A State of Excitement

I love State of Decay beyond all reason. Terrance Dicks crashed the party that is season 18, bringing blood, peasants and lots of tasty leftovers from season 13. Where to begin? Well, Vampires camping out in a converted spaceship for starters. That's Doctor Who 101. Time Lords and bow ships. Tick. Sumptuous costumes and set design married to dim lighting.

The wasting! What the hell is that anyway? The drops of blood Camilla failed to lick off of Lalla's luscious fingers? Or is it some secret ritual associated with Aukon's man-boy-love aspirations?

There really is something slightly kinky about this whole story, which makes sense considering the undead genre and Hammer Horror under-girding. The selection is really about who is hot and who is not. So the goodies end up being a bunch of bent over old men playing with the features on their Commodore 64s. Hmm what exactly is uncle Terrance implying? Mind you, apparently Adric possesses just enough sex appeal for the lecherous Aukon to cast an eye his way. Perhaps everyone's favourite whipping boy should have kept his gold gilded scarlet get up for the rest of his travels. He could have caught the eye of Seron or the Monitor or been set up in a nice little situation with one of Lady Cranleigh's unwed uncles.

Sadly, the production does kind of let down the story at the end. The giant vampire looks like something you get for a quarter next to the gumball machines (when you really wanted the slime). I do like a nice monster melting, mind you, and this ones a doozy. "Moisturize us, moisturize us."

Thanks Uncle Terrance, for being so damned reliable. See you for the 20th anniversary!

Original viewing date: December 10, 1984

Wine: "Red Splash" a blend of everything.

Music: "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen (oh look Courtney Cox, jeez I feel old).