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...
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