(Apologies for the late posting, which is due to that annoying distraction, Real Life. Hey ho.)
I wondered if this might feel rushed; and sure enough, it did. There's a reason for that (and for the episode having two directors, although Mervyn Pinfield was uncredited). Serial J was originally conceived as a four-part story, and they even filmed all four episodes before orders came down from on high (well, BBC Head of Serials Donald Wilson) to combine the last two episodes, Crisis and The Urge to Live, into one. Everyone was hyped up about the forthcoming Dalek story, and Wilson wanted to change the order to open with that; but of course it wasn't possible, because of series-changing events in that story. He then decided that this serial wasn't exciting enough to be a season opener, and ordered it cut to make it faster-paced. To be honest, I think this was just to get to the return of the Daleks sooner; but I haven't seen the uncut version, so I may be wrong.
Still, what of the episode as it went out? The cliffhanger is resolved in a fair way, and the effective 'waterfall' helps to sell it. In fact, all the sets and special effects continue to impress: considering the fact that a large part of the budget must have gone towards beefing up the next serial, this is doubly surprising. I guess that the small scale of the story (no pun intended - at least originally) helps to keep things manageable.
And speaking of sets, we get a whole new human-scale one: the telephone exchange. Wow. If there's one thing that dates this serial, it's the scenes set here. I remember when my son was young looking at one of those ABC books with pictures for each of the letters, and when we got to 'T' there was a telephone. It had a dial, a base and a tethered handset; and he had no idea what it was because the only ones he'd seen were cordless with buttons. The exchange is another step into the past: some things have changed so rapidly.
Sadly, the quality of the music doesn't match the sets. Dudley Simpson (later a regular composer for the show, but on his first foray in this serial) gets the tone wrong, with a score that is far too light and humourous to match the events on-screen.
And those events are pretty scary. Again we have things happening on two scales. The threat of DN-6 is, of course, the most serious for the world; but the one we care about most is Barbara's deterioration. I wasn't sure how I felt about her not telling the others; it seems plausible at first, but goes on too long. The others notice that something is wrong, of course, but - cleverly - they are kept too distracted to think about it properly. William Russell has toned down his acting a little, which helps with the mood, but there is a bit too much cut out for the story to run smoothly. For instance, Smithers' growing suspicion of Forester is handled rather too subtly because of missing scenes, and some conversations have become a bit disjointed. Still, overall the plot is solid. I particularly liked the way the TARDIS crew's attempt to use the phone looks as if it is a dead end, only for it to prove key to the resolution of the plot. And Susan gets an active part to play as well, both with the phone and the match.
The direction is fine, but nothing special. I assume the original cliffhanger was Barbara collapsing (which happens in abbreviated form about halfway through the combined episode); after this point we get more confident camera movement and some nicely framed shots from Douglas Camfield. Like Simpson, Camfield would go on to further success with Who, being one of the best-loved directors of the classic series. He had already worked as a production assistant on the show, but this was his first directorial assignment.
Like the episode itself, I've rushed through this. I want to point out the Doctor's "always at your service" speech at the end as further evidence of their inter-season adventures, but apart from that I'll move swiftly on.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 14th November 1964
Viewers: 8.9 million
Chart Position: 33
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
6.5/10.
Next Time:
Serial J as a whole - hopefully after a shorter wait!
Saturday 31 March 2012
Monday 26 March 2012
Episode 44 (J2): Dangerous Journey
Watching this, it occurs to me that I missed a trick when reviewing The Thief of Sherwood: I should have had the second episode be a step up in terms of direction rather than down, as this was the case in the vast majority of stories during the first season. I blame writing it on paper on the train, away from my computer, following a long gap after the end of Season One. Still, it's interesting to note that the directorial trend continues here - although this time it's only a little step up.
The best thing about it is the way Mervyn Pinfield makes a distinction between the 'big' scenes and the 'small' ones. Generally the latter open with either very close-up shots or distant ones, and these continue to dominate; while the former have more mid-shots. There are also occasions where he contrasts the music of the small with the silence of the large. The changes are well-signposted, too; my favourite is probably the pull back early on from the view of the briefcase to a full-length shot of Smithers being shown the corpse by Forester.
Having said that, I'm still not that impressed with Pinfield - the camera moves are sometimes quite hesitant, and there are too many cases of actors staring out to one side of the frame while talking to someone standing behind them - but it is his best effort on the show so far.
The acting's a bit of a mixed bag as well. William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill hit it just right, making the most of the material they are given; but Carole Ann Ford is just coasting, and the usually reliable William Russell is over-egging the pudding here. Guest stars Alan Tilvern and Reginald Barratt do what they can given that they are little more than standard stereotypes of the greedy, callous businessman and the obsessed scientist. The fact that they are given some truly awful lines that simply declare upcoming plot points - "I'll put his briefcase in the lab first", "there's a sink in the lab" - really doesn't help.
Raymond P. Cusick's sets, on the other hand, are quite simply fantastic. There's huge attention to detail - the expanded (and briefly glimpsed) woodgrain on the tabletop, for instance - and I can really believe that they are at the foot of a downpipe, or in the sink. (Well, not really, since I understand why miniature people are impossible; but you know what I mean.) Even the fly is convincing, much more so than many giant insects from later years of the show.
Having two intertwined but separate plots going on (at different scales) works well. They do need to come together more at some point, but I'm in no hurry. To be honest, this seems more like a four-parter than a three-parter, and I wonder how rushed the final episode is going to be.
This is definitely Iananbarbara's episode, and it's notable how much more comfortable they are with being physically close. In that sense, it feels like quite some time has passed since The Reign of Terror, supporting the existence of the stories in the nonexistent inter-season gap. Actually, it's been a long while since we saw so much of them alone together on TV, so you could argue they just don't show it around other people; but I'm sticking to the version that supports the existence of lots of extra stories.
The down side is that Barbara is in full-on peril monkey mode: she twists her ankle, poisons herself, and faints. Seriously? That's more Susan's territory.
Meanwhile, what do the Doctor and Susan get? A climb up a drainpipe, and a rest at the top in a sink where the Doctor gets to pant a bit and Susan gets to shout. These are both well shot, but it's no surprise Ford isn't giving it her all.
An entertaining if flawed episode, this still left me wanting more.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 7th November 1964
Viewers: 8.4 million
Chart Position: 45
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
We complete the article-free trilogy with Crisis.
The best thing about it is the way Mervyn Pinfield makes a distinction between the 'big' scenes and the 'small' ones. Generally the latter open with either very close-up shots or distant ones, and these continue to dominate; while the former have more mid-shots. There are also occasions where he contrasts the music of the small with the silence of the large. The changes are well-signposted, too; my favourite is probably the pull back early on from the view of the briefcase to a full-length shot of Smithers being shown the corpse by Forester.
Having said that, I'm still not that impressed with Pinfield - the camera moves are sometimes quite hesitant, and there are too many cases of actors staring out to one side of the frame while talking to someone standing behind them - but it is his best effort on the show so far.
The acting's a bit of a mixed bag as well. William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill hit it just right, making the most of the material they are given; but Carole Ann Ford is just coasting, and the usually reliable William Russell is over-egging the pudding here. Guest stars Alan Tilvern and Reginald Barratt do what they can given that they are little more than standard stereotypes of the greedy, callous businessman and the obsessed scientist. The fact that they are given some truly awful lines that simply declare upcoming plot points - "I'll put his briefcase in the lab first", "there's a sink in the lab" - really doesn't help.
Raymond P. Cusick's sets, on the other hand, are quite simply fantastic. There's huge attention to detail - the expanded (and briefly glimpsed) woodgrain on the tabletop, for instance - and I can really believe that they are at the foot of a downpipe, or in the sink. (Well, not really, since I understand why miniature people are impossible; but you know what I mean.) Even the fly is convincing, much more so than many giant insects from later years of the show.
Having two intertwined but separate plots going on (at different scales) works well. They do need to come together more at some point, but I'm in no hurry. To be honest, this seems more like a four-parter than a three-parter, and I wonder how rushed the final episode is going to be.
This is definitely Iananbarbara's episode, and it's notable how much more comfortable they are with being physically close. In that sense, it feels like quite some time has passed since The Reign of Terror, supporting the existence of the stories in the nonexistent inter-season gap. Actually, it's been a long while since we saw so much of them alone together on TV, so you could argue they just don't show it around other people; but I'm sticking to the version that supports the existence of lots of extra stories.
The down side is that Barbara is in full-on peril monkey mode: she twists her ankle, poisons herself, and faints. Seriously? That's more Susan's territory.
Meanwhile, what do the Doctor and Susan get? A climb up a drainpipe, and a rest at the top in a sink where the Doctor gets to pant a bit and Susan gets to shout. These are both well shot, but it's no surprise Ford isn't giving it her all.
An entertaining if flawed episode, this still left me wanting more.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 7th November 1964
Viewers: 8.4 million
Chart Position: 45
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
We complete the article-free trilogy with Crisis.
Friday 23 March 2012
Episode 43 (J1): Planet of Giants
Back when Who started there were a number of different ideas for the opening serial. One was the miniscules story, in which Our Heroes were to be shrunk. C.E. "Bunny" Webber started work writing it, and while it was of course eventually replaced with 100,000 BC, much of his script for the first part found its way into the opening episode of the show. A little later another writer, Robert Gould, made a second attempt, aiming for the slot that eventually went to Marco Polo. It was third time lucky for Louis Marks, though, whose attempt made it (mostly) to screen at the start of the second season, seven weeks after Prisoners of Conciergerie.
Behind the scenes, of course, production carried straight on without a break. Prefilming for Marks' story took place at Ealing Studios during rehearsals for The Tyrant of France and Prisoners of Conciergerie, and the main filming for Planet of Giants (in Television Centre Studio 4) happened the week after. It shows; the Doctor still has his cape (though he's ditched the more ridiculous parts of his costume), and the travellers talk about having just left the late Eighteenth Century. Which means... what, exactly? That all the stories I've been reviewing that have been placed in the 'gap' between seasons are apocryphal, or from a parallel timeline, or something? The evidence here is just as strong as that which demonstrates the "impossibility" of fitting The Transit of Venus between The Sensorites and The Reign of Terror, yet I don't see anyone complaining about this lack of gap.
For me, the rule of maximum enjoyment applies here. I'll happily modify that scene in my head to allow for all the extra stories (and it doesn't require much modification, just one line from William Hartnell), then move on.
So, the start of a new season (even if it wasn't the start originally planned). How are they going to handle that? It begins with an extended TARDIS scene in which viewers are reminded of the key features of the show: they've got a ship that travels in time and space! There's some sort of fault (and that's not unusual)! The Doctor is trying (and failing) to get Iananbarbara home! It's all there; and while I initially thought that it was padding, once I reminded myself of the context it turns out to be rather efficiently done.
And then we get to see the fault locator again. Bless.
The whole scene, from initial discussion to the crisis on materialisation and the trouble with the scanner, served to remind me of both the good and the bad of the period. It's creative, but relies almost entirely on over-dramatic acting to sell the danger: the Doctor panicking, Ian, Barbara and Susan stage-pushing the doors shut - and I didn't buy into the threat, although part of me was aware of my Twenty-first Century perspective getting in the way. I was also conscious of the music, which I identified as "classic 60s dramatic" rather than simply letting it enhance the action. I really wish there were some way I could view this as part of the original audience.
And then there's that awkward little moment between the Doctor and Barbara, where he apologises to her for forgetting the niceties under pressure (space pressure, presumably), and she looks both confused and amused. It's a tiny thing, but I'm immediately engaged again.
When they step outside it's into a cramped but effective set. With a nod back to the seas of Marinus director Mervyn Pinfield shoots it so that we watch the actors as they look out past the cameras and describe what they are seeing. I'm smiling at the primitiveness of this, but still involved; and as they split into pairs to explore I retain this mental double vision. The earthworm doesn't work for me, but the egg certainly does; and then there's another cramped set moment when Ian and Susan fail to see the extent of a pile of eggs about half an inch away. This is made up for by a nicely framed shot of Susan facing the dead ant, and from here this pair gets all the best sets (and shots). It's great watching them figuring things out, and the cutting between the two teams mid-dialogue - while clumsy by modern standards - is like nothing we've seen before. Everyone in the production seems to be gaining confidence, and as a result I'm drawn into the story. The shot revealing that that are in the cracks between paving slabs is lovely, and the change of scale and focus as we meet the guest cast is both unexpected and effective.
This keeps up. It's a nice touch that the gunshot is heard by the shrunken visitors as a massive explosion like a cannon going off, and as we approach the end and they encounter the dead inspector's face we see a case where CSO would have done a far worse job. The cliffhanger with the cat is genuinely scary.
It's not all roses, of course: Ian in the matchbox throwing himself around just shows the need for more flexible cameras that can be rapidly tilted or shaken, for instance, and when he is found by the others it is far too abrupt. Overall, though, the episode picks itself up and turns into something rather good by the end.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 31st October 1964
Viewers: 8.4 million
Chart Position: 37
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Dangerous Journey.
Behind the scenes, of course, production carried straight on without a break. Prefilming for Marks' story took place at Ealing Studios during rehearsals for The Tyrant of France and Prisoners of Conciergerie, and the main filming for Planet of Giants (in Television Centre Studio 4) happened the week after. It shows; the Doctor still has his cape (though he's ditched the more ridiculous parts of his costume), and the travellers talk about having just left the late Eighteenth Century. Which means... what, exactly? That all the stories I've been reviewing that have been placed in the 'gap' between seasons are apocryphal, or from a parallel timeline, or something? The evidence here is just as strong as that which demonstrates the "impossibility" of fitting The Transit of Venus between The Sensorites and The Reign of Terror, yet I don't see anyone complaining about this lack of gap.
For me, the rule of maximum enjoyment applies here. I'll happily modify that scene in my head to allow for all the extra stories (and it doesn't require much modification, just one line from William Hartnell), then move on.
So, the start of a new season (even if it wasn't the start originally planned). How are they going to handle that? It begins with an extended TARDIS scene in which viewers are reminded of the key features of the show: they've got a ship that travels in time and space! There's some sort of fault (and that's not unusual)! The Doctor is trying (and failing) to get Iananbarbara home! It's all there; and while I initially thought that it was padding, once I reminded myself of the context it turns out to be rather efficiently done.
And then we get to see the fault locator again. Bless.
The whole scene, from initial discussion to the crisis on materialisation and the trouble with the scanner, served to remind me of both the good and the bad of the period. It's creative, but relies almost entirely on over-dramatic acting to sell the danger: the Doctor panicking, Ian, Barbara and Susan stage-pushing the doors shut - and I didn't buy into the threat, although part of me was aware of my Twenty-first Century perspective getting in the way. I was also conscious of the music, which I identified as "classic 60s dramatic" rather than simply letting it enhance the action. I really wish there were some way I could view this as part of the original audience.
And then there's that awkward little moment between the Doctor and Barbara, where he apologises to her for forgetting the niceties under pressure (space pressure, presumably), and she looks both confused and amused. It's a tiny thing, but I'm immediately engaged again.
When they step outside it's into a cramped but effective set. With a nod back to the seas of Marinus director Mervyn Pinfield shoots it so that we watch the actors as they look out past the cameras and describe what they are seeing. I'm smiling at the primitiveness of this, but still involved; and as they split into pairs to explore I retain this mental double vision. The earthworm doesn't work for me, but the egg certainly does; and then there's another cramped set moment when Ian and Susan fail to see the extent of a pile of eggs about half an inch away. This is made up for by a nicely framed shot of Susan facing the dead ant, and from here this pair gets all the best sets (and shots). It's great watching them figuring things out, and the cutting between the two teams mid-dialogue - while clumsy by modern standards - is like nothing we've seen before. Everyone in the production seems to be gaining confidence, and as a result I'm drawn into the story. The shot revealing that that are in the cracks between paving slabs is lovely, and the change of scale and focus as we meet the guest cast is both unexpected and effective.
This keeps up. It's a nice touch that the gunshot is heard by the shrunken visitors as a massive explosion like a cannon going off, and as we approach the end and they encounter the dead inspector's face we see a case where CSO would have done a far worse job. The cliffhanger with the cat is genuinely scary.
It's not all roses, of course: Ian in the matchbox throwing himself around just shows the need for more flexible cameras that can be rapidly tilted or shaken, for instance, and when he is found by the others it is far too abrupt. Overall, though, the episode picks itself up and turns into something rather good by the end.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 31st October 1964
Viewers: 8.4 million
Chart Position: 37
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Dangerous Journey.
Monday 19 March 2012
Short Trips, Past Tense 9.06: The Thief of Sherwood, by Jonathan Morris
Okay, so the title's a bit of a giveaway. There never was a serial I - probably to avoid confusion with the digit '1', as was the case with the Traveller roleplaying game, 13 years later - but what if there had been? This piece opens with a quote from William Hartnell in which he suggests that the Doctor should meet Robin Hood, and then proceeds to present a collection of extracts from fictional magazine articles about a fictional serial about just such a meeting. In the process, we learn enough about Godfrey Porter's imagined six-parter to at least follow the plot.
It's a neat conceit, but context is everything. As mentioned in my review of Bide-a-Wee, this was one of the first books I read when getting back into Who in 2006. I wasn't aware of most of the publications so the pastiche was lost on me (except for the Time Team extract, having recently read precisely one issue of DWM). All that was left was a fragmented, partial First Doctor story that I couldn't read properly. Back then I would have given it a 1 (or 2 at most) - except that I wasn't aware enough to rate things like that, so instead it was simply the least enjoyable story in the book, a failed experiment.
Fast-forward six years and that has changed completely. I'm far more aware of 'meta-Who', the discussion, documentation and dissection of the program, and can read this in a very different way. The point isn't to experience serial I; it's to revel in the activities of professional fans and fan-servicers. Complete with faithful typing misteaks. And seen like that, it's brilliant. Of course, how much you get out of it depends on how much you like that sort of thing, and it's going to be a pretty marmite story even among hardcore Whovians; but it's a format that has kept me coming back in a way I don't for 'straight' fiction.
Right. I said the point wasn't to experience serial I; but just for fun I'm going to do a review of my imaginary experience of watching it (abbreviated, because nobody wants to see seven more posts on this). Given the nature of Morris' work, it seems in keeping...
The Deserted Castle
Well, this was quite fun. The travellers being mistaken for 'Merry Men' worked well, and fortunately the dungeon sets were excellent. It was obvious that they were cramped, but director Patrick Whitfield's use of tight shots and closeups kept this from intruding too much. I got quite a thrill out of seeing Anneke Wills as Marion - looking in some ways very much like Polly, but with the different makeup turning her into a Polly from another era - and spotting Captain Peacock himself, Frank Thornton, looking quite young as the Sheriff of Nottingham (boo!). The discussion of the reality (or otherwise) of Robin worked well, giving me a flashforward to The Myth Makers, and (particularly in light of this) the reveal at the end left me wanting more. 7/10
The Thief of Sherwood
So it really is Robin, as we encounter our first duplicate of the series. I live in Sheffield, and while I'm a Southerner by birth I have made this my home; and I did wince a bit at William Russell's cod Yorkshire accent. Still, he really manages to convey what a b**** Robin is, in a performance which is very different to his role as Ian. And he must have done some quick changes, given how production worked back then! Apart from Russell's performance, though, this episode was a bit of a letdown. The direction was a lot less effective, and it wasn't helped by so much of the action taking place in the less-than-realistic forest sets. I couldn't even get worked up about Ian's threatened execution at the end. 4/10
The Alchemist
Sigh, back to soundtracks and recons. Thankfully, Russell's narration is as good as ever. As expected Ian's rescue was a bit too easy, but from the sound of it at least Hartnell was having a good time as the apothecary. He does like to get his teeth into a comedy role, doesn't he? Even his classic fluff about turning base metal into coal helps with the tone. I am glad we got to see the explosion at the end (thanks to next week's recap) as well as the short clip of the Doctor making gunpowder, as it really heightened the tension. 5.5/10
Errand of Mercy
Wow, this is quite a step up in quality, and with a fantastic ending. The look is helped by being back in the dungeon, but Whitfield is back on form. It's always good to get some proper, moving visuals after a missing episode, but I think it is genuinely better too. The resolution of last week's cliffhanger is strange, and I think Hartnell must have been on holiday; but that hump is soon past and we get some cracking dialogue. Robin's death (and there certainly is no doubt that he dead, unlike Ian and the Doctor in previous cliffhangers) is quite brutal. Still, at least we won't have to see that twee costume again! 8/10
Ransom
Back to recons again, and I really wish I could see the scene where Ian dons Robin's mantle (or at least feathered cap - I guess I spoke too soon about the costume). Even the telesnaps, which Loose Cannon make good use of as usual, tantalisingly fall to either side of that moment. Then we return to the peddler's shop, which is a great set but rather overused in this story. The trap the sheriff sets leads to a rather visual ciffhanger in an episode that suffers more than some from being missing. 5/10
A Guest for the Gallows
This is a rousing finish, which almost - but not quite - comes off. Unfortunately 1964 TV production couldn't really cope with mass fights like the one that interrupts Susan's execution, and it looks all too stagey. In fact, the set visibly shakes - and apparently the scene had to be edited when one flat fell down! The aftermath is very well handled, though, and it's great the way Ian introduces the "rob from the rich, give to the poor" angle into Robin's legend. 6.5/10
Serial I: The Thief of Sherwood? The Outlaws? The Bandits?
Overall this was an entertaining story, and I particularly liked how Porter's script played around with the idea of the travellers creating the myths that they grew up with. This was very much Ian and the Doctor's chance to shine, and (despite some of Hartnell's problems with lines and Russell's wavering accent) they rose to the moment. There was something of an uncomfortable blend of broad comedy and brutality, and it was definitely overly padded, but I enjoyed it a lot. 5.5/10
An aside: this serial was one of those interfered with in the final story of the collection, That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking for a Dress. This would have been impossible to film - unless they managed something clever along the lines of the Deep Space Nine episode Trials and Tribble-ations - but was an obviously irresistible target because of the presence of the younger Wills. Still, that's a story for another time...
Published:
Date: March 2004
ISBN: 1-844-35046-0
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
Really back to TV (honest!) and the start of season 2, with Planet of Giants.
It's a neat conceit, but context is everything. As mentioned in my review of Bide-a-Wee, this was one of the first books I read when getting back into Who in 2006. I wasn't aware of most of the publications so the pastiche was lost on me (except for the Time Team extract, having recently read precisely one issue of DWM). All that was left was a fragmented, partial First Doctor story that I couldn't read properly. Back then I would have given it a 1 (or 2 at most) - except that I wasn't aware enough to rate things like that, so instead it was simply the least enjoyable story in the book, a failed experiment.
Fast-forward six years and that has changed completely. I'm far more aware of 'meta-Who', the discussion, documentation and dissection of the program, and can read this in a very different way. The point isn't to experience serial I; it's to revel in the activities of professional fans and fan-servicers. Complete with faithful typing misteaks. And seen like that, it's brilliant. Of course, how much you get out of it depends on how much you like that sort of thing, and it's going to be a pretty marmite story even among hardcore Whovians; but it's a format that has kept me coming back in a way I don't for 'straight' fiction.
Right. I said the point wasn't to experience serial I; but just for fun I'm going to do a review of my imaginary experience of watching it (abbreviated, because nobody wants to see seven more posts on this). Given the nature of Morris' work, it seems in keeping...
The Deserted Castle
Well, this was quite fun. The travellers being mistaken for 'Merry Men' worked well, and fortunately the dungeon sets were excellent. It was obvious that they were cramped, but director Patrick Whitfield's use of tight shots and closeups kept this from intruding too much. I got quite a thrill out of seeing Anneke Wills as Marion - looking in some ways very much like Polly, but with the different makeup turning her into a Polly from another era - and spotting Captain Peacock himself, Frank Thornton, looking quite young as the Sheriff of Nottingham (boo!). The discussion of the reality (or otherwise) of Robin worked well, giving me a flashforward to The Myth Makers, and (particularly in light of this) the reveal at the end left me wanting more. 7/10
The Thief of Sherwood
So it really is Robin, as we encounter our first duplicate of the series. I live in Sheffield, and while I'm a Southerner by birth I have made this my home; and I did wince a bit at William Russell's cod Yorkshire accent. Still, he really manages to convey what a b**** Robin is, in a performance which is very different to his role as Ian. And he must have done some quick changes, given how production worked back then! Apart from Russell's performance, though, this episode was a bit of a letdown. The direction was a lot less effective, and it wasn't helped by so much of the action taking place in the less-than-realistic forest sets. I couldn't even get worked up about Ian's threatened execution at the end. 4/10
The Alchemist
Sigh, back to soundtracks and recons. Thankfully, Russell's narration is as good as ever. As expected Ian's rescue was a bit too easy, but from the sound of it at least Hartnell was having a good time as the apothecary. He does like to get his teeth into a comedy role, doesn't he? Even his classic fluff about turning base metal into coal helps with the tone. I am glad we got to see the explosion at the end (thanks to next week's recap) as well as the short clip of the Doctor making gunpowder, as it really heightened the tension. 5.5/10
Errand of Mercy
Wow, this is quite a step up in quality, and with a fantastic ending. The look is helped by being back in the dungeon, but Whitfield is back on form. It's always good to get some proper, moving visuals after a missing episode, but I think it is genuinely better too. The resolution of last week's cliffhanger is strange, and I think Hartnell must have been on holiday; but that hump is soon past and we get some cracking dialogue. Robin's death (and there certainly is no doubt that he dead, unlike Ian and the Doctor in previous cliffhangers) is quite brutal. Still, at least we won't have to see that twee costume again! 8/10
Ransom
Back to recons again, and I really wish I could see the scene where Ian dons Robin's mantle (or at least feathered cap - I guess I spoke too soon about the costume). Even the telesnaps, which Loose Cannon make good use of as usual, tantalisingly fall to either side of that moment. Then we return to the peddler's shop, which is a great set but rather overused in this story. The trap the sheriff sets leads to a rather visual ciffhanger in an episode that suffers more than some from being missing. 5/10
A Guest for the Gallows
This is a rousing finish, which almost - but not quite - comes off. Unfortunately 1964 TV production couldn't really cope with mass fights like the one that interrupts Susan's execution, and it looks all too stagey. In fact, the set visibly shakes - and apparently the scene had to be edited when one flat fell down! The aftermath is very well handled, though, and it's great the way Ian introduces the "rob from the rich, give to the poor" angle into Robin's legend. 6.5/10
Serial I: The Thief of Sherwood? The Outlaws? The Bandits?
Overall this was an entertaining story, and I particularly liked how Porter's script played around with the idea of the travellers creating the myths that they grew up with. This was very much Ian and the Doctor's chance to shine, and (despite some of Hartnell's problems with lines and Russell's wavering accent) they rose to the moment. There was something of an uncomfortable blend of broad comedy and brutality, and it was definitely overly padded, but I enjoyed it a lot. 5.5/10
An aside: this serial was one of those interfered with in the final story of the collection, That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking for a Dress. This would have been impossible to film - unless they managed something clever along the lines of the Deep Space Nine episode Trials and Tribble-ations - but was an obviously irresistible target because of the presence of the younger Wills. Still, that's a story for another time...
Published:
Date: March 2004
ISBN: 1-844-35046-0
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
Really back to TV (honest!) and the start of season 2, with Planet of Giants.
Friday 16 March 2012
Audio Short Trips 4.1: A Star is Born, by Richard Dinnick
Hm. I was looking forward to this after the startlingly good first audio short trip, Rise and Fall; after all, it's read by the wonderful William Russell as well. Unfortunately, partly because of those high expectations, it's a bit of a letdown.
The production values are excellent, with Big Finish putting a lot of effort into the soundscape and making thoughtful use of spacing and effects on Russell's voice to help distinguish the characters. Russell, though, seems less comfortable reading this than his previous short trip, particularly at the beginning. It picks up as time goes on, but isn't helped by an annoying choice made by the editor.
I read to my family almost every night, and I try to make it interesting. I'm pretty good at it, in fact, doing a variety of voices and with a strong sense of rhythm. However, one thing I do in order to help the flow is to miss out many of the "he said"s and similar markers. They are needed in the printed text, but having read them myself I can afford to skip them in my verbal rendition - because the way I am reading will usually be enough to clue in my listeners as to who is speaking. In A Star is Born they've kept a number of these markers, which are unnecessary and do disrupt the flow. Skipping them wouldn't have done any damage to Richard Dinnick's prose, and would have made for a better experience.
On to the story, then - and I'll start with the main mood-breaker. The way this is written, the Doctor has to be able to control the TARDIS! There's no faffing about with workaround explanations as there was in The Witch Hunters; rather, it's just an oversight, and unfortunately the resolution of the story relies on this anachronism. Which is a shame, because in other ways the story hits the right tone for the period. Some of this involves cliché, such as the lapel-clutching Doctor, but mostly it's more subtly handled. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of religion, with Barbara explaining about a particular Bible story and talking about "our world", before Susan points out that Earth has many different belief systems.
Dinnick also paints some fine images with his words. The idea of a ship "out of kilter with the planet below" doesn't really make much sense scientifically, but it efficiently conveys the meaning - and conjures up thoughts of how it would be shown on-screen. Similarly, he brings the seal-like Metaxi to life, though their description is so humourous that I can't help but think of them as "men in blubber suits"!
There's also a neatness in the way the two threats to the Metaxi are tied together, but unfortunately - as with most televised Who - it relies on some very dodgy science. I'm loath to blame him for something which is rife across the franchise, but it does affect my enjoyment.
This is a real curate's egg with some very good aspects, but unfortunately they are swamped by the problems. It effectively cost me 80p and it was well worth that, but it's a big step down from Rise and Fall.
Published:
Date: 31st August 2011
ISBN: 978-1-84435-550-1
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
It should be back to TV for the start of season 2 and The Deserted Castle, but I haven't been able to find a copy anywhere! Instead, I'll take a brief look at that most elusive of stories - serial I - as a whole, based on the limited information I've been able to find...
The production values are excellent, with Big Finish putting a lot of effort into the soundscape and making thoughtful use of spacing and effects on Russell's voice to help distinguish the characters. Russell, though, seems less comfortable reading this than his previous short trip, particularly at the beginning. It picks up as time goes on, but isn't helped by an annoying choice made by the editor.
I read to my family almost every night, and I try to make it interesting. I'm pretty good at it, in fact, doing a variety of voices and with a strong sense of rhythm. However, one thing I do in order to help the flow is to miss out many of the "he said"s and similar markers. They are needed in the printed text, but having read them myself I can afford to skip them in my verbal rendition - because the way I am reading will usually be enough to clue in my listeners as to who is speaking. In A Star is Born they've kept a number of these markers, which are unnecessary and do disrupt the flow. Skipping them wouldn't have done any damage to Richard Dinnick's prose, and would have made for a better experience.
On to the story, then - and I'll start with the main mood-breaker. The way this is written, the Doctor has to be able to control the TARDIS! There's no faffing about with workaround explanations as there was in The Witch Hunters; rather, it's just an oversight, and unfortunately the resolution of the story relies on this anachronism. Which is a shame, because in other ways the story hits the right tone for the period. Some of this involves cliché, such as the lapel-clutching Doctor, but mostly it's more subtly handled. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of religion, with Barbara explaining about a particular Bible story and talking about "our world", before Susan points out that Earth has many different belief systems.
Dinnick also paints some fine images with his words. The idea of a ship "out of kilter with the planet below" doesn't really make much sense scientifically, but it efficiently conveys the meaning - and conjures up thoughts of how it would be shown on-screen. Similarly, he brings the seal-like Metaxi to life, though their description is so humourous that I can't help but think of them as "men in blubber suits"!
There's also a neatness in the way the two threats to the Metaxi are tied together, but unfortunately - as with most televised Who - it relies on some very dodgy science. I'm loath to blame him for something which is rife across the franchise, but it does affect my enjoyment.
This is a real curate's egg with some very good aspects, but unfortunately they are swamped by the problems. It effectively cost me 80p and it was well worth that, but it's a big step down from Rise and Fall.
Published:
Date: 31st August 2011
ISBN: 978-1-84435-550-1
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
It should be back to TV for the start of season 2 and The Deserted Castle, but I haven't been able to find a copy anywhere! Instead, I'll take a brief look at that most elusive of stories - serial I - as a whole, based on the limited information I've been able to find...
Monday 12 March 2012
Past Doctor Adventure 09: The Witch Hunters, by Steve Lyons
Hooray! I've finally finished this book, voted the third most popular PDA on Gallifrey Base in 2011 (it came top the previous year). I'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum, but in order to explain what I did and didn't like there will have to be some (hopefully fairly vague).
The first thing I want to say is that I've read it at the wrong time. Based on the opinions of the crew regarding the sanctity of history this definitely happens before Farewell, Great Macedon, and the main reason I didn't tackle it then is that I'd done a lot of reading since Rise and Fall and really wanted some voices for what I experienced next. With some stories it wouldn't have mattered; this time it did. That's a minor point, but I'm making a mental note in case I do another marathon from the start in umpty years' time.
So, what of the book? My previous experience of Steve Lyons has been mixed. His audio scripts have all been good, with The Fires of Vulcan still my favourite Seventh Doctor audio; but I haven't been particularly impressed by his novels and short stories. The Witch Hunters is definitely a game of two halves. I found the first half quite a slog, and (as I alluded to in my last post) hit one of the few times when continuing the marathon felt more like work than pleasure. Not since reading The Adventuress of Henrietta Street have I been as close to giving up on a Who book. I kept going because I'd made a commitment, and also because I knew there was a run of treats coming up (a new short audio, something which will be quite an interesting challenge to review, a TV story I've never seen before, and one of my favourite PDAs). It proved worth it in the end, and the second half whizzed by.
With Here There Be Monsters, I said that it was good to have a story focusing on Susan. This book does that, too; but unfortunately the version of Susan it portrays is the ankle-twisting, screaming, impetuous and downright thoughtless peril monkey that we saw all too often on screen. It's very faithful to the original, but focusing on the very aspects that made Carole Ann Ford decide to leave. It would be fair to say that this put my back up early, and the way her telepathic abilities play out here is also a bit of a downer.
My second problem is the way the TARDIS is used. It seems Lyons wanted it to be able to come and go at will (bar a little slippage), taking the travellers where they needed to be in a way that we wouldn't see on TV for years. Quite a bit of time is spent explaining how the Doctor had been working on the fast return switch from serial C (and then how he decides to disable it again afterwards) - but that isn't enough, so there has to be a second explanation for why the Doctor could return to Salem a fourth time, towards the end of his first incarnation. It felt forced, somehow inappropriate to this period.
On the other hand, the characterisation is great, and we get to see inside the heads of a wide variety of people. It was this more than anything that sustained me through the first hundred-odd pages. Salem itself never seems quite real - perhaps because the only things we hear about are matters appertaining to the trials - but the inhabitants feel genuine, with realistic (if somewhat alien) emotions and motivations.
There are also some nice little touches. I learned about a calendrical change I hadn't come across before, and the idea that the Doctor chooses the name "John Smith" on the spur of the moment because of the musical artist that Susan had enjoyed in An Unearthly Child neatly ties up what would otherwise just be a coincidence. Iananbarbara's discussion in 1954 about whether or not they should stay and live out the next decade avoiding their other selves is beautifully done.
Still, for me, it only comes together after the halfway point. It's been building momentum for a while, but when the travellers attend Samuel Parris's sermon the book kicks into a higher gear. The scene with Susan and the poppet got the adrenaline flowing, and from there on I wanted to know what happened next. I was engrossed right up until the epilogue, where the Doctor passes on some carefully edited information to make one upcoming death a little less painful.
All I know of what really happened in Salem in 1692 comes from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which I first saw on stage in Thame somewhere around 1989. As pointed out in the book the name 'Salem' comes from 'Salaam' or 'Shalom', meaning 'peace'. If Tolkien is to be believed (he isn't), the name 'Thame' comes about because of the tame dragon once kept there. But that's not important right now. The point is that The Crucible is a brilliant work, not just for what it has to say about the 1690s but also the link to the Twentieth Century. Lyons' tale owes a lot to this (and acknowledges it with visits to two performances). There's the same feeling of inevitability in both versions of the history, and while I will say that the play is the better work, The Witch Hunters also captures the atmosphere of hysteria and fear very well.
Some of the repeated memes of recent stories crop up here again. This time we have the Chesterton family, with Susan as Iananbarbara's daughter. Ian gets tortured again, and forced to choose between the travellers' safety and that of others. I don't hold any of these against this book, but it didn't help my mood.
Very much a mixed bag. Even knowing how it ends I would have trouble reading the first half again, but the second is at least somewhat redeeming.
Published:
Date: 2nd March 1998
ISBN: 0-563-40579-1
Rating:
Mine: 4/10, though at one point it was looking like a 2.5.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.42, 3rd out of 76 Past Doctor Adventures, 10th out of 286 overall.
Next Time:
Forward again for (blessedly) a short audio - A Star is Born.
The first thing I want to say is that I've read it at the wrong time. Based on the opinions of the crew regarding the sanctity of history this definitely happens before Farewell, Great Macedon, and the main reason I didn't tackle it then is that I'd done a lot of reading since Rise and Fall and really wanted some voices for what I experienced next. With some stories it wouldn't have mattered; this time it did. That's a minor point, but I'm making a mental note in case I do another marathon from the start in umpty years' time.
So, what of the book? My previous experience of Steve Lyons has been mixed. His audio scripts have all been good, with The Fires of Vulcan still my favourite Seventh Doctor audio; but I haven't been particularly impressed by his novels and short stories. The Witch Hunters is definitely a game of two halves. I found the first half quite a slog, and (as I alluded to in my last post) hit one of the few times when continuing the marathon felt more like work than pleasure. Not since reading The Adventuress of Henrietta Street have I been as close to giving up on a Who book. I kept going because I'd made a commitment, and also because I knew there was a run of treats coming up (a new short audio, something which will be quite an interesting challenge to review, a TV story I've never seen before, and one of my favourite PDAs). It proved worth it in the end, and the second half whizzed by.
With Here There Be Monsters, I said that it was good to have a story focusing on Susan. This book does that, too; but unfortunately the version of Susan it portrays is the ankle-twisting, screaming, impetuous and downright thoughtless peril monkey that we saw all too often on screen. It's very faithful to the original, but focusing on the very aspects that made Carole Ann Ford decide to leave. It would be fair to say that this put my back up early, and the way her telepathic abilities play out here is also a bit of a downer.
My second problem is the way the TARDIS is used. It seems Lyons wanted it to be able to come and go at will (bar a little slippage), taking the travellers where they needed to be in a way that we wouldn't see on TV for years. Quite a bit of time is spent explaining how the Doctor had been working on the fast return switch from serial C (and then how he decides to disable it again afterwards) - but that isn't enough, so there has to be a second explanation for why the Doctor could return to Salem a fourth time, towards the end of his first incarnation. It felt forced, somehow inappropriate to this period.
On the other hand, the characterisation is great, and we get to see inside the heads of a wide variety of people. It was this more than anything that sustained me through the first hundred-odd pages. Salem itself never seems quite real - perhaps because the only things we hear about are matters appertaining to the trials - but the inhabitants feel genuine, with realistic (if somewhat alien) emotions and motivations.
There are also some nice little touches. I learned about a calendrical change I hadn't come across before, and the idea that the Doctor chooses the name "John Smith" on the spur of the moment because of the musical artist that Susan had enjoyed in An Unearthly Child neatly ties up what would otherwise just be a coincidence. Iananbarbara's discussion in 1954 about whether or not they should stay and live out the next decade avoiding their other selves is beautifully done.
Still, for me, it only comes together after the halfway point. It's been building momentum for a while, but when the travellers attend Samuel Parris's sermon the book kicks into a higher gear. The scene with Susan and the poppet got the adrenaline flowing, and from there on I wanted to know what happened next. I was engrossed right up until the epilogue, where the Doctor passes on some carefully edited information to make one upcoming death a little less painful.
All I know of what really happened in Salem in 1692 comes from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which I first saw on stage in Thame somewhere around 1989. As pointed out in the book the name 'Salem' comes from 'Salaam' or 'Shalom', meaning 'peace'. If Tolkien is to be believed (he isn't), the name 'Thame' comes about because of the tame dragon once kept there. But that's not important right now. The point is that The Crucible is a brilliant work, not just for what it has to say about the 1690s but also the link to the Twentieth Century. Lyons' tale owes a lot to this (and acknowledges it with visits to two performances). There's the same feeling of inevitability in both versions of the history, and while I will say that the play is the better work, The Witch Hunters also captures the atmosphere of hysteria and fear very well.
Some of the repeated memes of recent stories crop up here again. This time we have the Chesterton family, with Susan as Iananbarbara's daughter. Ian gets tortured again, and forced to choose between the travellers' safety and that of others. I don't hold any of these against this book, but it didn't help my mood.
Very much a mixed bag. Even knowing how it ends I would have trouble reading the first half again, but the second is at least somewhat redeeming.
Published:
Date: 2nd March 1998
ISBN: 0-563-40579-1
Rating:
Mine: 4/10, though at one point it was looking like a 2.5.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.42, 3rd out of 76 Past Doctor Adventures, 10th out of 286 overall.
Next Time:
Forward again for (blessedly) a short audio - A Star is Born.
Friday 9 March 2012
Eh? Elv Who? What's He Talking About?
I could tell it was going to take me a long time to finish The Witch Hunters - I'm still less than halfway - and having used up my buffer during the half term holidays a delay was always on the cards. However, that doesn't mean I have to post nothing! I've made a few observations in my head as I went along during this marathon that haven't really fitted into any of the ongoing reviews, so I thought I might perhaps present a pot-pourri of pointless pondering for your perusal, a heterogeneous hodgepodge of half-baked homilies, a... ahem. Well. Never mind. On with the motley!
Style
When I started (with modest goals, intending to cover the first three serials and then see what happened) I knew roughly what I wanted to say, although I was open to my opinions changing when I watched the stories again. Since then I have been winging it. Most of the time it's fun; just occasionally it becomes, briefly, a chore. Part of what keeps it enjoyable, though, is that I've allowed myself plenty of freedom in what I write - and how I write it. Occasionally I'll change the format and do something like my review of Sentence of Death, or, more recently, Campaign. Less radically, I might waffle on at length about a related TV program, or an actor, or focus on details of the direction as I did with The Velvet Web.
All very well, you might say; but the review blogs I get the most out of tend to have a consistent formula. I always know where I am when reading one of Doc Oho's reviews, for instance - and that's not something you'll ever find here. Yet this is a review blog - unlike, say, Elizabeth Sandifer's TARDIS Eruditorum - so you're only presented with a smidgen of the political and social context; and you're not even going to get much of the personal view of life from my perspective until mid-Troughton, when my three-year-old self starts watching. So, why would anyone read this?
I dunno. Still, some people do, so I'll carry on with the easy path and hope it carries on pleasing some of the people some of the time!
Enjoying the Show
I spend a lot of time with Doctor Who. Since Christmas, just counting new stories and ones I've not experienced since I was a child, I've watched Terror of the Autons, Kinda, Snakedance, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, and Day of the Daleks; I've heard Last of the Titans, Home Truths, The Drowned World, Peri and the Piscon Paradox, Tales from the Vault, Invasion of the Daleks, and Return of the Daleks; and I've read two Short Trips collections (Life Science and A Universe of Terrors), The Clockwise Man, Sting of the Zygons, Autonomy, two IDW collections (Fugitive and Tesseract), and a variety of DWM comics (along with the rest of the magazines they came in). I may have missed one or two from that list, but you get the picture. This marathon - and this blog - is not the be-all and end-all of my Whoing. (and I'll have to make sure my spellchecker doesn't get it's hands on that!)
I wouldn't spend so much of my time and money on the show if I didn't love it. And conversely, because I invest so much in it, I fully intend to get good value out of it. Now, a couple of times when people have pointed out negative aspects to stories that I have reviewed positively, I've more or less agreed with them. Except... well, I've generally (and subconsciously) put those aspects in the best possible light. Sometimes - as with Who Discovered America? - a story is so bad that the only fun I can have is in ridiculing it or re-imagining it; but more often a bit of wooden acting can be treated as the manner of a reserved or nervous character, or an underambitious story can be recast as a light break from the more meaty stuff.
I'm not a Pollyanna - that would be fatal to the reviews! - but I do approach every story with the attitude that I'm going to enjoy it.
Goals
I have (or rather had) two goals for my marathon. I am committed to this blog until the end of The Tenth Planet; after that, I'll review how I feel about carrying on. The first goal is to finish the initial production run (the stories with Susan) within a year. That means at least another 21 posts before the eighth of June, which is looking doable but without much leeway. The second goal is to finish Hartnell before the Fiftieth Anniversary, which means something like a further 140 posts after that; and to be frank it's already clear that it's not going to happen. C'est la vie. It's more important that I continue to enjoy writing than try for an impossible schedule.
And that's all for now. I'll talk a bit about the handle 'elvwood' and the name of the blog (among other things) next time I do one of these.
Which, at the rate my reading is currently progressing, might be sooner than you would hope...
Style
When I started (with modest goals, intending to cover the first three serials and then see what happened) I knew roughly what I wanted to say, although I was open to my opinions changing when I watched the stories again. Since then I have been winging it. Most of the time it's fun; just occasionally it becomes, briefly, a chore. Part of what keeps it enjoyable, though, is that I've allowed myself plenty of freedom in what I write - and how I write it. Occasionally I'll change the format and do something like my review of Sentence of Death, or, more recently, Campaign. Less radically, I might waffle on at length about a related TV program, or an actor, or focus on details of the direction as I did with The Velvet Web.
All very well, you might say; but the review blogs I get the most out of tend to have a consistent formula. I always know where I am when reading one of Doc Oho's reviews, for instance - and that's not something you'll ever find here. Yet this is a review blog - unlike, say, Elizabeth Sandifer's TARDIS Eruditorum - so you're only presented with a smidgen of the political and social context; and you're not even going to get much of the personal view of life from my perspective until mid-Troughton, when my three-year-old self starts watching. So, why would anyone read this?
I dunno. Still, some people do, so I'll carry on with the easy path and hope it carries on pleasing some of the people some of the time!
Enjoying the Show
I spend a lot of time with Doctor Who. Since Christmas, just counting new stories and ones I've not experienced since I was a child, I've watched Terror of the Autons, Kinda, Snakedance, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, and Day of the Daleks; I've heard Last of the Titans, Home Truths, The Drowned World, Peri and the Piscon Paradox, Tales from the Vault, Invasion of the Daleks, and Return of the Daleks; and I've read two Short Trips collections (Life Science and A Universe of Terrors), The Clockwise Man, Sting of the Zygons, Autonomy, two IDW collections (Fugitive and Tesseract), and a variety of DWM comics (along with the rest of the magazines they came in). I may have missed one or two from that list, but you get the picture. This marathon - and this blog - is not the be-all and end-all of my Whoing. (and I'll have to make sure my spellchecker doesn't get it's hands on that!)
I wouldn't spend so much of my time and money on the show if I didn't love it. And conversely, because I invest so much in it, I fully intend to get good value out of it. Now, a couple of times when people have pointed out negative aspects to stories that I have reviewed positively, I've more or less agreed with them. Except... well, I've generally (and subconsciously) put those aspects in the best possible light. Sometimes - as with Who Discovered America? - a story is so bad that the only fun I can have is in ridiculing it or re-imagining it; but more often a bit of wooden acting can be treated as the manner of a reserved or nervous character, or an underambitious story can be recast as a light break from the more meaty stuff.
I'm not a Pollyanna - that would be fatal to the reviews! - but I do approach every story with the attitude that I'm going to enjoy it.
Goals
I have (or rather had) two goals for my marathon. I am committed to this blog until the end of The Tenth Planet; after that, I'll review how I feel about carrying on. The first goal is to finish the initial production run (the stories with Susan) within a year. That means at least another 21 posts before the eighth of June, which is looking doable but without much leeway. The second goal is to finish Hartnell before the Fiftieth Anniversary, which means something like a further 140 posts after that; and to be frank it's already clear that it's not going to happen. C'est la vie. It's more important that I continue to enjoy writing than try for an impossible schedule.
And that's all for now. I'll talk a bit about the handle 'elvwood' and the name of the blog (among other things) next time I do one of these.
Which, at the rate my reading is currently progressing, might be sooner than you would hope...
Monday 5 March 2012
CC3.1: Here There Be Monsters
Okay, this third post will comment on some more aspects that spread across both episodes, and tidy up some loose ends.
Let's start with Carole Ann Ford's performance. As always her younger Susan recaptures the youthful exuberance of the first TV companion, but particularly of note this time around are the effectively-alien Captain Rostrum and the way she gets the Doctor's speech patterns spot on. Even if the voice (naturally) isn't quite right she sounds more like the Doctor than she does in Quinnis. There are definitely too many hmmms, making him sound more like the First Doctor of season 3, but this is down to the script rather than the performance.
The First Mate is played by Stephen Hancock, who gives him an appropriate maturity and sense of presence; but not a lot is asked of him compared to Ford. I was interested to discover that Hancock played Ernie Bishop in Coronation Street; his tenure there pretty much corresponded to the time I watched Corrie, and his character's death was one of a number of changes that made me realise I wasn't enjoying it any more.
The First Mate's main dramatic purpose is to give Susan an opportunity for some emotional development. I like the way this is kept as one thread of a wider canvas, rather than being signposted as "what the story is about". It is scary heading off on your own, and the First Mate's suggestion that she could go by herself forces her to confront her own feelings - feelings which have been coming to the fore since The Sensorites. Most of this is handled in a subtle enough way, but the final comment from older Susan - that he gave her the courage to finally leave Grandfather because she would never again be lonely - doesn't quite ring true. After all, wasn't it the Doctor who left her? Still, this is outweighed by the benefits of including this emotional 'arc' at this point in Susan's journey. We've only got six more adventures with her as part of the original team (or at least, six I can revew) and this definitely enhances her character.
Appropriately for the first TARDIS crew, this story also has a small expository educational element, with the stellar navigation discussion in the first episode bringing in a little of the history of longitude and even sympathetic powder. As with the TV series there's not as much of this as there was in the historicals, and I think the level is just about right.
Finally, having got to the end, I must say that the title is very fitting. I immediately saw the navigator's/mapmaker's angle, but the double meaning works very nicely. A good title isn't vital, but it is nice when one works as well as this.
After a run of uncomfortable stories, it's refreshing to have one that is, frankly, a romp. It's also a pleasant change to have a story that focuses on Susan rather than Ianorbarbara. This is the final Hartnell-era Christmas present for me to review (I was also given The Key to Time boxset, but that's not important right now). I couldn't resist listening to it over a month ago, and my first impressions were that it was okay, but a bit bland. However, after all the bleakness, experimentation and high drama of the last half-dozen stories in this marathon, I enjoyed it much more; which goes to show just how much context matters.
Published:
Date: 31 July 2008
ISBN: 978-1-84435-350-7
Rating:
6/10
Next Time:
It might be back into the past - and the Past Doctor Adventures - for The Witch Hunters; but then again, unless I get more time for reading, I might take a break from actual reviews and put up some of my thoughts on how this is all going. Either way, there'll be nothing until Friday.
Let's start with Carole Ann Ford's performance. As always her younger Susan recaptures the youthful exuberance of the first TV companion, but particularly of note this time around are the effectively-alien Captain Rostrum and the way she gets the Doctor's speech patterns spot on. Even if the voice (naturally) isn't quite right she sounds more like the Doctor than she does in Quinnis. There are definitely too many hmmms, making him sound more like the First Doctor of season 3, but this is down to the script rather than the performance.
The First Mate is played by Stephen Hancock, who gives him an appropriate maturity and sense of presence; but not a lot is asked of him compared to Ford. I was interested to discover that Hancock played Ernie Bishop in Coronation Street; his tenure there pretty much corresponded to the time I watched Corrie, and his character's death was one of a number of changes that made me realise I wasn't enjoying it any more.
The First Mate's main dramatic purpose is to give Susan an opportunity for some emotional development. I like the way this is kept as one thread of a wider canvas, rather than being signposted as "what the story is about". It is scary heading off on your own, and the First Mate's suggestion that she could go by herself forces her to confront her own feelings - feelings which have been coming to the fore since The Sensorites. Most of this is handled in a subtle enough way, but the final comment from older Susan - that he gave her the courage to finally leave Grandfather because she would never again be lonely - doesn't quite ring true. After all, wasn't it the Doctor who left her? Still, this is outweighed by the benefits of including this emotional 'arc' at this point in Susan's journey. We've only got six more adventures with her as part of the original team (or at least, six I can revew) and this definitely enhances her character.
Appropriately for the first TARDIS crew, this story also has a small expository educational element, with the stellar navigation discussion in the first episode bringing in a little of the history of longitude and even sympathetic powder. As with the TV series there's not as much of this as there was in the historicals, and I think the level is just about right.
Finally, having got to the end, I must say that the title is very fitting. I immediately saw the navigator's/mapmaker's angle, but the double meaning works very nicely. A good title isn't vital, but it is nice when one works as well as this.
After a run of uncomfortable stories, it's refreshing to have one that is, frankly, a romp. It's also a pleasant change to have a story that focuses on Susan rather than Ianorbarbara. This is the final Hartnell-era Christmas present for me to review (I was also given The Key to Time boxset, but that's not important right now). I couldn't resist listening to it over a month ago, and my first impressions were that it was okay, but a bit bland. However, after all the bleakness, experimentation and high drama of the last half-dozen stories in this marathon, I enjoyed it much more; which goes to show just how much context matters.
Published:
Date: 31 July 2008
ISBN: 978-1-84435-350-7
Rating:
6/10
Next Time:
It might be back into the past - and the Past Doctor Adventures - for The Witch Hunters; but then again, unless I get more time for reading, I might take a break from actual reviews and put up some of my thoughts on how this is all going. Either way, there'll be nothing until Friday.
Friday 2 March 2012
CC3.1b: The Horror from Beyond
Welcome back. I've had to rearrange the content of these reviews a bit to get something coherent for each, so if I end up talking a little about the first episode you'll have to forgive me. This review is also a bit more spoilery than last time, so if you don't want to know the results, look away now.
For those who have just tuned in, when last we left our heroes they were watching the approach of an alien spacecraft on a viewscreen. It was at this point that I made the link that had been bubbling under for half an episode - this is Who meets Star Trek. And this time, I'm talking about the original series, which is at least of the 1960s - although there's more than two years before it airs in its native land, and nearly five before it arrives on British soil.
This wasn't written in 1964, though, and the evidence is clear. Apart from the "stand around on the bridge and look at the viewscreen while the alien ship attacks" scene, you've got a post-scarcity society (though "a society of meditative contemplation, dreamers and artists" sounds like a pretty cynical take on Gene Roddenberry's ideas); a translation program; and a mysterious, godlike being (perhaps resembling Wesley's friend the Traveler more than Q or Trelane). We are definitely talking homage here.
It's been decades since I've seen any of the original series episodes, and with this marathon due to continue for quite some time I'm not likely to get the DVDs for ages; otherwise I'm sure I'd be able to point out more similarities. It's all done in a good way, though, and it made me want to see them again.
Of course, Star Trek is not the only other fictional universe referenced here; we've also got Lovecraftian Things Beneath Space. They have already invaded the Whoniverse (and many others - they have tentacles in every pie), but this is the earliest point I know of in the Doctor's chronology that they make an appearance. Here, though, their presence is totally subverted by the main message of the story. The idea that the Doctor believes there are nothing but monsters underneath, and that this belief is echoed by the inhabitants of the other side, may be unoriginal but it works very well. The unsubtle comparison between the First Mate's last message and that of the attacking ship drives the point home; it's simplistic, but that's in keeping with the style of story and its source material. I've just used three uncomplimentary words (unoriginal, unsubtle, simplistic) for something that I enjoyed, so don't take it the wrong way!
Actually, there's a lot more happening here at the end of the main story. The way the First Mate makes his decision has a real impact, and then - after the crew pile into the TARDIS (in a very Season 1 way) - we also get the death of Captain Rostrum, which made me sad even though he was in the wrong.
A strong ending, then, but to be honest the plot meanders a bit before it get there. We even have a scene where the TARDIS crew stands around discussing how to divide up the corridors they're going to wander through while looking for the First Mate, which is less poking fun at the show and more revelling in its shortcomings. The cause of Susan's sickness is also a bit too obvious, and the consequences just slow things down. On top of this, the various arguments felt too drawn out this time.
Finally, we have the closing moments of the framing story. This is portrayed as a mystery, hinging on whether the First Mate's voice speaking in Susan's mind is a current presence or simply an echo of the past. The problem is that I don't really care which it is, and that takes away from the impact that the frame is supposed to have. It doesn't actually matter - what's interesting about this release is the adventure on the EBV Nevermore, not what happened later - but it's a shame Andy Lane thinks he needs to put this in.
There's one more important strand to the story, but I'll tackle that in my third and final entry.
Rating:
5/10 - a mixed bag.
Next Time:
Companion Chronicle 3.1 as a whole.
For those who have just tuned in, when last we left our heroes they were watching the approach of an alien spacecraft on a viewscreen. It was at this point that I made the link that had been bubbling under for half an episode - this is Who meets Star Trek. And this time, I'm talking about the original series, which is at least of the 1960s - although there's more than two years before it airs in its native land, and nearly five before it arrives on British soil.
This wasn't written in 1964, though, and the evidence is clear. Apart from the "stand around on the bridge and look at the viewscreen while the alien ship attacks" scene, you've got a post-scarcity society (though "a society of meditative contemplation, dreamers and artists" sounds like a pretty cynical take on Gene Roddenberry's ideas); a translation program; and a mysterious, godlike being (perhaps resembling Wesley's friend the Traveler more than Q or Trelane). We are definitely talking homage here.
It's been decades since I've seen any of the original series episodes, and with this marathon due to continue for quite some time I'm not likely to get the DVDs for ages; otherwise I'm sure I'd be able to point out more similarities. It's all done in a good way, though, and it made me want to see them again.
Of course, Star Trek is not the only other fictional universe referenced here; we've also got Lovecraftian Things Beneath Space. They have already invaded the Whoniverse (and many others - they have tentacles in every pie), but this is the earliest point I know of in the Doctor's chronology that they make an appearance. Here, though, their presence is totally subverted by the main message of the story. The idea that the Doctor believes there are nothing but monsters underneath, and that this belief is echoed by the inhabitants of the other side, may be unoriginal but it works very well. The unsubtle comparison between the First Mate's last message and that of the attacking ship drives the point home; it's simplistic, but that's in keeping with the style of story and its source material. I've just used three uncomplimentary words (unoriginal, unsubtle, simplistic) for something that I enjoyed, so don't take it the wrong way!
Actually, there's a lot more happening here at the end of the main story. The way the First Mate makes his decision has a real impact, and then - after the crew pile into the TARDIS (in a very Season 1 way) - we also get the death of Captain Rostrum, which made me sad even though he was in the wrong.
A strong ending, then, but to be honest the plot meanders a bit before it get there. We even have a scene where the TARDIS crew stands around discussing how to divide up the corridors they're going to wander through while looking for the First Mate, which is less poking fun at the show and more revelling in its shortcomings. The cause of Susan's sickness is also a bit too obvious, and the consequences just slow things down. On top of this, the various arguments felt too drawn out this time.
Finally, we have the closing moments of the framing story. This is portrayed as a mystery, hinging on whether the First Mate's voice speaking in Susan's mind is a current presence or simply an echo of the past. The problem is that I don't really care which it is, and that takes away from the impact that the frame is supposed to have. It doesn't actually matter - what's interesting about this release is the adventure on the EBV Nevermore, not what happened later - but it's a shame Andy Lane thinks he needs to put this in.
There's one more important strand to the story, but I'll tackle that in my third and final entry.
Rating:
5/10 - a mixed bag.
Next Time:
Companion Chronicle 3.1 as a whole.
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