Story #70 - The Time Warrior (1973-74)

Harry -
A couple of Very Important Things happened between the broadcasts of "The Green Death" and "The Time Warrior."

First, and most obviously, the show bade farewell to Katy Manning, and welcomed Elisabeth Sladen as the Doctor's new companion.

Second, I was born during the gap between the end of Season 10 and the start of Season 11. So this is my birthday story! And what a winner it is!


Sarah -
What an excellent birthday story, you have, Old Boy!

"The Time Warrior" has always been a favorite of mine. Not only do we meet our beloved Sarah Jane, but it's also the first season of the Third Doctor being completely free of his Earthly exile. Oh, the places we'll go!


Harry -
And who better to launch Jon Pertwee's final season than Bob Holmes with this comedic cracker.

Once we recover from the flashy new titles, we find ourselves plunked into a historical (hurray!). Without delay, Holmes introduces us to the strangely charismatic rogue Irongron, and fascinating new alien Linx. The Sontarans have arrived!

All this, before we've even met the most important new character of them all...


Sarah -
Our Sarah Jane!


Harry -
Sarah!


Sarah -
Lis Sladen is brilliant from the very first moment, isn't she? Impersonating Aunt Lavinia, who just happens to be out of the country during this important scientific gathering, holding her own again the stuffy scientists, stowing away on the TARDIS, and proving to be more than a match for the Doctor.

After having the Third Doctor's companions assigned to him as assistants by UNIT, we return to the companion strategy of the first two Doctors: meet an inquisitive young person and invite them along for the ride!


Harry -
After a couple of attempts with Liz Shaw and Jo Grant, it seems that Barry and Terry finally landed on a strong female character, just by writing her as a strong female character!


Sarah -
Imagine that!


Harry -
I love how Sarah jumps right into things, questioning people, even suspecting the Doctor of being up to no good.


Sarah -
Sarah being suspicious of the Doctor is one of my favorite things about this story. I believe Ian and Barbara were the last companions to question the Doctor's motives.


Harry -
Those cubicles that UNIT had set up for the scientists were a bit odd though. I guess the science community didn't merit having fully guarded digs at a fancy hotel or something.


Sarah -
The accommodations were definitely not up to snuff! Fortunately, the scientists don't seem to notice -- especially the nearly blind Rubeish, who has to be one of my favorite absent-minded scientists ever! When we meet him in episode one, he's not really the fellow you'd expect to end up saving the day, is he?


Harry -
I liked how he fashioned his own eyepiece despite being nearly blind.

Meanwhile, in Anglo-Saxon England, Linx has just claimed the planet with a charming little flag-planting ceremony. A wonderful Bob Holmes moment.

Knowing what future encounters are ahead, I think Linx is the best-realized Sontaran of the classic series. His makeup and uniform are well done, compared to some of the hokier looking ones we'll see later in the classic era.


Sarah -
The costume and make up are so lived-in. He looks like he's been banging around the universe for centuries.


Harry -
One of the things that sets the classic era above the new series is characters and character development. The stories had a less frenetic pace by and large, allowing writers time to paint their characters better.


Sarah -
I have to admit that this is my least-favorite thing about the current series. Everything is so rushed and you don't get to know the characters the Doctor and his companions meet. The Classic series is luxuriant by comparison.


Harry -
Look at Irongron and Sir Edward. Two polar opposites, but equally engaging. In Irongron's worldview, everyone is either a knave or a vixen. His dialogue is simply amazing! Everything he says is coloured with quips and imagery. Edward on the other hand is a hilariously depressed twit. Eeyore in a crown. I loved them both.


Sarah -
There are great characters everywhere in this story -- Irongron, Sir Edward, Bloodaxe, Lady Eleanor, Meg the serving wench, Hal the Archer, and my beloved Rubeish. They don't all have a lot of screen time, but they make the most of every moment!

We know that Jon Pertwee had announced that this season, his fifth, would be his last and that Lis Sladen was brought in to be the companion who would transition the series to a new Doctor. What I love about this story is that no one involved is treating it like the beginning of the end. Everyone is on their game, in front of and behind the camera.


Harry -
There was not one weak link to this one, except maybe the Brigadier's brief appearance. But between Sarah, Linx, Irongron and Rubeish, Pertwee had plenty of great partners to play off of.


Sarah -
"The Time Warrior" has always been a favorite story of mine and I love any opportunity to watch it again.


Harry -
Agreed. I good sign is that I made fewer notes through each episode, just sitting back and enjoying the show.

Too bad Irongron was likely blown up along with his ill-gotten castle. It would have been wicked to run into him again sometime.

And so we're off! Lis Sladen is ramping up, Jon Pertwee is winding down, and the show is running on high. Ready for the next stop?


Sarah -
Of course!

Best Line: "A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."

Favorite Moment: Rubeish bashes Linx in the phobic vent!

Lasting Image: Linx removing his helmet

9/10


Harry -
Best Line:
"What subservient poppycock! You're still living in the Middle Ages."
"Eh?"
"Never mind."

Favourite moment: Sarah believes she's in the middle of some sort of pageant, and scares off Hal the archer.

Lasting image: The Doctor and Linx engage in hand to hand combat.

9/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #71 - The Dinosaur Invasion...

Story #69 - The Green Death (1973)

Sarah -

"A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do."

Honestly, Old Boy, does any companion have a send-off as wonderful as Jo’s?

 

 

Harry -

That was an amazing sendoff, completing the season-long Jo Farewell Arc.

It's too bad not every companion gets such a great final story before departing. We've already seen some weak companion sendoffs, and there are other lousy ones to come. This one was just right, even though it hit the Doctor hard. He really didn't see it coming.

 

 

Sarah -

Sorry Doctor, there’s no time for Metebelis III today. Jo Grant has other plans – it’s off to South Wales for her, to join Professor Jones’ Nuthutch and fight Global Chemicals’ plan to begin drilling for oil in Llanfairfach.

 

 

Harry -

Oh boy, the Doctor's trip to Metebelis III was hilarious. He's been banging on about going there for months it seems. His arrival and subsequent terror scenes are some of my favourite moments of the Pertwee era. I remember doubling over in laughter the first time I saw this.

 

 

Sarah -

The Doctor on Metebelis III is hysterical. Can you imagine if he'd taken Jo there? The assistant who wanted nothing more than to be on Earth?

I positively love this story. I commented at the beginning of Jo’s tenure that she had never been one of my favorite companions. I take it all back. This is the first time I’ve watched all of Katy Manning’s stories in order and I was so wrong about Jo. She’s brilliant!

 

 

Harry -

Our viewing marathon has definitely raised my estimation of Jo Grant. I used to think she was a rather bland character that didn't do much, but we've seen her grow as a character over the course of three seasons, from the timid lab assistant to the assertive woman of action.

The outfit she had on at the start of the story was interesting. I'm talking about that cream jacket and cricket sweater. I wonder if it caught the eye of a young John Nathan-Turner...

 

 

Sarah -

Ha! I shouted, "What's she doing in Peter's clothes?" at the telly.

 

 

Harry -

Anyway, Jo leaves the scene on a high note, with new man Professor Jones in tow. 70's hair aside, he was quite dishy.

 

 

Sarah -

Oh my goodness, he was, wasn't he? Stewart Bevan and Katy Manning were a couple at the time, which probably helped their on-screen chemistry.

 

 

Harry -

Nice. He gave a cheerful interview that appeared on the DVD that was fun viewing. He's still got those twinkling blue eyes.

 

 

Sarah -

I quite liked that, too.

 

 

Harry -

On the absolute opposite end of the attractiveness scale, I was totally creeped out by Mr. Stevens, because he was a dead ringer for a mean, miserable teacher I had back in the eighth grade.

 

 

Sarah -

That must have been terrifying!

 

 

Harry -

I hated that teacher. Speaking of creepy, has there been a Doctor Who story featuring anything nearly as disgusting as the mutant maggots? GACK.

 

 

Sarah -

They were so disgusting, which was absolutely brilliant. The creepiness factor overcame the occasional cheesiness of the effects!

 

 

Harry -

I was glad when one of the maggots metamorphosed into a giant flying insect. Or rather, a giant flying comedy prop. After five and a half episodes of disgusting creepy crawlies, the silly bug prop was a relief.

 

 

Sarah -

The flying insect didn't have the best equilibrium, did it? That thing was all over the place.

I loved the scene of the Doctor and Benton driving through the field of maggots, Benton throwing fungus at them and trying to avoid our flying friend.

I also love that the only reason they knew the fungus would kill the maggots was because sweet, clumsy Jo spilled some on Jones' slides. His reaction to the accident and patronizing attitude towards Jo is what sent her off on the quest to get a maggot for him to study. Jones' attempt to save Jo ends up with her saving him -- which pretty much seals the fate of the lovely couple!

 

 

Harry -

I thought for sure that this was another Malcolm Hulke story, because of the powerful social messages it contained. Globalisation, environmental destruction, corporate brainwashing (literally!) and technological menace. There was even that satirical scene at the beginning where Stevens apes Neville Chamberlain waving a piece of paper, promising "wealth in our time" to the skeptical workers.

It was a fantastic story from Robert Sloman, who also wrote "The Daemons" and "The Time Monster". We have one more Sloman story to come: "Planet of the Spiders."

 

 

Sarah -

Did you know Barry Letts had a hand in the story? He didn't take the screen credit, but apparently it was his idea.

 

 

Harry -

Our Barry, so modest.

The Doctor has faced off against super-computers in both his previous incarnations, and his contempt for the BOSS was palpable here. I did like that the BOSS was given a psycho personality. The singy-songy stuff it was doing at the end was another moment of exquisite creepiness.

 

 

Sarah -

BOSS was great, but I wanted the voice to be Kevin Stoney's. I could just imagine the computer purring, "Packer..."

 

 

Harry -

Hah!

Scanning my notes, what jumps out is how many interesting visuals there were in this story. Not just the horrific maggots and comedy fly. The glowing green effect of the toxic poisoning on people's skins was well done. Everything about the nut hutch was endearing - especially those hand-drawn signs everywhere. And check out Lethbridge-Stewart tooling around in a Mercedes convertible, dressed like he's about to enter a "Most British Looking Man" competition. Wow!

 

 

Sarah -

The Brig in his civies would definitely take top prize! How about Mike Yates in his suit? Nice to see the lads out of uniform.

 

 

Harry -

Overall I really love this story. It hits all the right notes and is definitely one that I like returning to again and again.

Strange that it ends so sadly, with the lonely Doctor driving off into the dusk, alone.

 

 

Sarah -

I found myself thinking back and deciding that this the really the first time the Doctor is truly alone. When the Third Doctor staggers out of the TARDIS after regenerating, he almost immediately falls in with UNIT. This time, he's entirely on his own in a way that he won't be for several more regenerations.

The final scene between the Doctor and Jo is so touching. When she describes how Jones reminds her of a younger version of the Doctor, you can see how much she adores him and the impact he's had on her life. I have to admit I found myself reaching for a tissue.

 

 

Harry -

Great story, great ending, and Jo Grant turned out to be a great companion.

 

 

Sarah -

I will miss her!

 

 

Harry -

Well, shall we see who will enter the Doctor's life next? I can't believe we're almost there!

 

 

Sarah -

The moment we've been waiting for!

 

 

Harry -

Best Line: "Well I never thought I'd fire in anger at a dratted caterpillar, but..."

Favourite Moment: the Doctor on Metebelis III.

Lasting Image: those horrible maggots everywhere.

9/10

 

 

Sarah -

Best Line: "Living dangerously? That's how you get your kicks like the good little Nietzschean you are."

Favorite Moment: The Doctor and Jo's farewell.

Lasting Image: The Doctor and Benton in Bessie, tossing fungus.

9/10

 

 

 

Our marathon continues with Story #70: The Time Warrior...

 

Story #68 - Planet of the Daleks (1973)

Sarah -
Here we are in the second half of our first continuous serial since the Hartnell years, and we’ve run into some friends we haven’t seen since then. The Thals have certainly evolved since the First Doctor’s visit to Skaro. They’ve developed the technology for space travel, acquired a more robust source of raw materials for clothing, and achieved a level of personal conflict required for a proper science-fiction story.


Harry -
These are proper Thals, in that the ones we first met on Skaro seemed such unlikely opponents for the Daleks. These Thals are much more up to speed on all that sciencey, weapony stuff.


Sarah -
And more fully clothed!


Harry -
Maybe Terry Nation realized that they were due for an upgrade. Which brings us to... Terry Nation! The third member of the classic Who circle of writers. It's great that we get a Holmes, Hulke and Nation story all in a row.


Sarah -
It's the trifecta! Unfortunately, it’s not a terribly original story. Is it just me, Harry, or is "Planet of the Daleks" basically a rewrite of the original Dalek story?


Harry -
Yeah, it's familiar stuff.  And this one took forever to get going. The first two episodes offered all the characters a chance to creep around the jungle for a bit, get into a spot of trouble, split up, get captured or sick and separated from the others. Sounds like a lot, but I was surprised to get to the end of part two and it felt like all of ten minutes had elapsed so far. Great pacing, but barely anything had happened.


Sarah -
You know what was particularly wonderful about this story? Jo Grant! Katy Manning was given every opportunity to shine - setting off to find help for the Doctor, surviving the fungal infection, and getting herself into the Dalek city to save the Doctor. Jo was particularly brilliant in this story.


Harry -
You could argue that Jo is the lead character here, and it's great that she was the focus of so much action. She is assertive throughout, be it exploring the wrecked ship, sneaking into the Daleks' base, defusing the explosives... not even a boulder to the head will slow her down!


Sarah -
Jo is unstoppable!


Harry -
Meanwhile, the Doctor is just along for the ride for the most part. He seems to enjoy hanging with his old friends the Thals. He's been captured and thrown into a cell so many times this season he barely puts up a fuss this time. And so we come to the scene where the Doctor is in a cell with Codal, the sciencey Thal. To effect an escape, the Doctor rigs up a device to cripple the Dalek guard - a device made from a cassette tape casing! A brilliant piece of improvised engineering, or quite simply the worst prop ever?


Sarah -
I imagine it looked quite cutting-edge at the time.


Harry -
I can't help but focus on little details like that. There's so little to this story, Sarah. As you said, it's practically a remake of the original Dalek story with better costumes.

As well, it's unmistakeably a Terry Nation story. He had a knack for pacing out his adventures so that each new peril or plot development fit neatly into a 22 minute block. Look at part three. Jo spends almost the entire episode creeping around a room - a room! - manoeuvring herself around consoles and posts to evade the Daleks' eyestalks. Meanwhile, the Doctor and the Thals fashion a marvellous escape up a ventilation shaft with a makeshift sail. Introduce new peril, and cue end theme. And of course, this is all happening on a jungle planet with a core of molten ice. It's so Terry Nation.

Did you have a favourite Thal?


Sarah -
I hadn't thought of having a favorite, but I kept looking at Taron and trying to remember where I had seen him before. A quick search answered my question - Bernard Horsfall was Lemuel Gulliver in "The Mind Robber" and a Time Lord in "The War Games". I love returning guest actors!

Do you have a fave?


Harry -
Taron is definitely my favourite and for the same reason. Horsfall made several appearances in Doctor Who over the years, and also appeared in a fantastic Big Finish audio released ten years ago: Davros.

Sadly, Horsfall passed away earlier this year, but he'll be remembered as one of Doctor Who's best guest actors.

While we wait excitedly for the next volume from our friends Rob Shearman and Toby Hadoke, I flipped through Outside In, a collection of fan essays on all the classic Who stories. The entry for "Planet of the Daleks" summed up my feelings about this story. Basically, it's great to watch Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning performing in their best season together, the Daleks do their Daleky thing, and it's a fun story to wile away some time. That's pretty much what I got out of it.


Sarah -
That's about it. I was never bored or bothered by the story, but neither did it capture me. I can't help but think it would have been a standout in almost any other season of Doctor Who, but this season has been so strong that "Planet of the Daleks" ends up being the weakest story.


Harry -
The post-viewing shine really came off as we've been writing about it.  I do want to note that, uninspiring story aside, it was well served by the set design. The jungles of Spirodon and the labyrinthine corridors of the Dalek base both looked vast and sprawling. The little tin models of the Dalek army were neat too.


Sarah -
The design team we're on their game in this story. Making small studios look like part of a massive structure can't be easy.


Harry -
In the end, everybody worked together to put the Dalek army back on ice, blow up most of their base and leave a few of them stranded on Spirodon.


Sarah -
HUZZAH!


Harry -
HUZZAH!

Jo's Farewell Arc comes into play again at the end, when she declines a personal invite to join the Thals on their journey back to Skaro. She's eager to return to Earth and the Doctor happily obliges. The arc is about to reach its end.


Sarah -
I'm going to be sad about saying goodbye to Jo, but I'm ready to start her final story. Shall we move on to "The Green Death"?


Harry -
It was interesting to see a kind of "Daleks' Master Plan" epic in the Pertwee era. "Frontier in Space" was a great first half, but the transition from space opera to a formulaic Terry Nation runabout didn't quite work.

Well, we can't put it off forever. I'm ready for Jo's farewell story too!


Sarah -
Best Line: "You know, for a man who abhors violence, I took great satisfaction in doing that."

Favorite Moment: Jo heading into the Dalek City to save the Doctor.

Lasting Image: The Doctor in that fabulous fur disguise!

6/10


Harry -
Best Line: "Doctor, I'm tired of being hunted too."  Another example of Jo foreshadowing her departure.

Favourite Moment: Jo asks the Doctor to take her home to Earth, and he cheerily obliges, not realising how little time together they have left.

Lasting Image: the army of Dalek miniatures

6/10

 



Our marathon continues with Story #69: The Green Death...

Story #67 - Frontier in Space (1973)

Sarah -
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...

Story #66 - Carnival of Monsters (1973)

Harry -
Poor Jo. The Doctor finally got a new dematerialization circuit from the Time Lords, and where's the first place they shoot off to? The musty storage deck of an Earth-bound ship.

Of course, he claimed he was taking her to Metebelis Three, but isn't that always the way? What's a poor companion to do?


Sarah -
It's a whole new adventure for Our Jo! She finally gets to travel freely with the Doctor -- and learns that it's not always what she might expect.


Harry -
Of course, we know something is afoot right off the bat. We meet the travelling carny performers Vorg and Shirna as they make their way through customs on Inter Minor. The baggage retrieval scene was zany fun.

Vorg and Shirna are a delight. So much glitter!


Sarah -
I've been trying to convince Mr. Smith that they should be our costumes for the next con -- I'll let you know how that goes. He seems to have an issue with glitter.


Harry -
And so many familiar faces among the Inter Minorites. I spotted Michael "Davros" Wisher right away, and while going through the DVD features I realized another of the gray-faced fellows was Peter "Packer" Halliday. PACKERRRR!!!


Sarah -
PACKER! I found myself having a "who is that, he looks so familiar" moment, but never quite got around to looking it up.


Harry -
It was good to see Robert Holmes' name again too. He wrote a cracking script here, brimming with creativity and snappy dialogue. Half the fun was listening in on the Inter Minor characters as they plotted and schemed through the entire story.


Sarah -
They were brilliant -- such fully realized characters! The writing and performances were an utter delight.


Harry -
One of the things about our little marathon is that we're really getting to know the show's writers. We're getting to see the wit and humour of Bob Holmes, and the social commentaries of Malcolm Hulke. Those two have really stood out, and I hadn't given the writing side of the show much thought before.


Sarah -
There are definitely writers names that I look forward to seeing!


Harry -
The first episode of "Carnival of Monsters" is a great mystery, as we try to reconcile the scenes on Inter Minor with the Doctor and Jo's arrival on the S.S. Bernice in 1926. I loved the visual cliffhanger of a giant hand picking up the TARDIS. The effect was pulled off brilliantly.


Sarah -
I love that we don't find out what's going on until the second episode. It's so disorientating -- for us and the Doctor and Jo.

I say, Old Chap, did you notice a rather familiar-looking gentleman playing the dashing young officer Andrews? I'm sure I've seen that handsome face before.


Harry -
Why yes, Andrews caught my eye and it's none other than Ian Marter! I'd venture to guess Andrews might be a relative of another Naval officer we'll be meeting in the future.


Sarah -
I'd like to imagine that he and Claire got back to Earth, married, and had a baby -- and for some inexplicable reason gave him the last name Sullivan. It could happen.


Harry -
You've convinced me it could.

Now, I've promised that I wouldn't rail against the Pertwee-era six parters because they are what they are and they can't be changed. But this story underscores why the four-parter is the best format for classic Who. If this one was stretched to six, the Inter Minor conspiracy would have become bloated, or the Doctor and Jo would have had to play a couple of extra rounds of capture-escape-recapture aboard the Bernice, or, well you see where I'm going with this. I won't keep bringing it up, but it's a shame that there weren't more Pertwee stories in the streamlined four part format.


Sarah -
I can only agree. Four-parters are really the perfect length -- all story, no padding.


Harry -
This one is such fun, especially when the Drashigs start running rampant throughout the scope.


Sarah -
It's been so long since I'd seen this story that I'd forgotten how much fun it was. I watch all four parts in one sitting.


Harry -
Me too. Topping day, wot!

Towards the end of it, Vorg is resigned to watching the scope slowly break down, and we saw the true face behind the smile when he shrugged off the imminent deaths of all his "livestock" inside the scope. Good thing that by then the Doctor was out and gave him what for.

I wonder how long Vorg and Shirna hung around on Inter Minor before precipitating their own expulsion. Hopefully Shirna found a better line of work.


Sarah -
Poor Shirna, she could only do better.

Did you find yourself missing the UNIT family just a little bit?


Harry -
Well, since we were "off world" for this story they wouldn't have been included here. This story is fun and pacey, and Uncles Barry and Terry are on a roll, following "The Three Doctors" and "The Time Monster." Unfortunately, I don't think we'll see much of UNIT for the next story or two. Hopefully the good roll will continue.

Shall we?


Sarah -
Let's!


Harry -
Best line:
"Doctor, I must rest."
"I know, I'm beginning to feel the centuries myself."

Favourite moment: Vorg and Shirna come tumbling out with the baggage at Inter Minor customs.

Lasting image: Vorg and Shirna's colourful outfits.

9/10


Sarah -
Best Line(s):
Doctor: "No, that's impossible."
Jo: "Do you ever admit that you're wrong."
Doctor: "No, that's impossible, too."

Favorite Moment: The Inter Minorites plotting.

Lasting Image: Nothing can top those costumes!

9/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #67 - Frontier in Space...