The Lost Stories 3.7: The Masters of Luxor

I've just realised that this is quite possibly my last Hartnell six-parter. Certainly there are no more on TV - all the rest are four-parters, except for the season 3 epic (which breaks down nicely into smaller chunks anyway) - so it all depends on whether the last Hartnell Lost Story from Big Finish, The Dark Planet, is four or six parts.

I won't miss them. Two to four parts works well with my reviewing pattern, but any longer and it all feels too drawn out. I sometimes run out of things to say, especially if there are no visuals for me to comment on (acting, sets, direction). As a reviewer, discoveries like the recent Enemy of the World/Web of Fear haul make me breathe a sigh of relief.

Basically, the second half of this has been a bit of a slog. Not to listen to - even my least-loved audios keep me entertained, and this is far from the worst - but to write up. That's why you get quite so many digressions, like the discussion of cliffhangers or authority in my parenting.

I'm glad it was produced - and that Susan got a decent part to play - but I suspect it's not going to be one of the ones I relisten to a lot.

A Confused Chronology, part 11: That Was Then, This Is When?
I was pleased that my decision to set The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance (FYAoF) before Farewell, Great Macedon (FGM) was confirmed here, when - at the time - just about everyone seemed to have them in the order they appeared on the CDs. These three definitely form their own little run. But where should that run be set?

As I mentioned before, Susan doubting the reality of the food in The Cannibal Flower makes me think they should definitely come after The Keys of Marinus; Susan's presence puts them before The Dalek Invasion of Earth. In that stretch there are three not-completely-tortuous gaps: two slightly dodgy ones just before and after The Aztecs (which is connected to the adjacent stories only by TARDIS arrival/departure scenes) and a third between seasons that should be regarded as dodgy but has been blown wide open by previous Expanded Universe stories.

I think the overall tone implies as early a placement as possible. On the other hand, if they come before The Aztecs, the interference with history in FGM would (in my opinion) make a nonsense of the wonderful interaction between the Doctor and Barbara/Yetaxa; whereas it works the other way round. Ian's feelings for Barbara in FYAoF seem rather developed for an early placement; but then they were always a bit variable, and maybe the amount of downtime they had on Fragrance allowed them to bubble to the surface, only for later action to push them back down again. Similarly, perhaps that downtime - if it came straight after The Aztecs - allowed Barbara to recover from her experiences in Mexico.

On balance, then, I think that (for me) the best placement is immediately post-Aztecs. It's not ideal - and it means on Gallifrey Base I've been reviewing them in the wrong thread! - but it'll do.

Published:
Date: August 2012
ISBN: 1-84435-589-6

Rating:
3/10.

Next Time:
A brief diversion, before I start in on The Flames of Cadiz.