It should not surprise anyone that the Tom Baker era is considered by many to be the high point of classic Who. Every story so far has been outstanding. And now we get to "Pyramids of Mars." Classic among classics, wouldn't you say Old Girl?
Sarah -
I would most definitely say that, Old Boy! This era of Doctor Who is my absolute favorite and I've been looking forward to it since we started our little marathon.
Harry -
From beginning to end, there's a great atmosphere of creeping dread that permeates this story. The opening scene in Egypt gives us one of those familiar scares when someone enters the pharoah's tomb, before we switch scenes to the gloomy old priory. That gothic organ music helped create an old horror movie feel. (To get the obvious out of the way, Hinchcliffe Horror Homage tracker: The Mummy.)
Sarah -
I love the setting of the priory. Fun fact -- the house was owned by Mick Jagger at the time of filming.
Harry -
Well spotted, Toby!
Sarah -
Is it too nerdy that I always take that as the greatest compliment?
Harry -
You're filling in admirably while we await our friends' next volume.
Sarah -
I aim to please!
Harry -
The characters at the priory all looked like they stepped out of an Edward Gorey drawing. We have such quintessentially Edwardian figures as Dr. Worlock, Ibrahim Namin, Laurence Scarman, and the positively Nosferatu-like Marcus Scarman. His ghoulish face and manner was enough to get me edging towards the back of the sofa.
Sarah -
Bernard Archard was positively brilliant as Scarman. I remember watching this story for the first time back in the 80's. It was late at night and everything about the story was positively and perfectly creepy. I still get that feeling when I watch it today.
I adore the opening scene in the TARDIS. I was a little choked up when the Doctor comments on the dress Sarah found in the wardrobe, “Victoria wore it. She traveled with me for a time.” (Sweet Victoria -- I wonder how things worked out for her in 1968.) While the Doctor is feeling serious and reflective -- "I’m not a human being. I walk in eternity." -- Sarah is in a playful mood, pulling faces at him. It's a delightful scene and the first of many in this story that showcase the chemistry between Baker and Sladen.
Harry -
Sarah looked lovely in that dress. You'd think she'd break out in a rendition of "Wuthering Heights," being from 1980 and all... [dodges shoe.] And despite all the romping through the woods and crawling around the ground, she kept it pristine throughout the adventure.
Sarah -
She's an amazing woman!
Harry -
The first episode builds up nicely to the final image of Namin's death. To this point, Sutekh has remained unseen, only spoken of in reverential tones by Namin. When the black-clad figure appears through the time corridor, we think it must be him, but it's only Sutekh's messenger, bringing his "gift of death to all humanity." I've been puzzling over how the production crew managed the amazing smoke effects in this scene. I don't think we've seen anything like it in another Who story.
Sarah -
The effects are particularly impressive when you consider that so many of them were done live!
The "gift of death" line always chills me. That's a gift I'd rather not accept.
Harry -
Another thing we haven't seen in a Who story - at least a Tom Baker one - is the great concern, almost fear, that the Doctor shows towards his foe. As he explains the history of the Osirans and the imprisonment of Sutekh by Horus and the other gods, he concedes that Sutekh's escape could mean the destruction of all life in the universe. He even shows Sarah and Laurence the consequences to Earth of their inaction. Powerful, scary stuff.
Sarah -
Sutekh is not to be taken lightly, that's for sure. We learn that not even the Time Lords would be able to stop Sutekh if he were freed. The glimpse of 1980 is more than sobering, dashing Sarah’s plans of running away in the TARDIS.
Harry -
Sarah mentioned she was from 1980. Is that the moment that set off the debate among fandom as to when the UNIT stories took place (70s vs 80s)? I keep a very wide berth from all those debates, canonicity arguments and all that.
Sarah -
Good move. There's nothing to be gained from engaging in those debates.
I found Laurence to be a particularly sympathetic and tragic character. His love of his brother and attempts to connect with the possessed Marcus are absolutely heartbreaking. To have him die at Marcus' hand is almost too much to watch.
Harry -
Laurence is one of the saddest characters in all of Who. He gets scorned, bullied and bossed about by everyone. And his demise was tragic. Michael Sheard is another recurring guest actor about whom I have nothing but positives to say.
"Pyramids of Mars" is another story with a cracking cast of guest actors. There are the aforementioned Archard and Sheard, Peter Copley as Worlock, Peter Mayock as Namin, Michael Bilton as Collins and George Tovey did a memorable turn as the unfortunate rabbit poacher.
The chemistry between Tom and Elisabeth was sparkling too. So many great zingers from Sarah tried the Doctor's patience, I couldn't help but snicker at several moments. When the Doctor wrapped himself up as one of the service robots:
"How do I look?"
"Must have been a nasty accident."
Sarah -
There are so many great Doctor and Sarah moments in this story. Lis is sparking throughout.
Harry -
Above all the others, however, towers Gabriel Woolf as Sutekh. WOW! What a performance, all vocal and all powerful. We've watched this Doctor swagger and bully his way through some tough patches, but how shocking was it to see Tom Baker reduced to a mere insect before Sutekh, writhing on the ground in agony. This is the first time the Doctor has shown real terror since Patrick Troughton. Although to be fair, Troughton played the Doctor in an almost constant state of semi-terror.
Sarah -
Well, there is that. Honestly, I was almost in a state of semi-terror at Sutekh. There's no question of his perfect baddie status.
Harry -
Back to Woolf and his voice. The fact that he never rose or fell above a certain tone is what makes the performance. I get chills thinking about how he tortured the Doctor. It's surprising that this villain never makes a return. I'd have gladly sacrified one or two (or three) Dalek stories for a Sutekh comeback.
Sarah -
Oh, imagine Peter Capaldi taking him on! That would be epic.
Harry -
Oh indeed! Let's start a Twitter petition. #SutekhForSeasonEight
Sarah -
Do it, Moff!
Harry -
One of the great unanswered questions coming out of this story, and surely we've all wondered, is: what's the deal with Sarah Jane's expert marksmanship?! She picked off that box of explosives with one shot from, what, a hundred feet away? Her skill set is amazing.
Sarah -
There’s nothing Our Sarah can’t do, Old Boy!
Harry -
After the effects of Sarah's successful shot got blocked, the Doctor broke Sutekh's concentration long enough to destroy the rocket that Scarman and the robots were assembling. Sutekh then sees the TARDIS as a means of achieving freedom, and the chase through the pyramid of Mars is on. It may have gone on one puzzle too many, but the Eye of Horus was destroyed and Sutekh freed. Oh no! Only a last gasp throw from the Doctor prevented him from arriving through the time tunnel on Earth. Caught in a temporal trap, Sutekh is trapped for eternity. That was a little too close for comfort, wouldn't you say?
Sarah -
Wasn’t "Caught in a Temporal Trap" a hit for Sinatra back in the day?
Harry -
Hah! Pretty sure I saw it in a Sinatra rarities collection.
I was about to say the story ended happily, but not really. Everyone who started at or visited the priory was killed. The priory itself burned to the ground. Sutekh is disposed of, but not destroyed. Really, they should have found a way to bring him back.
#SutekhForSeasonEight
Sarah -
Best Line:
Laurence – “I see.”
Doctor – “I’m sure you don’t, but it’s nice of you to try.”
Favorite Moment: The Doctor and Sarah turning in the doorway in unison to avoid the mummies. The timing is perfect and reminiscent of the Doctor and Jamie.
Lasting Image: The face of the possessed Marcus Scarman.
10/10
Harry -
Best Line:
Doctor - "Where did you get that dress?"
Sarah - "I just told you. I found it back there in the wardrobe. Why, don't you like it?"
Doctor - "Yes. Yes, I always did. Victoria wore it. She travelled with me for a time."
Sarah - "Well, as long as Albert didn't wear it."
Favourite Moment: Sutekh's messenger arrives at the priory with steaming footsteps.
Lasting Image: Sutekh seated.
9/10
Our marathon continues with Story #83 - The Android Invasion...
No comments:
Post a Comment