Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
Aliens of London and World War Three is a much maligned two-parter mainly because of the comedy farting aliens the Slitheen family. There are a couple of nice touches in the story. The trope of arriving much later than expected is well played and the initial crash of the spaceship and subsequent investigation are interesting. Eccleston plays comedy well even though it was the one aspect of the role he was initially uncomfortable with. Harriet Jones was a nice recurring character. 7 out of 10.
Dalek was my favorite story of Series One and was nicely adapted from Robert Shearman‘s audio script Jubilee. The two stories are very different but both are excellent. Eccleston’s performance when first meeting the Dalek is one of the very best in the whole series. Nicholas Briggs holds his own as the Dalek voice in interacting with The Doctor. Bruno Langley makes his first appearance as companion Adam Mitchell. 10 out of 10.
The Long Game was a pedestrian story which was further de-valued by The Doctor’s treatment of his new companion Adam Mitchell. The Doctor was able to forgive such flawed companions as Turlough and Destrii but cut Adam loose without a second thought. The whole final scene with him just did not ring true. Maybe if there were several episodes prior to this unsatisfying climax it would have hit better. 6 out of 10.
Father’s Day by Paul Cornell is a nice consequences of time travel story. There is a consummate acting performance by Shaun Dingwall as Rose‘s father. The scene where he watches the car that will eventually kill him driving past and the realization of what he has to do to correct the time-line is a bravura performance using only his facial expressions. 9 out of 10.
Warren’s Lobster House in Kittery on the Piscataqua River off U.S. Route 1. Warren’s was established in 1940 by Warren “Pete” Wurm and started as a small lobster shack which has grown into a 350-seat restaurant. Alex had taken a day trip with his friend Evan and stopped here for lunch.
Piscataqua River
Interior Decor
Alex had clam strips – generous portion freshly fried 9 out of 10
Lester’s Fixins food flavored sodas are manufactured by Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop. The carbonated beverages are made with cane sugar. The flavor idea came from Rob Powells and Ryan Morgan, the Rocket Fizz co-founders. The name Lester’s Fixins is named after Ryan’s real life grandpa Lester.
The flavor of this soda was not as pronounced as some of their other flavor profiles. There was no discernable spicy note and the meat/chicken flavor barely detectable. 4 out of 10.
This is my mother’s recipe for clam chowder, she used to make it for her and my father several times a year. My mother was born in raised in Eastport, Maine and so was very well versed in fishing village staples like; clam chowder, corned pollack and dried fish. I purchased some canned clams and clam juice in an attempt to re-create the recipe.
Dice salt pork into small cubes
Do same to one medium onion
Brown pork pieces until crisp and drain off the fat
Cube and boil potatoes reserving the liquid
Combine all ingredients adding some potato liquid if needed
Add heavy cream to thicken
I mistakenly purchased whole clams, my mother used pieces of clams and that would have been much better, otherwise the chowder was good. It was a little thinner than I remembered I should have left out more of the potato water and added more cream. The clam juice by itself would have been sufficient liquid. No salt is needed as the pork is very salty. The flavor was nice but the chewy large clams was off-putting 7 out of 10.
