And we're back.
Good to see our proper Doctor again, with his proper companions... although I miss the old ones.
Sarah -
After the diversion of the films, it’s more than a little bittersweet to return to a TARDIS with no Barbara and Ian. In my mind they’re still frolicking around London.
How about Vicki’s comment, “Well, they weren’t getting any younger were they?” Ouch! Thanks, Kiddo, that really softens the blow.
Harry -
After our little break, it almost feels as if we've missed an episode prior to "The Time Meddler." Steven's stowing aboard the TARDIS has ruffled nary a feather, and the Doctor gives him a guided tour. Steven is still acting a bit flaky, and Vicki seems bemused by it all.
Sarah -
They take it all in stride, don’t they? Even when they assume it must be a Dalek rambling around the living quarters. Note to self : when fighting a Dalek, be sure to bring your coat and shoe for defense. Oh never mind, it’s just Steven.
Steven’s skepticism about the TARDIS’ ability to travel through time is amusing and refreshing. With Barbara and Ian's departure, it’s good to have the power structure of the TARDIS shaken up a bit.
Harry -
It takes an awfully long time for this story to get going. Our new TARDIS team lands on a windswept beach that the Doctor quickly identifies as Northumbria. He and this companions split up for a spot of exploring, while a mysterious monk observes from afar.
I really like the sets here, interspersed with stock footage to bring Anglo-Saxon Northumbria to life in glorious black and white! The beach, the forest, the Local Village, all look very detailed and not-a-TV-studio lifelike.
But who is this monk fellow? Why is he snooping around, and what's the deal with his anachronistic wristwatch? Curiouser and curiouser...
Sarah -
The monk is mysterious enough, but I was positively gobsmacked by Alethea Charlton’s transportation from the stone age to the middle ages! The flirty Doctor pumps her for information while enjoying a horn of mead, but never bothers to ask how she got there. Good ‘ol 1066 – What a time to be alive!
Harry -
However briefly!
Sarah -
It’s a pity Barbara isn’t here, indeed.
Harry -
Yes, we're already seeing some familiar faces reappearing in Doctor Who as the second season winds down. Were it not for their fleeting moments on this show, we'd never be talking about these folks.
Sarah -
From 15 minutes of fame to an eternity of reverence…or at least being the answer to a trivia question.
Harry -
...or the subject of a Toby Hadoke blog.
At the risk of sounding pompous, I dare say this is a very important Doctor Who story. It shows us that we can move on with new companions who can step into the roles vacated by others, while the Doctor is now the undisputed focal point of every story. We still need the companions through whose eyes we see the adventures unfolding, but the parade of ever-changing companions is well under way.
Sarah -
Pompous? This is a blog, My Dear, pomp away!
I agree with your assessment. Steven and Vicki show us we can carry on without Barbara and Ian, just as the non-canonical movies show us that the Doctor doesn’t have to be William Hartnell.
Harry -
Also, this story expands the Whoniverse like never before. There are others like the Doctor who travel in time and space. There are other TARDISes! So it's not just one eccentric traveler with his little blue box. There could be dozens, maybe hundreds of them!
Sarah -
Isn’t it exciting? Even as a viewer of nearly thirty years, I’m nearly giddy at the discovery!
Harry -
Back to the story itself. I loved the Monk. It's a shame that this quirky mischief maker was never made a permanent recurring character as the Master would. He's a kind of middle ground between the heroic Doctor and evil Master. He just wants to mess around with things and have FUN! The "master plan" scene where the Doctor and Monk go face to face is a classic confrontation.
"Now now now, don't try and bamboozle me." I love that the Doctor said bamboozle.
Sarah -
Wouldn’t you love to see him pop up again to bamboozle the Doctor? Their scenes were brilliant and so much fun. Perhaps a future incarnation will travel back and rescue the Time Meddler.
Harry -
Who wouldn't want to live out their lives with a comedy roll-up checklist to guide them?
Sarah -
Nearly fell off the sofa laughing at that image.
Harry -
Steven and Vicki have great chemistry and work well as the new companions, as opposed to those two rather hapless vikings who get themselves killed.
Sarah -
Vicki is doing a nice job of filling Barbara’s role of clever girl and Steven is doing a good job of keeping up. That Viking-Saxon fight scene just may be the least interesting in Doctor Who history – and that’s saying something.
Speaking of the Vikings, weren’t they in a prog-rock band in the 70s? No? Well, they should have been.
Harry -
Speaking of which, the obvious yet unshown murders and rape in this story were jarring for what is nominally a children's program. I liked these moments of blunt realism in what is otherwise a comedy story.
Sarah -
They were so unexpected in this little romp. Poor Alethea.
How about those closing images of the Doctor and companions? Heroic, yet kind of odd and uncomfortable.
Harry -
Very spacey stuff.
Sarah -
And, in closing, can I just say, “Eldred must live!” (Honestly, someone had to.)
Harry -
If you hadn't, I would have!
Sarah -
Lasting image - The checklist.
Favorite moment - “Don’t call me Doc!”
Best line - "That is the dematerialization control, and that over yonder is the horizontal hold. Up there is the scanner, those are the doors, that is a chair with a panda on it... Sheer poetry, dear boy! Now please stop bothering me!"
8/10
Harry -
Lasting image - The monk perched atop the windswept cliff.
Favourite moment - When Vicki and Steven discover the monk's TARDIS.
Best line - "What do you think it is, a space helmet for a cow?"
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #18 - Galaxy 4...
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