Right, let's tackle the framing sequence first - because it's lovely!
Having the two companions recounting and recording one of their
adventures is such an obvious idea, I'm surprised it hadn't been
overused by the fourth Companion Chronicles season. This one is so full
of meta and cheeky comments, like "whoever's going to want to listen to
it?"; and it immediately shows off the narrators' differing character
traits. Vicki is fanciful, imaginative, teasing; while Steven is
straightforward, a less confident teller of tales until he gets into his
stride.
The fan-pleasing in-jokes continue within the main story, too, in
particular the one about the 'alien landscape' that looks like (and
turns out to actually be) a gravel pit. This opening scene sets the tone
of the piece, lighthearted but with a vein of horror. Steven's
frustration that the Doctor will never admit he's wrong comes through
strongly - and I must say that Peter Purves' Doctor is excellent, really
echoing the spirit of William Hartnell's performance.
Later on, Steven admits to being close to madness on Mechanus, but I don't think he realises quite how
close. This certainly informs Purves' intense performance in his first
few stories, and he recaptures that here. Steven hearing voices later on
also ties into the theme rather scarily, as does his role in the
(period-appropriate) cliffhanger. We don't hear so much of Maureen
O'Brien in this episode, but Vicki's impish warmth comes through when we
do.
Jacqueline Rayner makes very good use of the medium. For instance, one
advantage of narration is that you can skip boring bits for one
character while other stuff that we do want to hear about is
going on in the same room, without it seeming artificial - and I didn't
even notice it on first listen when this happens by Vicki's bedside!
Another example is the comedy car journey, which is very much recreating
early Hollywood. I love the idea that the Doctor drives the car as well
as he pilots the TARDIS, and can picture how it would have looked on TV
- except, of course, that money wouldn't have allowed it. The location
shooting and stuntwork budget on audio is a lot higher.
There is a very classic feel to this story in other ways too, with Vicki
a bit of a victim but the production making good use of the BBC's
famous costume department. In fact, feminism definitely takes a back
seat, with Constance described as masculine-looking, bridling - much as
the Suffragettes of the day were depicted by their detractors. I can see
how this fits with how she would have been presented if this had been
made for TV in 1965, but I hope later episodes will provide a
contrasting view. Incidentally, there was a very interesting talk at the
History Live! festival last July, about the women of the First Aid
Nursing Yeomanry and how they pushed against the attitudes of the time,
failing to achieve any recognition from the British during the First
World War (though soldiers of other nations were grateful for their
help) but finally being acknowledged in the Second.
In contrast to the actual portrayal of women here, the discussion
between Steven and the Doctor concerning suffrage is great. I actually
knew the facts, but somehow hadn't really got a feel for what that meant
in terms of limiting men's access to the vote. Seeing how it would have
applied to Steven and the Doctor - fictional though they are - brought
it home. That in itself is the best way to fulfil an educational remit -
something the writer also did well in her previous story, The Transit of Venus.
Finally, hearing the name 'Piltdown' was enough for me to have an "aha!"
moment - that's a bit of history I don't need to be educated about -
and made me think I know where one strand of the story is going. I'll be
interested to see if I'm right...
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
The Piltdown Woman.
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
Friday, 5 June 2015
DWM Summer Special 1994: Are You Listening?
[Real life - in the form of exams - has got in the way of May and
Isaac's reviewing, so rather than leave this without an update for a
week or two I'm going to carry on with my own reviews. Don't worry, I'm
sure I'll get back to theirs before we hit Galaxy Four!]
It's quite hard to judge this story on its own, because it is very deliberately set up as one half of a mirrored pair. The 1994 DWM Summer Special focused on the beginning and end of the (classic) TV series, and is divided into two parts. Read one way it is about William Hartnell's era, mostly his first serial and first season; read the other it is about Sylvester McCoy's, particularly Survival. Interestingly, the two comics were from elsewhere in their timelines: the seventh Doctor travelling with Benny Summerfield post Love and War, and the first Doctor with Vicki and Steven.
Beyond that, placement of this part is necessarily somewhat arbitrary since there is no dialogue to pinpoint it. However, the artwork gives us one big clue: Steven is drawn tense, alert in every panel and always examining things. This strikes me as how he started his journey, so I am inclined to place it early. Placing it straight after The Time Meddler has the added advantage of separating two historicals with an SF story, always a bonus.
I mentioned the dialogue, and the key here is that there is none. Not one line. This is written entirely from the perspective of Xenith, a city/computer intelligence that doesn't understand what the travellers are saying, and whose attempts to communicate do not meet with success. It reminded me somewhat of Planet Story, a rather excellent issue of Marvel Premiere featuring Starlord, which used the same idea - though in that case the two halves showed the same events from two different perspectives, whereas here the seventh Doctor story is a sequel to the first Doctor's.
This conceit puts a lot of pressure on the art and on Xenith's internal monologue. Fortunately both are up to the task. Writer Warwick Gray has a nice, consistent turn of phrase which tells us just what we need to know. There is one stumble, when Xenith worries that "They've arrived and I'm just sitting here like some stupid abacus!", an odd thought that doesn't quite fit the rest of the text; but this is balanced out by the rather wonderful description of the TARDIS as "a form of alter-sentient intelligence, dressed in delicate energy spirals."
I've been generally quite harsh when talking about the artwork of the comics in this marathon, but Colin Andrew's here is the best so far. A few of his shots of the main characters seem too stiffly posed; but Vicki and the Doctor are always recognisable, and while that's not quite true of Steven he never looks wrong, just generic. That's an impressive feat in itself, but it's not the artwork's most important asset, which lies in the variety and the dynamism of the layout. No pages are completely restricted to rectangular panels - the first comes closest, but the TARDIS breaks out in the panel with the description quoted above - and camera placement and lighting are creatively handled. Long shots, closeups, low and high angles, tilted shots, a panel where the main point of interest sits behind an extreme closeup of Vicki's profile, views from behind and in front of the characters, half-shadowed figures... it's an impressive roster, which meant that the time spent reading this flew by.
In fact, the short runtime is the only thing stopping me giving this a 9/10: four pages is just a little too short to get the most out of the concept. Still, when my biggest complaint about something is that I wanted more, you know you're onto something good. And if my marathon ever reaches the Virgin years, you'll find out if the second part of the story lives up to the same high standards...
Published:
Date: July 1994
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
An Unearthing.
It's quite hard to judge this story on its own, because it is very deliberately set up as one half of a mirrored pair. The 1994 DWM Summer Special focused on the beginning and end of the (classic) TV series, and is divided into two parts. Read one way it is about William Hartnell's era, mostly his first serial and first season; read the other it is about Sylvester McCoy's, particularly Survival. Interestingly, the two comics were from elsewhere in their timelines: the seventh Doctor travelling with Benny Summerfield post Love and War, and the first Doctor with Vicki and Steven.
Beyond that, placement of this part is necessarily somewhat arbitrary since there is no dialogue to pinpoint it. However, the artwork gives us one big clue: Steven is drawn tense, alert in every panel and always examining things. This strikes me as how he started his journey, so I am inclined to place it early. Placing it straight after The Time Meddler has the added advantage of separating two historicals with an SF story, always a bonus.
I mentioned the dialogue, and the key here is that there is none. Not one line. This is written entirely from the perspective of Xenith, a city/computer intelligence that doesn't understand what the travellers are saying, and whose attempts to communicate do not meet with success. It reminded me somewhat of Planet Story, a rather excellent issue of Marvel Premiere featuring Starlord, which used the same idea - though in that case the two halves showed the same events from two different perspectives, whereas here the seventh Doctor story is a sequel to the first Doctor's.
This conceit puts a lot of pressure on the art and on Xenith's internal monologue. Fortunately both are up to the task. Writer Warwick Gray has a nice, consistent turn of phrase which tells us just what we need to know. There is one stumble, when Xenith worries that "They've arrived and I'm just sitting here like some stupid abacus!", an odd thought that doesn't quite fit the rest of the text; but this is balanced out by the rather wonderful description of the TARDIS as "a form of alter-sentient intelligence, dressed in delicate energy spirals."
I've been generally quite harsh when talking about the artwork of the comics in this marathon, but Colin Andrew's here is the best so far. A few of his shots of the main characters seem too stiffly posed; but Vicki and the Doctor are always recognisable, and while that's not quite true of Steven he never looks wrong, just generic. That's an impressive feat in itself, but it's not the artwork's most important asset, which lies in the variety and the dynamism of the layout. No pages are completely restricted to rectangular panels - the first comes closest, but the TARDIS breaks out in the panel with the description quoted above - and camera placement and lighting are creatively handled. Long shots, closeups, low and high angles, tilted shots, a panel where the main point of interest sits behind an extreme closeup of Vicki's profile, views from behind and in front of the characters, half-shadowed figures... it's an impressive roster, which meant that the time spent reading this flew by.
In fact, the short runtime is the only thing stopping me giving this a 9/10: four pages is just a little too short to get the most out of the concept. Still, when my biggest complaint about something is that I wanted more, you know you're onto something good. And if my marathon ever reaches the Virgin years, you'll find out if the second part of the story lives up to the same high standards...
Published:
Date: July 1994
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
An Unearthing.
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Episode 80 (S3): A Battle of Wits (Isaac's view)
Sorry this has been a bit late, I've got a bit behind schedule and I
couldn't write it on Wednesday because we went to see the Doctor Who
Symphonic Spectacular, which was a lot of fun but took up the whole day.
I liked this episode a lot - the acting was spot on, particularly Alethea's (as always). We start out with a recap of last week's cliffhanger, then Vicki and Steven search for a hidden entrance, which they find quickly. This was good - especially Steven pointing out the cliche and the accurate lack of knowledge Steven and Vicki have of their time period. The Monk, on his way to fetch medicine for Eldred, decides to check the Doctor's cell, only to find it unlocked and empty of Doctor. Peter Butterworth had excellent expressions here, and indeed throughout the episode - his look of confusion is priceless.
We return to Steven and Vicki, who are crawling along the passage. The Doctor arrives at the village and talks to a grim Edith. He learns that vikings landed, making a verbal blunder which means this time he has to let on that there is a viking invasion. In another callback to the original intention of the show, he lets on that Harold defeats Harald and is then defeated by William the Conqueror. I think that Edith's rape as handled well, though no help came from the scriptwriter - it's all in Alethea's acting, the way when talking to the Doctor at this point she is very sorrowful, bleak and closed - she makes it clear that Edith was affected by this deeply. Also, later on when the Monk calls, she is clearly wary when she comes out. The rest of these scenes were also good, with excellent acting throughout.
Steven and Vicki emerge from the tunnel and find no sign of the Doctor, Steven finally accepts time travel but the watch and the gramophone are anomalies - both probably connected to the Monk. They argue over where to look for the Doctor - the TARDIS or the monastery. In the meantime, the monk gives Eldred aspirin from his first aid box and tells Wulnoth to put his sword away, saying a monastery is a place of peace. Wulnoth does so, and leaves. The Monk asks Eldred when the viking invasion would arrive - finding he is right on schedule. Wulnoth returns, saying that Eldred must stay here but he and Edith will help. The Monk starts to protest, but does not finish because they would be suspicious. These scenes are good - the acting is done well, the small conflict is nice, and we get to know a bit more of the monk's plan.
Sven and Ulf are running in the woods, as stealthily as possible. They stop, and argue over what to do - try and complete their mission by returning to the ship through dangerous territory, or hide out until Hardrada arrives and claim they were captured. Eventually, after much discussion, they decide the latter and head to the monastery, reasoning that the monks have to give them refuge. This is a nice scene, which I have said for almost all of the scenes, and we get to see a bit more of the vikings (they play it a bit over the top, but I don't particularly mind).
The Monk gets out a scroll and hangs it up, letting us know the content is a progress chart - including position atomic cannon and light beacon fires. He ticks off 'Sight Vikings', then rolls it up and gets out a map. He uses his authentic 11th century compass to presumably measure a distance, maybe for the aforementioned beacon fires. While he is in the middle of doing this there is a knocking at the door. He goes to check it out, but there is no-one there. He goes inside and shuts the door, but someone knocks again. He quickly goes back and opens the door, this time walking quite a ways outside to look for the knocker. The Doctor approaches him from behind with a stick, pokes it in the Monk's back, and tells the Monk it is a gun. This scene is very good - it gives a bit of an idea of the Monk's plans and it has Peter Butterworth's always excellent expressions; humour - the fact that the Monk had a progress chart amused me; drama - you think that the knocking door is the Vikings, and it gets a bit tense with the Doctor's hiding after knocking.
We cut back to Steven and Vicki arriving at the clifftop, and look down to see that the tide has come in! Vicki laments the fact that of the two possibilities that she can see, both of them mean they are trapped there. Steven suggests going to the monastery to either find the Doctor or see what is going on with the Monk and his modern equipment. Before he can persuade Vicki to do it however, he spots in the bushes a very futuristic gun - presumably the atomic cannon - which spurs them into action. This scene is a good, and we see quite a sad Vicki, which been quite rare before this story.
The Doctor realises that the Monk had been leading him in circles around the monastery, but while he is talking the Monk discovers his stick trick - but this doesn't change much as it is still quite dangerous. There is a knocking at the door, which the monk explains he has to answer. The Doctor, still mistrustful, orders him to get him a Monk's habit. There is a jump to the Doctor, wearing a robe, and the Monk walking through the entrance hall and tentatively opening the door, stick still in hand. Unfortunately the Vikings come and capture the Doctor, and put him in a cell. Sven orders Ulf to find the other monks, who will hide them or the Doctor dies. There is a jump to Ulf resting near the Monk's stone cupboard. The Monk then comes out of hiding and knocks him out. This scene was good, with lots of drama - the drama we've had before was in short bursts, so it's nice to have a long run.
Steven and Vicki look for the secret passage, but apparently the area looks very different in daylight. They eventually find it. In the meantime, Sven decides to check on the Doctor but he is not in his cell! The secret passage door is wide open, but as he looks down it the Doctor emerges from behind the door and knocks him out. These scenes are well done, moving most of the characters to the monastery and showing more of the Doctors cleverness with this ploy.
While this was happening, the Monk goes down to the village and asks Wulnoth to get the villagers to prepare beacon fires on the cliffs, claiming that 'building materials' were coming on a ship so that he could repair the monastery. After the Monk leaves, Wulnoth asks Edith what the Doctor said about an invasion. This scene is nice, showing more of the Monk's plan coming into play, but also the fact that the villagers are not as gullible as the Monk thinks.
Steven and Vicki emerge the other end of the passage, and are alarmed by Sven's unconscious body. They don't stop to contemplate it though, because they don't have the time to. We jump back to the Monk, who speaks to Ulf, saying he has made beacons for his fellow Vikings. Little does he know, the Doctor is listening and places a sword at his throat, ordering him to explain his plan. While this is happening, Steven and Vicki find a cable which runs into the Monk's stone cupboard, and they enter it to find that the Monk has a TARDIS. These short scenes were good, moving the story along well - Vicki and Steven finally get to the monastery, the Doctor finally has a hold over the Monk that's substantial, and Steven and Vicki uncover that the Monk has a TARDIS like the Doctor's...
Next Time:
Guess.
I liked this episode a lot - the acting was spot on, particularly Alethea's (as always). We start out with a recap of last week's cliffhanger, then Vicki and Steven search for a hidden entrance, which they find quickly. This was good - especially Steven pointing out the cliche and the accurate lack of knowledge Steven and Vicki have of their time period. The Monk, on his way to fetch medicine for Eldred, decides to check the Doctor's cell, only to find it unlocked and empty of Doctor. Peter Butterworth had excellent expressions here, and indeed throughout the episode - his look of confusion is priceless.
We return to Steven and Vicki, who are crawling along the passage. The Doctor arrives at the village and talks to a grim Edith. He learns that vikings landed, making a verbal blunder which means this time he has to let on that there is a viking invasion. In another callback to the original intention of the show, he lets on that Harold defeats Harald and is then defeated by William the Conqueror. I think that Edith's rape as handled well, though no help came from the scriptwriter - it's all in Alethea's acting, the way when talking to the Doctor at this point she is very sorrowful, bleak and closed - she makes it clear that Edith was affected by this deeply. Also, later on when the Monk calls, she is clearly wary when she comes out. The rest of these scenes were also good, with excellent acting throughout.
Steven and Vicki emerge from the tunnel and find no sign of the Doctor, Steven finally accepts time travel but the watch and the gramophone are anomalies - both probably connected to the Monk. They argue over where to look for the Doctor - the TARDIS or the monastery. In the meantime, the monk gives Eldred aspirin from his first aid box and tells Wulnoth to put his sword away, saying a monastery is a place of peace. Wulnoth does so, and leaves. The Monk asks Eldred when the viking invasion would arrive - finding he is right on schedule. Wulnoth returns, saying that Eldred must stay here but he and Edith will help. The Monk starts to protest, but does not finish because they would be suspicious. These scenes are good - the acting is done well, the small conflict is nice, and we get to know a bit more of the monk's plan.
Sven and Ulf are running in the woods, as stealthily as possible. They stop, and argue over what to do - try and complete their mission by returning to the ship through dangerous territory, or hide out until Hardrada arrives and claim they were captured. Eventually, after much discussion, they decide the latter and head to the monastery, reasoning that the monks have to give them refuge. This is a nice scene, which I have said for almost all of the scenes, and we get to see a bit more of the vikings (they play it a bit over the top, but I don't particularly mind).
The Monk gets out a scroll and hangs it up, letting us know the content is a progress chart - including position atomic cannon and light beacon fires. He ticks off 'Sight Vikings', then rolls it up and gets out a map. He uses his authentic 11th century compass to presumably measure a distance, maybe for the aforementioned beacon fires. While he is in the middle of doing this there is a knocking at the door. He goes to check it out, but there is no-one there. He goes inside and shuts the door, but someone knocks again. He quickly goes back and opens the door, this time walking quite a ways outside to look for the knocker. The Doctor approaches him from behind with a stick, pokes it in the Monk's back, and tells the Monk it is a gun. This scene is very good - it gives a bit of an idea of the Monk's plans and it has Peter Butterworth's always excellent expressions; humour - the fact that the Monk had a progress chart amused me; drama - you think that the knocking door is the Vikings, and it gets a bit tense with the Doctor's hiding after knocking.
We cut back to Steven and Vicki arriving at the clifftop, and look down to see that the tide has come in! Vicki laments the fact that of the two possibilities that she can see, both of them mean they are trapped there. Steven suggests going to the monastery to either find the Doctor or see what is going on with the Monk and his modern equipment. Before he can persuade Vicki to do it however, he spots in the bushes a very futuristic gun - presumably the atomic cannon - which spurs them into action. This scene is a good, and we see quite a sad Vicki, which been quite rare before this story.
The Doctor realises that the Monk had been leading him in circles around the monastery, but while he is talking the Monk discovers his stick trick - but this doesn't change much as it is still quite dangerous. There is a knocking at the door, which the monk explains he has to answer. The Doctor, still mistrustful, orders him to get him a Monk's habit. There is a jump to the Doctor, wearing a robe, and the Monk walking through the entrance hall and tentatively opening the door, stick still in hand. Unfortunately the Vikings come and capture the Doctor, and put him in a cell. Sven orders Ulf to find the other monks, who will hide them or the Doctor dies. There is a jump to Ulf resting near the Monk's stone cupboard. The Monk then comes out of hiding and knocks him out. This scene was good, with lots of drama - the drama we've had before was in short bursts, so it's nice to have a long run.
Steven and Vicki look for the secret passage, but apparently the area looks very different in daylight. They eventually find it. In the meantime, Sven decides to check on the Doctor but he is not in his cell! The secret passage door is wide open, but as he looks down it the Doctor emerges from behind the door and knocks him out. These scenes are well done, moving most of the characters to the monastery and showing more of the Doctors cleverness with this ploy.
While this was happening, the Monk goes down to the village and asks Wulnoth to get the villagers to prepare beacon fires on the cliffs, claiming that 'building materials' were coming on a ship so that he could repair the monastery. After the Monk leaves, Wulnoth asks Edith what the Doctor said about an invasion. This scene is nice, showing more of the Monk's plan coming into play, but also the fact that the villagers are not as gullible as the Monk thinks.
Steven and Vicki emerge the other end of the passage, and are alarmed by Sven's unconscious body. They don't stop to contemplate it though, because they don't have the time to. We jump back to the Monk, who speaks to Ulf, saying he has made beacons for his fellow Vikings. Little does he know, the Doctor is listening and places a sword at his throat, ordering him to explain his plan. While this is happening, Steven and Vicki find a cable which runs into the Monk's stone cupboard, and they enter it to find that the Monk has a TARDIS. These short scenes were good, moving the story along well - Vicki and Steven finally get to the monastery, the Doctor finally has a hold over the Monk that's substantial, and Steven and Vicki uncover that the Monk has a TARDIS like the Doctor's...
Next Time:
Guess.
Monday, 25 May 2015
Episode 79 (S2): The Meddling Monk (May's view)
The opening scene of this episode would be quite unremarkable if it
wasn't set in Saxon times. The Monk is using a toaster to make crumpets,
he burns his hand and then smacks the toaster (oh Monk, you have no
idea how many times I've wanted to do that!). It's just a small thing,
but Peter Butterworth plays the comedy very well. He hums a little tune
to himself as he makes breakfast, which is a good acting choice on
Butterworth's part I think, it distracts us from the fact that the Monk
is actually the antagonist of this serial. We think, "aw, he seems like a
nice guy, doesn't he?". He makes a pretty good breakfast by the looks
of it as well, like dad said, I'd stay at Hotel Monk! The Doctor
throwing tea on him is a wonderful comedic moment as well.
Vicki and Steven's breakfast is a lot simpler than the Doctor's. In this scene I particularly like Purves' delivery of the line "Would you like some blackberries, or... some blackberries?" It really shows how Vicki and Steven's friendship is developing. Also, *cough* Peter Purves was very attractive *cough*.
The Monk and Edith's interaction is great. We get to see more of what a nice person Edith is!
The set for this serial as just amazing. If I didn't know it was studio filmed, I'd swear it was filmed on location. The projected sky, realistic rocks and plants, plus a clever use of stock footage provides a really immersive set. The Monk spotting the Viking longship and getting excited makes you want to know what his plan is.
I like how Edith is the voice of reason in this next scene. There's a definite gender divide in views. Edith and Vicki are amiable towards each other; Steven is hostile towards the male Saxons, and they are hostile back, particularly Eldred. I like Steven's hostility actually, it's another reminder of how he was affected by his time with the Mechanoids, but I also like Vicki correcting him, it shows how she's helping him recover.
The Vikings are here! The first thing I notice is some fab work from the costume department, I mean, completely historically inaccurate, but very striking. Also, is it me, or does Sven look like Asterix?
Once again, we see Steven's social ineptitude when he's talking to the Monk, I don't think I have to reiterate why I think this is good. As the others have said, Steven's arrogance is shown by his confidence in his own plan, and Vicki's intelligence is shown by her questioning of it.
Edith is shown to be resourceful. She knows to defend herself, and she doesn't hesitate in it. She is overpowered, but I don't think that this means she's weak, she was up against three Viking warriors! Her heavily implied rape is an interesting plot point, definitely not one I would have expected from Hartnell's era of Who! Rape is a very sensitive topic to handle, and it has to be done well for it not to fall into sexist tropes or 'torture porn'. However, it can't be ignored, as it's a horrific thing that happens to many women (and men). Nowadays, I think rape is used too much on television, just as a way to inject horror into the show, and it's often not handled well; however, in the '60s, it was a different case, not talked about much on TV or in day-to-day life. As for how Doctor Who handled the rape of Edith, I'll talk about that more in the next episode, because I really need to look at how the aftermath of it is portrayed to formulate a proper opinion.
The episode is rather let down by the horrifically choreographed fight scene. Oh, dear Lord, it's so awful. We've just had this really important, serious scene, and it's followed by this atrocity! I could cry.
Steven and Vicki going different ways in the monastery is a return to the comedic nature of the episode, which is nice (I like that it's the direction Vicki chooses that they go in!). I like the parallel to the end of the last episode, with Vicki and Steven finding the gramophone as well. The cliffhanger is kind of meh, but good enough that I wanted to find out what happens next.
Next Time:
A Battle of Wits.
Vicki and Steven's breakfast is a lot simpler than the Doctor's. In this scene I particularly like Purves' delivery of the line "Would you like some blackberries, or... some blackberries?" It really shows how Vicki and Steven's friendship is developing. Also, *cough* Peter Purves was very attractive *cough*.
The Monk and Edith's interaction is great. We get to see more of what a nice person Edith is!
The set for this serial as just amazing. If I didn't know it was studio filmed, I'd swear it was filmed on location. The projected sky, realistic rocks and plants, plus a clever use of stock footage provides a really immersive set. The Monk spotting the Viking longship and getting excited makes you want to know what his plan is.
I like how Edith is the voice of reason in this next scene. There's a definite gender divide in views. Edith and Vicki are amiable towards each other; Steven is hostile towards the male Saxons, and they are hostile back, particularly Eldred. I like Steven's hostility actually, it's another reminder of how he was affected by his time with the Mechanoids, but I also like Vicki correcting him, it shows how she's helping him recover.
The Vikings are here! The first thing I notice is some fab work from the costume department, I mean, completely historically inaccurate, but very striking. Also, is it me, or does Sven look like Asterix?
Once again, we see Steven's social ineptitude when he's talking to the Monk, I don't think I have to reiterate why I think this is good. As the others have said, Steven's arrogance is shown by his confidence in his own plan, and Vicki's intelligence is shown by her questioning of it.
Edith is shown to be resourceful. She knows to defend herself, and she doesn't hesitate in it. She is overpowered, but I don't think that this means she's weak, she was up against three Viking warriors! Her heavily implied rape is an interesting plot point, definitely not one I would have expected from Hartnell's era of Who! Rape is a very sensitive topic to handle, and it has to be done well for it not to fall into sexist tropes or 'torture porn'. However, it can't be ignored, as it's a horrific thing that happens to many women (and men). Nowadays, I think rape is used too much on television, just as a way to inject horror into the show, and it's often not handled well; however, in the '60s, it was a different case, not talked about much on TV or in day-to-day life. As for how Doctor Who handled the rape of Edith, I'll talk about that more in the next episode, because I really need to look at how the aftermath of it is portrayed to formulate a proper opinion.
The episode is rather let down by the horrifically choreographed fight scene. Oh, dear Lord, it's so awful. We've just had this really important, serious scene, and it's followed by this atrocity! I could cry.
Steven and Vicki going different ways in the monastery is a return to the comedic nature of the episode, which is nice (I like that it's the direction Vicki chooses that they go in!). I like the parallel to the end of the last episode, with Vicki and Steven finding the gramophone as well. The cliffhanger is kind of meh, but good enough that I wanted to find out what happens next.
Next Time:
A Battle of Wits.
Saturday, 23 May 2015
Episode 79 (S2): The Meddling Monk (Isaac's view)
(Isaac got just a little bit carried away with this one. Make yourself a cup of tea, sit back and relax...)
A good episode with good acting in general - I think Peter Russell hammed it up a bit too much, and the fight scene was cringe-worthy, but overall a nice episode. Maureen played Vicki well, especially when Vicki was unsettled at the start and when she showed off Vicki's ingenuity later on. William's voice acting was good from what little there was of it, and Alethea was brilliant in absolutely all of her scenes.
The first scene was a bit surprising, with a big change of tone from the end of last episode, but worked well in getting me engaged. I liked the relaxed nature of this scene, and I expect the first time someone watched it that was necessary for them to get their head round it, but it was also a nice bit of calm before the tenser later parts of the episode. The Meddling Monk also seems to make a first class breakfast (the Doctor's so ungrateful) and we get to find out a bit more about his character from what the Monk would consider quite normal stuff (again, well done Peter Butterworth).
We move on to see Vicki wake up a little worried from noises in the bushes. She warily goes to check it out, tension tenses, and... it's Steven. A release of tension follows, but lo! There are Saxons in the bushes! They ambush the travellers, and take them to their village. This is a cliche that is used quite a lot in television, and that does stick out a little bit, but I like this scene anyway - we see a more relaxed Steven, and a bit of dramatics is always nice.
We jump back to the Monk's renditioning his new poem "My Child" to Edith and co., who had politely brought him food. After the visitors have been ushered away, The Monk uses his authentic Saxon binoculars to spy a Viking longship, but he is happy for a reason unknown to us. This was a good scene, which I appear to be saying quite often in this serial, with a show of how the Monk tries to fit in and a sense of mystery around The Monk creeping back; Peter Butterworth's acting and humour make me look forward to each scene with him in.
We go and see what Steven and Vicki have been up to. There is an argument between Wulnoth and Eldred over whether they let our heroes go or not. Then Edith intervenes on the companions' side, and the thing is settled, with Steven and Vicki setting off for the Monk's abode and the others going back to their hnefatafl or whatever they were doing. Peter Russell, as I said at the start, did a bit of a hammy performance, but it is made up for by everyone else's acting. This scene is another good one that moves the story along, has some nice dialogue, and has a bit more of Michael Miller's character - unfortunately, we don't get to see an awful lot of him, and I think he's quite a good actor.
Changing viewpoints, we see the Vikings arriving on the beach. The leader of their expedition orders his his men about their duties, sending three to loot the nearby village for supplies. The leader proceeds to disappear for the rest of the story. This scene is short, there isn't much stuff to comment on, but I'll comment just the same. I think that Geoffrey Cheshire had a good commanding tone and aura about him, and the costumes looked a bit realistic, if not authentic.
We jump back to our lovely Steven and Vicki, who come knocking on our mystery Monk's door. He answers it, using his usual 'I'm being super religious' excuse, answering the pairs enquiries without a moment's thought, until he is caught off guard by Steven asking about other monks (doesn't Steven know it's perfectly usual to have a one monk abbey?). Steven is suspicious, and devises a plan to uncover the Monk while the monk is 'asking the others'. He enacts it, but lo! The Monk had heard his plan, and plays along so he can set a devious trap for our friends. The Monk goes back into his abbey, then Steven and Vicki discuss it. Vicki has ingenuity enough to see through the Monk, and informs Steven on how he's been fooled, but they decide to infiltrate the place anyway. I really like this scene. It shows a bit of the Monk's cunning side, with some more of Steven's forward manner; Vicki shows off her cleverness; and it's all coupled with great acting - particularly on O'Brien's part - and fantastic dialogue. 'Nuff said.
There is, as John put it, an elephant in the room. Some would address it now, but I'm going to put it off for a paragraph later because I want to talk about the matter a bit more completely. Edith hears some rustling in the bushes, and picks up a spear. The three Vikings spring from the bushes, overpower Edith, and drag her into the hut. This scene is a bit of the dramatics, and has the cliched 'something in the bushes', but it's pulled off well, so that doesn't matter. Edith picking up the spear is quite realistic - people would have to know how to defend themselves back then, especially near the coast.
Steven and Vicki decide that this side that they're looking at isn't the best one.
Now we come to the paragraph where I address that elephant. Wulnoth and Eldred return to the village, to find Edith lying still on the ground, alive, but it is heavily implied that she was raped. Eldred starts to argue to Wulnoth that it was the travellers, but Wulnoth bursts into tears, silencing him. After a while, he orders Eldred to gather the villagers, anger clearly present. This scene is very grim, darkening the tone considerably. The reactions of Wulnoth seemed accurate, and there was a lot of emotion in his speech and expressions. Peter Russell didn't do the best job on this scene - after Eldred's initial shock, it didn't seem like he felt anything other than anger - but the rest of the acting was fantastic. It will be hard to judge whether the rape was handled well until I see anything other than the initial reaction, so I'll write a paragraph about it at the start of next episode's review.
We see the Vikings blunder along the path with their loot in hand, and not being too quiet about it. We go back to the hut, where Edith is still incapacitated, with Wulnoth and some villagers caring to her, trying to find out who did it. Edith eventually manages to say Vikings. This scene is quite good because it shows how bad it must have been for Edith - it was such good acting, that it seemed almost real.
Now we come to a scene that completely offsets the tone that was built up over the last few scenes. The fight scene. It is so badly choreographed, that it is actually quite funny - the way they sort of stand around, not knowing quite what to do - one falls over then stabs someone in the foot. The mood is lightened by this slapstick, which is sort of welcome - it is a family show, all in all.
The Monk walks past an opening, then Steven and Vicki jump in. They both go opposite ways, and both say follow me at the same time. Steven ends up following Vicki. This is a short scene but quite nice - it adds a bit of humour, something that has been a bit lacking this episode after the first scene.
The Monk sets his gramophone, checks his trap, then waits for our travellers. Wulnoth drags Eldred up the path to the monastery. This scene is good, with some nice expressions by Peter Butterworth. Peter Russell does a surprisingly good injured person.
We see our travellers going along a passage, but unknown to them the Monk watches from his hiding spot. Then our nice Monk is called by the door. I liked this scene, mostly because of the expression on the Monk's face.
Our friends find the gramophone, but do not share the Doctor's fate, because the Monk has to answer the door. They search for a bit, and find the Doctor's holding cell. Steven starts to pick the lock on the door. This scene was quite good - O'Brien and Purves did a good expression of surprise when they found the gramophone.
The Monk answers the door, just as Wulnoth starts trying to batter it down - he invites them in, and is left standing outside by the Saxons. Vicki and Steven get into the Doctor's cell, but lo! when they take off the sheets, he is not there! This scene was nice - the humour with the Monk was good, and there was quite a cliched cliffhanger at the end, but that didn't particularly bother me.
Next Time:
May's review of The Meddling Monk.
A good episode with good acting in general - I think Peter Russell hammed it up a bit too much, and the fight scene was cringe-worthy, but overall a nice episode. Maureen played Vicki well, especially when Vicki was unsettled at the start and when she showed off Vicki's ingenuity later on. William's voice acting was good from what little there was of it, and Alethea was brilliant in absolutely all of her scenes.
The first scene was a bit surprising, with a big change of tone from the end of last episode, but worked well in getting me engaged. I liked the relaxed nature of this scene, and I expect the first time someone watched it that was necessary for them to get their head round it, but it was also a nice bit of calm before the tenser later parts of the episode. The Meddling Monk also seems to make a first class breakfast (the Doctor's so ungrateful) and we get to find out a bit more about his character from what the Monk would consider quite normal stuff (again, well done Peter Butterworth).
We move on to see Vicki wake up a little worried from noises in the bushes. She warily goes to check it out, tension tenses, and... it's Steven. A release of tension follows, but lo! There are Saxons in the bushes! They ambush the travellers, and take them to their village. This is a cliche that is used quite a lot in television, and that does stick out a little bit, but I like this scene anyway - we see a more relaxed Steven, and a bit of dramatics is always nice.
We jump back to the Monk's renditioning his new poem "My Child" to Edith and co., who had politely brought him food. After the visitors have been ushered away, The Monk uses his authentic Saxon binoculars to spy a Viking longship, but he is happy for a reason unknown to us. This was a good scene, which I appear to be saying quite often in this serial, with a show of how the Monk tries to fit in and a sense of mystery around The Monk creeping back; Peter Butterworth's acting and humour make me look forward to each scene with him in.
We go and see what Steven and Vicki have been up to. There is an argument between Wulnoth and Eldred over whether they let our heroes go or not. Then Edith intervenes on the companions' side, and the thing is settled, with Steven and Vicki setting off for the Monk's abode and the others going back to their hnefatafl or whatever they were doing. Peter Russell, as I said at the start, did a bit of a hammy performance, but it is made up for by everyone else's acting. This scene is another good one that moves the story along, has some nice dialogue, and has a bit more of Michael Miller's character - unfortunately, we don't get to see an awful lot of him, and I think he's quite a good actor.
Changing viewpoints, we see the Vikings arriving on the beach. The leader of their expedition orders his his men about their duties, sending three to loot the nearby village for supplies. The leader proceeds to disappear for the rest of the story. This scene is short, there isn't much stuff to comment on, but I'll comment just the same. I think that Geoffrey Cheshire had a good commanding tone and aura about him, and the costumes looked a bit realistic, if not authentic.
We jump back to our lovely Steven and Vicki, who come knocking on our mystery Monk's door. He answers it, using his usual 'I'm being super religious' excuse, answering the pairs enquiries without a moment's thought, until he is caught off guard by Steven asking about other monks (doesn't Steven know it's perfectly usual to have a one monk abbey?). Steven is suspicious, and devises a plan to uncover the Monk while the monk is 'asking the others'. He enacts it, but lo! The Monk had heard his plan, and plays along so he can set a devious trap for our friends. The Monk goes back into his abbey, then Steven and Vicki discuss it. Vicki has ingenuity enough to see through the Monk, and informs Steven on how he's been fooled, but they decide to infiltrate the place anyway. I really like this scene. It shows a bit of the Monk's cunning side, with some more of Steven's forward manner; Vicki shows off her cleverness; and it's all coupled with great acting - particularly on O'Brien's part - and fantastic dialogue. 'Nuff said.
There is, as John put it, an elephant in the room. Some would address it now, but I'm going to put it off for a paragraph later because I want to talk about the matter a bit more completely. Edith hears some rustling in the bushes, and picks up a spear. The three Vikings spring from the bushes, overpower Edith, and drag her into the hut. This scene is a bit of the dramatics, and has the cliched 'something in the bushes', but it's pulled off well, so that doesn't matter. Edith picking up the spear is quite realistic - people would have to know how to defend themselves back then, especially near the coast.
Steven and Vicki decide that this side that they're looking at isn't the best one.
Now we come to the paragraph where I address that elephant. Wulnoth and Eldred return to the village, to find Edith lying still on the ground, alive, but it is heavily implied that she was raped. Eldred starts to argue to Wulnoth that it was the travellers, but Wulnoth bursts into tears, silencing him. After a while, he orders Eldred to gather the villagers, anger clearly present. This scene is very grim, darkening the tone considerably. The reactions of Wulnoth seemed accurate, and there was a lot of emotion in his speech and expressions. Peter Russell didn't do the best job on this scene - after Eldred's initial shock, it didn't seem like he felt anything other than anger - but the rest of the acting was fantastic. It will be hard to judge whether the rape was handled well until I see anything other than the initial reaction, so I'll write a paragraph about it at the start of next episode's review.
We see the Vikings blunder along the path with their loot in hand, and not being too quiet about it. We go back to the hut, where Edith is still incapacitated, with Wulnoth and some villagers caring to her, trying to find out who did it. Edith eventually manages to say Vikings. This scene is quite good because it shows how bad it must have been for Edith - it was such good acting, that it seemed almost real.
Now we come to a scene that completely offsets the tone that was built up over the last few scenes. The fight scene. It is so badly choreographed, that it is actually quite funny - the way they sort of stand around, not knowing quite what to do - one falls over then stabs someone in the foot. The mood is lightened by this slapstick, which is sort of welcome - it is a family show, all in all.
The Monk walks past an opening, then Steven and Vicki jump in. They both go opposite ways, and both say follow me at the same time. Steven ends up following Vicki. This is a short scene but quite nice - it adds a bit of humour, something that has been a bit lacking this episode after the first scene.
The Monk sets his gramophone, checks his trap, then waits for our travellers. Wulnoth drags Eldred up the path to the monastery. This scene is good, with some nice expressions by Peter Butterworth. Peter Russell does a surprisingly good injured person.
We see our travellers going along a passage, but unknown to them the Monk watches from his hiding spot. Then our nice Monk is called by the door. I liked this scene, mostly because of the expression on the Monk's face.
Our friends find the gramophone, but do not share the Doctor's fate, because the Monk has to answer the door. They search for a bit, and find the Doctor's holding cell. Steven starts to pick the lock on the door. This scene was quite good - O'Brien and Purves did a good expression of surprise when they found the gramophone.
The Monk answers the door, just as Wulnoth starts trying to batter it down - he invites them in, and is left standing outside by the Saxons. Vicki and Steven get into the Doctor's cell, but lo! when they take off the sheets, he is not there! This scene was nice - the humour with the Monk was good, and there was quite a cliched cliffhanger at the end, but that didn't particularly bother me.
Next Time:
May's review of The Meddling Monk.
Thursday, 21 May 2015
Episode 78 (S1): The Watcher (May's view)
(And eventually, May also decided to do episode reviews! Over to her.)
I have to say I'm slightly daunted by writing this. I feel like I've got a lot to live up to. Particularly with this story actually, considering the monster review that my father has written. Really dad! You could have left at least a few points for your poor children to cover! Most of this will therefore be repeats of what dad's already said, just from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old girl.
Well, let's start at the beginning, with the very first scene. There's some good acting from Maureen O'Brien and William Hartnell. I feel like they got the grandfather/granddaughter dynamic really well (even though Vicki is not Susan, she's slotted into the hole she left quite neatly). There was also a definite air of suppressed sadness from both of them (particularly Vicki, she seemed like she was putting on a brave face for the Doctor), which seemed realistic, given Ian and Barbara's departure.
Then, of course, there's Steven's entrance. Which I think is marvellous. This scene just feels so Hartnell era, Vicki's cry of "oh, do be careful Doctor! It's obviously a dalek!", and their choice of weapons (shoe and coat). It's hard to put it into words, but it just seems like it belongs in that era of Who, and it wouldn't fit anywhere else.
In the next scene, Peter Purves' acting is really very good, he has the right balance of seriousness and comedy that is required for Doctor Who - I especially liked the bit where he calls the Doctor 'Doctor' for the first time (or, as he actually said it, 'Doc...tor!'). And, of course, there's the Doctor's 'chair with a panda on it' speech. Steven and Vicki's little conflab about acronyms is also golden!
The monk is instantly presented as someone we need to watch out for. He observes the TARDIS from the cliff without batting an eyelid, and he does not seem at all unsettled when he listens to the Doctor explaining about the TARDIS. When I first watched this episode, I remember thinking "this guy's not a monk!".
Skipping ahead a bit because, while I adored the scene on the beach, this piece of writing is going be bloody long even if I do cut ruthlessly. The Doctor's first scene with Edith is really quite sweet. Edith is such a kindly character, just a genuinely nice person! Plus, there's the Doctor giving an aside about history, which was the shows purpose, to educate the young viewers. A couple of times Hartnell slips up on his lines, which is quite sad to see.
It's very clear that Steven has kind of forgotten how to interact with people. His first interaction with a Saxon is a very clear contrast to the Doctor's, all the more so when the scenes are placed next to each other. Although the fight was crappily choreographed, it does give us a bit of an insight into how Steven has been affected by his time with the Mechanoids.
In the final scene, all the modern stuff scattered through the episode is made clear by the reveal of the gramophone. The monk is not what he seems! And he has captured the Doctor! Dun, dun, DUH!
Next Time:
The Meddling Monk.
I have to say I'm slightly daunted by writing this. I feel like I've got a lot to live up to. Particularly with this story actually, considering the monster review that my father has written. Really dad! You could have left at least a few points for your poor children to cover! Most of this will therefore be repeats of what dad's already said, just from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old girl.
Well, let's start at the beginning, with the very first scene. There's some good acting from Maureen O'Brien and William Hartnell. I feel like they got the grandfather/granddaughter dynamic really well (even though Vicki is not Susan, she's slotted into the hole she left quite neatly). There was also a definite air of suppressed sadness from both of them (particularly Vicki, she seemed like she was putting on a brave face for the Doctor), which seemed realistic, given Ian and Barbara's departure.
Then, of course, there's Steven's entrance. Which I think is marvellous. This scene just feels so Hartnell era, Vicki's cry of "oh, do be careful Doctor! It's obviously a dalek!", and their choice of weapons (shoe and coat). It's hard to put it into words, but it just seems like it belongs in that era of Who, and it wouldn't fit anywhere else.
In the next scene, Peter Purves' acting is really very good, he has the right balance of seriousness and comedy that is required for Doctor Who - I especially liked the bit where he calls the Doctor 'Doctor' for the first time (or, as he actually said it, 'Doc...tor!'). And, of course, there's the Doctor's 'chair with a panda on it' speech. Steven and Vicki's little conflab about acronyms is also golden!
The monk is instantly presented as someone we need to watch out for. He observes the TARDIS from the cliff without batting an eyelid, and he does not seem at all unsettled when he listens to the Doctor explaining about the TARDIS. When I first watched this episode, I remember thinking "this guy's not a monk!".
Skipping ahead a bit because, while I adored the scene on the beach, this piece of writing is going be bloody long even if I do cut ruthlessly. The Doctor's first scene with Edith is really quite sweet. Edith is such a kindly character, just a genuinely nice person! Plus, there's the Doctor giving an aside about history, which was the shows purpose, to educate the young viewers. A couple of times Hartnell slips up on his lines, which is quite sad to see.
It's very clear that Steven has kind of forgotten how to interact with people. His first interaction with a Saxon is a very clear contrast to the Doctor's, all the more so when the scenes are placed next to each other. Although the fight was crappily choreographed, it does give us a bit of an insight into how Steven has been affected by his time with the Mechanoids.
In the final scene, all the modern stuff scattered through the episode is made clear by the reveal of the gramophone. The monk is not what he seems! And he has captured the Doctor! Dun, dun, DUH!
Next Time:
The Meddling Monk.
Monday, 18 May 2015
Episode 78 (S1): The Watcher (Isaac's view)
(Isaac got quite enthusiastic reviewing this story, and ended up
covering each episode separately. Since this happened after I'd already
posted a couple, I decided to save them all for the end and do a quick
run through, in order to keep the momentum up. Over to him!)
A very good episode, with wonderful acting - the only character where in my opinion the acting wasn't great was the Saxon hunter in the woods. The Doctor's moment of sadness at the start was very convincing. The humour in the episode was done well - I especially like the Doctor's funny moments with Steven (I've often quoted his 'space helmet for a cow' bit these last few days). Maureen O'Brien did a good job of the sad aspect at the start, and did well at portraying Vicki's realisation when she is explaining to Steven about the TARDIS that she is the new most senior TARDIS crew member (excluding the Doctor, of course). Steven is very forward (well, you would be after being kept prisoner by the Mechanoids for a while) and his disbelief is portrayed by Peter Purves very well.
The aura of mystery around the Meddling Monk is done well, with the viewer just seeing his body language and facial expressions (well done Peter Butterworth! He got a lot of information in those!). The Doctor's little walk takes us to meet Edith, a nice character who seems quite real. She gives the doctor something to drink, and he verbally blunders around until he finds the date and informs the viewer on a bit of history (a nod to the shows original intention). This scene was quite nice, with good acting on both William and Alethea's part, which would not worked well in another era of the show but fits nicely in this serial.
Jumping back to Vicki and Steven we come across an exhausted Vicki - it's quite nice because it shows the fact that younger people aren't just downsized adults (something which happens quite a bit in fiction). Then the Saxon hunter came along, and as a result we have a badly done fight scene - where all they seem to be doing is rolling around with their hands locked together. That bit is my least favourite part of the episode, but we did have a nice bit of more Steven stuff, which is needed a little since this is his first story as a companion.
Finally we have a smug Doctor being trapped, which adds a bit more drama in the episode, which is nice at the end of an episode mostly composed of humour and scene setting.
Next Time:
May's review of The Watcher!
A very good episode, with wonderful acting - the only character where in my opinion the acting wasn't great was the Saxon hunter in the woods. The Doctor's moment of sadness at the start was very convincing. The humour in the episode was done well - I especially like the Doctor's funny moments with Steven (I've often quoted his 'space helmet for a cow' bit these last few days). Maureen O'Brien did a good job of the sad aspect at the start, and did well at portraying Vicki's realisation when she is explaining to Steven about the TARDIS that she is the new most senior TARDIS crew member (excluding the Doctor, of course). Steven is very forward (well, you would be after being kept prisoner by the Mechanoids for a while) and his disbelief is portrayed by Peter Purves very well.
The aura of mystery around the Meddling Monk is done well, with the viewer just seeing his body language and facial expressions (well done Peter Butterworth! He got a lot of information in those!). The Doctor's little walk takes us to meet Edith, a nice character who seems quite real. She gives the doctor something to drink, and he verbally blunders around until he finds the date and informs the viewer on a bit of history (a nod to the shows original intention). This scene was quite nice, with good acting on both William and Alethea's part, which would not worked well in another era of the show but fits nicely in this serial.
Jumping back to Vicki and Steven we come across an exhausted Vicki - it's quite nice because it shows the fact that younger people aren't just downsized adults (something which happens quite a bit in fiction). Then the Saxon hunter came along, and as a result we have a badly done fight scene - where all they seem to be doing is rolling around with their hands locked together. That bit is my least favourite part of the episode, but we did have a nice bit of more Steven stuff, which is needed a little since this is his first story as a companion.
Finally we have a smug Doctor being trapped, which adds a bit more drama in the episode, which is nice at the end of an episode mostly composed of humour and scene setting.
Next Time:
May's review of The Watcher!
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