Welcome to Season Twenty!
Sarah -
Huzzah!
Harry -
I had not watched this story for a long time. The memories I had of it were of the not-so-fond variety, but a rewatch improved my view. A little.
Sarah -
It's no "Time-Flight", which can only be a good thing!
Harry -
"Arc of Infinity" starts off in a different manner than what we became accustomed to in Peter Davison's first season. Here, we find the Doctor travelling with a single companion. The Doctor-Nyssa travelling partnership has been explored in other media, and it's too bad we didn't get more of it on the TV series. As two gentle, sciency types they get along famously as we catch up with them making long overdue repairs to the TARDIS.
Sarah -
I'm going to be a little controversial here, Harry, and admit that I'm not a big Nyssa fan. While I imagine she's someone I would like in person, and Sarah Sutton seems absolutely lovely, Nyssa is just, well, boring. If I'd had a vote on who was going to be written off the show in Season Ninteen, Nyssa would have been my choice. The problem is that she is too much like the Fifth Doctor and it's all just too nice. I've not listened to any of the Fifth Doctor-Nyssa Big Finish stories, but I hope they've found a way to inject something interesting into that relationship.
Harry -
I think Nyssa more than most suffers the problem of writers who didn't know what to do with her.
Sarah -
Always a valid point. In Nyssa's favor, she gets to say "reverse the polarity" while working on repairs.
Harry -
Since we've been watching the stories all in order, we've had a chance to watch the development of Nyssa's character. The conclusion is: there was barely any development to her character. Since re-joining the Doctor on Logopolis, Nyssa has been mostly a tagalong character who asks questions at timely moments, then gets banished or banishes herself to the TARDIS to ride out a big portion of every adventure, especially when it's time for action. A big problem seems to be that Nyssa is described as a child, but played by an adult, so her very persona gets confusing.
Sarah -
I'll have to track down some of the Big Finish audios and report back on her character development.
Harry -
Anyway, while the Doctor and Nyssa make repairs and conduct tests, two alternate timelines play out elsewhere. First, there's a return to Gallifrey, where an unidentified high-collared character is conspiring with a masked figure who targets the Doctor as a conduit for his plot.
Sarah -
Ah, Gallifrey! It wouldn't be the same without the political intrigue, would it?
Harry -
Seems to be all they do there.
Sarah -
The Time Lords having always been a bit disappointing, haven't they?
Harry -
Yeah. You start to wonder why they kept going back to this.
Second, there are scenes featuring two backpackers in contemporary Amsterdam, who find an unused crypt where they settle down to sleep the night. This being Doctor Who, these three lines are about to collide.
Sarah -
And things don't look good for the backpackers!
Harry -
Suddenly, an extradimensional entity invades the TARDIS!
Sarah -
Shocking!
Harry -
Suddenly, a freaky bird creature attacks one of the packbackers in the crypt!
Sarah -
Terrifying!
Harry -
Suddenly, the TARDIS's recall circuit is activated, calling the Doctor back to Gallifrey!
Sarah -
And, really, this is just too much!
Harry -
Upon arrival, the TARDIS is immediately impounded by the security commander, one of many familiar faces. There's Commander Maxil, played by the future Sixth Doctor! There's Councillor Hedin, played by the Celestial Toymaker! There's Chancellor Thalia, played by Blackadder's mum! What a cast of characters!
Sarah -
Whatever faults this story may have, the cast is bringing it. And, is it just me, or is Colin Baker bringing an extra helping of the sexy? When he's not carrying that stupid feathery helmet, that is.
Harry -
Sexy Maxil must have struck a note with JNT, considering all he does is march around in every scene.
Sarah -
Perhaps JNT was wondering what he would look like in a clown suit?
Harry -
I'm not sure of one thing: were we supposed to know that the shadowy Gallifreyan was conspiring with Omega? It seemed like a really late reveal. Up to that point, we get a seemingly endless series of clandestine meetings between these two. Yes, they advance the plot in very small stages, but they got very tedious, especially when you know whose voice is behind the Gallifreyan collar.
Sarah -
The plotting scenes are soooooo tedious! Hand acting isn't mysterious -- it's boring.
Harry -
More interesting were the location shots in Amsterdam. Something we haven't really seen since the Doctor and Romana visited Paris. I know JNT was big on these foreign forays. And look who just turned up at the aeroport: Tegan Jovanka!
Sarah -
Hooray! At last! This story can only get better with Tegan around.
I had to laugh when Robin met Tegan at the airport -- he's in an anorak and she's dressed for summer in Ibiza. Janet must have been freezing for that entire shoot, which I imagine she mentions repeatedly on the commentary track. Still, her hair looks fab. I've always loved this cut on her.
Harry -
Short haired Tegan definitely looks better, and Janet Fielding was rocking a similar cut when we met her at Chicago TARDIS a few years ago.
Sarah -
When you've found a good look, you've got to stick with it.
Harry -
Anyway, for all that fuss about getting back to Heathrow, Tegan ended up getting sacked by the airline. With newfound freedom, she's travelled to Amsterdam to meet up with her cousin Colin, one of the backpackers. Only Colin's encounter with the Ergon resulted in him being captured and zombified. He toils away in the crypt, carrying equipment around as part of Omega's plot to return to this universe.
Sarah -
The Zombie Colin scenes really are quite creepy.
Harry -
Colin does a good zombie face.
Meanwhile, the Gallifreyans are s-l-o-o-o-o-w-l-y cottoning on to the fact that a conspiracy is afoot. The mysterious entity is threatening to force its way from the universe of anti-matter, using the Doctor as a conduit. So, the only solution must be to execute the Doctor! Good grief.
Sarah -
Bring out the Bidmead "That's Not Science!" button on this one. So very lame.
Harry -
Nyssa takes matters into her own hands and uses a stun gun on some of Maxil's men. Maxil responds by marchng around some more.
Sarah -
Pistol Packin Nyssa! This may be the most interesting thing she's done this far. More Action-Nyssa, please!
Harry -
Nyssa livening shit up around here. I don't know. Gallifrey has gotten even more boring since the last time we were there.
The three threads of this story took too long to come together, I thought.
Sarah -
Can we go back to talking about Janet's hair?
You know what would have been a great plot twist? If the Doctor left Nyssa behind and dragged Leela and K-9 in to the TARDIS. Someone needs to write that story!
Harry -
A Leela/K-9 cameo would have been very fun.
Sarah -
From a looking-backwards perspective, I did like the scenes where the Doctor and Nyssa dash around Amsterdam looking for Tegan. I imagine they were inserted to justify the location shooting, but they illustrated a point we've made in the past about the current series. David Tennant or Matt Smith would have just waved the sonic screwdriver and found Tegan.
Harry -
...and Peter Capaldi would have done the same, only more angrily.
Sarah -
Which would have made it completely awesome! Still, 80s Doctor had to put in some actual legwork!
Harry -
Did you spot the Dutch kid in the amazing "stars and stripes" knit sweater? That was the best bit of costuming in the entire show!
Sarah -
Which really isn't saying all that much.
Harry -
Well, for all Omega's furious desire to escape the anti-matter universe, and all of Hedin's gullible assistance, neither of them survive the story intact. Hedin gets shot by the Castellan and doesn't get past episode three.
Sarah -
If we've learned one thing on this marathon, it's that the lackey never wins.
Harry -
...and barely ever survives. Omega takes the Doctor's form but only partially materializes on Earth. Almost immediately, he starts breaking down while leading the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa on a merry old jogging tour of old Amsterdam. When Omega is finally cornered, we see the Doctor do something he's seemingly doing more of in this regeneration: he zaps Omega into oblivion without flinching.
Sarah -
Another exciting chase scene, amortizing that location shooting. Back to the anti-matter universe for you, Omega! Threat averted.
Harry -
Kind of a messy, chaotic ending. The local citizens seemed to take it all in stride without a mass panic ensuing. Back on Gallifrey... well, we don't know what happens back on Gallifrey as the story ends before we can find out. And so after being separated at the end of Season Nineteen, the Doctor and Nyssa are reunited with Tegan to start Season Twenty.
Sarah -
Which brings us to my favorite part of the entire story. The Doctor thinks he's done with Tegan and she'll be heading back home:
Doctor: It's been marvelous to see you again.
Nyssa: Indeed. I've missed you. I wish you didn't have to go back to your job.
Tegan: What job? Didn't I tell you? I got the sack. So you're stuck with me, aren't you.
Doctor: So it seems.
Hooray! Tegan is back in the TARDIS!
Sarah -
Best Line:
Zorac: Each and every time the Doctor returns to Gallifrey there's violence.
Hedin: Perhaps it is we who should modify our approach.
Favorite Moment: Tegan tells the Doctor she's back on board for adventures in time and space!
Lasting Image: The Doctor's face when Tegan tells him she's staying.
5/10
Harry -
Best Line: The "so your stuck with me," "so it seems," exchange was the only time I laughed during the whole story, and it was the final line.
Favourite Moment: Seeing so many familiar faces on Gallifrey.
Lasting Image: I agree the Doctor's barely-disguised look of dismay was great, but I'll add the image of the Ergon. I like a good bird monster.
5/10
Our marathon continues with Story #124: Snakedance...
