Dragonfire

[DWDVD]

Discuss this story here... Melanie's last and Ace's first, also starring Sabalom Glitz from The Trial of a Time Lord

[Efun]

Looks like an interesting story, with Glitz returning and Mel leaving. I never was aware until recently that they have a story together.

Watching some of this tonight, perhaps.

[a64]

Oh boy, I've watched Dragonfire.

It's a story that's normally slated... but I liked it more than most. The thing is - behind the cheap overlit look of the ice planet, the horribly overdone comedy and some clunky lines... behind the mishmash direction, basically, you have an alright, traditional story.

Tonally this series is all over the place, in a bad way, and this story's no exception. There's some wonderful serious and dark scenes - Kane (the best thing in this story! And he's not overplayed, bar a fourth-wall breaking cliffhanger) tempting Ace near the start, and his scenes with Belazs, hiding from the possessed zombie people, the ANT Hunt...

But it's mainly just bits and homages from other things - Aliens, Star Wars, Indiana Jones... and it doesn't add up. The plot doesn't quite add up, and the backstory doesn't add up. One saving grace however, is Ace - sure, the 'time storm in the bedroom' stuff is bunkum, but here we have a realistic, refreshing character. Albeit one lumbered with some rubbish lines at times. And Mel's leaving scene is, surprisingly, very good indeed. Bonnie Langford's great.. when she has more to do than stand about screaming. Poor Mel.

And that's not mentioning Glitz. Who's frankly rubbish, and lets the side down a bit. Or the infamous inane cliffhanger with the Doctor hanging off a cliff.

[Efun]

Not bad, definately not bad IMO...enjoyable enough. I can't really say anything special. Seeing Ace and Mel together is nice. Pity Mel was so poorly used.