Something bizarre and annoying happened during the writing of my
previous review. I had three issues of DWM out on the bed for reference,
but needed to go off and do some housework and cook supper. When I came
back they were gone, and nobody knew where they were. We have since
looked fairly thoroughly - I even checked that they hadn't been put in
the recycling by accident! - but they haven't turned up. One was the
issue about the return of Airlock, which is a fairly minor loss
now; one detailed the sale of 60s serials abroad and (I think) the
resultant recovery of some episodes, which is more annoying. Worst,
though, is my copy of The Complete First Doctor, which has been
my constant companion during the TV portions of this marathon and helps
set the scene in my mind, even when none of the info gets into the
review. That I will struggle to do without.
Speaking of struggles: as someone who is not comfortable watching
recons, we are really entering a barren stretch. This is the first of an
unbroken run of seven missing episodes, matching the earliest ever gap -
Marco Polo. Worse than that, however, is the realisation that of
the next 22 episodes, only three survive. There were only eleven
missing in total over the previous two seasons, and two of those have
been animated! Thank goodness for other media, is all I can say.
So, what of this episode? Unfortunately, the phrase that springs to mind
is "a bit pants". I didn't bother watching the full recon this time,
because (a) it wasn't based on stills from the episode anyway; (b) Peter
Purves' narration on the audio release is enough to let me know what's
going on when it's not obvious from the soundtrack; and (c) I couldn't
be bothered.
There's so much wrong with the script here. Let's take the
Drahvins first. OK, so they are a threat to the travellers when they
catch our heroes on their own, but are so vastly outmatched by the Rills
that they cannot pose a credible threat now that the Doctor-Rill
alliance is in place. So that's one source of tension removed. Steven is
rescued in the first couple of minutes, and after that nobody is ever
really in immediate danger; which just leaves the countdown to
destruction. Now, countdowns can work - even though we know they
are going to make it, especially in the first serial of a new season -
but the interest and tension comes not from the countdown itself but
from figuring out how they are going to solve it, and/or watching them
overcome obstacles. Here, the Doctor figured out what to do in the
previous episode, the Rills make it plain that they want the travellers
to abandon them and leave if time runs out, and there is no significant
opposition. We are left simply watching them clock-watching, and only
Steven's first encounter with the Rills even provides meaty dialogue.
Right, that's the script. Visually we know what most of it looks like,
and my guess is that the destruction of the planet and departure of the
Rill ship would not have been "oh wow" moments, even with the obviously
competent direction of Derek Martinus. The Chumblies make their usual
cute noises, so that only leaves the acting.
It's possible I'm projecting when I say this, but based on the
soundtrack William Hartnell is really not on good form here. My guess is
that his heart wasn't in it, and who can blame him? He's fluffing, and
he's falling back on a set of stock Doctor mannerisms to an extent I've
not noticed before. Meanwhile, Maureen O'Brien gets hardly anything to
say; she's probably doing some interesting things with her facial
expressions, but sadly we are now past our last view of her on-screen
before her departure. Purves puts effort in, but then he's the new boy
and it's likely he still has enough enthusiasm to carry him through a
poor script. Stephanie Bidmead steals every scene she's in, but isn't as
centre stage as before, while Robert Cartland provides a fairly
nondescript booming voice for the Rills.
I normally complain about cut-down recons, but the twelve-minute version
of this episode on the DVD is actually a much more appropriate length
for this - and that includes the trailer for next time...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 2nd October 1965
Viewers: 9.9 million
Chart Position: 20
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
1/10.
Next Time:
Serial T as a whole.
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