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.
