Story #108 - The Horns of Nimon (1979-1980)

Harry -
Good grief this one sucks. I can't even pretend to defend it. The real challenge here will be to find interesting things to say about "The Horns of Nimon", without being negative the whole way through.

Maybe I'll begin with a list, just to get all the negatives out of the way:

- horrible effects, from the dreadful ship in space to the slightly misaligned laser blasts

- all the guest actors were more wooden than a display of cabinets at IKEA, except for...

- Graham Crowden, whose performance is so over the top one wonders if his career survived it

- the Nimons are awful

- Tom is definitely back to his hammy ways

- Anthony Read's story is okay, but sabotaged by the lousy production and acting


Sarah -
I sense you're holding back, Harry. Please, tell us how you really feel.


Harry -
Okay, now the reverse, to prove there's a little positive in everything.

- the horrible effects practically give off a warm sepia glow for all the nostalgia they bring

- the guest actors weren't entirely bad, they just got acted right off the stage by Crowden and Baker

- as for Crowden's career, he did just fine

- the most interesting thing about the Nimons was watching to see how close the actors came to toppling over on those massive platform boots - they had to have been moving about in such a stilted manner because they were trying to keep their balance!

- Tom resorted to hamming it up because the Doctor was separated from the tempering influence of Romana for most of this story. She more or less resolved the entire thing while he arsed around with the Nimons and their circuitry


Sarah -
I can't disagree with your points -- both negative and positive.


Harry -
As for Anthony Read's story, it was a clever take on an old legend.  I liked the fact that the labyrinth kept shifting. Only later did we discover what it really was.


Sarah -
The labyrinth as a power circuit is a brilliant idea.


Harry -
Anyway, back to the beginning, with that hokey ship and its human cargo. Once it started breaking down, they really got that set to wobble for reals.


Sarah -
It looked like the tributes were the only thing keeping that set standing!

We start out meeting the pilot and co-pilot who are charged with bring the tributes back to Skonnos to fulfill their deal with the mysterious Nimon. In exchange for supplying the Nimon with young humanoids, they expect to be given the means to achieve the Second Skonnan Empire. What could possibly go wrong?

I have to give a shout-out to Malcolm Terris' portrayal of the co-pilot. There's so little to redeem this character, who is more than willing to cut corners and will do anything to save himself. We know that he will be doomed in the end, but Terris is so much fun to watch, from his first shout of "weakling scum" to his final attempt to survive the Nimon.


Harry -
"Weaking scum!" was an unexpectedly amusing catch phrase. Those kids from Crinoth were really beneath his contempt.


Sarah -
I've been on the lookout for opportunities to work "weakling scum" into casual conversation. It's more challenging than you may think.


Harry -
Probably what I disliked the most about this story was that it took so long to get going. The TARDIS finds itself on a collision course with the disabled Skonnan ship, but the Doctor extrudes its defense shields so that they can link up. Once aboard, our friends meet Seth, Teka and their friends, and the ever-impatient co-pilot. After they lend him a hand, he takes off with Romana aboard, leaving the TARDIS behind with the Doctor and K-9 on it... and now a planet is hurtling in their direction.

The Doctor forges a clever plan to spin the TARDIS into the planet's path. It bounces off like a cricket ball, but for most of part two, the Doctor and K-9 remain in the TARDIS, in pursuit of the co-pilot's ship. The first half of the entire story seemed to be all about finally getting to Skonnos.


Sarah -
And then we arrive, only to find ourselves on the horribly depressing planet Skonnos, where the sets are so loud you can hardly hear the dialogue as the Skonnoans tromp about! Seriously, have there been any other sets this loud?


Harry -
Haha! So it wasn't just me thinking that.


Sarah -
It was insane. I was hoping for a DVD featurette where the effects team spent their airtime complaining about the loud sets.


Harry -
I wonder if there is a featurette out there where everyone really gets it all off their chests about the sets, the cheapness, the time pressures, all the real stories of what it was like behind the scenes, not just the usual glossy "here's what we were able to do given the time and resources".


Sarah -
So here we are on Skonnos, where Romana, the co-pilot, and the tributes are chucked into the labyrinth by Soldeed, with the Doctor following closely behind. The co-pilot is, of course, dispatched early on, which was pretty much inevitable, given his weasely behavior. The Doctor and Romana discover that the lone Nimon is not so lone after all, when a whole new crop of Nimon (Nimons?) show up on Skonnos via a transit capsule. In a wacky turn of events, Romana climbs into the transit capsule and ends up stranded on Crinoth. Oh, look, only one more episode to go!


Harry -
The story seems to be all about people trying to get someplace, and being sorely disappointed and/or horribly depressed upon arrival.


Sarah -
Not the first journey to end that way...


Harry -
Interspersed throughout are the scenes on Skonnos involving Soldeed, the local "brilliant engineer", and Sorak, the captain of the guards. Oh my word what costuming! Soldeed is kitted up like a wacky wizard, while Sorak is resplendent in a plumed helmet and some kind of elaborate, multi-sleeved jacket. Their scenes provide all the backstory of Soldeed's dream of a Second Skonnan Empire, and his arrangement with the Nimon. It turns out that Soldeed has been played for a total fool, and the Nimons are a race of "parasitic nomads" who plunder and destroy every planet they land on.


Sarah -
Quite embarrassing to have invited them to Skonnos, eh, Soldeed?


Harry -
He saved his best, face-clawing hysterics for last, when the multiple Nimons began arriving and his dreams of conquest were shattered.

I don't know if "The Horns of Nimon" ever really did pick up. It always felt like it was dragging. At one point late in the story, we see the Doctor, Romana and the Crinoth kids slowly creeping around the labyrinth trying to find a way out, then we see the first Nimon puttering around in its lab, then we see Soldeed and Sorak gossiping, while K-9 sits dismantled. It was like we were given a rare glimpse of "dead time" in a Doctor Who story, where there was not a lot of action happening. It was a really peculiar stretch.


Sarah -
OK, I've got something positive to say -- Romana was awesome! She had loads of screen time without Tom chewing up the scenery and Lalla made the most of it. Also, her own sonic screwdriver -- which the Doctor tried to nick.


Harry -
I liked her equestrian inspired clothing. It was such a Romana look. And like I said, she did most of the heavy lifting in this one while Tom did the clowning.


Sarah -
Well, that's that. I'll move along to some fun facts. "The Horns of Nimon" is significant in Doctor Who history for many reasons:

- as we know, "The Horns of Nimon" was a premature season finale. "Shada" was meant to be the final story of season 17, but was never completed due to a strike

- it's Graham Williams' final Doctor Who story, as well as the final script to be edited by Douglas Adams

- it's the last we'll hear from David Brierley as K-9, which will not be a problem

- it's the last appearance of Tom Baker's trademark scarf and coat before we shift to burgundy in season 18

- it's the final story to use the original 1963 arrangement of the theme, from the 1967 remix by Delia Derbyshire, as well as the last use of the diamond-shaped series logo and "tunnel" opening sequence by Bernard Lodge, which had been in place (with some modifications) since "The Time Warrior"

- sadly, it's also the last story to be scored by composer Dudley Simpson, who contributed more to the series than any other individual. Can we lift a toast to Dudley? The Sofa will miss you Mr. Simpson!


Harry -
Legend.

And wow, that's a lot of "lasts". I didn't realize this story marked the end of so many eras. Nice list!

Well, we got through this one without crashing the blog or requiring a 6-week break to recover. Shall we check out season 17's lost story, "Shada?"


Sarah -
Oh, let's. Other than the infamous boating scene that made its way into "The Five Doctors", I've not seen the footage.


Harry -
Me neither. Something new for us both!


Sarah -
Best Line:
The Doctor : "Come on old girl, quite a few millennia left in you yet."
Romana : "Thank you, Doctor!"
The Doctor : "Not you -- the TARDIS!"

Favorite Moment: The Doctor asking to see Romana's sonic screwdriver and then attempting to pocket it while handing his back to Romana.

Lasting Image: Those wacky Nimon costumes. Nothing goes with an oversized mask quite like platform shoes!

5/10


Harry -
I laughed out loud at that exchange with Romana. Here's my alternative Best Line courtesy of the Doctor: "Have you noticed how people's intellectual curiosity declines sharply the moment they start waving guns about?"

Favourite Moment: that whole malarkey with the TARDIS spinning into a planet and bouncing away safely.

Lasting Image: Soldeed's petrified look of horror when he sees the mulitiple Nimons.

5/10

Our marathon continues with Story #109: Shada...

Story #107 - Nightmare of Eden (1979)

Sarah -
For a story with an anti-drug message, "Nightmare of Eden" is pretty damn trippy. I know we're supposed to scoff and shake our heads at the disappointing effects and cheesey monsters, but I can't help but love "Nightmare of Eden".


Harry -
I had mixed reactions while watching this one. The story and concepts were pretty out there -- like having one spaceship materialize around another, or the CET machine's real-life projections -- but they were terribly let down by the production values. Damn those BBC tightwads! Had they not just seen the visual sensation that was Star Wars?


Sarah -
There's a whole featurette on the DVD bemoaning the Beeb's parsimony.


Harry -
Jeez.  For all the discount sets and cheap effects, the story still managed to bounce along enjoyably, aided by a supporting cast who were clearly enjoying the moment.


Sarah -
This is a perfect example of a cracking script overcoming the wobbly walls and poor effects.


Harry -
The first two we meet are Captain Rigg and Secker, his stoned navigator. Rigg's voice was unmistakeable -- he was none other than Irongron from "The Time Warrior", minus a lot of hair. Their ship, the Empress, is a kind of space cruise liner, taking tourists to the planet Azure, when it suddenly finds itself stuck together with the Hecate, a survey ship owned by Mr. Dymond. Add to that the timely arrival of the TARDIS, and the fun begins.


Sarah -
In the opening scenes, I found myself wondering how Rigg could possibly not notice that Secker was stoned -- the only thing missing was a bag of Doritos.

One of my favorite moments is when Rigg and Dymond are arguing about which one of them caused the accident. The Doctor and Romana casually stroll in...and they keep on arguing. "Oh, hello, complete strangers, please wait here while we finish our spat."


Harry -
Once the usual introductions and puzzlement are expressed, our friends get to work.

K-9 quickly reports that the molecules of the two ships are rejecting each other, causing a highly volatile situation. As the Doctor and Romana try to figure out how to separate the ships, they encounter Professor Tryst and Della, part of a team of zoologists who have been conducting conservation work on alien creatures. They show off their fancy schmancy CET machine -- similar to the Miniscope used in "Carnival of Monsters" -- although Romana and the Doctor seem unimpressed. I wonder if they were more impressed with Tryst's impersonation of Dr. Strangelove. I was!


Sarah -
Tryst's accent is a thing of wonder. I kind of wanted everyone else on the ship to start using it. It could slowly take over until everyone found themselves sounding like Tryst, without knowing why.


Harry -
So we have an interesting assortment of snickering stoners, frustrated captains, and enthusiastic zoologists, all before K-9 cuts a hole in one of the Empress' walls and out pops one of the cuddliest Doctor Who monsters since the Yeti.


Sarah -
The Mandrels are adorable! They look like something out of Where the Wild Things Are. It's not really the menacing look I imagine the production team was going for. When the first Mandrel pops out of the hole, he looks like he wants a hug more than anything!


Harry -
I'd love to hug a Mandrel.


Sarah -
One of the moments that I did find quite menacing is when Romana is staring at the CET projection of Eden and realizes that someone is staring back at her. That was creepy.


Harry -
Yet another character creeping around -- there was a lot of that in this story, which probably why it kept bouncing along. No tedious speeches or fiddling with things. It seemed everyone kept sneaking around or dashing from one room to another, catching other people off guard and causing either hastened explanations, or violence. You'd think with all this action there wouldn't have been a need for the insanely long reprises at the start of parts two, three and four. Insanely long!


Sarah -
You've hit on another fatal flaw of this story -- the padding. It would have been a jaunty three-parter, don't you think?


Harry -
Absolutely.

So many different characters moving about allowed for the mystery of the drug smugglers to be drawn out over four episodes, as the separation of the ships was the first critical situation to resolve. I was amused by Dymond, who seemed to be in almost every scene, standing silently at the back and sulking. He was the perfect counterpoint to Fisk and Costa, the customs officers who arrive on the scene midway through the story (more characters!).

I duly point out here that Costa was played by Peter Craze, brother of Michael Craze aka Ben Jackson.


Sarah -
Nice catch!

The scene where Fisk and Costa discuss their plans to apprehend the Doctor and their inevitable promotion is classic. I love when Doctor Who introduces characters like these to show us that human nature doesn't really change -- whichever parts of the galaxy we may infect.


Harry -
Infect, hah!


Sarah -
Also, they have lovely glittery uniforms. Living in space in the future is going to be fabulous!

Another nice detail is the economy class on The Empress. Of course, there will be economy class in the future! That said, Rigg's dismissal of the Mandrels' attack on the economy-class passengers -- because who cares about economy class -- is chilling.


Harry -
By then, Rigg was heavily under the influence of vraxoin. Once the ships are successfully separated, he is left to sober up and face his inevitable punishments.


Sarah -
Poor Rigg. The vraxoin wasn't even meant for him. Can you imagine what would have happen if it had gotten to Romana, its intended recipient.


Harry -
Imagine the sass!

Meanwhile, we finally learn that Tryst and Dymond were the drug smugglers. Tryst got into it naively hoping to finance his conservation work. As the Mandrels continue their cuddly rampage on the Empress, the smugglers forge an escape, but the Doctor and Romana rig the CET to beam them right back into the arms of the customs officers. And because of all the long reprises, there was no awkward gap left to fill in the end of the story. Hurrah!


Sarah -
Tryst doesn't seem quite the international-drug-smuggling type, does he? Hard to imagine how this could have ended well. I love the moment when Tryst and Dymond realize that the jig is up. You can almost see the "Oh, Shit" thought bubbles over their heads.


Harry -
Overall, I'd say this was a fun story with some good performances, but ultimately let down by the cheapness of the Beeb. In the present day, the CET projections and Eden set would be easy to produce in a flashy way. In fact, we can even go into the past to see how well it could have been done. I'm referring to the amazing jungle sets in "Planet of Evil." And as for two ships materializing together, the TARDIS collided with the space liner TITANIC in spectacular fashion just a few years back. The fact that I kept thinking of ways the story could have been better works against "Nightmare of Eden".

Still, I really would love to hug a Mandrel. They are added to my list of monsters I'd like to see return.


Sarah -
The internet might not survive all that cuteness.

I can only agree with you. It's a fun story, let down by its meagre budget. While the production was a literal nightmare for the crew and the director was pulled off mid-story, "Nightmare of Eden" shows us how a talented group of professionals can make it work in the end.


Harry -
I wasn't aware of the director shuffle on this one. Any more info?


Sarah -
Apparently, Alan Bromly didn't have a good handle on how to direct Doctor Who. He was a bit high-handed with the cast and crew, who were not at all pleased with him -- especially Tom Baker! Graham Williams took Bromly off the story and finished the direction himself, while allowing Bromly to keep the credit.


Harry -
Hmm, who'd have thought Tom might be a bit hard to contain at this point, hah! 

In a cracking season I'd say this is the first bump in the road. Hopefully we get back on track with the next one.


Sarah -
A bump in the road, but an enjoyable bump as bumps go.


Harry -
Best Line: "Interfere? Of course we should interfere. Always do what you're best at, that's what I say."

Favourite Moment: the Doctor gets mauled by Mandrels inside the Eden projection.

Lasting Image: Mandrel rampage!

6/10


Sarah -
Best Line: You've taken my favorite, so I'll have to go with a runner-up:

Captain Rigg : "Galactic went out of business 20 years ago."
The Doctor : "I wondered why I hadn't been paid..."

Favorite Moment: The Doctor muttering "Go Away" to Tryst at the end of the story. It was chilling!

Lasting Image: Stott staring out of the Eden projection.

6/10

Our marathon continues with Story #108: The Horns of Nimon...

Story #106 - The Creature from the Pit (1979)

Sarah -
Going into "The Creature from the Pit", I found myself trying to remember the story, to no avail. It all came back to me as soon as I saw the Lady Adrasta's headgear -- which made me realize how much time we've spent talking about hats during this marathon. It's hard to beat a good hat, isn't it?


Harry -
It's turbans a-go-go in this story. And whomever wears the grandest turban, leads them all.


Sarah -
The Doctor and Romana receive a distress call, which leads them to Chloris, a verdant world lacking metal resources. The planet's ruler, Lady Adrasta, rules with an iron fist and seems to enjoy hurling her perceived enemies into a deep pit, which contains -- believe it or not -- a creature.


Harry -
It's all very literal in the early going.

There's a giant shell in the jungle which seems to be the source of much study. The Doctor suspects it might be alive, and the source of the distress call (or more like a scream of pain).

The pit's functionality is quickly demonstrated to the Doctor and Romana. Ever-curious, the Doctor decides to leap in and learn for himself about this so-called creature.


Sarah -
The Doctor jumping into the pit is a wonderful moment. Adrasta assumes he's crashed to the bottom, while he's hanging on to the side teaching himself Tibetan. Not to be too much of a picky fan here, but doesn't the Doctor already speak Tibetan?


Harry -
That scene probably came from the funny bone of Douglas Adams.


Sarah -
I suspect you're correct there. In any case, the Doctor eventually makes his way to the bottom of the pit, where he encounters the delightful soothsayer, Organon. Organon was tossed into the pit by Adrasta for predicting that she would receive a visitor from beyond the stars. He's managed to survive in the pit for many years off of the scraps tossed down by Adrasta's guards. After a quick encounter with the creature, they begin exploring the caverns to find a way out.


Harry -
By that point, we were already halfway through this four-parter. I noted that this was a slow moving story, as in, not really all that much had happened by the midway point.


Sarah -
It is a bit on the draggy side.


Harry -
We see that Adrasta is a kind of metals oligarch, owner of the only mine still operating on Chloris. One assumes her riches buy her a legion of turbaned and hockey-masked guards with which to wield power. She also seems very consumed with the desire to have the creature in the pit killed. Seeing that hurling people down into the pit has had no effect, she tries to utilize Romana and K-9 against the creature.

Could we pause here to freak out over K-9?


Sarah -
Yes, let's. I almost went with K-9 as my lede, but was overwhelmed by the power of the turban.


Harry -
His voice! His voice is all wrong! I try to rationalize the sudden casting of David Brierly in the role as perhaps K-9's vocal cells being botched up by the Doctor during his latest repair job. But for me this is the best example of why characters in the Whoniverse should never be played by replacement actors. Every time K-9 spoke it pulled me out of the story and made me wonder where John Leeson was. It's too much of a distraction/freak out.

Am I overreacting? Did K-9's voice bug you?


Sarah -
You are not overreacting. I was disturbed every time K-9 spoke. First he's left behind for multiple adventures in a row, now this. What is the point of having a faithful robot dog if you're going to treat him like this?


Harry -
There would have been countless outraged online discussions about this were it happening today.


Sarah -
Ha! Can you even imagine?


Harry -
Also a distraction was the shaggy horde of bandits who kidnapped Romana. Taking a cue from her, "The Hirsutes" might be a good name for them collectively. Led by the avaricious Torvin, their sole purpose it seems is to steal metals from anyone, anywhere. Later in the story, they serve a surprise purpose, but everytime we cut to them, the story flagged a bit. Romana's attitude towards them kind of mirrored my own.


Sarah -
That was a bit of local color, no? Romana knew exactly how to play them, although I suspect anyone could have managed to thwart those dolts.

Ambling along, it turns out that the creature is actually an ambassador from the planet Tythonus, which has a lack of chlorophyll but an abundance of metal -- the exact opposite of Chloris. He arrived with the offer of a trade treaty for the Adrasta when she chucked him into the pit. Now that's awkward!


Harry -
The story picked up in the second half, as we learn of Erato and his plight in the pit these past 15 years. Erato is something like a gigantic brain protected by a cerebral membrane, and can communicate through the pentastar-shaped device that the Hirsutes deliver to the pit in a sudden trancelike state. Handy!


Sarah -
And it gives the Hirsutes a reason to be in the story!


Harry -
You mentioned Organon earlier, and Geoffrey Bayldon's performance was wonderful. The old soothsayer is a bit of a charlatan but hard to dislike, unlike the Hirsutes, for whom I had no time. An appreciative nod goes to Eileen Way, for her portrayal of Karela. Her body language and dubious glances whenever Adrasta started up with one of her tantrums said it all -- Karela was content to serve her tyrannical boss, but only because there was no better option for her on Chloris.


Sarah -
Speaking of Eileen Way, we last met her as Old Mother in "An Unearthly Child". I'm sure she never imagined she'd be back on the show thirteen years later!


Harry -
She probably gave her agent the same dirty looks.

The theme of the story is communications in its many different forms. Beyond the obvious example of verbal communications and body language, we see the Doctor give a couple of silent cues to Romana before taking action. Then there's the Doctor's first attempts at communicating directly with Erato, through gesture and touch. It was an interesting theme that carried through the story.


Sarah -
I say, Old Boy, your English degree is showing!


Harry -
This is why I went to university!


Sarah -
I liked the detail of Erato speaking with the voice of whomever touched his communicator. It led to Adrasta's downfall when she had to listen to an accounting of her abuses of Erato in her own voice.


Harry -
That Adrasta sure was a Chloris leach, man.


Sarah -
You're killing me over here, Harry.


Harry -
Glad she got her just desserts, smothered to death by the wolf weeds and Erato.


Sarah -
So, speaking of Erato, the monster was a bit um, well, you know...phallic in those early scenes. The featurette on the DVD was kind of hysterical as everyone tried to explain as delicately as possible the changes they had to make to the creature. But I digress.


Harry -
Oh my word.

Tom must have been roaring inwardly during his attempt at communicating with one of Erato's phallic bits.

Anyway, once Adrasta was dispatched with and Erato rescued from the pit, there was 10 minutes of story left, so why not concoct a giant star that threatened to destroy Chloris' entire solar system. Yoiks! Activate the tractor beam!

Okay...


Sarah -
That was not the most effective bit of padding, but the time was filled and the day saved, so we're off to our next adventure. Hurrah!

Best Line: 'Stands to reason.' Stupid expression. 'Stands to reason.' Why doesn't it 'lie down' to reason? Much easier to reason lying down.

Favorite Moment: The Doctor leaping into the pit

Lasting Image: The Doctor teaching himself Tibetan

6/10


Harry -
Best Line:
Doctor - "Did you hear what I said just now?"
Romana - "About this being a frightening experience but don't be alarmed?"
Doctor - "Yes. I didn't say that."
Romana - "You didn't?"
Doctor - "No. I was too busy being frightened and alarmed."

Favourite Moment: the Doctor crashes through the shell in the pit. (Lots of action for Tom in this story.)

Lasting Image: Adrasta's power turban.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #107 - Nightmare of Eden...

Story #105 - City of Death (1979)

Harry -
Oh la la! The TARDIS randomizer has landed the Doctor and Romana in Paris, 1979. As the Doctor says, that year is not the best vintage, but our friends' sightseeing is soon halted by intrigue and danger.


Sarah -
The Doctor describes the vintage of 1979 as more of a table wine, but it can't be all that bad if it's given us this cracking story. I love Paris in the Springtime...and I really love "City of Death". The story is consistently rated as a top fan favorite and it's easy to understand why. From the first moments of the story, we know we're in for something special. "City of Death" just doesn't feel like any other Doctor Who story. We should be eternally grateful to Producer Graham Williams and Production Unit Manager John Nathan-Turner for jiggling the budget and finding money for a location shoot. Paris is a gorgeous backdrop and Baker and Ward look like they're having the time of their lives!


Harry -
"Marvelous, just marvelous." The external shots were very marvelous, and immersed the Doctor, Romana, and us the viewers in that unique Parisian atmosphere.

Things take an odd turn at a local café. First, our friends both experience a funny sensation, which they suspect is a crack in time. Then at the Louvre, they encounter a couple of mysterious characters: a woman in possession of a bracelet made of alien technology, and an armed man in a trenchcoat who pursues them back to the café. To top it off, a couple of pistol-wielding thugs quickly arrive to seize the bracelet (which our friends had snatched), then haul the entire company out to the elegantly sinister château of one Count Carlos Scarlioni.


Sarah -
Ah, Count Scarlioni! Julian Glover returns to Doctor Who, having played Richard the Lionheart in "The Crusade" in 1966, and earns his place as one of the series more memorable humanoid baddies. He's so wonderful as the handsome and charming Scarlioni -- and that white suit! Welcome to 1979.


Harry -
Glover's clothing stands out as something that would be worn by someone who doesn't give a damn what people think. Like, for instance, an alien willing to wipe out all of human history to save his own skin. That kimono thing he put on midway through the story was an odd, sudden costume change. I wonder if the white suit had gotten stained and dashed off to the cleaners.


Sarah -
I really kind of love that white suit and would like you to take it under consideration for future cosplay.

"City of Death" is filled with great characters. Tom Chadbon's Duggan is the eternal bull in a china shop, always ready to smash down a door or knock someone out before asking any questions.


Harry -
Duggan is a classic supporting character, one of the all time best. Imagine a Duggan spinoff series!


Sarah -
I would definitely watch that. I especially enjoy his scenes with Romana, when they're separated from the Doctor. She's irritated with his behavior, and treats him like a overactive child in need of redirection. A favorite Duggan moment is when he asks Romana, "You know what I don't understand?" and she responds, "I expect so."

The story is filled with pithy exchanges, which is what we expect from the pen of David Agnew -- a witty bloke whose work bears a striking resemblance to Douglas Adams.


Harry -
Another great spontaneous Doctor Who writer in the footsteps of Robin Bland!


Sarah -
I love the image of Adams and Williams holed up for the weekend, downing black coffee and desperately reworking the script. "City of Death" is the pinnacle of Adams' work on Doctor Who and it's a pity his name isn't actually on it.


Harry -
Tom Baker's Doctor continued to be somewhat restrained in this story - having the comedic Duggan tagging along probably influenced that. Tom still produced an amazing performance when our friends were first hauled into the château's drawing room, then down into the cellar.


Sarah -
I love the scene in the drawing room. Tom is at full throttle, but it's all in service to the story and works so well.


Harry -
That was quite the cellar. A space hundreds of years old, containing a gloomy cell, a bizarre art stash, and an overworked scientist. David Graham's Professor Kerensky was another great piece of the story. Poor fellow thought he was saving world hunger. Little did he know he was working for a multi-era alien with zero concern for the future of humanity, or its past.


Sarah -
It's so easy to get those two things confused. Happens to me all the time!


Harry -
Speaking of the past, I loved Glover's shock appearance as Captain Tancredi in Renaissance Florence!


Sarah -
You have anticipated my favorite moment of the story. No matter how many times I watch it, that moment always catches me by surprise.


Harry -
The best part is that Tancredi knows all about the Doctor. It's a mind-bending cliffhanger.


Sarah -
What did you think of the Countess? It's hard to imagine not knowing that you're married to an alien, but I guess he'd had a lot of practice by that time. I have to admit I was horribly distracted by her cigarette holder for the first half of the story. She took occasional puffs, but clearly wasn't smoking. Perhaps it was an attempt to make her more of villain, but in the end she was just another victim of Scaroth.


Harry -
Yes, Catherine Schell's Countess was reduced to being just another piece of furniture in the Count's château. She wasn't terribly villainous, more like a pawn in Scaroth's grand scheme.


Sarah -
Her death is so sad.


Harry -
Jumping back to Florence for a moment, did you notice Tancredi's joyless, world-weary henchman? It was none other than Peter "PACKER!" Halliday. Perhaps he's one of Packer's ancestors.


Sarah -
PACKER! I was thinking he looked familiar, but didn't think to look him up. Shouting "PACKER!" is still one of my favorite things to do!


Harry -
My overall impression of the story is that everyone is having a whale of a time. As you mentioned earlier, Tom and Lalla are enjoying themselves immensely. The villains relish their villainy, Duggan is hilarious, and the story literally ends with a bang. Make that two bangs, as Scaroth finally meets his end when Kerensky's machinery is destroyed by Hermann.


Sarah -
It's a satisfying ending all around!


Harry -
But wait, there's more! A cameo appearance by John Cleese!


Sarah -
And Eleanor Bron!


Harry -
I must confess that I'm unaware of Eleanor Bron, although she will return to Doctor Who with a larger role in a coming story. Tom Chadbon and Peter Halliday will also make a return, so we haven't seen the last of them either.

Anyway, what a classic, Douglas Adamsy touch.


Sarah -
Do you remember your reaction the first time you saw this scene? I shouted, "WHAT!" at the screen. A wonderfully delightful surprise. Their observations on the TARDIS as a work of art are priceless.

Speaking of art, we've not yet touched on the Mona Lisa. What a clever plot for Tancredi to force Michelangelo to paint copies of the Mona Lisa and brick them up in a cellar so Scarlioni can steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and then sell all the copies off as the stolen copy. It's a whole new definition of playing the long game!


Harry -
Scaroth was playing the longest game ever, and I imagine he had other investments scattered throughout history. I loved that moment when he whipped out a thick stack of francs and handed them over to Kerensky without batting an eye.


Sarah -
Wouldn't you love some follow-up stories about Scaroth's other selves at their points in time?


Harry -
"City of Death" is bursting with potential spinoffs:

- The Jaggaroth Enigma: a sci fi thriller about an alien splintered across a multitude of time eras

- The Duggan Files: the case files of a hard-nosed detective who isn't afraid to smash chairs or mash noses... whether or not it's even necessary

- PACKER!: a Black Adderesque romp through history, through the eyes of a family of hapless henchmen

- Exquisite Art Korner: a hilarious candid show in which John Cleese and Eleanor Bron laud the artistic merits of everyday objects


Sarah -
Get the Beeb on the phone, stat!


Harry -
We've not yet touched on Romana's outfit either. When I first got the DVD of this story, I remember Tom Baker was on it expressing surprise that he didn't get arrested by French police for running around Paris with a woman in a schoolgirl uniform.


Sarah -
I have to admit that, as fetching as Lalla is, that schoolgirl uniform really annoys me. She's a Time Lady of Gallifrey -- not a child.


Harry -
Do you recall anyone ever cosplaying schoolgirl Romana? I can't remember seeing any over the years. I'd rank it at or near the bottom of all companion costumes. It's the only sour note in this classic Doctor Who story.


Sarah -
Thankfully, I don't recall seeing that costume. The pink suit and scarf is still my favorite Romana costume.


Harry -
Season 17 is off to an amazing start. The TARDIS randomizer is already proving bothersome for the writers. The Doctor had to override it to get to Florence and back. I wonder if that's the last we'll hear of it. Shall we see where our friends will land next?


Sarah -
I imagine they'll manage to get into plenty of scrapes, with or without the randomizer. Let's see where the randomizer takes us next!

Best Line:
The Countess: "My dear, I don't think he's as stupid as he seems."
Count : "My dear, nobody could be as stupid as he seems!"

Favorite Moment: The Doctor meeting Tancredi in Florence.

Lasting Image: It's a tough choice, but I'll go with Scaroth in the white suit.

9/10


Harry -
Best Line: "I say, what a wonderful butler. He's so violent!"

Favourite Moment: Duggan opens the wine bottle.

Lasting Image: The Doctor, Romana and Duggan running down the Champs Elysées -- the most stylish corridor ever.

9/10

Our marathon continues with Story #106: The Creature From the Pit...

Story #104 - Destiny of the Daleks (1979)

Harry -
Doctor Who's seventeenth season -- and Tom Baker's sixth -- roars into action with this amazing story. "Destiny of the Daleks" is one of my favourites. Great story, great cast, great production, direction and sound. I'm ready to watch it again right now!


Sarah -
I've been looking forward to "Destiny of the Daleks" since we started this little marathon of ours. It's one of my favorites, as well.


Harry -
First off, it's a regeneration episode, only this time it's Romana! She never explains why the regeneration is happening, but her ability to "try on" new bodies was a groundbreaking moment.


Sarah -
Romana's regeneration was the first I'd ever seen, so I rolled with it at the time. In subsequent viewings, it's always bothered me. First, regeneration is always presented as a traumatic event, but it just seems like "another day, another body" for Romana. Perhaps it's the Doctor's renegade lifestyle that leads to his dramatic regenerations, but Romana's is still all too calm and ordinary. Second, it's annoying that she's trying on bodies like new outfits and seeking the Doctor's approval. As much as I love Lalla Ward, it's hard to imagine Mary Tamm's Romana giving a damn about the Doctor's opinion of her regeneration.


Harry -
Unless I'm forgetting an obvious example, this was also the first time a guest actor returned as a regular cast member. Would Peter Purves count? He played two different characters in "The Chase", but I'm not sure if he'd already been cast as a new companion at the time of his first appearance. Casting decisions seemed to be way more fast and loose back then.


Sarah -
I was about to remind you of at least two notable instances of a guest actor being cast as a regular, but then realized that they are still to come in our timeline and it would be bad form to bring them up now. While Peter Purves was the first a guest actor to be cast as a regular (I'm counting him because I said, "Oh look, it's Peter Purves" when he appeared in "The Chase"), I also remind you of Space Agent Bret Vyon in "The Daleks' Master Plan" -- portrayed by none other than our beloved Nicholas Courtney! So, it turns out Lalla Ward's casting is less revolutionary than it may seem at first glance.


Harry -
Ohhh, I knew I was forgetting someone! Anyway, new Romana! We've probably seen and enjoyed most if not all of Lalla Ward's stories, so it's not really a shocking development, is it? The behind-the-scenes stories from this time period will always be juicier it seems.


Sarah -
Who doesn't love a bit of gossip -- especially when it involves the Doctor and his companion's off-screen tempestuous relationship and doomed marriage! Still, in the end, being on Doctor Who worked out well for Lalla. She developed a close friendship with Douglas Adams (who is making his first appearance as Script Editor in this story), who eventually introduced her to her second (and current) husband, Richard Dawkins.

Gossip aside, let's get back to the Daleks and their destiny! In an effort to elude the Black Guardian, the Doctor has installed a randomizer in the TARDIS. They find themselves on a rocky, mysterious planet that feels somehow familiar...


Harry -
Whoever scouted out the quarry and the ruins for the external shots picked a winner. A quick spin on Google reveals it to be Winspit in Dorset. The "ruins" we saw were two old stone cottages fallen into disuse there. Instant, cost effective ruins!


Sarah -
"Cost effective" -- no other two words can so quickly warm the heart of BBC accountants! Skaro on a budget!


Harry -
The sights of Winspit and the ominous notes of Dudley Simpson create a post-apocalyptic atmosphere for the Doctor and Romana explore, having ditched K-9 in what is becoming an increasingly unfortunate routine. Poor tin dog.


Sarah -
It's so sad to see K-9 left behind with his brain outside his body.


Harry -
The movie-like quality of the exterior filming gives us a grander scale of things and the opening episode was great. The Doctor and Romana observe a group of ragged individuals bury a dead body, before they go underground to investigate the ruins. Elsewhere, an unidentified ship lands and burrows itself into the ground. At the end of part one, our friends are separated and each is seized by either the Movellans or the Daleks, and the story kicks into high gear.


Sarah -
And it really never slows down after that! Romana manages to escape her Dalek captors by stopping her hearts and being carried out for dead, while the Doctor discovers what the Movellans (with their Rick-James-Fabulous look going on!) are really after -- our old pal Davros!

It's been a while since we've seen Davros and the intervening time has not been good to him. Left behind after the events of "Genesis of the Daleks", he has been in suspended animation for centuries. While he's been sitting around in the Kaled City, the Daleks have been busy spreading violence and misery throughout the galaxy. For the first time, I found myself thinking about when this story was occurring in relation to other Dalek stories. Of course, I was not the first to contemplate this question. Feast your eyes on this, my friend and prepare to have to your brain explode with possibilities: Timeline - Daleks.


Harry -
If there is a list to be made, a Doctor Who fan will make it!

I had poor memories of Davros in this story, and they were renewed, mostly because he was portrayed by someone new (David Gooderson) wearing the old costume that Michael Wisher had made famous. I don't know if there was a dramatic size difference between the two actors, or a matter of physicality or what, but the cold menace of Wisher's Davros was missing. Instead, this Davros came off as a pissed off Aussie, madly piloting his chair from room to room and bumping into things as if he was having a seizure. Even his megalo-rants were less than terrifying.


Sarah -
Davros is a bit of a disappointment, isn't he? Perhaps we can interpret it as a sign of his diminished importance to the Daleks to staunch our disappointment.


Harry -
I rationalized the weaker Davros as the result of him having just awakened from a lengthy period of stasis, and not up to his usual megalo-haha standards.


Sarah -
He just needs some time to work it up to an appropriate megalo-level and be less, well, boring?


Harry -
The Daleks, meanwhile, were all over this one. Thanks to the brilliant direction of Ken Grieve, we see them smash through walls, rumble across dusty fields, ascend hills and blow up with great gusto. Thanks to the vocal talents of Roy Skelton, they menace pretty much everyone in the story. So many nasty Daleks helped make up for Davros' deficiencies.


Sarah -
Loads of Daleks doing Dalek-y things! I love how they look like battered, old WWII tanks.


Harry -
As for the Movellans, wow! What a look. Without looking it up, I'm tempted to say that they must have sought out dancers or gymnasts to play these robot characters. Their movements were always smooth and graceful -- the complete opposite of the stomping Cybermen of today.


Sarah -
It's a pity you don't see more Movellan costumes, but I imagine your average cosplayer doesn't have quite the right build to pull it off.


Harry -
It was great that the Movellans and Daleks had been at war for centuries, but not a shot had been fired in all that time because both sides kept stalemating each other strategically. Leading us to the jist of the story: find Davros and bring him in as the tiebreaking factor. Failing that, press the Doctor into similar duty.


Sarah -
In which, the Daleks and Movellans begrudgingly admit that humanoids may have a purpose after all -- other than being exterminated, of course.


Harry -
As the Doctor put it, the Movellans were just another race of robots, no better than Daleks. They abused Romana and used her as bait to lure the Doctor into their grasp, and then they were perfectly willing to incinerate the entire planet of Skaro in order to destroy Davros. That's super-freaky!


Sarah -
I am so overwhelmed with admiration for your super-freaky comment that I'll just keep quiet for a moment here.


...


Harry -
My favourite moment in the story is the paper-rock-scissors demonstration that underscored the logical impasse between the Movellans and Daleks.

My least favourite moment had to be the fact that this brilliant race of robots could be disabled by plucking away their power pack. Their power-winding-down actions were graceful, though.


Sarah -
It does seem like a fatal design flaw -- kind of like being blinded when a hat is tossed over your eyestalk. It's no wonder these two races couldn't defeat each other.


Harry -
Romana couldn't be bothered with that, as she royally kicked Sharrel's arse before he could activate the Nova device. Hurrah!


Sarah -
Romana's not afraid to bust out with the fisticuffs when she needs to!

We end with the Movellans deactivated, the Daleks exploded, and Davros cryogenically frozen. The freed slave workers are taking him to Earth on the Movellan ship to hold him accountable for his crimes.


Harry -
They never did explain how Davros was basically sitting in a room gathering cobwebs for hundreds of years, and magically came back to life when people entered the room. Was he locked down by some kind of motion sensor? Anyway, he's on ice for the foreseeable future, hopefully enough time to lose the Aussie accent.


Sarah -
That is the largest plot hole in the story. If there's one thing Doctor Who prepares you for, it's the ability to gleefully scamper past glaring plot holes!


Harry -
As for our friend Tom Baker, dare I say he was minimized in this story? First off, the new Romana settles in wearing not so much a new set of her own clothes but rather a feminized version of the Doctor's attire, right down to the cut of the coat and the overlong scarf. Thus the show is suddenly no longer about a lone Time Lord, but a pair of Gallifreyans roaming through time and space together as a team. Davros was slightly less "Davrosy" here it's true, but his mind matched up against the Doctor's equally. The Movellans and Daleks menaced the Doctor in equal measure, leaving him little room for hamming. Even the story's supporting character Tyssan brought the Doctor down a notch, because in Tim Barlow the producers found an actor who was taller than Tom. The Doctor is still the lead character in the story, but I don't remember him being surrounded by so many equals before. Tom was really restrained here. Even his few hammy moments felt like they were written in by Douglas Adams, rather than sparks of spontaneity from the actor.


Sarah -
Excellent observation, Old Boy. Everyone gets a piece of the smarty-pants action in this story. I have a fondness for the Romana Era, especially the Second Romana Era, because she and the Doctor really are a team of equals. By this point in their story, Romana is a more seasoned traveler and confident adventurer. The chemistry between Baker and Ward is so delightful and I'm excited to have finally reached season seventeen!


Harry -
We're off to a cracking start. Shall we roll on?


Sarah -
Oh yes, let's!

Best Line: "If you're supposed to be the superior race of the universe, why don't you try climbing after us?"

Favorite Moment: The Doctor delivering the line above after crawling up a shaft.

Lasting Image: The Movellans, without a doubt!

8/10


Harry -
Best Line:
Doctor: "Make mistakes and confuse the enemy."
Romana: "Brilliant."
Doctor: "Yes."
Romana: "Is that why you always win?"
Doctor: "Yes. What?"
Romana: "Because you always make mistakes."

Favourite Moment: Paper-Rock-Scissors

Lasting Image: The Movellans!

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #105 - City of Death...