It's interesting that each of Hartnell's three full seasons contains one oddball story. Season one has Edge of Destruction, while season three has Mission to the Unknown. I consider Planet of Giants the oddball story of season two.
Sure, on the surface, it's an unlikely choice. Wouldn't the two-part The Rescue be the story that sticks out as unusual due to its length? I don't think so, since the length is the only exceptional thing about it.
Planet of Giants also has a weird length - 3 episodes, though it was originally intended to be four. But what makes it so unusual is the story. It's the first time the crew returns to present day England, so rather than travel through space or time from when the series started, they instead travel through... size, I guess, as they are shrunk down to a height of a few inches. It's a typical sci-fi plot, though not one you'd expect to see on Doctor Who. So, does it work or, does it feel as out of place as you would expect?
Kind of both. The episode never feels quite right. It's a weird mix of sci-fi cliches and crime drama, with a little comedy thrown in. It's a poor choice for a season opener, and I wonder why they didn't just start with the Daleks, since that's what everyone was waiting for. The creators themselves must have realized they had a weak story, since they took the rare step of editing out an entire episode, even though it had been filmed. The BBC wouldn't waste money like that unless they thought they had a real problem.
The story does have its strengths: most of the size effects are strong, at least for a low budget show. A scene with Ian walking in front of what's obviously a projection of the face of a murder victim looks fake, and a cat never feels like it's actually there enough to provide a real threat, but the set design is strong and manages to pull it all together.
The chemistry of the cast is evident, as well. They've worked out the character relationships - the Doctor even apologies to Barbara at one point, and when they pair off Ian with Susan and Barbara with the Doctor, it feels believable in a way that it might not have in season one. They feel like a group of people who have been traveling together for some time.
Unfortunately, shrinking the cast results in separating them from much of the action. You can only watch so much of the cast dodging giant household threats, while characters for whom we have no emotional investment engage in the most dramatic parts of the plot. When the plot involves generic crime melodrama, things simply drag. At times, the cast feel like guests in another show.
Apparently, it was episodes three and four that were edited down to one, which surprises me, as there's a moment in episode one that seems to jump over a big chunk of action. I could have sworn the cut occurred when Ian suddenly turns up out of nowhere in episode one, but it looks like I'm wrong. The actual cuts involved removing the comedy bits between the police officer and the phone operator. If that's true, I'm thankful, as I don't think 20 minutes of those two would have helped this story.
GRADE: D+
For me, a real dud of an episode. It doesn't feel like Doctor Who, and it makes for a dreadful season opener.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I can't find any reason why they didn't just jump straight to the Dalek story, aside from the fact that once filming had already begun, it was impossible to reverse since Susan would be leaving at the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. I get that, but why approve this story as the opener to begin with?
For once, it's Barbara, not Susan, who does something stupid, as she handles a pile of food even though it's already been established that they're surrounded by pesticides.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Season One
Having re-watched the first season in its entirety, I'm surprised at how solid it is. I'd classify only Reign Of Terror, and perhaps the cave people segments of An Unearthly Child, as the only real duds, and they're still watchable. There are far worse Who episodes, there are even far worse ones to come in the Hartnell era.
The first season alternates from science fiction to historical, which works for the most part. At least viewers who aren't fond of the historical stories (such as myself), know that something different is just around the corner. Or, at least a few weeks around the corner.
And that gets to the heart of what I think is the only major problem with season one: story length. I can't help but think that an additional four parter could have been cobbled together simply by trimming an episode from most of these stories. All the six-parters drag on longer than they should, a state highlighted by The Aztecs, which tells its story perfectly fine in just four episodes. The producers must have felt the same thing, as four-part stories will become the norm, except when the Daleks are back in town.
The characters are where they need to be by the end of the season. The Doctor is less mean (although his hissy fit at the end of The Sensorites seems out of place), Ian is no longer dominating every story, which was the case up through Marco Polo. The Aztecs and The Sensorites go a long way in developing Barbara and Susan, respectively, and The Doctor gets little moments throughout the last half of the season, culminating in his taking full command of the proceedings in The Reign Of Terror. Ian is clearly not the leader by this point, and The Doctor is turning into the the one with the plan, who never fails.
I suppose it's a minor failure that they never come up with a threat as intriguing as the Daleks, but that'll be the case for the next two seasons, as well. They seem incapable of creating an alien worth bringing back until the Cybermen.
Another flaw, but one that won't matter in two stories: Susan. Yes, she's gets more to do as the season progresses, especially in The Sensorites, but by the season's end, she's still not at the same level as the rest of the cast. As someone who's also an alien like The Doctor, it seems crazy that she so often is relegated to being nothing more than a frightened teenager. I thought she was supposed to be, in some ways, smarter than Ian? We get a little bit of that early on, but it seems to be forgotten after Edge Of Destruction.
Overall, though, I'd say this is a solid season, especially for the Hartnell era, and viewers wanting to get an idea of what very early Doctor Who is like won't go wrong watching any of the intact stories from this time.
GRADE: B
COMING SOON: I've already watched Planet Of Giants, and may even have my post about it up as soon as tomorrow. I hope to watch The Dalek Invasion Of Earth by this weekend.
The first season alternates from science fiction to historical, which works for the most part. At least viewers who aren't fond of the historical stories (such as myself), know that something different is just around the corner. Or, at least a few weeks around the corner.
And that gets to the heart of what I think is the only major problem with season one: story length. I can't help but think that an additional four parter could have been cobbled together simply by trimming an episode from most of these stories. All the six-parters drag on longer than they should, a state highlighted by The Aztecs, which tells its story perfectly fine in just four episodes. The producers must have felt the same thing, as four-part stories will become the norm, except when the Daleks are back in town.
The characters are where they need to be by the end of the season. The Doctor is less mean (although his hissy fit at the end of The Sensorites seems out of place), Ian is no longer dominating every story, which was the case up through Marco Polo. The Aztecs and The Sensorites go a long way in developing Barbara and Susan, respectively, and The Doctor gets little moments throughout the last half of the season, culminating in his taking full command of the proceedings in The Reign Of Terror. Ian is clearly not the leader by this point, and The Doctor is turning into the the one with the plan, who never fails.
I suppose it's a minor failure that they never come up with a threat as intriguing as the Daleks, but that'll be the case for the next two seasons, as well. They seem incapable of creating an alien worth bringing back until the Cybermen.
Another flaw, but one that won't matter in two stories: Susan. Yes, she's gets more to do as the season progresses, especially in The Sensorites, but by the season's end, she's still not at the same level as the rest of the cast. As someone who's also an alien like The Doctor, it seems crazy that she so often is relegated to being nothing more than a frightened teenager. I thought she was supposed to be, in some ways, smarter than Ian? We get a little bit of that early on, but it seems to be forgotten after Edge Of Destruction.
Overall, though, I'd say this is a solid season, especially for the Hartnell era, and viewers wanting to get an idea of what very early Doctor Who is like won't go wrong watching any of the intact stories from this time.
GRADE: B
COMING SOON: I've already watched Planet Of Giants, and may even have my post about it up as soon as tomorrow. I hope to watch The Dalek Invasion Of Earth by this weekend.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
008 The Reign Of Terror
And I'm finally back, after an unexpectedly long absence. A big part of this was due to Hurricane Isaac, which prevented me from finishing the last two episodes and finding the time to blog about it. But it was also due to a lack of interest in sitting down to watch this story.
It's not a terrible story, really. I can certainly think of later stories that are cringe-inducingly bad, on a level Reign Of Terror doesn't come close to achieving. It's just that it's another historical (something I'm typically not a fan of), and another six-parter. Thankfully, it's the last six-part historical, and one of the last six-parters, period, with only the Daleks justifying longer stories for the next two seasons. It's no secret that I'm not fond of the pacing of classic Who, and Reign Of Terror whips out every cliche it can to extend the story to its unnecessary length: characters are separated, imprisoned, escape, imprisoned again, betrayed by the person who was supposed to help them, uncover a plot towards the end that will require them to stick around for another episode or two... it just goes on and on.
Continuing The Doctor's over the top hissy fit that ended The Sensorites, we find the TARDIS landing on what is supposed to be Earth, with The Doctor kicking Ian and Barbara out. He's right, they are on Earth, but in the wrong time: they've landed during the aftermath of the French Revolution.
I'll be honest here: I don't know much about the French Revolution. Perhaps that impacts my enjoyment of this. Names are thrown around that are supposed to be important, but they mean nothing to me. We simply never studied it in that much detail in history class, although I know it came up several times during my schooling. I know enough to find it odd that the story seems to take a pro-aristocracy view. I can't help but think that in the United States, such a story would sympathize with the revolutionaries, not the deposed nobility.
The story itself attempts to address this, with one of the agents encountered by the travelers making a speech about how even though he isn't a noblemen himself, he still opposes what the revolution has done to France, and wants order restored. And Barbara is openly upset when she learns that Leon, the double agent, has been murdered, arguing that to his own people, he would be a patriot.
And herein lies some of the problems with this story. For a show geared for younger viewers, these are complex issues, and they almost get in the way of the adventure. Whereas Marco Polo was light and fun, The Reign Of Terror is dark and fatalistic. It has to be, given the time period. There are executions, someone's shot in the mouth (because apparently that's what actually happened)... in short, there's no victory to be won, other than The Doctor and his companions escaping. It's a gloomy end to the first season. When we get to The Massacre of St. Bartholomews Eve in season three, though, it'll seem downright cheerful.
It's easy to see why the historicals were phased out. The show's adamant stance that history can't be rewritten, at least when it comes to Earth, results in the audience watching the main cast stand around while events unfold, unable to do anything but survive. There's little urgency, since we know they'll escape, so it all feels like a creaky old educational film.
That's not to say there aren't good things about the story. The Doctor, for one. We got glimpses of a more pro-active Doctor in the previous story, but we get more of that here. It's still mainly in the interest of self-preservation. He's not out to save the world yet, but he'll get there. The Doctor is as much, maybe even more, of a driving presence than Ian in this story. He's clearly in charge, and he even gets physical with a cruel work boss in episode two.
By the end, everyone is reunited, naturally, and they leave in the TARDIS. For the first time, we get an actual ending, with no peek at the next story, since it's the end of season one. On to season two...
GRADE: C-
Strictly average, with a little more taken off due to its length. I found this a tough one to get through.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Susan goes backwards a little in this episode. It's a shame, since she just grew a little in The Sensorites, but here she's once again a hysterical teenager, afraid to even escape a prison cell because there are rats in the hole they're digging.
Barbara once again finds herself embroiled in a little mini-romance. This time it's with Leon, who turns out to be a traitor, so a bit of a step down from the Thal who wooed her back in The Daleks. It's strange that Ian never seems to find any romance.
With only pictures to go by, I'd always assumed the set design for Marco Polo was quite good. Although much of it is dark and gloomy, the sets for this story are more impressive than what we've been getting with the sci-fi episodes. Maybe the BBC studios had these sort of historical items more readily available.
NEXT: An overview of season one, and then on to season two and Planet Of Giants.
It's not a terrible story, really. I can certainly think of later stories that are cringe-inducingly bad, on a level Reign Of Terror doesn't come close to achieving. It's just that it's another historical (something I'm typically not a fan of), and another six-parter. Thankfully, it's the last six-part historical, and one of the last six-parters, period, with only the Daleks justifying longer stories for the next two seasons. It's no secret that I'm not fond of the pacing of classic Who, and Reign Of Terror whips out every cliche it can to extend the story to its unnecessary length: characters are separated, imprisoned, escape, imprisoned again, betrayed by the person who was supposed to help them, uncover a plot towards the end that will require them to stick around for another episode or two... it just goes on and on.
Continuing The Doctor's over the top hissy fit that ended The Sensorites, we find the TARDIS landing on what is supposed to be Earth, with The Doctor kicking Ian and Barbara out. He's right, they are on Earth, but in the wrong time: they've landed during the aftermath of the French Revolution.
I'll be honest here: I don't know much about the French Revolution. Perhaps that impacts my enjoyment of this. Names are thrown around that are supposed to be important, but they mean nothing to me. We simply never studied it in that much detail in history class, although I know it came up several times during my schooling. I know enough to find it odd that the story seems to take a pro-aristocracy view. I can't help but think that in the United States, such a story would sympathize with the revolutionaries, not the deposed nobility.
The story itself attempts to address this, with one of the agents encountered by the travelers making a speech about how even though he isn't a noblemen himself, he still opposes what the revolution has done to France, and wants order restored. And Barbara is openly upset when she learns that Leon, the double agent, has been murdered, arguing that to his own people, he would be a patriot.
And herein lies some of the problems with this story. For a show geared for younger viewers, these are complex issues, and they almost get in the way of the adventure. Whereas Marco Polo was light and fun, The Reign Of Terror is dark and fatalistic. It has to be, given the time period. There are executions, someone's shot in the mouth (because apparently that's what actually happened)... in short, there's no victory to be won, other than The Doctor and his companions escaping. It's a gloomy end to the first season. When we get to The Massacre of St. Bartholomews Eve in season three, though, it'll seem downright cheerful.
It's easy to see why the historicals were phased out. The show's adamant stance that history can't be rewritten, at least when it comes to Earth, results in the audience watching the main cast stand around while events unfold, unable to do anything but survive. There's little urgency, since we know they'll escape, so it all feels like a creaky old educational film.
That's not to say there aren't good things about the story. The Doctor, for one. We got glimpses of a more pro-active Doctor in the previous story, but we get more of that here. It's still mainly in the interest of self-preservation. He's not out to save the world yet, but he'll get there. The Doctor is as much, maybe even more, of a driving presence than Ian in this story. He's clearly in charge, and he even gets physical with a cruel work boss in episode two.
By the end, everyone is reunited, naturally, and they leave in the TARDIS. For the first time, we get an actual ending, with no peek at the next story, since it's the end of season one. On to season two...
GRADE: C-
Strictly average, with a little more taken off due to its length. I found this a tough one to get through.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Susan goes backwards a little in this episode. It's a shame, since she just grew a little in The Sensorites, but here she's once again a hysterical teenager, afraid to even escape a prison cell because there are rats in the hole they're digging.
Barbara once again finds herself embroiled in a little mini-romance. This time it's with Leon, who turns out to be a traitor, so a bit of a step down from the Thal who wooed her back in The Daleks. It's strange that Ian never seems to find any romance.
With only pictures to go by, I'd always assumed the set design for Marco Polo was quite good. Although much of it is dark and gloomy, the sets for this story are more impressive than what we've been getting with the sci-fi episodes. Maybe the BBC studios had these sort of historical items more readily available.
NEXT: An overview of season one, and then on to season two and Planet Of Giants.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
007 The Sensorites
We find ourselves at the third (and final) science-fiction story of the first season. Well, third if you don't count Edge of Destruction, which I place in its own unique category. It's strange to realize that for this first year, the show is dominated by historical stories. This is the only time that will be the case, as the BBC quickly realizes what audiences want.
I've always been a little torn on The Sensorites. The aliens themselves are memorable creations, even serving as inspiration for the Ood many decades later. The story starts out strongly enough. Taken as a whole, though, it doesn't have much of an impact.
Things start well enough. The first episode slowly builds tension, for once making good use of the longer running time. Before we encounter the Sensorites, there's a real sense of menace. You get the sense that the Doctor and his companions have found themselves in a genuinely dangerous situation. The crew of the ship they've landed inside appear to be dead, and unbeknownst to them, mysterious beings are stealing the lock of their TARDIS. How they don't notice this strains credulity, since the set makes it look as if they're less than ten feet from the TARDIS when all this is going on. Maybe the Sensorites are just really quiet.
The cliffhanger for episode one involves a Sensorite outside the ship, drifting into view via the large window in the control room. For a brief moment, it;s actually creepy and menacing. Unfortunately, that first impression is largely undermined by the next five episodes. Actually, the same shot, re-filmed for the opening episode two, already seems to undermine their threat. The longer, clearer glimpse lacks the mystery of the previous week's cliffhanger.
Granted, it turns out the Sensorites are not, for the most part malevolent, so at some point the story was going to have to shift from them being a threat to becoming allies. And I admire the fact that they went for a slightly more complex story than "imprisoned by evil aliens", although what they go with is also a little cliched. I still think it's a shame, though, that the tension of that opener dissolves into actors in papier mache masks wearing unitards giving lessons in civics, Sense Sphere style. It's hard not to feel like there was a better story to be told here, especially when the Sensorites go from being able to exist in space without the aid of a suit or ship to being afraid of loud noises and darkness.
Another notable development early on involves Susan, and her newly discovered talent for telepathy. It turns out that her innate skill is simply enhanced by the mental communication system utilized by the Sense Sphere, so we won't be seeing it again, but it's nice to see some development in her character beyond "scared teenager". She even gets a strong moment at the end of episode two, when she agrees to be taken prisoner by the Sensorites to spare her friends. It's just a shame that the beginning of episode three almost instantly nullifies that drama, when it turns out they'll all be able to go down. All except for Maitland, the least interesting crew member of the ship, and Barbara - apparently it was Jacqueline Hill's turn to go on vacation.
The story gradually runs out of steam once the action moves to the Sensorites home planet, the Sense-Sphere. Four episodes is a long time to spend with the Sensorites, who have all the drama of city councilmen debating zoning laws in their numerous scenes together. It doesn't help that, apparently, something in the air of the Sense Sphere must make everyone stupid. I get that the show was aimed squarely for children at this point, but that still doesn't excuse the blatantly obvious clues revealing the traitors in their midst and the reason why Sensorites are dying. And when it's revealed that one Sensorite can masquerade as another because, after all, all the Sensorites look alike, logic goes out the window. It's silly because, for one thing, it's not true. None of them look completely alike. Even by generic sci-fi costuming standards, the Sensorites each have a distinct enough look to tell them apart. Their heads are all shaped differently, they're different heights and weights. Worse than that, though, is when the main villain of the piece, The Administrator, claims that neither he nor anyone else has noticed this before. The notion that suddenly this advanced race discovers duplicity and evil after what I'm assuming are thousands of years of existence is ridiculous.
Weaknesses aside, there is an interesting parallel between both the Sensorites and Earthlings discovering traitors among themselves. It's all a bit predictable, typical '60s sci-fi in which two races learn that neither is perfect. Although, if I'm understanding the ending, both sides go their separate ways, so it's not as if they learn to co-exist together as much as just leave one another alone.
GRADE: B-
It's enjoyable, but like many older stories, it overstays its welcome.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
After so much screen time devoted to them in previous episodes, it's a little refreshing to see both Barbara and Ian sidelined for a good chunk of the story. Barbara is nowhere to be seen for nearly half the story, and Ian is sick for about two of them, leaving more for the Doctor and Susan to do.
In fact, this may be one of the first truly heroic outings for the Doctor, since he ventures into the aqueducts by himself. He also acquits himself fairly well in his initial confrontation with the Sensorites.
I'm just going to say it - as interesting as the design of the Sensorites heads is, especially given the budget they had to work with, there are times when they look like wrinkly old testicles. It's as if they're so close to being good, but they don't quite make it. I still think it's one of the more memorable alien concepts from the early years, though.
NEXT: The Reign of Terror. I have to confess I'm not particularly excited about this, as it's another historical, another six-parter, and another one I'll be watching in the form of a reconstruction, albeit one that's only missing a few episodes. I don't recall enjoying it much when I first saw it years ago. Will I like it any better now?
I've always been a little torn on The Sensorites. The aliens themselves are memorable creations, even serving as inspiration for the Ood many decades later. The story starts out strongly enough. Taken as a whole, though, it doesn't have much of an impact.
Things start well enough. The first episode slowly builds tension, for once making good use of the longer running time. Before we encounter the Sensorites, there's a real sense of menace. You get the sense that the Doctor and his companions have found themselves in a genuinely dangerous situation. The crew of the ship they've landed inside appear to be dead, and unbeknownst to them, mysterious beings are stealing the lock of their TARDIS. How they don't notice this strains credulity, since the set makes it look as if they're less than ten feet from the TARDIS when all this is going on. Maybe the Sensorites are just really quiet.
The cliffhanger for episode one involves a Sensorite outside the ship, drifting into view via the large window in the control room. For a brief moment, it;s actually creepy and menacing. Unfortunately, that first impression is largely undermined by the next five episodes. Actually, the same shot, re-filmed for the opening episode two, already seems to undermine their threat. The longer, clearer glimpse lacks the mystery of the previous week's cliffhanger.
Granted, it turns out the Sensorites are not, for the most part malevolent, so at some point the story was going to have to shift from them being a threat to becoming allies. And I admire the fact that they went for a slightly more complex story than "imprisoned by evil aliens", although what they go with is also a little cliched. I still think it's a shame, though, that the tension of that opener dissolves into actors in papier mache masks wearing unitards giving lessons in civics, Sense Sphere style. It's hard not to feel like there was a better story to be told here, especially when the Sensorites go from being able to exist in space without the aid of a suit or ship to being afraid of loud noises and darkness.
Another notable development early on involves Susan, and her newly discovered talent for telepathy. It turns out that her innate skill is simply enhanced by the mental communication system utilized by the Sense Sphere, so we won't be seeing it again, but it's nice to see some development in her character beyond "scared teenager". She even gets a strong moment at the end of episode two, when she agrees to be taken prisoner by the Sensorites to spare her friends. It's just a shame that the beginning of episode three almost instantly nullifies that drama, when it turns out they'll all be able to go down. All except for Maitland, the least interesting crew member of the ship, and Barbara - apparently it was Jacqueline Hill's turn to go on vacation.
The story gradually runs out of steam once the action moves to the Sensorites home planet, the Sense-Sphere. Four episodes is a long time to spend with the Sensorites, who have all the drama of city councilmen debating zoning laws in their numerous scenes together. It doesn't help that, apparently, something in the air of the Sense Sphere must make everyone stupid. I get that the show was aimed squarely for children at this point, but that still doesn't excuse the blatantly obvious clues revealing the traitors in their midst and the reason why Sensorites are dying. And when it's revealed that one Sensorite can masquerade as another because, after all, all the Sensorites look alike, logic goes out the window. It's silly because, for one thing, it's not true. None of them look completely alike. Even by generic sci-fi costuming standards, the Sensorites each have a distinct enough look to tell them apart. Their heads are all shaped differently, they're different heights and weights. Worse than that, though, is when the main villain of the piece, The Administrator, claims that neither he nor anyone else has noticed this before. The notion that suddenly this advanced race discovers duplicity and evil after what I'm assuming are thousands of years of existence is ridiculous.
Weaknesses aside, there is an interesting parallel between both the Sensorites and Earthlings discovering traitors among themselves. It's all a bit predictable, typical '60s sci-fi in which two races learn that neither is perfect. Although, if I'm understanding the ending, both sides go their separate ways, so it's not as if they learn to co-exist together as much as just leave one another alone.
GRADE: B-
It's enjoyable, but like many older stories, it overstays its welcome.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
After so much screen time devoted to them in previous episodes, it's a little refreshing to see both Barbara and Ian sidelined for a good chunk of the story. Barbara is nowhere to be seen for nearly half the story, and Ian is sick for about two of them, leaving more for the Doctor and Susan to do.
In fact, this may be one of the first truly heroic outings for the Doctor, since he ventures into the aqueducts by himself. He also acquits himself fairly well in his initial confrontation with the Sensorites.
I'm just going to say it - as interesting as the design of the Sensorites heads is, especially given the budget they had to work with, there are times when they look like wrinkly old testicles. It's as if they're so close to being good, but they don't quite make it. I still think it's one of the more memorable alien concepts from the early years, though.
NEXT: The Reign of Terror. I have to confess I'm not particularly excited about this, as it's another historical, another six-parter, and another one I'll be watching in the form of a reconstruction, albeit one that's only missing a few episodes. I don't recall enjoying it much when I first saw it years ago. Will I like it any better now?
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
006 The Aztecs
And I'm back, after an unexpected absence due to computer trouble. During that time, I've seen both today's post, The Aztecs, and the next story, The Sensorites. The Sensorites post may not happen until next week, as I'll be out of town, but who knows, I may do it on my smartphone, annoying as typing on that can be. Or it may even turn up this afternoon, though I'd prefer not to bunch up my posts like that.
Anyway, The Aztecs. If I had to select a classic historical story to show a new Doctor Who fan, it would probably be this one. For one thing, it's complete, and the episodes are in pretty good shape, something you can't say about most of the historicals. Aside from the first story, the only other ones I can think of are The Romans and The Gunfighters. The former of those, while fine, has a weird mix of comedy and drama, and really only shows its strengths when held up in comparison to the usual formula of the series. The Gunfighters is often hailed as the show at its worst. It's not, but like The Romans, its use of humor and music also stands in contrast to the series norms. The Crusades is enjoyable, and it has a strong guest cast, but with half of it missing, it's doubtful many viewers would be interested in it.
The Aztecs is also only four episodes, a very welcome change after the lengthy runs for Marco Polo and The Keys Of Marinus. I'm sure I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but the biggest hurdle modern viewers have when tackling the classic series if the pacing. I even find four-parters from the '80s too slow, so a six-parter from the '60s can often be a slog to get through. The Aztecs probably could have been done in half the time, but it doesn't overstay its welcome as much as longer stories do.
So, all that said, The Aztecs is probably the most likely example of a historical most viewers will experience, which is good, because it's probably the most enjoyable and the best example of that genre that only flourished during the first four seasons.
It's season one, so the show is still making an effort to establish the characters and give each of them strong moments. For me, one of the failings of the later Hartnell episodes is that the companions become disposable, lacking personalities that gel with The Doctor in any meaningful way. Even Vicki, who started out as a surrogate granddaughter in her earliest episodes, finds herself shuffled off almost as unceremoniously as Steven or Dodo will be.
For this story, it's Barbara's turn for the spotlight, though all the cast are given things to do. Even Carole Ann Ford's vacation in the middle of the story, doesn't prevent Susan from having a sub-plot that allows her to show something beyond her usual childlike whining. This story and the next go a long way toward repairing some of the damage inflicted on her character throughout most of the season. It turns out to be too late, as we'll see next season, but at least there's an effort, which shows that someone knew things weren't working.
The most famous sub-plot of this story is The Doctor's romance with Cameca, a widowed Aztec woman. It's the only romance I can think of for the Hartnell Doctor. One of the few I can think of for the entire classic series, actually. It gives some insight into The Doctor that will be lacking once we get past this first season. Or, to be more precise, once we lose Susan.
The other big moment for this story is the Doctor's insistence that history can't be changed. "Not one line!" as he so emphatically says. It's a statement would already seem to have been contradicted by previous episodes, and over the course of the early seasons, it would probably be more accurate to say that Earth history can't be changed, but feel free to do whatever you want on an alien planet. Seriously, The Doctor has no qualms about overthrowing Daleks or assisting the dozens of other cultures he'll encounter in the future, but he can't stomach the slightest change in Aztec culture. Unless he literally means that Barbara, as an earthling, can't change her own past. But who's to say where one's past begins or ends? Isn't it possible that events on another planet could affect things on Earth? It's all a bit confusing, and I think it ends up putting the historical episodes in a peculiar position, since nothing ends up happening in them that contradicts known history. It may very well be a part of what resulted in them phasing out.
I've read before that much of An Unearthly Child feels like watching cave people portrayed by Shakesperean actors. The Aztecs also has that kind of vibe. John Ringham's Tlotoxl particularly feels like he strolled in from a nearby production of Richard III. The studio-bound format also can't help but make this feel like a filmed play. Apparently, the cameras used for this story weren't able to zoom, so we're left with lots of physical moving of the cameras further and closer from characters. Much of it is inventive, and this is one of the most dynamic looking stories I've seen so far, with the cameras moving so much that they almost generate their own excitement, or at least more than we get with the usual, static camera placement we've had in the show. It's as if the director knew he had to do something to make these tiny sets work, and for the most part, it does. I'm sure the stage consisted of maybe three sets, but, for television, it feels like we're in the middle of something larger.
Aside from the above average cinematography and acting, though, it's still a pretty straight-forward story. This time, the travelers are blocked from returning to their ship by a tomb with a trick door, making re-entry almost impossible. Barbara is quickly mistaken for a reincarnated god, Ian falls into his familiar hero role (most of the cliffhangers involve him fighting or in danger), and it's obvious early on that the bulk of the story will involve trying to return to the ship before being killed by their hosts. Barbara's attempts to reform the Aztecs are never allowed to develop into anything, since the show's lead clearly states that they can't.
But, it's tough to be hard on a story that gives the characters so many moments, and fleshes them out enough to make this feel just a little more contemporary than much of what we get from early Who. It's got action, a little more violence and higher stakes than usual, so for that, it finds itself among the best of the Hartnell era for me.
GRADE:B+
To my mind, still the strongest of the historicals, and still one of the easiest of the black and white stories to enjoy.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Under Aztec custom, The Doctor is technically married by the end of this story. From what I can tell, Cameca isn't dealt with again, even in one of the many novels or audio productions associated with the series. I'm a little surprised to learn that. I'm also curious to know if her gift to him ever turned up again.
So, did they always use cameras that couldn't zoom? Or was that something for this story? Because I don't notice other stories filmed like this, but while watching The Sensorites, I also didn't notice any zooming.
I'm still not certain if John Ringham does a good or bad job here. His Tlotoxl is much more over the top when compared to the rest of the cast, but that's also part of what makes him so memorable. Apparently, he returns to the show twice more in different roles, so I'm curious to see how he fares.
NEXT: The Sensorites. Some of the most memorable-looking aliens from the Hartnell era, and one of the few to be referenced in the new series.
Anyway, The Aztecs. If I had to select a classic historical story to show a new Doctor Who fan, it would probably be this one. For one thing, it's complete, and the episodes are in pretty good shape, something you can't say about most of the historicals. Aside from the first story, the only other ones I can think of are The Romans and The Gunfighters. The former of those, while fine, has a weird mix of comedy and drama, and really only shows its strengths when held up in comparison to the usual formula of the series. The Gunfighters is often hailed as the show at its worst. It's not, but like The Romans, its use of humor and music also stands in contrast to the series norms. The Crusades is enjoyable, and it has a strong guest cast, but with half of it missing, it's doubtful many viewers would be interested in it.
The Aztecs is also only four episodes, a very welcome change after the lengthy runs for Marco Polo and The Keys Of Marinus. I'm sure I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but the biggest hurdle modern viewers have when tackling the classic series if the pacing. I even find four-parters from the '80s too slow, so a six-parter from the '60s can often be a slog to get through. The Aztecs probably could have been done in half the time, but it doesn't overstay its welcome as much as longer stories do.
So, all that said, The Aztecs is probably the most likely example of a historical most viewers will experience, which is good, because it's probably the most enjoyable and the best example of that genre that only flourished during the first four seasons.
It's season one, so the show is still making an effort to establish the characters and give each of them strong moments. For me, one of the failings of the later Hartnell episodes is that the companions become disposable, lacking personalities that gel with The Doctor in any meaningful way. Even Vicki, who started out as a surrogate granddaughter in her earliest episodes, finds herself shuffled off almost as unceremoniously as Steven or Dodo will be.
For this story, it's Barbara's turn for the spotlight, though all the cast are given things to do. Even Carole Ann Ford's vacation in the middle of the story, doesn't prevent Susan from having a sub-plot that allows her to show something beyond her usual childlike whining. This story and the next go a long way toward repairing some of the damage inflicted on her character throughout most of the season. It turns out to be too late, as we'll see next season, but at least there's an effort, which shows that someone knew things weren't working.
The most famous sub-plot of this story is The Doctor's romance with Cameca, a widowed Aztec woman. It's the only romance I can think of for the Hartnell Doctor. One of the few I can think of for the entire classic series, actually. It gives some insight into The Doctor that will be lacking once we get past this first season. Or, to be more precise, once we lose Susan.
The other big moment for this story is the Doctor's insistence that history can't be changed. "Not one line!" as he so emphatically says. It's a statement would already seem to have been contradicted by previous episodes, and over the course of the early seasons, it would probably be more accurate to say that Earth history can't be changed, but feel free to do whatever you want on an alien planet. Seriously, The Doctor has no qualms about overthrowing Daleks or assisting the dozens of other cultures he'll encounter in the future, but he can't stomach the slightest change in Aztec culture. Unless he literally means that Barbara, as an earthling, can't change her own past. But who's to say where one's past begins or ends? Isn't it possible that events on another planet could affect things on Earth? It's all a bit confusing, and I think it ends up putting the historical episodes in a peculiar position, since nothing ends up happening in them that contradicts known history. It may very well be a part of what resulted in them phasing out.
I've read before that much of An Unearthly Child feels like watching cave people portrayed by Shakesperean actors. The Aztecs also has that kind of vibe. John Ringham's Tlotoxl particularly feels like he strolled in from a nearby production of Richard III. The studio-bound format also can't help but make this feel like a filmed play. Apparently, the cameras used for this story weren't able to zoom, so we're left with lots of physical moving of the cameras further and closer from characters. Much of it is inventive, and this is one of the most dynamic looking stories I've seen so far, with the cameras moving so much that they almost generate their own excitement, or at least more than we get with the usual, static camera placement we've had in the show. It's as if the director knew he had to do something to make these tiny sets work, and for the most part, it does. I'm sure the stage consisted of maybe three sets, but, for television, it feels like we're in the middle of something larger.
Aside from the above average cinematography and acting, though, it's still a pretty straight-forward story. This time, the travelers are blocked from returning to their ship by a tomb with a trick door, making re-entry almost impossible. Barbara is quickly mistaken for a reincarnated god, Ian falls into his familiar hero role (most of the cliffhangers involve him fighting or in danger), and it's obvious early on that the bulk of the story will involve trying to return to the ship before being killed by their hosts. Barbara's attempts to reform the Aztecs are never allowed to develop into anything, since the show's lead clearly states that they can't.
But, it's tough to be hard on a story that gives the characters so many moments, and fleshes them out enough to make this feel just a little more contemporary than much of what we get from early Who. It's got action, a little more violence and higher stakes than usual, so for that, it finds itself among the best of the Hartnell era for me.
GRADE:B+
To my mind, still the strongest of the historicals, and still one of the easiest of the black and white stories to enjoy.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Under Aztec custom, The Doctor is technically married by the end of this story. From what I can tell, Cameca isn't dealt with again, even in one of the many novels or audio productions associated with the series. I'm a little surprised to learn that. I'm also curious to know if her gift to him ever turned up again.
So, did they always use cameras that couldn't zoom? Or was that something for this story? Because I don't notice other stories filmed like this, but while watching The Sensorites, I also didn't notice any zooming.
I'm still not certain if John Ringham does a good or bad job here. His Tlotoxl is much more over the top when compared to the rest of the cast, but that's also part of what makes him so memorable. Apparently, he returns to the show twice more in different roles, so I'm curious to see how he fares.
NEXT: The Sensorites. Some of the most memorable-looking aliens from the Hartnell era, and one of the few to be referenced in the new series.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
005 The Keys Of Marinus
For some reason, as a kid, I have memories of anxiously awaiting my first viewing of "The Keys Of Marinus". Was it because it's the first story after the Daleks to feature monsters? Audiences at the time had gone for over two months without aliens, but I'd only had to wait two weeks. Had I read the novelization by that point? They often made the older episodes sound more exciting than they actually were. I remember also eagerly awaiting "The Web Planet" for the same reason.
Whatever the reason, "Marinus" was high on my list of must-see classic episodes, and when the local PBS station started re-running the Hartnell years for the first time, I checked and double-checked the VCR to make sure it recorded.
Does it hold up? For the most part, yes. Compared to a lot of the older stories it's fun and moves at a brisk enough pace to keep one's attention. Is it a classic? Nope, not even close.
Terry Nation is writing once again. If the BBC hope to capture some of that Dalek magic, they were disappointed. The Voord are visually interesting, among of some of the most memorable designs of the early years. But are they humans in strange-shaped suits, or is that the actual shape of the creature inside? It's never made clear, and their lack of appearance in episodes 2-5 doesn't give them the opportunity to make much of an impression.
Once again, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan find themselves stranded, though this time it's due to a force field keeping them from the TARDIS. It's the first time we've seen this, and it's a welcome change from the TARDIS breaking down yet again.
Turns out they've landed on the planet Marinus, a world where peace was kept by a powerful computer called the Conscience that maintained justice throughout the entire planet. I don't think it's made clear how this was done: mind control? a computer-run legal system? It's a little vague, but it seems to involve removing some measure of free will, so it's not surprising when the Doctor and his companions turn down a request from Arbitan, the elderly keeper of the Conscience, to track down four missing keys to re-activate the machine.
Actually, that's not entirely true, as it's a little strange to see the Doctor and crew walking back to the TARDIS with no intention of helping anyone. We're still in that stage where the Doctor is eager to leave whatever planet he's on, which is odd, because it's not like he has anywhere else to go, aside from returning Ian and Barbara home, something he apparently doesn't have the capability to do. Their actions would have made more sense if the Doctor showed any outrage over the concept of the Conscience machine, but he never does. It's hard to imagine later Doctors letting the opportunity to speechify about free will and freedom pass them by, but if such a moment happens, we aren't privy to it, at least not until a small bit at the end.
Equipped with teleportation devices strapped to their wrists, the four of them are off to find the missing keys. Barbara, uncharacteristically, dives in and leaves before the others, resulting in a cliffhanger when her bloodied bracelet is found by the others after they arrive.
It's a cliffhanger that's swiftly disposed of, however, when we find Barbara being treated like royalty, and it turns out she merely scratched her wrist. It's here that the craziness begins, as Marinus is apparently made up of regions that seem to have been lifted from the most trite of science-fiction and fantasy stories. The next segment resulted in the BBC even being accused of plagiarism, but each part is so generic that it's hard to really say that Nation stole anything.
First, we get a land that manages to look like the Middle Ages mixed with ancient Rome, whose citizens are under the sway of brains in jars. It's pretty basic stuff, familiar to any fan of science-fiction and horror, but there are some interesting moments in which Barbara can see the world for what it is, while the others see nothing but luxury. While here, they find two of Arbitan's followers previously sent to search for the keys, his daughter Sabetha, and Altos, a man who, if not her boyfriend, seems to be by the end of the story. As if we weren't crowded enough, they decide to re-join the quest. Meanwhile, Hartnell apparently has some vacation days built up, as he's going on ahead by himself and we won't be seeing him again until episode five.
Boy, this is getting long. But this really is like five stories in one. Briefly, we get a plant infested region, whose similarly to "Day of the Triffids" is what nearly got the BBC sued; an icy region with frozen knights guarding a key and a trapper who seems intent on having his way with Barbara while leaving the other to die in the snow; and finally Millennius, a city with a very rigid justice system
It's this last location where things slow down. We spend the better part of two episodes in what is really the most boring segment of Marinus. Standard futuristic city, filled with uptight citizens bent on following rules. And there's a trial. It's tough to make a trial interesting, and this show doesn't have any tricks up its sleeve to change that.
After a rushed wrap-up, which involves discovering that Arbitan has been murdered by the Voord and the Conscience machine being destroyed, the Doctor tells Sabetha and Altos that they shouldn't be using such a device. Something he probably should have said in the first place.
It sounds tedious, but I still had fun watching this. The frequent location changes make this one of the few six-parters that doesn't drag for me.While it's all very predictable, it's still fun to see so many different things in one story: mind-controlling brains; screaming, murderous plants; deadly, ice-frozen knights. Everything shifts before there's time to be bored, and even the Millennius segment, boring as it is, would have felt rushed if they'd cut it down to one episode.
The Voord are interesting, and it's a shame they haven't turned up since. I'm not sure what the rationalization would be for such a thing happening, as I doubt a return to Marinus is in the Doctor's future, but they make for a great visual.
GRADE: B
In spite of the cliches, this is still a fun story, and I recently found myself watching all six episodes in one afternoon.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
What is the deal with Marinus? On the one hand, it's refreshing to see a planet that doesn't consist of one culture. But Marinus really pushes the limits of believability. Nothing seems to fit, and many of the places seem unaware of the existence of the other.
The final city, Millennius. They're obviously technologically advanced. Yet they seem to have no interest in the quest for the keys, and they're stunned when the travelers teleport away. Isn't this their own planet's technology?
Susan almost burns her feet off in an acid pool because she wants to "paddle". That says all you need to know about how poorly her characters is being written at this point.
Apparently, the Voord do return in the Doctor Who comics, but the story serves more to muddy up their history than make good use of them.
NEXT: The Aztecs. A four-part historical that I also have fond memories of. And it's one of the few stories Netflix is streaming, so no need to track down a good copy.
Whatever the reason, "Marinus" was high on my list of must-see classic episodes, and when the local PBS station started re-running the Hartnell years for the first time, I checked and double-checked the VCR to make sure it recorded.
Does it hold up? For the most part, yes. Compared to a lot of the older stories it's fun and moves at a brisk enough pace to keep one's attention. Is it a classic? Nope, not even close.
Terry Nation is writing once again. If the BBC hope to capture some of that Dalek magic, they were disappointed. The Voord are visually interesting, among of some of the most memorable designs of the early years. But are they humans in strange-shaped suits, or is that the actual shape of the creature inside? It's never made clear, and their lack of appearance in episodes 2-5 doesn't give them the opportunity to make much of an impression.
Once again, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan find themselves stranded, though this time it's due to a force field keeping them from the TARDIS. It's the first time we've seen this, and it's a welcome change from the TARDIS breaking down yet again.
Turns out they've landed on the planet Marinus, a world where peace was kept by a powerful computer called the Conscience that maintained justice throughout the entire planet. I don't think it's made clear how this was done: mind control? a computer-run legal system? It's a little vague, but it seems to involve removing some measure of free will, so it's not surprising when the Doctor and his companions turn down a request from Arbitan, the elderly keeper of the Conscience, to track down four missing keys to re-activate the machine.
Actually, that's not entirely true, as it's a little strange to see the Doctor and crew walking back to the TARDIS with no intention of helping anyone. We're still in that stage where the Doctor is eager to leave whatever planet he's on, which is odd, because it's not like he has anywhere else to go, aside from returning Ian and Barbara home, something he apparently doesn't have the capability to do. Their actions would have made more sense if the Doctor showed any outrage over the concept of the Conscience machine, but he never does. It's hard to imagine later Doctors letting the opportunity to speechify about free will and freedom pass them by, but if such a moment happens, we aren't privy to it, at least not until a small bit at the end.
Equipped with teleportation devices strapped to their wrists, the four of them are off to find the missing keys. Barbara, uncharacteristically, dives in and leaves before the others, resulting in a cliffhanger when her bloodied bracelet is found by the others after they arrive.
It's a cliffhanger that's swiftly disposed of, however, when we find Barbara being treated like royalty, and it turns out she merely scratched her wrist. It's here that the craziness begins, as Marinus is apparently made up of regions that seem to have been lifted from the most trite of science-fiction and fantasy stories. The next segment resulted in the BBC even being accused of plagiarism, but each part is so generic that it's hard to really say that Nation stole anything.
First, we get a land that manages to look like the Middle Ages mixed with ancient Rome, whose citizens are under the sway of brains in jars. It's pretty basic stuff, familiar to any fan of science-fiction and horror, but there are some interesting moments in which Barbara can see the world for what it is, while the others see nothing but luxury. While here, they find two of Arbitan's followers previously sent to search for the keys, his daughter Sabetha, and Altos, a man who, if not her boyfriend, seems to be by the end of the story. As if we weren't crowded enough, they decide to re-join the quest. Meanwhile, Hartnell apparently has some vacation days built up, as he's going on ahead by himself and we won't be seeing him again until episode five.
Boy, this is getting long. But this really is like five stories in one. Briefly, we get a plant infested region, whose similarly to "Day of the Triffids" is what nearly got the BBC sued; an icy region with frozen knights guarding a key and a trapper who seems intent on having his way with Barbara while leaving the other to die in the snow; and finally Millennius, a city with a very rigid justice system
It's this last location where things slow down. We spend the better part of two episodes in what is really the most boring segment of Marinus. Standard futuristic city, filled with uptight citizens bent on following rules. And there's a trial. It's tough to make a trial interesting, and this show doesn't have any tricks up its sleeve to change that.
After a rushed wrap-up, which involves discovering that Arbitan has been murdered by the Voord and the Conscience machine being destroyed, the Doctor tells Sabetha and Altos that they shouldn't be using such a device. Something he probably should have said in the first place.
It sounds tedious, but I still had fun watching this. The frequent location changes make this one of the few six-parters that doesn't drag for me.While it's all very predictable, it's still fun to see so many different things in one story: mind-controlling brains; screaming, murderous plants; deadly, ice-frozen knights. Everything shifts before there's time to be bored, and even the Millennius segment, boring as it is, would have felt rushed if they'd cut it down to one episode.
The Voord are interesting, and it's a shame they haven't turned up since. I'm not sure what the rationalization would be for such a thing happening, as I doubt a return to Marinus is in the Doctor's future, but they make for a great visual.
GRADE: B
In spite of the cliches, this is still a fun story, and I recently found myself watching all six episodes in one afternoon.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
What is the deal with Marinus? On the one hand, it's refreshing to see a planet that doesn't consist of one culture. But Marinus really pushes the limits of believability. Nothing seems to fit, and many of the places seem unaware of the existence of the other.
The final city, Millennius. They're obviously technologically advanced. Yet they seem to have no interest in the quest for the keys, and they're stunned when the travelers teleport away. Isn't this their own planet's technology?
Susan almost burns her feet off in an acid pool because she wants to "paddle". That says all you need to know about how poorly her characters is being written at this point.
Apparently, the Voord do return in the Doctor Who comics, but the story serves more to muddy up their history than make good use of them.
NEXT: The Aztecs. A four-part historical that I also have fond memories of. And it's one of the few stories Netflix is streaming, so no need to track down a good copy.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
004 Marco Polo
If you're reading this blog, you likely already know the story of all the missing Doctor Who episodes from the Hartnell and Troughton eras. Back in the 1980s, when I first experienced these earliest shows on WTTW channel 11, the PBS station out of Chicago, it was always annoying to tune in next week only to learn the ending of the previous story was just that, the end, with no follow-up on the cliffhangers that frequently ended those earlier episodes.
I would never get to see what that giant footprint in the snow encountered at the end of Edge of Destruction was all about. I could read the novelization, and often the lost stories were my most frequent purchases in that regard, but it would always be out of reach as an actual episodes I could watch.
Of course, this was all pre-internet, when my young brain could only conceive of video taping each and every episodes in order to watch them in the future. How could I have known that one day I'd be able to download a reconstructed version of Marco Polo, and finally experience it in something closer to its original form.
And that's what I did for today's story. It was a reconstruction consisting of colorized photos taken during the filming and publicity shoots for the episodes, along with the audio and occasional caption to clarify the action. It's not as good as the real thing, but it'll do.
I've watched Marco Polo once before, and at the time, I thought it to be the greatest of the lost historical stories. My opinion has shifted since then, as this viewing showed it to be strong at the start, but outwearing its welcome by the end.
It's fine for about the first four episodes, five if I'm generous, but after Tegana betrays Marco Polo for the umpteenth time and the Doctor and his companions repeatedly botch each attempt to escape in the TARDIS, it gets awfully repetitive. When the comedy relief of the Kublai Khan and his wife turns up in episodes six and seven, I was ready to call it a day.
Both Russel Davies and Steven Moffatt have continually reiterated that the companions are often more important than the Doctor. I actually disagree, but in these early episodes, it's certainly the case. Hartnell doesn't contribute much until the end, even vanishing for the better part of two episodes, and the show carries on without missing a beat. Ian, Barbara, Susan, even the temporary players like Marco, Tegana and Ping Cho, all feel more important than the Doctor in this story.
It's tough to judge on still photographs and audio, but the production looks to be of a higher standard than usual. Existing color photographs indicate this to be the case, but we'll never really know. Still, it has an epic feel that's often missing from the historicals.
GRADE: B-
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The TARDIS breaks down. Again.
To my knowledge, there is not a single Asian person in the cast. Apparently Zienia Merton, the actress playing Ping Cho, is half-Burmese. She's a standout in the episode, and one could easily see her being a companion if timing had been different. One thing about these long Who stories - you really get to live with the guest cast a lot longer, and I often find them more memorable than characters I've watched as recently as last year in the new series.
He may obviously be white, but Derren Nesbitt (whom I always remember as one of the Number 2's from "The Prisoner") still does a good job playing the treacherous warlord Tegana. I don't often remember villains or their names from some of these stories, but it's been several years since I last saw this, and I completely remembered his performance.
The TARDIS saves everyone's lives when they run out of water by forming condensation on its walls. Seriously, how unsafe is this thing? Should a ship traveling through time and space have a dampness problem?
NEXT: A personal favorite, "The Keys Of Marinus".
I would never get to see what that giant footprint in the snow encountered at the end of Edge of Destruction was all about. I could read the novelization, and often the lost stories were my most frequent purchases in that regard, but it would always be out of reach as an actual episodes I could watch.
Of course, this was all pre-internet, when my young brain could only conceive of video taping each and every episodes in order to watch them in the future. How could I have known that one day I'd be able to download a reconstructed version of Marco Polo, and finally experience it in something closer to its original form.
And that's what I did for today's story. It was a reconstruction consisting of colorized photos taken during the filming and publicity shoots for the episodes, along with the audio and occasional caption to clarify the action. It's not as good as the real thing, but it'll do.
I've watched Marco Polo once before, and at the time, I thought it to be the greatest of the lost historical stories. My opinion has shifted since then, as this viewing showed it to be strong at the start, but outwearing its welcome by the end.
It's fine for about the first four episodes, five if I'm generous, but after Tegana betrays Marco Polo for the umpteenth time and the Doctor and his companions repeatedly botch each attempt to escape in the TARDIS, it gets awfully repetitive. When the comedy relief of the Kublai Khan and his wife turns up in episodes six and seven, I was ready to call it a day.
Both Russel Davies and Steven Moffatt have continually reiterated that the companions are often more important than the Doctor. I actually disagree, but in these early episodes, it's certainly the case. Hartnell doesn't contribute much until the end, even vanishing for the better part of two episodes, and the show carries on without missing a beat. Ian, Barbara, Susan, even the temporary players like Marco, Tegana and Ping Cho, all feel more important than the Doctor in this story.
It's tough to judge on still photographs and audio, but the production looks to be of a higher standard than usual. Existing color photographs indicate this to be the case, but we'll never really know. Still, it has an epic feel that's often missing from the historicals.
GRADE: B-
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The TARDIS breaks down. Again.
To my knowledge, there is not a single Asian person in the cast. Apparently Zienia Merton, the actress playing Ping Cho, is half-Burmese. She's a standout in the episode, and one could easily see her being a companion if timing had been different. One thing about these long Who stories - you really get to live with the guest cast a lot longer, and I often find them more memorable than characters I've watched as recently as last year in the new series.
He may obviously be white, but Derren Nesbitt (whom I always remember as one of the Number 2's from "The Prisoner") still does a good job playing the treacherous warlord Tegana. I don't often remember villains or their names from some of these stories, but it's been several years since I last saw this, and I completely remembered his performance.
The TARDIS saves everyone's lives when they run out of water by forming condensation on its walls. Seriously, how unsafe is this thing? Should a ship traveling through time and space have a dampness problem?
NEXT: A personal favorite, "The Keys Of Marinus".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)