Wow! This one's chock full o' horror. There's gothic horror, folk horror, even some Lovecraftian horror. Whichever way you classify it, "Image of the Fendahl" is a grand return to Hinchcliffe-style horror - it's practically an homage to Hinchcliffe homages!
Sarah -
A homage to the homages -- well-observed, Harry!
We certainly start with a spot of drama -- a team of scientists, getting up to something that doesn't seem quite right. To be fair, any team of scientists in Doctor Who will very likely be getting up to something that doesn't seem quite right, but things are just a bit more menacing in Image of the Fendahl.
Harry -
Right from the opening shots, we know we're in for a good one. We see the mysterious skull up close, we see the team of scientists at work inside a gothic-looking priory, and there's that overlapped image of the skull and Thea Ransome's face. You can tell director George Spenton-Foster couldn't get enough of that one.
Sarah -
I understand why! It's wonderfully creepy.
Harry -
That grinding organ sound that was used whenever the skull became active was wonderfully atmospheric.
Then there's the cutaway to the hiker murdered in the woods. Great night filming, and a great kickoff to the story. When we finally get to the TARDIS, it felt like we'd already gotten through half of part one.
Sarah -
We're tossed straight into the deep end with this story. The scene in the woods was terrifying. I realized I was holding my breath when he started running.
Harry -
I wonder if Chris Boucher found out that K-9 had joined the TARDIS team well after he'd penned this story. Our new friend is immediately dispatched, in dire need of repairs for corrosion.
Sarah -
I read somewhere that the story was finished before they knew about K-9, hence the repairs.
Harry -
The TARDIS detects a time displacement and it's back to Earth for the Doctor and Leela.
Sarah -
And the chance to, once again, insult Leela's ancestors. Silly humans.
Harry -
By the end of part one, many threads have been introduced. The team of scientists is clearly in two factions: there are Fendelman and Stael, who know more than they are letting on to Thea and Adam. The suspicion is ramped up when Fendelman calls in for a security team to guard the priory.
Meanwhile the villagers are acting like old school villagers, talking about The Old Ways like something out of the folk horror movies of the time. And of course the Doctor and Leela get into a spot of bother trying to sort it out. As the Doctor stands around in the fog-enveloped woods, Leela enters a cottage and shots are fired!
Sarah -
Now THAT'S a cliffhanger.
The cottage belongs to none other than Martha Tyler, brilliantly portrayed by Daphne Heard. Martha is one of my favorite guest actors ever -- she steals every scene. Rock Salt! The Old Ways! What's not to love?
Harry -
Mother Tyler! She's great, and the camera made such great use of her face. Her intensity was off the charts.
I can't go on without pointing out that Thea Ransome is portrayed by Wanda Ventham, who is Benedict Cumberbatch's mum! He definitely has her electric blue eyes.
But my favourite actor of all in this movie is the unnamed tawny owl in the Tyler cottage. I love that owl! When Leela burst into the cottage and loudly threatened Ted Ross, the owl remained on its perch, observing silently. Totally cool. Best guest actor ever?
Sarah -
Best winged guest actor ever, perhaps?
Back to Thea, she starts out as perhaps the most interesting of the scientists, only to find herself transformed into the Fendahl core. I'm not really sure what is with her transformation look, but it's all kids of fabulous! She rocks that head-to-toe golden Medusa look. Fortunately, the megalomaniac scientist Stael has already assembled a team of minions, who are ready to fulfill their destiny when Thea's transformation occurs.
Harry -
Stael amounted to less than the usual cult leader. He kept his white lab coat on the entire time while his minions at least put on some hooded cult robes. When everything went horribly wrong, he shot himself, which was both a timid end and also somewhat shocking to see on Doctor Who.
Sarah -
Even more shocking, the original script apparently had him putting the gun in his mouth on-screen! Stael is just another boring megalomaniac. Are there any interesting megalomaniacs?
Harry -
Thea's transformation was wild, as were the evolutionary theories hinted at by the Doctor.
The Fendahl as presented is incredibly dark. As the Doctor put it, the Fendahl "eats life" and is "death" itself. There's so much darkness to this story, and yet it doesn't seem particularly notorious among fans. Maybe because the physical manifestations of the evil are either glam gold Medusa, who never speaks, or the giant reptile things that hiss menacingly, but are easily dispatched with rock salt like snails in the garden. The monster's demise even plays out in reverse, the action growing quieter until the final controlled implosion ends the threat. There's no payoff, no memorable big bang. It's very unique for Doctor Who.
Sarah -
The Fendahl itself turns out to be among the most disappointing Doctor Who aliens in the series' history -- and that' really saying a lot.
Harry -
Yeah, I tried really hard to suspend my disbelief, but it's hard not to see the Fendahleen creatures as lumpen lumbering things with yarn streamers blowing out of their mouths.
Still, I do like this one a lot. The story is dark and interesting, the acting is great, the music and camera work are solid, and the way it unfolds is no cookie cutter. The only thing that would have made it better was if the tawny owl hopped onto the Doctor's shoulder and joined the TARDIS crew. Tom Baker once said that he would have loved it if his Doctor had a parrot. I think he might have settled for the owl.
Sarah -
He would have liked an owl better -- it wouldn't talk back.
Speaking of talking back, Leela's character continues to develop in this story. I enjoy Louise Jameson's performance more and more with each story. I'm a little sad that we only have three left.
Harry -
Leela is definitely doing the heavy lifting while Tom arses around making faces and downing jelly babies. I liked how pleased she was to have saved the Doctor's life.
After all that, our friends make a hasty departure and it's off to the next adventure after a stop at the nearest supernova. All in a day's work!
Shall we move on then? Don't forget to put rock salt in your pocket!
Sarah -
I shall never again leave the house without a handy supply of rock salt!
Best Line:
Leela: "He came armed and silent."
The Doctor: "You must have been sent by providence."
Ted Moss: "No, I was sent by the council to cut the verges."
Leela: "Your council should choose its warriors more carefully."
Favorite Moment: Every moment Mother Tyler is on screen.
Lasting Image: The Golden Thea, of course!
7/10
Harry -
Best Line:
"You know summat John? There's goin'a come a time when I'll be too old for this sorta thing."
Never, Mother Tyler, never!
Favourite Moment: the tawny owl plays it totally cool during the hubbub at the cottage.
Lasting Image: the glowing skull double image.
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #95 - The Sun Makers...
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