Another good episode, again perfectly in keeping with the era.
Well, almost. We have a plotline very reminiscent of Emperor Nero
chasing Barbara around his palace - but this time it's King James (the
First and Sixth) chasing Vicki. Because he thinks she's Victor. Now, in
both 1605 and 1965 sex between males was illegal (in the earlier year it
was a capital offence, though I doubt any aspects of the law applied to
the King) - and with someone of Vicki's age involved, what James
presumably wanted would still be illegal for another three decades after
broadcast even with consent. And this is something that would almost certainly not be
shown on Doctor Who in 1965; I suppose it's possible that some
teatime shows might just about have got away with it because Vicki was
actually a girl, but certainly not one with William Hartnell at the
helm.
All of which rather distracts from the fact that I am talking about
inequality in representations of sexual predation presented as a laugh;
it's almost as if I'm cheering that children could be amused by the
threat of heterosexual assault, but booing that the same can't be said
of the threat of homosexual assault. Which I'm not, exactly, but...well,
I am sure that Gareth Roberts is playing with those confusions.
He is explicitly modelling the scenes on The Romans, and is, I am
sure, making more than one point. He can do this here because this
isn't an episode of a teatime family show - it's a novel aimed at older
readers. What he couldn't get away with is uncritically,
non-ironically presenting something like this, because he hasn't got the
excuse of "oh, well, that was the 1960s and things have moved on since
then" - because, well, it's the 1990s. And things have moved on.
Fortunately, this is Roberts we're talking about. Since we can see
inside Vicki's head in a novel, he can show us how much of a horrible
threat this actually is while still showing the action in exactly the
same way as Nero and Barbara's farcical shenanigans from Conspiracy.
It's carefully handled, and - particularly in conjunction with the
Doctor's stunningly casual attitude to the affair - it adds some meat to
the episode.
Not that there isn't quite a lot more going on! Political machinations,
attempted assassination, plots galore and even a secret passageway! The
focus is on Vicki but everyone gets plenty to do except for Ian.
Barbara's conversation with Guy Fawkes makes me wonder whether her
unexpected rescuer will somehow avoid his historical fate, perhaps with a
last-minute substitution. We'll see...
Rating:
8/10.
Next Time:
The Plot Thickens.
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Monday, 11 March 2013
Episode MA28a: Plot Devices
I generally only write one review for a novel unless I get carried away;
but author Gareth Roberts has structured his Missing Adventure as a
typical serial, with four individually-named parts. So, since I'm having
some trouble keeping up the pace, I thought I might as well divide up
the review accordingly, and provide five bite-sized chunks (four
individual episode ratings and an overview).
This one will probably be the least bite-sized, seeing as it takes up the first third of the book. It's natural that it should be a bit longer, as all the characters and locations need to be described when we meet them (something that doesn't have to happen on TV); but this still seems somewhat uneven. I'm not passing judgement yet, though!
So much for the width; what about the quality? The first thing to say is that this feels very much like the novelisation of a televised episode - in that the things that don't quite fit with a TV story are the sort of changes that happen in novelisations. We have a limited number of sets: the bulk of the action happens in three or four locations, and the rest could easily be cut down or eliminated. The bear-baiting could be described from the doorway of Mother Bunch's place, for instance, and I can just picture the Doctor talking to the guard at the gates against a painted backdrop of the palace!
The events are also TV-like, particularly now we've got to the point where not every adventure has to start in the TARDIS. Various plots and situations are set up, we get to know the guest cast a little, and there's some humour and peril. The Doctor being interested in the creation of the King James Bible amused me, remembering how he used that as his guide when helping the translators of the first Greek version (IIRC) in Byzantium!
One thing that feels out of place is the Doctor being focused on getting Iananbarbara home when we first meet them - I thought they were all past being so desperate about it. Still, the dialogue's spot on and the regulars feel very much like themselves, so I'm not going to complain too much.
Possibly the best thing I can say to emphasise how much it felt like an episode from the period is that I pictured it in slightly fuzzy black and white - even when they were talking about one character's scarlet shirt. The only exceptions were the very first scene, before we'd seen the travellers and it had linked up in my subconscious, and the face of the Spaniard - because I was reminded so much of V from V for Vendetta (ironically originally a monochrome comic) that I pictured the colour from the cover of the graphic novel version...
Hm, almost a full-length review. Still, the next episode's only just over half as long, so that'll be smaller - won't it?
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
Holes in the Plot.
This one will probably be the least bite-sized, seeing as it takes up the first third of the book. It's natural that it should be a bit longer, as all the characters and locations need to be described when we meet them (something that doesn't have to happen on TV); but this still seems somewhat uneven. I'm not passing judgement yet, though!
So much for the width; what about the quality? The first thing to say is that this feels very much like the novelisation of a televised episode - in that the things that don't quite fit with a TV story are the sort of changes that happen in novelisations. We have a limited number of sets: the bulk of the action happens in three or four locations, and the rest could easily be cut down or eliminated. The bear-baiting could be described from the doorway of Mother Bunch's place, for instance, and I can just picture the Doctor talking to the guard at the gates against a painted backdrop of the palace!
The events are also TV-like, particularly now we've got to the point where not every adventure has to start in the TARDIS. Various plots and situations are set up, we get to know the guest cast a little, and there's some humour and peril. The Doctor being interested in the creation of the King James Bible amused me, remembering how he used that as his guide when helping the translators of the first Greek version (IIRC) in Byzantium!
One thing that feels out of place is the Doctor being focused on getting Iananbarbara home when we first meet them - I thought they were all past being so desperate about it. Still, the dialogue's spot on and the regulars feel very much like themselves, so I'm not going to complain too much.
Possibly the best thing I can say to emphasise how much it felt like an episode from the period is that I pictured it in slightly fuzzy black and white - even when they were talking about one character's scarlet shirt. The only exceptions were the very first scene, before we'd seen the travellers and it had linked up in my subconscious, and the face of the Spaniard - because I was reminded so much of V from V for Vendetta (ironically originally a monochrome comic) that I pictured the colour from the cover of the graphic novel version...
Hm, almost a full-length review. Still, the next episode's only just over half as long, so that'll be smaller - won't it?
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
Holes in the Plot.
Friday, 8 March 2013
Serial Q: The Space Museum
This is the last TV serial for which the generally-accepted overall
title matches one of the episodes (unless, of course, you count
single-episode stories). As a reviewer I say hooray, since I'll no
longer have to distinguish between posts merely by having things like
"Serial Q" vs "Episode 68 (Q1)" in front of them. Except, of course, for
some annoying audios that continue the practice.
I mentioned that I'd already been thoroughly spoiled for this serial before I saw any of it. This does make a big difference for me; and in this case I decided I couldn't honestly review it from my own perspective alone. So I went the whole hog and read, watched or listened to everything I could on it, often incorporating other people's ideas into my reviews but sometimes deliberately skipping them. As a prime example of the latter, I probably would have said something about the 'youth rebellion' theme running through the story - which I had vaguely picked up on - but Elizabeth Sandifer covered it in detail in her blog entry. So head on over to the relevant TARDIS Eruditorum entry for a great analysis.
As part of this marathon I watch every episode at least twice, once just to appreciate it (with some thoughts jotted down afterwards) and once taking notes as I go, often with the commentary on. This time the commentary was invaluable, particularly Maureen O'Brien's memories of the production and Glyn Jones' clarification of how much of the bad stuff wasn't in there originally. I was annoyed with Peter Purves to begin with, because he started the first episode from the position that it's rubbish - not something I like from a moderator. Let the people who were involved make that judgement! But he soon, ah, moderated his position, and did his job well after that.
Another influence was Robert Shearman's defence of the serial (among the DVD extras). I heard this after my first ever viewing. I remember thinking that I had found the serial quite funny, in the main unintentionally; but his analysis, the observation that it is meant to be funny throughout, clicked. I've enjoyed it more on subsequent viewings, and I don't feel too bad about misreading this since almost all the reviews I've read have missed it - and I think the director probably did, too!
Slipped Time Tracks: Alternative Space Museums
This story could have been better, and in some timelines it probably was. Apparently Jones manages to flesh it out quite a bit in the Target novelisation - I'll have to get that one sometime - and I wonder how many of his ideas he reinstated? The biggest idea change made by script editor Dennis Spooner was the explanation of the timeslip, which in the broadcast version is totally pants. In Jones' version, the device that prepares exhibits actually freezes them in time rather than by reducing their temperature. This, however, is dodgy technology, and the act of freezing the travellers causes the slippage that allows them to get a glimpse of their own future and change it. Nicely paradoxical.
Another idea I liked was mentioned by Peter Niemeyer in his review. The tension could have been improved - and the story could have been tied more tightly to the first episode - by having the travellers being frozen one by one: the Doctor at the end of The Dimensions of Time, then Barbara after the original gas attack, and Ian (after a failed attempt to rescue the Doctor) at the end of The Search. This would have made it seem as if the preordained future was coming closer all the time.
Isaac's Corner
The Space Museum is an excellent idea and a good story, although when I heard the description of the original script it made a lot more sense (I didn't like the fact that they said it was just caused by a component going wrong). I like the idea that the Moroks are a great empire in decline (like at the end of the Roman Empire) and that they are pretty rubbish. It's very Steven Moffaty and wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, messing about with different weird time stuff for the first time. I also like it because it's mine! I rate it an 8/10 because it was highlighted how it could be improved.
That's it, then - the four-parter with the longest gap between first review in this marathon and last. I hope it holds that record forever!
Rating:
Mine: 5/10, episodes 2 & 4 being somewhat redeemed by 1 & 3.
DWM Mighty 200: 50.42%, 190th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 5.36, 203rd out of 234.
This was voted the worst Hartnell serial by DWM readers, but only the fourth worst on Gallifrey Base.
Next Time:
After the epilogue to The Final Phase, what could it be but the first episode of the next Dalek epic? Actually, what it could be is Plot Devices...
I mentioned that I'd already been thoroughly spoiled for this serial before I saw any of it. This does make a big difference for me; and in this case I decided I couldn't honestly review it from my own perspective alone. So I went the whole hog and read, watched or listened to everything I could on it, often incorporating other people's ideas into my reviews but sometimes deliberately skipping them. As a prime example of the latter, I probably would have said something about the 'youth rebellion' theme running through the story - which I had vaguely picked up on - but Elizabeth Sandifer covered it in detail in her blog entry. So head on over to the relevant TARDIS Eruditorum entry for a great analysis.
As part of this marathon I watch every episode at least twice, once just to appreciate it (with some thoughts jotted down afterwards) and once taking notes as I go, often with the commentary on. This time the commentary was invaluable, particularly Maureen O'Brien's memories of the production and Glyn Jones' clarification of how much of the bad stuff wasn't in there originally. I was annoyed with Peter Purves to begin with, because he started the first episode from the position that it's rubbish - not something I like from a moderator. Let the people who were involved make that judgement! But he soon, ah, moderated his position, and did his job well after that.
Another influence was Robert Shearman's defence of the serial (among the DVD extras). I heard this after my first ever viewing. I remember thinking that I had found the serial quite funny, in the main unintentionally; but his analysis, the observation that it is meant to be funny throughout, clicked. I've enjoyed it more on subsequent viewings, and I don't feel too bad about misreading this since almost all the reviews I've read have missed it - and I think the director probably did, too!
Slipped Time Tracks: Alternative Space Museums
This story could have been better, and in some timelines it probably was. Apparently Jones manages to flesh it out quite a bit in the Target novelisation - I'll have to get that one sometime - and I wonder how many of his ideas he reinstated? The biggest idea change made by script editor Dennis Spooner was the explanation of the timeslip, which in the broadcast version is totally pants. In Jones' version, the device that prepares exhibits actually freezes them in time rather than by reducing their temperature. This, however, is dodgy technology, and the act of freezing the travellers causes the slippage that allows them to get a glimpse of their own future and change it. Nicely paradoxical.
Another idea I liked was mentioned by Peter Niemeyer in his review. The tension could have been improved - and the story could have been tied more tightly to the first episode - by having the travellers being frozen one by one: the Doctor at the end of The Dimensions of Time, then Barbara after the original gas attack, and Ian (after a failed attempt to rescue the Doctor) at the end of The Search. This would have made it seem as if the preordained future was coming closer all the time.
Isaac's Corner
The Space Museum is an excellent idea and a good story, although when I heard the description of the original script it made a lot more sense (I didn't like the fact that they said it was just caused by a component going wrong). I like the idea that the Moroks are a great empire in decline (like at the end of the Roman Empire) and that they are pretty rubbish. It's very Steven Moffaty and wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, messing about with different weird time stuff for the first time. I also like it because it's mine! I rate it an 8/10 because it was highlighted how it could be improved.
That's it, then - the four-parter with the longest gap between first review in this marathon and last. I hope it holds that record forever!
Rating:
Mine: 5/10, episodes 2 & 4 being somewhat redeemed by 1 & 3.
DWM Mighty 200: 50.42%, 190th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 5.36, 203rd out of 234.
This was voted the worst Hartnell serial by DWM readers, but only the fourth worst on Gallifrey Base.
Next Time:
After the epilogue to The Final Phase, what could it be but the first episode of the next Dalek epic? Actually, what it could be is Plot Devices...
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Episode 71 (Q4): The Final Phase
So. Sadly not so good an episode this time, for various reasons. First
is the acting, which is distinctly variable with quite a few wooden
expressions and fluffed lines. It's particularly poor early on, though
later Jacqueline Hill makes a very rare slip. This is also the first
episode in which William Hartnell goes completely over the top with
"hmm"s - in some scenes they seem to outnumber actual words! Combine
this with the number of times he messes up his lines and I begin to
wonder if we have reached the point where he is not really quite able to
cope with his job anymore. This is using the benefit of hindsight,
though; and at times he's still magnificent.
There are other aspects of the production that let it down, too. The direction - despite some nice touches here and there - manages to make the story feel rushed and slow at the same time. The device for freezing potential exhibits looks more like a giant snowglobe, and as the commentators mentioned the switches on Lobos' desk are somewhat lacking. On the other hand, the flare that accompanies the guns firing is excellent. It's a technically simple effect, making use of the cameras' limited ability to handle bright light, but it is nevertheless highly effective.
The writing also has its ups and downs. I love the numerous turnabouts as various parties take the upper hand, keeping us wondering how things are going to go right to the end. The Moroks continue to be appropriately dull and slow-witted, and the lack of communication from the barracks and armoury is a great (and low-budget) way of portraying the revolution. On the other hand, we have the Xerons suddenly becoming crack shots, and - worst of all - Barbara recovering from the gas attack with no reason given. William Russell says on the commentary that he thinks nobody will notice; well, I noticed.
There is also the small matter of the explanation for the travellers slipping a time track when they first arrived on Xeros. This is about as satisfying as the stuck Fast Return Switch in The Brink of Disaster - and it bears almost no relation to the reason writer Glyn Jones came up with when he wrote the script. But more about that next time.
Still, the best bit has to be the revelation that - although the travellers haven't managed to get themselves out of trouble - they have affected the other people around them, and that has been enough to change their fate. Although the Doctor seems rather too confident about this given that he's been out of it for most of the time, it's a great message to get across.
I said that was the best bit - but in some ways that honour must go to the epilogue. After a well-done camera journey to an alien world, we hear the distinctive, chilling thrum of a Dalek control room. It still sends shivers down my spine whenever I hear that! And there we find out that the Daleks have been watching the Doctor all along, and are coming to get him. Awesome!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 15th May 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 27
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
4/10.
Next Time:
Serial Q as a whole.
There are other aspects of the production that let it down, too. The direction - despite some nice touches here and there - manages to make the story feel rushed and slow at the same time. The device for freezing potential exhibits looks more like a giant snowglobe, and as the commentators mentioned the switches on Lobos' desk are somewhat lacking. On the other hand, the flare that accompanies the guns firing is excellent. It's a technically simple effect, making use of the cameras' limited ability to handle bright light, but it is nevertheless highly effective.
The writing also has its ups and downs. I love the numerous turnabouts as various parties take the upper hand, keeping us wondering how things are going to go right to the end. The Moroks continue to be appropriately dull and slow-witted, and the lack of communication from the barracks and armoury is a great (and low-budget) way of portraying the revolution. On the other hand, we have the Xerons suddenly becoming crack shots, and - worst of all - Barbara recovering from the gas attack with no reason given. William Russell says on the commentary that he thinks nobody will notice; well, I noticed.
There is also the small matter of the explanation for the travellers slipping a time track when they first arrived on Xeros. This is about as satisfying as the stuck Fast Return Switch in The Brink of Disaster - and it bears almost no relation to the reason writer Glyn Jones came up with when he wrote the script. But more about that next time.
Still, the best bit has to be the revelation that - although the travellers haven't managed to get themselves out of trouble - they have affected the other people around them, and that has been enough to change their fate. Although the Doctor seems rather too confident about this given that he's been out of it for most of the time, it's a great message to get across.
I said that was the best bit - but in some ways that honour must go to the epilogue. After a well-done camera journey to an alien world, we hear the distinctive, chilling thrum of a Dalek control room. It still sends shivers down my spine whenever I hear that! And there we find out that the Daleks have been watching the Doctor all along, and are coming to get him. Awesome!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 15th May 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 27
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
4/10.
Next Time:
Serial Q as a whole.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Episode 70 (Q3): The Search
What with one thing and another, it's taken me a long time to get around
to this review. My notes have been sitting patiently on the bedside
table, gathering dust (and the odd phone number, since they've been
co-opted when looking for a bit of paper in a hurry). There's even a
teastain on them. Perhaps the best way to think of it is as a holiday
from the blog.
And speaking of holidays (see what I did there?), this is an episode which gives William Hartnell another break. It's not that obvious, to be honest, until the end; but when Ian - who has been determined to find the old man all through the episode - stares out beyond the camera and shouts "Doctor!" his absence really hit me. I don't know what I think of this as a cliffhanger. It gains points for being unusual, but we can sort of guess what Ian's seeing, nobody's in any more peril than they have been for a while, and there's no reveal or twist. Still, I think I like it.
Unlike the DVD extra, A Holiday for the Doctor. This seems an appropriate point to bring it up. Now, I know tastes in comedy vary and there are probably people out there who found it hilarious, but for me this is dreck. There's an interesting documentary to be made on this subject - and it could even be done with humour - but the presentation here ruins it. Ida Barr (Christopher Green in drag) is not just annoying, she obscures the facts and almost slanders the actors - except it's all for a laugh, innit, so that must be okay then. Simply awful.
Back to the episode, then, and the direction here is totally non-harmful. I was going to say it's still bland, but as was pointed out in the commentary there are a lot of great closeups - particularly of Maureen O'Brien, who is sparkling.
This really is Vicki's episode. From the moment she energises the Xerons over tea and a cake in the canteen (complete with plastic trays) to the triumphant cry of "revolution!" as they gain access to the armoury, she is the driving force for change. Which means I need to say a little bit about the situation on Xeros.
Almost all the comedy in this episode comes from the guest cast. If O'Brien is remembering right and they were given no direction, they have by now worked out who they are portraying. The plump, nervous Moroks in their rubbish white uniforms are so obviously meant to be useless! Okay, the Commander pontificating on the frustrations of being second in command goes on a little too long, but it's not like Lobos's first speech; this one works. similarly, the Xerons are keen but clueless. Mervyn Pinfield's direction isn't sympathetic to the comedy, but he can't stop the signal.
This is a low-budget serial, squeezed between a costume drama and a Dalek epic. It might have been a problem, but actually mostly works to enhance the comedy. The dregs of empire are posted to a rubbish museum, where their only opposition is a bunch of children who have been taught there's nothing they can do. Fine.
Of course, not every money-saving measure was welcomed by the cast. O'Brien hated her costume, which looks like a homemade prom dress from the 1950s sewn by someone who hadn't had much practise. I think it just about works, because it's vaguely reminiscent of the one worn by that other travelling revolutionary, Dorothy Gale, in the MGM version of The Wizard of Oz; and this is a cut-price revolution, after all. But it makes no sense for Vicki to choose the outfit.
One aspect of the design which doesn't work for me has problems not because of budget, but because of a lack of prophetic vision. This is the computer outside the armoury. It basically looks like every other 1960s supercomputer, with tape reels and big panels; you can see the same thing in The Prisoner episode The General, for example. It always makes me laugh, and also wonder what aspects of today's SF TV will look equally quaint in another half-century.
Still, that's a very minor issue. There's a good balance between the comedy and drama this time, with some excellent fight scenes and appropriate moments of music throughout. This is an episode that works well, so that I was by turns gripped and amused. It's much better than it's reputation; can the finale do as well?
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 8th May 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 22
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
6.5/10.
Next Time:
The Final Phase.
And speaking of holidays (see what I did there?), this is an episode which gives William Hartnell another break. It's not that obvious, to be honest, until the end; but when Ian - who has been determined to find the old man all through the episode - stares out beyond the camera and shouts "Doctor!" his absence really hit me. I don't know what I think of this as a cliffhanger. It gains points for being unusual, but we can sort of guess what Ian's seeing, nobody's in any more peril than they have been for a while, and there's no reveal or twist. Still, I think I like it.
Unlike the DVD extra, A Holiday for the Doctor. This seems an appropriate point to bring it up. Now, I know tastes in comedy vary and there are probably people out there who found it hilarious, but for me this is dreck. There's an interesting documentary to be made on this subject - and it could even be done with humour - but the presentation here ruins it. Ida Barr (Christopher Green in drag) is not just annoying, she obscures the facts and almost slanders the actors - except it's all for a laugh, innit, so that must be okay then. Simply awful.
Back to the episode, then, and the direction here is totally non-harmful. I was going to say it's still bland, but as was pointed out in the commentary there are a lot of great closeups - particularly of Maureen O'Brien, who is sparkling.
This really is Vicki's episode. From the moment she energises the Xerons over tea and a cake in the canteen (complete with plastic trays) to the triumphant cry of "revolution!" as they gain access to the armoury, she is the driving force for change. Which means I need to say a little bit about the situation on Xeros.
Almost all the comedy in this episode comes from the guest cast. If O'Brien is remembering right and they were given no direction, they have by now worked out who they are portraying. The plump, nervous Moroks in their rubbish white uniforms are so obviously meant to be useless! Okay, the Commander pontificating on the frustrations of being second in command goes on a little too long, but it's not like Lobos's first speech; this one works. similarly, the Xerons are keen but clueless. Mervyn Pinfield's direction isn't sympathetic to the comedy, but he can't stop the signal.
This is a low-budget serial, squeezed between a costume drama and a Dalek epic. It might have been a problem, but actually mostly works to enhance the comedy. The dregs of empire are posted to a rubbish museum, where their only opposition is a bunch of children who have been taught there's nothing they can do. Fine.
Of course, not every money-saving measure was welcomed by the cast. O'Brien hated her costume, which looks like a homemade prom dress from the 1950s sewn by someone who hadn't had much practise. I think it just about works, because it's vaguely reminiscent of the one worn by that other travelling revolutionary, Dorothy Gale, in the MGM version of The Wizard of Oz; and this is a cut-price revolution, after all. But it makes no sense for Vicki to choose the outfit.
One aspect of the design which doesn't work for me has problems not because of budget, but because of a lack of prophetic vision. This is the computer outside the armoury. It basically looks like every other 1960s supercomputer, with tape reels and big panels; you can see the same thing in The Prisoner episode The General, for example. It always makes me laugh, and also wonder what aspects of today's SF TV will look equally quaint in another half-century.
Still, that's a very minor issue. There's a good balance between the comedy and drama this time, with some excellent fight scenes and appropriate moments of music throughout. This is an episode that works well, so that I was by turns gripped and amused. It's much better than it's reputation; can the finale do as well?
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 8th May 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 22
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
6.5/10.
Next Time:
The Final Phase.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Books and Bugs and Big Finish
Well, the family has been hit by something viral. It's nothing
life-threatening, but it was enough to prevent us doing normal
activities. On Wednesday nobody was fit enough to take the dog for a
walk at all; other days I've really had to force myself to do so, even
for a short one. The two hours he really needs is right out! It has also
affected my concentration (which is already limited by pain and/or the
medication I take to reduce it). As a result I have written nothing for a
week, other than a few short comments on message threads. And I haven't
even watched the episode I was intending today's post to be about!
So, instead, this. Chiefly it's an announcement that this blog is going to be erratic for a while, but I thought I'd add a few other thoughts (because it's easier to ramble on than be usefully critical).
One is that I'm going through audios at a far greater rate then I change my Gallifrey Base sig, which rather defeats the point of having that info there. I recently managed to get a copy of The Last, the final Charley story missing from my collection, and I have embarked on a (non-critical) Charley marathon. It has two parts, going along in parallel: the eighth Doctor stories, most of which I've heard before (only The Last, Scaredy Cat, Something Inside and Memory Lane are first-time listenings); and the sixth Doctor ones (all of which are new). I swap between them depending on mood and money (I still need to save up for some!) and slot in the occasional story with other companions, most recently some of the audio short trips; The Darkening Eye; and The Forbidden Time. Oh, and some non-Who audios, too, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles (bought in the Christmas sale for my wife Alison).
I'm not sure if I've said this before, but audio is my main way of experiencing the show. I've now heard and rated more audios than I have TV stories, if you count the soundtracks of serials with no surviving episodes as audio. The tipping point was sometime last week, when I finished The Doomwood Curse. I also relisten more than I rewatch. From a purely entertainment perspective I would rather be blind than deaf - though that is reversed for most things, and I'm very glad to be neither!
Novels come a distant third (or fourth, if you count short stories individually). I've been reading more of them recently, prompted by the TARDIS Eruditorum, which is currently covering the wilderness years. In the past month I've read The Blue Angel and Father Time, and am partway through Love and War; Lance Parkin (a friend of a friend, actually) wins the 'easiest prose to read' award, but the New Adventure is easiest to read overall because of the print size. In general I read a lot less than I used to, mostly because of the concentration it takes; but I am enjoying dipping into the Who books outside of my marathon.
And that's all I've got to say for now. Take care of yourselves!
Next Time:
Really The Search. But no promises when...
So, instead, this. Chiefly it's an announcement that this blog is going to be erratic for a while, but I thought I'd add a few other thoughts (because it's easier to ramble on than be usefully critical).
One is that I'm going through audios at a far greater rate then I change my Gallifrey Base sig, which rather defeats the point of having that info there. I recently managed to get a copy of The Last, the final Charley story missing from my collection, and I have embarked on a (non-critical) Charley marathon. It has two parts, going along in parallel: the eighth Doctor stories, most of which I've heard before (only The Last, Scaredy Cat, Something Inside and Memory Lane are first-time listenings); and the sixth Doctor ones (all of which are new). I swap between them depending on mood and money (I still need to save up for some!) and slot in the occasional story with other companions, most recently some of the audio short trips; The Darkening Eye; and The Forbidden Time. Oh, and some non-Who audios, too, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles (bought in the Christmas sale for my wife Alison).
I'm not sure if I've said this before, but audio is my main way of experiencing the show. I've now heard and rated more audios than I have TV stories, if you count the soundtracks of serials with no surviving episodes as audio. The tipping point was sometime last week, when I finished The Doomwood Curse. I also relisten more than I rewatch. From a purely entertainment perspective I would rather be blind than deaf - though that is reversed for most things, and I'm very glad to be neither!
Novels come a distant third (or fourth, if you count short stories individually). I've been reading more of them recently, prompted by the TARDIS Eruditorum, which is currently covering the wilderness years. In the past month I've read The Blue Angel and Father Time, and am partway through Love and War; Lance Parkin (a friend of a friend, actually) wins the 'easiest prose to read' award, but the New Adventure is easiest to read overall because of the print size. In general I read a lot less than I used to, mostly because of the concentration it takes; but I am enjoying dipping into the Who books outside of my marathon.
And that's all I've got to say for now. Take care of yourselves!
Next Time:
Really The Search. But no promises when...
Monday, 11 February 2013
Episode 69 (Q2): The Dimensions of Time
This serial has a particular reputation, and unfortunately I was aware
of that reputation when I first saw it. This meant I was viewing it
through a particular lens, regardless of whether I was pushing against
the prevailing opinion or going along with it; there was little
opportunity to consider it from a different angle. Which is one reason
I'm a bit of a spoilerphobe.
So I was pleasantly surprised to find that - even though this is my third viewing - there were several spontaneous laugh-out-loud moments during this episode. The wonderful bit with the Doctor and Lobos at the end, of course, but also the Doctor in the Dalek, Ian trying to unknit Barbara's cardy, and Vicki getting bored waiting for Iananbarbara to make up their mind (I've a feeling there was one more, but I can't think what it might have been). Watching it with an enthusiastic ten-year-old (who is actually the owner of the DVD, as it happens) certainly helps; but in any case this is a funny episode.
I should probably mention the script editing here. Writer Glyn Jones says repeatedly in the commentary that he was not happy with Dennis Spooner's changes, and his main complaint is that a lot of the humour was cut out. Well, that's probably true, and he gives examples of how the script was changed; but there's a lot left in, too!
It's fairly obvious where this episode's reputation for dullness comes from, though: the first scene after the recap. Which does bring your expectations down with quite a thud. This was one of the changes Jones mentioned specifically - he had opened with a scene containing more action. It's not even as if we then move on to the action, though, because there is more exposition from the Xerons straight after (though the youngsters are a bit more animated).
According to Maureen O'Brien, part of what makes it so bad is that the actors were given almost no direction, and so had to make all the creative decisions themselves (which may not sound that bad, but you really do need an outside viewpoint - it's as hard as writers proofreading their own work). That's not the worst of it, though; there's a general uncertainty of tone, as if the production doesn't quite know what it is supposed to be, which must be laid chiefly at Mervyn Pinfield's feet. Last week's blend of humour and suspense was very effective, but here we've lost that. The script is certainly providing the humour, but it's shot completely "flat", draining the life out of it. It's fortunate that events turn quite farcical in places, because this allows the fun to push its way through anyway, and those moments sometimes manage to cover for the dry periods in between.
To be fair to Pinfield, he does make occasional imaginative use of the sets in the camera direction, and there are other good moments such as the close-up of hands examining the thread; but it's not enough.
One final comment. Watching the Xerons - and knowing the Moroks' attitude to them - I was reminded of a card from the game Junta:
Says it all, really.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 1st May 1965
Viewers: 9.2 million
Chart Position: 23
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
5/10.
Next Time:
The Search.
So I was pleasantly surprised to find that - even though this is my third viewing - there were several spontaneous laugh-out-loud moments during this episode. The wonderful bit with the Doctor and Lobos at the end, of course, but also the Doctor in the Dalek, Ian trying to unknit Barbara's cardy, and Vicki getting bored waiting for Iananbarbara to make up their mind (I've a feeling there was one more, but I can't think what it might have been). Watching it with an enthusiastic ten-year-old (who is actually the owner of the DVD, as it happens) certainly helps; but in any case this is a funny episode.
I should probably mention the script editing here. Writer Glyn Jones says repeatedly in the commentary that he was not happy with Dennis Spooner's changes, and his main complaint is that a lot of the humour was cut out. Well, that's probably true, and he gives examples of how the script was changed; but there's a lot left in, too!
It's fairly obvious where this episode's reputation for dullness comes from, though: the first scene after the recap. Which does bring your expectations down with quite a thud. This was one of the changes Jones mentioned specifically - he had opened with a scene containing more action. It's not even as if we then move on to the action, though, because there is more exposition from the Xerons straight after (though the youngsters are a bit more animated).
According to Maureen O'Brien, part of what makes it so bad is that the actors were given almost no direction, and so had to make all the creative decisions themselves (which may not sound that bad, but you really do need an outside viewpoint - it's as hard as writers proofreading their own work). That's not the worst of it, though; there's a general uncertainty of tone, as if the production doesn't quite know what it is supposed to be, which must be laid chiefly at Mervyn Pinfield's feet. Last week's blend of humour and suspense was very effective, but here we've lost that. The script is certainly providing the humour, but it's shot completely "flat", draining the life out of it. It's fortunate that events turn quite farcical in places, because this allows the fun to push its way through anyway, and those moments sometimes manage to cover for the dry periods in between.
To be fair to Pinfield, he does make occasional imaginative use of the sets in the camera direction, and there are other good moments such as the close-up of hands examining the thread; but it's not enough.
One final comment. Watching the Xerons - and knowing the Moroks' attitude to them - I was reminded of a card from the game Junta:
Students Protest Oppression!
No Effect. |
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 1st May 1965
Viewers: 9.2 million
Chart Position: 23
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
5/10.
Next Time:
The Search.
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