Rating: 
Summary: More fun with Pat Troughton
Review: "You Can't kill me, I'm a genius!" Classic dialogue from one of the best of the remaining Pat Troughton stories. Basically, a remakeof season 5's "The Ice Warriors", but Troughton, Hines, and Padbury turn in some terrific performances. The Ice Warriors, with their hissy voices, are terribly menacing. Troughton's Doctor was more of an eccentric scientist as opposed to Tom Baker's mad scientist. Pat's performance puts Tom Baker's to shame. I do like Tom Baker, but given a choice between one of Tom's & one of Pat's, I pick the Pat Troughton one every time.
Rating:
Summary: More fun with Pat Troughton
Review: "You Can't kill me, I'm a genius!" Classic dialogue from one of the best of the remaining Pat Troughton stories. Basically, a remakeof season 5's "The Ice Warriors", but Troughton, Hines, and Padbury turn in some terrific performances. The Ice Warriors, with their hissy voices, are terribly menacing. Troughton's Doctor was more of an eccentric scientist as opposed to Tom Baker's mad scientist. Pat's performance puts Tom Baker's to shame. I do like Tom Baker, but given a choice between one of Tom's & one of Pat's, I pick the Pat Troughton one every time.
Rating: 
Summary: "This is worse than the TARDIS!"
Review: An extremely enjoyable and campy Troughton adventure that heralds the return of the Ice Warriors. Some fans might not get much enjoyment out of this one, due to horrible editing, OTT acting and atrocious dialogue and scientific credibility thrown out the window. My review might be little biased, due to the fact this was the first Troughton serial I ever saw. The design of the production is pretty good, and the Ice Warriors with the first appearance of an Ice Lord and Grand Marshall are very effective. But it does feel like the whole production is very rushed, characters repeating themselves throughout the story(such as Zoe informing Ms Kelly that T-Mat is working again, when Ms Kelly had already repaired it in the previous episode). Fewshum steals the show as he informs his moon buddies, "I want to LIVE! " What makes up for the tediousness and contradictions is the humor. Trougton is absolutely wonderful, "You can't kill me..... I'm a genius!" Yes, there are better Trougton stories than this, but I often wonder if fans forget why they started watching the program. It certainly can't be the special effects.....
Rating:
Summary: Seeds of Death
Review: first off let me say this was NOT shot on film it was shot on video tape and later transfered to film ( spearhead from space is the ONLY Doctor Who shot on film)
this is one of my fav Doctor Who's! and the picture on this DVD is Fantastic!!!! much better then my VHS copy, i love the old B&W Doctor Who's best and Patrick is my fav Doctor (to bad most of his output is missing) once again the BBC has done a class one job at restoring, this is money well spent!
Rating: 
Summary: End-stage Troughton
Review: I made up my mind to leave Ohio in January 1999, and moved six weeks later. I somehow got wrapped up in a very intense relationship during those six weeks, knowing quite well in retrospect that it was never going to work once I left the state for good. However, she was a "Doctor Who" fan, and so was I. You just don't let these rare connections drift by. We spent a good portion of our time together watching my Season 6 Patrick Troughton videotapes (getting far as Episode 4 of "The War Games" until the inevitable happened). The only disagreement we ever had (apart from the move) was on the quality of "The Seeds of Death". She thought it was enjoyable fun. I thought it was a dull slog. Maybe that's why we didn't last. Was I being too critical?"Seeds of Death" has always been on the lower region of my own "Doctor Who" rankings. On paper I should love it: I'm a fan of "The Ice Warriors" and "The Curse of Peladon", two other stories featuring the same villainous Martian marauders. I similarly have great fondness for the Season 6 Doctor/companion pairing. Fraser Hines almost never embarrassed himself as an actor during three long seasons. Wendy Padbury, of course, is a doll. Archaic word, but it actually fits. Cutest face ever. Each of Patrick Troughton's stories -- whether you're watching on TV or merely listening to the surviving audio -- is a seminar on how to play "Doctor Who". You can always count on Troughton for a riveting mixture of physical clowning and top-tier problem solving -- usually at the same time. "Seeds of Death" is notable for a shockingly well-directed madcap chase sequence in Episode 3, as Troughton runs back and forth down the same lone corridor set, making it seem as if he's running for miles. He slips and slides, turns and twists, and does comic double-takes at every distorted mirror reflection. Finally, when the Ice Warriors have him cornered... he talks his way out of it: "Your leader will be very cross with you if you kill me.... I'm a genius!" However, "Seeds of Death" itself never tickled my imagination the way other stories did. The Ice Warriors, let's face it, aren't well-used here. Slaar (Alan Bennion, who played three different Ice Lords across the years and gave each of them distinct shadings) is only allowed to stand around a control room on the Moon and terrify a dwindling cast of stock BBC actors. The most interesting of these (Harry Towb) is killed off after ten minutes. There's a lot to be said for Terry Scully's nebbishy performance as Fewsham, the moonbase technician who turns traitor to save his own life until he finally summons up the courage to redeem himself with a noble act of self-sacrifice. However, we've seen this performance many other times across the years, so the hurdle is set high. His best moment is the scene in Episode 5, after Fewsham's already made up his mind to betray the Ice Warriors: he's seen standing alone, frowning, wringing his hands, waiting for Slaar to find him. That's quite a good shot. The DVD builds up a solid case that this story is a neglected Troughton gem. The crowded commentary track features the companions (Hines and Padbury) making cogent remarks about the action -- when they're not busy laughing at Troughton's clowning or about their own slips and line fluffs. Much is made of Jamie's frequent groping of Zoe. You can always count on this reaction when someone asks what it was like to work with the late Troughton: "Ohhhhh" (Similarly, when asked what William Hartnell was like, the reaction is a less enthusiastic "Well..."). Director Michael Ferguson delivers a good account of how he direct ed the story. Since he's speaking 34 years later, it's impressive that he remembers what he does. Script editor Terrance Dicks should be allowed on every commentary track, even for the stories he didn't oversee. The commentary picks up intensity once he shows up for Episode 3. If you don't have time to listen to two hours of actor ramblings, the one episode to listen to is Episode 4, where Ferguson and Dicks discuss the story alone. A long featurette, amusingly called "Sssowing the Ssseeds", describes how the Ice Warrior costumes were made, and three actors tell us what it was like to work in them. Speaking of costumes, the VidFIRE process that restores the episodes to their original videotape look, works so vividly that you can actually count the paint brushstrokes on the Ice Warrior helmets. The other extras on the bonus disc do not pertain to "Seeds" specifically, but provide archival footage from a dozen other "Troughton" stories that no longer exist. I find the production-note option increasingly tiresome when Richard Molesworth is the writer. His formula seems to be: provide all the other acting credits of all the other actors in the guest cast; give us the day and the location of the filming of all the model shots; and describe the originally conceived plot of the episode. Only the last of those three items interests me. It's possible to provide fresh text commentary for decades-old "Doctor Who" stories -- see Martin Wiggins' contributions -- so I think Molesworth could depart from the formula without hurting anyone. At this point in my life, with new "Doctor Who" a year away, I am never going to fall in love with "The Seeds of Death". I may never watch it again. However, the DVD series, with their focus on what *works* (and, more importantly, by getting the story's actors and production team to laugh at the shortcomings), serve the important task of rehabilitating the less-remembered stories, and work hard to dispute the notion that "Doctor Who" was always done on the cheap, without thought. Fair enough. Job well done. Next DVD, please.
Rating:
Summary: End-stage Troughton
Review: I made up my mind to leave Ohio in January 1999, and moved six weeks later. I somehow got wrapped up in a very intense relationship during those six weeks, knowing quite well in retrospect that it was never going to work once I left the state for good. However, she was a "Doctor Who" fan, and so was I. You just don't let these rare connections drift by. We spent a good portion of our time together watching my Season 6 Patrick Troughton videotapes (getting far as Episode 4 of "The War Games" until the inevitable happened). The only disagreement we ever had (apart from the move) was on the quality of "The Seeds of Death". She thought it was enjoyable fun. I thought it was a dull slog. Maybe that's why we didn't last. Was I being too critical? "Seeds of Death" has always been on the lower region of my own "Doctor Who" rankings. On paper I should love it: I'm a fan of "The Ice Warriors" and "The Curse of Peladon", two other stories featuring the same villainous Martian marauders. I similarly have great fondness for the Season 6 Doctor/companion pairing. Fraser Hines almost never embarrassed himself as an actor during three long seasons. Wendy Padbury, of course, is a doll. Archaic word, but it actually fits. Cutest face ever. Each of Patrick Troughton's stories -- whether you're watching on TV or merely listening to the surviving audio -- is a seminar on how to play "Doctor Who". You can always count on Troughton for a riveting mixture of physical clowning and top-tier problem solving -- usually at the same time. "Seeds of Death" is notable for a shockingly well-directed madcap chase sequence in Episode 3, as Troughton runs back and forth down the same lone corridor set, making it seem as if he's running for miles. He slips and slides, turns and twists, and does comic double-takes at every distorted mirror reflection. Finally, when the Ice Warriors have him cornered... he talks his way out of it: "Your leader will be very cross with you if you kill me.... I'm a genius!" However, "Seeds of Death" itself never tickled my imagination the way other stories did. The Ice Warriors, let's face it, aren't well-used here. Slaar (Alan Bennion, who played three different Ice Lords across the years and gave each of them distinct shadings) is only allowed to stand around a control room on the Moon and terrify a dwindling cast of stock BBC actors. The most interesting of these (Harry Towb) is killed off after ten minutes. There's a lot to be said for Terry Scully's nebbishy performance as Fewsham, the moonbase technician who turns traitor to save his own life until he finally summons up the courage to redeem himself with a noble act of self-sacrifice. However, we've seen this performance many other times across the years, so the hurdle is set high. His best moment is the scene in Episode 5, after Fewsham's already made up his mind to betray the Ice Warriors: he's seen standing alone, frowning, wringing his hands, waiting for Slaar to find him. That's quite a good shot. The DVD builds up a solid case that this story is a neglected Troughton gem. The crowded commentary track features the companions (Hines and Padbury) making cogent remarks about the action -- when they're not busy laughing at Troughton's clowning or about their own slips and line fluffs. Much is made of Jamie's frequent groping of Zoe. You can always count on this reaction when someone asks what it was like to work with the late Troughton: "Ohhhhh" (Similarly, when asked what William Hartnell was like, the reaction is a less enthusiastic "Well..."). Director Michael Ferguson delivers a good account of how he direct ed the story. Since he's speaking 34 years later, it's impressive that he remembers what he does. Script editor Terrance Dicks should be allowed on every commentary track, even for the stories he didn't oversee. The commentary picks up intensity once he shows up for Episode 3. If you don't have time to listen to two hours of actor ramblings, the one episode to listen to is Episode 4, where Ferguson and Dicks discuss the story alone. A long featurette, amusingly called "Sssowing the Ssseeds", describes how the Ice Warrior costumes were made, and three actors tell us what it was like to work in them. Speaking of costumes, the VidFIRE process that restores the episodes to their original videotape look, works so vividly that you can actually count the paint brushstrokes on the Ice Warrior helmets. The other extras on the bonus disc do not pertain to "Seeds" specifically, but provide archival footage from a dozen other "Troughton" stories that no longer exist. I find the production-note option increasingly tiresome when Richard Molesworth is the writer. His formula seems to be: provide all the other acting credits of all the other actors in the guest cast; give us the day and the location of the filming of all the model shots; and describe the originally conceived plot of the episode. Only the last of those three items interests me. It's possible to provide fresh text commentary for decades-old "Doctor Who" stories -- see Martin Wiggins' contributions -- so I think Molesworth could depart from the formula without hurting anyone. At this point in my life, with new "Doctor Who" a year away, I am never going to fall in love with "The Seeds of Death". I may never watch it again. However, the DVD series, with their focus on what *works* (and, more importantly, by getting the story's actors and production team to laugh at the shortcomings), serve the important task of rehabilitating the less-remembered stories, and work hard to dispute the notion that "Doctor Who" was always done on the cheap, without thought. Fair enough. Job well done. Next DVD, please.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Troughton's best....
Review: I think the Ice Warriors are probably one of the best monster's created for Doctor Who and Patrick Troughton was an excellent Doctor. Unfortunately, this was probably not one of his best stories. This was one of those Doctor Who adventures originally released in the 1980's that was edited to be a full length movie. This technique has never set very well with me. It also makes the episode seem ten times longer than it really is. The storyline is too slow moving that you feel like you're being lulled to sleep. My advice is get the "The Mind Robbers", "Tomb of the Cybermen" and "The War Games" instead. They are far better examples of Patrick Troughton's talents.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible. Just terrible.
Review: I went into The Seeds of Death hoping for a great story, but I ended up wading in dung. The story is full of holes, the costumes bad, and everything else. I actually fell asleep while watching! My advise-Opt for The War Games. It's way better.
Rating:
Summary: Great Jumping Jellybeans
Review: Okay, so the title's not that great.
Fortunately, the DVD is.
This was one of the first Troughton episodes I remember seeing, and it was certainly an enjoyable experience. It introduces the T-Mat, Doctor Who's version of Star Trek's Transporter, and provides an interesting commentary on what happens when we get too comfortable in our lives. Not to mention that the technology became one of the few examples of continuity through most of the series. There's some great moments for the Doctor here as well, especially one scene where he is rapidly trying to prevent a "seed" from bursting by pouring just about everything in a beaker he can get his hands on as fast as he can. While some of the acting is a bit flat, the script is solid and most of the performances are quite admirable. THis is definately a story worthy of being in the library of any 2nd Doctor fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great Jumping Jellybeans
Review: Okay, so the title's not that great.
Fortunately, the DVD is.
This was one of the first Troughton episodes I remember seeing, and it was certainly an enjoyable experience. It introduces the T-Mat, Doctor Who's version of Star Trek's Transporter, and provides an interesting commentary on what happens when we get too comfortable in our lives. Not to mention that the technology became one of the few examples of continuity through most of the series. There's some great moments for the Doctor here as well, especially one scene where he is rapidly trying to prevent a "seed" from bursting by pouring just about everything in a beaker he can get his hands on as fast as he can. While some of the acting is a bit flat, the script is solid and most of the performances are quite admirable. THis is definately a story worthy of being in the library of any 2nd Doctor fan.
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