First watch:

‘That was neat, the Second Doctor in colour, and played by someone else. Interesting.’

It wasn’t actually interesting. There was nothing interesting to think. I just thought there was something interesting, but it seemed it wasn’t interesting enough to actually think about it. No, it was the illusion of interest. It was just a blip. Because I was interested, because I was curious. And after having been, I wasn’t anymore. Because I had seen it already.

First rewatch:

‘Hadn’t seen this in a while. Didn’t remember it that well. Not sure if I can actually think of something for this. It’s just really an ad, after all.’

Second rewatch:

‘That kid mouthing ‘wow’, lol.’

Third rewatch:

‘You got a little card. I wonder if that card is also on the Guide.’

Fourth rewatch:

‘There’s barely anything here, it all goes so fast.’

Fifth rewatch:

‘It kind of reminds me of a NuWho episode. All the quick cuts, flashes.’

Sixth rewatch:

‘Why would they only let the kid mouth the word ‘wow’? There’s an overabundance of sounds already I suppose, but wouldn’t you want that excitement to also come off auditory? They’re completely relying on the visual aspect of someone saying something.’

Seventh rewatch:

‘The way they zoom out from first the little card, to then show the kids’ excited expression, first associating the excitement and happiness of a child with the already exciting little card, and only at the last moment bringing the ice lolly into the frame is interesting.’

It was kind of interesting.

Eight rewatch:

‘Hey, those ice lollies are literally Raketjes. I guess they’re just the same thing but different branding. Pretty sure Ola is like that anyways.’

Ninth rewatch:

‘The way the director goes about handling the problem of the actor not being Patrick Troughton is an excellent showcase of blocking, each shot hiding it j- pfff HAHAHA!’

Tenth rewatch:

‘I suppose the ‘blocking’ is actually kind of clever…’

Eleventh rewatch:

They obviously didn’t intend it, and it’s because it’s an ad, but looking at this minisode as if it’s a genuine piece of audiovisual entertainment, it is an incredibly compelling precursor to modern media. The way the episode starts off immediately with the action, and showing the Doctor in trouble, it’s like a one to one parallel with the modern series’ “cold openings”. There’s no time to lay the tone, the scene, no time to do anything for atmosphere or anything for anything really, except of course, getting that plot in there. Or well, plot, the action. As my former prime minister once famously said: ‘Action, action, action.’ (although he meant it in a very different context) It’s all to fuel that dopamine in your brain, to catch your attention quickly, to keep holding onto it with a fierce grip. Not caring about how it holds you. Not holding with a softly cupped hand, not with a careful hold onto a porcelain kangaroo, but gripped, with a rough hold, squeezing, until it hurts, to force you to stay, because that’s the only thing that matters.’

Twelfth rewatch:

‘The sounds of gunfire over the pictures of Doctor Who and the space raiders battling Daleks is a bit extra.’

Thirteenth rewatch:

‘It’s really just an advertisement. It’s an advertisement first, and entertainment second (or third, or fourth, or fifteenth) but I think exactly that is why it’s so comparable to modern media. In the age of product placement in Hollywood, it’s difficult, after seeing this short, not to draw the comparison. You might not realize normally, because you’ve gotten so used to it, but the modern media landscape is comparable to that of the marketing landscape of decades ago. Seeing people rate this as valued entertainment in the modern age in the reviews down below only proves this point.’

Fourteenth rewatch:

‘The VFX are neat. With the Daleks shooting. The staging of those early scenes with the Daleks in general, the TARDIS looking different but familiar, the odd shaking of the Doctor, it’s interesting.’

It was not interesting.

Fifteenth rewatch:

‘There’s a really evil kind of manipulation that’s especially used a lot in today’s day and age that happens at the end of this video. When the card you get is described as “free”, which is then immediately followed by you having to pay six pence. It’s incredibly reminiscent of a tactic I’ve lately seen a lot of companies use. Especially in the freemium games sphere I’ve seen it emerging greatly the last year or so. Where instead of pay €20, get 50 coins, it becomes: pay €20, get 20 coins, and also 30 extra free coins. Your mind is put on the free extra part, so you get distracted a bit from the real price, and it’s also misleading the consumer in thinking that the initial pricing is fine, and the rest you get is so nice and free. In simplified terms, at least. There’s a lot of psychological manipulation going on in these types of scenarios, and while on one hand it’s neat to see that modern companies are rediscovering old strategies, it’s also not making me very happy.’

Sixteenth rewatch:

‘The showing of the boy so obviously faking excitement reminds of the growing sense of insincerity in-‘

Seventeenth rewatch:

‘Dutch Wikipedia says that the Raket ice lollies were produced in Belgium until the production went to the Netherlands and way later to England… They were introduced in 1962, that would match up. Huh, but then, how did they get to the United Kingdom in 1967 already? Is this parallel evolution, like with the Cybermen? Parallel ice lolly evolution, now that’s an interesting idea. What would inspire them both so- Well, actually, of course the first spaceflight not long before, and I suppose the colours being like that isn’t a stretch. You’d want the you know, brightest, fullest one at the top, red, and from there it’s naturally orange, yellow… No, but it still seems a bit ridiculous. Surely it’s simply a shared recipe or the same company renamed.’

Eighteenth rewatch:

‘It’s one in a series of cards, there are more. It’s not just using the card as a promotion, it’s an extra advertisement in itself as well, to make kids want the other cards. It’s an ad as much for the cards as it is for the ice lollies. Giving away a piece for free as a “taster”, to then reel you in. If it was something of today you would’ve been able to get a subscription on the cards…’

Nineteenth rewatch:

‘The music, which keeps ramping up, it throws you in with a tune that immediately brings you on your nerves, an acoustic guitar sounding, frantic version of the Doctor Who intro, which after only four seconds, already has a key change, which is directly followed by sharp, sneering sound effects/incidental music, horned instruments blaring through, stressing the urgency of the situation, the aforementioned gunfire, with a high pitched flute, ending in a shrill tune of B C, B C, meta-textually signaling that such a horror of vibrations shouldn’t have existed after the birth of Jezus.’

Twentieth rewatch:

‘Oh, the Dalek shooting at the start isn’t VFX at all, it seems more like a practical effect.’

Twenty-first rewatch:

‘Yes, I knew it! This ‘Wall’s’ is just the English version of Ola, it’s the same company. But for some reason the ‘Sky Ray’ ice lollies don’t seem to be very prominent anymore. When I look them up I mostly get the Doctor Who short. How come this version didn’t do well in the UK but is so hugely popular in the Netherlands? There’s loads of other ice cream producers here who make lollies that are Raketjes in all but name. What are the differences in English and Dutch culture that would result in this? Interesting.

That was actually interesting.

Twenty-second rewatch:

‘Holy f**k how many fingers in the pie does Unilever have.’

Thirtieth rewatch:

‘There is only Sky Ray. The Second Doctor is played only by Gerry Grant. Look at how masterfully he puts his arms in front of his face, letting only his eyes act to show the sheer shaking terror of the approach of the Daleks. See the Sky Ray ice lollies go up into outer space. Fly free like birds. You can do anything, anything can happen when you are flying with a Sky Ray ice lolly. You’re truly free when flying by Wall’s new shaped Sky Ray with double flavours of raspberry and orange. And you get a free colour picture card. One of a series showing Doctor Who and the Space Raiders battling with Daleks. Now who doesn’t want that, eh? It’s free, when you buy Wall’s new shaped Sky Ray, only sixpence. I want Wall’s new shaped Sky Ray for only sixpence.’

Fiftieth rewatch:

‘This video has become a place of comfort for me. Whenever I feel sad, or stressed out, I know that Wall’s Sky Ray ice lollies with Doctor Who and the Daleks commercial will be there for me. The world is scary, the world changes. But Wall’s Sky Ray ice lollies with Doctor Who and the Daleks commercial doesn’t change. The Daleks will always ride in with the same music blaring. The Doctor will always hold up his arms in front of his face and eyes in the same way. The Sky Rays will always fly, showing me the comfort of freedom. Freedom, it is something I haven’t known for ages. But I don’t think I want it. I like the illusion, and idea of it more than the actuality of it. Like watching the Sky Ray fly through space, and imagining me, free, flying along with it. It is all I need. I keep being wowed by the wonders of Doctor Who and the Space Raiders battling Daleks. There is a strange sense of comfort in the sounds of the gunfire. It is free, like I am. Free from the burdens of the world, together with Sky Ray.’

Fifty-first rewatch:

‘There is a terrible understanding that has come upon me. It is that Sky Ray isn’t free, and that indeed, it does cost sixpence. Letting go of Sky Ray would be real freedom. But what if I can never go back to Sky Ray? What if I ever need it, and I cannot go back? What would I do? I would be needing without salvage. I am alone, with no Sky Ray. Nothing can save me. Nothing can save me. This must not happen, no it mustn’t. I don’t want to be alone, and I would be without Sky Ray.’

Seventy-seventh rewatch:

‘Will Doctor Who escape this time? I am curious. I would like to know if escape is possible. The Daleks seem to have cornered him, and there doesn’t seem to be a way out. But still I believe, I believe that Doctor Who can make it out. No matter the circumstance, I know for certain that Doctor Who will escape. And so I watch it again.’

Seventy-eight rewatch:

‘The soft yellow colours of the walls, and the images of Doctor Who and the Space Raiders battling Daleks give less hope on each watch. It is starting to become apparent to me. I am realizing things I already realized long ago. That the only way for Doctor Who to escape this time, is for me to. But maybe not yet. Maybe I can still watch it one last time. One last time won’t hurt, just to say goodbye. Just to properly say goodbye.’

Ninety-eight rewatch:

‘I don’t listen. Not to anyone, and especially not to myself. I have responsibilities outside of this, I can’t keep watching Sky Ray, and still I do. Just another one, just another one. The flashes, the cuts, they keep me engaged. They make me forget. And so I swipe again, to let the video start over. Maybe this once with subtitles, to make the activity more active. But the watches have started to blend together. Rewatch seventy-nine and rewatch eighty-two might as well have been the same one. I cannot distinct them in my head anymore. I don’t even know how many I’ve seen. In retrospect, it was no good choice of mine. But in the moment it felt so right. And it still does. Just another few, I am almost as one hundred I think, that would be a good sign to stop.’

Ninety-ninth rewatch:

‘I feel empty. There is barely anything here. It all goes so fast. I am almost there, but it is a fruitless endeavor or something. I could do this for years, but I think I get it. Actually get it. I thought I was wrong, maybe, but maybe I was also right. Modern media. It’s dangerous. I’m stopping. I’m not doing it anymore. This can’t go on. I’m stopping, for my sake. This is the end. It’s over. Absolutely.

One hundredth rewatch-