And so we reach the third Doctor's final adventure with Liz... no, wait a
minute, that's not right. I didn't comment on this before, but story
titles can sometimes clash with episode titles from other serials. The Rescue, of course, can refer to the previous two-parter - or to an episode of serial B, The Daleks (which some people refer to as The Mutants, the same name as another third Doctor story). Anyway, context makes this clear most of the time.
We start, of course, with the reprise of the (rather good) duel that
closed the previous episode. Unfortunately, this is followed by an
unbelievable fight with Nero's guard, which Isaac will be commenting on
in the next review so I'll just remove my own analysis. In fact this
scene is a little lacking generally - the arena seems far too small,
especially when I think about how huge the palace appeared, and it's
also odd how the slave trader seems to have become master of the
gladiators. Still, this is a minor part of the episode, and I'll move
swiftly on.
Nero's ruthlessness is brought even more to the fore this time. He
already plans to feed the Doctor to the lions, and now decides to get
rid of Barbara too! Things are not looking good for our heroes.
Fortunately Tavius is on hand, and -
Gah! I've got a working TV again, but now I find the DVD has somehow got
scratched! Despite a couple of goes with a disc cleaner I didn't have
much hope because the damage looked quite deep, and sure enough I
couldn't recover it. We eventually had to skip to the next chapter,
losing almost all of Barbara's conversation with Tavius, and on the
commentary skipping whatever Christopher Barry had to say about Ray
Cusick's modelwork. Still, after fuming for a bit, I got on with the
rest of the story.
The way the conspiracy is revealed seemed a bit sudden, but then this is
another pacy episode and they had to move things along. The star of the
show this time is definitely Derek Francis - the camera loves him, and
when he is with William Hartnell you can just see them egging each other
on. The scene where Nero makes the speech about killing the Doctor for
burning his plans and then turns it to praise is note-perfect. Maureen
O'Brien is still a shining light, too, making the most of limited
opportunities to win over the audience.
Everything rushes to its epic conclusion. The torch in the face moment
is brutal, and as Rome burns and Nero plays his lyre it is brought home
to us just how much of his comedic performance is actual insanity, pure
and simple. It recasts some of the humour we've seen earlier, just as
the reveal of Tavius as an early adopter of Christianity shines a new
light on his motivation. It's not perfect - Cusick comments on how much
he hated the burning Rome effect, though I don't think it's as bad as
all that - but the other noted "error" (Tavius clutching a cross instead
of a fish) is a matter of the effect it has to have on the audience,
and even less of a problem than the tables at the feast last time.
Oddly, Vicki and the Doctor seem quite pleased with their work,
particularly the latter who reacts with glee upon discovering that he
caused one of the famous events from history, despite the death and
destruction involved.
Then we have what is essentially an epilogue for the TARDIS crew. Seeing
Iananbarbara back in the villa brings us full circle, and this is
emphasised by the humour which is picked up from the first episode, with
Ian's revenge joke about the fridge and Barbara's accidental admission
that it was she who hit Ian over the head. They seem so much a couple
now, and this turns the scene where he forces her to clear up the pieces
of pot from something that could be interpreted as almost misogynistic
into a playful husband-and-wife moment. "O tempora! O mores!", as Ian
says.
Interestingly, I hadn't even spotted that Vicki and the Doctor were
still unaware of Iananbarbara being in Rome too until the conversation
upon their return. Dennis Spooner's writing twists and turns
delightfully this episode, and (once we've left the arena) this is
supported by excellent production.
We finish in the TARDIS, with what is effectively an advert for next
week's episode. Even here we have a character moment for Vicki, showing
how she almost worships the Doctor and can't believe he is unable to
control the TARDIS. A great end to the serial.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 6th February 1965
Viewers: 12.0 million
Chart Position: 13
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Serial M as a whole.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Episode 56 (M3): Conspiracy
...and here I am, 11 days later, watching this episode on a new TV -
literally. We've always had second-hand before, but we decided to splash
out this time. It'll take a while to get used to, but we'll get to
watch the rest of the new matt Smith series in HD! Wonder if it'll make
much difference?
Anyway, back in the much slower-paced days of the 60s, we have an episode which feels very busy (for its time). This one is almost entirely comedy - full-on farce in places - and as a result it feels less real. This doesn't matter, though, because the setting has already been presented with enough fidelity in previous instalments that it has "bedded in", and we can just accept it as Rome.
And what a setting it is! The palace looks absolutely huge, and if you're going to have as much running through corridors as we have here then this is the place to do it. Between them, Ray Cusick's design team and Christopher Barry's cameramen have done a great job of making it seem to stretch on and on. The bath house also works well, with dry ice steam and a filter hiding the small scale. Barry wasn't impressed with the effect, but I think it works fine. And the final shot of William Hartnell here reminds me very strongly of Peter Cushing's Doctor.
So, what about this comedy plot then? We have Vicki and the Doctor still missing Barbara by moments, which is becoming a running gag. Nero chasing Barbara is the most farcical element, and it mostly works (though the bit where he pulls her on top of him doesn't really convince quite enough). These days, that's a bit blacker than it was back then, but still. Far darker is the whole poisoning subplot. This is obviously still intended as comedy, but you get a slave given a poisoned cup to drink just because he's annoying (and dying on-screen as a result), and a person who only makes the poisons because she has to being dragged off to some unpleasant fate for failing in her job. Both of these come about because Vicki swapped the poison, effectively attempting to assassinate Nero. OK, so she unwittingly saves Barbara; but this is not light and fluffy stuff! I'd go so far as to say that it is only the performances (particularly Derek Francis', but also Maureen O'Brien's) that keep this working.
William Russell, meanwhile, is now the only regular stuck in a definitely non-comedy plotline. The arena has two gladiators training who are rubbish at it, but this doesn't matter because they are obviously only learning. And when Ian and Delos face off against each other it's really not bad, only suffering because of the limitations of filming in the 1960s. As Russell says in the commentary, a TV fight lives and breathes on its cuts, and they were allowed far too few. Delos' actor, Peter Diamond, arranged the fights here and also in the film The Princess Bride, so he's responsible for my favourite cinematic fencing match of all time (between the Man in Black and Inigo Montoya atop the Cliffs of Insanity). Wonderful.
Of course, this fight only happens because of the jealousy of Nero, as he whets his appetite for the later slaughter of the Doctor. Which, in turn, came about because of the Doctor's need to avoid playing the lyre at Nero's feast, and a rather too successful application of the trick from Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's New Clothes. It all fits together in the story like an intricate jigsaw, and it all helps to make this the best episode of the story so far (the above-average music helps too).
Speaking of the feast, it's rather unfortunate that attention focuses so heavily on the fact that they sit at historically inaccurate tables. As Barry explains, this was an artifact of having to fit so many people into the available studio space, rather than ignorance. It's a great scene, and made all the more meaningful for me because of something that happened 11 days previous.
While we were still on holiday, it was decided that each of the children would cook one meal to give us a break. Unusually, Isaac decided to go for the more complex of the two - in fact, he decided to prepare a Roman feast. We ate it on the night we watched All Roads Lead to Rome, sitting at a historically inaccurate table, and he did a great job! The starter comprised local shellfish (prawns, mussels and crab), olives, nuts and fruit. This was followed by Numidian chicken and cabbage, then dates cooked in honey with a quarter of an almond replacing the stone in each date. Finally there were grapes, and the whole meal was accompanied by spiced wine (well, actually spiced grape juice, but that suits me as a teetotaller). The menu came from one of the Horrible Histories books, and it was great.
So thank you, Isaac. I thought of it a lot while watching the scene in this episode.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 30th January 1965
Viewers: 10.0 million
Chart Position: 28
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Inferno.
Anyway, back in the much slower-paced days of the 60s, we have an episode which feels very busy (for its time). This one is almost entirely comedy - full-on farce in places - and as a result it feels less real. This doesn't matter, though, because the setting has already been presented with enough fidelity in previous instalments that it has "bedded in", and we can just accept it as Rome.
And what a setting it is! The palace looks absolutely huge, and if you're going to have as much running through corridors as we have here then this is the place to do it. Between them, Ray Cusick's design team and Christopher Barry's cameramen have done a great job of making it seem to stretch on and on. The bath house also works well, with dry ice steam and a filter hiding the small scale. Barry wasn't impressed with the effect, but I think it works fine. And the final shot of William Hartnell here reminds me very strongly of Peter Cushing's Doctor.
So, what about this comedy plot then? We have Vicki and the Doctor still missing Barbara by moments, which is becoming a running gag. Nero chasing Barbara is the most farcical element, and it mostly works (though the bit where he pulls her on top of him doesn't really convince quite enough). These days, that's a bit blacker than it was back then, but still. Far darker is the whole poisoning subplot. This is obviously still intended as comedy, but you get a slave given a poisoned cup to drink just because he's annoying (and dying on-screen as a result), and a person who only makes the poisons because she has to being dragged off to some unpleasant fate for failing in her job. Both of these come about because Vicki swapped the poison, effectively attempting to assassinate Nero. OK, so she unwittingly saves Barbara; but this is not light and fluffy stuff! I'd go so far as to say that it is only the performances (particularly Derek Francis', but also Maureen O'Brien's) that keep this working.
William Russell, meanwhile, is now the only regular stuck in a definitely non-comedy plotline. The arena has two gladiators training who are rubbish at it, but this doesn't matter because they are obviously only learning. And when Ian and Delos face off against each other it's really not bad, only suffering because of the limitations of filming in the 1960s. As Russell says in the commentary, a TV fight lives and breathes on its cuts, and they were allowed far too few. Delos' actor, Peter Diamond, arranged the fights here and also in the film The Princess Bride, so he's responsible for my favourite cinematic fencing match of all time (between the Man in Black and Inigo Montoya atop the Cliffs of Insanity). Wonderful.
Of course, this fight only happens because of the jealousy of Nero, as he whets his appetite for the later slaughter of the Doctor. Which, in turn, came about because of the Doctor's need to avoid playing the lyre at Nero's feast, and a rather too successful application of the trick from Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's New Clothes. It all fits together in the story like an intricate jigsaw, and it all helps to make this the best episode of the story so far (the above-average music helps too).
Speaking of the feast, it's rather unfortunate that attention focuses so heavily on the fact that they sit at historically inaccurate tables. As Barry explains, this was an artifact of having to fit so many people into the available studio space, rather than ignorance. It's a great scene, and made all the more meaningful for me because of something that happened 11 days previous.
While we were still on holiday, it was decided that each of the children would cook one meal to give us a break. Unusually, Isaac decided to go for the more complex of the two - in fact, he decided to prepare a Roman feast. We ate it on the night we watched All Roads Lead to Rome, sitting at a historically inaccurate table, and he did a great job! The starter comprised local shellfish (prawns, mussels and crab), olives, nuts and fruit. This was followed by Numidian chicken and cabbage, then dates cooked in honey with a quarter of an almond replacing the stone in each date. Finally there were grapes, and the whole meal was accompanied by spiced wine (well, actually spiced grape juice, but that suits me as a teetotaller). The menu came from one of the Horrible Histories books, and it was great.
So thank you, Isaac. I thought of it a lot while watching the scene in this episode.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 30th January 1965
Viewers: 10.0 million
Chart Position: 28
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Inferno.
Monday, 24 September 2012
Episode 55 (M2): All Roads Lead to Rome
December 1964: The cast take a week off for Christmas between recording The Slave Traders and rehearsing for All Roads Lead to Rome,
but to be honest none of them were looking tired so early in the block
anyway and this doesn't affect our viewing experience. Indeed, William
Hartnell seems to be struggling more after the break than before.
January 1965: The Canadian Broadcasting Company starts showing the program on the same day this episode was shown in the UK, and the new Gerry Anderson comic, TV 21, begins a strip which will eventually come to be know as The Dalek Chronicles. Written in the main by David Whitaker and illustrated by Richard Jennings, I will be covering this - but you'll have to wait a while.
Meanwhile, 1,900.6 years earlier, someone is trying to kill the Doctor. And this leads into probably the most unexpected fight scene of the show so far, as the old man runs rings around his opponent! This is still more evidence that something has happened to the Doctor since Susan left. OK, so we know (from a later-penned book) that he has had the opportunity to learn Venusian Aikido; but he has shown no inclination to use it before now. He seems invigorated, somehow (in fact, my daughter commented that he didn't seem like himself at all).
There's more overt comedy in this episode than the last - the Doctor and Vicki repeatedly just missing Barbara, for instance, as well as the discussion following the fight above. But it really comes to the fore once the Doctor meets Nero. I've mentioned before that Hartnell enjoyed playing comedy, and in Derek Francis he finds a very willing collaborator. I'll have more to say about their interaction in a later review (if my memory of the serial serves me), but they do get right down to the business of being funny straight away.
The thing about the comedy is that it is so brutally contrasted with Barbara and Ian's stories. She is put in some very unpleasant situations, and behaves compassionately and graciously even while showing her distaste for the ambiguous Tavius. Her fellow teacher, meanwhile, is tested more physically. There's good use of stock footage combining with a fine set to give the feel of a galley, even if there is one bit of unintentional comedy when buckets of water are thrown into shot to represent the foundering of the ship. Ian's determination to reach Barbara is touching, though the fact that he doesn't pause to come up with a better plan seems a little out of character.
All the historicals to date except for The Aztecs have used still shots to show location - the map in Marco Polo, the photo of Paris in The Reign of Terror - but here they go a step further with an actual model of Roma. It looks pretty good, though you can tell it's a model; and in general Ray Cusick's design work (and Daphne Dare's costumes) have so far done the serial proud.
This episode has more action than the last and yet I didn't enjoy it quite as much; so maybe my idea about preferring action doesn't hold up. Or perhaps it's that there's more dodgy acting in this one - not just Hartnell's fluffs, but also a couple of members of the guest cast who don't really convince. Still, the Doctor/Vicki/Nero storyline is working for me, and the mystery is building up nicely. I look forward to watching the next episode when I get a working TV again...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 23rd January 1965
Viewers: 11.5 million
Chart Position: 15
Appreciation Index: 51
Rating:
5/10.
Next Time:
Conspiracy.
January 1965: The Canadian Broadcasting Company starts showing the program on the same day this episode was shown in the UK, and the new Gerry Anderson comic, TV 21, begins a strip which will eventually come to be know as The Dalek Chronicles. Written in the main by David Whitaker and illustrated by Richard Jennings, I will be covering this - but you'll have to wait a while.
Meanwhile, 1,900.6 years earlier, someone is trying to kill the Doctor. And this leads into probably the most unexpected fight scene of the show so far, as the old man runs rings around his opponent! This is still more evidence that something has happened to the Doctor since Susan left. OK, so we know (from a later-penned book) that he has had the opportunity to learn Venusian Aikido; but he has shown no inclination to use it before now. He seems invigorated, somehow (in fact, my daughter commented that he didn't seem like himself at all).
There's more overt comedy in this episode than the last - the Doctor and Vicki repeatedly just missing Barbara, for instance, as well as the discussion following the fight above. But it really comes to the fore once the Doctor meets Nero. I've mentioned before that Hartnell enjoyed playing comedy, and in Derek Francis he finds a very willing collaborator. I'll have more to say about their interaction in a later review (if my memory of the serial serves me), but they do get right down to the business of being funny straight away.
The thing about the comedy is that it is so brutally contrasted with Barbara and Ian's stories. She is put in some very unpleasant situations, and behaves compassionately and graciously even while showing her distaste for the ambiguous Tavius. Her fellow teacher, meanwhile, is tested more physically. There's good use of stock footage combining with a fine set to give the feel of a galley, even if there is one bit of unintentional comedy when buckets of water are thrown into shot to represent the foundering of the ship. Ian's determination to reach Barbara is touching, though the fact that he doesn't pause to come up with a better plan seems a little out of character.
All the historicals to date except for The Aztecs have used still shots to show location - the map in Marco Polo, the photo of Paris in The Reign of Terror - but here they go a step further with an actual model of Roma. It looks pretty good, though you can tell it's a model; and in general Ray Cusick's design work (and Daphne Dare's costumes) have so far done the serial proud.
This episode has more action than the last and yet I didn't enjoy it quite as much; so maybe my idea about preferring action doesn't hold up. Or perhaps it's that there's more dodgy acting in this one - not just Hartnell's fluffs, but also a couple of members of the guest cast who don't really convince. Still, the Doctor/Vicki/Nero storyline is working for me, and the mystery is building up nicely. I look forward to watching the next episode when I get a working TV again...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 23rd January 1965
Viewers: 11.5 million
Chart Position: 15
Appreciation Index: 51
Rating:
5/10.
Next Time:
Conspiracy.
Monday, 17 September 2012
Episode 54 (M1): The Slave Traders
Let's forget about Byzantium! and Roman Cutaway for a moment, and cast our minds back to 1965. Thirteen million people have been waiting for the resolution of the cliffhanger with the TARDIS falling down the cliff, and this time it gets to #7 in the charts. They play the recap, and fade to Ian lying on his back with his eyes closed, presumably unconscious. Nothing happens for a moment, then he lifts a bunch of grapes to his mouth and starts scoffing them down.
This is so cheeky! The way that they basically ignore the cliffhanger (except for the comment that they've still got to get the ship right-way-up) is something completely new - as is the fact that the crew are all relaxed and happy. The fake luxury of the city of Morphoton springs to mind, but the way this is shot seems to indicate that it's genuine this time. There is no peril. As an audience we know that this is not going to last, but the fact that it has happened at all is significant.
Being shot in Riverside Studios means that sets can be spread out more than they were in the previous historical, and this is used to good effect. The villa is great - you get the feeling that it goes on and on - but even the outside scenes are handled well. When we first turn our attention to Vicki and Barbara, for instance, having the camera draw away down the road is a neat trick to make the space seem bigger than it actually is. There is also some well-planned cutting between camera shots in the undergrowth beside the road, which adds dynamism to an otherwise dull location.
There are a lot of outdoor scenes, actually. The marketplace is lush, with it's patterned floor and working drinking fountain; the slave traders' camp is small, but the attention is drawn away from that by the focus on people. In particular the lighting is brilliant in the bit where Iananbarbara have been captured.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself in the plot, here, because I do want to mention the later villa scenes. The meeting where the Doctor declares that he is going to Rome is lovely, re-emphasising that he is now much more of a grumpy-but-lovable granddad figure than he ever was when travelling with Susan. Together with the market sequence it also shows us Vicki's enthusiasm and naïvety.
Things get a bit darker with the later road scenes, but we then have the wonderful byplay between Iananbarbara when they are alone in the villa. They are so comfortable together, and it's interesting to see Ian getting a bit drunk. The fridge joke works well, and Barbara knocking Ian out is funny too - though it does make her seem a bit useless.
Throughout the episode the costumes are great, and all the actors play it with conviction. The slide from happy holiday feeling to desperate peril is paced really well. There's something missing, though, which means it was good but not one of the best. Perhaps I just like a bit more adventure!
Behind the Scenes, part 3: Handovers
Because Verity Lambert was a new producer and unusually young for the role, it had been felt that she might need a guiding hand; so Mervyn Pinfield had become Associate Producer (Barry Letts was to take on a similar role in 1980 as Executive Producer for the young John Nathan-Turner). Pinfield ceased to have any real input once the first recording block was over, and on January 11th it was announced that he would be leaving at the end of The Romans.
The same day, the second recording block for the program was extended from 26 to 35 episodes (with five to be held over to open the third season); and there would definitely be a third block. Dennis Spooner's time as script editor was not extended, however.
Speaking of Spooner, just as David Whitaker was officially commissioned to write The Rescue after he had left the BBC, Spooner's commission for this story was made before he took over as script editor. This avoided a similar hassle to the one brewed up when Whitaker had to write serial C while still employed in that capacity.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 16th January 1965
Viewers: 13.0 million
Chart Position: 7
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
All Roads Lead to Rome.
Friday, 14 September 2012
More Short Trips, 2.12: Romans Cutaway, by David A. McIntee
This story fills in the gap between Desperate Measures and The Slave Traders,
and - wait a minute! Didn't I start the previous review like that?
Houston, we have a problem. Or do we? Does it matter that this story is
incompatible with Byzantium!? On one level, of course it doesn't.
It's great that we have different takes on the Doctor's past. On
another level - but let me come back to that later.
The timeframe isn't the only thing this story has in common with Keith Topping's Past Doctor Adventure. Bizarrely, Ian has dreams about a Ford Anglia in both. I have no idea of the significance of this, though possibly the later story - Topping's - included it as a nod to McIntee's. And they both heavily overdo the Doctor's mannerisms. Getting Ian's name wrong at two separate points in a short story is way over the top.
Still, apart from that, this story hews closer to the normal characterisation and speech patterns of the regulars. It also fits better with the televised stories on either side. In fact, it's designed to: one of its twin goals (so far as I can see) is to plug the gap left by the missing cliffhanger resolution, which it does elegantly. Topping's, on the other hand, is merely using it as a convenient position to tell a largely-disconnected story. Looking ahead, we know that during the events of The Slave Traders the TARDIS is topsy-turvy; Byzantium! doesn't explain why the ship ends up like this again having been moved halfway across the Roman Empire. Nor does it offer any reason for the travellers not taking off as soon as they can following their traumatic experiences. There's no compelling need for it to do either of these, but the absence of explanations does have an effect.
In contrast the presence of the lion here not only adds a bit of danger, it gives a more noble reason for them staying in the villa than simply making use of someone's property while they're away. And it provides the impetus for the story's second goal: Ian realising that he loves Barbara, and telling her so while she's asleep.
Which brings up an issue worthy of another sidebar discussion.
A Confused Chronology, part 9: Foretelling the Future of the Franchise
We've seen part of this before during my marathon. There have been lots of hints about Ian's feelings for Barbara - The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, for example - and open (if not verbal) acknowledgement between the two of them elsewhere, most obviously in The Time Travellers. So Roman Cutaway is a bit late. However, all of those stories were written (or for Fragile Arc, produced) after this one. So perhaps it's them that's late?
It's a dilemma somewhat like The Daleks, a self-contained serial that introduced the metal monsters as creatures confined to one city - and then killed them off. This didn't matter at the time because that was their story: no more were anticipated. But later, as they returned again, and again, it became really hard to reconcile the first tale with those that came later.
No writer can predict the future, mutterings about Arthur C. Clarke and communications satellites notwithstanding. McIntee is not responsible for the changes to the Doctor's published timeline wrought by later authors like Topping and Simon Guerrier. And similarly, no author should be completely bound by the past. If Guerrier had thought, "I've got this really neat story but it contradicts Roman Cutaway so I won't write it", we would have missed out on a gem. A similar argument would erase vast swaths of good Who (including The Deadly Assassin and School Reunion, for those who only care about the TV series).
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds," quoth Ralph Waldo Emerson; and rarely has this been truer than in the Whoniverse. There's simply no way to manhandle this into the same timeline as Byzantium! - the Whoniverse reluctantly suggests treating this story as partly a flashback, but that simply doesn't cut the mustard; and I dislike their alternative solution that this is part of Ian's dream. No, they are irreconcilable. Personally, I assign Byzantium! to a parallel universe (mostly because of the odd characterisation), and I keep much of this in the main flow while ignoring the idea that it's the first time Ian realises he loves Barbara; but it's really not that important.
Oh, and for the first time we get Isaac's opinion on a written work. Since he's fascinated by the Romans, he decided to read it too:
Isaac's Corner
I liked the way it explained how they got to stay in the villa, and the idea that the lion was very scared rather than just being a really ferocious animal. They were also right that the males aren't the fiercest ones, unlike most films which have males doing the attacking.
Published:
Date: March 1999
ISBN: 0-563-55565-3
Rating:
4/10.
Next Time:
The Slave Traders.
The timeframe isn't the only thing this story has in common with Keith Topping's Past Doctor Adventure. Bizarrely, Ian has dreams about a Ford Anglia in both. I have no idea of the significance of this, though possibly the later story - Topping's - included it as a nod to McIntee's. And they both heavily overdo the Doctor's mannerisms. Getting Ian's name wrong at two separate points in a short story is way over the top.
Still, apart from that, this story hews closer to the normal characterisation and speech patterns of the regulars. It also fits better with the televised stories on either side. In fact, it's designed to: one of its twin goals (so far as I can see) is to plug the gap left by the missing cliffhanger resolution, which it does elegantly. Topping's, on the other hand, is merely using it as a convenient position to tell a largely-disconnected story. Looking ahead, we know that during the events of The Slave Traders the TARDIS is topsy-turvy; Byzantium! doesn't explain why the ship ends up like this again having been moved halfway across the Roman Empire. Nor does it offer any reason for the travellers not taking off as soon as they can following their traumatic experiences. There's no compelling need for it to do either of these, but the absence of explanations does have an effect.
In contrast the presence of the lion here not only adds a bit of danger, it gives a more noble reason for them staying in the villa than simply making use of someone's property while they're away. And it provides the impetus for the story's second goal: Ian realising that he loves Barbara, and telling her so while she's asleep.
Which brings up an issue worthy of another sidebar discussion.
A Confused Chronology, part 9: Foretelling the Future of the Franchise
We've seen part of this before during my marathon. There have been lots of hints about Ian's feelings for Barbara - The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, for example - and open (if not verbal) acknowledgement between the two of them elsewhere, most obviously in The Time Travellers. So Roman Cutaway is a bit late. However, all of those stories were written (or for Fragile Arc, produced) after this one. So perhaps it's them that's late?
It's a dilemma somewhat like The Daleks, a self-contained serial that introduced the metal monsters as creatures confined to one city - and then killed them off. This didn't matter at the time because that was their story: no more were anticipated. But later, as they returned again, and again, it became really hard to reconcile the first tale with those that came later.
No writer can predict the future, mutterings about Arthur C. Clarke and communications satellites notwithstanding. McIntee is not responsible for the changes to the Doctor's published timeline wrought by later authors like Topping and Simon Guerrier. And similarly, no author should be completely bound by the past. If Guerrier had thought, "I've got this really neat story but it contradicts Roman Cutaway so I won't write it", we would have missed out on a gem. A similar argument would erase vast swaths of good Who (including The Deadly Assassin and School Reunion, for those who only care about the TV series).
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds," quoth Ralph Waldo Emerson; and rarely has this been truer than in the Whoniverse. There's simply no way to manhandle this into the same timeline as Byzantium! - the Whoniverse reluctantly suggests treating this story as partly a flashback, but that simply doesn't cut the mustard; and I dislike their alternative solution that this is part of Ian's dream. No, they are irreconcilable. Personally, I assign Byzantium! to a parallel universe (mostly because of the odd characterisation), and I keep much of this in the main flow while ignoring the idea that it's the first time Ian realises he loves Barbara; but it's really not that important.
Oh, and for the first time we get Isaac's opinion on a written work. Since he's fascinated by the Romans, he decided to read it too:
Isaac's Corner
I liked the way it explained how they got to stay in the villa, and the idea that the lion was very scared rather than just being a really ferocious animal. They were also right that the males aren't the fiercest ones, unlike most films which have males doing the attacking.
Published:
Date: March 1999
ISBN: 0-563-55565-3
Rating:
4/10.
Next Time:
The Slave Traders.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Past Doctor Adventure 44: Byzantium!, by Keith Topping
This story fills in the gap between Desperate Measures and The Slave Traders,
and it's an odd one to judge. There are several things that make me
want to give it a really low score, but there are also a couple that
make me want to rate it highly. It is, however, in no way average.
As you probably know I've got a low tolerance for gore and violence, both of which are plentiful here. Topping is obviously emphasising how life is nasty, brutish and short in the Roman Empire; but to my mind the gruesomeness is overdone, with graphic explanations of how crucifixion kills people and an emphasis on the low value placed on life. I can see his point that this side of things is often ignored when we focus on What the Romans Did For Us, but this is taking things too far in the opposite direction! And if you want to write a critique on the consequences of colonialism I prefer the somewhat more subtle approach of A Thousand Tiny Wings, which acknowledges the iniquities without demonising anyone (except in the eyes of other characters).
Another thing which bugs me is the regular characters not sounding like themselves, and this is a particularly egregious example: some of the time they are unrecognisable. Barbara suffers least from this, but then her mannerisms on TV are also the least distinctive. Vicki (here given the surname Pallister) doesn't sound right but at least she behaves somewhat appropriately - for her, not for the role she finds herself in. The Doctor is a caricature of himself, with his signature phrases worked to death (in particular the number of times he gets Ian's name wrong); and his past is also overly-referenced. He would have needed years of adventure before An Unearthly Child just to cover the places and times he mentions in this book: Mondas! Half a dozen visits to the ancient world! I've lost track. He also hates slavery, and has a keenly honed sense of trouble. Oh yeah? Since when?
Still, Ian is the one who is most unlike himself. Sometimes he uses cockney rhyming slang, sometimes he talks like an English version of Philip Marlow:
In complete contrast to this last point, his National Service apparently comprised six months spent whitewashing the steps of RAF Lynham. It's not Topping's fault that this contradicts other stories from the expanded Whoniverse, but it still contributed to my sense that this was something outside the usual continuity.
On to the history, then. The first thing that struck me (and Isaac, who read some of it before I got to it and realised it wasn't exactly ideal for children) was the odd military terms - legionnaire, captain, sergeant. Why can't the writer use the more common names? We had trouble figuring out the Roman army equivalents, because the organisation just doesn't translate directly. I was also knocked by Ian referencing the iconic nature of The Morecambe and Wise Show, which started several years after he left Coal Hill. My mind kept imagining a missing adventure where they visited the 1970s and he fell in love with the program, before I pulled myself up for being silly.
Still, the historical detail of Byzantium itself is one of the book's saving graces. The idea of splitting the team four ways and using this to explore four different aspects of the city (Roman, Greek, Orthodox Jewish and Christian) is very well realised. It's also a gripping tale - I was really keen to know what happens next throughout. So, although it doesn't feel right as a Who novel, and it doesn't fit with my level of squeamishness, it is actually a well-plotted and well-written book.
This wasn't enough to rescue it for me, though; I am writing this on holiday in Northumbria, and have just sold Byzantium! to Barter Books in Alnwick, using the proceeds to pick up a seventh Doctor story I fancied. Barter Books is a rather wonderful shop, based in the old railway station and offering places to sit and read, along with tea/coffee and biscuits. There's also a model train that puffs around the top of the shelves, and they've now opened a buffet. Very civilised.
One last thing: this book has a framing sequence, rather like the Big Finish Companion Chronicles. We get to see something of Iananbarbara's future - which is nice - and there's a joke about Ian's gladius that reminded me of the bit in Carry On Cleo where a slave is branded with his owner's initials, WC. I enjoyed it.
Morality and the Law, Part 1: Back in Print
When looking for a copy of this book to read, I noticed an interesting thing: it is available in a downloadable Kindle edition. Now, I am a great believer in not depriving creators of their livelihood. Not surprising, really, since until very recently (when an injury caused a drastic lifechange) the entire output of my working life had been made up of intellectual property. I don't have a Kindle and I like physical books, so I went ahead and bought a secondhand copy anyway; but there's something different about doing so this time. With most of the books I've reviewed up to now, this has been (for me) a matter of preference. I'd have no moral objection to reading an uploaded scan, because the authors and publishers wouldn't be getting any of my money anyway. With Byzantium!, though, I would object - because it's back in print (regardless of the fact that it's in an inconvenient format for me), scans actually feel like crime. It's like my watching Planet of Giants off the Internet - now that it's available again from the BBC I just wouldn't do it.
This is not how the law works, of course, and I've also yet to figure out how buying secondhand fits into all this; but it made me think.
Published:
Date: July 2001
ISBN: 0-563-53836-8
Rating:
Mine: 2.5/10.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.08, 42nd out of 73 Past Doctor Adventures, 149th out of 264 overall.
Next Time:
Romans Cutaway.
As you probably know I've got a low tolerance for gore and violence, both of which are plentiful here. Topping is obviously emphasising how life is nasty, brutish and short in the Roman Empire; but to my mind the gruesomeness is overdone, with graphic explanations of how crucifixion kills people and an emphasis on the low value placed on life. I can see his point that this side of things is often ignored when we focus on What the Romans Did For Us, but this is taking things too far in the opposite direction! And if you want to write a critique on the consequences of colonialism I prefer the somewhat more subtle approach of A Thousand Tiny Wings, which acknowledges the iniquities without demonising anyone (except in the eyes of other characters).
Another thing which bugs me is the regular characters not sounding like themselves, and this is a particularly egregious example: some of the time they are unrecognisable. Barbara suffers least from this, but then her mannerisms on TV are also the least distinctive. Vicki (here given the surname Pallister) doesn't sound right but at least she behaves somewhat appropriately - for her, not for the role she finds herself in. The Doctor is a caricature of himself, with his signature phrases worked to death (in particular the number of times he gets Ian's name wrong); and his past is also overly-referenced. He would have needed years of adventure before An Unearthly Child just to cover the places and times he mentions in this book: Mondas! Half a dozen visits to the ancient world! I've lost track. He also hates slavery, and has a keenly honed sense of trouble. Oh yeah? Since when?
Still, Ian is the one who is most unlike himself. Sometimes he uses cockney rhyming slang, sometimes he talks like an English version of Philip Marlow:
"If you want to talk geography, darlin', then fine. Not my subject, but I'll give it my best shot. But if you're looking for someone to warm your bed for you then you can think again."On one occasion, he has to stab someone in the back with a gladius to save Vicki and Barbara. He later comments that the man eventually "got the point." I'm sorry, but that simply isn't the Ian I know. To my mind, there's nothing James Bondy about the schoolteacher who's been forced to become a reluctant hero (though to be fair, Bond wouldn't have been valiantly resisting the charms of all the women who throw themselves at him).
In complete contrast to this last point, his National Service apparently comprised six months spent whitewashing the steps of RAF Lynham. It's not Topping's fault that this contradicts other stories from the expanded Whoniverse, but it still contributed to my sense that this was something outside the usual continuity.
On to the history, then. The first thing that struck me (and Isaac, who read some of it before I got to it and realised it wasn't exactly ideal for children) was the odd military terms - legionnaire, captain, sergeant. Why can't the writer use the more common names? We had trouble figuring out the Roman army equivalents, because the organisation just doesn't translate directly. I was also knocked by Ian referencing the iconic nature of The Morecambe and Wise Show, which started several years after he left Coal Hill. My mind kept imagining a missing adventure where they visited the 1970s and he fell in love with the program, before I pulled myself up for being silly.
Still, the historical detail of Byzantium itself is one of the book's saving graces. The idea of splitting the team four ways and using this to explore four different aspects of the city (Roman, Greek, Orthodox Jewish and Christian) is very well realised. It's also a gripping tale - I was really keen to know what happens next throughout. So, although it doesn't feel right as a Who novel, and it doesn't fit with my level of squeamishness, it is actually a well-plotted and well-written book.
This wasn't enough to rescue it for me, though; I am writing this on holiday in Northumbria, and have just sold Byzantium! to Barter Books in Alnwick, using the proceeds to pick up a seventh Doctor story I fancied. Barter Books is a rather wonderful shop, based in the old railway station and offering places to sit and read, along with tea/coffee and biscuits. There's also a model train that puffs around the top of the shelves, and they've now opened a buffet. Very civilised.
One last thing: this book has a framing sequence, rather like the Big Finish Companion Chronicles. We get to see something of Iananbarbara's future - which is nice - and there's a joke about Ian's gladius that reminded me of the bit in Carry On Cleo where a slave is branded with his owner's initials, WC. I enjoyed it.
Morality and the Law, Part 1: Back in Print
When looking for a copy of this book to read, I noticed an interesting thing: it is available in a downloadable Kindle edition. Now, I am a great believer in not depriving creators of their livelihood. Not surprising, really, since until very recently (when an injury caused a drastic lifechange) the entire output of my working life had been made up of intellectual property. I don't have a Kindle and I like physical books, so I went ahead and bought a secondhand copy anyway; but there's something different about doing so this time. With most of the books I've reviewed up to now, this has been (for me) a matter of preference. I'd have no moral objection to reading an uploaded scan, because the authors and publishers wouldn't be getting any of my money anyway. With Byzantium!, though, I would object - because it's back in print (regardless of the fact that it's in an inconvenient format for me), scans actually feel like crime. It's like my watching Planet of Giants off the Internet - now that it's available again from the BBC I just wouldn't do it.
This is not how the law works, of course, and I've also yet to figure out how buying secondhand fits into all this; but it made me think.
Published:
Date: July 2001
ISBN: 0-563-53836-8
Rating:
Mine: 2.5/10.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.08, 42nd out of 73 Past Doctor Adventures, 149th out of 264 overall.
Next Time:
Romans Cutaway.
Monday, 10 September 2012
Serial L: The Rescue
When he passed the baton to Robert Holmes in 1974, Terrance Dicks
claimed there was a tradition that the outgoing Script Editor wrote the
first story after his tenure had ended. He later explained in interview
that this was something he had made up in order to get some more writing
work, but this isn't entirely accurate. That "nonexistent" tradition
starts here, with David Whitaker, who was commissioned to write this
story at the same time as a later four-parter; and it will continue at
the next handover with Dennis Spooner's The Time Meddler.
As mentioned in the DVD extras, looking beneath the surface seems to be a key theme of this story - as it is of the show as a whole. Sandy is not a monster, and neither Bennett nor Koquillion is quite what he seems. Although, to be fair, Vicki is exactly what she seems - a bright, animated youngster who wears her heart on her sleeve.
Speaking of the DVD, I'd like to praise the commentary. Toby Hadoke has a tricky job moderating, because it is so long (40-odd years) since the other contributors (William Russell, Christopher Barry and Raymond Cusick) worked on this serial; but his presence makes this one much better than The Aztecs. It was notable how often they said what I was thinking soon after I thought it.
Elizabeth Sandifer's TARDIS Eruditorum entry is particularly worth reading this time (I avoided rereading it until after I'd finished the two episode reviews, but suspect I was subconsciously influenced in how I watched the serial this time around). Still, you can read someone else's opinion without even following a link:
Isaac's Corner
The Rescue was a very good story for Vicki's appearance, well-written even though it was short. I really liked Sandy, because it was vegetarian and also really cute. The twist with Bennett and Koquillion was good even though I remembered it from last time. The spaceship set and the outside prop were very realistic.
Missing from the Archives, Part 6: Going International
ABC in Australia and NZBC in New Zealand were the first foreign broadcasters to buy episodes of Doctor Who: they purchased the first three serials in June 1964. I missed mentioning the first broadcast abroad (in New Zealand in September 1964) because (a) it was between seasons in the UK so I wasn't paying much attention to televisual events; and (b) DWM only published Richard Molesworth's fascinating article on this in issue 444, cover dated March 2012, so I didn't read it until after my marathon had passed that point. If you are interested in this sort of thing (and it does include a lot of detail, such as why ABC paid a whopping £575 per episode and NZBC only £50) I recommend getting a back issue. Be warned, though: this one only covers the 1960s, and you'll have to get the next issue if you want to find out about the 1970s too!
Anyway, I bring this up now because ABC's first Who broadcast - An Unearthly Child, naturally - took place in January 1965.
So why have I made this a "Missing from the Archives" entry? Because without these sales we would be able to watch far fewer 1960s serials. So far this has only affected The Reign of Terror, and there is only one episode recovered from abroad coming up in this (almost-complete) phase of my marathon; but it will become a more common occurrence after that. Also, it saves me thinking up another sidebar title!
Rating:
Mine: 8/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 66.07%, 127th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.88, 123rd out of 234.
This is the furthest my serial rating has strayed from the average of the episodes scores, and it made me pause. I think that while the flaws in Desperate Measures knock it down to average, they don't actually affect my overall enjoyment of the story very much at all. Which is odd; but giving serial L 7/10 just felt wrong. Even 8 seems on the low side. Maybe it has something to do with humans' ability to hold a mass of contradictory beliefs? Whatever, I'm going with my instincts.
Next Time:
Byzantium!
As mentioned in the DVD extras, looking beneath the surface seems to be a key theme of this story - as it is of the show as a whole. Sandy is not a monster, and neither Bennett nor Koquillion is quite what he seems. Although, to be fair, Vicki is exactly what she seems - a bright, animated youngster who wears her heart on her sleeve.
Speaking of the DVD, I'd like to praise the commentary. Toby Hadoke has a tricky job moderating, because it is so long (40-odd years) since the other contributors (William Russell, Christopher Barry and Raymond Cusick) worked on this serial; but his presence makes this one much better than The Aztecs. It was notable how often they said what I was thinking soon after I thought it.
Elizabeth Sandifer's TARDIS Eruditorum entry is particularly worth reading this time (I avoided rereading it until after I'd finished the two episode reviews, but suspect I was subconsciously influenced in how I watched the serial this time around). Still, you can read someone else's opinion without even following a link:
Isaac's Corner
The Rescue was a very good story for Vicki's appearance, well-written even though it was short. I really liked Sandy, because it was vegetarian and also really cute. The twist with Bennett and Koquillion was good even though I remembered it from last time. The spaceship set and the outside prop were very realistic.
Missing from the Archives, Part 6: Going International
ABC in Australia and NZBC in New Zealand were the first foreign broadcasters to buy episodes of Doctor Who: they purchased the first three serials in June 1964. I missed mentioning the first broadcast abroad (in New Zealand in September 1964) because (a) it was between seasons in the UK so I wasn't paying much attention to televisual events; and (b) DWM only published Richard Molesworth's fascinating article on this in issue 444, cover dated March 2012, so I didn't read it until after my marathon had passed that point. If you are interested in this sort of thing (and it does include a lot of detail, such as why ABC paid a whopping £575 per episode and NZBC only £50) I recommend getting a back issue. Be warned, though: this one only covers the 1960s, and you'll have to get the next issue if you want to find out about the 1970s too!
Anyway, I bring this up now because ABC's first Who broadcast - An Unearthly Child, naturally - took place in January 1965.
So why have I made this a "Missing from the Archives" entry? Because without these sales we would be able to watch far fewer 1960s serials. So far this has only affected The Reign of Terror, and there is only one episode recovered from abroad coming up in this (almost-complete) phase of my marathon; but it will become a more common occurrence after that. Also, it saves me thinking up another sidebar title!
Rating:
Mine: 8/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 66.07%, 127th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.88, 123rd out of 234.
This is the furthest my serial rating has strayed from the average of the episodes scores, and it made me pause. I think that while the flaws in Desperate Measures knock it down to average, they don't actually affect my overall enjoyment of the story very much at all. Which is odd; but giving serial L 7/10 just felt wrong. Even 8 seems on the low side. Maybe it has something to do with humans' ability to hold a mass of contradictory beliefs? Whatever, I'm going with my instincts.
Next Time:
Byzantium!
Friday, 7 September 2012
Episode 53 (L2): Desperate Measures
Let me get most of the bad stuff out of the way at the beginning - because that's what this episode does, too. For a start, we have the conclusion of the pointless blade trap. This is less well shot than last time, so that the height of the cliff they are walking along seems to have shrunk; and showing the menacing monster at the bottom in the same shot as Ian and the Doctor really gives us a sense of how small and cumbersome it actually is. In fact, my children's reaction on seeing it was "aww, how cute", and an observation that it resembled the Shrivenzale, fresh in our minds from watching The Ribos Operation as part of our current Mary Tamm mini-marathon.
There then follow some timing problems. We see William Russell waiting for his cue before pointing out the daylight to the Doctor, and some of Vicki's desperation is overly rushed, causing it to lose impact despite some nice framing.
So, the first half was a bit wobbly - like the blades really. There were some good bits, though, one of which is the moment when Barbara fires the gun at the monster. Due to a special effects problem this didn't go according to plan, the explosion shocking Jacqueline Russell and hurting her face; but the result is very effective, because Barbara looks so much like someone who is uncomfortable with guns performing a desperate action to save a friend.
Still, most of the good stuff is in the second half. From the moment Vicki and the Doctor meet, the serial is back on form - and from here on this review is entering spoiler territory. If you haven't seen The Rescue yet, and haven't already been spoiled, go and watch it before reading on.
The chemistry between Hartnell and O'Brien is obvious, which bodes well for the series, and although they don't get much time together it is enough. Meanwhile the Doctor, proactive and physical in a way we haven't seen before, takes charge of the situation, solving the mystery by taking a bit of broken girder to Bennett's door.
Hang on - what mystery? Surely the only unexplained bit at this point is what turned the Didonians from a peaceful, friendly people into something so nasty that even bowing to Koquillion is the least bad option for the castaways?
I wish that could have been my reaction, but like almost everyone who decides to buy this story I was spoiled. Even my son was spoiled, having read the entry in Jean-Marc Lofficier's Programme Guide volume 1 (which he found in a charity shop). This is one of the tragedies of our information-rich society: most of the time it's great to be able to find out so much so easily, but it would have been better to experience this serial from a position of ignorance. Fortunately it's not that vital to the story, but I still wonder what I would have though coming to it completely fresh.
Anyway, let's not get too hung up on might-have-beens. The temple scene is great - a good set well lit, so that it looks huge; atmospheric music; and moody direction. The Doctor's confidence as he confronts Koquillion is impressive, and the fact that it proves misguided in the physical struggle that follows just emphasises his fallibility (in a good way). The final scenes inside and outside the TARDIS are also very well done, and we have our second introduction of a character to the ship - only this time it's a place of hope rather than than fear. And after that, the serial ends on another cliffhanger involving a cliff - one that is much more effective than the blades.
The only off note in the second half is the portrayal of the avenging Didonians. I thought at first they were supposed to be some of Vicki's fellow crewmembers - anything to make them look less human (physically or sartorially) would have been appreciated - but my biggest problem was their silence. It just felt wrong, somehow, and took away from the mood rather than adding to it. What they did to Koquillion wasn't at all clear, and a line or two of dialogue could have made all the difference.
Finally, take a look at the ratings: 13 million viewers, and 8th in the charts! That's unprecedented! Things are looking bright for the show...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 9th January 1965
Viewers: 13.0 million
Chart Position: 8
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Serial L as a whole.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Episode 52 (L1): The Powerful Enemy
The thing that instantly grabs me about this episode is both how similar and how different it is from Flashpoint.
It's very small-scale, with only six characters including the regulars,
and almost totally character-focused; in this, it's just like the
closing scenes with Susan's farewell. On the other hand, that's pretty
much all there is: it's not combined with a big adventurous plot like
last time, and, in fact, there's probably less action than any episode
since An Unearthly Child.
I like it. There are parallels with the opening episode of the previous two-parter (also following a Dalek finale and written by David Whitaker); and also with the opening episode of the show. The reason for this, of course, is that the story's main purpose is to introduce Vicki: the first ever replacement companion. To do this we need a small-scale, character-driven production, and that's exactly what we get.
The story is quite slow, and allows us to get to know Vicki even before she meets any of the TARDIS crew. Whitaker gives Maureen O'Brien plenty of opportunity to show emotion, and we can immediately see how different her character is from Susan. There's nothing unearthly about Vicki! This continues after she meets Barbara, and we have the fun of seeing two very good actresses in what is almost, for a while, a two-hander. I particularly enjoyed Barbara's awkwardness with Vicki's emotional retelling of her backstory. And what a lot of backstory there is! Often this would be a problem, but here our attention is kept on the people, so we absorb the information without realising. Masterfully done.
I've praised the acting and the writing, but this could easily have been ruined by poor direction. Fortunately Christopher Barry's works for the production, keeping it intimate with lots of closeups, and at points it becomes quite claustrophobic. He consistently chooses simple but effective shots - Vicki's shadow falling across Barbara, for example - and the view we get of the Didonian (presumably Koquillion) standing in the strobing light of the TARDIS's lantern is very threatening.
Ah yes, Koquillion. Sydney Wilson plays him as a classic villain, sadistic and menacing. Meanwhile Ray Barrett plays Bennett as a bundle of smouldering bitterness and depression. Both of these provide a contrast to Vicki's animated youngster, and so act as more foils to broaden O'Brien's opportunities to strut her stuff.
Ian, however, is unusually sidelined. William Russell isn't on top form, over-egging the pudding after the explosion in the cave, and I think that perhaps he was a little bored. His only contribution to the plot is to get threatened by the blades in the cliffhanger, a pointless scene which makes little sense and is only there to provide a moment of physical threat on which to end the episode.
It's a different story for the Doctor. He gets even less screen time than Ian, but is much more significant. And he's changed more than his cravat: he's jollier, more relaxed, though he's also very tired. In fact, from the change in him you might think that quite some time has passed since leaving Susan behind - which of course is true in both the expanded Whoniverse and real life, though not on TV. The best support for Ian Potter's positioning of The Revenants actually comes from watching this.
Still, most of the important stuff takes place in the crashed spaceship, and I have to add some praise for Ray Cusick's set design. The slanted floor, sticking doors and general accoutrements all support the impression that Vicki and Bennett are living in a tiny, still-habitable part of a wreck; and even without Koquillion you understand why they are so keen to be rescued. The model ship (built by Shawcraft to Cusick's design) matches up well, and works even in the inlay shot when Iananbarbara see it for the first time.
Overall, then, a fantastic episode let down by the pointless scenes of Ian and the Doctor finding their way out of the cave, which probably knock a full mark off my score.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 2nd January 1965
Viewers: 12.0 million
Chart Position: 11
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
Desperate Measures.
I like it. There are parallels with the opening episode of the previous two-parter (also following a Dalek finale and written by David Whitaker); and also with the opening episode of the show. The reason for this, of course, is that the story's main purpose is to introduce Vicki: the first ever replacement companion. To do this we need a small-scale, character-driven production, and that's exactly what we get.
The story is quite slow, and allows us to get to know Vicki even before she meets any of the TARDIS crew. Whitaker gives Maureen O'Brien plenty of opportunity to show emotion, and we can immediately see how different her character is from Susan. There's nothing unearthly about Vicki! This continues after she meets Barbara, and we have the fun of seeing two very good actresses in what is almost, for a while, a two-hander. I particularly enjoyed Barbara's awkwardness with Vicki's emotional retelling of her backstory. And what a lot of backstory there is! Often this would be a problem, but here our attention is kept on the people, so we absorb the information without realising. Masterfully done.
I've praised the acting and the writing, but this could easily have been ruined by poor direction. Fortunately Christopher Barry's works for the production, keeping it intimate with lots of closeups, and at points it becomes quite claustrophobic. He consistently chooses simple but effective shots - Vicki's shadow falling across Barbara, for example - and the view we get of the Didonian (presumably Koquillion) standing in the strobing light of the TARDIS's lantern is very threatening.
Ah yes, Koquillion. Sydney Wilson plays him as a classic villain, sadistic and menacing. Meanwhile Ray Barrett plays Bennett as a bundle of smouldering bitterness and depression. Both of these provide a contrast to Vicki's animated youngster, and so act as more foils to broaden O'Brien's opportunities to strut her stuff.
Ian, however, is unusually sidelined. William Russell isn't on top form, over-egging the pudding after the explosion in the cave, and I think that perhaps he was a little bored. His only contribution to the plot is to get threatened by the blades in the cliffhanger, a pointless scene which makes little sense and is only there to provide a moment of physical threat on which to end the episode.
It's a different story for the Doctor. He gets even less screen time than Ian, but is much more significant. And he's changed more than his cravat: he's jollier, more relaxed, though he's also very tired. In fact, from the change in him you might think that quite some time has passed since leaving Susan behind - which of course is true in both the expanded Whoniverse and real life, though not on TV. The best support for Ian Potter's positioning of The Revenants actually comes from watching this.
Still, most of the important stuff takes place in the crashed spaceship, and I have to add some praise for Ray Cusick's set design. The slanted floor, sticking doors and general accoutrements all support the impression that Vicki and Bennett are living in a tiny, still-habitable part of a wreck; and even without Koquillion you understand why they are so keen to be rescued. The model ship (built by Shawcraft to Cusick's design) matches up well, and works even in the inlay shot when Iananbarbara see it for the first time.
Overall, then, a fantastic episode let down by the pointless scenes of Ian and the Doctor finding their way out of the cave, which probably knock a full mark off my score.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 2nd January 1965
Viewers: 12.0 million
Chart Position: 11
Appreciation Index: 57
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
Desperate Measures.
Monday, 3 September 2012
A Flight Through Eternity
I'm back from holiday in Northumbria - and have got internet access
again after eight days without it. Hooray! (Um, that's hooray for the
internet, not for being back from holiday, which was a lot of fun.)
Unfortunately, our TV has just broken - boo! Still, it's a little older
than my daughter so it has lasted about 13 years, which is pretty good.
I've ordered a new one (gulp), which should arrive in 3-12 days. I
really hope it arrives before Saturday night, as I can't even get set up
to record Doctor Who without one. :(
Meanwhile I'm starting a short, self-contained run: the Ian, Barbara and Vicki stories. 26 TV episodes, three novels, four Short Trips (including one on audio), one Companion Chronicle, and one comic. During the holiday I got a bit ahead of myself, and I won't be starting back at work for a week or two, so I had hoped to keep ahead - but with the TV giving up the ghost halfway through The Romans that plan's probably shot. Still, I have got six posts prewritten, so that's not too bad. I'll probably cheat a little and read The Eleventh Tiger while I'm awaiting the delivery.
Next Time:
The Powerful Enemy.
Meanwhile I'm starting a short, self-contained run: the Ian, Barbara and Vicki stories. 26 TV episodes, three novels, four Short Trips (including one on audio), one Companion Chronicle, and one comic. During the holiday I got a bit ahead of myself, and I won't be starting back at work for a week or two, so I had hoped to keep ahead - but with the TV giving up the ghost halfway through The Romans that plan's probably shot. Still, I have got six posts prewritten, so that's not too bad. I'll probably cheat a little and read The Eleventh Tiger while I'm awaiting the delivery.
Next Time:
The Powerful Enemy.
Sunday, 2 September 2012
A Final Filk for Susan's Era
Having watched Asylum of the Daleks last night, I'm glad I finished posting Susan's Tale before it was broadcast. Just sayin'.
This is a post I forgot earlier. I'd been hoping to record it, but I realise now that's unlikely to happen; so here are the lyrics to a filksong for Susan's Era, to be sung to the theme tune from The Flintstones (original TV series):
I really will be starting Vicki's run. Honest!
This is a post I forgot earlier. I'd been hoping to record it, but I realise now that's unlikely to happen; so here are the lyrics to a filksong for Susan's Era, to be sung to the theme tune from The Flintstones (original TV series):
Granddad! Meet the teachers!Next Time:
They've been checking out our family.
Kidnapped, in the TARDIS,
Now we're on our way to prehist'ry...
Coal Hill was my all-time favourite place,
Now we will be lost in time and space -
When you're with the Doctor
You'll have a "fight that evil scheme" time,
A "trip and scream" time,
You'll have a scary time!
I really will be starting Vicki's run. Honest!
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