Wow. Now, that's a turnaround, and I have no shortage of things to talk about this time. My only problem is in trying to organise my thoughts into something coherent. What the heck - I'll try stream of thought, and see how it looks.
First off, a warning. All these entries contain spoilers. I've been reckoning that people can work this out for themselves and read responsibly, but because fewer people have seen (or otherwise experienced) Marco Polo I will say up front that I recommend doing so before reading this entry. Go on - come back to this in a week or two when you're done.
Have they gone? Good. Or maybe - if you're reading this later - welcome back!
Right. Let's start with the resolution of the cliffhanger, where I was pleased to discover that Ian doesn't get to beat Tegana. I deliberately left in my prediction last time - even though I knew I was wrong by the time I wrote up my notes - since I'm trying to record my thoughts as I go. In fact, Ian has done very little of the "action man" stuff in this serial, dealing with some guards and bandits but not much more; even at the end it's Polo who faces the warlord, and I find this more realistic portrayal suits me well. This is not an episode that focuses on Ian, though, and his main contribution is helping Barbara to figure out what Tegana is up to. Which is Barbara's main contribution, too, now I think about it. And Susan takes a back seat as well.
The Doctor is the only regular with a significant role, the first time in a while he's been in the spotlight, and the rapport between William Hartnell and Martin Miller as Kublai Khan comes through much better than in their first meeting. The Doctor's cunning - and his reaction when he loses - are spot on, but still it's the Khan who is the more interesting character. This story definitely upholds the idea that wisdom comes with age, despite the ruler's gambling addiction; and he proves himself a very shrewd judge of character. Which makes sense for a successful overlord. Tegana's plans, meanwhile, are gradually unravelled both by chance and by the Khan's clear sight, so that the revelation of his original scheme - a straightforward assassination, unaffected by any of the preceding events - is a gripping moment.
What I like even more about this episode is the way it changes my perceptions of what has been going on, especially the actions of our eponymous Venetian narrator. I left my inaccurate comments about Polo's story-led stupidity in the last entry as it is important to understand the turnabout that John Lucarotti has scripted. In the light of Polo's revelation about his remorse over taking the TARDIS, it makes perfect sense for him to give the travellers opportunities to get away. In his position he can't openly change his mind and return it to them, but he can look the other way - unless someone like Tegana interferes. Here he finally admits his subterfuge, and it's a great moment as things click into place.
This is a risky script strategy, though. I marked the last episode down because of what seemed like poor character writing, and the fact that I've now seen what was going on can't change that. So, although this aspect of the writing is very clever, in one sense it's also a failure: until the end, the characterisation looks less coherent than it actually is. It was expected that people would watch the serial only once so this is a definite flaw in Lucarotti's script, though one that would make me enjoy a second watch/listen. The resolution of Polo's story - admitting his crisis of conscience to the Khan, defeating Tegana, returning the key to the travellers and being released to go home to Venice anyway - is satisfying.
In fact, all the named characters except Tegana get what they want - including Ping-Cho, who Susan was most worried about. And her story deserves a little more attention.
It all changes for Ping-Cho, of course, when she learns that her husband-to-be has died. The canny Khan uses the opportunity to test the girl's honesty, deciding if he can trust her based on her reaction to the news. How clever! And the scene is played for laughs to take the sting out of the death for the young audience. But: isn't it remarkably convenient that the old man passes away just then? By poison, no less? The Khan could be ruthless, as he makes very clear to Tegana. Isn't it possible that he arranged the death so that he could test Ping-Cho? When we consider this interpretation the scene becomes ambiguous, flipping between the luck comedy of the overacting Empress and a darker version where off-screen lives are of no consequence. Whatever was in Lucarotti's mind, I am forced to confront the fact that I am complicit in the callousness of this attitude: why should I care about characters I've never seen and that the narrative obviously disregards? It makes for uncomfortable viewing, but in a good way (unlike the amount of yellowface on show in the telesnaps for this episode, which demonstrates that it would have been uncomfortable to watch in another way if it still existed).
Wait - there's more. The poison was a concoction of quicksilver (mercury) and sulphur that the poor old man took to give himself eternal youth. This is pure alchemical thinking - mercury is cold and wet, sulphur hot and dry, so combining the two in just the right way creates pure gold. And this transformation was symbolic of the elixir of life. Script editor David Whitaker was very interested in alchemy; as Elizabeth Sandifer explains in the TARDIS Eruditorum - particularly here - he identified the Doctor with Mercury. I don't want to go into that too much (you can follow the link if you're interested), but I will point out one thing: this means that, symbolically, the Doctor saved Ping-Cho. By killing someone. Shades of his time with Za in the forest, perhaps? Or is that getting too far from what was actually broadcast? Probably.
There's more I could say about other parts of this episode, and I admit spending over 300 words on a single scene was perhaps profligate, but I think I've covered the most important aspects. So instead I'll wish you all a good night.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 4th April 1964
Viewers: 10.4 million
Chart Position: 22
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
9/10.
Next Time:
Serial D as a whole.
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