Happily, despite a couple of days having passed in between, I was fine with the narrative style from the start of this episode. I guess it must be like riding a bike.
The first thing that caught my attention was the lack of recap. It's not needed, of course, and it didn't bother me; but it is a difference from the TV series. This episode focuses on Alexander, Father Cleitus, and the relationship between the two men. There's a lot more going on, of course, and we start to see the conspiracy up and running while getting to know Alexander and his friends generally. There's surprisingly little action until very near the end, but that doesn't mean the episode lacks tension: in fact, it raced by for me even though it's longer than the average TV episode.
Most of the dialogue is once again excellent, though there are a couple of heavy-handed moments. The Doctor accidentally calling Ian "Chesterfield" and then, when corrected, deliberately referring to him as "Chatterton" is the sort of idea that might look good on paper, but fails in practice - particularly after both those versions have been used in other stories. The expanded explanation of the TARDIS's fuel problem as involving heavy hydrogen is also a step too far. Finally, I was surprised to hear Alexander call the Doctor a "scientist" rather than a "philosopher" or some such. Still, these are all minor points, and the conversations were a large part of what keeps the story flowing.
It all builds up relentlessly, paced just right leading into the final scene, the banquet. With wine flowing freely, the argument between Ian and Cleitus which spreads to those around them is pitched perfectly, and - while I strongly doubt that the historical Alexander held quite such liberal views regarding the equality of men - the consequences that follow are consistent with everything we have seen earlier.
I hadn't been paying much attention to the sound design until the banquet. The background hubbub really adds to the atmosphere, and I realised that it has been rather quiet. Oh, there's been enough to set the scene throughout, but it's not as immersive as many Big Finish releases.
Anyway, back to the death of Cleitus. Wondering just how much of this was accurate (at least to the mythic history of Alexander), I checked it out on Wikipedia (post blackout). The events are almost exactly as described, but take place some years earlier and in a different place. Interestingly the film Alexander (which I haven't seen) also makes use of the event but transplants it to the Indian campaign in between. I guess some images are too good for little details like geography and history to spoil!
Development of a Script, Part 2: Beyond the Call
The thing about this episode and the ones that follow which distinguishes them from the first is that they should never have existed, even in script form, because David Whitaker had only commissioned a single trial episode of a story about Alexander's death. Farhi, however, became "demonically inspired" and proceeded to write the whole thing. This may not have made much sense economically, but as the author of these reviews I know that money isn't the only motivator. And given the quality of this second script, I'm very glad that the extra episodes do exist!
This episode is also known as The Wrath Of The Greatest Grecian Of Them All!, so I think writer Farhi must have had a thing for exclamation points! Rather like Stan Lee, who didn't believe in the existence of periods! True fact, you know - would I lie to you?!
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
Episode 3, A Man Must Die.
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