Part 1 is the 500th episode.
This is no where near as bad as some people make out.
Let's try to deal with some of these criticisms.
1. It's slow paced. (So is Talons of Weng Chiang).
This is the last ever 6 parter. The story must be played out in steps to last 6 eps. The last few 6 parters (Invasion, Seeds especially) have had dog leg plots to make up the extra eps. Some people try to segmentise Armageddon also but I think that's not right. It progresses from Atrios to Zeos then to the hidden planet. That is all.
2. It's hard to follow in places. (So is The War Games.)
Like many other Series 16 stories there are no 'monsters'. The drama and the scary threat thing is a overwhelming war with interplanetary carpet bombing. This is difficult to present on DW's end of series budget but the show does not do too badly. The battle presented in p2 is dots on a screen and battle cruiser pilot commentary. The story is being told in the viewers imagination. This would be very different on a 'Star Wars' budget.
The Time loop and the mysterious computer controlled Zeons make the story less than straightforward. The hidden third planet elevates the story's sophistication level to something well above cartoons or Star Wars. The hidden third force stirring up the actual war gives the story an Orwellian element that makes it superior Sci Fi in my opinion.
3. The characters are wasted. (So is most DW)
You could criticize characters like Drax or the Shadow for being unfunny or unscary but that isn't very fair. Shapp started out sensible but had a some ridiculous moments late in the serial. The Marshall got caught in the time loop for 3 episodes and did not have a payoff scene but was formidable, dramatically played and ominous in p1 and p2. Astra and Merak did get a pay off scene but it seemed a bit wet to be honest. K9 had a prominent role and was used well (for a change).
4. The ending is trivial and unsatisfying.
A frequent complaint... Actually neither the 'goodies' or the 'baddies' won in the end.
What was the ending meant to be? 'God' gets pleased and peace, light, fruity platters and bunnies prevail for all and ever and all eternity... which is nice... or the opposite (sponsored by the Devil?).... or everything is back to its confusing, incomplete and partly good, partly bad 'normal' state. (This sounds right to me.)
Did the 'balance' or order get restored? Were the White Guardian minions working on the issue in any of the microseconds that the key was assembled and active? Well I hope so, otherwise the whole project was something of a waste of time. The story ignores this issue. Maybe the Key to Time rescattered to the corners of the universe with neither Guardian ascendant over the other IS order restored and balanced. This conclusion is implied. A stated conclusion would actually be very difficult to present credibly.
This is much better if watched one ep at a time. We luckily stuck to one ep a night for a week or so.
There are some ep endings which are epic. e.g. p3 . Part 5 is letting the side down a bit but...
The atmosphere in p1 is doom-ey and amazing. The feeling of Armageddon (indeed the premise of the story) is expressed by Tom early in p4 in a very Douglas-sy kind of way (i.e. accessible and whip smart). Also ep4 has a (mostly) unrecognised re-edit of a reprise. That hasn't been seen since Barry Letts was on the show. (I love that sorta stuff.)
- DOCTOR: There will be a rather large bang, big enough to blow up Zeos, take Atrios with it, and make certain the whole thing ends in a sort of draw. That's the way these military minds work. The Armageddon factor.
ABM Rating 3.48/4.00
LJM Rating 3.40/5.00
SPJ Rating 7.40/10
Link to Cumulative Rankings
No. 45 (out of 103)
Rankings Scoreboard
from http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/5f.html
The story of Tom's threatened departure (Dec 1978/Jan 1979) Production began on The Armageddon Factor amidst simmering tensions behind the scenes. In early October, Baker had informed Williams that he would be leaving Doctor Who, a result of the actor's perceived lack of input in what he increasingly viewed as “his” programme. At the same time, Head of Drama Graeme McDonald had advised Williams to fire Baker. Towards the end of October, however, a détente was reached, with Baker agreeing to table his resignation until further discussions could be held. Meanwhile, Williams also found himself uncertain as to the status of his other regular, with Mary Tamm remaining noncommittal on the topic of returning to Doctor Who for Season Seventeen. To make matters worse, it was becoming clear that the BBC was about to be subjected to another round of industrial action, something which had previously plagued the recording of The Invasion Of Time one year earlier.
At around the same time, Williams met with Tamm and her agent in an effort to clarify her status for Season Seventeen. Williams was eager to retain the actress, but she felt that Romana had not been developed as fully as had been promised. There had originally been suggestions that Romana might be an expert in disciplines such as archery and karate, but Tamm felt that Romana had instead degenerated into just another screaming companion. Despite Williams' efforts, however, he was still unable to secure a firm decision from Tamm.
Aware of the situation, Baker offered his own -- intentionally bizarre -- ideas in case Romana did not return the next year. Unhappy with being saddled with a companion in the first place, Baker suggested that the Doctor could wander around with a talking creature -- a parrot or even a cabbage -- perched on his shoulder, to whom he could explain the plot. Alternatively, Baker thought it would be interesting to cast a very different kind of companion: a portly, out of shape woman in the vein of Miriam Margolyes.
The final recording session for The Armageddon Factor took place from December 3rd to 5th. This involved all of the scenes set on the Shadow's planet, with the TARDIS material taped on the final day (which also marked the end of Doctor Who's sixteenth production block). Williams opted to proceed as if Tamm would be returning the next year. Tamm herself, however, was now leaning towards leaving the show, and proposed to Ward that she might take over as a new incarnation of Romana. This suggestion came much to the delight of Baker, who had become very fond of Ward.
Finally, in mid-December, Tamm informed Williams that she would not be returning to Doctor Who; her departure was confirmed to the press on December 16th.
In addition to her theatrical work, Tamm continued to make numerous appearances on television, including Jonathan Creek, Agatha Christie's Poirot, The New Adventures Of Robin Hood and Doctors. Starting in 2005, Tamm returned to the role of Romana for Big Finish Production, appearing in the Gallifrey and Companion Chronicle ranges. Tamm subsequently recorded a season of new adventures opposite Baker as the Fourth Doctor for release in 2013, but before these could be released, the actress finally succumbed to a long battle with cancer. Tamm passed away on July 26th, 2012.
Anthony Read had also finished up his Doctor Who duties by this stage. He would continue writing for television, including episodes of The Professionals and Sapphire & Steel, as well as The Horns Of Nimon for Doctor Who's seventeenth season. Read also adapted the John Wyndham novel Chocky and served as script editor on Hammer House Of Horror. In addition, Read became a prolific novelist, with publications including the Baker Street Boys series and several books about Nazi Germany, some of them written with his Doctor Who collaborator, David Fisher (author of The Stones Of Blood and The Androids Of Tara). Read passed away on November 21st, 2015.
Meanwhile, Williams was still trying to deal with Baker. The star had been offered a contract for Season Seventeen on December 15th, but after two weeks had still not acted upon it, apparently because he demanded to first be informed as to the identity of his new co-star -- even though the casting process for the new companion likely wouldn't take place until well into the New Year. Williams was now increasingly of the opinion that Baker had played the Doctor for too long, and asked his agent for a final decision on Season Seventeen by January 4th, 1979. This ultimatum was the final straw as far as Baker was concerned; he wrote to Graeme McDonald to renew his resignation unless he was given more power behind the scenes, and also decried the way he was being treated by Williams. The producer, in turn, informed McDonald that he would quit if Baker's demands were met. At last, McDonald brought Baker and Williams together to clear the air. Following this meeting, Baker finally agreed to a new contract on January 15th -- having been granted none of his demands for control over scripts, directors or casting.
Nonetheless, a few days later Baker was delighted to learn that Tamm's suggestion had been taken up, and Lalla Ward was being cast as a regenerated Romana. A new incarnation of Romana had not been Williams' only option: he had also considered introducing a brand new character, and had even toyed with the idea of casting a different actress as Romana in each serial (although this would have created storyline havoc in terms of devising reasons for each regeneration, and made continuity between stories very difficult). Ward was contracted for Season Seventeen on January 24th, and a photocall was held on February 6th.
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