Well, this is quite the cracking yarn, isn’t it, Harry? If there was any doubt that the Third Doctor era was going in an entirely different direction, "The Ambassadors of Death" would disabuse viewers of that notion!
Harry -
The Silly 60s have given way to the Serious 70s.
Sarah -
Doctor Who is definitely not just for kiddies anymore. I didn’t keep track, but the body count in "The Ambassadors of Death" is massive. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise with “…of Death” in the title, but still.
Harry -
I repeatedly caught myself thinking, "gosh there's a lot of people getting killed here."
Sarah -
The opening scene is quite dramatic – an astronaut on a mission to rescue two colleagues who have gone missing encounters something terrifying, yet unseen, when the two capsules link up. This is all being followed by the media back on Earth, of course.
Harry -
Great tension was established immediately. The space shots were believable (for their time) as was the floating camera work.
The space control set was interestingly minimalist: Ralph Cornish seated alone at a desk in the middle of the room.
Sarah -
I liked the simplicity of the command room. Also, Ralph Cornish is a bit of a dish, isn't he? So dashing!
Harry -
His voice sounded very familiar, I wonder if he's appeared in other stories. To the Google!
[A few minutes later.]
Oh my word! Ronald Allen, who played the dishy and dashing Ralph Cornish, also starred as the tormented Dominator Rago in "The Dominators." That's brilliant!
Sarah -
Of course! I knew he looked familiar. Dominators are not at all dishy, which is likely what threw me off.
Harry -
Oh, and speaking of media, TV reporter John Wakefield was utterly captivating as a kind of Greek chorus during the effort to link up with Mars Probe 7.
Sarah -
As soon as he appeared, I couldn’t help imagining Eric Idle in the role, but the truth is even better. I did not realized, until you pointed it out Dear Harry, that John Wakefield was none other than Michael Wisher, who would go on to play Davros in "Genesis of the Daleks" (among many other Doctor Who credits)! Still, Eric Idle would have been cool.
Harry -
Even better, imagine if a different Python reporter popped up in each episode!
Anyway, as soon as things go hairy with the Mars probe and recovery ship, the Doctor and Liz spring into action with UNIT in tow.
Sarah -
But not before the Doctor reminds us of his feelings about the Brig’s behavior towards the Silurians.
Harry -
After an unflattering portrayal in the previous story, UNIT gets off to a shaky start here too. This time, they become involved in a gunfight at a warehouse to which they had tracked the signal that had replied to the burst of sound from the Mars probe.
The gunfight is... comedic. The stuntmen must have enjoyed filming it, but it comes off looking silly. There was a moment when a UNIT private had his rifle shot right out of his hands, leaving him gawping in disbelief. Too silly!
Sarah -
It’s surprisingly silly, considering all the damage that’s done.
Harry -
Thankfully, UNIT fares better as the story progresses. Not right away, though - they will manage to lose a space capsule first.
Sarah -
Things are definitely a bit homespun for an international intelligence agency, aren’t they?
I was quite impressed by the scenes of the capsule’s reentry. The script did an excellent job of building the tension in the control room without expensive special effects. I was completely holding my breath waiting for the capsule to land.
Harry -
The power of close ups.
Sarah -
The stealing of the capsule, followed by the Doctor’s hoodwinking of the thieves was an odd, if amusing, scene. The long drive with the Brig and the jaunty UNIT music felt like a bit of filler, so I was almost relieved when the truck was hijacked.
My favorite cliffhanger of the story had to be when Liz was being chased across the bridge. I actually shouted her name when she went over the railing. Effective stuff!
Harry -
Being brutally honest, they could have gone straight from episode one to episode four, but the padding didn't hinder the story too much. I wouldn't even call it padding, all that capsule hijacking, anti-thefting, and car chasing. All thrilling stuff, especially that "bridgehanger" with Liz!
Sarah -
The fact that she was wearing the shortest skirt in the history of Doctor Who certainly added to the tension.
Speaking of cliffhangers, what did you think of the opening theme, followed by the reprise of the cliffhanger, and then the story title? I kind of liked it.
Harry -
I wish they had kept that format: main theme, 30 second reprise, titles stinger and then the episode proper. So orderly.
Sarah -
And quite dramatic.
Harry -
By the time Liz found herself clinging to a railing above rushing waters, this story was feeling more like The X-Files than Doctor Who, what with the paranormal spacemen and government/military conspiracies. The villains of the story are all icy cool, no hysterics until Carrington's breakdown at the end. And there's Cyril Shaps of course. Poor, troubled Lennox getting caught up with the wrong people and meeting his untimely demise - a classic Cyril Shaps performance.
Sarah -
Lennox is one of those guys who can just never get it right, isn’t he? I thought it was sweet that he helped Liz escape and that she covered up for him when she was recaptured. Of course, Liz being Liz, she immediately began planning for a second escape!
Harry -
She's got no time for nonsense. Lennox should have gone with her.
Sarah -
The fool!
Harry -
We haven't talked about Reegan yet. With the chief conspirator always offscreen, it's Reegan who steals the show. He might be the best henchman in all of Doctor Who. He's not a muscle-headed buffoon or a mindless ox. He's cunning, he's not afraid to take action, and he's a ruthless killer. Definitely the one character I would least like to encounter in a dark alley.
Carrington, Taltalian, Reegan... all great creeps one and all. Tragically, the spacemen do most of the killing in this story, only later we learn they are alien ambassadors who are being manipulated into doing so.
Sarah -
Speaking of Taltalian, what accent was he meant to have? It seemed all over the place.
Sorry, I digress...
Harry -
Taltalian had some sort of Franco-Germanic accent, I think? Let's just say he was from Strasbourg.
Sarah -
By way of Crawley.
Harry -
Digging deeper into the story, the Doctor once again grabs the role of diplomat/peacemaker. Let's throw astronaut in the mix too. He can do it all, can't he?
Sarah -
This is the second story in a row where the humans are the untrustworthy ones. The Silurians were trying to protect their world, the ambassadors have no intention of being, well, “of death” – until the human baddies force it on them.
Aliens aren’t the problem in season seven – it’s the humans you’ve got to watch out for.
Harry -
If the Doctor was aghast by their antics, he kept it to himself. So glad he didn't give up on us! There's definitely a misanthropic streak to these early Pertwee stories. It reminded me of newer ones like "Planet of the Ood," where the humans are the monsters.
Sarah -
A sign of the times, for sure.
Harry -
Luckily the aliens in this story were not trigger happy and the Doctor was able to avert a disaster. I always think of these aliens as "The Venetian Blind Creatures", because of that scene when the Doctor speaks with the gesticulating representative aboard their ship. Lo tech effects, but effective.
Sarah -
It would be hard to fault the aliens had they become trigger-happy. The humans definitely had it coming.
Harry -
Another thing that always sticks in my mind is the ethereal "ambassadors" theme we hear whenever they are onscreen. It sounded like a two-second Brian Eno soundscape on repeat. The adventures in music continue!
Sarah -
It's really quite impressive how the Doctor Who music continues to be original and effective.
Harry -
I'm really liking season seven. Every story has been high quality. There's one more to go. Shall we?
Sarah -
Oh yes, let's! But first, can I say how happy I was to see our old mate Benton? I was. Quite.
Harry -
Best Line: "I've no time to talk to the press." "Quite right, neither have I." Oh snap again, Doctor!
Favourite Moment: UNIT launches an assault in Bessie.
Lasting Image: the Venetian Blind Creature.
8/10
Sarah -
Best Line: “My dear fellow, I don’t seem to have a pass. Because I don’t believe in them, that’s why.” Preach it, Doctor!
Favorite Moment: Liz’s exciting chase scene.
Lasting Image: Liz dangling off the bridge.
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #54 - Inferno...
