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!