I have to comment on the cliffhangers in this story, because they are
all very similar - too similar, in fact, for it be anything other than a
deliberate choice. And I just don't get it - the second and third come
across as boring to me. Still, that's a minor complaint.
This episode is very much a game of two parts, and just to be perverse
I'll tackle the second half first. This is where the science fiction
element of the story comes into its own, and where the main threat is
explained.
And it's kind of familiar. This seems to be a "genesis" story for a race
the Doctor and his companions have yet to meet, but will very soon.
Which is kind of a strange idea, but in the process the themes of the
alien's story are shown to be tied very closely to the historical side
of things.
What we hear is nicely layered. There's the appalling treatment of the
alien women, of course, and their desire for freedom is completely
understandable; but it's also shown that the (equally natural) desire
for revenge which came with it is not good, and has undesirable
consequences.
It's impossible for me, from my position of privilege and safety, to
know what it is like for people at the sharp end of such oppression. I
hate violence, and disapprove of it on principle; and yet, in a
situation like that, I cannot condemn the ones who use it to fight for
their freedom. The only reason we ever got a National Health Service and
Welfare State after the Second World War - two things I consider
unequivocally good about British history - is because there were a lot
of Working Class men with guns returning home who had been trained as
soldiers and wanted some payback on their sacrifice.
Which leaves the revenge angle, and South Africa is my model here. There
could have been a bloodbath after the revolution - many people assumed
there would be - but the ideals of truth and reconciliation won out. Not
entirely, of course, and the country has been left with massive
problems anyway; but the sincere effort to avoid a revenge cycle has
certainly been positive.
The first part of the episode - which I prefer, despite my relief that
we have finally reached the point of significantly interacting with the
alien aspects of the story - is almost entirely historical. (The only
exceptions are the 'punishing' of the local doctor and then of the
police officer, the latter leading into the second part.) The
educational remit appears here with Constance's lecture to Vicki about
the Suffragette cause and the reasons for it, followed by the scenes
with the protesters and their treatment by the police. The combination
is an effective way of showing both the rhetoric of protest and the
reality, the latter being far more messy and ugly.
As well as this, we finally get to know Constance a little better. No
longer is she a poster girl for those who oppose women's suffrage: now
she comes across as a passionately committed supporter of the cause,
naïve and unaware of her own privilege but definitely thoughtful and
well-meaning. Of course, this is now Vicki telling the tale; and I
wonder how much of the change is deliberate? My previous impression came
from Steven's description, and I've already commented that he is
presented as somewhat sexist. Given Jacqueline Rayner's history of good
characterisation and of playing with the form (I recently relistened to
the wonderful Doctor Who and the Pirates, an extreme example), I am inclined to think that it is.
And this adds another layer to my appreciation of the story. There is
much less humour in Vicki's account so far, and she is the one who
wanted to record the adventure. Despite Steven usually coming across as
the more serious of the two, is it possible that he embellished a little
to keep himself entertained while recounting his part of the tale,
while Vicki was determined to keep everything accurate and factual? I
believe so. And the realisation that I am not necessarily listening to
an objective account gives this episode another half mark.
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
The Sharing.
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