What with one thing and another, it's taken me a long time to get around
to this review. My notes have been sitting patiently on the bedside
table, gathering dust (and the odd phone number, since they've been
co-opted when looking for a bit of paper in a hurry). There's even a
teastain on them. Perhaps the best way to think of it is as a holiday
from the blog.
And speaking of holidays (see what I did there?), this is an episode
which gives William Hartnell another break. It's not that obvious, to be
honest, until the end; but when Ian - who has been determined to find
the old man all through the episode - stares out beyond the camera and
shouts "Doctor!" his absence really hit me. I don't know what I think of
this as a cliffhanger. It gains points for being unusual, but we can
sort of guess what Ian's seeing, nobody's in any more peril than they
have been for a while, and there's no reveal or twist. Still, I think I
like it.
Unlike the DVD extra, A Holiday for the Doctor. This seems an
appropriate point to bring it up. Now, I know tastes in comedy vary and
there are probably people out there who found it hilarious, but for me
this is dreck. There's an interesting documentary to be made on this
subject - and it could even be done with humour - but the presentation
here ruins it. Ida Barr (Christopher Green in drag) is not just
annoying, she obscures the facts and almost slanders the actors - except
it's all for a laugh, innit, so that must be okay then. Simply awful.
Back to the episode, then, and the direction here is totally
non-harmful. I was going to say it's still bland, but as was pointed out
in the commentary there are a lot of great closeups - particularly of
Maureen O'Brien, who is sparkling.
This really is Vicki's episode. From the moment she energises the Xerons
over tea and a cake in the canteen (complete with plastic trays) to the
triumphant cry of "revolution!" as they gain access to the armoury, she
is the driving force for change. Which means I need to say a little bit
about the situation on Xeros.
Almost all the comedy in this episode comes from the guest cast. If
O'Brien is remembering right and they were given no direction, they have
by now worked out who they are portraying. The plump, nervous Moroks in
their rubbish white uniforms are so obviously meant to be useless!
Okay, the Commander pontificating on the frustrations of being second in
command goes on a little too long, but it's not like Lobos's first
speech; this one works. similarly, the Xerons are keen but
clueless. Mervyn Pinfield's direction isn't sympathetic to the comedy,
but he can't stop the signal.
This is a low-budget serial, squeezed between a costume drama and a
Dalek epic. It might have been a problem, but actually mostly works to
enhance the comedy. The dregs of empire are posted to a rubbish museum,
where their only opposition is a bunch of children who have been taught
there's nothing they can do. Fine.
Of course, not every money-saving measure was welcomed by the cast.
O'Brien hated her costume, which looks like a homemade prom dress from
the 1950s sewn by someone who hadn't had much practise. I think it just
about works, because it's vaguely reminiscent of the one worn by that
other travelling revolutionary, Dorothy Gale, in the MGM version of The Wizard of Oz; and this is a cut-price revolution, after all. But it makes no sense for Vicki to choose the outfit.
One aspect of the design which doesn't work for me has problems not
because of budget, but because of a lack of prophetic vision. This is
the computer outside the armoury. It basically looks like every other
1960s supercomputer, with tape reels and big panels; you can see the
same thing in The Prisoner episode The General, for
example. It always makes me laugh, and also wonder what aspects of
today's SF TV will look equally quaint in another half-century.
Still, that's a very minor issue. There's a good balance between the
comedy and drama this time, with some excellent fight scenes and
appropriate moments of music throughout. This is an episode that works
well, so that I was by turns gripped and amused. It's much better than
it's reputation; can the finale do as well?
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 8th May 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 22
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
6.5/10.
Next Time:
The Final Phase.
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