Sarah -
You know, Harry, it's almost impossible to decide where to start discussing this story. There's much to say and there are so many reasons for it to be considered one of the greatest in the series' history. "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" was set to be Philip Hinchcliffe's final Doctor Who production and he decided to go out with a bang, approving expenditures that he never would have otherwise -- and it shows. The story just looks so damn good!
Harry -
This is the BBC at the height of its period-recreating powers. From the moment the TARDIS arrives in a thick London fog, this story oozes Victoriana out of every pore.
Sarah -
Doesn't it, though? If there's one thing you can count on from the Beeb, it's excellent Victoriana.
Harry -
The clothes are brilliant, from the retro bobby uniforms to Jago's flashy formal wear, and of course the Doctor and Leela's stylish headwear. I'm glad this was one of the few stories where the Doctor and companion dressed in the manner of the day. I wonder how quickly the production team realized that they would have to adapt Leela's clothing every time she travelled to Earth to avoid causing a stir.
Sarah -
It is a challenge of the character, isn't it? I couldn't help laughing during the scenes when she was in her underwear. Leela is the only character in Doctor Who history who has been MORE covered up when wearing her small clothes.
Harry -
The dialogue is infused with now-archaic sounding language from the Victorian characters. Jago in particular delivers one flourish after another, bursting with alliteration and "dash me optics!" exclamations.
Sarah -
How perfect is Jago, especially when teamed up with Professor Litefoot! They're such fan favorites that they've got their own Big Finish range. Do you have any of their series in your collection?
Harry -
I have the Big Finish Companion Chronicles story that they appeared in -- "The Mahogany Murderers" -- and broke it out immediately. It's a wonderful little episode and sets up the ongoing Big Finish series nicely. I'm eager to listen to more of these now, dash me eardrums!
Back to Philip Hinchcliffe. What a run! One of the show's best producers ever. For his last hurrah, he gave us his homage to the Sherlock Holmes and Fu Manchu stories.
In the early going, the Doctor and Leela put on their best Holmes and Watson detective routine - the Doctor complete with deerstalker cap. They are immediately drawn into local events when they battle a gang of Chinese youths, one of whom is captured and dragged to a police station for questioning in connection to the discovery of a murdered man nearby. At the station, the Doctor and Leela meet Li H'sen Chang, a cold, mysterious character - one powerful enough to demand the suicide of his captured countryman.
Sarah -
Unfortunately, there's also an uncomfortable connection to the Charlie Chan film series. It's surprising that it was still acceptable for white actors to be cast as Chinese characters in 1977 Britain. John Bennett's performance as Chang is excellent, but I always find it a little uncomfortable.
Harry -
John Bennett was excellent as Chang, but for obvious reasons such a performance would just not be on today. The original broadcast drew complaints about the casting, so imagine the uproar if someone tried it now (in a non-ironic/deliberately-provocative way).
It's interesting that the passage of time not only lets us revisit the Victoria era, but also how TV producers in the 70s sought to portray the Victorian era. Several of the characters, including the Doctor, make racially-tinged comments about Chinese people. As I watched each episode, I wondered how much of it was an attempt to present the attitudes of the times, and how much of it reflected contemporary attitudes that were still around.
Sarah -
This is yet another story that gives us some gruesome images -- Weng-Chiang having young women kidnapped so he can literally suck the life out of them to keep himself alive, knife fights in the alleys, bodies being pulled from the river, and scary giant rats. OK, OK, the rats are a bit weak and not at all scary, but it's the only weak point in the entire story, so I'll let it go.
Harry -
The rat was too cuddly for its own good, and Louise Jameson put on a hell of an acting effort to appear terrified of it.
Sarah -
I'm pretty sure this is the only time Leela actually screams.
"The Talons of Weng-Chiang" is a great story for Leela. She gets to play dress up (Oh, look, another homage! Hello Pygmalion!), being coached by the Doctor and Professor Litefoot. My favorite moment of the entire story is when she's offered dinner by the Professor. He leads her to the side board, where she promptly picks up a hunk of meat and digs in. Not wanting to embarrass his guest, Litefoot grabs a chunk and tucks in. It's one of my favorite scenes in all of Doctor Who.
Harry -
The cold collation - another lovely historical bit.
It was amusing how often Litefoot's residence was besieged by the forces of evil. Mr. Sin popping out of the laundry to terrorize Leela was especially creepy. I lost track of how many times I wrote down "Litefoot attacked," "Leela attacked," and "Doctor attacked." There was a lot of personal violence done to our friends in this one.
Stereotypes aside, the baddies were particularly nasty. Chang was lizard-like throughout, and I always have a moment of panic when he points that pistol at the Doctor while onstage. Mr. Sin was an unpleasant little beast. It's almost like an afterthought when Magnus Greel is unmasked and his story revealed at the end.
Sarah -
I always appreciate the misdirect of thinking Chang is the baddie, only to discover that he's nothing more than a pawn. His passing was even a bit tragic. How shocking to have an opium den in Doctor Who!
Also shocking is the fact that this is the only story in which Tom Baker does not wear a scarf! Insanity!
Harry -
Speaking of Tom, this story marks the end of his third season as the Doctor. Imagine if he had followed Patrick Troughton's famous advice and left the show at this juncture. Would the Tom Baker era still be considered the greatest? I believe so.
Sarah -
It's amazing how much he did in just the first three seasons. I agree that his legacy would be assured on the strength of these three seasons alone.
Harry -
To this point, Tom's Doctor has echoed some of the characteristics of each of his predecessors, but he's added his own unique sense of manic eccentricity. He's especially added a wild unpredictability to the character and made him much more alien. He lashes out at people over inconsequential things, then smiles broadly in moments of anxiety. You never know what this character will do next. He's taken Jon Pertwee's "man of action" and made him even more of a dominant personality.
Sarah -
His Doctor certainly fills the room, doesn't he?
Harry -
He's had two companions, like Pertwee, with whom the Sarah Jane era was shared. There's Harry Sullivan too, but looking back now he's almost a kind of tag-along from UNIT who didn't want to stick around with the Doctor and Sarah - remember his season with the Doctor is presented as one continuous timeline and he returned to UNIT at the first opportunity.
Sarah -
Good Old Harry Sullivan, that lovable imbecile!
Harry -
As for Tom, he's spent far less time on Earth, which has been a welcome change. He's fought classic baddies and met new ones who will return later. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if we can identify the point in his tenure where Tom may have overstayed his welcome - or if we end his era still wanting more.
Sarah -
I have to admit I've been starting to think about this, as well. I always think of the Barry Letts and Peter Hinchcliffe Eras being the Golden Years of Doctor Who. The coming seasons have a lot to live up to!
Looking back, it took us a year each to get through three seasons of Hartnell and Troughton and less than a year to tackle five seasons of Pertwee. We seem to be flying through the Baker years. How long we looked forward to getting to "Our" Doctor!
Harry -
Shall we venture into season four of the Tom Baker era, and see what awaits?
Sarah -
Yes, Let's!
Best Line:
The Doctor: "Do you know what this is?"
Leela (with a smile): "You ask me so that you can tell me."
Favorite Moment: Leela's dinner with Litefoot
Lasting Image: Leela and Litefoot chomping their dinner
10/10
Harry -
Best Line:
Jago: "You've been drinking."
Casey: "Not a drop, sir."
Jago: "Well it's time you started."
Favourite Moment: Jago bullshitting Casey about being an undercover sleuth working with the Doctor.
Lasting Image: Chang points his pistol at the Doctor.
9/10
Our marathon continues with Story #92 - Horror of Fang Rock...
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