And back to audio, with Maureen O'Brien's previous (and, inevitably,
first) Companion Chronicle. Here she is not so strong on voices as the
other performers we've encountered in this marathon so far - an aspect
she improved on by the time of The Suffering - but she reads it
beautifully. In terms of simply being a listening pleasure, I'd rank her
performance in this episode right up there with many of William
Russell's, which long-term readers will know is high praise indeed.
It helps, of course, that the words are well written. Marc Platt, as
I've mentioned elsewhere, is strong on worldbuilding and not normally
particularly interested in plot, with characterisation sitting somewhere
in the middle (which is a different mix to Jacqueline Rayner's, but -
in the right circumstances - one that can be equally effective). Here
the 'alien world' conjured up is early 19th Century London, and his
carefully chosen prose gives a strong feel for the setting, the Frost
Fair in particular. Supported by some well-placed snippets of music and
sound I had no trouble picturing what was going on, visualising it in
black and white, although on a cinematic budget that the TV show could
never have matched.
Well, I say I had no trouble imagining it, but there is one instance
where that is not quite true. During the scene with Vicki first meeting
the egg I completely lost concentration, and came back to myself after
she had been revived. I rewound, and the same thing happened.
It took me four times before I could force my mind to focus on
what I was hearing, and I did so through sheer willpower. Afterwards I
was surprised to find that I'd only tuned out for about half a minute;
it had felt longer. I also remembered that the same thing had happened
the previous time I listened to Frostfire, although in that instance I gave up after two attempts because I remembered the gist and couldn't be bothered to rewind again.
This I found to be a bit creepy, in all honesty. Still, I suppose the
odd shiver is appropriate for this story! Though, actually, what is it
about expanded-universe Hartnell-era stories and extreme winters
featuring cold-related creatures? Kim Newman tackled one in Time and Relative, now we have this.
Anyway, the Frost Fair (a title I considered for this episode, before
hearing Platt's preference) is only one of two major locations, the
other being Sir Joseph's soirée. The latter is the more humorous,
featuring a very different array of supporting characters and Steven
being admired and ridiculed in equal measure. It's not so colourful, in a
way; but provides a nice contrast. Valzaki - a character we first met
at the fair - returns; and this is slightly unfortunate, since he's a
stereotype of the sort that we might very well have seen in the 1960s.
Having said that, he is woven more firmly into the story now, which
helps. More unambiguously positive is the introduction (just before the
cliffhanger) of the chimney sweep's boy Jem, about whom more next time.
Getting back to O'Brien, she elegantly (I was going to say effortlessly,
but I'm sure it wasn't) distinguishes between the adult Vicki of the
framing sequence and the teenager of the main story, while still showing
her to be the same person. The warmth and irreverent cheekiness is in
both, but she's slowed down and grown more worldly-wise - even a touch
world-weary - since leaving the Doctor.
Which does bring up the issue of the framing sequence, but for reasons of balance I'm going to leave that until next time...
Rating:
It's gripping, atmospheric, performed and directed well, with a nicely
judged soundscape. Other than preferring full-cast dramas on the whole,
what more could I ask for?
9.5/10.
Next Time:
Miss Austen Regrets.
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