For a story with an anti-drug message, "Nightmare of Eden" is pretty damn trippy. I know we're supposed to scoff and shake our heads at the disappointing effects and cheesey monsters, but I can't help but love "Nightmare of Eden".
Harry -
I had mixed reactions while watching this one. The story and concepts were pretty out there -- like having one spaceship materialize around another, or the CET machine's real-life projections -- but they were terribly let down by the production values. Damn those BBC tightwads! Had they not just seen the visual sensation that was Star Wars?
Sarah -
There's a whole featurette on the DVD bemoaning the Beeb's parsimony.
Harry -
Jeez. For all the discount sets and cheap effects, the story still managed to bounce along enjoyably, aided by a supporting cast who were clearly enjoying the moment.
Sarah -
This is a perfect example of a cracking script overcoming the wobbly walls and poor effects.
Harry -
The first two we meet are Captain Rigg and Secker, his stoned navigator. Rigg's voice was unmistakeable -- he was none other than Irongron from "The Time Warrior", minus a lot of hair. Their ship, the Empress, is a kind of space cruise liner, taking tourists to the planet Azure, when it suddenly finds itself stuck together with the Hecate, a survey ship owned by Mr. Dymond. Add to that the timely arrival of the TARDIS, and the fun begins.
Sarah -
In the opening scenes, I found myself wondering how Rigg could possibly not notice that Secker was stoned -- the only thing missing was a bag of Doritos.
One of my favorite moments is when Rigg and Dymond are arguing about which one of them caused the accident. The Doctor and Romana casually stroll in...and they keep on arguing. "Oh, hello, complete strangers, please wait here while we finish our spat."
Harry -
Once the usual introductions and puzzlement are expressed, our friends get to work.
K-9 quickly reports that the molecules of the two ships are rejecting each other, causing a highly volatile situation. As the Doctor and Romana try to figure out how to separate the ships, they encounter Professor Tryst and Della, part of a team of zoologists who have been conducting conservation work on alien creatures. They show off their fancy schmancy CET machine -- similar to the Miniscope used in "Carnival of Monsters" -- although Romana and the Doctor seem unimpressed. I wonder if they were more impressed with Tryst's impersonation of Dr. Strangelove. I was!
Sarah -
Tryst's accent is a thing of wonder. I kind of wanted everyone else on the ship to start using it. It could slowly take over until everyone found themselves sounding like Tryst, without knowing why.
Harry -
So we have an interesting assortment of snickering stoners, frustrated captains, and enthusiastic zoologists, all before K-9 cuts a hole in one of the Empress' walls and out pops one of the cuddliest Doctor Who monsters since the Yeti.
Sarah -
The Mandrels are adorable! They look like something out of Where the Wild Things Are. It's not really the menacing look I imagine the production team was going for. When the first Mandrel pops out of the hole, he looks like he wants a hug more than anything!
Harry -
I'd love to hug a Mandrel.
Sarah -
One of the moments that I did find quite menacing is when Romana is staring at the CET projection of Eden and realizes that someone is staring back at her. That was creepy.
Harry -
Yet another character creeping around -- there was a lot of that in this story, which probably why it kept bouncing along. No tedious speeches or fiddling with things. It seemed everyone kept sneaking around or dashing from one room to another, catching other people off guard and causing either hastened explanations, or violence. You'd think with all this action there wouldn't have been a need for the insanely long reprises at the start of parts two, three and four. Insanely long!
Sarah -
You've hit on another fatal flaw of this story -- the padding. It would have been a jaunty three-parter, don't you think?
Harry -
Absolutely.
So many different characters moving about allowed for the mystery of the drug smugglers to be drawn out over four episodes, as the separation of the ships was the first critical situation to resolve. I was amused by Dymond, who seemed to be in almost every scene, standing silently at the back and sulking. He was the perfect counterpoint to Fisk and Costa, the customs officers who arrive on the scene midway through the story (more characters!).
I duly point out here that Costa was played by Peter Craze, brother of Michael Craze aka Ben Jackson.
Sarah -
Nice catch!
The scene where Fisk and Costa discuss their plans to apprehend the Doctor and their inevitable promotion is classic. I love when Doctor Who introduces characters like these to show us that human nature doesn't really change -- whichever parts of the galaxy we may infect.
Harry -
Infect, hah!
Sarah -
Also, they have lovely glittery uniforms. Living in space in the future is going to be fabulous!
Another nice detail is the economy class on The Empress. Of course, there will be economy class in the future! That said, Rigg's dismissal of the Mandrels' attack on the economy-class passengers -- because who cares about economy class -- is chilling.
Harry -
By then, Rigg was heavily under the influence of vraxoin. Once the ships are successfully separated, he is left to sober up and face his inevitable punishments.
Sarah -
Poor Rigg. The vraxoin wasn't even meant for him. Can you imagine what would have happen if it had gotten to Romana, its intended recipient.
Harry -
Imagine the sass!
Meanwhile, we finally learn that Tryst and Dymond were the drug smugglers. Tryst got into it naively hoping to finance his conservation work. As the Mandrels continue their cuddly rampage on the Empress, the smugglers forge an escape, but the Doctor and Romana rig the CET to beam them right back into the arms of the customs officers. And because of all the long reprises, there was no awkward gap left to fill in the end of the story. Hurrah!
Sarah -
Tryst doesn't seem quite the international-drug-smuggling type, does he? Hard to imagine how this could have ended well. I love the moment when Tryst and Dymond realize that the jig is up. You can almost see the "Oh, Shit" thought bubbles over their heads.
Harry -
Overall, I'd say this was a fun story with some good performances, but ultimately let down by the cheapness of the Beeb. In the present day, the CET projections and Eden set would be easy to produce in a flashy way. In fact, we can even go into the past to see how well it could have been done. I'm referring to the amazing jungle sets in "Planet of Evil." And as for two ships materializing together, the TARDIS collided with the space liner TITANIC in spectacular fashion just a few years back. The fact that I kept thinking of ways the story could have been better works against "Nightmare of Eden".
Still, I really would love to hug a Mandrel. They are added to my list of monsters I'd like to see return.
Sarah -
The internet might not survive all that cuteness.
I can only agree with you. It's a fun story, let down by its meagre budget. While the production was a literal nightmare for the crew and the director was pulled off mid-story, "Nightmare of Eden" shows us how a talented group of professionals can make it work in the end.
Harry -
I wasn't aware of the director shuffle on this one. Any more info?
Sarah -
Apparently, Alan Bromly didn't have a good handle on how to direct Doctor Who. He was a bit high-handed with the cast and crew, who were not at all pleased with him -- especially Tom Baker! Graham Williams took Bromly off the story and finished the direction himself, while allowing Bromly to keep the credit.
Harry -
Hmm, who'd have thought Tom might be a bit hard to contain at this point, hah!
In a cracking season I'd say this is the first bump in the road. Hopefully we get back on track with the next one.
Sarah -
A bump in the road, but an enjoyable bump as bumps go.
Harry -
Best Line: "Interfere? Of course we should interfere. Always do what you're best at, that's what I say."
Favourite Moment: the Doctor gets mauled by Mandrels inside the Eden projection.
Lasting Image: Mandrel rampage!
6/10
Sarah -
Best Line: You've taken my favorite, so I'll have to go with a runner-up:
Captain Rigg : "Galactic went out of business 20 years ago."
The Doctor : "I wondered why I hadn't been paid..."
Favorite Moment: The Doctor muttering "Go Away" to Tryst at the end of the story. It was chilling!
Lasting Image: Stott staring out of the Eden projection.
6/10
Our marathon continues with Story #108: The Horns of Nimon...
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