Story #13 - The Web Planet (1965)

Sarah -
Well, now, that was quite...something. Where does one begin?


Harry -
We could begin by lamenting the fact that this story is in black and white. Can you imagine the mind-altering technicolour dreamscape that might have been?

I was reminded of an infamous episode of the 60s Spider-Man cartoon: Revolt in the Fifth Dimension. It's one of the most psychedelic things ever seen on a mainstream programme: a sequence of surreal images bathed in vibrant purples, greens and reds. Check it out, and imagine a version of "The Web Planet" like this.


Sarah -
Good point. Some color and hallucinogens would definitely have helped.


Harry -
Even in black and white, this is Doctor Who breaking new ground again. Not much happens in the first episode -- essentially the TARDIS lands and the crew have a look around. The episode is more a visual treat, from the cheezy looking set to the smearing on the camera lenses, to the Doctor's white hat. I wonder if he has more of them in an assortment of colours!

The aliens are something else. Ambitious concepts, creative designs, 1960s BBC quality. Oh my!

The first appearance of a Menoptra was quite mindblowing. Their halting speech and stylized hand movements were awkward at first, but I got used to them. And I loved the wings!


Sarah -
Wings are cool!


Harry -
The Zarbi were not as cool. The design was cheap looking and it must have been a pain in the arse for the actors to lurch around with a giant exoskeleton on their backs.

Speaking of acting, or lack thereof, I loved William Russell in this story. He plays each scene with a look of bemusement on his face, as if the actor and the character he plays are both thinking "what the hell am I doing here with these ridiculous giant insects?"


Sarah -
I have to agree on Russell. I imagine it would have been difficult to keep a straight face in some of those scenes. I really enjoyed Ian in these scenes.


Harry -
The story is really slow to get started. Once the drama starts to pick up in episode two, I liked the music that was used. It reminded me of some of the pieces from A Clockwork Orange.

What was your first reaction to the alien characters?


Sarah -
The costumes were definitely super-neat-o. The ants, of course, made me want to flee (see "Planet of Giants" discussion for more information on my ant phobia), but the Mentropa were awesome. Imagine how warm those costumes must have been under the studio lights.


Harry -
Not much really happens for most of the story. There's just enough here for a decent four parter, but not enough for six.


Sarah -
I was a bit overwhelmed by other things while trying to watch this story, which no doubt influenced my viewing. As much as I tried, I just couldn't get into the story. It seemed to move as slowly as the Menoptra spoke!


Harry -
Just when you get over the giant moths and ants, along come the grunting grubs! Or are they leaping larvae? And who was that little cockroach critter? What a zoo!


Sarah -
What was with the cheesy psuedo-Spanish accent from the cockroach?


Harry -
Yeesh.  I've been mentally reviewing the story again, and the whole thing -- the look, the tone, the action -- all of it is infused with weirdness. And weirdest of all is the Animus, a disembodied voice that communicates, as the Doctor put it, via a salon hair dryer. The voice is mysterious, but never really as menacing as it is made out to be.


Sarah -
Yeah, the Big Bad never felt that big nor bad. You're correct that it would have been a better four parter. There were so many places where it just felt so drawn out and tedious.

Would it be wrong to jump to the finish here?


Harry -
No. I don't have much else to say. Thin story, interesting concepts but a weak execution, and the actors seemed to be going through the motions, for the most part (those who weren't doing all those hand motions anyway).


Sarah -
Lasting image: The Doctor in the "hair dryer."

Favorite moment: Vicki's reaction when Barbara tells her the bracelet came from Nero. (Telling that my favorite moment comes from another story, no?)

Best line: “One of these days I’m going to have a jolly good spring clean around here." I liked Barbara's little moment of domesticity in the midst of crisis.

Rating: 4/10


Harry -
Lasting image: Ian hanging around with one of the Menoptra.

Favourite moment: the Menoptra invasion scene.

Best line: "Apart from rubbing our back legs together like some sort of grasshopper, I doubt that we could get on speaking terms with them." The Doctor puts it bluntly.

Rating: Our first real dud! 4/10


 

 


Our marathon continues with Story #14 - The Crusade...

Elisabeth Sladen, 1948-2011

It was devastating to learn of Elisabeth Sladen's passing today.

As Sarah Jane Smith, she was the first companion that many young Doctor Who viewers ever knew, and a new generation of viewers got to meet her on The Sarah Jane Adventures.


Sarah -
I always think of Sarah Jane Smith leaving the TARDIS, asking the Doctor not to forget her. Oh, Sarah, as if anyone could.


Harry -
I remember Sarah Jane chasing after the Doctor in "The Hand of Fear", telling him: "I worry about you." He never had a stronger friend than Sarah.


I imagine Harry is greeting Sarah with a "Hello, Old Girl," somewhere right about now...

Story #12 - The Romans (1965)

Harry -
Just when you thought Doctor Who might be settling into a comfy template, along comes "The Romans."


Sarah -
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your sofas! I come to discuss "The Romans" – a story I enjoyed even more than anticipated.


Harry -
We meet up with a TARDIS crew having a positively languorous time in an ancient Roman villa. It turns out that they have been chilling out for almost a month! Who cares about London, don't worry about the TARDIS, pass the grapes. I love it! I'm envious!


Sarah -
Ancient Rome and the living is easy – grapes, wine, fancy duds, and trips to the marketplace! The Doctor is in fine form once again. Hartnell is utterly delightful in the opening scenes, living the high life. I love him more with each story.


Harry -
Almost the entire first episode is taken up with Ian and Barbara drinking, frolicking and lounging (as Rob notes, there is definitely a relationship there if there wasn't before!).


Sarah -
I loved their scenes! There’s all kinds of hubba-hubba going on below the surface, isn’t there? On top of that, they both look fabulous – especially after Barbara gives Ian his makeover. (And, can I just mention Ian’s excellent gams?)


Harry -
I love it when we get glimpses of Ian's gams!

*ahem*

Tearing himself away from Barbara's exotic cooking (she can do it all!), the Doctor sets off for what he deems "a few days" and takes Vicki along. From this point on, the story breaks into parallel plots involving mistaken identity, capture and escape, danger and hilarity.


Sarah -
You should know by now that nothing is beyond the scope of Barbara Wright! She can do anything!

The Doctor rolls with every situation he encounters on the road, never flustered or worried. Vicki is delightful. I couldn’t help but think that Susan would be falling off a cliff or something when the Doctor assumed the identity of Maximus Pettulian.


Harry -
*bursts out laughing*

"OH GRANDFATHER!!!!"


Sarah -
I love Vicki’s mischievous look of amusement whenever the Doctor explains things to her. It’s as if she sees through his bluster and completely understands him.


Harry -
She's a sharp one beneath that pixie exterior.

In the second episode, our heroes are all thrust into unpleasant situations. Well, other than the Doctor apparently. Do my eyes deceive me or did we just see a William Hartnell fight scene? And he kicked ass, laughing all the way!


Sarah -
Never underestimate the Doctor! He doesn’t have to play the action hero often, but stands at the ready when called upon. “I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the gentle art of fisticuffs.” Classic!


Harry -
I loved the final flip at the end just as Vicki entered.

Meanwhile, Barbara is captured by slave traders, and Ian is made a galley slave. The idle frivolity of the previous episode seems long gone all of a sudden.


Sarah -
Alas, no one who travels in the TARDIS is allowed a Roman holiday, after all.


Harry -
By the midway point of the story, I would argue that "The Romans" is still delivering what we are coming to expect from a Hartnell historical. I never would have predicted what would come next...


Sarah -
I never would have expected it to turn into a drawing room comedy!


Harry -
...and cue the theme music from Benny Hill!


Sarah -
*bursts out laughing *


Harry -
As soon as Nero enters the scene, this story descends into a farce of the highest order. The Roman Caesar chasing Barbara for a smooch. The Doctor's brazen lyre pantomime. Nero's servant oh-so-typically dropping dead from the poison draught. It's buffoonery, utter buffoonery!


Sarah -
The lyre concert was a highlight. Hartnell looked like he was having the time of his life. Meanwhile, Barbara finds herself manhandled yet again! Honestly, the thing a girl has to put up with. While I’m usually one to tut-tut about things like this, I found myself enjoying the buffoonish Nero.


Harry -
And yet, we can't entirely enjoy ourselves. Ian survives a shipwreck only to be locked up in a Roman prison. Barbara becomes the target of a murder attempt. The going is still rough for the regulars, and yet, Nero's outlandish caricature dominates. It was as if the story couldn't decide what it wanted to be.


Sarah -
It was all over the place, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. I gasped when it seemed that Nero had stabbed Barbara, but had actually killed the guard standing next to her. Not my Barbara!


Harry -
A couple of things that I really liked about this story:

First, the numerous strands of the Doctor and Vicki, Ian and Barbara all diverging, then almost converging in Rome, then diverging again only to be reunited back at the villa. I loved all those near misses among the characters.


Sarah -
That was one of my favorite things about the story – so well orchestrated!


Harry -
Second, I liked that everyone got into the spirit of things by donning local dress. That feature was more-or-less dropped after the early years of Doctor Who, but I wish we could see more of that, BBC wardrobe budgets be damned!


Sarah -
The costumes were great, weren’t they? I enjoyed Vicki calling the Doctor out on lecturing her about how they weren’t supposed to influence history after he set the map on fire. Her cheeky, “Alright, you have it your way; I’ll have it mine,” endeared her to me.

The final scene in the villa was wonderfully cozy, everyone teasing and chastising each other. What a merry band! An utterly delightful story.


Harry -
As a comedy story, it's pretty good. I don't think I would show this one to a new viewer, because it would leave the impression that Doctor Who was a silly romp, and not a serious science fiction program, which must be taken seriously at all times (bluster bluster).


Sarah -
I'm feeling more generous -- and gave up caring about new viewers decades ago!


Harry -
Lasting image: Nero's ridiculous faces!

Favourite moment: the Doctor laughing through his entire fight scene.

Best line: "Oh, something else I forgot to tell you. I think I’ve poisoned Nero." Vicki puts it so nonchalantly.

Rating: 7/10


Sarah -
Vicki is excellent and I can't wait to see more of her!

Lasting image: The Doctor’s Lyre concert!

Favorite moment: All the near misses in the corridors.

Best line: “I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the gentle art of fisticuffs.”

Rating: 8/10

 



Our marathon continues with Story #13 - The Web Planet...