoned under a Saqaara pyramid for millennia. Will The Doctor and Sarah Jane figure out the Osirian’s plan before he launches a rocket at Mars or will the bodies of hapless Edwardians keep piling up?

Erik points out the Robert Holmes hidden in the proceedings. Justin enjoys the silliness of it all. Elisabeth Sladen proves to be the MVP as Sarah Jane snarks her way through the adventure. The Scarman brothers prove to be compelling guest characters even as Justin and Erik can’t help but riff on Sutek’s genocidal tendencies. Ancient Aliens comes up every so often. The presence of a poacher leads to a lot of discussion. The many highs of the story are tempered by an unusually soggy middle and an obscure plot. Erik figures out where Sutek was the whole time and Ramses II starts selling discount pyramids.

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Tread Perilously — Doctor Who: Robot

Tread Perilously returns to Doctor Who as Erik and Justin celebrate 90 years of Tom Baker. First up: Tom’s debut story, “Robot.”

As The Doctor comes to grips with his new incarnation, a string of curious thefts activates UNIT to investigate. But, somehow, the Fourth Doctor already knows the break-ins will allow nefarious individuals to make a disintegrator gun. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane Smith’s visit to an advanced scientific think tank leads her to believe the group may have disturbing intentions. Are the two things related? And will The Doctor figure himself out in time to assist UNIT in stopping a giant robot?

Justin and Erik witness as Tom Baker portrays The Doctor at his most “Tom Baker-ish.” They also discuss the circumstances that led to The Doctor’s regeneration. Tom in a UNIT story leaves Justin perplexed. The fascy antagonists, though, are quite clear to him. Erik discusses producer Barry Letts’ place in Doctor Who history and why “Robot” serves as an epilogue to his era. Ian Marter’s first appearance as Harry Sullivan gets examined. Hairstyles of Doctor Who and Star Wars are also discussed. Professor Kettlewell proves to be a memorable guest character for several reasons and Justin identifies a commonality between the Fourth Doctor and Bugs Bunny.

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Tread Perilously — ABC AfterSchool Specials: Schoolboy Father

Tread Perilously’s month of AfterSchool Specials concludes with Schoolboy Father.

When high school junior Charles Elderberry learns his summer camp girlfriend gave birth to a son, he learns it is his and attempts to do everything he can to block an adoption. The frustrated social worker gives him one week to learn the ropes of being a parent while also still being a high school student. Will Charles Elderberry grow up in just seven days or will he accept the wisdom his ex already understood after nine months of bringing a child to term? Also, why is Charles Elderberry’s friend, Jeff, so into Mrs. Elderberry?

Erik, literally, cannot get over the presence of Rob Lowe. A long conversation about the actor follows. Justin calls Schoolboy Father the most “AfterSchool Special” of the specials they watched this month. Erik praises the use of a novel as source material as it creates texture that would be missing from an original teleplay. Justin recalls summer camp movies. Jennifer Connelly and Optimus Prime become the greatest spokespeople for the mini generation after Gen X. Dana Plato is fondly remembered. Geography Corner centers on the San Fernando Valley and 1980s supermarkets. Also, the pair examine the unique way the special’s message is presented.

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Tread Perilously — ABC AfterSchool Specials: What Are Friends For?

Tread Perilously returns to ABC AfterSchool Specials with What Are Friends For?

After Amy moves across the country to Santa Monica, CA following her mother’s divorce, she meets Michelle Mudd — a neighbor girl whose mother is also a divorcee. None of the other girls in the building like Michelle Mudd very much, but Amy is strangely drawn to her. Michelle Mudd likes to lie, steal, and dabble in the dark forces of the hoary underworld. But will Amy catch on that their friendship may just be another Michelle Mudd’s playthings? And will she learn what friends are for?

Sarah Madden returns after a long absence to chat with Justin and Erik about the special. Erik confirms director Stephen Gyllenhaal is exactly who you think he is. Justin tries to determine if the book the special is based on was published in the late 1960s or 70s. Sarah determines the answer to the special’s key question. Michelle Mudd’s father is re-imagined as a used car salesman while her mother “owns a boutique.” The presence of Melora Hardin is surprising even as she acquits herself well. The Santa Monica setting throws Geography Corner for a loop and Sizzler becomes a recurring topic of conversation. Also: Sarah gets confused by the Paul’s King of Big Screen sponsorship.

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Tread Perilously — CBS Schoolbreak Special: Ace Hits the Big Time

Tread Perilously’s month of AfterSchool Specials takes a detour into a CBS Schoolbreak Special with Ace Hits the Big Time.

When Horace Hobart moves from an unnamed New Jersey city to Manhattan, he is offered two choices: join the Purple Falcons or get “chewed up” by a rival gang called the Piranhas. Instead, he creates a third option by reinventing himself as “Ace” on his first day at school. Soon, the Falcons see him as the protection they need from the Piranhas. But all of that takes a back seat when “Ace” gets the Falcons parts in a movie. Or, is all of this in Horace’s head?

Erik and Justin get lost as the episode feels more like the afterschool special format’s death spiral than a genuine hour of television. Justin tries to find the moral. Erik gets obsessed with the plot’s “violence gang” understanding of inner-city crime and tries to determine if the Falcons were invited to Cyrus’s meeting. The name “Horace Hobart” inspires a lot of riffing. The actor who plays him, Rob Stone, does not. The pair remember Sunny Delight and explain New York’s “brown bag” rule. They also try to determine if Horace had a gang affiliation back in Jersey. Also: Gene Simmons appears to promote a new KISS product.

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