There's been an odd shift from last episode. The Daleks only joined in
the comedy right at the end, but now - like passing a baton - everybody
else seems to have abandoned it! Instead, what we get from the others is
over-the-top melodrama, but not really humour. Except when Daleks are
around. We have wobbling Daleks, the panting one in the recap who got
buried in sand, a hesitant Dalek who has to be prompted to obey his
orders, the one with the tea-strainer/gyroscopic compass detector
thingy; if it wasn't for the exterminations they would be entirely
figures of fun. I don't mind the humour, but it's a bit basic here, not
as good as the balance Terry Nation found last time. One thing which did
make me laugh, although it was possibly unintentional, was the TARDIS
being completely buried - then next time we see it the captive Aridians
are brushing the last few specks from around the base, and it's standing
in the middle of a flat sandy plain! Wow, they did a lot of unnecessary
work! Still, it'll help when our heroes run off and leave them to be
exterminated.
It's rather sad that the script lets the side down so badly, because
there's a lot to like here. Okay, the Aridian costumes are only
passable; but they look good when I examine them through the wrong part
of my new varifocals, which is closer to how the original viewers would
have seen them. And I have very few other complaints.
The best thing is that Richard Martin has got some of his mojo back!
He's still not keeping the cameras moving like he did in his previous
serial, but even with relatively static viewpoints he knocks Mervyn
Pinfield's efforts into a cocked hat. Take, for example, the scene where
Vicki is talking over their captivity with Iananbarbara. It starts as a
long shot, but the actors move closer so that it becomes a tight three
shot, of the sort Pinfield seemed to love. Cut to the Aridians, and when
we cut back it's to a view of the same grouping, but from behind! Those
two little things add so much more dynamism, and there are a lot of
other, similar moments of imagination: the scene where Vicki is captured
as she runs almost past the camera before being grabbed and carried
back; the low shot of Ian and the Doctor laying their trap for the
Dalek; the TARDIS dematerialising in negative as it is bathed in the
energy from the Dalek guns. Great.
Martin is well supported by the rest of the production team. The mire
beast is an awesome creation, and it is never lit too harshly. The
underground chambers look good - certainly better than if they had
attempted Nation's vision of a huge glass city of lights - and although
the collapsing wall has a certain inevitable tang of polystyrene, the
earlier explosion is tremendous. The music and sound work well, and the
actors are on fine form. Jacqueline Hill stands out, as is often the
case (notably for her performance when Barbara and the Doctor are being
held captive - she almost makes falling asleep sitting on some steps
believable, though that wasn't my main criterion); but everyone holds
their own, regulars and guests alike.
I will end with one defence of the script, and one great thing about it.
People often comment on the name Aridius, pointing out that it's
inappropriate for a former waterworld. It seems to me, though, that this
isn't the planet's literal name, which would be something meaningless
and quite possibly unpronounceable. The TARDIS translation circuits have
to pick something, so in this case (and in many of Nation's stories)
they've gone for a descriptive word. Simple.
The great thing? The TARDIS being invulnerable to Dalek weapons. It's totally awesome! Cheers from the sofa here.
Oh, and before you comment, I know mojo isn't the right word - but I'm
using it in the way I originally thought it meant and it fits the vibe,
so I'm sticking with it.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 29th May 1965
Viewers: 9.5 million
Chart Position: 12
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
Flight Through Eternity.
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