I've occasionally mentioned 'redemptive readings' during this marathon.
It's a term I picked up from Elizabeth Sandifer, though I imagine it's part
of the vocabulary of those whose critical studies continued beyond
O-Level English. I take it to mean "finding a way to enjoy something
which, on the surface, isn't really all that enjoyable." She managed a
redemptive reading of The Chase as a whole: not something I have
achieved, as you can readily tell if you read my previous review. In
fact, my opinion of the story in this episode is that much of it is a
substandard runaround too.
So, why bring up 'redemptive readings' now? Actually, it's to do with
the design budget finally running out. The jungle has visibly level
floors with the odd cablelike vine running across it, transparent flats
with two-dimensional bits of jungle decoration, and humorous giant
mushroom creatures. The cave has walls with irregular patterns of
parallel lines at odd angles. And above it all is a cardboard city, on
impossibly high legs, with long walkways, slopes and towers. When I
first watched this, I was disappointed in how it looked. Well, not by
the city, which is cool despite being an obvious model; but by all the
rest. This time around something clicked, and I was able to see it in a
new light.
Mechanus is a world designed by Dr Seuss.
Theodore Geisel is one of America's greatest exports, in my opinion. I
loved his books as a child, and when I had children of my own I kept my
eye out in charity shops and picked up proper old-fashioned hardback
versions of Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?, Fox in Socks and The Sneeches and Other Stories.
They were a hit with May and Isaac, thus crossing not just the Atlantic
but generations too. Anyway, there's a particular sort of wackiness to
his work that matches what Raymond Cusick and John Wood have done here,
most obviously in the city but also in the general flatness and
strangeness of the world and its inhabitants. And watched in this way,
it actually works. For once, the limitations of the design budget (and
the "omit" stamps that Richard Martin always mentions in commentaries,
whereby detailed designs are reduced to the bare essentials) actually
end up creating something rather wonderful.
There's other stuff going on here too, of course - good, bad, and
indifferent. The story has finally decided to abandon comedy rather than
have the odd mix we've endured for the last couple of episodes. This
arc - from outright comedy to outright drama - is something listeners
have heard in a few Big Finish stories, notably The Holy Terror and Omega, and there it has worked well; here it feels more like changing horses midstream. Still, the worst is over now.
The acting is better than last time, and the music is spot on. Also,
Martin seems to have figured out how to shoot Edmund Warwick better, so
the fact that he looks almost nothing like William Hartnell matters much
less (and Hartnell also adjusts his movements in the shots where he is
playing the robot, which also helps). Warwick got the part as a reward,
because he stepped in to cover for Hartnell when the star was injured
during the shooting of Day of Reckoning; a nice gesture, though
perhaps not the best idea for the show! Still, the fight between them is
very well done, ending on a lovely shot from above. The script is good
here, too, with the robot revealing itself by calling Vicki "Susan"
(because the Daleks assume it's the same group that foiled their
invasion of Earth).
Let me pause here for just a moment, because this episode starts to
bring us right back round to the beginning of the show, with many echoes
and mirrorings of the first serial. The latter include the shot of Ian
raising a rock to smash in someone's head and the Doctor acting very
bravely to rescue the others; the former, the fact that all the action
takes place in jungle and cave. I'll have more to say about this next
time.
Goodness, this is getting long already, and I've barely touched my
notes! I'm actually going to skip most of them, and just finish off with
a random selection of thoughts. The commentary has been good all
serial, but I particularly enjoyed it this time. The observations about
how William Hartnell used his hands when acting (and the advice he gave
others) was enlightening. And, for once, they pointed out a production
error I hadn't spotted: the camera visible in the jungle. They also
revealed that there were two Daleks borrowed from the movie, shown in
the background when they are planning their assault. While I hadn't
actually counted them, this had made an impression on me as an
impressive scene, with the Dalek force finally feeling like a proper
threat.
Then there are the fungoids. I was glad that they were no danger to the
Daleks, but what was not so great was the way people were also able to
get away from them easily - after the actors had pushed themselves up
against them in the first place!
Strangely, my favourite scene was a quiet one - when Vicki is reunited
with Ian and the Doctor. Well written and well acted by all involved.
And the Mechanoid/Mechonoid? I'll talk about that next time...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 19th June 1965
Viewers: 9.0 million
Chart Position: 11
Appreciation Index: 56
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
The Planet of Decision.
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