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-

Unlike my reviewing compatriots, I find it impossible to capture the bizarre nature of this piece in mere numerical terms. It's balance between meta and storytelling is utterly sublime, the story being consumed by the meta, as capitalistic greed comsumes all things... a chilling and modern-era-relevant piece of cinematic genius, made ironic by the fact that it was produced by the very thing Doctor Who sets out to destroy... consumerism has long been an enemy of the Doctor's, and here, we find him promoting it! What a scandal! What uproar must this have caused when it first aired! Oh, how the mind does wonder...

Sky Ray is an interesting Piece of Media, it makes me question what is or isn't a Story, because we all know it's a Commercial (or at least I would hope you know it's a Commercial). Are Commercials stories in their own right? Let's find out, shall we?

The Death of Art

Media has been in a bit of a tough Spot lately, we are getting a lot of Remakes, Reboots, Renewals, Revivals and what else that starts with "Re" and is revisiting something again. Oh, that's another good word: Revisiting!

Anyway the fact of the matter is, we live in a Time of Franchises, a lot of the new big budget Films will be the next major Blockbuster by Michael Bay, for crying out loud he is making a Skibidi Toilet Film (yes this is real, look it up (actually forgot what I said apparently it's not real, but I am too lazy to find a new Counterpart)). One would argue it looks dry for Art, but I argue otherwise, despite people not wanting to acknowledge it, often in times people will yearn for an older Time for Media. But why? You, the reader may or may not ask. Well it's simple: Nostalgia, too many people are consumed by their Nostalgia and think 'New thing= ALWAYS bad', but is it true? Well, yes and no. It varies, like with everything, all of it is much more complex. What does this have to do with 'Sky Ray'? Well let me explain..

A Cheap Fake

A lot of times, rankings need a last Place. Who is your least favorite Doctor? That question can be quite a tricky one, do you wanna point to one of the great Actors and say "Well they weren't very good.."? Of course not. Well let me tell you this Question has been answered now. One of the very first people to play a Doctor Who was the Actor of this Commercial. No, they were too cheap to get Patrick Throughton to do it, or maybe he was too cowardly to do this, but this is clearly not Pat Throughton. This guy is a cheap, annoying & very bad Imposter! And we never even see his Face, he always covered it with his Hands and/or Recorder. Why? Because he isn't REAL

Reality or how I learned to love the Classic Camp

Once an Upon a Time ago, I would say I didn't get Camp, but that would be a lie. After all, I am one of the most idiotic Who-Fans to ever who, which makes me also one of the smartest one. So is this Point of the Review utterly useless? Yes. And I knew that. I even bet on it, after all, you are just another Pawn in my Chess Game. Do you see that? Would you like to be known as the Pawn one? Of course not and that's why..

The uncanny Parallels between this and Paw Patrol

Paw Patrol is an animated Media Franchise, which is going strong, with two cinematic Outings and one still upcoming it had a lot to offer and of course it did also have Commercials. Were any of those like this one? Not at all, they were too modern and not as charming, as cheap, as direct as this one.

Have Commercials lost their Charm and being direct? One could argue that, I would go even so far and tell you that in fact it's true. More than true even! So anyway, can you count with me? Just this once, hmm? Well who I am? Who are you?

That's what they call an Identity Crisis

One of the most interesting Things about 'Sky Ray' is the fact that it delves into the second Doctor's Identity Crisis. But is that really true, you may ask? Well one could argue that, for an evidence: He covers his face. Now, why would he do that? Is he scared from the Daleks? Is that so the Kids at home can't see it's not Pat Throughton? Or might be much deeper.

In the Story 'Power of the Daleks' we see Two basically referring to his past self as 'The Doctor', never himself, at least for a while. Why is that? Well how good that you ask this, to me, it reads like he is trying to move away from his past Identity, something clicking in his mind: The timelords could be finding him at any moment now, so if he stops intervening into events of other Planets, he might escape them. But at least, there is a sense of irony to it. His adventure after his Regeneration brings him up against the Daleks. A Reminder that is present here. The Daleks actually are causing this Incarnation of the Doctor to not really know who they are. A Tragedy hidden in just a Minute.

But is the second Doctor real?

Number 9: The last Thing you want in your Doctor Who is a fraud, but that's what you might get.. Doctor Who played by Patrick Throughton is fake, to me, he is not the real one. He is too much of a clown, and he has a weird dress sense, besides that he isn't William Hartnell, that makes him not real to me. Not to mention how many of his Episodes are missing, how can he be real if I can't see him jump into a Sea or wear his iconic Stovepipe Hat? Are you telling me that Stovepipe Hat is meaningless?

The Meaning of the Stovepipe Hat

There is no Meaning behind the Stovepipe Hat.

But seriously?

This is a Story that made me feel a lot of Things: Regret, Anger, Confusion, Fear and so much more. Doctor Who could have died with this Story and yet it didn't, to me that's the Beauty of the Show. Every time you think "Oh they have really done it, didn't they?" they CAN come back stronger. With the Future of the Show currently unknown, I look back at the Times of Sky Ray and find weirdly comfort in this Oddity. Yes, Doctor who do get exterminated so children in the 1960s want to buy that Product. It's something you won't see them do with any of the modern Doctors (maybe Smith), so in a way it's unique to its Time, to me, it's certainly something that could barely count as a Story, but at the End of the day.. who defines what a Story is or isn't. It's about how it makes you feel, it's about how it helps you or entertains you. Stories at the end are flexible and Humanity's greatest Invention and to me that's beautiful and 'Sky Ray' is by far not one of the best, but it´s unique, it makes me write this entire dumb Review to end it on a thought-provoking Note, and what is great Art if not silly?

3.5/5: Kinda good?

Now when you talk about doctor who minisodes the new series ones mostly come to mind now this was doctor who ahead of its time with true wit and courage to face off the daleks inside his own tardis! An amazing part of this is that this is the first time we saw one of the first 2 doctors in colour! This masterpiece of cinematography begins and ends in the tardis saving on budget but still uses the original dalek props it also doesnt show the doctor for too long due to him not being Patrick Troughton. And onto the ice lolly itself I think that if I was a child who loved doctor who in the 60s I would of been begging my parents all the time to try and collect them all with the price tag being only 6pence which equates to £1.67 today.

The story of this minisode is short and sweet with the daleks somehow breaking into the tardis and as the doctor tries to escape the daleks... The Daleks Fire!!! It then zooms into the doctor cover his face. And it cuts away to the sky rays flying through space and then shows us the cards with the doctor and a planet fighting against the daleks.

This story isd amazing 5/5

Short sweet n fun