Doctor Who: The Seeds Of Death (Story 48) - Special Edition

Nothing to Hissss About
As I am writing this in mid May, 2012, I have to state that this one almost got by me, thinking this "Special Edition" was an older product. But then I realized that this has not yet been released in the US. I got this last year as part of the U.K. Revisitations Box Set - Volume 2, which became available in March 2011. So this is a genuine review, unlike many of the other phonies who post "reviews" before the product is made available to them simply for the sake of making them.

As always, I'm not gong to give a synopsis of the story itself. If you don't know the story by now, there are plenty of other reviewers who will tell you all about it ad nauseam. Rather, I'm going to focus on what I believe will help you decide if this product is worthy of your hard earned wages by reviewing the extras which, in my opinion, can make or break a purchase.

DVD Audio Commentary - With Wendy Padburry, Frazer Hines, director Michael Ferguson, and Terrance Dicks. I actually...

The Ice Warriors are back! Who needs the "Special Edition"?
This is one of the most visually striking, compelling stories of Doctor Who's black-and-white era. After comparing the "Special Edition" with the original DVD release from 2004, I'm not sure the added features you get with the newer version warrant buying it again. (Amazon is, as of this writing, charging about the same for both versions, so if you're new to "The Seeds of Death," go for the new release by all means.)

As best as I can tell, the only thing new to the special edition are three good to middling new mini-documentaries that, respectively, trace the history of the Ice Warriors, look at the use of monsters on the show generally, and compare those iconic monsters that have made repeat appearances in the series. A fourth feature, which includes interviews with actors who played the Ice Warriors, is included with both versions.

In "The Seeds of Death," the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe land on a future Earth, which has given up traditional space travel with rocket...

Another Homerun!!!
I don't usually include a synopsis but I noticed that the other 6 reviews did not include one. So here it is.

At the end of the twenty-first century, a "T-Mat" (Teleportation) has replaced all other forms of transport. Manned space exploration has ceased due to the quality of life on Earth. The Doctor, (Patrick Troughton) Jamie and Zo arrive on Earth at the Rocketry Museum run by Professor Daniel Eldred. When the T-Mat relay station on the moon breaks down the Doctor and his companions volunteer to help Commander Radnor and his assistant repair the relay station by crewing a rocket Professor Eldred has been privately building in hopes of re-igniting an interest in space travel
We cut to the moon where we find the relay station has been taken over in a military coup by unknown invaders. Controller Osgood has been killed while sabotaging the relay system in an attempt to thwart the takeover, and his deputy Fewsham has been pressed into assisting the invaders. Locke...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Civilization: West & The Rest

Enthralling, Daring, Brilliant
Civilization: West & The Rest is an extremely sophisticated documentary for those with a love for history... and maybe some controversy. Make no mistake, you may find yourself not agreeing with Ferguson. I suggest you read his book (of the same name) for an even more comprehensive understanding of his views. However, not agreeing with someone's take on any given issue should not be grounds for condemnation or disregard. I, personally, find little to disagree with as far as his views on the rise of the West. In very simple terms, this is my take on Civilization: West & The Rest-- Ferguson presents a non-apologist's account on the rise of Western economic, political and cultural hegemony. He lays out a realist groundwork for why the West succeeded and why the 'Rest' failed. That said, by no means does Ferguson disregard the negative aspects of Western civilization (colonialism, slavery, genocide, rampant consumerism etc.) However, unlike the leftist literature/media that plagues...

Each to his own....and I'm enthralled.
Other reviewers have pointed out flaws in the material, commented on the jumpiness of the production, explained why Ferguson is totally wrong in some areas, and complained about what was left out. Surely he cannot be faulted for everything. No one can ever be completely right, and rarely is any lecturer totally wrong. But I was enthralled, as much as I had been with James Burke's Connections. There were very big ideas, colorful details, and days later I am still thinking about the program and the information it presented.

Regarding Protestant work ethic, I would highly recommend Simon Schama's An Embarrassment of Riches, which focuses on the success of the Netherlands, the societal guilt in admitting to so much wealth, and how they tried to perfect themselves as a nation.

Fascinating
Anyone who finds this boring doesn't appreciate history. Anyone who finds this too western-centric is simply missing the point and misreading history as well as Ferguson. Of course, trying to make a broad sweep of history in six 45-minute videos will leave out points some will find critical, and make some generalizations others will find offensive, but the genius of Ferguson's grasp of history and twenty-first century social media is evident across the six segments. Yes, there are connections back to James Burke's wonderful "Connections" series from thirty years ago, and fellow Harvard economic historian David Landes went into much more detail in his "Wealth and poverty of nations" treatise fifteen years ago, but for the student or just intellectually curious, this series is hard to beat. Yes, the "six killer apps" theme may offend some as a bit too cute, too current, too much of an appeal to the MTV generation, but Ferguson knows his stuff and knows his audience.

Having...

Click to Editorial Reviews