2025?! Eh, whit?! Can it honestly be that time of year again/already/unfortunately, when Braw (Underg)Rounds Up - or should that be UndergRinds Up? - the past 12 months-ish of unpop-culture to an audience of approximately 30 (of which about half is simply Agent Rob just 'checking back in'?).... If the past year has come to symbolise anything, as we teeter back and forth on the ultimate brink, then Alan Moore and David Lloyd caught the very moment perfectly in the above four panels (from the excellent V for Vendetta). The sad truth is, it is all over, it did happen while we were all sleeping - it's now just a case of when, of how quick the poison will spread/act. Do we have a dozen days, mere months, another yo-yoing year of existence left at best? As Braw-fave Tim Burgess put it....
"I feel it too. This broken world. There is no second chance."
Yesss! 2024 saw the long awaited prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road roar into multiplexes in the (not so sleek) shape of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a definite case of 'from hmm to vroom!' for Agent Rob as he steadily got into this ambitious post-apocalyptic epic. Indeed, from the title's fumbling mouthful to the lengthy running time, to the bigger scope and abundance of FX and locations it was a little like George Miller going all Star Wars prequels on himself. If anything harked back to Fury Road it was the notion of the main character (Max) taking something of a back seat (to Furiosa) while the story motored along in and around him. Only here, it was Chris Hemsworth as (the excellently monikered) Dr. Dementus who stole the story hubcaps from the titular heroine, his shredded red cape and massive hooter 100% gonzo Thor unleashed. Still, it proved Miller's lost none of his wildcard touch in the intervening (lost) years, and one could only marvel at the unhinged imagination on show, from the cast of endless grotesques to the battered, vivid, post-apocalyptic environments. Again, for all its faults Furiosa still leaves other big screen blockbusters trailing in its dust. "One for the road", as they say....
And what of The Boy and The Heron, the much touted return - in a year very much of much touted returns! - of the not actually kinda really properly fully retired Hayao Miyazaki? Well, for all it was truly gorgeous to look at, the stirring, evocative visions of nature and endless blue skies, all spliced with a typically gentle yet slightly creepy sensation, there was always that nagging feeling of it being a poor man's Spirited Away (sorry!) while an anonymous A. N. Other flagged it as a 'greatest hits' of Ghibli....
Rob'll have to admit to being more affected by the effective The Wild Robot (which had enough shameless Ghibli cribs to near enough pass it off as Laputa II, nicking all the best of its nature and expressing it wonderfully in a exceptional painterly style). Y'know how they generally/generically(?) make kid's films with a few gags thrown in for the adults, the ones that fly over the wee one's heads while mummy and daddy have a wee chuckle to themselves? To be honest, this film felt more like an adult's film with a few gags for the kids, such was the weight of the story. Heavy, man....
And what of television? Doctor Who returned under the much heralded tutelage of (old) 'Nu-runner' Russell T Davies, only bigger (budget), bolder, faster, fizzier, the FX a notch up, a nu-NuWho entry point for the uninitiated - "I'm the Doctorrrr." purrs Ncuti Gatwa in his strange mix of accents - boasting a slickness, energy and, with sincere apologies, 'sexiness' denied Jodie Whittaker's era ("Come back Jodie, we loved you, all is forgiven!" they cried).
But then, RTD pitching the show as "unashamedly queer" upfront was hardly the best move, making up folk's (small) minds and sharpening their fanboy knives beforehand, while the main star tagging Jon Pertwee's third incarnation as a "slut" is not the most endearing of comments to the die-Whords, who took all the "honeys", hugging and dressing up as they will (or most likely won't). It makes the show not so much a 'turn off' and more a general public 'not even turn on'. It's hard to tell if this is more 'Flop-ter Who' or 'Woke-ter Who'?
Mind you, if anyone is 'turned on' it's the Doctor himself, now (as feared) either Captain Jack-ed up or reduced - in some sort of attempt to address the ever-increasing 'mental health crisis' - to a kind of simpering ninny. When he's not getting the horn the minute he steps out the TARDIS and spies some/any tail he's usually to be found crying his eyes out come the end of the episode (twice in Christmas's crowd pleasingly story-centric Joy To The World!). Fine once or twice in a blue moon, but it wears a little thin over an entire series. Y'know, Rob was always under the impression the character of the Doctor is an alien who likes us, but is not like us....
Which makes you think, wouldn't it be nice to sit back and watch Doctor Who in an age where the 'showrunner' is simply invisible? In his desperation to apply his 2024 manifesto RTD seems to have lost/forgotten his 2005 cross country conquering 'teatime touch', it's deserted him (or should that be 'desserted'? him) making for a main course that could either be average stories bolstered by superior FX or great stories smothered by the same. That's what Rob spends most of his time watching trying to work out - it's hard to see the jam for the custard(?) - but he would never go back for a second watch to figure it out as, well, it's just not that interesting. Like the series launch-preceding Eurovision Song Contest there's that nagging sense that all the spectacle is merely diminishing the song, the story, to background. Y'know, let the tales breath, or at least catch their breath....
Sure, RTD feels that classic Who was many things to all people, hammering home the point of its universal appeal and vast diverse reach, and that's fair enough. Only.... looking back the original show wasn't trying to be anything to anyone, it was just an entertaining, on the cheap science fiction show of remarkable ideas that was being rattled out at an even more incredible rate. But, then again, RTD is his own Doctor Who's biggest fan, which admittedly works very well in the context of the BBC's increasing tendency to self-congratulate itself, enjoying nothing more than to sit back and (prematurely) toast a job well done... as it fails and flounders.... (See, or rather don't, further series of Killing Eve, The Tourist and The Fall - indeed it did, after a nervy 'lock your doors and windows' opening before descending into formulaic fluff - for details.)
So while Doctor Who's far from perfect, it hardly warrants the 'go woke, go broke' neckbeard backlash, the endless gloating and picking over ratings dips and speculating on DI$NEY's ire. C'mon, at least it's trying.... trying to be bold, to try new ideas, to push ever-onwards. By contrast those other lucrative cash cow(ard) IPs Star Wars and Star Trek have retreated into obvious creative cul-de-sacs, farting out fan servicing riffs on their classic eras, all flash and no bang, serving up 'content' that's safe AF (and pretty much dull AF too), making Doctor Who a show that, for all its faults, should be cherished. We should try to see Who through (or see through Who?) else it'll make way for what...? More cooking, more baking, more come dancing, more traitoring, more pottering, more portraiting, more first dating, more first sighting, more Goggleboxing, more jungling, more denning, more Got Talenting, more Chelseaing, more countless crap that forms the (flimsy) fabric of our pop-tv-culture? Nah, no thank you. TV should always aim for amazing, should aspire to expanding your mind, should frolic with the fourth dimension and not simply reduce your grey matter to mediocre accepting mush....
Mind, you would think in 2024 they could get four fab actor lads who at least looked like The Beatles!
But of course, the moment Ncuti's Doctor calls a Dalek 'sexy', it really is all well and truly over....
Still, all (constructive!) criticism aside, we have to thank our lucky stars and credit RTD with persuading the BBC to materialise all of the classic era Doctor Who on to the planet iPlayer (for the show's 60th anniversary)....
....Agent Rob making (grabbing!) the necessary time and space to start at the (almost) beginning, motoring through the incredible William Hartnell* and Patrick Troughton incarnations (first and last seen as late night omnibi on UK Gold circa 2000)....
*Surely the inspiration for Yoda, the hmms and mannerisms, the kindly but vague demeanour masking a sharp intelligence with a sinister undercurrent – once the idea takes hold it's almost impossible to shake! And no wonder the poor old fellow's run is laden with 'Billy Fluffs' given the rate they were churning out the show, around 40 weekly episodes a year! How did they find the time...?
From the first series instant creative lightening in a bottle iconography of The Daleks, the John Miller “lasting first impression” of The Keys of Marinus, the decidedly creepy priest Tlotoxl and cleverly painted scenic backdrops of The Aztecs – the best (surviving?) historical story? - The Sensorites, with its creepy incidental music and that freaky first alien glimpse to The Reign of Terror, an historical slog recreated in an okay-ish atmospheric sub-anime-esque style....
Series 2 - they're not 'seasons', sorry - kicks off with Planet of Giants and the first instance of the dematerialisation sound effect, then comes the brilliant The Dalek Invasion of Earth with the spooky 'robomen' and (hurrah!) the first glorious utterance of “Exterminate!” in the episode titled 'The Waking Ally' before it really takes off in the following 'Flashpoint' as does the TARDIS, complete with 'scraping noise', after Hartnell's emotional goodbye to Granddaughter Susan (“Something's cooking...”). Then we have The Rescue with its moving TARDIS console and the excellently monikered Koquillian, superb 'doomy' music, while Barbara continues indulging her passion for killing random alien creatures at a moment's notice. This is followed by the knockabout nonsense of The Romans and the over-ambition of The Web Planet – though the Menoptra look amazing as do the chilly black and white establishing shots, and the excellent episode titles, 'Crater of Needles'!, before things quickly get back on track with the involving The Space Museum before coming off the rails again with The Chase, silliness supreme with its daft Daleks, then pulling into a worthwhile final destination with The Time Meddler, with its wonderfully downbeat conclusion and moody end titles....
Next up is Series 3's Galaxy 4, recreated (in purely 'functional' animation), with excellent eerie techno-esque incidental music while Hartnell is at his most shifty and nuanced – the episode 'Air Lock' has an amazing speech by the villainess of the piece, Maaga (here>> 5:55 to 6:55) – and The Ark, one of the best of the early serials with the leery Monoids and a superb twist, and The Gunfighters, a pitch-perfect western romp with its tinkling ballad and 'yee ha!' wild west atmosphere (that's far from perfect story-wise unfortunately), then The War Machines, a brilliant contemporary setting (and the steadily emerging story template) with beautifully crisp exterior filming and the nice touch of giving the menacing supercomputer WOTAN his own credit in the end titles....
Then it's time for Series 4 and the First Doctor's goodbye in a final creative rush, what with the arrival of the Cybermen (and Mondas), an unnerving electronic buzz under the theme, the inverted 007 vibes of their 60s cyber-theme and their cool cyber-credits – Krail, Talon, Shav, Krang, Jarl and Gern! - though sadly the perfunctory animation robs Hartnell's last moments of their true power....
Not so The Power of the Daleks, Rob's initial trepidation washed away by the tight animation, probably the best of the recreated bunch, the Daleks perfectly suited to the silky smooth CG, exuding a silent and creepy aura, and David Whitaker's tremendous story - the Quatermass-ish vibe would have seen it slot seamlessly into Tom Baker's Gothic era – as Patrick Troughton's oblique new Second Doctor slowly finds his feet. Next up is The Underwater Meh-nace, a soggy slog of a story that makes Moonbase all the more cyber-excellent in the lead up to The Macra Terror, again with primo animation (colour, hmm) and some jolly old 1984-ish fun. The same goes for The Faceless Ones, another top tier tale that simply takes its slow-build time – with just a hint of romance in the air for Jamie, and a sneaky WANTED! poster for The Master – and the series concluding The Evil of the Daleks....
By Series 5 it's all falling exactly into place, Jamie and the Doctor easily establishing themselves as a truly fantastic pairing, and it's evident right from the off this is something special, from The Tomb of the Cybermen - a compact, atmospheric 4 part serial that again heralds what is to come – through The Abominable Snowmen, such a simple idea so well executed – the surviving episode is wonderfully chilly – to the brilliant debut/design of The Ice Warriors and Patrick Troughton on a roll as the Doctor's double, the scheming Salamander in The Enemy of the World, while The Web of Fear forms a lovely one-two with Snowmen, the Hammer-ish vibe and visibly plusher production values seeing the TARDIS crew catching up with a familiar (human) face (while introducing another in the making, a certain Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart) and having Jamie momentarily pause and ponder in front of an SNP poster in the London Underground. Rounding off this best series of the black and white era is Fury From The Deep, why hello there, sonic screwdriver!, a smart proto-Alien-esque tale that grips from the get go....
Which brings us rather neatly to a well intentioned i-Gesture that was bound to blow up in everyone's faces, the butchering of The War Games In Colour rounding off the year in truly damp Doctor squib style, the epic 10 part serial reduced to a clumsy jumble, the bulk of the 90 minutes given over to turding up the polish of the closing Gallifrey scenes and Troughton's regeneration, the whole thing seemingly an excuse to allow RTD and Co. to give the whole thing a ghastly self-satisfying NuWho retrofit splatter....
If you can believe there was room for other television, then FX's Justified impressed with it's cunning arc from the so-so 'by the book' episodic feel of the first season to a sprawling and engrossing character piece, all hung on Timothy Olyphant's slow drawl and quick draw and Walter Goggins cold and intense turn, while Showtime's Homeland stuck to it's guns(!), remaining a frighteningly plausible and truly nerve-shredding and superior bingeworthy watch. HBO's True Blood just kept it enjoyably silly - the vampire, ahem, "drama" not so far from the nonsense of What We Do In The Shadows after all....
Tin Star from Kudos was a series truly powered along by a gripping Tim Roth in anti-anti-hero mode, his glassy-eyed bad cop, badder cop central performance helping the show stay (just about) on the right side of (un)believable at all times - always a sign of great television.... As opposed to Showtime's Your Honor, starring a post-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston in a preposterous show, one which started strong then jumped the believable shark about 4 episodes in. The verdict? Guilty (of being complete crap, sorry)....
With its likeable cast of goofy characters drawing you into the daft drama The Umbrella Academy was an unexpected highlight of 2024, while Doom Patrol - a sort of thematic big little brother if you consider Grant Morrison's late 80s early 90s comic patrol likely proved the inspiration for Gerard Way's out there academic oddballs - just about managed to hit the same highs across its run....
Another inspired 2024 find was 1974's Kolchak: The Night Stalker, 20 episodes of sheer old school televisual treat, pitting dogged Chicago reporter Carl Kolchak, played with a hugely likeable bumble and fizz of keen-eyed nervous energy by Darren McGavin, against all manner of strange paranormal and supernatural incidents....
Why, there's everything in the pick and mix here, vampires. sorcerers, spirits, werewolves, zombies, aliens, robots, witches, demons, kitchen sinks (well, there is a sort of possessed hospital building, so close enough). Of course, every time Kolchak gets uncomfortably close to the bone he's nixed by (mostly government) cover-ups just as he unearths the unpleasant truth (which remains buried). Sound familiar? Yep, it's nothing short of a sort of proto-X-Files, and its influence on that series creator Chris Carter has been acknowledged as such....
Comedy got a good (often charity) outing in 2024, with Rob stumbling across DVDs of the likes of Guest House Paradiso, Drop Dead Fred, Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Clockwise, The Smell of and Bang Bang, it's Reeves and Mortimer and (oh yes!) Beyond The Fringe on his (not so very far) travels....
Moving over Dud for a moment it was great to see Big Banana Feet get a polish up and (re)release in 2024, a 1975 The Big Yin stepping up to the iconic plate to momentarily see off Rob's beloved Mr. Moore (The Wee Yin?) until Auntie Beeb celebrated Peter Cook's passing on the 9th of January, treating us to endlessly watchable compilations of Not Only... But Also - witness Moore in his element tinkling the jazzy ivories! - and simply amazing chat show excerpts....
As we near the end - no, merely the end of part 1 - here's a splash of punk faves The Clash from their excellent music documentary, Westway To The World, a true eye, mind and ear opener for Agent Rob, and one that sets us up nicely for part 2, 2024's year in music, books and comics....
