This episode opens with its first departure from the feel of the first season: there is no recap. This actually makes a lot of sense when the two episodes are on the same disk, and in this case - with Ian in the water - it's pretty obvious what is going on anyway. This leads into a section when Ian is ill again, which made me notice that this is a story without an Action Hero Ian component; thumbs up from me!
In fact, Ian was poisoned in each of the previous two televised serials; hypnotised, frozen and knocked unconscious in the one before that; dehydrated in Marco Polo; affected by the TARDIS in Inside the Spaceship; and shot and exposed to radiation in The Daleks. It's a wonder the poor man hasn't burnt out by now...
The dialogue continues to be excellent - Banks' "I will never leave you" is particularly creepy - and the writing in general is still good, but I found myself slightly less engaged by the plot this time around. It's hard to put my finger on precisely why; it could just be that there were a number of interruptions while I was listening to it, which is unfair but consistent with my decision to base my scoring for each episode purely on how much I enjoy it.
The first part gave us the gradual build-up of Ian's suspicions, culminating in the attempt on his life; this one is more claustrophobic, as Ian - sure now that Banks is a danger - attempts to persuade others of his findings, in the face of skepticism and mounting annoyance. Once again William Russell's narration is spot on, and I look forward to hearing more from him (which I will, right after The Reign of Terror). We also get to see into the Doctor's head - just a little, and from Ian's perspective - and the glimpse of his vulnerability and concern for Susan is touching.
Ah yes, the missing half of our cast. Susan is, as usual, pretty much ignored for most of the story, only getting a little airtime right at the end. I guess that's in keeping with the feel of the season too, though it's an aspect I'd have been happy to do without. Barbara, on the other hand, even while absent, has quite a presence. It starts when Banks mentions her name to the ailing Ian, although he's actually referring to a plant specimen (another fine example of Rayner's research). Ian thinks of her more and more as time goes on - a possible case of absence making the heart grow fonder. - and this leads quite naturally to Ian's partial realisation concerning what is actually happening.
When I first listened to this I'd never seen The Sensorites, and Banks' key line as the ship foundered - "I'm going to lead you back - I'm your navigator" - meant nothing to me. Now, of course, it does, and the resolution works better for it.
The story treads a fine line between modern sensibilities and the rather more pro-colonial attitudes of the first season. Keeping Ian on board ship when Cook makes contact with the Australian inhabitants helps to avoid potential pitfalls, and keeps the plot focused on the main characters.
Overall, this is a worthy conclusion to the story; and I'm only sorry I can't give it a higher rating.
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
Companion Chronicle 3.7 as a whole.
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
Episode CC3.7a: Voyage of Discovery
We are back in the land of audio, with William Russell narrating once again. This is a different sort of audio, though; almost, but not quite, a "talking book". But more on that in a later entry.
The story opens with a recap of the conversation at the end of The Sensorites, and gives us a picture of how everyone reacts. The Doctor then makes good on his threat, dropping Iananbarbara off on a ship. But not just any ship: this is James Cook's Endeavour, on its way to "discover" the East coast of Australia in 1770. What happens as a result forms the plot of the serial. The descriptions (by the ever-reliable Jacqueline Rayner) are spot on, and feel just right for a first season story. I can really picture the events in my mind, filmed in glorious monochrome with stock footage of the sea and distant sailing ship shots. It even has non-speaking extras and a small cast of main characters (Captain Cook, Joseph Banks) with only one other sailor speaking in each episode.
We see little of the Doctor, and even less of Susan and Barbara. Which is appropriate; this is very much Russell's chance to shine and it's only fair that he should get most time in the spotlight. The characterisation of Ian and the Doctor is spot on, though they are generally kept separate on the voyage. This, too, makes sense, as otherwise there would have been good opportunities for them to patch up their differences; and we know that can't happen, because this is a later story slotted into a nonexistent gap between two of the original televised stories.
Like most early historicals, this is a highly educational story. There's quite a bit of information I didn't know about Cook's voyage, in particular the role of Joseph Banks, as well as other minor matters (such as the origins of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
The only aspect that doesn't seem to be of the time is the music, which is quite ethereal; but the limited, appropriate use of this as well as the atmospheric sound effects fits and enhances the experience.
As the story progresses, though, with Ian hearing strange voices and Banks saying things he can't know as a man of his time, it makes me wonder whether this qualifies as a pure historical at all. It feels more like a pseudohistorical, the curious blend of history and science fiction that first appeared at the end of the second season. This comes to a head in the dramatic cliffhanger, with the landscape waving and Banks declaring "no one will ever see you again, ever - you must join your friends" as he pushes Ian into deadly peril. Which is also the first scene I think they would have had trouble filming back in 1964.
This is gripping stuff. Partly it's Russell's fantastic performance, ably supported by Ian Hallard as Banks - neither of them ever sound like they are just reading a story - but mostly it's the writing. There's so much detail, and it's included in such a way that it feels rich rather than needless. The dialogue sparkles; consider, for example, the following:
"Never mess with people's dreams - the smallest action can have huge consequences."
Redolent of the Doctor's "not one line" speech from The Aztecs, this is nevertheless all Rayner's own. It's tribute, not pastiche, and it straddles the timezones, belonging to both 1964 and 2009.
Good fun.
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Dangerous Endeavours.
The story opens with a recap of the conversation at the end of The Sensorites, and gives us a picture of how everyone reacts. The Doctor then makes good on his threat, dropping Iananbarbara off on a ship. But not just any ship: this is James Cook's Endeavour, on its way to "discover" the East coast of Australia in 1770. What happens as a result forms the plot of the serial. The descriptions (by the ever-reliable Jacqueline Rayner) are spot on, and feel just right for a first season story. I can really picture the events in my mind, filmed in glorious monochrome with stock footage of the sea and distant sailing ship shots. It even has non-speaking extras and a small cast of main characters (Captain Cook, Joseph Banks) with only one other sailor speaking in each episode.
We see little of the Doctor, and even less of Susan and Barbara. Which is appropriate; this is very much Russell's chance to shine and it's only fair that he should get most time in the spotlight. The characterisation of Ian and the Doctor is spot on, though they are generally kept separate on the voyage. This, too, makes sense, as otherwise there would have been good opportunities for them to patch up their differences; and we know that can't happen, because this is a later story slotted into a nonexistent gap between two of the original televised stories.
Like most early historicals, this is a highly educational story. There's quite a bit of information I didn't know about Cook's voyage, in particular the role of Joseph Banks, as well as other minor matters (such as the origins of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
The only aspect that doesn't seem to be of the time is the music, which is quite ethereal; but the limited, appropriate use of this as well as the atmospheric sound effects fits and enhances the experience.
As the story progresses, though, with Ian hearing strange voices and Banks saying things he can't know as a man of his time, it makes me wonder whether this qualifies as a pure historical at all. It feels more like a pseudohistorical, the curious blend of history and science fiction that first appeared at the end of the second season. This comes to a head in the dramatic cliffhanger, with the landscape waving and Banks declaring "no one will ever see you again, ever - you must join your friends" as he pushes Ian into deadly peril. Which is also the first scene I think they would have had trouble filming back in 1964.
This is gripping stuff. Partly it's Russell's fantastic performance, ably supported by Ian Hallard as Banks - neither of them ever sound like they are just reading a story - but mostly it's the writing. There's so much detail, and it's included in such a way that it feels rich rather than needless. The dialogue sparkles; consider, for example, the following:
"Never mess with people's dreams - the smallest action can have huge consequences."
Redolent of the Doctor's "not one line" speech from The Aztecs, this is nevertheless all Rayner's own. It's tribute, not pastiche, and it straddles the timezones, belonging to both 1964 and 2009.
Good fun.
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Dangerous Endeavours.
Thursday 24 November 2011
Serial G: The Sensorites
This is the first serial where I've managed to fully write up my entry for every episode before watching the next, and that has worked well. I've always made notes before, but not always got around to researching any extra material and typing it all up before my next viewing. I spent a week on holiday in Cornwall with the family over half term, and because I have a bad back there were times when I couldn't go out with them; so I got into a routine. I would watch an episode in the evening with my son, making very brief notes and expanding on them immediately afterwards. I would then let it mull overnight, and in the morning type up my entry. I couldn't do much research because there was no Internet connection; though I'd saved a couple of pages before I left. In this way, I did the last episode of The Aztecs and the first three of The Sensorites, and I decided to continue the pattern. It's been hard, because opportunities to watch haven't interleaved nicely with opportunities to write, so I probably won't continue (I'm writing this a fortnight later); but it was good while it lasted.
This is the earliest surviving story not yet out on DVD, which caused me a dilemma. It's available for free online (at blinkbox), but I knew I wouldn't be able to access that while away; yet the holiday was going to be my best opportunity for writing. In the end I did download a copy, but I will definitely get the DVD when it comes out. The same will be true of the next two TV serials, as well (although I have the audio for the next one); after that I've got everything until The Tenth Planet, which will probably be out by the time I get there!
Because of the way I've written these I did miss a couple of things. The attitude to authority is interesting: there's an explicitly anti-colonial message, but the travellers are happy to support an absolutist, authoritarian state with a death penalty. I also didn't mention the neat way the Sensorites gradually changed from monsters to victims, while at the same time splitting into white hats and black hats. The pace makes this serial another that works much better when viewed episodically. It's still too slow, really, and would have worked better as a four-parter; but it has consistently good-to-excellent cliffhangers.
Before watching I knew less about this story than Marco Polo - just that Susan gets to be telepathic, it features the aliens that inspired the Ood, and that the Doctor threatens to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship. That made a pleasant change, and happily I know even less about the next televised story.
With no DVD to comment on, and since my nine-year-old son watched the serial with me, I asked him if he could tell me his opinions to publish. He said he didn't mind, so here's a new feature, which you'll hopefully see again:
Isaac's Corner
The plot was good, particularly the excellent cliffhangers; my favourite was the one where Ian collapses and starts dying. The acting was good, too - the City Administrator slash (or sash) Second Elder really stood out as the best, although Ian was good when he was dying and the people in the aqueduct did their part well. It was also great that Susan finally got to do some of the things she was supposed to do from the start! On the other hand, there wasn't enough variety of sets: only three, the spaceship (which didn't appear after the third episode), the palace (which was very dull) and the aqueduct. It was the same with the costumes - only two, really, apart from the Doctor, his friends, and the people in the aqueduct.
So there you have it - the verdict from the other end of the family. See you next time!
Rating:
Episodic: 4.5/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 54.06%, 183rd.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 5.12, 197th out of 222.
Next Time:
Voyage of Discovery. Wait - what?!
This is the earliest surviving story not yet out on DVD, which caused me a dilemma. It's available for free online (at blinkbox), but I knew I wouldn't be able to access that while away; yet the holiday was going to be my best opportunity for writing. In the end I did download a copy, but I will definitely get the DVD when it comes out. The same will be true of the next two TV serials, as well (although I have the audio for the next one); after that I've got everything until The Tenth Planet, which will probably be out by the time I get there!
Because of the way I've written these I did miss a couple of things. The attitude to authority is interesting: there's an explicitly anti-colonial message, but the travellers are happy to support an absolutist, authoritarian state with a death penalty. I also didn't mention the neat way the Sensorites gradually changed from monsters to victims, while at the same time splitting into white hats and black hats. The pace makes this serial another that works much better when viewed episodically. It's still too slow, really, and would have worked better as a four-parter; but it has consistently good-to-excellent cliffhangers.
Before watching I knew less about this story than Marco Polo - just that Susan gets to be telepathic, it features the aliens that inspired the Ood, and that the Doctor threatens to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship. That made a pleasant change, and happily I know even less about the next televised story.
With no DVD to comment on, and since my nine-year-old son watched the serial with me, I asked him if he could tell me his opinions to publish. He said he didn't mind, so here's a new feature, which you'll hopefully see again:
Isaac's Corner
The plot was good, particularly the excellent cliffhangers; my favourite was the one where Ian collapses and starts dying. The acting was good, too - the City Administrator slash (or sash) Second Elder really stood out as the best, although Ian was good when he was dying and the people in the aqueduct did their part well. It was also great that Susan finally got to do some of the things she was supposed to do from the start! On the other hand, there wasn't enough variety of sets: only three, the spaceship (which didn't appear after the third episode), the palace (which was very dull) and the aqueduct. It was the same with the costumes - only two, really, apart from the Doctor, his friends, and the people in the aqueduct.
So there you have it - the verdict from the other end of the family. See you next time!
Rating:
Episodic: 4.5/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 54.06%, 183rd.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 5.12, 197th out of 222.
Next Time:
Voyage of Discovery. Wait - what?!
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Episode 36 (G6): A Desperate Venture
Hooray, Barbara's back! And she's been spending some time in the spaceship's solarium to judge by her tan. Unfortunately, Jacqueline Hill looks like she wishes she were still on holiday, and isn't quite back into the swing of things. Not that she puts in a bad performance - she never does that - but whereas William Hartnell came back in Sentence of Death with all guns blazing, Hill is more tentative. And "tentative" is the word for this episode, which should have a driving sense of urgency but doesn't. The confrontation when the Doctor and Ian meet the nutty commander is fantastic, but most of the time I'm wanting less talk and more action. And that's a shame, because there's nothing very much wrong with this episode otherwise. Oh, they hold the aqueduct sound effect too long so that it plays over a change of scene and there are a couple of fluffed lines, but that's minor stuff that can easily be ignored; I could just as easily point out positive details like the visual contrast between the palace and the aqueduct, or the effective model shot of the departing spaceship. Even the collapse of the commander as he was shot - which was strange when you're used to people being thrown dramatically backwards - was, on reflection, a neat variation. No, the problem is a script that is too stretched out combined with uninspired direction. Which brings up another point: why do I hold this episode up to a different standard than the previous couple? Because it's the last of the serial, obviously, but what difference should that make in an era with no overall serial titles? I criticised John Lucarotti for holding too much back for the final episode of Marco Polo, I observed that Terry Nation gave us a fake final episode with The Ambush; what right have I to expect that this one act like a conclusion to a story? Because we're talking about drama, consarnit, and even though the show is continuing next week, this six-week 'story arc' needs to finish properly! Instead it tails off, with too much under-explained despite all the talking. I was partly right in my guesses last time - I thought there were surviving humans poisoning the water - but I also suspected that the City Administrator (sorry, new Second Elder) was using them to stir up trouble, and that the monster was a ruse to stop people investigating. That second idea might still be true, but we'll never know. Real life might be like that - with unconnected crises and unresolved matters - but it doesn't make for the best TV. Still, I do feel like I'm being overly negative, so let's talk about the best thing in this episode (and, in fact, the serial): Susan. She gets plenty to do, despite everyone's efforts to keep her out of danger, and we have that lovely scene where she is describing her planet. Boy, did I flash forward to the end of Gridlock! I hadn't realised that the final scene with Martha on New Earth was so explicit a homage, and certainly not that its roots went back so far. Anyway, we learn more about Susan than we have in all the time since the very first episode. She's growing up - not particularly physically (because it's only been a matter of months since the start of the show), nor intellectually (since she was already a genius), but socially. We've seen her make her own decisions and try to stand up to the Doctor earlier in the serial, and here she finds herself able to express the conflict in her heart - between her wanderlust and her homesickness, her love for her grandfather and her desire to be settled. This is all setting the scene for her departure, though I'm not sure how much that was the original intent. Before shooting began on serial G Carole Ann Ford had made it clear to the BBC that since Susan wasn't being allowed to develop she intended to leave when her contract period ran out, but by then Peter Newman's scripts would have been written already. Whether David Whitaker boosted this aspect or whether he just ran with it I don't know, but it is effective foreshadowing. And that, in itself, is enough. Finally, we must deal with the last minute of the TARDIS scene at the end. What was that?! The Doctor suddenly turns around and says he's going to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship, completely out of the blue?! Hill and Ford do a good job of looking shocked and then deciding that now is not the time to argue, but it doesn't really hang together. I really hope there's a good explanation coming up... Broadcast: Date: Saturday, 1st August 1964 Viewers: 6.9 million Chart Position: 39 Appreciation Index: 57 Rating: 4.5/10. Next Time: Serial G as a whole. |
Monday 21 November 2011
Episode 35 (G5): Kidnap
Well, here we are with another episode that blends different levels of achievement. We have a change of director: in comes Frank Cox, who was last here for The Brink of Disaster. Once again he mostly does a competent but unimaginative job; this time the contrast is minimal since Mervyn Pinfield was working along the same lines. There's one brave scene right at the start, though, as last week's cliffhanger is resolved in near darkness, and it's very effective. Unfortunately the other adventurous choice - blurring Carol's face as the recovering John looks at her - is spoiled by not showing it face-on, which means the camera effect is from John's point of view but the camera angle isn't. Bizarre.
On to the acting, then, and there are fluffs galore. Even Carole Ann Ford stumbles over one line, which is very rare. Despite which, the (still very talky) plot rattles along at a much better pace. We learn that Sensorites have names, and (in a neat reversal of the trial in Millennius) Ian defends the Doctor from a charge of murder. There's some nice character moments - the Doctor mentioning that he never liked weapons, or namedropping Beau Brummel, for instance - and more nuances to Sensorite society (including the fact that the people at the top think it's perfect - what a surprise). The theory of mind expounded by the Sensorite scientist is fun, too.
Meanwhile, the mystery of the plot is getting closer to a solution. I think I've worked it out, but will be interested to see if I am right or if I have missed something big, like I did with Marco Polo. The way the Doctor's coat was ripped is a definite clue - for a second I thought it was just a bad effect that made it look unnatural, but then Ian immediately commented on it. Nice.
Speaking of Ian, his amazingly quick recovery is another mark against him in my "dislike of Action Hero Ian" scorebook. His potential other half, Barbara, is noticeable by her absence - and is obviously in the minds of the TARDIS crew throughout - and, although everything has got along quite well without her I will be glad when Jacqueline Hill returns next time.
The increased pace is the key thing that keeps this from being a poor episode and raises it to mediocre. Which might be damning with faint praise, but that's the way I feel. Still there's a couple more things to mention:
Evolution of a Time Lord, part 1: How Many Hearts?
As we've known since Spearhead from Space, Time Lords have two hearts. This was, of course, a later addition to the show - we won't even hear the name "Time Lord" for almost half a decade - but it's still interesting to see how future continuity fits with what's going on in these early episodes. Some people (including the author of the Wikipedia page for serial G) have tried to use Hartnell's statement "something hit me under the heart" as evidence that he only has one. This is just silly. If I say "something hit me on the arm" do you assume I've only got one? It's not any evidence at all. 'Nuff said.
It's Thingy, from That Other Program, part 1: Peter Glaze
"It's Saturday, it's five fifteen... and it's Doctor Who."
"DOCTOR WHO!!!"
Well, that could have been a catchphrase. But I admit the original works better. I haven't been paying much attention to the cast lists, but given that I've never seen Citizen Kane and so have no extra-curricular interest in George Coulouris, I don't think I've missed anyone important to me until now. And since he was a Sensorite (well, two actually) I think I can be forgiven for not recognising Peter Glaze.
Crackerjack! was a very long-running children's show - 29 series - and despite joining it in 1960 and staying until 1979, Glaze wasn't there for either the beginning or the end. Neither was I, but I watched a good chunk of the middle, mostly because of Glaze and his comedy partner (originally Leslie Crowther, but Don Maclean for most of my time). The fact that it was on at teatime helped too. As I've mentioned before, in the bungalow where I grew up we had a narrow galley kitchen and no dining room, so food was generally eaten on our laps in front of the telly. We weren't the sort of family that had the TV on all the time - you were either watching it, or it was turned off - but it just made sense to watch at teatime. This caused something of a culture clash with my wife when we got married because she came from a family where the telly was on most of the time, but they ate at a table in the kitchen or the dining room. We compromised in the end. But I think our children are on my side when it comes to meals.
Anyway, Crackerjack! was the earliest successful zany, anarchic kids' show, a forerunner of programs such as Tiswas or Dick and Dom in da Bungalow, with gags, games and (eventually) gunge.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 25th July 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 29
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
A Desperate Venture.
On to the acting, then, and there are fluffs galore. Even Carole Ann Ford stumbles over one line, which is very rare. Despite which, the (still very talky) plot rattles along at a much better pace. We learn that Sensorites have names, and (in a neat reversal of the trial in Millennius) Ian defends the Doctor from a charge of murder. There's some nice character moments - the Doctor mentioning that he never liked weapons, or namedropping Beau Brummel, for instance - and more nuances to Sensorite society (including the fact that the people at the top think it's perfect - what a surprise). The theory of mind expounded by the Sensorite scientist is fun, too.
Meanwhile, the mystery of the plot is getting closer to a solution. I think I've worked it out, but will be interested to see if I am right or if I have missed something big, like I did with Marco Polo. The way the Doctor's coat was ripped is a definite clue - for a second I thought it was just a bad effect that made it look unnatural, but then Ian immediately commented on it. Nice.
Speaking of Ian, his amazingly quick recovery is another mark against him in my "dislike of Action Hero Ian" scorebook. His potential other half, Barbara, is noticeable by her absence - and is obviously in the minds of the TARDIS crew throughout - and, although everything has got along quite well without her I will be glad when Jacqueline Hill returns next time.
The increased pace is the key thing that keeps this from being a poor episode and raises it to mediocre. Which might be damning with faint praise, but that's the way I feel. Still there's a couple more things to mention:
Evolution of a Time Lord, part 1: How Many Hearts?
As we've known since Spearhead from Space, Time Lords have two hearts. This was, of course, a later addition to the show - we won't even hear the name "Time Lord" for almost half a decade - but it's still interesting to see how future continuity fits with what's going on in these early episodes. Some people (including the author of the Wikipedia page for serial G) have tried to use Hartnell's statement "something hit me under the heart" as evidence that he only has one. This is just silly. If I say "something hit me on the arm" do you assume I've only got one? It's not any evidence at all. 'Nuff said.
It's Thingy, from That Other Program, part 1: Peter Glaze
"It's Saturday, it's five fifteen... and it's Doctor Who."
"DOCTOR WHO!!!"
Well, that could have been a catchphrase. But I admit the original works better. I haven't been paying much attention to the cast lists, but given that I've never seen Citizen Kane and so have no extra-curricular interest in George Coulouris, I don't think I've missed anyone important to me until now. And since he was a Sensorite (well, two actually) I think I can be forgiven for not recognising Peter Glaze.
Crackerjack! was a very long-running children's show - 29 series - and despite joining it in 1960 and staying until 1979, Glaze wasn't there for either the beginning or the end. Neither was I, but I watched a good chunk of the middle, mostly because of Glaze and his comedy partner (originally Leslie Crowther, but Don Maclean for most of my time). The fact that it was on at teatime helped too. As I've mentioned before, in the bungalow where I grew up we had a narrow galley kitchen and no dining room, so food was generally eaten on our laps in front of the telly. We weren't the sort of family that had the TV on all the time - you were either watching it, or it was turned off - but it just made sense to watch at teatime. This caused something of a culture clash with my wife when we got married because she came from a family where the telly was on most of the time, but they ate at a table in the kitchen or the dining room. We compromised in the end. But I think our children are on my side when it comes to meals.
Anyway, Crackerjack! was the earliest successful zany, anarchic kids' show, a forerunner of programs such as Tiswas or Dick and Dom in da Bungalow, with gags, games and (eventually) gunge.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 25th July 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 29
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
A Desperate Venture.
Friday 18 November 2011
Episode 34 (G4): A Race Against Death
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me... what? You missed it? Darn. When this episode went out I was a little over a day old. My birth wasn't exactly a race against death, despite what my mother might have thought. As I mentioned right at the start of this marathon, she had suffered a number of miscarriages and was nervous; as a result my baby teeth were rubbish, but otherwise this pregnancy had gone very smoothly. As did the labour itself. I was a very big baby, and continued to grow rapidly - the phrase "Sumo Baby" could have been invented for me, if old photos showing rolls of fat are to believed. I was probably still in hospital when this episode went out, because I had a suspected heart murmur, which fortunately turned out to be a false alarm. It's going to be a while before the biographical stuff makes much of an impact on these reviews, but from here on I'm at least out in the world.
One arrival, and one departure. It's Jacqueline Hill's turn for a fortnight off this time. She'll be back for the finale, though to be honest there's been very little sign of her flagging - she's weathered the grueling schedule best of all.
I thought William Russell might have had a chance to take it easy this time, too, but considering he spends most of the episode lying down Ian's presence is surprisingly important. As I said during The Aztecs he is at his most interesting when vulnerable, and while no actor can do much with unconsciousness Russell makes a good showing the rest of the time. Susan continues to be written as a stronger character, which is satisfying even if she is still placed into the traditional female role of 'nurse'. Just like Carol, in fact, the only other woman in the episode (though I suppose we can't tell with the Sensorites).
My mother was a nurse. She was 18 when the Second World War began for Britain, and - while it provided her an opportunity she would not have had otherwise - she saw and dealt with some shocking things. Even the child-friendly anecdotes she used to tell of that time had an edge to them, and by the end of the war she had decided to give up nursing. Then a colleague and friend pointed out a post that combined her two favourite parts of the job, and she became a casualty nurse in a children's hospital. She rose in rank, but stayed in children's casualty until about the time of The Aztecs, when she gave up full-time nursing to concentrate on me. Afterwards she did some bank work and plenty of voluntary activities, but that was pretty much it for her nursing career.
I'm writing this on November 6th. I always think about my mum's work at this time of year, because she was not a fan of Guy Fawkes Night. There were fewer safety regulations in those days, and no leave was allowed for the nursing staff - there were always plenty of children who were badly burned or lost an eye, on the department's busiest night of the year. We have an eight-week-old puppy this time around, too, so with a frightened dog and a frightened cat the effect was doubly noticeable.
Meanwhile, back on the Sense-Sphere, water is pouring on to the Second Elder's head. Or so it seems in one shot, though he then moves to reveal a little fountain behind him that I hadn't noticed earlier. This is just the funniest symptom of the careless direction in this episode, which is generally competent, but with a severe lack of imagination. Most of the cuts are good, but too often the shot is framed with people standing around in a boring way. Combine this with a general lack of urgency, the slow, deliberate speech of the Sensorites (and their lack of expression) and we have a recipe for a dull episode. Which this is. The trite music doesn't help, though I applaud the fact that there is more use made of sound than usual.
The plot ambles along; we don't learn much more about the Sensorites but there continues to be lots of talk. Still, last episode's exposition stands us in good stead, and when the City Administrator learns the art of using someone else's sash to pretend to be them, there's enough of a sense of alienness that I don't quite disbelieve it. Which is an impressive achievement. It's the Doctor who makes most of the running this time, though, and William Hartnell does a good job of keeping things moving. He also gets to visit the only interesting scenery (other than that fountain): the aqueduct, which provides a strong contrast to the main palace. Once again the story's final few minutes are the strongest, and the lighting for the last scene with Hartnell is great. It ends with another strong cliffhanger, with the closeup on the Doctor's face that won't become boring for several regenerations yet.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 18th July 1964
Viewers: 5.5 million
Chart Position: 58
Appreciation Index: 60
Rating:
4/10.
Next Time:
Kidnap.
One arrival, and one departure. It's Jacqueline Hill's turn for a fortnight off this time. She'll be back for the finale, though to be honest there's been very little sign of her flagging - she's weathered the grueling schedule best of all.
I thought William Russell might have had a chance to take it easy this time, too, but considering he spends most of the episode lying down Ian's presence is surprisingly important. As I said during The Aztecs he is at his most interesting when vulnerable, and while no actor can do much with unconsciousness Russell makes a good showing the rest of the time. Susan continues to be written as a stronger character, which is satisfying even if she is still placed into the traditional female role of 'nurse'. Just like Carol, in fact, the only other woman in the episode (though I suppose we can't tell with the Sensorites).
My mother was a nurse. She was 18 when the Second World War began for Britain, and - while it provided her an opportunity she would not have had otherwise - she saw and dealt with some shocking things. Even the child-friendly anecdotes she used to tell of that time had an edge to them, and by the end of the war she had decided to give up nursing. Then a colleague and friend pointed out a post that combined her two favourite parts of the job, and she became a casualty nurse in a children's hospital. She rose in rank, but stayed in children's casualty until about the time of The Aztecs, when she gave up full-time nursing to concentrate on me. Afterwards she did some bank work and plenty of voluntary activities, but that was pretty much it for her nursing career.
I'm writing this on November 6th. I always think about my mum's work at this time of year, because she was not a fan of Guy Fawkes Night. There were fewer safety regulations in those days, and no leave was allowed for the nursing staff - there were always plenty of children who were badly burned or lost an eye, on the department's busiest night of the year. We have an eight-week-old puppy this time around, too, so with a frightened dog and a frightened cat the effect was doubly noticeable.
Meanwhile, back on the Sense-Sphere, water is pouring on to the Second Elder's head. Or so it seems in one shot, though he then moves to reveal a little fountain behind him that I hadn't noticed earlier. This is just the funniest symptom of the careless direction in this episode, which is generally competent, but with a severe lack of imagination. Most of the cuts are good, but too often the shot is framed with people standing around in a boring way. Combine this with a general lack of urgency, the slow, deliberate speech of the Sensorites (and their lack of expression) and we have a recipe for a dull episode. Which this is. The trite music doesn't help, though I applaud the fact that there is more use made of sound than usual.
The plot ambles along; we don't learn much more about the Sensorites but there continues to be lots of talk. Still, last episode's exposition stands us in good stead, and when the City Administrator learns the art of using someone else's sash to pretend to be them, there's enough of a sense of alienness that I don't quite disbelieve it. Which is an impressive achievement. It's the Doctor who makes most of the running this time, though, and William Hartnell does a good job of keeping things moving. He also gets to visit the only interesting scenery (other than that fountain): the aqueduct, which provides a strong contrast to the main palace. Once again the story's final few minutes are the strongest, and the lighting for the last scene with Hartnell is great. It ends with another strong cliffhanger, with the closeup on the Doctor's face that won't become boring for several regenerations yet.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 18th July 1964
Viewers: 5.5 million
Chart Position: 58
Appreciation Index: 60
Rating:
4/10.
Next Time:
Kidnap.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Episode 33 (G3): Hidden Danger
Eagle-eyed readers who turn to the broadcast information before the main review (which is probably none of you, but never mind) will have noticed that there was a Wholess Saturday on 4th July. This wasn't some weird tribute to our friends across the pond, but rather caused by that bane of program scheduling: sport. The previous episode started 25 minutes late because of Grandstand, and on U.S. Independence Day 1964 there was an extra-long version that meant no chance of Doctor Who going out at a sensible time. Still, the program had 32 weeks of Saturday evenings without a break, which is pretty impressive.
Sport has always been the ultimate "event TV". The more prestigious the event, the less chance any other program has of keeping it's scheduled slot. Wimbledon dominates the summer, football the winter. There's still one episode of Torchwood I've never seen because I was away for a fortnight and it got shifted for the second week, then was never repeated on free TV. Someday I'll get the series 2 DVDs, but the parent show takes priority.
Meanwhile, back to the Sense-Sphere. And this time we really are going down to the planet - but not for a paragraph or two yet. Let's get the bad bit out of the way first: no matter how scared they are, the Sensorites' reaction to being plunged into darkness was ridiculous. Their slow falling about in the dark, dropping the weapons they had already trained on the humans, just didn't feel realistic at all.
On the other hand I really like the characterisation in this section. Central, of course, is the Doctor and Susan's confrontation over the fact that she's growing up, which is deftly done. My only problem with it is that Susan's stance seems to come out of the blue; we've always seen the Doctor being over-protective, but she's shown very few signs of chafing up until now. Still, these things do often come to a head suddenly, and I'm hardly going to complain about too much character development for the most-sidelined regular!
Ian's comment before they leave - "I don't like this splitting up, it always leads to trouble" - also made me smile. Now there's a perceptive companion!
Moving down to the planet, we have a definite mix of good and bad. Looking at the negative aspects first, the sets are clean and bland, quite a contrast to the textured Earth spaceship; the similar appearance of the Sensorites means there's less visual variety; and it's all very talky. Even the threat of the disintegrator is slow-building, with the engineer and City Administrator explaining what they are doing rather than showing us. It never quite reaches the point when we feel there is an imminent threat, so the whole sequence feels wasted.
On the other hand, the picture of life on the Sense-Sphere that we get from all the talking is actually interesting. It's a textured society rather than a one-note caricature like the Daleks or Thals (and even they have more going on than the Voord, or the various peoples of Marinus). There's dissent between people that can still hold a polite conversation; there's apparent contradictions like the meritocratic aspects within a firmly class-based society. I reckon a decent science fiction author could write a good novel about the place.
We also find out in more detail why the Earth ship is being held captive, and it's a motive we can all relate to: preserving a way of life. Again this is a classic postwar theme for the "plucky Brits who stood up to the German war machine", but it also has an anti-Imperialist note as well: the Sensorites are protecting themselves from the greedy, resource-hungry humans.
There's something about this episode that reminds me of Peter Davison's era. Partly it's handling of the crowded TARDIS, with a companion being shuffled unceremoniously off-screen; partly it's the bland, brightly-lit sets once they get down to the planet; partly it's something else that I haven't managed to dredge up into my conscious mind. Perhaps it's because I've recently watched Kinda for the first time, which is another story that takes an interest in alien society. This has certainly been an unusual and thoughtful episode.
And yet, there's only so much exposition I can take: I'll be looking for more action next time. My hopes are raised as we once again go out on a great cliffhanger.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 11th July 1964
Viewers: 7.4 million
Chart Position: 22
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
A Race Against Death.
Sport has always been the ultimate "event TV". The more prestigious the event, the less chance any other program has of keeping it's scheduled slot. Wimbledon dominates the summer, football the winter. There's still one episode of Torchwood I've never seen because I was away for a fortnight and it got shifted for the second week, then was never repeated on free TV. Someday I'll get the series 2 DVDs, but the parent show takes priority.
Meanwhile, back to the Sense-Sphere. And this time we really are going down to the planet - but not for a paragraph or two yet. Let's get the bad bit out of the way first: no matter how scared they are, the Sensorites' reaction to being plunged into darkness was ridiculous. Their slow falling about in the dark, dropping the weapons they had already trained on the humans, just didn't feel realistic at all.
On the other hand I really like the characterisation in this section. Central, of course, is the Doctor and Susan's confrontation over the fact that she's growing up, which is deftly done. My only problem with it is that Susan's stance seems to come out of the blue; we've always seen the Doctor being over-protective, but she's shown very few signs of chafing up until now. Still, these things do often come to a head suddenly, and I'm hardly going to complain about too much character development for the most-sidelined regular!
Ian's comment before they leave - "I don't like this splitting up, it always leads to trouble" - also made me smile. Now there's a perceptive companion!
Moving down to the planet, we have a definite mix of good and bad. Looking at the negative aspects first, the sets are clean and bland, quite a contrast to the textured Earth spaceship; the similar appearance of the Sensorites means there's less visual variety; and it's all very talky. Even the threat of the disintegrator is slow-building, with the engineer and City Administrator explaining what they are doing rather than showing us. It never quite reaches the point when we feel there is an imminent threat, so the whole sequence feels wasted.
On the other hand, the picture of life on the Sense-Sphere that we get from all the talking is actually interesting. It's a textured society rather than a one-note caricature like the Daleks or Thals (and even they have more going on than the Voord, or the various peoples of Marinus). There's dissent between people that can still hold a polite conversation; there's apparent contradictions like the meritocratic aspects within a firmly class-based society. I reckon a decent science fiction author could write a good novel about the place.
We also find out in more detail why the Earth ship is being held captive, and it's a motive we can all relate to: preserving a way of life. Again this is a classic postwar theme for the "plucky Brits who stood up to the German war machine", but it also has an anti-Imperialist note as well: the Sensorites are protecting themselves from the greedy, resource-hungry humans.
There's something about this episode that reminds me of Peter Davison's era. Partly it's handling of the crowded TARDIS, with a companion being shuffled unceremoniously off-screen; partly it's the bland, brightly-lit sets once they get down to the planet; partly it's something else that I haven't managed to dredge up into my conscious mind. Perhaps it's because I've recently watched Kinda for the first time, which is another story that takes an interest in alien society. This has certainly been an unusual and thoughtful episode.
And yet, there's only so much exposition I can take: I'll be looking for more action next time. My hopes are raised as we once again go out on a great cliffhanger.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 11th July 1964
Viewers: 7.4 million
Chart Position: 22
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
A Race Against Death.
Monday 14 November 2011
Episode 32 (G2): The Unwilling Warriors
I've complained many times about the treatment of Susan as a character (though not, I am sure, as often as Carole Ann Ford); and finally she gets an episode where she can be the focus of attention for something other than screaming or teenage girliness. She shows her intelligence; she has a key role in the plot; and she's a little bit unearthly. Ford does an excellent job of it, too, as if to show what she's capable of when given decent material. Admittedly we did get to see how bright Susan was in the filmed sequences of the last serial, but then it was tempered by her teenage strops. (For any teenagers reading, or indeed allies to teenagers, I should mention that I'm using the term in the same way I use 'girl' - as the stereotype promoted in the media. I am aware that real life teenagers show a much wider range of behaviour!)
Anyway. The tone this time around was much better matched to the material, helped by some very good music. (Didn't I say last time that was one of the things that could improve it?) They actually manage to create the claustrophobic feeling I was talking about; which is ironic considering that these two episodes were filmed in TC3! The finest example is the sequence where Iananbarbara are searching the corridors. This goes on for quite some time with nothing much happening and by rights should be boring, but it isn't. There's a real sense of tension which was completely absent from the last episode. The following section, with Ian threatening the Sensorites with a wrench, is also better than it sounds, gradually revealing more about the behaviour of the alien creatures.
The Sensorites themselves, seen in closeup, have very effective heads; and the feet are interesting, too. I'm not too bothered that the parts in between look entirely human. Their weakness and indecision combined with their mental abilities makes them an interesting enemy, not a copy of the Daleks with their terrifying monomania, but not dull like the Voord either. I have high hopes for them at this point in the story.
The humour, backstory and educational elements also fit better this time. I love the way Ian starts to explain spectrography to Susan, who cuts him off with an "oh yes, of course". I know more about molybdenum than I did before, and even if it is a bit of a lecture, it makes sense that the Doctor shows off his knowledge. We also get another snippet of description from Susan about an adventure she had with her Grandfather before the series started - one that's useful to the plot.
And yet, despite all this, there's a feeling that nothing much happens. Which is not entirely unjustified - the plot doesn't really get going until the Sensorites contact Susan mentally. In fact, there's about half an hour's worth of story in the first two episodes: with some judicious cutting and emphasis on atmosphere over repeated demonstrations of Maitland, Carol and John's struggles, they could have made one stonkingly good episode. As it is, the good in this one only balances out the lack of activity.
Having said that, I'm more eager to see what happens next time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 27th June 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 39
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Hidden Danger.
Anyway. The tone this time around was much better matched to the material, helped by some very good music. (Didn't I say last time that was one of the things that could improve it?) They actually manage to create the claustrophobic feeling I was talking about; which is ironic considering that these two episodes were filmed in TC3! The finest example is the sequence where Iananbarbara are searching the corridors. This goes on for quite some time with nothing much happening and by rights should be boring, but it isn't. There's a real sense of tension which was completely absent from the last episode. The following section, with Ian threatening the Sensorites with a wrench, is also better than it sounds, gradually revealing more about the behaviour of the alien creatures.
The Sensorites themselves, seen in closeup, have very effective heads; and the feet are interesting, too. I'm not too bothered that the parts in between look entirely human. Their weakness and indecision combined with their mental abilities makes them an interesting enemy, not a copy of the Daleks with their terrifying monomania, but not dull like the Voord either. I have high hopes for them at this point in the story.
The humour, backstory and educational elements also fit better this time. I love the way Ian starts to explain spectrography to Susan, who cuts him off with an "oh yes, of course". I know more about molybdenum than I did before, and even if it is a bit of a lecture, it makes sense that the Doctor shows off his knowledge. We also get another snippet of description from Susan about an adventure she had with her Grandfather before the series started - one that's useful to the plot.
And yet, despite all this, there's a feeling that nothing much happens. Which is not entirely unjustified - the plot doesn't really get going until the Sensorites contact Susan mentally. In fact, there's about half an hour's worth of story in the first two episodes: with some judicious cutting and emphasis on atmosphere over repeated demonstrations of Maitland, Carol and John's struggles, they could have made one stonkingly good episode. As it is, the good in this one only balances out the lack of activity.
Having said that, I'm more eager to see what happens next time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 27th June 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 39
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Hidden Danger.
Friday 11 November 2011
Episode 31 (G1): Strangers in Space
At last, the TARDIS arrives in a spaceship! This feels like home territory, and it's strange to think that this is the first time it happens. Once again Raymond Cusick does a fine job on the sets, with the ship feeling cramped and utilitarian. Of course it's filmed in black and white, but I get the impression that the ship would have mostly been gunship grey in-story anyway. There's an old-school feel to the design, even for the 1960s, like something out of an E.E. 'Doc' Smith Lensmen novel; it's probably packed to bursting with valves and busbars (whatever they are). The large, blinking lights on Maitland's control console just accentuate this.
I like the costumes, too; Daphne Dare has created a uniform that matches the feel well, a kind of 'spaced-up' commercial pilot's outfit. The rocket logo on the pocket is the cherry on the top, and the whole thing feels very Forbidden Planet - or perhaps Captain 'Space' Kingley, a more British take, from a juvenile book series I enjoyed as a youngster and still have on my shelves.
Except the similarity isn't complete, because of one thing: Carol. Writer Peter R. Newman has included a female character who is in a traditionally male role, and it's just accepted as no big deal. This is unheard of in the stories I'm thinking about. The closest is Peabody from the Dan Dare comics, but she's not written as one of the gang. Okay, so Carol is still referred to as a 'girl', but she's still a big step up (in terms of social position) from the girls of Marinus and Skaro.
Dare (Daphne, that is, not Dan) also does a good job with the Sensorite seen at the end looking through the viewport - now that's a spooky cliffhanger!
Not all is rosy in this grey world, however. Running over the events in my mind after viewing I could see that it was (mostly) written to have a taut, claustrophobic atmosphere; but it's not played or directed like that. Mervyn Pinfield, the Associate Producer, was chosen to direct because the scope of the story combined with a limited budget required someone with experience; but I think he misjudged this. There's nothing particularly wrong with the technical aspects (camera angles, cutting, and so forth), but the tone is too light and bland.
Take the scene where the regulars discover than Maitland and Carol are dead, cause unknown. They seem mildly upset, a bit sad. They should be tense, nervous, in case whatever killed the crew gets them too. Then, when things are seen to be better than they thought, the joking about the Doctor's interfering curiosity should have been a release of tension rather than light banter.
This carries on. Barbara and Susan are terrified of an obviously sick man, and don't say anything, in a bizarre sequence that echoes zombie movies without any of the horror or tension. When John asks for help and they still don't respond, Jacqueline Hill looks mildly embarrassed. The lack of dialogue is certainly the script's fault, but it could have been directed far better. There's a lot of standing around, blandly chatting. If this were modern Who Murray Gold's music could have covered up some of the faults by reintroducing some tension; but it isn't, and the result is a disappointing realisation of what could have been a good story. Seeing how it could have been so much better frustrates me, and I hope that things improve next time.
I have never seen serial G before, and know it doesn't have a great reputation; I don't think I let that colour my judgement for this episode. I sometimes diverge radically from popular opinion - I rate The Keys of Marinus and The Edge of Destruction much higher than most people, for instance - so there's still a chance I'll love this serial overall; but it has a lot of work to do.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 20th June 1964
Viewers: 7.9 million
Chart Position: 17
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
The Unwilling Warriors.
I like the costumes, too; Daphne Dare has created a uniform that matches the feel well, a kind of 'spaced-up' commercial pilot's outfit. The rocket logo on the pocket is the cherry on the top, and the whole thing feels very Forbidden Planet - or perhaps Captain 'Space' Kingley, a more British take, from a juvenile book series I enjoyed as a youngster and still have on my shelves.
Except the similarity isn't complete, because of one thing: Carol. Writer Peter R. Newman has included a female character who is in a traditionally male role, and it's just accepted as no big deal. This is unheard of in the stories I'm thinking about. The closest is Peabody from the Dan Dare comics, but she's not written as one of the gang. Okay, so Carol is still referred to as a 'girl', but she's still a big step up (in terms of social position) from the girls of Marinus and Skaro.
Dare (Daphne, that is, not Dan) also does a good job with the Sensorite seen at the end looking through the viewport - now that's a spooky cliffhanger!
Not all is rosy in this grey world, however. Running over the events in my mind after viewing I could see that it was (mostly) written to have a taut, claustrophobic atmosphere; but it's not played or directed like that. Mervyn Pinfield, the Associate Producer, was chosen to direct because the scope of the story combined with a limited budget required someone with experience; but I think he misjudged this. There's nothing particularly wrong with the technical aspects (camera angles, cutting, and so forth), but the tone is too light and bland.
Take the scene where the regulars discover than Maitland and Carol are dead, cause unknown. They seem mildly upset, a bit sad. They should be tense, nervous, in case whatever killed the crew gets them too. Then, when things are seen to be better than they thought, the joking about the Doctor's interfering curiosity should have been a release of tension rather than light banter.
This carries on. Barbara and Susan are terrified of an obviously sick man, and don't say anything, in a bizarre sequence that echoes zombie movies without any of the horror or tension. When John asks for help and they still don't respond, Jacqueline Hill looks mildly embarrassed. The lack of dialogue is certainly the script's fault, but it could have been directed far better. There's a lot of standing around, blandly chatting. If this were modern Who Murray Gold's music could have covered up some of the faults by reintroducing some tension; but it isn't, and the result is a disappointing realisation of what could have been a good story. Seeing how it could have been so much better frustrates me, and I hope that things improve next time.
I have never seen serial G before, and know it doesn't have a great reputation; I don't think I let that colour my judgement for this episode. I sometimes diverge radically from popular opinion - I rate The Keys of Marinus and The Edge of Destruction much higher than most people, for instance - so there's still a chance I'll love this serial overall; but it has a lot of work to do.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 20th June 1964
Viewers: 7.9 million
Chart Position: 17
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
The Unwilling Warriors.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Serial F: The Aztecs
Serial F is very good, and although everyone except Susan has plenty to do, it's still very much Barbara's story. There's a good range of extras on the DVD as well, although the commentaries are very sparse - probably because this early in the range they hadn't quite figured out the best way of doing them. My personal favourite is John Ringham and Walter Randall's reunion for "Making Cocoa", featuring South Park style cartoon representations of Tlotoxl and Tonila (and this is one my children love to watch repeatedly). "Designing the Aztecs" (an interview with Barry Newbery) and "Restoring the Aztecs" (which does what it says on the tin) each offered interesting insights and provided me with extra stuff to spice up my reviews, as did "Remembering the Aztecs", though to a lesser extent. Ringham is a particularly fun interviewee, very much larger than life - just like Tlotoxl, but without the whole blood sacrifice bit (so far as I can tell). I also enjoyed the Blue Peter extract for nostalgia, but the TARDIS-Cam feature left me headscratching as ever - one day I'll find out what they're for. There's no "Coming Soon" on this disk, which disappointed my son, but overall a very good selection.
Behind the Scenes, part 1: Doctor Who Writer
I've praised John Lucarotti at times, and also criticised him; but on the whole his two serials to date have been successful. He was a writer who enjoyed travel, and the idea for serial F came from what he learned of the Aztecs while living in Mexico. He apparently wrote his scripts on a boat in Majorca, which sounds like an excellent way of avoiding distractions.
While filming for serial F was taking place, script editor David Whitaker was already making plans for the second year of the program. In an attempt to avoid some of the script crises that dogged the first year, he decided that there should be one lead writer for the future-based stories - Terry Nation, of course - and one for the historicals. Lucarotti seems like the most likely candidate for this post.
These are the only authors to write more than two stories in the Hartnell era, other than script editors David Whitaker and Dennis Spooner. To my eyes, they have very different strengths. Nation is best at fast-paced adventure plots, painting the setting and characters in broad brushstrokes and using them to keep things moving forward. For Lucarotti, the story comes out of the characters and their interactions. I can enjoy both styles, when done well; but it is Lucarotti's I get the most out of rewatching.
The Aztecs is the best-loved pure historical story according to the Mighty 200, eight places ahead of Marco Polo and more popular than any Harnell story except for three featuring Daleks and one featuring Cybermen. Both of these historicals rate even higher with Gallifrey Base voters: they are the two most popular Hartnell stories after Nation and Dennis Spooner's The Daleks' Masterplan, this time Mexico coming in second to Cathay; and Lucarotti's third story, The Massacre, comes in third, though that was heavily revised by the script editor. The DWM poll just has the first pseudohistorical, Spooner's The Time Meddler, in between.
All of which is my long-winded way of saying that Lucarotti was certainly getting something right - for modern audiences. The contemporary ratings show that while viewing figures remain consistent with those towards the end of the previous serial they never pick up, and the audience appreciation index also tails off (which was true for Marco Polo as well). Nation's AIs, in contrast, stay high throughout. Both writers were successful but perhaps, ironically, Lucarotti was the man most ahead of his time...
Rating:
Single Sitting: 8.5/10.
Episodic: 8.5/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 65.39%, 57th.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.43, 21st out of 222.
Next Time:
Straight on to the next televised serial (for a change), with Strangers in Space.
Behind the Scenes, part 1: Doctor Who Writer
I've praised John Lucarotti at times, and also criticised him; but on the whole his two serials to date have been successful. He was a writer who enjoyed travel, and the idea for serial F came from what he learned of the Aztecs while living in Mexico. He apparently wrote his scripts on a boat in Majorca, which sounds like an excellent way of avoiding distractions.
While filming for serial F was taking place, script editor David Whitaker was already making plans for the second year of the program. In an attempt to avoid some of the script crises that dogged the first year, he decided that there should be one lead writer for the future-based stories - Terry Nation, of course - and one for the historicals. Lucarotti seems like the most likely candidate for this post.
These are the only authors to write more than two stories in the Hartnell era, other than script editors David Whitaker and Dennis Spooner. To my eyes, they have very different strengths. Nation is best at fast-paced adventure plots, painting the setting and characters in broad brushstrokes and using them to keep things moving forward. For Lucarotti, the story comes out of the characters and their interactions. I can enjoy both styles, when done well; but it is Lucarotti's I get the most out of rewatching.
The Aztecs is the best-loved pure historical story according to the Mighty 200, eight places ahead of Marco Polo and more popular than any Harnell story except for three featuring Daleks and one featuring Cybermen. Both of these historicals rate even higher with Gallifrey Base voters: they are the two most popular Hartnell stories after Nation and Dennis Spooner's The Daleks' Masterplan, this time Mexico coming in second to Cathay; and Lucarotti's third story, The Massacre, comes in third, though that was heavily revised by the script editor. The DWM poll just has the first pseudohistorical, Spooner's The Time Meddler, in between.
All of which is my long-winded way of saying that Lucarotti was certainly getting something right - for modern audiences. The contemporary ratings show that while viewing figures remain consistent with those towards the end of the previous serial they never pick up, and the audience appreciation index also tails off (which was true for Marco Polo as well). Nation's AIs, in contrast, stay high throughout. Both writers were successful but perhaps, ironically, Lucarotti was the man most ahead of his time...
Rating:
Single Sitting: 8.5/10.
Episodic: 8.5/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 65.39%, 57th.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.43, 21st out of 222.
Next Time:
Straight on to the next televised serial (for a change), with Strangers in Space.
Monday 7 November 2011
Episode 30 (F4): The Day of Darkness
And now, the picture quality is right back down at the level of The Temple of Evil. Fortunately this is the worst thing about the episode for me, which I enjoyed a lot. The resolution of the cliffhanger is good (with the grainy, fuzzy picture actually enhancing the underground scenes), and this is followed by a subtle recap as three of the regulars meet up outside the tomb. It was so subtle, in fact, that I didn't notice it until listening to the commentary where Verity Lambert points it out.
The acting is top notch; Walter Randall's Tonila is much more believable in this episode. The Imperialist attitude of the regulars is less intrusive (or maybe I've got more used to it). The pace is more intense, with a sense of urgency even in the scenes between the Doctor and Cameca; 25 minutes flew by. And the camerawork was less shaky again, despite being back in the confines of Studio D.
So, what specific things did I like about it? One is Ian's ingenuity in rigging up the rope, and then finding out that the angle was wrong so they hadn't got the leverage to open the door anyway without more fiddling. I loved the fact that the resolution to the plot was largely the result of the relationships the regulars had built with (some of) the locals. The discussion at the end, about what's been achieved and what couldn't be changed, is deftly done. And the Doctor turning back to get the symbol of Yetaxa given to him by Cameca is touching.
On the other hand, everyone running off to clear the decks for Ian and Ixta's prefilmed fights was unsubtle, and the fight itself was nothing much. The bit with the pulley wheel also seemed shoehorned in, as if it was important to highlight the fact that the Aztecs didn't have the wheel. And I still think the only decent thing for the Doctor to do, the thing that would take the sting out of his manipulations, was to invite Cameca to come with them. But these are all outweighed by the good.
So much for the "shopping list" review. I only want to add that it's amazing that this episode looks as good as it does, because due to an administrative error the scenery had been marked as no longer needed after the previous episode. Designer Barry Newbery and his team rescued what they could - including a backdrop covered in footprints - and, with director John Crockett, worked out new movements for the actors to avoid showing the missing parts.
A Confused Chronology, part 1: Dating The Aztecs
There are different ways to arrange any series, the obvious ones being production / publication / transmission order and chronological order. Because of the time travel element in Doctor Who, though, "chronological" is ambiguous - whose chronology are we going to choose? Generally people pick the Doctor's personal timeline, because it matches up well with the TV series, and this is what I have chosen here. Even that can be thorny, as evidenced by the problems fitting in the flashback sequence from part 1 of The Forgotten. A trickier choice is to go with a historical perspective, and order the stories from the point of view of a non-time-traveller. Whole books have been written about this; I've only read one - AHistory, by Lance Parkin - and it was good enough that I haven't sought out any others.
You can't get a date for this story just from what is stated on screen. The novelisation (also by John Lucarotti) dates it to 1507, so anyone who is happy to accept this as a source - and it certainly doesn't contradict what we see - can leave it at that; but it's not the only possibility. The Seventh Doctor novel The Left-Handed Hummingbird sets it in 1454, and various other years have been suggested with less in-universe justification. This might seem confused, but later stories will certainly cause far more trouble!
There's another important date that is relevant to this story, to the show, and to everyone alive: 22nd December, 2012. According to the Aztecs (and originally the Maya, from whom they took their astronomical and calendrical calculations) we are currently in the Fifth Age of Humanity, and have been for more than five millennia. Unfortunately, this age is due to end with the destruction of the world next year. Another age will follow, but that won't be much comfort for those around today. Particularly Doctor Who fans, because it means the show will miss its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Still, as Terry Deary points out in Angry Aztecs, it's not all bleak: at least we won't have to buy any Christmas presents next year!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 13th June 1964
Viewers: 7.4 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
8/10.
Next Time:
Serial F as a whole.
The acting is top notch; Walter Randall's Tonila is much more believable in this episode. The Imperialist attitude of the regulars is less intrusive (or maybe I've got more used to it). The pace is more intense, with a sense of urgency even in the scenes between the Doctor and Cameca; 25 minutes flew by. And the camerawork was less shaky again, despite being back in the confines of Studio D.
So, what specific things did I like about it? One is Ian's ingenuity in rigging up the rope, and then finding out that the angle was wrong so they hadn't got the leverage to open the door anyway without more fiddling. I loved the fact that the resolution to the plot was largely the result of the relationships the regulars had built with (some of) the locals. The discussion at the end, about what's been achieved and what couldn't be changed, is deftly done. And the Doctor turning back to get the symbol of Yetaxa given to him by Cameca is touching.
On the other hand, everyone running off to clear the decks for Ian and Ixta's prefilmed fights was unsubtle, and the fight itself was nothing much. The bit with the pulley wheel also seemed shoehorned in, as if it was important to highlight the fact that the Aztecs didn't have the wheel. And I still think the only decent thing for the Doctor to do, the thing that would take the sting out of his manipulations, was to invite Cameca to come with them. But these are all outweighed by the good.
So much for the "shopping list" review. I only want to add that it's amazing that this episode looks as good as it does, because due to an administrative error the scenery had been marked as no longer needed after the previous episode. Designer Barry Newbery and his team rescued what they could - including a backdrop covered in footprints - and, with director John Crockett, worked out new movements for the actors to avoid showing the missing parts.
A Confused Chronology, part 1: Dating The Aztecs
There are different ways to arrange any series, the obvious ones being production / publication / transmission order and chronological order. Because of the time travel element in Doctor Who, though, "chronological" is ambiguous - whose chronology are we going to choose? Generally people pick the Doctor's personal timeline, because it matches up well with the TV series, and this is what I have chosen here. Even that can be thorny, as evidenced by the problems fitting in the flashback sequence from part 1 of The Forgotten. A trickier choice is to go with a historical perspective, and order the stories from the point of view of a non-time-traveller. Whole books have been written about this; I've only read one - AHistory, by Lance Parkin - and it was good enough that I haven't sought out any others.
You can't get a date for this story just from what is stated on screen. The novelisation (also by John Lucarotti) dates it to 1507, so anyone who is happy to accept this as a source - and it certainly doesn't contradict what we see - can leave it at that; but it's not the only possibility. The Seventh Doctor novel The Left-Handed Hummingbird sets it in 1454, and various other years have been suggested with less in-universe justification. This might seem confused, but later stories will certainly cause far more trouble!
There's another important date that is relevant to this story, to the show, and to everyone alive: 22nd December, 2012. According to the Aztecs (and originally the Maya, from whom they took their astronomical and calendrical calculations) we are currently in the Fifth Age of Humanity, and have been for more than five millennia. Unfortunately, this age is due to end with the destruction of the world next year. Another age will follow, but that won't be much comfort for those around today. Particularly Doctor Who fans, because it means the show will miss its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Still, as Terry Deary points out in Angry Aztecs, it's not all bleak: at least we won't have to buy any Christmas presents next year!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 13th June 1964
Viewers: 7.4 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
8/10.
Next Time:
Serial F as a whole.
Friday 4 November 2011
Episode 29 (F3): The Bride of Sacrifice
Well this is a bit disappointing, but I should be used to it by now. Just as with (most of) The Cave of Skulls, The Screaming Jungle and The Rescue, the third episode by a particular director brings me down with a bump. The picture quality is poorer again, which is nobody's fault; but we also have shakier camera moves, particularly in the second scene when Autloc and Barbara are walking in discussion, and it doesn't feel as if they had the space of TC3 this time. While nothing is actively bad it generally seems to be a less smooth production.
The acting is okay, but from some it lacks a little of the spark of last time; and Walter Randall's Tonila now seems artificially stiff, whereas before he came across as reserved and nervous. We also get our first problem with the set, with a 'stone' panel that doesn't have the heft needed for William Russell and Ian Cullen to make a realistic stab at struggling to move it. Polystyrene just isn't the same.
This is the opposite of synergy. I don't know the word for that - dysergy, perhaps - but whereas last time everything came together and the whole became greater than the sum of its parts, here nothing is quite as good, and the end result is an OK episode that doesn't sparkle.
The single biggest factor to bring it down for me is the script, though to be fair this is less to do with the writing than a conflict between 'modern' 1964 and 'modern' 2011. It all starts with the conversation between Iananbarbara and their attitude of "we are civilised, they are evil." Barbara has been attempting to shoulder the White Man's Burden, to bring enlightenment to the poor, benighted natives, while Ian sides with the Doctor, though for different reasons. He just wants to get away from the savages with his neck intact, and thinks Barbara's goal is impossible; he doesn't care about preserving history. Susan, meanwhile, is convinced of the rightness of her own position and not willing to dissemble, or even be polite about it. And as for the Doctor...
I'm sure the Doctor didn't intend to hurt Cameca. He shows genuine affection for her, and is obviously shocked by what he has unwittingly promised; but he nevertheless continues using her in his plans for escape, and he is now deceiving her about his intentions. And Ian laughs! It is shockingly callous.
Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of good moments - the point at which we realise the Doctor is actively working against Barbara, for instance, or Ian being called away just as he's about to hear the details of Tlotoxl's plot. It has a good cliffhanger, and actually that Imperialist conversation between Iananbarbara is very effective. The charactisation (and logic) of the Aztec cast is spot on, and even the portrayal of the regulars makes sense. It's just that I'm not sure how much I'm on their side any more, and that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
Poor Cameca.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 6th June 1964
Viewers: 7.9 million
Chart Position: 19
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
The Day of Darkness.
The acting is okay, but from some it lacks a little of the spark of last time; and Walter Randall's Tonila now seems artificially stiff, whereas before he came across as reserved and nervous. We also get our first problem with the set, with a 'stone' panel that doesn't have the heft needed for William Russell and Ian Cullen to make a realistic stab at struggling to move it. Polystyrene just isn't the same.
This is the opposite of synergy. I don't know the word for that - dysergy, perhaps - but whereas last time everything came together and the whole became greater than the sum of its parts, here nothing is quite as good, and the end result is an OK episode that doesn't sparkle.
The single biggest factor to bring it down for me is the script, though to be fair this is less to do with the writing than a conflict between 'modern' 1964 and 'modern' 2011. It all starts with the conversation between Iananbarbara and their attitude of "we are civilised, they are evil." Barbara has been attempting to shoulder the White Man's Burden, to bring enlightenment to the poor, benighted natives, while Ian sides with the Doctor, though for different reasons. He just wants to get away from the savages with his neck intact, and thinks Barbara's goal is impossible; he doesn't care about preserving history. Susan, meanwhile, is convinced of the rightness of her own position and not willing to dissemble, or even be polite about it. And as for the Doctor...
I'm sure the Doctor didn't intend to hurt Cameca. He shows genuine affection for her, and is obviously shocked by what he has unwittingly promised; but he nevertheless continues using her in his plans for escape, and he is now deceiving her about his intentions. And Ian laughs! It is shockingly callous.
Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of good moments - the point at which we realise the Doctor is actively working against Barbara, for instance, or Ian being called away just as he's about to hear the details of Tlotoxl's plot. It has a good cliffhanger, and actually that Imperialist conversation between Iananbarbara is very effective. The charactisation (and logic) of the Aztec cast is spot on, and even the portrayal of the regulars makes sense. It's just that I'm not sure how much I'm on their side any more, and that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
Poor Cameca.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 6th June 1964
Viewers: 7.9 million
Chart Position: 19
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
The Day of Darkness.
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Episode 28 (F2): The Warriors of Death
Phew. The quality of the picture is much better this time around. In fact, the whole thing looks fantastic! A large part of the improvement probably comes from the location of the shoot, because - for the first time ever - the cast and crew had been released from the confines of the small, antiquated, Lime Grove Studio D and let loose in Television Centre Studio 3.
Studio D was due to be out of action soon and production was reassigned mainly to Studio G, with some episodes recorded at Television Centre. Studio G was an even worse venue than Who's original home, and Verity Lambert complained bitterly. Sydney Newman - who, with Lambert, had already been campaigning to get production moved out of Lime Grove altogether - increased the pressure, claiming that the planned follow-up to The Daleks could not be done there, and that it would be better for the show to end rather than continue in such difficult circumstances. Fortunately, the BBC agreed to the move; but the change would not take place immediately.
Director John Crockett - who knew the period in which this story was set, and so was an obvious choice - makes excellent use of the possibilities afforded by the relatively palatial TC3. From the initial fade between the closeup of Tlotoxl and Yetaxa's bracelet to the broad, sweeping camera movement of the scene where the high priest of sacrifice confronts Barbara, ending with a smooth pan around the two antagonists, the sheer variety of shots and moods is impressive. The direction here is almost as good as The Velvet Web.
Which makes me think. What is it with directors' second episodes in serials? Waris Hussein with the broadcast version of An Unearthly Child, Richard Martin with The Ordeal, John Gorrie with The Velvet Web, this - all big steps up, and in most cases my favourite episodes of the serials. It's not even that it's necessarily the directors' second experience with the show, because John Crockett did one episode of Marco Polo as well.
Anyway, good direction here is married to a good script, good acting and good use of music. The Hartnell/Hill team hits it out of the park again with their big argument near the beginning, as Barbara faces up to the results of her failed intervention. These people have come so far in their relationship that they can now have a close, tender moment at the end as comrades in adversity without it feeling forced.
Unfortunately this is also the start of Ian as the no-holds-barred action hero, which annoys me because he is much more interesting when he is allowed to be vulnerable. He gets into two fights with Ixta, both more effective than last episode's, and the science teacher completely outclasses the guy who's been training as a warrior all his life and beaten all comers! I'm sure Ian did his National Service, but this is ridiculous. The judo leverage bit I can just about take, but a Vulcan nerve pinch? Come off it!
I've focused on the regulars, but there are no bad performances. John Ringham has toned it down just a little to fit in with everyone else, Ian Cullen as Ixta and Margot Van de Burgh as Cameca get more of a chance to show what they can do, and even the extras hit their marks and do their part to make it all look real.
The idea of the Doctor's scheming messing things up for Ian is great. In fact, the best thing about the script is that the characters are all stirring up trouble while doing what they think is best - even Tlotoxl.
Where Were They Then?, part 2: Why is she still here?
Serial F was Carole Ann Ford's turn to take a couple of weeks off, and this is the first of those. But wait - here she is, learning to be a dutiful housewife (and, if we're honest, getting better lines and opportunities than anything on offer last time). So how did that happen, when she was abroad with her family?
The answer lies at Ealing Studios. You can tell from the look of it that her scene wasn't recorded in the same way as the surrounding scenes, and this is because it was on film. It was shot on 13th April at Ealing Studios, during rehearsals for Sentence of Death, then played in during the (videotape) recording of The Warriors of Death. With no location shoots, this was how early Who got around the problem of scenes that had to be recorded in advance, including model shots and much of the fighting. I'll come back to the different look and feel of film and videotape in a later instalment.
Poor Ford, though - her holiday coincides with the two weeks at TC3, and she returns just in time for the return to Studio D...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 30th May 1964
Viewers: 7.4 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 62
Rating:
9/10. Loses half a mark for Action Hero Ian.
Next Time:
The Bride of Sacrifice.
Studio D was due to be out of action soon and production was reassigned mainly to Studio G, with some episodes recorded at Television Centre. Studio G was an even worse venue than Who's original home, and Verity Lambert complained bitterly. Sydney Newman - who, with Lambert, had already been campaigning to get production moved out of Lime Grove altogether - increased the pressure, claiming that the planned follow-up to The Daleks could not be done there, and that it would be better for the show to end rather than continue in such difficult circumstances. Fortunately, the BBC agreed to the move; but the change would not take place immediately.
Director John Crockett - who knew the period in which this story was set, and so was an obvious choice - makes excellent use of the possibilities afforded by the relatively palatial TC3. From the initial fade between the closeup of Tlotoxl and Yetaxa's bracelet to the broad, sweeping camera movement of the scene where the high priest of sacrifice confronts Barbara, ending with a smooth pan around the two antagonists, the sheer variety of shots and moods is impressive. The direction here is almost as good as The Velvet Web.
Which makes me think. What is it with directors' second episodes in serials? Waris Hussein with the broadcast version of An Unearthly Child, Richard Martin with The Ordeal, John Gorrie with The Velvet Web, this - all big steps up, and in most cases my favourite episodes of the serials. It's not even that it's necessarily the directors' second experience with the show, because John Crockett did one episode of Marco Polo as well.
Anyway, good direction here is married to a good script, good acting and good use of music. The Hartnell/Hill team hits it out of the park again with their big argument near the beginning, as Barbara faces up to the results of her failed intervention. These people have come so far in their relationship that they can now have a close, tender moment at the end as comrades in adversity without it feeling forced.
Unfortunately this is also the start of Ian as the no-holds-barred action hero, which annoys me because he is much more interesting when he is allowed to be vulnerable. He gets into two fights with Ixta, both more effective than last episode's, and the science teacher completely outclasses the guy who's been training as a warrior all his life and beaten all comers! I'm sure Ian did his National Service, but this is ridiculous. The judo leverage bit I can just about take, but a Vulcan nerve pinch? Come off it!
I've focused on the regulars, but there are no bad performances. John Ringham has toned it down just a little to fit in with everyone else, Ian Cullen as Ixta and Margot Van de Burgh as Cameca get more of a chance to show what they can do, and even the extras hit their marks and do their part to make it all look real.
The idea of the Doctor's scheming messing things up for Ian is great. In fact, the best thing about the script is that the characters are all stirring up trouble while doing what they think is best - even Tlotoxl.
Where Were They Then?, part 2: Why is she still here?
Serial F was Carole Ann Ford's turn to take a couple of weeks off, and this is the first of those. But wait - here she is, learning to be a dutiful housewife (and, if we're honest, getting better lines and opportunities than anything on offer last time). So how did that happen, when she was abroad with her family?
The answer lies at Ealing Studios. You can tell from the look of it that her scene wasn't recorded in the same way as the surrounding scenes, and this is because it was on film. It was shot on 13th April at Ealing Studios, during rehearsals for Sentence of Death, then played in during the (videotape) recording of The Warriors of Death. With no location shoots, this was how early Who got around the problem of scenes that had to be recorded in advance, including model shots and much of the fighting. I'll come back to the different look and feel of film and videotape in a later instalment.
Poor Ford, though - her holiday coincides with the two weeks at TC3, and she returns just in time for the return to Studio D...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 30th May 1964
Viewers: 7.4 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 62
Rating:
9/10. Loses half a mark for Action Hero Ian.
Next Time:
The Bride of Sacrifice.
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