The Master’s on the loose and the Time Lords are willing to restore the Doctor’s freedom to serve their own purposes. We’re back in the TARDIS again, Dear Harry!
Harry -
That was an unexpected opening. The Time Lords whisking the Doctor out into space like a game piece and leaving him to sort it out. You can see why he doesn't like them. At least we finally get a space story again.
Sarah -
These Earthbound stories have been excellent, but, like the Doctor, I've been itching to do some traveling. Unfortunately, Jo isn't quite ready for the Doctor's wandering ways.
I must tell you, Old Boy, that I've never seen this story before! I practically squealed with delight when I realized there was still a new story to see.
Harry -
I had this one confused with another one, but I really liked this one.
Sarah -
I was not prepared for Jo's reaction to entering the TARDIS for the first time. We're so used to all companions rushing headlong into the TARDIS, ready for adventure. What a surprise to find that Jo's first reaction was to hightail it out of there!
Harry -
Yeah, Jo takes a huge hit in my estimation here. It's not Katy Manning's fault that she was written to be an 8-year-old child. Once she started playing "frightened", it seemed she'd be spooked by her own shadow. The Doctor stroking her cheek and talking down to her didn't help. Watching all these stories in a row is starting to put a bit of a dampener on my memories of the Pertwee era.
Sarah -
Jo's never been one of my favorite companions, but this isn't one of her finer moments. Isn't she supposed to be UNIT-trained? Shouldn't she have some amount of stiff-upper-lip-ness to see her through?
Harry -
Should have, but let's put aside the poor characterizations and talk about the story. Mac Hulke has given us another cracker. I hadn't really paid attention to which writer wrote which story before we set off on this marathon of ours, Sarah. Hulke is becoming one of my favourite Who writers!
Sarah -
He never lets us down, does he?
Harry -
He gives us a classic confrontation between plucky, self-sufficient pioneers and cruel, corporate mercenaries. The colonists were idealistic and willing to stick it out together, while the Intergalactic Mining Corporation thugs resorted to threats and violence in the name of profit.
Sarah -
With the native primitives tossed in, all that’s missing from this western are a few dramatic shots of Monument Valley. Oh, wait, we’re in space, aren’t we?
Harry -
If Mac Hulke's script wasn't in-your-face enough, the costume design was perfect. The colonists looked like a band of English folk musicians, while the IMC were dressed in fascist-looking uniforms.
Sarah -
Subtle it was not. Still, I find myself wishing they’d broken into a round of Morris dancing... in space!
Harry -
Into this stark black-and-white scenario are plunged the Doctor and Jo. The Doctor immediately sides with the colonists and exposes IMC's sabotage efforts. Captain Dent and his thugs do not appreciate this, and continue their campaign to expel the colonists.
Dent is a fantastic villain. Colder than a snake, and nastier. Hulke didn't give him an ounce of compassion, unlike Caldwell, the miner who gets caught between his job and his conscience.
Sarah -
We’ve seen some baddies before, but chaining Jo and Winton to a bomb is a new low! And let’s not forget that charming sociopath, Morgan.
Harry -
Norton the infiltrator, Winton the agitator, Ashe the doomed leader. So many great characters here, it felt like we really got to know them.
Sarah -
I have to admit that I wasn’t at all looking forward to another six-parter, but I love the room the story had to develop the characters. I found myself becoming quite attached to our merry band of settlers.
Harry -
Then there's the awkwardly named "Primitives." On the surface, they seem to be just that, but once within their city, the Doctor and Jo discover the remnants of a once-brilliant society, one that seemed to regress as a result of experimentation and radiation exposure.
Sarah -
I loved this unexpected twist on the “primitives.” Not that anyone is going to listen to their cautionary tale, mind you.
Harry -
While the Doctor and Jo are in the underground city, the character that the Time Lords hinted at in part one finally arrives in the person of the Adjudicator. Using this façade, the Master aims to enter the underground city and take control of the Primitives' superweapon. It's the latest in a series of plots that have grand objectives but little practicality.
Sarah -
I know the decision was made to include the Master in all the episodes of this season, and I don’t want to be seen questioning Barry Letts decision making… but I guess that’s exactly what I’m doing. Does the Master have a Doctor-homing-device in his TARDIS. His ability to show up wherever the Doctor is – even when his earthly exile is ended – is uncanny.
Harry -
So as we move into the second half of the story, we have a lot going on. The colonists and IMC continue to sabotage and attack one another - highlighted by several close-range gun battles. The Doctor and Jo have discovered the underground city and its people. The Master is worming his way into the thick of things, and the Boards-of-Canada-esque incidental music continues to delight this viewer!
Sarah -
The tension is mounting!
Harry -
I think what made this six-parter work was that the story definitely progressed from one episode to the next, without circling back to repeat itself.
Sarah -
Absolutely! Unlike recent stories, we find ourselves with a fresh cliffhanger for each episode. Things keep moving along at a brisk clip.
Our pioneers find themselves agreeing to leave the planet to the mining thugs, which leads us to one of the most devastating moments of the series so far – shortly after taking off, the settlers spaceship explodes. I was devastated and couldn’t believe Doctor Who was doing this to me.
But Wait! It was all a ploy! Ashe bravely piloted the spaceship on his own, knowing it wouldn’t fly – saving the rest of the colony! I nearly stood up and cheered!
Harry -
Ashe gave everything in order to make the colony succeed, including his life. Not that I keep a ranking of such things, but his death was especially tragic.
Sarah -
It was utterly heartbreaking.
Harry -
Meanwhile, the Master once again tempts the Doctor with a half-share of All The Power In The Universe. The Doctor seems to mull it over before he shoots the Master down again. All these failures and rejections in short order must take a toll on the Master's fragile psyche - no wonder he goes increasingly bonkers as a character.
Sarah -
This is getting a bit old, to be honest. Too much Master in a row.
Harry -
Things are quickly wrapped up as the Primitives' tiny elder decides to destroy the superweapon, taking their city with it. Our heroes escape, the Master flees, the colonists are left to start over, and the TARDIS returns to UNIT HQ mere seconds after the Brigadier called it back. Nicely done!
Sarah -
The Doctor returning to UNIT HQ on the Brig’s command was priceless.
Best Line:
Caldwell -- “Are you some kind of Scientist?”
Doctor -- “I’m every kind of scientist.”
Favorite Moment: The Doctor reveals he has the Master’s TARDIS key.
Lasting Image: The settlers on the hill after the ship explodes. Just this once, everybody lives!
7/10
Harry -
Everybody lives... except Ashe. He's going to haunt us!
Best line: Ha! We picked the same one. Hugs all round.
Favourite moment: The TARDIS returns to UNIT HQ, seemingly on the Brig's command.
Lasting image: Dent's cold, stone face of corporate contempt.
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #59 - The Daemons...
No comments:
Post a Comment