IO-HE-VO-HE AZAL! (*making double horned signs*)
Season 8 ends on a high note with some folk horror in the village, Doctor Who style.
AZAL! HEAR ME AZAL! (*double horns again*)
Sarah -
It really is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Harry!
What an excellent capper to the season -- science, folklore, witchcraft, aliens, and, most absurdly of all, Morris Dancers!
Harry -
The Morris Dancers of Death!
Sarah -
You know how much I love Morris Dancing. The only thing missing from this story is a Local Shop!
Harry -
There was a local pub, with lots of happenings among the locals, so that'll work.
Sarah -
Speaking of, I’d love to see an entire series set in Bert’s Pub!
Christopher Barry does an excellent job of setting the mood, from the creepy crypt to the Beltane revels. In fact, the only part of the story I found disappointing were the Daemons, themselves.
Harry -
I loved the atmosphere of fantastic weirdness woven through the first half of the story.
Jo hints at her belief in the occult and supernatural things. The Doctor scoffs, but nonetheless is very interested in the dig at the bronze age Devil's Hump.
Sarah -
I loved that turnaround. From, “You know, Jo, for a reasonably intelligent young lady, you do have the most absurd ideas” to hitting the road in Bessie within the first episode!
Harry -
Meanwhile, the Master is back on Earth, this time as a black priest performing esoteric ceremonies.
Sarah -
Of course he is. The Master is the idealized version of the complete renaissance villain!
Harry -
Perhaps weirdest of all was seeing Yates and Benton in casual wear. Season 8 has veered in a completely different direction!
Sarah -
When the Brig’s away, the mice will play. Speaking of the Brig, I really wanted him to be wearing a kilt when he went off to his event early in the story. It’s been too long without Jamie and I’m missing kilts.
Harry -
If I recall, we will eventually see the Brig's lovely knees sometime in the future.
Sarah -
An event that I have been eagerly anticipating for a while now.
Happily, Yates and Benton got a lot of screen time in this story and made the most of it. Excellent work by John Levene and Richard Franklin.
Harry -
The casual wear! I loved it! Yates looked like he was off to a book reading, while Benton was going to watch some footy.
Did you have the same thought as me about the announcer at the dig site? It should have been Michael Wisher!
Sarah -
Oh, how I was wishing it would have been Wisher. What a missed opportunity.
Harry -
I liked the curmudgeonly professor, and of course Miss Hawthorne. Another cast of memorable extras rounded this story off.
Sarah -
Miss Hawthorne was especially brilliant. I loved her pluck and commitment to her witchcraft. The scene where the constable picked up the rock to smash her over the head was a bit harrowing, but I loved her confidence in convincing the village that the Doctor was a great wizard who must be freed. Brilliant performance by Damaris Hayman!
Harry -
She was quintessentially English. And some folks think highly enough of her to bring her back in a new film: The White Witch of Devil's End. Amazing!
I'm going to look up what else Damaris Hayman has been in.
Back to the story itself. Good ol' Guy Leopold (ha!) wrote a tale of occult happenings at a small English village that reminded me of several "folk horror" movies made around the same time. The Daemons reminded me of The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan's Claw, and Witchfinder General. These films were built around the premise that pre-Christian beliefs were perverted into something eerie and frightening, with generous lashings of outright Satanism thrown in. So it was delightful to watch the Master don a black priest's garb and recite incantations.
Sarah -
“SO MOTE IT BE!”
Sorry, I’ve always wanted to say that…
Harry -
All the while, the Doctor sensed what was really going on, but he was coy in the early going. He was determined to emphasize science over magic to almost everyone he spoke with in the first two episodes. It was just slightly disappointing when he took Jo down to the dig site and revealed that it was a spaceship down there after all.
Sarah -
It was even more disappointing to learn that the Daemons were responsible for all human advancement. Sheesh, why do we even bother?
Harry -
Yeah, it was odd to get that reveal halfway through the story. But in the grand style of the Barry Letts era, it opened up the remaining episodes to helicopter chases, motorbike action, and of course, the Morris Dancers of Death!
Sarah -
It was complete mayhem in the village – what fun!
Harry -
I particularly liked the barkeep's shredded newspaper wear. I've never seen something like that before or since.
Sarah -
I was thinking that would be a good look on you, Old Boy.
Harry -
I rather fancied the Master's ceremonial robes.
Let's take a moment to review the Master's arc in Season 8. Not sure if it's an arc in the current sense, but for one season of Doctor Who, the Master appeared in every story. We know he was created to be a kind of Moriarty to the Doctor's Holmes. The casting of Roger Delgado was perfect and he played the role brilliantly. Until now, though, I hadn't realized that stories involving the Master follow the same template every time: Master concocts grandiose scheme for power; Doctor investigates and uncovers said scheme; Master realizes the scheme was total rubbish and relies on Doctor's help to get out of trouble; Doctor obliges, Master suffers inferiority complex and flees vowing revenge. It's the same story every time!
Sarah -
It really is the same story every time. I believe I've seen most of these stories as one-offs and never in proper chronological order before. The Master is the Doctor's greatest nemesis and I felt more than a little guilty rolling my eyes at yet another formulaic Master story. As much as I adore Roger Delgado's brilliant performances, I prefer to spread them out a bit.
Harry -
OK, time to stop skirting around the problem here. Yes, it totally sucked that "The Daemons" is all about showing us the Daemons from Daemos, who have influenced all of human history. While the Doctor's proto-powerpoint presentation was illuminating, it was also disappointing.
Sarah -
And BORING!
Harry -
Azal, the last remaining Daemon was so all-powerful (and shouty loud!) that once again, the Master overstepped. It was up to the Doctor and Jo to engage in a, well, a very long chat with Azal. Jo's offer to sacrifice herself utterly blew the Daemon's mind. Kind of a weird ending. But this was a weird story. The atmosphere and cues from contemporary horror films were distinctive and fabulous, but I guess the Doctor Who'd version fell a bit flat at the finish.
Sarah -
Still, the excellent fun of the first four episodes more than made up for the disappointment of the finale. Jo is even (somewhat) vindicated when the Doctor admits, “You’re right, Jo, there is magic in the world, after all.”
The story ends with the Doctor and Jo participating in the Beltane rituals while the Brig and Yates have a pint. Once again, all is right in the world.
So, I have to ask Harry … Pint?
Harry -
I thought you'd never ask, chum.
Sarah -
Best Line: I’ve got to give this one to Miss Hawthorne, reprimanding the Master: “Why should I believe you, a rationalist, existentialist priest, indeed.”
Favorite Moment: The Morris Dancers arrive!
Lasting Image: The Morris Dancers arrive!
8/10
Harry -
Best line: "IO-HE-VO-HE AZAL!" (it's fun to shout and make the double horned signs)
Favourite Moment: The Brigadier remains totally unflappable while reviewing Yates' explanation of the wild goings on in the village. I laughed so hard I had to pause it.
Lasting image: The Master in his ceremonial robes.
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #60: Day of the Daleks...
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