14 Jul 2005, 12:49 am
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 1:
I've always had something of a soft spot for this story. It's one of the earliest Troughton stories I saw, and I always loved it at the time. The length didn't really bother me. It does seem to split opinion though these days, with opinion divided about whether it's great or overllong (though I can't help but wonder how many of the latter are people who madly watch it all in one sitting). I don't know. I haven't watched it in ages. It's one of the one's I've been looking forward to rewatching the most.
It's also one of the first stories I am consciously aware of spotting a structure for. Dicks and Hulke have a very clear game plan to fill their mammoth running time, and I'll cover that in more detail later on. It seems like jumping the gun this early.
Well, what a contrast. This is an example of one of the truly great first episodes. After the tedium of the last six episodes, there seems to be more plot in this one episode than in the whole of the Space Pirates. It's incredibly fast. Consider how much happens in it, and how quick it is to get into the scheme of things. The Doctor and co. have barely arrived before they figure out where they are, meet a local, get into trouble, get tried, sentenced, and put before the firing squad. There's no waiting around here. It's odd that a story this long doesn't seem to be looking for padding yet, with it's breathless pace being almost too fast (there are at least a couple of diversions in the story - the Germans that capture the Ambulance and Zoe's abortive rescue attempt that begin and end so quickly you begin to wonder why they're there). But this is a minor criticism of an episode that just sweeps by.
Also it does a fabulous job of setting up the basic mysteries of the script. Unlike a lot of other stories, which have the Doctor discovering some questions and puzzles and investigating, the oddball moments here - mainly down to Smythe and the variable memories of the soldiers - are treated almost as irrelevant to the episode's central plot. They are additions to the episodes main plot (the regular's trial) rather than part of it. Somehow, this makes them all the more intriguing. It feels like we haven't even brushed the surface of the plot, we haven't even got more than a hint of something else going on, deeper underneath. For the most part, the episode plays itself as a straightforward military drama, and the sci-fi elements are downplayed in contrast. It's great to see a set up that is entirely disinterested in giving us answers. We end this episode without even the faintest hint of what's really going on (and that's rarer than you think - a lot of the time, the part one cliffhanger gives a clue to the overall scheme - 'it's the Daleks behind it', etc. There's usually a vague answer). This sis a script that is really playing it's cards close to it's chest. And we're left with a fabulous cliffhanger. The genuine mystery and 'well get out of THAT' cliffhanger pretty much guarantee the audience is back next week.
There really isn't that much to add. The characterisation is already well defined (the wonderfully evilly named Smythe is all menace, and the officers bumbling but likeable). And the script has humour and heart, it establishes the world instantly and well. To be honest, there's nothing to criticise and as a result, I think I'm going to have to end here. Pretty damn near perfect.
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#233 14 Jul 2005, 11:32 am
The Secretive Bus
Time Lord
Edinburgh
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Re: Day by Day
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Cliffhanger to this one is roughly the same to that of "Androzani" part 1...
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
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#234 15 Jul 2005, 5:26 pm
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 2:
You know, it's odd. You can see something so many times and never notice little details for ages. I get this a lot with Doctor Who novels, funnily enough (I only recently spotted the following: 1) The hand coming out of the grave on the cover of Grave Matter. 2) The fact that the Janus Conjunction cover didn't just feature a planet and nothing else).
The reason I mention this is I spotted something odd about the cliffhanger that I've never noticed before, no matter how often I've seen this story (and I've seen it a lot). Now, I like the cliffhanger and its resolution (I've seen it dismissed as a 'cheat' resolution, but I don't think it is. I think it's a 'trick' resolution, that doesn't contradict anything we saw, but subverts it). So it's not that. It's this. Who is shooting at the firing squad? As far as I can recall, we don't get an answer - there's a vague close up of someone with a headband, but that's about it. The episode guide on OG says the Doctor is rescued by a sudden German attack. Really? Surely they're well behind the front line, at HQ. What's a single German sniper doing that far from the front? Maybe it's one of the resistance fighters we're going to meet later... Perhaps more problematically, why is this thread completely ignored the second the episode card comes up? For all the conversation in the rest of the episode you'd think that the only thing that had happened was that the prisoners had escaped, not the infiltration of their base, which I suspect is more important. It's completely ignored! It remains a niggling little loose end for me.
Generally, this episode is rather fun, however it is a shame to see that already the length is causing difficulties as the episode does seem to desend into repetition. The story is nothing more than capture/escapes (count them if you want - Jamie and the redcoat escape and are recaptured, the Doctor and Zoe escape and are recaptured. Jamie escapes with them. He's recaptured. They all escape again.) none of which take the story vastly further than we were at the start of the episode (we gain Lady Jennifer and Carstairs, which is nice I suppose). In addition, there are a lot of sequences that recur - Ransome in particular seems to go through exactly the same motions every couple of minutes. He has a remarkable habit of walking into rooms just as somebody's trying to escape (this happens three times in the two episodes so far) and a prediliction for wandering into Smythe's office just as Smythe's doing something suspicious (it happens so often in these two episodes you do query why Smythe doesn't just buy a lock - it would seem a sensible precaution). And Smythe has to hypnotise him an awful lot too... No wonder the poor guy can't remember how long he's been there, when he appears to be going through Groundhog Day every twenty minutes.
The repetition and lack of forward focus doesn't really matter in this episode, fortunately, due to several factors. Firstly, characterisation and dialogue is top notch. Each and every single character is beautifully defined, even down to minor bit parts (the prison commander and the redcoat all have their moments with virtually no screen time). Ransome is lovable, Smythe screams menace, and the regulars are on top form. Troughton's authority act is wheeled out again, but it's still as wonderful as ever, so it hardly matters.
Secondly, the mystery element is still well presented. The plotting of these two episodes remains, broadly speaking, that of a WWI historical, rather than as a science fiction serial. We are presented with lots of questions and puzzles (the hypnosis, the technology, the mist, etc.) but all of the obstacles presented to the protagonists are derived purely from the historical world (getting away from prisons, court martials, Germans, barrage, etc), and not from the sci-fi mystery. You could cut the oddball additions and the story would still make sense (at least until they pass through the mist). The sci-fi remains another layer that we can tell we haven't even begun to explore yet. By steadfastly asking more questions with every episode, and refusing anything that comes close to an answer, we're still hooked despite the back and forth plotting. It's not really going anywhere yet, but we know it will be soon. So enjoyable, despite everything.
Dorney
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#235 15 Jul 2005, 5:57 pm
The Secretive Bus
Time Lord
Edinburgh
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Re: Day by Day
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I haven't actually seen this for ages. I have the videos, but the Part 1 cassette is basically missing the first ten-fifteen minutes due to the tape being all scrunched up, and the Part 2 video has dust on it, which manifests at the bottom of the screen the whole way through. Sigh.
I'll just have to wait a few years for the DVD...
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#236 15 Jul 2005, 11:05 pm
Simon Bedford
Formerly Llamastrangler
Hinckley, Leicestershire
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Re: Day by Day
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I so love this story.
It's a shame how Terrance Dicks always seems to be apologising for this story. I know it was a last minute rush job, but frankly I don't care- Uncle Tel and Mac Hulke have given us a well-constructed and fun epic which is the perfect swansong for Pat Troughton. And I love those groovy fridge magnet-operated computers, but I'm getting ahead of myself...
Isn't the acting fab? You can tell the actors are loving the script. The way the bloke playing Ransom delivers the line "I want a word with her..." has stuck in my memory for years. And Noel Coleman's great.
Best of all, this one's great for a long session with a mate or two and much alcohol.
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#237 19 Jul 2005, 8:40 pm
Lee Carey
30 Century Man
The Arena of the Unwell
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Re: Day by Day
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Hi Dorney- just a quick message to say how I've recently discovered your commentaries and how much I'm enjoying them. Its encouraged me to seek out the missing adventures of Hartnell and Troughton.
I'm currently listening to the Dalek Master Plan, which is far better than I thought it would be (indeed, almost the classic that many claimed it to be), and leads me to remark on a review of yours from the old boards. You comment on how Mavic Chen's performance is that it seems uncertain- going from bluster to nervousness very quickly. To begin with, I agreed with you. But more and more he's coming across as a Tony Blair figure- not really a natural leader, but someone who tries to manipulate every position to his advantage, even though most of the time he's winging it and relying oon his natural charisma.
Looking forward to the next part of your views on the War Games.
Regards,
Lee
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#238 21 Jul 2005, 10:31 am
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 3:
One thing I really like about this story is that it's very good at raising the stakes. Even now, three episodes in, we are constantly being presented with new tricks. Watch the way that the first episode comes over as a historical, with mild sci-fi content. The second throws in redcoats and romans. And now we gain our first proper look at the control centre and meet the War Chief. The further the story goes, the bigger it gets as new layers and questions are added.
This episode has a couple of moments where it repeats the problems of the last with that padded feeling raising it's head - the immediate return to the chateau is a bit odd, and the visit to the German trenches seems a fairly exact rerun of episode one, and is irrelevant after about two minutes. Having said that, they both provide some glorious moments. The detailed section of The Doctor blowing up the safe is rather wonderful, mainly due to the way it actually is able to take time over the sequence so we can see precisely how smart and ingenious the Doctor actually is. A smaller story wouldn't have had the time to devote five minutes to this, so size has it's advantages. In many ways this is what works so well about the story. Yes, a lot of minor sequences are repetitive, but so is epic fiction. The Illiad has lots of fights, the Odyssey has lots of sailing. They're about the scale. By taking it's time over everything, by taking the time to explore and look in detail at what's happening, we've get a sense of scale. Each obstacle seems harder to overcome than in a four parter, say, because they take longer to overcome. They keep having to drive for half the episode, already imparting a sense of the story taking place over a huge area. This story simply feels big. For the most part the story is progressing, throughout, just in a detailed way. Finding out the basic concepts of the story this early on is fairly usual, so for us still to be in the dark is rather fine. The scale, combined with the constant raising of the stakes mentioned above, is what keeps this story engaging, even when the script gets caught in minor set pieces (the US civil war attack, for example).
It does also help that even when the story itself gets bogged down, the characterisation and acting are superb. I don't think I can recall a story for a while that seemed to have such a universally excellent guest cast. Even the minor parts (the German soldier that the regulars try to convince is a beautifully bitter sweet cameo) are well played and treated with respect in the writing. I love the way the villains all look like villains - menacing and imposing in appearance - without ever feeling like this is a conscious choice - they all still manage to look human. Well, maybe except the War Chief. The lovely scene where Smythe and Von Weich bicker over battle plans is probably just there to fill in the running time, but it's excellently written and played, and adds a good deal of subtlety and shade to the script. The conspiring leaders playing with lives in a casual way has an acid wit and a rare sense of satire, combined with a subtle darkness (and is faintly reminiscent of those old cartoons with the Coyote and the sheepdog clocking in and out). I adore the idea of villains who have as many squabbles and as much personality as anybody else - far too often their villainy is their only characteristic - here, they may all be villains, but they've got personalities and individuality, and that immediately engages you with the story more. The War Chief is already an engaging character, even if he does dress for a seventies disco, and once again his late introduction serves to intrigue, and heighten the drama. Brayshaw is cool and instantly powerful, demonstrating great presence (once again, he blows away the shadow of Mr Meaker from Rentaghost, practically unrecognisable as the same man) There's always something new to discover with the story (and his reference to the War Lord, and reaction to the time traveller story hints at further developments to come). Carstairs and Lady Jane are top notch guest characters (even if the latter is somewhat relegated to standing around in the background in this episode with little to do). Carstairs in particular is noble and honest, with an engaging brave streak that's usually reserved for the regulars. This character manages to pull off the rare trick of feeling like an equal member of the team. One slight flaw is that Jamie and Zoe are somewhat neglected as well (they're somewhat welded to the Doctor's side and add little), but the splitting up of the team at the end of the episode suggests they're going to come into their own.
So, all in all, terrific fun.
Dorney
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#239 21 Jul 2005, 11:16 am
The Secretive Bus
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Edinburgh
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
(and is faintly reminiscent of those old cartoons with the Coyote and the sheepdog clocking in and out).
That's a Looney Tunes cartoon you're talking about that there, arrr. First time they've been referred to in your reviews.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#240 21 Jul 2005, 2:14 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
That's a Looney Tunes cartoon you're talking about that there, arrr. First time they've been referred to in your reviews.
You know Bus, I love my Looney Tunes. I once wrote a short story featuring the Doctor and the Master clocking off for lunch midway through seperate adventures, based on these particular cartoons. It's still a favourite concept of mine. May have to write it again...
22 Jul 2005, 12:14 am
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 4:
Whilst I'm not really minding the capture/escape patterns of this story (good job too, as that's practically all Jamie and Lady Jennifer do in this episode), it is a little odd that the script does have an odd tendency to make them so short as to be virtually unecessary. This happens twice in this episode. The two J's are captured by one American civil war side... then the other. There's really no need for this, as the second scene could easily be extended. The new soldiers are instantly convinced of their prisoners innocence before they're hypnotised - couldn't it have taken them a tiny bit more persuading? As it is, I'd guess that this might have been the way it was originally written - the first bunch are waiting for a General to give them orders, and that has to be one of the War Lords, surely. Likewise, their recapture after their escape later in the episode, only to be re-rescued by the rebels seconds later seems wasted time.
The reason I'm still liking it so far is because of it's epic structure. Epics tend not to need a strong overall plot push throughout and can afford to be individual set pieces, as long as those set pieces have narratives of their own, and are enjoyable as of themselves. Most of the Civil War subplots go nowhere, but all are well played and written, with enough exciting or cool moments (the reappearance of Von Weich - bafflingly using the same name still - is a particularly nice touch, and Walker's stanfd off with him too). All contribute to the sense of creating a world - this is one of the few Who stories that truly feels like it encompasses more than two or three rooms, containing as many layers as a book could. So what if it's a little short on actual plot - you make up for that in scale anbd depth.
Having said that, this episode is quite good at narrative drive with the revelation that a 'resistance' exist is a major development, as is the Doctor encountering the War Chief for the first time. Whilst Jamie and Jen are mainly filling in time in some admittedly rather entertaining sidebars, the Doctor's side - exploring and getting information - seems rather taut, with no obvious flab. And it does become clear how good the writing and acting is when the story takes a character as functional as the scientist - blatantly only there as an expositional device - and still manages to pull off a quirky, detailed, rounded character. In fact, what could have been a dull scene is rather brilliantly done. The glasses could have looked silly, but ultimately they're a fabulous idea. They impart a sense of otherwordlyness without having to dress the cast like utter fools, put the guys in skirts or some such. And the gleefully smug lecture scene has that playful sinister wit that we saw in the Coyote/Sheepdog scene from part three. It's not going the obvious route, and is willing to make it's villains laughable or quirky, or different - and as a result, every single one is an individual, and genuinely interesting. The scene also manages to take the delightfully funny concept of alien invaders giving lectures on invasion technique, and still undercuts it with moments of menace - the German spies stuff, leading into a fabulously well put together cliffhanger (Saville is wonderfully creepy). It's only marred by the cliffhanger being necessitated by the Doctor's out of character stupidity in lifting his glasses. Like the safe cracking in the last episode, the Doctor chatting to the scientist, getting deep into it, is so unmistakeably Whoish, that you can't help but remember why you love the character so much.
Something I've been failing to mention that I really should - ironically, since this episode doesn't use it - the wonderful music. The 'something odd's happening' theme is a really beautiful and menacing piece of music, and is right up there with the Ark part two cliffhanger for fab scores.
Still great fun, a quality large scale romp, witty and well characterised, but with fabulous moments of menace and darkness. Hugely enjoyable.
Dorney
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#243 22 Jul 2005, 11:54 am
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 5:
There's a famous quote from Raymond Chandler. He once said that anytime he was stuck for where to take a plot, he'd have a guy walk into the room with a gun. This did sometimes lead him into dead ends (wonderfully, even he didn't know who killed one of the victims in The Big Sleep), but generally it seemed to work. Whilst Hulke and Dicks aren't quite doing that, you do get the feeling they're deliberately adding something new each time. This episode we're introduced to the security chief, with the War Lord still waiitng in the wings. Now, a lot of people criticise James Bree's performance in this story, and true it is a little odd (the character seems only to emote through his voice, the rest of his body is bolt upright and stiff, and he only seems to have one level: accusatory) but it is still a result of the well put together characterisation of the story, with all of the villains having distinct identities. His identity is clearly 'barking'. Once again, we get to think of the villains as a race, rather than generic bad guys. But his rivalry with the War Chief seems to hit on gold. Unlike the previous three episodes, which whilst good, have at times struggled to fill their allocated time, this one feels fairly lean. And it remains the detailed level of characterisation, rather than overt plotting, that is filling the time, the story becoming defined by all the cast's inter-personal relationships. The tension between the two characters suggests threads and layers yet to be explored, as does the War Chief's recognition of the Doctor (and vice versa). The rest of the story is giving us the thrills and the spills, and the fights etc., but the story proper is beginning to be driven by the people rather than the plot. What other Who story has a villain deliberately screw over one of the others like the War Chief does at the end of this episode?
And what other story has the nominal heroes fighting and trying to kill each other over an execution, seemingly just from boredom? It's a nice touch that the resistance aren't lily white characters (in fact, this episode noticeably has the villains much more civilised than the heroes ). In fact, the whole idea of a resistance, one already up and running before the regulars arrive adds further to the epic feel. Obviously, a resistance brings to mind echoes of real wars, and that further gives rise to the feeling of scale (aided by the constant stream of new characters in the war zones).
A further point to make is that I love the design of this story. The mad psychedelic walls, the pinhole glasses, the machinery, the fridge magnet control circuitry. It's all delightfully insane. Too often the designers attempt to create a 'realistic' future, with fairly calm designs. These sets and costumes are an explosion of madness. They've completely avoided realism and gone for extreme, pop art designs. It's a great idea, instantly feeling otherworldly and it's fun, but without feeling silly. Also, it offers a very visible, and very vital contrast to the realism of the war zones - imagine if they were both designed in a pseudo realistic style, they'd feel nominally like part of the same world, and the difference is hugely important. The decision to have all the villains wear those small, slightly creepy glasses, and nehru jackets is another nice touch, immediately seperating them again. No alien make up required, it's a simple device that immediately identifies them as different from human without having to make them dress and act like fools - the uniformity being the point. Quite why a bunch of aliens would really require glasses is a bit bizarre, but it does play on all the cliches we associate with spectacles - bookishness, intelligence, calculation - and, combined with their cold calm nature, in contrast with the emotive violence of the rebels, emphasises the distinction between them and the humans: the intellectuals and the fighters.
The regulars are all right this episode - Zoe and Carstairs have to lag around behind the Doctor a lot, but they all get their moments, and Jamie gets to do his stuff again towards the end having hung around a barn not doing much for two episodes. The Doctor has some lovely material with the scientist, duping him again audaciously, but it's a shame that Lady Jennifer is dropped from the story. Sure, she hasn't had much to do since episode three, but that just re-emphasises how weird it is that she's been kept around this long if she isn't going to play a substantial part. The War Chief is still the most interesting character in this script, with more of his backstory being revealed gradually. It's a beautiful, complex performance of a well written character, and is a much under-valued villain, to my mind. Everyone praises your Mavic Chen's and Tobias Vaughns, but they're a little more one note and obviously villainous for me. The War Chief is the most rounded villain so far.
One other point to note that I keep meaning to mention - this story has fabulous cliffhangers. Five episodes in, and only part three's comes close to disappointing (if you ignore the rather poor acting of the Roman extras in part two and their lovely open mouthed hamminess at the start of three). With a couple of fabulous get out of that moments, a tense stand off, a dazzling shifting of the bases, they're really a great set. This one is practically the same concept as part one's, but that doesn't matter. Every time, you are coming back next week. No arguments. In fact, one of the reasons why this write up is so soon after the one for part four is because I genuinely couldn't recall the resolution and I wanted to know. If that doesn't show how enjoyable and fresh this story is, I don't know what does.
Dorney
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#244 22 Jul 2005, 12:51 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day
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I was always of the opinion that the cliffhangers were rather badly edited in this story. You get a wonderful ending sequence, which then just, visually and aurally, cuts off abruptly to black for the credits to roll. The drama always get diffused for me like that. The best 60s cliffhangers always have the theme music fading gradually over the action (watching "The Aztecs" recently I noticed how fab the cliffhangers are - even the end of part 1, which is basically a villain talking and scowling at the camera, is livened up by the doomy music, harsh lighting and the theme music cutting in at exactly the right moment).
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#245 22 Jul 2005, 5:25 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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Actually, that's a very good point. I have found that cut to black a little bit annoying and awkward, but part of me was just sat there thinking 'well, that's cos there's no sting intro into the credits'. But this is mainly because it's been a while since I've seen another story with credits (rather than just hearing them), and you're bang on. Seeds had the credits run over the action... darn, I'll be noticing that more over the remaining five. I wonder if it's because of how the opening episode needed to end (you can't run the credits over that, cos you'll spoil it). It's a shame, as content wise, the cliffhangers are top notch.
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#246 22 Jul 2005, 5:48 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day
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I agree about episode 1, certainly. But episode 2 - Romans rushing over a hill, yelling and crying, dramatic music rising to crescendo - CUT. Then you wait a second and the credits and music starts.
There's the same awkwardness to the first few Pertwee stories as well, before the cliffhanger sting had been invented. Classy cliffhanger which suddenly cuts to the credits in a rather hamfisted fashion. It also takes a while for them to know how to use the sting - in "Ambassadors" and a few others, the action cuts to the credits and only then the sting is heard, which just looks silly. It's a while before we get the "sting plays eerily over action, cut to credits" that we're used to throughout Tom's reign and onwards.
The Hartnell era got away without a sting of course because most of the cliffhangers are ponderous in nature - no immediate action, usually somebody proclaiming something doomladen ("If you are Yetaxa, save him!" "We're leaving without him!" "Hundreds of them sir! In formation!"). Even when somebody is sentenced to death, we get a cut to the companions looking scared whilst some incidental music plays before the credits and theme tune slowly fade in. But it works wonderfully. Cliffhangers like the "Doctor about to be run over by a train" in Deadly Assassin wouldn't have worked in the 60s, and a lot of the 60s ones would have lost their doomy atmosphere if they'd been transferred to the later eras.
There's the difference, I think. Doctor Who in the 60s relies more on generating atmosphere than general action; each episode ends with the culmination of something horrible happening, or a sudden rise in tension. Later in Doctor Who, cliffhangers tend to end with something very sudden happening, like a statue falling on the Doctor, or an Ice Warrior looming out of the mining complex, or a Zygon attacking Sarah. Action rather than emotion.
The Pertwee era is a period of transition as far as this goes. It takes them a while to develop the closing theme music (remember, the 60s episodes always fade out once the credits finish, whilst the theme music from the 70s onwards actually reaches a definite finish - like the "BANG!" for the 80s stories when the stars zoom towards the camera) - indeed, listen to the closing themetune to each of the Spearhead episodes. It's different each time, edited in an exceedingly odd manner, particularly part 1, which alters course only a few seconds in. Then it takes a while to develop the cliffhanger sting, as already said. But the physical content of the cliffhangers alters - some of them are distinctly 60sish, particularly any about a bloke pulling a gun on the Doctor. In the 60s, we'd get a slow close up on his face snarling, whilst the credits ran. In the Pertwee stories (Im thinking "Ambassadors" and "Mind of Evil" here) there's an awkward pause where the character pulls a gun, stands still for a moment, there's some rapid editing showing looks of horror and the gun itself, and the action cuts away, making it all lok a bit farcical, as if the evil bloke has just been standing around for a few minutes doing nothing at all.
Yes I'm going into this in a lot of pedantic detail. And I really have no excuse for doing so. I reckon it's probably because the cliffhanger aspect of Doctor Who was the thing that really hooked me as a young viewer, so its one of the aspects I care most about now.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#247 24 Jul 2005, 11:57 pm
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
I agree about episode 1, certainly. But episode 2 - Romans rushing over a hill, yelling and crying, dramatic music rising to crescendo - CUT. Then you wait a second and the credits and music starts.
Oh, I agree completely. What I'd meant was that by such a cliffhanger being a necessity of part one, maybe the editor just got into that mode. But it does really **** them up. Just watched part six, and it doesn't help...
Dorney
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#248 25 Jul 2005, 12:42 am
Dorney
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Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 6:
It's odd that this episode features the first ever mention of the Time Lords - and it's a throw away line by a fairly minor character who doesn't even have a proper name. Vernon Dobtcheff's scientist is a laugh, but it's not exactly the most significant character to be given the information to impart. Rather wonderfully, you can almost miss it as it gets no emphasis or import (which in a way almost gives it a bit of emphasis by default - why mention the name if they're irrelevant? But then you find yourself in a downward spiral). The axis of the show has suddenly shifted.
The other thing I love about this episode is the fact that it's the first which features an actor I've actually worked with (the marvellous David Troughton). It's interesting that, for me at least, he clearly justifies the casting (not exactly a surprise since the guy is these days one of the greatest actors in the country, and I mean that literally). In the big confrontation scene he's clearly out acting the bloke playing Russell, who remains perhaps the weakest link in the casting (I love everyone else in the story, big or small. Yes, even James Bree).
And again, this counts towards what is becoming my regular comment about this story. This little scene works well because of detail. It looks like a potentially good piece of advice for writers - if you need to stretch, don't fill the story with random meaningless detail, back and forth runabouts... fill it with character. The confrontation scene is between minor characters, a villain, a character two episodes old, and one one episode old. It doesn't directly affect the plot. It shouldn't work. But it comes over beautifully. The efforts to expand bit parts into real people is obviously a consequence of more time than is really required - but in terms of building up the world, and populating that world with real people it scores well. When every person we meet is so well defined, obviously we care about their overall safety. We don't want Moor dead, we don't want Ransome to die, etc.
The plot moves pleasingly, and has stopped feeling too repetitive (ok, the returning for the processor is a bit off, but it's well justified in the script). There's not vast amounts happening, as I've said, but it works because of the time spent on character - mainly meaning the subplots are terrific. I love the Security/War Chief rivalry, as it certainly adds an emotional complexity and sophistication to the script. Troughton himself is superb, and whilst once again the companions are left with little to do, the use of Zoe's memory as a plot point to kick off the next section is a neat idea (which reminds me - I will probably talk about the story structure as promised next episode).
Anything else I could say is really just reiterating things I've said elsewhere (not sure I haven't just done that this time anyway). It's still fun, it's still not boring me. And it feels epic and manages to come across like it deserves its length. Really enjoying it.
Dorney
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#249 25 Jul 2005, 2:23 am
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
It's odd that this episode features the first ever mention of the Time Lords - and it's a throw away line by a fairly minor character who doesn't even have a proper name. Vernon Dobtcheff's scientist is a laugh, but it's not exactly the most significant character to be given the information to impart. Rather wonderfully, you can almost miss it as it gets no emphasis or import
The first usage of "Gallifrey" is given to us in the same sort of low-key manner. Strange, details that the series gave away earlier on in throwaway fashion (Gallifrey, Time lords, even the Monk's appearance, being the first character we see of the Doctor's race who isn't the Doc or Susan, is revealed to us in a comedy story) only become big and important later, where we get books and audios and things obsessed with the stuff...
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#250 26 Jul 2005, 2:04 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 7:
OK, as promised that bit about structure. Mainly because if I don't do it now this write up will end up roughly the same as the last five or so (yadda yadda detail yadda yadda epic yadda yadda characterisation).
There's the famous Robert Holmes statement about how to structure a six parter - a four part story, with a related two parter. So how does one go about structuring a ten parter? Well, after a few viewings of this story, it struck me. The War Games is broken up into four serials. Parts One to Three are, as I observed before, broadly speaking a historical. The threats to the Doctor and co are derived almost entirely from the historical setting. The sci-fi elements add another layer to it, but you could almost take them out and still have a story that makes sense. Parts Four to Six are exploration and investigation of the villains lair (plus civil war hijinks) with the Doctor investigating and collating information. We're now moving into the third section, parts Seven to Nine - the fight back. The fourth part is obviously part ten, wrapping up the loose ends. Each little section has its own pace and function (in deed, each of the four parts could be viewed as an expansion of a regular four part story structure - set up, elaboration, move to crisis, and climax). It's these distinct phases that stop the story from degenerating into a boring padathon: and each section is surprisingly simple. Looking back on parts four to six, it's hard to think that all that much has actually, y'know, happened. But it never seemed boring at the time. I keep saying details, and that's all it is. The script uses the length to expand the scale. As a result, this episode's central conceit - the locating and using of a base of operations - feels like it is part of a massive campaign (once again, properly evoking a massive war, rather than feeling like a couple of sets filled with extras, due to the sheer time required). This is Who at it's most world encompassing, with a scale unseen elsewhere til the novels. This feels like it's a long slog of an adventure for the regulars, no easy answers, a war of attrition. Flaws - well, rather like the Matrix, it does feel uncomfortable to see the death of innocent bystanders being used as pawns by the villains. Morally, I'm not convinced by that...
Phillip Madoc turns up in this episode (I've always found it amusing that the video cover gives huge prominence to characters who don't turn up until the second of the two tapes). It's a terrific, understated turn, full of extreme menace, and is a wonderful contrast to the flamboyance of the War Chief and the mannered barking-ness of the Security Chief. The man himself manages to look creepy, and sound creepy. It's rare to have a villain this obviously creepy (most tend to fit the War Chief fold, which is fun but hardly scary). The scenes where this quiet, rather ordinary looking man (with his oddly lensed glasses and neat beard he looks like a geography teacher) can command the more theatrically villainous types and deal out death and destruction, are utterly chilling. A blatant example of the 'less is more' school, this man instantly feels evil.
It's nice to see that Smythe does get a comeuppance (even if it does mean some of his scenes reek a little of repetition). He seems more noticeably incompetent this time, but that's quibbling. It's good that the story is taking the proper time to despose of all it's villains, even if they've effectively been abandoned by the plot. Again, this adds to the feel of a properly constructed epic, with things being set up for long pay offs. In deed, the plot construction is beautifully done in this regard. Whilst a lot of it was almost certainly written on the hop, the threads are nicely pulled together (using Zoe as a mechanism to get the resistance together, for example).
Still great fun.
Dorney
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#251 27 Jul 2005, 12:46 am
Dorney
Time Lord
Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 8:
And there we go. A couple of hundred episodes in and we get the explanation. The Doctor stole his TARDIS, is a Time Lord, and a fugitive. The series mythos is irrevocably changed. Once again, it's rather wonderfully understated. Although obviously I already knew the answers, it's quite strange to watch this episode and still get a sense of how big the revelation is, because it is something of a 'gosh' moment when watched chronologically.
The revelation comes mid way through a scene between the Doctor and the War Chief. It's rather a surprise that it's taken them this long to properly meet and talk. The psychological study, the shading of the relationship, is rather nicely done, it has to be said. Once again the story uses it's extra time to explore character, and for the first time in ages a lot of that is exploration of the Doctor - precisely where his loyalties lie, his alien nature, his own reasons for his existence. This is probably what makes the scene feel so significant even now. Finally, someone is exploring his nature and from a position of knowledge, a position of power. Again, it does help that this story is long enough to take the time to make proper character studies. But I've said that before. What's worth watching though is Troughton. In this episode in particular he gets to play a slightly different take on the Doctor. It's still recognizably the same character, but there's a noticeable seriousness of manner, and a greater level of complexity as you see his soul being reached. It's a subtle, powerful performance, kicking in the greater emotional stakes that will lead to the regeneration. The scene also gives us a slightly overdue explanation for the basic plotline. It is a bit of a barking concept, to be honest, and hardly screams ten-parter, but it's played well and is no more ludicrous than a lot of the regular Who schemes. It's implementation of the ideas that counts, and the story still revels in its length and scale, taking the time to create an entire world's worth of plot.
It's also clear that there's still time enough left for a bit of humour, mainly with Jamie and Zoe. The fact that they've slightly dropped out of the plot is covered by their chat with the somewhat hammy Villar, in a relatively amusing scene. Most of the rest of their scenes in this episode end with them grinning at various amusing ideas. One thing it must be observed about these scenes though is that none of them are gaggy. In all case the jokes, like most good comic writing, is derived from the situations they find themselves in, rather than punchlines. It's good to have these in, because the further the story goes the darker it gets, and there's precious little humour in the base scenes.
Beyond the regulars, the guest cast are generally ok still. Carstairs and the War Lord impress most distinctly. I love the way the former is now the head of the resistance (even if it is at the expense of giving Jamie and Zoe anything to actually do), with him coming over as a very solid hero, second only to the Doctor in terms of driving the story. I love the fact that again a supporting character has a clear arc - from mildly bumbling to brave fighter to resistance chief, quite an arc for a guest character. And in the villains base, whilst the Security Chief is beginning to get on my nerves (it's a desperately one note performance. The rivalry is kind of interesting, but four episodes along it's got a little old hat), the War Lord maintains his creepy relaxed feel. It's a good example of the banality of evil, as his mild smugness and self satisfaction, his callous arrogance are all casual, and utterly hateful as a result. You know, iIt's seldom that a Who story is driven mainly by character rather than plot. But it really is in this case. The content and drama of the story, particularly within the base, is driven and pushed by the character interaction, not really from a vastly pacey plot. You're absorbed by what's going to happen to the characters next, not what the next beat in the plot is - and once more, how many stories can boast that the psychology and moral debate rests with the villains. With their central base, and the resistance trying to find a way in, this is essentially the archetypal 'base under siege' plot in reverse, even to the degree that the central plot focus belongs to those under siege, the villains. It's not surprising that they're all genuinely more interesting than Russell and Villar. The overall plot, the War Games themselves, are all frankly irrelevant in comaprison to the main plot - an alien power struggle that the Doctor gets caught up in. It's genuinely a psychologically rich story.
I haven't mentioned the War Chief in that blurb, but that's not because I don't like him. It's still a fabulous performance, suave, sophisitcated and urbane, evil with charm and a pointy beard. Remind you of anyone? You know, the more I watch this, I'm convinced that the character is actually the Master himself. Regardless of authorial intention. The two are just too similar for it to be coincidence. It would make sense... and it feels right in a way that the suggestion of the Monk being the same guy just doesn't somehow.
Well, off to bed now. Really looking forward to part nine...
Dorney
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#252 29 Jul 2005, 12:26 am
Dorney
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Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day
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The War Games 9:
There's a mild problem with this episode. In fact there are a couple but we'll get to the niggling ones in a bit. First is the fact that after the plot kind of promising a big rebellion/face off, goodies vs baddies rumble for a couple of episodes, it doesn't really happen. The Doctor organising the resistance, Zoe's memory of her interrogation, etc., have all been subconsciously promising this as the place we're going for a few episodes now. But when it comes down to it, the big scale revolution doesn't really affect the plot resolution (a throwaway line is put in to suggest that the lack of guards helps, but this is lip service really). It wouldn't have required much - the other rebels breaking in in the last few moments to capture the War Lord say, but it doesn't happen, and it's a little unsatisfactory dangling thread.
One of the reasons that this matters less than it should is that otherwise the climax is well written and rather effective. I've been banging on for a while that the story fills it's time by creating threads based around character interaction rather than meaningless running around. It uses the space to create extra subplots and backgrounds for all the characters. As a result, it's worth noting that, satisfyingly, this is a Doctor Who story where the villains are defeated through their own personalities. They are defeated by the character interaction. The War Chief/Security Chief rivalry isn't just a subplot, it ties in directly at the end. The Doctor acts as a catalyst, true, but ultimately he doesn't directly need to defeat the villains plans, they do it themselves (as has been observed before the first episode cliffhanger resembles that of Androzani - this death by hubris scenario has a similar feel as well). Of the three main villains, the two that are killed are killed by two of the others and none of the goodies need to raise a hand. The Security and War Chiefs are so focused on themselves they forget the bigger picture. Petty rivalries mean that the plan fails and they end up dead (whilst James Bree's death is unsurprisingly hammy, Brayshaw gets a classic - his panicky self justification even as he tries to run away, combined with the War Lord's cold indifference is rather brutal and sadistic - it's almost possible to feel sorry for him).
As a result of this, the Doctor and co have little to do but mop up in this episode. You could argue again that it contains echoes of real wars - with the petty squabbles of those in control playing out over the ordinary people trying to live. The Doctor's concern moves purely to the rescuing of the soldier. This is one of the other little problems I mentioned earlier - when it comes down to it, the Doctor is fighting to send all these people back to war zones, and just as probable death. Isn't that a touch problematic? (And why does Carstairs try to find Jennifer in his own zone - surely she was in the Civil War Base last we heard?)
The other problem I have is that the plot requires all of the villains to suddenly become morons. With no good reason they all suddenly decide that the Doctor's on their side, and he can start converting all the rebels without any proper supervision or medical back up (a couple of guards who can't be expected to understand the process in detail hardly count). Special stupid awards go to the War Chief (who can't spot Jamie's obvious acting) and the War Lord (who seems to distrust the Doctor from the get go - saying he has a 'silver tongue' - yet still lets him wander around doing vital work). It's a shame, because they both are terrific villains, and this plot requirment for their stupidity seems to wimp out a touch.
The major mention for this episode has to be the Time Lords though. The gravity they are talked of with, and the Doctor and War Chief's fear of them, are genuinely intriguing. After six years, they really did need to pull something massive out of the bag for the answers, and the portentous feel of a lot of this episode indicated it'll be good (the strange sound signifying their imminent arrival is particularly creepy and evocative). Even knowing what's coming you still get swept up in the fear and tension. Once again, the cliffhanger really is one where everyone is coming back next time.
Dorney
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#253 31 Jul 2005, 1:10 am
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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About 48 hours late, due to my computer playing silly buggers... thank the lord I'd save the draft before posting...
The War Games 10:
Well, goodbye Mr Troughton. It's been rather fun following you. The second Doctor has always been my favourite, and I've thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering him. It is weird watching the show in order how odd the transition seems. I'm not sure the change over to Pertwee will seem... mainly because my viewing of this era has been somewhat less compact, but also I've seen the debut of two new Doctors on the telly since... But there ya go. He was fantastic.
This is, obviously, one of the iconic, seminal episodes of the show. We do get the full, proper explanation of who the Doctor is and why he left. To be honest, it's not entirely convincing, with his desire for adventure seeming to be a more distinctly Troughtonesque trait than Hartnellesque - at the very least early Hartnell. But it still works pretty well, tying up all the questions we've wanted answers to. It just remains a shame that this episode doesn't quite have enough plot to fill its entire length. The opening 'running from the Time Lords' montage of classic clips and poor stock footage goes on less than I thought it did, and to be fair, the story does need a proper attempt from the Doctor to escape otherwise the Timelords get no opportunity to demonstrate their power properly (quite how they manage to operate the TARDIS remotely when it was established this lessened it's life I'm not sure). The bigger problem is the second escape attempt with the crew running through a group of steam baths, which is utterly pointless. In a clear repeat of the first couple of this story's episodes, it's resolved so quickly you've no idea why they bothered. Maybe they didn't want the Doctor to give in easily or wimp out without a fight... but surely that's what the first few minutes are about. It doesn't help that to get to that situation one of the all powerful Time Lords has to forget to switch a force field back on. I think on the whole I would have preferred a little more development of the Doctor's goodbyes to his companions.
I think that the exits of Jamie and Zoe are probably my least favourite of the series. Even notoriously poor off-screen exits like Dodo or Ben and Polly, or sudden romances and random decisions like Leela or Steven, have something on them. It's because I really dislike the wiping of the memory. Especially with a team so mutually warm, and even then especially with Jamie. These people have got on so well and are such good friends that to take that from them seems a little needlessly nasty to me. It's so easily dismissive of characters we've come to love, and their own emotional journeys that have been important to us. Ah well, what's done is done.
One thing I noticed watching this is that it's rather effective the way this episode is still clearly part of the same story as the previous nine. A lot of guides suggest that it is two distinct stories, but the appearance of the War Lord and the fact that a good third of the episode focuses on him emphasises this. Again, it's a structural thing. After a story climaxes, it needs a cooling down period that deals with what everyone did next, who went where, etc. Now, if a story has been long, it can get away with a longer cool down, and in many ways should (there's nothing more irritating with a book that's been building to it's end for eight hundred pages - and then wraps up what happened to the characters in two pages flat. It's too quick). The clearest literary example I can think of is Lord of the Rings, where the defeat of Sauron comes about two thirds of the way through the third book. The rest is the sweeping up of the floor, the tying of loose ends. That's what this episode is - the cool down from the epic. Imagine if the story had finished with part nine. After three and a half hours, it would seem annoying abrupt, wouldn't it? This final episode needs to close it off, despite the fact there's no good reason to have had the War Lord reappear (we'd have assumed he got a just punishment). As it is, we get a lovely set of scenes with Madoc pulling out all the stops in a rant of beautiful glory. The War Lord is a much underrated villain I think. Arrogant and unpleasant, he's also very real in a way the show's villains never manage to be. His ultimate fate is suitably and enjoyably cruel without being nasty and his final panic delicious.
The Time Lords are pretty impressive (well, ok, the Timelords bar that technician who gets killed but clearly hasn’t been paid the extra money to make him a speaking part, and so offers one of the two most pathetic ‘don’t kill me’ moment in the show’s history – the other being the very similar one at the start of ‘Creature from the Pit’). Watched in context, it is hard not to see the point those 70s fans had. The Time Lords of this story are all but Gods, powerful and controlling, and a world away from the bickering and silly hats. They seem beyond us, whereas the latter versions are all too human. I'm not saying that I particularly prefer these versions (they are something of a cliche), I'm just saying I can see the point. Boring gods, or humdrum human likes. Tough call. As far as this story requires them to go they are very good though, immediately suggesting great power with very little effect (probably due to their casual displays of strength and others fear of them, rather than their actual appearance or anything like that). The individual performances convey this god like detachment without blandness, and that’s tougher than it sounds.
And at the end we have the regeneration. It's odd to spot that, no matter how often people say that the defence speech is breathtaking, it isn't that great. Once again, we just get a lot of pictures on a backcloth. Troughton is always good value, but his defence is shorter than you think. It's good, with one or two lovely lines, but it's not the classic speech of memory. The face parade is gloriously funny though (even if it's hard to tell how it squares with continuity - though it does potentially help people troubled by Romana's multiple regenerations if you take it to mean that in a non-forced regeneration, the face can be selected). And Troughton does succumb to a bit of gurning, making the similar moments for McCoy seem less attackable.
Overall, it's an acceptable episode, slightly lacking in any material or plot beyond it's iconic power, but perfectly enjoyable as a tidying up episode. The story itself is gloriously entertaining and sweeping in it's scale, filled with great characters and set ups. Huge unashamed fun, filled with battles and excitement, it reminds you of why you loved the show as a kid - it's gleeful escapism of the highest quality, only really poor if you're a nutter who decides to watch it all in one go. As a finale to the era, it earns it's place suitably, and is easily the best story of the season. Recommended.
Dorney
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#254 31 Jul 2005, 2:41 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day
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Quote:
Boring gods, or humdrum human likes. Tough call.
You could argue that the Time Lords you see here are their public persona, the way they like to present themselves to everybody else in the Universe. When we get to Gallifrey, they don't have any need to put on a show for each other, so we see the "real" Time Lords. I mean, compare them to humans. The majority of the human race is a lot of ordinary people meandering about their day to day life - yet in the Who universe, they're one of the most spacefaring and expansive races there are. Different faces for different places, and all that.
Oh, and when you review "Spearhead", I'll be most upset if you don't devote a whole paragraph to Talfryn Thomas's breathtakingly emotive and gripping performance as Mullins. You have been warned.
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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.
- "Face of Death" by Sparacus
"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus
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#255 31 Jul 2005, 2:56 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day
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I'll hopefully be onto Spearhead 1 later today. Not sure yet. But I'll try my best.
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