CC7.07d The Queen's Pirate

Before I start on the final episode of The Flames of Cadiz, it's confession time: readers, I have sinned. I was so into the story last episode that I didn't notice when it finished and listened to this one straight afterwards, finishing The Flames of Cadiz in one dog walk. In my last post I tried to write what I would have written had I not done this - the Don Quixote paragraph, in particular, changes in hindsight - but I may not have succeeded entirely.

Also, since writing my last review we've had the 50th Anniversary, and for the first time I've skived off the blog while still being thoroughly immersed in Doctor Who. On audio I've heard The Light at the End (Friday), The Beginning (Saturday/Sunday), and various radio broadcasts (though I didn't get to all of the ones I wanted before the iPlayer period ran out). On TV there's been almost as much, and we still have loads waiting on the PVR. Heck, we haven't even got to Mark Gatiss' docudrama yet, and we all really want to see that! It's been a surprisingly good celebration in my opinion. The one black cloud was the collapse of AudioGo, with the consequent loss of jobs and the missing Unearthly Child Target reading. As a result of all this the only bit of Who writing I've done is the intro for a run of reviews set before that story, but I'll be doing a few more set in this period first.

Right, enough of that, on to the episode. This one feels compressed, as if Marc Platt were adapting a six-part script and reducing it to four episodes. A lot happens, and there is a lack of padding that takes away slightly from the period feel but adds to the drama. The sound is particularly good, adding a lot of atmosphere to the various shipboard scenes.

This is Ian's story; the other main characters are effectively marking time while he has an adventure. Oh, they get threatened and have a few situations to deal with (and Carole Ann Ford is once again on very good form for these scenes), but it is Ian who holds our attention. William Russell really sells the emotional journey our hero goes through as he is first blocked from meeting his hero, then finds a way to do so but discovers that things are not as he imagined, then finds himself having to work together with a man he no longer worships. I do think he is starting to sound old, though. The artistry is still there and he still has a lovely voice, but it is a little less steady.

As a concluding episode this is fine stuff. Totally beyond the capabilities of the BBC to film at the time, of course, but by golly they would have tried it anyway! The burning of Cadiz, the sinking of the ships - I'm sure David Whitaker would have left them in, and the designers would have done their darnedest to pull something out of the bag. My imagination left that behind, though, and the black-and-white images I had in my head are more like the memories that an adult, slightly older than me, might have had of the experience of watching the serial as a child.

Given the vibe that Platt was so obviously going for, that's high praise.

Rating:
6.5/10.

Next Time:
Companion Chronicle 7.07, The Flames of Cadiz, as a whole.