We're halfway through season 10 and this is shaping up to be the best season of Doctor Who so far. Every story has been a corker!
Mac Hulke is back with another tale of political intrigue. After my shout of joy at seeing his name in the opening credits, I realized that I had never actually seen this story before! How exciting!
Harry -
We were just talking about him, too.
You know, we've seen before how Uncles Barry and Terry liked to create little season arcs, and I picked up a kind of unintentional one while watching this story. It's Jo's farewell arc.
This is Jo's third season with the Doctor, and by now she's had a lot of adventures, most of them Earthbound. When Season 10 began, the Doctor had recovered the ability to take the TARDIS anywhere in time and space. So far, they've landed in the cargo hold of an Earth ocean liner that itself was trapped inside an alien scope. From there, they moved on and landed in - wait for it - another cargo hold, this time on a space freighter. I don't think the Doctor promised he'd show Jo every cargo hold in the galaxy.
During this story, we also see Jo starting to drop hints about wanting to return to Earth to stay, especially during her incredible nonstop monologue that covered the Doctor's escape from a cell they were sharing.
Sarah -
Oh dear, you're right. There are just a couple more Jo stories left and I'm already feeling a bit sad about it. Watching all of Jo's stories in order for the first time has give me an appreciation for her that I've never had before. She really has grown and developed during her three seasons with the Doctor. She's gone from being his scatterbrained assistant to becoming an extremely resourceful and clever companion.
Harry -
I used to not think all that highly of Jo, but I agree seeing all her stories in order has shown how she developed as a character.
Sarah -
I'm going to miss Jo - and also her amazing fashion sense. I found myself wanting almost everything she's worn. Maybe not the hightop wedge gym shoes, but apparently they're the one thing Katy Manning regrets not keeping from her time on the show!
Harry -
Incredibly, one of my co-workers is wearing black hightop wedge gym shoes at the office today. She got them in NYC. Hers have fewer white markings on top and burgundy laces, but it blew my mind when she walked in today.
Sarah -
Love it!
Jo's monologue in the cell was one of my favorite scenes in this entire story. She was so funny and charming and I just wanted to give her a big hug for being so creative in distracting the Master. Her victory was complete when he turned the volume down on the video feed!
Harry -
Jeez, they got thrown into an awful lot of cells in this story, didn't they?
Sarah -
Oh dear, so many cells! Kudos to the inventive set designers for making it work.
Harry -
Maybe all the spaceship props ate up the budget.
I tallied up seven different times that Jo was detained in a cell or cage. That's more than once per episode!
Sarah -
Poor Jo!
One of the things that I loved about this story is that we spend the first two episodes on a political dispute between Earth and the Draconians, knowing that there's more to it, but not what it is. The moment when the Master arrives in the third episode is brilliant because it's so unexpected.
Harry -
Mac Hulke gave us the ultimate double red herring by introducing the Ogrons first. Aha, the Daleks' old servitors - this must be a Dalek story! But no, instead of Daleks barging into the Earth president's IKEA-From-the-Future office, it is the Master who suavely strolls in.
But at the end of the sixth episode, it turns out that the Daleks were involved all along. Double red herrings, well done Mr. Hulke!
Sarah -
It's utterly brilliant! I squeed with joy when the Daleks showed up!
Harry -
Despite the endless cycle of captures and escapes for Jo and the Doctor, the story kept changing locations and that kept it from dragging. The Doctor's time on the lunar penal colony felt unnecessary, and we never saw nor heard from those characters again. Maybe the whole point was to provide Jo with a wardrobe change to show that time had elapsed. Maybe I'm overthinking that?
Sarah -
Well, Katy did say that the karate outfit was her all-time favorite DW outfit, so maybe you're right!
I kept finding myself marveling at how well the story worked and how the story of all the captures, escapes, and re-captures could have easily gone south -- but never did.
Harry -
While Pertwee was racing around with the Earth general and the Draconian prince, Delgado's faceoffs with Manning were a highlight in this story.
Sarah -
She really held her own against an old pro.
Harry -
It's too bad that "Frontier in Space" marks the final appearances of the Ogrons and the Draconians. It's a shame that neither was ever brought back. I like the Ogrons in particular; they are like a mindless, thuggish biker gang in space. The only sour note is that Hulke never tells us where they came from, other than "the Ogron planet." And I doubt he would have named it "Theogronplanet". That's more of a Bob Holmes gag.
Sarah -
It was great to see the Ogrons again. I especially love the Draconian makeup and costumes. I'd love to see them return.
Harry -
The Draconian masks were excellently done.
Considering the lack of action in the first couple of episodes, there's plenty of it in the later stages. However, I do have to note that part six is one of the most baffling episodes ever.
When the Doctor and the others arrive on Theogronplanet (sorry, I'm stuck on that now), they see some sort of huge bladder monster at the top of a cliff. The Ogrons flee in terror. But later, we see that a depiction of the bladder monster has been painted on a wall inside the place where the Master has set up, complete with honourary flame. So is the monster an object of worship? It was so random, and never fully explained.
Sarah -
Apparently, that was explained in the original script, but got cut along the way. Look at me, Miss Watch-all-the-bonus-features-on-the-DVD!
Harry -
Ahh, call me Mr-Skipped-the-features-this-time.
Another thing that wasn't explained was how the Master shot the Doctor, then vanished. Did he just decide the gig was up and it was time to leg it? His disappearance allowed Jo to help the Doctor into the TARDIS and they escaped Theogronplanet.
And instead of a tidy ending with everything sorted, we instead get a Hartnell-era ending, where one story bleeds into the next one. That threw me for a loop.
Sarah -
I found it wonderfully exciting! I kind of loved when all the stories bled together in the Hartnell era.
Harry -
Turns out, "Frontier in Space" is the first half of an epic double feature. I have good memories of the next story, can't wait to get to it!
Sarah -
"Frontier in Space" is notably - and tragically - Roger Delgado's final appearance in Doctor Who. Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks had planned to end the season with an epic final story for the Master, but, sadly, it was never to be. Delgado's untimely death in a car accident in Turkey on 18 June, 1973, devastated the Doctor Who family.
Watching the Delgado tribute on the "Frontier in Space" DVD was so bittersweet. I was in tears by the end.
Harry -
Well, before we get to "Planet of the Daleks," I'll have to watch the Delgado tribute. For now, here's my closing notes.
Best line - "The Ogrons have got the finest defence mechanism of all: stupidity. They haven't got a mind for you to probe."
Favourite moment - Jo stands up to the Master, and he backs down.
Lasting image - The Draconians.
7/10
Sarah -
Best Line: The Master : "In a reminiscent mood are you, Doctor? Poor Miss Grant, you have my deepest sympathies."
Favorite Moment: Jo's rambling monologue.
Lasting Image: The Doctor and Jo in the cell.
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #68 - Planet of the Daleks...
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